A glass of water. A simple, unimportant object. Something everyone takes for granted, and never offers any thought. You pick up the glass, fill it with water, and gulp it down, not thinking about that specific drink ever again. You put the glass down on a counter, maybe a table, and forget about its existence.

It's just a glass, right?

But right now, that stupid glass of water ruled Dust's entire world. Sitting there on the opposite side of the table, filled with water up to the brim. It felt as if it was mocking him. Staring him down, refusing to move. Mocked by a fucking glass.

All he wanted to do was get up from his seat and smash it into pieces. Then perhaps pick up those pieces and smash them again, for good measure. But he couldn't. That would ruin everything he'd been trying the last couple of weeks. He had to stay focused. Focused on the glass on the other side, and his open hand in front of him.

Trying again, he closed his other hand around the ring, and envisioned the glass in his hand on the table. Nothing. He strained himself until the point that his hand was shaking, but still nothing. Sighing, Dust rubbed his eyes. He was doing something wrong, he was sure about it. He knew it would work somehow.

Again. Clutch the ring, focus on the glass. This time, he didn't really try. He was about to give up, and only gave a half-hearted attempt this time. Closing his eyes, he chuckled, disappointed. Then, a sound echoed throughout the room. The sound of scraping against wood. It grew somewhat in strength, before it suddenly stopped.

As he opened his eyes again, the glass had moved. Now standing in the middle of the table, and not a single drop of water had been spilt. He almost jumped from his seat, but contained himself to simply smiling wide. Something he hadn't done for a long, long time.

Relaxing again, he looked at the glass.

"Come here."

The glass skidded across the table at an impressive speed, coming to a stop perfectly wedged between his fingers and thumb. Slowly, Dust raised it to his lip, took a sip of water. Quickly getting up from his seat, he placed the glass on the opposite site of the table and did the same thing again. This time, the glass came to him almost instantly. He took another sip of water.

Dust repeated this routine again and again, until the glass only had a little bit of water left at the bottom. He got up from the chair and walked over to the window behind the recliner. Outside, everything was white. The snowfall was so heavy; he couldn't even see the tree line outside. He raised his glass, and lightly tapped it against the cold window.

"To success, Lady Winter." He emptied the glass.

Lady Winter. She comes once a year, shrouding the world in her cold embrace. Her wailing voice spreads through the wind. For some reason, Dust vaguely remembered something from his youth. When he was a kid, he'd seen some old cartoon on TV, and even though he didn't remember the name of it or what it was about, he still remembered... Her.

In the show, she wasn't called Lady Winter, but rather... What was it, the Ice Lady? No, Ice Princess? Something like that. She came every winter, spreading fear to everyone. She floated across the ground, creating a trail of ice behind her. Her chanting songs froze your blood to ice, same as if you came close to her. And all she wanted was to be loved, and not be lonely anymore.

And then another creature popped up in his mind. For years, he'd neglected the thought of it, but now it came back. A creature from the same show, similar to the Ice Princess, in that it wanted to be loved. Lonely, never speaking, she stood several feet over everyone else, simply staring at them. Her name, he remembered, was The Groke. Or "Mårran", as they called her in his country.

In his country... His home.

She had terrified him as a kid. He even refused to watch the show as soon as they even mentioned her. She gave him nightmares, and because of her, he feared the winter like nothing else. But now, winter was the only time at year he felt truly at peace. Strange, maybe his fear of the Groke actually helped him in realizing just how beautiful the winter really was?

Looking at the falling snow outside the window, he wondered if such a creature could actually exist in this new world... Feeling a chill down his back, he turned from the window and sat down in the couch instead. Just like he'd forgotten most of that show, a lot from his earlier life had disappeared from his mind. But every now and then, he still missed it. Missed his family... His younger brother. He should be around 17 by now, a young man. And he never got to see him grow into it.

Mattias. And Anton. The two brothers, almost inseparable from birth. Odd, since brothers almost always compete against each other, they were the complete opposite. When they both where young, they used to play out in the forest close to their home. They pretended to be knights in shining armor, killing off all evil from the land. He missed those days.

Sometimes, he missed his real name, Mattias, but when he came here, he decided on a new name. Not only because a name like his would sound strange in this world, he'd also wanted to be called Dust since he was a child. It was the name he had when he where a knight, out with his brother. And Anton had been Ash.

"Ashes to ashes, Dust to dust" they had chanted whenever they killed their enemies. He missed his brother so much.

