//------------------------------// // Chapter 23: Don't Blink // Story: Cracking Dawn // by Didily Winkles //------------------------------// Chapter Twenty-Three "Happy Monday!" Dawn giggled loudly, waking up April. "I got you breakfast in bed for this happy, happy Monday." "You'd think because it's my 'Birthday' I would be able to sleep in." April mumbled from under the bed covers that were pulled over her head. "You would think so, but no." Dawn said, placing a tray of food down before jumping into the bed to stir up her pegasus fillyfriend. Using her magic to gently ruffle her feathers in a special spot beneath April's wings, April exploded in panicked laughter, jumping from under the covers to the other side of the room. "You are awful." She said, now fully awake. "You are welcome." Dawn replied with a grin stretched across her face. "Happy Birthday." Dawn turned her attention to the breakfast for two she made. As soon as her back was turned, April tackled her, pinning the mini sized Dawn down on the bed. April busied her lips, kissing Dawn up and down her chest only to meet Dawn face to face who now was sufficiently in the mood for April's birthday 'gift'. Breakfast now long forgotten, cold, and stale; April and Dawn crawled out of bed both exhausted from a 'hard day's work'. The clock on the wall was showing noon, which both mares reluctantly believed. "We need to get ready for the gala..." Dawn mumbled as she walked out of the musty room. She took in a breath of the fresher air as she launched herself into the air, landing delicately next to the bathroom door. April was steps ahead of her though and dove right for the opening of the bathroom, locking the door behind her. "I see how it is." Dawn complained through the door. "Birthday." April sung behind the door as the shower’s water turned on. With a groan of defeat, Dawn went out to her balcony. A quick breeze welcomed her as she stepped outside, bringing the sweet sent of rain off in the distance and spring flowers. Dawn stretched, letting out the little bits of stress in muscles, shrinking her back to normal size. "What is that in your mane?" Luna asked from behind Dawn, walking onto the balcony. "And in your tail..." Dawn spun around to meet Luna's inspection head on. "Don’t mind it, it’s nothing." Dawn said with her world class poker face on while tucking her tail in under her. "Mmhmmm." Luna hummed as her eyes narrowed on Dawn's appearance. "Are you about ready for a night of stuffy useless nobles?" Dawn relaxed under Luna's scrutiny, laying down on the warm stone of the balcony tail still tucked in. I can see why April values locked doors. Maybe I can think of way to block out Luna... "The ones you met last week were not totally useless. These are." Luna said as she sat down on her quarters next to Dawn. "Fantastic." Dawn deadpanned. Luna's magic wrapped around Dawn, lifting her for a more thorough inspection. "You smell..." Luna said with a scrunched up snout. Wrapping her own aura around herself, to cancel out Luna's, Dawn rolled away from Luna. "Then don’t smell me." She said, bluntly. "Well since you are neglecting your personal hygiene, I really have no choice." Luna said, defending herself and sticking her nose up into the spring breeze. "Oh the choice was there, you just choose not to take it." Dawn argued, her wings flaring up out of annoyance. Luna had been getting too personal with Dawn lately. The past week or so, since her birthday, Luna had done everything in her power to spend time with Dawn. Dawn tried her best to empathize with Luna, and so she ended up listening every little thing Luna offered that was once too sacred for her to share. It all started with that star gazing machine in the Everfree forest. She later showed Dawn a secret Library dedicated to her diaries, shared the experiences with nightmare moon, her favorite flavor of ice cream. She shared many things she didn't even tell her sister in the end just for Dawn to keep a secret. And now... A dark magic of the moon goddess wrapped around Dawn, pulling her into the embrace of the full moon sized Luna. "I can not help it. You are my daughter no matter how you may see it." Luna said as she dragged the unwilling alicorn to her. Bleh! "Touching as it is I am a full grown mare." Dawn grumbled into Luna's coat as she attempted to pull away using her magic, wings, and hooves in unison. It was futile. Luna was using the power of the moon against her, something she simply did not have the ability to resist at the moment. Dawn had experimented a great deal with her new source of magic but had absolutely no control over it. The only time she had control over it was with April on death's door step. Every time she tried to recreate a spell using it, it resulted in so kind of regrettable affect, like a plant freezing solid or a