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Dawnstar sat on the balcony to his mother's room; watching the moon begin it's journey across the night sky. Glancing up he started to name each constellation as they became apparent in the blackening sky. He then looked down towards the Canterlot night life that was beginning to stir in the streets below. He let out a sigh that must have sounded more depressed than what he had intended; behind him one of the night shift maids, who was cleaning his mother's room, stopped her cleaning and made her way to the balcony.

"Somethin' the matta mi lord?" the Trottingham accented mare bowed as Dawnstar turned towards her. On her head sat a blue bow that went surprisingly well with her golden mane, her pink coat resembled pink lemonade and her emerald eyes seemed to be able to stare into one's heart.

The young prince returned the bow and motioned the mare to approach, much to his discomfort to the formalities thing. As she got to, what she considered to be, a close enough distance from her prince, sat on her haunches. Dawn gave her a smile as thanks for her concern and went about telling the maid about his feelings. "You always seem to be around at the right time, Berry, it's just that; I look up and see the night sky, and I smile. I know that my mother took her time in creating every single one of those stars, every constellation, even every shooting star that lights the night for a split second. Then I remind myself that its going to be mine someday, and it fills me with great pride." Berry tilted her head in a quizzical manner.

"But there's somethin' else isn't there?"

Dawnstar only nodded his head in agreement; turning back to the lit up city below. The city's glow made Dawn's coat shine a more golden hue than normal, his azure eyes carrying the same regal stature of Princess Luna as they looked over the land. "There is, actually... There's always the feeling that I'll let everypony down when its my time to bring forth the night and help rule Equestria in my mother's stead." The gold alicorn ran a hoof through his violet mane and let out a deep sigh, "I just hope that I'm ready when the time comes."

"Thou will be ready, my son." Princess Luna made her way onto the balcony, causing both Dawnstar and Berry to jump at her sudden appearance. The maid, suddenly realizing that her duties were being left unattended, shot up and started to bow and apologize to her princess for not having her room cleaned. The dark blue alicorn smiled at the pink mare, all the while, keeping her royal stance as she addressed her subject. "Do not worry; listening to Dawn speak about his feelings is more than enough. Please, feel free to retire for the night, We shall worry about this mess ourselves."

From what Dawn could tell, the maid wanted to say something that probably said something about it being her duty to clean the rooms of the castle; of course he couldn't argue with the look in his mother's eyes that stated the subject being closed. Berry, realizing that she had no actual say in the matter, stood back up and made her way to the door. "Would tha' be all, mi lady? Mi lord?" All though Luna shook her head no, Dawn decided that there was one thing; using his name instead of lord, or prince. With another bow, the maid made her way out of the room, leaving Dawnstar and his mother alone in her room. Princess Luna made her way to Dawn's side overlooking both Canterlot and the valley that contained Ponyville and the Everfree. He felt something warm wrap itself around his body as he stood, which a quick glance confirmed it to be one of Luna's wings. Dawn closed his eyes and moved closer into the warm comfort of his mother's hug; getting lost in her scent and loving the security he always felt when he was around her. Even at the age of seventeen, he still loved to be held in Luna's wings. Yeah, he was a momma's boy and he wasn't afraid to admit it either. The sound of Luna's voice broke him out of his dazed state of enlightenment.

"I remember back when I discovered that it was my duty to raise the moon every night." Princess Luna was staring up at the moon as it slowly made it's journey to the western horizon, "I remember being completely petrified that
I wasn't fit for being the princess of the night. That's why I made the constellations, you know; I created them so I could have somepony to turn to when in my time of need. Like Leonis the Lionheart," She pointed a hoof to a constellation to the northeast, "I made placed him there for his everlasting courage and honor, even at the face of armies larger than his own." She then tightened the hug between her and Dawnstar, making sure to look into his eyes as well. "Dawn, you have grown to be a stallion that I can be proud to call my son." A tear soon formed in the corner of her eye, "When I look at you, I see so much of your father inside you; courageous, loving, humble, a perfect gentlecolt, but you also worry about so much like him."

Dawn nuzzled his mother's neck in an effort to calm her down, which seemed to work for the most part, but he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else being played at. He didn't have to wait long to find out. "On another subject; I heard that you and Star broke up a little bit ago," Dawn's ears twitched at hearing his ex's name, "could that also be why you are down?"

Luna knew her son too well, it was exactly why he was moping around for. After letting out yet another sigh that night he decided to fill in the details. "Yeah, we did. I honestly thought she was different from the other mares; looking to find their way into the royal family for the sake of personal gain, but no, she was just playing the whole innocent mare that was interested in love and not wealth and power." Dawn hissed as he continued on, " Turned out she and her family was looking for a way to make themselves more powerful in the courts."

Luna let go of the hug and brought her wing back to her side, "It's not easy finding someone who isn't looking for power when marrying royalty. Your father was no exception, however, he knew when and when not to use his power. Dawn, I think you should take some time and go visit your aunt Twilight. I'm sure some time in Ponyville will help you take your mind off her, plus you never know, you might just find that special somepony" She gave her son a wink and gave him a peck on his cheek, "Now off to bed with you now, you are to leave first thing tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? But I have so many things to d..." One look into his mother's teal eyes told Dawn that her mind was already set, as always, and any argument from him was not going to be accepted. Lowering his head in defeat he made his way back towards his room, where he proceeded to pack for the several week trip.

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Dawnstar couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement as his carriage flew down towards Ponyville. Sure, taking the train would have been faster and more comfortable, however, he did not want to deal with the attention that he would have gotten; media coming up with stories as to why he's going to Ponyville, political ponies trying to bypass the Royal Sisters in order for there bills to be passed, ponies being to afraid to start conversation. He just didn't want any of it, especially when his mother was right; some time away from the confines of Canterlot Castle would help ease his nerves and take his mind away from recent events. Not to mention spending time with Twilight Sparkle and her friends; he always felt so loved when he was with the elements, whether from royal business, or occasional visits. The small carriage let out a loud thud as it hit the ground, breaking Dawnstar from his thoughts. After gathering his things and thanking the two pegasi guards; he stepped out into the warm sun, taking in the view of the Golden Oaks Library , aka Princess Twilight Sparkle's home.

He started to make his way towards the library's door, knowing full well that the mare inside was either in a panic or... What's that noise? A faint whistling could be heard from across the town and started getting louder as it's source grew closer. Dawn's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates as he saw a pink missile heading straight for him, the whistling turning into a long, drawn out version of his name.

"Daaaaaawnstaaaaar!" Dawn's world was instantly made into an overload of cotton candy smelling pink fluffiness as Pinkie Pie tackled him to the ground in a lung squashing hug. Pinkie, being the bubbly mare that she was, didn't seem to notice Dawn's struggle to breath; mistaking his taps on her back as a form of hug, she continued to greet the young prince. "Its been so long since I've been able to see you, Dawny! Except your birthday a couple of years ago, and Hearths Warming Eve. Ooh, let's not forget Hearts and Hooves Day!" As Pinkie kept going with her ramblings about the times that she last saw Dawn, who managed to break free of her death grip; Dawnstar just stared ahead with his hoof under his chin, and occasionally casting the party pony a few unamused glances before speaking up.

"Nice to see you too, Pinkie. Now could you kindly let me go!" Pinkie Pie stopped her rambling and let out a sheepish grin as she loosened her grip on Dawnstar.

"Heheh, oopsie." Dawn rolled his eyes and gave a knowing smile as he returned a warm hug to the pink earth pony.

" I missed you, Pinkie, but do you know if Aunt Twilight is home? I'd like to talk to her."

A smile and a nod is what Dawnstar got for an answer, "Of course she is, silly, she's been working all week trying to get ready for your arrival." Did she just say a week? Mom already had planned on my coming here?! "Now that your officially here, I can start passing out invitations to your Welcome Back Party!" That bit caused Dawn's ears to perk up.

"My Welcome Back Party? Pinkie, I hate to tell you this, but I'd rather not have a party. I kinda want this visit to be on the down low, if you know what I mean." A disappointed sigh came from the pink mare. But before Dawn was able to cheer her up, she perked up and gave a little wink.

"Okie dokie lokie, Dawny, I'll be sure to let your visit go undisturbed. Princess Luna had already told us of why you'll be here." Dang it, Mother! "I'll just let the rest of the girls know that your here." With that she was gone, Dawn blinked a few times trying to figure out how an earth pony could move that fast, and why his mother had taken it upon herself to let the Elements know of his visit to Ponyville. With a quick shake of his head, Dawnstar made his way to the Golden Oaks Library door, giving it a few knocks before entering.

The market district of Ponyville seemed to be abnormally empty as the various shop and stall owners tried their best to sell their various goods and services. One such owner was a young, cream colored, red and pink maned mare named Roseluck. She was a simple mare, mainly focusing on growing her ensemble of flowers; primarily roses. She let out a saddened sigh as she looked at the large amount of flowers that was left at her stall. On any normal day the stall would be almost sold out, that is, whenever Lily or Daisy looked over the stand. The way that they had made the work schedule called for Rose to man the booth on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, while Daisy and Lily switched between Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. In all honesty Roseluck couldn't complain; most Fridays she could sell a cart of flowers to stallions looking to score bonus points with their dates, and more than half the bits she earned she got to keep. However, she would constantly be reminded of how alone she felt when a couple would visit her stall, or when Lilly and Daisy were talking about plans for their weekend. A voice from behind quickly broke her from her melancholy daze.

"Rose, are you feeling ok?" Rose turned to face Lily, who had snuck up behind her in order to help cheer her friend up.

the cream colored mare's emerald eyes showed what her fake smile could not hide as she answered the rosemary earth pony, "I'm fine, Lily. You don't have to worry about me." her business colleague knew better, she had known Rose for way too long for the fake smile to work on her. After placing her hoof over Rose's shoulder, she turned the cream colored mare's head to force eye contact.

"You know better than to lie to me, Rose, we've been friends since we were but wee fillies. Ever since you came back from the Gala last year you've been very down in the dumps. Just tell me how you feel and I'm sure that we can... Rose? Are you even listening to me!?"

Unfortunately for Lily, Roseluck's attention was transfixed on a carriage descending from the heavens. Sure, Ponyville sees more and more of these royal carriages, thanks to Princess Twilight's refusal to leave the town that she's grown to love, however, it was the insignia on the side of this carriage that had captured Rose's attention. A circle that was half sun and half moon on a golden background. Inside the sun, there was a small patch of what appeared to be the night sky; the same with the moon, save for a daytime sky. This was Prince Dawnstar's carriage, and that meant that he was here in Ponyville. Roseluck's heart skipped a beat and a very distinct red blush appeared on her cheeks. Lily noticed what was going on quickly and placed a highly mischievous smirk on her muzzle.

"I get it now. My little Rosy has a crush on the prince." After busting out a few giggles from the look of embarrassment from the cream mare, Lily gave a sympathetic smile to her friend. "Is this why you're so depressed?" Rose simply nodded. "I can understand that; having a crush on royalty and knowing that it would never happen. I'd be the same way if I was in your shoes." After pausing to think of something to cheer her friend up, Lily continued, "Oh, I know! Why don't we ask Princess Twilight to set up a "business meeting" with her and the prince? We can see about increasing business into Canterlot, same as what Madame Rarity did!"

Rose's blush did not cease to relent its assault on her cheeks. The thought of sitting next to Prince Dawnstar definitely appealed to her and she couldn't deny Lily's suggestion to set up a shop in Canterlot. They could greatly benefit from the added business; and the increased chances of her seeing the prince would be a huge bonus. Just as she was about to give her friend her thoughts; a voice from the front of the stall caught their attentions.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Roseluck? I was told she could be found at this stall, and I wish to speak to her." Roseluck's hairs stood on the back of her neck as she turned to face the stallion before her; His golden coat shone like the sun in the morning of a warm summer's day. Violet mane flowing in the swift breeze as the wind caught it, and those eyes; they demanded respect and honor where ever he looked, and yet they showed the same kindness and compassion that his mother and other princess held. His wings were still drawn to his side, yet Rose wished that she could see those majestic wings of his. Roseluck felt her body stiffen up and her knowledge of how to speak left her; for standing in front of her was the Prince Dawnstar.

