A gentle breeze rolled through the verdant green foliage, curtains in windows and clotheslines between buildings billowed in the gentle gust. The air was fragrant with spring flowers as it reached butterscotch like a gentle caress through his mane and fur as it carried him through the air. His wings glided along the current until he landed softly just outside the grand oak tree of Duskshine's library. Butterscotch gently lifted his hoof to tap on the door, and a familiar purple and green dragon opened the door in a cute pink apron.
"Oh hello, Barb, good afternoon my little dragon friend." Butterscotch said with a smile, rustling her headfin.
"Good to see you Butterscotch, I was just making tea for you and Duskshine. He should be down here any minute." Barbara said perkily, "Just take a seat out there."
Butterscotch obliged and sat down on a cushion next to a small patio table Dusky recently got. Memories of the night before started to creep into his mind, first warm and tender, then heavy and troubled as Eris lingered on his mind. She had started to turn into a black hole of chaos, proclaiming hate for herself, and all her so called pony friends, that Butterscotch's love was fake, just to get her to behave. He watched the passing ponies, and billowing leaves in the spring winds, taking a deep breath to relax. Barbara trotted back out with a silver tray, with two delicate fine manegolian tea cups filled with dark green liquid. Duskshine followed right behind her, sitting down across from Butterscotch, as the tray of steaming drinks was delicately placed on the table.
"Good afternoon, Butterscotch, good to see you." Duskshine said.
"Hey Dusky, thanks for having me over on such short notice." Butterscotch replied softly.
"I'll leave you colts to… colt talk." Barbara said, giving a wink, starting to head inside
"Thanks Barb." Duskshine said with a smile.
"Yes, thank you so much." Butterscotch added.
"No problem colts." Barb said as she closed the door behind her.
"So what brings you out here today Butters?" Duskshine asked as he levitated the tea cup.
Butterscotch really didn't answer, mostly it seemed that he stared at his reflection in the herbal beverage. The warm steam soaked in on his fur as the coldness of Eris' words stung at him. In the short time since the Draconequus had ben unfrozen, she had been spending time with Butterscotch in an attempt to rehabilitate her. Some days this was like a breeze for her, days spent like a school filly laughing, playing, and most importantly loving with ease. On her best days she'd practically be an element herself, helping ponies around town, making friends, or playing with his animals. Unfortunately, when she was left alone too long she'd be dazed in her past and hate, and she'd convince herself she was just a monster, that she was made to terrorize ponies. Her last words last night hurt him the most 'what if my heart just isn't in being reformed? It's just easier to tear everything down.'
"Uhhh… butters, are you okay? You've hardly touched your tea." Duskshine asked, raising a brow.
"Oh I was just… deep in thought, sorry Dusky." Butterscotch said, lifting his head to give a faint smile.
"I don't like it when you're like this, you know? It's like you're retreating in a shell, like a typical cancer." Duskshine said, magically lifting his teacup to sip.
"Oh goodness Dusky I don't really believe in all that zodiac stuff…" Butterscotch took a gentle sip of his tea.
"Eh, you don't have to, but something is clearly bothering you." He replied, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof.
"No… you're… right, you're a really good friend and I trust you, I just…. I've been having problems with Eris." Butterscotch bit his lip gently.
Duskshine perked up, eyes widening,"she's not regressing is she?"
"No I uhh…. Well we talk alot, and I think I understand how her powers work more." Butterscotch gently tilted his teacup back and forth, watching the liquid slosh.
"Wait, wouldn't that be a good thing?" Duskshine asked tapping his chin.
"Well, yes and no, it stresses me out because I think I know her powers better than she might." Butterscotch sighed.
"Well just how do they work?" Duskshine inquired, head tilted.
"She manifests things based on her feelings, and whatever she thinks most about. I started to figure this out when she kept turning Cherub into a cactus whenever she came around because 'she's a prick' but she's learned to like my lil bunny baby since then." Butterscotch gave a warm smile.
"I can imagine that was a real thorn in your side" Duskshine joked like a dork.
Butterscotch gave a tiny snort as he covered his muzzle with a hoof. "It's not all bad stuff either, she's gotten an eye for nature, and the flowers she was sniffing and admiring the other day bloomed at her touch."
"So what part of this is stressing you out?" Duskshine asked.
"Well… sometimes her negative feelings overwhelm her, she becomes like a black hole where everything breaks and goes wrong around her. I can sometimes hardly talk her out of it, she just thinks I'm convincing her to feel good or calm. It's like there's 2 voices inside her head splitting her down the middle, and she's used to everything going wrong and everyone hating her." Butterscotch explained, finishing up his tea.
"Is this why you borrowed those books last week? 'Metaphysics for Mares' and 'Ponies of Peace'?" Duskshine leaned on the table, resting his head on his hoof.
"Err, well yes, but she doesn't really trust it, and I always seem to find the peace of Faust easily in my heart and with my animals. I tried to give her an outlet for some of her…uhmm, chaos…" Butterscotch trailed off with a blush.
"What's the outlet Butters?" Duskshine raised a brow, as his mane blew in the breeze.
Butterscotch sighed deeply as the wind caressed his fur, "Me" he managed the courage to spit it out.
"What does that mean?" Duskshine asked, oblivious.
Butterscotch squeaked, hiding behind his mane,"w-we get s-sexual, and I tell her t-to not hold b-back"
Duskshine's face lit up scarlet red as Butterscotch spelled out his promiscuous affair. After the initial shock of seeing his friend to be a tad less innocent, he felt warm that at least Butterscotch had found somepony, then worried once more. He felt a pang of anger that Eris would get this close to Butterscotch just to tear him up like this.
"Butters… I, er, are you sure that's a good idea?" He managed to ask finally.
"Yes Dusky, she makes me the happiest stallion ever, it feels like a blessing from Faust when she smiles, laughs, kisses me, and, well… o-other stuff, I can tell she really does care when she doesn't try to undo herself." Butterscotch said, blush fading from his muzzle.
"What are you going to do now Butterscotch? we have to rehabilitate her." Duskshine finished his tea, setting it down with a heavy sigh.
"I'm not sure, we got into a bit of a fight last night, and she said she wanted space, I just feel terrified that if I'm not there to give her my peacefulness she'll unravel herself." Butterscotch tapped nervously at his teacup.
"You know what they say Butters, if you love something, let it go, and if it's meant to be, it'll come back to you," Duskhine rested his hoof warmly on his friend's shoulder."or so I've read."
"I suppose you're right Dusky, thank you for being a good friend." Butterscotch smiled.
"You can always count on me, Butterscotch."
Duskshine lifted his hoof from his shoulder.
"...just please don't tell anyone about the s-" Butterscotch was cut off.
"I promise I won't." Replied Duskshine.
Butterscotch smiled, and stood up, taking a deep breath before fluttering off to his cottage in the afternoon sun.
"He's definitely a bottom," Barb said, as she leaned on the windowsill above Duskshine.
"BARB!" Duskshine yelled out, swatting the dragon with a newspaper.
