Beauty and the Changeling

by ArCana_

Rating: teen
Tags: Alternate Universe, Dark, Romance, Adventure
Length: 5681

Dusk is a changeling that is shunned by the rest of his kind for his ability to show true emotion, something that a normal changeling cannot do. He fears that he will forever be alone and hated, that is until he meets a unicorn named Crystal Belle.

(Cover art created by me).

Dusk is an unusual changeling that is shunned by the others in his hive, just because he has the capability of feeling emotions. Plus, he's also strange in the looks department. What changeling has no horn?

One day, on one of his many wanderings through the forest, he rescues a unicorn named Crystal Belle, and it's love at first sight. Of course, this proves to be quite troublesome since he's a changeling, and she's a princess. So he enlists the services of a witch, and under the new guise of Gallant Heart, can he win her over and save the kingdom while he's at it?

Note: This story takes place within an alternate universe. That means no Princess Celestia as ruler or anything like that, It's all my own ideas. That also goes for places and creatures as well, so keep that in mind too. I hope you enjoy it!

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-09 03:50:02 UTC

Chapter One: Two Different Worlds

Springtime always brought forth a sense of peace and tranquility throughout the Everdawn Forest. Sunrise was just beginning to peer its gaze over the looming horizon in the distance, and the sea of stars that lounged about in the indigo sky noticed its impending arrival and disappeared with great haste until the next twilight, where they would dance and twinkle once more. The comforting rays of warmth softly crept through the fresh green-leaf trees, awakening the larks. With their wings abreast and beating like drums, they set forth into the morning sky to sing their sultry songs of love and devotion.

Dusk sat contentedly on a rotted log, feeling the new dew covered earth beneath his hooves. He loved the forest and he never grew tired of exploring everything it had to offer him. Since today was the first day of spring, he planned to take a nice long walk through the forest to eye the restored flora, fresh out of their dormant winter husks. In the back of his mind however, he was feeling quite nervous. If he was spotted this far outside of the hive, there would be consequences. For he was changeling, and no changeling was ever bestowed the luxury of coming and going as they pleased. Some might be asking, "What is a changeling?"

Well, they're not exactly ponies that's for sure, but they do bear somewhat of a resemblance to them in their size and stature. However, this really is nothing more than a mere mockery of sorts. In truth, they seem to be more insectoid like in behavior and in appearance, with their gauzy wings and black cold carapaces as dark as obsidian. Their eyes are an empty and cold neon blue, making them almost seem as though they were blind to the misinformed eye. This trait also made them unpredictable, as soulless-looking eyes were usually quite difficult to read. In short, changelings are truly repulsive. Creatures as vile as they, did not mingle well with pony-kind, and personal contact with them was taboo besides. So they lived in a secluded area far away from pony-kind, within an enormous hive built by the workers. Dusk and his colony housed themselves within a secret cavern, carefully tucked away in the deepest and darkest section of the Everdawn Forest.

Dusk too, was also a lowly worker and he detested it. He was actually supposed to be building a tunnel this very morning, but It's not like anyone would even notice that he was missing. Most of them usually just acted as if he wasn't there, like he was some sort of ghost, or vile disease. He was always considered to be a freak of nature amongst his kind, ever since the day he was born. Normal changelings had a stubby spike that protruded from the center of their skulls, somewhat emulating the unicorn's magnificent trademark. They used it to transform into other creatures, to deceive the unsuspecting, and to feed off of their emotions. Any feeling would sate them, but they mostly preferred love. Its pure aura always filled their bellies close to bursting. Dusk possessed no horn at all, so he could not transform like the others. But he didn't mind this, as he never really agreed with his kind's means of gathering food. The whole entire changeling race thrived on lies, and Dusk found it all to be most unconscionable. As if the others would even know the meaning of that word.

