//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 — The Princesses; The Matchmaker; A Call to Arms 
// Story: The Ballad of Falabella Mulan 
// by VitalSpark 
//------------------------------//

A trumpet sounded in the throne room at the Castle of the Two Sisters. A guard standing by the door introduced a visitor. "Your Highnesses," he addressed the princesses, "I introduce Empress of the Crystal Empire, Countess of the Frozen North, and Knight of the Grand Order of Equestria, Empress Heart."

"Oh, Radiant Shield," Princess Celestia giggled, "why do you have to be so formal? I think I can recognize my own niece! Come in, Sweet. It has been too long since you last visited."

Empress Heart approached the throne. Her aunt was the only pony who still called her by her given name. "Dearest aunts, it has. But I'm afraid that this isn't a social call. The Crystal Empire is under attack; the minotaurs have breached our northern border. I am here to beg your assistance."

A look of concern crossed Celestia's face. She turned to her sister; Princess Luna glared back. "That is troubling news," Celestia said, turning back to her visitor. "If the minotaurs can establish a stronghold in the Crystal Empire, they could use it as a base to attack Equestria. Of course we shall offer you our every assistance."

Luna spoke for the first time. "Our concern should be for our own subjects."

"Well, of course we must protect our own subjects, but we can do that by aiding the crystal ponies," Celestia explained to Luna.

Luna gritted her teeth. "We should to that by strengthening our own defences."

"But, dear sister, the best defence is a strong offence."

"Fine," Luna said, "but if this goes wrong, the burden shall be on your shoulders."

The princess addressed a guard. "Radiant Shield, send word to the northern provinces: a defence force must be raised to assist the crystal ponies. The Crystal Empire's guards will oversee the organization of an army to fight the minotaurs."

Luna crossed her forelegs.

Empress Heart smiled half-heartedly. She was naturally grateful, but still concerned about the trials ahead of her. "Thank you, dearest aunts. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must return at once to my empire. I am needed there. That social visit will have to happen another day."

Celestia stood up. "Hold on — I'll walk with you." Celestia walked Empress Heart back to the Skycoach. She spoke to her in a hushed tone. "I apologise for my sister's behaviour. She has been awake all night. It is hard for her, you know, the arrangement we have between night and day; sun and moon."

"I understand," the empress said.

"I really wish I could do more to help you. I wish I could come to the Crystal Empire to assist." Celestia looked back towards the throne room. "But I am not all powerful; even I have my limitations; and my presence here is necessary." She paused. "Equestria faces other threats as well."

Empress Heart was concerned about Celestia's ominous words, but had no time to consider them in depth. She stepped onto the Skycoach. "Farewell, dear aunt."

"Goodbye, Sweet, and good luck."

Empress Heart ordered the pegasus ponies to pull the coach, and in moments they left the Castle of the Two Sisters behind, flying north over the Reverie Forest towards the Crystal Empire.


☯


The matchmaker stood on her front door step and looked at her clipboard. "Falabella Mulan?"

Mulan jumped to attention and raised her hoof. "Here!"

The matchmaker raised an eyebrow. "Speaking without permission."

Mulan buried her face in her hooves.

"What's her problem?" Granny Falabella whispered to Falabella Lee.

The matchmaker motioned for Mulan to enter the building. Mulan trotted inside with the stern-looking earth pony following behind her, and shutting the door.

Inside, Mulan stood while the matchmaker walked in circles around her, inspecting her body. "Hmmm... far too skinny; no good for bearing foals." The breezie escaped from his cage and Mulan struggled to capture him, trying to avoid the matchmaker seeing what she was doing.

Giving up hope of catching him, her horn glowed and the breezie instantly became invisible and inaudiable to the matchmaker. Hiding and silencing a moving target, even from just a single observer, required great concentration — it was close to the limit of what her reality distortion spell could achieve.

The matchmaker nodded. "Recite the oath."

Mulan coughed and glanced at her foreleg and the now smeared text. She fanned herself, stalling for time. Reciting the oath and keeping up the concentration for her spell would not be easy. "I will respect the nation of Equestria, the princesses, my family, and my has—" She strained to make out the words. "… my husband. I will reflect before I snack." A look of shock came over her. "Before I act! This shall bring me honour and glory." She sighed with relief.

The matchmaker smiled a sly grin. "Very good…" She snatched at Mulan's fan and turned it over, expecting to see the words of the oath printed on the reverse side. Mulan smiled and the matchmaker scowled. "Very good," she said reluctantly.

