Day 46, year 1, April 25th – Wednesday – Side event

Fire Storm was frustrated. Nightfall has complained every day now for the last few weeks that he wishes they were home and had been kidnapped to stay put. She liked this place, but with Nightfall constantly complaining, she was getting sick of it.

She had to agree, they had been kidnapped, but she knew she had told the commander they were coming, and Night did too. Sure, Night could say they changed their mind before they left, but she was glad she came so far. She wouldn’t get any peace without talking to Twilight though, so she tracked down someone who could point the way.

The servant had told Storm that the Princess had stepped out, saying she was going to take a walk and to visit friends and left the castle. The gate guards told her The Princess had headed toward the eastern part of town.

Storm grumbled, blaming herself for not asking while they were at work. She went off in that direction, figuring out exactly what it was she would say.

As she flew, she saw the number of shops and houses thinned out in that part of town, it was mostly warehouses and slowly gave way to open land with no sign of Twilight or much of anyone. This part of town wasn’t used much at this time of day, she knew this from a few exploratory flights when they first settled in and learning the main places to visit.

As she flew, she eventually saw a large section of land surrounded by a fence. The lawn was cared for, and rows of stones dotted the land, a familiar purple form walking through it.

'There she is.' She thought as she slowed down her flight, being quiet as she went after the form. She would let them do what they needed to out here, and then join them after.

Twilight moved towards a clearing among the stones with five stones of varying designs.

Storm landed nearly silently nearby. She started questioning if trying to join her while she was visiting some graves was the wrong choice. Maybe she should wait until their visit was done. It’d be the right thing to do…

The stones were all differently shaped and designed. One was the statue of a pegasus in wonderbolt uniform, standing proudly. Another was an elegant statue of a pony at rest, another was covered in confetti, streamers, and balloons that floated in the air, giving the air of a constant party nearby. Another was a carving of what looked like shelters for small animals and feeding areas. The last was a tombstone, a simple marker with simple carvings.

As Twilight got close, the sound of a party favor going off came from nearby and a blast of confetti came from the overly decorated statue and Twilight laughed.

"Still loaded I see… one of these days, I’m going to find where that’s hidden Pinkie…"

Storm blinked, listening in. She forgot that her friends weren’t alive in this world. Guilt wracked her as she realized she was inadvertently crashed in on a private affair, frustration growing as if she should have known better.

"Well then girls, wanted to say sorry it took me so long to come by. I know I usually come by when I get back, just so you know I'm okay, but this time was a bit different. We have guests who came with us!" Twilight said as she took a seat.

"I know there’s a first time for everything, but these ones are special. Well, to me mostly, and to Queeny… First, there is Dawn. She’s a Princess, though… she is very new to it. Sort of why I was delayed as I was having to get tutors set up and housing and all of that. You know, red tape and all. And yes AJ, I am being a perfect host as they are staying with me."

Storm blinked, 'Well, figures shed tell them about dawn. She’s a big hindrance in her own way until she actually learns how to be a princess…'

"But yeah, she’s… special. Rarity, you um… remember that thing you walked in on between me and Queeny? Yeah, that thing. … Um, Dawn… sort of is my lover… Chrysalis and her kinda got me to try and… well… it was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. Queeny is happy I took on a lover, she knew how I always looked anyway. … AJ, I know you’d be upset, but remember me and Chrysalis aren’t married and this is something she wanted me to do. … It… sort of caused a flood gate to open and next thing I knew, Dawn was like Chrysalis… submissive to me and wearing a collar with my cutie mark on it. … It… it’s like electricity goes down my spine every time I see it around her neck."

Storm resisted the urge to smirk. ‘Yeah, that sounded like shy little green alright.’

"And… Yeah, she sort of led me to Storm. … And, well… okay, I think I have a thing for strong mares. It didn’t take long before I asserted dominance and… well, she's got a collar too, and… Damn, I like having Dawn, but something about Storm just… her confidence, self-assuredness… You’d love her Dash by the way, but just… all of that. … And with a few words, she becomes putty in my hooves, eager to please and… just… yeah. Definitely have a thing for strong mares, bordering on arrogance." Twilight said facehoofing.