lawn turning into a forest. Luna held the defeated Dawn in her arms until April came out of the bathroom. "Aww, Mother-daughter moment for the ages." April cooed. "Oh good, April you're out. Come on Dawn, let's get you cleaned up." Luna sung raising the unwilling party above her head with her magic. "I am perfectly capable of cleaning myself!" Dawn croaked harshly, squirming against the indomitable magic containing her. Luna let out an exacerbated sigh as she placed Dawn down on the ground. "You are right..." She pouted with a stiff upper lip. Finding her unhindered feet on the ground, Dawn turned around feeling very much violated only to lock herself in the bathroom. Brushing her damp hair through, only out of habit, she walked out of the bathroom to find April lying down in the sun on the balcony and a package waiting for her next to the still untouched stone block. "What's this?" Dawn asked out towards the balcony. "Luna left it for you." April called back, lazily slurring in the sun. Pulling the package with her, Dawn sat next to April in the sun. April rolled over to her back, letting her wings balance her, so she could watch Dawn from an upside down perspective. Dawn ripped open the delicate paper wrappings of the package, revealing an ornate case. "Fancy, fancy." April shuffled on the floor to gain Dawn's line of sight. "Luna does love you." "I know." Dawn set down the brush that was working itself through the last bits of her tail to turn her attention to the box. It was garnished with orange and pink gems set in bright metals of gold and silver. It stood off the ground by a quarter of a hoof using delicately carved wood legs that had gold pedals leafing out of it. Where there wasn't gold or gems on the out side of the box was a rich dark green stained wood that mimicked the color of Dawn's green eyes. Dawn pushed her magic through the box to unlock it. It flipped open under the power of loaded springs inside, revealing a crown that was simple in nature but in the end making the box look bland in comparison. "Oh, Wow." April exclaimed, turning over to look at the crown proper. "Gotta make it all look official tonight." Dawn grumbled at the upcoming event. "That would do it." Dawn raised the crown out of the plush bed of silk in the case it was resting in. It was a three pronged crown with an insert at the base that would rest on her horn. It was a simple white gold with a brilliant emerald in the middle to match her eyes she guessed. Dawn raised it to her head letting the grove find its place on the base of her horn. "How do I look?" Dawn asked, turning to April. April needed a moment to gather her thoughts and to pick up her jaw. It was an historical moment Dawn concluded. "You look like royalty." Dawn, taking what was meant as a compliment as one, picked up the box and walked it to her desk that was slowly being crowded with papers of her recent research. April followed her inside. She nuzzled Dawn just below the jaw bone. "We just need to have fun tonight." ------- "… So as I was saying I was hoping you could forgive me for my poor behavior." "Look umm… Count Pinkspittle, I really don't remember you so uhh… you are forgiven." Dawn said while stretching, keeping herself a normal size. Her crown shifted against her horn a little as she shrank. "Prince Blueblood you majesty." The pale white colored unicorn corrected, bowing very low. "And I thank you for your forgiveness my princess." Dawn turned to April who was flank to flank with her. She shrugged back to her as the two backed out of the company of the pony that ran up to them, tripping over himself. "That was weird." Dawn admitted. "You honestly don't remember that pony?" April asked under her breath, giggling at his expense. "Let’s go out to the gardens before more of them find me." Dawn said, pointing with her horn to the exit of the main room for the gala. "You go ahead I really want to go see the Wonderbolts over there." She said, unwrapping her tail from Dawn's, who looked back worriedly. "And don't worry I won't eat anything I just want to get some autographs for that poster your mother gave me." "Alright." Pouted Dawn, her wings betrayed her, like they did so often these days, by springing back offensively. "I'll be fine." April consoled as she backed into the crowd behind her. The past week had been hard for Dawn and April both. The poisoning was a near traumatizing experience for Dawn all the while April had to deal with a fillyfriend who had enough power and cunning to follow her all day. Dawn had agreed, much to her dismay, that she would leave April to the squadron of guards dedicated to protecting her. Dawn moved out into the less populated gardens, every pony fell to the ground in a bow as she passed by. Dawn did her best to ignore it. The garden reveled in Dawn's magic as every