//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Heir of Mystery // by Poniard Dagger //------------------------------// EQUESTRIAN TIME SCALE 0010 Before Battle of Discord. Era of Harmony. ----------------------------------------------------------- "Luna!" Mystery yelled out, attempting to get the attention of the teenage pony, "We are going to have to do this eventually! You might as well do it now!" After no response for several seconds Mystery sighed and turned to her attention to the pony beside her. "Celestia," she began, "Sweetie, could you go get your sister? It is Very important that we talk." The pink princess sighed, "Sure," the princess began to walk towards her sisters room when Luna burst out of her room, nearly knocking over her sister. "Oh!, we apologize," Luna said, walking calmly to sit down. "Celestia, please sit down next to your sister," Mystery requested. After Celestia had sat down, Mystery proceeded to stand up and look out the nearby window. Her deep blue billowing mane floating gracefully behind her. She stood silently for a few moments before turning around to face the pink Celestia and her younger sister. "It is my job to determine which one of you will be the next Queen of Equestria. This places a heavy burden on myself, one I am not willing but I am forced to bear. While I am around the enemies of the Equestrian society are powerless. Even Discord cannot corrupt the world. But a shadow grows, branching out from the mountains, a deep shadow. It is my passing. I am need to impart my energy to you...both of you...you have been trained for this many years. You both have wondered why you have yet to receive your cutie marks. Until you fulfill your destiny, you will not." Mystery turned back around to face the two. She walked towards the two and sat down across from them. She smiled softly, just to reassure them. "Just remember, I will always be with you, and you will do great things, and I will always be with you, because I love you." Her horn began to glow as the process began. "Wait!" Luna yelled, stopping Mystery, "Will this hurt?" Mystery smiled, "Only if you resist me, then the power tries to force itself into you. After a few seconds I will lose all control over this process. Should you wish to stop, make sure I know before that point." The sisters nodded. Mystery's horn began to glow again, its dark blue glow soon enveloped the three of them. Mystery began to smile as she felt the presence of the two younger ponies. Her eyes started to glow a bright white as all her power began to escape her. As she expended more and more her horn's glow began to dim. Luna screamed out in pain, her body began to reject the immense power that was being now forced into her. Her pain was unlike any pain she had ever experienced. It felt like a thousand hot iron stakes were being forced into her horn. Her body began to morph and change, her horn grew to be nearly twice the length it used to be. Her coat changed from it's pale blue to a deeper, dark blue and her mane and tail changed to be a darker blue from the white it had been previously. Celestia's body also began to change, her pink coat was morphing. Her skin became a bright white as her legs grew so she was nearly twice her previous height. Unlike her sister she was experiencing an intense pleasure. She was so caught up in the pleasure she did not notice the drastic changes occurring to her mother or her sister. Mystery's horn was no longer glowing and had shrunk to a fraction of its previous size. Her coat became nearly as white as her mane, and her body had shrunk down to be the same size as a normal pony. The wings that once adorned her sides shrank down until they could no longer be seen. Her body and horn had stopped glowing and the glow around her daughters had changed from a dark blue to a light yellow around Celestia, and a light blue around Luna. The entire process lasted about a minute. Mystery fell to the ground as soon as the process was finished. Luna was bracing herself against a nearby wall, still recovering from the pain. Celestia had run to her mother's side, cautiously nudging her to her feet. Mystery was shaky, and was forced to lean upon her daughter for support. "You did well, both of you" she said in a very shaky voice, smiling slightly "Help me get to my bed, I need to rest." The two sisters helped their mother to her bed, the former Alicorn was but a small part of her former self, she possessed just enough of her residual magic to open her locked door. As soon as the sisters had placed Mystery in her bed, she closed her eyes and had fallen asleep. Far away, Discord looked down upon Equestria and smiled, "looks like Mystery's time has all but gone and my time is just around the bend." His snakelike body began to twist around in excitement. "Those two foals don't know how to use their powers. They barely know how to levitate a rock," Discord began to chuckle to himself, "In order me to usurp Mystery," Discord thought to himself, "I need to but simply wait." A few days had passed since the conversion, Celestia was helping her sister, who was still having uncontrollable magical bursts. Mystery had awoken, and was able to walk around, even though the doctors had told her to stay in bed. "They don't know what is happening to me," she would tell the concerned sisters, "i know i am dying. I am but a normal pony now, i have but a few days, And i would rather die walking around My castle than in a hospital bed, being constantly monitored by doctors who don't know what to do." The sisters would insist that she let the doctors try to help. Mystery did at first, but when the first doctor had said that she could find nothing wrong, Mystery had ceased allowing doctors to examine her.  Mystery's death came as a surprise to everyone. She was talking with Celestia over a small cup of tea, when she stopped talking and smiled for no reason. "Mother, are you all right?" Celestia asked with concern. "It is time" Mystery said, smiling. After she had said this she slumped over, falling off her seat onto the floor with a terrifying thud. "MOTHER!" Celestia yelled, "No! Don't do this to me. Don't do this to luna. We are not ready for this." Celestia had tears forming in her eyes, slowly dripping down her white face. She was at her mother's side, holding her limp body in her hooves. She put her face in her mothers body and wept softly. The guards at the door had taken off their helmets, and placed them on the ground. After several minutes Mystery began to glow, what little of her magic was leaving her. Her body was fading from existence. Celestia did not notice until she realized that she was not holding anything. One, rather brave, guard had walked over and placed a hoof on Celestia's shoulder if only to tell her somepony was there. Celestia, still weeping, tuned and faced the guard. She grabbed hold on the guard and embraced him. She wept into his shoulder, as he held her in his arms. By this time luna had entered the room, the news of her mother's passing reaching her. She walked over to where Celestia was crying. Her emotions had overwhelmed her. Luna did not cry but simply sat down, Her face showing no emotion. Luna sat there for hours. Celestia, by this time had moved, taking her comforter with her. She had retreated to her bedchamber with the guard. Still crying in his hooves. Whenever he tried to break the embrace she would hold tighter. "Don't leave me," Celestia would say through her tears, "I need somepony to comfort me" "I will not leave you," he would respond, "I will be here for you." They sat there for hours, the royal guard, and the Princess, holding each other in a loving embrace. After several hours, the princess had stopped crying and was holding to the guard for support. She lifted her eyes and looked into the guards blue eyes. "Thank you," she said, "I am eternally grateful for what you have done." "It is no problem ma'am," he started, "it is..." He was cut off by the princess when she placed a hoof softly on his mouth. Celestia leaned in and kissed him. The guard recoiled in shock before relaxing. His mind was spinning, I should not be doing this, she is the princess, I cant do this, I'm supposed to protect her not be romantic with her. Why is the princess kissing me? Am I allowed to kiss her back? The princess broke the kiss, blushing, and smiled shyly "I should not have done that, i just..." This time the guard placed his hoof on her mouth. He smiled sweetly. "It's fine" he told the young princess before leaning in for a kiss of his own. This time the princess met him halfway, returning the kiss. Discord looked down upon the two, "Oh this is just precious," laughing to himself, " The princess has fallen for a simple guard. “The best way to hurt a pony, attack the heart." He laughed wildly as he schemed for the downfall of Equestria.