> Return to Society
>  by Silent Sir 224
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The First Step
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dear Dusk Light,
It certainly has been a long road you have progressed since the incident those three years ago, I know how you feel about the subject so I won't discuss in further detail. I have seen you strengthen yourself mentally and physically to make sure that history will repeat itself, the time has come to begin your final trial. In order to prevent your power slipping out again you must return to civilization and become a part of society again. I understand how you must feel betrayed by the world as it turned its back on you three years ago, but you must let go of that if you are truly going to be free to live a normal life. So, for the first step I have decided that you will go to a town called Ponyville, there is a unicorn there named Twilight Sparkle who will no doubt assist you in your final test. She lives at the library there so it will not be a challenge to find her, the town is two days' time from your home in the Everfree Forest. I have arranged for you to stay at the inn at my expense, that decision is final for I will not have you paying for the room when you haven't had a job for the past three years. Just focus on adjusting to the new surroundings.
Your Mentor, Princess Celestia


Upon reading the letter his mentor had sent, Dusk felt every emotion fill his spirit and left him nothing if not speechless. The idea of returning to the world that abandoned him all those years ago, it was an unimaginable thought, to be able to let go of all of the pain and anger that had been with him since his exile. Still, if he learned anything in his two years of training, it was not to question the word of his mentor. If she said he was going, he was going even if she had to drag him out of there herself. He began to pack for the journey ahead of him. 

His life in the Everfree Forest taught him an important lesson about traveling, pack light and pack only the necessities. He rummaged through his hand-built home, taking everything he would need to travel the length of the forest: every morsel of food he could carry, his knife, a number of survival books, his tent and hand-crafted bow. He had only one item with him that would not aid him with his survival, his last link to his old life, a photo of himself with his parents back when he was a young colt. 

He prayed each night for their safety, even if they would never want to see him again, he still couldn't forgive himself for what he had done to them. He also prayed that he would never let it happen to anyone else as long as he lived, even if it meant living in exile for the rest of his days in that infernal forest. It would be a small sacrifice to protect everyone from his gift.

Okay, he thought. I have to at least try, this is the only way I'll ever even have a chance of seeing them again. The only way to go is forward, one hoof in front of the other. Even if I can't let the pain go I have to push past it for them. I can do this, just keep a level head and remember what I learned.

And with that Dusk left his cozy dwelling and headed for the road, which was a mile away, to keep himself from being seen by any travelers. Even though the only pony seen moving on that path since exile was a peculiar looking Zebra that seemed to live in the same forest as himself. He worried more about bumping into some pony than meeting any animal in that forest. The creatures in the forest knew about Dusk and where he lived, but they had been too afraid to try to attack him for at least a year. 

But, that didn't stop him from exercising caution, this place was nothing if not unpredictable. After an hour of moving through the thick brush the path became visible, the coast appeared clear and the decision was made to slip onto the path that moment. The path was rugged and winding and only slightly better to walk on compared to slipping through the flora alongside it. He followed the path for a number of hours until Celestia's sun was beginning its descent in the western sky, then it was decided that it was time to set up camp for the night. Even after constant travel, sleep eluded him that night, for two reasons: One, the thought of interacting with other ponies for the first time in three years completely racked his brain all through the night. Two, the constant chirp of the nocturnal creatures buzzing in his ears that was capable of driving the more sleep deprived mad.

The next morning, the forest was quiet, too quiet to be natural.  Dusk shot up out of his tent, silence meant only one thing here, a large predator was nearby looking for something to eat. Thinking fast he decided to leave some food to keep the beast distracted, the choice was simple either eat lightly for the next day or risk being attacked and losing the entire ration. Dusk had no idea what predator was nearby, but he knew it didn't matter, the camp was packed in the lesser half of a minute, minus a pile of greens, berries and nuts. 

The food wasn't going to distract the beast for too long so swiftness was of the utmost importance at this moment. No way he was going to be put down by any kind of animal. Dusk pushed his legs to the limit as the sounds of snaring slowly grew louder behind him. Timberwolves? Great, just when I think I have enough on my plate. I can't take them all in a fight.If it was just one that would be child's play. But, a pack of them would tear me apart if I try to confront them. 

Though, the letter sent by the princess stated that the trip would last two days and arrival would be on the eve of the second day. What she didn't take into account was Dusk running at full speed for most of the trip. All of his focus was put into the path in front of him, as the sounds of snarling and growling seemed to keep getting progressively louder as he ran. 

After what felt like hours of sprinting, the sounds of predators were upon him. Looks like they got me.No other options, I have to fight. Dusk's horn gave a dark blue glow as a knife floated out of his pack. Three... two... one! He pulled himself to a stop and turned around to meet his attackers. Three timberwolves came to a stop ten feet away from him. Each one looked to be made out of wood, twigs and leaves. They stood a few inches taller than Dusk and were a bit longer too. Only three? That's good, I should be able to get out of this.

One of the creatures lunged at him, foolishly as a knife was prepared to meet it. Said knife thrust into the beast's chest, stopping it cold a few feet away. Dusk tackled it, propelling it into a tree, where it fell to pieces on impact. The second approached slowly, closing the distance between them to get it's claws into him. It started swiping at the pony relentlessly. Each claw was dodged easily, until he got a little careless and got clipped in his shoulded. Ignoring the pain, Dusk put the knife into one of it's paws. The resulting whimper and cowering showed that it was hurt, he finished the job by hitting the neck. Like with the first, it fell apart into collective pile of branches and twigs. Before he could get a chance to rest, the third one was already pouncing on top of him! It's too fast! I have no choice... Mentor, I'm sorry. Just before the wolf could land, a bolt of lightning shot from Dusk's horn. It impacted the beast and sent it flying a good distance into the air before landing deeper in the forest. A sharp pain in his temple formed and forced him to wait a moment before continuing.

Celestia's sun blazed onto the land showing that it was roughly noon. After limping for another hour, a few buildings appeared on the horizon. Thank Mentor, I made it! A little worse for wear but nonetheless, I made it! His victory was short lived as his shoulder continued to drip blood down his leg. Behind him a thin red line was left in the path, showing just how much and how long that he had been bleeding. I should really get this wound wrapped. Medicine never was a strong suit for me. The whole day's journey was completed in less than half the time, at the edge of the forest Dusk had spotted a stream and praised the princess of the sun for a cold drink. At the stream he had quenched his thirst and cleaned his wound. It still looked pretty bad, but the area wasn't holding any vital veins or arteries. A simple bandage would take care of it, hopefully. With that situation under control, for the moment, he limped slowly into the town of Ponyville.
> An Unconventional Introduction
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	With his foreleg injury cleaned up, Dusk was curious to see how the world had changed over the two years he had exiled himself in the Everfree Forest. But, his main concern was interacting with the ponies here, carrying a conversation wasn't what worried him. He was literate and spoke properly, Celestia didn't allow his mind to become dull when he was training his body. What he was worried that ponies still had remembered what he did. Also the possibility that they would try to run him out of town before he could explain himself. The tabloids ate up what happened and portrayed him as some senseless beast. But, he hoped at the very least that he could at least get some medical attention before it happened.

His eyes were fixed on the ground, focusing on his train of thought. Unfortunately, said train was instantly derailed with an obstruction in his path. A young mare with a pale yellow coat and  long pink mane and tail had run into him and hit his injured leg. Upon regaining his composure, Dusk felt a fresh sting coming from his wound, but ignored it, showing more concern for the one who ran into him.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay!?" The mare said as she was helped back on her feet. "I'm sorry I was just in a hurry because I promised to meet someone here and I'm late and..." She noticed a blood stain in the fur on her shoulder, then looked at the wound that had transferred from. "Ohmygosh! Oh my gosh! I did that!? No, no, no come with me! We need to take care of that right now!"

Before Dusk could protest, explain or even say anything in general, he found that he was being dragged to a cottage just outside town. Presumably this mare's home, the entire way she kept apologizing and begging for his forgiveness. After a few minutes of her pleads, he couldn't take it anymore.

"Ms. please stop! I was injured before I came here! You didn't hurt me I promise!" Dusk explained, it didn't stop her from dragging him. It just caused her to go quiet as she took him prisoner. He wasn't complaining though, she was pretty cute, despite her less than calm demeanor. Once they got to the door, she all but threw him inside.

Upon entering the cottage dusk noticed two things: One, the home had at least two dozen creatures inside rushing to greet Fluttershy. Two, she was talking to them and, as far as he could tell, they understood what she was saying. "Take a seat on the couch and don't move! I will be right back!" Dusk did as she asked and sat down, placing his pack down next to the couch. The mare vanished behind a doorway and returned almost as quickly as she left with a white box with a red cross on it. She pulled out a brown bottle of liquid and a wrap of gauze and sat next to him. "This might sting a little." She dabbed the liquid on a cloth and rubbed the cloth on the wound. Jolts of pain followed. The pain was minor, compared to the journey he had to walk with the injury. Peroxide? It looks like she knows how to deal with injuries. Looks like I can skip the hospital visit, thankfully. She finished cleaning the wound and began wrapping gauze around his arm.

"There, does that feel alright?" She asked after she finished.

Dusk flexed the foreleg, testing the mobility. "Yes, thank you. You did a much better job than I could have."

The mare blushed a little at the compliment, though she tried to hide it behind her long pink mane. "Now, I need to know, how did it happen? If you want to aanswer I mean."

"It's the least I could do for your help, just promise you will stay calm," she nodded. "I ran into a few timberwolves... things didn't go as well as I would have hoped. And before you ask, the wolves were much worse for wear."

"Timberwolves?! How many!? Where were you!? The Everfree Forest!? Oh my gosh... what were you doing in there!?" She shouted, although, it wasn't particularly loud.

"Please relax miss, I asked you to stay calm."

"S-sorry, it's just the Everfree is really dangerous. What were doing in there?" she asked in a more composed tone.

"I was going from my home there to this town. I was chased for some time before three of them managed to catch up to me. I didn't have any option other than to defend myself. And, as you can see, one of them got a good swipe in on me."

"That's terrible! Wait, did you say you live in the forest? The most dangerous place in all of Equestria, is your home!?"

"Yes... I live there. Or did, anyway." Dusk explained.

"Did? Where are you living now?"

"I have a room at the inn prepared in town."

She pondered for a moment. "Is your name Dusk, by chance?"

Dusk's blood chilled and visibly flinched at her question, a million possibilities flooded his brain as to how she knew that information. Do ponies remember? Oh no, what happens now? I get chased out of town? Mobs with pitchforks and torches? Something out of Marey Shelly? "Y-yes, h-how did you know that?"

"My friend Twilight was assigned to help you here by Princess Celestia, she asked her friends to help make you feel more welcome. That's why I ran into you, I was suppose to look for you in case you came here earlier than we thought." She blushed at the thought of the incident. "I suppose that it's a good thing that you were the one I was looking for. Otherwise, you would have just wandered into town and we would have had to look for you."

He immediately relaxed at the explanation. Thank Celestia, my sins are dead and buried here. Hopefully, it stays that way. "Okay," Dusk gave a sigh of relief. "That's really good to hear."

"What?" The mare tilted her head in confusion.

He was forced to quickly come up with an answer that didn't involve an explanation as to what he had done. And the only other thing on his mind was the pony he was talking to. "Well... I have a very pretty mare here to help me feel more welcome. That's never a bad thing." He inwardly face hoofed at what he just said, even if it was true, it wasn't the right thing to say.

"I suppose... but you think Twilight is pretty?" 

"Well, I don't know I have never seen before." I already slipped up once, I might as well accept it. Better to compliment than hurt her feelings.

"Wait, you think I'm... pretty?" She tried to hide her blush behind her mane again.

"Well, yes. Do you think I could get the name of such a pretty mare?" He decided to continue the attempt at smooth talking. It couldn't hurt to compliment her, especially since she was one of the few ponies who were actually willing to help him.

"It's, um, Fluttershy." She trailed off at the end.

"Pardon?" He leaned in closer.

"I'm Fluttershy."

"Flutter..."

"Shy."

"Fluttershy?" She nodded. "Fluttershy, that's a cute name."

Fluttershy's blush increased and she started to smile. "I, um... thank you." And, now I'm interested, she is just too adorable when she smiles like that.

"I'm just speaking the truth," he smiled back at her. "Don't thank me for doing that."

"Oh, I'm sorry." She fully retreated behind her mane.

"Hey, it's okay." He looked out the window and noticed the night approaching. "Did you say that you were waiting for me, for Twilight?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, how upset would she be if I didn't show up at all today?"

Fluttershy covered her mouth with her hooves and gasped. "We probably should get to the library, now!"

Well, if this Twilight Sparkle is anything like the Princess, then one thing is certain. I'm screwed!
> Like Teacher, Like Student
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The thought of being so late to meet the Princess' student sent a shiver up Dusk's spine, I don't want to think about what's going to happen, he thought. I don't know if she'll cause me to go deaf or worse! Fluttershy must have noticed Dusk's increasing anxiety with every step, he was sweating bullets and began to shake a little. She stopped and turned back to face him, she knew she had to say something before he gave himself a heart attack.

"Everything will be fine, don't worry" she said. "Twilight's a good friend of mine, she will be a little upset but when we explain the situation I'm sure she will understand." These kind words allowed Dusk to calm down a little, Fluttershy's right, he thought. As long as she is with me when I meet Twilight, I might get off alright.

"Thanks, I needed to that," Dusk admitted. "Was it really that obvious?" As she started walking on, Dusk could have sworn he had heard her giggling, making him blush slightly. He followed closely behind as darkness was approaching, many houses had their lights turned off already, but one building stuck out among the rest. A tree re-purposed to be a house sat with one ominous light on. It was clear that was the building where the two were headed.

The final steps to the library were the most difficult for Dusk in a long time, the last time he had anywhere near this much trouble was his first steps into the Everfree Forest. Only this time, he had Fluttershy with him instead of Celestia and for that he was grateful. On the final step, he felt a lump formed in his throat as he held up his hoof to knock, the door slid open and his pupils shrunk.

The door was open and a purple unicorn was standing in front of him, showing a shade of red that he couldn't have imagined. She was screaming in a voice that would have put the Royal Canterlot Voice to shame. "WHERE IN THE NAME OF CELESTIA HAVE YOU BEEN? I HAVE BEEN WAITING ALL DAY FOR YOU TO GET HERE!"

If the pegasus next to him was even a little startled by that windfall, she certainly showed no sign of it. Dusk on the other hand simply bowed his head in shame, the same way he did when he was yelled at by the Princess. The only difference was, that it was not at that high a volume.

Fluttershy walked into the library and gestured for Twilight to follow her inside. Leaving Dusk on the front step before closing the door behind her, the silence that followed inside the library left him confused as to what was happening. After roughly a minute of apparent silence the door opened again. This time the unicorn was a much lighter shade of red, not so much in anger but perhaps embarrassment. Fluttershy was standing behind her with a small smile on her face Thank Celestia that Fluttershy was here, Dusk thought. I don't want to think about what would happen if she wasn't. I owe her so much right now. Maybe dinner... wait. Stop right there, you need to re-adapt not find love.

The unicorn looked down at Dusk on the door step, "Come inside please," She directed. "We have much to discuss." Dusk followed the directions into the library and found a seat at one of the tables with the two mares sitting on the opposite side. He prepared himself for the imminent scolding he was about to receive. "My apologies, I hadn't realized Fluttershy was helping treat your injury from today," the unicorn stated. The statement blew right through Dusk, he had expected something different. But then again, he was being treated for a wound, one would be hard pressed to not to allow the excuse.

"I am terribly sorry, time seemed to get away from me," Dusk confessed. 

"Twilight, is everything alright down there?" A voice called from further in the library.

"Yes, Spike. Come down here for a minute, there's someone here you should meet."

A small, purple dragon with green spines came from the stairs and approached the three. "Hey, who's the unicorn?"

"Spike this is Dusk. Dusk, this is my assistant Spike. If you need his help don't be afraid to ask."

"Whoa, wait a minute! I never agreed..." Twilight gave him a silencing glare. "I mean... yeah if you ever need anything I'm usually here. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get some sleep." With that Spike walked up the stairs and vanished. He must have been worn out to leave without giving Dusk a chance to at least say hello. But he paid it no mind as there were more important things happening.

"So I am under the impression that you are Twilight Sparkle and that Princess Celestia had sent you a letter enclosing the details of myself, my time here and the purpose of my visit here. Correct?"

"Yes," Twilight answered. "She also explained that you have had a terrible time these past few years, care to elaborate? I want to fully understand the situation you are in."

"I... I'm sorry but I can't," he sighed, fighting the emotion that was trying to force it's way out. "It's... it's too painful right now. It's been five years since it happened, and I still can't bring myself to talk about... them."

"Talk about who Dusk?" Fluttershy asked.

"My... my parents."

"Oh my... I understand if you don't want to talk about it. But, do you know if they are... still here?"

"I, uh, don't follow."

"Have they, um, passed on?"

"Oh, well, I, uh... I don't know," Dusk admitted.

"You don't know?" Twilight asked, dumbfounded. "How do you not know?"

"I just... I just don't, okay?" He really didn't want to answer that question.

"How can you go five years without talking to them? Did they do something?"

"N-no."

"Well, there has to be a reason. What happened?"

"Twilight, stop," Fluttershy requested.

"Dusk, what happened?" She ignored her friends request.

"Twilight," Fluttershy tried to get her attention again.

"Did you do something?" Dusk just shook his head and covered his ears, in a futile attempt to stop hearing the questions. They were breaking down his resolve to keep it in."What did you do to have no contact for five years!?"

"Twilight!" It became more of a demand than a request.

"What. Did. You. Do?"

"I PUT THEM IN HOSPITAL, OKAY?!? THERE I ADMIT IT!" The two were taken aback as Dusk lost control of his emotions. Tears broke through the dam and flowed freely down his cheeks and falling to the floor. "I... I put them in the hospital!"

"Twilight! We need to talk, now!" Fluttershy demanded, before the unicorn could protest the pegasus dragged her into another room in a similar fashion she dragged Dusk to her home. 

Despite being in a separate room, he could hear plenty. But, that was probably a good thing, considering any thought he had at that point involved some form of an angry mob chasing him out with pitchforks and torches. I had to read that story didn't I?

"What do you think you were doing!? You can't just do that to ponies! Especially, ones who have gone through so much!"

"I was learning more about him."

"That wasn't learning, that was interrogation, Twilight! Why do you think he kept saying that he didn't want to talk about it!? Why would he hide something if it wasn't worth keeping to himself!?"

"I needed to know."

"You had no right to press on him so hard! How traumatic do you think that is for him!? We are suppose to be helping him, remember!? Celestia asked us to help him readjust and to be his friends, and you were sitting there, grilling him for information! You have no right to interrogate him or anyone else!"

"Why are you getting so upset?"

"Because... because... because I know what it's like to be all alone! To be all alone and have no one there to help!" What?

"Fluttershy..."

"No, Twilight! If you want answers, we do this my way, not yours! You can't possibly relate to what he's been through! Maybe I can't relate either but I at least understand! From here on I ask him questions! If he doesn't want to answer a question, we drop it right there! No prodding and no pressuring!"

"But-"

"No, you've pestered him enough as it is, tearing open an old wound like that. We do this my way, or I take him to his room at the inn! No middle ground, no exceptions, got it?" He heard a hoof tap the ground, as if to emphasize the point.

"...Yes, Fluttershy, I understand."

"Good, now let's go make sure you didn't hurt him too much. Just apologize and listen, that's the best way for you to learn anything about him at this point. You have no reason to say anything else right now."

The two re-entered the main room and sat back down. Like she said, Fluttershy handled the questions, "Are you okay, Dusk?"

"Y-yeah, I'm... I'm better now, at least," he confirmed, wiping the stray tears out of his eyes.

"Everything's fine. The next time you don't want to answer a question, we leave it. You shouldn't answer a question if you don't want to," she glanced at Twilight. "Okay?"

Dusk took a calming breathe, "Okay."

"Now before we get back to the questions, Twilight has something to say."

"I'm... I'm sorry, I just... I didn't considered your feelings. And that was wrong of me." Dusk took a  short breath and nodded before Fluttershy continued.

"Now, you said you've been in contact with the Princess, right?"

"Yes. She's been the one I have had contact with these past two years in the Everfree."

"I see, what have you been doing in the Everfree?"

"For lack of better words, 'self-imposed exile' with the support of the Princess."

"Because of your parents?"

"Yeah, yeah because of what I did to them," he looked down at the table, unsure of what they thought about him at that point.

"Don't worry Dusk, we won't talk about it if you don't want to. Twilight had no right to interrogate you like that."

"It's... alright."

"No, no it's not! We are here to be your friends and help you. Not put you under a microscope."

"But, you... you deserve to know."

"Dusk, that's not necessary. It's a very emotional topic, you don't have to tell us."

"But, he wants to tell us!" Twilight protested. Her outburst was met with a glare from the pegasus.

"...I believe that's enough for one night. Dusk?" Fluttershy stood up.

"Yes?"

"Would it be too much trouble to have you walk me home?" She walked toward the door.

"O-of course." Dusk followed closely behind. "Good night Ms. Sparkle."

"Good night, Dusk, Fluttershy." She sighed heavily.

The two left the library quickly, but slowed down once the building was a good distance behind them.

"I'm sorry, Dusk. I told Twilight to stop, but her desire for knowledge distracted her. She crossed a line, I should have done more to stop her. I'm sorry."

"I heard you put your hoof down about it in the other room. You've done more than enough to help me. Heck, you've done more in a day than anyone else has done in a number of years," he gave a weak smile.

"I was just being a good friend. That's my goal here, to be your friend."

"Do you have time to hear a story tonight, Fluttershy?" She deserves to know and I don't want it bottled up anymore, it's been tearing me apart for too long now. Twilight proved it, but it needs to be with someone I can trust.

"Sure, we can talk at my cottage."
> The Cursed Mark
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"I'm not going to lie, this is a sad story." Dusk sat down on the couch his wound was treated earlier that day.

"Okay, I'm ready." Fluttershy prepared herself, sitting right next to him.

"The first part of my life was that of any normal unicorn living in Canterlot, I was and still am a bit on the short side and light weight. I had loving parents and I was an only child. I had made a few friends at my school." Dusk paused, to prepare himself mentally. "Life was going well, as I progressed through school, I noticed many students getting their cutie marks and I started to wonder why I didn't have mine yet."

"A normal thing for late bloomers. I was the same way."

Dusk nodded and continued with a sort of melancholy tone in his voice. "Two years passed and most of my classmates had their marks, but I still hadn't earned mine. I began to feel something was wrong with me, but everyone encouraged me saying that my time would come eventually. They were right, but in one of the worst ways imaginable. Cutie marks are suppose to show one's true talent and passion. Mine, it's just a constant reminder to myself and those around me of my curse. And that night I had received it, is one that I will never forget no matter how hard I try. That one fateful night the pegasi weather team planned a very powerful storm that night for the city. There was a drought from an accident in Cloudsdale and we had to make up about a month's worth of rain in a single night. The result was the strongest storm I had ever witnessed. I always had a fascination with storms when I was a colt."

Dusk began to choke up a bit, but he had already started and decided to keep going. "I was a fool for walking up to the window of my bedroom that night, but the lightning was extraordinary. It streaked across the sky, lighting up the city for mere instances before vanishing, only to reappear somewhere else. It drew me like a moth to an open flame. I just wanted a closer look. But I got a little too close, my parents always reminded me to stay away from the windows when a storm was rolling through. But, I didn't listen to them that night. I can't remember much of the rest of that night."

A tear dropped as he fought the urge to cry, "The only thing I remember after blacking out was waking up in a sterile white room. My parents and I were taken to the hospital because I remember waking up in an emergency room. I was considered lucky to have only a few bumps and scrapes and hey I even got a cutie mark from the incident. It was a miracle I didn't get more severely hurt, my parents were less fortunate."

"Dusk, that's not your fault! A freak accident nothing more," Fluttershy tried to convince him.

"It was my fault Fluttershy... it was my fault because I didn't listen to them. And because of that, they paid the price."

"Dusk, could you control that storm?" she asked.

"No, no I couldn't then and I can't now."

"Then it wasn't your fault," she decided.

I will just have to disagree, silently of course.

"Well, my parents managed to survive," Dusk's tone began to perk up for a moment. "But their bodies took a lot and they needed to go through physical therapy just to walk again, and after what I had done to them, their minds were no better. They couldn't have me in the same room as them, it was just too painful to see them. They didn't recognize me, they didn't believe they even had a son! To them my entire life didn't happen, they thought they were twenty years in the past. The doctor told me they had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and that, at least for the time being, we had to be separated until they could overcome it. If they could overcome it."

He fought the urge to breakdown into tears as he continued, "If that wasn't bad enough being separated from my parents, the world had turned its back on me that night. I went back to my house, my neighbors and god-parents, who I had known all my life, looked at me with nothing but fear and hate. Same can be said with the ponies at my school, my friends shunned me at the drop of a hat. I was shunned by every pony that I needed when I needed them the most. I didn't understand why they treated me with such resentment. In hindsight, I can rationalize now, since, with age comes wisdom. But it doesn't help much." 

Dusk took another pause to collect his thoughts, "However, back then I was still young and foolish, everywhere I went was the same, not one compassionate or caring soul among them. One night, about three years later, there was another storm, as powerful as the one that given me with this so called 'gift.' I walked out onto the highest hill I could find, and shouted to the heavens to try once more to strike me down."

"The world was indeed happy to oblige, since my body is a living lightning rod. I might have died from the strike too if it weren't for the only pony to care about me for the first time in a few years, Princess Celestia. She knew what had happened, but she didn't look at me as if I was evil or a monster. She saw me as I was, just a colt that was scared and alone."

Dusk felt this was an adequate time for a sort of intermission as he wiped another tear from his eye, to answer any questions about his curse and his lack of trust of the world. Fluttershy just sat there, unable to bring anything coherent passed her lips and there was a short silence from it. 

"Well," Dusk inquired. "Any questions so far?" Nothing else was said, but Fluttershy scooched closer to him and gave him a tight hug before crying, perhaps because he needed to. He didn't know how to react so, he simply reciprocated her hug. The damn burst though, he just cried. The pegasus holding him started singing softly, like a mother would to their child. 

"I... I really appreciate this Fluttershy," he spoke.

"Just let it out Dusk, I'll be here all night for you," she promised, the two sat together for some time before he regained his composure.

"Okay, I'm... I'm ready to continue." She relinquished her grip, before he resumed.

"The Princess saved my life that day, to this day I don't understand why. I was a lonely colt who had nothing to live for. My parents couldn't even see me and the world had simply ignored me, leaving me to rot. But, she knew what she was doing, because after two short years, here I am again." He paused to collect his thoughts, "The first thing she told me was that I would be living in the Everfree Forest for my training, and all I could think was 'is she serious, I would be eaten alive in a week.' But, I had no one else who would even talk to me, let alone help me survive in this world. She first taught me how to fend for myself, foraging, hunting, and how to shoot a bow."

"That was my first six months in that forest, from there my true training had begun. I was given a series of books to train mentally and a strict daily exercise regiment to keep my physical strength. The Princess used her power to conjure up storms in the forest to test my abilities, I quickly learned how to redirect lightning within six months. My next lesson was to create lightning. This was much more debilitating a task. Gathering the energy isn't a problem since it naturally builds in my body over time, but discharging it with any control takes a lot of physical strength."

"Every month I have to release all the electricity that builds up in my body, or risk losing control of it and ruining more lives." Dusk explained, the fear of repeating his mistake was all but too apparent in his eyes, "That skill took just over a year to finally be able to execute without risking losing control, maybe three months ago I finally got control of my life again. I was satisfied with living in exile for the rest of my days, but then the Princess said that I needed to get my life back. One step at a time, until I could finally live my life like anyone else and so, here I am."

"And I'm glad for that."

"Is that because you like playing doctor?" He smirked.

"Maybe... or maybe it's because you're a good pony who needs a friend."

"Needed a friend. I like to think I already have one. You're the first one I ever trusted to hear that story since Celestia saved my life. I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I am honored. Now, I think it's time to get some sleep. Tomorrow you can meet some of my other friends"

"Of course, I will see you tomorrow." Dusk rose and turned to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"My room at the inn."

"My bed's a lot closer, I can take the sofa here. It wouldn't be the first time I slept on it. Besides, I can't have my friend walking around town this late at night."

"No, no, no, I thank you for, and accept, your hospitality, but I will take the couch. You go up to bed, I'll be fine here."

"Okay, I don't think I could convince you to do anything different." She pulled a pillow and blanket from a nearby closet and gave them to Dusk. "Sweet Dreams, Dusk. I will see you in the morning."

"Good night, Fluttershy. Thank you, for everything." She vanished from sight as she ascended the staircase.

Dusk put out the candle illuminating the room before situating himself and drifting off.
> His Longest Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk tossed and turned on the couch, his old wounds were fresh in his mind, once more. Playing the incident in a loop that he couldn't stop.

"Doctor, are they going to be okay?"

"They've been shaken up pretty good. But, considering what they went through, they're doing well. I can't say they will be one hundred percent, but they will recover."

"This is all my fault... I did this to them."

"Look kid, they got struck by lightning. I don't think you could have caused that to happen."

"But, my cutie mark."

"I know kid, I know. But, you didn't cause the storm, you didn't force it in anyway. It was a freak accident, nothing more. Did you get checked out by another doctor?"

"Yes, they said I was really lucky."

"You were struck by lightning, the fact that your standing is nothing short of amazing."

"But, why just me? Why didn't they get lucky like me?"

"I can't say. We have a few theories, but nothing we are willing to try to prove."

"Theories?"

"Well, a theory is kind of like an idea. One idea we have is that your body knew how to handle what happened. It knew what to do, but your parents' bodies didn't. It's the most popular one we have, but we aren't making you a lab rat to prove it. You've been through enough as it is."

"A- a lab rat?"

"Some of the other doctors want to study you. They want to run a few tests, some of which are far from painless. I told them that they would be making things worse. I need you to be careful, some of them are a little too curious."

"Can... can I stay here? I don't want to be away from my family."

"Do you have any other family in the city?"

"N-no, I don't have any other family."

"No aunts, uncles or grandparents?"

"No."

"What about siblings?"

"I'm an only child."

"Dear Celestia... kid, I'm not really supposed to let people stay here, but this circumstance demands it. You stay here as long as you like. I'll keep an eye on you, don't worry."

"Thank you, sir."

"Call me Dr. Goldheart. What's your name?"

"It's Dusk."

"Well, Dusk, I'm going to go check on your parents, okay? Will you be okay here for a minute?"

"Yes, but, when can I see them?"

"I don't know Dusk, we'll see how they are in the morning, okay?"

"Okay, Dr. Goldheart."

"Try to get some sleep on the bench there. It might help the time pass a little quicker for you. We'll try to get you in there in the morning."

"Thank you, Dr. Goldheart."


***


"Dusk? Hey, it's morning now."

"Dr. Goldheart?"

"Yeah, it's me Dusk."

"So, can I see them now?"

"Yeah, but there's something you need to know?"

"What?"

"They have amnesia."

"Amnesia?"

"Yes, it's a fancy way of saying 'memory loss'."

"They lost their memory? Does that mean they won't recognize me?"

"They don't remember having a child. To them, it's twenty years ago."

"So... so, they don't know me anymore?"

"No, no, no Dusk. They still know you, but the part of their brain that remembers you is... asleep."

"Can we... can we wake it up?"

"Maybe, it might help if they see you. Do you want to try that?"

"Y-yes."

"Okay, let's go see how they're doing."

...

"Mr. and Mrs. Light?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"There's someone here you need to see."

"Mom? Dad?"

"What is that thing doing here?"

"This colt is your son."

"But, we don't have a son!"

"Please, you've both suffered some mental trauma. As a result, you've had some memory loss. This is, in fact, your son, Dusk."

"How can you stand there and tell me that monster is our son!?"

"M... monster?"

"Sir, please listen."

"No! Get out! Both of you!"

"But dad..."

"Don't you dare call me your father, you are not a pony!"

"Come Dusk, we should leave."

"But-"

"I'm sorry, son. There's nothing we can do to help them remember."

"They... they think I'm a... monster."

"Dusk, I need you to listen, can you do that?"

"Y... yes."

"Your parents are not all there, okay? They need to remember what was forgotten. This isn't you fault, and you are a pony, definitely not any kind of monster. Do you hear me? You are not a monster."

"But... what do I do now? My parents don't recognize me."

"You will have to be put in a foster home."

"What? No, no! I don't want to go with some strangers. I want my parents!"

"I know Dusk, but, we don't know how long it would take to get them to remember. And you told me you don't have any other family. Unless you can find someone close, do you have godparents?"

"Some... some family friends that live nearby."

"I want you to try to get a hold of them, okay?" 

"I can go see if there home."

"Go do that, if there's a problem come find me."

"Okay."


***


"What are you doing here?"

"You're my godparents, right?"

"You... you killed them?"

"No, my parents are, thankfully, alive."

"So what are you doing here?"

"They... they don't recognize me. The doctor told me to come find you."

"No. You can't stay here!"

"But, why?"

"We are not taking in a monster!"

"But... you've known me for so long!"

"No! You cannot stay here. Please leave."

"I'm... I'm sorry to have bothered you..."

"You should leave this city. Monsters don't belong here."

"No!" Dusk sat upright and held his hooves over his ears, much like earlier at the library. "I'm not a monster! I'm... I'm not a... a monster..." He whispered over and over, like a mantra. It was the only thing he could do to calm himself down.

"Dusk? Dusk are you okay?" Fluttershy called from the stairs. Dusk gave no reply. "Dusk? Dusk, talk to me."

"I'm not a monster... I am not a monster. I am not a monster!" He didn't notice someone standing next to him as he was repeating his mantra in an attempt to keep his emotions in check.

"No, you're not Dusk." Fluttershy confirmed, pulling his hooves of his ears. "You are a pony Dusk, not a monster."

"Fluttershy?" He looked up to see her standing next to the couch.

"I, uh, I heard you shouting," she told him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm... I'm better now that you're here."

"What happened?"

"I... I had a nightmare."

"What was it about?"

"You can probably guess..."

"Oh Dusk, I'm so sorry." She wrapped her hooves around his neck, as if she was shielding him from the pain and sorrow.

"Thank you," he returned her hug.

"For what?" she asked

"For being here, for being my friend, for helping me so much despite knowing me for a day. For... well everything."

"I'm just being a good friend, don't thank me for doing that," she couldn't help laughing a little. She took what he said to her earlier and said it back to him.

Dusk couldn't help laughing with her. "Still, thank you," he released the pegasus.

"It's nothing really. But, we have about an hour before the sun rises. Would you like some tea?"

"Um, sure. I haven't really had tea before."

"Never!?" She was taken aback.

"Not that I can recall," Fluttershy practically ripped him off the couch. 

"Come with me, we are going to fix that right now."
> 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.
> The Center of Attention
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk walked through town with no issue. He didn't see anyone around, probably because it was still early in the morning. As he approached the inn Dusk thought about meeting Fluttershy's friends, I wonder what they will be like, I already know Twilight and I met AppleJack briefly this morning but what about the other three... His thoughts trailed off upon entering the inn, he approached the front counter where an older mare sat sipping a cup of tea or coffee.

"Yes, can I help you?" She asked with a hint of irritation in her voice. It was probably too early to be working too much.

"Yes, I have a room that was reserved by Princess Celestia three days ago." Dusk replied, watching as the mare flipped through a notepad.

"Ah yes, our top room, it has a balcony that overlooks most of the town, I hope you enjoy your stay." As Dusk received the key he gave a smile and a nod as the mare return to her drink, and headed up to his room.

He opened the door to find the room was mostly barren, the only things that sat in the room was a large bed with beige covers, a small bookshelf against the far wall and a large writing desk next to the bookshelf. A grandfather clock stood in the corner next to the balcony doors. Not exactly the homiest of places, but for his purposes it would do, Dusk turned to the balcony doors and pushed them open to enjoy the cool morning breeze and see how good the view was, he could always inspect the rest of his home later. The golden rays of the sun were cast across the town, nothing short of beautiful.

After a few minutes of fresh air, he turned to the desk and pulled a piece of parchment, quill, and jar of ink off the shelves on the desk:

Dear Mentor,

My apologies for the delay of this letter. My time here in Ponyville has been very eventful. Before I could even leave the forest, a pack of timber wolves chased me and caught me. One injured me during the fray, but only slightly. When I actually entered the town a mare ran into me. Blood from my injury transferred onto her coat and she immediately dragged me to her home outside of the town. It was then that I learned that her name was Fluttershy, as she was treating my wound. She is a really amazing pony, Mentor, pretty, talented, all around amazing. When I found out she was a friend of your student Twilight, I was really glad. She helped me find the library at around Twilight, get it? Ha. Anyway, she was less than happy that I waited so long to go there. She put Luna's Canterlot Voice to shame. But after that unpleasantness, things became eve more unpleasant for me. She asked me a few questions, nothing too personal. Then, she started asking about my parents. She asked me if they were alive. I kept saying 'I don't know.' She started asking me questions why, I kept saying that I don't know. I just broke down and told them that I put them in the hospital. Immediately after, Fluttershy dragged her into another room and scolded her about what she did. I heard everything pretty well there. After a few more questions handled by Fluttershy, she decided that it was time to leave and asked me to accompany her when she walked home. I, of course, agreed and made a very important decision on the way there. I decided to tell her what happened that day. She was so understanding, so supportive. I'm glad I told her, I'm at the inn now. I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely, Dusk

He walked out onto the balcony and used the spell that Celestia taught him to send his letter. The parchment was turned into a fine powder and carried by wind to Canterlot.

With nothing else to do, he placed the books on a nearby shelf and laid down on the king sized bed that took up most of the room. Eyes closed, he tried to mentally prepare himself for the rest of the day. An hour later, a letter landed on his chest. He levitated it up to his eyes, it read:

Dear Dusk,

I'm sorry to hear about your trouble in Ponyville. I sent a letter to Twilight this morning explaining to her why what she did was wrong. Please don't judge her for what she did. Sometimes, she let's her desire for knowledge, supersede her duties. As for Fluttershy, I have met her a number of times and can agree that she is a good pony. It also sounds like you found a special somepony there. Though, I feel I must warn you, don't let your task distract you. Love is a powerful gift that everyone deserves. I know you want to meet them again, but in case it doesn't happen, you should have someone that you really care for to help you get through that storm. I can't tell you what to do, though. So, do what you think is best. I hope things go more smoothly for you from this point on.

Your Mentor, Celestia

Immediately after reading the letter, a knock came from the door. Dusk jumped a little and stashed the letter underneath the covers. He walked up to the peep hole and saw a nervous pegasus standing there. He opened the door and greeted them. "Hello Fluttershy, is everything alright? You're early. Not that I'm complaining it's just... curious."

"Oh, sorry Dusk, it's just, I'm nervous." He gestured for her to come inside and take a seat on the bed.

"Nervous? About me meeting your friends?" He sat down next to her.

"No, well, not really. I'm worried about Twilight."

"Why did something else happen?"

"No, it's just, I feel like I'm being a bad friend for leaving her out of this."

"Fluttershy, you can't be a bad friend. I've only known you for a day and I can say that in the utmost confidence. I personally think I can talk to her later."

"Do you want me to be there with you?"

"Well, I don't think that it's necessary. The Princess already scolded her about it."

"How do you know that?"

"She sent me a letter before you knocked."

"Oh, I'm glad I waited, then."

"Waited?"

"Oh, you see, I was, um, trying to knock on the door and I didn't want to seem...."

"Seem what?"

"Um, attached."

"Attached?"

"Well, we spent the entire day together, yesterday. Then I asked you to walk me home last night, then to stay the night, and now, here I am no more than a few hours after you leave."

Dusk couldn't help smiling, "You won't hear me complaining."

"Really?"

"Really, I love spending time with you." Her nervousness melted away to reveal a beautiful smile. "Are your friends waiting for us?"

"No, it will be a little longer before they get to the meeting place. I can leave if you want." She stood up.

"What? No, stay, please."

"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."

"Sit, I promise you that it is no imposition." She sat back down. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"My home."

"Oh! I think it's... nice."

"Just nice?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, it's enough for me. No where near your cottage, but for my purposes, it works."

"My cottage isn't that great."

"Yes, it is."

"If you say so, Dusk."

"I do." The clock in the corner struck noon. "Should we get going?"

"Yes."

With that Fluttershy led Dusk outside a few blocks down the street to a large bakery. It appeared to made of sweets and smelled like it too. A cyan colored pegasus waited by the front door, her mane and tail were rainbow colored.

"Come on! You set the time, Fluttershy!"

"I'm sorry, I lost track of time!" The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes and walked inside. "I hate being late."

"Hey, it's okay, it happens to everyone."

The two walked inside the bakery and saw three mares were sitting at a table and waiting for them. "Dusk I'd like you too meet my friends," Fluttershy directed to the other mares at the table. "Rarity, Pinkie Pie and last but not least...Rainbow Dash." 

