30 years have passed since the death of Celestia, and Equestria is changing once more. On order from part of the Cutie Map, the Little Mane 6 go on a journey outside of Equestria's borders, to experience the land beyond Twilight Sparkle's gaze.
Mystic Amethyst is the youngest of two sisters. She and her sister Lapis Lazulight are the daughters of Empress Twilight Sparkle and Rarity Belle. Due to being born an unintentional alicorn, every waking moment of Mystic's life is agonizing due to her advanced fibromyalgia. As she grows, more magic is sapped from her body to help develop her wings and horn, and her body continues to change through the natural cycle of life.
The day she is crowned as the new Princess of Friendship is the worst day of her life, and her hatred of the title becomes obvious the longer time goes on. It doesn't help that the ponies she calls friends are also some of the most irritating ponies on the planet. But they'll have to work out their differences as they go, because a few months after Princess Mystic's coronation... she and her friends are called on a mission by the Cutie Map. The only difference is they won't be staying in Equestria; they'll be exploring the unmarked territory outside it.
If they're ready for the challenges ahead, the unforgiving lands outside Empress Twilight's gaze await their arrival with open hooves and arms.
Next Gen refs are linked on a character's name the first time they appear in the story, and are directly named. Story takes place after Breaking Free From The Stone, which places this timeline as occurring after the series finale.
Another day, and another dream... the only time where Mystic Amethyst feels like she is truly a normal pony. The mare lets out a sigh as she enters her dream, finding herself enveloped in the scent of may bells and lavender. A cool breeze blows over her chetwode blue coat, drawing the scent in another direction. She relishes in the feelings of the dream, the only thing setting her apart from her waking nightmare. The pain in her bones and muscles has dissipated, leaving her feeling as light as a feather, and she is able to see clearly.
She lifts herself to her hooves, feeling calmness absorb her body, her face finally resting neutral. She tries to recall when she fell asleep, but cannot seem to remember the details herself. One thing she was certain of was that she didn't fall asleep immediately. After taking her sleeping pills, the chances were she blacked out, and was eventually carried to sleep. Each time she awoke in a dream, she wondered if Princess Luna had put her to sleep instead, but she never thought to ask the Princess in their nightly visits.
She stared into the distance, as the wild world grew in around her. The dark green grass grew under her hooves with every step, as she walked in the direction the scent of flowers and tea was wavering. The rest of the world was black around her; not that she cared, of course. Her eyes were trained on her hooves, watching the grass sprout into existence with each step.
" Mystic. " A voice cut through the darkness, and suddenly Mystic's world was back in colour. She looked up and blinked, and the world was full. The grass spread everywhere it could reach, and trees grew in her peripheral vision. Her eyes pointed forward. A rare smile came to her lips, and her expression fully softened.
" Hey, Luna, " Mystic said. " It's been a couple of nights, sorry. Haven't been able to get much good sleep because of my bratty sis. "
" It's quite alright, Mystic. " The night princess nodded her head in the mare's direction. She turned away, stepping out of Mystic's front view, lifting a hoof to motion to a round stone table with wooden stools on both sides. On the table was a vase with lavender, slightly flowing in the breeze. On either side of the vase were two small plates with teacups. Luna hummed as she walked alongside Mystic to the table, using her magic to summon a flowery teapot, delicately painted with lavender flowers and gold accents. She poured some tea into each cup, and took her seat. Mystic had already sat down by the time Luna took her spot, and set the teapot down beside the vase.
" Your dream was very, how should I put it... 'spotty' last night, Mystic. " Luna lifted her tea cup, taking a small sip before she continued speaking. " Was something troubling you? "
" You could say that, " Mystic grumbled, pulling her tea cup and plate closer to herself, it resting barely an inch away from the edge of the table. " I don't experience many nights where my pains wake me up or keep me from falling asleep entirely. Last night was just one of those nights. The dream itself was nice, but I knew it wasn't the same because I still felt my waking pain, and that... ruined a lot. Flowers died, trees fell, my tea was bitter; you know, the kind of stuff that predates a nightmare. "
" And yet, you did not have a nightmare? " Luna blinked. Her head tilted to the side. " I do not have many experiences with these styles of dreams. Yours are especially unique in this circumstance. "
" Oh please, don't make me feel special, Princess, " Mystic laughed. Her expression showed her sarcasm easily with the way her eyes narrowed, and the corners of her smile nearly pressed against her lower eyelashes. " There's other ponies out there who have bad dreams like this too. I'm sure you could relate; mom told me a lot about some of your nightmares. "
Luna couldn't deny that she was embarrassed with the statement. " W-well, Mystic, you must understand, my situation was quite different from yours. I did not feel pain in the way you did, and it did not reflect in my dreams that way. I do not normally arise when I do sleep, for any reason. When I am awake, I am awake. I can't simply just 'go back to bed'. Ponies like you are quite lucky with the fact you can do that at all. "
" I guess so. " Mystic shrugged her shoulders as she sipped her tea.
She wasn't quite sure how to continue the conversation, which was a first for her visits with the princess. Usually they could go back and forth for hours. Maybe it was because things seemed so much more solemn this time. Their talks seldom delved into serious topics unless Mystic was very obviously struggling with something, or she was having a nightmare and was desperate for comfort. She stared at her reflection in the tea, thinking hard. A spotty dream was a cause for concern on its own... she was quite lucky that Luna didn't look into her dreams all the time.
Mystic was willing to admit that a lot of her dreams delved into dark territory. Nightmarish ponies, an apocalypse, or her own revival of ponies for selfish purposes. Often she sang in her dreams about how joyful she was to be able to bring ponies back from the dead, and create her own army of zomponies as Empress of Equestria. Luna would no doubt show some deep concern for a dream like that, and may even bring it up to Twilight. Her expression shifted in the reflection before she lifted the cup again, drinking up the last of her tea, and pushing the cup and plate to the side.
" ...I'm not excited to wake up again, Luna. " She didn't register that she had even said those words, until Luna responded.
" I am aware, " the princess nodded to the heiress before her..
" And it isn't because of the pain this time, " Mystic continued before Luna could add another response. " It's just... I'm finally going to have my coronation tomorrow. I've reached the right age, and Twilight has been talking for days about how she's so excited to host her own coronation, and that the last coronation she ever experienced was her own when she was named the true ruler of Equestria after you and Celestia retired. Well, the last one in Canterlot anyways. "
" Ah, I remember that day, " the night princess laughed, covering her mouth with her hoof to muffle the noise a little. Her forehooves rested on the table as she recalled the event. " It was disastrous. Your mother must've felt the worst embarrassment any pony in Equestria has experienced in Millenia. "
" Twilight refuses to tell me the details... Enlighten me, Princess. Just how bad was it? " A grin came to Mystic's face as she rested her elbows on the table, hooves squishing into her cheeks to make her grin even wider. " Like on a scale of one to ten. "
" Don't tell your mother I told you anything. " Luna winked to Mystic. The mare in question nodded her head, pulling herself into a proper position.
" I Pinkie Promise not to tell Twilight. Cross my heart, hope to fly... " She lifted a hoof, covering one of her eyes with it, and shutting that eye. " Stick a cupcake in my eye. "
" Haha, do make sure that you don't break that promise. Pinkie is not going to be a happy mare if she hears about it. " Luna was well aware of how seriously Pinkie took a Pinkie Promise. She could never forget how sugar water felt on her coat, and even years later she isn't sure if all of the stars in her mane are truly stars or grains of sugar. " Well, on a scale of one to ten, I would say... this event was an eight for disaster. Let me start from the beginning, just as the ceremony was beginning... "
Mystic pulled herself forward, resting her legs on the table and holding her head up with her hooves. She stared at Luna with wide, sparkling eyes. She almost looked childish like this, but it didn't seem like she cared. She eagerly awaited Luna's explanation.
" Firstly, Twilight missed her train to come to Canterlot, so no matter what happened she was going to be late, " Luna started. " And then the train was delayed, I'm still not quite sure of the reasoning behind that... And then when she arrived here, she was... to be blunt, she was an absolute mess. Frazzled coat, tangled mane and tail, she was sweaty and out of breath... " Luna couldn't suppress her snicker at the memory.
" Oh stars, now you've got me nervous about how I'm going to appear! " Mystic cackled. She could never imagine her mother looking like such a mess, but now that she had a good idea, it was the funniest thing she'd ever been told!
" I wouldn't worry, the only thing that's going to frustrate you is going to be your coronation gown, most likely, " Luna said.
" Eh, fair point... " Mystic laughed nervously. She could only imagine what Rarity had planned for her outfit. She silently prayed for herself before clearing her throat and motioning a hoof to the rhino blue princess. " Carry on, Princess! "
" Right, of course. " Luna sipped the last of her own tea, pushing her plate and cup to the side after clearing her throat. " Celestia gave a speech to the ponies and creatures gathered around, while your horn mother fretted and fussed with Twilight's coronation gown. Eventually, when my sister stopped talking and she was ready, Twilight came out to be crowned. Aaand then promptly... tripped on her dress. "
Luna jumped with surprise from how loud Mystic had began laughing. It echoed through the empty air around the two ponies. Luna had never properly experienced a laugh this big and loud out of Mystic, but it sure was a nice sight. It took a few minutes before Mystic's laughter and gasping breaths gradually calmed. The mare wiped tears from her eyes, and sniffed, while Luna still had to blink and shake her head to process what she was seeing.
" Sweet Celestia, that is the funniest thing I've ever heard about my mom to date! " Mystic made herself laugh a little again just thinking about it. " And that's totally something that would happen to her, of course it is! "
" Yes, it is the very 'Typical Twily' thing to do, " Luna hummed with laughter herself. " And, get this, the second after Celestia and I fuse both of our crowns together to create Twilight's new crown, a spider crawls out of her sash and sits on her wing! And then, she gets pestered by butterflies and hummingbirds before we can even put the crown on her! "
" Oh, my Celestia, quit! " Mystic cackled again, her stomach beginning to hurt from her laughter. A wide smile overtook the night princess's face as she continued.
" After that, a few of our royal swans were supposed to put Twilight's crown on her, while the Wonderbolts and Rainbow Dash were meant to put on a little show, " Luna continued, clearly trying not to laugh. " Apparently, Rainbow Dash missed her cue and the others took off without her, starting the show a bit early. Then, the fireworks went off and startled the swans, so Twilight and the crown went over the edge of the balcony. She was lucky she caught herself! "
" Jeeeez, talk about a disaster! " Mystic wiped a few more tears from her face, her laughter coming out as happy hums instead now. " Are you sure this doesn't land at a ten on the scale? "
" Well, to make things worse, " Luna continued the story. " The ponies below were supposed to share a toast, and the waiters were late on sending the drinks out. Worse than that, when they did serve the drinks right then, they weren't even drinks! They filled up the glasses of every pony with applesauce! "
" What?! " Mystic snorted with laughter as she tipped back in the stool, kicking her hindlegs in the air. " Oh Celestia, make it stop, this is unbearable! "
Luna herself erupted with laughter. The entire event was the single worst event they'd ever had to go through, and it figures that Twilight would be the one as the center of attention and embarrassment for it. The laughter of the two ponies filled the air, and Luna eventually calmed as tiredness spread through her body.
" Hah, my, that memory brings so much joy. I remember it as though it were yesterday. I'm surprised Celestia didn't find it as funny as I do, " Luna said through chuckles, before becoming aware of the brightening sky in their dreamscape.
" Ah, is mom raising the sun already..? " Mystic said, staring up at the sky and calming her laughter.
" It would appear so. " Luna pointed a hoof to the sky. Even in this dream, time still changed the same. The sun was beginning to change the sky from purple, to orange, to blue as it rose up into the air. " Be sure to tell your mother that you had a good dream, Mystic. Oh, and tell both her and your sister that I said hello. "
" If I don't feel too horrible, then I will, " Mystic said as she hopped to her hooves, walking alongside the table to Luna's seat as she too stood up. " I'll see you in my dream tomorrow, probably. "
" And you'll see me at the coronation. " Luna smiled at the mare as she leaned down, sharing a short hug with the heiress. Mystic's normal demeanor returned once she pulled away, staring up at Luna with cold eyes, and her typical frown.
" Try to put a smile on for your subjects, " Luna reminded her, earning an eye roll in response.
" Yeah yeah, smile and wave... I know. " Mystic scraped her hoof on the ground, lowering her head as she closed her eyes. " Tell Rarity not to put me in something too long or too flowy, okay? "
" I'll talk to the designers, don't worry, " Luna hummed joyfully. " Your horn mother isn't in charge of this, so I wouldn't worry too hard. "
Light engulfed the surroundings as Mystic was slowly awoken from her dream. As her world went white, she sighed in relief at the thought that maybe she wouldn't be so uncomfortable at her ceremony. She let her body relax a final time on the ground, waiting to wake up in her bed. ...
Of course, the discomfort of being in a dress would be nothing compared to the immense pain that thrashed around in her body as she was brought back to reality. That all-too-familiar buzz in her horn and wings was ever so strong, making her head feel fuzzy. Her body was shaky as she woke and lifted herself from her mattress. Her back popped as she stretched, and she felt as though she had been sleeping for a thousand moons. Her ears perked as she heard knocking at the door, and turned her head to face it so her voice could be properly heard.
" I'm up! I'm up... what do you want? " That low hiss had returned to her voice, showcasing her pain for all living ponies to hear, if they chose to pay attention.
" Sorry, did my knocking wake you Mystic? " Ah, it was Rarity at the door. " I hope not... I just wanted to come see if you were willing to come to breakfast with your mother and I, and Lapis. I decided to make brunch this morning, and I was hoping that you would eat with us for a change, due to your coronation being today? "
Right, Mystic almost forgot about that right away. Her coronation is today, she's going to have the Princess title for once. Fantastic... She sighed, and facehoofed herself, deciding to respond after a brief silence as she rubbed sleep from her eyes.
" Gimme a minute to take my pills and I'll be down, " Mystic finally replied.
" We'll be waiting, dear! I'll try to keep your food warm! " Rarity said back as she trotted away from the door, her hoofsteps becoming lighter and lighter the further away she went.
Mystic grumbled as she dragged herself into her personal bathroom, using her magic to drag a stool across the floor in front of the sink and mirror. She hopped on top of it and sat down, staring at herself. She still looked as tired as ever, but her hair was a lot nicer than it typically was. It didn't take much effort to brush it out, making it silky smooth once more. She pulled a hair tie out of the drawer, tying back up her usual bun and using her magic to fluff it out. She shook her head, moving her hair around and making sure that it was all straight. Well, if she was going to look like a mess like Twilight did at her coronation, she at least wanted to take in her natural 'beauty' before then.
She yawned, stretching out her body again as she brushed her teeth, and filled up a glass with water. She took a deep breath as she popped a pill in her mouth, and drank the entire glass of water to push it down into her stomach. The pain would dull soon enough, hopefully before the coronation began. She stared into her pill bottle. She was getting low again. It was hard to believe that it had almost been an entire week since her last visit to the hospital. She made a mental note to pay them a visit after the coronation so she could get a refill.
" Mystiiic! " Twilight sang out from downstairs, making Mystic groan from her impatience.
" Coming, motheeer! '' Mystic overemphasized the word as she trotted out of the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind her.
She headed to her door, throwing it open and stepping into the hall. She practically slammed the door shut the second that she was outside, and pranced through the hallway to get to the staircase. She trotted down the stairs, letting out a yawn and feeling her tail bump each step on the way down.
She rubbed her eyes as she reached the bottom of the stairs, her hooves clicking against the crystalline floor of the castle and echoing across every wall in the open space. She hated how open the dining room was, but god forbid she be allowed to eat in the comfort of her room. She mumbled in frustration as she got to the table, and took a seat alongside Lapis Lazulight, her sister who was facedown in her pancakes, shoving as much as she could down her throat. She barely took notice of the fact that Mystic was even here.
" Can you have a little decency, Laz? " Mystic grumbled, putting her hooves up on the table.
" Nope, " was Lapis's response when she pulled her head up, mouth cartoonishly larger than usual from the mass amount of pancakes in her mouth. Mystic shuddered. The sound of speaking with a full mouth, and the sight of someone speaking with a full mouth was enough to make her lose her appetite, but she could force herself to eat if she had to. She simply tried to pretend that Lapis wasn't even at the table right now. It's okay, Mystic, Lapis is just screaming her lungs out at karaoke with her friends, she's not shoving pancakes down her throat as fast as possible while eating with you and your moms. Yeah, that's convincing. She hoped her thoughts could buy her time to get hungry again.
" It's so nice to have you joining us this time around, Mystic, " Rarity said happily. She lifted her fork and knife off the table, cutting into her eggs and picking them up with her fork. She folded a piece of bacon and stuck it on the fork as well, but not before dipping it in a little bit of syrup. " I made you an egg and cheese sandwich, and a few pancakes just like the rest of us. There's also some bacon still left if you want to make your sandwich a little more... extravagant. " The white mare giggled as she pushed her fork into her mouth, biting off her breakfast skewer.
" Thanks, " Mystic hummed as she pulled one of the bread slices off to get to work.
