Prologue: Coffee for a Cutie Mark
It used to be a shameful life. A life full of no dignity at all. Nopony knew what was going to happen next. It had been exactly one thousand years since King Sombra tried to take over the Crystal Empire again. He failed to do so because of the Mane Six and Spike saving the day with Princess Cadance. So the empire again returned to a blissful peace.
But a few years before King Sombra's so-called "grand return" to the Crystal Empire, there lived a small paranoid-about-a-certain-King Sombra family in the Crystal Empire. They lived in a small ruby dwelling, but hey, it was home.
This was where a young filly and her family lived. This filly's name was Java Jubilee. She was a crystal pony (of course) who had a light, almost candy-colored pink coat. She had a light pink, hot pink, light yellow, dark lavender, cold pink, and cerise pink mane tied in pigtails by two tri-colored yellow, lavender and pink bands. Her tail was also tied with the same kind of tri-colored band. She had long bangs that came down just above her eyes. She had navy blue eyes that almost seemed to contrast with the other colors of her appearance.
Java Jubilee was quite the energetic and excitable filly...when her parents weren't busy worrying about a certain evil unicorn king.
"He's going to come back," her mother Coffee Bean spoke. "I just know it."
"Don't worry honey. I'll protect you and our daughter from that horrible king," replied Coffee Pot, Java Jubilee's father.
She was fed up with this King Sombra nonsense. Of course he wasn't going to return! It had been almost one thousand years since he last took over the Crystal Empire! She didn't quite understand what all of this mass hysteria was about.
"No matter how you put it, King Sombra is not going to return!"
"You don't understand," Coffee Pot told his opposing daughter. "He's going to return. Everypony here knows that."
"Wouldn't he be gone by now?"
"Sometimes things don't go away. They stick around for a while, waiting for a chance to unexpectedly throw you off your trail."
"I don't get what you're saying, Dad. I'm only nine years old."
"I'm saying that by now, King Sombra is as old as the Princesses of Equestria. He could sneak up on the Crystal Empire at any given time."
"You didn't use to be like this. Nopony here used to be like this. I feel like I'm the only pony here who knows what's goin' on. Now excuse me as I go to my room!"
Java Jubilee stormed off to her room without another word. Her parents turned their heads in her direction.
"Y'know, Coffee Pot? Maybe she's actually right..."
"She's just a filly."
Java Jubilee sat down on her bed and faceplanted into it. There were times like this when she hated everypony in the Crystal Empire, even her best friend Arctic Lily. Even she had been "afflicted" with the so-called "Sombra-steria". It was bad enough that her mother and father are worried about this, but her whole community? Blasphemy! She thought that all of this was utter blasphemy! All of this traced back to King Sombra.
King Sombra.
"Arrrgh!" screamed Java Jubilee into her bed-sheets. "I hate you, King Sombra! Hate you! Hate you so much for causing all of this paranoia throughout the Crystal Empire!"
Java Jubilee sat up on her bed again. "Maybe knocking some sense into these ponies' heads will finally earn me a cutie mark."
Her lack of a cutie mark was terrifying.
Even Arctic Lily had already earned her cutie mark. It was a teal fleur-dis-lee. Sometimes Java Jubilee envied her friend for that very reason. The Sombra-steria and the lack of a cutie mark always seemed to drive her crazy. They sometimes kept her up in bed all night.
"Why do I have to experience this kind of stuff? I'm just a filly..."
Java Jubilee walked out of her room and sat in the empty hall. Instantly she began to sing:
"I’m just a blank slate
Just a small fry
I have no known fate
Unless I try
Life seems very boring
When you don’t know your purpose
I’ll just go exploring
To go find my purpose
In life
Just a plain ol’ crystal filly
With no cutie mark at all
I’m really feeling quite chilly
Sitting in this empty hall
If I only knew why I am here
I would stay in my place
And work everyday without any fear
But my flank’s a disgrace
Just a plain ol’ crystal filly
With no cutie mark at all
I’m really feeling quite chilly
Sitting in this empty hall
Nopony to help me…
....at all...."
Four days later, it was Saturday. Java Jubilee was thirsty in the morning. Sometimes her mother would prepare her coffee on special occasions, but mostly she just drank milk instead. Today felt like a special occasion to her. She was going to convince everypony that King Sombra was truly gone.
Java Jubilee was already in the kitchen. "Mom! I need something to drink!"
Instantly Coffee Bean was in the kitchen. "What do you need, sweetie? Do you need a glass of milk?"
"Na. I'm gonna have a cup of coffee!"
"Shall I make it for you?"
"Nope, Mom! I'm gonna make it all by myself!"
"That's a big step! Are you sure you can do it?"
"Of course I'm sure, Mom! I'm nine years old!"
Java Jubilee got out a coffee bag and a coffee mug. She poured hot water into the mug. The contents of the coffee bag were dumped in. She stirred the pot with a spoon. Soon she grabbed the mug's handle with her teeth and set it on a manual coffee machine. After putting the machine on the stove, the coffee machine was warming up. Soon the coffee pot's contents slowly began to look more like coffee and steam was coming out of it.
The coffee was finally done, and Java Jubilee couldn't wait any longer to taste it.
Carefully, she maneuvered the coffee pot to carefully pour its contents into a small mug. She dipped some cream into it and carried her mug back to her seat at the kitchen table.
