Chapter 17: A Queen’s Pride, or A Daughter’s Love
Celestia brought her sun up from its nightly sleep to brighten the day and bring forth the morning. Her task complete, she exited her room to check on her little brother, Dawn Light. As she exited her room, she spotted Luna, Cosma, and Solaris peeking into Dawn’s room. She approached the group with a confused look. “What is going on?”
The three turned to her with a ‘Shhh’. Celestia was taken aback by this as she raised a hoof. Luna motioned for Celestia to come closer and look in as well. “Come sister, you must see this.” She said in a whisper. Night Eye and Silver Spark stood at the sides of the doors with bemused expressions as the royal family was spying on the young prince.
Celestia was still looking confused as she joined her family in peeping in on the little prince. “You shall not escape me Daring Do.” Dawn’s voice cried out. “That artifact shall be mine!”
“Never Ahuizotol. I won’t let you take it.” Crystal’s voice was heard.
Celestia peeked in and saw an adorable sight. Crystal had used her changling magic to make herself look like a filly Daring Do while Dawn was playing the part of Daring’s enemy Ahuizotohl. The two were laughing and playing about Dawn’s room as Tooky acted as Crystal’s assistant. Seeing this made it all clear. The others didn’t want to spoil and interrupt what looked like a good time Dawn was having with his new friend.
After a minute, they all backed away from the door to let Dawn have his fun. “I never thought I’d see the day.” Solaris said. “My son having fun with a changling.”
“I know.” Cosma replied. “I mean, after getting to know Crystal a bit yesterday, I couldn’t help but think she was just another pony in need, even though she is a changling. And seeing this?”
“It seems Dawn’s absence when the changling attack occurred is a good thing.” Luna suggested. “He is able to see them in a way we could not after that. Until Crystal came along that is.”
Celestia threw in her thoughts as well. “I have to agree, if it wasn’t for Dawn Light and one of us found Crystal, we might have done something terrible to the little one.” The family then left to wait for Dawn and Crystal in the dining hall.
After a few minutes of playing around, the two young ones and Tooky stopped to rest. “That was great Dawn, I had fun.” Crystal said. She was no longer looking like Daring Do.
“Me too, it’s pretty cool that you can make yourself look like Daring Do. Well….a filly version of her, but still.”
“I liked that story your mom read to us before bed, and the one we read just this morning.”
“Oh, I know, hang on a second.” Dawn Light suddenly jumped off his bed and went to a small chest he had at the foot of his bed. It was a new addition his father got him and Discord used his powers to conjure Dawn a few toys. He used his magic to open it and pulled out a Daring Do plushy. This toy was given to him by his mother. Dawn flew up and landed back on his bed next to Crystal. “Here Crystal, I want you to have this.”
“A Daring Do doll?” Crystal smiled brightly. “Thank you Dawn, I love it.” She quickly embraced him in a hug.
Dawn hugged back. “I thought you would. My mom gave it to me…..but, I’m not really all that big on dolls. And since you seem to like Daring Do as much as me, I figured you might appreciate it more than me.” Dawn’s stomach rumbled.
“What was that?” Crystal asked in confusion. “Are you okay? Is that a normal sound for ponies?”
Dawn gave a sheepish laugh. “It is when their hungry. Guess it’s time for breakfast.”
Crystal gave a look of understanding. “Oh, okay.”
“Doesn’t your tummy growl like that when you’re hungry?”
“No, I just get this empty uncomfortable feeling inside when I’m low on energy.”
“Huh, interesting.” Dawn’s curiosity having been fed, he decided it was time to head out and get his tummy fed as well. The two left Dawn’s room and made their way to the dining hall where everypony was seated and waiting to be served. “Good morning everypony.” Dawn greeted.
Solaris greeted back. “Good morning son, I trust you and your friend had a good night’s sleep?”
“We sure did.” Dawn answered with a bright smile. He took a seat next to his mother with Crystal sitting next to him.
Cosma noticed Crystal holding the Daring Do plushy. “Dawn, isn’t that the toy I got you?”
Dawn looked up to his mother. “Uh, yeah it is. I did appreciate the gesture, it’s just I’m not really into dolls like that. I figured Crystal might like it more. I hope you’re not mad at me for it.”