She took 3 pieces of bacon off the extra plate, and put them on top of the slice of cheese on the sandwich. She even picked up one of her pancakes, and put it in the sandwich. It was only a little bigger than the bread, it would be fine. She put the slice back on top, and took a big bite from it. Once she had chewed and swallowed it down, a small smile came to her face.
" That's not bad, actually, " Mystic said. " The eggs taste better this time around. "
" Oh, I helped Rarity with that part! " Twilight waved her hoof. She had been mostly quiet, eating her own food. Half her plate was already gone. As she spoke, she was buttering one of her slices of toast, and putting some zap apple jam on it. " We noticed that when we scramble your eggs, you like putting salt and pepper on them, so when she was cooking on the stove, I suggested she cook salt and pepper directly in the egg, and it turned out great! "
" Oooh yeah, this is a keeper, " Mystic chuckled as she took another bite. " Definitely gonna do the egg-cheese-bacon-pancake thing again. This shit is good. "
" Language at the table, miss! " Rarity's tone was somewhat stern, but she had a sweet smile on her face. " Sorry mother, " Mystic rolled her eyes, keeping a smile of her own. It was nice sitting at the table and eating with her family for once... maybe she should consider it more often.
Once breakfast was over, every pony was preparing themselves to leave for the coronation. Mystic felt her stomach churning and her thoughts rolling as she waited for her parents to be done. Her pain hadn't lessened so far, and these feelings were only making everything much worse than they would be for normal ponies. She held her stomach with one hoof, taking slow and deep breaths to try and calm herself down. While she was trying to calm down, Lapis noticed her struggle, and walked over.
"You doing okay, sis?" She said, putting her hoof on Mystic's back.
"Fine," Mystic said, lifting her head and looking at her sister. "Just the usual."
"You did take your meds, right?" Lapis tilted her head to the side, concern coming to her face.
"Of course I did," Mystic seemed to hiss. "They just haven't had the time to really take effect."
"They will before we get the ceremony going," Lapis tried to reassure her. "And if they don't, we can always pay a visit to the doctor and see if he says anything new."
"If we can afford it," Mystic scoffed, finally pushing Lapis's hoof off with her wing.
"Of course we can!" Lapis raised her head, eyes wide with surprise. "We're royalty, they practically give us these things that they make the ponies in PonyVille pay for, for free!"
"And they shouldn't," Mystic spat. "I'm being given the best possible treatments for this stupid condition and it's still done nothing for me, I'm wasting my time and energy getting 'free' supplements that don't even work. If they can't even heal a royal pony for free, they have no right to charge so much money to the lower classes for medicines that are even less effective."
"What are you girls arguing about?" Twilight said as she walked in the room, her eyebrows knitted together but her expression still mostly neutral.
Mystic had opened her mouth to speak, but Lapis quickly threw one of her wings over her sister's muzzle to shut her up. Mystic grumbled in annoyance from the mare's action, hoping she wouldn't be coughing up feathers later.
"Oh nothing!" Lapis laughed nervously. "She's just nervous about the coronation!"
"Oh, why don't be dear!" Rarity walked to Mystic and nuzzled her cheek. Lapis stepped back and folded her wing back on her back while she watched the two.
"It's going to be fine," Twilight added to Rarity's comment. "I know that you've been putting this off for a few years, but trust me, Mystic, there's a reason for this. Regardless of whether or not you accept it, you are a princess. No pony is going to see you as any different because of your wings and horn, and I know you hate hearing me say it, but it's true."
"I know it is," Mystic grumbled, her wings fluttering with discomfort. "I just wish it wasn't."
"Well, there isn't much we can do about it," Rarity said sadly. "If it were only up to me, I would've had those little pain simulators removed a long time ago, but you're an adult and it is your decision whether you keep them."
"And we already know you want to keep them," Twilight said. "When I first got my wings, I honestly wanted nothing more than to have them gone. I didn't feel worthy enough to be a princess, and I couldn't stand sleeping with my wings. I had the hardest time adjusting to them, but you've had them your whole life."
"And they've caused me nothing but pain," Mystic reminded her. "I want to keep these cursed things, I really do, but honestly I really do wish I took Cherry's advice back then and got rid of them."
"You already know the risks of removing your wings, Mystic," Twilight said. "I... I wouldn't want to lose one of my children for the slightest chance of recovery."
"And neither would I," Rarity said softly.
"Yeah yeah I know," Mystic huffed, fluttering her wings, getting lost in her thoughts.
An awkward silence filled the room. Twilight and Rarity glanced at eachother, and Lapis lifted a hoof. She either wanted to speak or wanted to comfort Mystic, but she then lowered her hoof.
"Well," Twilight cleared her throat. "We really should, um, get going! We don't have all day and the coronation is due to start soon."
"Oh, yes, Twilight is right!" Rarity gently thumped her own head with her hoof. "We should be going, lest we be late!"
"Hooray..." Mystic grumbled, turning around and pushing the door open with her hooves.
She couldn't be bothered to use her magic right now, and she didn't even want to to begin with. She pushed open the door with her hoof, headed outside, and waited for her family to exit. Twilight made sure that the door was locked with one of her spells before she began leading the way down the road. Mystic was upset at herself that she couldn't cancel the coronation again, but it wasn't her fault; it was a surprise, she didn't know preparations were already starting. In previous years, they had told her they were working on the coronation, and she canceled it, demanding that a new event be put in place so things like food wouldn't go to waste. Now, she had no choice but to face the reality of the situation, and she despised it.
She sighed, hopefully making it known how unhappy she was. Her parents had always known that she didn't want to be a princess, but maybe Twilight was right. She just had to accept that this was her destiny as an alicorn. Twilight was forced to be an alicorn too, so she heard. She supposed it caught up to everypony at some point. Rarity was a princess too by extension, as she was married to Twilight. Technically, Lapis would be a princess too, if only she hadn't had to remove her horn. Mystic glanced at her sister, who was too focused on looking at the scenery in the street. Mystic didn't get her wonder and joy out of this place; she had just become too bored with her surroundings.
Mystic lifted her head, deciding to appear a bit more presentable. She knew this area was where the most traffic came through, and she didn't want to look any more miserable than she already did. She glanced from the corners of her eyes, often seeing ponies walking past that were looking at them. They seemed excited for the coronation too, smiling at her and waving. She could barely be bothered to lift her wing to wave back, it just fluttered pathetically on her back. She took a deep breath, taking a moment to enjoy the freshness of the air outside for a change. She tried not to think negatively, but it was... difficult. She looked up, seeing Twilight waving and mouthing hellos to ponies on the street, and she could only assume Rarity was doing the same. She didn't bother to look.
She looked up to the sky, seeing very few pegasi glide through the air and destroy what little clouds were in the sky. One such cloud had covered the sun. It was kicked out of the way as Mystic looked up. She covered her eyes with her wing as the bright sunlight shone down on her and the world around.
Maybe it was supposed to be a symbol of hope for her, but at the moment she could only think about how much the sun hurt her eyes. She felt pain shock through her body, making her shudder. She felt her hairs stand on their edges, giving her an uncomfortable feeling for a few minutes as she returned to normal walking.
Eventually, her body relaxed again, but she could still faintly feel her heart beating. It was slow, and dull, but it would beat hard. She could feel it pause in the middle of the beat; she had no idea what it was doing. She distracted herself by thinking about how the pony bodies worked. It helped keep her entertained as it was one of the things that she actually bothered to care about. By the time she came back to reality, they weren't far from Canterlot Castle, and Mystic was dreading going inside once again. Twilight opened the door and held it for them as they walked inside. Mystic looked back at her mom with discomfort in her eyes.
"Do I really have to do this?" Mystic asked.
"Yes," Twilight said, patting her daughter on the back. "You'll be fine, just go with Rarity and she'll start working on your coronation gown. Lapis and I will be in the main room waiting for you."
"Whatever," Mystic huffed as she walked down the hall to follow the fashion pony, who was already leaving.
Mystic walked in silence with her mom, and just faintly heard Lapis and Twilight chatting in the background before they left too. Rarity took Mystic into one of the smaller rooms of the castle, the one that had been made specifically for her to design in. As the head designer and the wife of the Empress, she was allowed to have her own space, and hers was completely full. It was like an exact copy of her designing studio in the Carousel Boutique, a building that Mystic hadn't been to since Rarity passed the shop, and its work, on to Yona and Sandbar.
"Come here, Mystic!" Rarity waved her hoof to alert her daughter. "We need to get your measurements just right. You've grown just a tiny bit since we last checked."
"Uh-huh," Mystic said flatly as she walked over.
She and Rarity said nothing as Rarity pulled out her measuring tape, and went straight to work. Occasionally Rarity broke the silence to tell Mystic to turn her head, lift her legs, spread her wings, or just to stand still. Mystic was unbelievably bored; it felt like she had been there for hours already, and she was not a fan. Eventually though, Rarity did finally get done with her measurements. As it turned out, she already had been making Mystic's gown since the first canceled coronation, but as Mystic had grown, she needed to adjust it to fit her now.
Mystic was eventually shoved into the gown for testing. It was a white layered dress that faded into a deep, dark periwinkle as it passed the back legs, and Mystic flinched each time a light glinted off the white sequins made to look like stars. The edge of the dress trailed behind her by at least a foot, and a few of the layers were tied behind her with bows. The sleeves were loose fitting and made with lace, though they only went down to the first bend in her leg. Mystic had wished the collar was higher, as it came straight down to the space just under her chest, exposing a majority of her white fluff.
It was somewhat difficult to squeeze her wings through the gaps in the dress, but she did manage and they rested comfortably on her back. Rarity made a few last minute adjustments, pulling the gown down further behind her and pulling the front up just a little more.
"The gown itself looks divine indeed!" Rarity squealed with delight. "Now, we just have a few accessories to add on. I'll try not to overdo your hair, as it still needs to fit the crown."
"Woah woah woah," Mystic lifted her hooves and waved them before her before Rarity could do anything. "Hey, I know I'm supposed to look presentable here, but you do not touch my hair."
"I don't mean to offend you, dear," Rarity began. "I do love that little hairstyle of yours. But we need to at least re-style it a little! You need to look more... regal, and not so casual. Your subjects will want to see a pretty hairstyle with your pretty dress!"
"You say that like my hair isn't 'pretty' enough for you," Mystic mocked her. "There's nothing wrong with my hair, and if I want to style it, I can do so myself."
"Mystic, I know you're stubborn, but one way or another this needs to be done," Rarity insisted. "I already fixed up your tail a little so it wouldn't look awkward underneath the dress, now something must be done about your mane."
"I said I'm not fucking changing it," Mystic hissed. "It is my mane, and I decide what to do with it. If you want it styled so badly, then just show me where everything is and I'll do it myself."
"Oh, I suppose it can't be helped," Rarity sighed as she gave in to the mare's irritation. "You can use the vanity over by the door, darling. I'll look through my own things and see what I can do for a few extra accessories to really make your outfit shine!"
"Have fun," Mystic said blankly as she walked to the vanity, and sat down.
She looked at herself in the mirror, already hating her appearance. She hated having to be pretty, but she hated that resting bitch face she always had more. She took a breath, sitting up straight and opening her eyes just a little more than usual. She tried to get that scowl off her face, and she had to admit she looked slightly better, but the effort of keeping this up just might kill her. She'd have to get used to smiling really quick before the coronation.
She shook her head, deciding not to focus on looks right now and instead focus on what she was going to do with her hair. She took her bun out, using her magic to teleport the hair tie back to her room at home. She sifted through the drawers and found a pearl hair tie. It looked pretty enough to her. She decided to grab the rest of her side mane, and rolled it up into a ball with the hair that would usually make up her bun. She tied it up with the hair tie, and fluffed it out between her ears, using some hairspray in the hopes it would all stay together. It was a start, she had to admit, but she still had a ways to go. She moved her head around to make sure that the new bun wouldn't fall apart, and she was lucky it was all staying together so far. She just had to figure out what to do with the front part of her mane.
She idly played with the hair while she thought of what to do, and eventually settled on splitting it up. She moved her mane to either side of her head, and curled each side up around her ears in somewhat of a loop that tied at the bottom with a few white clips that were on the vanity already. She didn't like how it looked that much, but she could spruce it up. She used the hair spray to make sure her hair would stay where it was, and she looked through the drawers again. She found a few sets of pearls within the drawers, and thought it would be a good idea to use them while she knew they existed. She took a few of them out and set them on the vanity. She hummed softly as she picked up one of the pearls, and examined it; it looked real to her. Much more real than the smile she was planning to wear...
She fit the pearl into her mane, and made a few lines of them along the split she had made that went to her ears. She put two loops of the pearls into the makeshift bun she had put up. There were two pearls left, and she carefully decided to attach them above her eyes like makeshift piercings. She looked pretty sparkly, and she hoped that Rarity would be happy with her appearance. She decided that she had done enough work, and stepped off the seat that was at the vanity.
"H-hey mom, I finished up," She said nervously. She was silently hoping that Rarity wasn't planning on dolling her up with make-up. She couldn't stand this look as is, and she didn't want to wash off later.
"Did you now?" Rarity turned around to look at her daughter, and her eyes sparkled. "Oh my, Mystic, those pearls look absolutely dazzling on you! And your hair is so pretty! Now where did you get that style from?"
"I just made it up," Mystic said with a shrug. "I don't read fashion magazines like you do."
"Well, my, that hairstyle is one even Photo Finish would have died for in her prime!" Rarity said with a joyful laugh. "If she weren't already retired, she would be snapping dozens of photos of your fabulous hair at every moment in this coronation!"
"Mom, I'm anxious enough," Mystic laughed nervously, and coughed into one of her wings. "I'm just glad you don't think it looks stupid. Now, what else do we have to do?"
"Oh! Right, of course," Rarity hummed as she lifted a few accessories with her magic. "I just had this absolutely gorgeous necklace I wanted you to wear. They call it a 'bib' necklace, it's a special type of neckwear that has multiple strings in appearance, but it all comes from the same strand! This one in particular I designed, I wanted it to match your gown so I tried to add a lovely purple fade along each strand."
"It looks pretty fancy," Mystic said as she picked up the necklace from Rarity using her own magic.
She slid the necklace on, just managing to fit it over her bun. It hung loosely over her figure, somewhat obscuring the exposed fluff. She deeply appreciated that.
"Doesn't it look beautiful?" Rarity said, tears in her eyes. "Oh, I'm so happy you finally get to wear this dress! I've waited years to see you in it!"
"I figured you'd make me a dress right away, and I wasn't wrong," Mystic hummed, actually bringing a smile to her face. "Well, is this all that I'm wearing? I'd be happy if it was."
"Other than your crown, I do think this will be all!" Rarity clapped her hooves. "And the crown should fit comfortably with that hairstyle, so I wouldn't worry. We should get going, all your friends are already waiting to see you crowned!"
"Oh, great." Mystic laughed, her smile stretching up to her ears despite her lips quivering.
She wasn't happy at all, but she did her best not to act nervous as she walked through the door. She could already feel her head spinning. She was not excited for her friends to see her in this stupid fucking outfit. She knew the second that she was out of the public eye she hoped to teleport the dress far enough away that even Rarity couldn't find it, and as for the pearls and her hair? She was sure she could shake it out like a dog would when its fur gets wet.
She took a deep breath, feeling her wings quivering on her back. She swallowed hard, feeling her head buzz as nervous sparks of magic wanted to break free from her horn and give her what little relief they could manage. She refused to let those sparks escape and make disaster befall her. She held her head high as she followed Rarity to the room that held the balcony where she would address her subjects. She heard Twilight speaking, and knew it was almost her turn. Her nerves threatened to make tears spill from her eyes, but she blinked quickly and felt the wells calming down again. She refused to give them time to spill.
She sighed, and forced her shoulders to relax. She hoped her coronation wouldn't be as embarrassing as Twilight's.
"Citizens of Equestria!" Twilight had begun, speaking over the balcony to the creatures below.
Ponies, dragons, griffins, hippogriffs, yaks, changelings, and everything in between were gathered below. As Twilight began to speak, the crowd broke out in a cacophony of cheering and good words for the empress. She was surprised with the amount of support, still not quite used to it even now. She silently wondered if Celestia and Luna had ever felt like this. She glanced back behind her, seeing Luna and Cadance on either side of her, standing in the doorway. Luna gave her an approving nod, and Cadance echoed the nod alongside the night princess. Twilight swallowed her nerves so she could face the crowd again.
"We have had a rough time in these last few years," She said as the crowd calmed. "With the war and the death of Princess Celestia, things have been very hard for us all. The cycle of day and night does not quite feel the same, but today I would like to remedy this despair, to bring forth hope and harmony to every creature! This day has been very long coming, and for years I have tried to make this happen. While we have been set back before, we have finally achieved something to be grateful for, something that will give us the hope we need for our future!"
Once more the crowd broke out in cheers. Twilight could almost hear the excited buzzing of the wings few of the creatures had. She couldn't help but laugh as they screamed their cheers and flew around in circles and loops. She heard the doors down the hall open, and she turned as the mares of the hour finally came in. Her daughter Mystic, and her wife Rarity. She was surprised to see Mystic in such regality; she was sure that she denied it like mad. She had expected her to decline the gown and wear the guard uniform she was so used to, but regardless, she looked beautiful. Twilight smiled at her, and did not feel hurt when Mystic didn't smile back. The mare instead lowered her ears and head, and looked to the side with flushed cheeks. She knew her daughter too well; this was going to be hard. She turned again to speak to the crowd outside.