Storm blinked. 'Wait... she's telling them about me?'

"Like I said Dash, you would have either hated or loved her. She’s a skilled flyer, good at fighting and a damn fine drinking partner and wing mare." She said, getting a small smile. "And she is a hard worker, pushing herself constantly to achieve her task, and refuses to give up. … Yeah, I… I had been really worried I'd have to leave her behind. I was prepared for it, of course… I’ve left a lot of friends behind, but this was different. … She’s a close friend and… well, my lover. So yeah…

“When she fought with her husband to be able to come, I had to suppress a smile, and when he finally caved, I was so relieved and happy. … I had to invite him as well, but there was no way she’d come without him, so he’s here too, doing guard training… Storm is my personal aide… Hehe, got to keep my toys close after all." She chuckled. "Oh, when its just us or I want to get her riled up, I call her Lapdog and oh the little shiver she has! … She hated the name at first, but now she wears it like a badge of honor and it almost is a direct line to her arousal… Yes, yes Rarity, I know you’d never approve of me talking about such things, but I want you to know what I’ve been up too."

Storm blushed. She had no idea she meant that much to Twilight. She thought they were on good terms but… she didn’t think they were going to be that broken up over her. To think she made Twilight rant on about her this much, even more than Green… She wished she had a way of recording that speech.

"Yeah, honestly I do need to find a way to thank Dawn… without her finally breaking down my inhibitions and introducing me to her, I wouldn’t have Lapdog." Twilight said and chuckled. "Now if I could just get them to stop digging at each other, things could be interesting in my seemingly growing, very strange, family…"

When Twilight said that, Storm caught a glimpse of something pink and poofy standing beside her, smiling wide at her.

Storm blinked, looking at the glimpse, 'Was... Was that a ghost of her friend? … I like hearing this, but I’m starting to feel like I’m intruding… maybe I should go?'

Storm suddenly got a small feeling, as if someone just barely hugged her and a feeling of gratitude washed over her as she looked back.

"Hmm… oh, right. We are going to try and bridge the gap between our world and Dawn's, breaking new ground to have a permanent link. The scientists at the EMSD practically drooled when I explained what we needed and let them read over Dawn's notes… you know how they get with new fields and things to do."

Storm felt the hug and didn’t know how to react… so her friends were kinda ghosts and gave her a hug? 'I’m not normally a touchy-feely mare... but why can't I shake the feeling they're glad for us?'

As quickly as the feeling came, it left as Twilight continued to talk about the gate and what it could mean for both their worlds.

Storm frowned, half sad to feel them go and turned around to leave. Nightfall was going to get an earful tonight … if he wants to go back or complain, he can be a stallion and actually talk to Twilight!

==========

Day 49, year 1, April 28th - Saturday

Ugh… this was a horrible day, I’m half afraid I botched everything up. I snapped at the Sergeant, I could barely focus on my schoolwork, I disappointed Luna at dinner… Maybe I should start at the beginning.

It all started when my alarm wouldn’t turn off…

Beep beep beep beep.

Dawn groaned, getting up as her body cried out to stay in bed. She habitually reached a wing over to the alarm to bop the button, except the button wouldn’t go down.

Beep beep beep beep.

“Come on…” She said, fumbling with her wing before trying to use her hoof.

Beep Beep Beep Beep.

“Why won’t you shut off!” She groaned, bapping the still stuck and raised button before finally reaching for the power cable and pulled it out of the wall.

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP.

The foals woke, crying loudly in distress, though from their mother’s mood or the alarm she had no idea. She reached her magic into the device and quickly opened the battery backup cover and yanked a battery out.

BEEP BEE-

“Finally…” She slumped, ready to relax before remembering it wasn’t the weekend yet. “Why can’t I have two days off a week like everypony else…”

“Dunno love… but you’d better get going…” Stalwart suggested groggily.

