When Marina, the middle daughter of Equestria's royal family, discovers she's being sent to the Crystal Empire to become Prince Sombra's betrothed her entire life falls into a dark abyss. But she may find that the young prince isn't what she thought.
Marina had known for quite some time that Prince Sombra had eyes for her and he adored her dearly, but she never expected for him to send for her as his wife! What's even worse is that her parents don't even seem to be fighting against this "invitation" for involuntary matrimony. Toted off against her will, Marina begrudgingly takes residence in the Crystal Castle, believed by all the crystal pony subjects to be Sombra's beloved princess. Behind closed doors, she makes it clear to him that she never wanted any parts of this arrangement, and that if he thought a forced marriage was the way to win her heart then he would never have it. However, as her time in the grand castle passes, she finds that Sombra may not be the cold-hearted mastermind she thought him to be.
There is somepony higher in power than he and she is nothing more than a pawn in the plan, a pawn who finds that the very stallion she swore to shun may be her only solace from the real threat that's looming over the glittering empire.
There’s something peculiar about growing with someone your entire life. Not necessarily a friend, but a pony you’ve know forever. Even though you have no knowledge of the history you share with said pony, he or she has been around for as far back as your memory can reach. It’s just known that the two of you have known each other since birth and that family circumstances have led to your lives being entwined. That was my relationship with the daughters of the highly esteemed Essência family.
The Essência family castle sat on the outskirts of the Everfree forest, a marshy environment that was strangely eerie yet beautiful at the same time. The treacherous wood terrified you as it drew you in with its strange magic and fascinating creatures that inhabited the tall swaying grass, weeping willow trees, and mysterious fairy rings surrounding the oddly luminescent waters of the swamps. Always sweltering hot no matter what time of year you decided to visit, there was a clearly marked royal pass through the forest which led you to a cavern that illuminated itself at the presence of visitors. After following the cavern trail for a good two miles, the grand Victorian masterpiece emerges, completely untouched by the moorland dross that surrounds it. Shimmering like a raw diamond unearthed from the deepest of coal mines, the most precious gem of all safe inside the castle walls.
Once a quarter, our families would come together for a grand banquet to celebrate the peace between our two kingdoms. We’d alternate the banquet location for each visit but I always preferred feasting in their home to the stark, oppressive silence of a feast in mine. Nocturnes and Aurora, Equestria’s king and queen, were wonderful ponies with joy and understanding in their hearts, and while I could say the same of my mother, Davina, Bronsen, my father, was a stark contrast to the Essência patriarchs. Nocturnes and Aurora had three daughters that were unanimously adored throughout their domain. The eldest daughter was being trained to manipulate the position of the sun in order to control the length and warmth of days. She was renowned as the radiant Celestia, future soliterraneous goddess of Equestria. The baby of the family was little Luna, who Aurora referred to as her, “adorable dark angel,” and under the tutelage of her father, she was learning to manipulate the small, interstellar rock for which she was named. I enjoyed the company of both Celestia and Luna, they were my only friends, but the sister between them had sparked inexplicable feelings inside of me that I could not comprehend until I was years into adolescence.
At the very sound of her name, my heart would pound in my chest, much like the ocean waves she sends crashing into the shores. It was impossible to speak to her without mapping out an entire dialogue in my head first, and even then it didn’t matter. She was always cordial, but she was also distant, before I was ever aware of my deep concern for her, she already knew of it, and even through my uncertainty about these emotions, I was certain she didn’t feel the same for me. Though my desires were unrequited, I couldn’t help but admire her ethereal, oceanic mane, her vibrant peach coat, those delicate lavender stockings on her hooves, and her mesmerizing amethyst eyes. For me, there was no looking away when my Marina entered a room. Even when her eyes met mine and her expression would shout for me to look at anything else, I could never ignore her. From an early age, she was my world and her happiness became my purpose in life.
Anything her precious, golden heart desired, I would make it my business to retrieve it, no questions asked. Her smile was rare but it was angelic, it was something to long for, so captivating it had a Helen of Troy effect on my very being. Going to war to win even a glance from those entrancing eyes of hers was something I’d gladly do without any hesitation or a single request from her perfect lips. I would have gladly volunteered to lay my life on the line just to feel the light, gentle touch of her dainty hooves against my face. In my mind there was no mare that could ever compare to my Marina. Nopony was more poised, nopony was more graceful, nopony was more refined, elegant, beautiful, and nopony could throw a room into absolute silence from amazement the way she did. No mare had her same presence, when she was in a room she commanded your attention, and I had never heard a more soothing voice than hers in all my life. It was as if every word she spoke was swathed in velvet, and I hung on every word my aquatic goddess blessed my ears with.
