//------------------------------// // Original Plot Chapter 12 // Story: A Little Girls Love // by darkmage1997 //------------------------------// Morning dawned over the Crystal Empire, as Cadence and Shining Armor were awakening to the new day, "Looks like it's going to be another great day," Shining Armor commented, as he and his wife went to prepare for the day. "I'll go and get Flurry Heart, then I'll meet you down in the dining hall," Cadence said. While Mavis was off training under the Nymphs, Cadence and Shining Armor had a foal of their own. A pink alicorn filly with cotton candy colored hair, and ridiculously large wings. When she was first brought into this world, however, the baby almost caused the entire Crystal Empire to be buried under snow. However, do to quick thinking on the part of Twilight and friends, they were able to prevent the Crystal Empire from being six feet under a pile of snow. "Ok, I'll see you both down there," Shining Armor replied, as he went on to the dining room. It had been over a year since Mavis was taken in by the Nymphs, and the two parents were expecting the child in question any day now. The last they saw of her, Mavis was so sickly, and so fearful of them and their friends, she only spoke to them when she was spoken to first. The two adult ponies hoped that the Nymphs were able to help Mavis out of her shell. Shining Armor soon arrived at the dining room. "Ah, Prince Shining Armor, is there something in particular you want for breakfast?" a servant asked. "Just a stack of pancakes will do," Shining Armor replied. Just then, Cadence came in with a little baby alicorn in her grasp. The filly was pink, with cotton candy colored hair, and blue eyes. "Alright Flurry Heart, let's get you settled into your highchair," Cadence said, placing the baby into a highchair. The servant then came back in, wheeling in a cart with various breakfast items, including mashed peas for Flurry Heart, "Guess what, sweetie? Mommy and Daddy have a special guest who will coming to live with us later today," Cadence said. This caught Flurry Heart's attention, but not for long, as she started sucking on her hoof that was covered in mashed peas. "Do you think Mavis will be willing to accept our offer? I mean, she's been living with the Nymphs for the past year now, and readjusting to the Crystal Empire may prove to be a big hassle for her," Shining Armor commented. "I honestly don't know. I'm just hoping the Nymphs were able to help her come out of her shell," Cadence replied. "Me too. I wonder how Mavis is doing now?" Shining Armor wondered. Meanwhile, with Mavis, Mavis was still sleeping soundly in her makeshift hut that the Nymphs made for her on her first day at the grotto. Mavis would spend most of her free time there when she wasn't training with her mentors. Just then, Sky came in, and walked over to the young child. Sky smiled at how cute Mavis looked while she slept, "No matter how many times any of us come in here, you always look so adorable when you sleep," Sky said to herself, as Mavis turned over in her sleep, "Seems like a shame to do this, but you have a rather big day ahead of you," she said, as she gently nudged her student, "Mavis, time to get up. It's morning." Mavis moaned slightly, as her eyes gently opened up, to reveal Sky, "Good morning, Sky," Mavis yawned, as she sat up. "Good morning sweetie. I trust you had no trouble sleeping?" Sky asked. Mavis shook her head. "No. Thankfully, I didn't have any bad dreams," Mavis' tone sort of trailed off towards the end. "But....?" Sky asked. "Well, I think I had a dream about how I got my name," Mavis replied. This certainly was a response the Music Nymph was not expecting. in fact, it was a mystery even to Wanda and Cosmo how Mavis got her name in the first place. From what they told their sisters, none of Mavis' foster families cared enough for her to give her a name, so for her to have a dream where she remembered where she got her name came as a surprise. "Well, in any case, why don't we go get you some breakfast? Dana's making those wild berry pancakes you love so much," Sky said, as Mavis crawled out of bed. "I would love that," Mavis said, as Sky helped the child get dressed. Mavis grabbed her teddy bear, and left her hut. She felt saddened, remembering that this was her last day living in the Grotto. Mavis really didn't want to go back to the Crystal Empire. She feared the anger of the Princesses, even