A unicorn with a pure white coat and a well maintained, curled mane and tail of a royal blue, presumably Rarity. A pegasus with a cyan coat with a less maintained mane and tail of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, presumably Rainbow Dash. The third was an earth pony with a pink coat, puffy pink mane and tail, she had to be Pinkie Pie. Two open seats sat at the table and were soon occupied by the late arrivals.

"This is Dusk, he's the one Twilight asked us to help," Fluttershy explained. 

"Wait, aren't we going to wait for Twilight and AppleJack?" The cyan mare asked.

"Twilight isn't coming," Fluttershy answered.

"And AppleJack informed me that the job on the farm was more daunting than predicted. She won't be able to make it either." The White unicorn stated.

The three ponies looked Dusk over, he hadn't had this many ponies staring at him so intently in years but he maintained his composure. "Dusk is the name," he gave a small bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you all.

The white unicorn was the first to reply, "Oh my, such a gentlecolt, my name is Rarity and I can already tell by your manners that we will be good friends." 

Dusk smiled, that was easy I wonder what the other two will say. The cyan pegasus was next with an introduction, "Rainbow Dash is the name, Daredevil Extraordinaire." Not exactly what I expected, he thought. 

Directing his eyes to the pink mare who had been quiet up to this point, but before she said anything Fluttershy spoke. "Remember Pinkie this pony hasn't been out anywhere in a few years, so take it slow." The mare simply nodded that she understood, and took in a big breath,

"HI MY NAME'S PINKIE PIE AND I CAN ALREADY TELL WE'LL BE THE BESTEST FRIENDS EVER DON'T YOU?" Dusk didn't know what was more astonishing, the speed at which she could talk or the fact that she could say that in a single breath. Not knowing what else to do he simply nodded in agreement, the sudden volume hit him almost as hard as when he first met Twilight at the library... almost.

"Well, know that introductions are out of the way, any questions?"

"I have one," Rarity stated.

"Go right ahead."

"Do you have any plans tonight?"

"Beg pardon?"

"Are you planning on doing anything tonight?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I know this little cafe down the road we could go to." Is she asking to go on a date with me? He glanced at Fluttershy, with a look that screamed 'help'. Her mouth gaped open in shock, she was just as, if not more, speechless than Dusk was. He wasn't getting any help from her at that moment.

"Geez, Rarity, even I have more class than to try that." Rainbow Dash announced. To which, Rarity just held her head up and turned away.

"I'm going to have respectfully decline, Ms. Rarity."

"Oh, have your eye on someone else?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Oh, no reason. Anyway, I must get back to my Boutique. Good day, to you Dusk." She left, and Fluttershy snapped out of her shock.

"What just happened?" She asked.

"Rarity just asked Dusk out, then left." Rainbow explained

"That's what I thought."

"Can I ask a question now?" Dash asked, impatiently.

"Are you going to ask me out?"

"You wish."

"Then go right ahead."

"Those bandages, why are they there?"

"On my way here from the Everfree, I ran into a pack of timber wolves. Things got a little out of hand."

"Whoa, you took on a pack of timber wolves and they got one swipe on you?"

"That's what happened."

"Maybe I should have asked you out."

"Dash, please tell me your kidding." Fluttershy pleaded.

"Yeah Flutters, I'm kidding." This elicited a sigh a relief from the pegasus.

Every pony turned to Pinkie Pie as she had been silent this entire time. She must have been thinking long and hard about what she wanted to ask him, finally she broke the silence, "Do you like parties?" The question was one of the simplest he had ever heard, but Dusk kept those comments internal, but then he realized something.

"I don't know, I haven't been to a party in a number of years, even before I moved to the Everfree Forest," He answered plainly. Pinkie Pie had a look of both complete disgust and disbelief the idea of some pony not being to a party in that long was too much to bear.

"WELL WE HAVE TO FIX THAT! WE'LL THROW YOU THE BIGGEST, BADDEST PARTY THIS SIDE OF EQUESTRIA!" Pinkie Pie announced. "THERE WILL BE CAKE, GAMES, PUNCH-." The description was halted when Fluttershy covered Pinkie's mouth with her forehoof, the idea of such a party gave Dusk an unsettling feeling.

"Um, Pinkie, I don't think that's a very good idea." Fluttershy pointed out.

"Why not?"

"Well, he doesn't like parties." The yellow pegasus explained.

"But that's because he never went to a Pinkie party!"

"Pinkie, look, if I promise to try one of your parties, will you let me pick when?" Dusk saw it as the only option.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Pinkie Promise?

"Pinkie Promise? What's a Pinkie Promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly,
Stick a cupcake in my eye."

She drew a cross over her heart and covered her eye to illustrate.

"I Pinkie Promise.
Cross my heart and hope to fly,
Stick a cupcake in my eye." He followed the motions that she demonstrated.

Pinkie nodded, this gave Dusk a sweet relief, he didn't like parties when he was a foal, he doubted that would have changed at all. "Well, if that's all the questions I will take my leave," he announced. "I could really go for a nap right now."

"Music to my ears. Later Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Dusk." Dash pushed through the door before Dusk even reached it.

With that he gave a bow and took his leave, he had so much to think about but his lack of sleep had started to take it's toll. He staggered into his room at the inn, laid down on the bed and fell asleep before his head made contact with his pillow. 
> Young Love
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk awoke to the sound of birds chirping on his balcony, he had been asleep for roughly six hours and felt completely refreshed. But a strange thought had entered his mind, Why would there be birds sitting on my balcony? He thought. 

He got up to investigate, looking out the large glass doors he saw one of the birds carrying a note in it's feet and opened the doors to see it. Who could have these birds here with a note? Dusk thought for a moment and felt his heart quicken, Fluttershy... it has to be from Fluttershy. She's the only one I know who can even talk to birds. The letter was covered by a dark blue aura and hovered toward his eyes to read what was written on the piece of parchment.

Dusk,
Please meet me in at the lake outside of town, I need to talk to you about some things, in private.

What could she want to talk about? He thought upon reading the note. She probably wants to talk about the meeting. Specifically the part where Rarity asked me out, shocking as that was. She was more surprised about that than I was.

Dusk decided not to keep her waiting and left the inn, he followed the stream he had seen the day before until he got to the source. A large crystal clear lake with a perfect mirror surface, he looked down at his reflection seeing his mane was messy, since he hadn't run a brush through it in a long time, and decided to try to fix it. He didn't notice Fluttershy walking up to him just outside of his field of vision, she looked at him fixing his mane and couldn't help giggling.

Dusk jumped and turned around, after seeing it was Fluttershy he started to feel a little embarrassed that she had been watching him try to style his mane. "You wanted to talk to me?" Dusk asked, he could feel his throat getting a little dry.

"Yes, would you mind if we walked as we talked?" She responded, there was a bit of energy in the air between the two. Dusk simply nodded and walked alongside her. "I wanted to talk to you about Rarity."

"I thought that's what you wanted to talk about."

"Why's that?"

"The look on your face when she asked me out to dinner was more than a little shocked."

"Oh, right. Well, I just wanted to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yes, I didn't think that anything like that would happen when I set it up."

"It wasn't that awful."

"It wasn't?"

"Well, yes. There's a reason why I turned down Rarity's offer."

"Why's that?"

"There's only one mare that I want to try dating right now."

"Who's that?"

"Someone really special that I met in Ponyville."

"You met her here?"

"Yep, before I could even say 'hello' she dragged me to her home."

"W-well... I-I wouldn't say dragged." Her face was red with embarrassment, but she was smiling.

"I wasn't complaining, she's a very pretty mare." Mentor told me not to hesitate.

"Dusk... there's, there's something you should know."

"What's that?"

"I've never..." he voice trailed of.

"What was that?"

"I've never had a..."

"You've never had a...?"

"I've never had a special somepony!" She admitted, she retreated  fully behind that pink shield that was her mane.

"Well, neither have I."

"R-really?" She revealed on eye.

"Yeah, I don't really meet many ponies in the forest. Plenty of wolves though." He smirked.

"So, so you don't mind?"

"Nope, there isn't a single thing about you that I do mind." He kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Oh, I, uh, I..." Fluttershy's legs gave out from underneath her and fell against Dusk.

"Easy there," he picked her back up. "You alright?"

"I'm... I'm better than alright!" She threw her hooves around his neck.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"I can't believe this is happening. I have something that I want you to see."

"Lead the way."

Fluttershy led Dusk to Sweet Apple Acres the apple orchard owned by AppleJack's family. Hundreds of trees sat on the property. Each one holding small green bulbs. It would be a little longer before any apples would be ready to fall. Further up the path a gate stood, with a familiar face standing there waiting for them.

"So, Ah take it Rarity's plan worked?" AppleJack asked from the gate.

"What plan?" Dusk asked in confusion.

"Yes, although, I wish I had a little bit of warning before she did that."

"Ah hear ya. Ah asked Dash to let me know how it went, when she told me Rarity bluntly asked him out. Ah had half a mind to confront her 'bout it. When she told me her plan, Ah warned her about playin' matchmaker. She always blows things outta proportion, especially when it comes to romance."

"Oh, I know. After Dusk left I was fuming at her. When she told me why she did that, I felt a combination of anger and happiness. But, once I came to my senses again, I warned her about trying that stunt again."

"Can I hear an explanation? Or am I going to be confused for the remainder of this conversation?"

"I'll explain a little later," the pegasus promised. "So, AppleJack, can we take a stroll through the orchard?"

"Sure, we have a few weeks before we can start harvestin' these trees.."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

The two found a small clearing in the orchard, the sun gave an orange glow as it began it's descent to the horizon. "I found this little spot here a few years ago. I have always wanted to share it with someone." The two sat close together and watched the sun set, "it's beautiful," Fluttershy whispered.

"Not quite as beautiful as you, though," Dusk replied.

"You are such a sweet-talker."

"I try." The next thing Dusk knew, he felt a pair of golden lips pressing against his. At that moment, nothing else mattered. The only thing he focused on was the one he was sharing this moment with.

The moment ended a little prematurely by the sound of a twig snapping. The sound separated the couple as they turned to find AppleJack standing there, an awkward silence followed.

AppleJack broke the silence, "My apologies I didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to make sure you didn't stay too late." She paused, trying to figure out what she should say. "I promise I won't tell any pony." 

"AppleJack represents the element of Honesty, she is the most trustworthy pony in Equestria," Fluttershy noted. Dusk trusted her word and gained a little more confidence in confiding in his new found friend.

"Well then, I trust that this secret will remain just that," Dusk began. "Thank you AppleJack for letting us to use your orchard, but it's getting late," he turned to Fluttershy offering his hoof. "Shall I escort you home?"

Fluttershy nodded and the two began to head toward Fluttershy's cottage, AppleJack stopped them for a moment. "Don't mention it, you two can use it whenever you like, just during harvest season it won't be quite so peaceful." The two nodded in agreement and started off again, though their first kiss was cut short it still gave them a feeling of ecstasy for the entire trip.

Dusk was the first to speak after they left Sweet Apple Acres, "So... our first kiss." He felt his face turn red, he looked at Fluttershy with no less red in her face, but she had a beautiful smile on her face.

Fluttershy didn't say anything, she didn't need to say anymore and Dusk was fine with that. The silence lasted until the two reached her door. "So, I will see you tomorrow." Dusk stated before giving her a peck on the cheek. As he began to turn away but she pulled him back, firmly planting a kiss on his lips. The two stood there, neither of them had any care in the world, they had found each other and they would never be separated in spirit.

Dusk finally broke their kiss, it was getting late and he hadn't shown any sign, but he was physically and mentally drained. He needed to rest, but the walk back to the inn was lonely. His heart grew heavy without Fluttershy with him, but he felt that he needed to be careful not to smother her.

Upon finally reaching his room, Dusk couldn't take another step, and crawled into his soft bed and drifted off into sleep.
> A Burnt Bridge
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk awoke late the next morning, his heart was still aflutter from the events that transpired the day before and wondered what to do for that day. He didn't want to take things too quickly with Fluttershy, so he decided to let her have some space. However, if she had asked him to do something 'no' was going to be the last thing he would say.

The park seems like a grand idea, he thought. There were a few marble tables out there, maybe someone brought a set out there.  He was of course referring to chess, Celestia taught him early on as part of his mental training in the Everfree Forest. He had a set he crafted by hand, but he left it at home in fear that it might get damaged on his trek to town, but, other ponies would have brought their own to play with. So, he fixed himself some breakfast, cleaned himself up and headed out into the warm sunshine.

After strolling through town Dusk had reached the park, he was delighted to see so many ponies playing on the tables but worried he would be stuck simply spectating. Fortunately, an older gentlecolt sat with a well carved set waiting for some pony to come and challenge him.

"Lovely day we're having," Dusk greeted the player.

"Indeed, you interested in playing a game or two?" The older pony replied.

"If this seat isn't already taken," Dusk replied. The older pony gestured for him to take a seat, as he did he felt an introduction is in order. "My name is Dusk, hope to have a fun game here."

"People call me Kingpin, I suppose you can do the same." The gentlecolt replied.

Kingpin huh? Well this will be nothing if not interesting. Dusk thought with a grin appearing on his face.

The board had the black pieces facing the challenger, and today that challenger was Dusk, the two shook hooves and began their mental combat. Kingpin had started with the Italian, a basic opening used mostly at the novice level. 

Really, and here I thought this was going to be interesting, Dusk thought, a little disappointed. The game took a sharp turn when Kingpin played a line called the Evan's Gambit, this pony knew what he was doing. Well, never mind, this just got exciting, Dusk thought as he calculated ten different potential lines ten moves in each with every turn. 

An hour had passed and not a single piece had left the board, these two were as evenly matched as they come as each tried to formulate a plan to obtain victory. Suddenly, Dusk saw his shot, a move that would force his opponent to give up his rook or be checkmated immediately. He analyzed the move carefully, the plan was airtight, not a single act of recourse.

Upon picking up his queen to move it to the kill square, Dusk heard someone shouting in his direction, "Dusk, I need to talk to you!" He couldn't here exactly what was said, but her heard his name. This immediately broke his concentration, as he dropped his queen on the wrong square, which happened to hang it on the scope of his opponents bishop.

Kingpin chuckled, taking the queen without a sign of remorse. Dusk could only fell frustration, but nonetheless he tipped his king over, admitting defeat. "Well played my good man, but next time will not be so lucky, this I promise."

Kingpin simply laughed, "Looking forward to it, to be honest I thought you had me for a minute. That was one of my hardest fought games in over five years."

Dusk then turned to see the culprit responsible for ruining such an exciting game, thankfully he knew it wasn't Fluttershy, she wouldn't have said or even shouted at such a high volume. To his displeasure it was Twilight, and he had not forgotten about how she had interrogated him so ruthlessly. 

"I'm sorry did I interrupt something?" Twilight asked. She obviously didn't understand the mindset of a chess player in a hard fought game. Dusk could still here Kingpin laughing as he reset the board and felt disappointment toward his performance.

"Yes, unfortunately," Dusk replied. He wasn't going to attempt to hide his frustration at the debacle that had unfolded before him in that moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry should I come back later?" She asked, he couldn't tell if there was sincerity in her voice then but lacked the focus to care.

"No, it's already done I just dropped my queen in his bishop's scope and just tipped my king in defeat," Dusk explained as he was assuming he was talking to a chess aficionado. Twilight just raised and eyebrow in confusion, she wasn't even sure he was speaking the same language she did.

"Never mind, so what did you say up on the hill? I was kind of focused on my game so I couldn't quite make out more than you saying my name." Dusk was annoyed but that wouldn't have been an excuse to be disrespectful to any pony, especially a close friend of Fluttershy who just happened to be his mentor's prized student.

"Come with me." she led him out of the park on a path that led back to town. "I talked to Fluttershy today, she was still very angry with me. I haven't seen her get that furious since that dragon incident last year, please don't ask about it. I wanted to know why she reacted the way she did yesterday. Then, I found out you two are officially a couple. Congrats, by the way."

"I don't wish to be crass, but I'm waiting for the question." Dusk stated impatiently.

"Okay, I may have crossed a line with my actions and I need to apologize," she admitted. "So, I'm sorry. I am so sorry for what I put you through. Can you forgive me?"

"I... I don't know. I need to talk to someone about this."

"If you need to talk to Fluttershy that's fine. I will be at the library if you want to talk." With that, Twilight left him on the path.

Dusk headed down the path toward the home of a certain yellow pegasus. All he could think about was the night before. But, not the questioning, the events that followed were more important in his mind. She tried to protect me. More than most have done in a long time. This thing with Twilight, I don't care about it, but I know Fluttershy does. I need to know what she thinks.

He turned down the path to her cottage. His heart feeling both lighter from the thought of seeing Fluttershy, and heavier for what he has to talk to her about. As he approached the cottage, he heard a beautiful singing.

"Ahhh, ah, ah, ahhh, ah, ah.

He followed the sounds behind the home to a large garden being tended by the singing beauty.

"Do you always sound so beautiful?" He asked.

Fluttershy's response was jumping three feet in the air and giving a small scream.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

"Oh, Dusk. I, uh, I didn't know you were coming."

"Do you want me to come back later? I can if you want."

"No! Please, it's nice to see you come visit me."

"Well, I still interrupted you. Were you working in your garden?"

"Oh, well I was. But I can take a break."

"Nonsense, I can help."

"You don't need to do that!"

"I know I don't, but I still want to."

"Well, okay then, if you're sure."

"Great, so what do you need me to do?"

The two spent the next few hours weeding, watering and picking. They each carried a basket of fruits and vegetables back to the cottage when a little green hummingbird flew in front of Dusk. Looking at him, with curiosity, causing the two to stop.

"Hummingway, please stop bothering him. He doesn't want to play." His caretaker stated.

"He's not bothering me, Fluttershy." Dusk lifted a fore hoof and the little bird perched on it. "Hey little guy."

Hummingway gave a happy chirp and moved up to his shoulder. "That's so cute, I think he likes you."

"I've always been fascinated by these little guys."

"Really? Do you want to take him home with you?" The little bird perked up a bit at the question.

"Are you sure that's alright?"

"Of course, I have plenty of animals here. And I love to see them find homes with nice ponies."

"Well, if you're sure." He looked down at his shoulder, "You want to live with me, Hummingway?"

The little bird nodded excitedly.

"Alright, then it's settled. Now let's get this stuff in the house."

The two put the baskets in the kitchen and sat on the couch. Hummingway decided to move on top of his new owner's head.

"Now I'm sure you didn't come all the way over here just to do some gardening."

"Oh right, I, uh, talked to Twilight earlier."

"You did? What did she say?"

"She asked for forgiveness. I couldn't give her an answer without talking to you first."

"Well... what do you think?"

"I think that you were furious at her when she talked to me."

"Dusk, she had no right to do that and I wasn't about to let her get away with it. I know what you've been through and I couldn't stand seeing you like that. It's just not fair to you, after what you've been through. Personally, I can't forgive her yet for doing that. But I am not you, so I won't tell you what to do. Nothing will change between us, no matter what you decide."

"Well, I think I have enough weighing on my mind. I need to talk to her, but first there has been something I need to know."

"What is that?" 

"What was up with Rarity? It went from 'hello my name is' to 'what are you doing tonight'."

"Oh, uh, she wanted to tell you that herself. Sorry," her eyes turned toward the floor.

"Hey that's fine. I guess I have more things to do today, I better get started then. As much as I hate the idea of leaving."

"Oh stop, you're welcome to come visit whenever you want." She smiled.

"I'm going to hold you to that. Do you have anything for Hummingway before I go?"

"Oh, I don't think so. He's pretty low maintenance in terms of care. Just make sure he gets enough food everyday and he'll be fine."

"Thanks," he gave her a kiss on the cheek before getting off the couch and walking out the door. "I will see you soon, if not today then tomorrow."

"Bye Dusk." She sighed.

Dusk walked down the path with his new little friend nesting in his mane. "Getting comfortable are ya?" The little bird hummed in approval. "I have a feeling this is the start of a great friendship."

The two made their way through the town getting occasional glances and snickers. Dusk walked into the library to see a familiar unicorn reading a book on a couch by the window.

"Ah Dusk," Twilight greeted, "judging by the little bird on your head I see you visited Fluttershy."

"Yes I did, and I have an answer to your question. I have too much on my mind to make room for a grudge. I forgive you, but if you do it again, it's not me you are answering to."

"Who would that be?" She asked hesitantly.

"Fluttershy, she still is upset about what you did. I don't even want to think about what might happen if it happens again."

"I am well aware. And I can't say just how sorry I am. I just let my desire for knowledge get to me." She looked down in shame for her actions.

"We make mistakes to learn from them. Now I need to go talk to Rarity, good day Ms. Sparkle." He began to take his leave.

"Wait why do you need to talk to her?"

"That's something I'm still trying to figure out. Good day." He left the library, Hummingway picked up on his negative feelings and flew off his head. Hovering in front of him with a look of concern. "Don't worry little guy, that was just the after affects of a negative meeting  a little while ago. Water under the bridge now, I promise."

The little bird nestled back into Dusk's mane. Dusk continued down the road, shoot, I should have asked where to find her! Wait, you can figure this out. She owns a shop, or rather a boutique. So I just need to find a fancy clothing shop. As if fate was listening to his thoughts, a shop with a very well crafted purple dome stood further down the road. I'm going to bet that's it. He walked through the door and heard a familiar voice.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique where everything is chic, unique and magni- oh Dusk how can I help you?" Rarity greeted.

"I need to ask you a question."

"Well, can I ask you one first?"

"I suppose."

"How are you and Fluttershy doing?" Her words perplexed him.

"So, Fluttershy told you?"

"Well, yes."

In that case, very well. I wanted to ask about that day."

"I assume you mean the part where I asked if you would accompany me to dinner?"

"Indeed, don't get me wrong I'm very flattered but at the same time a little confused."

"Well, it was a little test."

"You were testing me?"

"Well, not testing you per se, but rather testing a theory."

"Can I ask what this theory was?"

"That you and Fluttershy liked each other. And I mean like like each other."

"How could you have thought that."

"There were a couple of little tells. The fact that you two came late, the way you kept glancing at her and how she couldn't help staring at you. I knew that there was something between you two."

"So how did asking me out prove this?"

"Because I know you would have respectfully declined. The shock on your faces was pretty self-explanatory as well."

"But, what if I accepted your offer, not fully understanding the romantic intent?"

"Fluttershy would have shown up instead of myself. Which would give you the alone time to let your feelings out."

"That would have been, nice. Huh, well, I guess you know what you're doing. I just ask that you don't try that again."

"Darling, you already have her. What would the point be?"

"Valid point."

"Just remember, if you hurt her, there will be consequences." Rarity threatened.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Now, I need to get my little friend fed today. Good day to you Rarity."

"To you as well, if you ever need a nice tuxedo for a date, don't hesitate on coming in."

"Of course," Dusk bowed and took his leave. These tasks were a lot easier than I imagined, I wonder if this whole trial is just being over exaggerated in my mind. "Now let's go visit the flower stands, you must be hungry." Hummingway gave an excited chirp and flew off his head.

The unicorn left the boutique feeling much better. Until he took about ten steps from the door, when a cyan blur had collided with his head and rendered him unconscious.
> To Read or Not to Read
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk could awoke to the sound of a heart monitor giving steady beeps, he struggled to open his eyes and felt his head stinging in pain. When he regained sight he found that he was in a hospital bed, and in front of him were Rarity, Twilight, AppleJack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

"Oh my goodness you're okay, thank Celestia!" Fluttershy shouted as she gave him a nearly suffocating hug, it was pleasant to see her care about him so much. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

He felt his head and noticed that he had bandages wrapped around it. "Sorry Fluttershy, does any pony even know what happened? All I remember is seeing a blur coming out of nowhere, and then everything went black. Wait, is Hummingway okay?"

"He's fine, little guy got out of the way in time. I took him to my home since the hospital doesn't allow pets. As for what happened..."

Every pony directed their eyes to the bed on his right, when he looked he saw that Rainbow Dash was lying there, still unconscious. That didn't really click in Dusk's brain for a moment, but he soon realized she crashed in to him. A doctor walked in the doorway with a number of charts, every pony in the room turned to him. "Oh good you're finally awake, you gave us quite a scare there sir my name is Dr. Arch," his voice gave comfort to every pony.

"So doctor how are they?" Twilight asked. The moment of silence was unbearable as he flipped through his charts, looking for the correct ones for the two patients.

"Well, you my good sir are pretty lucky," the doctor answered. "That blow gave you a concussion, I seriously doubted you would wake up in less than another day or two here."

Dusk gave a sigh of relief, but turned to Rainbow Dash, who had yet to wake up, "what about that pony over there, Rainbow Dash?"

"She got off a lot easier than you did," Dr. Arch replied. "She is a little bit more durable considering you two suffered the same injury, she sprained a wing, but that is about it, nothing else was damaged in the crash."

The six ponies could finally breathe again, the doctor took his leave and Dusk decided to break the silence of the moment. "This is my fault, if I hadn't been there the-" Fluttershy stopped him, she wasn't going to hear any of that.

"This incident is nothing you could have prevented, in fact it's probably better that you were there when she crashed." Twilight said, trying to stop him from feeling any guilt about the whole ordeal. "If you weren't there to intercept her, she probably would have crashed into the boutique and potentially suffered more severe injuries."

Dusk understood, silence had consumed the room, Fluttershy was still holding him tightly and he wasn't going to ask her to stop. About an hour passed before Rainbow Dash came to. "Oh, what happened?" she asked as her brain was being unscrambled and she looked the bandages on her wing.

"You almost took yourself out on another stunt!" Fluttershy answered. "Only this time you weren't the only victim of such recklessness!" She pointed at Dusk, he was glad to see that Rainbow Dash was okay but that didn't quite get her off the hook.

"Oh horsefeathers! Sorry about that, I was trying a new trick when I lost control," Rainbow Dash apologized. "But you must be tough considering you woke up before me. How long was I out?"

Dusk had been wondering the same thing but felt it not important to ask, "About six hours, Dusk here woke up an hour ago and we learned that you had given him a concussion." The yellow pegasus was a little upset about the whole situation and every pony in the room was well aware of it.

Thankfully for Rainbow Dash, the Doctor had returned. "Oh good you're awake, good just let me check you're charts," he paused, flipping through a number of charts. "Ah yes, you have suffered a sprained wing and won't be able to fly. We are going to have you stay here to allow it to heal correctly for a few days before releasing you." He turned to Dusk, "We also want to make sure that you are back to one hundred percent before releasing you as well."

"I appreciate the hospitality, doctor I hope that I won't be imposing too much," Dusk replied. Unfortunately Rainbow Dash had different feelings about the doctor and how much she might be imposing.

"UUUUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHH!" She groaned, "I need to fly! I can't be stuck in here for a few days!" Dusk could see exactly how fun these next few days would be having Rainbow as his roommate.

"Doctor's orders I'm afraid," Dr. Arch protested. "We will check in on you two periodically but don't be afraid to use the call button if you need anything."

Dusk nodded, but Dash had one more protest as he left, "What am I going to do, I'll be crawling up the walls if I don't get out of here." Twilight saw a nurse pushing a cart of books in the hall and grabbed one for Dash, placing it on her bed. "What is this? A book? No thanks! I am way too cool to be reading!" 

Her five friends had begun to laugh, Dusk simply wanted to beat his head in about how stupid that Rainbow had just sounded. Not to disrespect her, but that was the dumbest thing he had ever heard any pony say in his life and could only roll his eyes at her statement.

"But, reading is for every pony Rainbow Dash!" Twilight protested, Dusk was glad that his friends had tried to convince Dash about the importance of reading. "Dusk, would you like a book?"

"Can I see the collection?" He asked, he wasn't sure what the hospital had, and didn't want to ask Twilight to bring one from her library if he didn't need to. She wheeled the cart up to his bed he skimmed the collection, "darn they don't have any books on chess."

The six ponies were shocked to hear any pony ever say the word chess, "you play that boring game?" Rainbow shouted. Dusk did his best to ignore the fact she said the word 'boring,' but just couldn't let that statement go unchallenged.

"Okay, first it is NOT a boring game, it is a thinking game. Second I don't know why you all sound so surprised," Dusk explained. "Rarity you had just saw me yesterday when I was playing a game against an older pony in the park, when I lost focus on the game and lost my queen."

He turned to Twilight, "You have played the game haven't you? I have seen the collection of books in the library on the game." She shook her head no, Dusk immediately face hoofed, "As soon as I'm released from the hospital I'm going to start a beginners' class in this town!" He was quite serious too, such an insult to the game and started a fire in his heart.


"Soooo, no book for you?" Twilight asked calming him back down.

"Could I make a request to be brought from the library?" He asked, "if it's not too much of an imposition of course." Twilight simply nodded with a smile. "'The Art of Chess' by an author named Fisher if you could." 

"Got it," she replied as she slipped out of the room. The library was only a block from the hospital, and in ten minutes she had returned with his book.

"I really appreciate this thank you," Dusk said. He had opened the book to find it hadn't been opened in some time and freed the dust from it's pages. Twilight just smiled as a nurse had poked their head in the doorway.

"Visiting hours are over, please return tomorrow when these patients have gotten some rest," the nurse announced. Dusk looked out of the large window of their room to see that the sun wasn't going to set for an hour or two and decided to read his book.

His roommate however, decided to start bouncing a rubber ball on the wall opposite of their beds, the constant tapping had started to work his nerves. But, reading about the proper position of the knights and bishops for attack and defense allowed him to ignore it for some time. 

Her next act was a little harder to brush off, she had taken the lamp on her nightstand and began to turn it on and off every two seconds. The sound of the button clicking with the constant change of lighting had made it impossible for him to focus, so he put his book down and tried to get some sleep.

Dusk heard the clicking stop, the sweet sound of silence had once again returned to him, until Rainbow began to start talking to herself. He couldn't quite make out the words as he was muffling the noise with his pillow, but a huge smile grew on his face as he realized what was happening. 

Rainbow Dash was actually reading the book Twilight gave her earlier that day, he wasn't going to say anything, he already knew what it was like to have something private announced to their friends. Dusk simply took solace in the fact that she had been proven wrong about reading, to add more to his enjoyment, he distinctly heard her say 'I love reading.'

Dusk had slept comfortably that night,the next morning his sleep was broken when the sound of visitors coming into the room. Rarity, AppleJack and Pinkie Pie had come in, he rubbed his eyes and got himself up to properly greet them.

"Good morning ladies," he greeted. "How are you this fine day?"

"Mighty fine, thank ya" AppleJack answered. While the other guests were concerned with Rainbow's condition, Dusk saw they had good reason. She was sweating profusely, it was obvious her heart was beating quickly and she was sitting in an awkward position on the bed.

Dusk could see what was happening, the girls had nearly seen Rainbow reading a book, he simply laughed softly and pretended not to know what was the matter. He didn't want to embarrass Dash, and he also wanted to see how the situation would unfold, he was almost inclined to get some popcorn. 

While the guests were talking to Rainbow, a nurse popped in with a food cart. "Breakfast time for Rainbow Dash and Dusk Light." The food looked, less than tantalizing to Dusk, especially when he saw Dash eating more sloppily than the animals he had hunted in the forest. At the sight of her plate emptied in a minute or two, he simply pushed his tray back, maybe hunger would drive him to eat it later.

"Okay we'll see you guys tomorrow," Pinkie said as the three retreated toward the door. They waved goodbye, as the three had left the room, Dash had spit all of the food on her tray on the floor between the beds. The sight left Dusk's stomach a little unsettled and less inclined to try to eat.

That 'hunger driving him to eat later' didn't happen, his tray stayed untouched for the rest of the day, he simply returned to his book and assumed Dash was doing the same. The morning had passed slowly, as did the afternoon, but things picked up in the evening when the two had some more visitors.

This time it was his sweetheart Fluttershy and his teacher Twilight, when they entered the room Dash stuffed the book back underneath her covers. Fluttershy gave Dusk a peck on the cheek when no one else would notice, "I think Rainbow Dash could use some company." Dusk whispered in her ear, she was going through an internal struggle right now and needed some support.

"Okay," she replied, joining Twilight at Rainbow's side, the three began playing some simple board game involving using coordinates to hit each others' targets.

It was no doubt the shortest game he had ever seen, five moves and Rainbow admitted defeat, "oh well I guess you win, thanks for coming to see me but I'm just worn out, so I'll see you tomorrow." This was merely another attempt to get rid of her friends to keep reading her book in private.

The two tried to protest as Dash did all but shove them out of the room, they looked at Dusk probably thinking they hadn't really visited him much that day. "If Rainbow Dash is tired I'm not going to keep her up by asking you to stay, we will see you tomorrow." Dusk waved to the two as they left the room before looking back at Dash, who had returned to her book, he followed suit.

The sun had set and Dusk decided to sleep, Rainbow Dash on the other hand kept reading. Dusk woke especially early to the sound of mumbling from his neighbor's bed, he gave a soft chuckle as he got up and put a sign with the words DO NOT DISTURB written on it on the door of their room.

The two spent the following morning reading in relative silence until the doctor entered the room, Dusk feared the worst, did something happen? Is something in my body that shouldn't be? Did my blood work come back with some terrible diagnoses? 

Dr. Arch approached Rainbow Dash's bed, when he got her attention he noticed a lantern in her bed. "Have you been up all night?" he asked.

"O-of course not," she answered. You are not a good liar miss, Dusk thought, but that's probably a good thing.

"Well I will be quick, congratulations we're checking you out of the hospital," he announced with gusto.

"Later today?" she asked.

"Nope. Right now!"

"Right now, right now?!?"

"Right now, right now!" Before she could protest, she was put into a wheel chair and taken out of the building. I don't think she was quite finished, Dusk thought, it's a shame I can't see what she does, I'll just ask her when I get released. The doctor turned to Dusk, "don't worry Mr. Light you will be released tomorrow morning."

"Thank you doctor," Dusk replied. "This has been a most enjoyable recovery." The doctor nodded as he left the room, the rest of the evening was quiet until Dusk received a new roommate, an older pony with a fever.

"What brings ya here?" he asked.

"Concussion," Dusk answered. "you?"

"Serious illness, pneumonia I had fought off this week," The older pony replied. "They moved me here because I stabilized. You aren't a loud roommate are you?"

"No sir," Dusk responded. "I'm just going to read my book and then go to bed."

"Then we should have no issues," he paused. "So long as you don't try to steal my slippers."

"Wouldn't dream of it sir," Dusk wondered about the last statement but thought best not to ask. 

The night came quickly and both ponies had fallen asleep, Dusk was having a pleasant dream about having a family with Fluttershy. The two had a colt in school who was a unicorn, and a young filly that had just learned how to use her wings. Unfortunately, the dream was shattered and Dusk was sucked back into reality at the sound of shouting coming from his roommate.

"HELP! BURGLAR, BURGLAR! SOMEONE'S TRYING TO STEAL MY SLIPPERS!"

Dusk was shocked to see some pony was actually stealing something from under his bed, the figure had run out of the room. He could see the figure had a rainbow tail, gave a heavy sigh, Rainbow Dash, and did his best to calm his roommate down. "Sir, your slippers are still here they didn't get taken!" 

The old pony took the slippers and held them tightly before calming down. Silence had fallen upon them again as there was something going on out the window, Dusk could see a crowd gathering at the library. He would have to wait until tomorrow to find out what happened and slumped back to bed.

He woke up the next morning with bloodshot eyes, the night was not kind to him and didn't allow him much sleep. He stood up as Dr. Arch entered the room, "ah you're awake, good timing, now you might still have some pain from the incident." He put a bottle of pills in a saddlebag for him, "take one of these twice a day and you should be back to normal in no time. Any questions?"

"Just one," Dusk answered. "Is Arch your whole name?" He had no idea what possessed him to ask but he was too fatigued to care.

"Actually, no," the doctor replied. "My full name is Archimedes, but that is a little lengthy so I shortened it." That was by far the coolest name that Dusk ever heard.

"Well, Dr. Archimedes I will take my leave," Dusk gave a small bow, as was customary for him. "I thank you for the excellent hospitality."

As he walked through the front doors of the hospital, Dusk could see that his friends were coming to visit him again, and had wanted to tell him so much.

"Wait, why aren't you in bed?!" Fluttershy asked, concerned about his health.

"Just released a minute ago," he answered. "So Rainbow Dash, does every pony know?"

"Know what?" Dash replied. Dusk had simply pulled out Twilight's book from his saddlebag. "Wait when did you find out?"

"Okay, I'm taking that as yes," Dusk announced. "I don't know if you're aware of this but when you read, you read out loud, I didn't want to say anything because I could tell you were embarrassed." 

Rainbow Dash stood there, speechless, while every pony else had started to laugh a little before walking off for some breakfast. This has been a fun experience, Dusk thought, hopefully it was worth this splitting headache.
> A Lesson in Love
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk had been spending his past three days recovering from his head trauma courtesy of Ms. Rainbow Dash, she had already apologized three times and each time he gave her forgiveness. Today I should make it clear, he thought, I hold nothing against her and at that it was an accident and nothing more.

He woke up to a throbbing headache, like the other days he simply swallowed one of his prescribed pills and shook it of by the time he finished breakfast. Having so much free time in his day was something Dusk had to adjust to, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. Even with his pet, he just opened the balcony door and let him fly out and feed himself before returning. Hummingway did help keep him company when he was bedridden in his home.

So what should I do today? He pondered, I suppose I'll take a stroll around town and see what's new. He nodded in confirmation and set the plan in motion. Dusk walked into the warm embrace of the early morning sun on his balcony and noticed something very different about town, there were heart-shaped decorations that had covered the town.

He saw Rainbow Dash hanging some decorations and called to her. "Excuse me Rainbow Dash," he shouted. "Can you come here for a minute?" She swooped down, showing extra care in her landing, she still felt bad about the incident, even if she was trying her best to hide it.

"Hey Dusk," she replied. "I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry again for what happened, I was careless and I hope you can forgive me,"

"Rainbow," he started. "For the last time, it was an accident so  please stop feeling so guilty about it." She was staring at the ground, he lifted her head to look her in the eye, "I forgive you, for the one-thousandth time I forgive you! So will you please stop being so sad, it's starting to make me feel bad." He gave her a reassuring nod before she finally heard exactly what he was saying and smiled at him.

"So now that we finally have that resolved, what exactly is going on with the decor all over town?" He asked.

"Don't you know anything egghead!" She replied, he didn't mind the name egghead, it was reserved for himself and Twilight and complimented their intelligence. "Hearts and Hooves day is tomorrow." Dusk felt his heart sink, back in Canterlot he didn't care about the holiday and found it down right annoying. But this was different, now he had Fluttershy and realized he needed to get something special planned for her, but what?

"Oh Celestia," he proclaimed. "I need to get something planned, do you know anything about what ponies plan for Hearts and Hooves Day?"

"I'm too cool for most stallions to handle," she replied. The narcissism she displayed was nothing short of astounding, "Try Twilight she probably has some books or something." Dusk gave a nod and ran out of the inn and breakneck speed heading straight for the library, time was not his friend right now.

When he reached the library, he calmed himself down and regained his composure before calmly knocking on the door. Spike had answered the door, "Dusk?" He asked, it was clear he had just been woken up too early that morning.

"Oh terribly sorry," Dusk apologized. "I was in such a daze I didn't think you and Twilight might be trying to sleep in."

Spike just rubbed his eyes, "Don't worry about it, I have work to do and sleeping in too much will put me behind, and whenever Twilight sleeps she freaks out as if an Ursa Minor is back in town."

"Wait. an Ursa Minor... What in the world-" Dusk was stopped when Spike began shaking his head.

"You don't want to know," he paused, "So what do you need?"

"I need to talk to Twilight," Dusk replied. "It's kind of important."

Spike simply turned around gesturing Dusk to follow until they reached the stairs. "Now you might want to cover your ears," Spike had warned. He walked up the stairs, Dusk should have heeded the young dragon's warning because a sudden scream filled the chambers of the library.

Back in school, the talk of war brought up the term 'shell shock' and how it came up as the affect a close explosion or equal force had on a soldiers body. That day Dusk finally learned exactly how shell shock affected the body, it threw him into a daze and knocked him of balance.

A minute later, Twilight emerged from her bedroom still combing her mane with her cheeks turning pink. Dusk felt bad for waking her up for such a personal matter, "I'm terribly sorry for waking up I didn't know you wanted to sleep in this morning."

"Oh no I'm glad you came by," she replied. "I can't afford to sleep in on such a busy schedule."

"Oh, if you're too busy I suppose it can wait," Dusk didn't want to impose anymore than he had already.

"No, my schedule is a little relaxed today," she sat in a nearby chair. "What brings you by the library this early in the morning?"

"Well," Dusk began. "Rainbow Dash told me tomorrow is Hearts and Hooves day and I was completely unaware of this and I feel I should set up a really nice date for Fluttershy. But, I haven't the slightest clue where to begin, so I come seeking your advice."