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Roseluck felt her hind legs shaking uncontrollably as the moon's son stood in front of her. He's here; at my stall, asking for me!? her heart felt like it leapt into her throat; preventing any form of communication to take place, save for the few squeaks that came out. She knew her face must have been a darker shade of crimson than her hair, and as hot as her ears felt, it was more radiant. Dawnstar didn't seem to take notice of her, instead he turning to Lily and speaking up.

"I take it that, the lovely mare there is she?" An audible gasp could be heard from Roseluck as she realized what Prince Dawnstar had called her. She glanced up and noticed a regal smile that carried so much love and compassion in it, as well as authority. Lily simply bowed her head and gave Rose a slight bump to her flank. This in turn, caused the now crimson mare to release another high pitched squeak as she found herself pushed closer to the prince. After practically face planting into the ground as she hastily bowed, she mustered enough courage to speak again.

"I-I am R-Roseluck, Y-y-your Highness, how may I assist you this lovely morning." Rose could hear Lily giggling behind her as Rose attempted to keep sounding calm. Dawnstar, on the other hoof, seemed slightly annoyed, and this frightened Rose. After letting out a long, drawn out sigh, he decided to continue the conversation.

"Please, there are no need for formalities here. I am simply here on personal business and would like to be treated as such; in other words, please, call me by my name. Actually, just call me Dawn; I like my name better like that." After receiving a nod from both mares, he continued, "Now, Madame Roseluck, I wish to have a word with you about your generous donation of flowers to the Gala last year."

Roseluck was somewhat intrigued that somepony would take an interest in her flowers at THE Grand Galloping Gala; especially when the much more majestic Canterlot Garden sported flora that put her flowers to shame on a good day. She decided that there must have been a catch somewhere; it's not everyday royalty comes along asking about donated flowers. Of course she needed to remember that its Prince Dawnstar she was talking to, she must play it cool. Right? "Oh, those flowers? Well... I... uh.... thanks..." Definition of cool; or so she thought, the giggles she heard from Lily said otherwise.

"Yes, you see; when you live in a city where everypony expects something in return for a deed, no matter how big or small, receiving such a generous delivery from a florist two times smaller than a normal shop with no intentions of getting paid is an act worthy of the Elemental Bearer herself. But of course, I am not here to compare you to Madame Rarity; no I am here to give you this." With a red glow from his horn, a rather large bit bag appeared in front of the stall. Rose and Lily's jaws dropped and their eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. There must have been at least a thousand bits in that sack, which was the same amount they can make during a good month. After giving a slight chuckle, Dawnstar continued, "Our royal gardeners told us that your flowers rivaled the Canterlot Garden's in both quality and beauty. I would like for you to take these bits as my way of saying keep up the good work, and as a small investment for future deliveries.

He only received head nods from the two mares, which he gave a slight smile at. "Unfortunately, I must cut this short; Princess Twilight is needing some help with her new duties, and I'm sure you know how she gets when her schedule's out of wack. I look forward to our next meeting." With a bright red glow from his horn, Dawnstar teleported from the stall, leaving two very shocked and extremely happy mares behind.

Within the large white walls of the Canterlot Court, Princess Celestia sat on her thrown listening to the trials and tribulations of the Canterlot Elite and various nobility debating and fighting about matters that had little effect on them. Normally, her undivided attention would be on each speaker as they made their cases, however, one noble's presence was distracting her from it. Up next in the line of speakers stood her other nephew; Prince Blueblood. Originally the heir of the throne, he had to witness his rise to ruling stature crumble as the crown was taken from him not once, but twice. Dawnstar being born was one thing, however, when her protégé ascended to royalty, she had feared it was a matter of time before he decided to say something. Her own thoughts were interrupted when Blueblood was recognized onto the stand.

"Members of the Canterlot Elite, I wish to discuss a matter in regards to the royal line. Do I have your permissions to speak?" This perked Celestia's interest greatly, her nephew was hardly one to ask the nobility permission to speak; normally he would just come in and say what he wanted and wouldn't budge till it happened. He was up to something, but what exactly it was didn't really hit her. After a few moments, the Elite's had given Blueblood the permission he needed to speak, which he took into wasting no time to starting his discussion.

"My fellow lords and ladies, as you know, we have had yet another heir named for a throne of Equestria. Just a few years ago it was stated that he shall take over for Princess Luna when she gives up her throne. I for one am not one to sit idly by while our noble blood flows in vain, as many of you are aware; myself and several other of our noblilty were denied the throne when it was our own blood rights to succeed. And I'm sure most of you aren't very comfortable that the son of Nightmare Moon will be leading Equestria; I say that we shou-"

"DOST THOU DARE TO INSULT THY PRINCE AND PRINCESS BEHIND THEIR BACKS, BLUEBLOOD!?" The recognizable sound of Luna's voice rang through the courtroom as a bright flash of white filled the seat next to Princess Celestia, who was sporting a very unamused look at how the court was going. Princess Luna appeared next to her sister with look of malice on her face, her azure eyes seeming to throw ice crystals at the white unicorn in front of them.

To say that the tension in the room was thick was a large understatement, in fact a simple feather drop could have been heard in the courtroom. As Blueblood started to piece together words, he was interrupted by Princess Luna, "Choose your next words carefully, Blueblood. Celestia's nephew you may be; I will not stand idly by while you insult my son and I. I understand your frustration, but throwing a filly tantrum because we found more eligible heirs is not worth the time of the court."

Princess Celestia decided to intervene before there was yet another incident on the court room that she'd have to cover; namely her sister making the family tree one generation smaller. "AS my sister is trying to say, Prince Blueblood, this is a matter best discussed behind closed doors and in the company of ALL of us," She bumped Luna with a quick tap of magic as she continued, "and I suggest that you and I speak one on one before that. As of now Day and Night Courts are closed for today, we shall resume where we left off tomorrow." As the courtroom came to life with nobles and elites got up from their seats; Princess Luna and Princess Celestia failed to see the group of nobles surrounding Prince Blueblood as they spoke in a corner.

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Dawnstar opened the front door to the Golden Oaks Library with a bit of caution, which caused the door to creak slightly. Inside seemed quiet, however he knew from experience that what waited for him through the doorway was either a studious princess caught up in a book....

"Where! Have! You! Been!?"
!

Or an easily panicked studious princess who seems to have forgotten that he wasn't a foal anymore. Dawnstar winced as he walked through the door and into the view of the Princess of Magic herself. Twilight Sparkle stood in front of him with her wings flared, the look of anger and panic was plain on her muzzle and her purple eyes were staring harshly at him. A sight he had seen many times when he would get into trouble when he would stay with his aunt. A piece of parchment was floating in a violet aura next to her; this gave the prince a bad feeling in his gut.

"Please tell me you didn't schedule something that has me busy the rest of the day; because tonight isn't what I would call a good night." Dawnstar wasn't surprised to see her face shift to the look of not being amused. As he made his way closer, Twilight cleared her throat and brought the parchment in front of her.

"This, actual, is a list of important issues that I have to get done by the end the month. You should know, however, that our work can only be put on hold for a limited time. Granted I'm sure a weeks worth of work is easy for the Prince of Darkness himself." Twilight let out a small giggle as she placed the parchment on a nearby desk. Dawnstar sat down in a chair as he watched his "aunt" move across the room to retrieve a small bit bag from a table. "Anyway, I had planned on getting with the girls for dinner and thought it would be nice to have you join us."

Dawnstar raised an eyebrow as he heard Twilight talk, "Then what's with the raised voice that could've gave Mom's Royal Voice a run for its money?" A small blush formed on the lavender mare's cheeks along with a shy smile.

"So, I may have over reacted a little bit when I noticed that you were gone; considering you decided not to bring any guards along this time."

"A little?"

"Ok, a lot, but what did you expect; going out and not telling me. We can argue about that later, the girls can't wait to see you again." Without giving Dawnstar a chance to argue back, Twilight's horn glowed its familiar violet color and after a brief flash of white disappeared; only to reappear a few seconds later in front of a very deadpanned stallion. "I guess it would be best if we walked, huh?" Twilight let out a small nervous giggle as she trotted out of the library door.

Dawnstar simply rolled his eyes with a smile, "Same ol' Twilight," he muttered to himself as he made his way to her side after closing the door.

The sun was almost set by the time Twilight and Dawnstar arrived at Sugarcube Corner; the magnificent colors of the ending day and upcoming night made Dawnstar smile. This was his favorite time of the day, it always seemed so peaceful during this time and also knowing that he would be seeing his mother's greatest pride and joy (second to him, of course) rise from the east, made his smile grow larger. Other than being the home to Equestria's greatest heroes and newest princess, Ponyville was also known as having the most beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and nights.

His smile quickly faded as he noticed the first constellation appear in the sky; the image of his father's cutie mark placed next to where the moon will soon be located made him stop in his tracks. Seeing the cutie mark constellation of two intertwined hearts in the middle of a shield brought a tear to his eye as he remembered the few moments he spent with his father. However, they were very few, considering his death occurred when Dawnstar was still a little colt. One thing he did remember was that Noble Heart was a highly decorated Royal Guard, who won the heart of a princess not for power or wealth, but actual love and was willing to turn in his strips to stay with his love. But, when an attack by the Changelings left him with a fatal wound; Princess Luna promised that she'd never forget him, forming the constellation the moment he entered eternal sleep.

"Dawnstar? Honey, are you ok?" The sound of Twilight Sparkle's voice broke the golden stallion out of his trance. After wiping the tears out of his eyes, he turned to see a very concerned looking princess. She took note of where he was looking and decided to wrap a wing around him. "You miss him don't you?" She didn't need an answer, instead she got a very wanting hug from him in return.

"After all these years, and I still cry when I see him in the sky. I never thought I would miss him this much." As he fought back the tears that threatened to pour from his eyes. He turned his head to her and gave a smile, "Gather your friends, I think they'll enjoy what's about to take place tonight." Her ears perked up as she heard the young prince start humming a tune to himself. He faced toward Canterlot, slightly turningthen his humming into a more audible singing tone. No sooner did he do this, a second voice could be heard coming from the castle as the moon made its way into the sky to take its place next to the constellation. Twilight had motioned her friends to come out, and stood in awe of what was taking place before her. Dawnstar's horn was now lit with a light blue color as his and Luna's voices mixed and danced together into the night. A holographic image of Princess Luna appeared in front of Dawnstar and both horns touched causing sparks to shoot towards Noble Heart's cutie mark constellation.

Twilight Sparkle could not believe what she was seeing in front of her, and neither could her friends. Rarity made her presence next to Twilight known, "Incredible, I've heard that the Song of The Night was a sight to behold, but to see it in person... and to know what it's really about." The lavender mare gave her friend a smile and turned her attention back to the mother and son finishing their song and sharing a hug together.

"It is amazing, to think that she loved him that much... Rarity, do you know where Roseluck lives?" The white mare seemed to be taken aback by the sudden question, but managed to keep her composure nonetheless.

"Why of course, Darling, I do business with her all the time. Her roses are simply to die for, yet why she's not bigger than what she is now is beyond me. I think its because she-"

"Just a simply yes would have worked. I've made a few observations, and ever since she first saw him a few years ago she's been coming over and asking about him. Now, if she were like the bunch that Dawn's been stuck with a few times then I wouldn't mind leaving her to herself; yet, Rose is the opposite."

Rarity sent a confused look to Twilight, "What do you mean by that, Twilight?" Twilight turned to her friend and continued with her explanation.

"Well, I believe that she doesn't want Dawnstar to think that she wants to be with him for the wrong reasons; she always keeps her distance from him and hardly ever initiates conversation with him. You could almost think she was Fluttershy in disguise when she's around him." this received a nod of agreement from the white seamstress, "Anyway, I would like you to send a message for me. Let her know that Dawnstar practices his fighting styles at first light by the pond near Sweet Apple Acres. If my hypothesis is correct, then she'll go and watch, but do nothing else."