She groaned, but listened. She went out to the field, a half hour early as usual to do the stretches with Sergeant Stomper.

‘At least that will be my bad thing of the day so the rest of the day should be good, right?’ She told herself, the link trying to reinforce her outlook to help her have a better day.

“How much are you really putting into this?” Stomper asked her as she performed the stretches he required.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking if you’re taking this seriously.”

“Of course.” Dawn replied, blinking her confusion. It must have been clear on her face because his expression hardened.

“Then explain to me why your time hasn’t significantly improved in the last two weeks.” He said firmly.

“I don’t know why,” She started to say before being cut off.

“An easy-out answer.” He said. “I asked you why and I expect an answer out of my recruits.”

“And the answer is I do not know yet!” Dawn said, taking a similarly strong stance, thinking angrily. ‘I don’t know yet is a perfectly valid answer in science. An honest individual is encouraged to admit when they don’t know something instead of making shit up!’

“And why don’t you know?” He countered, looking her in the eye.

“Because I thought I had been putting in all my effort.” Dawn said, then felt herself growing angry as she heard him snort. “I have!”

“No, you haven’t. You only think you have, and that’s what’s holding you back.” He said sternly.

“And how else am I supposed to know the difference between what I think I can do and what I actually can do when what I think I can do is based on what I’ve done before!” She snapped.

He gave her a cool look before answering. “Run starts now.”

His stopwatch started clicking and Dawn took off, infuriated.

‘Who does that bastard think he is!’ She thought to herself as she focused her anger into her run. ‘No one knows me better than me, and it’s rude and arrogant and selfish and pigheaded to think that you know someone else better than they know themselves, especially after only a month!’

Nothing mattered to her about this run. She simply did it as she followed the path, not even aware of how her running trainer wasn’t keeping pace with her. She didn’t even notice the one quarter marker pillar she passed, or the Sergeant watching with binoculars and marking down her time.

‘When I get done with him and move on to weapons training, so help me I will make damn sure I’m better than him in every bucking way I can. Oh he’ll tell others how much he helped shape who I am as a princess to his friends, and I’ll be there or with a drone, and set his friends straight! How he didn’t do any more to help me than if I had done this shit myself! And when he tries to face me to show his superiority as so many pigheaded men do, I’ll beat the everliving tar out of him in sparring!’

She passed the halfway marker, but only noted the color of the mark, not the shape and growled, thinking she was only a quarter of the way done. Her legs were mildly burning with exertion and she growled at herself.

‘I’ll bucking show him. I’ll show them all you don’t mess with me! I try my damnedest to be nice, but I’m no bucking pushover!’ she continued her rant, unaware she had been going on for the last ten minutes now.

The royal guard measured runs by the mile, but made her do two miles rather than the one she remembered doing as a human. She guessed it was because of double the legs. Considering the height difference being half, she thought it would have been kept the same, but that was yet another frustration as that still meant she had to run twice as far even if the double legs theory held out. Her best time with her trainer had been twenty-six minutes, and her legs felt like jelly.

‘I swear… I have to be almost done… right?’ She panted, eyes down and looking at the path ahead, noting the second pillar she observed, ‘Buck… halfway done and it’s probably been fifteen or twenty minutes…’

She pushed on, trying to dredge up more anger, but all her anger had left her. She continued on, trying not to think about her body, remembering how Twilight had told her during one run she lasted longer when she didn’t realize what she was doing. It felt like it helped a little bit, but then her mind kept turning to her hurting legs, making the pain be more and more noticed. She knew she felt the burn at the first marker, and would feel the fire by the second. She definitely was feeling it now and panting for breath, but she trudged on at a jog, feeling her body slow despite wanting to push herself to keep the pace.

‘Dammit, I’m only going to prove him right by the end… There’s the third marker, and it’s had to be twenty, maybe twenty-five minutes.’ She groaned, continuing her trudging along.