"Carousel Boutique," She replied simply, "that is the place you should go first."

"That makes sense, a nice suit should be the first thing to get."

Twilight stifled her laughter, "No the suit is one of the last things you concern yourself with in planning a date."

Dusk was officially confused, "If the suit is the last thing, why should I go to the Boutique first?"

Twilight answered him with a single word, "Rarity." Dusk gave a sigh, it makes sense that she would be the one I have to rely on for this endeavor.

"Is she up this early in the morning?" He asked, he didn't want to go and wake every pony up early in the morning.

"This close to Hearts and Hooves day, there is no doubt in my mind she is running around her shop filling orders," Twilight smiled. Dusk gave a nod and a bow before heading for the door, "I hope your date goes well, I can't wait to hear about it, from either you or Fluttershy." 

Dusk gave a smile as he left the library, I hope she isn't too busy to give me some advice. The town was painted with pink and red hearts and he could say the same about the Carousel Boutique, giving a sigh he knocked on the door. He was immediately greeted by a frazzled Rarity, Twilight wasn't joking when she said Rarity was going to be busy today.

"Oh, hello Dusk," Rarity greeted. "I suppose you are here in need of a nice tuxedo?"

"Good morning Rarity, you are looking beautiful this morning," he greeted, from her body language it was obvious she was overworked. "The tuxedo can wait, I came here seeking advice." Rarity gave him a curious look and gestured him to come inside.

"Thank you for the compliment," she began walking back into her workshop. "But you and I both know I look like a mess. So what exactly are you doing that requires you to seek my advice."

"Well, I had just learned that Hearts and Hooves day is tomorrow and I have yet to plan anything special for Fluttershy. I haven't a clue of how to set up a date, I asked Twilight who immediately recommended I come talk to you."

Rarity's eyes widened, "You haven't planned anything for Hearts and Hooves Day! Have you been living under a rock for the past three days!" 

"No," Dusk retorted pointing at the lump that had appeared on his head, "I have been resting this head injury for the past three days. But regardless, I don't even know where to begin."

"Okay, that just barely constitutes as a valid reason," she admitted as she threw him a quill and small notepad. "Now write down the list of things you need to have a successful Hearts and Hooves day. The suit which I will handle personally, knowing you and Fluttershy a crowded restaurant seems too public so you two should have a dinner in some secluded area like Sweet Apple Acres. The dinner itself that you must see a caterer for, flowers and chocolates are a must and the most important thing you must have is your 'gentlecolt' charm and be your usual self."

Dusk had been given quite a list, but raised his head in confusion at the last item on the list, "that's the most important part, to be myself?" 

"Yes," Rarity answered. "Most stallions need to act like they can be gentlecolts, but you naturally are one so that won't be an issue in the slightest." Dusk did enjoy being called a gentlecolt, but he had so much to do that he had to get moving if he was going to get everything planned by tomorrow. 

"Doesn't AppleJack do catering?" Dusk asked. Rarity nodded yes, "Could I have it arranged at Sweet Apple Acres and have AppleJack handle the catering, leaving you to get me a proper suit?" 

"That sounds like a capital idea," she replied, "Fluttershy will love it! I can have your suit to you by the end of today and don't worry about payment, this one's on me."

"There is not a chance I'm letting you do this for free," Dusk protested. "That is just too much for me to ask from you."

Rarity gave a disappointed sigh, "there's that polite charm again, why can't there be more stallions like you that actually know what it means to have class, Prince Blueblood could learn a thing or two from you. But I still owe you a debt for invading your privacy."

Dusk saw no way to convince Rarity that he shouldn't let her give him a suit free of charge. "There is no way for me to talk you out of this there?" 

"Not a chance sir," she replied. Knowing full well how much a suit would cut into her profit.

"Well, I thank you one thousand times in advance, all  I ask is that you keep it simple, nothing too fancy," he admitted defeat. "Now I must go make the proper arrangements with AppleJack so I will take my leave," he gave a bow and left the boutique. This time he watched the skies upon exiting, no sign of Rainbow Dash anywhere.

Once it was clear, Dusk sprinted to the orchard that AppleJack owned to try to get as much time as he could for preparations. After a few minutes of running, he could see the farmhouse, then he saw AppleJack taking some barrels out of a cellar next to the house and putting them in a stack. 

"AppleJack, do you have a minute?" Dusk asked, regaining his breathe.

"Sure I ain't doing anything to important at the moment, what can I do for ya?" she replied.

"I have a very important favor to ask of you," he answered. "I need your catering services for a date with Fluttershy for tomorrow evening."

AppleJack gave him a menacing glare, "Why did ya wait until today to ask? Did you forget?"

"I didn't know Hearts and Hooves Day was coming up until this morning," Dusk answered. "Before you ask, no I haven't spent the last three days living under a rock, I have been nursing my head injury from earlier this week."

"Alright, that's valid enough an excuse," she let it slide. "For a friend I can cater on Hearts and Hooves Day, but you better not do this to her next year or I'll find you."

"I Pinkie promise, so long as I don't suffer another head injury right before," Dusk replied. "Also, if it isn't too much to ask, can we have it on the orchard? It's nice and secluded here and is a perfect place to dine in peace."

"I told you that ya were welcome to use the farm didn't I?" AppleJack answered.

"I really appreciate all of this, you have helped me so much today," Dusk was ready to start kissing her feet. "What time works best for you?"

"A proper date should happen at seven, right before sunset," he nodded in agreement.

"How much will this cost?" Dusk asked, he had to pay for something in this date.

"Not a bit," she answered. "This one's on me."

"No, there is no way I can, let you pay for this out of pocket," Dusk knew where this was going. "I won't be able to convince you to let me pay, will I?"

"Nope."

"I am forever in your debt, now I need to get some flowers and chocolates, good day to you," he had left in a hurry.

The chocolates would be at Sugarcube Corner, and then the flowers would have to be handled. Time was still his enemy as he ran back into town, nearly running past the sweet shop. He ran in to see Pinkie Pie was working there, I really can't pay for any part of this can I?

"Hi Pinkie," he greeted, this was the only friend he didn't really have any experience talking to since their introduction.

"Hi Dusk, it's been forever since I've seen you how have you been?" She replied.

"I've been better, but I'm running low on time, I need a box of Hearts and Hooves Day chocolates," he was feeling anxious.

"Okey dokey lokey, here you go," she handed him the box. "Wait are these for Fluttershy?"

"Yes, but I need to hurry, how much will this cost?" He hated to rush but he couldn't stay and talk he still had things to do.

"This specific box is free," Pinkie answered.

"Seriously, how much?" He was losing patience with this cycle.

"For you and Fluttershy, it's on the house."

"I don't have time to argue so I thank you a thousand times, now I have to run, I'll catch up with you soon." With that he had run out the door looking for the nearest flower shop.

There was one down the road, a pony with an orange mane whom he knew as Carrot Top stood at the counter. "Hi Carrot Top can I get a bouquet for Hearts and Hooves day?"

"Of course," she replied. "May I ask who these are for?"

"They're for Fluttershy," Dusk answered. "So how much will it be?"

"If they're for Fluttershy it's on the house, she's one of my best customers." Dusk dropped his jaw, he really couldn't pay for anything around here.

"I've tried to argue about paying twice today I just give up," he admitted a final defeat. "I thank you a thousand times for this, I will not forget this kindness." He left the shop, there was one thing left to do and that was to ask Fluttershy, the sun had begun to set, and he knew that he needed to hurry. 

He could see her cottage and hoped she was home, he knocked on her door and waited a moment. The door opened a crack to reveal one of her sapphire blue eyes, she saw who it was and proceeded to let him in, "Oh, Dusk it's you, what brings to my little old cottage at this hour?"

"I was wondering if you would accompany me to dinner at Sweet Apple Acres for Hearts and Hooves Day," he gave her the bouquet and chocolates as he answered.

"Oh, of course, I was starting to worry you didn't want to do anything special for tomorrow," she admitted.

"I would never dream of doing that to you Fluttershy," Dusk replied. "You are my marefriend, you deserve to be treated as such."

She put the flowers and candy on a nearby table and gave Dusk a hug and a kiss on the cheek, the two stood in each others' hooves for a few moments. At this time, the constant running of that day took it's toll and nearly caused Dusk to collapse in exhaustion.

"Well, I will come by and pick you up at six-thirty tomorrow evening," he announced. "If you don't have any objections, of course." She nodded in agreement. "Well there are still somethings I must do to make sure everything goes smoothly, until tomorrow my dear."

Dusk decided to pick up the suit in the morning and slumped his way back to the inn, the sweet, soft bed calling his name. He finally made it to his room and closed the door behind him, just in time to collapse on his bed and sleep.
> The Fruits of Love's Labors
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The morning sun had greeted Dusk through his glass doors, upon arising he saw that he had quite some time before his big date. This is going to be such a good day, His optimism was well placed, everything was perfection in his world and not a single detail went unchecked. He had two tasks for the day: one, pickup his suit and two, escort Fluttershy to dinner.

He had until six-thirty to be ready, there was no need to rush anything today, very much unlike the previous day that left his legs jelly in Fluttershy's hooves. Dusk had noticed the lack of pain in his head, a good sign that his recovery was nearing completion and decided to not take his pain pills.

Upon exiting the comfort of his bed, Dusk waltzed over to the doors of his balcony to greet the morning with open arms. Hummingway took the opportunity to go out and eat. The joy he gained from his labors of the previous day had left him in a feeling of weightlessness, nothing could possibly bring him down.

The fresh air had entered his lungs as the doors swung open, this day was going to be perfect for a dinner date with Fluttershy. Dusk closed the doors as he headed into his little kitchen to fix himself some breakfast, the usual toast didn't seem appetizing that day. He grabbed a shiny, red apple from a fruit bowl sitting on the counter and took a big juicy bite out of it, a delicious alternative to the dry toast he made himself each morning.

After cleaning himself up, Dusk felt it was time to visit Rarity's shop and pick up his suit and explain to Rarity why he couldn't pick it up yesterday. The town had a certain energy in the air words couldn't exactly describe it, no doubt a side affect of the fact that it was Hearts and Hooves Day.

The streets were much less busy than the day before, it appeared that the only ponies out were those who had forgotten what day was today. If it weren't for Rainbow Dash, I might not have found out in time and ended up just like these poor ponies. He thought, then again, if she hadn't nearly cracked my skull open I might have been able to find out sooner and took care of everything a lot sooner.

He shook that thought from his mind, there was no point to think about what could have happened differently, he had played the hand he was dealt and was able to make it work. It felt good for him to be able to stroll about town, no need to go running around town, he had plenty of time that day and needed to find something to do after his stop at Rarity's.

Once in sight, Dusk noticed the Carousel Boutique had a line that went out the door with impatient customers, not the greatest sign. He walked to the end of the line, a pony wearing a monocle and fancy black suit was standing at the in front of him, he seemed very calm.

"Excuse me good sir," Dusk addressed him, "just how long is the wait here?"

"Oh I have been waiting about half an hour give or take," he replied, "oh where are my manners! The name is Fancy Pants, and who might you be?"

"Dusk sir," he answered giving his typical bow, "a pleasure to meet you Mr. Fancy Pants, if I may, what brings you here to Ponyville? A gentlecolt of your stature is usually doing business in Canterlot."

"Ah Dusk, a fine name," Fancy Pants answered, "Yes, I am from Canterlot, but I am here to pick up a new outfit from my top designer, but it seems I am not the only one, I assume you are here for the exact same reason."

"Indeed I am, Rarity is a good friend of mine, but I had no idea she was such a renowned designer, bringing in clients from Canterlot. I'm glad she is quite successful, but it appears she is stretched a little thin today." 

"I'm afraid I have to agree, she can create beautiful designs and make exquisite clothing, but her organization appears to be less than up to par for today."

"I'm going to see if I can help her, can you hold this spot for me? Such conversation with such an esteemed gentlecolt is enjoyable to pass the time."

"Capital Idea! Of course, good sir you have my word."

With that Dusk moved ahead of the line, the patrons waiting before him were much less polite than his new friend and used a less than appropriate language. He squeezed through the doorway to see Rarity running every which way, she was much more frazzled compared to yesterday. "Good day to you Rarity, you seem busy."

"Oh Dusk, sorry I've fallen behind and everything is a little hectic, your suit is not quite done." Rarity admitted.

"It's okay, I have plenty of time, unlike some ponies outside," Dusk said calmly, "what can I do to help?"

Rarity's eyes grew wide, she looked at him as a savior sent down from the heavens to save her from her dilemma. "If you can handle the transactions, I can actually finish these outfits," she paused, "did you happen to see a pony named Fancy Pants out there?"

"Indeed I did we had a delightful conversation," Dusk replied, "he was by far one of the most respectful ponies I have ever seen, he said he had been waiting a half an hour but was absolutely calm about it."

Rarity nearly hit the roof, "WHAT? I have to move now I don't want to keep him waiting longer, here's the list of orders," she threw Dusk another notepad, "this list shows all of the outfits, they need a receipt to pick up an order, no exceptions I need to finish these so I will be in my workshop."

Dusk nodded as he stepped behind the counter to the first pony in line, they were not exactly patient, "how may I help you?"

"I need my outfit now."

"Your receipt?" He had taken the receipt, matched it to the outfit on the rack behind him and handed it to them. "Thank you for your patronage, have a happy Hearts and Hooves Day."

The next hour was that single action on repeat, some ponies were a little more upset about the debacle than others and one failed to bring a receipt and was forced to wait out of line. Rarity was putting outfits on the rack as fast as Dusk was taking them off and the work load was much easier with the two working so diligently.

The next pony was Fancy Pants, looking as calm as he was an hour ago, "oh hello Mr. Dusk, good to see you were able to assist Ms. Rarity, here's my receipt."

"Here you go Mr. Fancy Pants, terribly sorry for the wait," Dusk apologized as he handed him the suit, "I'm not very used to doing this, so I'm a little slow."

"Nonsense my good man you are doing quite well considering the state of the shop," Fancy Pants replied, "I could sure use a pony of such skill in Canterlot." He handed Dusk a card, "please do look me up the next time you are in Canterlot, you and I are very much alike and I would very much so enjoy your company. Tell Rarity to keep up the good work as I do need to head back to Canterlot."

Dusk gave a nod, "of course sir, and I will very much consider your offer."

Upon his exit, Rarity appeared from her workshop, "was that Fancy Pants, what did he say?" 

"Well, he offered me a job, asked me to visit him in Canterlot and said to tell you to 'keep up the good work,'" Dusk answered, still in shock about what had just happened.

Rarity nearly collapsed, "HE WHAT?"

"He said I was doing a good job, all considering, gave me his card and then ask me to come visit him in Canterlot for some reason." The situation had finally hit him, knocked him off balance and made him curious to see Fancy Pants in Canterlot, "oh and he said to tell you to 'keep up the good work' before he left."

Dusk realized that some pony was waiting for him at the counter and returned to the task at hand, Rarity just stood there speechless. Until Dusk snapped her back to reality, she still had work to do and he wasn't going to be able to handle all of the aspects of the shop.

"Rarity! There are still outfits to be made, I can only sell what you have made, we only have a couple more ponies left to handle, don't lose it on me right now." Rarity snapped back and rushed back into her workshop, working as fast as she could to finish her remaining orders.

The two managed to handle all of her customers and took a breathe before slumping on the floor, Dusk had started laughing. "Not the way I planned to spend my day, but it feels good to help a friend in need."

"There is no way I could have done this without your help, but I have a favor to ask, well two," Rarity replied, completely exhausted.

"Is one a job offer? Because if it is I accept, I've been needing to find something to do," Dusk replied, Rarity gave him a big smile in response. "What's the second favor?" He asked a little bit hesitant to hear the answer.

"In a few days I'm going to be staying in Canterlot to work in a fashion show," she began, "you have made a powerful friend today in Fancy Pants so I was wondering if you would accompany me."

"Well..., I don't see why not," Dusk replied with a little hesitation in his voice, "but I will make sure Fluttershy is okay with it first of course."

Rarity had some sudden burst of energy as she began to hop around the room giggling, he simply watched her and smiled. It felt good to make his friend so happy and couldn't wait to tell Fluttershy about it tonight, in shock he looked at the clock in the shop. He had lost his grasp of time in the insanity he had volunteered to be apart of, the clock showed it was five-thirty and gave a sigh of relief.

"Can I get my suit now?" Dusk asked, "I don't mean to be so crass but my date is in an hour so I want to make sure I look presentable for Fluttershy."

"Oh silly me it is the last one on the rack," Rarity replied, "I almost forgot about it." She levitated the suit above him and in a flash it was fit nicely over his coat, gotta love unicorn magic, he thought, I should use it more often. "You look smashing," she complimented. 

The suit was a jet black suit with a white collared shirt and black bow tie, simple just like he had requested, and was pleased by the result. "Thank you very much madame," he gave a bow, "Now I must leave, I cannot afford to be late for my first date, I would never here the end of it."

Rarity nodded and held open the door for him, "good luck dear, I can't wait to hear how it goes!"

With that Dusk walked out into the warm sunshine, all that work had left him a little fatigued but he could push past it. He decided to check in with AppleJack to make sure everything else was in order before heading over to pick up Fluttershy.

The farm appeared to have ponies running in and out carrying objects of various shapes and sizes, he could see AppleJack supervising the work. "Hello AppleJack, how are things progressing?" He asked, hoping that nothing else would go wrong this day.

"A little slow, but everything will be ready in time for your date," she turned and saw his attire. "Don't ya look fancied up for Fluttershy."

"Thank you, but that's music to my ears that everything is going to be ready in time," Dusk replied, "after what happened at the Carousel Boutique, I don't need anything else to go wrong."

"Why, what happened? Is Rarity alright?" she asked, feeling concern for her friend.

"She was a little overloaded with customers," he answered, "I stepped in to help obtain order and helped her finish her orders and we just wrapped up not too long ago."

"That sounds like her, always biting off more than she can chew, at least she had you there to keep it from getting out of control."

Dusk nodded in agreement, "well if everything is in order here I should start heading to Fluttershy's cottage, better to be a little early than at all late." AppleJack nodded and waved him off, she had everything under control and would make sure it went smoothly for her two friends.

The walk to Fluttershy's cottage was unusually quick, but Dusk figured it was because of his excitement, our first date, this will be the perfect evening. He had reached the door and waited a moment before knocking, the door opened a crack and much like last night, Fluttershy saw it was Dusk and immediately opened the door for him.

She was wearing a beautiful spring dress, there was no doubt in his mind Rarity made it for her, the green of the dress complimented her coat perfectly. "Wow, you look amazing," Dusk admitted, he was sure that his jaw had nearly hit the floor.

Fluttershy blushed a little, she hugged him tightly and gave him a peck on the cheek, she seemed just as excited about their date as he was. "Shall we be off milady?" She nodded, and the two walked out into the cool evening air, the sun was beginning it's descent in the west.

"So how has your day been" He asked, he felt it would be a good way to break the ice between them.

"Oh it was fine, Twilight had helped me get ready, that was about it, how about you?" She asked.

"This has been a crazy day," he admitted, "I did not plan on doing too much today, but the world decided to change my plans."

"Oh, what happened?"

"I went to pick up my suit from Rarity only to find there was a long line at her shop, I had met a pony named Fancy Pants waiting in line, really nice pony, very polite."

"Oh, I met him about a month ago at Twilight's birthday party in Canterlot, he is a very nice pony."

"Really? Certainly a pony that knows a lot of ponies, but anyway, I decided to see if Rarity needed help, turns out she did a lot, she couldn't handle everything, so I took over the counter. I made sure every pony got the outfit they ordered and allowed Rarity to finish orders, this process was repeated over several hours."

"Well that sounds hectic, that was a very nice thing you did for Rarity and I'm sure that she appreciates what you did."

"Well she did give me a job being her cashier and she also gave me another offer I wanted to talk to you about,"

"Oh, what's that?"

"Because I became such a fast friend of Fancy Pants, who offered me a job and asked for me to look him up the next time I went to Canterlot. Rarity wants me to accompany her when she leaves for a fashion show in Canterlot in a few days, I told her it depends on what your thoughts are on the matter."

"Well, I trust you, and Rarity is a good friend so I trust her too," she paused, "if you want to go I support your decision."

With that statement, the two had reached Sweet Apple Acres, where AppleJack was waiting to escort the to their table. The table had a beautiful rose in a tall glass, Dusk had pulled Futtershy's chair out for her before sitting down himself.

The dinner itself was quiet, the two had already caught up on the trip and anything they wanted to know was covered by other conversations they had that week. Still, it was a nice dinner, both enjoyed a simple salad and watched the sun dip below the horizon, the two finished their meals shortly after. They danced under the moonlit sky, truly a beautiful memory for the two to remember fondly. Dusk decided that was time was the best to tell her something.

"Fluttershy?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two didn't want to keep their hosts up too late, so after their dance it was time to head back by moonlight. The silence lasted until the two reached Fluttershy's cottage. "That was a lovely time tonight, I had fun," Fluttershy smiled.

"I'm glad, this truly was a magical evening," Dusk replied. The two shared another kiss, their hearts synchronized, all the world seemed irrelevant when the two came so close together. 

After five minutes the two agreed to end it, "would you like to stay here tonight? It's such a long walk back to the inn back in town."

The question shocked Dusk for a moment, she couldn't mean... no it's too soon she wouldn't want to move that fast! Against his better judgement Dusk said, "that sounds nice, I can take the couch down here," he then spent the rest of the night thinking about how stupid he was for accepting such an invitation.

But still, the next morning would be very pleasant, he might serve her breakfast in bed as a token of gratitude but he would deal with that in the morning. But for now, sleep was calling to him and he wasn't going to wait any longer for it.
> Homeward Bound
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Dusk awoke to a sweet, gentle voice pulling him out of his slumber, "Dusk, Duuuusk, it's morning now and I decided to make us some breakfast." It was the perfect way to wake up, he wished he could wake up like that everyday, he pulled himself off the couch recalling the events of the previous night.

"Good morning my sweet," he gave Fluttershy a peck on the cheek, "what has my favorite mare prepared for us on this beautiful morning?"

Her cheeks grew a little red as she walked into her kitchen, "just some pancakes, nothing too fancy."

"If you made them they must be fit for Princess Celestia herself," Dusk stated with utmost confidence in her abilities. She had returned with a generous stack on one plate, and a single pancake on another, she placed the two on the dining room table. The larger of the two sat opposite of her as she began to eat her single pancake, he looked at the stack in front of him, I can't eat this, he thought, not even after fasting for days, I can't do it!

He wasn't referring to the pancakes themselves, in fact, they looked perfectly golden and fluffy, he was referring to the fact that his stomach was a little small to take on such a large quantity. "Do you want some of mine?" he asked, fearing that it might offend her in some capacity, "I just don't have the ferocity to take on such a large amount of food."

She smiled, cheeks maintaining a red glow, possibly because she had figured him to have an appetite of the typical stallions she knew in town. A few pancakes had been taken of the top of his mighty stack, Dusk was still going to have plenty left over but he felt good seeing she was eating some food. Her small figure gave him small concern that she wasn't eating quite as much as she should, but that was probably him just worrying too much.

After an hour of eating, half of the plate had been cleared and Dusk wasn't going to attempt another bite, he was nearly stuffed. "These would definitely be fit for Princess Celestia," he complimented, "certainly the best thing I've eaten in years."

His flattery was definitely appreciated, Fluttershy kissed him on the cheek as thanks, their feelings toward each other had grown stronger since their meeting outside of town. But, they had responsibilities to take care of, Fluttershy was first to point that out, "I need to go to the market today after feeding the animals." 

"And I have to go to Rarity's about my new job and prepare for this trip," he gulped, "to Canterlot."

"Are you sure about that," she replied, feeling concern toward the idea, "to go back to your hometown, can you handle going back there again?"

Dusk took a moment to think about it, "I don't know, but I have to try, things are different now there and no pony might even remember what happened. Besides, Rarity will be there to help me through it, she knows the city well and can help me blend right in."

Fluttershy placed her hoof on his shoulder, "I don't think Rarity will be enough to get you through it, maybe I should see if I can join you."

"I couldn't ask you to do that," Dusk answered, "you have many animals to take care of here, you shouldn't leave them here for such a long time unless it's an emergency."

She couldn't find a flaw in his logic, he was right about her animal friends and that they needed her to feed them, "okay, just be careful okay?" she laughed softly. "I don't need to see you in a hospital bed again anytime soon, and I want you to take it slow, baby steps alright, no need to move fast."

"So long as Rainbow Dash doesn't follow me and attempt any stunts in Canterlot I should be okay," Dusk laughed, "and I promise to keep it brief, no sticking around if I don't have to."

Fluttershy gave him a smile, "Good, I can't wait to hear about it when you come back, now get moving, Rarity likes her employees to be punctual."

Dusk gave her a nod before giving her a kiss goodbye and heading out the door, then the weight of the situation hit him like a wave. Oh Celestia, he thought, I hadn't even considered that I was going back to the place I was abandoned in, I can do it though, I just need to look at it as another step.

Before he went to Rarity's Dusk decided to drop off his suit at the inn before continuing forward, his thoughts kept him occupied until he had reached the Carousel Boutique, which seemed to be back in order again after yesterday's field day. The bell rang as the door swung open, the store was silent and there was no sign of Rarity, so he decided to look around.

He poked his head in the door way of her workshop, Rarity was laying in the middle of the room curled up and shivering. It was obvious she had collapsed from all of the work she had done before she could get to bed, the room was also in a state of disarray. 

Dusk took a blanket off a nearby chair and placed it on Rarity, she stopped shivering soon after, he then turned his attention to the workshop. What a mess, he thought, I might as well start working now and get this place cleaned up for her.

Little by little, the room appeared in order, he had to carefully tiptoe around the sleeping shopkeeper and not make any loud noises. Two hours of labor left the room looking perfect, Dusk decided to go outside for a moment, Rarity had regained consciousness at that time and saw the state of her workshop. 

Dusk walked back in to find her in awe at the state of her shop, she saw him and had asked in shock, "did you do this?"

"Well, it was a little chaotic and you had passed out on the floor, I came in about two hours ago and found you there," he explained. "I threw a blanket on you to keep you warm and cleaned everything up and put it back the way it should be, did I do well?"

A tear formed in the corner of her eye, a smile grew across her face, "yes, yes you did, I can't begin to explain how happy I am, the fact you did all of this without having been asked. Not that I would asked you to take on such a task, and the fact that you did all of this while letting me sleep in the middle of the room without making a sound." 

She threw her arms around him, Dusk was afraid she would start kissing him, "this is such a nice thing for you to do, how can I possibly repay your for this?"

"Just give me an honest wage and honest work and we'll call it even," he replied, he didn't like the idea of having her owe him anything. 

"Of course, so I'm guessing you didn't come all the way over here to simply clean up my mess, what can I do for you?" 

"Well, I came to find out about my work and to confirm your invitation to accompany you in Canterlot,"he gulped, no going back on this now.

"Oh, that's splendid news, I already asked Twilight to inform the Princess that I would be bringing a guest. The last time I was there I was given a suite at the castle and I think she might do the same thing this time. As for your employment, how does eight in the morning to four in the afternoon sound for five days a week sound?"

"Well the job schedule sounds nice, but did you say the Princess knows I'm accompanying you?"

"Not exactly, I didn't want Twilight thinking anything about you coming with me so I told her that it was plus one guest."

"She's going to chew me out for not sending her any letters, I haven't been able to remember to do that in a few days."

"Oh, but Twilight said she's been sending them for you, I thought you knew she was doing that for you."

Of all the ponies the Princess could have thrown me to, he thought, I am most thankful she picked these six! "Good to hear, when are we departing?"

"Tonight would be best we will leave at about nine, we can sleep in the train overnight and be rested and ready by the time we get there in the morning."

"Splendid, I will meet you at the train station, I must get packed for this trip but I might need some outfits to look like a pony of Canterlot class."

"I will throw a few outfits together for you don't worry about it."

With that Dusk gave a bow before returning outside to mull over the information he had just been given and take it all in as he went back to the inn. So, I get to see the Princess on this trip, splendid, I haven't seen in her in about a month so this will be a nice little visit.

He didn't exactly have a lot to pack, even if most of his possessions hadn't been destroyed during the first night it's not like he would need any of it in Canterlot. The most he had was torn picture he had picked up from Fluttershy when his bag was ransacked, the picture was futile to try to piece it back together. But he could still see his parents and recognize them and he wouldn't leave without it, he folded it and placed it in his pack.

The saddle bag he had gotten from the hospital after his... incident was sufficient to get his items from point A to point B but it was a sterile white. Dusk knew Rarity would have a new one for him by the first day, he didn't mind using the bag available to him, but she would insist.

He threw his toothbrush, toothpaste and other grooming supplies into the saddlebag, the suit he had placed in the room earlier that day was folded neatly and tucked inside. With his remaining time, Dusk decided to visit Twilight and thank her for all of her help since the library was close to the inn where he was staying.

With everything packed he headed out to see his friend before leaving, the stroll was peaceful and quick, which was good because it kept those negative thoughts at bay. He reached the door to the library and knocked, a moment later Spike opened the door partially, "Oh hey Dusk what's new?"

"Going to Canterlot with Rarity tonight," he replied, "you?"

"Wait you're leaving town with Rarity?"

"Yes, she asked me to go with her."

"But you're already going out with Fluttershy, why would she want you to go instead of me?"

That's when it hit Dusk, oh, he has a little crush on Rarity, yeah that explains it. "Well I met a pony named Fancy Pants when he was at Rarity's shop and we became friends, that's really the only reason why."

"I guess that makes sense, but don't try anything with Rarity she's my girl."

Well there goes the subtlety, he thought, is he being serious though, I know he's young but still. "First, I have a wonderful relationship with Fluttershy, I'm not going to throw that away. Second, mares are not possessions, one does not claim them as their own, that is just an ignorant view of them and won't get you far with them."

"THAT IS A VERY GOOD POINT!" Twilight shouted, it was apparent she could hear the majority of the conversation and seemed to agree with Dusk strongly.

Spike opened the door fully and slipped away before she could scold him further, Twilight was standing there a few feet from the door and was not happy with her assistant. "So what brings you to our humble library?" she asked.

"I came to talk to you about what you have been doing for me this week," Dusk answered.

"The letters?"

"Should I just assume you know everything about what I'm coming to talk to you about before I say anything?"

"No, I can't quite read minds, yet, I assume Rarity or Fluttershy told you. Speaking of which, how did your date go last night?"

"It was absolutely amazing! You, Rarity and AppleJack really made the night perfect for us I can't thank you all enough for helping me get it all set up in time."

"Well I didn't really do anything, I just told you where to start, but you're very welcome regardless, so what's the next thing you're going to do?"

"Well Rarity asked me to with her to Canterlot for a fashion shoot and I thought I should tell you before I leave, and I wanted to thank you for keeping the Princess in the loop."

"WAIT, WHAT? You're Rarity's mystery guest? Why didn't she tell me? Are your sure that's a good idea?" The questions were coming too quickly for Dusk to try to answer even half of them.

"Whoa, Twilight calm down this was my decision, I know what I'm doing, I'm going to have to go there eventually. As for Rarity's decision to keep it a secret is more so a question for her than myself, I promise I won't do anything rash up there, you have my word."

"Okay I trust your word, but I still don't like this, does Fluttershy know you're doing this?"

"Yes, I asked her if it was okay to go, she gave me full support but wanted to come with, she has to many animals relying on her for me to have her do that."

"Okay, at least she gave you support, I will do the same, just don't do anything stupid out there."

"I pinkie promise," Dusk did the motions to make it official.

"Good," she looked at the clock, "it's almost time for you to go, I can't wait to here how it goes, I'm going to Rarity to have a discussion with her."

Dusk nodded as Twilight's horn started to glow, and in a moment she was gone, teleportation spells, he thought. Note to self, pick up a book on teleportation when you get the chance it just might come in handy.

The sun was beginning to descend down to the horizon and Dusk knew that he would need to head straight home and go directly toward the train station to be on time. The thought of Twilight going off on Rarity sent a chill down his spine as he walked through the street, she will be fine, he thought. Twilight just needs to blow off some steam, that's all.

He made his way up the stairs and unlocked his door before pushing it open, and nearly suffered a heart attack, some pony was sitting on his bed! It took him a moment to see who the pony was, "Fluttershy?! What are you doing here!?"

"Oh, um, I thought I would stop by and see you off," she realized she nearly scared him out of his coat. "Oh, sorry I didn't realize I would scare you, I can leave if you want me to."

Dusk's response was a kiss upon her lips, the two enjoyed that moment together, but he knew that he was on a schedule right now. "Please, I would never want you to leave, but how did you get in?"

"The balcony doors were unlocked and I thought that it would be a nice surprise for you," her cheeks were a little red from embarrassment.

"It was a nice surprise, but next time could you put something on my front door to tell me you're here," he chuckled softly, "I'm not a big fan of heart attacks."

Fluttershy nodded, glancing at the clock. "Oh you better get going, you don't want to miss your train."

"Right," Dusk threw his bag on his back and started out the door, "I will come see you the minute I am back in town okay?"

"Okay, good luck," she waved goodbye, he waved back and closed the door and locked it. He had a thought as he passed the front desk, the receptionist was sitting there with her usual cup of tea.

"Excuse me madam," he addressed her, she looked at him, a little annoyed as she always does. "Can I get a copy of my key made?"

"Sure, it will take a day or two to make but for you sir yes," she smiled as she answered, it was a little odd considering she hadn't smiled at any pony while he was living there.

"Excellent, I will be out of town for a few days, can you hold on to it until then?" Dusk asked.

"Well, is it not for that young pegasus that stopped by earlier?" she asked, his face grew a little red.

"Indeed it is," he wasn't embarrassed of his marefriend but it was odd that ponies saw them as such.

"I will give it to her then, no doubt she will return before you," the receptionist paused, "take good care of her, she's such a nice mare."

Dusk gave a nod, "of course, thank you but I must be off, I have a train to catch," with that he hurried to the train station. Upon coming into view he saw a large pile of luggage being loaded into one of the cars, well, she beat me here, he thought.

He approached the conductor standing outside the engine car he was a little older and wore a monocle, "good evening sir, lovely evening for a ride is it not?"

"Oh it would be," the conductor paused. "If it weren't for the fact that Miss Rarity is joining us. that mare goes someplace for no more than two days and packs her entire shop to take with her!"

"It certainly looks that way," Dusk paused. "The name is Dusk I am accompanying Miss Rarity in Canterlot."

"Oh well my name is Steel Runner," he replied. "You didn't bring a lot of luggage did you?"

"No sir, just the bag on my back," Dusk answered.

"Then we will have no problems," Steel said in confidence. "The luggage will take another ten minutes to load, you should find some place comfortable to sit while you wait."

"Can I help get it loaded on quicker?" Dusk offered.

"Well, it's official, you're not from around here good sir," Steel replied. "But yes if you want to help, then by all means."

"How do you know I'm not from around here?" Dusk was curious to hear the answer.

"I've been running trains through this town for ten years now," he paused. "And not a single pony has offered to assist me crew in getting luggage in or out."

Dusk smiled and went to help the crew, he didn't think that offering to lend a hoof would be that out of place here, but it felt good to help. With his help the crew got the luggage loaded in a little over five minutes and was able to prepare for the actual departure.

Dusk entered the car third from the caboose, Rarity was sitting toward the front of the car, he sat across from her and watched the world outside through the window. "What took you so long?" she inquired.

"The crew was having some trouble getting some of the luggage in the car so I offered to help," he answered.

"Oh, that was a very nice thing to do," her cheeks turned a little red, she knew he was talking about her luggage, "do you always help every pony you see?"

"Only the ones who appear to need it or ask for it."

She smiled, "You really are the definition of a gentlecolt," she got up and moved next to him using his shoulder as a pillow. He didn't mind, the loud whistle of the train had pierced the air and with a jolt the train lurched forward and had begun it's journey. Dusk drifted into sleep with Rarity lying next to him, he still felt nervous about the whole ordeal in Canterlot, but took solace in the fact he wouldn't have to deal with it alone.
> The Homecoming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A sudden lurch had shook Dusk from his slumber, they had arrived and from the looks of it they beat the morning sun, he look next to him which revealed Rarity resting her head on his lap. The awkwardness of the moment was hidden by the overall fatigue from a terrible night's sleep, he lightly shook Rarity and she awoke.

"Oh, we're here," she raised her head realizing she had been sleeping in his lap and sat up immediately. "Terribly sorry! I didn't realize I had been sleeping on top of you."

Her white cheeks bore a crimson undercoat, Dusk didn't mind. "It's quite all right, I didn't even notice until I awoke a moment ago, so, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, we just need to wait for my luggage," she answered. "Besides the princess won't be up for some time to welcome us to the city."

"I'm still going to give the train crew a hand." Dusk stood up. "I should make sure none of your luggage gets damaged in transit."

He walked out to see the sleeping city, the large buildings of intricate designs created a much different atmosphere than the one that existed in Ponyville. He turned to the luggage car, where the crew had already started with Steel, the conductor Dusk had met last night, supervising.

"Good morning, Mr. Runner,' Dusk greeted. "The crew need another pair of hooves this morning?"

"Ah, Dusk so good to see you up this early to offer a hoof," Steel replied. "Yes, we are having a slow morning waking up and could use the help."

Dusk went to work, the work took ten minutes but everything was unloaded, he looked up into the sky when he had finished and noticed the sky growing lighter. Celestia was getting ready to raise the sun as she did every morning, he didn't want to leave his mentor waiting this morning so he went to see if Rarity was ready.

Back in the passenger car, he noticed how nice Rarity looked before the sun had even risen. How does that mare keep her mane looking so nice overnight? He picked up his saddlebag and threw it over his back before turning to Rarity, "Everything is unloaded, anything else before we depart?"

"No Dusk," she answered. "After you good sir, my luggage will take some time to get to town as there is a lot to carry."

As he stepped out of the train car, the sun peaked over the horizon and the land became illuminated, giving the city a much different look. All of the ivory, traditional architecture and classical color choice left Dusk a feeling he hadn't had in so many years, he felt at home.

The two looked to the sky as a figure appeared from the clouds above and was heading their way. He knew who it was all too well, Princess Celestia. She came into view a few feet above him and landed gracefully in front of him, she looked happy to see him but also confused as to why he was there.

"My student," she addressed him. "Just what are you doing here? Surely you haven't become prepared to see them in a week. So, what brings you back to Canterlot?"

Before he could answer Rarity walked up next to him bowing her head before greeting the Princess. "Good morning Princess, I see you have met my guest here, I believe you two know each other."

"Oh, I see," Celestia answered, she leaned over to Dusk. "I thought you had a crush on Fluttershy."

Dusk and Rarity looked at each other in shock their cheeks grew a little red, Dusk explained, "Oh, no no no mentor Fluttershy are actually dating, I'm just here as a friend to aid her with her task."

"Terribly sorry for the confusion," Celestia realized her error. "You two came together, I could only assume that you two were together."

An awkward silence followed, Dusk couldn't take another minute of it, "Soooo, Rarity told me that you have arranged a room for us to stay at here."

"Indeed I did," she answered, "it's up at the castle, follow me." As the started walking, she pulled Dusk close with her wing and whispered, "So you do know they're still here right, you may be taking a risk coming here if you're not ready to confront them just yet."

"I'm well aware mentor," Dusk whispered, he looked at Rarity, who was busy taking in the scenery to notice the two whispering. "I have to first get used to the city, being ready to approach them isn't enough if I can't come back to the city to do so, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity."

Celestia nodded, she turned to Rarity. "So Rarity, Twilight tells me you will be helping in a fashion show tomorrow, I hope it goes well."

"Thank you so much Princess," Rarity replied, it was strange for Dusk to hear ponies referring to his mentor as 'princess' but could understand why they would. His thoughts couldn't distract him from the little flashbacks from the days after the incident. Every so often something would remind him of his friends and neighbors and how they had turned on him. Rarity turned to Dusk appearing a bit pale, "Are you all right, you seem a bit nervous?"

Dusk realized she didn't know he was from Canterlot, since Fluttershy was the only one who knew what had happened other than the Princess, so he decided to keep it that way. "Uh, yeah I'm okay, just not used to being in such a big city," he lied, telling her the truth right now would do no good, later seemed a much better time to explain.

"Oh, don't be nervous, a pony of your class will do perfectly well up here," Rarity encouraged him, "Fancy Pants seemed to think so when you met him."

Celestia's ears perked up. "My student, you've met Fancy Pants?"

"Indeed, two days ago," he answered, not sure what her response would be. "He was a very classy fellow, we met when I was waiting to pick up my suit for my date with Fluttershy on Hearts and Hooves Day."

A grin grew on Celestia's face, "So, Fluttershy is your first marefriend? I have met her a few times, you better treat her well, since she's such a nice mare."