On top of his no horn issue, his biggest "flaw," was his ability to feel genuine emotion. Normal changelings were incapable of such things, and could only imitate emotions to fool others. This supposed mistake alone, caused him to become a definite outcast amongst his people. They refused to give him nary a single kind word, some even resorted to violence. Despite being bigger than the average worker, Dusk never fought back, merely only enduring the pain, and waiting until it receded. But even after the abuse had ended long afterwards, the pain continued on, never seeming to want to go away. Perhaps sleep could be an escape for him, but alas, no. Their unending torment hounded him, even in his very dreams. So It seemed that Dusk could find no solace unless he was out in the forest's glade, the only place where he felt truly happy and secure. He sometimes wished that he could explore beyond the forest to be even further away from the ones that despised him so, but so many things made this incredibly difficult and perhaps even impossible. Just a ways off from the forest, lay the prosperous kingdom of Crescent. He had once heard from a few whispering changelings that the queen had developed a law a few years ago that forbade any changelings from ever entering the kingdom, the penalty being death if they were exposed.

"Why do those wretched ponies have to keep making everything so difficult!" He recalled one of them saying. Their judgement of his kind was pretty clear, but he didn't hate them for it. In truth, he hated the whole changeling race, and himself just as much as the pony folk did. None of them were like him, and it seemed that none of them could ever hope to understand him, so he was alone.

As nightfall began to set in that day, Dusk reluctantly headed back to the hive. After all, it was the only home he had to go back to. The beautiful forest glade gradually melted away into darkness, and he once again found himself to be back in the cold and unfeeling dead forest territory that was home to his changeling colony. He felt incredibly unwelcome here. Even the wretched withered trees seemed to despise him. As did the varied gleaming sets of eyes that burned into him from behind the thick and thorny forest foliage. The radiant white glow of the freshly risen moon seemed to be the only thing that regarded him with any shred of welcome. At last, the cavern came into view, and Dusk prepared for the worst.

He was greeted by two burly soldiers that stood menacingly at the entrance dressed in dull black armor as cold, and unfeeling as their bodies. Both of them regarded him with looks of pure hatred as he passed, then averted their gaze back again as soon as he crossed the threshold. They both knew that he had broken the rule of wandering off many times, but they always did nothing. To them he just wasn't worth it. Dusk always expected this same reaction each, and every time he came and went. By this point in time, he was completely ignorant to it. The foul stagnate air hit his nostrils, and he found himself to be home again. But to him, nothing about this wretched hell hole had any inkling of a real home. This was no place that he return to for respite or safety. This was no place where he could feel wanted or loved. He hated this place, but what could he do about it? As a changeling, it was his fate to be confined to this prison forever. As he slowly made his way back to his chamber, he expected the torment to commence once again. But so far, no one seemed to be around. Each lonely tunnel was barren, and he could hear no buzzing of wings.

Dusk ascended heavy laden up the cold decrepit stairs. With so many changelings working within the hive, it only took a mere three days to build them. His hooves felt the sticky residue that coated every inch of the way. As he stopped to inspect a fore-hoof, he could tell that the slime was fresh, and that it could only mean that someone had found an unfortunate victim. Changelings were known to sometimes catch their own prey and deliver it back to the hive. They would encase the victim within a disgusting cocoon, and leave them to be devoured for later. This was the best way to feed off of terror and anguish. Dusk could only snort with anger and disgust at the thought. He wished that his kind didn't have resort to such vulgar methods, but alas it was beyond his control. The only thing he could do was hope and pray that the victim wasn't a pony. His chamber was getting much closer now, and now all that there was left to do was to cross the great hall. This was probably the only room within the entire hive that actually had some beauty to it. The walls were studded with numerous crystals, each one giving off an illuminating green glow. From the looks of it, this area seemed to be empty as well, that is until he walked just a bit further ahead.

It was just his luck when he spotted a small gaggle of changelings just about to partake of some Grubble Grog, an insipid drink that changelings found to be quite the delicacy. However, Dusk found it to be absolutely revolting, and thought that it tasted of perspiration and spoiled meat. He tried to sneak silently past, but they still spotted him. Their lips all creased into devilish smirks, and he knew that the torment was about to begin again. On rare occasions they ignored him entirely, paying no heed to anything he ever did. These were his best days, but it looked like today wasn't going to be one of them.

