The Unexpected Chapter of Dawning Shield
The Crystal Empire.
A beautiful and wondrous place. Filled with marvelous architecture and even better locals. The ponies that live in the empire shine and sparkle, with most displaying their signature transparency that makes each citizen a delight for any passing tourist waiting to get a photo op.
In the grand palace lives the rulers of the land; Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor. First united through their connection with Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor’s younger sister, they now rule the kingdom as husband and wife.
However, this day is not about them.
Their son, Prince Dawning Shield, now at the age of 12, has been known to be an adventurous little colt; always wanting to roam the lands outside the kingdom, including the nearby forests and riverbanks that look ever so inviting in the eyes of the young and curious Prince.
Shining Armor and Cadance allow for his little explorations, but only if he was under the protection of one of their many royal guards on staff.
However, this day lacks such protection.
Dawning Shield managed to slip away from the kingdom; undetected and unseen from anypony, just so he can travel the forest on his own. Being chaperoned by a Royal Guard had its drawbacks, such as being told that he couldn’t travel a certain distance, or head off to a dark and shadowy part of the area.
Dawning Shield became annoyed at their instance and overprotective nature. It’s not like he’s defenseless. He has been trained by his father and other Guards in the art of using magic in both its defensive and offensive capabilities. Of course, it’s only the basics, as he’s still young.
Without the constant unneeded companionship of a Guard, Dawning Shield can now explore the forest as he pleases, with nopony to bother him, or to tell him what to do. The excited Prince expected this day to be a fun yet uneventful journey.
However, this is not one of those days.
Trotting through the forest without a care in the world, Dawning Shield marvels at the scenery before him. Lush trees, beautiful flowers, various wildlife such as bunnies and birds, milling about with friendly intentions. This, for all intents and purposes, is a beautiful day.
The silence is suddenly broken by the sounds of barking, galloping, and snapping twigs. Dawning Shield can make out the noise of panic in between the barks and growls.
Somepony is being chased.
Dawning Shield, the brave and noble colt, takes off to find the source of the noise. It would get farther, then closer, circling around like a never ending cycle, giving the Prince faded hope that he will truly find the source, and save whoever is in trouble.
“NO!!!” the voice of what sounds like a filly is heard, immediately perking up Dawning Shield’s ears.
He gallops faster now…almost too fast to notice the cliff face in front of him. He screeches to a halt; if he kept running for even a second longer, he’d be falling from that cliff.
The growling and barking has gotten louder and closer. Dawning Shield looks down to see a harrowing sight.
A young filly is cornered by a pack of Timberwolves. She is cowering, bleeding, shivering in pain and cold.
The thing is…this isn’t a normal filly. Her coat is black, her wings are insect-like, her hooves are holed; yet her horn is completely straight, like the average unicorn. She looks very much like a Changeling, yet also like a pony. The sight intrigues the Prince, making his drive to action even more determined.
With a flick of his horn, Dawning Shield teleports to the bottom of the crevasse, facing the pack of Timberwolves head on. This teleportation method was taught to him by his aunt, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and wasn’t more grateful for this ability than he is right at this moment.
The creatures definitely weren’t expecting this meeting, but two meals are better than one.
“Leave her alone!” Dawning Shield shouts with an authoritative bellow. It doesn’t work. He has a long way to go before he matches the power of his parents’ voices.
The Timberwolves attack, leaving the Prince no choice but to defend himself. Despite his young and inexperienced age, he blasts a couple of the wolves back, and kicks away a couple more. All of their attention is off the Changeling-like filly, and on the currently attacking colt that is faster and nimbler than they are.
With a few more kicks, and a couple more blasts of his magic, while also receiving his own share of scratches and cuts from the encounter, the Timberwolves flee from him, no longer wanting a piece of the Prince’s assault.
He’s young, but powerful.
Dawning Shield breathes heavily; unaware of the exhaustion that normally comes from such a battle. Older and experiences soldiers hardly feel it, and can battle for as long as they have to. Dawning Shield is still just a colt, and for his first battle that didn’t involve test dummies, he is rewarded with the desire to take a nap.
The whimpering of the mysterious filly breaks him from his fatigue, turning him around to see this strange creature up close. Her eyes are closed and her teeth are gritted shut, fighting through the pain that she is feeling. The curious Prince puts a hoof on her shoulder, prompting a scream of simultaneous pain and fright.
“AHHH! GO AWAY!” The filly wails in agony and terror.