She found herself tripped a few paces past the third marker, tumbling head over hoof twice before grinding her chin on the ground, making her wince as she tried to force her jelly-like legs to stand up.

“Told you you were holding yourself back.” Stomper’s voice said.

“Not… done… yet.” Dawn said, getting up and wobbling her way into more momentum.

“All right.” He said, writing something down before putting his clipboard in a pouch and joined Dawn, his own pace starting up as if he was leading her on the start of the run in the first place.

Dawn panted loudly, feeling like she was gasping for breath. She had to ignore the tingling in her hooves up to her knees and her mouth being dry and numb. She had to keep up with him during this last leg, or she wouldn’t stand a chance…

She saw the upcoming goalpost and sighed in relief as much as her ragged breath would allow, pushing herself ahead of him to set the pace and finish this little race before tripping once more over her hooves past the post. She rolled over twice and landed on her side, wings tucked in and panting for breath, ignoring the fur that was damp with sweat and clinging to her body.

“That’s all you got?” Stomper asked.

Dawn simply looked up at him, breathing hard and barely moving. She didn’t feel like she had the energy to get up, let alone answer him.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He said, writing down the time on the clipboard as he always did, looking at it closely before saying, “Miss Dawn, what is your guess on how your time was.”

“T-tw-“ She panted, trying to get her voice back, swallowing once, then again before managing as a croak, “Twenty… eight?”

“Twenty-six minutes and forty-seven seconds… for two and a half miles.” Stomper said.

Dawn blinked, her confusion plain as day despite her weakness. She couldn’t possibly have beaten her average time on a longer stretch, that wasn’t possible! Stomper set down a big bottle of Mare-power, their equivalent of Gatorade or whatever, and knelt down.

“I told you. You beat your own time and added an extra quarter of a lap all on your own.” Stomper said. “You proved me right.”

Dawn looked confused again, this time questioning herself. How in the world had she run an extra half a mile in just a little less than her average time? She used her magic to open the spout on the bottle and started draining it dry, trying to pace herself so she didn’t get a stomachache as he had instructed her a while ago.

“Take the rest of this session off. You earned it.” He said. “That gives you ten extra minutes.”

Dawn slowly managed to get back onto her belly and continued to drink, panting as she ignored the sweat threatening to drip down her muzzle. At least it wasn’t going into her eyes…

“I… I don’t… know what I did different.” She finally said.

“You don’t think you did anything different before?” Stomper asked.

“I mean, I was angry that you were saying I wasn’t giving you everything I had.”

“And?”

“That’s all I know.”

“No, it’s not.” He said sternly.

“Then what is it I’m missing?” she growled, still panting hard, “I’d appreciate an answer rather than being talked down to.”

“There. Right there is the problem.” He said, frowning and pointing at her with a hoof.

“What!” She asked angrily.

“You give up too damn easy.” Stomper said, “You try to do something for a fraction of the time you really need to do something, and if you don’t know it or can do it like you thought, you give up almost right away.”

Dawn blinked. How the hell did he see that? He wasn’t wrong, but no one had tried to tell her that since she was in 6th grade during her IQ test, and she thought she had been better about that since then!

“You also talked back to me.” His eyes narrowed. “My recruits would do extra time running or squats, but you served your sentence with that extra half mile. Time marked as served.”

She frowned at him but he waved a hoof at her.

“Don’t tell me a princess is taking her word back when you told me you ‘wouldn’t have it any other way.’”

“No, sir. I’m seeing this through” She said through gritted teeth.

“Good. Dismissed.” He said, turning away and walking off.

Dawn felt her growl almost return, but stopped herself. She fumbled to her hooves and slowly made the trek back to the fort, falling onto her face twice more before remembering she could fly, and began a low flight to the castle gate.

“Dawn… Dawn.” Lilac’s voice said politely.

“Huh? I’m sorry, what did I miss?” Dawn asked, shaking her head as she realized her eyes had glazed over.

