Author's Note
This one-shot is my way of saying that there's a difference between a bad character and an unlikable one.
Takes place during Season 4. Enjoy it if you can.
Black and Red
The entrance of the Golden Oaks Library creaked open. Twilight looked up from her book on the second floor, curious as to who the visitor was. The sun was low in the sky and it was a time when most ponies were preparing for bed. "Who is it?" she called out.
"Me," came the response. Twilight recognized that voice, and she immediately closed her book and went downstairs with haste. The voice belonged to a troubled pony, one who only came by to seek help. Making her way down the steps, the visitor came into view: a small pony with a spiky, yet spongy, mane and tail, barely older than a teenager. His eyes were light green and he bore a cutie mark of a furled scroll. His fur was very bizarre and rather ominous, with his entire body covered in short, black hairs and mane and tail streaked with crimson. The most eye-catching part about him, though, were the wings on his body and the horn on his head. He was an alicorn, the first male one ever known. Dawn Ray was his name. He sat just inside the library, with the door still opened. His head was hanging low, his shoulders and body hunched. The way he sat, he looked as if he had just been defeated in a battle. Upon seeing Twilight, though, he tried to crack a small smile. "Oh, hey Twilight."
"Hi, Dawn." Twilight made her way to the table that sat in the middle of the room and seated herself. Looking over at Dawn, she patted the chair next to her with a hoof. "Come on, sit over here."
Dawn looked up at her for a bit, then his head dropped again, and he sighed. With great reluctance, he slowly shut the door behind him, stood up, and trudged over to Twilight. His hooves only made the softest of clopping sounds. When he reached the table, he pulled himself into the chair, rather clumsily. The chair moved, making a harsh scraping sound against the floor, and Dawn cringed. He adjusted himself until he was comfortable, then turned to Twilight.
Neither of them said anything, merely staring at one another awkwardly while one pony randomly broke eye contact now and again. Twilight wasn't expecting Dawn to say something—he was very quiet, and a conversation with him usually had to be sparked by someone else. Twilight didn't really know how to make small talk with him, though, as he usually just whimpered whenever she made even the slightest remark or mention of his personal life and didn't speak for an extensive time afterward, even if said remark wasn't directly to or about him.
It was because of this that Twilight was surprised when Dawn spoke up. "So, um... Whare's Spike?"
"I sent him to fetch a few ingredients for a bit of a risky experiment while I did some—admittedly—low-priority research," Twilight replied, only just now remembering the errand she sent him on, "Why?"
Dawn Ray shrugged. "Just... wondering." Twilight nodded, beginning to grow uncomfortable. She didn't want to turn Dawn away or force him out, but she didn't want to have him sitting around silently forever too. The research she was doing wasn't too important, but she wanted to get to it nonetheless. She would give him one more minute before making some sort of action. She started counting down in her head. Sixty. Fifty-nine. Fifty eight. Fifty—
Twilight's thoughts were interrupted when Dawn once again spoke up. "I'm having issues with my depression again," he sighed.
A small flicker of surprise sparked in Twilight's chest. She knew Dawn Ray well, well enough to know that he was scared to admit to his problems unless he felt that he needed to confess them. "Really?" she inquired, tilting her head, "Are you sure?"
Dawn gave a small nod. "Absolutely. I've had so much trouble just trying to live and breathe normally these past few days, but last night I just felt like an entire mountain was on top of my chest and I could never get it off. I wasn't able to stop thinking that my life was never going to get better, and I just... Well..." Dawn looked away. It was clear he didn't want to fully come out with what was going on.
Twilight felt a sudden, unexplained alarm. "What?" she pressed, "What happened?" Dawn didn't say anything, just hung his head once more as if it was exhausting to just hold it straight.
Truth be told, it probably was.
Dawn's life was just short of hellish. He was the ultimate outcast, friends with nopony. He was so incredibly different that no one he met felt he was a part of them and that he belonged. For such a delicate people, Ponyville had been nothing but vicious to Dawn. He was turned away, demeaned, avoided, and tossed aside. His house was on the outskirts of town, away from everypony else. The people around him steered away from his house, and a select few cruel ponies would throw jeers. All in all, Dawn had no friends but Twilight—who knew exactly why the ponies treated Dawn the way he did.