"This event is going to leave a mark for us all," She said. "For the first time in several decades, we have a new princess that you all may look to. She will inspire, and bring hope to us all." She could hear Mystic growl behind her, but she ignored it. "From this day forth, we have a new Princess of Friendship to take my place. As I am the Empress now, I cannot handle these duties as well as before, but now she may instead take my duties forth."
She heard Mystic bite back an argument against Rarity as she was shoved forth. Twilight stepped out of the way, allowing Mystic to step forth as she finalized the event.
"Citizens of Equestria, please welcome Princess Mystic Amethyst, the new Princess of Friendship!" Twilight announced before Mystic could peek over the railing.
As Mystic finally stepped onto the balcony, allowing the creatures around to see her in full view, the screaming cheers of around were even more deafening than when Twilight had stood on the balcony herself. She would've joined them if only she wasn't directly beside her. She patted Mystic's back as she lifted the silver tiara specially made for her daughter in her magic. Mystic stared her in the eyes, the emotions buried within her pupils a chaotic mess, but Twilight knew Mystic was not happy to be here. Not happy about the dress, or the hairstyle, the cheers of the crowd, the speech she was soon to give, or even the title of princess.
"You'll be fine," Twilight assured her, and kissed her forehead as she lowered the tiara onto Mystic's head, ensuring that it held in her hair and rested on her head.
"Sure," Mystic mumbled, a hiss clearly lodged in her throat.
"Trust me. Now talk to them," Twilight gently nudged the mare, deciding to ignore Mystic's death glare for now. Mystic took a deep breath as she put her hooves up on the balcony, her horn ever faintly glowing as she used her magic to properly project her voice.
"Citizens of Equestria," She began just as Twilight did. Her eyes cast around the crowd, happy they hadn't interrupted her with cheering. She forced a smile, but only Twilight could tell it was forced; no pony else knew her daughter like she did. "To be fully honest, I'm still not sure about this whole 'princess' thing, but since I have the title now, i-it's in my best interest to try and live up to it to the fullest extent. I'm not a pony who's going to force myself to do good when I know it isn't possible, and I'm bound to make mistakes. But, my family believes in me, and their legacy will help me be able to accomplish great things on my own. Their mistakes and their lessons will help me with my own mistakes and my own lessons. From this day and onwards, I can change further. Few of you know who I really am deep down. Rude, snappy, and blunt, yeah I've heard it all before, but maybe this 'princess' thing has a chance to change that. Every creature here can help me change too."
The crowd broke out in cheers again, and Twilight could imagine how hard Mystic's heart was beating now as her ears pressed back. The chetwode blue mare looked back at Twilight with glossy eyes, clearly on the verge of tears induced by her anxiety. Twilight could only offer a comforting nod, not wanting to interrupt her speech. Mystic took a deep breath and sighed before she faced the crowd again.
"I know it's an adjustment for us all," Mystic finally continued, horn sparking again. "And I've really been holding things off because of school and other personal matters, but I'm not going to deny my place any further. With you all as my subjects, I don't expect you to look at me like I'm some god or greater being. At the very least, I want to earn the respect that you'd give to my family. I don't care about being regal and royal, I care about my subjects, and I just want you all to care about me the same."
Mystic pulled her hooves from the railing to signal the end of her speech. When she did so, the crowd erupted in joyous bellows. She turned, and began to walk away, her body clearly shaking. Twilight chose to follow her, the empty balcony being the signal of the ceremony's end. Fireworks burst in the sky outside, and Mystic's name rang out amongst the cheering creatures.
"Are you alright?" Twilight asked her as they walked together.
"Fine," Mystic grumbled, her nervousness still in her voice. Few tears slipped down her face, which were caught and wiped away by Twilight's wing. "But you know that was a load of bullshit, right? Everything I said?"
"Maybe it was," Twilight said with a shrug. "Maybe it wasn't. Maybe you were speaking from the heart and you don't know it yet. You'll be a fine princess, just don't stress about it."
"Too late for that," Mystic said with a sigh. "Every creature in Equestria and my friends have seen me look the stupidest today, and they'll never let me forget it. I'll remember this for the rest of my life, even if they don't pester me with reminders."
"You could've not worn the dress," Twilight hummed.
"I didn't want Rarity to feel bad," Mystic shook her head, flinging the pearls in her mane all over the floor. Her hair very quickly fell apart, falling in waves around her body as they always did. She put her bun back up as she kept speaking. "She already had the dress made, and I think my armor needs adjustments anyways. Can I please take this thing off so that I can be re-fitted?"
"Alright," Twilight sighed. "We planned to have you walk amongst the crowd with your dress on and give you time to meet with your subjects, but your comfort is more important. If you don't feel comfortable in the dress, you can take it off."
"Oh thank fucking god!" Mystic sighed with relief as she tore the dress off over her head. Luckily she didn't rip it and only turned it inside out. Her magic flashed as she teleported it to god knows where, hopefully far from Canterlot, and her horn continued to glow while she fixed her tail. When she was done, her magic fizzled out and she rubbed her head.
"I am never wearing a dress again," Mystic hissed. She sat on the floor, rubbing her temples with her forehooves. "Fuck, ow..."
"Is your head hurting?" Rarity stepped over when she noticed Mystic rubbing her head.
"Everything is hurting," Mystic hissed. "My meds are wearing off, so I feel like I'm on fucking fire."
"Calm down the swearing, please," Twilight asked gently. "Now, Rarity, you can give her some low-dose pills, just two will be fine. Any more and it might conflict with what's already in her system. Get her to take them, and then take her down to see Tempest Shadow so she can get her armor re-fitted. She wants to wear it instead of the dress while she walks through the crowd."
"Ah, her medicine is wearing off, that explains the attitude." Rarity nodded her head. "Are you and the other princesses going to busy the crowd?"
"Yes, we'll keep them busy until Tempest brings Mystic out," Twilight said with a smile.
"Oh, Twilight, I've been meaning to ask as well..." Rarity drew circles on the floor with her hoof. "Where is Flurry Heart? Princess Skyla was able to make it to the coronation today, and we know how she is with Mystic. Why didn't Cadance bring Flurry?"
"I can explain," Princess Cadance overheard the conversation, and stepped over to join the small crowd of ponies. "Flurry Heart took an oath that she won't leave the Crystal Empire unless it's an emergency situation. She has a big fear of disaster in the kingdom, and we'd rather not force her to come if it puts her comfort in jeopardy. It's alright though, we can ask some of the photographer and filmmaker ponies if they have pictures and video of the event. We can bring copies of those back for her to see."
"Oh, I see," Twilight said with a chuckle. "If I was in her place, I would probably just be too paranoid to leave. I hope she's doing alright running the kingdom without you, Shining, or Skyla there. Is Earthquake there as well?"
"No," Cadance shook her head. "According to Skyla, he lives in PonyVille. She doesn't elaborate very much on the details."
"Mom, can we leave please?" Mystic tapped Rarity's shoulder as irritation flared in her eyes and she returned to her hooves. "I don't want to interrupt your gossip, but my wings are heavier than steel balls right now, and I'd rather get my shit together before I go to prison for attacking someone."
"Right, right," Rarity waved her hoof. "Apologies everypony, but Mystic's medicine is wearing off, so we need to give her some light painkillers. She's asked for her armor to be re-fitted as well. We'll return once we're done, you can meet us outside."
"Understood," Cadance nodded to the fashionista. "And Mystic, please don't destroy anything?"
"No promises," Mystic hissed. She spun on her hooves and walked to the door with heavy hoofsteps. "Let's pray to god I don't."
Cadance sighed, turning and making her own way to the staircase leading outside. Twilight kissed Rarity on the cheek before following Cadance. Rarity quickly trotted to catch up to Mystic, and patted her on the back as gently as she could once she caught up. She wanted to provide her some form of comfort while they went down the hall, on their way to visit General Tempest Shadow...
As the ponies walked down the hall, Mystic lifted her crown with her magic and threw it off to the side. When its edge collided with the wall, it disappeared in a flash of bright teal sparkles. The fading sparkles showed that the crown had only teleported to Mystic's magic pocket dimension, and not been destroyed. Rarity sighed as the last of the sparkles vanished into the air.
"Why, you remind me of Twilight when she first became a princess," Rarity said to start a conversation.
"Do I?" Mystic looked at Rarity with a raised eyebrow. "How so?"
"Well, she hated wearing her crown," Rarity chuckled. "Despite being a princess, she never wanted to be treated as one. Hated being called Princess Twilight, was not a fan of the crown, and she could barely handle when your everyday ponies would call her Her Highness! You've already shown your extreme... dislike of princesshood, and discarding your crown is something Twilight had done before as well."
"She was nicer about it I bet," Mystic snorted. "It doesn't seem like she'd get irritated over it like I do."
"Well, that is true," Rarity said. "But, I digress. You've never once shown interest in being a princess, even though you are the rightful heir to the Equestrian throne. Despite whatever I or Twilight might say, it seems like you just... hate the idea. Despise it, one might say."
"Because I do!" Mystic snapped, her wings flaring out on either side of her. "If I liked the thought of being a fucking princess, do you think I would've canceled your yearly coronation attempts a hundred times? It took you 15 years to finally get me crowned, and Twilight had her coronation the day she earned her wings!"
"Twilight was... a different situation," Rarity mused quietly. "She earned her wings, so she was destined to be a princess from that day forth. You were born an alicorn just like Lapis and just like Flurry Heart. Ponies like Scarlet and Skyla had to earn their wings, they were not worthy from birth. You and Lapis, however, are different. Even though Lapis no longer has her horn, she is still a princess from birth, it is only official once we have your coronations. Despite your dislike of the title, you were born with it, darling."
"Fantastic," Mystic grumbled, her ears pinning back against her mane and head hovering a foot off the ground. "So basically what you're saying is even if I canceled my coronation forever, I'd still be fucked?"
"Well, I would not put it so vulgarly..." Rarity laughed nervously. "But essentially, yes, you could not avoid the title forever. Alicorns from birth are naturally royal, regardless of their lineage. Why, do you think Twilight was born into a royal family?"
"No," Mystic sighed, rubbing her head. "But when you think about it, she was royalty the day her brother got married to that crystal princess."
"Yes yes, your aunt-in-law Cadance," Rarity hummed, swishing her tail. "You know, you could have just an ounce of respect by using her name."
"I always forget," Mystic said with an eye roll. "It's not like I see her everyday."
"Still, she is your family," Rarity spoke with a firm tone. "If you had to ask for her name in front of the other ponies back there, that would've been quite embarrassing."
"Okay I get it!" Mystic groaned, lifting her head and picking up her pace to out-trot Rarity. "I'll be more 'respectful'. Now, can we change the fuckin' topic? I'm sick of talking about all this royalty and princess shit."
"Alright alright, please calm down," Rarity said gently as she sped up to catch up with Mystic. "I won't push you any further, darling. We'll get your medicine and we'll go see Tempest. I'm sure you'll be much happier then, right?"
"Much happier," Mystic emphasized, passing a brief glare to the white unicorn. When she blinked, her expression softened, and she faced the hallway ahead of her again.
Though she seemed slightly more relaxed now, irritation still flickered in Mystic's pupils, and she didn't slow her pace. Her focus was back on the task at hand. With each moment her hooves collided with the ground, Mystic could feel her heart beat, and waves of agony wash over her body like the waves of a high tide. She hated being able to feel her own heartbeat; it made her incredibly uncomfortable. It was one of the few things that she hated just slightly more than her pains. She slowed her pace, lifting a hoof to her chest over her heart.
"Are you alright?" Rarity slowed down, and moved to stand in front of Mystic to stop their walk.
"I'm fine," Mystic huffed. "I can just... feel my heart beating."
"Does it hurt?" Worry etched its way into Rarity's tone. She stepped forth, resting a hoof over Mystic's, and blinking rapidly.
"No," Mystic said. "It just... makes me uncomfortable, y'know. I can't tell if it's anxiety, a sign I'm gonna get sick, or part of this stupid condition. Whatever it is, I am not a huge fan."
"Well, if your condition is the cause, the medicine should help," Rarity said with a small smile. She moved to stand by Mystic once again. "Come now darling, the room is just up ahead. If you'd like to sit down, I'll let you. I'm more than happy to fetch things for you so you can be comfortable."
"Thanks Rarity..." Mystic mumbled, putting a hoof around Rarity and giving her a brief hug, which was happily returned. Thankfully, for fear of aggravating Mystic again, Rarity had the sense to refrain from correcting her.
The two fell into silence as they trotted ahead into one of the small dorms that made up this section of the castle. Mystic climbed onto the bed close by, burying her face into the pillow and sprawling out. She was trying to get as comfortable as she could, though it was hard. She didn't pay attention, but she heard Rarity's faint hoofsteps in the room, and figured there was a bathroom somewhere. Mystic sighed, rolling onto her back and staring up at the periwinkle ceiling. She let a yawn escape her, and her tail thumped against the bed. She heard the sparkle of magic, and looked at the cracked door leading into what should be the bathroom. Rarity was humming something while she was in there, and Mystic recognized it, she just couldn't remember where it was from.
"Here we are!" Rarity sang out as she trotted back into the room. She set down a glass of water and two pills on the stand beside the bed. "Once those are down, we can go see Tempest. So, be quick."
"Got it," Mystic said as she threw herself to her hooves, and hopped off the bed.
Her horn glistened with magic as she lifted up the glass and both pills. She popped a pill in her mouth, tilting her head back to drink some of the water and get it down. She popped the second in, and took a big gulp. The pill was caught for a moment, making her cough, but she was able to swallow the rest of the water in the cup and get it down. It left an uncomfortable feeling in the back of her throat, but she would get over it if she kept swallowing for a little.
"God, I hate taking pills," Mystic complained.
"At least they're down, right?" Rarity laughed, gently patting Mystic's back. "We should get going, we never know when Tempest may be busy."
"Right," Mystic sighed. "If we're gonna hurry, shouldn't we just teleport there?"
"Well, we could..." Rarity mused. "But the exercise would be good for you. It's important to keep your body fit if your magic is to work properly. Unicorns are typically known for being slender because magic is channeled easier through our bodies that way."
"Explains a lot for you," Mystic snorted. "But I'm not exactly 'slender' by any means, so thanks for insulting me."
"Oh-!" Rarity covered her mouth as she gasped. "Oh, I didn't mean it like that Mystic! I apologize, truly."
"I know, I know," Mystic sighed, lightly tapping horns with the mare. "I guess I'm just sensitive."
"Well, that isn't so bad," Rarity hummed, returning the tap. "But... if you'd like to teleport, we can do that. I'd rather you not feel forced into walking after what I just said."
"Thanks," Mystic hummed, waving her hoof in front of her chest. "I just barely feel like standing right now, so I want to get all this over with so I can go home. Let's try to make this quick."
Mystic's horn glistened back to life, and sparked at the base. She shut her eyes to envision Tempest's training ground. Her teleportation skills weren't always the best, and sure she could've let Rarity teleport them both... but Mystic needed the practice. She was never going to get better unless she kept trying. Bright teal burst at their hooves and enveloped them both. Where they once stood was a collage of sparkles, and as Mystic opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that they had made it to their destination. She rubbed at her horn, feeling it hot after that spell. Well, best she doesn't use any more spells for the time being...
"I'm amazed I actually got us here," Mystic said. "My teleportation is usually pretty shit."
"Convenient, is it not," Rarity said. "But, this place is empty. Tempest and her guards must not be here."
"Well, this is the training ground, not the guards' quarters," Mystic said, rubbing the back of her head. "I uh... I guess I figured that since we were in a rush I might as well just bring us straight here."
"It wasn't a bad thought," Rarity said. She patted Mystic on the back. "I suppose we can afford to wait for them. They always warm up before they begin training, so if we be patient, we can catch her before she begins."
"Right," Mystic nodded curtly. "We can just chill out on the benches until they show up."
"Absolutely!" Rarity nodded happily.
The two mares trotted to a set of benches on the other side of the grassy field. Mystic flapped her wings to hop up onto the bench. She sat down, and curled her tail over her hooves. Rarity sat down beside her, but let her forelegs fall beneath her after a moment so that she could simply lay on the bench. Mystic glanced around the field, wondering how long they'd be waiting for. She began to think of potential conversation topics to help appease her boredom, but nothing was particularly interesting. Sure, they would pass time, but she wanted to talk about something she actually cared about. She almost thought about going back to their earlier conversation, but decided against it for her own sanity.
Mystic chose to lay down like Rarity had, resting her hooves over her puffy tail and using it as a sort of makeshift pillow for her forelegs. She sighed, happy that she wasn't able to feel her heartbeat anymore. Rarity glanced at her, and Mystic saw that despite the calm silence around them, worry still glistened in the mare's eyes. Mystic shook her head, choosing to cast her gaze elsewhere. She hated how worrisome Rarity was, but she'd never say it out loud. Maybe deep down she appreciated the mare's concern. She shut her eyes, finally sick of looking at the bright green grass and sunlight. It didn't hurt her eyes, she just chose to revel in the blank darkness behind her eyelids instead.