Cosma just offered a comforting smile. “No, I’m not mad. I am glad to see you and Crystal getting along though.”
Discord was sitting across from Dawn and Crystal when he got an idea. “Crystal, how would you like to see something fun?”
Crystal smiled brightly at Discord. “Really? What?”
“Well first, I need your permission to use your new doll if I may.” Discord pointed to the Daring Do doll.
Crystal grew wary at the request. “You won’t hurt it will you?”
Discord gave a reassuring smile. “Perish the thought dear, that is a gift from a friend. I would never dream of hurting something like that.”
Crystal thought a moment. “Well….okay.” She was still wary but placed her new doll on the table.
“Don’t worry, you’ll love this.” Discord snapped his eagle claw. A flash occurred on the doll that made it start to shake a bit at first. Then the whole thing came to life. The Daring Do doll had a determined look as it started darting around the table hiding behind small plants on the table for decoration.
“Wow, she’s alive! That is so cool.” Crystal said with a smile.
Celestia laughed as the doll made its way across the table like it was in a jungle.
The Daring Do doll stopped and eyed a pile of apples at the center of the table. She carefully made her way over when an Ahuizotohl doll jumped in front of her.
“Whoa, where did that come from?” Dawn asked.
“I made him of course.” Discord said. “What’s a Daring Do adventure without an enemy.
From there, a fierce battle ensued between Daring and her enemy. They used forks and knives as weapons, they flung food at one another and raced about the table. Crystal rooted for Daring the whole time until Ahuizotohl’s defeat. “Hurray Daring Do!” Crystal cheered. Daring Do had beaten Ahuizotohl in a hoof fight. Daring made her way back to the pile of Apples, took one, and brought it over to Dawn.
“Uh, thanks Daring.” Dawn said. Daring gave a nod before going back to Crystal and jumped to her forelegs and turned back to a normal doll.
“That was great. Probably one of her most harrowing adventures yet.” Crystal stated happily. “Thank you Discord, that was a lot of fun to watch, and funny.”
Luna chimed in with a smile. “I must admit, it was quit amusing to see such a…small adventure.”
Discord gave a bow. “I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. Crystal, you can keep the Ahuizotohl doll as well if you want.”
Crystal’s smile grew a bit more. “Thank you Discord, I would love to.”
Discord used his magic to float the other doll over to Crystal who now held both in one foreleg.
After breakfast, the king and queen made ready to leave to escort Crystal to the meeting they had scheduled with queen Chrysalis. Dawn was getting ready as well and the four soon met up to leave. Dawn and Crystal rode in a separate carriage from Cosma and Solaris.
XXX
Chrysalis was making ready to leave her castle to meet with the king and queen of Equestria. “Those fools better not have harmed my daughter. If they have, I will use every ounce of strength I have left to do whatever damage I can.” She left her castle and flew on with a few of her changling guards.
Chrysalis soon arrived at the meeting place at the edge of their borders just in time to see two carriages come to a landing. Solaris and Cosma stepped off first. Dawn Light and Crystal jumped down from their carriage as well, Crystal still holding her new dolls in one foreleg. “MOMMY!” Crystal cried out as she buzzed into the air and flew to Chrysalis.
“Crystal!” Chrysalis cried out as she opened her forelegs to hold her daughter.
Crystal wrapped her available foreleg around her mother’s neck. “Mom, I’m so sorry for running away like I did. Please don’t be mad at me, I’m sorry!” Crystal cried out tears of joy for being reunited with her mother after nearly four days.
Chrysalis held tight to Crystal. “It’s all right dear, all that matters is you’re safe with me.” She held Crystal out and looked her over. “Did they hurt you? What did they do to my precious baby? Is anything hurting?”
Crystal giggled out. “No mom, I’m fine, really. They took good care of me, especially Dawn Light.”
Chrysalis gave a confused look. “Dawn Light?”
“Our son, Chrysalis.” Solaris pointed out. Dawn had taken position next to his mother who stood by Solaris.
Cosma continued. “Our son is the one that found your daughter lost in Canterlot. He took her in, cleaned her up and made sure she was well cared for while she was with us. If it weren’t for him, we may have done something terrible to your daughter. But he stopped us and made us think twice about our actions.”