She grabbed Mulan by the fetlock, smearing the ink around, and dragged Mulan to the other side of the room. "This way!" She deposited Mulan by a table and sat down. "Now pour the tea." A second layer of magic appeared around Mulan's horn and the teapot lifted from the table. "With your hooves!" the matchmaker admonished.

Mulan set the pot back on the table, and lifted it by hoof. Mulan watched in horror as the matchmaker wiped her brow, smearing the ink from Mulan's leg onto her face. Not concentrating on the tea pot, she poured some tea on the table. The matchmaker tutted and started muttering. "You unicorns think you're so special with your magic. You will never match the honour, dignity, and refinement of the earth ponies."

The tea cup full, the breezie fluttered towards the cup and perched on the brim. The matchmaker, unaware of the little creature, lifted the cup to her muzzle and sniffed.

In a timid voice Mulan tried to get her attention. "Um… pardon me?"

"A good wife will only speak when spoken to!" the matchmaker barked before taking another sniff of the tea.

"If I could just have the tea cup back for a moment…?" Mulan reached for the cup and grabbed at it.

Mulan's grab turned into a struggle, and the matchmaker shrieked as the tea was poured over her dress. Mulan's concentration on the spell failed, and the now-visible breezie flew up the matchmaker's dress. "You clumsy mare! I ought to— woo! wooooooo!" The matchmaker danced about, trying to get the ticklish creature out of her clothing. She tripped over a bucket and landed sitting on the stove. "Arghhhh!" she screamed, jumping up.

Mulan took her fan and tried to cool down the singed area on the matchmaker's dress, but only caused it to flame up. She buried her face in her hooves at making such an obvious mistake.


☯


Outside the building, Falabella Lee waited with Grandma Falabella. When the noise of screaming reached the streets, Lee shook her head.

Grandma Falabella whispered, "I think it's going well, don't you?"

The door burst open, and the matchmaker ran out, her flanks on fire. "Put it out! Put it out!" she shouted in panic.

Mulan ran after her and doused her in tea, finally extinguishing the fire. The matchmaker stared at her with a face that could freeze Celestia's sun into a ball of solid ice. Mulan nervously passed the empty tea pot to her, hung her head, and walked back to her mother and grandmother.

"You are a disgrace!" the matchmaker yelled, walking back into the building and drawing the attention of the all the other ponies gathered outside her office that morning. "You may look the part, but you will never be a bride!"

After she'd slammed the door, the crowds outside the building began whispering amongst themselves. Mulan walked away in shame, her family following behind her.


☯


Mulan walked through the gate and saw her father waiting in the garden. He smiled at her, but she turned away and walked towards the family temple.

Stopping by a cherry tree, she held the breezie's cage aloft. "I'll never be the perfect bride. If I'm not meant to play this part, could it be my destiny is something else?" She opened the cage door, and the breezie flew out, landing on her mane. "Go!" she said to the breezie and it fluttered away. She continued on past the family's great stone dragon statue, and arriving at the temple steps.

Seeing her reflection in the marble stones of the temple, she wiped off her make-up. She prayed a silent prayer to her ancestors for guidance and strength. After a few moments, she rose and walked back towards the house.

Her father was waiting for her under the cherry tree. Mulan shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it."

Falabella Zhou looked up at the tree. "My, my, what beautiful blossoms we have this year. But look, this one's late." He smiled at his daughter. "I bet that when it blooms, it will be the most beautiful of all."

A flower fell from the tree, and Zhou picked it up and tucked it behind Mulan's ear. Mulan was about to speak when there was a sound of drums and commotion on the street outside. "What is it?"

Zhou held up a hoof for Mulan to remain where she was. He limped over to the gate. "Mulan, go inside," he called.

Mulan stood a few paces behind her father.


☯


Chief Hooves stood in the street and unfurled his scroll. "Citizens, I bring you a proclamation from the Empress Heart: the minotaurs have invaded the Crystal Empire, and are heading for Equestria." A panicked murmur errupted amongst the crowd. "By order of the Emperor, and the Princesses of Equestria, one pony from every family must serve in the Imperial Army."

Chief Hooves started going through the list. "Daze family." A stallion stepped forwards and bowed to one of Chief Hooves's guard ponies before accepting a conscription notice. "Pie family."

A young mare held her father back. "I will serve the Princesses in my father's place." The guard with the conscription notices nodded and passed her a scroll.

"Falabella family."

Mulan could only look on in horror as her father limped forward towards the guards. Zhou bowed before them. "I am ready to serve the Princesses." He reached for a scroll from the guards.