"Where are you off to this evening, freak?" a haggard changeling by the name of Sting asked. His tone spewed venom, as did the rest of the ones who chimed in.

"Yeah, we haven't seen your ugly face all day," Spike, a female changeling added coldly. An incredibly porky changeling by the name of Slob, took a long and greedy swig from his tankard before slamming it onto the table, it shook fiercely from the impact.

"Id' be better if we never had to see ya!" he bellowed stupidly. Dusk, fed up as he was, made no rebuttal and attempted to leave them. He would have escaped, had it not been for Spite. The lithe little changeling flew from the table to the exit with incredible speed.

"Where do ya' think you're going?" she hissed in inquiry. Dusk had enough of this nonsense.

"To my chamber," he replied simply. He then proceeded to gently remove the little one out of his way, and hastily flew up the next flight of stairs. He could hear them hiss and spit with disappointment as he fled, until their voices eventually trailed off into silence. At last, he made it to the upper floors and a feeling of relief washed over him. Somehow or another, the torment for tonight was rather short lived and he had escaped from it. He knew that he was safe for now because normally they would have caught up with him, but he still remained cautious nonetheless. He stepped on some more of that adhesive residue again, and the only thing he could do was snort with distaste again. It formed a trail that led into a room with a disturbing green glow emanating from it. This light was nothing like the comforting crystals from the great hall, this was the sickly glowing of cocoons.

Dusk knew that this room was bad news, and that he probably should have just continued onward with his own devices, but something in one of the cocoons piqued his interest. It was a small silhouette that seemed to possess wings and very large ears and feet, It appeared to be female. The creature twitched from inside the pulsating prison, indicating that she was still alive. Dusk did not hesitate to take action, despite the potentially heavy consequence of what he was about to do. He boldly entered the room, and quickly slit open the vile mass with a jagged fore-hoof. The creature spilled out onto the floor, along with a grotesque helping of slime that puddled all around her. He gingerly picked up the shivering little black body, and quickly escaped to his chamber which was just at the end of the hall. A great many hours passed before the little creature finally awakened. As she began to stir, Dusk got up from his position on the floor that he had been slightly dozing on, and leaned over his bed out of curiosity. Her eyes shot open, and a vibrant green met his rather chilling blue.

"Aah! A monster!" she shrieked helplessly. The creature opened her bat-like wings to try and fly away, but that proved to be quite fruitless as she only succeeded in landing roughly on her face. She released another muffled shriek just before getting up again, and this time trying to hop away using her large rabbit-like feet and strong thin legs. "Don't eat me, please," she pleaded. "I don't taste good! You'll just get gas!" Dusk grabbed the creature with one quick snatch.

"Why on earth would I eat you? I just saved you," he tried to explain, as the creature writhed and struggled within his grasp. She clearly wasn't buying it.

"Likely story, you only saved me so that you could have me for later, or something!" Now she was trying to bite him with her two sharp little fangs, but they had had no effect on the changeling, thanks to his hard black carapace.

"I'm not going to eat you, I promise," he assured the feisty thing. He released his hold and set her gently back on the crude little nest. The creature ceased her mewling and looked up at him with silent intrigue. The changeling extended a hoof to her in greeting. "My name is Dusk, what's yours?" he inquired in a friendly tone. Hesitantly, she answered him back accordingly.

"The name's Umbra," she said. "I'm a Rabbat." Dusk eyed her curiously. The creature's fur was the color of shadow. She would have been entirely black had it not been for the little tuft of white on her chest. Her body and face held a few curious golden markings in the shape of crescent moons.

"A Rabbat huh? I've never seen one of your kind before. Are you from the forest?"