She let time pass in silence. Every so often she could hear Rarity's lighthearted hums, and the faint sparkles of magic. Since her eyes were shut, she didn't know what Rarity was doing. She tried to make a game out of it, thinking up scenarios in her head of what Rarity might be doing. Her biggest thoughts came out to be between knitting, reading, or flower picking. Though, Mystic didn't remember seeing any flowers around this area, most likely because of all the training ponies trampling the ground. She didn't hear any flower stems snapping either.
Mystic finally opened her eyes when she heard hoofsteps. She glanced to the mare beside her, wondering if she was the one that had gotten up. Rarity had just sat up, and hopped off the bench with a smile. Mystic looked forward, blinking idly as the Canterlot army began to march into the training ground. At the head of march was Tempest Shadow herself, body cloaked in very different, but very familiar, jet black obsidian. On her flanks and breastplate, the emblem of the royal Sparkle family was rooted amongst the rock, crafted out of fuchsia spinel. Mystic could only recognize her because of her armour. She was a dark beacon against the bright silvers and golds of the rest of the pony armada.
"Tempest!" Rarity sang out, waving a hoof to the battalion leader.
Tempest held out a hoof to force the march to pause. She turned her helmeted head in the pony's direction. Mystic hopped off the bench to stretch out her wings and limbs, while Tempest pointed her hooves at various locations on the field. Each measure was a silent order to few sections of the army, who spread out in large groups. They stood together, muttering amongst themselves as they awaited further orders. Once the last group had scattered, Tempest made her way across the field to the two, now standing, ponies.
"Lady Rarity, and the new princess," Tempest spoke through the visor of her helmet, offering a brief grin to the chetwode blue mare. "What are you two doing here?"
As she awaited an answer, Tempest lifted a hoof to her helmet, pushing it up past her head to take it off. She set it on the ground beside her and shook out her mane, which was beginning to drip around her head and neck as it grew longer.
"Mystic requested to come," Rarity explained, looking at the pony in question. Mystic felt nervous having eyes on her, but she cleared her throat and swallowed down her feelings.
"Did she?" Tempest asked, her eyes sliding to the side to gaze at the alicorn mare, whose feathers were always naturally ruffled by Tempest's half lidded, piercing stare.
"I did," Mystic said, trying not to let her nerves get to her.
"Well, that's a surprise," The dark orchid general hummed. "Sorry I couldn't come to the coronation, by the way. Empress Twilight is... extremely paranoid, so I was put on high alert until the crowning was over."
"Indeed," Tempest chuckled. "So, Princess Mystic, why'd you need to come see me? Some pony sass your glamour?"
"First of all, never say that again," Mystic grumbled, feeling her cheeks tint with pink. "Secondly... just call me Mystic, none of the fancy princess stuff. And, lastly... mom and I came because I want to wear my armour instead of a dress as I meet my... subjects. I want to have it refitted because I've, well, put on a little weight, one could say. We can only organize that through you sooo, here we are."
"Easy enough requests," Tempest said with a shrug. "Yeah, I can organize a pony to get that sorted for you. By the way, Mystic, if you're able-bodied for it, I'd like you to start coming back to practice. I heard that a few years back you finished college, again, which explains why you weren't attending practices."
"Actually I was avoiding being crowned," Mystic explained. "I've been canceling coronations yearly since I was 21, and the only reason I was going to college was so I could have a full schedule and avoid everything. I was really lucky to be able to avoid being crowned for 15 years."
"15 years?" Tempest's eyes briefly widened, but they lowered as she blinked and shook her head. "I didn't realize you hated the idea of a coronation that much. Or that they were being planned for that long."
"I just didn't want to be a princess," Mystic sighed. "But I couldn't avoid it this time, they surprised me with it when preparations were almost done. Regardless, I don't want to look like some fancy-shmancy filly toy when I walk through the crowd. If I'm gonna make public appearances, I want to do it as a guard and not a princess."
"I can get behind that," Tempest laughed. "I'll promote one of the guards to take over the training temporarily, and we'll find a pony that can fix up your armour. Rarity, if you'd like to sit this out, me and Mystic will head off for the fitting. You're more than welcome to go back to Twilight, or you can stay and watch the training play out."
"Oh I wouldn't want to trouble you." Rarity waved a hoof and giggled. "I'll go back with the other princesses to help entertain the crowd until Mystic is ready. You can bring her back before you continue your duties."
"I could walk back myself," Mystic grumbled with pinned ears. "Or teleport."
"Sorry Mystic," Tempest said lowly. "It's more professional if you go back with an escort, and that way ponies won't start assuming things. You've already got plenty of food on your table, so you should at least let this slide by."
"Fine," Mystic groaned in annoyance. "Let's just make this quick then. If I get any more irritated, the medicine I just took isn't gonna do shit."
"I'll leave you two alone," Rarity hummed as she turned around. "Though, do try to hurry please!"
Tempest and Mystic waited in silence as Rarity engulfed her figure in blue light, and vanished into the air. Her teleportation was much better than Mystic's, so she didn't even need to wait before her horn sparkled, and she was gone. Mystic sighed, envious of Rarity's magic control.
"Hey Tempest, could you ever teleport?" Mystic asked, looking up at the mare.
"I used to do it a lot," Tempest hummed, beginning to walk back to the tunnel leading under the training ground; it was the tunnel she had used to bring the army to this location. "I was never the best at it, but I could do it."
"Even you weren't good at it?" Mystic spoke with surprise in her tone as she trotted to catch up with Tempest. She had longer legs, so it was hard to keep a pace with her. As they passed the tunnel entrance, Mystic's horn lit up with bright teal, acting as a lantern in the infinite darkness.
"Not really," Tempest said sheepishly. "I'd spend hours training myself to get it just right, but I always had hiccups. Your parents have both always been better at it than me, but I'm sure even they mess up every so often."
"I can't help feeling shit about it, I guess," Mystic said with a shrug, her tail swishing against the concrete they walked on. "Flurry Heart practically mastered her levitation and teleportation skills when she was just a few months old, and I've barely been able to use my magic for 30 years! I didn't even have any magic spurts when I was born."
"Every pony is different, Mystic," Tempest said. She glanced up, the remains of her horn crackling with deep blue and white light. "I can sort of control my magic even now, but it's still barely functional with my horn like this. And think about your mom; until she earned her cutie mark, she could barely turn the page of a book. She wasn't always a magical genius. Just because you have a hard time teleporting doesn't mean anything. Even with my hours of practice, like I said, even I struggled. You not being a complete master of magic doesn't mean anything either."
"But, I'm--" Mystic started.
"Shut up," Tempest snapped, covering Mystic's mouth. "I know what you're going to say, and don't get me started echoing what your parents keep telling you. Your negativity is going to kill you someday, bottom line."
Mystic couldn't deny that she flinched when Tempest snapped at her. She liked to say that she was used to Tempest's harsh attitude, but it always surprised her. Her ears pinned back, and she glared up at the mare as she spoke.
"You might be an alicorn, but being magically proficient is not as big of a deal as you think it is," Tempest continued, staring at Mystic with an icy glare. "You should stop spending your entire life complaining about things you can't do or how bad you are, regardless of your practice and experience. You sound like a pitiful foal. You're a grown mare who still believes in the idea of 'if you can't do it on your first try, why bother?' Plus, when something doesn't go your way, you throw a huge hissy fit and don't try to do anything about it. Buck up and face reality, and that doesn't mean being a miserable bitch about everything that goes wrong. Shit happens, and living is hell; get over it already."
Mystic fell into silence, ears drooping at Tempest's advice, which really came off as an order. She wasn't hurt by it, but Tempest had a point. She was known to be a bit of a whiner, with a horrible personality to top it off. It had been this way ever since she had her diagnosis as a filly. She had always been bitter and miserable, and it all boiled down to her condition. It was difficult to live with her condition, but maybe Tempest was right; her personality shouldn't be dumbed down to her bitterness. Tempest saw that look in Mystic's eyes, and must've known right away what she needed to hear.
Mystic heard her sigh. She forced her eyes to lift from the ground, and her ears to raise just briefly. That look hadn't completely faded from her expression, but Tempest's eyes had softened. She shut her eyes and shook her head.
"Listen," Tempest said lightly, finally dropping her hoof from Mystic's muzzle. "I know how you are, because I've been training you since you graduated from your homeschool program. I may not be in your horseshoes so I can't truly understand what you experience every day of your life, but I used to be like you when I lost my horn. I thought I was completely useless because I was a unicorn who couldn't even use magic, and it was the only thing about me that I or any pony else cared about. But, as I grew up, I learned to live with it. Even when I worked with the Storm King, while I only did so to get my horn back, I didn't make it the only thing about me. Not every pony looked at me for my broken horn, and not every pony looks at you because of your pains or how many spells you've mastered in life."
Tempest paused their walk to put a hoof over Mystic's shoulders. She pulled her in close, the mare opening her wings in surprise. Mystic stared up at her with newly widened eyes, and lifted a hoof completely unsure what to do with it. Her ears still drooped, but her eyes had a little more life in them once more.
"You should be able to live life like any pony else," Tempest said, her tone soft but her stare a harsh glare. "I know that you can do it, because you're a smart mare. There's more to you than how good you are at magic, or how much pain you go through, so quit focusing on it, and prioritize living your life, okay?"
"...Yes, General Tempest," She spoke softly, forcing her ears to stay upright, and her mind to focus on the distance they still had to travel.
Tempest blinked her eyes to melt away the ice that had turned her gaze to a glare. She stared down at Mystic, and the alicorn mare was able to watch the irritation empty from her stare, like sand in an hourglass. Mystic easily returned the stare, but her eyebrows pressed back to showcase her upset. Tempest chose not to comment, instead turning and lifting her head to focus down the dark tunnel. She removed her hoof from Mystic's back, and began to trot ahead. Mystic fluttered her wings to adjust their position, before she too broke into a trot to catch up with the long-legged mare ahead of her.
The concrete path sloped back upwards as Tempest and Mystic reached the end of the tunnel leading back into Canterlot's castle. Mystic used her magic to open the double doors for herself and the army general. They walked through the doors, the floor changing from the dull concrete path to a brilliant marble walkway. Their silence was only broken by the echoes of their hoofsteps across the walls, going all the way up to the hundred meter high ceiling. Mystic chose to follow Tempest down the hall, instead of try to force herself to match the long-legged mare's pace. It gave her extra time to think about what had been said earlier as well.
Mystic had been so used to being a snappy and rude pony, choosing instead to just consider herself introverted and blunt. She knew the truth, but she had chosen to try and be nice to herself about it. In the process, she never did anything about it. Ponies have always told her that she was a bitch, but she figured they just weren't used to what she called her 'honesty.' She was no Applejack that's for sure, she didn't stop to consider the feelings of other ponies before she told the truth. She wasn't the kind of pony who liked to spare feelings, preferring to say things how they were. Or, at least, how she thought they were.
"Mystic," Tempest said, breaking the mare out of her thoughts. Mystic lifted her head, almost running into the open door in front of her.
"Ah-" She blinked, stepping around the door with flushed cheeks. "Sorry."
"You seemed really out of it just now," Tempest said softly, cocking her head to motion Mystic into the room. "Go sit on the bench in the first changing room. Do you need water or something?"
"No," Mystic said as she skirted around the door and through the doorway. "I'm fine. I'm just... thinking, about everything."
Tempest didn't respond, only followed Mystic into the room. They had entered the sleek white corridor that made up the guards quarters, with each side having 16 ebony wood doors. One side of the hallway consisted of the guards' sleeping quarters, and the door between each 'dorm' held a changing room. On the other side of the hallway were the bathrooms, differentiated by the silver doors. The bathrooms also had rooms split between them each, with their doors being ebony wood just like the other side, and beyond those doors were storage rooms. Nothing had changed since the last time Mystic had been here.
The alicorn had memorized the layout of this corridor, despite the very few times she had come to stay in the castle with the other guards. The last time she had visited this place was when she was still training at the guards academy, which was more than 14 years ago. She remembered it only because in her last year of training, she was too busy applying for colleges to leave the castle.
She was thankful she had graduated when she began college. To this day, she still wasn't sure if her training had truly completed, or they didn't want her to juggle college work and guard training because of Tempest's strict scheduling. Well, she chose to believe she was a good soldier at least.
She pushed open the door to the first changing room, being the second door on the first side of the corridor. She slipped through the doorway, immediately becoming aware of how cramped the room was. Up against one wall were various wardrobes embedded within the wall itself. Up against the opposite wall were sets of benches leaning against the stark white. The wardrobes and benches both were made of painted lilac wood, and some of the benches had chipping paint to reveal the light birch underneath.
Mystic pulled herself up onto a bench and sat down, while Tempest opened one of the wardrobes and looked through the armour on the stands inside. She found Mystic's armour, the gold plating still shining bright, and Tempest pulled the full stand out of the wardrobe. As it was pulled out, the fuchsia saddle normally latched onto the plates came loose, and slid onto the floor.
"Shit," Tempest cursed under her breath. "It looks like the straps on your saddle have worn out."
"That's fine," Mystic said. "While the armour's being refitted, they can be repaired, can't they?"
"Yeah, it should be fine," Tempest said with a shake of the head. "Do you think you could carry it? How much have you been using your magic today?"
"Not very much," Mystic said as she hopped off the bench and approached Tempest. "Besides, these stands are pretty light. The doctor said I can't carry more than like... half a ton, so I'll be fine. I haven't been carrying heavy stuff at all today."
"Good," Tempest hummed. "Well, let's get going then. I hate to rush, but those ponies aren't going to wait forever."
"Yeah yeah I get it," Mystic groaned.
The alicorn mare's horn sparkled bright teal, and the armour stand began to glow as she lifted it up. She also lifted the saddle from the ground, choosing to carry it by itself. She slipped the stand and saddle outside of the room before she walked through the doorway, and Tempest followed after her. The deep finn mare cocked her head in one direction, motioning in the way they were meant to go. Mystic silently followed the general as she was lead down the corridor, and back into the hallway. Tempest shut the door behind them once they both were out with the saddle and armour stand.
Tempest broke into a canter, and Mystic chose to run after her. Tempest took the idea from Mystic, and began to run herself. As usual, she was much faster than Mystic, but the alicorn mare managed to keep up the pace now that they were running. Rarity did say earlier that the exercise would be good, Mystic thought. Despite how much she still thought that it was an insult, maybe Rarity was onto something. Maybe if she was a little more fit the pain would be less because the pain wouldn't have very far to spread. She actually considered going along with the idea. Interesting.
Tempest skidded to a stop at a pair of white roman doors, and Mystic stopped with her. Tempest pushed open the doors, holding them for Mystic so she could fit the armour stand through. She slipped in along with the stand into the room, and looked around at the unfamiliar scenery. She had never been to this room, but it looked similar to the room Rarity had made her coronation dress in, just less... fancy.
"Coco Pommel!" Tempest shouted, making Mystic jump.
"Christ-" Mystic coughed. "This room is pretty small, do you really have to yell?"
"Coco Pommel gets... very focused when she's working," Tempest said. "Sometimes you need to get her attention."
As that was said, a bundle of clothing fell over from a stack in the corner, once again startling Mystic. Some gold and silver pins clattered to the floor in front of them, and a pony's head popped out of the stack of clothes, face entirely wrapped up in a striped purple scarf.
"There she is," Tempest laughed.
"Sorry sorry!" The pony said as she struggled to pull the scarf from her face. "I-I got so busy I didn't hear any pony coming in!"
"Yeah, I don't think you could hear anything under all that fabric..." Mystic said, using her magic to unwrap the pony's head. She folded the scarf and set it up on a shelf nearby. "Is this place uhh... normally like this?"
"Oh absolutely!" Coco said as she leapt out of the fabric pile, kicking off a smaller scarf that had wrapped around her hindleg. "I'm always very busy making my own clothing and fixing the royal army's armour... oh speaking of armour, I see you brought some with you! Do you need something done?"
"Mystic wants her armour refitted," Tempest spoke for the mare. "She decided wearing a dress is too 'glamorous', and wants to wear her armour instead while she meets the crowd."
"The crowd..." Coco stopped to think. "W-wait you mean the coronation crowd?! I missed it?!"
"It's not that big of a deal," Mystic mumbled, drawing circles on the floor with her hoof. "It's just a stupid crowning."
"It is too a big deal!" Coco whined, covering her face partially with a hoof. "I've been waiting for this coronation for years, and I wanted to get some in-person pictures so I could draw inspiration for my own clothing line inspired by you, and I completely missed the ceremony! Oh, my outfits will never turn out as good from just a few pictures and videos!"
As Coco's dramatic spiral continued, she fell to the side in the bundle of fabrics, pulling one over her head to hide her face. Clearly she was unhappy about missing the ceremony. It was as though making this clothing line was a life or death situation, and she had just lost her bet. Mystic hadn't seen a pony so distraught over clothing since Rarity's last fashion spiral...
