//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: My Little Schnee // by Krieg cormac //------------------------------// Running an aura protected finger along Myrtenaster's blade, Weiss inspected her beloved sword for any imperfections. There weren't any of course, neither old or new. Not even the old Mantle Runes had been scratched. Myrtenaster was designed by Weiss, and she helped in its creation physically. It took dozens of tries and failed attempts, but in the end, she succeeded.  Myrtenaster was an extension of her very being, an extension of her very soul. Without Myrtenaster, Weiss would be incomplete, like a puzzle missing a piece in the middle. Her body was trained to be able to use Myrtenaster to its fullest potential, using the ice-skating and ballet skills she perfected when she was younger, and combining them with the more traditional style of fencing. In Weiss' hands, Myrtenaster was the perfect weapon.  Holding the sword in her dominant left hand, Weiss struck a pose, with her right hand hovering where the Dust chamber met the blade. Sadly, Myrtenaster was dependent on her supply of Dust, which would be severely limited in this world. Some of the crystals these ponies had looked similar to Dust, but they didn’t hold the same properties and couldn’t be used as a replacement. Weiss had already tried in the two weeks she had spent cooped up in the Princess’ castle. Those crystals, which apparently were  snacks confiscated by Twilight that used to belong to Spike, the cutesy wootsy dragon that worked as her assistant.  Growing more Dust with the old Schnee techniques and her limited supply would take a while, but it was possible. Even if her stay here was going to be short, having a larger amount of Dust would still be useful. She already emptied the Dust vials in Myrtenaster’s chamber, hiding them in a box under her bed. Her Dust earrings joined the vials, replaced by a set of red crystals that Luna had carved to imitate her original pair.  She formed a glyph beneath her feet which Weiss used as a launchpad, throwing herself to the far side of the empty ballroom, spinning midair. It was located in the section of the palace she’d be stuck in until the Princess’ were ready to announce her to the public, and was converted into Weiss’ practice room, for the moment.  Mrytenaster sliced through the air with ease as she caught herself with another glyph, and allowed herself to drop onto the ground gracefully. Her new pony-made heels were as comfortable as her pair from Remnant, and they looked cute, at least in Weiss’ opinion. They were black, which contrasted well against the simple white dress she wore, which was modeled after the blue one she was wearing on her way to Mistral. It reminded her of home. One of the large double doors creaked open, and a white head with a dark brown mane appeared through the gap. “The stylist is ready to prepare you for the press conference.” Raven Inkwell, Princess Celestia’s personal assistant, said. She was a unicorn of few words.  Weiss didn’t even manage to work up a sweat, but she still wiped her forehead with a handkerchief from a hidden pocket, one of her many requests to Emerald Weave. She aimed Myrtenaster towards the ground, its tip hovering just a few inches from the hand carved marble.  “Thank you.” Weiss sighed internally. The stylist was Luna’s idea, who refused to back down despite Weiss’ protests. She could easily get herself ready. The Princess of the Moon must've still felt guilty after being a part of her sister’s plan to get Weiss to lead a company of their Royal Guard to the Everfree Forest. Based on what Weiss had read during her stay here, it sounded just like home, a little tame even. Weiss had been in worse situations before. “I’ll be there shortly.”  Raven nodded and disappeared, closing the doors behind her with a loud thud, leaving Weiss alone with Myrtenaster and her thoughts. It was comforting in a Blake sort of way.  “Time to finally be able to walk around outside.” Weiss mumbled under her breath, sheathing Myrtenaster into the aura reinforced ribbon that wrapped around her waist. At least she had ponies to talk to so she wouldn’t go insane from being inside a castle that was built off the side of a mountain.  Yang was never going to believe her.  Canterlot Castle was crowded by the time Rainbow Dash and her friends arrived, trotting towards the main gate. The Royal Guard allowed them past without a word, but blocked a few other ponies that had tried sneaking in with them. It wasn’t everyday that the two Princesses, plus Twilight who was a princess now, announced that they were throwing some weird press conference.   “Do you think Twilight’s invitation has something to do with her disappearance?” Fluttershy asked shyly, her voice a little more than a whisper. Pinkie Pie was practically bouncing beside her.  “Of course darling.” Rarity said with a small flourish. “Something important must’ve happened for her not to come home for two weeks.” They followed the small crowd of ponies, with most of them having a press lanyard wrapped around their necks.  “Or write any letters.” Applejack added, nodding along slowly. “Spike was the one responding to everyone.”  “This better be important.” Rainbow Dash shrugged. She didn’t like being left in the dark, especially if one of her friends was the one who wasn’t saying anything. Twilight had never let them down before, so Rainbow was willing to ignore that, for now.  But, if this was some nerd thing about Twilight discovering a new species of butterflies, Rainbow Dash was going to be pretty mad. The weather pegasi had made an awesome day for flying back in Ponyville!  “Twilight probably discovered another species that’s never been seen here.” Pinkie Pie said, bouncing past all of them with a carefree grin. “I wonder what kind of deserts they like?!”  Rainbow Dash could do little to stop her groan, not that she wanted to in the first place.  “This is going to be so not awesome.”  The press conference was set up in one of the palace’s larger wings, with the three princesses seated on three mobile thrones. Celestia sat on the tallest seat, with Luna to her right and Twilight to her left. All three wore their royal regalia, which mostly consisted of their tiaras, and the golden and silver chest pieces in Celestia and Luna’s case.  Weiss stood out of view, hidden by the bright red heavy drapes that framed the sides of the stage. She peaked out into the crowd discreetly. It was full of earth ponies, unicorns and pegasi, only a handful wore any type of clothing. Most just wore a simple fedora, which was one of the ugliest hats in existence, in Weiss’ opinion. She told Flynt Coal that after their match during the Vyal Festival. Surprisingly, his partner Neon Katt agreed with her.  Weiss hardened her eyes as she took a deep breath, her usual expression when dealing with the Atlesian Elite. Raven stood beside her, with one of her hooves holding onto a clipboard.  Princess Celestia’s horn lit up briefly and made a short cough. Her voice sounded like it was being amplified by a speaker.  “My little ponies, thank you for gathering here today.” Princess Celestia started to speak. “Today, I, along with my fellow princesses, stand before you to introduce a remarkable individual who has made Equestria her home.”  A diplomatic way of saying that Weiss was stuck here without saying exactly that.  “I am well aware that my little ponies are often afraid of the unknown.” Princess Celestia continued. “Which is why we are holding this meeting to formally announce her to the public, to avoid giving my beloved subjects a fright.”  And that was Weiss’ cue. She walked out onto the stage, the red dress that appeared to be made out of roses clinging to her body, with matching red heels. Camera flashes and whispers started the moment she stepped into view.  Weiss gave a slightly bow and kept her expression neutral, but with a slight smile that tugged at the corner of her lips. All calculated of course. A pegasus in the front row passed out.  “Weiss Schnee is a human, and she comes from a land far from our own, farther than even Griffonia.” Princess Celestia smiled, which contrasted against Luna’s more serious expression.  Twilight on the other hand, looked extremely nervous as if she didn’t want to be there, and would rather be somewhere else. She needed more practice with her masks, that was one of the first lessons Weiss had learned from Father.  “Equestria has always valued harmony and friendship, regardless of the differences that may exist among us, racial or otherwise.” It was Luna’s time to speak up. “The night brings forth stars of diverse origins, yet they share the same sky.”  Weiss was pretty sure Luna added that last part to her speech at the last minute. It was still an exaggeration though. There was another pony tribe that was excluded from society at large. The treatment of the thestrals here reminded Weiss of the faunus back home, but at least they were treated better overall.  Luna liked to rant about that topic when she couldn’t sleep and was practicing her part of the speech.  “In her homeland, Weiss was known as a hunter of monsters, and as such, we have decided to designate her as the Royal Huntress, so that she will be able to fulfill similar duties here to protect Equestria.” Princess Celestia took over again. Weiss’ ice blue eyes drifted amongst the crowd of news reporter ponies, but noticed Luna glaring at her sister for just a brief second for taking her line. “I ask every citizen of Equestria to embrace Weiss Schnee as one of our own. Let the magic of friendship transcend the boundaries that may separate us.”  They had discussed the Royal Huntress title in detail a few days ago, since it’ll help calm ponies once they knew that she hunted monsters, and was not one herself.  “N-Now then!” Twilight finally spoke up. “Are there any questions?”  Everyone's hooves shot up in the air.