Breakfast
In the dream, under Artemis’ Moon, Dusk Shine remembers his Ascension.
His friends.
The Elements of Harmony.
The stars.
Helios leading him upwards and upwards until...he was in the right place. The place in the universe that had been waiting for a young unicorn stallion named “Dusk Shine” was filled by an alicorn stallion named “Prince Dusk Shine”. The return to his friends, the party that followed.
And, a warning.
“Unicorn magic, you know very well,” Prince Helios rumbled, the two having a private meeting before Dusk Shine boarded the train back to Ponyville. “Of all the ponies that have been my students, you have been one of the best.” Dusk Shine smiled and tried not to preen-too much-over that. “But, starting now, you have more to learn, and quite a bit to discover.”
“I understand,” Dusk Shine said. “Between pegasus and Earth pony magic-and there is an Earth pony magic, I know it, I am going to be busy.”
“There is, of course, one more kind of magic you’ll be learning. Alicorn magic.” And it was here that Prince Helios sighed. “And, there is no teacher for you in it, other than yourself.”
That brought everything in the dream to a halt. “But...are you not you going to teach me about being an alicorn?”
“It’s not as simple as that,” Prince Helios replied. “When I Ascended, and gained control of the Sun, I had to befriend the Sun, understand the Sun, and have the Sun understand me. We had to understand what we were thinking, how to communicate, and that some thoughts must always remain thoughts. There were times that I wished I could light the entire Dawn Court on fire and the Sun was more than willing to help...but, I couldn’t do that. And, I had to explain to my new friend why, despite wanting it so much, it couldn’t help me in that way. It’s an experience of learning that I discover something new every day.
“Prince Artemis, every day, learns something through his walking in dreams, of the Moon and the stars. Prince Bolero learns something new, every day, from love and care and concern. But, Dusk Shine, you are the Prince of Magic, not just unicorn magic or pegasus magic or Earth pony magic or Crystal pony magic...all magic. The very magic of the world-of Harmony, of Friendship-is your domain. And, that is why you’re returning to Ponyville. Because, you need the bonds you have made with your friends to help you to find how to communicate with Magic.
“Trust in them. Trust your heart and your feelings for them. And, never, ever, let anypony tell you that you don’t deserve them-especially yourself, my faithful student. Each of them are worth a thousand flattering Court toadies, and you will find your way with them at your side.”
And, the dream ends with Dusk Shine accepting those words, and saying, “I will do my best to learn, every single day.”
Dusk Shine was not a morning pony by nature.
If there was a time-frame that was perfect for Dusk Shine to wake up in, it was just late enough that there was more than enough daylight to properly read, but early enough that you had the whole day open for studying. Light candles when there wasn’t enough Sun to read by, go to bed when the candles burned out, repeat. Stop only when you run out of books or scrolls to read, so that means you have to go and get new scrolls and books to read.
Alas, today was going to be one of those days, where Dusk Shine had to wake up at the “crack” of Dawn. A whole hour after Prince Helios woke up every single morning to raise the Sun, and all because of one thing alone. Today’s long, and involved checklist. Because, if he didn’t get that checklist done, Ponyville wasn’t going to be ready for the Princes’ visit tomorrow. Especially considering that his BSBFF Gleaming Shield was coming as well and Dusk Shine wanted to show off Ponyville at it’s best.
As Dusk Shine rolled out of bed, something about the whole situation bothered him at a fundamental-yet-half-asleep level. The bed seemed shorter today than when he went to bed last night. There was an odd smell to it...like him, perfectly like him, but with an underlay of a slightly more female scent to it. The room seemed a bit smaller, a bit less like his, with things just a touch out of place.
