Sunny skies and moderate temperatures were the forecast for the next week. Spring had come with the last of the Winter Wrap Up over and this was every reason and more for one yellow-coated pink-maned stallion to be excited anew. This was his favorite time of year, though he might be tempted at times to instead prefer the restfulness that came along with winter and the hibernation of the many animals. But he had experienced that rest for months and was now back in the full swing of things.
Earlier that morning, one of the otter families had somehow lost a pair of their offspring downriver. Thankfully, lost was not a euphemism for death and the pegasus with butterflies for cutie marks managed to find them quickly and without incident. It was really just a misadventure and his life was filled with such things while he took care of his small friends. He liked it that way because he liked the peaceful and quiet life he had found therein.
“You really should consider it,” Butterscotch's voice sounded off in his small cottage just outside of Ponyville. “They'll all be happy to have you. Just five minutes...”
A female bunny with a snow-colored coat of fur had her arms crossed. One foot thumped the floor from time to time in a show of annoyance rather than excitement. The creature was everything that her name suggested otherwise.
“Oh, Angel,” the pony's soft and gentle tone turned sad. “It's not healthy for you to stay couped up in here all the time.”
Still the rabbit had none of it. Her head whipped to the side in a show of ignoring her owner. It was hard enough already to get the hare to go on a Pony Pet Play Date, but getting her to do anything beyond that was akin to melting an enormous iceberg with nothing but one's own breath. The stallion frowned in concentration. He had already tried pleading, begging, and beseeching. What more could he do?
Angel's two long ears twitched as they picked up some insignificant sound caused by one of the other animals in the cottage. It was probably the woodpecker again.
That was it! Butterscotch's normally calm cyan eyes lit up and his natural soft-spirited smile returned. He had created a special item a year or so ago in an attempt to get on better terms with his pet. Leaving the uncooperative bunny to her own little temper tantrum, he retrieved the item from the drawer it made its home in and returned to the living room with it fixed atop his head.
When Angel finally stole a glance back to the pony, her mouth quivered and a puff of barely concealed laughter escaped her. Butterscotch, of course, accepted this as some kind of detectable progress with the stubborn animal.
“There,” the stallion exclaimed as he leaned down to be on the bunny's level. “Now will you at least play outside with me?”
The accessory now attached to the pegasus' head was nothing less than a mane band with two long ear-like protrusions sticking up from it. In other words, two long white bunny ears. He had not used them in some time due to previous failure but, hey, desperate times called for desperate measures. As more of a side note, he had made them himself and they had actually been part of the inspiration for Elusive's construction of the “secret mission” suit. Butterscotch never wore the suit more than once for the fact that it had been far too embarrassing. Ditto wearing the ears in public.
Angel had almost broke into an inconsiderate laugh but still managed to maintain her stalwart attitude. Which was to say that she stayed glued to her spot and refused to answer because of her stubborn tantrum.
“We can play together at the willow. Just the two of us,” he suggested as cheerfully as he could as he prodded at one of his bunny ears for emphasis. “Won't that be fun?”
Finally, the bunny decided to leave the one-sided conversation on her own by rolling her eyes and jumping over and onto her favorite spot on the sofa. She henceforth ignored any and all of the stallion's approaches.
“Oh, angel,” Butterscotch sniffed depressingly as he removed the band of bunny ears from his pastel pink mane. “I'm just trying to look after your health...”
A curt knock on the cottage's front door temporarily broke the pegasus from his troublesome dilemma. Before answering the visitor, he first placed the set of accessory ears on the coffee table next to the tea and snacks he regularly prepared in the off-chance that somepony came visiting. There were no plans for friends to come over so it was little surprise when Butterscotch opened the door and it turned out to be none other than the mailpony.
“Yes?” the shy stallion asked timidly.
“Package,” the gray stallion exclaimed bubbly, as if the world could end any second and he'd have no regrets. His cross-eyed look wandered as he reached back to the sack on his back and retrieved a small box. “Butterscotch?” he asked with just the faint hint of doubt. He had messed up a few deliveries today and really didn't want to do so anymore.