"Yum! This looks good!"
Java Jubilee grabbed the mug with her hoof and gently sipped the coffee so it wouldn't burn her tongue. Right after she swallowed, she heard a sparkling sound from behind her.
"Huh? What's happeni-"
She immediately gasped when she realized what was happening to her.
"Mom! Dad! I'm getting my cutie mark!"
Immediately Java Jubilee's mother and father came into her kitchen.
"She's right!"
Soon the image appeared on her flank. It was a white cup of coffee with cream in it. The coffee cup had "My coffee and me" written on it.
"I'm so proud of you!" Coffee Bean spoke.
Java Jubilee set down her mug, got up out of her chair, and hugged her mother.
"I'm so happy that I could sing a song right now!"
Again, Java Jubilee began to sing:
"What’s this?
Could it be?
Have I finally discovered
The real me?
My flank’s covered
With a cutie mark
A cup of coffee
Now it’s not as dark
In my heart!
I’ve finally found my destiny
I’ve gotten my cutie mark
This shed light on my destiny
To find a perfect job!"
The sheets in the bed rustled inside the bedroom. Somepony was waking up. It was Java Jubilee. She poked her head out from under the sheets and woke up with a yawn.
"Wow. That was one crazy dream."
It had been twelve years since Java Jubilee had gotten her cutie mark and become a mare. However, she still had the same mane and tail style that she had twelve years ago. She kept her peppy style and tone of voice; she remained upbeat and happy.
However, recently, she started to daydream about stuff. She wasn't sure what they were about when she was snapped back to reality, but she definitely daydreamt. Sometimes she would be cleaning a table in her house and suddenly she would start daydreaming about running away from King Sombra or something silly like that.
Wait. Not him. She still felt bad even after those two years. Yup. King Sombra returned two years ago, which was still fairly recent. Even after her friend Arctic Lily started to believe her...
She still daydreamt about the horrible incident, especially when she wasn't even aware that she was daydreaming. It was a very horrible thing that would annoy ponies around Java Jubilee. Not just daydreams about King Sombra, but all of them. Whenever somepony saw Java Jubilee staring off into space, they would know for sure that she was daydreaming. She would literally just stand there like a petrified animal.
There were other reasons why Java Jubilee's daydreams were bad. She couldn't concentrate, she couldn't talk, she could barely do anything...
Not even get a job.
Out of all the reasons why Java Jubilee's daydreams were annoying, "not holding a steady job without daydreaming repeatedly" would have to be the number one reason. Her daydreaming antics would tick off her bosses. They would fire her on the spot, even on her first day. Usually she would not understand why, but on the pink slip she would be given, it would say:
"Fired for daydreaming. An absolute waste of my time. Go find something else to do that would incorporate a portion of your imagination."
She never understood why she did it or why people would get ticked off about it. Even Arctic Lily was fussed up about it.
Arctic Lily.
"Java, it's time for breakfast! You've gotta eat quickly because you're working the first day of your new job at the flower stand today!"
"Oh, I've almost forgotten!"
Java Jubilee quickly got out of bed, opened the door, and raced downstairs. Luckily she wasn't a slow eater...
Java Jubilee sat in her seat across from her roommate Arctic Lily. Yes, they were now roommates. This all started when Java Jubilee couldn't pay the rent for her apartment anymore because, you guessed it, she wouldn't stop daydreaming. If she didn't daydream, maybe she would've kept her apartment.
But no! She kept on daydreaming and daydreaming; getting fired and laid off job after job. Java Jubilee never seemed to learn from her mistakes, especially from daydreaming. Well, at least she now shared a house with her best friend! It wasn't the best kind of house in the Crystal Empire. It was a medium-sized opal house with a sapphire door and ruby windows. It had an emerald roof that always seemed to reflect light onto unsuspecting crystal ponies' eyes. That house received many complaints; one because it was too tacky for using too many kinds of crystals and jewels, and two, for the emerald roof.
Arctic Lily could've not helped her best friend if she wanted to. But Java Jubilee was oh so desperate! So, she decided to let her live in her house, her very tacky house. Her house with an irritating roof.
"Erm, are you gonna eat that?"
"Eat what, Arctic?"
"Eat your pancake."
"Wait, what?"
"Ugh."
She was busy daydreaming, again! When will she ever learn? Arctic Lily had to face this every day. Whenever the two best friends were out walking in the Crystal Empire, occasionally a little filly or two would ask why Java Jubilee was "concentrating" on a crystal berry bush. Many a time Arctic Lily would facehoof herself.
"Java, when will you ever stop daydreaming?"
Java Jubilee's eyes snapped open.
"Daydreaming? You thought that all this time I was daydreaming? Ha, Arctic Lily! That's a good one!"
"I'm serious."
"When you're serious, you're not serious."
"I'm not joking this time."
"I'M SERIOUS ABOUT YOU NOT BEING SERIOUS ABOUT BEING SERIOUS!"
A large silence took place.
"Ponyfeathers! Java, you need to move your flank out of the sapphire door so you can make it to your first day on the job!"
"You're right! See ya later, Arctic!"
Java Jubilee goofily ran outside and shut the door.
"Cadance, Celestia, Luna, please tell me that my best friend Java Jubilee won't daydream today..."