A squeal of excitement came from Rarity as she turned around, "Of course, Darling, consider it done." Rarity then took off at a ladylike trot towards what Twilight thought Roseluck's house was. Her attention was soon focused on a golden stallion making his way towards her.

"Where's Rarity running off to in 'such a hurry'?" Twilight gave a small chuckle at Dawn's joke at Rarirty's trot.

"She had just remembered that she had a dress for a 'very important client' that had to be done and had to leave early, she should be back later. You ready to eat? I think Pinkie Pie has been dying to have you try some of her newest concoctions." A grumble from his stomach and a sheepish smile was her answer, causing her to give another giggle, "I'll take that as a yes; I'm buying so eat as much as you want." After speaking she gave him another hug and whispered in his ear, "He would be so proud of how you turned out like him."

Dawn returned the hug and replied back, "You sound so much like my mother, but thanks; it's nice to know that I'm living up to his name." After they broke the hug, Twilight turned and started walking towards the door to the baked goods shop. Dawnstar paused and looked back up at the now fully colored cutie mark of his father. The two hearts matching his and Luna's coats and the shield matching his fathers orange fur. With a small smile he turned his attention back to the small gathering inside of Sugarcube Corner.

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Song

Dawnstar opened his eyes to what he thought was the Dreamscape of Equestria, however, it was different than what he remembered. The large room in front of him was kept lit by blue flamed torches that were evenly spaced out. The walls of said room were filled with books from the floor to, what seemed to be, an endless ceiling above. There was a single desk in the middle of the room with a lone candle on it; Dawnstar slowing made his way towards the desk.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Silence was his answer; it strongly made its presence known, save for the occasional sound of books being taken of the shelves and restacking themselves. As he got to the desk, he could not help but notice a book floating above it. The book itself kept turning its pages by an unseen force, and there were no signs that it was being influenced by magic. Just before he was about to look into the book a strange voice from behind him spoke up.

"Ah, I was wondering when you were going to show up; Master Dawnstar." Dawnstar turned around and stood in awe before a pony that seemed neither living nor dead. It had a light blue glow emanating from atop the robes it wore, which covered most of the figures body save for its face. The figure's eyes held great knowledge and wisdom in them and the long white beard it had could've been mistaken as Starswhirl the Bearded's. His facial features showed a great kindness and love that could have been mistaken for a parents. Before Dawn could question the figure, it spoke again, "Allow me to introduce myself, I am simple known as the Chronicler, and this," the figure pointed his hooves around the room, "is the Hall of Memories." The Chronicler stepped towards Dawnstar and the desk; causing the floor below him to light up and reveal the same sight as the area of the room going up; an endless void of books that moved to and fro with no sign of magical influence.

When the strange pony reached the desk, Dawnstar decided to go ahead and ask a few questions, "Hall of Memories? I have never heard of such a place even with the vast lore of the Canterlot Library. Why am I here, and What do you want from me?" The Chronicler gave a slight chuckle as he sat down behind the desk. With a wave of his hoof, several books appeared behind him along with two cups full of a warm liquid, which he offered to the young prince.

"All in due time young Master, please have a seat and enjoy the drink. You'll find the time spent here will put a little strain on your earthly body, the Spirit Brand will reduce the amount by quite a bit." Dawnstar took a cup and cautiously took a sip of the liquid, immediately he felt his body warm up as the coffee tasting substance surged through him. The Chronicler gave an approved nod and continued, "Now time is short and I must not keep you here long. You see the Hall of Memories contains the knowledge of everypony that has lived, dating back to before Equestria," one of the books behind him floated in front of Dawnstar; the cover reading a name that he could only guess was thousands of years old, "to the present." Another one read the famous DJ Vinyl Scratch. "It has never existed but has always been. It is my job to oversee that these books are organized and oversee that their knowledge doesn't fall to the wrong hands." The old keeper paused to take a sip of his cup before continuing on.

"As to why you are here, Master Dawnstar, I wish that you accept my invitation to receive some of the ancient knowledge that your ancestors uncovered eons ago. Just be warned, I can only bestow one ancestor at a time, for each time you visit, and there are very few of your ancestors I am allowed to bestow. I am not asking for anything in return, only that your ancestors knowledge not go to waste." Dawnstar thought for awhile before nodding his head in agreement; although he felt uncomfortable, he felt that if it would help ponykind, then it would be worth it. The Chronicler smiled and brought forth the third book behind him, the name on it read Tai Chi. "I will go ahead and bestow your first ancestor upon you. Master Tai Chi mastered the art of fighting using swift, fluid movements with deadly precision. I have read that you are a skilled fighter, and so I know that this books knowledge will not be wasted."

With another wave of his hoof the book opened up and a beam of light shot out and hit Dawnstar's horn. Almost instantly, images of an Earth Pony practicing his martial arts flowed into his mind and found their way deep into the confines of his memory. a voice deep in his mind spoke to him, "I am Tai Chi, may my knowledge aid you in times of great need." as the voice died down a brighter flash of light came from the book causing Dawnstar to shut his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again; the book, the Chronicler, and the Hall of memories were replaced by the warm, comforting surroundings of his guest bedroom in the Golden Oaks Library. He turned to the window to see that Princess Celestia had just started raising the sun.

Roseluck couldn't help but smile as she made her way towards Sweet Apple Acres. After hearing from Rarity that Dawnstar would be at her favorite place to go to during the peaceful mornings of Ponyville, who wouldn't be? Not to mention that the bag of bits that Dawnstar gave her was now in good use getting an official store opened up. Lily and Daisy insisted that she used the money for something else, however she persuaded them to allow her to open a shop and sell their flowers in an environment that'll allow them to sell more flowers longer. As she approached the farm, the sun was almost cresting the mountain that Canterlot sat on. The golden warmth of the sun fell on her beige coat, getting rid of the chill of the early morning fog. She smiled and hummed a tune to herself as she glanced at all the flowers opening up to receive the suns light. Lilies, daisies, honeysuckles, roses, and many other flowers bloomed as the awoke from their slumber; which in turn, added to the beauty of Ponyville. Rose was glad to live in a small town such as this; compared to where she used to live. Sure Manehatten was an okay place to live for a business pony, however, if you grow flowers for a living then things get pretty tight in the crowded city.

Rose trotted over the final hill that overlooked the pond, and gasped as she saw Dawnstar standing on the waters edge. His coat glowed a more brilliant gold in the morning sun, and his mane flowed with the slight breeze that was coming from the south. It was quiet at the pond, normally birds and insects would be singing their songs by this time and yet, it was almost as if everything was in a quiet calm. She stood in awe as she watched him, gracefully moving his hooves and body without so much as causing a ripple in the waters surface. It looked so natural to him, almost like he was born with that talent, she felt a small blush creep on her face when she noticed that she was staring. That's when she got the idea of trying to get closer, maybe even get a chance to talk to him! But what should she say? Would he be angry with her? What if he did? Maybe she should-

Before she could finish that last thought, a voice that sounded like Dawnstar's brought her back to reality, "Roseluck? Is that you?"

Rose let out a small shriek and jumped as she heard her name, which in turn caused her to loose her balance on the steep hillside. As she was rolling down the hill, and possibly hitting every small rock on the way down, she felt herself being lifted into the air. Carefully opening an eye, expecting to be fall off a cliff, she noticed a familiar red aura around her. The blush that had left her returned as she noticed that Dawnstar was caring her towards him. It left immediately when fear and embarrassment kicked in, he caught her spying on him and now he's going to punish her.... and not in the good way either! Her heart quickened and tears started to burn her eyes; any chance of being with him, gone, and for why? Because she couldn't resist a chance to see him.

When Dawnstar carefully placed her on the ground in front of him, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She started to sob in front of him like a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar. She didn't know what exactly why she was sobbing; either from being so embarrassed and scared, or from the number of scrapes and bruises she sustained during her fall. Either way she felt pitiful, that is until she felt a hoof under her chin and lift her head up. Through watery eyes; Roseluck could see a slight look of worry in Dawnstars eyes, and his tone had just as much worry.

"Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" Roseluck could only shake her head no as she tried to stop her sobbing, which caused the prince to ask another question, "What's wrong?" Two words. Two simple words that Rose was afraid to answer, mainly she didn't want to blurt out her secret to him, and maybe the whole spying thing. After a few sniffles and several seconds of rubbing tears from her eyes, she finally spoke to him.

"I'm sorry."

Dawnstar seemed puzzled for a little bit at the apology, for all he knew she was on her way to Sweet Apple Acres and he scared her when calling her name, causing her to fall. He sat down next to her and placed a wing around her in a small hug. He remembered his mother saying something about sympathy and comfort were great weapons in a prince's or princess's arsenal when dealing with saddened ponies. Something that he knew all to well considering. He felt her gasp as he wrapped his wing around her, her breathing slowed down a little and she had a small grin on her muzzle.

"Please, don't be scared, now tell me what's wrong and why you're apologizing." She lifted her head and glanced into his eyes, but immediately turned away.

"I'm sorry, I just... when I saw you here I just couldn't help myself. You were so graceful and amazing that I wanted to watch you and well, you saw me. I was so scared after I fell that you were mad at me that I couldn't control myself." Rose let out a small sniffle, but glanced up in puzzlement when she felt Dawnstar chuckle next to her.

"Afraid I was going to be mad, huh? How can I be mad when you've done nothing wrong. Tell you what, why don't you come with me to my Aunt Applejack's farm, she said I can have breakfast with them last night and I'm sure one more won't hurt." The blush returned on Rose's cheeks when he said this.

"R-really? Are you sure?"

"Of course, plus, we can get you looked at as well. Even though you fell a short distance, it wouldn't hurt to have a good once over."

Rose could not believe it; he wasn't mad at her, there was still a chance! She smiled and accepted the invitation, getting up onto her hooves and dusting herself off. As she and Dawnstar were walking up the road to the farm, Rose couldn't help but relish the feeling every time their bodies would make slight contact. His feathers would tickle her sides sending chills up her spine, while his coat felt surprisingly soft and warm. Casting occasional glances up at him, she couldn't help but admire how he carried himself; his azure eyes piercing ahead as he walked in a way that would've made anypony stop and-

*Pompf*

Rose paused for a little when she heard his wings flare up, stealing a glance at his eyes moving from her, to the clouds, above, to the road, to her, and back to the road again. A slight blush could be seen on his cheeks. Does this mean that he was actually looking at her like that? A darker blush made its presence known and she quickly lowered her head. Little did she know that he was kicking his own flank at the moment.

Dawnstar couldn't help the blush that was now making its home on his face. Especially when he just popped a wingy in front of one of his subjects, but, why? He knew exactly why; she was beautiful! Those sweet green eyes, her crimson and pink mane, her soft coat. He hated to admit it, but at first their bodies slightly touching each other were accidents at first, but the feeling he got from it was different from other mares he dated. He couldn't put a hoof on it but it was so much better. However, what really got him was her personality; she was a hard working, willing to donate thousands of bits worth of flowers for free, polite, and from the few times he saw her, unsure of herself at times. He dared to glance at her again and noticed a deep crimson on her cheeks. Great, way to make this walk awkward, Dawn.

The rest of the walk to the farm went with mainly small talk once Dawnstar's wing were under control. Before they knew it, They were at the farm, where Applejack was sitting on a rocking chair waiting. After explaining what had happened earlier that morning, and a quick bath for Rose, they found themselves enjoying a hardy Apple Family breakfast. Dawnstar decided to help Applejack with her chores after hearing Rose insist on helping clean the kitchen, since she wanted to thank them for the meal.

Song

Several hours went by and the two found themselves sitting under a tree by the pond. Rose had since fallen asleep and was leaning against Dawnstar. He looked down at her sleeping figure and smiled as he spread a wing over her to keep the breeze off her. He giggled when she nuzzled into his shoulder a little bit in order to get more comfortable.

"Sure is nice out t'night." Dawnstar's ears perked up as Applejack took a seat next to him. He nodded in agreement and replied.

"I can see why Twilight likes living here. There's just so much beauty here it makes Canterlot seem like a dump." Applejack laughed at his joke and then nodded towards Rose.