“That's me,” the butter-yellow male affirmed as he took the mysterious box.
The mailpony might have breathed something to the effect of “thank goodness” but it was lost in a sudden breeze that gave some relief to the sunny warm day. “Well, have a nice day,” he concluded as he took off once more for the next delivery.
Butterscotch returned to his home, closing the door once more. He placed the box on the coffee table next to the ears and wondered before opening it what it might possibly be. Angel had proceeded through the events with absolutely zero interest as she remained on the sofa. Shrugging off any probability of malicious content, the pink-maned stallion retrieved some scissors and promptly opened the package.
What laid inside made the male's heart crack with thunderous excitement. It was as if Prince Solaris himself knew that he needed some kind of pick-me-up so that he wouldn't be depressed all day. Put simply, the single item that the box contained was a special order picture that the pegasus had placed some days previously and honestly had not expected for at least another week. But there it was just the same. Talk about fast service.
Butterscotch removed the carefully wrapped and insulated frame and admired it for the image contained within. It was a very clear picture that had been taken of him and his five friends a few weeks ago when Elusive suddenly suggested that they all get together for a professionally taken group picture. It had been a nice idea since all they had were some of Barb's shots. Oh, those weren't terrible or anything but it was still rather nice to have a higher quality memoir of their friendship. They had, after all, been through practically everything and the kitchen sink together.
Though Butterscotch would not openly admit it by any means, he was secretly proud of the shot for untold reasons. From left to right in the frame were Applejack, Rainbow Blitz, Bubble Berry, Dusk Shine, himself, and Elusive. Berry was hanging off of Rainbow's neck, to which the stallion looked only mildly bothered. Applejack was grinning at it and Elusive, on the far right, was trying to keep the picture as dignified as possible. What Butterscotch truly loved the image for was the fact that everypony was just being themselves. That was what made them all such good friends and such a great team.
Perhaps it would have been the tiniest bit untruthful not to make one additional point of observation. Yes, Butterscotch loved how each of them were so true to themselves. But he loved how Dusk Shine was this way the most. While the others looked so natural, Butterscotch showed every micron of nervousness that he felt in the moment when the photographer was assembling them together and taking the shot. In all honesty, the shy pegasus' expression in the photo was somewhere between doubt and outright fear.
Dusk Shine, who had attained two wings and the title of prince some months before, was doing the one thing that made him who he was. One purple wing was stretched out over Butterscotch's back in a comforting gesture that had indeed worked like the alicorn's magic in giving the scared male some reassurance. Even when they were just having a simple picture taken, Dusk Shine was thoughtful and considerate of his friends.
Butterscotch's heart warmed as he admired the picture in his hooves. He had already decided it was going on the table next to his bed. He didn't care that he didn't look that great in it. What he loved was not his own image, so that was irrelevant. He loved all the Elements of Harmony that the picture contained...perhaps Magic the most.
“Gha!” called out the voice of one purple-coated and book-loving stallion. What he would do to be at home reading those books too. It didn't even take five minutes for him to rediscover his lack of natural talent for physical activities. All of the literary insight in the world would not allow him to overcome the raw and bare strain that these exercises were putting on his muscles. Particularly on muscles he didn't used to have. Why couldn't have Prince Solaris given him a set of toned wing muscles from the start?
“Oh c'mon, Dusk,” a rainbow-maned male jabbed at him after they settled back to the ground. “You haven't even done ten laps, not to mention the wing-ups.”
Dusk Shine, now technically a prince, twitched at one eye and began leaning this way and that to try relieving the burning sensation on his back. It wasn't fair to expect so much from the start. That's what he kept telling himself even if he felt saying it would be too impolite. Rainbow Blitz had been generous in offering his time and mentoring him how to fly to keep his wings in shape.
“It's a perfect day too,” Rainbow added as he looked up to the bright and clear sky. “We got the Ponyville track to ourselves, which is pretty rare. That Lightning Row chick is usually hogging it...”