"...She's really taking this to heart," Mystic leaned over to whisper to Tempest.
"She gets like that," Tempest whispered back, before clearing her throat and stomping her hoof. "Pull yourself together, Miss Pommel. We're on a tight schedule; Mystic still needs to leave and meet with her subjects. Empress Twilight isn't going to be able to distract the crowds forever, so we need this done quickly, or Mystic will have to go back with nothing but her crown on."
"Oh yeah don't just leave me with that thing." Mystic fake gagged. "Makes me sick just thinking about it."
"O-okay, I can make this quick!" Coco said, nodding her head vigorously. "Mystic, could I ask you to try the armour on? I'd like to see how tight it is. And don't worry I can adjust it while it's on!"
"Gotcha," Mystic hummed, finally putting down the things she was carrying.
"By the way," Tempest spoke up. "The saddle's busted. The straps have worn out, so she's going to need replacements. It comes with the armour, so I want that fixed too."
"Of course!" Coco clapped her hooves. "Once the armour itself has been fixed, I'll work on new stitching for the saddle, and if it's dire enough, I'll replace the straps completely."
As the ponies talked, Mystic unclasped the armour from the mannequin it was fashioned to, and worked towards clipping it around herself. The plates were very tight against the base of her wings, making it hard to close them, but she eventually managed. Her chest felt tight as she wrapped the underbelly of the armour across her stomach, and clasped it to the other side of the back. She grunted with a light irritation as the clasp came down over her chest fluff.
"How does it feel, Mystic?" Coco asked when Mystic had clasped down the final clip.
"Tight, hot," Mystic complained. "It's kinda hard to breathe. It was almost impossible to put my wings down."
"It definitely does need a refit..." Coco mumbled. "You don't have to move, I won't force you to walk around like that. Let me get some tools and I can get to work. The plates are going to need re-welding."
"Wait, you can do that while I'm wearing it?" Mystic's eyes widened in shock. "Isn't that like... dangerous? Y'know, sparks and fire and stuff?"
"Oh no not at all!" Coco laughed lightly. "Rarity helped us to develop some new technology that helps to bend and warp silver and gold armours easily, without heating up the metal and hurting the pony. It's like advanced unicorn magic, but all contained in this little black box."
As she mentioned it, Coco pushed forward a black metal box. It looked like a box television, but without the screen. She opened the box like a suitcase, and pulled out a small gray rectangular remote with a set of 5 buttons, and a screen on one end. The bottom seemed to have an open tray, like what you would think a CD would be inserted into. She moved to stand in front of Mystic, and pressed a black button on the small remote. The base widened, and she pushed it up against the edges of the armor's breastplate. With a satisfying click, the plate edge was swallowed by the remote base.
Coco hummed, staring down at the screen and lifting a hoof to hover over a white button beside the black button. Every so often, she would press the white button, and move the device just centimeters forward, or centimeters down.
"Can you feel any difference?" Coco asked, looking up at Mystic.
"Kind of," Mystic said. She wasn't really sure what Coco was doing, but whatever it was, it was really working. "I can't quite take deep breaths, but at least I can breathe."
"I'll keep going. I want you to take a real deep breath soon, just keep trying," Coco instructed. "When you can do that, just tell me."
Mystic fell quiet as Coco continued her work. She tried to take deep breaths, despite the difficulty. As Coco moved the device around, her breathing became easier and easier. There was still some tightness from the metal under her stomach, but her chest felt lighter. When she could finally take a deep breath, she sighed in relief.
"That's fine," She said.
"Good!" The pearl lusta mare said happily as she pulled the device away and stepped back. "Well, the chest should be perfectly fitted now. So I should adjust... the underbelly plates. How about the tops, do those feel okay? Any tightness on the uh... hindquarters?"
"N-no, it's fine, just the breathing problem." Mystic hated that she stuttered and blushed, but Coco seemed nervous with the mention too, and it didn't help that they could hear Tempest's light chuckling from the doorway.
"Okay, I'll just move to the underbelly then, I'll try to be careful," Coco said.
She pressed the black button, shrinking the base so it was back to its original size. She pressed the base up to the gold plates, pressing the white button as an experimental test. Mystic was able to hear a click of the metal underneath her. She tried not to let her anxiety get the better of her as Coco Pommel smiled. She hummed, and nodded happily, before she continued her work. She began moving along one side of the underbelly plates, pressing the white button as she moved along them. The device traveled above each individual plate, bending it back or forward. It easily fit her form, and was loose in several places. It comforted her to know that she'd have an easier time putting the armour on next time.
Coco Pommel worked her way around to the other side of the armour, pulling back and forth on the armour with the device. Her look was firm and focused, showcasing her dedication to the task. Mystic did her best to be still, but being so still was never good for her. When she was like this, her body began to itch. It felt like bugs were dancing all over her skin, pricking through her coat and waving her hairs. She shut her eyes tight, clenching her jaw. The tightness and the itching was really getting to her. She was trying not to let it show, but it was hard.
"Feeling better?" Coco asked suddenly with a smile.
Mystic opened her eyes and blinked. She glanced down at her armour, and took a deep breath. She felt her stomach push out against the plates as she breathed in, but it didn't hurt when the metal pressed against her form. She felt nothing but relief now that she could breathe properly.
"Much better," Mystic sighed, managing to offer Coco the smallest smile. "Thanks. I think all that's left is fixing the openings for my wings."
"Yes, let me do that really quickly!" Coco clapped her hooves.
She pressed a yellow button on the device, and the base widened ever so slightly. The open panel filled with what looked to be very small needles, making Mystic slightly nervous. Coco moved to stand closer to the mare, pushing the device's base up against the base of Mystic's wing, and pressing the opening against her armour. Coco began pressing a blue button on the remote, and moving in circles around Mystic's wing, which she would occasionally open to make things easier for the mare. The needles would press out from the base into the gold of her armour, effectively pushing it back and bunching it up around her wing.
Mystic could soon flap her wing when the base had been widened enough. It felt much more comfortable now. She could stretch her wing out and not have it rub uncomfortably against the gold. Coco smiled as she pressed the back of the device against the bunched up edges of the plate. A whirring sound emitted from the device as she rubbed it back and forth on the armour. Mystic wasn't sure what she was doing until she pulled back, and she got to look for herself. Whatever she had done with the device, it had smoothed out the armour. Coco moved to the other side and continued the process. Mystic flapped her wings experimentally when Coco pulled back, and was able to comfortably pull herself into the air to hover for a few seconds. She spun in a brief circle before landing on the ground and humming happily.
"I have to say, that armour looks good on you," Coco laughed. "They made a perfect choice designing it for you."
"Thanks," Mystic said, feeling her face flush. She wasn't used to being complimented like this.
"Now, to complete the look!" Coco Pommel spun on her hooves with a hum. "Just give me a moment and I'll fix these straps on your saddle."
Coco shut down the device in her hoof and set it back into the box she had brought out. As she pushed it to the side to put away later, she lifted up the saddle from the ground, and hopped over one of the fabric piles to a sewing machine in the corner. She set the saddle down on the table nearby and began examining the straps. She was measuring their length, experimentally touching the frayed edges that had snapped off, and testing the strength of the buckles at the very ends.
"She has a point," Tempest said to break their silence. "That armour does look good. I'm almost jealous."
"Jealous?" Mystic turned to Tempest with a laugh. "Why would you be jealous? You've got obsidian armour. I don't know how heavy that stuff is, but it looks like it weighs a lot. I would be hospitalized wearing that clunky thing for ten minutes, and you wear it constantly!"
"Well, that's exactly why," Tempest chuckled. "The armour is heavy, but I'm not a fan of the looks either. I like the colour, sure, but I want something... different. I think I'd look good in silver, don't you?"
"Eh," Mystic shrugged and fluttered her wings. "Maybe if I had the chance to see you in silver armour I'd have an answer, yeah?"
"Maybe I'll find some that fits me some day," Tempest hummed, turning her head to watch Coco work. "Then you'll be able to see for yourself."
"I think I'd look good in silver," Mystic mumbled before she too focused on Coco's work.
Coco had chosen to entirely remove the straps from the saddle, and had just finished cutting them off. She dropped them into a nearby trash can and sifted through her fabric pile. She pulled out a small piece of fuchsia silk fabric, thankfully being just the right colour of the saddle. She cut it into two equal strips, and the machine kicked to life as she sewed them into the underside of the saddle where they should be. The room fell silent again once the machine stopped, and she tested to ensure that the straps wouldn't snap off. She grabbed two of the gold pins that had fallen on the floor earlier, and two fitting buckles to go with. She carefully inserted them through the fabric, and bent them back so that they stuck. She tested to make sure they didn't fall off before she trotted back to Mystic with the saddle in hoof.
"All done!" She sang happily. "This should fit under your cuirass, and lay comfortably on top of the faulds and culet. Do you need help fitting that too?"
"No, I got it," Mystic hummed.
She lifted the saddle with her magic, and pushed up the cuirass on her back. It stood awkwardly up in the air as she threw the saddle onto her back, clasping the silk straps under her stomach with the gold pin and clip. She pushed the cuirass back down, effectively locking down the saddle onto her back. Hopefully this time, even if a strap broke, that gold plate would hold the saddle down by force.
"That fits nicely," Mystic said happily. "Thank you, uhh... Miss Pommel, was it?"
"You can call me Coco," The mare laughed. "But you're welcome! Now you said you're in a hurry, so I tried to be as quick as I could... but you both should be getting back now. If Empress Twilight is getting impatient, you shouldn't keep her waiting forever."
"We'll leave you to your work, Miss Pommel," Tempest said. "But the ceremony should last most of the day. If you want to come relax with some of the attendees, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time."
"Thank you, General Tempest!" Coco dipped her head respectfully. "I'll just... tidy up this room a little before I come out and see everypony. Now go on, don't keep the Empress waiting!"
"Alright alright we get it," Mystic said as she walked to the doorway and slipped outside.
"By the way Coco," Tempest turned to the mare. "Feel free to keep the mannequin for now. I'll come back for it when I'm available. Take care."
"Thank you!" Coco said with sparkling eyes as Tempest left the room.
Mystic shut the door after Tempest had left the room after her. They turned and began walking down the hall, only to jolt and stop as they heard a cry of pain. They turned and looked back at the door, hearing Coco Pommel curse lightly. They looked at eachother and blinked in shock; she never did that. She must've stepped on one of the pins she had dropped earlier. They both simply shrugged their shoulders, and began cantering down the hall. They were already late; they were sure she could handle herself.
As Tempest and Mystic drew closer to the castle grounds, they could hear beyond the double doors the cacophony of voices from all creatures. Every pony seemed to be antsy, understandable since Mystic hadn't come down for some time. They paused at the door, both staring up at it. Tempest's expression was as hard and stoic as usual, but Mystic's brows were knit together, and her lips were pulled back with worry flickering in her eyes. She lowered her head, partially hiding her face behind one of her forelegs. As she did so, Tempest lowered her head to look at the mare.
"Nervous?" She asked lightly.
"Anxious," Mystic said behind her hoof.
"Don't be," Tempest hummed, patting the mare on the back. "I'll stick with you and escort you to uh... wherever it is your moms are. They'll help calm you down and walk you around, so you won't be by yourself at least."
"Yeah I know," Mystic sighed. She lowered her hoof back to the ground and stared at the door.
"Just try to keep your head up, Princess," Tempest said as she too looked at the door. "Unfortunate as it is, you wanna keep appearances until you can really be by yourself."
Mystic didn't say anything in response, simply passing the mare a look. She took a deep breath, forcing her head to raise high. Her horn glistened bright, and she was able to call to mind the crown she had discarded earlier. She looked up as it appeared on her head, held snugly against her mane behind her ears. It still felt weird to be wearing it, but she didn't have much choice in the matter. She might as well suck it up for now. She let go of the breath she had been holding, and her horn still shined to push open the doors. Her magic fizzled out when the doors swung open, and she blinked to adjust her eyes as the bright sunlight shone down on her.
Tempest walked out through the doorway, and began to descend the marble stairs leading to the soft dirt path below. Mystic followed her silently, and shut the doors behind her. She picked up the pace to catch up with Tempest, and tried to ignore the staring creatures around them. Many of the creatures had fallen silent seeing Mystic walking down the path, but they still had wide smiles and hope in their eyes. Even with the brief comfort their joy brought her, Mystic couldn't help feeling her anxiety very quickly reaching its peak. It was taking all her energy to keep her expression blank and her ears raised. Her hoofsteps were heavy, but with any luck that would be brushed off as natural regality.
They weaved around the crowds, and every so often Mystic would raise a hoof to wave, or raise a wing in greeting. some ponies returned her gestures, and the crowd began to swell with noise again seeing her interacting with them. It was a big change from how she was normally, that's for sure. Through the joy in the crowd, Mystic could also hear some bouts of confusion as she continued her greetings, but they were often covered up with ponies greeting her out loud. Tempest glanced back at Mystic with a smile, which only encouraged her to keep going.
When they reached the end of the path, they saw a smaller crowd of ponies standing around what made up the royal family. Twilight and Rarity stood together, and Lapis stood a pace away from them, talking to some other ponies. Princess Cadance sat on the far side of the small clearing with Shining Armour and Princess Skyla. Skyla was the only standing pony. Skyla's ear flicked, and she glanced to the side as Mystic and Tempest entered the clearing.
"Ah, there's the pony of the hour," She spoke up, flapping her wings and floating across the clearing to the two ponies, landing safely in front of them. "Glad to see you're finally back."
When Skyla approached her, the other ponies turned their heads as well, expressions brightening. They followed after her and made their own crowd around Mystic, which only made her heart beat harder.
"Y-yeah," Mystic stuttered. She cleared her throat to contain her anxiety. "Sorry for taking so long, Tempest and I were refitting my armour."
"So you chose not to wear the dress after all?" Skyla chuckled, covering her muzzle with a hoof. "I figured you wouldn't. You never were the princess type. But I can't blame you, you look better in armour than in a dress."
"Glad somepony shares the sentiment," Tempest hummed. "But whenever one of you gets the chance, I wanna see what her dress looked like at least."
"Please don't show her pictures," Mystic laughed nervously and brushed her mane with her hoof.
"No promises," Rarity hummed. "Oh! That reminds me, Mystic, Miss Flashionista wanted to get a photo of the royal family, so of course, we'll need you to join us! Dress or not, we're taking that picture!"
"Great," Mystic said with an eye roll.
"I'll leave you all to it," Tempest said, dipping her head in respect. "I've got some things that I need to take care of with the army, and I'm done escorting Mystic. Try not to kill anybody, private."
"Whatever you say, General Tempest," Mystic chuckled, raising a wing to salute the mare.
Tempest rolled her eyes, but a smile was on her face. She patted the mare on the back before she turned on her hooves and began walking back down the path once more. Mystic watched her leave for a few moments before she turned back to her family.
"Isn't it wrong to be taking a family photo without Flurry Heart being here?" She asked, remembering the conversation Rarity had begun after the crowning.
"She won't be offended," Skyla said with an eye roll. "She chose not to come, so it's not our fault if she isn't in it. If she gets upset, it's on her."
"She'll be here in spirit," Cadance said, sounding much more lighthearted than Skyla.. "And maybe we can convince the photographer to take a trip with us all to the Crystal Empire to get a proper family photo with her and the Crystal Heart."
"Honestly I'd be fine with doing that now," Mystic mumbled. "It'd get me away from the crowds for a while and I'd have some time to breathe."
"We don't have time to visit the Crystal Empire unfortunately," Twilight spoke up. "We have a lot to take care of now that this coronation is finally out of the way. We'll get an updated family picture once we aren't so swamped with work. And Mystic, since you're an official princess now, that means you have royal duties as well. We'll go over scheduling when I feel like it's necessary."
"Hooray," Mystic said blankly.
"Let's not keep the photographer waiting," Shining Armour said. "We should get this out of the way while we have the space."
"Right, right!" Rarity nodded a few times. "Come along everypony, make sure you look your best!"
Rarity didn't wait for a response from the other ponies before she began trotting down the path, and weaving through the crowd. The other ponies began to trot after her, and Mystic chose to be the last pony to leave the clearing. Whether it was natural instinct or a habit from her guards training, she was always known to bring up the rear in any social situation. She had the personality of a leader, but the actions of a follower; she was a strange mix.
She glanced around the crowd as they passed by, once again feeling her heart beat. She felt so uncomfortable, but it wasn't like she could do anything about it at the moment. She just had to suck in her gut and hope for the best. Even that was difficult, but it didn't matter. Not like anyone cares about my comfort at the moment anyways, she thought bitterly.
Their miniature parade came to a close as they reached an open grassy space out by a few trees and hedges, where the path ran thin and a picnic blanket stood out against the emerald greens. Three ponies were talking on one of the grassy sides, and Mystic had seen them very little, but she could recognize them easily. The once great fashion idol Photo Finish stood with her designer husband Hoity Toity, and their daughterFlashionista gently clasping her camera and tripod. Mystic could often recognize the fashion photographer because she was a few months younger than the butterfly bush mare. It almost felt funny to her that she was about to have her picture taken by a pony that was almost the same age as her.
"Miss Flashionista!" Rarity sang out as she approached the mare.