He felt his eyes water. This was the reason he tried to forget his former life; thinking about it was too painful. He wished Anton had been there, that he could have seen his older brother find the love of his life. Sure, he would have thought it strange, but still, he'd have seen his brother’s true happiness. He could have seen just how wonderful Rarity was...

"Fuck it.. Rarity.." Dust whispered, finally letting his tears fall freely.

He really did want her back, no matter what Luna had said. He didn't care anymore what she had done, he just wanted her back, to hold her and love her again. But it would be impossible. After 14 days, word where bound to spread. Rumors and gossip about him had probably already reached her ears. Of course she knew what he had did to that poor stallion that night. And the rumors where probably blown out of proportion, instead saying he tortured or mutilated him or god knows what they could come up with.

He was a killer. He had come to terms with that these last few weeks. Even though that guard haunted his dream, he had to forget about it. What's done is done. There's no going back. Did the stallion have a family? Foals? Probably. And in the blink of an eye, he'd taken their father away from them.

The glass dropped to the floor, shattering against the wooden floorboards. He rested his face in his hands and cried. He'd cried more during his time in Equestria than ever throughout his entire life. Happiness breeds sadness.

"You don't need that whore." A voice whispered.

Dust's face flew up from his hands, expecting to see somepony else, but there was no one there. The room was as quiet as ever.

"Hello..?" He asked hesitantly. "Who said that..?"

"Over here!" The voice called out next to him.

He felt its breath against his face, and he fell backwards in fear, tumbling over the couch and falling hard into the floor behind it. Groaning, he slowly got back up. Looking over the couch, he couldn't see anyone or anypony.

".. Who's there..? Show yourself!" He shouted as he got back up on his feet.

Then, he felt someone tugging on his left shoulder.

"It's just me, Dust." Luna's voice whispered in his ear.

Before he could answer, someone else tugged on his right shoulder as well.

"It's just me, love." Another voice spoke in his ear, this one belonging to Rarity.

Scared out of his mind, Dust ran for the door. Flinging it open, he took a few steps into the biting cold wind, but then stopped dead in his tracks. He could see the tree line now, and something moving between the trees. He understood what he saw, but it couldn't be real, there was no way. Approaching from the trees, a tall, quiet figure slowly became visible. He saw her broad mouth with shining white teeth, and her soulless white eyes.

Seeing his childhood nightmare in reality, he almost fell to his knees. Shaking, he quickly spun around, ran inside and slammed the door shut. As he locked the door, the two voices came upon him again.

"You don't need that whore!" they both shouted in unison into his ears.

"Leave me alone!" He yelled back, covering his hears and cowering on the floor. But he still heard the voices, and they became more and more agitated.

"KILL HER!" The voices screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Get out of my mind!" Dust yelled, shaking and trembling, feeling like a child at the mercy of his bullies.

Silence. The voices had disappeared. Slowly, Dust removed his hands from his ears, starting to calm down. He got up in a sitting position with his back against the door, still shivering a bit. But then, remembering what might be outside of the door, he jumped up from the floor, and hurried into the kitchen, grabbing a rather big knife from the counter.

With it in his hand, ready to strike, he took a few steps towards the door. Leaning in, he put his ear against it, but all he could hear was the howling of the wind. Against his better judgment, dreading what he'd find, he grabbed the doorknob, twisting it in his hand. The look clicked, and holding his breath, he threw the door open. A whirlwind of snow hit him, and he stabbed into the white fog in fear.

The snow disappeared after only a few seconds, leaving the front of his house open to his sight. But that... thing... wasn't there. Dust took a few uncertain steps outside, looking around the tree line for any movement, but there was nothing. He walked around the house, but all was quiet.

After sitting by the open fireplace for a while, he decided to try out the ring some more. If he could get a glass to move, he could probably move something bigger. He lay down on the couch, trying to relax. Without actually focusing on any specific object, he only tried to gather as much energy as he could, and see where he could direct it. His fingertips tingled. But nothing else happened.

Ponyville looked so different at winter than during the summer. The biggest difference was that the streets where much less crowded. Dust didn't mind, in fact it suited him perfectly. The fewer ponies, less risk of getting into a fight. If the ponies hated him before, he couldn't even begin to imagine what they felt about him now. Walking down the street, he spotted something bright and pink far of in the distance. Probably just some random pony out for a walk.

He didn't care about the pink pony. He had no desire to talk to it, no reason to go and meet it. As he turned down a street to his right, he glanced one last time at the pony. Before his line of sight was cut off by a building, he saw the pony bouncing around like crazy. For a moment, he thought to himself that it must be a junkie, hopped up on something. But, drugs didn't exist in Equestria. Or did they?