“Could you turn off that racket already?!” Dusk Shine finally blew up at his friend even as he huffed and panted from his flying exertions.
Rainbow snapped his eyes back over from the mostly cloudless sky and smirked. The portable stereo he brought with him to the track was indeed still blaring on his favorite tracks. He had even set it on repeat. “Not down with the scene?” he poked playfully at the alicorn.
“I'm not in the mood for random noise right now,” Dusk shot between breaths.
“Hey, DJ Col-7 is not random noise,” the sporty stallion crossed his forehooves in miffed indignation as he took off in a wing-flapping hover. “It's the best stuff out there!”
“Ugh,” the alicorn just rolled his eyes and walked over to the stereo beside the track. One tap made the migraine-inducing boom stop. “Not when I'm beat.”
Rainbow flew over as he always effortlessly did. Flying was as easy as breathing for him and he often did so without even thinking about it, such as hovering in one spot rather than just standing. He wasn't amused at the lack of a thumping rhythm, though.
“Alright, egghead,” he grumbled. “Ten wing-ups and we're done for the day.”
Not for the first time, Dusk reconsidered whether or not he would want to continue these sessions in the future. As athletically talented as Rainbow Blitz was, he was still lacking in the more delicate coaching skills. It took all of this time for him to truly understand why Butterscotch had such a difficult time during that whole water-to-Cloudsdale incident. The shy male didn't have Blitz to thank for either training or courage. He had drawn up those things on his own and with his animal friends, which was one of the first times that Dusk had been forced to reconsider his opinion of the pegasus. Butterscotch was far stronger and determined than his outward personality gave him credit for.
Dusk Shine went into the wing-ups with what little rigor he had remaining, which wasn't much. To the disappointment of his blue-feathered friend, he struck out at nine. Somewhat absent-mindedly, Dusk thought to himself that the dirt of the track circuit tasted like some interesting combination of sand, grass, and sweat. Not too much unlike his last attempt at making a quiche, though that also included the savory taste of tears and crushing failure.
“It'll do, I guess,” Rainbow took his turn to roll his eyes. “Now stretch. I'm bailing. Got real work to do.”
Dusk lifted his head and a hoof to speak, but the pegasus scooped up his stereo and was gone in his characteristic pacing. At least he left the water bottle for the half-dead alicorn, who sighed wearily and took a sip from it after levitating it over in a purple haze. It wasn't that he wanted to be ungrateful to Rainbow but his coach was already gone before so much as a “thank you” could be given. Well, what now?
He went through the stretches that Rainbow had taught him earlier and felt a little better afterwards even if he still felt like passing out on his bed back at the library. What was on his schedule again? He had that letter to do, but that was like that one research project he was working on. He could whip that up at the end of the day and it was barely even noon.
Oh, there was that visit with Butterscotch that he had planned for weeks, unbeknownst to the target pony. Dusk's life had been full of this and that for a while and he tried to make sure he still spent some open-ended time with his friends amongst it all. And of all of his friends, Butterscotch was the easiest to plan visits with because he could practically drop by anytime without “setting something up.” But he was also the one he didn't see much for some reason. He wanted to start correcting that since the shy stallion tended to be reclusive with his animals and probably needed somepony to stop by more than any of the others.
So with hooves far stronger than the wings on his back, Dusk Shine got up from the track and breathed deeply. The fresh air was nice even if it did little to ease the pain in his back. Did Prince Solaris give him atrophied muscles or something? It seriously ached as if his trek to Butterscotch's cottage was destined to be a limping one. It was kind of embarrassing whenever somepony saw him and he had to wave back with one eye closed due to the pain of his physical tribulation.
He barely remembered how wise it would be to stop at the library first to take a shower and thus remove all of the dirt and sweat from his tired body. The extra stop might make him a little more tired but he certainly didn't want to show up at a friend's house with the drench and negative aroma of a tough workout. Elusive would certainly have a heart attack if he did it to him and Butterscotch, though more reserved about mentioning such things, would doubtlessly appreciate a clean house guest. The stop was made, the shower was taken, and the purple prince was back on his way.