"Rarity, Rarity!" Flashionista's voice sang out like a songbird's.
Flashionista set down her tripod and camera, and pranced to see Rarity. The mares met together at the center of the clearing, and exchanged a hug. Flashionista's classic greeting consisted of a brief hug, and a kiss on both cheeks. Mystic had never been a fan of the mare's greetings, but she was lucky to break the tradition any time they met. Maybe the mare was aware of Mystic's attitude and chose not to make her angry on purpose. Either way, she appreciated being left out, and only offering hoofshakes where she needed to.
"And the new heiress, Princess Mystic," Flashionista turned her head to address Mystic. "We've been waiting to see you. What took you so long?"
"I was having my armour refitted," Mystic explained as she was approached by the mare. "Couldn't stand wearing a dress, so here I am. Also, don't call me Princess."
"Well, either way--" The mare extended a hoof to Mystic. "--we're glad that you're here."
"Mhm." Mystic's response was flat. She shook hooves with the mare in greeting and fluttered her wings.
"It is quite the occasion, isn't it?" Cadance spoke up with a chuckle. "Equestria hasn't seen a new princess coronation since Twilight's more than... what was it, forty years ago."
"Has it already been forty years?!" Twilight said suddenly, wings flaring out on either side of her. She was lucky she didn't hit any pony. "Wow, the time has really passed by quickly... It feels like my princess coronation was only yesterday."
"This does all feel quite nostalgic to me," Rarity laughed. "Well, we did have to think of every possible variable for this coronation after yours. After all, we wouldn't want our darling Mystic to end up like you did. A stumbly, messy maned mess. Goodness, that's a mouthful to say!"
Mystic had to bite back her laughter. She could still remember how Luna had described Twilight's coronation. Messy dress, messy mane, tripping, falling, mixed drinks, mixed ceremonies... What a disaster, she thought. She swore a Pinkie Promise that she would never tell Twilight she knew about the events, and she didn't intend to break it. Though, it was quite difficult to swallow down her amusement. It would be obvious from the glimmer in her eyes that she knew something she shouldn't.
"Can we all stop talking about my coronation?" Twilight said, stomping her hoof and fluffing out her wing feathers. Her face was bright red with embarrassment, and her blush was even spreading to the tips of her ears and nose. "This is supposed to be Mystic's day, let's focus back on her instead."
"Oh no, let's keep talking about your coronation," Mystic teased. "You all keep hiding the details from me, but it sounds like it was... a mess, and I want to hear more."
"Saying it was a mess is underselling it!" Rarity seemed to cackle. "Well, I suppose I can start from the begin--"
"No no, we are not talking about it!" Twilight complained, burying her cherry red face in her hooves and wings.
"You're all so cute," Flashionista giggled. "But I do agree with Empress Twilight's earlier sentiment, we should focus on Mystic and this photograph. Everypony together now! Tallest in the back, and smallest in the front. Get comfortable!"
Everypony quelled their feelings and laughter so that they could pose for the picture on top of the picnic blanket. Cadance, Shining Armour, and Skyla each stood at the back as the tallest ponies, while Rarity and Twilight stood together in the middle. Lapis and Mystic chose to sit in front of eachother, making a small line in front of the other ponies. They all stared at Flashionista as she set up her tripod and camera, and stood on her hind legs so that she could operate it. Twilight appreciated the extra struggle, as it gave her time to calm down, but Mystic knew she'd be thinking about what they talked about all day.
"Everypony ready? Say cheese!" Flashionista finally said, leaning down and hovering over the button on the camera.
"Cheese!" Each pony said in unison
Lapis pushed a hoof forward, lightly poking Mystic on the cheek. The brief motion was enough to make Mystic smile, and have to stop herself from breaking out in laughter. Of course, because of doing that, that would end up on camera. The thought made Mystic's face flushed bright red, and her heart skipped a beat.
"H-hey, Flashionista, can we have a reshoot?" She asked through a stutter. "I uh... I don't think I'll look that good in the picture."
"No way!" The mare said happily. "This picture is absolutely perfect-o! I've never seen you smile in photos, Mystic, so I'm glad you did this time!"
"...Yaaay..." Mystic laughed nervously, her ears pinning back and pupils shrinking. Oh Celestia, help my reputation. Or at least help Lapis, cause she's gonna pay for this.
The picture Flashionista took printed out from the front of the camera, and she grabbed it in her hoof. She shook it lightly in the air, and watched as colour bloomed onto the flat white sheet. She squealed in joy, hopping from hoof to hoof and holding the picture close.
"Oh, yet another perfect picture!" She sang joyously before handing the picture to Mystic. "You simply have to see it now, look at yourself!"
Mystic forced a smile as the picture was surrounded in a bright and sparkling teal, bringing it closer to her. She stared down at the picture in silence for a few moments. She wasn't a fan of it. Her innocent expression, showing off the dimples she didn't know that she had. Lapis's giggling expression, knowing very well what she just did... everything else about the picture was fine at least, but Mystic just couldn't like it because of how she looked.
"...Thaanks," She smiled at Flashionista, trying to force some enthusiasm into her voice. "It's, uh... great! Can't wait to um... put it up when we get home."
"I hope you do!" The mare laughed. "It's a lovely picture, everypony will just be dying to see it!"
"Mhm," Mystic hummed half-heartedly.
Flashionista closed the legs of her tripod and lifted up the full camera mount under one of her forelegs. She turned and walked back to her parents, humming happily. Mystic glared at the picture, trying to decide whether or not she wanted to crumple it or set it on fire. She split her magic in half along either side of the picture, ready to rip it. Of course, her destructive thoughts were silenced as Twilight's magic lit up around the photo, and took it away from Mystic.
"Hey-!" She tried to protest.
"Oh, this is a perfect picture!" Twilight squealed, tapping her hooves. "Maybe if I ask really nicely, I can get a tiny little frame to put it in..."
"Oh no no, we can't frame it just yet!" Rarity protested, trotting over to Twilight. "Why, we've got to take it to the Crystal Empire for our visit so that Flurry Heart and Scarlet Gem can see it! You don't suppose we could get them to sign it, could we?"
"We could ask them," Twilight said. "I've been meaning to plan a visit for some time, but with all the coronation plans, I've been swamped."
"We've been quite busy too," Cadance laughed as she walked over with Shining Armour. "Honey Cake was knighted last month, so we've been trying to build her a section of the Crystal Empire's royal guard to supervise."
"Honey Cake is a knight?" Mystic looked at Cadance and blinked in shock. "I thought that the royal family was just... you know, royal. Princesses and stuff."
"Well, we wanted Honey Cake to have a princess coronation after her Crystalling..." Shining began to explain. "But she wasn't interested. Besides, she isn't an alicorn like Skyla, Scarlet, and Flurry Heart."
"Not all royalty consists of alicorns," Twilight said. "You're still a prince because you married Cadance, and Lapis is still a princess because she's my daughter. Even if you haven't had proper coronations, you're still royalty."
"That's how things are in Canterlot," Cadance hummed. "Since Skyla began ruling the Crystal Empire, some things have changed. Only her immediate family are considered royalty, that being her, her husband, her child, and Flurry Heart. I stepped down from ruling on purpose, which means Shining's prince status is null and void, according to Skyla's new rules."
"You can just do that?" Mystic turned to Skyla with wide eyes.
"Well, of course," Skyla laughed, and flapped her wings. "I'm the ruler of the Crystal Empire, I can technically do whatever I want. And everything that she just said is true. My cutie mark talent is based on ruling, that's why I was given the position. I'd say I'm doing a pretty good job so far, haha."
"Wow, I wish I could've been like that," Mystic said, passing Twilight a glare. The purple alicorn glanced away, whistling absentmindedly. "I was already training to be part of the royal guard, and even though I'm a princess now, I was still assigned to work under Tempest Shadow. At my core, I'm still a guard."
"Oh, I remember that!" Shining spoke up with perked ears. "You started that... what, before you went to college?"
"Somethin' like that," Mystic shrugged. "It was pretty much the month after Twilight ended my homeschool program."
"You graduated," Twilight sighed. "Please stop saying it like I took you out of school."
"Yeah yeah whatever," Mystic said with an eye roll. "Anyways, yeah, I was in guards training for a couple years, and I graduated before I went to college."
"Well, if you don't mind, there's something I'd like to ask," Skyla said, stepping forward and extending a hoof to Mystic. "Like mom said, Honey Cake recently got knighted and she's going to be captain of her own army. You've already expressed how much you don't like being a princess, and while I can't change your title, I can offer you a new position. As ruler of the Crystal Empire, I'd like to extend to you the opportunity to join the Crystal Empire's royal guard under Honey Cake."
"What?" Mystic's eyes widened and wings flared out.
"What?!" Rarity and Twilight spoke out in shocked unison.
"Woah," Lapis's eyes sparkled in excitement. "You're serious? Right after her coronation?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I could allow that," Twilight laughed nervously. "Mystic has... well, she's going to have duties that will require her coming back to Canterlot. If she's in the Crystal Empire--"
"I'm sorry to interrupt Empress," Skyla said, resting her hoof on the ground. "But it's Mystic's decision. She is 35 years old and deserves to make her own decisions without her parents butting in. You've known for more than half her life that she hates being a princess, and she never wanted to be one officially, but you still forced her into the position just because she's your daughter. I didn't need to be in Canterlot to know that Mystic is unhappy with the position; she's been scowling all day!"
"Well, actually," Mystic cleared her throat. "I've been hurting a lot more today than usual, so that could be part of the reason why. But be honest, have you ever seen me smile genuinely?"
"In the photo, you did," Lapis snorted, taking the photo in her own magic and waving it around.
"Shut up," Mystic hissed at her sister, her cheeks blazing red.
She grabbed the photo from Lapis in her own magic and tossed it on the ground. She then cleared her throat and quickly calmed back down, lifting her head to gaze up at the crystal princess in front of her.
"Anyways..." She cleared her throat, fanning herself to calm the red on her face. "Skyla, are you serious about that offer?"
"Absolutely," Skyla hummed with a smile and a nod. "Of course, you'll need to gain approval from General Tempest Shadow as she is still your superior. But, if your decision is to come to the empire, I won't refuse you. We'll just need some time to help Honey Cake organize her squadron so we can reserve a space for you."
The group fell into silence, eyes sliding to Mystic to watch her closely. She briefly glanced around, already feeling the weight of this decision on her back. Well, Skyla was right that she hated being a princess, and she definitely did prefer being a guard. She knew she was going to hate all the royal titles that she would be called if she stayed in Canterlot. In the Crystal Empire, according to Skyla's rules, her titles might be null and void... she'd just be a guard. The idea was tempting, but at the same time she wasn't sure if she wanted to leave her family in Canterlot...
"Mystic," Twilight said, breaking the mare out of her thoughts. "If... If you want to go to the Crystal Empire to be a guard, I won't stop you. Um, while I'm saying that now, I just... want to apologize for forcing you into being a princess."
"You're choosing to apologize for that now?" Mystic raised an eyebrow and turned around to face the mare head on. "If I didn't know any better, it almost seems like you're just trying to guilt me into staying."
"Mystic Amethyst!" Rarity gasped, and stomped a hoof.
"Rarity," Twilight spoke firmly.
Rarity's brief protest was silenced as Twilight spread a wing before the white unicorn. She stared back at Rarity with soft eyes, and smiled.
"It's alright," Twilight reassured the mare. "I… don't blame her."
Rarity's gaze mellowed out, and her shoulders relaxed. She stepped back, clearing her throat and falling silent. Twilight turned her head to look back at Mystic with guilt in her eyes.
"I'm not trying to make you stay, or change your thoughts over the last few years," Twilight continued. "But, admittedly, Skyla's words have made me really take the time to think. I've known all this time that you never wanted to be a princess, but I thought putting you in the position might... I don't know, change your mind?"
"What gave you that horrible idea?" Mystic grumbled, raising a brow.
"Because the same thing happened to me," Twilight explained. "I never wanted to be a princess either, but, when I got my wings, I had to accept my fate. It was difficult to manage at first, but as time went on, I learned that being a princess wasn't as bad as I really believed it was. I thought being an Empress would be impossible as well! I never thought I was ready, but I still took on the position, and I've been ruling Equestria since you were a filly. I suppose, for your situation, I was trying to base things entirely on my own experience, thinking that your obvious hatred of the position was something that could be changed, just like how my negativity towards my ruling ability was for me."
Mystic stayed silent as Twilight spoke. Her expression did not soften, but her eyes did not wander either. Twilight was doing her best to avoid her daughter's gaze, but Mystic's eyes were locked on her mother's. It was obvious that the stare made Twilight uncomfortable, but that's what Mystic was hoping for. Despite Twilight's efforts to apologize, Mystic didn't feel like her words could make up for it. And as a result, her jordy blue eyes burned holes in the violet mare's coat.
Mystic had practically hated her mothers for the longest time. Twilight with her forced coronation planning and friendship lessons, and Rarity with her frilly dresses and skirts... Mystic had never been a fan. She never was, but they tended to push whatever narrative they wanted. Mystic's thoughts were flooded with the memories of the first time Twilight had brought up the idea of her princess coronation when she was 21. Every year following, Twilight and Rarity both brought up the idea at different times, and every time she had turned them down.
Mystic's eyes met the ground. Not once did her mothers ever think to consider her feelings on the matter. Lapis never had a coronation because she had her horn removed. Twilight gained her wings and was forced into the position. Flurry and Skyla were born into princesshood as alicorns, and even Honey Cake was due to be a princess despite not being an alicorn. No one in her family wanted to be royalty, but they were all forced into the position either by birth or by their family. She suffered the same fate as the rest of her family, but she was the only one who spoke out about it.
The anger in her expression must've roused something in Twilight. She blinked as she heard the mare clear her throat. She lifted her head to meet the Empress's gaze again, and raised a brow as a tear rolled down Twilight's face. She lifted a hoof, quickly clearing away the tear and taking a deep breath.
"I-I don't blame you for being angry at me," Twilight stuttered as she began speaking again. "If I were in your position, I… would be angry too. So many years of your life were spent having to cancel the coronations I planned without your permission. I just... want to say I'm sorry while the thoughts are out in the open."
Mystic stared up at Twilight silently. Her expression was blank as it always was, in comparison to Twilight's face, which showcased feelings of regret and remorse. But, love shined in her eyes as well. Mystic eyes glanced around Twilight's own to catch each emotion she was feeling. Each sparkle meant something different in that mare's eyes. She wondered if any emotions reflected in her own eyes that she was showing without knowing. She took a deep breath and sighed, lightly fluttering her wings and turning around to face Skyla again.
"I'll think about it," She said finally. "This is still coronation day after all, and I... need time. Give me two months. Two months and I'll have made up my mind about whether or not I want to stay in Canterlot, or join the Crystal Empire's royal guard. Tell Honey Cake to reserve a place for me, and I'll explain the situation to Tempest Shadow when I have the opportunity."
"Understood," Skyla said, dipping her head. "I'll notify her as soon as we return to the empire."
"Boy, the mood really shut down here," Shining coughed nervously. "How about we all change the topic and do something else, yeah? This is supposed to be a happy day, regardless of what brought out the events, or what comes of them. Mystic, if you're not willing to take this as your own coronation, then let's consider it... a party!"
"A party?" Mystic raised an eyebrow.
"That's not a bad idea," Cadance hummed happily. "I believe Pinkie organized an after-coronation celebration. We could all check and see if things have already been set up. The crowning was some time ago, I'm sure the venue is open."
"Well, if it gets us all away from all these...-" Mystic drew a circle in the air with a hoof, ears pinning back. "-...'topics,' I'm not against the idea. I haven't been to an actual, uh... party before."
"Oh boy," Skyla laughed. "Miss Pie threw a party for Earthquake in the Crystal Empire before he moved in with Rumble. It was... something, to say the least. It was the happiest I'd seen him in some time. Of course I wasn't the greatest at the activities when I was chosen to participate in them... but I can't say I disliked the experience."
"Well, this is going to be an experience for Mystic!" Lapis said, throwing a wing around the mare, after she moved to stand by her. "I'll just warn you now, things might be a little crazy. But hey, your maaarefriend might be there!"
"Marefriend?" Mystic raised a brow. She didn't even blush.
"Yeah, Carrie!" Lapis said, clapping her hooves and removing her wing from her sister's back. "The brown haired mare?"
"Oh, her," Mystic mused. "It's been some time since I last talked to her. But, she's not my marefriend."
"Keep telling yourself that," Lapis snickered. "You guys will be practically official before you know it, I bet."
"Whatever Lapis," Mystic sighed, scratching her head with one of her wings. "Let's just get going."
"I'll lead the way," Cadance said.
The ponies nodded to eachother, and watched Cadance descend down the path. Each pony fell in line after her, and once more Mystic chose to bring up the rear. Once more, the photo on the ground sparkled, and was lifted due to her magic. She brought it in front of her, tilting her head down to stare at it.
She sighed, using her magic to hopefully teleport the item back to her bedroom. She'd hate to lose it after everypony else seemed so infatuated with it. She lifted her head, forcing a stern expression back onto her face. She said she was going to wait to accept Skyla's offer, but she was already back in her military mindset. She had become so used to it over time, even though she had been so busy forcing herself into college.