"Don't worry mentor, I will tread carefully," Dusk assured. "She is the nicest pony I have had the pleasure of meeting in Ponyville." He realized Rarity was still walking next to him, "Oh I meant no offense Rarity. You've been very kind to me since I arrived, except for that one instance."

"Oh no, I'm not offended," she replied. "Very few can hold a candle to Fluttershy's legendary kindness, and I may have crossed a line, no matter how good my intentions were."

Celestia grew confused by their conversation. "Don't worry mentor I will explain later when we aren't out in public," Dusk promised.

The three had reached a high tower, "the room is at the top of the tower." Celestia explained, "I hope that's alright with you two."

"Mentor I have spent two years in the Everfree Forest, stairs will be the very last thing to do me in here," Dusk replied, both Rarity and Celestia laughed a little.

The trek up the stairs was quiet, the view became more astonishing to Dusk as they got higher up, once they reached the top, they group could see most of the city. The three entered the room, it had a much brighter color scheme than the one Dusk had in Ponyville, he looked over and noticed one bed, and immediately scanned the room for another one or at least something to else to sleep on, only to come up empty hoofed.

"Well I imagine you two have some catching up to do." Rarity chimed, "I will go fix us some refreshments." She headed into the kitchen, leaving Dusk and Celestia to talk alone.

"So, what was it like when you first entered Ponyville? I know I got your letter but I would like to hear all of the details." Celestia asked.

"Nothing if not interesting," Dusk replied. 

"That much is apparent."

"Well, before I can even get to the town, a few timber wolves wanted to see me off."

"I trust your training proved useful."

"Well, I let one get too close and got my shoulder clawed. Other than that I took care of them. And of course, the one thing I'm terrible at happens to be treating wounds."

"You walked into town with a torn shoulder?"

"Well, yes. And that is far from the worst thing that happened to me."

"Please do go on."

"So, I'm walking into town when a pony ran right into my shoulder. I helped the poor thing up before she noticed she had blood in her coat. She then proceeded to drag me to her home, bandage up my wound and then we got talking. I stayed at her home for a few hours, a little too long considering I was supposed to be meeting Twilight."

"I imagine she was none too pleased about that fact."

"She most definitely was not, I almost lost my hearing when she opened the door."

"That definitely sounds like my pupil, We don't need to talk about what Twilight did, we both are fully aware. Now, how did you and Fluttershy become a couple? Also, what did Rarity do?"

"I can answer both at the same time," Dusk cleared his throat, "it was my second day in town, I was introduced to Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie. Each asked me a question, and Rarity asked me what my plans were for that night."

"Wait, Rarity was flirting with you?" Celestia asked in shock.

"Please save all questions until the end. So, after she so clearly asked me out on a date. I had to respectfully decline. After all, there was only one mare I had interest in. After everything was said I decided to get some sleep. I woke up a few hours later to the sound of a group of birds that were perched on my balcony carrying a note. The note was from Fluttershy requesting that I meet her at the lake outside of town in private, I wasn't about to ignore her request so I went out there."

"That's when you two became a couple?"

"Yes. She and I walked for a bit and talked about what happened at the little 'meet and greet.' I explained the reason why I declined Rarity's offer. Because there was only one mare that I was interested in and started hinting that it was her. We had a little romantic evening. It was really nice.

"The next day Twilight came up to me and asked for forgiveness and I wasn't ready to give her an answer. After thinking about and discussing it I decided I had enough on my mind as it is. So I gave her forgiveness. Then I decided to talk to Rarity about her offer and ask for a reason behind doing such a thing."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she was testing a theory, that Fluttershy and I had mutual feelings. She had a plan for me either accepting or declining said offer. I was still a little hurt, but the end result was more than worth it."

"I can only imagine so, but you must have forgiven her considering that you came back to the place you were abandoned just to assist her, while simultaneously risking running into your parents prematurely."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Rarity shouted, she had just entered the room with some tea, the tray was nearly dropped when she heard what Celestia said. Dusk rushed to take the tray from her and sat her down to let her catch her breathe, before turning to Dusk with a tear in her eye. "How could you not tell me that you were abandoned here before going to the Everfree Forest with Princess Celestia?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't think about it when I had made the decision before we left," Dusk could see how hurt Rarity was at that moment.

"Well, how long were you planning on hiding it!?" tears were running down her cheeks. "Do you really think I would have asked you to come if I knew what happened to you here!?" 

"Well, it seems that I have to go and attend to some of my royal duties," Celestia declared heading for the door, "I will see both of you later, good day." She obviously wanted to get out of the situation, she had no need to be there and it was getting a little personal for Dusk.

"Now that I think about it," he sighed, considering how much he screwed up again. "No, there's no way you would have made such a request." He gave her a hug in hopes of stopping her from crying, it didn't quite work as tears started to drip onto his back.

Seeing how he made his friend cry just tore into Dusk's heart, it was the worst feeling he had felt since he came to town. He comforted Rarity and waited for her to stop crying, that apparently was going to be a while unless he acted. He knew what he needed to do to make her stop crying, for now.

"Do you want to hear what happened?" Rarity looked up at him in shock, his question had thrown her off guard, she nodded yes as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Okay, it all started when I was a young colt...."
> The Price of Prosperity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Dusk had spent the past two hours telling the same story that Twilight and Fluttershy heard a week earlier, he had their two reactions for comparison. Fluttershy's which was her crying uncontrollably about his tragedy, and Twilight who couldn't say anything, or move until it had fully sunk in. Rarity's reaction was a mystery, but Dusk simply assumed it will fall some where in between Twilight and Fluttershy, assuming they were the extreme opposites of the spectrum.

"That's the end, then I got a letter from the Princess telling me to come to Ponyville," he finished, "and that is pretty much where it leaves off, you know most everything else."

He waited for a response, she had been most quiet and attentive through his entire story, but she remained silent for a few minutes. "I... I don't know what to say," Rarity replied putting a hoof up to his cheek, "you've been through so much turmoil, but yet you decided to keep going. I certainly wouldn't be able to go on knowing I had been completely abandoned by the world, with my parents terrified at the sight of me."

Dusk might have gotten used to knowing that fact, but hearing it from some other pony still cut deep in his heart, he still couldn't live with himself. Suddenly, I knock came from the door and Dusk arose to answer, when the door opened, an adolescent stallion was there. He had carried all of Rarity's belongings up the ivory steps in one trip, that pony had back strength that could only be rivaled by the strongest of the strong.

"Good sir, I am thoroughly impressed," Dusk addressed him as he used his magic to remove some of the weight, "the amount of luggage you carried up here proves your strength."

"Thank... you sir," the pony replied, the strain of the weight made it difficult for him to speak, "so... where would you like... all of this?"

Dusk answered as Rarity was still in shock at what he had just told her, "there is quite fine and feel free to catch your breath here."

The pony dropped the luggage on the floor and rested, the work had certainly drained him for a moment, Dusk then took some money out of a pouch in his bag and handed it to the pony. "Ten bits my good man, you've definitely earned it today, I hope that the work load wasn't too much on your back, I certainly wouldn't have made the journey."

The pony took the bits as a wide smile grew across his face, he was used to some good tips, but only after performing some humiliating or impossible task for amusement. "Thank you very much sir, and don't you worry about me sir I've made this trip in the past, I have conditioned myself for such tasks."

Dusk simply smiled, "would you like a glass of water before departing?" the pony nodded and Dusk went into the kitchen for a moment. When he came out, the pony was leaning against the door, clearly he was exhausted from his task, he took the glass and drank it in less than a moment.

"The name is Dusk," he introduced himself, "I hope to be able to rely on your assistance in the future good sir, may I ask what your name is?"

"My name? it's Iron, Iron Spirit," the name suited his vitality and durability, "it would be a pleasure to assist you, just give me the word."

"I will be sure to do that," Dusk replied, Iron gave a salute before opening the door, "I hope your other tasks aren't quite as challenging as this one, good day to you."

"To you as well sir and madame," he closed the door behind and began the arduous journey down the tower steps to his next task.

"Such a hard-worker, a fine stallion to meet," Dusk turned to Rarity who had remained silent through his entire conversation, "is something bothering you?"

She turned to him, "how do you go through all of that, and still be able to hold others in such high regard and treat them with such a level of respect, when the world just left you to suffer and no pony tried to help?"

Dusk was confused by the question, but came up with the simplest answer, "these individuals haven't wronged me and haven't done anything to make me view them below myself. No single pony can be blamed for what happened to me, I won't let the experience make me cynical, that would be admitting defeat. Every pony deserves the highest level of respect unless they do something that revokes such respect, that's my view of it."

His philosophy had struck her as different, for lack of better words, "that's very philosophical, you view others on the same level you view yourself." She paused for a moment, as if to find the correct words to convey her thoughts, "most ponies could learn a thing or two from you, if every pony thought that way life would be so much improved."

"I suppose," he never thought that way about it but she did have a point, if every pony viewed each other as equals things would probably be better. Dusk quickly changed the subject, "so, should we get this pile in the middle of the room organized, there is a fashion show coming up after all."

"Oh, of course we haven't a moment to lose," she pepped up, he was glad to get rid of the dark cloud hanging over her head. The two then turned their room into a makeshift workshop in roughly three hours of labor, the clock just struck two when they finally finished.

"Now that looks like a proper shop," Dusk announced, "would you require my assistance in your work?"

"No, that's quite alright, I work better alone," she answered, "you should go see if Fancy Pants is around, I'm sure he would be glad to see you're in town."

Dusk nodded and headed out the door, well I have to be a little careful not to draw attention to myself, he thought, don't want any pony recognizing me, especially them. He wasn't terribly concerned, with all of the time that passed he would be very surprised if any pony recognized him, other than the Princess or Fancy Pants.

A sudden emptiness had taken control of his stomach, he then realized that he had forgotten to actually eat anything that day. There were plenty of cafes in town, he would have no trouble finding someplace to satisfy his growing hunger, though the cost might be an issue. 

Dusk walked about a block away and found a little cafe called Le Matin Rose and decided that it would be a sufficient place to eat. He sat down and a waiter came up to him with a menu, the first thing to notice was the price, eating in this town will leave me penniless in less than a day!

"I will have the Traditional Garden Salad with a glass of water good sir," Dusk requested, a simple salad still bit into his pouch.

"An excellent choice sir, it will be prepared very shortly," the waiter left, Dusk was now by himself but not for very long.

"Mr. Dusk, is that you?" a familiar voice called from the street, he looked up to see a monocle being fixated upon his face.

"Mr. Fancy Pants, a pleasure to see you again," Dusk stood up and gave a formal bow, "I didn't expect to run into you so quickly, I had just arrived this morning."

"Likewise my friend," he adjusted his monocle, "just what brings you to Canterlot today?"

"Ms. Rarity is participating in a fashion show here and asked that I might accompany her," Dusk explained.

"Ah, such a helpful stallion, she really is lucky to have you around, is there any particular reason you are helping her so much?"

Dusk could hear the implications and simply ignored them, "I'm just assisting a friend in need of it, nothing more nothing less."

"Capital, dear friend simply capital to hear, not many ponies will help another simply out of kindness, it's good to see that selflessness still exists in this place."

Dusk's waiter had returned with Dusk's salad and water, after placing them on the table he turned to Fancy Pants, "Ah, Mr. Fancy Pants, will you be joining this young sir?"

He turned to Dusk, "do you mind?"

"Not at all, if you wish then by all means," Dusk gestured for him to sit down, "Rarity is working right now so I have some time to use up."

"Ah, splendid," he turned to the waiter, "I will have the usual good sir."

"Ah an excellent choice as always Mr. Fancy Pants," the waiter turned and headed back int the restaurant. 

Dusk began to eat his salad, it felt good to be filling his empty stomach, after taking a few bites he looked up at his guest. "So what does a pony of your stature do in the city for entertainment?"

"I have been known to catch a Wonderbolts race or two in my spare time, there is one starting at three, care to join me?"

"Why of course, I haven't been to one since I was a young colt," the waiter returned with a plate with a plain daisy sandwich. This shocked Dusk, he was expecting a very extravagant dish that would have costed more than all of the money he was carrying on him.

"Excellent, we shall depart after lunch," Fancy Pants announced, Dusk nodded in agreement and the two finished their meals in silence, neither wanted to risk taking up too much time with idle conversation.

In about ten minutes, the two had finished their meals and the waiter came out with the bill, the two began to pull out some bits for payment. Fancy Pants offered first, "allow me good sir, I couldn't let you pick up the bill when I had joined so unexpectedly."

"Oh no sir, that is quite alright I can take the bill," the two were equally determined to pay and neither showed any sign of conceding defeat. "A compromise then, we each pay for our individual meals and split the tip," Dusk suggested hoping that an agreement would be reached.

"Capital idea, the fairest way, I believe," with that the two pulled out a small number of bits and placed them on the table and turned to leave. The two traversed down the street, Dusk being careful not to be too easily spotted until they came up on a large stone colosseum with ancient and modern structures.

"Still amazing to see, how long has it been here?" Dusk asked.

"Six hundred years I believe, renovations happened roughly ten years, a marvel of ancient architecture."

"Indeed it is, a miracle of civilizations past."

The two reached the large arch entrance, Fancy Pants took lead, "we'll be up in the spectator's box up top, gives a great view of the track throughout the race."

"Excellent, who will share the box with us?"

"Just a few others of similar stature, it certainly will not be crowded."

The two entered the box and Fancy Pants was right, it wasn't crowded, there were only five ponies in the box and each seemed to wear extravagant clothing. "Good day all, how's the view out there today?" Fancy Pants addressed the patrons.

"Mr. Fancy Pants good to see you," one stallion addressed him, while the others waved at him, "who is that young stallion with you?"

"Ah this young gent is Dusk," Fancy Pants gestured to him, "a fine sir I met on a errand run in Ponyville last week." 

Dusk stepped forward to properly introduce himself but the patrons had received him quite differently than he was expecting, "Ponyville? That one horse town, what a laugh!"

These ponies started to laugh haughtily and immediately lost Dusk's respect, "did I miss something? is my town that low in your eyes?"

The laughter intensified, only Fancy Pants stood silent, his expression was nothing short of appalled and he wanted the others to be aware of it. "So, this is true face of the upper class? Ponies so high up on their pedestals that every other pony is an ant?"

The group fell silent, Fancy Pants turned to Dusk, "so terribly sorry my friend, here I thought ponies knew how to carry themselves with some form of humility. It seems that I was quite terribly mistaken, should we depart this unwelcoming place?"

"I believe that would be best," Dusk turned to the exit, "I can catch a race another time, should we check on Rarity's progress?"

"Capital idea, it's been too long since I've spoken to her," the two proceeded toward the exit, leaving the other ponies speechless.
> A Fashionista's Folly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"That was truly terrible," Fancy Pants apologized, "I am so sorry for having to put you through such an ordeal, I thought those ponies had class."

"Fancy Pants," Dusk replied, "you cannot control the actions of others, but I am certainly disappointed to see that ponies can still so show such narcissistic tendencies here, such a shame."

The two had just departed the colosseum and agreed to check on Rarity's progress, she would certainly be surprised to see Fancy Pants again. 

"So when did you meet Ms. Rarity?" Dusk asked, "she seems to hold you in very high regard, although I can understand why."

"Ah now that was quite a memorable day," Fancy Pants started, "it was about a month ago, I was with my wife and we were taking a leisurely stroll through town. When all of a sudden I bumped into a young mare carrying a large number of bags, she immediately apologized and explained that she was going to her suite at the castle to make an ensemble."

"And that young mare was Rarity?" Dusk asked, he had a small fear he might be interrupting.

"Indeed it was, she then explained that she knew the princess and then I became intrigued, so I decided to invite her to one of the Wonderbolt races, as I did with you. Although, with Ms. Rarity I didn't know she was from Ponyville until later, so I didn't announce it and that's where your two stories diverge."

"The group in the box had gathered around myself as they usually did, but Rarity seemed to require the attention more than myself. So I explained to them that she knew the princess and the group crowded around her, the race was about to begin and I had placed my faith in Rapidfire. That was a mistake, Ms. Rarity predicted that Fleetfoot would be victorious, and she was indeed correct, when I inquired how she knew the outcome she convinced us that her friend Rainbow Dash was the Wonderbolts' trainer."

"Rainbow Dash," Dusk was shocked, "she had just given me a concussion a few days ago in a failed attempt at a trick, and Rarity claimed that she was the Wonderbolts' trainer?"

"Right you are, at this point I had yet to meet Ms. Dash so I took her word for it, afterward I sent her an invitation to the Canterlot Garden Party. The party was in full swing and Rarity had yet to arrive, I was starting to worry she hadn't received it before she arrived, but she kept vanishing and reappearing at random intervals."

"Then, a number of mares had joined the party with a 'party cannon' and created quite a different mood at our little garden party. Personally I found it refreshing, such parties left me a little bored, I noticed one of the mares was unicorn wearing a very simple dress. I inquired where she had acquired such a dress and she answered her friend Rarity had made it for her, the crowd turned to Rarity to confirm."

"What did she do?"

"What she did then I felt is what earned my respect for her, she admitted that these mares were her friends and she stood by them. When the group started to turn sour, much like what you had just experienced, I stepped in to silence them, one thing I find about the ponies up here that I find useful but annoying is they have no sense of individuality."

"How so?"

"I could shout to the high heavens that I like sunglasses, tomorrow regardless of the weather every pony in the city would be wearing sunglasses. I hate that ponies here do it, but at least I can use it to help others who have a sense of individuality like yourself, Rarity and your friends from Ponyville."

"Rarity then introduced me to her friends, let me see if I can remember correctly: Rainbow Dash, Twilight, AppleJack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, correct?"

"Indeed you are sir."

"Ah splendid, so now it is your turn my friend how did you meet Rarity?"

"Well it is not quite so long, I had been in Ponyville on the Princess' request to seek out Twilight Sparkle. I had quite literally ran into her friend Fluttershy and she decided to introduce me to her other friends Rarity, AppleJack, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash."

"How did that go?"

"Well... pretty good, considering how  AppleJack was too busy, Pinkie tried to throw me a party, and Rarity decided to ask me out on a date."

"Beg pardon?" Fancy Pants questioned.

"Oh, well in my first conversation with her she decided to ask if I was doing anything that night. I had to respectfully decline of course since I was currently seeking a relationship with some pony else."

"Would it be too much to ask who that was?"

"Uh, I suppose that couldn't hurt. I wanted and succeeded in becoming romantically involved with Fluttershy," Dusk admitted.

"Ah, good for you two. Just take good care of her."

"I will. But, can you keep that to yourself. Along with the rest of this conversation?"

"Oh of course, privacy is an important thing to have here," the two reached the ivory steps of the tower and made the journey up the steps. Dusk opened the door to find Rarity running to every corner of the room, her work was most definitely was far from finished.

"Rarity is this a bad time?" Dusk asked.

"Oh no, I need a break anyway," she sat down, she saw that Fancy Pants had entered the room behind him and became frantic.

"Oh Mr. Fancy Pants! I had no idea you would be visiting today, my room is simply a mess," she got up to try to clean up the room.

"Ms. Rarity, sit back down, you don't need to clean up your work for my sake," Fancy Pants gestured her to sit down on a stool. "You have certainly been hard at work, Dusk tells me you will be participating in a fashion show in the city tomorrow."

"Oh yes, I have to finish these ensembles by tomorrow morning," she gave a sigh, "I will be working into the evening to get these done. So what are you doing here?"

"Well we both went to the Wonderbolts race at the colosseum, but when I explained that Dusk lives in Ponyville the patrons in the spectators' box simply laughed at him." Fancy Pants explained, "the best option was to leave and Dusk here suggested we come check on your progress, and well, here we are."

"Oh, that's simply dreadful," Rarity exclaimed, "the next time I see those ponies I'm giving them a piece of my mind!"

"No, no that's quite alright," Dusk protested, "Fancy Pants here left them all quite speechless when we departed the stadium."

"Oh, well good, such behavior is completely unacceptable," Rarity turned to Fancy Pants, "it is good to know not all ponies here sit on such high pedestals."

"Indeed it is," Dusk agreed.

Rarity turned to the clock, "oh dear, I don't wish to be crass, but I simply have to get back to work, a pleasure as always Mr. Fancy Pants."

"Oh no, I understand, work is very important for most ponies, I will take my leave," he turned to Dusk, "shall we attempt to go to another Wonderbolts race another time?"

"That sounds excellent good sir, a good day to you."

"To you as well," Fancy Pants went out the door and closed it behind him, and the room fell silent for a moment.

"Well your day certainly has been an interesting one," Rarity said as she returned to her dress making routine.

"Indeed it has, I feel a little guilty for not asking you to accompany me when I departed," Dusk looked at the floor with guilt in his eyes.

"No, don't you start that, I have to get this work done and spending the day in town would have made it impossible to do so," she pulled his face from the floor. "Am I getting through to you?"

He looked into her eyes and nodded, but the next thing he knew something very unsettling had happened. He felt a pair of lips on his, she kissed him. Rarity kissed him! And what happened made Dusk start seeing the room begin to spin rapidly and simply fell to the floor unconscious, he had no clue as to what just happened.
> Love's Quarrel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

      When Dusk came to, he was laying in a bed and staring at the ceiling, attempting to recall what had happened before he passed out. Then it hit him, Rarity had just kissed him! He jerked himself up, before he could see what was going on his head started throbbing in pain, when he finally regained sight, he saw Rarity sitting on the bed next to him.

She looked at him with shame in her eyes, "that was terribly unladylike for me, I'm so very sorry."

"How long was I out?" Dusk was still in a fog about what had happened.

"Not long, I would say five or ten minutes, I didn't expect you to pass out from a little kiss, did you faint when you first kissed Fluttershy?"

"First, that is not something I wish to discuss with anyone other than Fluttershy," he paused for a moment, "and second, why in the name of Celestia did you just kiss me!?"

She giggled like one of the school fillies from his childhood, "oh come now, you must have some feelings for me, why else would you have come with me?"

Dusk was speechless, was this really happening to him? Rarity completely changed right in front of him, "what do you mean? I came because you asked me to and that's the only reason I needed, as for my feelings for you, I don't have any, I am quite happy with Fluttershy."

Rarity began laughing and crawling on the bed toward him, "we'll see how you feel when I'm finished."

Dusk began backing up into the head board, "Oh no, no, no, no!"

A shouting came from inside the room but he couldn't tell where exactly, "Dusk wake up!" he opened his eyes to find Rarity standing over him, "Dusk what happened? You were screaming, your whole body was shaking and you on the verge of falling out if the bed."

Dusk was breathing heavily and his coat was saturated in a cold sweat and the spot he was laying on the bed was in a similar state. "Oh thank Celestia, it was only a dream, it was... only a dream."

"And from the looks of it, a nightmare at best, what did you see?"

Dusk thought for a moment, "it's probably best that you don't know, but what happened, I only remember... you kissing me."

"Oh yes, that was a bit out of character wasn't it? I don't know what came over me, just looking into those eyes of yours and it just happened, I guess." Rarity's cheeks grew red, "when I kissed you, you just fell over and I assumed you just fainted and put you on the bed, was it really that bad?"

"To be honest, I just remember the room spinning, I can't recall the actual act," that was a total lie and he definitely knew it. The kiss wasn't quite comparable to ones from Fluttershy, but it was something he enjoyed a little too much and wanted to avoid the scenario in the future.

"Oh well, it's probably best we try to forget that it happened here this evening," Rarity suggested.

"Yes, but I will need to tell Fluttershy, she deserves to know what happened," Dusk declared, he was not going to jeopardize his relationship over this.

"No, no, no you can't tell her, what do you think this will do to her?"

"A lot less harm than trying to hide it from her, I will not lie to her about this or anything else," Dusk's mind was made up.

"Please, please don't," Rarity began to beg down at his feet, "she could be devastated by this and I might lose her as a friend."

"If you really are worried about losing her as a friend, be at her side when I tell her and help me explain this," he held out his hoof. "She is the kindest pony I've known my entire life, I know that she will forgive this, she might not be able to right away, but in time, she will."

Rarity took his hoof and stood back up, "you're right, we have to tell her, it wouldn't be right to try to hide it, but what about our friends."

Dusk contemplated for a moment, "with the others, only tell them if it comes up, don't lie to them but don't simply tell them, they don't need to know if they don't ask."

Rarity nodded in agreement and the clock began to chime, ten 'o' clock, "well with that I'm going to bed," Dusk turned to the only bed, not a couch in sight and floor was much too hard. Splendid, this night just became that much more awkward, he thought, there isn't anyway around it so I might as well stop thinking about it.

He climbed into the spot he had already taken on the bed, he could see Rarity running around again putting little fine touches on the dresses. After a short time, Dusk could feel that Rarity was climbing into the other half of the bed and tried to slide as close to the edge of the bed as he could.

After a few minutes, he was asleep and had one of the strangest dreams of his life: Dusk was watching a memory from outside his body, he was staring at Rarity the same way that he was when she kissed him, he was reliving that moment, but something felt, off. Originally, he passed out shortly after their lips met, but in this memory was different, in this memory he was rescinding it! The two were actually making out, he couldn't believe what he was seeing and desperately wanted to wake up again, but that didn't happen.

He could here Rarity whispering, "What about Fluttershy?" in his doppelganger's ear and was appalled by the answer that was given.

"Fluttershy? I don't care about Fluttershy anymore, you are all that matters."

Dusk broiled with anger but before he could do anything, he opened his eyes and was staring at the far wall, it was just another dream, just another horrid, horrid dream. Dear Celestia what's wrong with me! I cannot have these feelings, I'm already in a happy relationship with a mare that I have strong feelings for, I cannot acknowledge such feelings for any pony other than her.

He spent the rest of the night staring at the ceiling trying to rationalize his nightmares, by the time the sun arose he figured it was the heat of the moment but fell asleep once more. He couldn't recall what happened in this dream, but when he awoke he could have sworn he was in another one of those nightmares. He could feel hooves crossed over his chest, but they were not his own, Rarity had clung to him for warmth during the night.

He kept calm and slipped out of her grip before getting out of bed, she hadn't woken up yet so he decided to make himself some breakfast. The kitchen was fully stocked and Dusk decided to try his hand at pancakes, after about ten minutes he had a decent stack of slightly burnt pancakes.

After eating part of the stack he decided to leave the rest for his roommate, not five minutes after he was done she awoke and walked into the kitchen. She looked at the stack of pancakes, noticing how they were a little burnt, "oh you shouldn't have, I could have made my own."

"Nonsense, help yourself I didn't need that many," Dusk gestured to her as he washed his dishes.

"Okay, I thank you for the hospitality," she took a bite of a pancake and cringed a little, but kept eating regardless, she probably didn't want to offend him. When she finished, she gathered her outfits from the night before and put them in her saddlebag, "the show will be starting in a little bit, would you still like to come?"

"But of course, I wouldn't have come all the way out here and not attended your show," Dusk announced with a bit of gusto.

"Excellent, I have made an outfit for you, specifically for an event like this," Rarity left the room with half of her food left on her plate and returned with a folded up suit. "I hope you like it, I took your requests from your previous suit to heart in the making of this one," she unfolded the suit and showed it to him.

The style was simple, it was only slightly different as it added some red accents and a red tie to the black suit and white button up shirt, Dusk smiled with approval. Simple, just what he requested, he took the suit and with a glow of his horn and a flash of light he put it on, feeling how it moved with his walking.

The suit was very nice, it fit him well and did not restrict his walking at all he very much appreciated the work that had gone into it. He then extended his hoof to Rarity, who was gathering all of her bags together, "shall we depart milady?"

She accepted his hoof and walked toward the door, "of course good sir, let us make haste," she was determined not to be outclassed by Dusk. The two had walked three blocks, along the way Dusk somehow found himself carrying some of her bags, but he didn't mind too much.

The two approached the studio about half an hour before the show was scheduled to start, Dusk held the door for Rarity and followed her inside. The building was buzzing with many different ponies running every which way, Dusk followed Rarity to the back stage, she stopped at the entrance. "I forgot to mention, only models and designers are allowed backstage, you can go find a good seat."

Dusk simply shrugged, handed Rarity the bags he was carrying and headed to the seats, since he didn't want to be noticed, he sat in the very back. The show wasn't going to start for some time now and the night before proved less than restful, so he tilted his head back and drifted into sleep.

He awoke shortly after to the sound of music playing. The show had begun, models started going down the catwalk. As the show continued Dusk recognized a few ponies were walking on the runway with a few of Rarity's designs, Dusk decided it best to focus on something else so he decided to focus on the show. The designs that the models were wearing were actually quite impressive, after about an hour of seeing amazing dresses and outfits, the show had ended. Dusk went to the backstage to congratulate Rarity on her success.

A crowd of ponies left the backstage area laughing and celebrating, Rarity walked out behind them with her large amount of bags. Dusk immediately took some to lighten her load, "congrats, that was an excellent show, I really enjoyed seeing your designs."

She remained silent, which struck him as odd, he was expecting some response, most likely joy in the success of such a show. "Did something happen back there?"

She nodded, still refraining from speaking.

"What happened, is everything all right?"

"At the castle, can we discuss it at the castle?"

She seemed somewhat distraught, Dusk respecting her request, "of course, wherever you want to talk."

She took the lead and the two had an awkwardly silent walk back to the suite, Dusk began to fear what happened backstage, mostly that some jealous designer had insulted her. After some time, the two finally reached the top of the ivory steps, Rarity had opened the door and he followed her inside and closed the door.

As soon as the door shut, Rarity threw herself around Dusk sobbing, now he was genuinely concerned, "please, tell me what happened."

She took a moment to regain some of her composure, "I... I realized something terrible, something that I cannot deny, but something I can't accept either."

Dusk was forced to ask, "what was it?"

Rarity was still crying, "I...I realized that I have feelings for you, I can't fight them, but you're with Fluttershy and I wouldn't want to come between you two."

With that his heart sank, he couldn't believe what was just said. It took him a minute to find some comforting words.

"Shh, everything's okay."

"No... no it's not! I-I can't believe this is happening to me. Me! Of all ponies this has to happen to me."

"I'm sure it's happened to someone else. But that doesn't exactly help things, does it?"

"No, no it doesn't. What do I do? Dusk, I don't know what to do!"

He backed up and gripped her shoulders. "First, you need to calm down."

She took a deep breath and relaxed a little and Dusk released his grip. "Okay."

"I hate to say this but, I think we need to keep some distance between us when we get back."

"I can't help but agree. I just hope these feelings just go away soon."

"I'm sure it's just a little crush. Just remember, you are still my friend and nothing's going make that untrue."

"What about Fluttershy?"

"I'm sure this is the only time you felt like this, right?"

Rarity broke I contact with him.

"Rarity?"

"Remember when I said I asked if you out to dinner to test a theory?"

"Yes..."

"Well, that's not entirely true."

"Can you elaborate?"

"I, uh, I actually didn't know about Fluttershy's interest in you until she came and talked to me after. I sort of came up with the whole theory on the spot. She would have been so heart-broken if you said 'yes.' I would have stolen you from her before she could tell you how she felt."

"So, you had the full intention of trying to go out on a date with me?"

"I... well... yes."

Dusk faced the door and rested his head on it. Dear Mentor, this was a very bad decision.

"I just... what is she going say?"

"Fluttershy can't know! No, no, no she can't possibly know about this! She will never forgive me for trying to steal you out from under her!"

"I will not entertain the idea of lying to her or trying to hide this. She needs to know, I need to tell her."

"But she will never forgive me! When she approached me about meeting you, she was staring daggers! She was furious about it the first time! I don't think she will forgive so easily a second time!"

"Okay, we will figure that out, for now it's getting late, a good night's sleep will help clear our heads and then we will figure out what to do when we head back home." His voice was assuring, he didn't want her to know that in his mind he was absolutely lost on what they will do, he was most concerned about Fluttershy. She might cut all ties with one of her best friends over him.

"Okay, let's get some rest, the train leaves early tomorrow morning, get to bed I have to clean up my workshop and be ready to leave in the morning."

"Are you sure you don't want help?"

"No, no don't worry get to bed, you will need the sleep."

Seeing no point in trying to convince her otherwise, Dusk climbed into bed and tried to get some sleep, hoping to have some good dreams.
> Love's Victory
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The sound of ringing filled the room, Dusk sat up to find that the sunrise was approaching and that the train to Ponyville was leaving soon. Rarity got up and turned off the source of the ringing, a very annoying alarm clock on the other side of the room.

"Good morning Dusk, did you sleep well last night?" Rarity asked.

"Uh, yeah I slept fine," Dusk responded, "you?"

"Well enough, it took me longer than expected to get everything packed up last night." Rarity answered, I offered to help, looks like I should have pushed the matter a little.

"Sorry, I should have tried to help you last night, I didn't know you were up late getting everything packed," Dusk admitted, Rarity simply laughed softly.

"You're starting to sound like Fluttershy dear, I told you that I would get everything packed and to go to bed, besides I can sleep on the train." Dusk was a little shocked by the statement, wow, I guess I am, she will get a laugh out of that.

"Speaking of which, should we be departing?" The sky was growing brighter, and their train was to leave soon.

The bellhop that assisted the day before wasn't there to carry everything, so the two divided the luggage with Dusk taking the larger amount. The climb down the ivory stairs was a little strenuous but Dusk couldn't complain, the exercise helped him focus his thoughts, how do I even begin to explain this to Fluttershy? Will this ruin our relationship? Her friendship with Rarity? The questions started compounding in his mind and before he knew, the two had arrived at the station, Steel Runner standing outside the engine car.

"Ah, Dusk so good to see you this morning, how was your stay in Canterlot?" Steel definitely remembered Dusk's name and face.

"Nothing short of eventful, the crew need an extra set of hooves this morning Mr. Runner?" The offer caused Steel to smile.

"Definitely not from around here my friend, if you want we could sure use the help this morning, especially since Ms. Rarity has arrived and with that pile on your back." He gestured to the large number of bags sitting on top of Dusk, Dusk replied with a nod and turned to the cargo car.

Again, the work took a lot less time than if Dusk hadn't helped, he walked into the car third from the caboose to find Rarity sitting in the same spot as when they left Ponyville. "I assume you were lending a hoof again," she was not the least bit surprised.

"Yes, always a good way to start the morning, waking up with a little work just gets me ready for the rest of my day." And today, I really need to be ready for Fluttershy, I'm just terrified about what her response will be.

Dusk sat down across from her, staring out the window to see the scenery of a world breaking free from the shroud of night. Rarity moved to the seat next to him, he wasn't thrilled about the idea but didn't feel his opinion needed to be voiced at this moment.

There was a piercing whistle followed by the train lurching forward to depart, the landscape had an orange light cast upon it. The view was enjoyable but he felt bad Rarity couldn't see it as well as himself, Dusk turned to see that Rarity had fallen asleep and was using his shoulder as a pillow.

Unfortunately, getting any sleep was impossible for him, the constant worries and fears had clung to his thoughts and was helpless to silence them. A large bump snapped him from his thoughts and caused Rarity to fall into his lap, still completely unconscious and it made Dusk fell even more uncomfortable. But, he wasn't going to wake her up, she had been up half the night and let him sleep, she deserved the same courtesy.

The countless hours strung together in an endless span, the landscape's constant change being the only thing to distract Dusk from his thoughts. The only benefit of these thoughts was that it helped him figure out the best way to convey the situation, without completely distressing Fluttershy.

The station was coming into view and his plan was finalized, first, have Rarity talk to Twilight, she might know a way to help this situation and head to the inn in case Fluttershy is there and drop off my luggage, if necessary go to the cottage, it can't be too direct but she must know by the end of the day!

The train gave a final lurch before coming to a complete stop, Rarity awoke much like upon their arrival in Canterlot, realizing that she had been using him as a pillow, and quickly apologizing. 

"So very sorry, why didn't you wake me up and have me move?" Her question was given a simple reply.

"You let me sleep last night and deprived yourself of sleep in order to do so, it was the least I could do in return," he stood up as he answered. Upon standing the blood deprived leg that Rarity was sleeping on gave him a jolt of pins and needles through the entire limb, prompting him to wait a moment before heading outside.

Steel Runner was standing at the station, the cars were already emptied and the passengers were following suit, Dusk approached him. "Hello again Mr. Runner, I see I was a little late for the unpacking, sorry for not lending a hoof this time," Dusk felt a little bad, he always wanted to help out again.

"Dusk, don't worry about that I'm just glad that some pony actually even offered to help, did you enjoy the ride?" Dusk pondered the question for a moment.

"To be perfectly honest, not really, not because of the actually ride but... unfortunate circumstances arose while in Canterlot," Dusk wasn't going to lie, especially to a pony of such character.

"Oh, sorry to hear that my friend, maybe next time will be more pleasant," Dusk couldn't help but feel happiness when he heard Steel say 'friend.' The word had a power that was still foreign to him, but he felt the understanding of it would come with adequate time.

"Hopefully so good sir, I look forward to seeing you again until then good day to you."

"To you as well." The two waved goodbye before Dusk made his way to the large pile of Rarity's luggage, which was being lifted up by it's owner's magic.

"Dusk, how are we going to tell Fluttershy? Do you have a plan?" Rarity sought comfort in his answer, and he did his best to give her some.

"I was thinking about it on the train, taking this on with her together might be too much, you should go talk to Twilight, she seems most prepared to help support Fluttershy if she needs it. I hope she won't but giving her friends a bit of warning and an explanation is a good preparation in case it gets to that point. Meanwhile, I will be talking to Fluttershy in private, to explain the situation and do my best to keep her from going into a panic about this. 

"You should wait for Fluttershy to confront you about it, when she's ready, now I am no expert on any of this but I feel this is the most logical way to go about it. If someone says that you should do something else, take their suggestion under consideration and act on your own accord. I will come either relay a message to you through our friends or come talk to you directly after I finish talking to Fluttershy, which response depends on her reaction and her wishes, okay?" 

The lengthy explanation took a few moments to sink in, she gave him a nod and took her luggage into town, while Dusk took the saddle bag on his back and headed for his temporary home. The walk there was pushing him to the edge of madness considering all of the possible ways that it could go with his love.

He walked into the lobby seeing the receptionist with her usual cup of tea, "ah good to see you have returned in good condition, did you enjoy your trip?"

The receptionist had certainly become more friendly than on his first night, "yes thank you for asking, did you give the key to that pegasus?"

"Oh, yes she received it not too long ago today, she was very happy when she got it," the receptionist smiled as Dusk nodded and went up to his room. He saw that there was something on the door handle, it was a framed picture of some woodland creatures, a very telltale sign that his key was already being put to good use.

He opened the door and immediately noticed two things, the decor giving the room more of a home atmosphere and his cute yellow pegasus and little green hummingbird rushing to greet him.

"Dusk, I missed you! how was your trip? Did it go well? Did you meet any ponies? Do you like what I did with your home?" Her questions were too rapid for Dusk to answer any of them, so he did the next best thing, he hugged her tightly and gave her a peck on the cheek. Hummingway just returned to his favorite spot to nest.

"Slow down please, I missed you too but I need you to take a breathe and give me a chance to answer a question before giving me another one." Her cheeks turned a little red realizing her excitement got the better of her, Dusk was just happy to see how happy she was.

"Okay, how did it go?" A question that Dusk loathed, he knew that he wouldn't be able to hide it, his conscience wouldn't allow him to lie to her.

"Uh, not great I'm afraid," he gulped, the follow-up was going to be much harder.

"Oh dear, what happened?" Okay, here goes nothing!

"Fluttershy, I don't know if telling you this is either a good judgement call or a huge mistake, but I won't try to hide it... Rarity... kissed me." There, I said it so no turning back now.

"W-what?" She was clearly becoming distressed, completely counterproductive to Dusk's plan, the situation was completely out of his hands now. He could only try to comfort her, if she would even let him at this point.

"She... kissed me. She told me that she has feelings for me, even when she first met me. I don't really know what to say or do now. But, I will say this, no matter what, I will be here. "

Fluttershy just looked at him, her face showing complete shock, until tears started to form in her eyes, Dusk didn't know what to do or say now. If she pushed him away, he would be hurt but given the situation she would have enough reason to do so.

"You-you really mean that?" The tears were rolling down her cheeks, Dusk was afraid of this scenario the most, making her cry was the absolute worst thing that he could do to her.

"Yes, she really did kiss me, I'm really sorry Fluttershy I didn't have any control over the situation." He was speaking honestly, the situation provided him nothing he could do to prevent it.

"No, y-you really mean that you will be here for me, no matter what?" Dusk was surprised by this, he wasn't sure if this was either good or bad, but it didn't matter at this point.

"Of course, I will be here for you. Whenever you need me, wherever you need me. I mean that with every fiber of my being and from the bottom of my heart." Upon hearing this, Fluttershy nearly knocked Dusk of balance hugging him tightly to the point where breathing became difficult. Hummingway feel of his head and flew on a perch hanging beside the bed.

Dusk could feel the tears on his shoulder, he comforted her there for a good hour, maybe two, until she stopped crying. "Dusk, I love you and I know you couldn't have done anything to change what happened. I will have to talk to her about this later. But, you are the only thing that matters to me right now."