though she never actually saw any of them angry, but she didn't want to take any risks. In the darker parts of the mountains, A horribly foreboding presence could be felt, as it raced through the mountain pass, "So, today is the day Mavis returns to the Crystal Empire. Hopefully, the Princess will treat Mavis with kindness like that one family did", the demon driver said, as the thought of a mafia family entered his mind, "While I didn't approve of their activities, they understood Mavis was a human being like them, and as such deserves to be treated as such," he said, as he rounded another corner, "I know Cadence will raise Mavis right, so why do I still have a bad feeling?" he wondered, as he disappeared in the fog. Back with Mavis, The Nymphs were all taking her back to the Crystal Empire, as they all wanted to spend a little more time with their young protégé before they had to let her go back to Cadence. All the while they were fluttering, Sky occasionally glanced over to Mavis, who looked very tense about going back, 'I wonder what Mavis meant by the origin of her name? I know her birth mother never gave her one, and the Demon Bus Driver never had a chance to give her one, so who gave Mavis her name?' Sky wondered, as the Crystal Empire came into view. "Well, there it is. It's exactly like a remember 1000 years ago," Wanda commented. "1000 years ago?" Mavis asked. "Of course. We've been around for a very long time. Since the beginning of this planet, to be more precise," Mariah replied. "But you all look so young," Mavis commented. "You'd be surprised at what our beauty treatments are capable of," Dana replied. Mavis knew she was telling the truth, as she experienced their beauty treatments, firsthand. They soon entered the Empire Limits, and neared the Palace. All the while, Mavis could feel her already daunting sense of dread become even heavier. She really didn't want to face Cadence after spending over a year with the Nymphs. They drew nearer to the palace, where they saw Cadence and Shining Armor waiting in anticipation for the arrival of Mavis. They landed in front of them. "Princess Cadence, and Prince Shining Armor. It's been over a year since we last saw you," Wanda said, in a diplomatic tone. "Likewise, Wanda. How have things been?" Cadence asked. "Pretty good, though there is something I want to discuss with you when we have a moment to ourselves," Wanda replied. "Alright then. Now, where's Mavis?" Cadence asked eagerly. Daria stepped forth, carrying Mavis in her arms. Looking at the girl, Cadence and Shining Armor hardly recognized her. The pale, sickly girl they met last year was replaced with a more healthy young lady, "My goodness Mavis! You look so much healthier!" Cadence said, only to receive a flinch from Mavis. It then became apparent that Mavis was still uneasy being around the Royal Couple, even after gaining more confidence over the past year. "You all did a great job nursing her back to health," Shining Armor stated. "We aim to please," Wanda replied. "We had to give her lots of playtime in the sun, feed her food that was very high in nutritional value, and even let her play in the mud to help her immune system," Dana added. "And we gave her all the education she could ever possibly need, ranging from standard curriculum, to medicine, the arts, and elemental magic," Mariah added. "Sounds like you've been busy," Shining Armor commented. "Indeed. We've also been able to instill a sense of self confidence in Mavis as well. Hopefully, she'll be able to make decisions for herself," Sky added. "In that case, Mavis, Shining Armor and I have something we want to ask of you, and you are free to decline if you so choose. We won't hold it against you," Cadence said. Mavis tensed up. "O-Ok?" Mavis asked hesitantly. "Well, when we first met you, you were in terrible shape. You were so pale, skinny, and sleep deprived, that we couldn't just ignore you," Cadence began. "To put it more simply, if we were to ask you if you wanted us to adopt you into our family, would you be willing to be our daughter?" Shining Armor asked. Mavis was certainly taken aback by this. She would never in her wildest dreams think a Prince and Princess would be willing to welcome her into their home. She always wanted to feel loved by a mother and father, but there was something that was keeping her from accepting the offer. "I would like that very much..... but," Mavis trailed off a bit. "Something?" Cadence