//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty-Two - A Little Elbow Grease // Story: A Daughter and her Dragon // by Level Dasher //------------------------------// Cotton paced back and forth in front of her aunts’ conference room. They only used that room when having important diplomatic meetings, war councils, apocalyptic situations, and apparently conferences involving Cotton’s friends. “Sweetie, I’m sure you’ve better things to do than pace in front of the conference room,” Spike told her. “Why don’t you get your homework do—” “I finished my homework at school.” “Well, that’s… good,” Spike said, idly picking at something stuck between his teeth. “Hmm… why don’t you go back to—” “Dad, they’re talking about my friend in there! They’ve been discussing this for days! And the only reason they’re talking about Buzz at all is because he was trying to help me! I know impersonating royalty is against the Equestrian-Changeling Treaty, but if Buzz gets exiled because he was helping me, I’d never forgive myself!” Spike shook his head. “Cotton, I’m sure your aunts have taken everything you told them into consideration. This situation is a bit tricky; you’ll need to be patient until they make their decision. For now, pacing in front of their door isn’t going to help. I don’t know how much longer they’ll be in there, so you really should find something else to do with your time.” He tapped his chin with a talon. “Why don’t you go through your wardrobe and find what you’d like to wear for your dance tomorrow night? I can help, if you’d like.” Cotton forced out a sigh. “Fine.” As she turned away from the door and headed down the hallway towards her room, she grumbled, “Dunno how much help you’ll be, though…” Spike cleared his throat, causing Cotton to stop and look at him. “And just what makes you think I can’t be of help in fashion matters?” Spike asked with a cocked brow. Cotton lifted a hoof and opened her mouth to speak, but caught herself. “Ohhhhh… right. Mom.” After Spike spoke to Cotton about Rarity’s life, Cotton referred to Spike’s late wife as her mother. It thrilled Spike to hear. “You bet your cutie mark,” Spike said. “Forget your aunts; if you want an honest opinion, I’m the dragon that married a fashion mogul.” Cotton rubbed the back of her mane. “Heh. Sorry, Dad.” Ж After returning the sixth dress to her wardrobe, Cotton continued rummaging, then took out a golden, silk dress and showed it to Spike. “Ehh… It looks nice, but I’m thinking a little too flashy. What about you?” “If we were holding a Miss Equestria pageant, I would say that’s the one, but we’re not,” Spike answered, his head sticking through the door. “I’m with you, sweetie—too flashy.” “Thought so,” Cotton responded, hanging the dress back up. “Hey, what about this one?” Cotton pulled herself out of the wardrobe, holding another dress. “I like the symbols, and the accents kinda match my mane.” Spike gave the light pink and ruby dress a once-over. “Oooooh, I remember that one! That’s the first from what we called the ‘Fleur de Lis line’.” “Oh, I thought that symbol looked familiar!” Cotton exclaimed. “Wait, Lady Fleur de Lis had a line all to herself?” “In a way,” Spike chuckled. “Fleur de Lis asked your mother for a custom-designed dress during the peak of the season one year, but she claimed she wasn’t in any rush for it, so your mother took her time so she could get more urgent orders out. When she started on Fleur’s dress, she was so stressed that not only did she accidentally end up using the wrong measurements, but fashioned it for a pegasus instead of a unicorn! That dress was the result. I’m glad we held on to it.” “So… did Lady Fleur de Lis ever get the right dress?” Cotton asked. “After six or seven attempts, yes,” Spike said with a smile. “That’s why we call those dresses their own line—they were all meant for Fleur. If you like that one, why don’t you give it—” Spike cut himself off. “Hold that thought, sweetie.” He pulled his head out of the doorway, and Cotton saw him looking at a spot next to the door. After a minute or two, he nodded, then called back into the room, “Cotton, your aunts would like to talk to you.” Cotton’s eyes widened, then she hung the dress back up and rushed to the door as Celestia, Luna, and Twilight all entered. “So? What’s gonna happen to Buzz? You’re not gonna exile him, are you? I told you—” “Cotton, please,” Celestia silenced her, holding up a hoof. “There were many factors that we considered, but we believe we’ve reached a fair decision.” Luna nodded. “Thy friend’s actions put us in a rather serious predicament,” she added. Twilight stepped forward. “I know you don’t want us to beat around the bush, but we should give you an explanation first. Since I was the one impersonated, I’ll explain.” She glanced over her shoulder at Celestia and Luna, who both nodded, before continuing. “You see, Cotton, though your friend may have been trying to help you in a bullying situation, he took it too far with impersonation of royalty, which is the one strict rule that we