Butterscotch, not for the first time in Dusk Shine's consideration, really did have a home removed from the town. It was in that twilight zone where it seemed close and far away all at once. But none could ever argue that it had the best position for one who loved nature and wildlife. Being located where it was near the edge of the Everfree and the rolling hills and groves outside Ponyville meant that it was a tranquil haven for the majority of wildlife in and around the town.
There were times, much like this one in which Dusk Shine finally trotted up to Butterscotch's cottage door, that he was perhaps a bit envious. He also, as a book-lover and veritable librarian, appreciated the serenity of a quiet afternoon spent under a tree upon a green hill. Of course, he would be spending it reading a book rather than having a picnic with some animals, but he might consider doing the latter anyhow whilst doing the former. At least it was still restful and not at all like that vigorous blood-pumping athleticism that Rainbow demanded in his schedule.
Knock, knock!
Something went crashing inside the little home after Dusk made the polite tapping at the door. It sounded painful, whatever it was. A clopping came next, testament to Butterscotch's preference for walking on his own hooves rather than flying with his wings as Rainbow Blitz tended to. The exact stride, timid but graceful, assured Dusk that the pony that was about to answer the door was indeed the one he came to see. Reality did not disappoint.
“H-Hello?” the meek yellow pegasus peeked around the crack in the door he had opened. “Oh, Dusk,” he realized cheerfully and widened the crack completely.
“Are you alright?” Dusk asked with a worried tone upon seeing a redness on the tip of the other stallion's nose. It wasn't the redness one might see from a blush or an illness but rather an injury from blunt impact.
Butterscotch expressed his usual variety of embarrassment by averting his eyes and hiding as much as he could behind his hearty pink bangs. “O-of course, I'm alright. I just...”
The prince alicorn knew his friend had spoken a complete sentence but couldn't hear it because the remainder was trailed off in an impossible whisper. “What was that?”
“I just...”
“Come again?” Dusk started feeling bad at the question.
“I fell down the stairway!” the pegasus blurted and things got quiet again.
Seeing no further harm had come to his friend other than a slightly sore muzzle, the Element of Magic sighed in relief. “Well, I'm glad you're okay. Just be careful next time. I don't exactly like seeing my friends in the hospital,” Dusk winked at the end.
Butterscotch's face lit up like a ripe beet. His mind reeled in reminding him that the wink meant nothing. Nothing at all. It was just Dusk Shine being his usual super nice self. He didn't mean it to be anything...else.
“Uh...can I come in?” the purple stallion prodded carefully. He could tell something was off today with his friend.
“O-of course!” Butterscotch nearly fumbled over his hooves to step aside and let him in. Still his mind was reeling with self-scrutiny. Already he was off to a horrible start. The second Dusk showed up, he was tripping, stuttering, and making a general foal of himself. If he didn't shape up then this visit would be nothing but awkward the whole way through. Anything but that!
“Looks like we get to spend our time with Angel again,” Dusk remarked as he walked around to the sofa.
Angel, being upon that very sofa and occupying her favorite spot thereon, rolled her eyes and sighed. She hopped off and bounced almost lazily to the animal exit door.
“You can stay if you want,” both stallions wound up saying at the same time. It made them look at each other and grin in good humor. But the bunny wasn't going to have any of it. She just stopped for a single second to turn and provide the most long-suffering of expressions before continuing outside.
“I'm sorry,” Butterscotch gave the other male a needless apology. “She's been...moody since this morning. I just don't know what to do.”
Dusk took a seat on the sofa and noticed that some tea and snacks had oddly been already prepared on the coffee table in front of him. He abstained for now. “Well, you know my advice,” he smirked. “Take away the carrots and maybe she'll shape up.”
It was so like him to consider the punishment-and-reward route. He was of the old fashioned “tough love” variety. But Butterscotch just couldn't bear the thought of doing anything harsh to Angel more so than of all of his animal friends. Besides, Angel sometimes went on eating strikes all of her own accord.