“Dawn, really, you look terrible. Are you sure you’re ok?” Lilac asked, worry plain on her face, even without a changeling’s sense of taste for emotions.

“Yes, I just have jelly-legs from the exercise is all.” Dawn said, shaking her head, “I’m sorry if I wore myself out too much. Apparently, I did an extra half mile without realizing it.”

“Well, let’s continue where we left off.” Lilac said.

Dawn tried her best to learn, but she had to rely on the hive to help supplement and add understanding where her brain wouldn’t, only to incur a migraine halfway through the lesson without any progress on the lessons themselves.

Stalwart had left to go to training once I was home. Thankfully Saturday I didn’t have any other lessons on subjects like during the week, but once dinner came around, I left the foals with my royal caretaker drone Zera and arrived at the dining room Luna preferred.

“Good afternoon Princess Luna.” I said before sitting in my seat.

“Good afternoon.” She said politely. “How have you been enjoying yourself so far?”

“As well as can be expected. I am being reminded at how undertrained I had been and progress today has been slower than I’d like.” Dawn said.

“Oh?” she asked mildly, taking a sip of some tea that was currently at the table.

“My legs were like jelly after today’s run and hardly any of what my tutor instructed me on sunk in. It doesn’t help that a few days ago I learned that my knowledge was barely sufficient to be acceptable, but that it really meant I still needed to further that general education in order to be an effective leader beyond that of the lower houses.” She said sadly.

“Does that mean you are giving up so soon?” Luna asked as she sipped her tea.

“No, I’m just discouraged.” Dawn said quietly.

“While I’m glad you are willing to voice these things to me,” Luna said as she set her cup down, “I am also here to help instruct you on our etiquette. You should keep in mind that normally such concerns are voiced in private. You never know who might be listening in, whether in the room or outside of it through spells or simple eavesdropping. You also haven’t touched your drink, which might be considered rude to some of the more petty nobles.”

“So I once again have to put on a mask to survive…” Dawn said disappointedly, making a point of grabbing her tea and drinking it, barely noticing how it tasted.

“Everyone has a mask they wear away from others. It is dangerous to wear your heart out on your sleeve.” Luna warned.

“I grew up wearing a mask so much that I lost sight of who I was… I do not want to resort to that once more.” Dawn said.

“Then you will never rise higher than the lower houses in influence.” She sipped neutrally. “Having said that, if you wish to speak to me on such things later when we both have time, I would be open to doing so.”

“I think I’d like that. I don’t want to burden Twilight with my struggles too much.” Dawn nodded.

“On the contrary, I think she would appreciate it.” Luna smiled as she poured herself another cup and offered Dawn some more. “She is busy, but she makes time for her friends, and she spoke highly of your potential.”

“Thank you Luna… that means a lot to hear it.” Dawn said quietly. “Perhaps I’ve been too hard on myself today.”

“That happens.” Luna said, taking another bite to eat before commenting, “I would recommend meditation tonight, clear your mind before asking yourself what kind of leader you want to be. I find that it helps a lot. If you still feel the same frustration come the morning, seek someone you trust to relay that to, your spouse for example.”

“I will do that.” Dawn nodded.

Dawn and Luna ate the rest of their meal in quiet, Dawn thinking on what she had been told. Then as they finished, she was excused from the table and returned to her room, rejoining her foals who pranced over to her as they often did.

Zera came to Dawn and gave her a hug across the front.

“You are feeling better now Legate?” she asked.

“Yes.” Dawn said, knowing they knew from the link what the answer was. “If only a little.”

“Give it time.” She said gently. “I can tend the foals while you meditate.”

Ok, so thinking back, I might not have disappointed Luna. It was hard to tell, but she was right too. I can still be me and put on a façade in order to not give away how bothered I am by things. A leader is looked to for stability, and I can’t let my emotions drag me around everywhere and undermine that. It’s not going to be easy, but like everything, I’ll get better with practice.

Author's Note

Just a bit rough there Dawn. Hang in there. I dislike exercise about as much as you do after all!