His mind wandered as he went through different possibilities around it, but before he could come to any interesting conclusion, he saw his destination. In the distance, he saw a tall building, towering over all the other houses. Dressed in all manners of different white, purple and pink colors, and with mannequins of ponies decorating the top of the house.

Rarity’s home.

He turned his gaze to the door, trying not to look at the mannequins. They freaked him out, always had. Not just mannequins, but dolls in general. Rarity had insisted on having mannequins in his house, and that had evolved into their first real argument. But finally, he gave in.

It was impossible for him to stay mad at her, so he let her keep the mannequin in the living room. Never in the bedroom. Never. Not only did it creep him out, he didn't want that thing watching him and Rarity when they...

Pushing his thoughts aside, he knocked on the door. Hurried hoof steps could be heard from behind the door, and then a lock clicked, and the door opened.

"He-... Oh, Dust." Rarity’s face had changed the moment she saw it was him.

"Yeah, oh Dust to you too. Can I come in?" Dust answered quickly.

"Um, I don't... Maybe, I-I...” Rarity stuttered, seemingly worried, taken by surprise by Dust's sudden visit.

"Calm down, Rarity. Firstly, whatever you've heard about me, it's probably true. What I did was stupid, and I deserve to burn in hell for it. I just couldn't control myself, and it just happened, I-I.." Dust stumbled over his words.

Rarity looked at him with an expression he didn't understand, but then she moved aside, allowing Dust to enter. He heard the door closing behind him, but he didn't turn around. Instead, He looked around the room. More mannequins. Great.

"Rarity, I...” He began, looking at the mannequins. ".. I don't care what you did. Not anymore."

"So... you forgive me?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course, Rare. I just hope you can forgive me for what I did... I know it's so much worse than what you did."

"Dust, you.."

"I understand if you hate me. Well anyway, I'm going to give you some time to think about it... You don't need to answer it right now. In the meantime...” Dust reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment. Turning around, he handed it over to Rarity. "What do you think?" He asked.

Rarity had an uncertain look on her face as she walked up to Dust and took a look at the parchment.

"Um... It's a rather... unusal design...” she said, looking over all the details in the sketch.

"Yeah, maybe for a pony" Dust said, "But not for a human. See, we call it trench coat. Or long coat, duster, robe, whatever you want. But it's quite similar to your cloaks. Think you can do it?" He looked Rarity in her eyes. He just wanted to lean in and kiss her...

"I could try...” Rarity answered, "Any specific details, fabric or any... thing..?" Her voice died down as she looked back up into Dust's eyes.

They stood silent for a few seconds, looking at each other. Since Rarity was much shorter than Dust, and only reached up to his hips, he squatted down, in order to get face-to-face with her. It felt like hours that they stood there, staring into each other’s eyes. Finally, they both moved forward, about to kiss. Dust placed his hand on her neck. He'd missed her soft mane so much...

Moving closer together, inch by inch. They were so close that Dust could see his own face reflecting in her big, blue eyes. And then their lips met.

For the first time in weeks, Dust finally got to show his love for her again. He wanted to stay in this kiss forever. He felt Rarity’s hooves moving up to his shoulders as her kissing became a bit more exited. His vision was filled with purple light as her horn lit up right in front of his eyes. He felt it tugging at his clothes.

"Rare, wait...” He said, breaking the kiss. "Not now."

"Why not?" Rarity asked with a longing, disappointed look on her face.

"Well... you need to take my measures for the coat first." Dust carefully laughed, getting up from the floor and quickly grabbing a tape measure from a nearby table.

He laughed as he dangled it in front if Rarity’s eyes, the way you dangle a toy in front of a cat. Rarity rolled her eyes and scoffed, but then she started to laugh as well, grabbing the tape measure in her mouth and pulling it out of Dust's hand.

Moving over to a corner of the room, Dust positioned himself inside a half-circle of mirrors, as Rarity began her work.

"You know," he said as she measured his arms. "I was thinking something warm, like wool. Black wool. Think you can work with that?"

Rarity answered with only a "Mhm.", measuring his shoulders.

"And, uh... some extra details. Like metal rings, clamps, buckles... maybe some lacing." Dust continued.

Rarity raised her eyebrows at his words, but didn't stop her measuring. Dust watched her in silence until she was done. Placing the tape measure down on a nearby table, she turned again to Dust, opening her mouth to speak.

"Dust... can I ask you something?" She said, almost whispering.

Dust answered by nodding.

"Well... All this time we've known each other, and never ever have you mentioned... your world. Where you came from."