“Oh, I could never,” the pink-maned male worried as he joined Dusk Shine on the sofa. “She just needs her room right now.”
Dusk shrugged and rested back into the cushioning. It felt unrealistically nice after all the exercise he had done. It was a good thing he had stopped for that shower because it wouldn't have felt quite as nice if he had been still drenched in sweat. His friend wouldn't have appreciated getting his furniture soaked by it either. “So, have you read that book I lent you?”
“The one about the prince and the princess? Royal Clockwork?” Butterscotch perked up. “I've read it twice!”
The real non-book prince was a little taken back by the stallion's enthusiasm. “Twice?” he asked pleasantly surprised. “I knew it was good but I didn't know it was that good. So you like it, huh?”
“Oh, yes!” Butterscotch leaned over out of excitement to his friend on the sofa. “Everything was just so perfect. Well, I mean,” his eyes darted elsewhere again, “the part where they were separated by the evil king was awful. But it was just so lovely when they were wed at the end under the elm trees.”
Few stallions could get away with using the word “lovely” and not seem out of place doing so. Dusk Shine decided Butterscotch was one of them, what with his gentle nature and all. “Yeah,” he agreed thoughtfully. “I have to admit that few authors these days seem to have the guts for that kind of closure. It was a nice change of pace from all those series trying for sequels. Was there anything else you liked? Personally, I adored the imagery. Every setting was so majestically described. The ivory mountains, the baroque mechanical city, the dewy grass fields....”
“The crystal pool of lilies!” Butterscotch was now in the full thrall of the discussion. “That was my favorite spot.”
Dusk Shine cocked a lop-sided smile as he took a cookie from the coffee table. “That place only came up when the prince and princess had their secret meetings. I'm guessing you really enjoyed the romantic side of the story?”
The shy stallion finally leaned back and averted his eyes again. “I-It was...beautifully written.”
The last two words had been softer spoken, again almost to a whisper. But Dusk could never think anything odd since he usually spoke that way anyhow and he certainly wasn't going to poke fun for his friend's interest in it. Heck, he enjoyed the romantic parts too. He was about to mention that very thing when something suddenly caught his attention. Something that should have caught his attention earlier and only did now because he was reaching for some tea to wash the cookie down with.
“What are the bunny ears for?” Dusk couldn't help asking the obvious about the headpiece that rested near a plate of cookies on the table.
A shiver ran up Butterscotch's spine. He hadn't remembered that he had left them there at some point. “Oh, those...” he laughed awkwardly at himself. “I sort of...um...Angel can be kind of difficult sometimes and I thought maybe she'd open up a bit if I wore them.”
Really, the pegasus' concern of once more getting poked fun at was entirely unfounded. Dusk Shine's inquiry about the ears was nothing of the harsh mockery that Butterscotch often imagined for no seemingly good reason other than being generally insecure about himself.
“I'm guessing she didn't open up too much,” Dusk remarked as he reached for them and picked them up. “They're really cute, though. Maybe I should dress up as the Spring Equineox Bunny next year for Nightmare Night.”
Dusk was just loosening up into his usual carefree self he had around his friends and family, but the way he so flippantly spoke about it made Butterscotch believe he might really mean to dress up as such when that time of year came around again. Normally, the sunny-yellow stallion was too afraid to leave his house on that evening, but thoughts of Dusk Shine in a bunny outfit practically gave him the courage for it then and there.
The purple alicorn smiled as he donned the band of bunny ears on his head. His smile could adequately be described as nothing short of goofy, but Butterscotch saw only a picturesque pony. “What do you think?” Dusk inquired as he playfully poked his friend's shoulder. “Deal or no deal?”
Butterscotch stammered and blushed. Mostly blushed. And then stammered again, purely hopeless.
“Hey,” Dusk drooped. “It's not that bad is it? I mean, sure the ears are white and I'm pur-”
Butterscotch's mind was grinding to a halt. What was he supposed to say? There was nothing he could do that wouldn't seem too blunt or awkward or...truthful? But he couldn't say what was on his mind because Dusk might think he was weird! Why was such a simple thing so difficult?!
