Beauty's Ascension; or, An Alicorn Love Story
Soarin pined for a love that could never be.
“No, no. That’s not right at all.”
Soarin pined for a love that he was sure could be eventually but not right now and only if she was also willing to partake in such a relationship as to—
Soarin blinked. “I can edit that down later.”
The first thing he noticed was her smile. She smiled brightly at everypony she met, during every event that entered her life. Her fair locks would dance as she laughed, seas of gold that flowed their way into his heart.
She floated aloft on delicate wings, hovering above the assembly. Her eyes darted to and fro as she took in the mystical sight, that vast expanse of emptiness filled with the shining memories of those ponies present. Her hair wafted side to side as she spun, and her coat of lightest—
“Cheese. It’s nothing but cheese.”
He shook his head, dusting the cobwebs from his brain. The pale light of the moon flitted through his window, reflecting off of the dusty collection of award and trophies on his shelves. A soft smile teased its way onto his face as he glanced at them.
He stood up from his writing desk and promptly bumped his newly-added horn on the ceiling.
“Ooowww…” He rubbed at his head ruefully, staring cross-eyed at the bony protrusion growing out of his forehead. It was only as he licked some moisture into his lips that he noticed that they still held the eraser end of his pencil. He spat the writing instrument into a drawer and slumped over on his bed.
He closed his eyes, willing sleep to come. A few moments passed before he realized that he had left the candle on his desk lit. He groaned as he stood. He trotted up to the desk and blew out the rogue candle with insistence. He glared at the smoldering wick, daring it to reignite.
Such rebellion extinguished, he turned back towards his bed. His wings, having gone through a spectacular growth spurt alongside his limbs and horn, bumped against the writing desk and knocked his journal to the ground. He stood there, his wings extended and his jaw clenched.
Slowly, carefully, he picked up the journal and placed it back on his writing desk. Slowly, carefully, he folded his wings in and turned back towards his bed. Slowly, carefully, he walked to his bed and laid down beneath the sweet, silky sheets.
“Heyyah, sup?”
Slowly, carefully, Soarin leapt out of bed and screamed like a little filly.
Spitfire leaned through his window, which was open to the night air. “You forgot to close this thing again,” she said.
Soarin stood and dusted himself off, shooting her a half-baked glare. “Maybe I like a breeze running through my quarters.”
“Maybe you’re preoccupied again.” She climbed through the window and quirked an eyebrow at him. “Or still.”
“Maybe,” he mumbled. He watched as she dusted off one of his trophies with an extended wing. “Is there… Is something up?”
She folded her wing up and took in a deep breath. “Soarin, I think you need a vacation.”
“Huh?” He shook his head, waving his hooves in front of his face like he was warding off damselflies. “A vac— No. No, no, no, no, no. I don’t—” He snapped his mouth shut and opened his eyes. “Why do you think I need a vacation?”
“Dude, you’re stressed out!” Spitfire rubbed her temples. “It’s the ascension, the coronation, the new body and stuff. You’re wigging out and it isn’t good for you.”
“I can’t take a vacation,” Soarin said. “I’ve got duties here, we’ve got that show tomorrow…”
“Duties? We aren’t the military, Soarin, we’re performers.” Spitfire placed a hoof on his shoulder, rearing up a bit in order to do so. “We can do one or two shows without you. But only one or two. It’ll be good for you.”
Soarin scratched at his horn. “Does this have anything to do with me almost setting the audience on fire yesterday?”
“Nothing and everything.” Spitfire shrugged. “You were preoccupied, you let a stray bolt of lightning hit the popcorn machine… We had it in hand. Hoof. Whatever.”
Soarin trotted over to his trophy wall and pulled a small, bronze medal from the top shelf. He turned it over in his hooves as he looked back at Spitfire. “So, Sarge, any opinions about where I need to spend my vacation?”
“Don’t call me that.” She pulled a map of Equestria out from under her wing and handed it to him. “You ever been to a little town called “Ponyville?”
“I try to forget about that little incident,” he said.