flower started to bloom brightly around her. She found refuge in the statue gardens where strange and wonderful ponies stood frozen in time. A new addition was placed into the gardens, a blue box. "Police box." Dawn said to the empty air. "I wonder what this is." Twilight questioned, while walking out from around the box. "I haven't the faintest clue." Dawn replied. "It's just a box." Trixie said. "Who cares." "Fair enough." Dawn agreed. "Aren't you curious what a police box is?" Twilight asked slightly annoyed. "Curious yes. Caring no. I just needed to get away from the posh ponies. With their insistent bowing and hoof kissing." "Must be so hard on you." Trixie mocked. "You have no idea... Care to join me for a walk?" Dawn pointed to the maze garden behind the box. "My first time at the grand galloping gala and you want me to waste it walking with a tasteless cretin like you?" "That's Princess cretin to you." Dawn said, pointing a hoof to the crown resting on her head. "I will settle for no less from a hapless, obtuse pony such as you." She said with the straightest face she could manage only to release her rouse with a laugh. "Very well, I will go explore the maze by myself." "You be careful in there..." Twilight started to say only to be interrupted by Dawn flashing her wings. "Oh. Right forgot." "Have Luna find me if I'm needed." Dawn called back as she skipped into the entrance of the maze. The towering hedges shifted in place as Dawn passed just as every plant and animal tended to do in their own way. She quickly got lost among the hedges only to listen into a voice through the hedge. "There is defiantly something very disturbing about this pegasus." Said a voice. Dawn paused to listen. "Why is it crying?" asked a mare. "Weeping!" A stallion voice yelled excitedly. "Do not take your eyes off it. We need to figure out how to get it back where it came from." Said the stallion with a sudden serious tone. "Where did it come from?" "I... Do not know." "Fantastic." The mare voice said enthusiastically. "Exciting." Corrected the stallion. Dawn seeped into the void to appear on the other side of the hedge. A brown earth pony stallion who was wearing broad framed glasses and a blue unicorn wearing nothing were staring at a statue across a small field. Dawn noticed both of their cutie marks were the same. Dawn stepped up next to them to look at the 'exciting' statue of a large pegasus crying with it's hooves over it's eyes. Her presence startled them both forcing them to both look her way. "Holy pancake flipping Dawn!" Screamed the mare, jumping back falling into a bow. "Hello." The stallion greeted. Dawn ignored their greetings for a bit to inspect the statue closely using her magic. It felt very much alive to her. As alive as the hedges that surrounded her and the grass beneath her. "Well this is different." Dawn said as she lifted the statue with her magic spinning it for her inspection. "It seems to be in a quantum lock." The stallion said nonchalantly. "Well that's an interesting word to use. Quantum." Dawn said, letting the sweet sound of the new word rest on her lips. "It is, isn't it? Quantum." The stallion agreed, enjoying the same word as Dawn on his lips. “Quannnnn-tummmm.” "My name is Colgate. And this is the Doctor." The mare introduced coming up from the bow she was in. "Doctor... That's Princess Dawn." She gasped, elbowing to the brown stallion. "Dawn." Dawn mumbled back, ignoring her apparent stardom, still spinning the statue around, letting the brown stallion to inspect it with her. "I don't know how to make pancakes... I should go learn." "I like pancakes." The doctor said, nodding in agreement. "I think I'm more of a waffle mare." Dawn admitted as she spun the statue faster and faster. "Tell me what do two ponies do with identical cutie marks?" She asked, still inspecting the spinning statue as she added a different dimension of spin to it. "Do you argue whose came first?" "Ours aren't identical. They are tilted differently." Colgate said, pushing her flank next to the doctor's for comparison. "See?" "Doctor of what?" "Sorry?" "What are you a doctor of?" Dawn asked, repeating the question. "Well... nothing really. I dabble. Well... Everything really." Dawn increased the spinning of the statue still adding more dimensions to its spin, forcing it to look like a sphere in the moon light. "Where do you want this thing? And for that matter where do you want the ones that have surrounded us?" Colgate let out a squeal and jumped nearly a meter off the ground as she found eight other stone pegasi surrounding them. The doctor seemed more or less un-phased by the new arrivals. "There was a blue box outside the maze. We need them there." Dawn flashed teleported the nine statues, The Doctor, Colgate, and herself to the blue box. All the statues were