Finally, after keeping the blush and losing out mentally to a multitude of thoughts that he could never voice, Butterscotch just up and ran to his upstairs bedroom. He closed the door behind him, hopefully fast enough so that Dusk hadn't seen any of the tears welling up in his eyes. The bed bounced a bit under him as he jumped onto it and buried his face into his soft plush pillow, still freshly washed with the scent of the mountain flowers that he loved.
He hated this. He hated how weak he was about his feelings and about expressing them. He hated himself because he couldn't imagine anypony else being any more of a social failure than himself. Why couldn't he have remembered to put those ears away? Why couldn't he come up with some cool answer to Dusk before the air got thick with tension and made him want to cry?
Butterscotch yearned for a more competent and relaxed version of himself. One that would have no problem snatching a moment of unguarded glee and impulsive cuddling. He had an age-old habit of doing such things, which he acquired from getting far too many of those adorable animal plushies that were to be found scattered at practically every gift and curiosity shop across Equestria. He had a closet so full of them that they cascaded outward in an avalanche every time he dared to open it.
Meanwhile, Dusk Shine was still sitting on the sofa wondering whether or not he had done something catastrophically bad. His friend had sprung up and left. Nothing else had been said. No “come again” or even “good-bye.” The alicorn was just left there, thankful that Angel wasn't around to blame him for whatever Butterscotch was feeling right now.
Dusk Shine sighed wearily. He really had been right before about needing to see his friend more often. If this was what Butterscotch's current condition was then it was a good thing he was here. It wasn't that Dusk thought himself some kind of super-ultra-extreme-awesomazing friend. Of course not. Nor did he think the stallion was severely in need of a personality change. Rather, he knew he had an easier time relating with Butterscotch than, say, Rainbow Blitz and a true friend was there for a friend when they needed it most.
So the prince alicorn removed and set the band of bunny ears on the table. He walked casually up the stairs and knocked politely on Butterscotch's bedroom door. The sounds coming from the room could have been either crying or a head banging into a pillow. Possibly both.
No answer came, so Dusk cautiously pressed his ear to the door and listened. It was hard to really hear any better but he thought he heard some things such as “stupid, stupid” and “what was that?” with “blew it” somewhere in between. The prince knocked again.
“I'm sorry,” came a louder but still teary response from the other side of the door.
Dusk Shine decided that now it was up to him to take charge. Gently, but still take charge. He opened the door without permission and strode in, not forgetting to close it again. Butterscotch himself looked horrified upon his bed at the advance and kept muttering “I'm sorry” like a tiny hurt animal until Dusk was right up beside the mattress. Then he muttered a “please don't hate me” instead.
Dusk's eyes, so full of determination, melted right on time to express his deep concern. He crawled up onto the bed so that he could lay right up to the pegasus. He felt it would probably be easier to talk to him if they were on the same level, so to speak. In any case, it wasn't the talking that came first. Butterscotch was scooped into an embrace not unlike the ones they sometimes shared as group hugs with their other friends.
The pegasus was quiet, so the prince took his shot as he hugged him. “I don't know what makes you feel sorry about it or what makes you think I'd hate you.”
Butterscotch unintentionally held his breath.
“I would have preferred it if you'd just say whatever you're thinking...rather than run off...”
Butterscotch sucked in a new breath of air. He parted from the hug and looked at Dusk with ever-worrisome eyes, a trademark of his. “But you wouldn't like me if I told you,” the pegasus pouted.
Dusk Shine was shocked for a moment but then shook his head. “If I didn't like you for the truth then I wouldn't be much of a friend now would I? How about I make a Bubble Pact to never ever dislike you no matter what?” the stallion giggled at the end in that way that perhaps only a prince could.
The shy stallion's words became as shy as himself.
“Maybe we should...” the alicorn began as he looked around the bed, still holding the pegasus.
Butterscotch didn't know what Dusk was saying until he felt his friend's hooves loosen the hug. He liked it as it was before but felt he had to say something or else he would look stupid again. So he chose to ask why the prince was settling in next to him as if he was going to sleep.