"I really don't want to think about it." Dust admitted. "When I left, everything was a mess... I would not be surprised if that world is gone now...”

His voice died down as he once again had to remember his friends and family, his brother. Thinking that they might all be dead now. He managed to hold his tears back this time, though.

"What do you mean...’gone'?" Rarity asked.

Dust sighed, and walked over to the nearest wall. He leaned his back against it, and sank down onto the floor. Somewhat hesitantly, Rarity joined him, sitting down next to him, carefully resting her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure if you would understand Rare," Dust said. "Equestria is so different from... Earth. The main difference I say is the fact that you have Celestia and... Luna. Two living goddesses, governing the world. There is no real religion or ideology, because you all know the sisters are real, you have no need to "believe" in them. On Earth, it's quite the opposite... thousands of religions and ideaologies, all of them claiming that their god or goddess is the only real one. And since the dawn of mankind, we have killed each other over it. Over thoughts. You understand, right? We kill other human beings simply because they think differently. I'll never understand it myself... It's just madness."

Dust paused to catch his breath. Rarity didn't interrupt him or say anything, just listened with an unsure look on her face.

"Anyway, I don't know about all religions, only a few... I guess the biggest one was Christianity. I think. Then there where Jews, Muslims, Islamism, Buddha, catholic... but that might just be another name for Christians, I really don't know. Can’t think of any other right now though...”

"But that doesn't explain what you said...” Rarity whispered. She now not only had her head rested on his shoulder, she was leaning her entire body unto him.

"I'm getting to that." Dust answered in a low voice. "Quick question, how do you count years in Equestria? Oh, well never mind. Humans had only been around for about two thousand years when I left so... I left 2015, and that's two years ago now... Anyway, during these thousands of years, mankind has waged wars against each other over these beliefs. Of course, with evolution and science came deadlier weapons... The first really massive war began sometime in the early 1900's, 1914, I think... I'm not too great at history. We called it World war one. Then, in 19... Late 1930's I think, the Second World War erupted. And that became mankind’s darkest chapter... Thousands of people slaughtered like animals because of their beliefs. And when I left, 2015, Earth stood on the brink of a third world war... the major difference this time was the Nuklear bombs. Powerful missiles, strong enough to completely wipe any city of the map, killing everything and everyone..."

He paused, wiping some tears from his eyes.

"And you think... they used these... bombs?" Rarity said slowly.

Dust nodded.

"Complete annihilation. Earth may well be just a charred corpse by now. And the same goes for all my friends and family... I've never told you about them, have I? My mom's name was Cecilia, and dad... Mattias. And I'm named after him. So my real name is Mattias, not Dust. And then there was my brother, Anton... He... he was younger than me. Five years. My brother might just be a burnt corpse now...”

"Do you miss them?"

"Every day. But I try not to think about them. When I think too much, I just break down crying again."

Rarity tucked her forelegs around him, nuzzling his shoulder.

"Rare, there's something I want to tell you... But I don't know if now is the right moment...”

"Tell me, I'll listen to whatever you say Darlin'." She whispered softly into his ear.

".. That day that... you know. I was about to ask you something that day...”

Rarity looked at him with wondering eyes. He took in some air, tried to focus on what he was about to admit. A few words that could either repair or ruin everything. A confession that would change both of their futures.

"Don't tell her. She'll only hurt you again." Luna's voice echoed in his head again.

Dust tensed up, afraid that Rare heard it as well. But she seemed as if she hadn't heard a single word, still waiting for him to tell her.

"I-I... Never mind" he exhaled. "I'll tell you another time. Perhaps when you're finished with my robe? You could come over to my place again. I'll cook dinner, get some candles, light up the fireplace...” He looked into her eyes, kissing her again. "And after that, maybe we could...’catch up'?"

"Maybe...” Rarity answered whispering. "Or we could just do it right here on the floor." She added, grinning at him.

"As you wish, my Lady." Dust said chuckling, and kissed her again.

"She will hurt you. Betray you. Lie."

Luna stood above him, looking down on him and the body in his arms. Dust was crying, yelling incoherently, slowly rocking back and forth.

"She did this!" Luna thundered and pointed her hoof at Dust and the body of his brother he was holding in his arms. Cradling him.

"And she will do the same to you as well, Dust! She only wants to see you suffer!"

Dust had no answers. All he could do was cry. Cry, scream, cry and scream. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be. Yet the mangled body of Anton was as real as himself, blood leaking from multiple stab wounds spread out across the skinny body, soaking Dust's clothes, pooling up on the floor around them.

"Rarity will kill you, unless you do something." Luna spoke once again.