"Really?" Dusk was shocked, every way he could see this situation go didn't end this well.

"Yes, yes I do. I know I have to go talk to Rarity about it. But, right now I just want to stay here with you. I don't want to leave your side. Whenever I'm near you, as cheesy as it sounds, I feel a kind of weightlessness. Like I'm walking on a cloud wherever I go, I love this feeling and I love you."

Dusk couldn't believe this, all of his fears and worries about her leaving or hating him were just dropped from his conscious and there was nothing left, nothing that could possibly go wrong in that moment. The glass doors revealed that the two were sitting there together for quite some time because the moon dominated the night sky.

"It's getting late, do you... do you want to... stay here tonight?" Dusk felt it was necessary to offer, the idea of Fluttershy walking through the dark streets made him worry about what might happen.

"R...really?" Her face began to glow red, no doubt because of the single bed that they would have to share and what might happen because of it.

"Yes really, I won't have you walking through town in the middle of the night alone, if you want to go home I will go with you and come back here." He wasn't going to budge on the issue, she wouldn't be alone whether she left or stayed and it was up to her which one.

After a few minutes of contemplation, Fluttershy came to her decision, "I think I should stay here tonight, if that's still okay."

"Of course, now we probably should get some sleep now, it's pretty late already," Dusk began to prepare the bed and making sure there were plenty of covers for the two to sleep well.

"O-okay," the nervousness in her voice was all too apparent.

"Fluttershy, nothing is going to happen, did you really think that I would try anything?" The fact that she thought he would kind of hurt, she had known him for over a week and should have learned that such an act would be completely out of character for him.

"Well no, but I have never shared a bed with a stallion before, I'm a little nervous about it."

"Everything will be alright, I Pinkie promise," he did the motions to make it official.

Fluttershy nodded and climbed into one side of the bed, while Dusk took the opposing side, the experience was... different. He gave her a kiss good night and turned off the lights with his magic, shortly after Fluttershy had curled up against him for warmth. He quickly drifted off and in no time he had slipped into a very restful sleep, knowing that she would be there with him in the morning.
> A Pegasus' Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Morning came and the orange beams of sunlight filled the room, Dusk awoke to the sight of Fluttershy's face lit up by the morning sun. Perfect, the world is perfect, I want to to live like this everyday laying with my love at night and waking up with her in the morning.

When he tried to climb out of bed, he realized that she was holding him tightly making it impossible for him to get up without disturbing her. He didn't mind, he could lay there for eternity with her and stroked her mane until she woke up shortly after himself.

"Good morning my love," Dusk greeted. "Did you sleep well?" Her eyes were fluttering open, and saw that she was holding Dusk tightly and immediately relinquished her grip.

"Good morning," she rubbed her eyes and woke up fully. "That was the best night's sleep I've had in a long time, thank you Dusk." She gave him a peck on the cheek and climbed slowly from the bed, she must have seen that she had a pretty bad case of bedhead because she started to try to fix her mane and tail. "Oh dear, I look like a mess, do you have a brush I could use?"

"You still look beautiful to me," Dusk answered as he got out of bed. "But yes, I have one in the bathroom top drawer on the left."

"Thank you," she rushed off into the bathroom to attend to her bedhead, Dusk couldn't help laughing a little, she really does look beautiful, no matter what her mane and tail might look like.

He rummaged through the cabinets of his kitchen to find some breakfast for the two, only to find that he has yet to pick up any real food for himself this week. The idea of going out for breakfast was looking better and better with each bare shelf Dusk found, and after five or ten minutes Fluttershy came out of the bathroom with her mane and tail groomed to their usual style.

"Would you like to go to a cafe for breakfast?" Dusk asked, a little embarrassed, "it appears I have neglected to keep my kitchen stocked."

Fluttershy smiled giddily, "That sounds lovely, and I know just the place to go." Before Dusk could even give her a nod she began to pull him out of the room, she is really excited, where is she taking me?

Once the two left the motel she led him to a small coffee shop about three blocks away, Fluttershy was still very excited and Dusk couldn't figure out why. A well dressed waiter escorted them to an open table and handed each of them a menu but before he could ask about their drinks Fluttershy spoke up.

"Can you tell Ms. Whirlwind that she has a visitor?" Her question confused Dusk further, but the waiter nodded and left the table.

"Ms. Whirlwind? Who is that?" Dusk was completely lost at this point, something is going on here, and I really hope I learn what's going on before I lose it!

"You'll see in a minute, I promise," she was still smiling and that made Dusk take her words to heart, she would give him answers, he just needed to stay patient. His patience was rewarded when a yellow pegasus with a white mane and tail in a chef's hat walked up to the table with a wide smile on their face.

"Fluttershy! It has been too long since you've stopped by," the mare hugged her for a moment before turning to Dusk. "So this is the stallion you've been seeing?"

"Yes, Dusk, I would like you to meet Ms. Whirlwind Spirit, my mother," his eyes widened, just being introduced to her mother, with not even a little warning, shocked him completely.

He managed to keep his composure and bowed, "It is a pleasure to meet you madam, my name Dusk Light, it is an honor to meet the mother of Fluttershy."

"Oh my, such a gentlecolt, it's good to see you have a good eye in stallions." She turned to Fluttershy, "I taught you well," her daughter just smiled at her mother's approval. "So, my daughter has told me a lot about you, is it true that you've been living in the Everfree Forest for two years?"

"Yes, not an easy life but a rewarding one none-the-less," he was a little nervous but made sure it didn't show too much. His response was answered with Whirlwind looking him over, no doubt a test to see if he was telling her the truth or lying through his teeth.

"I can imagine, just what reason did you have for going there? Surely your family disproved of such a decision," her eyes appeared to be staring into his very soul.

"Well, my family... I haven't spoken to them for some time now, a little over five years," Dusk felt his heart tighten a little after answering the question.

"Really, they haven't tried to contact you or anything in three years? Why not, surely there must be a reason?" Her questions were tearing him apart on the inside.

"That's a... a complicated situation I'm afraid, I don't really wish to talk about it, especially in public," his thoughts were racing in his mind. If I tell her what happened, she might look at me as little more than a monster, she might not let me see Fluttershy anymore! I don't think I can tell her, I know that telling her could end up ruining everything good that's happened since I came here.

"Well... should we relocate to the kitchen then? The pantry is quiet and we can talk in their," she was starting to pry a little too much.

"Wait, mom I don't think that-" Fluttershy's protest was ended with Dusk shaking his head at her.

"It's okay Fluttershy, I'm dating you, her daughter, she deserves to know what happened," he began to stand up until Fluttershy pushed him gently back into his seat.

"I can tell her, you don't need to go through that this early in the morning and besides, you need to get some breakfast. Let me do this okay?" Any protest would prove to be pointless, Fluttershy knew how to put her hoof down when she felt it necessary and that look in her eye told him that it was necessary.

"Okay, you're right I don't think I could go through all of that right now, thank you." Her mother just gave him a confused look before she and her daughter headed inside.

The waiter approached him again, "excuse me sir are you ready to order?" Dusk glanced over his menu and decided that a muffin was most appetizing.

"Yes, can I have a blueberry muffin and a glass of water?" The waiter raised an eyebrow in confusion, apparently this place wasn't famous for it's muffins.

"Will that be all sir?"

"Yes sir, thank you," the waiter then left leaving Dusk to continue down the downward spiral that was his thought process.

This is bad, this is very bad! If I want to even see Fluttershy again I would have to make her go against her mother, I already ruined one family, I CANNOT ruin another one! A distant voice broke him from his thoughts and brought him back ti reality.

"Duuuusk, DUSK snap out of it will ya!" AppleJack was shaking him to bring him back.

"Huh? Oh, hello AppleJack, how are you?" 

She looked at him with concern, "I'm fine but y'all are the one just starin' out into space, alone at a table with a menu sittin' across from ya, where is Fluttershy?"

Okay, she is either extremely good at guessing, or she knows where every pony else is. "Well, she is talking to her mother... about that incident and why I was living in the Everfree Forest, and I'm starting to worry about what will happen."

"Oh, well, I uh... ya got nothin' to worry about," her eyes darted up to the left and her mouth scrunched up a little bit.

"No offense, but you are a terrible liar, you are the element of Honesty after all," he joked, that was a nice attempt to calm my nerves but not a very effective one.

"Well, I had to say somethin', ya got yourself in a hole right now, not a hole ya dug but a hole that was dug for ya, the only thing that ya can do is wait and hope that ya get out of it." She was right, and that made Dusk's paranoia grow worse knowing he could do nothing.

"Well, that settles it, I'm toast and there is nothing I can do about it, I won't be allowed to see Fluttershy without her going against her own mother. I won't let her do that, I ruined one family already and I will not allow some pony else to go down that road. The only thing left to do is say... goodbye."

"Come on, don't think that, ya got so much workin' for ya than against and we both know it," she patted him on the back in hopes of cheering him up.

"Like what?"

"Well, we got the only bad out of the way so we have to weight it against the good, now I know ya pulled that 'polite charm' on her the second she walked up to ya." She raised an eyebrow, "Don't ya even try denyin' it."

"Okay, you have one thing to balance against it, but I don't think that some 'polite charm' will fully counter-act."

"Okay, how's this? She knows ya been livin' in the Everfree Forest right?" Dusk nodded before she continued, "Well then, I bet y'all can protect her daughter in case she needs it right?" Again Dusk nodded, "Well there ya go, and don't forget about the most important one, the fact that she even introduced ya to her mother shows she cares about ya a lot. And I know for a fact that ya care about her 'cause the way ya took an entire day just to give Fluttershy a good Hearts & Hooves Day."

"Okay, you have some excellent points and good evidence to support them, you are a smarter pony than I and I will admit it. But, unless you have some Ace in the Hole, I think that it's too up in the air for me to be able to cast my worries aside."

"Oh no, I ain't smarter than ya, ya just got that Twilight mentality when it comes to these situations, too worried to sit down and look at all the facts. And here's my Ace, I'm gonna be here with ya until they come back, we need to catch up anyways after a week of not talkin'."

"Oh right, I haven't really had a chance to talk to everyone, just Rarity and Fluttershy, I'm sorry, so how's the farm life treating you?"

"Pretty good, I sure can't complain too much since we have a week until the harvest, what about you? I heard that ya had a little bit of a shock in Canterlot with Rarity." Oh Celestia, I could almost forget about that, almost!

"Yeah... oh look there's Fluttershy," as if on queue, Fluttershy and her mother were walking back to the table.

"Dusk, can you come with me for a moment? I feel we need to have a private discussion," Whirlwind's words nearly knocked the breathe from his lungs.

"Y-yes of course madam," he turned to Fluttershy for answers, but she could offer none before Whirlwind started walking quickly into the cafe. The walk was silent, Dusk felt that not saying anything right now was the smartest thing he could do, at least until she addressed him first.

They made it into the kitchen and Dusk noticed Whirlwind open a door and gestured him inside, when he entered he saw that it was a pantry with two chairs facing each other away from the door. She closed the door and took a seat in one of the chairs, and motioned for him to sit in the opposing one.

"My daughter told me everything that you have been through, and I can only say one thing," here it comes, all of my hopes and dreams being smashed to pieces! "Any logical thinking parent would see you as a threat to their child's safety, when I heard about what happened to your parents, I was ready to tell you to leave this town and never return."

I have to admire the brutal honesty of her opinion, "but, Fluttershy convinced me to hear the rest of your story, I'm now torn. I have two questions for you, your answers are the only things that will determine if you get my blessing, or if you get the boot."

"That seems fair," Dusk gulped.

"First, what guarantee do I have that you have this 'power' of yours under control? That you won't lose control in situations of extreme stress?"

"I have been training in the Everfree for three years, if I learned one thing there it is restraint. Did you hear about what happened after I told your daughter that story?" Whirlwind shook her head, "the next day, I realized that I left my pack at her cottage when we went to the library. This pack had everything I made and used to survive except for one thing, the last link to my old life, a photo of my parents and myself when I was young." 

"Fluttershy went back and got it for me, she was gone for a long time and when she came back, she showed me a shredded mass of cloth that was my pack. Everything was destroyed, including the photo, the only thing I had of my old life, torn apart, sitting in her hooves, do you want to know the only thing going through my head at that point in time?"

Whirlwind nodded, "my only thought was, 'it wasn't her fault it was mine.' I never came close to losing control. what I did do was tell her it was my fault. I never lost control, never came close to losing control of the thunder in my body and I don't think I ever could."

...

"Okay, you've passed my first test now for my second test, my daughter told me about yesterday and your return from Canterlot. You told her that she would not be going home alone in the middle of the night, that I very much appreciate, making sure she stays safe. What I do NOT appreciate is you sharing a bed with her!" She threw her hat on the ground in anger and stood up, Dusk kept a straight face. "So, my last question, what guarantee do I have that you will NOT try anything with my daughter?"

Okay, so let's think for a moment about the situation... I am five seconds from having me skull flattened by an angry mother, better give this my all! "If I ever even try anything with her before marriage I give you express verbal permission to beat the day lights out of me for being so stupid. Is that fair?"

She looked at him, sat back down, and began to grin, "well, the opportunity to beat you senseless with absolutely no repercussions, I would very much so enjoy that." Her smile faded quickly, "but you mentioned marriage, is that something you are truly considering?"

"Absolutely, not right now but further down the road. Your daughter is simply amazing and I would love her eternally, I truly mean that." So blessing or boot? Which do I get?

Whirlwind sat and debated for some time, the wait felt like days for Dusk and the anticipation was eating away at him. Finally, the silence was broken, "you have my blessing, you really do care about Fluttershy and you've passed my tests, I will have my eye on you though. You proved to me that you are deserving of having my daughter as a special somepony. Don't make me regret this decision. If you hurt my little angel in any way, it would be the equivalent of taking a cub from a mother bear."

His eyes grew wide, his excitement nearly uncontainable. "Thank you Ms. Whirlwind, I promise to treat your daughter like the beautiful flower she is. Now she must be more concerned about my well being then I was, shall we see how she is holding up?"

She shook her head. "you're concern is well placed, but I've seen your hand, now it's your turn to see mine... so first thing you should know, I am a retired Wonderbolt." Uh, what? "Probably a lot of questions but allow me to address a few before you ask, first I have been retired for the past five years. Spitfire replaced me as captain after being there for fifteen years, then I decided it was time to hang up my wings. I decided to settle down here to be close to my daughter since I couldn't be there when she was growing up, the reason why she doesn't tell many people is because I want to remain incognito.

"She is my only child, as for her father, he was there for her for the first part of her life, until an industrial accident occurred at the factory he worked at, it took his life ten years ago. She had to grow up almost completely alone, I did my best but it wasn't enough, which is why she can't grow close to very many ponies. She fears that if she gets too close, that pony would leave her and she would be alone again, that's why I questioned you saying marriage.

"I haven't really seen my daughter have feelings toward any pony, so hearing that you truly are serious about being with her permanently... I really am glad to her that. But I'm rambling so allow me to continue, life was hard on us as a family and later I retired as soon as I could, but it was nowhere soon enough. She became completely sheltered, no one could even get close to her until she moved down here to Ponyville, I did my best to get close to her again, but she just pushed me away.

"I was determined to get back in my daughter's life, so I retired and moved here and was able to use my cooking abilities to get a job here and keep an eye on her. It wasn't until after she had become the Element of Kindness, that I could finally get close to her again and be a mother again. We have been as close as a mother and daughter for a year now, but this is the first time she ever introduced me to a pony she is involved with romantically.

"That I believe is enough for you to be able to understand, so what do you want to ask about myself or Fluttershy and our life?" There was nothing he could say, compared to his life, they had it much worse than himself, his parents were, as far as he knew, still alive. Even though he lived in solitude, he had the Princess to help keep him afloat and keep him surviving, but Fluttershy didn't have such a luxury. 

"I-I... I don't know what to say, I really don't know what to say, you both have been through so much and I have a new found respect, for both of you... We should head back, I think Fluttershy is really worrying about what happened here," he stood up again, "after you."

The two exited the pantry and headed back outside to see AppleJack comforting a nervous Fluttershy, who ran up to Dusk as soon as he came into view. "Oh my gosh, are you okay? What did she say to you?"

He looked her in the eye, and then wrapped his hooves around her, "everything's fine, I'm here and I will always be here, no matter what."

"R-really?"

"Yes, really, no matter what happens I will be here with you, I promise," a tear formed in his eye and when they separated, Whirlwind put her hoof on his shoulder and smiled.

"Well Fluttershy, I have to get back to work, my break time just ran out so I will see you another day, Dusk it was a pleasure to meet you." Whirlwind took her leave, leaving Dusk, Fluttershy and AppleJack at the table.

"I have to get back to the farm, I will see y'all later," AppleJack waved as she left the two standing there with a single muffin sitting on the table.

"So what did my mother say to you?" This time she gave a more serious look, she needed to know.

"She gave me her blessing, and she told we about your life and what you've been through, which makes my situation look easy. It's just another reason why I want to be here, with you, you are such a strong pony for enduring what life threw at you."

A tear formed in her eye, "I thought she might tell you about my father, and how she feels responsible for my isolation, it was hard and I don't blame her for what happened but that doesn't help the pain too much." She did her best to keep a strong front, but Dusk could see through it.

"I couldn't begin to understand your situation, but that won't stop me from comforting you, it's like you said, it's too big a burden to carry alone. I feel that we can both lighten each others' burdens, and that our love will help us support each other."

"I believe you're right, we can help combat the past, but focusing on the present, the fact that my mother gave you her blessing really speaks volumes, how did you manage to get her to allow you to stay with me?"

"Well... I kind of promised that if we did anything too serious before marriage, she would have permission to beat the living daylights out of me." He couldn't help but laugh a little, "She's sending a legally binding contract tomorrow."

"Wow, you really agreed to that, you really must care a lot." She looked at the muffin on the table, "So should we eat some breakfast?"

Dusk heard a grumbling coming from his stomach. "My thoughts exactly, you can have my muffin though, I can wait to eat."

She smiled at him, after the waiter gave him his second muffin, the two spent the rest of the morning enjoying each others' company.
> A Fate Unknown
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Wait, let me get this straight, she thought that she would get sent back to magic kindergarten?" Dusk exclaimed, the morning was filled with many other shocking tales about the going-ons of Ponyville before his arrival.

"Yes, she feared that having a late letter meant immediate failure and that she would be sent back, that day was certainly a wild one." The two couldn't help but laugh at such antics, unfortunately their laughter wasn't appreciated.

"Am I interrupting something?" Twilight's voice silenced the laughter, causing the culprits to jump a little in their seats.

Dusk cleared his throat, "Of course not Twilight, how can we help you?" His words were his only defense against her glare.

"Well, Fluttershy can start by not telling those stories to ponies who don't need to know," Fluttershy simply looked away, blushing lightly. "And I need to talk to you in private about a matter of importance." Her words sounded serious, removing what was left of the pleasantness of the conversation.

"Okay Twilight," Dusk turned back to the table. "Sorry Fluttershy, it looks like our breakfast will have to be cut short, would you want to go out for some dinner tonight?"

"Sorry not tonight, I have to talk to Rarity and I have prior arrangements with a friend tonight." Her reply raised a question in Dusk's mind, who is this friend and why doesn't she want to know who they are...? No, stop, I can't dwell on those kinds of thoughts, if she wants to tell me she will.

"I understand, I will see you tomorrow then?" His words held some sadness, he really did like to spend time with her and was disappointed about their breakfast being cut short.

"Of course," she gave him a peck on the cheek before she took flight toward the Carousel Boutique.

"So, what do you want to talk about? Your words seemed quite serious," he saw that the expression on her face showed the seriousness of the situation.

"I did some research into what you did."

"You did what?" The shock in his voice was all too apparent, to hear that she had done such a thing without consulting him first was hurtful.

"I know about your lightning conjuring ability. The Princess confirmed it."

"Wha- I- Excellent. So now you know, what now?"

"I want to run a few tests, see exactly how this electricity builds up and how your body reacts when it's removed, to better understand your ability."

"So, you want me to be a test subject?"

"To be perfectly honest yes, but I want to make sure that no pony, including yourself could be injured, Celestia agreed with me in the sense we need to find out how much control you really have."

"Why did you ask me right now, it really couldn't have waited?"

"No, I did some research and I came to a frightening realization," her words fell hard upon Dusk's heart.

"Which was?" He forced himself to ask.

"Every time you release that much energy, the short term affects don't appear to be serious but the long term affects could be quite severe."

"H-how severe are we talking about here?" His voice started to crack from the fear that her answer would be that bad.

"Severe enough to shorten your lifespan by several years if not more," the words shattered his hope that it would be an over reaction on her part.

"Okay, what do you need me to do?"

"Come back to the library and do everything I say, hopefully my theory is wrong." The two walked in silence the severity of the situation called for nothing else, Twilight opened the door to see Spike dusting one of the bookshelves. "Spike, we're heading down to the lab, under no circumstances can we have any distractions before we have completed some tests."

"Yes, Twilight," he gestured with his feather duster in the form of a salute.

She and Dusk traversed the dimly lit stair way down to a room filled with various pieces of equipment and chalkboards. She approached a table with a strange, copper-colored helmet, it had several sensors and a protrusion for a unicorn's horn. "Here, put this on please."

Dusk did as requested, he felt a little foolish for wearing such an ugly thing but his life seemed to weigh a little more on his mind. "Should I just not say anything until you're done?" The numerous questions brewing in his mind were dying to be asked but he felt that it would be smarter not to.

"Yes, I need to stay focused to make sure everything goes correctly," she answered running around the room checking several machines giving line graphs of data. "Okay, can you give me a small amount of electricity?"

Dusk nodded, his horn hidden by the helmet released a small amount of energy that showed with small activity form the machines surrounding the room. "Alright, all the machines are synced up and working properly, now give me a full discharge, like you did the first night you were here."

Again Dusk did as requested, only this time, he could feel the strain it put on his body and the equipment, the helmet began to glow molten red where it was in contact with his horn and the machines began to show a lot more activity. Twilight ran around checking each machine individually, after looking at all three she raised a hoof. "Okay, that's good, you can stop now."

With a sigh of relief, Dusk ceased and panted heavily, he regretted doing that but he took solace in the fact that he didn't have to lose consciousness for such short a duration. The helmet obtained a magenta glow before being removed from his head, the first test of many, no doubt, he thought.

"That was a good test but I need more data to confirm my theories, can you come over here?" She gestured over to the end of the room opposite of the stairs, Dusk walked in front of her and was attached with several wired patches on his horn, heart and each of his legs. Each wire was protruding from a metallic box.

"Now, this time the process will be reversed, I will give you an electrical charge and see exactly how your body reacts." He nodded in understanding, with the pull of a lever Dusk began to feel the power filling his body and creating sharp pain across his entire body. The most intense pain seemed to be building around his chest, after a few minutes of this Dusk couldn't take anymore and collapsed, convulsing violently.

"Dusk? Dusk!" Twilight shouted as she turned the machine off, "Are you okay? Say something, anything, please!"

After a few agonizing moments, Dusk could finally bring words from his mouth as his convulsions slowly weakened, "S-something... please... tell me that got something we can use to stop that from happening again..."

Twilight looked at the readings on her machine, but before she could speak footsteps came from the staircase, "Spike I said no distractions, and- oh no! what in the name of Celestia are you doing down here?!" She turned to see it wasn't her assistant that was the one standing there, but one of the last ponies that would be there. 

"W-what did you do to him?!?" Her words were a combination of fear and anger as she rushed down the stairs beside Dusk.

"F-Fluttershy?" Dusk's body fought every breathe he took in and every word he tried to speak.

"Shh, please don't talk, your body looks like it's taken a lot," her voice switch from concern to anger as she turned to Twilight, "What. Did. You. Do?"

I've never seen her like this, she's gotten upset before but definitely not like this, she's starting to worry me, Dusk thought, his body dissipating the excess energy at an agonizingly slow pace.

"I was running some tests... to figure out how his abilities and see if they were life threatening to himself, I needed to see how the energy builds up inside his body." Twilight pointed at Dusk, "The energy was too much to contain and he lost control of it, now it's running wild and we can only wait until it wears out on it's own."

"Did he tell you about his ability?"

"No, I did some research. It was all over the papers when it happened."

"So, not only did you nearly kill him, but you also invaded his privacy again!"

"I-"

"How long ago did you plan on doing this?" Fluttershy's anger gave to sadness.

"...About three days ago, after Dusk left for Canterlot," Twilight's voice began to falter from Fluttershy's emotional outburst.

"Who knew about this!? Rarity told me what you were planning, that's why I came, but who else knew what you were doing?" 

"No pony knew until I told Rarity last night, even Dusk didn't know until I came at breakfast," her words carried sincerity.

"You didn't think to tell me!? How could you just hide this from me!? Did you think that it was something that wasn't worth telling me!? That it didn't affect me at all!?" Her words acted as daggers when they fell on Twilight's ears.

"Of course it affects you! That's why I didn't tell you, I didn't want you to start to panic in case I was wrong!" Twilight was fighting the urge to shout back, and she was quickly succumbing to it.

"If Dusk's life is in danger, I don't care if it's even just a possibility, I want to know before you turn him into a lab rat not after!" She began to calm down getting her pent up anger out with that last shout, "I'm taking Dusk home and making sure he recovers. Goodbye Twilight."

Twilight simply stood in shock, Fluttershy simply ignored her managing to lift Dusk, who was still shivering from the overdose of energy, onto her back and began walking up the stairs. With a final reserve of energy, Dusk managed to speak, causing Fluttershy to stop halfway up the staircase, "T-Twilight... wha- what does that machine say?" 

Twilight broke from her trance and walked over to the machine. "It's just as I feared," she sighed, "all of that energy did damage to your heart. Every time your body takes in a lot of energy and releases it, your heart takes more and more damage... I'm sorry."

The room fell silent, after a few moments, Fluttershy continued to carry Dusk back up the stairs and out of the library. Spike watched in shock before disappearing out of his field of vision. He was, no doubt, going downstairs to find out what had just happened. So what happens now? How long do I have? How will Fluttershy handle the fact that I don't have that long to live? Dusk's thoughts were racing through his mind as they walked through town.

Those thoughts were interrupted when a blue blur appeared above him before lowering behind him. "What happened to him?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy kept walking, "Twilight did this to him, as if he were just some sort of lab rat." She stopped and faced her, "Did you know she was going to do something like this?"

Dash just floated there for a moment before being able to respond, "I had a feeling she might... but I never thought she would without her friends there to help."

"Well, she did, without telling any one of us, even Dusk didn't know until this morning, we were sitting and sharing stories and laughing before she came up and took him, and now look at him." The three began moving again, before Fluttershy's legs nearly gave out from the added weight.

"You need a break, I can carry him until we get to where ever you're going," Dash offered. "Which is where exactly?"

"We're going to my cottage, I have to make sure he recovers from this, and I don't want any more help than what Twilight gave him."

Dusk felt himself being lifted up onto somebody else and began moving forward again. Rainbow Dash gave a retort, "This is not up for debate, he can't hold himself up and if you fall carrying him you both could get hurt."

Fluttershy was about to protest, but decided not to. "You're right, I can't carry him without help, thank you."

"Don't mention it, just promise me one thing," she thought for a moment. "Okay maybe two things."

"What would those be?" Fluttershy inquired, Dusk was awake enough to want to know himself.

"First, if he doesn't get better by tomorrow morning, we take him to the hospital," Dash requested.

"Yes of course, what is the other thing?"

"When you two get married, promise me that I will be one of your bridesmaids," a wide grin grew on her face, causing Fluttershy to grow red. Dusk did the same, I just hope I can live that long, he thought with a heavy heart.

"O-okay, you and our friends will be my bridesmaids," she corrected herself, "all four of you."

"Four?" Dash counted for a moment, "that leaves one of us out... you're not counting Twilight are you?"

"After what she did to Dusk, and then hiding her plan from all of us, I should say I most definitely am not counting her as one of our friends!" That outburst caused Dusk's heart to sink further, I can't seem to go a few days without endangering some friendship anymore, can I?

"At this point Fluttershy, I can't say I blame you for feeling that way, I can't imagine how I would feel if she treated the stallion of my dreams like a test subject." Dash did her best to relate to her situation and help rationalize it.

The trio reached the cottage, Fluttershy opened the door and let Dash in before herself. "Can you put him on the couch? It is probably the best place to let him rest right now."

Dusk could feel himself sliding of Dash and landing on the soft couch, with some effort he managed to whisper "thank you" into her ear.

"Hey easy now, you been through a lot, your welcome but try to conserve your energy," she gave him a pat on the head and turned to Fluttershy. "One stallion delivery complete," she joked. "I'm going to head back home now but I will be back tomorrow morning in case we need to get him to the hospital."

"Okay, I can't thank you enough Rainbow," she gave her a friendly hug before letting her head out.

"Hey, you don't need to thank someone for being as awesome as I am." She flew out the door and immediately escaped their sight.

Fluttershy turned and walked up to Dusk on the couch, who was still shivering, though not as violently as before, "try to rest I will get you some soup and help you come out of this." She sighed, "I still can't believe Twilight did this to you Dusk, I'm so sorry." She kissed him on the forehead before walking into the kitchen.

His thoughts crept up on him again, so, I risked her friendship with Rarity, practically destroyed her friendship with Twilight, and will probably break her heart when my heart fails. I am just a terrible being, maybe I'm not meant to be back, maybe the world just wants me gone... No, no stop that right now! All of that doesn't matter, so long as one pony in this Celestia forsaken world wants me here, that's reason enough to stick around as long as I can!

Dusk finally began to feel control return to him as Fluttershy slaved over a hot stove, not very much but enough control to stop trembling. A knock came from the door, she didn't seem to notice it in the kitchen and Dusk decided to try to use his magic on the door. He managed to pull the handle and swing the door open to see a tall pony with a dark blue and black coat and flowing blue mane standing there, he managed to shout weakly, "Fluttershy you have a visitor," at the cost of any energy he had left,

She exited the kitchen and gave a small squeal when she saw who it was. "My sincerest apologies Luna, I forgot it you were coming over for a visit."

"L-Luna, P-Princess Luna?" Dusk stammered at a barely audible volume.

"It is quite alright Fluttershy, one does get caught up in routine every now and again, but who is the pony occupying thy couch there?" Her voice carried a regal tone, but was friendly all the same, Dusk heard about Princess Luna while she was Nightmare Moon from his mentor but never believed he would actually have the opportunity to meet her.

"Oh, this is Dusk, the stallion that I told you about," she explained. "He might not be as talkative as usual though, his body took quite a lot today."

"It would appear that way, just what happened to turn such strong willed pony so physically drained?" Luna inquired.

"It... it was..." Dusk tried his best to speak, but the words simply refused to come out.

"It was Twilight," Fluttershy finished. "She tried to do some tests on him, didn't tell anyone what she was doing and then nearly killed him."

"Surely you jest, Twilight Sparkle? My sister's personal student nearly killed this stallion, Dusk?" It was clear she was in disbelief, the pony responsible for freeing her from her imprisonment had decided to do something so rash and dangerous to the life of another.

"I'm afraid so Luna, I carried him out of her library myself, he was in much worse condition at that point but he still looks pretty bad." Fluttershy explained, Luna was taken aback by this and approached Dusk, before placing her hoof on his head.

Immediately, she received a good shock and pulled away, Dusk could feel that he was a little better, better enough to be able to talk a little more. "Sorry Princess... I absorbed a little too much energy... my body can't simply remove it all at once, I have to let it slowly dissipate."

"It is not a concern of mine, you just focus on improving your condition," she turned back to Fluttershy. "Should we postpone my visit to another time?"

"I suppose that would be best, I really do enjoy when you visit though," she admitted.

"No... you don't have to..." Dusk began to sit up a little, until a sharp pain in his chest forced him to lay back down again.

"The young mare is correct, you sir need to rest right now, we will schedule for another day," Luna proclaimed. "Until next time Fluttershy," with that, she unfurled her wings flew off into the horizon.

"I'm... sorry Fluttershy," Dusk apologized.

"That's okay you're not the one responsible, you have nothing to be sorry about," she smiled at him. "Oh you're soup, I hope it didn't get burned!" She ran back into the kitchen to tend to their dinner.

Not the one responsible, she must be referring to Twilight, I need to try to mend the bridge between them. His pondering was interrupted when Fluttershy returned with a piping hot bowl of vegetable soup.

"I hope you like it," she took a spoonful and cooled it as she fed it to him. Dusk gave her a satisfied smile before receiving more, after the bowl was emptied he could feel some of his strength coming back.

"Thank you, it was really delicious," he realized he had finally regained his ability to talk normally and used it. "I feel really bad about everything that had to happen today. I know you feel Twilight is at fault, and I won't lie, she did make a bad judgement call not telling you or anyone else about it. But we all make those mistakes, I'm not saying you need to forgive her or anything, I just want you to make an effort to put your trust back in her... promise me you will make an effort."

She pondered for a moment, "I will try, I won't promise that we will be friends again, but I will make an honest effort." She gave him a peck on the cheek, "Now you need to sleep, you still haven't recovered entirely and I want to see you make a full recovery as quickly as possible."

"Me too, I love you Fluttershy, goodnight."

"I love you too, sweet dreams."

With that, the fatigue that had gathered through that day took it's toll and dragged him into a deep sleep.

Where am I? Wait, is that me? I'm laying on the couch but I'm seeing myself from above, what is going on? Oh there's Fluttershy, she must have just woken up. "Dusk wake up it's morning! Dusk! Dusk? Oh no, Dusk please wake up!" Why can't I move? "Dusk, don't you dare die on me!" Oh Celestia, that's what I feared, I'm dead aren't I? I left Fluttershy and I can't go back! 

There's Rainbow Dash at the door, "Fluttershy what's going on?"

"He's not breathing! I don't know what to do! What do I do?!? I need help!"

"Fluttershy, there's nothing to be done, I'm sorry but he's gone, if he's not breathing then he didn't make it through the night, I'm sorry."

"No... NO, he can't be gone! After everything that's happened, he can't just be gone like this!"

This cannot be happening! There is no way I'm just gone, I can't just slip away like that, I can't!

"Shh, Fluttershy, we can't change anything, we can only keep his memory alive."

"This is all Twilight's fault... he's dead because of her!"

No... no she can't think that, no! I can't die and take one of her friendships with me!

"We don't know that, come on we need to let everyone else know what happened, we will need to get him a proper burial too."

NO! No, no, no this is not the way it should be!

"So this is your worst nightmare is it?"

Princess Luna?

"Yes it is I, in my curiosity I decided to visit you tonight in your dream, which appears to be more of a nightmare."

But what does this mean? My death, is it really going to happen this soon?

"I cannot say I'm afraid, you must live your life as if it is that short, until you know otherwise, if you don't each day is then a waste."

I understand.

"Then with that I return you to reality, I have many others who require my assistance this night."

Thank you Luna.

Dusk awoke sitting up and immediately feeling a sharp pain in his chest, panting heavily, live everyday as if it's my last, it's all I can do. He slowly lowered himself, and tried to get back to sleep.
> The Placement of Faith
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk was greeted by the rising sun nearly blinding him, he sat up and found Fluttershy sleeping on the floor next to him. What is she doing down here? She should be in her own bed, he pondered.

As if she read his thoughts, Fluttershy raised her head and looked up at him, "you're awake? Good, now I can get us some breakfast."

"You were waiting for me to wake up? For how long?" He didn't like that she was depriving herself of sleep for him.

She gave a loud yawn, "not very long, now what would you like to eat for breakfast?" So, too long I see, I really hope this doesn't become a habit with her.

"Hmm, that's a good question, what does the chef recommend?" Dusk grinned.

Fluttershy thought for a moment with slightly red cheeks, "how about a nice salad? We don't want anything upsetting your stomach after your incident yesterday, or that nightmare from last night."

"Did I wake you up because of that?" So that's why she was down here, he concluded.

"Well, no Luna told me last night," she placed her fore hoof on his shoulder, "well she sort of showed me the dream you had, that must have been terrifying, seeing yourself in such a state."

"You two must be close for her to just show you the dreams of others," he showed a little bit of irritation in his voice, since dreams are kind of a private collection of one's thoughts, hopes and in this case, fears.

"Well, she had never actually showed me dreams that weren't my own, given the situation, I think she acted in the way she thought best. But, as for when I became friends with her, that's a little bit of a long story. You see when she was first reverted from being Nightmare Moon back to her normal state she didn't really fit in with the present time. Last Nightmare Night I helped her reintroduce herself, she liked to shout and it terrified most everybody. Albeit unwillingly," she admitted, "I helped her learn to speak in a normal, calm tone and ever since, we've set a weekly get-together to just sit and talk."

"Except this week," Dusk sighed. "With my little incident forcing you two to cancel and sending her back to Canterlot, I feel really bad about that."

"Dusk no, just... no," she refused to hear it. "Things happen and besides, that wasn't the first time we had to cancel and I can tell you it will most certainly not be the last, do not worry about it."

"Okay, so what did you think about that nightmare?" He asked.

"Well, a fear of dying is natural and life is certainly uncertain to say the least, but I didn't really like the part where I started blaming Twilight. But, I have to admit in such a state of hysteria I probably find her responsible and vocalize my thoughts about it. For now though, let's not think about such things, I'm going to go make us some breakfast."

"Sounds wonderful, thank you," he tried to sit up but, like last night, a sharp pain in his chest forced him to lay back down.

"Please don't try to get up, you still need to rest, Celestia knows just how much damage your body took," Fluttershy pleaded.

"Okay, I just can't stand sitting around like this for too long," Dusk admitted. Fluttershy just kissed him on the forehead before heading into the kitchen. As with last night, a knocking came from the door and Dusk used his magic to pull it open, it was Rainbow Dash. "Good morning Rainbow Dash," Dusk greeted, loudly enough for Fluttershy to hear.

"Hey there, looks like you're doing a lot better than when I put you down on that couch last night," she walked over and patted him on the head. "Now I need to talk to you and Fluttershy, I really don't like having to explain things, so doing it more than once sounds like a big headache."

"Good morning Dash! It's a good thing we don't have to go to the hospital this morning, isn't it?" Fluttershy called from the kitchen.

"Yeah it is, but can you come out here real quick? I need to talk to you," Dash's voice seemed to falter a little with her last words. Fluttershy entered the room and sat down on a stool next to the couch. "Okay so... I kind of talked to Twilight yesterday," she explained.

"You what?" Fluttershy exclaimed, Dusk placed a hoof on her shoulder and helped her calm down before things got out of hand.

"I went to the library, I wanted to hear what Twilight had to say about her little 'experiment' and why she kept us all in the dark. Now, I won't go into all of what she said because she used a lot of egghead speak so I will just cut to the chase, she gave me a little package and a note for Dusk." She revealed a small, cardboard box and peace of parchment from beneath her wings, "now before you go off on the messenger, read the letter she wrote."

Dusk levitated the box and paper in front of himself and Fluttershy, reading the letter Twilight wrote him:

Dear Dusk,

I feel that I should start by apologizing for what happened yesterday, I was tampering with a power I didn't understand. In the process, you were seriously injured and for that I cannot be sorry enough. I am also very sorry about violating your privacy, I had no right to do so. I should also apologize to Fluttershy who is no doubt reading this with you. I should have informed every one of our friends about my plan before I went ahead and did it. If I did, maybe you wouldn't be in the condition you are in and Fluttershy wouldn't think of me as a former friend. But, I cannot change the past, believe me I have most definitely tried recently and it didn't go well, so here is a sort of reparation for the damage I have caused. In this box is a special battery, you wear it around your neck and it will naturally absorb any energy you pick up and store it. You can also draw energy from it in case of emergency, but, here is the catch, whenever you draw from it it puts strain on your body. It is very similar to what happened yesterday, the difference is you control how much you pull out so you can make sure your body doesn't overload. I hope it proves effective, now I don't expect forgiveness, from either you or Fluttershy, but I really don't want to lose either of you as my friends.

Sincerely, Twilight Sparkle

The two looked at each other, Dusk then took the battery from it's box, it was an onyx color with a large square shape. A small wire strung from one corner to the opposite to make it a necklace, an unattractive necklace but it did help keep him alive, so he wasn't going to complain.

Unfortunately, some pony couldn't hold their tongue, "it, it will look good on you..." she couldn't hold it in any longer, she just started laughing. "That thing looks totally ridiculous, and you have to wear it all the time? That's too funny!"

Dusk couldn't help but chuckle a little, "Yeah, yeah just get it all out now Dash, but I have some advice, don't try to play poker."

Her laughter died down a little, "why's that?"

"Because, you can't hold a bluff worth anything," he started joining her laughter, Fluttershy followed suit, and for about five minutes they all just enjoyed themselves.

"Okay, okay well I have stuff that needs to get done today, see you guys later," Dash announced.

"Wait, before you go, can you deliver a message to Twilight?" Dusk asked.