One hoof after the other, her gait had naturally become more of a march. Her body was stiff and her head held high. She found herself counting her hooves as they hit the ground in succession. One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, She thought. She had learned that marching motif while training under Tempest. In this sort of formation, she couldn't keep herself from following it. At the very least, no other pony seemed to mind her military attitude showing.
Rarity and Twilight were busy talking, but Mystic couldn't hear what exactly they were talking about because Skyla and Cadance were talking as well. It was hard to pick out who was saying what between them all, but Mystic couldn't really be bothered to care about the conversation. She didn't have any plans on joining in, so she didn't have a reason to listen. She sighed, fluttering her wings against the gold on her sides.
"Still feeling nervous?" She heard Lapis say to her.
"Sort of," She said, shrugging her shoulders. "I just don't like crowds."
"There won't be a big crowd at the venue," Lapis said. "Well, I don't think so anyways… I think it'll just be us for the most part, but I wouldn't be surprised if some of mom's friends are there too."
"Some of my friends were in the crowd, so I'm sure they'll be there too," Mystic grumbled. "They're all going to talk about the crowning, and how stupid I looked."
"You didn't look stupid!" Lapis groaned. "Will you ever quit being so negative?"
"Bite me and I might," Mystic said, sticking her tongue out.
Lapis brought a smirk to her face. She suddenly bent down, clamping her jaws on Mystic's wing. The alicorn mare yelped, kicking the pegasus in the side and making her fall over. Lapis made quite a racket as her laughter filled the air.
"I didn't think you'd take that literally!" Mystic hissed, pulling forward her wing and rubbing her hoof against the spot Lapis had bit down on.
"What's going on back there?" Twilight asked, making the group stop to look back at her daughters.
"Lapis bit me!" Mystic complained, showcasing her bitten wing.
"You asked for it!" Lapis snickered.
"That's enough, girls," Rarity laughed. "Lapis didn't bite you hard, did she?"
"I didn't!" Lapis whined as she got back to her hooves. "It's not like it's gonna leave a mark…"
"It better not," Shining hummed. "The pain should go away quickly as long as Lapis doesn't bite you again."
"Don't tempt her, she just might," Mystic hissed, passing a glare to her sister, who returned it by sticking out her tongue and pulling down on her eyes.
"You two better calm down before we get to the venue," Twilight said with an eye roll. "What are your friends going to say if they see you fighting?"
"They know how we are," Lapis retorted. "They're used to our play-fighting!"
"Biting your sister is play-fighting?" Skyla asked with a smirk and a raised brow.
"Erm…" Lapis's face flushed, and her ears pinned back. She partially covered her face with one of her wings, and scratched her head with a hoof. "I guess not…"
"Hah!" Mystic laughed lightly. "Looks like I'm the winner in this situation."
Lapis passed Mystic a glare and a pout. She didn't say anything, but her displeasure showed in her eyes. She folded her wing back to her side, turned and lifted her head, and shut her eyes with a 'hmph.' Mystic rolled her eyes, letting her expression fall stoic again. Classic Lapis, she thought. Gives the silent treatment when she doesn't get her way. Nerd.
"Alright, let's keep moving now," Cadance chuckled behind one of her hooves. "The venue is just up ahead, so you both better look proper when you're meeting other ponies."
"I wonder how many ponies will be there," Skyla hummed.
"Hopefully not too many," Mystic snorted. "I'd love nothing more than to be able to just sit down without being dragged everywhere."
"I suppose we'll see for ourselves," Twilight laughed as she continued walking.
The rest of the ponies began to follow her again. Mystic continued her marching on. Lapis trotted ahead of her, rejoining the main ponies of the crowd and striking up a conversation with Skyla. Mystic let her world fall into white noise as their walk continued. Like before, she couldn't be bothered to listen in on the conversations anymore. It wasn't her business.
She sighed, staring down at her hooves. She knew her friends were most likely waiting in the venue right now. She glanced behind her, seeing the crowds much further back now. They had walked past the crowds and out of the main plaza. Her mood perked as she lifted her head and properly looked at her surroundings. She glanced up, and noticed a large hedge wall that they were walking past.
She blinked, looking to the side opposite her and catching the eyes of a stone pony statue, cloaked in a sculpted cape and holding a polearm. She hadn't even realized it, but they had walked all the way to the sculpture garden outside the hedge maze. She looked back to the front of the group as they stepped off the path, approaching a large stone platform surrounded in flower hedges. At the front of the platform, on either side of a small staircase, were two smaller statues representing Celestia and Luna. The statues faced each other, with their heads lifted and horns pointed to the sky.
Mystic had never seen this part of the garden before. She wondered why it had been built. Of course, the original reason didn't matter, as she heard the cacophony of voices on the platform inside of the hedges and knew why they were here. This was where the after-coronation party had been set up. They made it to their destination.
Unlike the main coronation area, this secluded spot in the Canterlot garden was much quieter. The noise was still somewhat overpowering for Mystic, but she would much rather be here than out there. The group of ponies stepped up the small staircase onto the main platform, and they were quickly noticed by the other guests that were standing around chatting. Not every pony turned to acknowledge their presence, but some did.
An off white mare suddenly leapt forth, leaping over the crowd and tackling Mystic back to the dirt at the base of the staircase. Her cafe royale and light red mane bounced around her as she embraced the alicorn mare in a spine crushing hug. If the fall didn't knock the wind out of her, the hug surely did.
"Carrie god- dammit-!" Mystic cursed as she tried to force the other off and breathe easy. "You're crushing me here- g-get off!"
"Oh- sorry!" The mare laughed as she retracted her hooves, and stood on the ground beside the winded mare.
Carrie extended a hoof down to Mystic. The alicorn hesitantly chose to roll onto her side, placing a hoof on Carrie's, and letting the mare help her into a standing position. Mystic's ears drooped and her chest hurt as she began to catch her breath. She passed Carrie a glare, which the mare quickly turned away from. The earth pony lifted her snout, staring at the sky and whistling innocently, as if she were oblivious to what she'd just done.
"You'll kill me one of these days," Mystic grumbled when she could finally lift her head and ears. "I wish you'd hurry up already."
"Hey, don't you start talking like that!" Carrie glared at Mystic with a childish pout. "You're a princess now, remember? You should lighten up!"
"Yeah yeah…" Mystic grumbled as she dusted her armour with her wings. "Don't lecture me, I've already had ponies doing that all damn day."
"She has a point," Skyla sounded off from a table close by the edge of the platform.
The pink mare nodded her head, and her parents at her side joined her. Mystic rolled her eyes as she arched her back and neck in a stretch. Thankfully, she didn't feel any pops, so Carrie hadn't actually hurt her. She shook her head, facing the earth pony again.
"So let me guess," She began. "Since you're here, everybody else is, right?"
"Mhm!" Carrie nodded excitedly. "Summer, Bud, and Honeycrisp all decided to come over here with Spice and Alice! Oh, I invited Peanut and Cherry to come too, but Cherry and Spice left shortly after the ceremony was over…"
"Wait, Cherry?" Mystic's wings flared in surprise. "As in, you know… Cherry Jelly?"
"Well, yeah!" Carrie smiled, but worry shined in her eyes as she tilted her head. "Why?"
"...Nothing," Mystic said after a few seconds, turning her eyes to the ground.
She forced her wings to close against her sides as she tried to calm down again. She hadn't seen Cherry Jelly in a long time. They used to be close, but they had fallen out when Mystic was still in college. It had been a few years by now, but she still didn't like to think about it. Her discomfort was obvious, as Carrie put a hoof under her chin to lift it, and gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Hey, I know you two didn't end off on the highest note but…" Carrie sighed, lowering her hoof to the ground. "She still wanted to come see you. I don't think she holds it against you."
"Sure doesn't seem like it," Mystic snorted. "You just said she left after the coronation was over. She didn't want to stay to see me. Honestly, I'm happier that she isn't still here."
"Okay, that's enough," Carrie huffed, moving to stand beside the alicorn mare. "Let's not talk about regrets and things like that. This is supposed to be a happy day for you, so maybe we should just… try to enjoy it?"
"As long as it gets her off my mind, I'll do just about anything," Mystic grumbled.
She swished her tail on the ground behind her before she walked back up the stairs onto the platform. Carrie followed silently after her. Mystic was able to get a good look at the area now that she wasn't tumbling down the stairs.
The platform wasn't huge, but it wasn't small by any means. The main area was relatively empty, but the surrounding edges were obscured by tables with white laced cloth and wooden kegs on either side. The tables were littered with various types of food, ranging from hot food to ice cold desserts. On the center table at the back edge was a table that housed a large cake covered in white, light blue, and lavender frosting. I guess that's for me, she thought.
She approached one of the kegs beside the table Skyla stood at, tuning out her conversation with her parents. She stepped to the side of the keg, able to catch the label. This keg held apple cider. She could've guessed as much; Sweet Apple Acres was notable for handling large scale events like these, so they ended up bringing a lot of food and drinks. Mystic wondered if she'd ever get tired of apple products.
She walked away from the keg, and found another leaning up against a table. She pulled the keg down, making it stand on the small wooden legs meant to hold it up. She heard the tap on the front dripping, and used her magic to ensure that it was tight again. When the dripping stopped, she looked at the label on the side. Wine. Ugh, she thought.
"They're really drinking wine here?" She thought out loud.
"Not everypony!" Carrie said, trotting back to her side. "Well, most of the older adults are… Are you going to try some?"
"Not… really," Mystic laughed nervously, scratching her wing with her hoof. "I don't exactly like drinking very much. I've just never been a fan of the taste. I usually just stick to cider, or drinks with a veeery small alcohol content. As long as it doesn't get me drunk, it works."
"Oh, I know something you might like!" Carrie bounced up and down excitedly.
Carrie didn't wait for a response before she grabbed Mystic's hoof, and dragged her off to the other side of the platform. Another keg leaned up against one of the tables. Like before, Mystic had to go through the effort of setting the keg up correctly, and stopping the dripping tap. She looked at the label on the side. Spiced red wine. Her eyes widened as she looked at the finer print on the label.
"Rose Spice sent this?" She asked.
"Mhm!" Carrie confirmed with a wide smile.
"He's not here is he?" Mystic spun around to face Carrie with her wings flared.
"Unfortunately, no," Carrie snorted. "He sent us a letter saying he couldn't attend the coronation because the distance is too far for him to travel on such a short notice. He was lucky to get this shipped to Canterlot in such a short time."
"Oh thank god…" Mystic sighed, folding her wings back against her sides. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. "You almost had me worried there."
"Why are you so scared of him being here?" Carrie asked.
Then immediately, the earth pony shut herself up with a gasp. A smirk came to her face, and her eyes fell half lidded. Mystic didn't like that look. It made her coat crawl as if she were covered in ants, and it made her face heat up.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?" Mystic hissed, ears bent back.
"Don't tell me," Carrie snickered. "Does my precious Mysty have a crush?"
"Oh, fuck you," Mystic snapped, turning around and slapping the mare with her curled tail. "That's it, I'm leaving."
"Hey wait!" Carrie whined as Mystic began trotting back to the stairs.
"Nope, I'm not gonna stand around while you insult me," Mystic huffed.
Before she reached the stairs, Carrie bolted in front of her, blocking her path. She looked at the alicorn with a pout, her ears drooping and eyes glossy. The sight made Mystic snicker. She fluttered her wings with amusement, while Carrie looked at her with confused eyes.
"What, you didn't think I was actually going to leave, did you?" Mystic hummed teasingly. "You're so gullible."
"I- you!" Carrie groaned as she stood up straight, rolling her eyes. "Mysty you're so mean…"
"You started it," Mystic rolled her eyes with a smile. "Luckily you caught me in a good mood. I'm not feeling like shit anymore so I've at least got the energy to joke around a little."
"Well, aren't I grateful for that," Carrie laughed. "I was about to go into the saddest spiel ever…"
"You do that a lot," Mystic snorted. "I don't think that phrase applies anymore."
"You know what I mean!" Carrie complained, standing at Mystic's side and leaning against her dramatically.
Mystic tapped a hoof, and rolled her eyes. She stepped to the side, causing Carrie to fall over with her cheek pressed against the ground. She whined in complaint before she pulled herself to her hooves, clearly unamused with Mystic's snickering. The two mares turned back to the main venue, and walked through the platform's center to the cake table at the back.
"I guess I should at least enjoy some cake while I'm here," Mystic said. "I haven't eaten since breakfast. Honestly, I'm really craving some sweets right now."
"Well, you're in luck," Carrie giggled. "Luckily for you, Princess, I made the cake myself! It's a triple tiered sponge cake, with grape flavoring since I know it's your favourite! I tried not to go too heavy with the frosting and whipped cream since I know you don't care for a lot of sugar all at once, but I might've still overdone it a little… I can get you a small slice if you're worried!"
"No, it's… fine," Mystic said, using her magic to lift up the knife beside the cake, and a plate of her own. "I can get my own piece."
She lifted the knife to the very top layer of the cake, carefully cutting out a small piece for herself, and laying it on its side on her plate. She placed a napkin on the table, and set the used knife on top of it so she didn't soil the table cloth. She grabbed a fork from the laid out silverware and looked back at Carrie with a brief smile.
Well, it'd be better to try it when the chef is here, Mystic thought. One thing she knew about Carrie better than any other pony was that she valued feedback on her work over anything. Though, with her cutie mark talent, the feedback was usually positive anyways. As Mystic took her first bite, she confirmed that thought for herself.
"Oh, this is really good," She hummed, practically melting from the taste.
"Of course it is!" Carrie giggled, excitedly clapping her hooves and swishing her tail. "Oh I'm so glad you like it!"
"But," Mystic continued. "You did put too much frosting."
"Aww…" Carrie whined, settling her hooves back on the ground. "I knew it!"
"It's not that bad though," Mystic chuckled lightly. "But I'm definitely happy that I got a small piece. I don't think I'd be able to eat a bigger piece in one sitting."
As expected from Carrie's cutie mark talent, Mystic already felt happier after eating the cake. She knew this sudden influx of serotonin wouldn't last for very long, but she would at least enjoy it while she could. She'd be in a better mood as long as she had the cake to enjoy. Truly, that was fine by her. It was a distraction from everything anyway.
She glanced around the venue as she ate her slice. Like Carrie had said, her other friends were gathered around one of the tables chatting away. She looked over just in time to see Li'l Peanut make Short Summer spill cider on her salomie coat after he hugged her. He pulled back in somewhat of a panic, seeming to apologize rapidly as he grabbed napkins and began helping her clean up. She was a giggling mess as she tried to reassure the stallion.
Mystic couldn't help feeling happy with the sight. They seemed to be having fun. She had a desire to join them. She fluttered her wings as she considered any other options, but she didn't see a reason not to go talk to them. She was sure at least these ponies weren't going to tease her about her coronation dress. She took a deep breath before choosing to approach the group, and she took an especially big bite from her cake just to calm her anxiety as she did so.
"P-peanut, you're being too dramatic about this," Summer said, finally pushing the stallion off and taking the napkins he had grabbed in her malibu coloured magic.
"Am not!" Peanut whined, almost in tears.
"Yes, you are," Honeycrisp snorted, pushing her blonde and brown locks out of her face. "You already apologized and helped her clean up, and it was just a drink spill. It's not the end of the world. Haven't you ever heard the saying 'don't cry over spilled milk?'"
"Or spilled cider," Summer giggled.
Peanut fell silent, pulling his thick mane over his face to obscure his embarrassment. Well, he finally learned how ridiculous he was being, Mystic thought. She sighed before she finally joined the crowd, making herself feel welcome between Honeycrisp and the pale rose pegasus known as Budding Hedge, who turned to face her when she appeared.
"Ah, Princess Mystic. Greetings," Bud hummed lightly. "Glad that you could finally join us. Did you finally get sick of Carrie bugging you?"
"She wasn't bugging," Mystic chuckled. "We were just catching up a little. And don't call me Princess again."
"Noted," Bud said with a nod. "So, I assume you saw Peanut's little freak out?"
"Yeah," Mystic snorted, covering her muzzle with a hoof. "It was hard not to watch."
"Don't laugh at me!" Peanut whined behind his mane.
"Sorry, can't help myself," Mystic said with a shrug.
"You're so mean," Honeycrisp laughed. "At least attempt to comfort the poor thing. He might just die from embarrassment at any moment."
"It'll be funnier if he passes out," Mystic hummed.
"Mystic Amethyst!" Bud laughed, lightly hitting the mare on the side with her wing.
"I'm kidding!" Mystic laughed, hitting Bud back.
"You two…" Summer snickered quietly., the constant blush on her cheeks brightening.
"Hey are you all having fun over here without me?" Carrie complained as she approached the group.
"You just missed your brother making a fool of himself," Mystic snorted.
"Can we stop talking about it?!" Peanut fell dramatically to the ground, burying his face in his hooves. His face was bright red, that much anyone could tell.
"Okay, let's spare him any further embarrassment and change the topic," Summer giggled. "S-so, um… can we talk about the coronation?"