Of course, Dusk Shine’s first thought was prank when he got to the bathroom. He was never one for too many pony grooming products, but he had a few when he needed them. And, they had all been replaced by ones for mares, not stallions. Sighing, he grabbed the shampoo and conditioner in his magic and got washed up. I, he thought, am definitely going to have to have a talk with Rainbow Blitz today. First of all, how did he even get in to shift everything around like how he did? Second, why today, when we are getting ready for the big visit by the Princes? Third...where did he find all this stuff for mares that looks so much like mine?
It was just the style of everything that was really throwing him off. Everything was made up like a mare’s room...but, he could recognize that it was the sort of things that he’d pick out if he was a mare. The hair brush had long, silky hairs in it-the same color as Dusk Shine’s but in a sensible mare’s length. Consideration, empathy, and planning was something that wasn’t expected that often from Rainbow Blitz. Which meant that this particular prank had to have been a team effort. Which meant that a talk with Elusive was coming up. One that didn’t involve Elusive trying to get Dusk Shine to dress “as an important pony of your stature should!”, fluttering around with a tape measure to do measurements for a waistcoat.
Dusk Shine could already feel a bit of a headache coming on.
But, two glorious sounds came from downstairs-the sounds of Spines’ just-a-touch off-key singing and the sound of cooking pancakes. Hm, Dusk Shine considered, putting everything away and heading down the stairs, Spines is singing a bit deeper today than usual. Must be practicing when I am not looking-which is a good thing! She needs more hobbies and she is a growing dragon. And, anyways, it is kind of fun to hear her singing when she thinks nopony is listening, and…
Dusk Shine trotted down the stairs, and rounded the corner to the library’s kitchen. He saw Spines making breakfast, wearing an apron and…
It wasn’t Spines.
Not unless there was going to be another “Spines is having dragon troubles” incident…
For the first thing, the not-Spines’ spines were shorter, blockier, and a bit more square than her regular spines. The compact but more solid build indicated that this wasn’t a female dragon hatching, but a male one. And, the voice alone… “Oh, morning, Twilight,” not-Spines said, “Give me a minute and I’ll have your pancakes ready…”
Here, non-Spines’ voice trailed off, as his head turned to look at Dusk Shine. The skillet dropped to the floor with a clatter and Spines just looked at Dusk Shine. “Twilight, are you all right?” not-Spines asked with careful concern.
Dusk Shine looked around a second, saw no other pony, and said, “I am not sure who you are talking about. Who are you, and what have you done with Spines?”
“First of all,” not-Spines pulled himself up to his full height, “My name is Spike. Second, I live here, and third… Of all the days...Twilight, please tell me you didn’t mess up some experiment in your sleep or something. Not today!”
“If we are giving out names, my name is Dusk Shine, I live here, and who is this ‘Twilight’ you keep talking about?” Dusk Shine replied and started to bristle.
Not-Spines, aka Spike, sighed. “Twilight...you are Twilight Sparkle, right? Remember, we’ve lived here for the last two years, librarian for Ponyville, all that?” Spike asked.
Dusk Shine was about to say something, then paused to think. “Twilight Sparkle...long mane hair in her brush, right?”
“Which is you,” Spike said. “It’s a great joke, by the way. Especially the whole ‘Dusk Shine’ thing, it looks deliberate rather than you having another lab accident or magic accident.”
The gender might have changed, but Spines’...or Spike’s teasing about how quite a few times Dusk Shine’s magic or experiments went a bit awry didn’t seem to have changed at all. “Look,” Dusk Shine said, after a deep breath. “When I went to bed last night, I was in Ponyville, I was in my own bed, I was a stallion, and you were a female dragon named Spines. As far as I am concerned, I am right and something else is wrong and not optimal at all.”
Spike looked at him, and kept from choking on a laugh. “Nope, can’t buy it. You’re just embarrassed about a magic goof.”
Dusk Shine carefully face-hoofed himself and said, “Look, one thing has not changed...may I have some breakfast, please? We will figure out who is right and who is wrong after I have gotten some food.”
“Sure thing,” Spike said, and got to work cooking up more pancakes. He slid a small stack of them in front of Dusk Shine, and Dusk Shine felt a glare building up on his face.