Mulan ran up to him. "Father, you can't go!"

He turned to her and gave her a stern look. "Mulan…"

"Please, sir," Mulan begged the guards, "my father has already fought bravely against the centaurs. He is old and injured—"

"Silence!" shouted Chief Hooves. "You would do well to teach this… unicorn… to hold her tongue. War is earth pony business — we are connected to the land and must defend it; they are not."

Zhou looked away from Mulan. "Mulan, you dishonour me." Grandma Falabella led Mulan back to the house.

Chief Hooves handed Zhou a conscription notice. "Report tomorrow at the Hollow Shades camp."

Zhou bowed at Chief Hooves. "Yes, sir." He turned and limped slowly back to the house.

"Spoon family."

The sounds on the street grew distant as Mulan followed her father back into the house in a daze.


☯


Nurse Goodheart landed at Manehattan docks. Mr Rich was dead — he was an old man and had only had a few more weeks left in him anyway. She wouldn't mourn his loss, but why would somepony do that to him? She shook her head in disbelief.

She didn't know where to go or who to turn to. She was new in town, and now all her possessions, such as they were, and all her bits were gone — still in the house, but she couldn't go back there.

A building at the end of the block had loud music playing and bright lights. It must have been a bar of some kind. Lacking any better ideas, she trotted towards it. She was still an attractive mare; she might be able to persuade a stallion to buy her a drink or perhaps even a meal. She could figure out what to do in the morning.


☯


As night fell, Zhou went to the armoury. Taking out his sword, he went through his stances. Balancing on his hind legs, he felt a twinge in his right flank and fell to the ground, his sword clanging on the floor.

"Dinner's ready!" came a call from Grandma Falabella. As her father turned around to head towards the dining room, Mulan drew back behind the column from which she'd been observing her father. As he limped through the door, she shook her head.


☯


The family sat in silence while they ate, each lost in their own thoughts. The crash of thunder outside was the only sound to be heard.

Falabella Lee used a warmth spell to heat a pot of tea. She'd been trying to teach Mulan the spell for weeks, but the young mare still hadn't perfected it.

Mulan poured tea for her family, practising using her hooves. She poured the last cup for herself. Just as she was about to take a sip of her tea, she slammed the cup down on the table and stood up. "You shouldn't have to go!"

"Mulan!" Lee exclaimed, looking up at her daughter. She motioned to Mulan's little brother. "Go to your room, Yao." He trotted off, happy to be spared another family drama.

"There are plenty of young ponies to fight for Equestria," Mulan insisted.

Zhou spoke calmly but firmly. "It is an honour to protect my country and my family."

"So you'll die for honour?!" Mulan shouted angrily, tears brimming in her eyes.

Zhou stood and confronted her. "I will die doing what's right."

"But if you—"

"I know my place in life. It is time you learned yours."

Mulan opened her mouth to speak, but words failed her. She turned away and ran out of the front door, the rain masking her tears as she wept.

She soon found herself at the base of the great stone dragon statue. She slumped to the ground and caught the reflection of a sad-looking young mare in a puddle. Looking back at the house, she could see her parents arguing through a window. After a few minutes the light went out plunging the house and gardens into almost complete darkness. Mulan picked herself up and walked slowly to the family temple.

She lit a candle and placed it in the candle holder, shedding light on the interior of the temple. She saw a dozen versions of herself reflected in the shiny marble tablets. Curse this stupid horn. If I weren't a unicorn, I could join the army! For a moment, she cast her reality distortion spell on her reflection, seeing what she'd look like as an earth pony. She let the spell fall, bowed, and offered a prayer to her ancestors, before sitting in silent contemplation.

Another crack of lightning spurred Mulan into action. Everything is clear. She rose from the ground and hurried towards the house, her hooves kicking up splashes of water from the puddles on the stony ground. The breezie, who had been sheltering from the storm in the temple, flew after her.

Quietly creeping into her parents' bedroom, the lifted her father's conscription notice with her magic, replacing it with the lotus blossom from her hair. Pausing for a moment to give her parents a sorrowful look, she hurried out of the room.

She looked in on her sleeping brother on the way to the armoury. Using her magic, she flung the cabinet open and began to put on her father's battle barding, tightening a belt to hold it on. She held her father's sword aloft, catching her reflection in its smooth metallic surface. Perhaps this is who I am meant to be? She decisively drove the sword into the scabbard built into the barding and cantered out of the front door.

The breezie fluttered onto her mane as she cast a final tearful glance back to her parents' darkened bedroom window before galloping out of the gate.