Even somewhere like Ponyville had less hospitable neighborhoods, and that was exactly where Dawn Ray lived—contrary to rumors around town, Dawn was not a member of the Royal Family. He was born an alicorn, and nopony knew why.
The ponies where Ray lived were sharp and unfriendly, and someone as out-of-place as Dawn, with his strange colors and his near-unnatural trait of alicornism, could only suffer in that part of town. He didn't own a lot, and while he wasn't in a bad shape, he was certainly skinny. Twilight didn't know if it was due to low food supply, refusing to eat, or both, but what she did know was that any time she tried to help him dig his way out of that situation and live a better life, he would vehemently deny the aid, always with a terrified look on his face. Twilight didn't know why he seemed so against living a better life, but whenever he came here she always tried to chisel away his shell. So far, she didn't think she'd made any progress.
The sound of Dawn's voice derailed Twilight's train of thought. "Twilight, do you think there's a way I can make friends?" Dawn sounded very hesitant in saying this.
Twilight nodded. "Of course, Dawn. We've been over this before—The area of Ponyville you live in is a lot worse than it could be. We just need to find you a home closer to the Town Square, and—"
Dawn interrupted her. "What if they hate me?" he whimpered.
Twilight was mixed about Dawn's question. On one hoof, she felt pity for the suppressed alicorn, while on the other she wanted to facehoof. "Dawn," she sighed, "I've told you many times that they won't. You'll need to take a bit of getting used to, but in time everyone should open up to you. We're not monsters, Ray. Friendship and compassion is the backbone of this town."
"I know! But..." Ray's voice dwindled. Twilight watched him as he placed his head in his hooves. She felt sorry for the poor pony, thrust into a harsh life because of what he looked like. It must be hard, she thought, being hated by everyone around you. Poor guy. If only he would let me help him. It could make his life so much better and maybe he'd have an easier time fighting his depression. Twilight watched Dawn, waiting for him to say something. She was expecting a few feeble reasons why he couldn't go through with getting a new house and a few other remarks here and there.
What she wasn't expecting, though, was seeing Dawn's shoulders quiver.
Surprise shot through Twilight's body. "Dawn, are you alright?" she asked, taken aback.
Dawn didn't look up at her. "No, I'm not." The words were broken up with little sobs. "I'm scared, Twilight."
Confusion bubbled in Twilight's chest. "Scared? Of what?"
Dawn Ray looked back up at Twilight, and she could see tears welling up in his eyes. "I don't-" another sputtering sob shook Dawn to his core. He stopped to try and regain himself. "I don't want my life to keep going the way that it is. I don't want to be hated. But..." he choked back another sob, "I'm not sure how I'll manage to get myself to higher ground. I'm scared of spending the rest of my life in a run-down nieghborhood with ponies who... hate me." Dawn dropped his head back down and began sobbing again.
Twilight felt an overwhelming wave of pity wash over her. Here in front of her was a pony, completely innocent and undeserving of hate, breaking down under the pressure of living and terrified of his own future. It deeply pained her to see any pony at all unhappy, and this nearly broke Twilight's heart. She had to at least try and do something.
"Dawn," she said, "if you move to a better place, people won't hate you. I promise."
Dawn sniffed. "H-how do you know that?"
"Because the entirety of Ponyville is curious about you. They'd love to say hi to you."
Twilight expected Dawn to be at least a little bit reassured, but instead she saw him give her a baffled, disbelieving stare. Twilight's confusion resurfaced, and she titled her head at Dawn. "What?" she asked.
Dawn's response was shaky and stuttered. "Wh-wha... What do you mean?"
Twilight grew more perplexed. "I mean that the rest of Ponyville is curious as to who you are. Some of them are even already eager to make friends with you, and a select few are... too eager." Twilight shuddered, thinking of Pinkie Pie. She would make this poor colt feel violated. Twilight was so worried of how Dawn would react to Pinkie that, when Pinkie was first made aware of Dawn's existence, Teilight spent two hours convincing the hyperactive pink pony to stay away from him.
Dawn made a few hoarse noises from the back of his throat, and then slowly, tentatively, asked Twilight, "You... You mean... everypony knows who I am?"
Twilight nodded. "Of course."
"H-how?!"
Despite the somber mood, Twilight had to suppress a giggle. "Oh, come on, Dawn. You're a red and black alicorn stallion. Of course word is going to travel about you. In fact, the Princesses all the way in Canterlot know who you are."