“Why such a small stack of pancakes?” Dusk Shine asked, looking around for the knife and fork.
“Well, we you don’t want to ruin your mareish figure,” Spike teased, and Dusk Shine sighed.
“Not funny,” Dusk Shine grumbled, and glared at Spike.
“No,” Spike replied, looking embarrassed, “It’s not. I’m sorry...um, Dusk Shine, right? I mean, you just seem so much like Twilight Sparkle, except as a stallion…”
Dusk Shine sighed, and felt embarrassed as well. “I am sorry, Spike. I was not expecting anything like this, not at all, when I went to bed last night. It is not fair for me to be taking out my frustration on anypony else. Apology accepted?”
“Sure thing,” Spike said, and made up some more pancakes. “Look, if it isn’t a magical accident or something...what happened?”
“I do not know,” Dusk Shine said honestly, starting to work on the stack of pancakes. “But, I do know that back...home?...I had a whole list of things to do today and I am not sure…,” and here Dusk Shine’s voice trailed off, to be replaced by, “The list!”
Dusk Shine bolted from the kitchen, went upstairs, and Spike could hear drawers being opened and closed and a sudden cry of joy. Dusk Shine returned, an open scroll in his magic, and he was smiling. “Looks like my duplicate is just as much of a list generator as I am. It even has the names of the ponies, and I can guess who is who here. It means I can get things done today and not leave too much of a mess for Twilight Sparkle to clean up when we get this fixed.”
Spike looked and felt a bit of a chill on his scales. “Are you sure about that? I mean...you’re a stallion, and all of Twilight Sparkle’s friends are mares. That’s going to throw everypony off for a loop. Are you sure you don’t want me to put up a red flag?”
“‘Danger, serious magical incident?’” Dusk Shine quoted from the same sheet of “emergency flags” he had set up after the Smarty Pants incident. The flagpole and flags at the library was enchanted with a sympathy spell that would pull up flags on other flagpoles that had been placed around Ponyville. This gave the residents of Ponyville enough warning that something was going wrong with the chief magical researcher and to prepare accordingly. While some more...paranoid members of Ponyville’s civilian population were ready to faint at a moment’s notice if Dusk Shine ever put up a blue flag-let alone a yellow one-the flag system had reduced panicked trampling injuries in Ponyville by 27% over the last year. (Dusk Shine was still working on a way to warn if the Cutie Mark Crusaders were going to do something particularly messy as an ongoing project.) “It is not a red flag sort of thing, Spike. Yellow flag, I think. Maybe blue, but...no, this is more embarrassing than an actual problem. I mean, the only difference is I am just a stallion. My friends will understand and I have got things to do.”
Dusk Shine picked up his plate and put it in the sink, and helped to clean up the table. “Look, Spike, if there is a problem, I promise to come back to the library and get to work on fixing things immediately. But, unless there is a serious problem, you have got a library to run, I have got an event to prepare for, and the Princes are coming to town tomorrow so I need to make sure everything is perfect. I will be back in time for dinner, and I will see you then.”
Dusk Shine finished cleaning up after breakfast, and immediately trotted down to the basement laboratory and office. Spike stood there, spatula in hand, and said, “Princes?”
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For all of the stories I've read about MLP switching genders, this is by far the best
Keep up the good work!
Imagine the panic that would set in if the residents of Ponyville caught wind that the CMC were Up To Something...
This story has a strange flavor.
As if you purposefully dumbed down the dialog, so preteens can read it.
It's... okay?
Time to read more!
I like it so far. Just a few things to point out:
You have an issue with just using regular hyphens where you should be using em dashes. Similarly, there are a couple places where you hyphenated adjectives, but did an incomplete job of it.
Use contractions in dialogue and thoughts. Not using them makes Dusk's thoughts and words sound too formal. If you were writing from the perspective of a character like Rarity or Elusive it would be fine, but for Dusk it's out of place.