agreed upon with Queen Chrysalis when we wrote the Equestrian-Changeling Treaty.” “I’m sorry for interrupting, but if you don’t mind my asking, how did you even find out?” Cotton asked. “I mean, I know how you knew who it was; you and the principal found Steadclaw and me talking to Buzz in the middle of the cafeteria. That was kind of a dead giveaway.” Twilight nodded. “Yes, it was. Well, the two fillies, who I assume have been the source of your bullying, informed me,” she said. “I’d gone to speak with your principal one more time before leaving your school on Monday; when they ran into the office and found me there, they realized they’d been fooled, and told me their version of events. That’s when they brought me back to the cafeteria. I took their side of the story with a grain of salt, considering they said they were attacked.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Twilight, you’re going off topic,” Celestia interrupted. “Right! Sorry. Anyway, your friend breached the treaty we signed with Queen Chrysalis, and that can’t go without consequences. It would set a terrible precedent; even if he had good intentions, if we allow one changeling to impersonate royalty without consequence, then other changelings may attempt the same with ill intent, and claim we were lenient with the first incident if put on trial. We’re fortunate that this is the first report of impersonation of royalty since the treaty’s implementation. We don’t want to burn any bridges with Queen Chrysalis, and we want to allow changelings in Canterlot, but if we set strict rules, we can’t afford to break them because the offender had good intentions. Therefore, we will be sentencing your friend to—” “No!” Cotton yelled. “Please don’t exile hi—” “Cotton, let me finish,” Twilight said firmly. When Cotton calmed herself, Twilight restarted. “We will be sentencing your friend to six to eight weeks in Canterlot Juvenile Hall, effective immediately. Because he’s still a minor, we believe exile would be too excessive a punishment. I’m going to go meet with Ambassador Thorax at the Canterlot Hive now to discuss our terms. Since it was a sole teenage changeling who breached the treaty, and no actual harm was done, he left the decision up to us. He trusted that we would be fair.” “So… Buzz isn’t going to be exiled?” Cotton asked. When Twilight shook her head, Cotton sighed with relief. “But wait—you said ‘immediately.’ Do you mean like, he needs to go tonight? If he’s being sentenced right away, that means he’ll—” “He’s going to miss your dance, yes,” Twilight finished for her. Cotton stomped a hoof. “Awww! He’s been looking forward to the dance for months! Can’t you just like, push the sentence by a day?” she pleaded. “I’m sorry, Cotton, but no,” Celestia said. “As Twilight said, the rules are the rules.” “If anything, forbidding thy friend from presenting himself at a function he wishes to attend will help make it clear that breaching the treaty shall not be tolerated, even by minors,” Luna added. “So you’re using him as an example? That’s not fair!” Cotton huffed, turning away from her aunts. “We have no choice, Cotton,” Twilight said. “The simple fact is that he’s the first changeling to break the treaty’s terms, and there needs to be a consequence, or ponies and changelings alike will think we don’t take the terms seriously.” Cotton sighed. “But it’s not his fault he was born a changeling…” She turned and looked up into the floor-length mirror on her wardrobe door. “Just because he looks different…” she mumbled. “‘Tis not simply a matter of birth; ‘tis a matter of politics,” Luna said. “The treaty with the changelings must not be broken if we are to allow them a home in Canterlot.” “Cotton, we really are sorry about this,” Twilight said. “We understand that you care about your changeling friend, and we took everything you told us into consideration, but from a political standpoint, we have no choice but to take some kind of action. This is the most lenient we can be. Look on the bright side: he isn’t being exiled. That’s what the treaty allows us to do, but like I said, we think that would be too harsh. Your friend will be out of juvenile hall in a couple of months.” “I guess that’s true,” Cotton responded solemnly. “But try explaining that to his fillyfriend.” Celestia stepped forward and put a hoof on Cotton’s shoulder. “This may be more your aunt Cadance’s territory, but I do not think true love can be broken by bars,” she said. “When your friend is released, not only will his brothers and sisters be happy to have him back at their hive, but he will likely have a feast of love from his fillyfriend.” With another sigh, Cotton replied, “Alright, I guess I shouldn’t sulk about this; I did everything I could. I’ll go see Buzz at juvi at some point over the summer.” She looked at Celestia, Luna, and Twilight in turn. “Thank you for being as lenient as you could. I may not be happy about it, but I understand why you need to do something.” “Thank you, Cotton,” Twilight said. “Now, I need to go speak with Ambassador