"Sure, but after this I'm gonna have to start charging you guys," she joked, "what do you want me to tell her?"

"Tell her that this is the last time I will forgive her. This is strike two. One more and I won't be able to trust her again," he felt good just saying it, if only he could tell her himself.

"Wow, just like that, you just forgive her?" Rainbow was shocked to say the least, wanting to make sure she heard him right.

"Yes, I really hate holding grudges. But I will make an exception if she tries anything else of this magnitude. My heart is heavy enough as it is."

Fluttershy and Dash just looked at each other in complete and utter shock, many speechless moments passed before Dusk felt a hoof on his shoulder.

"Are... are you sure?" Fluttershy's voice seemed a bit nervous.

"Yes I'm sure," he turned to Dash, "when will you talk to her next?"

"As soon as I take off here, I need a small distraction before I get my work done anyway, see you two lovebirds later," she waved off before flying out the door.

"So, just like that? Water under the bridge?" Fluttershy still couldn't believe what Dusk just did. "Do you expect me to let this go just as easily?"

"What? No, I expect you to do what you think is right, for you," he tried to stroke her mane, but his current condition wouldn't let him get up. "I won't think of you any different, no matter what you decide, I will still love you."

"You mean that... you really do mean that," she pulled him up and hugged him tightly. "I will keep my promise, no matter what."

Dusk accepted her embrace, for what seemed like hours she held him in her arms, until a loud rumbling came from their stomachs. "Oh my, I guess I should finish making our breakfast," Fluttershy lowered Dusk back down and returned to the kitchen.

Dusk levitated the battery around his neck, he immediately felt a tingling sensation in his chest where the battery laid. After about five minutes, he felt the full affect that the battery had as it drained the excess energy out of his body, he decided to try to sit up again. This time, he actually did it, with no pain from his chest or any other part of his body, And he was ecstatic about being able to move again.

Just standing up sounded like such a good idea, except the second he did his caretaker would force him to lay back down, so for now sitting up will have to do.

After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy walked out with two plates full of salad. "Oh you can sit up now? That's wonderful!"

"Yeah, now you don't have to feed me like you did last night," he explained.

"Are you sure? I can still feed you, I wouldn't mind."

"Fluttershy, I'm fully capable of feeding my self now."

"I know you are it's just..." she started to turn red.

"Just what?"

"Well... I kind of liked feeding you last night, I know it was because you didn't have the strength to but it was nice," she explained.

Dusk looked at her for a few seconds, then shrugged his shoulders and laid back down. "Alright, but just this once."

Fluttershy smiled gleefully, she spent the next twenty minutes singing a peaceful melody as she fed him.The act was making him feel foolish, acting like a young foal incapable of feeding on their own. But he didn't care, she was happy and no one was watching. Once his plate was emptied, she ate her own plateful, the silence was nice, but not as nice as her singing.

"Okay, I have to make my usual rounds at the market, will you be alright here by yourself?" She asked.

"I will be fine don't worry," Dusk assured her.

"Alright, just don't try to walk, promise me you won't try walk," he nodded, "Pinkie promise?"

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," he followed the ritual that Pinkie Pie started.

"Good, I will be back later," she gave him a kiss on the cheek, "love you."

"I love you too, have fun and tell AppleJack I said hi," he waved goodbye as she went out the door and closed it behind her.

With nothing better to do, Dusk simply gave an audible yawn and got ready to take a nice nap, until a knocking came from the door. He took a deep breathe, and in one swift motion pulled himself upright on the couch, his dark blue aura took hold of the handle and pulled the door open. He saw three foals standing in the doorway, a unicorn, a pegasus and an earth pony and each one had a little reporter's hat and a small notepad.

"Hello, can I help you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Y-yes, are you Dusk?" The unicorn inquired, their voice revealed them to be a young filly, her white coat and pink and lavender mane made her look oddly familiar.

"Yes may I ask, who you are?" He never actually talked to foals since his own maturity, so the experience was a bit odd.

"My name is Sweetie Belle, I'm Rarity's little sister," she answered.

"I'm Apple Bloom, AppleJack's my big sis'," the earth pony replied, she had a yellow coat, red mane and tail and a very large pink bow on her head.

"I'm Scootaloo... and I don't have a sister, but I know Rainbow Dash," the pegasus hesitantly explained. She had an orange coat with a purple mane and tail.

"Well, I can certainly see the resemblance in you two," he gestured toward Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom. "But it's a pleasure to meet the three of you, but now that introductions are out of the way, how can I be of assistance?"

"Well, we heard our sisters talking about you and how you've been living here for a little while, but not many ponies actually have seen or talk to you." Sweetie Belle explained, "We're on the Foal Free Press, our school newspaper and we wanted to get an interview with you, it would make quite an interesting story."

"Hmm... alright I don't see what harm it could do, just can you do me a favor?" Dusk asked.

"O' course, what's the favor?" Apple Bloom chimed.

"If you ask me a question that I don't want to answer, please don't push the topic any further," he requested. "There are somethings I just don't feel right talking to others about."

"We promise!" The three fillies said in unison as they walked up and sat around him in front of the couch.

"Okay," he smiled, "What do you want to know?"

"Sweetie Belle you should do this, your better with words than either of us," Scootaloo suggested.

"Okay, so Mr. Dusk, how long have you been living here in Ponyville?"

"Just Dusk is fine," he answered, "I've been here a little over a week."

"Alright," she wrote down his answer. "Where did you live before coming here?"

"Uhh, the Everfree Forest."

"Wow really that's so cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "Why were you living out there?"

"That's uh... complicated," Dusk explained.

"Oh, okay then, well I've been meaning to ask," Sweetie Belle started, pointing at his battery, "what is that necklace your wearing? I know my sister didn't make that for you."

Dusk chuckled a little, "no Rarity didn't make this, it's more for function than fashion."

"What's it do?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I thought you guys wanted me to do this interview?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"Girls, please there's no need to fight about this," Dusk restored order. "Now I can't really go into the details but this necklace helps keep me alive."

The three girls just stopped and stared with wide eyes, "REALLY?" they shouted simultaneously.

Once Dusk regained his hearing he answered, "Yes really, it helps keep my heart beating."

"Who made it?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"My friend Twilight did."

"Wow, Twilight made that for you?" Scootaloo chimed in.

"Yes, she's really helped me a lot since I came here," he explained.

"Okay, next question: what made you decide to come here?" Sweetie Belle continued.

"My mentor, she said I needed to get reacquainted with the world after being gone in the forest for a few years."

"Who is your mentor?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Princess Celestia, she's been helping me for the past few years, right before I moved into the Everfree."

"Wow, this will make a great story, thanks Dusk!" Scootaloo said excitedly.

"Yes, thank you very much," Sweetie Belle followed Scootaloo's lead.

"Thank ya kindly," Apple Bloom finished.

"Not a problem girls," he smiled. "Just don't forget about us little ponies when you're up in Manehatten or Phillydelphia writing for the top papers."

"We won't!" They answered simultaneously.

The door swung open revealing Fluttershy with bags full of groceries, "Dusk I'm back and- what are you girls doing here?"

"We are interviewing Dusk here for our paper!" Sweetie Belle answered.

"Oh, well that's nice, is he giving you a good story?"

"Yeah! This will make our best story yet!" The three exclaimed.

"I'm sure it will, well girls I think Dusk could use some rest don't you?" The three nodded in agreement, "It was nice to see you three again."

"You too Fluttershy, bye Dusk!" The three shouted as they ran out the door.

"So, how was your interview?" She gave him a peck on the cheek.

"It was certainly interesting, but they didn't try to pry so I'd say it went well," he smiled. "But having to answer questions from all three of them was a small challenge."

"Oh I bet, I watched those girls overnight once," she admitted.

"How well did that turn out?"

"Well, they wandered into the Everfree, ran into a cockatrice and nearly got turned into stone if I didn't run after them."

Dusk's eyes grew wide, "I remember that night! First time in over a few months I heard any pony come near my shack, I couldn't make out what was said, only a lot of shouting. When it fell silent, I hoped that whatever happened didn't leave anyone hurt. The next morning, I didn't find any sign of blood or much of a struggle so I figured that no one did get hurt. I had no idea that was you and those girls..."

"It happened that close to your home, wow, that's really a good thing."

"How so?"

"Earlier that day Twilight went into the forest to visit our friend Zecora, she's a zebra that lives in the forest, but on the way back she ran into the same cockatrice we did. The only difference being, she was turned to stone, after I found out I couldn't stop thinking about what would've happened if those girls didn't run into that forest."

"Well, I think I can fill in the 'what if' for you, I would've found her the next day, made her an elixir, and sent her on her way," he smiled at her.

"Oh Dusk, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that," she wrapped her hooves around him tightly.

"Well, I'm always glad to help," he grinned.

"Well then can you do me a favor?"

"And what might that be?"

"The girls and I planned a spa trip tomorrow even AppleJack's going to be there, would you like to come?"

"A spa trip, what would I do there?"

"Well, they have a nice sauna, and they give excellent massages, Spike goes there a lot and he's a guy," she explained. "Besides, I'm sure everyone of them will be glad to see that you've bounced back from the incident from last night," Dusk pondered for a moment until she unleashed the puppy eyes on him. "Please?" 

No, that sounds like a bad idea.

But those eyes, I can't say no to them!

You must be strong, tell her no!

I... can't, I just can't!

The battle in his mind was over, "Yes, okay I will go, just stop with that adorable look I think it's melting my heart!"

Fluttershy did as he asked and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks Dusk you're so sweet!"

"Yeah, so who taught you that trick?"

"It's something that I picked up as a young filly," her face turned a little red as she answered.

"So Rarity?" Dusk saw right through her tale.

"Y-yeah," she admitted.

"Before or after I met you?"

"A-after."

"So, this little tactic was specifically for me?" She nodded, "Can you please not do that? It's a little unfair for me."

"Okay, but I really appreciate that you're going to come with me to the spa."

"I'm glad, but if I'm heading out tomorrow I should get as much rest as possible, so I'm going to turn in early."

"You are? Okay, I will make sure it's quiet, sweet dreams."

Dusk gave a loud yawn and stretched before slipping into a deep sleep, unsure of what the next day might hold.
> Faith's Abuse
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Duusk, you awake?" Fluttershy gently shook him until his eyes cracked open. "You must have worn yourself out yesterday, you've been out for about half a day, maybe more."

He sat up, "really? How long before the spa trip?"

"Long enough for some breakfast," she explained. "I have some waffles ready for you at the table, you ready to try to stand up?"

"Yeah," he sighed, "One... two... three!" He forced himself up on his hooves, faltering slightly when his weight fell on his legs but stabilizing. "Okay, so far so good, now I'm going to try to walk to the table," he felt her hoof on his shoulder and knew she wouldn't let him fall.

The two walked slowly to the table, Dusk felt one of his legs give, but before he could fall far Fluttershy pulled him back up. She held him up until he could start walking again, the last leg of the trek was traveled without any other slip ups or falls, once he made it to the table he pulled himself on one of the chairs.

"You did it, I knew you could!" In the excitement of the moment, she kissed him passionately, neither of them tried to separate for a few minutes. 

Dusk finally pulled away, "That will never get old," he declared.

Fluttershy cheeks grew crimson, "No, no it won't, now eat up, you need to get your strength back. Unless you want me to carry you again."

"No, I don't want you to try that again," he started digging in to his breakfast, as she walked out of the room.

Once he finished, he got himself up and managed to walk back to the living room and sit back down on the couch for a moment. Fluttershy walked in from upstairs, "Looks like you learned how to walk again, you ready to go?"

"Sure, I'm good to go," he stood up a little shakily and managed to walk to the door without complication. "Don't want to keep our friends waiting." He pulled the door open, allowing his love to pass in front before closing the door behind him.

Dusk walked slowly at first, but managed to get comfortable enough to pick up his pace, Fluttershy did her best to match his pace, but always had to look back to see he was close enough behind her. The two made it to the spa in good time, only Rarity, Twilight and Spike were there in the waiting area, all three were shocked to see Dusk up and around again.

"Glad to see I'm not the only guy here today," Spike commented.

"Dusk, darling aren't you a sight for sore eyes! How are you feeling?" Rarity greeted.

"A whole lot better now."

"I'm so sorry!" Twilight shouted, "My stupid decision nearly put you in a coma, if not that then worse! I had no right to do any of those things!"

She started to tear up before he placed his hoof on her shoulder. "No, no you didn't. But, I trust you learned your lesson."

Twilight looked Dusk in the eye before stepping back. "I did, believe me I did. I should've been smarter about this, I should've done a lot things differently."

"Yes. You should have. Every time you do something like this and for lack of better words 'stab me in the back' it get's harder to put my trust back in you. I'm sorry to say, I am giving you one more chance, after that, I just can't."

"I... that's more fair than I would be. I promise to never go behind your back again."

"I do hope you are right."

Fluttershy walked up to Twilight, "The same goes for me. If Dusk is willing to give you one more chance, I can do the same."

"Fluttershy, you mean that?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, so long as the next time you plan on doing something like that you tell us about it," Fluttershy answered. The two hugged for a moment. 

Soon after an earth pony walked in the from behind the counter, she had a pink coat and light blue mane and tail. "We are ready for you now, please do enjoy your visit."

"So, what will you do Dusk? A day at the spa doesn't really seem to be your cup of tea," Rarity inquired.

"I'm going to the sauna, I need to loosen up and unwind after being stuck on a couch for two days," he answered.

"Well, don't forget to take off that battery, don't want it shorting out on you in there," Twilight advised.

He nodded, took off his necklace and placed it on a nearby table before walking into the sauna while the others relaxed in different ways. The sauna was a large wooden box with a pile of hot coals in the middle with a bucket of water next to it. He heard the bell of the front door ring as it opened, as another one of their friends joined them.

"AppleJack, so glad to see you again," Rarity greeted.

"Howdy y'all," AppleJack greeted before turning to Fluttershy, "Ya convince Dusk to come along?"

"Yes she did!" Dusk shouted from his little room.

"Ya decided to go with the sauna?" AppleJack asked.

"Sounds a lot better than getting a hooficure, that's for sure!" He joked.

"I reckon so, I take it ya got yourself back up to par?"

"Yes ma'am," he replied.

"Fantastic, now if no one objects I'm gonna get me a massage," AppleJack declared.

The bell chimed again, "Hi girls isn't this the best day for a spa trip?"

"Sure is Pinke," Twilight replied, Pinkie's response was a loud splash so it was clear she was soaking in one of the therapeutic baths.

After a little while, every pony in the spa was absolutely relaxed, Dusk just stepped out of the sauna as there was a time limit for how long one can stay in there, he made sure he dried off and put his battery back around his neck. He saw Rainbow Dash running in from one of the windows before bursting through the door with a newspaper in tow, "girls the new Gabby Gums came out today, 'The Great and Powerful Trixie: Secrets Revealed!"

"We already read that one dear, come relax get a hooficure it feels fantastic!" Rarity suggested.

"Yeah, no I have a reputation to uphold," she replied flatly.

"Gabby Gums?" Dusk asked in confusion.

"Oh, it's this article in the Foal Free Press, it's hilarious and I need to read this issue before I go crazy with anticipation!" Rainbow Dash answered gleefully.

"It's true that she is popular, but don't you think she can be a little mean about what she writes?" Twilight inquired.

"She's not mean Twilight, she's a hoot and a half," AppleJack explained.

"'Princess Celestia: Just Like Us,'" Twilight read the article title. "She doesn't seem to put much value in a pony's privacy, does she?"

"Please Twilight, it's just idle gossip, nothing to get concerned about," Rarity stated.

"Yeah! Check out this story, 'Mayor Mare Not Naturally Grey' the mayor in a mane dying scandal, I can't think of one pony who wouldn't want to read about that!" Pinkie concluded.

"But the ponies in these articles, this can't be a positive experience for them," Twilight retorted.

"Twilight, every pony wants to get there name in the paper," Rainbow Dash claimed.

"Rainbow Dash, are you sure you don't want a hooficure? It's simply heavenly!" Rarity declared.

"Really Rarity, heavenly? Alright, I'll try it," Rainbow Dash gave in, she dropped the newspaper and laid down on one of the stations. The pony who had greeted them earlier happened to be the one administering the hooficures, but every time she tried to get close to Rainbow Dash's hoof, she pulled it away. After three attempts, Rainbow Dash decided against her earlier decision, "never mind, I can't stand ponies touching my hooves." She flew off the station and picked up her newspaper, "I wouldn't mind having Gabby Gums put me in one of her articles."

"I have one she's doin' on me?" Spike said nonchalantly.

Immediately, the six mares surrounded him, "WHAT?" they exclaimed simultaneously.

"I as well," Dusk stated.

"Oh right, I forgot the Cutie Mark Crusaders came by and interviewed you," Fluttershy recollected.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders?" Dusk asked, feeling a little less than intelligent.

"Oh that's what Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo call their little ensemble," Rarity answered.

"That's so awesome! I hope I'm next!" Rainbow Dash flew out the door.

"Well, I think we're done here girls, would you care to join me for lunch?" Rarity offered.

The four mares all agreed, "Sorry Rarity, I need to check on my room at the inn since I haven't been there in two days," Dusk admitted.

"Oh that's alright dear, another time."

The group left together, but Dusk broke off heading for his home shortly after until a voice stopped him, "Dusk! Please wait up!" He turned to see Fluttershy running up to him, before he could respond she nearly knocked him over hugging him tightly. "We never told each other goodbye!"

Dusk just chuckled to himself, "I suppose you're right, so I'll see you soon?"

She looked up at him and smiled, "Of course."

He kissed her on the cheek, "I love you."

"I love you too," she held onto him for a moment.

"Fluttershy, I'm sure the girls will wait for you before they get lunch, we don't want to keep them waiting too long," as much as he didn't want to, Dusk let her go.

"Okay, goodbye Dusk," she flew off, it hurt him a little to see her leave but he needed to make sure his home was in order.

After a particularly lonely walk, he made it to the Ponyville Inn and walked past the receptionist. "Haven't seen you in a few days, began to worry you took off and left your stuff."

"No ma'am, I wouldn't leave you the work of emptying that room," he smiled before walking up the stairs.

Walking through the door of his room, Dusk saw all of the work that was put into making his room an actual home. All of the pictures and accents that gave the place some personality, the longer he looked at it, the more he thought of the pony responsible for them. Even his little bird friend couldn't distract him, being just another reminder.

How can I miss her so much? I was just with her for two whole days! I don't understand why I feel this way, shouldn't I want some space or something? His heart and his brain were disagreeing again and it was clear which was going to be the victor.

After a whole day of thinking, there was no doubt which half of him won the day.

Heart: 2 - Brain: 0

Now that that was decided, the sun was about to set and Dusk figured he should do the same, he slipped into his bed for the first time in a few days and drift into sleep.


***


The morning sun greeted Dusk by burning his retinas and forcing him to wake up, he slumped out of bed and made some toast. He let Hummingway out the window before he walked out of his home and headed to the market, since he still hadn't done any proper restocking of his kitchen in a few days. He walked past the receptionist reading a newspaper, "good morning," he greeted, her response was a ruffling of her newspaper. Okay, not exactly a good morning for her I guess, he figured as he walked out of the inn.

As he walked through town an assortment of strange looks fell on him: some held fear, others curiosity, a small number had anger. What is going on here? He thought, until a familiar voice called him, "Hey Dusk!"

He looked up to see Ditsy Doo, more commonly known as 'Derpy', a pegasus he met last week with a tell tale lazy eye. "Good morning Derpy, how are you today?"

"Good, how 'bout you?" She asked.

"Uh... confused from all the looks I'm getting, they look at me like I'm a leper or something," he answered.

"Oh, well I have no clue what a leper is, but I bet it's from the Gabby Gum's story on you," she replied.

"A Gabby Gums story... about me?" His heart sank, what could she have said to make the entire town turn on me like that?

"Yeah, I thinks it's really cool that you got in the paper, but I gotta go, the mail won't deliver itself around here," she flew off.

Dusk ran to the nearest news stand and picked up the last copy of the Foal Free Press and immediately flipped to the Gabby Gums section, it read:


The Creature Among Us!


The newest citizen of Ponyville, Dusk Light, isn't all he appears to be, in an interview he said that he has been living in the Everfree Forest for a number of years. When he was interviewed, he refused to answer the reason why, is it because he's not a pony at all? This pony showed our interviewers an interesting little device he wore around his neck that he said 'keeps his heart beating.' Does this mean that it powers his heart? Like some science experiment that pushes the law of nature? This writer thinks so.

The paper was then torn in half, just like Dusk's mind, one half fearing what will happen now and the other half wanting to find who is responsible and why they did this. With nothing else he could think to do he ran to the nearest friend he had, which in this case was Pinkie Pie in the Sugarcube Corner.

He opened the door and realized that he was discharging into the air because before he opened the door he could hear his friends talking. The second he opened the door, the conversations died and every pony stopped and stared at him and a moment passed before anything was said.

"Dusk are you alright?" Rarity asked.

"No, no I'm not, everything good that has happened here just came crashing down around me!" He threw half of the paper he picked up on the table revealing the article.

The six scanned the article and looked up at Dusk, but not with fear or anger, their eyes held compassion and concern. Fluttershy walked up to him and held a hoof up to his cheek. "We don't believe a word of this," she turned to the others. "Right girls?"

The five nodded in agreement, "Someone needs to talk to those fillies, and I think it goes without saying that I can't do it," Dusk declared.

"I will, I need to teach my little sister exactly what happens when you betray the trust of friends and family," Rarity volunteered.

"Y'know, I don't know who I'd be more afraid of in that situation, the living lightning rod or Rarity, both sound like they could end in equally bad ways," Rainbow Dash commented.

"But definitely worse with Rarity, I know my sis' is looking at an equally bad situation when I get my hooves on her," AppleJack stated.

"Well, while you two deal with your sisters, I'll find Scootaloo and deal with her," Rainbow Dash promised.

"That leaves the rest of us to try to calm the town back down, assure them that this is a lie," Twilight looked at Pinkie Pie and then at Fluttershy, who was on the verge of tears. "On second thought, Fluttershy, stay here with Dusk try to help him relax, Pinkie and I will handle the town."

"Okey, dokey, lokey," Pinkie followed Twilight out, the other three followed leaving Dusk and Fluttershy in the bakery.

Dusk saw how close Fluttershy was to breaking down on him, and did his best to comfort her, "hey, everything is gonna be alright, our friends will set things right."

His words seemed to be little help, she started to cry on him, he hugged her tightly before she quieted down and pet her mane softly. "What's going on? I know this isn't about my problem alone."

She looked up at him, "You don't think I have tail extensions, do you?"

"Of course not," he nuzzled her neck. "Is that what they said about you?"

"Yes," she sniffled.

"I don't believe a word, even if it was true I wouldn't love you any less," he kissed her on the forehead.

"I know you wouldn't, but still..." she started to cry again.

"Come on, let's get you home," Dusk turned to Mrs. Cake at the counter. "If our friends come back, can you tell them we went to Fluttershy's?"

"Sure thing," she answered.

He picked Fluttershy up on his back and opened out the door, "Thank you."

"You... you don't have to carry me," she protested.

"You're right, I don't have to, but I want to."

Dusk turned his head to see Fluttershy trying to smile, but as he walked he could see all of the looks he was getting and ignored them. His only focus was the mare he was carrying and getting her back to her home.

When he made it to her cottage he carried her to the couch and gently placed her on one end, and sat down on the other end. He stroked her mane as she buried her head in the one of the arms of the couch, trying to muffle the sound of her cries no doubt. Her white rabbit, Angel, came up and helped Dusk calm her down some.

"Shh, it's okay, I'll be here as long as you need me to be," Dusk promised.

She raised her head, "I... I know you will," she turned and buried her head in his chest with tears running down her face.

"Let it all out, everything will be just fine, just let it all out," he kissed her on the forehead and rubbed her back.

This lasted for about twenty minutes, until a knocking came from the door, "Angel, can you get the door?" Dusk asked.

The rabbit nodded and hopped to the door, and upon pulling it open, Dusk immediately regretted having the door answered at all. The Cutie Mark Crusaders, the whole reason that Dusk was labeled a freak and Fluttershy was crying, stood at the door. "Hello Angel, is Fluttershy here?" Sweetie Belle asked. Angel just turned back to Dusk, the look they shared was in agreement and Angel simply closed the door and returned to the couch.

"Thank you, Angel," Dusk patted him on the head.

He looked like he had just been given a medal of honor, but he remembered his caretaker's condition and immediately returned to her side.

Fluttershy pulled away from Dusk and picked up Angel, "You're such a good bunny," she gave him a warm hug. She put him back down and turned back to Dusk, "And you're such a good coltfriend." They kissed for a moment before she buried her face in his chest again.

He comforted her for the next few hours or so before another knock came from the front door, "Angel?" he asked. The rabbit was already hopping to the door, he opened it to reveal a much more friendly face.

"How are you two holding up?" Twilight asked.

"I'm as close to fine as I'm going to be right now," Dusk looked down at Fluttershy, "She's getting there."

"I suppose that's the only good news we have right now, the town is in a grip of fear about you," Twilight explained. "A few ponies genuinely believe you're no threat, but the rest of the think you could be a danger to them."

His heart sank, the very thing I worried about when I first came here, only it's probably worse because I already have too much to want to leave.

"You did your best, I just have to get used to it again," he gulped.

Fluttershy started to cry more audibly, causing his heart to sink even further. "Shh, don't cry Fluttershy, everything is alright, it won't be that bad."

She pulled her head from his chest, "It's just not fair, to you, to me, to our friends! Why does this have to happen? Why did those girls do this to us?"

"I don't know, only those three and maybe their sisters really know why, but their just foals we can't hold this against them forever. They probably don't see the full ramifications of their actions," he turned to Twilight for support to his claim, "Right?"

"I think so, I don't see why they would do any of this on purpose," Twilight explained. "If anything this probably another attempt to get their cutie marks."

"But that doesn't make what they did right!" Fluttershy shouted, tears still rolling down her cheeks.

"We're not saying what they did is right, what we are saying is that foals do dumb things, we did too when we were there age," Dusk wipe a tear from her eye. "We just need them to know that they did is wrong and from there just let it go, holding a grudge doesn't help them learn from there mistakes."

"He's right you know, we can't blame them for wanting to find there cutie marks," Twilight agreed.

"I hear you, both of you," she began to calm down. "But I still don't understand, the entire town thinks you're some kind of monster or a freak. How will you deal with that?"

"I won't try to hide it, my earlier years were spent being hated and I think they went easy on me because I was young," Dusk explained. "I simply have to ignore it, let their cries and transgressions go unanswered until they realize that if any pony is the monster here it's them."

"That's your plan? Just wait until they stop?" The two mares asked.

"Anything else would just add more fuel to the fire, all I can do is let it burn itself out, like I said I had to deal with it before," Dusk answered.

"I don't like it, but I trust you," Fluttershy admitted. "But I don't want you walking through town right now, night's almost here and I don't want any pony to try to hurt you. You're staying here tonight." It wasn't a command or a request, just a statement.

Dusk smiled and nuzzled her neck again. "Okay I'll stay here tonight."

Twilight saw that she was a third wheel and saw herself out, she slipped out while her friends were paying more attention to each other than they were anything else.

"Do you feel better now?" He asked, Fluttershy replied with a smile, "Good I hate to see you cry like that, especially over me." 

She kissed him tenderly on the lips, "If I don't, then who will?"

"Okay, valid point," he admitted. 

The two cuddled and fell asleep after a while. Dusk woke up for a moment, went up to her bedroom and grabbed a blanket and two pillows. He sneaked one of them beneath Fluttershy's head without disturbing her, got himself comfortable with a pillow for himself, and threw the blanket over the two before drifting off again...
> A Broken Window and A Broken Heart
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The morning sun brought renewed hope to Dusk, he could feel Fluttershy breathing on his chest. She had snuggled up to him last night, he simply waited for her to wake up on her own. That didn't take long though, she gave a cute yawn and cracked her eyes open slowly.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Dusk smiled.

She woke up fully and realized how close she was to him, she immediately pushed herself back and off the couch. Before she could hit the ground she was caught in a dark blue aura and placed on her hooves, "was waking up next to me that bad?" Dusk joked.

"N-no I was just surprised!" Fluttershy protested.

"Yeah, yeah," he smiled, "so are you feeling better today?"

"Thanks to you," she kissed him on the cheek, "do you want something for breakfast?"

"Sure, I do love when you cook," he stood up and picked up the bedding he grabbed last night, "should I just put these back where I got them?"

"Yeah that's fine," she headed into the kitchen, "you could've taken the bed last night you know."

"Yes, I could have taken the bed, but it wouldn't have been nearly as nice as the couch," Dusk made her bed again and headed back downstairs.

"Is my bed not comfortable?" Fluttershy asked as she grabbed a few bowls from her cupboard.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't be with you so in that light, yeah it wouldn't have been comfortable," he answered while walking into the kitchen.

"You're such a sweetheart," she smiled, "so what are you going to do today?"

"Finally head down to the market to restock my little home with food," he gave her a peck on the cheek, "every time I try to something keeps coming up."

"Oh, I can do that for you, I'm heading to the market today anyway since I forgot a few things yesterday," she offered.

"You don't need to do that I can pick it up myself," he replied.

"I know I don't, but I want to so I'm going to," she made it more of a statement than an offer.

"I know when I've lost a debate," he conceded, "thank you Fluttershy, you're the best a stallion could ask for."

"And don't you forget it," she teased.

The two sat down and enjoyed the meal she cooked for them, Dusk never did like oatmeal, ever since he was a foal he found it bland, being polite, he held his tongue. But, he found out that Fluttershy knew how to cook quite well, she used the perfect amount of cinnamon to perk up the taste without over doing it.

"Did I ever tell you how well you can cook?" He asked between bites.

"Yes, I believe you did," she replied before taking another bite.

"Well, this is delicious!"

She smiled, and the two enjoyed the rest of their meal in silence and washed the dishes before leaving together. "So I will see you at the inn when you're done?" Dusk asked.

"Of course," she hugged him and kissed him goodbye.

He walked back home, he didn't walk particularly fast or slow, just as fast as his legs felt like taking him, he took this time to think. I can't believe this is happening again, oh well, I got through it before and I can get through it again. I just have to keep my head high and not react to whatever they throw at me.

Upon approaching the inn, something didn't feel right, something was definitely wrong, he began to pick up his pace, nearly running. His worries were confirmed when Hummingway flew in front of him, chirping frantically. When Dusk made it through the door he was panting lightly. The receptionist called him, "Mr. Dusk, I'm sorry but I have some terrible news."

"What happened?" He asked, almost in a panic.

"Someone threw a rock through the windows of your room, and I'm sorry but you need to leave, we can't have such risk of damage to our property."

Her words were heavy, she didn't want to say them but her job demanded her to do so, with a sigh he admitted, "I understand. I will take my things and leave immediately, I thank you for your hospitality."

"I'm so sorry... I don't believe a word of that article," those words made Dusk perk up a little, "you're no freak or monster, ponies can just be irrational in the face of fear."

"Unfortunately," he sighed, "thank you ma'am."

He walked past her and headed up those stairs and entered that room, one last time, he took note of the rock on the floor and the hole in those glass doors of the balcony. The rock had a note tied to it, he levitated it in front of him and read it: Go back to the forest Freak. 

He gathered his things, the saddle bags from the hospital visit, the outfit Rarity made him for his first date and the decor that Fluttershy worked so hard to put up and make that place more of a home. With all the things he had received since he arrived, Dusk walked back down the stairs and just sat outside, his mind numb from what just happened. His little bird sat in his mane, equally down trodden by the eviction. 

The passage of time was irrelevant, but he realized he was out there for a good amount of time because he could see the one thing that could cheer him up right now. "What are you doing out here?" Fluttershy asked.

"Evicted, some pony really wanted me to get this message," he floated it up to her eyes. "They tied it to a rock and sent it through one of the balcony doors. The inn keepers are just protecting their assets, I don't blame them for what they did, I probably would do the same thing in their same position."

"You just can't catch a break can you?" She hugged him around his neck, "What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know," Dusk sighed, "I don't want to impose on anyone, but at the same time I don't want to go back to the forest. That's way too far away to be from you and our friends,"

"You're staying with me, end of story," she tightened her grip.

"So they can do the same thing to your cottage? I can't, you don't deserve that," he answered.

"I don't care! They can break every window in there and I won't care! If it means you can stay here it's a small price to pay," she pleaded.

"Fluttershy..." she wouldn't hear any of his protests, but this was too important to let go without some fight. "I have been through this before, I don't want you to have to go through with it too, I wouldn't be able to stand doing that to you."

She shook her head, still not listening, "I wouldn't be able to stand you living anywhere else, I want to be right here with you if something goes wrong."

I have to admit, she can be very persistent when she wants to be, he thought, but I love her, and I hate to argue with her. "You're one hundred percent sure, you really want to do this?" Dusk sighed, he already knew the answer when he asked the question.

"Absolutely, I love you too much to let this go any other way," she answered.

"Alright, I can't thank you enough," he kissed her five or six times on her cheek, she giggled in response before standing back up and leading him back to their home.

The two walked side by side, one stallion walked up to Dusk, "did you get the message?" He joked. Dusk kept walking until he realized Fluttershy stopped.

She looked him right in the eye, "you, are you the one who sent it?"

Dusk tried to stop her from doing something and tried to pull her away, "come on Fluttershy, he's not worth the trouble."

The stallion laughed, "and why do you care, little mare?" 

"Sir, don't call her 'little mare' and treat her with respect," Dusk warned, no stallion was going to disrespect her, not so long as his lungs drew air.

"Oh, and what will you do if I don't?" He challenged.

"Sir, do you know the real reason why people call me a 'freak' and a 'monster,' and why I lived in the Everfree?" Dusk hoped he could intimidate him before something started up.

"No, but I'm not afraid of some little freak, no matter where he's been living," Dusk's intimidation didn't work on him.

"Last chance, apologize and we both walk away," he really wanted to avoid a confrontation.

The stallion turned to Fluttershy, "I'm sorry... that your colt-friend is such a wimp."

The next thing the stallion knew he was flat on his back staring at the sky, but Dusk didn't lift a hoof, he just watched Fluttershy tackle him in the chest and knock him flat on his back. "Uhh, when did you learn that little move?"

She just ignored him for that moment and leaned down to the stallion and said in calm but threatening tone, "now, what did you just say?"

"I-I said that I-I'm so sorry ma'am for disrespecting you and your colt-friend," he stuttered.

"That's what I thought, now please leave and don't let me catch you insulting him ever again," she warned. The stallion complied fully, running off the second he was back on his feet. She turned back to Dusk, "that, oh it's just something I was taught by my dad," she smiled as her voice returned to that sweet gentle tone.

"That was... impressive, remind me not to get on your bad side."

"Oh no, I would never do that to you, only hard heads like that guy," she promised, before snuggling up to him. It was like she had a switch: one side was sweet and innocent, the other side being aggressive and threatening.

The rest of the walk was peaceful, they made it to the door and Fluttershy unlocked the door and let Dusk in, "I need to get a key made for you so you can let yourself in."

Dusk walked over to the couch, put his bags of stuff down and sat down on one side, "so we're really doing this, huh?"

"Yeah, we are, I almost worry we're moving to fast," she admitted.

"Well, I think fate's pushing us along this path, like maybe we're meant to be together," Dusk stated. He always fought his philosophical thoughts and kept them from being vocalized too much, but this specific thought wanted to be heard.

"That's beautiful, I hope your right," she sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder.

"Me too," he put a fore hoof on her knee.

The two sat there and cuddled until a knocking came from the front door, with a sigh Dusk decided to stand up and opened the door. Like the previous day, it was the Cutie Mark Crusaders, minus the tears and anger that he and Fluttershy were letting out. Dusk was torn between hugging them for bringing himself and Fluttershy closer together, or slamming the door in their face for all of the things they caused.

The three fillies held up another Gabby Gums article, Fluttershy walked up next to him and read the article, Dusk was still unsure in his mind of how to act. But, when Fluttershy hugged the three fillies, he placed a hoof an her shoulder and smiled.

The three beamed a smile at the two, before they ran off out of sight Sweetie Belle shouted, "YOU TWO LOOK LIKE A MARRIED COUPLE!"

Dusk and Fluttershy looked at each other before turning bright red, Dusk just kissed Fluttershy on the cheek and waved the girls off. "You know, with the way things are going... that's probably the next step," he declared.

"Yeah... just not too soon, right?"

"No, not that soon, someday though, when the time is right," he promised.

The two stood side by side for some time, thinking about what the future will hold for them, until Fluttershy broke the silence. "Let's go back inside, we need to get your stuff unpacked," she lead him back inside. He picked up his bag and was lead upstairs into the bedroom to get everything put away. She had a single wardrobe with two outfits, the spring green dress from their first date and a white suit with blue gems decorating it.

Fluttershy pushed her two outfits to one side and placed his suit inside, "there, it's good to see this thing get a little fuller."

"Yeah, what about the pictures you gave me?"

"I don't have much room for those... probably the attic," she suggested.

"Your house, your call."

"No, it's our house, so it's our call," she smiled.

"Yeah, you're right it just sounds so strange to be living with any pony, I have been living by myself for so long that it will take some time to get used to," Dusk admitted.

"We have all the time in the world, don't worry," Fluttershy promised.

"Okay, so where do you want me to put my bags?"

"I got it," she picked the bag from his back, "you can go sit down, I will join you in a minute."

"Okay," he did as she suggested and sat on the couch, until another knock came from the door. With a heavy sigh Dusk got up and answered the door, to his surprise it was Rarity.

"Dusk, I heard about you getting evicted!" Rarity exclaimed. "That's terrible do you need a place to stay? I wouldn't feel right not offering my home if you need a place to live."

"No, no Rarity it's quite alright I found a place to live," Dusk explained.

"So quickly? Where are you going to be living now?"

"Uhh, here," Dusk said hesitantly, he didn't know what she would think.

"Here, as in, with Fluttershy?" She inquired.

"Y-yeah, she was very persistent about it, wouldn't let me refuse her offer."

"Oh, uh, wow that's, that's a little bit of a shock," she was finally able to speak after a moment.

"So, what do you think?" He asked.

"About this? I, I don't know, if it was Fluttershy that offered then, she must really care a lot about you," Rarity started to tear up a little.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no that's great, you two are growing really close," she fought to hold the tears back, "a-anyway I needed to talk to you about that job offer I gave you."

"The one I would start tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that one, I did some financing and I found I can't afford to hire any pony this year," Rarity started to cry softly.

Dusk gave her a hug to try to calm her some, "hey that's okay, I don't need a job anyway, you don't need to cry about something so trivial."

"No, I'm not crying about that," she admitted.

"Then what are you crying about?"

"How unfair everything is! I mean, why Fluttershy? Why her and not me?!"

Dusk was taken aback by Rarity's words, and answered with a sigh, "I can't say, if I had to guess, I would have to say it was just dumb luck that we met like we did."

"What do you mean 'dumb luck'?"

"It was the first time I walked into town, I was trying to get to the hospital to clean up my shoulder when Fluttershy ran right into it. When I helped her back up she thought she caused it," he admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really? What did she do at that point?" Rarity stopped crying and calmed down a little.

Dusk pondered a moment recollecting the events of that day, "She dragged me all the way to her cottage, apologizing the entire way."

"That certainly sounds like her, what happened after that?" She was intrigued by this story.

"She all dragged me inside and grabbed a first aid kit and fixed my wound. We started talking and I told her that she was really pretty. A little bit of a slip up but it was and still is true. She hadn't really been complimented like that before and to be honest I'm surprised by that. We kept talk and it made the  time flew by so we ran to the library. I knew that if Twilight was even a fraction like Celestia she would make me go deaf for not showing up earlier, Fluttershy helped me keep my head. She was quite literally the first pony I talked to in three years, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Does that help at all?"

"Yeah, I think that helped me a little, but I need to know, when did you realized that you liked her that way?"

"Uh, that would be a short time after my the incident my first night here at the library with Twilight and Fluttershy."

"An incident? I never heard about anything from your first night in town," she paused and grinned, "you wet the bed, didn't you?"

"No. I was ruthlessly interrogated about my past. Pretty much screamed that I nearly killed my parents, then proceeded to have a mental breakdown." Normally Dusk would be inclined to have shown some subtlety about the topic, but being accused of something that he hasn't done since he was four, threw subtlety out the window.

"Oh my, what happened after that horrible event?"

"I answered a few more questions for Fluttershy before she asked me to walk her home. She apologized for Twilight's behavior and related to how alone I felt."

"And that's when you realized you had feelings for her?"

"Not quite, I just knew she was a really good friend to have. I took a chance and told her exactly what happened to me. The same story I told you. "

"It sounds like you put a lot of trust in her."

"I did, and it was well placed. I had a nightmare of reliving that day, she helped me get through it. 

"Wow, that's... beautiful, not something I expected to happen to Fluttershy, no wonder she needed my help."