“Hey…” Dawning Shield manages to sound gentle in his voice, “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. Can you stand?” The filly shakes her head. Either she’s too scared or too injured for what he’s asking. Either way, it’s no problem for the kind Prince. “That’s alright. I’m going to take you home and get you some help. I’m going to pick you up. This might sting, but trust me, you’ll be better soon.”
Dawning Shield carefully moves the filly up onto his back. She whimpers and whines as he does so, but the noises eventually stop. He takes a look at her pained face, watching with empathy and curiosity.
“I’ve never tried this with somepony on my back.” he mutters under his breath. “Guess there’s a first time for everything.”
With a sigh and a crick of the neck, his horn glows brightly, and just as the light hits its highest possible point, it instantly vanishes, leaving nothing behind.
In seconds, Dawning Shield flashes into the infirmary of the Crystal Castle, with medical staff standing back in surprise at this sudden entrance. The surprise is cut short, when they see that not only is there an injured filly, but the Prince is as well.
“Prince Dawning Shield!” Alleviate, the castle unicorn doctor, rushes to his side, helping to take the mystery filly off his back. “What happened?”
“I found her in the forest. She’s hurt bad. It was Timberwolves.”
“Get the Prince and Princess!” Alleviate shouts to the castle guards in the room. She puts the filly down on a hospital bed, looking over her wounds. “These are bad cuts. I need to seal them.” She looks back at Dawning Shield, “And you need medical attention, yourself.”
“I’ll be okay.” Dawning Shield puts on a brave face. “This isn’t like the time I accidentally teleported myself into a Cerberus den.”
“Thank Celestia the human arrived with a chair.” She shakes her head, thinking of that moment of simultaneous bravery and stupidity from the visiting human. She begins her work on the filly, using magic to calm and sedate the whimpers of pain coming from the Changeling-like creature.
“Is she a Changeling?” Dawning Shield wonders. “She looks nothing like the ones I’ve met, including Queen Chrysalis.”
“I’m not sure. She definitely has the physical qualities that would point to the conclusion that she is a Changeling. However, her horn is straight; this blackness on her body isn’t a shell, but a coat. Most noticeable, is that she bleeds red blood. Changelings have green blood.”
“Will she be okay?”
“Of course she will. It looks bad, but she’ll live.” Alleviate assures him, sewing the filly’s wounds shut. “When she’s fully healed, these stitches will evaporate, and it’ll be like she didn’t even get hurt. If there are no scars.”
Dawning Shield breathes a sigh of relief. He wasn’t too late to come to her aid.
Just then, the doors behind them open, with Shining Armor and Cadance rushing in for their son.
“Dawning Shield!” Cadance shouts with worry. She kneels in front of her son, inspecting his wounds, “You’re hurt! You need healing!”
“Mom…stop…” Dawning Shield grumbles, almost embarrassed at his mother’s babying attitude towards his well-being. “I’m fine. Just a couple of scratches.”
“What were you doing out in the forest, with no protection?” Shining Armor says with stern authority. “You know it’s dangerous out there!”
“I thought I could handle it. I didn’t want anypony watching me, and treating me like a foal. I don’t need to be protected all the time!”
“You are a Prince!” Cadance says with frustration at her son’s stubbornness. “But, more importantly, you are our son! You can’t just go out whenever you want to, without telling us! You’re twelve years old, and we intend for you to live for much longer than that.”
“Well, if I wasn’t sneaking out, I wouldn’t have saved HER!” Dawning Shield points to the unconscious filly, whom Alleviate has just put the finishing bandages on her.
Cadance and Shining Armor look over the Changeling-like figure, wondering just what exactly she is. Much like Dawning Shield before them, they take note of the aspects that make her similar to the average Changeling, but enough differences that can make her seem pony-like.
Their combination of anger and concern soon turns into plain concern, as they stare at the healing filly, hoping that she recovers.
“She was out in the woods?” Shining Armor queries.
“Yeah…” Dawning Shield approaches them with assuredness; certain that he’s no longer in trouble, due to his heroic deed. “There was a pack of Timberwolves attacking her, so I stepped in and saved her. If I found her sooner, she might not have been like this.” He looks away briefly from her lifeless body, thinking of what might have been if he never found her at all.
“Well, she’s alive. That’s all that matters.” Cadance nods. “In a way, we’re proud of you. I see that the training your father put you through has made you stronger.”
“The way you say ‘put you through’ seems to imply that I disliked the training. I enjoyed it.” Dawning Shield smirks.
“Good, because there’s more where that came from.” Shining Armor bumps up next to his side with a bit of pride. “She’ll be okay, right?” He looks to Alleviate.