A sharp gasp. "Wh... What?!"
"Yep. They just don't know of your... plight." Twilight was hesitant to say the last word. "But the rest of Ponyville is more than willing to get to know you. Trust me, Dawn. We can make your life better. I promise."
Silence. Ray just stared down at his hooves, his mane hanging in front of his face and blocking Twilight's view of it. Twilight's stomach began to slowly knot itself as she waited for an answer. She didn't know why she was so nervous, but she hoped that Dawn would give her a positive response. She sat there, fidgeting as Dawn remained quiet. He didn't move a muscle. Twilight could tell he was thinking hard, and she knew he would come up with an answer eventually—she just didn't know what it would be.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Dawn Ray looked up at Twilight. A look of uncertainty was on his face. "Are you sure about what you're saying?" he breathed.
Twilight nodded. "Absolutely."
"Then..." Dawn took a deep breath, "If what you're saying is true, and the ponies around me would, at the least, be kind to me, and I could really improve my life here, than soon I think I can try and move closer to the Town Square."
Dawn's words nearly knocked Twilight off of her chair. Her jaw hit the floor, and her eyes grew as big as flying saucers. Disbelief coursed through her every vein as she took in what Dawn had just told her. Finally, she could help this pony lead a better life. She could bring him out of the gutter. She could fix his problems.
Twilight felt as if she was going to burst into confetti like one of Pinkie's "Super Duper Party Balloons". She was so elated to finally help Dawn that she would've squealed if she wasn't aware that Dawn hated loud noises. After all this, and all I've had to do was tell him something he should've already known? It was nearly too good to be true. Fortunately for Twilight, it was true.
Dawn looked at her, bewildered. "Twilight? Are you alright?" he asked.
"Of course!" Twilight replied merrily. "I'm fine! I'm just happy that we can finally help you out!"
Despite his earlier mood, Dawn managed to give a small smile. "I'm happy too, Twilight. At long last, I get to have friends. I get to have people who care about me. Something I've wanted throughout my entire life, ever since I moved out of my parents' house. And to me, it might as well be everything."
Then, Ray did something Twilight wasn't expecting: He hopped out his chair, turned, and headed for the door.
"Wait!" she called, taken aback, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going home," Dawn answered simply. "Tomorrow, I'll come back, and I'll ask you about what I should do."
Twilight was incredulous. "What are you talking about? We can start tonight!"
Dawn paused. "Really?"
"Of course!" Twilight chuckled. "The real estate around here is open twenty-four seven, and since all the houses are almost the same, we just need to find any given house. There's plenty vacant homes close to the center of Ponyville. All we have to do is find a house to buy, and—"
Dawn cringed. "I, um... Don't have that much money," he admitted, "In fact, I barely have any money at all."
"Would selling your current home help you earn some?"
Dawn nodded slowly. "Yes, but then I'd be... you know... without a home."
"I know a lot of ponies who would allow you to live with them while you earn some bits. In fact, I have a good friend who I think would be happy to help you, at the least, find a temporary home."
"Really? Can we go talk to them about it?"
"Right now?"
"Yes."
Twilight put a hoof to her chin. "Maybe. I don't see the harm in trying."
"Okay... Should we go?"
"Sure." Twilight scooted herself out of her chair, and together she and Dawn headed for the entrance. Twilight pulled the door open with her magic. The two stepped outside and were greeted with Spike carrying a mishmash of things.
"I'm ho—Oh." Spike realized that Twilight was right in front of him. He also noticed the red and black alicorn beside her. "Oh, hey Dawn. What're you doing here?"
Dawn Ray didn't get to answer before Twilight grabbed Spike's attention. "Spike, there's been a change of plans, and Dawn and I are going to talk with somepony for a bit. Can I trust you to keep the place safe?"
Spike, slightly surprised, nodded. "Yeah. Why are you going somewhere when it's almost night, though?"
"I'll give you the details when we get back. Dawn and I have to go."
"Got it. Now, comin' through!" Spike pushed past the two ponies and into the library. He dropped the things he was holding into a corner of the room and immediately went upstairs, probably to eat gems and then sleep.
"Alrighty then. Come on, Dawn." Twilight pulled the door shut behind them, and the two set off.
Twilight knocked softly on the house's front door. Dawn waited beside her, tense and curt. Before long, the door creaked open, and the duo was greeted by a pale yellow pegasus.