"Not exactly, I flew all the way from the Obsidian Mountains, only to end up getting captured by you ugly monsters! Um, but no offense to you though," she added quickly, after noticing a look of offense crease Dusk's face for a fraction of a second. But of course, Dusk was quick to forgive.

"I have to ask, what is a Rabbat supposed to be anyway?" Now it was Umbra that seemed annoyed.

"I'm a bat and a rabbit hybrid, and maybe have just a slight smidgen of cat in there somewhere," Umbra explained as she moved a dainty paw to stroke her fluffy black bunny tail.

"Ah, I see," Dusk said. "Well, thanks for filling me in."

"No problem, pal." Dusk was so taken aback by that last word, that he had to ask Umbra to repeat herself.

"You'd really consider me as a friend?" he asked in disbelief. Umbra grinned and nodded her head.

"Sure, why not? You did save me after all and plus, you seem kinda nice. And I think it's time I took a break from traveling alone for awhile."

From that day on, Dusk had acquired a true and loyal friend in Umbra. She always accompanied him on his forest adventures now, and also decided to live in the giant oak tree that Dusk was so fond of. You know, since it was pretty much considered suicide for her to try and live within the hive. Plus, Dusk knew that here, she would be completely safe. As for potentially being harassed by the forest's inhabitants? Well, that too, seemed rather unlikely thanks to Umbra's constant wisecracks and mischievous personality.

"What do you think we should do today?" Dusk asked his friend one particular morning near the end of spring. Umbra was currently lounging on a thick branch in her oak tree, her expression decisive.

"Honestly, I feel like doing absolutely nothing," she answered. "Why don't you go on ahead without me today." Dusk looked up at his friend humorously.

"Feeling a tad lazy today, eh?" he teased. Umbra merely huffed. Dusk sniffed the air for a second. "Hm, do I also detect  vast amounts of Blood Berries as well?" Umbra's face clearly displayed that she had been caught, her face turning red.

"Fine, so I ate a butt-load of berries this morning, sue me!" she cried exasperatedly.

"It's fine Umbra, I just felt like screwing around with you before I left," Dusk chuckled.

"Yeah, well, just you wait. One of these days Dusk, I'll- I'll..."

"You'll do what?"

"I'll rain down my vengeance upon you, that's what!" Umbra cried, emphasizing her point with quick little paw gestures. She even added her own little sound effects.

Dusk shook his head, what a nut ball. "Okay well, you do that while I go out for a walk," he said. Umbra gave him a slight wave to see him off.

"See ya' later!" she called, as Dusk headed off further into the forest, completely unaware of the adventure that awaited him later on...

Meanwhile, in the kingdom of Crescent...

"Crystal Belle, come away from the window dear, I need to speak with you."

The lavender blue unicorn turned her head reluctantly from where she was gazing and obediently approached her mother, her eyes looking sad and wistful. The aging white unicorn acknowledged her daughter's expression with a small concerned smile. "You've been daydreaming again, haven't you?" she inquired her daughter, already knowing the answer all too well. Crystal Belle nodded slowly.

"Why can't I go into the Everdawn Forest mother?" she asked. Morning Mist's concerning smile creased into a frown, and her eyes became glazed over with a rather stern expression.

"I've told you this many a time and yet you still keep asking me. That forest is dangerous and most likely swarming with those changeling beasts. What if one of them saw you?"

"But they won't." Morning Mist stamped a hoof.

"You don't know that!" she snapped. "They could catch you and wrap you up in one of their sickly cocoons, and then devour you later!"

"I can't go anywhere can I? You can't keep me trapped within this castle forever!" Crystal Belle cried, stamping a hoof. Her mother was clearly distraught.

"I'm only doing this to keep you safe. The changelings are becoming a serious problem, and I can't allow one of them to hurt you." Her voice was firm, yet caring. Crystal Belle could only purse her lips in response and turn away back to her room. There was no longer any reason to argue with her mother. Once inside her room, she immediately went to her bed and buried her face into her pillow.