Spitfire blinked. “Ooh, yeah. Dragon.”
Soarin tied a ribbon onto his medal. “I don’t think the Wonderbolts are much of a rescue squad, either.”
“We have our moments,” Spitfire said. “So you going or not?”
“Do I have a choice?” he asked with a frown. “It was sorta implied that you were making me go.”
“Good eye, Slick.” She grasped his shoulders and ushered him to his bed. “Now get some shut-eye, you’re officially on vacation as of tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred, sharp!”
Soarin found himself flopping face-first into bed. “Mff.”
Spitfire trotted towards the window, only casting half of a glance back at him. “What was that?”
“I said,” Soarin said, “Only you would have such a strict schedule on a vacation.”
What he said was actually much closer to “ouch,” but this author digresses…
Her eyes sparkled with delight as she approached her princess. Her smile, that amazing smile, was beatific as it shined its light around. She bowed with a stretch of her wings, kneeling before her sovereign.
“My little pony,” Celestia said, “You have ascended due to your—”
Soarin glanced up from his journal as the noises of the park reached his ears. He smiled at the sight of three fillies bouncing a ball back and forth. He adjusted the pencil held between his lips and turned back to his book.
He glanced to the side and did a double take at the small, lavender filly that now sat beside him. He didn’t quite remember her walking up to him, let alone sitting beside him, but he had been pretty engrossed in writing.
“You’re a Wonderbolt,” she said simply. “You look different now that you’re an alicorn.”
The pencil fell from his mouth and into a small pouch at his side. “Yeah, that’s right.” He smiled at her and slowly closed the journal, trying not to bring attention to it. “What’s your name?”
“Dinky,” she said. “And you’re Soarin, Co-Captain of the Wonderbolts and Prince of the Storm.”
Soarin’s lip twitched. “Feels like that title’s getting longer every day.”
Dinky tilted her head to the side. “What are you doing in Ponyville? The Wonderbolts have an air show today in Fillydelphia.”
“I… That is…” He brushed a lock of hair out of his eyes. “I’m on vacation until further notice.”
Dinky’s eyebrows shot up. “They fired you?”
“Vacation! I used that word for a reason.” He drew a hoof over his eyes. “They just want me somewhere peaceful until I settle down a bit.”
Dinky blinked. “So they sent you to Ponyville?”
Soarin froze mid-answer, his mouth open and his hoof held in the air. “You know, I gotta wonder what they were thinking when they picked the destination.”
As if to prove their point, a flock of parasprites flew by, carrying a hefty payload of baked goods. They were pursued by the airborne Alicorn Princess of Divine Cakes, Cup Cake.
“Give those back! By golly, I’ll give you a whupping if you don’t come back with those right this instant, don’chya know!”
She wobbled in the air as she disappeared over a distant hill in hot pursuit.
A smile tugged at Soarin’s lips. “Still, I think that the oddness… I think it makes this place feel like home.”
“Cloudsdale is weird?” Dinky asked.
“Not really. I was born in Manehatten.” He shuffled through his saddlebags, looking for some trinket he could sign. “That city’s the epicenter for weird.”
“Epicenter?” Dinky lidded her eyes. “Ponyville’s ten times as weird as any other city.”
Soarin grinned as he took the bait. “Try me. Giant mole-rat attacks the Statue of Liberty.”
She laid her head in her hooves. “Parasprites eat the town.”
“Mutant tortoises fight crime.”
“Nightmare Moon attacks… Twice.”
“A rip in the time-space continuum deposits a hairless ape in Times Mare. They proceed to marry somepony.”
“A million Pinkie Pies turn Ponyville into their personal playground.”
Soarin fished out a small postcard of the Wonderbolts with a laugh. “I think you’ve got me beat, there.”
He signed it with a flourish and handed… hoofed… whatever… gave it to the filly. A small smile tugged at her lips. “So, what have you been up to today, Dinky?”
She shrugged. “My mom said that I needed to get out more. She said that life was gonna pass me by, and I was missing so many things by just hanging around indoors.” She sent a smirk his way. “So the instant I step outside, I notice a Wonderbolt sitting on the park bench.”