“Yes. She’ll be fine. A little banged up, and probably sore when she awakens, but she’ll be mobile in a very short time.”
“That’s a relief to hear.” Cadance sighs. “We’ll prepare the guest room for when she awakens. She’ll need a better place to stay, once she’s out of the medical wing.” Cadance then turns to Dawning Shield, with authority in her stance. “As for you, Dawning Shield, we have a bit of a problem.”
“We do? What is it?”
“Your father and I have decided to ground you.”
“What?! A prince doesn’t get grounded!”
“This one does.” Shining Armor playfully pokes his son’s side.
“But, I saved that filly’s life!”
“And like we said, we’re proud of you.” Cadance smiles before, “But that doesn’t excuse the fact that you ran off without permission, and without a guard. As punishment…” she smiles again, “You will watch over this filly, until she awakens. I’m sure she’ll want to meet her hero when her eyes open.”
“But…” Dawning Shield pauses, confused at the non-punishment. “Oh, um…okay. That’s fine, I guess.”
“We’ll bring you dinner and a bed to sleep on.” Shining Armor winks.
“Hold up, I’m not allowed to leave this room?”
“You’re grounded…so no. We’ll see you soon.” The two shut the door. Leaving Dawning Shield alone with the filly and Alleviate, who has been trying not to snicker this whole time.
“You think this is funny?” Dawning Shield snides. “What if I have to use the bathroom?”
“There’s one next door. You’ll be fine.” Alleviate finally controls her snicker, though a chuckle or two still leaks out. “Besides, they’re right. The damsel in distress always has to greet her rescuer.” She gives the Prince a wink, before trotting out of the room.
“Hey!” Dawning Shield calls out, but too late, as Alleviate has already shut the door behind her, leaving him alone with the unconscious mystery filly. With a sigh and a grumble, he walks over to her side, sitting down with a huff, and looks at her with the assumption that she’ll awaken at any moment.
A moment that won’t come any time soon.
“I hope you’re okay.” Dawning Shield says under his breath.
For the rest of the day, Dawning Shield stays at her side, frequently taking breaks to trot around the room, keeping himself occupied. One of the Castle Guards was nice enough to give Dawning Shield his hoof held gaming system the Game Colt, so he can pass the time to play through various games in his library.
Alleviate would walk in with her medical staff from time to time, checking up on the healing progress, and being satisfied that it’s going well.
Though Dawning Shield would like to go outside, and go to his room to sleep, he knows not to disobey his parents twice in one day. Soon, the thought of seeing the filly awaken begins to make him anxious, maybe even excited. He’s only heard her voice through shrieks of pain and fright, so the curiosity of hearing her speak in a normal tone does give him a sense of anticipation.
All through the night, Dawning Shield tosses and turns in the delivered mattress and pillow that was given to him. The uncomfortable nature of the mattress, combined with his anxiousness, has made it difficult, nearly impossible for him to sleep. Even the calm breathing of the filly isn’t enough to put him in a sleeping mood.
In frustration, he gets up from the mattress, and sits down by the filly’s bed, watching her sleep, and waiting for her to wake up.
Surprisingly, this sitting position is more comfortable for him, and he drops his head down for a little nap.
The morning sun rises, hitting the Crystal Empire once it ascends from the mountains covering its rays. The Empire glows brilliantly upon contact, making the city look like a fortress from the heavens themselves.
In the medical ward, Dawning Shield snores softly, still sitting down by the filly’s bed.
The Changeling-like filly ruffles a little in her bed, scrunching her muzzle with an uncomfortable grimace. Gradually, she opens her eyes; her green irises constrict at the first contact with the sunlight, briefly making her shut them again. Looking away from the source of the light, she opens them again, seeing the door leading to the exit of the room that she is currently housed in.
“Where…where am I?” she whispers, finding the room unfamiliar to what she is used to. She looks over to the window where the light was coming from, seeing Dawning Shield sleeping with his head down.
Her breathing becomes rapid; seeing the unfamiliar presence before her. It’s through these labored breaths that Dawning Shield wakes up to her panicked expression.
“Hey…” Dawning Shield says with a friendly smile, but it doesn’t get through to the filly.
“Stay back! Don’t come any closer!” The filly backs up to the wall of the bed, pressing herself against it. She grimaces in pain, as the wounds haven’t fully healed yet.
“Woah, woah. I’m not going to hurt you.” Dawning Shield assures her, holding a hoof up. “I found you out in the forest. I’m the one that saved you, remember?”