"What-what... s-hould I do..?" Dust managed to let out between his sobs.

"Fear not Dust, as long as I'm with you, she can’t hurt you." Luna answered with a much lower voice.

She sat down next to Dust placing her hoof on his hand, the hand that pressed against one of Anton's many wounds. Dust was confused as to what she was doing.

"I know what you really want...” Luna said quietly.

"Then tell me what it is!" Dust finally yelled back at her. "You torment me, haunt my dreams and won’t leave me alone! Tell me, so that I may be rid of you!"

Luna's face stayed the same. Apparently, his screaming didn't affect her.

"Me."

The moment she uttered the word, Anton shook violently, opened his mouth and screamed at the top of his lungs. Dust yelled out in surprise, doing his best to try and comfort his brother, but the boy only kept on screaming, trying to get up, trying to fling his arms around them both. The blood from his wounds sprayed across them, not adding much more to Dust's already soaked clothes, but instead ruining Luna's coat with dark stains.

"Darlin', what are you doing?"

Dust looked up, and he felt fear consume him as Rarity, covered from horn to hoof in fresh blood, stepped into the room. Fresh, crimson blood. His brothers blood...

She spoke in a soothing voice as she kept on talking.

"You have to let him go, sweetie. How am I supposed to be your wife if you keep clinging to that pathetic, mutilated boy?"

Anton yelled even louder as Rarity’s eyes met his. He became frantic, trying to get away, almost hitting Dust to get free. But when Dust wrapped his arms around him, the young boy stopped struggling, and only sobbed loudly into his brother’s chest. And then, a loud crack echoed across the room. Anton’s sobbing stopped in an instant, his head falling backwards in an unnatural position as purple magic twisted his neck.

Dust yelled his brother’s name through his tears, trying in vain to wake him up. As the purple magic tore the boy from his arms, he felt as if he had just been ripped from his own soul. Crying and shouting, he saw Rarity’s magic bend the boy’s body with loud cracks as every bone in him broke under the force of her magic.

As she threw the body hard into the wall, Dust threw himself at Luna, almost the same way Anton had clinged to him. For protection, for safety.

Rarity’s eyes wandered off to Luna.

"And who's this..? Dust, have you been cheating on me with this whore?"

Her horn lit up again, and this time, the magic targeted Dust himself. He cried like a baby as it slowly tore him away from Luna, who tried her best not to let him go. He dug his fingers into her legs until his nails teared through her skin. Both of them where yelling and crying, refusing to let the other go.

"Dust, no!" Luna shouted when his grip on her leg gave way.

The magic lifted him slowly into the air, paralyzing him. But he could still hear Luna’s cries of pain as the magic affected her as well. He felt pressure around his ribcage. Unable to scream in pain due to the magic, he could only helplessly watch as his ribs broke and tore out of his chest.

The last thing he saw before the world disappeared, was Luna. Tears in her eyes from pain, as she whispered three words to him.

Then he didn't feel any more pain.

"Me."

He really didn't know how much longer he could take this. These nightmares would drive him crazy eventually... Dust got up from his bed and walked out into the living room. Every night it was the same thing: Rarity trying to harm or kill him, and Luna protecting him. It had all been so vivid and alive; he was starting to doubt that they were ordinary dreams. Maybe Luna actually was trying to warn him.

But there was more to it than that. In every dream, Luna kept repeating herself; saying that he didn't need Rarity, that he instead needed her. That she never would betray him and hurt him like Rarity did. And now in this last dream, she had said that she loved him before he woke up. Nothing made any sense.

But if any of these dreams where "real" warnings, then why didn't Luna just come here and tell him in person? Furthermore, why would she have feelings for him..?

Not that it mattered if she did, anyway. When spring came, she would be married.

Odd really. He worried more about his dreams than the ring hanging around his neck in a string. He'd already given up trying to figure out what it was and where it came from. It belonged to him now, and with it connected to his body this way, it gave him power. Mostly telekinesis, moving the glass and other small objects, but that could be really helpful sometimes.

Something as simple as cooking breakfast right now, as an example. While getting dressed, he could use the rings magic to cook at the same time. Maybe this is how it feels to be a unicorn, he thought to himself as he ate his meal, flipping through the pages of an old book with his magic.

It was a rather old book that Rarity had given to him. She claimed one of her friends, who apparently owned a library, had helped her pick it out. Dust oftentimes wondered where this library where. He wouldn't mind some more books, he was getting bored of this one, seeing as it was his only one and he'd read it countless times.