"Mighty hard worker that one, sure as hay s'prised m'self when she offered ta help 'round here." She then stared off towards the setting sun with Dawnstar as she continued, "Ya know its quite inter'sting, the whole time she was cleaning she was either watchin' ya, or humming a cert'n song that gets sung every year." Dawnstar turned towards the farmpony with a raised eyebrow, which made Applejack chuckle.

"You trying to say something here, AJ?"

"Ah'm just throwin' that out there, Ah know how ya are with that sorta thing. It's quite obvious that she cares a lot about ya for who ya are; not the prince, but the pony who is Dawnstar." Dawnstar turned back towards the sleeping Roseluck, who was muttering something in her sleep, and wrapped his wing around her tighter. Applejack smiled and stood back up turning towards the farm. "Well, Ah best be headin' on back ta tha farm, mah turn ta cook an' all that. Appreciate tha help today, Dawn, helped us a lot." With a quick goodbye from Dawn, Applejack headed back towards home.

He turned once again to Rose and sighed, "Guess we should be going as well." Being careful not to wake her up, He lifted her onto his back; taking note of her forlegs wrapping around his neck like a scared filly, and hearing her whimpering a little bit. Turning his head and giving her a reassuring nuzzle, he headed off back towards town and the Golden Oaks Library, thinking aloud, "It'll be ok, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."

As Dawnstar headed towards town, he didn't notice a figure with a sleeked back black mane wearing a heavily starched red tie. "Oh my, won't Lord Blueblood love this." with his scouting mission done, the figure disappeared into the darkness behind him.

6

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Song

Roseluck woke from her slumber to the sound of hushed hooves and whispers coming from the same room she was laying down in. A quick glimpse around verified that she was indeed not home in her rose petal laden bed, but in the lobby of the Golden Oaks Library. The fireplace in front of her provided the room with warmth from the early spring morning. As she adjusted the covers on her, she couldn't help but hear a small part of the conversation that was going on.

"... And he said that it never existed but always has been. I'm not sure about it and I don't want to go back unless I have some information on it." That voice came from Dawnstar, Rose could tell from the regality and tone in it. Which meant that the other voice was from...

"I knew this would happen one day, but not that early. I wish I could explain it to you, My son, but this is neither the time nor place for it. I must get back to Canterlot soon before Tia discovers that I'm gone; we'll talk in the dreamscape tonight, but I strongly recommend not mentioning it to anypony else. You will get the answers you seek. Now before I leave though, mind explain who is on the couch there, I believe that our conversation is no longer private."

Rose held her breath as she heard hoofsteps move towards her. From the stories that she had heard, Princess Luna was not one to mess with; especially when it came to her son. Trying her hardest to keep her eyes shut, she felt herself start shivering as a very noticeable shadow stood in front of the fireplace. As she braced for impact from whatever the shadow had planned on doing, she was surprised to feel a something nuzzling under her chin.

"We know that your awake, young one. Please come on out, you aren't in trouble, We only wish to talk." Hearing Princess Luna's motherly tone seemed to soothe Rose's nerves as she slowly opened her eyes. In front of her, a smiling Princess Luna was sitting on her haunches with Dawnstar next to her, her azure eyes giving Rose a sense of securtity. As she sat up on the couch, she very awkwardly tried to bow to both the Prince and Princess; making the later chuckle and the former raise an eyebrow.

Dawnstar let out a sigh as he stood up, "Please, Roseluck, how many times must I say that there are no need for formalities with me." As he spoke, the unintended harshness in his tone caused Rose to shrink into the couch; Luna smacked her son on the back of the head as a result.

"Dawnstar, that's no way to talk to your marefriend," The last word slammed into Rose, making a highly visible blush appear on her cheeks, the golden stallion also seemed to have a slight color change as well.

"MOM!" He yelled, a bit too loud, since it was apparent that Twilight Sparkle was still asleep. Rose felt her ears getting warm as she looked at the blushing stallion. "Its a bit early to call her that don't you think?"

"Nonsense, I can tell that there is something there. At any rate, you two do what you like, however, if you decide to be together, heed this warning. I feel like both of you could be in danger if its obvious that you're mare and coltfriends. Blueblood's been acting strange recently, and I get the feeling he's the cause of it." Princess Luna stood back up next and turned to her son, "Tia has forbidden me from acting against him based solely on feelings, so please exercise extreme caution. I don't want to lose you as well." Rose just watched as Dawnstar wrapped a wing around his mother and promised her; after a few moments the Princess of The Night stepped away and her horn started glowing a brilliant blue. "I must be going before Tia sends a search party. Farewell Miss Roseluck. I will see you tonight, Dawn." With a bright flash of light, she was gone.

Rose and Dawnstar turned to face each other; each supporting their own color of blush from not only Princess Luna's words, but also from the fact that they were all alone. Both were entranced at how the other looked in the firelight, unknowingly moving closer and closer together. Roseluck was the first to notice when she felt his warm breath touch her skin, sending chills down her spine. His muzzle was so close to her that she could've kissed him. Go for it, you never know until you've tried. Rose silently swallowed a knot that had been in her throat; closing her eyes, she lurched forward and made contact with Dawnstar's lips wrapping her hooves around his neck and enjoyed the feeling of his warmth. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his tongue start dancing with hers, each movement she made was complimented by him.

After a few seconds later, her mind came screaming back to reality when she realized what she was doing. Suddenly breaking of the kiss; She just kissed Prince Dawnstar without his consent! She frantically started to find the words that her tongue could not find; no matter how hard she tried.

"Rose?" Dawnstar tried to place a hoof on her shoulder, but was surprised to see the gardener pull back.

"I... I-I'm..." She didn't finish what she was going to say. Before Dawn could stop her; the beige Earth Pony darted out of the library with the speed of a Wonderbolt, which left Dawnstar standing there alone in front of the fireplace.

"And that's what happened."

Dawnstar sat across Rarity at the local café near her Boutique, after explaining to her what had happened the day before and that morning. The fasionista took a sip of her coffee, looking off into the distance as she did so. Dawnstar had decided to go to the white unicorn, instead of waiting for Twilight to wake up, due to her experience with romance and that kind of thing. After Rose ran off, he had to admit that he felt a little guilty himself. The tongue may have been a bit much on his part. The sound of a cup being placed on the table broke him from his thoughts. Rarity was still looking at some far off object, but her expression had changed. It looked like she was a bit disappointed.

"It seems to me, that your status is scaring her from fully acting on her heart." Dawnstar gave her a highly confused look.

"What do you mean my status is scaring her? She initiated the kiss first; that sounds like acting on her heart to me!"

Rarity turned towards the, now standing, prince and gave him the look she would normally save for Sweetie Belle when she'd act up. "Now Dawnstar, calm down and take a seat, you're setting a bad example for yourself. Listen to what I'm trying to say; she's a normal pony that has no connection to the Royal Family, save for her Gala donation roses. You are a Prince. The son of one the most powerful beings in Equestria; and you will be inheriting the whole kingdom with Twilight in the future. And she has feelings for you. I no I have no right to say that I didn't fantasize about marrying a lesser noble at some point, but to possibly be together forever with the only real prince of Equestria?!" She let out a dreamy sigh as her eyes got bigger and glimmers of sparkles shone in them. "When you look at that one simple kiss doesn't compare."

One unimpressed Dawnstar just sat at the table as Rarity kept ranting on, his own coffee cup practically empty. Several ponies had paused to stare at the fashionista as she went on. They quickly left when they noticed that she was with Princess Luna's son.

"Okay? So... where does that leave me? Square one? two? zero? What should I do; I have never dealt with anypony that wanted to be with me without expecting something in return." Rarity sat back in her chair and finished of her cup before answering him.

"Well I'm sure that Princess Luna's son would know that answer better than any of us." She winked at him as she said this. "As I recall, your father loved Princess Luna so much that he gave up his place as Captain of the Royal Guard and even asked not to be recognized as a Prince himself. Now I may not know about the things he did, but I can tell you that it made your mother the happiest mare I had ever seen." Again, her eyes dreamily fluttered as she spoke in a very romantic tone.

"So you're saying I should give up my royalty?"

"Oh heavens no, Darling. I'm simply suggesting that you follow your father's example and show Miss Roseluck what she truly means to you." After she said this, her eyes meandered towards the clock, "Oh goodness look at the time. I beg your pardon, but I must get Sweetie Belle from school. Please top by the Boutique after you and Rose make up, I have something that I wish for you to have." Before Dawnstar could respond, she left at a full gallop towards the schoolhouse. He sat there for several minutes contemplating on what he was going to do. But the end result wielded him either second guessing himself or doubting that she was doing the same thing as his father. He needed to think this through, and he knew just the place to go. After standing from his table and paying for a few loaves of cinnamon bread that café produced, he started off towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Roseluck lay in front of the pond at Sweet Apple Acres, her cheeks cheeks lined with the paths that her tears had formed. After she ran from Dawnstar that morning her first instinct was to run to her home and close herself off from the world; which she did until her friend Lily decided to bust the door down in order to figure out what was going on. After explaining to the pink mare what happened, receiving a lecture for just running out on him over a kiss in the process. Lily suggested that Rose thought it over and then confront Dawnstar about her feelings towards him. This was so much easier said than done, especially when she subconsciously made her way to the pond that she fell asleep on Dawnstar. The mid afternoon sun's warmth couldn't compare to how warm she felt then. She smiled at the thought of his wings wrapped tightly around her in a secured barrier, but the thought was quickly taken away from her when a voice spoke from behind her.

"Dear oh dear Roseluck, has the high and mighty prince left you?" The hairs on Roseluck's neck stood on end as a very cold chill ran down her spine. She knew that voice all to well; turning towards the voice, a gasp escaped her throat as Filthy Rich stood in front of her. He let out a confident chuckle as he ran a hoof back through his charcoal black mane. "It seems you remember me. Oh, how long has it been since you left the services of my brother. Is that why you are here all alone and unloved?" Filthy Rich's voice made Rose wince as memories she had buried deep within her mind resurfaced. She took a step back, but realized that she was backed against the water.

"Oh yes; you also remember. You were such a good little slave back then, but what happened? You escaped and found protection here in Ponyville, and now your eyes have caught sight of the spoiled prince. Now, tell me did you really think that he would actually fall in love with a slutty mare such as yourself?"

Rose took notice of Filthy Rich moving slowly towards her; causing her to start going back into the water. Her body was acting on its own will as fear gripped her inside its claws, dragging her deeper and deeper into the water. Filthy Rich started maniacally laughing as Roseluck started becoming desperate as she ended neck high in the water; Filthy Rich only being in to his knees. Rose started to cry when the realization of her possibly drowning took place in her mind. She never was taught how to swim and Filthy Rich seemed to remember this fact.

Without warning, the brown stallion lunged at the beige mare, forcing her under the water. She found her attempts at struggling futile as the stronger stallion held her down, her lungs started to burn as the need for oxygen took over. Just as her vision started to become blurry, a very familiar red aura surrounded her. As she gasped for the air that she desperately needed, she noticed that Filthy Rich was being held down by the same aura. A golden figure came sprinting down the hill as Rose felt herself slipping out of consciousness. Before everything went black, the panicked sound of Dawnstar's voice filled her ears as she was gently placed on the warm sand.

7

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Dawnstar slowly made his way towards Sweet Apple Acres, a small bag of cinnamon bread in his magic's grasp. As the brown bag floated in front of him he couldn't help but giggle at his color scheme. For being Princess Luna's son, he was definitely colored more like Princess Celestia's. Now that would be a trip. His ear twitched as he casted a quick glimpse at his cutie mark. Then again... when your in charge of the peace and justice of Equestria; it makes sense. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of splashing coming from the pond. He would've just thought it was Apple Bloom and her friends swimming, if it weren't for the sadistic laughing that came from it.