asked. "It's just..... I don't really want to be a princess. I don't want the responsibility of running an entire kingdom. I don't want the attention, or presents, or treats, or any special privileges," Mavis replied. Cadence, Shining Armor, and the Nymphs all took in Mavis' words. "Mavis, just because you're going to get parents who happen to be royalty doesn't necessarily mean you have to be royalty too," Wanda said, crouching down to eye level. "She's right. Your life is yours to live. No one has any right to tell you how to live," Sky added, also crouching down. "You know, you can wait as long as you want before choosing. Something like this is a big change for you," Shining Armor replied. Mavis mulled this over, before turning to the royal ponies. "Could I have some time to think it over?" Mavis asked. "Of course. You can take as much time as you need," Cadence replied, before turning her attention to the Nymphs, "Thank you all so much for nursing Mavis back to full health. We truly appreciate it," she said respectfully. "Of course, Princess. We had a lot of fun hanging out with Mavis, and teaching her everything she'll ever need to know," Mariah replied. "Before you ladies go, Celestia and Luna are holding a Hearths Warming Ball in just a few weeks. I'm sure Mavis would love it if you would come," Shining Armor said. "Well, it certainly has been a very long time since we've been to a party. What say you, girls?" Wanda asked her sisters. They all gave their agreements, "Then I guess it's decided. We'll be there. If you could send word to Celestia and Luna and tell them the good news, that would be most splendid," she requested. "I'll send a letter, informing her, right away," Cadence replied. "Well Mavis, I guess until the Ball, this is goodbye. Remember what we've taught you," Dana said, embracing Mavis one last time, followed by each of her sisters. Mavis felt inferior, being smothered by the Nymph's massive busts, and sad because they were leaving her, but was happy she would see them again real soon. Once she hugged Wanda, the Nymphs all took off. "Well, would you like to get settled into the castle?" Cadence asked Mavis. "Ok," Mavis quietly replied, as they showed her into the castle. In another part of Equestria, near the gates to Tartarus, "Ah, it feels good to finally be free again!" Tirek exclaimed, as he stretched. A hooded figure stood before them, having freed Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow. "But how did you all get us out?" Chrysalis asked. "That is something even I don't know. Even the author doesn't know how I did it," the hooded figure replied. All three villains shot unamused looks towards the readers, before looking back at the group. "Ok, but who are you?" Tirek asked. "I used to work for the Storm King, but since he's gone for good, I needed a new evil master to serve and follow. I figured we'd bust you all out," one of the robed figures replied, revealing himself to be Grubber, a hedgehog like creature. "Ah yes. We have heard of the Storm King. Pity that such a powerful force was done in by Twilight Sparkle and her friends," Chrysalis bitterly said. "I freed you in hopes of serving someone very powerful. I even made this potion to help you all regain your power. A little something I learned from his majesty. It can return the magic of any magical creature who had their magic siphoned off. He learned how to make it in the event he lost his magic and needed to regain his power. I heard about what happened with Grogar's bell, and I'm hoping the potion can counteract that thing as well," Grubber replied, giving each villain a flask. They all took a swig of it, their faces immediately contorting with disgust. "Oh yuck! I've had tea that wasn't this bitter!" Cozy Glow exclaimed. Chrysalis then saw that her magic was back, as made evident by her horn glowing. Tirek saw that his magic was back as well. "Now we have our power back, we can take our revenge on Twilight Sparkle and her friends for imprisoning us!" Tirek said evilly. "And I will be here to help in any way I can," Grubber replied. "Hmm, maybe we can put you to some use. What day is it today?" Chrysalis asked. "It's the second week of December. The twelfth to be precise," Grubber replied. "Hmm. It's almost Hearth's Warming. Perhaps we can bide our time, and strike when the opportunity arises," Cozy Glow suggested. "That sounds so deliciously evil! I love it!" Chrysalis replied.