Of course, this was information confined to my mind and my mind alone, but even silent self-kept secrets have this odd way of becoming obvious to others. The Essências knew of my undying fervor for their middle daughter, which only grew as the two of us grew older. Of course, my parents knew as well, my mother was always gentle and sweet whenever she’d suggest that maybe there was another mare for me. She always meant well and I honestly wish there was a way to shake the hold Marina had on my soul, but regardless of my efforts, I couldn’t help but be drawn to her even more. My father, ever the opportunist, saw no problem with me doting over a prized daughter of Equestria.
As time continued to pass, he purposely scheduled two years’ worth of quarterly banquets at our castle, so that Marina could experience the luxury a future king had to offer her. I didn’t entirely understand until he requested my presence in his study late one evening. He stood with his back turned to me as he looked out over our kingdom full of despairing ponies.
“Sombra,” he said, “how would you like for Marina’s family name to be replaced with ours?”
Home was absolutely sickening these days. Getting peace at any given moment proved to be impossible and there was no one around to complain to. As if being a princess struggling to master my craft wasn’t enough, my mother had ordered an influx of extra princess lessons for me to undertake. What I can’t seem to understand is why Celestia and Luna aren’t participating along with me. Excelling as a proper, regal, and pristine princess had always come naturally to me but it would seem that I was not living up to the expectations of my parents and my tutor. What could I possibly be doing wrong? My posture was perfect, I’d been taught impeccable manners since birth, and neither of my sisters were as gifted in linguistics as I. To top it all off, I had beauty and humility to spare, so what flaws could they possibly see?
"You have no understanding of your subjects Marina," claimed Jelessia the uptight tutor. But she was wrong. The inhabitants of Equestria didn't even need to know me. As the middle child, important and beloved weren't words they used to describe me. Celestia was important, Luna was beloved, and I was just present. That didn't matter much to me though, being present gave me freedom to keep to myself and do as I pleased as long as I kept to my studies and didn't do anything to dishonor the royal family, which would never be an issue. I was happy in my place, no one expected anything of me aside from my parents, leaving me free to pamper myself and indulge in luxuries whenever possible. After all, no pony’s comfort was more important than my own, at least that’s how most other second tier princesses behaved. Of course I didn’t start down this path of self-indulgent decadence until precious little Lulu arrived 6 years after my first day of life.
Mother always told me that being the middle child meant that I’d constantly have to prove myself to the ravenous public, showing them that I took my duties seriously, but why care for denizens that care nothing for you? Half of the time when reports were written in the papers regarding my family and other royal affairs, my name would be left out multiple times, as if I had been forgotten or never existed to begin with. Let them tell it, I was utterly disenchanting, the sibling to just skip over. Even if there happened to be the occasional mention of my radiant beauty and impeccable style, there was an immediate comment on how I paled in comparison to my two talented, generous, and compassionate sisters. From my point of view, I owed the public absolutely nothing aside from my presence alongside my family, and in all honesty they didn’t even deserve that much from me.
"You know there are worse things mother and father could have you do. The least you could do is put your best hoof forward and show them you're taking this seriously," said Celestia during one of our weekly spa visits.
"Well," I said, "that would be easier to do if I was actually taking all of this seriously, why am I important all of a sudden? No one truly cared about my progress before now. This would make sense if I was the first successor in line for the throne but there's a pretty wide 12 year gap keeping that from ever happening."
As soon as my rant was finished I realized it should have been stopped before I even began. Celestia didn't ask to be born first, and it was unfair of me to make her feel like she had. The only ponies that held more responsibility than her were our parents, and even though she took great pride in her position as future monarch of Equestria it was easy to tell that the task also worried her immensely. She could never even share this great burden with me and Luna, simply because we'd never be able to see it from her point of view. I could see the pain in her eyes before she even responded to me.
"I don't know everything Marina, and no matter how you deny it I know the same is true of you. We are all important, overshadowed or not, just because you're in the background doesn't mean that no one is watching you. All of these lessons and the enhanced attention to detail may seem pointless to you now but I assure you there is a reason for it all," she said as she stood, "... Our mother and father would never subject you to anything that wasn't going to be beneficial in the long run."