“The forest….” She thinks, the memories coming back to her, “…yes…yes, I remember. I remember…timberwolves. They were attacking me, and…somepony rescued me.” She looks at Dawning Shield. “That was you?”
“Yes…that was me.” Dawning Shield couldn’t help but place a little pride in his voice.
“Where am I? What is this place?” the filly looks around the unfamiliar room.
“You’re in the medical wing of the Crystal Empire.”
The last two words catch the attention of the filly immediately; her eyes widening in shock and surprise, along with a very audible gasp leaving her mouth.
“The…the Crystal Empire?” she beams, looking around the room in a brand new light. “I’m actually here?!”
“Yes. You’re in the castle, where…”
“THE CASTLE?!” the shock becomes awe, and the fright turns into happiness. “I’m in the Crystal Castle?! Who are you? Are you a Royal Guard?”
“I’m a little short to be a Royal Guard, and too young.” Dawning Shield chuckles. “I am Prince Dawning Shield, son of Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor.”
“A..a….a….p-p-Prince….” The filly stutters. Suddenly, she jumps out of the bed and onto the floor, kneeling down in a bowing stance, fighting through the soreness that it is causing. “Forgive me, your majesty. I do not deserve such a kind and noble gesture.” She stares at the floor, refusing to look into his eyes.
Dawning Shield steps back from her bow, never expecting that she would do that. Whenever he would see others bowing, it would be more for his parents, rather than himself. Now, the filly that he saved the day before is bowing to him, and asking for forgiveness.
“Woah, um…” he kneels down to her, tapping her on the shoulder. “Hey, you don’t need to do that.”
“I have to.” she is stern, “You are royalty, and I am just a commoner.”
“We don’t rule like that. Regular citizens are free to look at us. We’re a very welcoming city.” Dawning Shield smiles a smile that she cannot see. “You can look at me, it’s fine.”
His gentle voice calms the filly. She slowly looks up to his kind face. Dawning Shield stands her up; a few grunts of pain leave her.
“I’m sorry.” he says with regret, “That must have hurt.”
“Forgive me, your highness.” The filly says sadly. “I did not know that you were so welcoming of my kind.”
“There’s nothing to forgive. Changelings are more than welcome in the Crystal Empire. You must have heard about our alliance with Queen Chrysalis.”
“I have.” she nods. “But…I’m not a Changeling. I’m…I’m a hybrid.”
“A hybrid?” The statement intrigues him.
“Yes. My mother was a pony, and my father was a Changeling. They met shortly after that incident with Chrysalis and the wedding. I…I was the result.”
“I see.” He nods, looking at her appearance. “Where are your parents? They must be worried about you.”
“My parents are…” her voice descends into a deep tone of sadness, “…not here, anymore.”
“Oh…oh, I’m so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“No. Don’t be sorry.” The filly insists. “It wasn’t your doing. It happened a while back. My mother died when I was born, and my father…this wasn’t the first time I’ve encountered Timberwolves.”
“That’s awful.” Dawning Shield gets closer to her, putting a caring hoof on her shoulder. “We should have found you sooner. Maybe…”
“It happened a while ago. There’s no reason to feel sorry for me.”
“Wait…you’ve been living in the forest, all this time?”
“Yes. My family had a house out in the woods. That’s where I was living. I travelled outside for some berries, and…well…” she looks at her bandages, “You see how that went.” The filly notices how close Dawning Shield is, and the care showing in his expression. She backs away, letting his hoof fall to the floor. She then walks past him, marveling at the architecture. “This is a beautiful hospital wing. May I see how it looks on the outside? Perhaps, a balcony?”
“Sure.” he nods. “Follow me.”
Dawning Shield leads the filly to the balcony, where she looks upon the marvelous view of the kingdom, and the lands that stretch beyond it. She smiles wide, and opens her mouth in awe at the sight. Dawning Shield has seen this before, so all his attention is on the happy filly. He pays attention to her stance, her wings, and her smile, which shows of the Changeling signature fangs. Dawning Shield thinks about the times where Queen Chrysalis would smile at him, and he would be captivated by her fangs, finding beauty in them.
This filly is no different. She is very beautiful in the eyes of the Prince.
“There.” The filly points towards the woods in the distance. “That’s where my house is. I could see the kingdom from my bedroom window, and I would always stare at it for hours on end, dreaming of coming here.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because…well…look at me.” she looks back down.
“I am. What’s the problem?”