It wasn't really a spectacular book; a big dressed in leather with some patterns imprinted along the sides. There was no title on the cover, but it was just a book about Equestrian history. For some reason, the part that interested him the most was that about the banishing of Princess Luna, or rather Nightmare Moon, as she was referred to in the book, to the moon.

Reading about Celestia making the choice to send her sister away, he remembered something Luna had said a long time ago... That day after the accident.

"I only wish my sister would have done the same...”

Maybe, Dust thought, Celestia wasn't the kind-hearted all-loving princess the ponies thought her to be. And considering Luna's punishment, she if anypony would know.

That day when he woke up in the street, only Luna had been there for him, nopony else had helped him. Celestia hadn't showed up until Luna called for her, so did that mean she was busy, or just... Didn't care? Because he was human?

.. If she was so coldhearted that she could banish her own sister for a thousand years, this didn't really sound all that farfetched. Maybe she was just a bitter old mare, and perhaps she hated humans. Or every species besides Ponies... Luna would know.

But then he remembered what Luna had said in his dream again. Those three words he'd only ever heard Rarity say to him. And on that day, she had helped him when he was dying. She saved his life, even though her sister, and probably nopony else cared about him. Maybe... What she said in the dream was true?

No, that would be impossible, that was the first time they'd seen each other. But then again, that's how he met Rarity... She said she fell in love with him the same day they met. Could Luna..?

No, of course not. It was just stupid thinking that. She's a princess, a goddess, and she would never care about someone as him, someone so far down in class.

His thoughts went around each other, spiraling like crazy, trying to piece everything together. But he became none the wiser by his endless thoughts. Finally, he decided it was no use. He had no hope of understanding what all this meant, he would have to wait for the answer. Just like he was waiting for Rarity to come here with his new coat. She said she would come over today, and he planned on spending the day cleaning up for her return.

Although, with the help of his magic it only took him about half an hour to clean the entire house, and Rarity still wouldn't be here for a few hours. So with nothing else to do, he decided on taking a walk. It'd been a while since last time now, and he figured he could try out what else his magic where capable of. He left a note on the table, writing he was out for a walk, in case Rarity came early.

After a quiet walk through the thick layer of snow, Dust had found his way back to the old cemetery. An endless field of white, broken only by the gravestones sprouting out of the snow. Spotting the big oak far away, he got an idea of how to test the magic’s power once and for all. If it worked, it would mean he carried an incredible power around his neck.

Shuffling his way through the snow between the graves, it took him considerably more time to get to the tree than last time he came here. He tripped a few times, falling face down in the cold snow, but quickly got up again, brushing of the snow. And finally, he saw the half-circle of pony statues in front of him.

He walked up to them, examined them. At first, he saw nothing special, but as he walked up to one of the unicorns, something odd caught his gaze. Taking a closer look he could see that the part of the statues head that depicted closed eyelids had been broken apart. Chiseled out, creating hollow openings where the eyes should be.

Why would someone destroy the statue in that way? Dust looked up at the pony, and then stretched out his hand; put his hand over the pony’s face. The stone was cold, rough against his palm and fingertips.

Dust tore his hand away from the statue with such force he flew backwards into the snow. The top layer flew up around him like a cloud, settling down over him like a white, cold blanket. Shaking, he stared at the statue. It looked perfectly normal again. That voice again. But this time, it wasn't Luna's voice, it was... something else. It sounded more like a male, deep voice. And he was sure he saw the mouth of the statue move. Yet now, everything was quiet.

Trying not to think about it anymore, Dust got up, turning his head away from the statues. Even though the voice had startled him, he told himself that nothing here could hurt him, especially not statues. The cold stone could do nothing against him. He wiped the snow from his thin jacket as he approached the big oak again. Climbing all the way up there again wouldn't be easy, and with the snow covering the branches it would be even more difficult.

But he had to try.

The place where he found the ring was his only lead as to what it was or where it came from. He needed to know.

Grabbing the same branch as the last time, he heaved his way up. But only after that little struggle, his hands started to freeze bad. He tried shaking it off, climbing upwards as fast he could. By the time Dust had reached the top yet again, he couldn't feel his hands anymore. His fingers were so cold they were impossible to even move, and the fingertips had started to swell up a bit.

Ignoring the freezing pain, he looked down at the cross-shaped branches in front of him. Nothing unusual, just the broken ends, covered in snow and frost. He tucked his sleeve around his hand and did his best to push away the snow on the branch farthest to the left, to see if there were any traces of the ring. But the snow had frozen, and he only got the top layer off.