I took Tia's words into consideration as she left me alone, but one specific word stuck with me for the rest of the day. Beneficial for who?
The thought stuck with me all night and even lingered in the back of my mind the next morning. If I hadn't been so shocked upon entering the teaching hall the thought would've stayed with me all day, but apparently Jelessia had something else in mind.
"Who are these foals Jelessia?"
She stood at the opposite end of the room with a little mauve coated unicorn filly standing on her right side, a periwinkle pegasus colt on her left, and a rosy cheeked foal that looked brand new was curled up on her back. The filly gasped as if she were surprised that I even noticed her, the colt seemed to have a look of... what appeared to be adoration in his eyes, and the baby cooed then rolled over on Jelessia's back.
"Well," Jelessia said smiling, "these are my little nephews and my niece your highness. Meet Glistening Skies, Lightning Flash, and the newest addition, Cirrus Wisps"
"Oh, hello little foals," communicating with children that weren't Luna was a definite weak spot of mine. Painfully awkward was the best way I could think to describe the way I interacted with children, but if this was what Jelessia wanted from me then I'd gladly deliver.
"Auntie Jelessia the princess is talking to us!" Before my mind could properly process her words, little Miss. Glistening Skies was giggling and nuzzling my leg. Is this what children did? Blindly putting trust in any pony who addressed them in a semi-polite manner and getting excited? That didn't seem very smart of them, but I suppose that's what being a child entailed. Jelessia's voice brought me back to my senses as she approached me.
"Yes sweetheart, I told you the princess is just as nice as you always dreamed," Jelessia said as she bent down, placing Cirrus Wisps on my back. She silenced me before a single sound of protest could escape, "He loves to cuddle and you have much more mane for him to nest in than I do."
As if given some sort of cue, Cirrus immediately began to nestle into my wavy, oceanic locks. It was cute at first until his little gums began clamping down on my mane and coating it in toddler dribble. These two were pushing me further out of my comfort zone and closer and closer to defiance, that was until I looked down at Lightning and saw the bewildered expression on his face. Something about his sudden fixation with me seemed eerily familiar. He stared at me with such intensity that I almost believed he was going to tell me I reminded him of his favorite snack or toy. Glistening Skies quickly dispelled that theory.
"Lightning Flash loves you," the little filly said, looking up at me with wide eyes, "He thinks you're the prettiest princess ever!"
"Sky! Stop lying," said a blushing, rather adorable Lightning Flash, "The princess doesn't need you pestering her."
That's why the look on Lightning's face was so familiar, he reminded me of another love struck fool I knew. But on Lightning Flash heart eyes were actually cute, and I couldn't help but chuckle as he stuck his tongue out at his little sister. No matter what family they sprout from, it seems that siblings will always fight like siblings. I wanted to nuzzle the sweet little colt but I refrained, as a princess should, and smiled at him instead.
"You think I'm pretty Lightning Flash?" I asked him. His little cheeks filled with color as he stammered out a response.
"Y-yes princess," he said.
"Well I am flattered that such a nice and handsome young colt would shower me with such a lovely compliment," I said to him, "You have the makings of a true prince."
I winked when adding that last bit and it sent him over the edge. His blush spread to the tips of his ears and his wings jutted out from his sides, coming around to hide his face. I quickly decided that Lightning Flash was adorable and he'd absolutely stolen my heart, and if he wasn't so bad then Glistening Skies and baby Cirrus Wisps definitely deserved a chance. Besides, when I looked up Jelessia was nowhere to be found so this decision had been made for me in advance. This was clearly another princess test, so I happily rose to the challenge of entertaining these three.
The afternoon was consumed by tours, random tea parties, snack breaks and one or two accidents from Cirrus. I was less than enthusiastic to have to clean up his rather repulsive messes, but having the cute little bundle curled up on my back, nestled between my wings as we explored the halls almost made it worthwhile. It slowly dawned on me that as I spent more time with these foals I was enjoying their company more and more. They were very much like me, they just wanted to enjoy themselves and if there was anything I could do to make that happen I would.
As evening approached, Jelessia found all four of us in the rose garden, lounging after a small picnic as I read them a whimsical story about a stuffed bear living in the woods. She chuckled as she came closer to us, causing me to look up and finally realize that my three companions had slipped off into dreamland.
"I take it you all had fun?" She asked with a motherly smile.
"They're actually quite enjoyable, not to mention adorable, I just hope I did well enough," I replied.
"If they're sleeping soundly trust me, you did an excellent job," she said, "I'm very proud of you."