“You’re being nice.” A noticeable blush adorns her black cheeks. “I’m…not normal. Ponies are normal. Changelings are normal. I…I am not.”
“You would have been welcomed here, no matter what.” He says with much sincerity. “In fact…my family welcomes you to the Kingdom.”
The filly’s ears perk up at what he said. A twinge of relief crosses her face, and her smile from before returns.
“Really?”
“Of course. We have prepared a room for you. You can stay as long as you like. Forever, if you so choose.” Dawning Shield does his best to sell this situation; he doesn’t want her leaving any time soon. “You got your own bed, your bathroom, as much food as you want. No more hunting for berries and fearing Timberwolves.”
“I…I don’t know what to say. I…” she thinks. “I have to make this up to you.”
“There’s no need...”
“No! I can’t take this generosity without giving you something in return! I’ll…I’ll work in the castle! I’ll be a maid…or a cook! I’m an excellent cook! I’ll…I’ll be your servant!” she bows again before him.
“Please, you don’t have to…”
“I WANT to!” she moves a bit closer, but not too close. “Your majesty, I owe you my life. You saved me, and I’ll do everything I can to repay you. Please, you must ask something of me…anything.”
“I want you…” Dawning Shield smiles, “I want you to be my friend. That’s all I ask of you. Anything else is of your choosing.”
“Friend…” she is taken aback by his request. “Yes…yes, I can do that. I’ll be your friend. I’ll clean your room; I’ll make you breakfast, lunch and dinner…”
“Wait, wait…” Dawning Shield chuckles, “Friends…don’t really do that stuff. Just…hang out with me, that’s all. Go to movies, watch TV, that kind of stuff. It doesn’t have to be every day, just whenever you want to spend some time. If you want to help around the castle, you are free to do so, but it is not required of you. You are now a resident of this castle. I do have one more request of you.”
“What is it, your highness?”
“Okay…TWO requests. One, don’t call me ‘Your highness.’ I am Dawning Shield, or Dawning….or Dawn, if you wish. Two…what is your name?”
“Oh…I never told you my name, did I?” she asks, he shakes his head. “It’s Allotrope. My father…would sometimes call me Allie for short.”
“Allotrope. It’s a lovely name.” Dawning Shield admits, she blushes. “Allotrope, I would like you to meet my family. After that, we’ll show you to your new quarters.” He holds a hoof out, offering her to take it.
Allotrope looks at the hoof with trepidations. A myriad of thoughts race through her mind at the prospect of living in the kingdom she had long convinced herself of never visiting. The fear of being hated and reviled permeated her thoughts for such a long time, and now this colt is welcoming her into the Kingdom without batting an eye.
The fears that she once had are slowly dissipating. They aren’t completely gone, but it’s a start.
“Okay…” Allotrope smiles, “Let’s go meet your family.”
She takes his hoof.
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Matt Williams Apple, Chairman Forever! I have a question, what won't he go after with bloody chair?
5873544 That's a good question. There's not a lot that can't be solved with a chair-armed Matt.
5873566 You're just gonna keep running with it aren't you Max? I'm not upset because it's really funny.
5873567 It's my favorite running gag. I'll try to make sure not to overdo it too much.
No Pinkie promises, though. The last time I did that, I poked my eye.
5873572 I wear glasses so it's hard for me to do that.
I still say you should think about doing an Adventures of Applemare and Chairman side story for these two. I think it would be great.
Shipping!
5874011 kudzusoapcompany.com/Shipping%202.jpg lbpost.com/images/business/61_MSC_South-Africa_main.JPG cheapestwaytoship.org/wp-content/gallery/shipping-services/goin-postal-mailing-and-shipping-services-wesley-chapel.jpg
5874181 more shipping...
file.vintageadbrowser.com/cwf3c9wyvvbhbr.jpg
5874011
5874181
img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20140817031025/rwby/images/b/be/H485B8386.png
Wasn't chairman one of the Men of Mystery from the movie?
5875539 Unfortunately no. Matt and his "powers" would feel right at home with the Mystery Men, but I argue that he's in a better place
5875592 Agreed. Cuz ponies.
great Chapter i can wart to see more of Allie 'Dawn and kepp up the great work my frind.
they are being shipped
hounstly i thought that this chapter would be about clementine's and slip wing's becoming a couple or something it's still a prity good chapter
gotta love that human
stayclassy
Half changeling waifu get!
I see Matt's range as the chair-wielding defender of the downtrodden is spreading.
Princess Cadance is the CEO of Fed-Ex. She shipped the two of them HARD.