Thorax before it gets too late.” “Can you at least get a message to Buzz for me when you go to the Canterlot Hive?” Cotton asked. “Can you just make sure he knows that I’m sorry he has to go to juvi, and I’ll see him sometime soon?” Twilight smiled. “Short and sweet. I can’t imagine it would be a problem.” Twilight turned for the door. “I should be back in time for dinner. I’ll make sure your friend gets your message, Cotton.” “Thanks, Aunt Twilight,” Cotton responded. Before she left, Twilight nudged Celestia. “I think now would be a good time.” Then she walked out the door and nodded to Spike. Shortly after Twilight’s exit, Spike poked his head back into the room. “How is everything in here? Are you alright, sweetie? I can’t imagine hearing your aunts’ verdict was easy.” Cotton shook her head. “It wasn’t, but I understand.” Straightening herself, she said, “If we keep talking about it, I’m just gonna stay upset, so why don’t we do something more productive? Where’s that dress I pulled out?” Cotton went back to her wardrobe and found the aforementioned dress. Holding it up, she asked, “Auntie Tia, Aunt Luna, what do you think?” “I think that would look lovely on you, Cotton,” Celestia replied. “Have you tried it on?” “I was about to when you came in. Now I can get your opinions, too.” Cotton took the dress off its hanger and gently slipped herself into it, poking her wings through. She turned herself around once and looked into her mirror, smiling. “So?” “Thou lookest stupendous, Cotton!” Luna responded. “I agree. And it’s a perfect fit, too,” Spike said with a smile. “Indeed,” Celestia added. “But if I may, I might have something to add.” “What?” Cotton asked. “What would I add to the dress? I don’t want to change it.” Celestia tittered. “No, Cotton, I don’t mean to the dress itself.” She lit her horn, and a polished, wooden box appeared in her aura. Lowering the box to Cotton’s hooves, Celestia asked, “Look familiar?” The box was similar in appearance to the one she’d presented to Cotton on her birthday, but instead of Celestia’s mark of the sun, Cotton’s cutie mark adorned its top. Cotton lit up. “Wait, is this—” “I asked Reverent Brogue to make these his top priority so they would be finished in time for tomorrow. I hope they came out the way you asked,” Celestia said. Smiling, she opened the box’s lid with her aura, unveiling a set of golden regalia shoes. “Happy birthday, Cotton.” Cotton’s jaw hung slack as she took one of the shoes out of the box and turned it around. Her eyes sparkled as she put it on the floor and slipped her hoof in. Her pastern lay perfectly against the golden four-leaf clover that she had chosen for its design. “It’s perfect!” “Try the whole set,” Celestia said, levitating the other three shoes in front of Cotton’s respective hooves. “Make sure walking feels comfortable.” Cotton placed her other three hooves into the remaining shoes. As she walked around the room to get a feel for them, she couldn’t help but giggle. Cotton grinned at the success. “They fit perfectly! Thank you, Auntie Tia!” “You are very welcome, Cotton. It was my pleasure,” Celestia responded with a smile. “You look fantastic, sweetie,” Spike said proudly, a wide smile on his face. “Thanks, Daddy.” Cotton looked at herself in the wardrobe mirror again, focusing on her shoes. When she lifted her head up to take in her whole outfit, she mused, “I’ll just have to do something about my mane.” “Perhaps We may be of assistance,” Luna said. “We received something from thine Aunt Cadenza this morning just before We drifted into slumber.” Her horn glowed for a moment before a box with a pair of golden, crystal-embedded hair clips appeared on Cotton’s vanity. “Cadenza claims these are a belated birthday present, so We shall also wish thee a happy birthday on her behalf,” Luna finished with a smile. Cotton gasped and covered her muzzle with her hooves. Rushing to her chair, she gingerly took the clips out of their box. “Those are from Cadance?” Celestia asked. “They’re beautiful! But how did she know to give Cotton hair clips?” “We, uh… mentioned Cotton’s latest hairstyle to her when we last spoke.” Oblivious to her aunts’ conversation, Cotton looked in the mirror and wrapped her mane around her hoof a few times for impromptu curls. Using her wing for assistance, she carefully inserted the hair clips to keep her mane positioned so her scars were visible. Getting up from her chair, she walked to her wardrobe to take in her full appearance. “Hello?” Cotton yelped as she looked into her mirror to see a figure appear in the glass. “So this is where everyone is! I swear, this castle is impossible to navigate.” With a snap of his claw, Discord disappeared from the glass and reappeared on Cotton’s vanity desk with his legs on the chair, one elbow resting on his knee. “My my my! What in Equestria happened to that shy little filly that I met four years ago? Did she move out?” Discord teased. Cotton stuck her tongue out at him. “Nah, she grew up and got herself a boyfriend,” Cotton responded, smiling