Jelessia smiled as she began to levitate those precious foals up onto her back. It was clear how much she adored them and after a full afternoon together with the three of them I could see why. Lightning had to be the sweetest and most considerate colt in the history of the world and he took his job as big brother very seriously. Sky, as Lightning called her, was a bundle of energy in constant wonder of the world around her, her enthusiasm was contagious and you couldn't help but smile around her; And sweet little Cirrus Wisp had to be the best baby I had ever known. Minimal crying and whining, incredibly cute, precious, and cuddly, he was the full infant package and he was wonderful. I found myself wishing I'd had more time with them.
"Thank you Jelessia... Was this meant to be some sort of lesson on foalsitting?" I asked her.
"No dear, but the foals are an important part of any kingdom. If you give them love, hope, and kindness those qualities radiate in them and transfer to their parents, moving your citizens to put their faith and trust in you," Jelessia explained.
I was upset that I couldn't find the words to express my feelings on this topic but there simply were none. Every lesson being given within the past couple months had a direct correlation to me interacting with denizens, comforting them and being royal without seeming distant in the public eye. The importance of these lessons was lost on me and the more I tried to figure out the meaning of this odd new curriculum the more confused I became. The only aspect of this whole spectrum that I could actually interpret was that Jelessia and my parents seemed to be satisfied with my progress as of late. This fact was made very clear to me as Jelessia's voice brought me back to reality. She almost seemed sheepish as she spoke.
"You're going to be a great leader someday Marina, I know it," she said, averting her eyes. I almost asked what she meant before the slowly opening castle gates caught my eye.
Was that the crystal carriage rolling onto the castle grounds? What were the Stygians doing here? Was it already time for another royal dinner? Even if that were the case, all of the dinners for the past few years had been hosted in their kingdom lately, so why were they here? I turned once again to ask Jelessia and I saw what I can only describe as a look of pain in her eyes as hers met mine.
"I'm afraid I have to get the little ones home to their parents," she said, slowly backing away from me, "We'll continue lessons tomorrow your highness."
She teleported inside of the castle without another word, but even still I could tell that something was very wrong. All my suspicions were already pointing to the dark and mysterious Stygian family. Jelessia may be prissy and maddening at times but she was still the closest mare to an aunt I'd ever had the pleasure to know, and if these ominous steel ponies were doing something to make her uncomfortable it was my job to put an end to it. I did not care that their love doped son made my skin crawl from the feeling of being stalked that he brought on in me, I was going to get to the bottom of this odd visit and once that happened, they'd never be allowed in our home ever again.
Thinking I could slip back into the castle unnoticed to concoct my plan against the Stygians was a clear mistake. Behind me was the sound of hooves scuffling as if the victim had been nudged a bit too roughly. Obvious, deliberate hoofsteps then followed. Why was this oaf so drawn to me? I wished he would see me as unimportant as everypony else seemed to. Regardless of the disgust I felt rising in the pit of my being, I turned to greet my pursuer.
"Good evening prince Sombra. Nice of your family to come visit us," I chimed, which was met by that empty, hundred yard stare of his. This was definitely going to be a trying visit.
After staring into my eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, the flabbergasted goof finally managed to find his words.
"G-Good evening my princess," he stammered as he gave a deep bow, "I'm honored to be in your presence once again dear Marina. I hope you are doing well."
Had I heard that right? My princess? Who did this stallion think he was referring to me in the possessive? If he thought this new behavior of his was acceptable he had another thing coming.
"I have been well and I am more than happy to bless you with my presence. Yet, I feel that it would behoove you not to refer to me as if we were affiliated in any way," as I gently reprimanded him, I saw the childlike wonder leave his body.
Perhaps he would see me as cruel, but he needed to be made aware of the indecency of his actions. He stood as tall as his pride would allow him, but the defeat he felt in every fiber of his being was quite apparent.
"Of course your highness," he said, ducking his head a bit, "Anything you desire."
With a nod of approval, I left him to his own fiendish, perverted devices. Of course it was rude not to greet his parents, but they'd be joining us for dinner later. Considering that fact, I concluded that my manners were still princess perfect. Though dinner meant that this Stygian stint may last at least a day or two, they couldn't stay much longer than that without reason. They had their own kingdom to run, which meant they couldn't stay in ours forever. I could bear with them for two days if it meant an entire year of peace.