There are a couple other, more minor, grammar related hiccups, but nothing on the level of the thing with the em dashes. Still, it would be beneficial to acquire an editor, especially since this has hit the feature box.
Why hasn't Hasbro come up with the flag idea. it makes sense
I notice Solaris said he was 'one of the best' and not 'the best'. Who would he consider his greatest student?
i think i prefer solaris to helios.
also, dusk, something seems to have slipped your mind. if you're in twilight's world, she's in yours and while you might be able to deal with a lot of mares oggling you, twilight has to deal with a bunch of stallions. you really aren't the least bit worried about her?
Celestia: Ahem.
Me: Dang it *hit with sleep spell and falls to the ground*
This looks fairly entertaining so far...
Yesssss. More Dusk Shine stories!
(Might wanna proof the synopsis, the chapters seem just fine, though!)
Discord: "Hmm you smell that my dear friend? It's delicious chaos coming to town!"
Also, "Twilight in a town full of stallions, including her friends"
... *scary naughty thoughts*
Oh boy! Hopefully she is safe from all the male attention...
You use italics a little bit too much. A little gets the point across. Overusing it takes its effect away.
Not necessary
replace the italics here with quotes (or rather the unitalics, ugh using italics in full italics flashbacks gets confusing)
Not necessary
There are others, but I don't want my comment to get too long, and I think you get the point.
Also, the reverse of this story IS DEMANDED
. If the 2 worlds come together at any one point you can put the leading up to the joining in one big flashback chapter or something, it will be awesome.
5141200 The reverse of this story actually came first, and is what this one is based on.
One of Those Days
First off, I am thrilled to see a parallel to One of Those Days! Second, it's nice that this isn't just a carbon copy. Sure things are similar, but it's enough different wording to make it a different story worth reading. Now I've only finished the first chapter, but I'm very excited to read more
Contractions? Natural speech? Bueller?!
.....................Huh.
Like a lot of folks (or so I imagine), I came here because I read One of Those Days first, but...
...I got about two paragraphs in past the flashback and I had to stop. There's something about the writing style that bugs me, and I can't quite pinpoint why. A lot of your sentences are arranged... differently from what I'm used to. It has the flavor of English as a Second (or Third/Fourth/etc.) Language? There're a LOT of sentence fragments in places where complete sentences would have worked admirably. And yeah, echoing the comments above about using contractions (don't for do not, etc.) to sound more natural.
Whatever the case, attempting to read it is giving me a headache. The story is getting Tracked, but I hope it sees some editing later.
Well........shit. Dusk Shine, I wish you the best of (non-sexual) luck.
5474251 If his day goes anything like Twilight's did though, I'm pretty sure he's gonna get plenty of the other kind of luck too.
Two things.
One prince Helios is a rarity for me, I usually see him as prince Solaris used as the name for rule 63 Celestia.
And two BSBFF absolutely does not work!
I mean BS
BS?
BS?!!!!
Just think about it, it might as well stand for Bull S#$t Bad Female Fuc
YOU KNOW WHAT? I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO FINISH THAT.
While I was reading that I couldn't help but start choking as some saliva accidentally went towards my lungs due to the shock and then I proceeded to start coughing frantically until I was better.
It just does not work.
BS best friend forever.
Please let me never hear thouse words again.
~Leonzilla
The prince
pre10.deviantart.net/29f8/th/pre/i/2012/338/b/b/king_solmidas_by_aleximusprime-d4zlx6a.png
5700019
True about the BS part, but these are ponies. They're far less cynical than humans are by nature. Besides, it's a childhood nickname, one formed long before those connections should be made.
7300153 LOL, you just reminded me of BS best friends forever!
crystalinks.com/laughter709.jpg
You are right about what you said, of course that doesn't make it any less funny for me.
~Leonzilla
I foresee terrible things happening.