Fluttershy gave a small smile. "Oh, hi Twilight. What brings you here at this—" she then caught sight of the pony next to her. She issued a small gasp as her eyes went wide and she put both of her hooves to her mouth. For the first few moments, she was completely speechless. Then, after a good while, she finally squeaked out, "Twilight, is that... an alicorn?"
Twilight nodded. "Yes, and he needs your help."
Fluttershy nearly fainted. "M-my help? For what?"
"Have you heard those rumors flying around town about a male alicorn?"
"Y-yes."
"This is that alicorn. His name is Dawn Ray. He and I are going to work together to find him a home in one of the nicer parts of Ponyville, and to get a good head start he's going to sell his old house, but in the meantime he needs a place to stay. Can you help us with that?"
Flutterhsy was dead silent for at least a minute, but right when Twilight was about to speak up, she shook herself out. "What? Oh, yes? Um, I have, uh... Oh, sorry, I'm just amazed that I'm been asked to help the world's first male alicorn!" Fluttershy's voice rose to a decently audible level. "This is sooooo exciting! But I don't know if he'll want to. Maybe I should ask Angel... No, Angel would disapprove. But I need to help him. He's an alicorn! I mean, I could, but it might—"
"Fluttershy." Twilight interrupted the pegasus' incoherent rambling. "We're thankful for any home you can provide him. Do you have anything in mind? We'd like to find him someplace soon."
Fluttershy nodded. "Oh yes!" she squeed, "I have a guest room in the back of the house. He can stay there. He doesn't even have to pay rent. I'll just ask for help with the animals every now and again."
Dawn, after a bit of silence, gave a minute nod. "I'm okay with animals," he murmured.
Twilight nodded. "Great! When can he move into the room?"
"Right now if he wants. I don't know how many of his belongings he can bring, though."
"I don't have any belongings." Dawn hung his head. "I always thought they would be taken away from me right after I bought them. Besides, I couldn't afford anything frivolous."
Fluttershy was shocked. "Really?" she whispered, "Where do you live?"
"...On the outskirts of Ponyville. Everyone there is hostile, and I've, well... I've been a miserable outcast my whole life."
Fluttershy gasped. "Really? Oh, you poor thing. Come right on in. Make yourself at home."
Dawn was slow to take the offer. He didn't know Fluttershy at all, and while she seemed nice enough, he was nervous of a new face.
Twilight nudged him. "Go ahead, Dawn," she urged, "Head on in."
Dawn put his trust in Twilight and slowly, with great terseness, moved one hoof in front of the other, inching so very slowly towards Fluttershy's front door. He reluctantly moved past Fluttershy as she stepped aside for him. Once he was inside, though, he felt the immediate sweet scent of nature's best flowers touch his nose. The inside was warm and welcoming, and around him were many small animals, who all looked up at him curiously. One small white bunny gave him a rather suspicious and unfriendly stare that made him uncomfortable, but that was the only unfavorable thing about this place. It was warm, quiet, and he was in the company of a seemingly kind mare.
"Goodbye!" Twilight said to him, and he turned around, giving her a smile and waving a heartfelt farewell. Fluttershy waved goodbye to Twillight too, and the Princess of Friendship turned and began leaving. Fluttershy closed the cottage door, and just like that, Twlight was gone.
Fluttershy turned to face Dawn. "The guest room is in the very far back on the left," she supplied quietly, "I'm going to bed, but if you need anything, just talk to me."
Dawn nodded. Fluttershy turned and headed up a staircase leading to a hallway with a few doors on each side. Dawn watched her go up the steps, and for the first time in a long while, he cracked a truly joyful smile. This cottage was a beam of hope to Dawn, a sign that all was not lost. He could sell his old home and work up the bits to buy a house in the center of Ponyville and finally meet some true friends, the one thing he'd wanted throughout his entire life. It filled him with so much joy that he felt just about ready to explode. It was truly incredible that he could finally be certain things were going to get better. He would have to carry his own weight sometimes, but now he would also have others there to help him. To be there for him. To care about him. As Dawn headed up the stairs to his new room, he new this was the start of something new, and he was determined to make it to the finish, becuase now, with the help of real friends, he could.
Now he would no longer have to be hated for being an alicorn.
No longer would he have to fear being black and red.