As he rounded the top of the hill, the brown bag dropped to the ground as he saw a brown stallion supposedly forcing another pony under the water. He then felt his anger rise when he noticed a familiar crimson and pink mane break the water's surface, only to be forced back into its watery grave. He started off in a dead sprint, reaching towards the pair with his magic; flinging the attempted murderer into a tree and pinning him to the beach, while carefully bringing a barely conscious Roseluck out of the pond. Their eyes met for only a second before she passed out, which broke Dawnstar's concentration on his prisoner. Not that he had to worry, since the air in Filthy Rich's lungs was forced out of him when he made contact with the tree. Dawnstar's cries for Rose to awake were in vain as she lay there motionless. His anger spiked again when he heard Filthy Rich coughing and spitting out insults.

"You bastard, who dares to intervene in my business!?" His persona quickly dissolved when he noticed the figure in front of him. "P-P-P-Prince Dawnstar, w-w-what a surprise. I-I don't suppose that the Son of-"

"SILENCE!" Filthy Rich felt his heart jump to his throat when Dawnstar turned towards him. His eyes were aglow with the same aura that his mother gained when she took control of the moon. His voice was strong and fierce; yet it was also frightening. Dawnstar's mane and tail erupted into a fiery blaze that glowed a magnificent orange. The noble gulped his heart back to its original position as the angered prince moved closer. "THOU DAREST TO DISTURB THE PEACE OF THY LAND WITH MURDER!?"

Filthy Rich felt himself being lifted back into the air, the haunting stare of the prince scaring him out of his wits. Before he could speak he felt himself being thrown back against another tree, this time being held there by Dawnstar's magic. After struggling to get his lungs back to working normally, he started to beg for his life in front of the prince. "Please don't kill me! I'll do what you want; I'll even tell you everything I know. Just please don't kill me."

Dawnstar paused for a second, his grip never loosening on the, now crying, noble. He took a deep breath, his body returning to its form. His azure eyes showing no mercy for stallion held in his magic. "You... are the lowest form of pony aren't you?" His horn glowed a bit brighter as a pair of hoofcuffs appeared on Filthy Riche's front and back legs. "I'll be sending you to my mother. There you are to tell her everything; from what happened today, to who you were working for. Failure to do so will land you into the depths of Tartarus, where scum like you are sent at the mercy of the beast that dwell there." Before Filthy Rich could say anything, he was teleported away to face Princess Luna's judgment.

Dawnstar turned towards the unconscious Roseluck with flattened ears, he felt a single tear roll down the side of his cheek as he watched her. With a saddened sigh, he lifted her up onto his back and headed towards the hospital. On top of the hill, he paused at the brown bag with its contents spilled on the ground. Only good for the birds now, he thought to himself, six bits wasted for bird food. With another sigh he used his magic to pick up the brown bag, leaving the bread to be left as a snack for the birds.

Song

The next few days went by painfully for Dawnstar, each day seemingly slower than the last. Roseluck lay in her hospital bed, with him by her side. Princess Luna had stopped in a couple of times to update him on current events and the like. According to her, Filthy Rich's testament was enough proof to help her bring Blueblood's plot out in the open; granted several days or months may be needed. Twilight and her friends would stop by often to see how she was doing, but they would leave shortly after. One day, while Dawnstar was watching the ponies go about their daily lives outside, a voice came from the doorway of Rose's room.

"Excuse me, Your Highness?" Dawn recognized the voice as Lily's and turned to acknowledge her, after a small bow she stepped into the room. She made her way next to the skulking stallion and sat next to him, her eyes on a still sleeping Roseluck, "Is she going to be ok?"

"The doc said that she should be waking up soon. She was just exhausted from what happened." Dawnstar turned back to the window, watching nothing in particular. Lily, on the other hoof, placed a leg over his shoulder as a means of comfort.

"Please don't blame yourself, Your Highness, I'm sure it could've happened to anypony. Besides," She reached up and pulled him into a hug, "She was saved by the one she loves; I know that she'll never blame you for that." Dawnstar allowed a grin to make his muzzle its home for a brief second before he noticed movement on the bed in the plain white room. To say that Dawnstar was relieved to see Roseluck's eyes slowly flutter awake was a vast understatement. He felt like the entire world had been lifted off of his shoulders. Lily must have noticed Rose stirring as well, since she immediately went galloping out of the room looking for a nurse. The golden stallion got onto his hooves, making his way next to the beige colored beauty that lay in the bed.

"Rose?" Her ears percked up and a visual blush appeared on her cheeks as her eyes fully opened. She turned her head towards Dawnstar and was about to say something, before he surprised her with a kiss. She felt another chill like before go down her spine as she lost herself in Dawnstar's embrace. Their tongues doing a complicated dance as the kiss dragged on for a few seconds. The sound of somepony clearing their throat behind them was the only thing that stopped them from going farther. Both ponies blushed as an annoyed looking doctor and a flustered Lily stood in the doorway. The doctor let out a sigh as he levitated a clipboard off of Roseluck's bed.

"Your Highness, I respect your authority and feelings for this young mare, but please remember that you are in a hospital." He raised an eyebrow towards the golden stallion, then turned back to his charts, "Now let's see here; nothing was broken, no internal damage done, you seem to be in control of normal body functions. Miss Roseluck; I do believe that you are now free to leave the hospital." He turned back to Dawnstar with a flat tone, "I suggest that she doesn't do strenuous activities for at least two more days, and that does include more physical activities. Since she had been out for three days she does need to watch herself. I hope that you can be sure of that, Your Majesty?" After receiving a nod from the prince, the doctor turned to his patient and spoke again. "I hope that you are more careful in the future Miss Roseluck. Now if you excuse me; I must continue on with my duties." The doctor turned towards the door and left, leaving the three alone in the hospital room.

Song

Several weeks went by as the new couple went back to their daily lives. Roseluck's new shop was a huge hit on the market; earning herself and her friends an excellent reputation in several towns. Meanwhile, Dawnstar was granted permission to perform his royal duties in Ponyville in order to give Twilight some extra backup with her duties as well. Not that she needed it; it was mainly a fancy excuse for him to stay with his marefriend.

He had visited the Chronicler several times since Roseluck's recovery; however it was essentially to visit the old sage; who very much seemed to appreciate the company. Princess Luna had explained to Dawnstar that she had created the Chronicler as a means of safeguarding information that could help prevent future happenings. Which in turn lead her to the conclusion that she must've been older than she thought, considering.

Eventually weeks transformed into months, and the couple found themselves getting more intimate and serious with their relationship. Roseluck had settled in with Dawnstar, Twilight, and Spike, and the two would often sit in front of the fireplace with a cup of tea discussing the days events. The topic of tonight's subject being the upcoming Hearts and Hooves day celebration that weekend. Roseluck couldn't help but notice that something seemed off about Dawnstar recently. Normally when she would come home to the library; he'd be sitting with a book that was related to the moon and night sky. However, the past few weeks he had either been out late talking to his mother, or working somewhere. What really puzzled her was why a royal wanted to work when they had all the bits they wanted; granted the two thousand that he gave her quickly answered that. Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a familiar nuzzle under her chin.

"Hey, everything alright?" Dawnstar .lay down next to her on the floor by the fireplace. She couldn't help but take a deep breath and revel in his warmth as he spread a wing around.

"Yeah, I'm okay." she replied back, giving him a small kiss on his cheek as a means of assurance. A smile plagued his face as he returned the kiss as acknowledgment. Of course, their time alone was soon interrupted when they heard a disgusted voice come from the stairwell.

"Ugh, don't you two like, have a room that you can do that in? your gonna make me throw up, and that's never a good thing." Rose turned to see a small purple dragon standing atop the staircase with his finger pointed to his open mouth. As Spike made his way down the stairs, she felt Dawnstar's wing lift up from her and return to its master's side. A small chuckle came from him as he decided to have some fun with the baby dragon.

"Oh come on Spike, don't tell me that you don't have mares and fillies wrapped around your claws." Rose watched as Dawns gave the blushing dragon a wink, "Don't think I haven't seen you and Sweetie Belle around town, Mister." The dragon's blush got redder as Dawn continued, "Relax, Mate, I'm just messing with you. Did you require something?" It took a few seconds for Spike to regain his composure.

"Uh, y-yeah, T-T-Twilight wanted to talk to you about something, Dawnstar." He finished his trip down the stairs and started towards the kitchen, as Dawn let out a small groan.

"I think I know what its for. Roseluck, could you please help Spike with dinner?" Rose felt a nuzzle behind her ear as she got up and nodded in agreement. When she got to the kitchen, Spike already had part of the meal ready; Spaghetti with a mixed veggie sauce was the main course for the night and it seemed apparent that he could use the help. Spike turned when he heard her hoofsteps and gave her a smile, motioning for her to stir the sauce while he worked on the noodles.

It was quiet to say the least, both where either stirring or chopping vegetables or getting silverware ready. Rose decided to break the silence, "So... um... you and Sweetie Belle?"

"No... yes... maybe... *sigh* I don't know, it's complicated." Spike kept his focus on the boiling noodles, testing one to see if they were ready. Rose didn't seem to like that.

"What do you mean by 'complicated?' Its not because your a dragon is it?"

"Its not, in fact she doesn't care that I'm a dragon, its just that... well... I don't know if we are official or not." Now that was sure interesting.

"Well, did you actually ask her out or did you two just start going out?" Spike paused in his inspection of the noodles, which were ready to be strained and served. Rose added a few more spices to the sauce and kept up her stirring; a couple of extra minutes wouldn't hurt.

"We just started going out together; first it was us and her friends, but recently it has been just us." Yep, Rose knew exactly what was going on, and the smile on her muzzle caused Spike to raise an eyebrow before placing the noodles in a bowl.

"You should ask her; make it official. That's what I'm thinking." Rose carefully poured the sauce in its own bowl and placed it on the table just outside the kitchen. "If she doesn't care that you are a dragon and is willing to look past the differences then I say; go for." She studied the wood grain on the table as she thought about her and Dawn. Spike smiled as he started towards the stairs to grab Dawn and Twilight.

"Alright, I'll do it!"

Dawnstar entered the room to a pacing Twilight Sparkle, a sight that he was used to seeing but he made tonight an exception. As he cleared his throat; she paused for a second, turned to him, nodded and continued to pace. Rolling his eyes as she kept pacing, he decided to take some time 'investigating' her study/ bedroom. Of course, by study he meant 'messing with Twilight's OCD about everything being in order.' He went over to her writing desk, which housed an ordered line of parchment, ink wells, and quills. Looking up and the still pacing violet alicorn, he grinned as he played a small game of "ShuffleeverythingonTwilight'sdesk." His plan backfired, however, as a purple aura quickly realigned her desk perfectly, but it did succeed in getting her to stop pacing.

"Don't. Touch. The desk." Her reaction was a bit different from what Dawn had expected, and it scared the moon out of him. After shrugging it off as a way to get her attention, she went about pacing, except actually talking to Dawnstar. "She's late, how can she be late? She was supposed to be here by now."

Dawn let out a defeated grunt at stopping Twilight's pacing, but decided to point out the very obvious. "You do know that my mother hasn't raised the moon yet, right?" The princess stopped and looked out the window in front of her desk. Celestia's sun was almost done setting, but Dawn knew that the moon had yet another couple of minutes before it needed to be raised. A visual blush appeared on Twilight's face as she let out an embarrassed "Oh". She walked next to Dawn and sat down, stopping her panicked pacing altogether. Really!?

After sitting and talking for a awhile, a bright flash of white light appeared before the two. when it disappeared, Princess Luna gracefully stood in its place. In her magic's grasp was a small stack of parchment, and a small white box; Which Dawnstar immediately took from her and opened up. Inside was the exact reason he had been out working so hard for the past several months; a Hay Jewelers engagement ring. The gold band that made up the ring had several jewels that intricately made up his and Rose's cutie marks on the top. It was worth the long days and nights; working at different shops and stalls in order to obtain this fifteen hundred bit beauty. Carefully closing the box and placing it under his wing, he tuned back into his mother and Twilight.

"Twilight, remember that there is now rush with this assignment. Much like your old friendship letter, Tia wants them to be done at your own leisure." Luna turned towards her son with a smile on her face, noticing the small bulge in his wing. "I see you got what you wanted me to bring, but... I want to let you know that I am proud of you, my son. Let me know what she says as soon as you possibly can." Dawnstar nodded as he gave his mother a quick nuzzle to her neck. "I love you too, now I must return to the world of Canterlot politics." Shortly after she vanished in a bright light. Spike knocked on the door several seconds later to announce that dinner was ready.