"It's not fair," she muffled. "I can't keep living like this for very much longer. I'm bound to go insane!" It had suddenly occurred to her that continuously asking for her mother's permission wasn't getting her anywhere, and probably never would. She knew that her mother cared deeply for her safety. But holding someone against their will, especially if that someone was your very own daughter, It just didn't seem right. Crystal Belle stewed over the matter and conclusively decided that she could run away. Not forever, just for a little while, then she would return before nightfall. But then again, did that really seem wise? As much as Crystal Belle longed for adventure, she still had no knowledge of the outside world, except from books of course. But even so, she decided that it was worth the risk. Getting up from her bed, the princess ambled over to her outdoor balcony. The morning sky was at it's peak beauty. Observing the beautiful view from above, her eyes became fixed back onto the Everdawn Forest again, looming mysteriously in the distance. Her heart ached with such longing, the forest was practically beckoning her. Crystal Belle's mind was made up. She was going whether her mother liked it or not.

"Now all I have to do is to figure out how to get past the guards unnoticed," she whispered to herself. This problem proved to be rather small, as the princess was able to outwit any that she encountered quite easily. After all, she was a very clever girl. Thrusting open the solid wooden doors as quietly as she could manage, Crystal Belle exited the castle. Her heart almost burst asunder, as she made contact with the soft lime-green grass, pausing for only a moment to relish its touch between her feathered hooves. With that out of the way, it was finally time for her freedom to begin and a chance to escape all of the glamor and regal splendor of her princess life. Practically impatient with excitement, Crystal Belle ran all the way without stopping. She was completely out of breath by the time she reached the Everdawn Forest's entrance. She took a moment to catch her breath again. The forest was definitely more impressive up close than it had seemed from a distance, truly massive.

"Enough gaping," Crystal Belle chided herself. "Well, here goes nothing I guess." Without hesitating, the princess eagerly stepped inside, the forest seeming to moan out in welcome, however that was merely the wind howling through the trees.

I hope I made the right choice.

Little did the princess know, that she was about to get into so much more than she had bargained for.

To be continued...

Chapter Two: Forest Encounter

Despite her mother's warning, Crystal Belle had entered the Everdawn Forest. She felt very ashamed for her disobedience, but she just had to explore the world beyond the walls of the castle. The forest was beautiful at first, but it soon began to change scenery. The bright green foliage from the many varieties of plant life began to dwindle and die, and the ground became cold and dirt laden. It also seemed to be getting darker, and before she knew it, Crystal Belle had become lost. The princess tried to remain calm and keep her head, but the ominous aura that surrounded the area gradually made her lose her senses. Paranoia took hold, and she envisioned a thorny tendril rising to life and latching onto her leg from behind. She wanted to run, but what good would that do? Fraught with fear and completely helpless, all Crystal Belle could do was remain where she stood, and try to collect her thoughts. She was really starting to regret her decision.

There was an eerie silence that remained for quite some time whilst she waited. A cold chill ran up her spine and she turned her head to behold the frightening image of a timber-wolf. It was snarling savagely and stalking very slowly into her perimeters, she knew that it meant to harm her. Predictably so, more of them showed up, and now it was seven hungry timber-wolves that lusted after her flesh instead of one. Desperately, she reared up as tall as she could manage, and belled out a warning for them to back off. At first they backed away hesitantly, but all of them could sense her fear and it kept them from running away. A few of them boldly leaped for her, fangs glistening. But all they received for their efforts in return was a few swift kicks to their faces. This made them quite angry, and Crystal Belle was becoming exhausted. It seemed very clear that they would be making the killing move any minute now, and she was completely helpless against it.