"Oh god…" Mystic grumbled, pinning her ears back. "Don't remind me. I don't need to be any more embarrassed today than I already am."
"Why would you be embarrassed?" Bud tilted her head. "I thought your dress looked pretty."
"That's the problem," Mystic said, her cheeks tinting red. "You all know how much I hate wearing dresses. If it were up to me, I would've been wearing my guard uniform instead, but I only did it so Rarity didn't feel bad."
"That's sweet," Honeycrisp hummed. "Well, regardless, I still think it looked nice, and your speech was very thought out."
"No it wasn't," Mystic snorted. "I made it all up on the spot. Don't tell me you believed everything I said."
"Well, we know you," Peanut said as he stood back up, finally managing to clear his embarrassment now that the topic wasn't about him. "It's easy to tell when you're making things up and when you're being genuine."
"Plus, you aren't Empress Twilight," Carrie said. "I know if you had the decision yourself, you'd rather be, like, The Queen of Death or something."
"Has a nice ring to it," Mystic said, rolling her 'r.' "The Queen of Death…"
"How fitting…" Summer laughed nervously. "B-but I don't think Twilight would be a huge fan of that."
"She'd never let me hear the end of it if I said that's what I wanted to be," Mystic groaned, forcing herself to take another bite of the cake. "Equestria probably doesn't want to be known as the first nation to have a Queen of anything, outside of the changelings I guess. Even the Princess of Death doesn't exactly sound appealing to ponies that aren't me."
"It sounds like what the Grim Reaper would be called," Peanut said, raising a hoof in thought. "I mean Mystic, you could practically be a reaper anyways. You study necromancy, don't you?"
"At one time I did," Mystic said with a hum. "But it was a very short lived study. Mom forbade me from using my magic on ponies, and learning to resurrect animals was only good for keeping Fluttershy happy. I can't exactly have the undead army that I want when my subjects are rodents and birds."
"I guess that makes sense…" Peanut said with a nervous laugh. "If Twilight was going to let you be the Princess of Death, then I don't think she would've let you be a princess at all if she knew you were going to do that."
"My point exactly," Mystic sighed. "But it's fine now. I'm sure I'll learn to suffer with the idea of being the Princess of Friendship."
She said, you know, like a liar.
"Haven't you spoken out about it to Twilight?" Bud asked. "You've been canceling coronations for years, at least from what the rumors have said."
"Well, the rumors are true," Mystic sighed. "She's been trying to get me crowned since I was 21. But, it might not be for too much longer."
"What?" Peanut blinked in surprise. "Why?"
"Princess Skyla told me if I wanted to, I could join the guard at the Crystal Empire," Mystic said.
"What?!" The group said in unison, making Mystic pin her ears back.
"I… didn't realize you all were so opposed to the idea," Mystic laughed nervously.
"W-we aren't!" Summer said, fanning herself with a hoof. "It's just… a surprise. Princess Skyla is usually pretty strict about how her kingdom functions, so it seems a little, uh, strange to see her be so willing to bend the rules for you."
"Pretty much all of her guards were born and raised in the empire," Bud said. "At least, from what I remember anyway."
"Well, I didn't make the decision right then anyways," Mystic snapped. "I… I told her to give me two months to make up my mind. I'm still unsure of things myself, that's why I wanted time to think. Plus with you guys, me being in the Canterlot Royal Guard has already kept me away from you as is. You'd see even less of me if I was in the Crystal Empire."
"That is true," Summer hummed. "B-But, you shouldn't let us influence your decisions. As your friends, we need to be able to respect your choices. Regardless of whether or not you choose to go to the empire to be a guard, or stay in Canterlot as a Princess, we'll be here to support you every step of the way."
"Thanks," Mystic sighed as she finished the last of her cake, and settled her fork on the plate.
She knew her friends would always be there for her through anything and everything. The idea of leaving them didn't really sit right with her, but she didn't want to be a princess. It was a hard decision, and it made her feel like she had to choose between her friends or her title. She knew the things she wanted, but she couldn't have both, and that meant she was struggling. The mood was somber and silent with the weight of the decision falling on Mystic's back. After a few moments, she cleared her throat and turned on her hooves.
"I'm gonna go put my plate back," She said gruffly.
She didn't wait for a response before she trotted to the back center table. The influx of joy the cake had given her had faded, leaving her back to her usual attitude. She set her plate and fork beside the cake, and stared up at it. Its intricate patterns of whipped cream and frosting did nothing to distract her from the decision, which once more plagued her mind. She began to remember her conversation with Twilight. The mare's apology rang out clearly in her head, and Skyla's offer was just as loud.
She sighed, turning and looking back at the group of ponies she called her friends. They had picked up their conversation again, but no pony seemed very happy. She couldn't tell, but she could almost sense that they were talking about her. She took a breath, and sighed. She didn't want to be here anymore.
In silence, she moved one hoof after the other, breaking into a trot and heading for the staircase. At the moment, all she wanted to do was go home and be alone.
As Mystic was forced to find out, a suddenly influx of serotonin may not be the best thing in the world. She felt even lower than before she had eaten the cake, with all the artificial joy running out of her system as she walked further and further from the venue. At some point, she found herself wandering back to the train platform that would take her back to PonyVille. As she arrived at the location, she broke out of the dissociative state she had found herself in, and was made aware of where exactly she was.
With how her thoughts had been running amok in her head, she hadn't even realized her reality until now. She blinked and looked at her surroundings. Her pain is dull, overshadowed by her confusion and the need to remind herself that she is a real pony. She taps her hoof on her armour, relieved to hear the gentle thudding it produces. What happened to her just now?
She shakes her head, deciding to ignore the confusing situation as she spreads her wings. Before she can take off, she has to calculate the distance she is going to travel. Her doctors had told her she can only fly so far and for so long before it becomes dangerous. It was a precautionary measure taken due to the painful inflictions caused by her horn and wings developing.
She decides that she would be better off returning to PonyVille for the day, and deduces that she can afford to travel the distance. Plus, almost every pony and creature was situated in Canterlot for the coronation right now. She'd be lucky to be by herself. She holds her breath, flaps her wings and throws herself into the air. She is able to exhale safely when her wings beat down hard enough to allow her to fly.
She points in the direction of PonyVille and flies over the train station to make the journey. She hadn't flown in some time, and she forgot how nice it felt. Even if she could only do it for a short time, enjoying the breeze against her coat was nice. She could feel the wind flow across every little hair, and cool off even more through the cracks and curves of her armour.
With her hair flowing in the wind, she was reminded of the weight resting atop her head, firmly tucked between her ears. Her bright teal magic lit up around her crown, and she lifted it off with a sigh. Holding it out before her as she flew, she stared down at the amethyst inlaid upon the crown and glared into the eyes of her own reflection. Once more did Twilight's words and Skyla's offer creep into her mind, eating her from the inside out.
She wasn't being pressured to make the decision now, but she was pushing it upon herself. She knew she would forget about it until the deadline, and she wouldn't even think about it until it was almost time to give her answer. It was something she had become used to doing, and it was something she didn't like about herself. But, she still did it anyways. It was for reasons even she did not know.
She sighed, focusing her magic to teleport the item back into her pocket dimension. She was going to be miserable if she continued to think about it when she didn't really have the desire to. At the very least, she felt lighter without the crown pressing into her head. She lifted her head as the edges of PonyVille came into her sights, and she began her descent to the ground.
She landed closest to the town's outskirts and settled on a dirt path. Folding her wings against her sides, she began walking down the path in silence. She prayed that no ponies would dare to speak with her right now. She really wasn't in the mental state to have a conversation.
She let her eyes wander as she entered the city. Like she expected, not many ponies were walking around. Most, if not all of them, were in Canterlot for the coronation. She assumed the ponies still littering the streets had left after the crowning, or never attended to begin with. Now, she was more than thankful she wasn't wearing her crown; she didn't want to go through her entire speech again.
She grumbled something as she walked down the line of houses surrounding one of the many fountains scattered around. It was pure gibberish what she said, and even her mind was a jumbled mess, so much so that she forgot what she was complaining about seconds after she had said something. She knew she was just thinking about that stupid decision again, and she hated it.
She couldn't distinguish whether she was annoyed with the decision itself, or annoyed with herself. Either way, the scowl it brought to her face made her feelings obvious, regardless of how well she tried to mask the emotions in her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she wandered aimlessly. She had no set destination, and she was looking for nothing. She wasn't sure what she wanted or what she was doing right now.
She came to a bridge over a river, one that had been replaced during a particularly ridiculous episode that her mothers' friends had told her stories about. The bridge looked like it had been taken directly from Canterlot, and it was completely out of place in the small town setting she had found it in. Though she hadn't even been born when it was brought here, it gave her a sense of nostalgia.
She found herself stood on the bridge and staring out into the river below. It was a cliche she had seen written in books plenty of times. At some point, some pony always found themself at the edge of a bridge. They stared out at their reflection like they were looking for a part of themself they couldn't find. Or that would be the moment when a pony would show up to clear their woes, and dispel the bad thoughts in their head.
Mystic wasn't sure she had that luxury right now. She had wanted to be alone, but now that she was, she wasn't sure if she wanted it anymore. She sighed and continued walking over the bridge and out onto the other side. Yet again, she was wandering with no destination in mind and no place left to go. What the hell am I doing? she thought to herself.
"Mystic?"
She was pulled to a stunned stop as a voice rang out behind her. It was a familiar voice, one she hadn't heard in so long. It filled her with a burning anger, a genuine fury that she hadn't felt since she was in college. She turned to the side and glared back at the pony that had called for her.
A pink mare, whose bubbly brown and pink mane curled around her head like a cloud, stared at her from the edge of the bridge. Her forest green eyes were filled with shock for just a moment, but when their eyes met and she blinked, contempt and anger pooled behind her pupils. She snorted, adjusting the fishnets against her front right leg before she walked a few hoofsteps in Mystic's direction.
"Get back, Cherry Jelly," Mystic hissed as she pinned her ears.
"Mean as ever, aren't you?" Cherry said with a sarcastic smirk. "So, you're back in PonyVille, hm? Skipping out on your coronation as always?"
"The coronation already happened," Mystic bit back curtly. "Didn't you attend it?"
"Only because my loving sister dragged me there," Cherry grumbled irritably. "My whole family was going. I figured I might as well come to be kind to them."
"Oh I just feel so sorry for you having to care about other ponies," Mystic said in a whiny tone. "Alright, let's cut the bullshit, what do you want?"
"Nothing," Cherry hummed as she came to a stop beside Mystic and came dangerously close to leaning against her. "I just wanted to come see what my darling ex-marefriend was up to."
"I thought I told you to get away from me," Mystic hissed as she quickly stepped to the side furthest from Cherry.
"Yeah, you sure have said that a lot over the years," Cherry hummed, the corners of her smirk threatening to turn into a scowl of her own.
"And I mean it," Mystic said. "Look, I'm not in the mood to deal with your shit, so leave me alone."
Mystic turned on her hooves, and began walking down the path. Her ears twitched as hoofsteps followed her, and a growl rumbled in the back of her throat.
"What's the matter, Mysty?" Cherry whined on purpose. "You really still want to avoid me after everything? You know, that's really rich coming from you… you always did have a habit of avoiding your problems."
"Yeah, and you're one of them," Mystic snapped at the mare.
"Aw, you're making me cry…" Cherry chuckled darkly as she pointed to the two black teardrops tattooed on her cheeks.
"Yeah, I believe that." Mystic rolled her eyes. "Did our petty little break up make you turn emo or something? I thought you were all about 'always be positive' and all that."
"I come all the way back to PonyVille from Dodge Junction on my day off to see my ex get her stupid princess coronation, and this is the attitude I get?" Cherry hissed with gritted teeth.
Mystic knew that Cherry Jelly was trying to get under her skin. Cherry had always been like that, pushing her to the breaking point or pulling her into situations she never asked to be involved in. Mystic hated to admit that this mare was ruffling her feathers, and she was fighting to keep her horn from fizzling.
"If you're going to keep being a bitch, then you should be prepared to suffer the consequences," Mystic said as she stopped and turned to the punkish mare. "You know I love to insult ponies that I don't like very much."
"I know you haven't changed very much, that's what I know," Cherry growled. "I thought some time apart would change your attitude and maybe you'd realize you were in the wrong too, but you're still blaming the break up on me, aren't you?"
"Because it was your fault!" Mystic snapped, flaring her wings at her sides. "You were always a pushy little bitch who had to have things your way. Even when I was experiencing paralyzing pains in my entire body, you always told me that a smile would fix it."
"Well you being a dick doesn't make things any better!" Cherry snapped back with pinned ears. "You always bitch and moan about how much pain you're in, but every time I would try to distract you from it, you'd yell at me! You did it from the day we got together!"
"If I had known things were going to go like that, I would've said no to you," Mystic hissed. "You don't get me. I don't think you understood me at all."
"Haha, you are so fucking sad, Mystic," Cherry laughed as tears of anger filled her eyes. "You live off of your own misery and then you're surprised why no pony wants to be around you. If I were you, I probably would've killed myself early on. The world would be better off without so much constant bitching anyways."
Mystic dug her hooves in the dirt from Cherry's words. Her scowl pulled back into a snarl and fury burned behind her pupils. Her wings were shaking as anger pulsed through her body, so much so that even her horn ignited. Cherry had glanced up to see the sparks emanating from her horn, but that only widened her smirk. That was an obvious show of her true intentions.
She had only come here to start a conflict.
"You're awfully worked up, Mysty," Cherry teased. "I thought her highness was supposed to keep up her calm and composed demeanor around her subjects? You look like you want me dead."
"Maybe I do right now," Mystic said through grit teeth. "If you don't want this to escalate, then you should just go back home. You don't want to see what happens if you don't."
"Oh, I'm so scared," Cherry groaned, rolling her head and her eyes. "What, you think I can't take a little fight just because I'm an earth pony, right? You think you're better than me just because you have alicorn magic?"
"Leave," Mystic said firmly, practically commanding the mare before her.
"No," Cherry said defiantly. "In fact… I think you should hit me with your best shot."
Mystic was so tempted to take the offer right then. She forced her wings to fold at her sides and her lips to conceal her teeth as magic spurted from her horn. She squinted at the mare, who stared back at her with an innocence in her eyes. She batted her lashes and turned to the side, and raised on hoof to circle her flank tauntingly.
"Take your shot, Princess of Friendship," Cherry cooed disdainfully.
Mystic had enough. A rumbling growl reverberated from her throat as she snapped her head down, her horn parallel to the ground. She gave the mare no time to react as a sudden burst of magic was expelled from her horn. Light like the sun illuminated the surrounding area as her magic flew through the air at lightning speed. She wasn't even able to catch Cherry's sudden surprised stare as the magic collided with her.
The mare was forcefully flung backwards, slamming into a tree at full force as magic pulsed through her body and a yowl of pain was expelled from her throat. Dust blanketed their surroundings from the collision, and the magic creating enough wind to rip a line through the path as it traveled forward. Mystic lifted her head as sweat began rolling down her face, and her horn became red hot.
Through the dust, Cherry fell to the ground at the base of the tree. She attempted to get to her hooves, only to yell out in pain as magic pulsed through one of her legs. Her leg slid from underneath her, limp as if it were dead. Once again she pulled herself to her hooves, using the tree to support her limp limb. She snapped her head to the side, tears pooling in her eyes and anger an undying flame within them.
Cherry glared at Mystic in a way Mystic had never been looked at before. She had cast that glare to other ponies in the past, but never had such unfiltered rage directed at her. She could barely process it as a sudden warmth began to roll down her face. She shut one eye as it dripped over it. It forced her to lift a hoof to wipe away the substance.
She extended her hoof to see what it was, and felt her eyes widen. It was blood.
Blood was dribbling from her horn down her face, and it was quick moving. She turned her head as she stared at her hoof in shock. She held her breath after a gasp as a chipped piece of her horn fell to the ground in front of her. Nausea began to pool in the bottom of her stomach as a painful surge of magic echoed through her horn. She yelled out in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching her head in one hoof.
She had never experienced pain like this before. It was different from the aches that she was used to, and for any pony else it might not even hurt as bad as it did for her right now. She rubbed her head furiously as if that could somehow dull her pain and stop the bleeding, but the blood continued to roll. She looked around in a panic, as if she was looking for a way to fix this.
It didn't stop the nausea that creeped up her torso from her stomach, and was soon quickly expelled into a nearby bush. She coughed as the horrible taste filled her mouth, and her entire body began to shake. She had only experienced an event this severe once, when she was still a highschooler. She felt as though she had broken the bones in her horn.
Another piece of her chipped horn fell into the bushes she had thrown up in. She stumbled backwards, and her vision began to turn spotty. She felt her ears ringing as she looked around in a panic. Her world was fading, something that she had only ever experienced in dreams. Her head was spinning and she could feel her body swaying as she stumbled backwards.
Her vision began to darken as her blinking became slower and black dots faded into her blurry world. Eventually, her eyes rolled back and she collapsed on her side. She felt heavier than ever, like she was being crushed by thousands of weights. The last thing she saw before everything went dark was a pair of pink legs speeding off into the distance, yelling out something that she couldn't quite catch through her muffled world.