Twilight sat her assignments from Princess Celestia on her writing desk and headed towards the dining table, while Dawnstar went to his and Rose's room in order to hide the ring. After taking a second look at it, he smiled, walked over to the window in the small room, and hid it in a shelf just below it; looking towards his father's constellation before joining the other for dinner.

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Dawnstar opened the door to the Golden Oaks Library, and took in a deep breath as his freezing body welcomed the warmth of the fire that Spike had made. He fell down onto the couch and let his wings unfurl themselves out and stretch. The only sound that he noticed in the tree house was the soft sound of a shower. He let out a deep, relaxed sigh as he thought back to his days work of working at Sweet Apple Acres; mainly helping Big Mac with preparing the farm and fields for the next season's batch of apples. This consisted of pulling large boulders and old tree stumps out of the ground in the northern fields. Dawnstar's legs gave a painful throb of acknowledgement at the thought. However, he let a small smile form as he thought about all of the extra work he helped the Apple's with, not to mention the fact that they insisted that he take a small payment of bits for his help; despite his best efforts to politely decline. Never underestimate an Apple, let alone four of them.

Dawn heard the shower shut off. Figuring that it was Rose, since Twilight and Spike were supposed to be over at Rarity's getting her Hearths and Hooves dress up and ready. An interesting thought came to his mind, and he hopped off the couch making his way to the bathroom. After lightly knocking, but getting no response, he slowly opened the door to reveal the beautiful mare that stole his heart. It took but two seconds for him to realize that the mare drying herself off in front of him was actually Twilight Sparkle, who in turn stared at him with a deep shade of red forming on her cheeks. Before he could issue out an apology, Twilight let out a loud scream and shooting a bright light at Dawnstar's eyes. This immediately caused a small chain of events.

Dawnstar let out a small yell as he covered his eyes, "Oh, Celestia, why? Why in the eyes? Goddess above its like walking in on Granny Smith naked. Wait a minute, she's always naked. Dear Celestia that makes it worse!" Twilight stared in surprise as she watched Dawn try to get his vision back.

"Sorry Dawnstar, I thought you were somepony else." She said with a sheepish grin as her blush became nothing more than a slight shade of pink.

Dawnstar shot a dagger like stare at Twilight, "How many Alicorn princes do you know? Not to mention, the door was locked! And more importantly, where did Rose go?" As the last words escaped his lips, he looked up and down the hall searching for any trace of the off white mare. Twilight finished drying her mane before answering the question.

"She's out in the fields checking up on her roses, since the weather team decided to schedule a rainstorm later on this week." Dawnstar blinked a few times as he pondered her words. She trotted be him and continued on, "She should be back before dinner. Bathrooms yours if you need it, Sweaty." After playfully slapping the purple mare behind her head with a wing, Dawnstar walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

After a few minutes taking a hot shower, Dawnstar made his way towards his and Rose's bedroom, hopping that she was home. He felt a small thing of disappointment as he walked into the empty room. He could definitely tell that Rose had been in a cleaning mood before she left. The room was spotless, and neatly organized. The bed was made and her personal touch of rose petals strewn all over the bed made Dawnstar smile as he climbed onto the bed. The sweet scent of the roses caused him to enter a state of relaxation that he always felt around her. After climbing on the bed, Dawnstar quickly took put the ring that he was planning on giving Rose later that week during the Hearts and Hooves Day Dance. A smile pasted itself on his muzzle as thoughts of spending the rest of this lifetime with her. Sleep slowly took the stallion in its grip and whisked him away to dream of endless evenings cuddling with Roseluck, unaware that she joined him on the bed half an hour later.

The next day, Roseluck found herself humming a happy little tune to herself as she tended to her flower shop. With Hearts and Hooves Day only three days away, her rose sales were literally skyrocketing. Of course, it didn't help to have an entire field dedicated to her roses for growing. She was especially happy today due to the fact that she had figured out a way to make her roses last longer on the shelves and in ponies homes, thanks to a book she checked from the library. Her thoughts were temporarily interrupted when she heard the bell ring at her shops entrance. She turned and welcomed the two mares that had entered with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon, Lyra and Bon-Bon. How may I help you?" Bon-Bon was already busy browsing through Roseluck's roses, leaving Lyra to speak to the florist. The mint green unicorn gave Rose a smile that told her something was up.

"He's here. Moneybags is here in Ponyville and he's looking for you, Rose." Roseluck tried to swallow the knot that swelled up in her throat after hearing the name of somepony she thought she had rid herself of. Lyra saw the fear in Rose's eyes and tried to comfort her as best as she could. "Hey, don't worry about it. Bonny and I are here to be sure that nothing happens to you. Bonny will run to get the Prince in case he shows up here, while I stay behind and stall long enough from him to get here. I promised you and my sister that he wouldn't take you back, and I plan to keep it."

The sound of the door bell interrupted Lyra as a large unicorn stallion followed by two equally sized earth ponies. The unicorn was a dark brown in color, his charcoal black mane sleeked back to show his stature. The bit bag cutie mark on his flank confirmed Rose's fear as she stared wide eyed at the very stallion that had imprisoned her for half of her adolescent life as a slave. Moneybags started chuckling to himself as he watched Rose visibly start shaking, not noticing that Bon-Bon had snuck out of the door and was sprinting towards the Golden Oaks Library.

"Good afternoon, my dear Roseluck, it has been such a long time since I last saw you." The stallion's suave voice gave Lyra a sick feeling in her stomach, knowing full well from her sister that the gentle colt appearance was just a mask. She slowly made her way between Moneybags and Roseluck and readied herself. The response she got from him was something she didn't expect. "Oh my, seems like we have a heroine amongst us. I must say Madame Lyra, your sister definitely knows how to get information out and about efficiently. It's a shame that I'll have to get rid of her when I return with Rose. Such a shame, really, she really was a sweet mare." Lyra felt anger surge through her body when he mentioned her sister. Before she was able to act out she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head and shortly fell to the ground unconscious. Rose gasped as se went down to help her fallen friend, but was suddenly pulled away by her mane by Moneybags' magic.

"You really gave me quite the scare there, Rose. If it weren't for Lord Blueblood tipping me off to your location, I never would have found you. And now that I finally have you back..." Rose felt his tongue work its way up her neck and stop at her cheek. This won him a slap to the face, which only made him laugh as he returned the gesture; Rose fell to the ground in a daze as she placed a hoof where he smacked her, taking note of the blood that was coming from her nose. Before she could do anything else, her legs were bound and a blindfold and gag where forced on her. Moneybags let out a deep predator like moan as he stared down at his prized slave.

"My don't you look pretty. I'm going to have fun with retraining you." With a nod to his henchmen, they picked her up and in a bright flash of light teleported out of town.

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"Seriously, Twi, I don't understand the sudden need for a platoon of guards to be sent here," Dawsntar spoke as he read, reread, and rereread the letter from Celestia. Looking up at the formation of Elite Guards and one Arc Trooper, he continued, "I can understand a few bodyguards, but sending us a whole platoon of Elite Guards seems like overkill. Let's not even mention what attention the Arc Trooper will draw."

Twilight sat across from the golden stallion, who sat in the very same regal form as his mother. They were going over their royal duties for the day, Dawnstar going over wanted posters, laws, terrorist threats, and treaties; while she focused on studying Equestrian history, and making detailed notes on the evolution of how Celestia ruled. After taking a quick sip of her tea, she replied back, "I'm just as surprised as you are, Dawn. Yet considering how Blueblood's been conspiring against both of us, I think she just wants to be safe."

Dawnstar let out a small chuckle as he studied a case focused on herd marriages and their impact on civilization. "Mother always said that Aunt Tia was always overprotective." He lowered the parchment and looked at the Arc Trooper.

He had seen a few during his time in Canterlot, but they were always being sent away somewhere or checking back in. To actually be able to be in control of one was an interesting feeling. The trooper was covered from head to foot in a special magic resistant armor, which ranked higher than even his own personal armor. The main color of the armor was white, but a few accented blue patterns were placed to mark a sense of individualism; several scratches covered the trooper's armor, showing signs of wear and tear. The fully engulfed helmet on his head had tinted slits where his eye and mouth would be. His horn was the only thing not covered in armor, sporting an enhancement ring that allowed him to preform even the most complex spells.

Dawnstar reminded himself of the Arc Troopers come upance. Being the primary item of Military Research and Development, spending time from foalhood to enlistment age in a training facility focused on creating them, being treated with the highest rank and respect in the Guard. The list went on and on in his head, but the sound of the trooper talking broke Dawnstar from his train of thought.

"Arc Trooper Waxer at your service, Sir," He said with a quick salute, his voice somewhat hushed by the helmet, "I have been assigned as your personal guard, and are ready to serve." Dawnstar returned the salute and glanced back at the Elites standing behind him.

"Who are they under?"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle, Sir. It is my understanding that she could use a boost in morale since she was unsure of her new title." Dawn saw a hint of red appear on Twilight's face as she inspected the Elites, which had a more upgraded and demanding training than normal Guards. Their dark blue uniforms reminded Dawn of Luna's fur.

"Well, Waxer, I look forward to working with you."

"As am I, Sir."

Not even five seconds after they had finished speaking, Bon-Bon had burst through the library entrance in a full gallop and yelled to the two royals, "Your majesties, we have trouble! There.... has been.... an attempted fillynapping," She said between deep breaths for air, "Lyra... stayed behind with Roseluck at her shop, but I think she's been hurt..." Bon-Bon turned her attention to Dawnstar, who had a very sick feeling forming inside. Bon-Bon felt the sting of tears form in her eyes and fell to the ground in front of him. She was quickly caught in his magic and was gently placed on the couch to rest.

Dawnstar turned his gaze to Twilight, who nodded in agreement; Dawn motioned for Waxer to follow him, while Twilight went to work setting a perimeter around town with her new platoon.

Blueblood stood atop part of the mountain that held Ponyville captive in its shadow, just begging to become apart of his soon to be kingdom. A twig snapping behind him caused the white unicorn to turn his head and acknowledge his visitors. Behind him stood four beings; two of whom were Moneybags and a bound and gagged Roseluck, the other two were a Pegasus member of his personal guard and a representative of the Minotaur mercenaries that he hired.

"Relieve her of that unsightly thing, Moneybags, we aren't so barbaric that we cannot allow a civilized conversation." The brown unicorn snorted as he undid the gag in Rose's mouth, causing her to cough and sputter as it left her mouth. While she was gasping and catching her breath, Blueblood looked up to Moneybags. "I must say, my friend, I am much surprised by your ability to out do your brother. It's to bad he isn't here to see our plan come to fruitition."

Moneybags gave a bow to his new lord, "You flatter me, My Lord, but it was shocking to hear that you wanted to waste such a beautiful mare. You know I had specifically trained her to be a good little breeder, though I personally never had the chance to make it happen. Needless to say that I look forward to it again" Rose cringed when she heard the predatory growl escape his throat.

"As much as it peeks my interest, it saddens me that you won't be around much longer to try." Rose took notice of the change in Blueblood's tone, it carried a sinister side to it.

"I beg your pardon, My Lord, but what do you mean?" Moneybag's eyes shrunk to the size of pinpricks as Blueblood started to turn around to fully face him, his face taking a dark form that Rose never thought possible from anypony.

"What I mean is that I have no further assistance from you. You brought my consolation prize, and now all I have to do is destroy those pesky, low class wretches. I do hope you'll accept my apologies, but understand, sacrifices must be made." Before Moneybags could react, a beam of energy shot from Blueblood's horn. Rose looked in fear as she lay on the ground, watching Blueblood's tear through the brown noble like tissue paper. After several seconds, the lifeless body of Moneybags hit the ground next to Roseluck, who lay there shaking in fear. Her attention quickly turned to Blueblood, who had started talking again.