He tried to break the frozen layer with his hand, but it was too hard and he only hurt his hand more. Giving up, Dust looked out across the graveyard. It looked exactly the same as that night, except the snow of course. When he didn't see anything interesting, he decided that he now was the time to test the power of the ring.

Since it hung around his neck, he didn't need to grab it in his hand, all he had to do... was jump. It was so easy really. Just a little push with his legs, and he would be in the air. If the ring was powerful enough, it would break his fall. If not... He at least hoped the snow would make the landing a bit softer. But it would still hurt. Probably a lot.

".. What am I doing?" Dust sighed.

Taking in a long breath of air, he readied himself. No point in prolonging it anymore. He tried to relax, tried to find any calm thoughts.

And jumped.

He sailed through the air, and his heart skipped a beat. He was flying, he was weightless, he was... And then the ground rushed towards him. His mind tried to grab ahold of anything related to flight. Birds, wind, Pegasi, anything. Luna.

He felt the air around him change, getting warmer. His descent slowed down a little bit, but not enough. Dust hit the ground hard, and the moment he did, he threw himself forward, doing his best to roll, to even out the damage. But there was no damage. No pain. Looking back at where he landed, he saw that the snow was intact. Not a trace after his landing.

He smiled, and yelled in triumph. Even though he had fallen, the ring had shielded him from any harm again. And since the snow was untouched, perhaps the ring made him weightless just the moment he hit ground. If the fall was longer, maybe he'd actually be able to take flight. He imagined the endless possibilities he had if he could take to the skies...

Returning home, he saw to his surprise that there where smoke coming out of the chimney. Probably Rarity, he thought. Before he opened the door, he brushed some snow of his shoulders and did his best to make his hair look good. Didn't want to look like some filthy tramp in front of Rarity.

He opened the door and stepped inside, looking towards the open fireplace to see if Rarity was waiting for him. But instead, he was taken aback by a tall stranger standing in front of him, looking at him. A human.

Staring him down, completely dressed in black and with a hood covering its face...

"Oh, um... Rare?" Dust said with a somewhat trembling voice. "Did... did you make that mannequin just for my coat?"

He saw her head shooting up from the couch, and she looked at him with a somewhat guilty face.

"Yeah... Sorry, did it scare you?" She asked hesitantly.

Dust walked up to the couch, but keeping his distance from the mannequin.

".. A little." He admitted as he sat down in the recliner next to the couch. "But I still think the pony mannequin is creepier." he added, smiling.

"Don't sit down now," Rarity said with a snapping tone. "I've been working on this thing like crazy. Get up and try it, love!"

Dust gave her a look, trying to fake being annoyed. He walked up to the mannequin, and did his best not to look at its head. Didn't want to see that featureless face. He unhooked the clasps holding it shut, and carefully slid it of the mannequin’s shoulders.

"Maybe you'll get to do this on me tonight.." He said with a low voice. He smiled as he heard Rarity trying to hold back a squeak and laugh.

He flipped the coat around in his hands, moved his arms around himself in a swinging, circular movement, draping it over his shoulders. He closed the clasps, tried his best to smooth out some irregularities in the cloth, and then turned around to Rarity.

"How do I look?" He asked, pulling the hood up over his face.

"It's perfect, dear." Rarity answered. "Fits you like a glove. And a bit mysterious."

"Oh yeah?" Dust laughed as he quickly positioned himself next to the mannequin, trying to mimic its stance. "Guess which is the real one."

Rarity laughed at him, and looked at the mannequin.

"Well, that one looks kind of pretty." She said with a grin.

"Wrong, my lady." Dust said. Putting his arm around the mannequin’s shoulders, he pointed at it and continued. "This guy is not pretty. In fact, he's downright creepy. I keep thinking he's going to move or something. He probably hangs around in bushes, looking at small fillies. Sick bastard."

Dust slapped the mannequin over its face, and Rarity laughed hard at it.

"Not only that, madam, this man is completely, utterly and totally boring. And he doesn't have a face."

They both laughed, and Dust let go of the mannequin, sitting down on the couch next to Rarity.

"Or the most beautiful, wonderful mare in the world." he added slowly, giving Rarity a quick kiss.

They kissed in silence for a while, before Rarity broke the kiss.

"You said you were going to tell me something important today, Dust." She said with an uncertain voice. "Maybe this isn't the best time, but... mind telling me what it was? I'm sorry, I'm just curios, darlin'."

"Alright." Dust answered. ”Best to just get it over with... That day when... that 'thing' happened. I was going to ask you to... be mine. My mare."

"But I already am yours, Dust...” Rarity began, but Dust interrupted her before she could finish.