and twirling in her dress for added flair. “And when was anyone going to tell me about this?” Discord asked, putting a paw to his chest. “When you stopped trying to teach your grandson to take over Equestria,” Spike deadpanned. “Hey Uncle Discord, how is li’l Illusion doing?” Cotton asked. “Oh, he’s absolutely insufferable to his parents.” He snapped his claw again, and a picture frame with a photo of a young, gray pegasus colt with a short, pink mane, along with a pair of mismatched horns, popped into Discord’s claw. He clutched the frame, grinning wildly, and exclaimed, “He is so my grandson!” Celestia, Luna, and Spike all rolled their eyes, while Cotton tried to suppress a giggle. “So? Whaddaya think?” Cotton asked, twirling in her dress again. “My school dance is tomorrow.” The picture frame vanished as Discord put his claw to his chin. “Well, I do admit, you look rather stunning in that dress, but your mane could use a little elbow grease.” “Oh no, these curls are just makeshift,” Cotton explained. “I’ll do them for real tomorrow night.” “Well, why don’t we do a little practice run, hmm?” Discord hummed. He snapped his claw, and a jar appeared in front of him, then he started rubbing his elbows together, and a viscous, cloudy liquid dripped from them. When the jar filled to his satisfaction, he snapped his talons again, and a black shirt and pants appeared on him, along with a pair of glasses. “Now let’s just see what we can do with this, honey,” he said in a thick accent. He snapped the clips out of Cotton’s hair and back to the box on the vanity, then teleported Cotton to her chair. She blinked at her cross-eyed reflection, dazed. Discord shoved his claw into the jar, coating it with a thick layer of elbow grease, then ran it through Cotton’s mane. All the knots and tangles dissipated, and her hair curled on its own. After repeating the process a few times, Cotton’s mane looked the way she always imagined it. Celestia approached the vanity mirror, raised her eyebrows, and nodded. “I must say, well done, Discord.” “Wow! How are you so good at cosmetology?” Cotton asked him. “Well, first of all, magic,” Discord deadpanned. “But in all seriousness…” He stole a look at Spike. “I took a lesson from Rarity on a boring day. Fluttershy loved it when I styled her mane.” “‘Tis sensible reasoning,” Luna said. “Though thou art missing Cadenza’s finishing touch, Cotton.” “Oh, right!” Cotton exclaimed. As Discord ran his grease-laden claw through Cotton’s tail, she picked up one of the clips again and lifted her mane away from her right eye before inserting the clip. She repeated the process on her left side, allowing one row of her bangs to fall. With both her mane and tail styled, she rose from her chair and twirled once again. “So? What’s the verdict?” Celestia, Luna, and Spike all smiled at each other before turning back to Cotton. “I think High Style has some competition in your uncle,” Celestia laughed. “How wouldst thou like to be Cotton’s stylist on the morrow?” Luna asked Discord. “I have to admit, Discord, you’ve got some skill,” Spike added. “Then again, if you learned from my wife, I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Cotton looked at herself in her wardrobe mirror. Her curled mane glimmered almost as much as her shoes and hair clips, and her tail matched the style perfectly. Smiling, she turned to Discord and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Uncle Discord! This looks great! Do you think you could do this for me again tomorrow night?” Discord rubbed his chin. “Well, I planned on popping in on Eris and Stonecutter tomorrow to give them a paw…” A calendar appeared in front of him, each date marked with the same note: Takeover Lessons. “But I suppose I could pencil you in.” A pencil as large as his entire body appeared in Discord’s claw, and he gingerly wrote Manestyling down in the square for the following day. He proceeded to swallow the pencil whole, then swatted the calendar away until it flew away like an irritated bird. He turned around to find Celestia, Luna, and Spike all looking at him with deadpan stares. “What? Even the God of Chaos keeps an organized schedule; I have Twilight to thank for that. Say, where is Twilight anyway?” Ж Spike looked around the giant ballroom. Large, round tables with chairs surrounded the center of the room. A long table prepared for food and drinks sat in the back, while a massive dance floor and a stage dominated one side of the room. His grand-nephew lounged with his rear hooves up resting on the table on the stage. “Are you all set and ready to go, Largo?” “Yep-yep,” Largo answered. “Lights and sound are good, got my music all lined up—with some oldies just in case—and my personal punch bowl is ready and waiting.” He lifted an empty bowl in his aura and set it back down on the table. When Spike raised an eyebrow at him, Largo said, “I didn’t bring anything extra, I swear.” “Good,” Spike responded, “or my talon will be finding its way in there again.” “I know, I know. So when’s this party starting