"It's a shame really. Had he not been so focused on his pathetic goal, I may have allowed him to lead my armies to battle." His attention turned towards Roseluck then back to his other two visitors. "Iron Fist, I understand that your men are ready?"

The black Minotaur stepped forward and gave a slight bow of respect, "Of course, Sire. We stand ready to destroy those who oppose House Blueblood. My men are separated between the two fronts as you asked." Blueblood smirked as the beast took his leave with another bow.

"My Lord, do you think it's wise to allow this mare to listen to your plans? What if she's able to get word out?" The Pegasus spoke up, his golden armor a large contrast to his black fur. His mane, cutie mark, and tail were covered by a blue hood and cloak. Blueblood gave the stallion a nonchalant wave as he passed it off as unimportant.

"Relax, Nightwish, I doubt that she'll be any threat to us. Besides once my army begins it's march, the Princesses and those dirty half blooded whelps will only be able to watch as their beloved Equestria recognizes me as their rightful ruler! As for her," Rose felt fear build up inside her as a white hoof was pointed at her, "Lock her up someplace secluded, I don't care where at or whose tent; I have plans for her."

Nightwish bowed to his master and hoisted the bound Roseluck onto his back, taking flight shortly after. Blueblood turned back towards the valley with a confident smile on his muzzle, watching the unmistakable form of a small alicorn speeding to Canterlot.

Dawnstar watched Twilight Sparkle fly off towards Canterlot with a speed that could rival Rainbow Dash. When she was finally out of sight, he turned to the platoon of Elite Guards in front of him. If the information was to be believed from the letter he received from Lyra, his main focus had to be on protecting his ponies. A part of him felt hurt that he wasn't going to be rescuing Rose, but his faith in Waxer gave him the strength to focus on the task at hand. All around him ponies were busy packing and evacuating their homes; if Blueblood was indeed going to attack the small town, the he was not going to have the satisfaction of innocent lives being caught in the crossfire.

Only a few ponies stayed behind, offering their services in order to protect their home. If it was one thing that Dawnstar loved about the small town, it was the source of togetherness that irradiated from the inhabitants during troubling times. His thoughts were interrupted when an Elite landed in front of him.

"Sir, the Elements have made it to the Underground and are helping the rest of the refugees there." Dawnstar gave a nod of acknowledgement as he turned to the white Pegasus. "Also, Waxer has instructed me to inform you that he had found the camp of the alledged foalnapper. He says that the camp is housing a small army that are hailing under the banner of Blueblood. He will contact you when he has more information." Dawnstar gave another nod and turned towards Canterlot. Hopefully, Twilight was successful in alerting the Princesses and the Crystal Empire.

"Any word about Lyra's sister?"

"Yes, Sir, we have a squad inspecting Moneybags' home at this time, she has been placed under Lyra's care for now."

"Very good, Captain, you're dismissed." The two stallions saluted each other and the Pegasus left. He focused his attention to the ground, muttering to himself, "Rose, please be safe."

Waxer lay low in the bush that concealed his body as he watched the camp's inhabitants move about their daily duties. It had been several days since he first discovered the camp, but he needed more information on where they were keeping Roseluck. As he hopped from one piece of cover to the next, the sudden sound of a horn bellowed over the camp and the deep rumbling sounds of Minotaur war horns and a marching army sounded deep within the camp. Cursing silently, made his way to a vantage point to see a large army consisting of both ponies and Minotaurs. The black armor they wore gave the illusion of a black plague that swept across the land towards Canterlot. Waxer watched in astonishment as the army slowly made its way down the mountain, every so often the sounds of its battle cries reaching his ears.

Backing away and finding another piece of cover, he focused his magical energy in his horn. The spell itself was a simple one, giving him the ability to telecommunicate with anypony in Equestria. The hard part was getting to the right pony's mind. After several attempts, he made a successful connection, feeling his charge's magic mix with his own. "Your highness, this is Waxer."

"Waxer, is that you? How are you able to do this?" The puzzlement in Prince Dawnstar's voice caused the armored unicorn to smile.

"I'll explain later, Sir, but right now we have a problem." He continued to search the now almost abandoned camp, being sure to stay out of the sight of a few stragglers left to protect it. "Blueblood's army has just departed from their camp, estimated at three thousand. More than likely troops from the noble's personal armies. He has also taken the liberty to hire several Minotaur mercenaries. I have not been able to confirm whether or not they are planning on attacking two fronts."

After a small pause, Dawn's voice echoed in his head again, "Do we have an ETA?"

"Tomorrow." A sigh was part of his reply.

"Dammit, that means we'll be short reinforcements for a day. Thanks for the information, Waxer, I'll be sure to pass it to Celestia. What about Rose? Have you been able to locate her yet?" Waxer gave a physical shake of his head, even though the conversation was mental.

"Not yet, Sir, but I believe that I'll be able to locate her soon. The camp is practically abandoned, save for a few guards here and there."

"I understand," Disappointment was evident in the prince's voice as he replied, causing Waxer to flinch internally, "When you find her; bring her straight to Canterlot. Use the servant's entrance and passages in order to avoid any fighting until you get to the Throne Room. I'm trusting you with her life. Be sure that nothing happens to her."

"Roger that, Sir." Waxer ended the spell after he spoke and continued his search of the camp.

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Song

The castle of Canterlot stood above the raging inferno that used to be the Canterlot Gardens and Observatory. The attacking force arrived sooner than planned and the attack started so fast that the Guards had no clue what hit them till it... hit them. Blueblood's army marched in front of their leader as countless of Royal Guards fell before it. Pegasi dueled each other for dominance of the sky, while ponies and minotaurs alike fought. The halls were quickly filled with the sound of battle as they made their way to the throne room. countless bodies were scattered about as the conflict raged on. The Royal Guards received no mercy from the invaders as their defenses and counterattacks quickly started to fail. The throne room was where their charges were being kept safe, and it was their duties to ensure that they remained that way. The last detachment of the Sun Guards were formed up in a phalanx maneuver as a final attempt at buying the royals the time they needed before reinforcements arrived. Blueblood quietly turned his attention to Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns, taking a squad of his finest unicorn soldiers.

He met little to no resistance on his way there, mercilessly striking down every Guard that stood in his way to ultimate control and power. Several students both young and old watched as their instructors were torn apart in front of them, Blueblood performing the dirty work for some of them. He turned to his squad, making his way back to the throne room, and ordered the school to be razed. With the students still inside. The unicorn leader he gave the command hesitated before giving a form of acknowledgement. As soon as he left, the four unicorns stared at each other; knowing full well that what they were about to do would forever change who they were. Four black armored unicorns stood in front of the main school. Four horns glowed their respectable colors as they fired up. Four tears hit the ground as four bodies collapsed along with them.

Blueblood stared in anger at the Guard held firmly in his magic's grasp. The phalanx that the Guards were in had failed, but still managed to take out a good number of Blueblood's troops. One of such casualties being the Minotaur leader, Iron What's-it-now? That didn't matter anyway. He focused on the Pegasus in his grip, pounding him against the large magically sealed door that would not open. "Urgh! Tell me how this things opens!" The Guard spat at the floor and replied.

"Considering how you'll be losing this fight... I'm going to say... eat a dick!" He gave the white unicorn a defiant sneer , that was quickly replaced by pain as Blueblood start pulling his wing feathers.

"I will not be insulted by a low class piece of trash such as you. Now tell me how to open this door or by Cerberus I WILL TEAR YOUR WINGS APART!" His nostrils flared as his threat was received by another sneer

"Oh go off and play pretty pink princess, your Celestia Damned Wanker!" The guard felt several of his feathers being ripped from his wings. The pain was unbearable, blinding his eyesight in nothing but pure white as his body tried to dull it. He wanted to surrender. Wanted to end it all together, but he had to bear through it. Every second he stalled, gave the prince and princesses time to ready themselves and time for the Crystal Empire's promised aid to arrive.

That statement did little to lower Blueblood's rage, "I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU!"

"Can't you at least take me on a da- AGHHHHH!" The white Pegasus screamed in agony as he felt his right wing get torn off. His eyes were down to the size of pin pricks, his tongue hanging out of his gaping mouth.

"Oh my, that seems to hurt a lot. Here, let me ease your mind off of the pain." The guard started to sputter but was quickly interrupted as he felt his other wing get torn of his body. His body quickly reacted the only way it could to dull out the pain it was in, causing him to black out. Blueblood tossed the guard to the side and stared angrily at the door, he was going to have his revenge on Twilight and Dawnstar, and he was going to get it now. As he stared at the door, he didn't notice an Arc Trooper stepping up behind him; Twin Hook Blades drawn.

"Your Highness, are you ok?"

"Glad to hear from you, Waxer, do you have an update for me?"

"Yes, Sir. Roseluck is on her way to the throne room. She should be there alone in a few minutes."

"I'm not liking your tone, Trooper. What's the matter?"

"Your Highness... It has been an honor serving you."

"Don't do this, Waxer, we still need you!"

Dawnstar felt Waxer break his telepathic connection, leaving him wide eyed and staring at the sealed door. The throne room that he and his fellow royals stood in had been converted into a small headquarters and med bay. Injured Guards were constantly being teleported in by the field medics, only to shortly be marked as KIA or sent to the ER. The golden alicorn grit his teeth as he pondered his trooper's last words. He wasn't under orders to perform such a suicidal act, but yet he was doing his job. After releasing a grunt of frustration, he turned to help his mother organize the Night Guard for a counterattack. His motions were stopped short when the sound of the servant's entrance started to slowly open.

With caution, he moved towards the door, ready to strike down any disloyal souls that would dare enter. A tuft of crimson stopped the stallion dead in his tracks. He knew that mane. His hopes soared at the thought of his Roseluck coming back to him unscathed entered his mind. The smile that had snuck onto his muzzle quickly fell as a banged, bruised, and dirty Rose entered the room, an unconscious white and silver maned filly laying on her back.

"Medic! Somepony give me a hoof!" Dawn sprinted towards the stumbling mare as she slowly made her way to meet them, his heart pounding at the sight of her. Several Night Guards and medics joined him as they approached Roseluck, carefully moving the filly from her back before tending to her, despite her quips about being okay. Her light emerald eyes caught his azured gaze as both lovers stared at each other. He carefully lifted a hoof to her tear stained cheek and stroked it, only to be pounced on by the off white mare in a strong hug, softly sobbing as she was reunited with her love.

Dawn bent down and placed a wing around her as he placed a kiss upon her forehead. He escorted her towards where his fellow princesses gathered, gently sitting her down when they got there. Princess Luna sat next to her son and future daughter-in-law, holding both in a loving embrace of her wing. The moment was quickly broken when Dawn felt a third, smaller party join the hug. Glancing down he noticed the same white filly Rose entered the room with was holding on tightly to his foreleg. she was obviously shaken and scared. Roseluck started to comfort the scared filly by rubbing a hoof along her silver mane.

"She's suffered so much." Dawn looked up at Rose while she spoke, puzzlement on his face, "Both of her parents were killed in front of her." He noticed Rose's voice started to crack as she recalled finding the scared filly sobbing next to her parents who were in the Guard. Apparently, she was a student at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and when the attack started she ran off to find her mom and dad. "She's extremely lucky to be alive." Dawn nodded as he looked down at the filly. Nopony should have to suffer the loss of their parents. One was bad enough for him, he couldn't dare imagine the pain the filly felt with both. He stared at the door, a new form of raw emotion building up inside him as he thought about the pony responsible for this pain and death. He stood up, ensuring Roseluck continued to comfort the filly, and spoke as he turned towards the doors.

"Mom, Aunt Celestia... Open the door." Both princesses gave unsure glances to each other before looking at the golden stallion, "I'm going out there and I am going to finish this. Blueblood had more than earned his stay in Tartarus and I am going to send him there personally." The two sisters said nothing. They trusted the princes judgment, it was his specialty after all. Two sets of horns lit up as the throne room doors slowly started to open. The Night Guard and several Arc Troopers forming into a phalanx at its entrance to drive back the invaders.