"Yes, but... I was going to ask you to marry me, Rare." he said, letting his head drop down, fixating his eyes on the floor.

Rarity’s eyes widened and she held back a small squeak.

"You... what?!" She said. "Really? You want me as your wife?"

Dust nodded slowly.

"It just feels right, you know." he whispered. "My world might be gone, and my family too. So in a manner of speaking, you are my only family now. And I felt it was time to really make you a part of that family...”

He turned his head to look at Rarity. She had one of her hooves over her mouth, and her eyes sparkled as tears welled up in them.

"I just wish my brother could have been here to see all this. See you." Dust added.

"Oh, sweetie...” Rarity said, hugging him close. "I know you miss him, but you need to forget him. To move on. I'm your family now...”

Dust's mind bent over itself. Remembering his latest dream, he looked at Rarity with a frown.

"What did you just say..?" He exhaled.

"If I’m going to be your wife, you have to forget them. Your life is here now, with me. You need to let that brother of yours go."

Dust almost pushed her off, but managed to stay still. It was just like his dream. She wasn't using the exact same words, but she still said the same thing. He remembered Luna's words. She was right. Luna was right. Rarity wanted to hurt him.

"You expect me to just throw away my memories of the only other person I've ever loved? Is that what you want?" He said angrily.

Rarity gave him a frightened look, opening her mouth to try and explain. Dust let go of her, standing up. Looking down at her, he yelled right at her.

"If you loved me, you would have been able to accept my past!" he spouted at her with anger in his eyes.

He didn't realize just how strong his anger was, or why it came so suddenly. He didn't feel like himself as he kept on shouting.

"You want to hurt me, is that it?! Want to take away all my happiness so that you can have it yourself?!"

"No, I-I, Dust, I-"

He slapped her across the face.

The sound of skin meeting skin, muffled by fur. Nothing more than a loud thud. But it was enough to send Rarity sailing down unto the floor.

She looked up at him, tears covering her face. He could see the blush on her cheek through her coat. For a few seconds, everything was quiet. Then, Rarity got to her hooves.

"You... fucking... bastard!" She yelled at Dust. "Don't you dare lay a single hand on me ever again!"

She got up on her hind legs, punching Dust in the chest as she kept on yelling. He couldn't even make out half of her words.

"How can I marry you, you sick fuck! You only care about yourself and your pathetic brother!"

Dust pushed her off of him. Hard. She flew backwards across the room, landing on the small table behind them. She yelled out in pain, rolling over to her side and falling unto the floor. But she didn't get up. She stayed down on the floor, one of her legs twisted in an unnatural way. She sobbed loudly, trying to crawl away from him.

Dust was unable to think. His mind had gone blank, disappearing far away. He stepped over her, reached down and lifter her up in her undamaged leg. She cried out loudly as he did.

"You know what you are?" He said with a wheezing voice. "You’re nothing but a selfish, stuck-up, cheating, backstabbing whore!"

He threw her backwards again. This time she hit the wall next to the fireplace. She fell to the floor with a loud thud. Crying even louder, she put her undamaged leg up over her face as a shield as Dust looked down on her.

He brought his fist down on her. And again. The unicorn cried in pain as Dust threw punch after punch unto her small body. Blood sprayed out of her mouth as he hit her face, and her head twisted sideways. Her horn hit the wall hard, and Rarity yelled at the top of her lungs as she more heard than felt a loud crack.

Dust eventually stopped his barrage of punches. He panted heavily as he looked into the mares half closed eyes.

Rarity’s vision faded. With the last of her strength, she moved her hoof, reaching it up towards Dust's face. She tried to touch his cheek, one last time. Before her world disappeared, she wanted to feel him again. The man she loved more than anything.

Her eyes closed. Her leg fell limp, hitting the ring around Dust's neck in the process. The string broke, and the ring landed on the floor next to Rarity’s body.

Something In Dust's brain snapped back into place. Looking down on the lifeless body in front of him, he realized what he'd done. He got down on his knees, grabbed Rarity, shook her, and yelled at her.

"Rare! No, no no, NO! Please, Rare, please, wake up! Wake up, damnit!"

But she didn't. Her eyes were closed, and her chest didn't move. No breathing.

"Come on Rare, don't do this to me!" Dust yelled out. "Please! Rare, love, sweetie, I'm so sorry! Get up! This can't be happening!"

He pulled her up from the floor, pressing her against his chest. Holding her close, He screamed and cried.

"Come on, Rare! I love you, you can't do this! Please, please, wake UP! RARITY!"

But she remained silent.