A shadowed figure suddenly dashed into the pack of timber-wolves with such a force, that it sent them all flying in different directions. Crystal Belle quickly scrambled back behind a thorny bush to get out of harms way. She watched as the figure stood boldly before the reforming timber-wolves without any shred of fear. The timber-wolves gathered around the stranger in a circular formation, all of them snarling and growling with pure malice in their hearts. As the moment drew nigh, they released a howling crescendo of death in perfect unison, hoping to strike fear into the heart of their opponent. Unfazed, the figure waited until the timber-wolves made the first move, which didn't take too long. All seven threw themselves at him in a flurry of gleaming fangs and bristling pine needle tails. Their attacks were so intense that Crystal Belle couldn't even see the stranger anymore, just a furious cloud of flashing bodies and glistening teeth. The dust eventually settled, and seven dead timber-wolves lay bloodied, and askew all over the gnarled cold ground. The terror had finally subsided, yet Crystal Belle refused to budge from her hiding place.

The stranger knew exactly where she was and limped towards her silently, his massive silhouette engulfing the entirety of her body. She was beginning to feel very frightened again, that is until he spoke very softly to her, "It's alright, you can come out now, it's safe."

His voice had a distorted tinge to it, but one could definitely hear a sincere gentleness within it. He offered his hoof to her for encouragement. She flinched for a moment at its jagged and frightening appearance at first, then rather hesitantly, she took it. Rising to her legs and coming out from behind the bush, she met his eyes. It turned out that her savior was a changeling of all things, and he was quite terrifying to look at. He towered over her like a foreboding black mountain, and his eyes were as bright as a blue flame set alight in shadow. So bright in fact, that they seemed to be piercing right into her soul. His right eye also had an old scar, that looked as though someone had attempted to blind it long ago, and failed. However, as she took a second glance at them, she began to notice a warmth and gentleness in them that contained nary a single trace of any evil intention. She knew that he meant her no harm, but something about the rest of him still bothered her somewhat. He looked like a monster, no matter how kind he seemed, and Crystal Belle feared that she would never get over that fact.

Focusing on his eyes made confronting him much easier, and even allowed her the courage to try and strike up a conversation with him. "Thank you for saving my life," she began. "My name is Crystal Belle."

"I'm Dusk," the changeling replied. "And you don't have to thank me, it was the least I could do." Crystal Belle noticed a deep laceration to his shoulder, still slightly seeping with thick green blood. Only a timber-wolf's bone crushingly powerful bite could do something like that.

"You're hurt! Here, let me heal you." The unicorn lowered her head, and allowed her horn to gently touch the wound. She closed her eyes and focused, as her horn began to surround itself with a comforting icy blue aura. Dusk watched in amazement as his cracked carapace instantly mended itself back to normal, leaving behind nothing more but a few dried streaks of blood. He also couldn't help but look over at her as all of this was happening. She was so beautiful, that it made his knees feel wobbly and his insides weak. Her slender, lavender-blue body reminded him of a clear night sky, and her long white mane and tail brought forth images of a beautiful snowfall to mind. As for her eyes; a beautiful pale moon yellow that shined with mystery and life. Everything about her was just so kind and warming.

"Thank you," Dusk managed to say, despite all of the odd and fuzzy feelings that he was currently experiencing. Crystal Belle smiled at him, causing Dusk to feel even stranger. If changelings could blush, he would have turned bright red at that moment.

"You're welcome," she replied.

"Where did you learn that spell?" Dusk asked curiously, he wanted to distract himself from this sudden barrage of inexplicable emotions.

"From an old book that I found in the royal library when I was a filly. When you've lived in a castle for all of your life, you tend to get really bored from time to time."

"Wait, you're from the castle? You must be the princess then, right?" Crystal Belle looked at him in such a way as though she didn't mean to accidentally reveal the truth to him.

"Yes," she admitted solemnly. "It's true. But I hope that doesn't mean we still can't be friends." Dusk eyed her in stunned silence for a fleeting moment.

She would consider a grotesque creature such as myself, a friend?

"Even if we did decide to become friends, there is still no chance that I would ever be able to see you again anyway," Dusk said suddenly, finally breaking his momentary silence. Crystal Belle looked crestfallen, the realization coming into fruition.