Song

Dawn stood in front of the phalanx as the doors opened wide enough for him to see Blueblood watching two Arc troopers battling each other, oblivious to the doors behind him. He felt anger well up inside him as he stared at the cocky smile formed the white Unicorn's muzzle. Focusing in on the troopers dueling it out, he noticed Waxer's armor and twin hook blade fending off the fully wing bladed Pegasus. Dawn focused his magic and withdrew his own blade, one meant for countering opponents and precision strikes. He took in a deep breath as Blueblood suddenly noticed the open doors, his smirk never losing its cockiness. The remaining forces he had had stood behind him as he summoned two blades to his side.

Calm. Serenity. Peace. These words formed in Dawnstar's head as he started to move forward, the phalanx behind him moving at the same pace. He could hear mockeries and confident laughs coming from the opposing force. He didn't care. He knew what had to be done, no matter the cost. It didn't take long for Dawn to notice that it was just him and Blueblood staring each other down, waiting for the other to strike. The opposing forces had descended upon the phalanx, but found the mix of Elite Night Guards and Arc Troopers to not be so easily taken down. The whole formation acting as a single unit, each member protecting his brother or sister to their left.

The duo slowly started circling around, Dawn waiting for Blueblood's move; Blueblood looking for a distraction. He didn't have to wait long when the sound of Nightwish yelling in frustration and pain sounded from behind him. Dawn's eyes betrayed him and watched as Waxer's twin hook blades sliced through the Pegasus's armor and easily taking a hoof. He watched the Arc Trooper perform his swordsponyship with flawless technique plunging his blades into the Pegasus's chest... Is that a sword? Dawn reacted last second as Blueblood charged him. The sound of blades clashing ringing throughout the halls.

Song

The white halls of the West Wing echoed with the sounds of swords clashing and two ponies dueling each other. From an outsider's perspective, it would have appeared the Blueblood was housing the advantage; His frantic and aggressive attacks preventing Dawnstar from actively countering and making accurate strikes. Yet, in his mind, Dawnstar knew that if he was going to win, he'd have to fend off the countless lunges, strikes, and magical bursts in order to find an opening. While on the defensive, he made a quick assumption to head towards the West Wing and away from any form of support that Blueblood could bring in. After parrying yet another hard strike from the noble, the golden alicorn quickly took to the air and headed for a less crowded area; the Address Balcony.

As he flew, he forced his body to push its limits as surges of magical energy shot by him from his pursuer. His flight was soon cut short, however, as a bolt made direct contact with his left wing; singeing some of it's primary feathers, and forcing him to land in a less than graceful heap. Catching his breath Dawn turned towards Blueblood and studied his movements, waiting and watching for his next move. While studying him, he noticed a faint veil of black aura flowing from the noble's blue eyes. Dark Magic. That explained the unicorn's extreme hatred. It also explained how far he was willing to go to see his plan through. Dawn quickly checked behind him in order to see that he had... a lot farther to go than he thought. As he redrew his sword from its sheath, Blueblood started to speak.

"This is the famed son of Luna?! I'd have thought that she'd have known better than to raise a coward." As he spoke he slowly stepped closer, casting spell after spell at the defending Prince. "Once I am rid of you, I'll personally see to it that Twilight receives the same treatment. However, I believe I should reduce her back to her Unicorn state by removing her wings..." Dawnstar stared daggers at the confident noble in front of him, knowing full well that he had to stay calm and get to the balcony. His ears perked as Blueblood continued, "Of course, I believe that that precious Rose of yours would produce plenty of foals for me."

Dawn's heavy breathing quickened as his anger tried to take control of him. The thought of that disgrace laying a hoof on Rose sent raw emotions through him as he turned and galloped off to the balcony. Blueblood let out a grunt of frustration as he took off after him. "There's no place to run, Coward! I will find you, and you will face your demise by my hoof!"

As Dawnstar made his way onto the balcony, he let out a sigh of relief at the amount of smoke billowing from below it, allowing him to almost disappear as Blueblood blasted his way through the doorway. Ignoring the pain in his wing as best as he could, he slowly drew his blade and waited for the opportunity that he needed. That was until a blast of magic forced him to dodge and give away his position. Blueblood blindly charged into the smoke, slicing the air at anything that moved. This was the opportunity that Dawnstar needed, and he took it. Every movement that Blueblood made, Dawnstar countered with a precisioned strike to limit his fighting capabilities. Starting with his hindlegs and moving forward. He stopped when the soon beaten noble lay before him, his legs useless and unresponsive. A large clap of thunder overhead was quickly followed by a torrent of rain, as Dawnstar took notice of the arrival of some well appreciated allies.

Crystal Pegasi soared overhead as they took control of the skies and focused on the fires raging in the castle. Crystal ponies marched into the castle grounds and swiftly finished off the remaining opposing forces. The sound of labored talking broke him from his focus on the Crystal Empire's Army, "W-Wait, please, I d-don't wish to die. S-show me mercy."

"You dare attack Canterlot, and mercilessly kill hundreds of innocents, and yet you beg me for mercy when your life is in jeapordy!? You make me sick just looking at you right now. Yet, I'm not going to kill you. Although, Gods above know that I want to. You are being placed under arrest for the crimes of high treason and conspiracy against the Royal Crowns of Equestria." As Dawn continued to speak, another voice called out from behind him. One he thought he'd never be able to hear again.

"Dawn!"

"Rose?" Dawnstar turned towards the crimson maned mare standing at the balcony's entrance, along with the four Princesses and Shining Armor. After conjuring a pair of hoofcuffs on Blueblood he started to gallop towards his love, focusing his magic to bring a box from Ponyville to his location.

As Dawnstar trotted towards the group, Blueblood watched as the ponies responsible for the loss of his hopes and dreams revel in their closely won victory. He hated them. He hated them so much. Painfully standing on his legs, he focused all of his remaining energy on one last spell. The very same spell he used to kill Moneybags, and now he was going to use it on the pony that he hated the most. Twilight Sparkle. She was the low class commoner that dared usurp him of his throne. "You really think that you won? That I can be beaten that easily?" Dawnstar slowly turned around as Blueblood's spell charged to its max, "I will not lose knowing that some filthy, common, incompetent, wretch holds MY crown!" His voice rose and a victorious smile plastered on his lips as he released the spell towards Twilight, only for it to turn to a look of horror as he watched Dawnstar react without hesitation. The gold stallion drew his sword, his magic encasing the steel as he 'caught' and redirected Blueblood's spell back to its owner. Everypony stared in shock as the bolt of magic tore a hoof sized hole in the white unicorn's chest.

Blueblood stumbled back to the edge of the balcony, not believing what had just happened. His breathing labored and his screams falling silent as he fell off the railing towards the ground below. Nopony could stand to watch what had taken place, except Dawnstar who watched with a cold, unwavering stare, a single tear gracing his cheek as he stared at the empty space in front of him. Roseluck holding onto him tightly as she covered her eyes. Blueblood was dead, it was over.

Song

Waxer stood out in the fully regrown Canterlot Gardens, looking over the completed memorial that had been erected in honor of the guards that perished during the attack. It wasn't anything too fancy, but it was impressive nonetheless. A large black granite slab with the crests of the Solar, Lunar, and Arc Troopers engraved at the top. Below their respected crest were the names of everypony that had passed. In front of the granite was a pond that stretched the length of the slab, Koi swimming in a never ending circle in the clear waters. Several months had passed since Blueblood's Rebellion, but he still sat there no emotion on his helmetless muzzle. His gray and black mane blew gently in the breeze as he stared at the granite. Why so many had to die for such a stupid reason was beyond him, but he had heard from the prince that Blueblood's actions were heavily influenced by Black Magic. As he thought to himself he barely noticed the sound of hoofsteps lightly trotting along the path towards the monument, the smell of roses gracing the air around her.

"Hard to believe that happened seven months ago." Waxer's unemotional state broke as he noticed the newly 'coroneted' Roseluck sitting next to him. Her crimson mane was done up in a braid, her emerald eyes shining brightly in the evening sun. Her tail blew gracefully in the wind as she smiled up at him. On her left foreleg rested the wedding ring Prince Dawnstar had given her a couple of weeks after the rebellion.

"Still remember it like it happened yesterday. And all because of one noble's jealousy." Waxer replied back, trying to keep his voice from cracking.

Roseluck seemed to study the ground as she contemplated on her next words, her eyes showing a mix of fear and happiness. "You know, Dawn and I will be moving back to Ponyville in a few months. I know that you probably won't have a choice to come with us or not, but.."

"I'd follow my Prince to the gates of Tartarus and back if need be, M'lady." Waxer interrupted, thinking that she was implying about his duty. "I swore an oath to him and I intend on keeping it until he deems me unnecessary." After a glance at her troubled figure he quickly apologized. "Apologies, M'lady, I meant no disrespect."

"Please, just Rose is fine with me, Waxer." She paused as the Arc Trooper nodded in agreement, "Anyway, what I was saying is that... Well... When we go back to Ponyville, I wanted toask you personally if you'd be able to do something important for both Dawnstar and myself."

Waxer motioned for her to continue on, letting her know that he was listening, "You see.. Dawn doesn't know this yet, but I'm carrying our first foal together. I was going to tell him after this, but I wanted to speak with you first." She paused for a second and stared at the sunset behind the monument. "This foal is going to mean more to both of us than our titles, or my shop, and I want to make sure that he or she is well looked after. Even if myself or Dawn isn't present." She then turned to the trooper, "Please, when we have this foal, will you make it your new focus to protect him or her, and to act as their mentor and teacher when we aren't around?"

Waxer turned back towards the monument, thoughts heavy on his mind as he let what she said sink in. Rose stood back up, letting him know that he had plenty of time to think about it as she started trotting back to her and Dawnstar's quarters. The trooper focused his magic around his helmet, securing it onto his head as he gave a salute of respect to the fallen guards. "You have no idea how much that honors me, M'lady." he said to himself, as he started making his way back to the castle.

Dawnstar paced back and forth in the waiting room of the Ponyville Hospital. Waxer stood silently by the doorway watching his charge with great interest. Princess Luna paced next to her son, trying her best to calm him down. Succeeding very little. Twilight and Celestia were laughing at his expense and having casual conversation between mentor and student.

"My son, you must calm down. You're forming a rut in the floor." Luna giggled as he paused and stared at the small path he had been forming on the carpeted floor. With a defeated sigh, he sauntered over to a chair next to his body guard and rubbed a hoof on his temple.

"Forgive me, Mother, but no matter how much I try to remain calm, the more I'm reminded that she's all alone in there."

Princess Luna gave him a loving nuzzle and sat next to him. "I know, sweetie, but remember. My Daughter-in-law is a very strong hearted Earth Pony mare, she'll be fine."

I guess you're right... but I guess I am also worried about the foal... our Heartfire... It's not everyday that a bat pony is born with parents that are Alicorn and Earth Pony."

"Have you really forgotten whose blood runs in your veins, my son. I created the bat ponies with my blood and dna, you had as much a chance to having been born one as the rest of your foals." Before Dawn could reply to his mother's counter, a young nurse entered the waiting room and bowed, a smile plastered on her muzzle.

"Your Majesties, you've been asked for in the delivery room." Dawn shot up in an instant and followed the nurse almost impatiently as they made their way down the hall to Roseluck's room.

Upon entering he noticed a very exhausted and happy Rose laying down with a bundle of blankets wrapped in her hooves. He couldn't quite make out whether it was the light of the sun outside or the lights in the room, but his wife seemed to glow a more extravagant off white color as she looked down into the bundle. She glanced up at him and beamed as she motioned for him to see. As Dawnstar nuzzled closer to Rose, he carefully unwrapped the blankets to reveal a beautiful bat pony filly. Her coat being a slightly light shade of dark blue than most bats. She had her mother's mane and her father's eyes. Her leathery wings gently unfolded and flapped a few times to stretch as she started to coo at her parents. After a few moments together, Dawn wrapped the filly back up in the blanket and placed her next to her sleeping mother. Princess Luna wrapped a wing around him and gave him a loving hug as she stared at her grandchild. This is it. I finally found the happiness I was looking for.

The Dawn's Horizon

by T3mp3st

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