“I’m happy to be around to help prove your mom’s point,” Soarin said.
The thin smirk dissolved. “Yeah.”
The fillies across the park switched from bouncing their ball around to jumping rope.
Dinky glanced down at Soarin’s neck. “Where’d you get that?”
He placed a hoof on the medal that hung around his neck. “This? It’s the first medal I ever earned.”
“Not the last though, right?” Dinky asked. She didn’t wait for his answer. “Um, thanks for the autograph. Nice to meet you.”
“You’re welcome.” He sat still as she stood up from the park bench. He pawed at his medal as she walked away slowly.
She didn’t get very far before a loud voice broke through the peace of the park. “Muffin!”
Dinky’s head turned to the voice. Her ears drooped slightly, and her eyes shifted back to Soarin. He lowered an eyebrow and looked at the source of the call.
Her feathers of lightest gray danced on the winds, as if they were extensions of the joy the mare always spread around her. Her mane formed a halo about her head as she deigned to descend upon the humble earth. He looked straight into her eyes of gold and knew, in his heart of hearts, that she—
She landed beside Dinky and hugged her. “How are you, Honey? Who’s your friend?”
“Hi, Mom,” Dinky said as she returned the hug, keeping wary eyes on Soarin. “This is Soarin, he’s one of the Wonderbolts.”
The mare smiled at Soarin. “Nice to meet you! I recognize you now; you look kinda different with the horn.”
Soarin swallowed hard. His throat seemed to crack with dryness. “I, well, so do you, Missus…?”
She giggled as she tapped the bony protrusion on her head. “I’m still getting used to it, myself. Derpy. My name is Derpy Hooves.”
“I’m, I’m Soarin,” he said.
“Well, I know that,” she said with a grin. She kept a foreleg around her daughter’s shoulders as she spoke. “Dinky already introduced you, remember?”
“Right,” Soarin coughed. “Um, it was very nice meeting you two.”
“Likewise!” Soarin couldn’t help but notice that Derpy’s eye appeared to be wandering around the park. She shut her eyes and shook her head, and when they opened once more, her eyes were in synch. “I hope we can meet again before you leave town.”
Soarin smiled until long after he had flown out of sight. He flopped to a cloud with a huff. “‘Mom,’” he muttered. “Of course she’s ‘mom.’ Of course she’s—” He sighed and buried his head in the fluff. “Taken.”
“Yer lookin’ a little down, pardner.”
Soarin looked up to find himself purchasing roundabout three-dozen apples. From the bunch, he hastily selected three of the shiniest and pushed them up to the vendor. “Sorry, just thinking.”
“Eeyup,” the red stallion across from him said. “That tends tah happen round these parts.”
Soarin raised a brow. “You don’t say?”
“Eeyup,” the stallion said again. There was a commotion behind them; a small, white filly screamed as she was pursued by an army of chipmunks. “Ponyville’s kinda the go-to town fer findin’ yerself.”
Soarin produced a few bits from his wallet as a small rainstorm broke out over a nearby market booth that had caught fire. “And where might I find the most… introspective spot?”
“If ah might suggest,” the stallion drawled as an explosion rocked the town, “somewhere besides the market square.”
“Eeyup.” Soarin nodded and sped on his way.
The golden glow of Celestia’s sun sank beneath the horizon. In its place was a palette of wondrous colors, varying hues that almost sang in the sky. He stared over the expanse of the Everfree, his perch on the hillside granting him full view of the forest and the mountains beyond. His heart sank with the sun as he allowed his feelings to enter the cold night.
Soarin looked down at his notebook and groaned. “Gosh, is this even cheese, or just mold?”
He flipped back through the pages until he came to the inside cover. A note sat between the pages, one addressed to him. Son, we are so proud of you for winning that medal. You mean the world to us, Soarin. We hope that this journal can hold your inspirations for years to come.
“Love, Mom and Dad,” he finished aloud. “I love you guys, too.”