"Help? Help with what?"

"She came to me seeking romantic advice, she asked me to help her admit her feelings to you."

"So the whole birds in the window thing, that was your idea?"

"It was the only way I could think of! She shot down the direct approach, that was the next best thing."

"No, no I found it fitting."

"Just what happened out there? Fluttershy explained what happened but I want to hear about your side.

"Well, I will just skip to when we both were at the lake. Fluttershy wanted to walk as we talked. She told me the reason she wanted to talk was you asking me out."

"I already knew that much, it was suppose to be a good topic to ease into the romance with."

"Well, that makes sense. I told her exactly why I turned down your offer."

"And what was that?"

"I only had one mare I wanted to date. A very pretty mare who dragged me to her house before I could say hello. Now do you understand why it was Fluttershy?"

Rarity took a deep breath, "yes, I get it now, you two are truly meant for each other, I just need to accept that and be happy for the two of you."

"It could happen to you too, finding the stallion meant for you, don't give up hope on that."

"I'm not so sure, since it hasn't happened yet."

"Rarity, you're beautiful, classy and well-mannered, you just need to find the right stallion for you."

"You really mean those things?"

"I know you've looked in a mirror before you left your house, unless your mane and tail both keep that style permanently," he joked. "And you make the upper class of Canterlot look like they belong in below the lower class and the peasants, you give yourself too little credit."

"I guess you're right."

"Dusk, who's at the door?" Fluttershy asked walking up behind him, "oh, hello Rarity what brings you to our little home?"

"I wanted to make sure Dusk had some place to stay after I found out he was kicked out," Rarity replied.

"It's a shame isn't it, poor thing got kicked out for having a rock thrown through his window?"

"It's terrible, so he's staying here now?"

Dusk realized that he was removed from the conversation, he went back inside and sat down on the couch, he could still here the conversation, though.

"Yes, it's the silver lining of this terrible situation, I couldn't be happier!"

"I see...well I'm glad things got sorted out, just promise me one thing." 

"Sure, what would that be."

"Promise me you'll treat him well, you two really do belong together," Rarity was fighting the tears again.

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of taking him for granted... Rarity, are you crying?"

"Oh no, I think I have an allergy or something, I'm going to go home and see if that helps, goodbye Fluttershy, I will see you at our next spa trip, okay?"

"Okay, goodbye Rarity," Fluttershy waved as she disappeared from sight before turning back to join Dusk on the couch. "Do you know what that was about?"

"Uhh, yeah, you don't to anything right away right?"

"No, why?"

"It's a little lengthy story, she came by to see if I needed a place to stay, but when I told her I was staying here, she kind of broke down a little. I asked her what was wrong and she told me something a little shocking."

"What did she say?"

Dusk took a deep breathe, "she said that, that it wasn't fair that I was with you... and not her."

"Oh dear, I didn't think she felt that strongly about you," she admitted.

"I thought those feelings sort of died out or something, she started crying and asked me why I was with you. I answered by telling her about when we first met and that first night here," Fluttershy nodded, following the story. "She then asked me exactly when I realized I had those feelings toward you."

"What did you say? I would like to know that myself," she admitted.

"If I had to say, it was when you helped me that first night, you told me what I needed to hear, and it wouldn't have been so meaningful if it was anyone else. If you don't mind me asking, when did you decide that you wanted to see if I had feelings for you?"

Fluttershy pondered for a moment, "I have to say it was when you, as embarrassed I am to admit it, when we talked in my cottage for the first time." 

She laughed a little, "It sounds so bad, but it's the truth. No one ever said I was pretty or cute. It made me feel special. I couldn't stand to see you so devastated at the library. I never want to see you like that again. Then my animals destroyed everything you had. That's why I don't have them all in here, I didn't want them to be afraid of you or you to be angry at them."

"No, I'm not angry let them back in, I won't have you choosing between myself and them."

"You're sure?"

"As sure as you were when you said I was staying here."

"Okay, I will bring them back home tomorrow, they will be really happy to be back," she rested her head on his shoulder.

Dusk slipped an arm behind her and rubbed her shoulder, "life is an enigma, such terrible times followed by opposing good times."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have it any other way," she nuzzled his neck.

"Neither would I," he kissed her on the forehead.

Time passed while the two sat together, night fell and the two slipped into bed together, Dusk remembered exactly what Whirlwind told him a few days ago. He simply shook the thought, marriage first, I can wait, not a pressing concern of mine, in fact ponies have been bringing it up and I haven't even thought about it. Fluttershy pulled him close, like he was a living blanket, but he didn't mind if he helped keep her warm he held her and drifted off to sleep...
> To the Reader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hi, Dusk here I just wanted to personally thank you for reading my story, all the views, likes and comments are greatly appreciated. Well, I'm not one for spoilers but my story's winding down, shocking isn't it, get it? Because... you know what, forget I said that I just wanted to express my thanks to you the reader. For all of those who decided to read all the way through, you deserve a little reward, look under your chair for keys to your new... wait, we can't afford to do that!

Dusk? What are you doing up? It's 3 in the morning!

Oh, sorry Fluttershy I didn't mean to wake you, I'm just thanking the readers.

Still! You think the writer stays up this late to write this story?

Probably, inspiration happens at the strangest times.

Well, then he probably doesn't have some pony keeping them from staying up too late, you're coming back to bed!

Okay I will, but can I wait a minute since I have one thing I have left to say?

I guess but I expect you back in bed in five minutes!

Sorry about that, I love her so... anyway I wanted to thank the writer, the moderators, Knighty and Poultron and obviously you for making this all possible and Happy April Fools Day!

Dusk, do I need to pull the puppy eyes again?!

No, Dear. I hope you enjoyed my story!
> Wedding at the Gates of Tartarus Part I*
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It's been two months since Dusk moved in with Fluttershy and neither could be any happier, the animals returned and warmed up to Dusk rather quickly. To his surprise, no pony has tried to threaten or intimidate him into leaving since that little incident when he first moved in. Fluttershy must've set quite an example with that poor stallion when she knocked him on his flank in the blink of an eye.

"Fluttershy, we might be late!" Dusk exclaimed the two were walking rather quickly, but apparently not fast enough.

"Calm down Dusk, it's just a picnic, our friends won't mind that much if we're a little late," Fluttershy explained.

"I know, but still..."

"No buts, we should enjoy the summer air, if we're a minute or two late our friends won't be angry with us or anything."

"Okay," he slowed his pace and matched hers.

"What's got you so excited anyway?"

"Oh, nothing," Fluttershy just gave him a suspicious look before continuing on. Whew, I need to contain my excitement until after the fact.

The two walked out to an open field in Sweet Apple Acres where all their friends were, minus Spike.

"Glad to see you two made it!" Twilight greeted.

"We wouldn't miss a picnic on such a nice day," Dusk smiled. Rarity shot a glance at Dusk, signalling him to wait for a little bit before acting, which he confirmed.

The seven sat and caught up, then Spike came running in, "T-Twilight I uh," he panted, "give me a second." He then burped up a scroll, Dusk still found it strange that his body acted like a mail carrier.

Twilight picked up the scroll in her aura and read it, "Dear Twilight, I'm sure your as excited about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot as I am, Wedding? Being the Princess of the sun, I will be mediating the ceremony but I would like the assistance of you and your friends. Apple Jack, I would like you to handle the catering."

"Well, I'm honored to be caterin' for a fancy weddin'," Apple Jack stated.

"Pinkie Pie, I would like you to host the reception."

Pinkie did a cartwheel through the picnic, "hooray!"

"Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to perform."

"Oh my, what an honor!" She exclaimed.

Dusk kissed her on the cheek, "you deserve it, your song choir is amazing."

"Rainbow Dash, if you could, I would like you to perform a 'Sonic Rainboom' as the bride and groom say their 'I do's.

"A Sonic Rainboom, at a wedding? Sweet!"

"Rarity, I am putting you in charge of the dresses for the bride and bridesmaids."

"Dresses... for the bride and..." Rarity barely got that much out before passing out and coming to a minute later, "I'm alright!"

"Dusk and Spike, since wedding planning is not in your credentials, I believe helping with the bachelor party would be the best way you could help."

"Sweet!" Spike jumped up in the air, "Wait, what's a bachelor party?"

While the girls laughed, Dusk just thought to himself, Mentor, why would you have a child help with a bachelor party?

"And you Twilight have the most vital task, making sure everything goes smoothly. I will see you all very soon, sincerely, Princess Celestia."

Twilight inspected the both sides of the letter, "I don't understand, who's getting married."

"Oh yeah, this one is probably states that," Spike handed Twilight another scroll.

"Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and... My Brother!?"

"Wait, when did the Princess get a brother?" Dusk asked.

Twilight face hoofed, "no, MY brother, as in, my parents son."

Dusk just let his moment of stupidity die with some stifled laughter, "okay, okay well congratulations then Twilight, looks like your getting a sister-in-law!"

"Yeah, if only some pony informed me about it ahead of time," she punctuated, "a piece of paper, yeah that's exactly what I want to hear such big news from."

"Twilight, you okay?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but why couldn't he come tell me himself?"

"Maybe he got caught up in plannin' the weddin'," Apple Jack proposed.

"Yeah, being captain of the Royal Guard he has enough things on his plate."

"Wait just a moment! So we're not only helping with the marriage of a princess, but a captain of the Royal Guard!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Yeah... I suppose."

Once again, Rarity started to get lightheaded, but before she hit the ground Twilight slipped a pillow underneath her.

The five mares were so excited as they got on the train to Canterlot, but Twilight and Dusk had differing thoughts about it. This throws a monkey wrench in all of my plans! Do I just wait? I don't think I could wait too much longer! Dusk saw Twilight by herself staring out of the window, and joined her, "you don't seem quite as enthused about the wedding as everyone else, something on your mind?"

"It's just... ever since I moved to Ponyville my brother and I have been drifting apart," Twilight sighed, "especially so after he gets married and starts a family."

"I can't really relate too much," Dusk placed a fore hoof on her shoulder, "but I do know that your brother will always be there for his sister, don't forget that."

Twilight did her best to smile, but it wasn't quite enough to lift his spirit much, the train passed through a magical barrier, signalling that they had arrived. Upon exiting the train, the group noted the extra twenty guards standing outside the train station.

"The Royal Guard must've gotten a big budget increase to have this many around," Rainbow Dash joked.

"I'm sure it's a precautionary action, a royal wedding is around the corner here," Rarity explained, "speaking of which, we should get started on preparations."

"Yeah," Dusk turned to Twilight, "and you have a brother to congratulate."

"Sure, 'congratulate' and then let him know my thoughts on the matter," she stormed off.

"So, what are you going to do Dusk?" Fluttershy asked.

"Find the Princess and let her know what's going on," he leaned in closer, "and ask her why she decided to put myself and a baby dragon in charge of setting up the bachelor party."

Fluttershy nodded, "so you'll come see me and my song birds when your done?"

"Of course!" He kissed her on the cheek and started walking to the castle, he could see Rarity in his peripheral vision. "They didn't see you follow me, did they?" He asked in a hushed voice.

"Not a chance, so when do you want to do it?"

"I don't know, it seems like I should wait until this all blows over, but I don't think I could wait that long, you still good to go?"

"Always, this is child's play, and she doesn't suspect a thing."

"Good, I'd hate for her to find out and ruin everything."

"Likewise, I'm going to go start work on the dress, remember, this conversation never happened."

"What conversation?" He smiled.

"Ha, ha. goodbye Dusk," she slipped away as quickly as she came up.

Everything just got a whole lot more difficult for us, I hope we can keep a lid on it, he thought.

He approached the main tower and saw his Mentor sitting at the very top balcony, she jumped down and landed gracefully in front of him. "So good to see your safe arrival my student, so what brings you to my doorstep?"

"Three things my Mentor, first is the extra security, this can't be just for the wedding I know you handle such matters with subtlety."

"You are correct, there has been an anonymous threat to the city, I felt this one was serious so I set up extra defenses to be safe."

"Okay, that makes sense, second, did you get my letter?"

"Oh yes, I have to say I'm a little surprised at you, you don't usually do such rash things, I guess she really has an affect on you, to have you do something like this."

"I know, I know I shouldn't be doing this, but my mind is made up, and now for the third matter," he took a breathe, "why in Equestria did you set myself and Spike as the bachelor party planners? I can understand myself being put in charge, but Spike didn't even know what a bachelor party was until the train ride here."

"Do you not trust my judgement?"

"Of course I trust you Mentor, but I would like to here your logic behind the matter."

"I'm no foal, I know how wild those parties get, I feel someone with your moral compass would help keep the party from getting too wild."

"And Spike?"

"A precautionary measure, I know you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if he became mentally scarred from the party."

"As always, impeccable logic Mentor,  thank you, and I trust you will keep the matter discussed in my letter a secret."

"Of course my student, now get back to Fluttershy, she might be getting a little worried."

"You may be right, until next time my Mentor," Dusk gave a bow before returning to Fluttershy in the castle courtyard with her song birds. They were singing a lovely melody, "that sounds beautiful," he walked up to her and locked lips with her for a minute.

She stood there for a moment, "that was... a surprise."

"Good... or bad?"

She didn't answer with words, she only pulled his head close to repeat it, only for a little longer than before, she replied when they separated, "good of course!" The two had grown used to displaying their affection publicly.

Dusk stood next to Fluttershy and watched her direct her group in ways that would rival the famous composers of history. One bird began to sing off key or rather, wasn't singing any key and it was hurting the performance of the group as a result, Dusk noticed an alicorn princess approaching them, she had a pink coat with multiple colored stripes in her mane. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, an honor to meet you, congratulations for your big day," Dusk greeted, she looked at him but walked passed him.

"I hope that bird gets it's act together, I will not tolerate such a distraction at my wedding," the Princess warned.

"Oh no, don't worry, everything will go perfectly," Fluttershy called the bird from it's perch and had it land on her shoulder.

"I do hope you're correct," with that she left the two with the bird out of key.

"Well, someone is not having the best day, the stress must be getting to her," Dusk announced.

"Yeah, I hope I don't act like that when I get married."

"Y-yeah, that-that wouldn't be good," he stuttered.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh," he cleared his throat, "yes just a bit of a hectic day that's all."

She shot a suspicious look like the one earlier that day, "yes, but if something's bothering you, you'll tell me right?"

"Of course."

"Well okay, should we go see how everyone else is doing?"

"Sure." The two walked back to the castle from the courtyard and found out that the others were going out for dinner.

The seven sat at one of the cafes and discussed the wedding, until Twilight came up and joined the group, "now I know what you're all thinking, princess Cadence is the worst bride ever!" She slammed her glass on the table for emphasis.

"Twilight whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"She was so demanding about the dress."

"But of course, a bride wants to look her best on her wedding day."

Twilight turned to Apple Jack, "Apple Jack, did you know that after she told you how she loved your hors d'oeuvres she tossed them in the garbage?"

"She was probably just sparin' my feelin's."

"No, she was just being dishonest and totally insincere."

"Well... she did yell at one of my birds a little bit during rehearsal," Fluttershy admitted.

"See, rude!" Twilight exclaimed.

"But, he was singing off key," the bird gave another one of his loud screeches to demonstrate.

"Pinkie Pie, tell me you noticed when she-" Twilight was cut off by Pinkie and Spike playing with the bride and groom figurines.

"Rainbow, please tell me you know what I'm talking about!"

"Yeah, sorry I have to be ready to perform a sonic rainboom, I've been really busy training."

"She's probably nervous, she is about to get married after all," Rarity proposed.

"Or she's a terrible pony who doesn't even have any business even knowing Shining Armor!" Twilight slammed the table for emphasis.

"Are you sure you're not bein' just a little bit overprotective?" Apple Jack asked, the group nodded in agreement, minus Dusk and Twilight.

"I'm not being overprotective! You're all just too caught up in this wedding to realize that maybe it shouldn't even happen!" Twilight slammed the table hard enough to knock over every drink on it, before storming off to Celestia knows where.

Dusk was about to follow, but Fluttershy grabbed his shoulder, "this isn't something you can help, come get some dinner."

"Okay, I just don't like just sitting back and not saying anything," he admitted.

"I know," she snuggled up to him, "it's just in your nature to try to help."

The group ate in silence, letting the tension die down from Twilight's outburst was probably the best way to deal with it. After the group finished Princess Cadenza walked up to the table, "I need you all to come with me."

"Oh dear, is something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

Princess Cadenza said nothing and began to walk toward the castle while the seven got up and followed, she remained silent until she led the group into one of the chambers. "Would any of view object to being my bridesmaids on such short notice?"

No one could speak for a moment until Dusk broke the silence, "what happened to your original bridesmaids?"

"That's not important!" She snapped, this made Dusk a little suspicious... but he held his tongue.

Rarity finally managed to respond, "Princess, I believe that I speak for all of us when I say say it would be an honor and a pleasure to be your bridesmaids."

The other four nodded in agreement, "good, I trust that the gowns will be handled, good night." She walked out the door, when it closed three things happened: Rarity passed out for a moment, Fluttershy's face grew beat red and Apple Jack, Rainbow and Pinkie started giggling like young fillies.

"Well... I guess that you're bridesmaids now, congrats!" Dusk congratulated.

"Thank you Dusk," Rarity turned to her fellow birdesmaids, "now since we have been given this role, I feel I should get the final fitting done for all of our dresses now."

She had each mare try on their dress and worked the final measurements individually. First, Apple Jack, then Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and lastly Fluttershy. Fluttershy's dress left Dusk speechless: it was a magenta color with pale blue flowers and lining that came around the neck to a green butterfly shaped choker, she wore a garland of light blue bulbs with a trio of flowers on it.

"So, how do I look?" She asked the group, more so Dusk than anyone else.

"I- uh..." Dusk's brain couldn't get the words out of his mouth, tongue, please work, for her more so than me.

Fluttershy shrank away from him, "oh, that bad huh?"

Dusk shook his head in disagreement, which reconnected his mind to his mouth, "no, you look... stunning, that is the closest word I could think of."

She blushed slightly, "really?"

"Of course, the dress was designed by Rarity, and the fact you're wearing it is just too much for words to describe."

Before their little courtship could continue Rarity interrupted, "seeing you girls try on your dresses makes me want to try mine on too." With that she flashed her dress on as well, admiring herself in the mirror.

There came a loud slam and the door swung open directing the group's attention to the pony responsible, "girls my brother's in trouble and- why are you-?" Twilight was shouting, as if in a panic.

Fluttershy flew across the room to the door "isn't it great?! We're Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's new bridesmaids!"

"New bridesmaids?! What happened to her old ones?" Twilight asked.

"She didn't say, but she asked us to fill in," Apple Jack explained, "and you had doubts about her."

The girls just started giggling in excitement, Twilight just walked back out the door and Dusk pursued. "Twilight wait up!"

"You come to tell me I'm wrong too?"

"No, I just want to tell you, you may very well be right," Dusk explained.

"What?" Her eyes widened in shock.

"I asked her specifically what happened to her bridesmaids, her response was a little less than composed, something else might be going on here. Now I'm not saying that she is evil or anything, but I am saying that something is amiss here."

Twilight nodded in agreement before walking off again,Fluttershy popped her head in the doorway, "hey Dusk, you aren't leaving are you?"

He turned around and walked back inside, "of course not, I just wanted to talk to Twilight before she left."

"Trying to convince her that the Princess is a good pony?"

"More or less," he lied, he felt stating his doubts would do no good here.

"Well, at least you tried, think she will come around?"

"Possibly, but I couldn't know what it's like to be in her hooves since I lack any siblings," he explained, "older or otherwise."

"I don't either, but I don't know if that's enough reason to dislike some pony."

"It might be in her mind, but that's besides the point, it's looking pretty late and you all have quite a lot to do tomorrow." She nodded in agreement.

The girls finished the work on the dresses and went their separate ways, Dusk and Fluttershy were walking to their room, "Such a beautiful night isn't it?" He asked.

"It really is, we should thank Luna for it."

"Yeah, it's almost as beautiful as you are," he smiled.

She walked closer beside him, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two walked inside their room which was dark, "the princess said she selected this one for us specifically," Dusk turned on the light revealing what he believed one would call a 'Honeymoon Suite.' A heart shaped bed and the decor made it look like a Hearts and Hooves Day's storage space.

"She, uh, picked this suite for us?"

"Evidently, I never knew Mentor to do something like this," he rubbed the back of his neck what was she thinking?! This looks like a post wedding suite, we're in the middle of planning one... she pranked me, she got me pretty good, note to self: have myself or Fluttershy pick the room next time!, "we'll make it work though."

"Yeah, as long as we're together everything will be fine," she rested her head on his shoulder.

The two climbed into the big heart shaped bed, the situation felt a little awkward at first, but it was as soft as any other bed so they drifted off in each others' arms.

Dusk found himself floating in a white expanse, nothing as far as the eye could see, "hello?"

"Dusk, is that you?" A voice called to him.

"Fluttershy? Yeah it's me!"

A moment later she materialized in front of him, "are we in the dreamscape?"

"I suppose, Luna! Are you here?"

"Indeed, our sister sought our assistance."

"Assistance? Assistance with what?"

"We know not, she only asked that we bring you both here tonight, she will no doubt appear shortly."

Not a moment later, Princess Celestia materialized before the three, "good evening, thank you Luna for bringing them here."

"Think nothing of it sister, should I be off then?"

"No, not yet dear sister, I will need your assistance in a moment."

Luna simply materialized a chair behind her and sat down, a bag of popcorn materialized in front of her, like she  was watching some sort of sporting event.

"Now, I trust you found your living quarters to be... cozy."

Fluttershy nodded.

"Yes Mentor, was it your idea, or does your sister share your love of pranks?"

"You could say it was a combined effort, but now I need to speak with you Dusk, privately," she turned to Luna, "sister I would like you to speak with Fluttershy like we previously discussed."

"But of course, come Ms. Fluttershy, we haven't been able to speak since our last tea time." The two walked a distance before vanishing from sight.

"So, what is this really about?"

"My student, I've helped you grow and develop into the stallion you are today, and now that I see what you are planning to do and I need to know how sure you are about it."

"How sure I am? One hundred percent sure Mentor."

"Now, let's analyze this, you're young and not very sure of what you're getting yourself into."

"How so?"

"First, your parents what would they think about you doing this, especially before trying to re-establish contact with them?"

"I'm sure they would understand, love is a complex emotion."

"Dusk, if I was going to argue with you, I would have done it in broad daylight and without having my sister go through all of this trouble. Promise me you will take what I'm saying to heart."

Dusk took a deep breathe, "I promise."

"Okay, how will the friendship of Fluttershy and Rarity hold?"

"I don't think it will hurt them too much, I mean... I hope it doesn't, they've been through rough spots before."

Celestia found the chink in Dusk's armor and exploited it, "so you're unsure about the outcome of your actions?"

Dusk sighed, "yes, but I can't possibly know how everything will go, I've learned that sometimes it's better to be a little spontaneous than be calculated."

"Nothing is wrong with being a little spontaneous, but with such a life changing decision I think you should take a step back about it."

"I understand, thank you my mentor."

"It appears Fluttershy is done as well, I will see you both tomorrow." She vanished, as did the dreamscape, leaving Dusk and Fluttershy together in the bed again.

"Are we back?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah, should we wait until morning for explanations?" Before he even finished the question, he felt Fluttershy's breathe against his chest, she had fallen asleep, "I'll take that as a yes." He followed suit and slept soundly through the night...
> Wedding at the Gates of Tartarus Part II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk saw the changlings surrounding the group, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Apple Jack, Twilight and Pinkie Pie were keeping them at bay, but there were too many to hold them off for too long. He still couldn't believe what just happened to his Mentor, to Twilight's Brother and to Princess Cadence. The seven were moving to the Hall of the Elements, but Dusk knew what had to be done, "girls... get out of here and get the Elements, I'll hold them off,"  he sighed, stopping dead in his tracks, the six followed suit.

"Absolutely not!" Fluttershy shouted, "We are not leaving you behind, I'm not leaving you behind!"

"Not up for discussion!" He yelled, it was the first time he yelled at her... ever and it hurt him to do it. "You all need to get out of here now!"

Most of the group nodded and started off, all except Fluttershy, she ran up to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, "I don't want to risk losing you again today..."

"I'm not gonna lie... I might not make it back this time, but if my sacrifice keeps the ponies of this city, my mentor, my friends and you safe... it's worth it." He squeezed her tightly, "promise me one thing before you go," she nodded. "Promise me you won't look back, I want you to remember me like I am now, not the monster I might become."

"I promise," she kissed him, for the last time, before turning and running with the rest of the group.

Dusk took a deep breath and turned around to face the swarm that built around him, "okay, HEY YOU LITTLE PARASPRITES, YOU WANT SOME? COME AND GET IT!" The angry swarm began to close in on him quickly. He took one final breath before doing something he only did once in his life, the thing that put him on this path, opening the floodgates. All of his safeguards to keep his power in check came down leaving only a wild amount of energy to flow freely, as his vision faded out and his eyes began to glow white, he remembered how this day started and how it came to this point...


*****


Dusk awoke with the rising sun and his love stayed asleep as it usually happened, and as usual he waited for her to wake up on her own before getting up. She gave a cute yawn and slowly opened her eyes and smiled. "Good morning Ms Bridesmaid, can I get you some breakfast?"

"I would love some," she stretched out on the bed.

He walked into the kitchen to find it fully stocked, he decided eggs and toast would be easy enough. After three poorly cracked eggs he managed to make a decent plate of eggs over easy and golden brown toast. "Breakfast is served," Dusk announced walking out of the kitchen with a tray with her food sitting on top of it. Two eggs, two pieces of toast and a tall glass of orange juice.

"Breakfast in bed? You shouldn't have."

He placed the tray on the bed, only to pick it back up again, "oh, well in that case I will just put this on the table," he joked.

She sat up in the bed and gave him a questioning look before the tray was placed in front of her, "thank you."

Dusk walked back in the kitchen and made himself some toast for his breakfast, after the failures with the eggs he was reluctant to give them another attempt. He ate in the kitchen and exited to find that Fluttershy was still eating, "how is it?" He asked.

"It's good, I didn't know you could make eggs."

"Well, I lost a few eggs in the process," he admitted.

She laughed a little, "well, they say you have to break a few eggs to make an omelet."

Dusk nodded in agreement and let her finish eating her breakfast by getting in the shower and cleaning himself up for the day. When he got himself dried off and walked back into the bedroom he found that the breakfast was being finished and took the empty dishes back into the kitchen.

She followed him, "you don't have to take care of the dishes, I can do it."

"I want to take care of the dishes, besides you have a lot to do today with the rehearsal. Go ahead and get ready, I will clean up around here," he offered.

"Okay, thank you," she gave him a quick peck on the cheek and headed into the bathroom. He just picked up around the suite, remade the bed took care of anything that was out of place. Once all of that was done, he simply sat on the bed and relaxed while Fluttershy ran from room to room getting her hair ready, making sure her dress was in good condition and keeping track of how much time she had.

"You ready? It's almost time to go," Dusk levitated his suit and put it on before waiting by the door.

Fluttershy walked out of the bedroom with her dress on and like last night, Dusk was unable to speak for a moment.

"Shall we be off?" She asked.

He stood silent for a moment before he could snap himself out of his trance, "of course milady."

He led her out the door as they went to the wedding rehearsal, where the others were already waiting. "What took you two so long?" Rarity asked. "I was starting to worry that you overslept."

"Sorry Rarity, getting ready took a little longer than expected," Fluttershy explained.

"No point in dwelling on it now just hurry please, we have a lot to do today."

The two did as requested, although Dusk just had to stand out of the way, he still wanted to watch the ceremony run though. Celestia and Shining Armor stood at the altar as the five mares walked down the aisle, "that's it girls not too fast," Celestia instructed as they took their place on the bride's side of the steps, "and then Cadence will enter."

The main doors of the room swung open and Cadence walked up the aisle up to the altar. "I will a say few words and then Shining Armor will receive the wedding bands from his best mare."

All eyes fell upon the vacant spot next to Shining Armor, "hey, has anyone even seen Twilight this morning?"

The main doors were pushed open with a magenta aura and the mare in question stood in the doorway, " I'm right here and I am not going to be a part of this! And neither should you!" Twilight, when I talked to you last night, I did not mean to make a scene or put her on trial. I meant for you to look into things, do a little bit of research, find concrete evidence or something that helped prove something was wrong with Cadence!

She teleported to the altar and pointed at Cadence, "she's evil!" She closed in on Cadence, like a wolf and there prey, "she's been horrible to my friends, she's obviously done something to her bridesmaids, and I even saw her put a spell on my brother that made his eyes spin!" Really, you approach her, accuse her of being evil and that's all you have? You didn't even follow up on any of these accusations!

Cadence was cornered by Twilight, tears began to form in her eyes, "why are you doing this to me?" She pushed past Twilight and ran out of the room.

"Because you're evil! Evil! And you won't stop until you ruin my brother's life!" Silence fell, each pony was speechless and Dusk just face hoofed at the display.

Shining Armor approached his sister, "do you know why my eyes were spinning? Since I had to start putting up the shield here I've been getting terrible migraines. Cadence hasn't been putting any evil spells on me, she's been using healing magic! Her bridesmaids were only here to meet Canterlot royalty, so she replaced them! And she's been forced to deal with the wedding by herself so I'm sorry if she hasn't been the nicest to your friends right now! She wants to make sure that the wedding goes perfectly, something you don't seem to care about at all! Now if you'll excuse me I have to go and comfort my bride!"

He walked through the door, "and you are no longer my best mare! In fact... don't even bother showing up!" He left Twilight in complete shock.

She looked at her friends who were as shocked as she was before regaining their composure. "Come,on, let's go check on Cadence," Apple Jack suggested. The five mares and Spike just walked past Twilight, Dusk stayed though, still absorbing what just happened. "Dusk, you comin'?"

"Oh, uh I don't think my presence will help the Princess all that much, go on ahead I'll catch up later." The girls nodded and continued, I feel I should talk to Twilight alone.

Celestia approached Twilight, " I have a lot to think about." She left and closed the doors behind her, only Dusk and Twilight were left in the chamber.

Twilight was crushed and in tears, all of her friends, her brother and her teacher just left her all alone. Dusk walked up to her and placed a hoof on her shoulder, "that couldn't have gone much worse."

She hugged him tightly and started crying, "what do I do now?"

"Well, the only thing you can do, ask for forgiveness." She took a step back and nodded, "I'm gonna go join the others, will you be okay?"

"Y-yeah I think so."

"Okay, if you need to talk, all you need to do is ask." Dusk walked to the doors, only to have them swing open in front of him revealing Cadence walking back into the chamber. "Are you feeling better Princess?"

She ignored him entirely and walked toward Twilight, maybe I'll stick around and see what happens. Dusk closed the door and slipped behind one of the marble columns.

He saw Twilight look up to her and say "I'm so sorry."

The Princess' reaction was... shocking, to say the least, she said, "oh, you will be." A large orb of green flame surrounded Twilight and took her through the floor.

Against his better judgement, Dusk jumped out his hiding spot, "what are you doing to her!?"

Cadence just laughed and before he could do anything, he was in a orb of green fire and went through the floor.

Dusk saw their destination, a dark, crystal cavern that must've been beneath Canterlot. The second his bubble touched the floor it faded away. He found Twilight a few feet away with her horn illuminating the cavern, "Twilight, you okay?"

"Nothing is broken, I should be alright. But, where are we?"

A voice filled the cave and echoed, "the caves under Canterlot, they used to be used as a prison for unicorns who tried to steal the gems inside. Now, I decided to make this one your prison." Cadence started to appear on various crystals throughout the cavern, accompanied by a maniacal laughter. She's just trying to scare us, and what a weak attempt it is, Dusk stifled a chuckle.

Twilight started shouting for help, Dusk advised, "save your strength, we need to find a way out of here."

"He's right you know, no pony can here you," Cadence explained. "In fact few actually remember these caves exist. So, they make an excellent place to stash those that get in the way of my plans."

"What sort of plans?" Dusk asked.

Cadence continued projecting herself on the crystals around the room, "the plans I have for Shining Armor of course."

"You better not lay a hoof on my brother you fiend!" Twilight shouted, her horn glowing more intensely.

"The only way to stop me is to catch me," she taunted.

Twilight started fire beams of light smashing through crystals holding her image. "Twilight stop she's just baiting you!" Dusk warned, a beam ricocheted of a wall and nearly scorched his mane. "Twilight!"

It was no use, she didn't even know he was there anymore, she kept firing until she broke through one of the walls. Another pony was on the other side of the wall, Twilight was about to charge them, they shouted, "no, wait!"

Dusk held Twilight in place with his magic and approached the other captive, who was... Princess Cadence? "Princess? What are you doing down here?" Dusk asked.

"I'm being held captive, like you two, the Cadence up there is a changling," she explained.

"Likely story!" Twilight barked.

"Okay, let's calm down," Dusk advised, "now if I let you go, do you promise to hear her out?"

"I guess," Twilight answered, she was then put back on the ground and got in Cadence's face, "prove it."

"Sunshine, sunshine lady bugs awake, clap your hooves... and do a little shake" Twilight joined in at the end. What in the name of...?

"You remember me!" Twilight exclaimed, hugging Cadence.

"Of course, I could never forget the filly I loved to foal sit the most."

"Okay, not gonna ask what's going on here but can we get moving?" Dusk asked, "I don't know what this imposter's plans are but I know they are anything but good."

"Yeah, let's get moving," Twilight stepped out of the hole in the wall. 

Dusk fired a beam of light from his horn that illuminated the cavern farther away, revealing a way out, "that way, it looks pretty far so we better get moving."

The three ran through the maze of rock and crystal formations, after what seemed like hours of running they cam across a rail car on a set of tracks leading toward the exit. Dusk dislodged it from the rocks at the wheels, the two mares jumped inside the car before Dusk gave it a decisive shove and jumped in before it started rolling down the track.

The trio rode the car for a good amount of time, until track came to an end. Dusk brought the car to a halt with his magic and helped the other passengers get out. "We're almost there! Just a little farther."

The exit was about 100 feet above them, Twilight used her teleportation spell to get the three up the cliff.  Fresh wind blew threw the exit and the three rushed out until three figures appeared out of the shadows. "You're not going anywhere," the three voices said in unison, the original bridesmaids.

"So, I guess that's what happened to her bridesmaids," Dusk mused.

The three mares started to step toward them, Cadence found a bouquet of flowers on the ground and waved it in front of them. They reacted as if it was a ball and they were dogs, when the bouquet was tossed away the three went after it. I guess that works...

The three starting running to the ceremonial chamber, after another ten minutes of running they could see the doors of the building. Dusk saw Cadence collapse and picked her back up, "come on, we can't lose this."

"I can't! I don't have the energy, I'm done." Dusk, bit his tongue and carried her the rest of the way.

He could here Twilight inside, "STOOOP!"

As he got closer he could hear Cadence's doppelganger, "why is she so possessive of her brother?!" She put on her facade again, "why is she ruining my special day?"

Cadence shouted, directly past Dusk's ear, "BECAUSE, IT'S MY DAY! NOT YOURS!"

"Ow, a little warning if you will, next time!" Dusk snapped, walking through the door..

"Oh, sorry," Cadence whispered.

"Dusk? Where have you been!?" Fluttershy shouted.

"I believe that will be explained in a moment," he replied, before turning to Cadence. "Can you stand?"

She climbed off his back, "yeah I think I'm good."

"What? How did you escape my bridesmaids?" The imposter barked. 

Before anyone could answer Apple Jack cut in, "how can there be two Cadences?"

"She's a changling!" Cadence shouted, "she takes the form of some pony you love and feeds on that love!"

The fake Cadence became engulfed in green fire, and shed her disguise. Revealing her true form, as tall as Celestia, her body was almost that of an insect. Her wings were a translucent blue, same went for her mane and tail, her body was a sleek black and her hooves and horn had holes in them. Sooo, that's a changling.

"You are correct," she confirmed, "as Queen of the changlings it's up to me to find food for my subjects. And this place has so much love that we will feed upon it and become more powerful than even we could imagine."

"Riiiight, except for the giant shield that surrounds the city, thanks to Shining Armor," Twilight mocked.

The Queen just laughed, "yes, the stallion whose under my complete control, isn't that right dear?"

Shining Armor just nodded, it was clear that he was in the same somewhat zombified state the bridesmaids were in.

Cadence was about to charge past the Queen, but was blocked, "ah, ah, ah don't want to go back to the caves now." Cadence backed off, "ever since I replaced you I've been feeding off Shining Armor's love, every minute I grow stronger and he grows weaker. Soon he won't be able to keep his shield up, especially with my army of changlings chipping away at it! Now we will take over Canterlot, and then, all of Equestria!"

Princess Celestia took a step forward, "no, you, won't. Even if Shining Armor can't protect the city, I can still protect my subjects."

Celestia and the Queen locked horns for a moment, Celestia reared back and fired a beam of golden light. The Queen responded with a green blast, when the two made contact Celestia's beam proved to be weaker and was cut through slowly, like a knife through soft butter. Celestia's horn took the blast and in a green explosion she was thrown to the ground, no, no, no, she is the closest pony from my youth! She cannot be taken down so easily!

"Wow, I must have gotten more strength from Shining Armor's love than I expected. I AM MORE POWERFUL THAN THE GREAT PRINCESS CELESTIA!" She began that maniacal cackle again.

Celestia spoke to Twilight and her friends, "the Elements of Harmony... get to them and use them to defeat the Queen!" The group gave a confirming nod before running out the door, Dusk followed.

You're coming too?" Twilight asked.

"Hey, who else is gonna make sure you girls aren't going to do anything crazy?" He smiled.

His eyes were directed to the sky, the Queen wasn't kidding, her army is right on our doorstep and the shield is about to fall!

"I feel a whole lot better knowing you're with us, what happened to you anyway?" Fluttershy asked, "I thought you either left or something terrible happened!"

"Thankfully, it was the latter, I would never leave you!"

Their tender moment was interrupted by the sound of breaking glass, the barrier was shattering allowing the changlings to come in and surround them we just can't get a break...!	


*****


Fluttershy ran as fast as she could, keeping her eyes tightly shut to make sure she would keep her promise to him. I just don't understand why he would do all of this to me... I need answers! And I know who has them... She caught up to the girls and they started running toward the Hall again, watching the changlings swarming behind them toward Dusk.

"Wow, he's really doing it, guy's got guts," Rainbow Dash commented.

"He's prepared to go through with all of this... just to protect the ponies that live here," Rarity stated.

"He's not just doin' it for the city, he's doin' it to protect us," Apple Jack corrected.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and stopped, this can't wait any longer, I need to know right now. "Girls, I need to tell you something," the five stopped and faced her. "I think that Dusk has been cheating on me... he's been sneaking around for the past few weeks and..."

Four of the mares stared at her with confused looks, Rarity on the other hand gave her an icy stare, "how dare you!"

"How dare I? How dare I what?! How dare I figure out that you've been sneaking around with him behind my back for at least a week?! I had one of my birds follow you yesterday and heard about how I 'didn't suspect a thing' about your little fling!" Fluttershy shouted.

Rarity just turned away, "you don't even deserve him."

This put Fluttershy into rage mode, "what was that?! What gives you the right to say I deserve him or not when he's the one going behind my back?! Especially with you?! Why would you do this to me?! I thought we were friends but evidently I was wrong!"

"Okay! That's it! I can't take it anymore, even if he hates me for doing this!" She stared her right in the eye. "Do you want to know why he was meeting with me without telling you?! Because he wants you to marry him!"

"W-what?" Her jaw dropped, "no, NO you're lying! You have to be!"

"Yeah, that's right I'm telling the truth, I've been helping him set up a proposal for a week now! I've even been getting preparations set up for the wedding! He told the Princess about it if you don't believe me! He was going to do it at the picnic but the wedding made him change his plans! The fact that you could even think, let alone accuse him of cheating on you is just unbelievable! He's too good for you!"

The two were at a boiling point, each one in each others' face ready to throw a punch, until Fluttershy just sat down with tears forming in her eyes, how could I have been so stupid? So blinded by fear? "You're right, I'm not good enough to be his wife... I-I can't believe this... I was so quick to assume that he was cheating on me. What now? If he comes back what do I do?"

Rarity eased back and calmed back down, "when he comes back, you are going to say yes... and you two will live a fairytale life together." She picked Fluttershy up and got her back on her hooves, "but for now, let's make sure the fiend responsible pays for what she's done to us," she turned to Twilight, "to Twilight." She turned back to Fluttershy, "and for what she's done to your stallion."

...

The group ran into the hall, there were a few changlings left behind... but they were dealt with quickly. "He must be giving them a fight straight out of Tartarus if they left this few behind," Rainbow said before knocking the last changling out.

"I hope he's okay..." Fluttershy mumbled, he better be okay, after what Rarity told me, he better pull through!