anyway?” Largo asked. “In about an hour, but Cotton’s boyfriend is arriving early with his mother so we can all have a parents’ meet n’ greet,” Spike replied. “They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes or so.” “Oh, riiiiight. Wow, Cotton and the griffon from the birthday party. Gotta admit, I didn’t see that one coming,” Largo commented. “Well, whether you did or not, that’s the case. Now, let’s get you fed before the dance starts; I’m guessing you won’t want to eat while you’re deejaying, and I don’t want you to go hungry. What would you like from the kitchen?” Ж When the iron knocker rang out, Spike, Celestia, Luna, and Twilight all stood in front of the main doors. “Soooo… who’s answering?” Spike asked. “I might be a little… imposing.” “Well, I was the first princess Steadclaw met—should it be the same with his mother?” Twilight responded. “That sounds fair,” Celestia said. When Twilight didn’t move, she wagged her hoof at the door. “Go ahead!” Twilight lit her horn and opened the door part-way so she could see Steadclaw through the opening. He sported a black jacket and bowtie, a white shirt, and a vest to match his plumage, along with his slicked-back head feathers. “Good evening, Steadclaw. Don’t you look sharp!” Steadclaw blushed a bit as he crossed an arm over his chest and dipped his head. “Good evening, Your Highness. And thank you very much.” Stepping aside, he revealed Stella behind him, wearing a floral dress and a pair of faux-diamond earrings. “I’d like to introduce you to my mother, Stella.” Stella copied her son’s respectful gesture. “I-it’s an honor to meet you, Y-Your Highness. If I may be frank, I honestly can’t believe I’m even here!” Twilight chuckled softly. “Well, if you don’t mind my being frank in return, do you know who else you’re about to meet?” Stella took a deep breath. “Yes, I do, and I apologize in advance if we have a repeat of what happened at my home. I can only imagine Cotton told you about it,” she said, her cheeks reddening. Twilight nodded, holding back a laugh. “Yes, she did. She was really quite flattered.” Steadclaw nudged his mother. “See? I told you!” “Well, how could I have known? You rarely tell me anything!” “You never ask!” Twilight giggled at the interchange, then cleared her throat. Both Stella’s and Steadclaw’s attention snapped back to her. “Without further delay, since we have only so much time before other guests arrive…” She opened the door fully so they could see into the main hall. “…allow me to introduce Princesses Luna and Celestia, and Cotton’s father, Sir Spike.” The three of them dipped their heads. Stella and Steadclaw crossed arms across their chests, then did the same. As Steadclaw and Luna locked eyes for a moment, Spike interjected, “Please, just call me ‘Spike.’” He glared at Twilight. “My sister knows full well that I am not fond of that title.” “Of course, S-Spike,” Stella responded, looking up at his tremendous form. After nodding to Luna, Steadclaw nudged his mother and chuckled, “You were about to call him ‘Sir’ anyway, weren’t you?” Stella glared at him. “Well, how often do you speak with royalty in a casual manner?” “Well, after getting threatened with a roasting by dragon breath, I learned to drop the title pretty quickly,” Steadclaw replied nervously, glancing at Spike. When all three princesses turned to Spike and glared at him, he simply shrugged. “I’m an overprotective father; I’m allowed to do that.” He turned to Stella, who seemed to be nodding her agreement, and continued, “And to quote your son, at least I didn’t have a shotgun.” “But you don’t need one.” All six of them turned to look toward the top of the stairway where the voice emanated from, and there stood Cotton, adorned in her dress, regalia shoes, and crystal-embedded hair clips, her mane and tail perfectly curled. A flash appeared next to her as three Discords let out a fanfare with trumpets. Cotton giggled and said, “Thank you, Uncle Discord.” The Discords bowed before vanishing into thin air. Noticing Stella’s extremely confused expression, Spike leaned down and said, “It’s best not to ask.” She nodded in response. As Cotton descended the staircase, Stella whispered, “Good…Grover, she looks marvelous!” “Thank you,” Spike whispered back, a wide grin on his face. “I have your son to thank for helping her realize that herself.” Cotton approached Steadclaw with a coy smile; his mouth hung open as his mind processed the vision before him. “So?” Cotton’s voice brought him out of his trance. “What do you think?” After regaining control of his jaw, Steadclaw responded, “Cotton, you… you are more beautiful than the night sky’s moon, brighter than the sun at noon, and cooler than the breeze on an autumn afternoon.” Both Cotton’s and Steadclaw’s faces flushed, and Cotton put a hoof to her muzzle. “Wow…” She reached up and gave him a deep kiss before she let out a giggle. “You must’ve aced that poetry lesson.” While Spike and Stella exchanged smiles of their own, Luna turned to Celestia and whispered, “Should we be insulted?”