He laid his head in the grass as the first stars came out. A twinkle caught his eye. His smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Love you.”
“Come on, Mom, we’re gonna miss the comet!”
He looked up to see Dinky and Derpy approaching the hillside. Derpy carried a box that looked a few sizes bigger than even an alicorn could carry safely. “I’m coming, Muffin! Just let me get this situated—”
She gasped as the box tumbled from her back. It fell towards the ground at something akin to escape velocity. Dinky’s cry of horror at the turn of events was cut short as it was caught by the capable hooves of Soarin the Wonderbolt.
“Um,” he said, “hi again.”
“Oh, my,” Derpy giggled. “It looks like chivalry is coming back in style!”
Soarin grinned dumbly, words failing to move from his brain to his mouth. Dinky stared at him with an odd intensity, studying his face. He looked back at Derpy and once again found her eyes pointing in different directions. His dumb grin promptly devolved into a stupid grin.
“Hap-happy to help.”
Dinky suddenly snapped to attention. “Mr. Soarin! Can you please carry the box over to the hill?”
“Sure!” His wings fluttered as he did just that.
Once it was situated, Derpy flew over and opened the box, revealing a telescope. She set it up facing the east, where the moon was soon to rise. She looked up at Soarin with her brilliant smile. “Hey, do you like stars?”
Soarin landed with a shrug. He stepped to the side as Dinky began to make fine adjustments to the telescope. “I suppose I do. I mean, it’s hard not to, right?”
Derpy nodded. “Well, why don’t you stick around a few minutes? Take a look through the telescope? It’s the least we could do.”
“Well…” Soarin looked from Derpy to Dinky, the little filly raised a hoof to allow him to look through the telescope. “I don’t see why not.”
He placed his eye beside the viewer, and gasped at what he saw. He saw not the bright dots of the usual view telescopes gave, but a bright, enhanced, clear image of a long-tailed comet. “This… This is a magic telescope!”
“Top of the line!” Derpy giggled. “Princess Celestia gave it to Dinky when I ascended. Isn’t it swell?”
“It’s wonderful,” Soarin breathed.
“Now you look, Mommy,” Dinky said. She watched her mom squint her eyes and peer into the mirrors and glasses that were magnifying the celestial image.
“It’s beautiful, Dinky.” She pulled away and smiled at her daughter. “What are you going to look at next?”
Dinky’s expression remained blank, but her voice rose a bit in pitch. “I’m gonna see Daddy’s star.”
Derpy’s smile faltered for an instant. “Okay, Honey.”
Soarin’s mouth dropped open and he turned to Derpy. “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry. I’m… I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, Soarin,” she said, waving a hoof. “It was a”—she chewed at her bottom lip—“It was a long time ago.”
Soarin looked up at the stars, at the twinkling lights that hung in the heavens. “I guess everypony has somepony up there, don’t they?”
With a gentle smile, Derpy slowly nodded her head. “Yeah, probably.”
“I found him,” Dinky said. “You wanna see, Mom?”
“That’s okay, Dinky,” Derpy whispered. “You go ahead.”
The hillside brightened as the moon appeared over the horizon. Dinky continued to gaze through the telescope, as Derpy settled herself down in the grass. “So, Soarin, what brings you to Ponyville?”
“An extended vacation,” he said. At her raised eyebrow, he clarified. “It seems like the ascension made me maybe a little stressed.”
“Oh, I hear you there.” Her smile brightened back to its normal luster. “Things were pretty crazy around here when I got promoted to princess, too.”
Soarin sat in the grass beside her, watching Dinky adjust the telescope further. “If it’s not too much to ask, what exactly are you the princess of?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” she asked. Her mouth sat in a flat line as she awaited his response. When he had sputtered for long enough, her grin returned. “That’s okay, it’s kinda intangible. I’m Derpy Hooves, Princess of Optimism.”
“Optimism,” he repeated. “It certainly suits you well.”
“Thank you.” One of her eyes drifted to the stars, while the other focused on him.