Chrysalis set Crystal down and eyed the young prince. Dawn Light cringed under the changling queen’s hard stare. “He saved my daughter?” She asked as she pointed a hoof.
“Yes, he did.” Cosma stated confidently.
Chrysalis gave a heavy sigh. “Very well, what are your demands then?”
The king and queen were left with looks of confusion at the question that was presented. “Demands?” Solaris asked.
Chrysalis furrowed her brow. Did these ponies take her for a fool? “Yes, demands. What do you want in exchange for my daughter’s safe return?” She asked in annoyance.
“What makes you think we want anything?” Solaris asked.
Crystal tapped on Chrysalis’s leg. “Mommy, Dawn Light is my friend. He took real good care of me while I was staying at their castle. They don’t expect anything from you. In fact, they want to help.”
“Help?” Chrysalis asked.
Crystal nodded her head. “Mmhmm, I told them about our situation. They actually want to help us.”
Chrysalis gave a stern look at her daughter. “That information was not for you to divulge. Now they know we are weak and cannot defend ourselves.”
Solaris was about to say something when Dawn stepped forward. “Excuse me your majesty.”
All eyes fell on the young prince. “What do you want? This is a discussion for grown ponies, not young ones like you.”
Cosma stepped in to defend Dawn. “Excuse me, but Dawn Light has every right to be here. He is a prince of Equestria and has proven himself clever for his age. Please hear him out.”
Chrysalis caved under the mother’s gaze. “Very well.”
Dawn Light stepped closer and began. “Chrysalis, Crystal told me all about the troubles you’re having in your kingdom. When she did, I felt sorry for you. I convinced my mother and father to agree to offer whatever aid we could in helping you and your subjects in hopes of bringing peace between our races. I know you probably still harbor hatred for us after how you were beaten when you tried to take over, but that’s in the past, and your kingdom is suffering. Don’t you think you should put your pride aside for their sake and do whatever you can to help them?”
Cosma and Solaris smiled as they felt pride in the wise words their son spoke.
Chrysalis contemplated what Dawn Light said. There was also the fact that the rulers of Equestria were not asking for anything in return for her daughters safe return to her. As she thought, she remembered the condition her kingdom was in. Many of her beloved changlings were suffering from the shortage of love energy. Could she really swallow her pride for the sake of her kingdom? After thinking it over, she decided to take the best course of action for her changling kingdom. She gave a heavy sigh. “Very well, I will accept whatever aid you can give me and my changlings. It’s not like I have much of a choice anyway.” She added at the end.
“YAY!” Crystal cheered. “Thank you your majesties.” Crystal said with a bow of her head.
Cosma offered a smile. “Then we have a deal.” She extended her hoof for Chrysalis to shake.
Chrysalis hesitated a moment. “Yes…I suppose we do.” She extended her hoof and shook in return.
Crystal tapped Chrysalis on the foreleg again. “Mom, now that we’re all going to be friends, would it be all right if I visit Dawn Light once in a while? We promised to be friends forever after all.”
Chrysalis looked down to Crystal. “So you two are friends then?”
“We sure are. We had a lot of fun while I was staying with him. He even gave me this doll.” Crystal used her magic to hover the Daring Do doll in front of Chrysalis. “And Discord gave me this one.” She then brought the Ahuizotohl doll up.
“What are they?” Chrysalis asked.
Crystal happily explained her newest hero. “Oh, well the Pegasus is Daring Do. She a fictional adventure hero they have stories about. She goes on these great adventures through ancient temples and such to retrieve artifacts that hold mystical powers. And all while fighting off the evil Ahuizotohl, I don’t know what he is, and other terrible foes.”
Solaris leaned down and practically whispered in Crystal’s ear. “You know, Daring Do is actually real.”
Both Dawn and Crystal spoke in unison. “She is?”
Cosma continued. “She is, but she prefers that everypony thinks she’s fake so she doesn’t get bothered by fans. She actually writes about her adventures which are the stories you read.”
“Cool, do you think maybe one day we could meet her?” Dawn asked.
“I don’t see why not.” Solaris said. “Though it might be difficult to get a hold of her, seeing as she can be busy with her questing and such.”