surrounded by Dawn's pink magic, levitating above the ground. "I sensed a familiar magic with this box, I knew well enough to stay away." Dawn admitted as she stacked the statues near the blue police box. The doctor stomped his hoof and the doors flew open, he lead Colgate and Dawn in. It was smaller in the outside than on the inside allowed, defying all concept of volume. Dawn closed her eyes as she embraced the idea, letting her magic feel around for what was at work here. A familiar feeling of magic surged through the place but she did not know where she recognized it from. "Stack them over here if you don't mind." The Doctor said as he lit up lights in a corner of the large room. Dawn obeyed quickly. While this was more interesting than the gala she did not want to stay here long. "Thank you, princess. You have my word I will return these to their home." The doctor added with a small bow of respect that showed some kind of familiarity. "Right... Off you go then." Dawn backed out of the box slowly. Colgate gave another low bow before the doors closed behind her. Dawn didn't want to wait around near this ‘wrong’ magic any longer. She dissolved herself in the castle’s shadows, appearing next to April in a fit of smoke. "Have a nice walk?" April asked, without looking her way. "I am not sure." Dawn spotted a large poster rolled up in April's wing. "Did you get it signed?" April turned to Dawn. "No, not yet. They're busy." Dawn rolled her eyes as she grabbed the poster with her magic and made her way through the crowd of bowing ponies before April could protest. She was about as big as she could get save a few centimeters, which were quickly disappearing. She smiled gently to the bowing ponies that got up as she passed. The crowd that was surrounding the Wonderbolts split to Dawn's appearance. April was trailing close by, having to shuffle past some ponies to keep up with Dawn. Dawn never did understand why April never let Dawn's parents take her to meet the Wonderbolts in person. All nine of the Wonderbolts were standing in a closed off area of the gala. When she entered the closed off area, all the ponies turned to bow to her and greet her with the regular regal hooplah. She turned around to find April but she was lost in the wake of ponies she left behind. With a flare of her magic she teleported April to her side. "Thanks..." She said as she tried finding her footing. "You don't have to do this." She mumbled quietly to Dawn. Dawn rolled her eyes at her again. "Come on lets go meet your heroes." Dawn guided her to where a circle was formed and broken upon her arrival. The Wonderbolts were in full flight suits. They all bowed for the second time as Dawn approached. "I wish I could convince every pony to stop bowing to me." Dawn grunted as she stretched her growth away, now that it had served its purpose. "Wonderbolts meet April Showers, a big fan. Sign this for me, would you?" She threw the poster at their feet, unrolling it with her magic. The Wonderbolts stood around looking at each other, amused at the simple request, freaked out that their new princess can change size, and in all likely hood deeply disturbed that the princess was the very pony that had force fed them protein shakes at one time in their careers. "Sure thing Princess." Said the first one to produce a pen. Dawn never took the time to memorize the names of the Wonderbolts in years. She knew only the ponies that were kind to her like Thunder Struck and Soarin, she knew Rainbow Dash name only through Twilight. Thunder Struck was dead from not pulling up from a stunt and Soarin had retired as of a couple years ago. So Rainbow was all she knew of this generation of Wonderbolts. Each Wonderbolt signed the poster by their picture, giving a nervous smile to Dawn and the pegasus she had introduced. "Rainbow, how has Fluttershy been?" Dawn asked, attempting to dispel the stiff air around her. "She's fine princess." Rainbow said with a small bow of her head. Dawn winced at her title. She had not been to Ponyville since that day with Luna, she could only hope that the friends of Twilight's she did like, didn't act any different towards her. "Here you go Princess." Rainbow said, sliding over the poster she had just signed. Dawn picked up and rolled up the poster before giving it to April, who was still star struck to say anything. "Thank you." April said, returning to reality. Dawn backed out of the closed area with April close in tow without another word spoken. They walked over to a balcony overlooking the reception area where Celestia and Luna stood, welcoming each pony to the gala. "You should go see Twilight tomorrow." I wish I could read her mind as well as she can read mine. Dawn fell on her quarters, to lean up against April. "I don't like being called princess." She whispered to April. "I know."