“Because I'm tired,” Dusk replied as he brought his head down against the pillow straight in front of the pegasus' own. “Rainbow had me doing exercises earlier to get my wings up to speed. He's a real slave driver.”
“Yeah,” Butterscotch blushed with barely held calm. Having the perfectly logical but perfectly kind and caring Dusk Shine on his bed with him and even cuddling him in a distant way was like some impossible dream come true. However, Butterscotch remembered as he admired the other stallion's angelic face and cute accented bangs that they were Elements of Harmony and Dusk was the Element of Magic. So why couldn't this dream-turn-reality be magic too?
“And you're soft,” Dusk added and grinned with his secret characteristic goofiness.
Butterscotch opened his mouth but nothing came out. He closed it again and wanted to die immediately because then he would know for certain that he would die happy.
“Sorry,” Dusk suddenly apologized. “I'm being all nonsensical here...”
“No, not at all!” Butterscotch insisted quickly.
Still, the prince persisted. “Well, I don't want to keep you from taking care of the animals or anything. I can go back home if you don't-”
“No!” the pegasus blurted out in a microsecond. “I mean, no,” he brought his voice back own to his usual whisper. “I don't have anything important for today.”
In reality, he really didn't. The last few days had been incredibly busy because of all the business with the animals still coming in after Winter Wrap Up. But he had gotten up to date with them and entered a small lull in activity. It was great because he could spend as much time as possible to find moments with his crush should such opportunities arise. Yes, it might be accurate to use the term “crush” if one could forgive any and all negative implications that followed the word every now and then. Butterscotch's wildest dreams had him and Dusk living out a life so much more involved and fulfilling than any that the term “crush” inspired, but he was too timid a pony to dare with “true love.” It was a level of perfection he felt he didn't deserve.
“Oh, perfect!” Dusk would have clopped his hooves together if they were not already stretched loosely around Buterscotch's body. He really did think his friend was soft and hoped, on revisited thought, that he didn't sound too weird for saying it. He was well aware how awkward he could be at times. Certainly he could be far more awkward than Butterscotch ever worried about being.
“You can go to sleep if you want to,” Butterscotch's lips wavered with meek anticipation. “I'll rest with you.”
“You sure?” Dusk asked with sincerity. “I don't want to-”
“You've never been a bother, Dusk,” the pegasus waved all concern aside with his own sincerity. “I count myself very lucky to have you here with me...and I was a little tired myself anyways.”
Dusk quirked a brow since he didn't much believe his friend was the least bit tired, but no push was made on that matter. He really was exhausted and the plush bed mixed with the soft stallion was practically criminal. He would be hesitant to say it because it would probably make him sound extremely weird, but there was something about holding Butterscotch like this that made him feel at total peace. Maybe it was the male's silky coat or lithe frame. It didn't matter much now that Dusk's eyes drooped and closed not soon after that.
The alicorn wasn't a heavy snorer and, in fact, hardly ever snored at all. The way he just quietly breathed in and out made the pegasus' face glow with contentment. Even in his sleep, Dusk was an angel to Butterscotch. And so long as Dusk was asleep anyways, Butterscotch was going to indulge himself. It all might as well have been a dream at this point so he figured it wouldn't be bad to reach further.
The shy stallion scooted over closer, eliminating the polite distance Dusk had left between the two of them. Now Butterscotch could feel the warmth of the purple coat and smiled his biggest smile he had ever given to date. Even larger than the one he gave that one time a hummingbird family performed the background music to one of his favorite movies in classic F Major.
Butterscotch tilted his head so that it was under Dusk's, pressed up against the top of his chest. He was so content now that he might actually join his friend in slumber. But no, he stayed awake in a restful state until about two and a half hours later when Dusk Shine woke up. It had been too perfect of an impossible reality for Butterscotch to waste it asleep.