"You're worried about him? I feel bad for the bugs lining up to get squashed," Dash did an aerial flip, "now come on, we can't let him take all the glory can we?" The six nodded in agreement before throwing open the chamber doors revealing the case of the Elements.

Twilight picked up the case with her magic and grabbed the five necklaces for her friends, each necklace had a gold band and the cutie mark of it's wielder. Twilight put on the tiara with her cutie mark on it, "let's take this city back," she led the group back outside and they saw storm clouds building up off in the distance.

"Is that what I think it is?" Rarity asked.

"It can't be anything else, I guess that's what happens when all that energy comes out," Twilight mused, "but that's not our fight. We need to get back to the castle, he can handle himself right now, so let's make sure we take this city back before he loses that battle."

The five nodded and ran as fast as they could, the lack of enemies in there path helped them significantly, but they had to detour around the epicenter of the fight. After running around buildings they made it back to the castle, Dash kicked the door open revealing there enemy, Queen of the Changlings. Shining Armor stood in the daze he had been put under earlier that day. The injured Princess Celestia was in a very strange position, she had been trap in some form of a cocoon of green gel and stuck upside down on the ceiling. Princess Cadence with her hooves stuck to the ground with the same green gel.

"Don't you know the reception's been cancelled?" The queen barked.

"Yeah, it's been replaced by your dethroning!" Dash retorted.

"Wow Rainbow, that was actually quite clever," Twilight commented.

"Well, that's how awesome I can be," she puffed out her chest.

"Enough! I don't know what my subjects are doing, but I know I can deal with you myself," the queen began that cliche evil laugh again.

"Oh, oh I know what they're doing!" Pinkie started jumping up and down in place.

"Enlighten me."

"Well... Dusk is probably dealing with them, like a bug zapper!" She began to jump around making little btz! noises.

"Uh, Pinkie? Don't you think it's time to end this?" Twilight asked.

"I guess..."

"I believe you are correct, I want to return to the view of Canterlot's fall now."

"Alright girls let's do this!" Twilight's eyes gave a white glow and the six lifted from the ground in a circle with Twilight in the center. The Queen reared back and fired the same green beam that took down Princess Celestia, like with Discord, the six fired a rainbow beam and it collided with the green blast. It was the equivalent of a green laser pointer coming in contact with a concrete wall. The Queen took the full blast of the Elements and watched in horror as she was starting to turn to stone, a few tragic seconds later... Canterlot had a new little statue.

"Well, that pretty much settles that!" Apple Jack tap the petrified queen with a grin on her face.

"Uh, not quite," Twilight responded, "we still have all of the changlings that haven't met with Dusk."

"Oh, right, well how are we supposed take all them things out?" Apple Jack asked.

"We do have the Captain of the Royal Guard with us," she pointed at her brother, "you know? the one with the barrier conjuring ability?"

Shining Armor just stared into space, "oh yeah, the one who is completely stuck in a trance," Twilight deadpanned.

"I need to see him! Someone get me out of this muck!" Cadence demanded. I know exactly how she feels, please let Dusk be okay!

Twilight walked over and shot a beam from her horn that destroyed the gel, Cadence ran over to Shining Armor and snapped him out of his trance. "Wha? Huh? Is the wedding over?"

"Uh... yeah, but first there are a ton of changlings running amok, can you put up a barrier to shove them all out, please?" Twilight asked.

"I can try," his horn glowed for a moment before the magic faded away, "no dice, I must have been drained of my energy, I don't have the strength to get rid of them."

Fluttershy walked over to the balcony to see the storm clouds fading away and a swarm of changlings heading toward the castle, "no... no, it can't be over! He can't be gone," she faced the group, "there has to be something you can do! Dusk's running out of time and a swarm is coming our way, you have to do something!"

"I have one idea, being the Princess of Love, I could help you put up the shield," Cadence touched Shining's horn with hers.

"I guess it's worth a shot," his horn glowed again, as did Cadence's, only this time the barrier grew larger with each second encompassing the city once more. Fluttershy rushed back to the balcony, and saw the changlings just get flung out of sight, "there, anything else? Because I need to take a nap," he joked.

"Uh, now's not the best time... notice some pony missing?" Twilight asked.

He looked around, Cadence, Celestia, Twilight, her friends, Spike (who had been there the entire time), "... Princess Luna?"

"And?"

He took one more look around, "oh yeah, uh Dusk, wasn't it? Where is he? I know he wouldn't just leave you girls out there... right?"

Fluttershy didn't need to hear the rest, she ran out of the castle as fast as she could to the last place she wanted to be, but the only place she would go. The ground was full of craters, from when the changlings landed and came up on the last place she saw him, he better not be dead! I swear to Celestia he better be alive!

She saw the ground with burnt spots on the ground, there was no doubt about what caused then, eventually she came up upon the epicenter... with his body sitting on it's side at the very center. It was obviously Dusk, he didn't look too hurt and his chest was rising and falling slowly. Maybe he's okay... "Dusk?" she turned him over and was horrified. The battery that hung around his neck was red hot and melted, pressing again his chest, his hooves were covered in gashes and worst of all... his breathing was very weak and raspy. 

"Dusk! Dusk please don't die! Please!" She ripped the wire around his neck and threw the battery away. "I won't let you die! Not like this!" She debated for a moment about leaving him to get the others, but soon came to the conclusion that he needed medical attention that minute.

The rest of the group saw her running toward them from the entrance of the castle as fast as she could. "Is he... okay?" Rarity asked.

"He's alive... at least for now, but he's in really bad shape he needs to be in a hospital now!"

The group ran over to the spot and saw Dusk's condition, they saw his wounds and the damage to the area around him. "Dear Celestia... why? Why did he just bait himself like that, knowing this would be the end result?" Shining asked.

"For you, for the city, for all of us, he saw it as the only way... and he was probably right," Twilight admitted.

The group rushed him to the hospital, which hadn't survived the attack unscathed, many areas were damaged and the ER was full of injured ponies. Cadence managed to convince the mob that Dusk needed help right away, and that he helped save their lives from the changlings.

He was placed in the ICU, his body covered in bandages, most of the group waited downstairs because the ICU only allowed one visitor at a time, by the combined efforts of Cadence and Shining. Fluttershy stood at the side of the bed, "you only have to do one more thing for me, you just need to wake up and get better, that's all I want."

The doctor walked in, he looked older and had a golden coat covered by a white coat. His orange mane cut short with a horn poking through it. "Is this Dusk, ma'am?" he asked Fluttershy.

"Y-yes, do you know him?"

"I knew that kid was alive for all these years. I always hoped to see him again one day. Heh, I guess that's a lesson about being careful what you wish for..."

"Um, who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Goldheart. I was the one who kept an eye on him when he was admitted here a couple years back," he explained. "The minute I heard about a blue pony rumored to throw lightning around at will, I had to be sure it was him."

"So... you met him after it happened?"

"Yeah... poor kid went through a nightmare. I did what I could to help but, I could only do so much. When he just vanished, I knew it wasn't nearly enough. But, enough about the past, the present is a bit more important. Are you a friend of his?"

She pondered for a moment. Should I tell him? I mean, it's not like a big secret or anything... "I'm his marefriend."

"You two are together?"

"Y-yes, well I hope we still are."

"Well I'll be, I never imagine the fella would have been able to have any interaction after he was cast out like that. But congratulations are  necessary regardless," he smiled. 

"I just hope he wakes up so we can both here it."

"Hey, he's been struck by lightning. I highly doubt a bunch of bugs could do him in. He's tough, he will pull out of this... with a little bit of help from us."

Fluttershy did her best to smile back, "Thank you, I needed to hear that."

"But before I leave, I need to know, has he seen his parents at all."

"No, he would've told me if he did. We aren't even sure if they want to see him."

"Oh, they want to see him more than anything, I can guarantee you that."

"What?"

"After Dusk took off, I made it my mission to make sure they completely recovered from what happened. I walked them through the physical and psychiatric rehabilitation. It was my obligation to to get that family back together, but once it was all said and done, there was no trace of him."

"Oh my, but they've healed?"

"More than anyone expected, they just kicked themselves for what they did to their son and no one other than Dusk could fix that."

"Dusk blames himself for what he did to them, it would almost be a little funny if things were different."

"That it would, but it was nice to meet you Ms.?"

"Fluttershy," she answered without hesitation.

"Well Fluttershy, I'll be around. If you have any problems, don't be afraid to ask for me."

"Thank you."

Goldheart nodded and walked out into the hallway, Fluttershy could hear him outside talking with another doctor, "I told her he would be able to pull through... but his heart is too damaged to be repaired, he needs a new one and their aren't any donors. Even if we do there's a chance his body will reject it and put him in the same place he is right now, there's not much to be done. He won't last long outside of that room, just keep the mare in their calm and relaxed, we will do everything we can but even the facilities here can't work miracles like the one he needs. But he's surprised us before, he might do it again."

So, that's it... he needs a new heart to keep living, and there's no donors... she began to cry softly and slipped back down to the waiting room. Where her five friends were waiting to hear any news on Dusk's condition.

"Well, how is he?!" Rarity all but shouted.

"He's... he's not well, I heard the doctors talking... he needs a new heart. But there aren't any donors and his body could reject any one that they try to put in him. There's nothing more they can do..." she began to cry again, until her friends surrounded her in a group hug. "So... how's the Princess?"

"She's alright," Twilight answered. "Her horn is a little burnt from the blast but she is otherwise fine... she is on her way here now."

As if on cue, Celestia entered, "I came as soon as my staff would let me... how is my student?"

"He's in severe condition, his heart took too much damage to repair, and it won't last too long. And to make matters worse there aren't any donors to replace it," Twilight explained. "Even if there was a donor, his body's immune system could always reject and attack it," she fought back the tears.

"I see..."

"That's all you have to say? You have to know of some way to help him!" Fluttershy cried.

"I suppose there might be another way to save him," Celestia saw that she had the group's attention.

"H-how?!" Fluttershy shouted.

"I could try to use my magic to repair the damage to his heart. My magic is more powerful than a unicorn's... it would be risky, a lot of things could go wrong, but I might be able to recover it enough to keep him going."

"You could do that?" Twilight asked.

"Well, of course my student, I study all forms of magic, just as you do, I can't say I'm perfect but I think it's worth trying."

"Are there any alternatives?" Fluttershy asked.

"I highly doubt it, however, this procedure will require me to actually get in contact with his heart, so there are many risks," Celestia answered.

"Then I think you should at least try," Twilight interjected.

Fluttershy contemplated for a moment before deciding that Dusk would want them to try, she gave a confirming nod. "Well then, I think I should get prepared," Celestia began to walk through the doors to the ICU.

"Wait Princess, can I talk to you for a moment, in private?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course, come with me," the two walked up to Dusk's room and closed the door behind them, "so, what did you want to talk to me about? I assume Dusk."

"Rarity told me that he was planning on proposing and I need to know for certain... is it true?"

Celestia gave a heavy sigh before answering. "Yes, I talked to him about it last night, while you were with my sister talking about what you're heart desires, very interesting by the way." Fluttershy blushed furiously, great, she's knows about that too, it's really embarrassing to think about, let alone have others know about it. "I told him that I felt he was being impatient about this, and the fact that he and Rarity were working together in secret about it made things even more hesitant for me to approve of it. I really wanted him to meet his parents again before trying to get married too, but I hope that he can still meet them. That was the driving force of his life... at least, until he met you."

"His parents? Where are they now? They should know what's going on!"

"You're right, but you should go find them, I need to be ready for this surgery, I believe they still live in the home Dusk grew up in... 8703 Everfree Drive."

With that Fluttershy ran out of Dusk's room, barely stopping in the waiting room long enough to shout a boarely coherent sentence. "Gonna go find Dusk's parents if he wakes up when I'm gone someone come find me!"

"You got it, good hunting!" Rainbow Dash saluted.

Fluttershy nodded and took off again, I have to hurry! She ran out the hospital as fast as her hooves could carry her, her mission clear as she headed toward that address...
> The Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Dusk awoke to the sound of a heartbeat monitor, he had to force his eyes open creating a sharp pain in his head. The room was blurry for a moment, he could see his arm hooked up to an IV,  he turned to see a figure standing next to him. His vision cleared up enough to recognize them, "R-Rarity?"

"Dusk! You're awake thank Celestia!" She ran to the door, "girls, he's awake someone find Fluttershy!"

"Fluttershy? Where is she?" He tried to sit up but he felt a debilitating pain in his chest.

"Whoa, stay down, now I have three things to tell you... but I can only tell you if you are absolutely calm okay?"

Dusk nodded, he heard his heartbeat monitor give a steady beep. "Okay first your condition, your heart took a lot of damage. For any normal pony they would have to get a transplant and pray that the body doesn't reject it. But since most aren't personal students of Celestia, the group decided to see if she can't use her magic to heal your heart of it's damage."

Dusk laid there, freaking out a little bit as his heartbeat monitor began to increase in speed until he managed to get it under control. Rarity waited for the monitor to stabilize before continuing, "that was the easiest thing, next thing is... Fluttershy knows about what you are planning."

Dusk couldn't think, he could only feel his pulse increase quite rapidly as he forced the words from his lips, "h-how?!"

"Relax, we don't want you putting too much strain on your heart, calm down and I will continue," she explained. Dusk nodded and in a few minutes his pulse stabilized, "okay, I told her while you were fighting off the changlings."

Unlike the first two times, he was numb, his body showed no response, "let me explain, she had just accused you of cheating on her, with me. I couldn't just sit there and let her say that, we began to shout at each other and I just shouted it in her face... I'm sorry."

She thought... I was cheating on her? I don't know what to think, I guess I have to be angry at myself more than her. She couldn't have known what was going on, and had to assume. "What about the third thing?"

Rarity took a deep breathe, "Fluttershy... went to find your parents... and bring them here." WHAT? His pulse sky rocketed, a blaring noise came from the heart monitor, a nurse rushed in and saw what was happening.

She gave him a shot from a hypodermic needle, before he passed out he heard her say "don't worry, it's just a sedati..."


*****


Fluttershy ran down Everfree drive, 8065, 8069 ah 8073! She ran up to the house with the address, it was a simple brick house. Everything looked older, except for one window that looked a little newer than the rest of the house. She pounded on the door as hard as she could, please, please be the right address!

An older unicorn stallion answered the door, he had a white coat and a black mane and tail, similar to Dusk's, "can I help you Miss?"

"Are you Dusk's father?" She asked.

"Uh, yes, but why does that concern you? He hasn't seen me in a number of years. I doubt he would even want to after how I treated him."

"Dusk's in the hospital in the city right now, you need to come see him right away!" Fluttershy answered.

"Niccolo, who's at the door?" An older unicorn mare walked up to the door, she had a light blue coat and a grey mane and tail.

"A mare that says that she knows Dusk and that he's in the hospital right now, Maria, she wants us to come see him," Niccolo answered.

"Really, how do you know Dusk?" Maria asked.

"I've been... romantically involved with him for the past few months, now can we please hurry?" Fluttershy was getting frantic.

"Hey Fluttershy! Dusk just woke up, did you find his parents yet?!" Rainbow Dash shouted from the sky.

Fluttershy nodded, "he just woke up, he really needs to see you both!"

The couple looked at each other and came to a decision, "yes, let's hurry."

The three ran as fast as they could, "are you sure he even wants to see us? If you've been with him as long as you say you have then you already know what happened and how we couldn't even see him without going into a fit of hysteria," Niccolo asked.

"He lived in the Everfree forest ever since that night, minus the past three months, he did everything in his power to learn how to control the lightning." Fluttershy explained, "he did that just to try to see you again."

The two were dumbfounded, and decided to keep silent for the rest of the trip. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew through the doors of the waiting room and shouted, "how is he?!"

"He had to be put under, he started to go into an arrhythmia, his heart was beating too quickly," Twilight explained.

"Why!? What caused it!?" Fluttershy asked.

"That's my fault," Rarity admitted. "I told him what was happening, if he didn't get some warning, he might have gone into shock from seeing his parents standing in front of him. At least now, he will be able to handle a visit with more stability. Did you find his parents?"

The couple ran through the door panting, "how is he?" they asked.

"He's been put under, he will wake up in time, for now we should just wait," Twilight re-explained.

"You all know Dusk?" Niccolo asked. 

The five nodded, "are you all friends with our son?" Maria asked.

"Yes, we've all known him for a few months, he's been living in Ponyville for that time," Twilight stated.

"We haven't seen or heard from him in a number of years, I'm just glad he's still alive and has so many good friends around him. What has he been doing," Niccolo turned to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy was it?" She nodded, "well you said he's been in the Everfree Forest for all these years, what has he been doing in such a place? And what has he been doing in Ponyville?"

"You might want to sit down, it's kind of a long story..." Twilight said.


*****


Oh, so sick of this feeling! The sound of the heartbeat was all Dusk could hear, he forced his eyes open again to see a blurry figure standing next to him. After a moment of refocusing his eyes he recognized the figure, "F-Fluttershy?"

"Dusk? Oh thank goodness you're alright!" She kissed him on the cheek.

He did his best to smile, "D-did you find them?"

"Yeah, I found them, there downstairs right now, I can go get them now if you want."

Dusk nodded weakly, I'm ready now.

Fluttershy slipped through the door and was gone for a moment, she came back up and so did two others. "He's too weak to talk much, but he's awake," she directed.

The two walked in the doorway, they saw their son and almost cried on the spot, "hey mom, dad, it's been a while."

"Indeed it has son, we could never be sorry enough for what we did to you." His father fought the tears.

"Dad, stop, just stop. You don't need to say anything about that, it's my fault. End of story."

"No, Dusk it's no one's fault," his mother corrected. "How could any of us have known what was going to happen? You two need to stop pointing blame at yourselves."

Dusk did his best to laugh, which just sounded like a raspy cough, "isn't usually the opposite with normal families? Always blaming each other?"

"Yeah, but no one claimed we were ever a normal family," Niccolo smiled. "Now, we've been talking to your friends downstairs, they told us that you've been living in the Everfree forest for a couple years. Is that correct?" Dusk nodded, "why would you go off and live there of all places?"

"It's the only place I could go where I wouldn't put any one in danger."

"So, you control it now?" Maria asked, Dusk gave a confirming nod. "Okay, now how did you end up in the ICU? If you're in control, how did you get in such bad shape?"

"Changling attack... felt the only way to get everyone to safety was to hold them off. Those things put up a good fight."

"So, you're the hero of Canterlot?" His mother asked, "the one we heard distracted those bugs long enough for the Captain to put up his shield and save the city?"

"Yeah, but I didn't do that much, Fluttershy and our friends did a lot more than I did."

"No, you did more than any of us, you did more than Shining Armor!" Fluttershy stated. "You were prepared to lay down your life for all of us and you almost died. By the way... stop doing that, it's really starting to scare me."

"Hey, one of those trips was because of Dash, you can't blame me for that one!"

"I guess not," she pondered. "But I don't want to see you on another hospital bed, okay?"

"I will try."

"Son, we're going to head back downstairs and let you rest," Dusk's father announced. "We'll come back tomorrow morning, promise." He paused, "and make sure you take good care of this one, she's got our approval."

"Okay, see you later."

The two left the room and closed the door behind them, it was just Dusk and Fluttershy. "So, Rarity told you?"

"Y-yeah, I was such a foal! I seriously thought you were cheating on me..."

"I was the foal, trying to hide it from you like I did. What else could you have assumed?"

"Will you ever just let me take the blame for something for once?" She teased.

"Not a chance," he smiled.

"The answer is yes, by the way."

"Answer? Answer to what?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"To your proposal of course!"

"R-really?" The heartbeat monitor started to beep more rapidly and scared the feathers off Fluttershy.

"Easy Dusk, easy," she stroked his mane, and the heartbeat monitor began to slow back down. "Yes, really, I would love to have you as a husband," she kissed him on the forehead. "But first, you need to get better, then we'll start planning the wedding." Best... day... ever!

The door swung open revealing Celestia, with a slightly scorched horn, "oh, I'm not interrupting am I?"

Fluttershy just fell backward, fully flushed, "oh no, no, no Princess, nothing going on here!"

"Good to see you can take a hit mentor," Dusk smiled.

"Good to see you can take a couple hundred," she analyzed his injuries, "although your a little worse for wear."

"So, when are you going to perform the operation?" Fluttershy asked.

"Patience, I know you want him to get better and get out of here, I do too, but you need to be patient. Right now Dusk's condition is stable enough, some others are in less than stable condition, we need to help them first before worrying about Dusk."

Fluttershy looked down with disappointment, "Don't worry Fluttershy, I will be out of here soon enough, so what about the wedding?" He asked Celestia.

"Which one?" She replied, with a grin on her face.

"I guess... both," Dusk couldn't stop smiling about Fluttershy's answer.

"Well, Cadence and Shining decided to postpone their wedding until the damage to the city is repaired and you get out if the hospital. Your wedding, we will start organizing right away."

"Who's going to tell the others?"

"I will, it should be at least one of us." Fluttershy volunteered, she walked out the door and closed it behind her.

"So, what do you think they'll say?"

"I'm sure that your friends will all be very excited for you."

"What about my parents? 'Oh hey, this is the first time I've seen you in a couple years and by the way here's your wedding invitation.'" He imitated the scenario.

"I don't know, I'm sure they'll be happy for you though, how could they not be? At least they are invited."

Fluttershy walked back into the room, her face was completely flushed red. "Uh, Princess Luna is here..."

"Fluttershy, are you okay? Did something happen downstairs?... What did my parents say?"

"Uh, they didn't say anything, they were kinda... speechless. Some pony else did."

"Was it my sister?" Celestia asked.

"Uh... yeah, you know what she might've said," his mentor nodded. What are they talking about?

"Can I ask what exactly you're talking about?"

"Oh, nonono, you can't know okay, at least... not right now!"

"Okay, I hear you. Probably a mare thing, I get it." I know that this is not just a mare thing, but pushing will do no good for either of us.

"I'm going to go see my sister and fill her in on the situation," Celestia left again.

"You said my parents are speechless?"

"They were when I was downstairs."

Dusk tried laughing again, and again, it sounded like a raspy cough. "That sure sounds like them, they never could handle surprises well."

"What do you mean?"

"Here's an example, when I was a young colt, I tried to surprise my parents with breakfast in bed. Long story short, they freaked out and there were two trays of food on the floor and two very unhappy parents."

"Oh, my..."

"It's funny, anytime I thought about that story I would feel like crying. Now, it's just another funny story of my youth. It feels good to be able laugh about that stuff." He started to tear up a little.

"Dusk, you okay?" She started to stroke his mane again.

"I'm good, I'm just so happy, after all these years... I did it."

"You sure did, Dusk, you sure did," they kissed for a moment. "Now you have one more thing to do."

"What's that?"

"Get better, come home and live a good, long life with me."

"I think I might be able to handle that..."

The door slid open, Twilight walked in the doorway, "Fluttershy, it's getting late, Dusk's parents are staying downstairs, the girls and I heading back to our rooms, you coming?"

"Of course not! I'm staying here, I won't leave Dusk here all night. Remember the last time two times I let him go off by himself?"

"I figured that would be your answer, we'll be back in the morning, good night you two."

The two waved and Twilight left, closing the door again. "Where are you going to sleep?" Dusk asked.

"On the floor I guess, I'll be fine, worry about yourself for once," she smiled. Yeah, neither of those things are going to happen. Dusk prepared himself for the sharp pain he was about to be in, one... two... three! He used all of his strength to force his body a few feet to the side of the bed with his IV drip. Leaving more than enough room for her, despite his body's strong protests. "Dusk what are you doing?! You shouldn't be moving at all!"

"How else would we both fit on the bed?" He grinned.

She glared at him, "that's no reason to put that much stress on your body right now!"

"I will not let you sleep on the floor." He stated simply.

"And if I still sleep on the floor?"

"Then this pain would have been for nothing, I already did it so you can take this spot, or leave it."

Fluttershy gave a defeated sigh, "admit it, you're doing everything in your power to spoil me, aren't you?"

"That's the goal!"

"Well, you're doing a good job," she turned off the light and climbed in the bed next to him. The bed was spacious enough for both to have adequate room. But, Fluttershy still cuddled up against Dusk regardless. Dusk couldn't do much more than rap his free arm around her and pull her close.

"I have to try to compete with the Element of Kindness, don't I?"

"No you don't... but that doesn't change how much I love you."

"I love you too, Fluttershy."

"I know Dusk, now get some sleep, your body needs it more than mine,"  she advised.

"Okay, I just wish I could just turn off this annoying monitor, it's going to drive me crazy if I have to try sleeping next to it."

"I think I could help that," she cleared her throat.

"Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now quiet now it's time to go to bed.

Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head,

Hush now quiet now it's time to go to bed..."
> The Mending of Broken Hearts
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Duusk?" A voice called to him.

"Huh?" He moaned a reply.

"Time to wake up."

Dusk forced his eyes open, he looked to his left and saw Fluttershy was still asleep. She was holding his hoof much like a foal holds a security blanket. He looked to the door and saw Celestia standing in the doorway. "M-mentor?"

"Shh, we don't want to wake up Fluttershy, she went through a lot yesterday, she needs to rest," Celestia whispered. He gave her a confirming nod. "I have some important news to tell you," she said in a hushed voice. "I talked to the doctors, there is an opening for an operating room later today that we can fill. No patients will be ready for an operation at that time that need it, you want to try the surgery then?"

Dusk looked down at Fluttershy, before turning back to Celestia and giving a decisive confirmation, "yes."

"Okay, I will set everything up, just don't have a heart attack before then, okay?" She slipped out of the room again, closing the door with a barely audible click.

Wow, I really lucked out... Fluttershy is going to be so excited when she wakes up!

About ten minutes passed, she began to stir before waking up with a yawn. "Good morning Dusk, feeling better?"

"Yes, you are not going to believe what just happened!"

"What?" She rubbed her eyes fully waking up.

"I'm getting the surgery done today!"

"W-what? Dusk that's great news!" She couldn't contain her excitement, she threw her hooves around him and starting kissing him repeatedly on the cheek.

He turned to face her, the two kissed passionately for some time, until the door swung open unexpectedly. "Dusk? You up?" Rarity stood frozen in the doorway, the two on the bed didn't move a muscle, "I'm gonna go back downstairs..." She slipped out of the room and closed the door again.

The couple separated immediately, "well... that just happened."

"Y-yeah, should we try to tone it down a bit?"

"Maybe, think she will tell everybody downstairs?"

"Probably..."

"Sounds about right, you want to tell them the good news?"

"I think that would be best," she climbed off the bed and walked out of the room.

Rarity wouldn't be hurt by seeing that right? I mean, she let those feelings go a while ago right? Those thoughts festered in Dusk's mind until someone came in the room.

Twilight walked in, "so, I heard the good news, looks like you'll be out of here in no time."

Dusk did his best to smile, "yeah, did Rarity say anything about when she came in?"

"Uh, yes she did. She said that she walked in while you two were getting rather... intimate."

"I swear we weren't doing anything that intimate!" His heartbeat monitor began to beep more rapidly.

"Whoa Dusk, calm down your heart still can't take too much!" Dusk managed to get his pulse under control. "Okay, I know you two weren't doing anything too inappropriate for two reasons: first, you and/or Fluttershy would've stopped yourselves from going too far. Second, you can't even have an emotional outburst without having your pulse go through the roof." Twilight couldn't help but laugh about his current situation.

"Okay, does everyone else feel the same way?"

"Actually, no one really thinks too much of it. Most of us trust you two know what you're doing."

"Most? My parents?"

"They are a little bit hesitant about it, but they said that you're an adult now, and that they trust your judgement. The only one in the group showing any sort of real concern, is Rarity."

"Define concern."

"She said, and I quote: 'Fluttershy shouldn't be alone with him, at least until he's released,' unquote."

"I take it that no one else agreed with that, especially Fluttershy."

"You are right, the two were getting into a debate about it," Twilight started rubbing the back of her neck. "I sorta came up here so I wouldn't be caught in another one of their arguments. The girls and I were kinda forced to hear the last one and I really didn't like that, so I needed something to get myself out of there." She paused, realizing her implications of Dusk as a scapegoat, "not that I need an excuse to come up and see you! I just figured that I would take two birds with one stone coming up here now."

Dusk just started to laugh, it was better than they day before, but still pretty raspy. "I get what you're saying. But I did hear about their last argument, during the changling attack, Rarity told me that they were shouting at each other, right?"

"They were at each others' throats for a minute, and during the attack... not the best time for Fluttershy to voice her concerns about your relationship."

"Yeah, she thought I was cheating on her... I was so stupid about the whole thing!" Dusk had to take deep breathes to keep his monitor quiet.

"Stupid? About what?"

"About this whole proposal! Every decision I've made about it has all but blown up in my face! Trying to keep it a secret! Having Rarity help me with it! For Celestia's sake, if I had just asked her the day of the picnic things might be completely different! I am so STUPID!" He could feel his chest burn with every beat of his heart, the monitor starting to show his pulse become too rapid for his body to handle.

"Dusk, you are far from stupid, but you can't burn out now. Not when you're so close, so please calm down, if not for your sake then do it for mine, your parents and Fluttershy's." Twilight managed to get through as he just went limp, as if all of his energy was efficiently drained. "Listen, going back and undoing something stupid that you did, we all have at least one of those times we wish we could undo. But you can't, I can't, even Celestia can't. Look at the positives of your actions, Fluttershy's happier than she's ever been and I know your just as happy that she said yes."

Dusk nodded in agreement, "good, now that we have that matter settled, I'm going to go check on the situation downstairs. Just stay calm, everything is fine." With that she walked out of the door and vanished from his sight. Relative silence consumed the room, Dusk's mind and body were completely drained and he felt like just laying there until his surgery. After a few minutes of silence and solitude, he slipped into sleep again.


*****


Rarity and Fluttershy stood across from each other in the waiting room, neither one daring to say a word to the other. It was as if there was a shaky armistice between the two in the presence of the others.

"Come on now, there's no need fo' any of this, look, ya both said some things, but that doesn't matter." Apple Jack did her best to ease the tension, "Dusk is upstairs and he needs our support, bein' at each others' throats like this won't do him any good."

She's right, he needs me right now, I should go see if he's okay. Fluttershy turned and headed toward the ICU of the hospital. "You still don't deserve him," Rarity jabbed.

Flutershy stopped at the edge of the room and turned around, "you can believe that, but he's going to my husband, not yours. Nothing's going to change that, now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to make sure my fiance is alright." She began to head up the stairs again, satisfied that Rarity was speechless.

She met Twilight on the stairs, "how is he?"

"Uh, a little unstable at the moment but he's keeping a grip," Twilight answered.

"What happened?!"

"He had a little outburst, just avoid talking about your fight with Rarity, it might put him on edge."

"Why? How could that affect him so much?"

"It wasn't the fight specifically, rather... the whole reason for the fight, the accusation. He feels terrible for even giving you reason to think he might be unfaithful."

Fluttershy's heart sank, "how upset was he?"

"Upset enough to try shouting, calling himself stupid and trying to convince me, as much as he was trying to convince himself, that he was."

Fluttershy's eyes just dropped to the floor, I made him do that? Maybe Rarity's right, maybe I don't deserve to have him in my life...

"Hey, don't you start blaming yourself too, just get up there," Twilight gestured up the stairs. "We all know that you're probably the best one of us to comfort him right now."

She nodded and headed up the stairs, passing a few doctors on the way up. The door to Dusk's room was left open, she poked her head in the door to see that he was asleep. Darn, he's asleep again, I can't wake him up after what he just went through. With nothing else to do, she climbed in bed and helped keep him warm by holding him close, giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead.

She laid their for a couple hours, Celestia walked in the room to see that Dusk was asleep. "Dusk, wake up, it's time to go."

He was unresponsive, "Dusk, wake up now please, I want to see you off before the operation." Fluttershy whispered in his ear.

He stirred before opening his eyes, "it's time?"

"Yeah, Dusk, it's time. I just want you to remember, I love you and I will always love you, okay?" He gave her a weak nod, "good, now I will be here the minute you wake up, I Pinkie Promise."

The two kissed for a moment before Celestia ended it, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we do have to get moving. Don't worry, I'll bring him back in good shape."

A gurney was wheeled in by a surgeon and Dusk was placed on it, the IVs and pulse monitor were removed from his arm. She tried to follow it, but the surgeon halted her at the doors of the operation wing. With a heavy sigh, she walked back to the waiting room and saw that everyone was still there, everyone except Rarity.

"Dusk is in surgery now, where is Rarity?"

"She left, she was on the verge of tears when you headed upstairs," Twilight explained. "She'll come around just give her some time to cool off, did you talk to Dusk about it?"

Fluttershy shook her head, tears forming in her eyes, "no, he was asleep until Celestia came in to take him into surgery."

Niccolo gestured for her to take an open seat next to him and Maria, "don't you worry about him, he's been through plenty. Our son may not look like it, but he is strong, he'll pull through this."

Fluttershy sat down next to his parents, who did their best to comfort her. "How can you be so sure about that?"

"We watched him survive a direct hit from lightning and walk away with a cutie mark," Maria answered. "When you see your foal do that you know there strong."

Fluttershy felt a hoof rest on her shoulder, "we have the utmost confidence in him, and you should too." Niccolo smiled, "after all, you'll be apart of the family soon, right?"

She did her best to smile back, they really think of me as family.... Soon after, the room fell silent, one by one the group fell asleep, except for Fluttershy, determined to keep her promise. The hours strung together in an endless span of time. 

...

The thought of sleep clung to her brain, no matter how much she tried to shake it. Thankfully, a surgeon walked into the waiting room and approached her, since she was the only one awake. "He's out of surgery, we won't know how well it went until after he wakes up, you're welcome to stay with him in his room, just don't touch the stitches across his chest." She gave a nod and the surgeon returned to his wing.

She slipped up the stairs quietly, the fact that I'm not downstairs should tell them that he's recovering, I hope. The door to Dusk's room was closed, Fluttershy opened it slowly and saw him sleeping contently. The worst is over, now it's just recovery.

"He looks so peaceful doesn't he?" A voice whispered behind her, she jumped and turned around to see that it was Rarity at the door. "Before you say anything, I want to apologize for what I said earlier, I had no right to say what I said."

"I need to apologize too, I feel I crossed a line."

"But you didn't, you simply stated a fact. The truth of the matter is you're right, he's marrying you and my thoughts are irrelevant, I just need to be happy for you two."

"That doesn't mean I should throw it in your face."

The two walked up to the side of the bed, Dusk was clearly shivering. "He looks cold, you should help him keep warm, I'll stay downstairs and tell everyone he's out of surgery." Rarity's suggestion shocked Fluttershy, but before she could reply the door was closed with a soft click. She simply climbed into the bed once more, careful not to touch his stitches. She pulled him close to help him stay warm, soon after, he stopped shivering. I will be right here for you, no matter what. You made that promise to me a few months ago, but now it's my turn to keep it. She fell asleep with those thoughts playing in her mind....
> Finally! The Wedding at the Gates of Tartarus Part III
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Is it done? Dusk placed a hoof on his chest, immediately noticing the stitches. I'll take that as a yes. He tried to sit up, but immediately noticed something holding him in place. He forced his eyes open, and saw that Fluttershy was holding him tightly, she kept her promise...

"Took you long enough," she teased before sitting up, "how do you feel?"

"Better," the two immediately that his voice wasn't strained or weak. "I can actually talk? This is going to be such a good day!"

"Don't get too carried away their, you are staying in that bed until those stitches come out. But I am really glad you're feeling better," she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Of course, if you insist, my love..."


*****


Dusk spent the next week confined to that bed, he had his stitches removed and was finally released. Upon exiting the hospital, he was confronted by Shining Armor and told that the wedding would be held two days from then. The day of the wedding, he and Fluttershy are getting ready to be in attendance.

"Can you believe that we're finally having the wedding after the whole changling attack?" Fluttershy exclaimed, as she was putting on her dress.

"No," Dusk replied, fixing his tie on his tuxedo, "it's been such a hectic time for them, hopefully things will go much more smoothly for us."

"Oh, I'm sure that we won't have to deal with an army of changlings ruining everything," she made sure her garland was sitting correctly.

"Or an evil queen trying to take your place," he took one more glance at his reflection in the mirror to make sure that he indeed looked presentable, running his hoof through his gelled back mane.

"Yes, although do you think that you would be fooled by such a ploy?" She asked walking out of the bathroom, fully readied from head to hoof. The two got a whole new room since Dusk's release, and it was a little bit more comfortable than the previous one.

"Not at all, no one could even try to replace you," he walked up to he and kissed her deeply. Time stood still, neither one tried to separate, until the clock in the room struck two. "Looks like it's time to go, you ready?"

"Yes, hopefully this will go smoothly."

The two walked to the ceremonial chamber that was used before. Fluttershy took her place to conduct the song bird choir, Dusk found the closest seat to her and occupied it. Their friends stood as the bridesmaids on the opposite side of the room, except for Twilight who was the best mare and stood next to her brother. The ceremony was beautiful, the decor, the music, everything was planned to the letter. Shining Armor stood at the altar showing a combination of elation and nervousness. Cadence walked in with an elegant gown, following three flower fillies. Celestia mediated the ceremony, giving a heart warming speech about how the two proved their love for each other and the power their love held. Spike was the ring bearer, holding a large red velvet pillow holding the diamond bearing rings. Celestia picked them up in a golden aura and placed one on the horns of the bride and groom, "... I now pronounce you mare and colt!"

The couple kissed and Celestia queued Rainbow Dash to perform her famous 'Sonic Rainboom.' Dusk had heard the girls talk about it, but never gave it a second thought. He watched her fly out of her dress and fly up over the castle and with a loud BOOM and a rainbow pulse that stretched for miles around, she began to arch a rainbow across the sky. Okay, all of those times I doubted her abilities, just completely blown away. He just stared at the rainbow carved into the sky with new found respect for the pegasus.

The ceremony was being moved to the courtyard, Fluttershy met up with Dusk, "so what did you think of the sonic rainboom?"

"I think that it was an amazing spectacle, how long ago did she learn to do it?"

"When we were in flight school together, maybe ten years ago."

"And now, I have 20% more respect for that mare."

Fluttershy started laughing, "come on I don't want to miss the first dance."

Dusk followed her down to the courtyard where everyone was gathering around the dance floor, where the bride and groom were starting their first dance. The air was filled with light piano music and gave the whole scene more emotion. Then, Pinkie Pie stepped behind a turn table and placed a needle on the record, playing a more modern pop beat. The whole group started to dance around the married couple. Dusk noticed a unicorn mare appear behind the turn table, she had a white coat and a crazy blue mane. But the most noticeable thing was that she was wearing black rim sunglasses with purple lenses.

Shining Armor gestured for Dusk and Fluttershy to join them in the center of the dance floor. With a shrug, Dusk led Fluttershy out and just started waltzing with her, there was a nagging fear that they might be showing up the bride and groom. He dismissed it though, focusing on keeping up with Fluttershy and matching her pace. The two couples danced around each other for what felt like hours, but no one really cared, they were happy.

Once they all were too tired to continue, Shining Armor and Cadence walked up to their carriage and stepped inside. A moment later a bouquet flew out of the back of the carriage, Rarity pushed through the group of mares wanting to catch it, shouting "IT'S MINE!"

And it would have been, if Fluttershy hadn't swooped in front of her to intercept it, landing next to Dusk holding the flowers. "Now it's official!" She rested her head on his shoulder, smelling the flowers she just caught, the two noticed that Rarity was a little upset she couldn't catch the bouquet.

"Yeah, now we just need to decide the when and where," Dusk kissed her on the forehead.

"How about here, next spring?" She suggested.

"Sounds perfect, it's going to be a little crazy getting everything planned though."

"Yeah, but our friends and family should be able to help us get through it." She looked up at him, "besides, it's going to be worth it in the end. I love you so much, Dusk."

"I love you as much as one physically can love another." The two kissed deeply and held each other close, the moon was starting to climb into the sky before they stopped. "Come on let's head back to the room, we probably need to get ready to leave tomorrow."

"I'm just glad we got a new room, the first one was a little... awkward."

"This one is way cozier, I think that between the imprisonment, hospital stay and surgery, Mentor decided to give me a break."

Fluttershy laughed as she started walking, "you might be right, I never really took her for a prankster until our little trip to the dreamscape."

Dusk followed, "yeah, by the way, I never did find out what you and Luna exactly talked about that night."

Like any other time that the topic came up, she began to blush furiously. "Well... okay, I don't see any reason to hide it, since we're alone," she took a deep breathe. "Luna asked me what I most desired in my life with you and..."

"And?" He tried to push her answer along.

"Well, I won't go into any detail, but it involves... our honeymoon."

At that point, both of them were growing red in their cheeks. Dusk just started laughing, "well, that is a little bit of a surprise, I have to admit."

"So, what do you think?"

"I think, that it changes nothing, I still love you as much as I did five minutes ago. That's all that matters to me," he smiled down at his bride to be. She smiled back, and they walked back to the room almost anxious to see what the future will hold for them....