"Oh, that's right, I forgot about my mother's silly law," she said, confirming his statement. "Couldn't you just transform into a stallion to sneak in?" she asked, hope glinting in her lonely eyes. Dusk shook his great head.

"It would be impossible, I don't have a horn so therefore I can't transform." Dusk gestured a gnarled hoof to the empty space atop his forehead. There was nothing either of them could do. It saddened him to think that he would never be able to see Crystal Belle, the only person in his entire life that had ever showed him any kindness, ever again. As for Crystal Belle, all she ever wanted was adventure and someone that she could talk to, someone she could call a true friend. As Dusk prepared to say his reluctant goodbyes, Crystal Belle surprised him by what she said next.

"That settles it then, I'll just have to come and visit you here in the forest."

"What?"

"You heard me, Dusk," she said, with exuberance to her tone.

"But what if you get into trouble?" This was one mischievous princess.

"No one will even notice that I'm gone, trust me."

Despite thinking that something was bound to go wrong, Dusk strangely agreed to Crystal Belle's plan, probably because he was just so desperate for other company, besides Tink that is.

"Where can I find you tomorrow?" she asked.

"There's a large oak tree that I sit under every day in the heart of the forest, that's where I'll be," he answered. Crystal Belle nodded. She then glanced around the darkened forest for a moment, clearly looking confused. Dusk spoke again as if he could read her mind. "Don't worry, I'll escort you home," he said. Crystal Belle smiled.

"I'm truly grateful to you for showing me the way out, though I do feel a little embarrassed," Crystal Belle admitted, as Dusk was leading her out of the forest.

"What's to be embarrassed about? Like you said, you've never been outside of the castle before, right?" The princess said nothing, just merely nodded.

They were currently crossing a small rushing stream. The stream contained a vast number of jagged stones, and not long after beginning their crossing, Crystal Belle stumbled. The fall would have been nasty had it not been for Dusk, who caught her instantly into his fore-leg. The two remained still for a moment, as Crystal Belle looked up into the changeling's eyes. It was such a noble act, however small, and the princess suddenly began to feel a pleasant feeling beginning to stir up from within the confines of her heart. She didn't view him as hideous monster any longer, she saw before her a most noble stallion. Dusk, noticing the slight rose color beginning to deepen in her cheeks, quickly released their accidental embrace. He turned his great head away from hers, as did she from his. Both were equally feeling most awkward at that moment, yet also quite warm and fuzzy too. Eventually, Crystal Belle voiced her gratitude in order to break through the tedium of silence.

"Thank you, for saving me yet again," she said rather shyly.

"I couldn't just let you get hurt," he replied. Her beautiful and innocent smile graced his presence once more.

The two eventually made it to the entrance by sundown, and Dusk was reluctant to depart from her. Crystal Belle didn't exactly want to say goodbye either, but knew for certain that she would be seeing him again the very next day. She was determined to fulfill that promise.

"Thank you again, Dusk," she said. "I promise that I will return tomorrow."

"Just be careful, I don't want you to get into any serious trouble because of me." His worry didn't seem to faze her in the slightest, as her spirits were not so easy to extinguish.

"Goodbye Dusk, I'll see you tomorrow," Crystal Belle said, her voice holding vast amounts of optimism.

"Goodbye, Princess," Dusk replied softly, as he watched her leave until he couldn't even see the setting sunlight bouncing off of her long white mane. With the princess gone, Dusk slowly turned around and headed back to the hive with a rather somber step to his gait. All of a sudden he was feeling completely alone, and for the first time in his life, it truly bothered him. Before he had met Crystal Belle, he was relieved to be alone, and away from those who had shunned him. But her presence had been so comforting, and so kind, that he felt like he could just be himself around her and fear no harsh judgement in return. Dusk stopped dead in his tracks for a second, his expression stunned as the realization finally sunk in. That beautiful princess had just somehow filled a void within his broken soul that desperately longed to be complete. He suddenly felt like smiling...