Soarin licked his lips as he searched for something, anything, to say. He was interrupted by Derpy’s sudden gasp of discovery. “Oh! Is this yours?”
He bit down hard on his lip as she brought his journal into view. The embossed image of a pegasus on the cover glowed dimly in the moonlight. He took it from her gently. “Yeah. It’s sort of a… an idea journal.”
“Ideas for Wonderbolt stunts and stuff?” Derpy asked.
“More like, um, story ideas.” Soarin flipped through the pages and stopped on a fairly early one, one from his younger years. “My parents gave me this journal after I won a medal in a creative writing competition.”
She pointed to his chest with a hoof. “That one around your neck?”
He nodded, and she smiled. Her teeth shone in the moonlight, sparkling alongside her eyes. “Can I read a little?”
Soarin quite nearly swallowed his tongue. “Well, well, um, I, that is, heh.”
It was with a small amount of trepidation that he noted that while Dinky’s eye was pressed to the telescope, her ears were swiveled towards him.
“I don’t see why not.”
Derpy took the book and read over the page he had it opened to. She squinted her roaming eye and focused on the moonlit manuscript. She soon broke out in titters. “This is so cute! How old were you when you wrote this?”
He looked the page over and grimaced. “Gosh, that had to be ten years ago. Give or take.”
She flipped a few pages forwards, her eyes tracking along the words. “Have you ever taken these ideas and made a book out of them?”
“A couple,” he said. “I haven’t published anything, really. I’ve never really had an idea I thought was…” He trailed off as she came to a full stop on one particular page. A page that had some very recent pencil marks upon it.
Very, very recent.
Her mouth became a flat line as her eyebrows leveled. She stared intently at the words on the page. Her breathing became slower. “Oh.”
She looked at him, both eyes able to train themselves on his face. “You… you were the stallion behind me in line, weren’t you?”
Soarin nodded, vaguely aware that Dinky had dropped all pretenses and was focused solely on the conversation.
“The one that I, heh,” Derpy giggled, “the one that I hugged when Princess Celestia said that I was going to become an alicorn.”
Soarin chuckled hollowly. “Funny coincidence, huh?”
Derpy’s smile grew soft. “I don’t believe in coincidences, Soarin.”
Soarin studied his hooves, planted as they were in the soft soil beneath the grass. He raised his head to Derpy and took in a deep breath. “Miss Derpy Hooves, now that the secret is out, would you accompany me to dinner tomorrow?”
Derpy’s blush stood out bright against her gray coat in the moonlight. Dinky trotted over and nuzzled her. “I… Well, that is…”
“She’d love to,” Dinky said. “Wouldn’t you, mom?”
Soarin and Derpy turned towards Dinky with surprise on their faces. Dinky shrugged. “Why not?”
Derpy kissed her daughter on the cheek. “You’re really adorable, you know that?” She stood and came eye-to-eye with Soarin. “Are you gonna write more lovey-dovey stories about some mare that just so happens to have the same coat, hair, and eye color as me?”
Soarin snorted, a smile growing on his lips. “Only if you say ‘yes.’”
Derpy smiled.
She stood there, arrayed in a variety of finery, her inner beauty utterly dwarfing the glamour of the dress she wore. Her smile lit up the street as they walked to their destination, their attention on each other rather than where they were going. He ran his hoof under the collar of his one-size-too-small dress shirt, blushing as she giggled.
He started as her daughter leapt onto his back, the filly’s serious expression tinged with a light happiness. She adjusted her daughter’s dress, arranging the delicate rose petals that ran along the hem. They exchanged a nuzzle as he watched, a smile breaking out across his visage.
Her eye wandered around the street, but her other eye remained focused on him. He remained focused on her as well. He opened the door to admit her and her daughter, presenting them access to the restaurant they had chosen for the evening.
The filly’s mouth did not so much as twitch, but her eyes lit up as she took in the finery of the Silver Spoon. The fancy restaurant drew her in, tempting her with savory salads and sweet dessert. They were led to a table, and sat around it with pleasure.