After a discussion on how the king and queen could help the changlings, Crystal walked up to Dawn with her toys now resting on her back. “Dawn Light, thank you again for everything. I really appreciate it. I don’t think any of this would have happened without you. Thank you.” She blushed slightly as she quickly gave Dawn a peck on the cheek. She then took a few steps backwards before turning around and galloped over to her mother.
Chrysalis picked Crystal up and placed her on her back. Before leaving, she actually gave a smile directed at Dawn and nodded to him. She and her changlings then took off back for the castle they called home.
Dawn was slightly stunned by the kiss. So stunned that he failed to notice his cutie mark finally appearing on his flank, a picture of a pair of hills with a sun rising between them casting a shadow from the hills.
“Uh oh, somepony has a marefriend.” Cosma said with a smile in a teasing tone.
“Mom.” Dawn whined with a smile of his own.
Solaris gave a hearty laugh at the exchange. “Come on son, let’s….wait…Dawn, your flank.” He pointed out.
“What, what about it?” Dawn asked with a bit of worry. “Is something wrong?”
Cosma smiled as she answered. “No, nothing is wrong, you have your cutie mark.” She pointed out.
“Really?” Dawn looked back and got a good look at his flank. “HAH, I don’t believe it, I got my cutie mark!” He expressed with a bright smile, his wings extended out in joy. He started jumping around in joy. “I GOT MY CUTIE MARK! I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!”
“My boy, he’s growing up so fast.” Cosma said nearly in tears of joy.
Solaris hugged Cosma with a foreleg as they watched their son celebrate. “Guess we haven’t missed much after all then have we?” He asked softly. He felt such pride for his son.
“This is great! Wait till Celly and Lulu hear about this.” Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind that made him pause in his tracks. “Wait a minute…I got my cutie mark.” He actually seemed a bit worried.
“Dawn, what is it?” cosma asked as she dropped to her belly and placed a hoof on Dawn’s back.
Dawn Light let out what he was worrying about. “If I have my cutie mark, then I might not get to be a cutie mark crusader anymore.” What would Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom say?”
Cosma made Dawn look her in the eyes. “Dawn Light, I think your friends would be absolutely thrilled for you. And I’m sure they’ll still let you be part of their club.”
Dawn seemed unsure as he responded. “You really think so?”
Solaris offered his words to help ease Dawn’s worry. “If they’re truly your friends, they will let you stay in their club. And even if they don’t, you’ll still be friends, right?”
Dawn Light smiled as he responded. “Yeah, I think you’re right.” With his worries now gone, he returned his attention to his new cutie mark. “So what do you think my cutie mark means? What is my special talent?”
Cosma hummed in thought. “Hmm, I think…it means your good at getting fillies to fall for you.”
Solaris then chimed in. “Can you blame him, he has my good looks after all, HA!”
“You guys, come on, this is serious!” Dawn whined. “I gotta figure this out.”
“All right, all right, calm down son.” Solaris said with a smile.
Cosma offered her opinion. “Did you see the way Chrysalis smiled before she left? That smile was directed at you. And did you see how happy you made Crystal? Let’s not forget how happy you tend to make other ponies. Plus, your sisters told me about the rocky start you had with your nephew and how you were able to patch things up.”
“So, you think my talent has to do with making other ponies happy?” Dawn asked with a smile of his own.
Solaris picked Dawn up in a hug. “I think your special talent is bringing light to those in darkness. You are able to bring joy to so many lives no matter how bleak they may feel. That is your special talent. The sun on your cutie mark, I think, represents that joy and the shadows of the mountains represents that darkness that other ponies tend to feel.”
“Wow.” Dawn breathed out. “This….is….AWSOME!” He cheered loudly.
“Come on son, I think it’s about time we head home, then you can show off your new cutie mark to your friends at the castle.” Cosma offered.
Dawn leapt from his father’s grasp to his mother and gave her a hug. “Great mom, let’s go.”
“Congratulations your majesty.” The Pegasus guards said with smiles.
The three climbed aboard the same carriage with Dawn sitting happily between his parents, eager to get home and tell his sisters and friends at the castle about his newest cutie mark. Then he can show it off to all his friends in Ponyville. He was so excited, he couldn’t stop smiling himself.