The purple pony groaned, though in a positive “good morning” sort of way. He realized something was very different about non-descript things and thus noticed that he was not in his room at the library. Finally, his mind got back into shape and reminded him that he was at Butterscotch's cottage. What he didn't recall was clutching the other stallion against himself like a body pillow. All he remembered doing was loosely hugging his friend.
Oh well, he thought. It was all the better since Butterscotch was softer than any body pillow he had ever owned. That and the pegasus didn't appear to mind it in the least. Said pegasus looked up at him from his position below, having noticed his friend's awakened state.
“Sleep well?” Butterscotch smiled with the question.
Dusk smiled back, not having anything in a hundred Equestrias to be unhappy about. “It was only a nap, but yes. Did you?”
“I didn't really sleep,” the stallion averted his eyes and blushed anew with the next part. “But it was very relaxing.”
“That's good,” Dusk said content. “I'm sorry I kind of used up our visit napping.”
“You didn't use it up,” Butterscotch refused. “This was the best visit we've had.”
The alicorn prince didn't know if it was his friend's smile, his eager honesty, or his ridiculous softness that made him believe the words. It didn't matter. He believed them. “Maybe we should just take naps together from now on,” he laughed jokingly.
Butterscotch perked up more at the suggestion, which made Dusk falter. Did the yellow male really want that to be the content of their future visits? Well, if it made him happy...and Dusk really enjoyed the rest...and there was something else soothing about it...
“Well,” Dusk decided as he got up. Drawing away and removing his hooves from around Butterscotch made said pony lose his content smile. He didn't want it to end. Actually, he wanted to stay like that the rest of his life if it was at all possible. He may have been selfless in many things but Butterscotch had to honestly admit to himself that this was one thing he could not be selfless about. He wanted Dusk to stick around and that was final.
“Wait,” the pegasus spoke up with less decision than he thought he would. Dusk Shine was already up and to the door while Butterscotch was still laid out on the bed. He practically spazzed out and stumbled face first onto the floor in his attempt to get up. “Don't go.”
Dusk Shine's expression was no less calm and patient than it had been any other time this visit. “But I don't want to hog all of your time. I'm sure you also have things you have to get done.”
“Today is just for us!” Butterscotch blurted out too fast and too loud, even if it was just a Butterscotch version of “too loud.” He winced and berated himself mentally.
The prince's serene countenance fell a bit. He was surprised by the determination his friend was showing and certainly by the idea that Butterscotch might have scheduled out the whole day just for a simple unplanned visit. Perhaps it wasn't so simple after all?
“Won't you at least stay until dinner?” Butterscotch teared up in that subtle puppy dog way that always wrenched Dusk's heart. He couldn't say no to that face, but he had that letter he had to write to Prince Solaris.
“I'm sorry, Scotch,” he apologized sincerely. “But I have to get back to the library.”
Butterscotch's face of hope fell like a hundred ton meteor. The hurt in his eyes made Dusk feel like he had just killed an innocent little baby kitten.
“B-but,” Dusk stuttered as he tried to come up with something quick. He had approached his friend beside the bed again and reached a hoof out to his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. “I can come back over when I'm done. It'd be after dinner but maybe we could have a dessert together?”
The baby kitten was just successfully resuscitated. Butterscotch's eye's kindled again with a happy glow and he removed Dusk's hoof from his shoulder with one of his own. He held that hoof just a second longer than might otherwise be normal. “That would be perfect. I'll be waiting.”
There was something about how he phrased it that made Prince Dusk Shine happy. Was it having a friend honestly wanting his company or was it something else? It was on his way out, after saying a temporary good-bye, that he remembered something he had wanted to say before the nap.
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention,” Dusk began as he walked out the cottage's front door.
“What?” Butterscotch asked simply as he saw him out, but with every ounce of contentment and joy he felt for his friend's inevitable return.
“My favorite parts in that book were the ones at the crystal pool of lilies.”
As Dusk Shine went on his way, Butterscotch went back to sit on his sofa and checked the time on the clock so he could count the minutes. Eventually, he looked down to the coffee table and found the bunny ears laying there again. He couldn't help but smile.