Soarin smiled at Derpy Hooves, and she at him. The waiter trotted up to them, asking if they would enjoy their usual, or if they wished to try something new. His eyes lit up as he noticed Dinky, and he asked her if she would like the children’s menu. She accepted.
Soarin and Derpy shared a light kiss, their lips touching for the briefest of moments. Dinky watched them with interest, paying only half of her attention to the tempting menu before her. She had already chosen her meal, and she had a feeling that food wasn’t quite the full reason for their outing that night.
It was after dessert was finished that Soarin stood from his chair and knelt before Derpy. She gasped as he held forth a small, but precious, gemstone. It was an earring, a traditional pegasus gift. He held it out to her and asked of her one simple, yet oh so serious, act.
“Will you marry me?”
She leapt upon him, wrapping her wings about his body and crying out that of course she would. Dinky’s eyes widened. She held that pose for a moment before a giant smile broke out across her face. Laughter from their three mouths filled the restaurant, and music began playing jovially across the dining room.
Soarin stopped writing. He looked at the wall of trophies on the wall, carefully arranged and polished to a sheen. In the middle sat a small, bronze medal. Beside it sat a picture of Derpy, Dinky, and him, all smiling at the camera.
A knock at his window drew his attention. Spitfire pointed at her wrist, signifying an imaginary watch. Her irritated expression ushered him on to all due speed. He zipped up his uniform and strode out of his old apartment, the full regalia of the Co-Captain of the Wonderbolts draped around him. He lowered his goggles and followed Spitfire through the air towards the stadium.
He glanced at the stands and saw his daughter and his wife among the watchers. He waved at Derpy and Dinky, then sped on to the starting line.
Back in his study, wind blew through a slightly-opened window, turning the journal a few pages forward. The last page had an intricately-detailed script spelling out two simple words: “A Beginning.”
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They sure are, your majesty...
Loved it! Alicorns in love, and Dinky pushing it on on her mom makes sense.
I now have a request.
I kinda want to the see alicorn princess Lightning Dust. Why? Just to piss the heck out of the Dash, that's why. I think it would be hilarious and might lead Dash to the a similar question as AJ. Why not me/us? Trixie did it.
It's a nice inversion of the typical only the element bearers get to ascend meme.
Aww, that was adorable! Soarin's writing really captured the essence of his feelings, in a way that was better than simple inner monologue.
Not bad, I liked it.
That was great! And they have a ship name that works out nicely, hehe.
Soar Hooves or Derrin Do?
Have picture of adorableness!
derpicdn.net/img/2012/11/4/142415/large.png
3338991
Oh, yes. You should definitely try the caramel drizzle confection. Tis worthy of much praise!
3339843
Thank you very much!
I like it... I like it! The concept, the characters... Yes, I do believe I can make that work.
Yeah, i'll get to writing that one and release it as the next chapter.
Any excuse to write Rainbow Dash, I always say...
Hmm, time to rewatch Lightning's episode a few dozen times.
3340680
I'm glad you liked the journal style. It's been a personal challenge of mine to avoid using internal monologues, at least since my second story. It always seems like they're one of the more prevalent examples of "telling" in a story.
It helps me stay creative when I can't use them, too.
3341105
E-e-excellent!
3344116
Oh, most certainly Derrin' Do, it even combines Derpy's two names!
Oh, gosh, I have the stupidest grin on my face right now. That's perfect!
3344219
Adorable. Maybe a little rushed. We know they're in love but we only really see one (rather flimsy) reason for it. I'd have liked to see more of the courtship part of it.
4832971
4832971
Ah! Thank you. I've received criticism that most of my stories are rushed in some way, shape, or form, so I'd say you're right on the money. I'm working to flesh my stories out as I go along, getting deeper and better as I go. I'd definitely want to explore their relationship if I was to write this story again.
Eh, maybe I just need another side story.
This chapter is quite thoroughly enjoyable.
4832971
Agreed. Seeing this fleshed out into a story in its own right would be excellent.
Derrin' Do. Well, first time for everything, and it works. Nice.
Awww, that was so cute!