On my way up to my room I scanned every nook and cranny looking for Jelessia and the foals. Unfortunately they were nowhere in sight. I could only hope that they made it to their carriage before those little angels became frightened. The very thought of the Stygians scaring those precious babies made my blood boil. Of course the smooch-y noises my ears picked up coming from Luna's room didn't help ease my agitation at all.
For some reason she found it hilarious that Sombra was infatuated with me, and she insisted I had repressed emotional feelings for him, which made calling him my coltfriend that much more humorous to her. There was nothing more between us than annoyance on my part and lust on his. Yet the little deviant insisted that there was so much more to our relationship. She thought he was handsome enough. I don't understand why she couldn't take my place as the source of his affections... Well a 20 year old stallion dating a 13 year old filly is definitely illegal, and to be honest I don't think I’d be any happier about that situation. But why did he have to fawn over me? Luna must have seen the disdain on my face, and before I could delve any deeper into Stygian-based irritation, she was right by my side with a wide toothy grin.
“Are you going to get dressed for your coltfriend?” She asked, the freckles on her dark face scrunching with her snout as she gave me a mischievous smirk.
“I am going to get dressed for dinner and I suggest you do the same little one,” I replied with a hard stare in her direction. This time her whole face scrunched with her response.
“You’re only just now getting to be a grown up,” she said with a hint of malice, “You’re going to become a boring, grumpy old mare and he won’t want you anymore and I’ll be right there to laugh in your face.”
With that last, rather rude, remark Luna stormed off to get ready. In a way I understood the root of the anger she had been displaying lately. She was stuck doing foalish things while her two older sisters partook in what she saw as fun and exciting matured princess activities. If only she knew how little enjoyment was involved in the actual work of being a princess. She’d know soon enough. I only hoped it wouldn’t vacuum the joy from her eyes like it had to me.
Once I arrived back in my bedroom there was a box from mother sitting on my bed. Was this a gift? I walked over to it and read the note attached to the seal on the top:
My precious pearl,
I know how you tend to get when the Stygians come for visits. Your father and I promise that this visit will be a short one. That being said, I thought this small gesture might give you a bit of motivation to wear that gorgeous smile of yours for at least one evening? We love you so much Marina and I know things haven’t exactly been the same with our family life, but we appreciate every part you play in your role as princess. We just wanted to show you a bit of gratitude. I hope that this can be something you grow to treasure.
Love,
Mommy
Well that was sweet of her, I guess my efforts weren’t as wasted as I believed. Mother always gave the best gifts too, so there was no doubt in my mind that whatever she gave me would be exquisite while being more than enough motivation to muscle through a small dinner.
I used levitation to lift the lid off of the gift box and was amazed by the delightful surprise inside. There was a gorgeous periwinkle gown that fit my style perfectly. I slipped into the dress and it was nice and blousy around my upper body, but cinched itself around my waist before billowing out into elegant, flowing waves of fabric that fell like the train of a bridal gown. The dip in the back of the gown left most of my back exposed, there were rippling sleeves that fell into a delightful wrap around my knees, as well as special white gold chains in the bottom of the box that held the tops of the sleeves together on my shoulders whilst keeping them exposed. With the thick braided belt my mother also provided for me fastened around my waist, I looked like the aquatic goddess Equestria needed.
I pinned my thick flowing locks up into a regal, yet elegantly disheveled pompadour that fed into a waterfall of a romantic ponytail. After I adorned my most appropriate monarchial ornamentation, I moved toward the full length mirror at the opposite end of my quarters. The mare that stood before me was breathtaking. She looked like an otherworldly being, a mare that could rival Aurora Essência for her throne and take over with ease. Not that I would ever dream of doing that. Still, my appearance left even me wondering how one creature could look so lovely.
This was an ensemble that made me understand why Sombra stared at me with those doe eyes, I wanted to do the same. As terrible as it may sound, there were times when I found pleasure in watching him squirm in my presence with that self-reprimanding blush spreading across his face. There was some odd thrill in seeing stallions behave in any way that wasn’t stereotypically masculine around attractive females, it was definitely amusing. The obvious anger on King Bronsen’s face at the sight of his son’s uneasiness always elicited a small chuckle from me. It often felt like both of them wanted me to be part of their family. As long as I had any say over the matter that was never going to happen, and I'm sure they were aware. But, if they wanted a pretty mare to stare at then they were going to receive it in spades tonight. While leaving my room to return downstairs, I vowed to give them as little of my attention as possible during tonight’s dinner. That would be my entertainment this evening.
