Prologue - Rise, Princess Ivory
Author's Note
Thanks to everyone who read, commented and upvoted "A student of her own"! This sequel takes place around a month after the events of the final chapters, as some of you are aware, I am currently revising some of "A student of her own", with help from Bronyxy, and I may change some plot points to make the timeline flow better with the addition of "A daughter of her own". So, this chapter may be changed in the future, this is not the 'final product' and many changes may be made once "A student of her own" is fully revised.
Prologue - Rise, Princess Ivory
At the time of her coronation, The princess Ivory has seen a lot. A mere month had passed since King Sombra had returned from The Shadow Realm and a month had passed since he had been banished again at the hooves of Trixie Lulamoon, the princess's biological mother. A mere month had passed since a daughter had lost her mother...
- Excerpt from "The Rise of the Gypsie Princess" By Sir Cinnamon Dust and Lord Aura Sapphire Fancy-Belle
This was it! Crown princess Twilight Soleil thought as she trotted around one of the little waiting rooms that littered the Canterlot Palace. The room was by no means small like a cottage, it had more than enough room to fit Twilight, Her daughter - princess Skylar, her husband - Crown Prince Zephyr, and three royal unicorn guards. The purple alicorn then turned around and made her way over to a large, window, which she peaked out of. She smiled sweetly as she saw the thousands of ponies gathered down below, still filling the great hall, where all of Equestria's princess', prince's, and queen had been coronated.
Suddenly, there was a small knock at the door that separated the room from the rest of the grand palace. The door opened to reveal a small, trainee royal pegasus mare guard, who nervously smiled as the family stepped forward. "Your Highness'," She spoke surprisedly calmly. "it is time for the coronation." She explained.
Twilight looked to Zephyr, who smiled and nodded at his wife. "Thank you, you are excused." He said to the guard who nodded and made way for the family to pass.
The trio then walked together down through creamy white and bright hallways until they reached a large, pure white crystal door. The two unicorn guards who stood on either side of the door bowed their heads in respect to the familiar as they opened the crystal door using their blue magic. In an instant, the trio was bathed in bright sunlight, due to the large skylight, which covered the entire length of what would have been the roof.
Skylar smiled as she heard the sound of her hooves walk against the white tiled floor before the sound changed to muffling crimson carpet. The crown princess, Twilight, smiled as she saw a large grey and black camera glid over her and her family, she knew the event was being formed ad broadcasted live both outside the palace and all around Canterlot. Compared to the coronations of Twilight and Empress Mi amore Cadenza, this was a much smaller, more 'private' event. But that didn't mean it was any less important, no, if anything, this was even more import!
"Crown prince and Princess Soleil and their daughter, Princess Mia Sparkle Skylar Soleil!" A stallion's voice announced overhead to the crowd who were seated either side of the trio and to the ponies outside. Twilight smiled as she saw the announcer, who was dressed in a bright red, yet not too bright, cape with matching long, white shirt. Twilight halted as Zephyr turned and took his seat in the front row, next to some of Queen Celestia's and Princess Luna's descendants, two of which, Earl Grey Zon and Lord Stone Sunon, were the crown prince's great friends and 'cousin's'. Next to move in was Skylar, followed lastly by Twilight who levitated the light blue schedule brochure up to her eyes.
It was exactly thirty seconds after Twilight and her family had arrived when she heard the sound of the sun queen's trumpets and the moon princess' and her daughter, Countess Mona, own play. She stood as everypony else did and bowed as the sun queen and moon princess reached her row, which Luna and Mona sat opposite to. The sun queen stood right at the top and middle of the great hall, on a small, raised platform.
Twilight heard Skylar gasped as she turned back around and stood up as The Crystal Empress, Better known to Twilight as Cadence, arrived. Her husband, Prince Shining Armour - Twilight's brother, stood next to the Empress. Behind them followed their teenaged daughter, Princess Mia Armour Flurry heart. Twilight bowed as the Empress reached her row and them took their seats opposite Twilight, as Luna and Mona did.
The Crystal Princess, better known simply as Flurry, who had only been crowned as "The Princess of Love" a year ago, who wore a stunning white gown with small light blue crystal detailing on both the neckline and the end of the bespoken gown. Cadence was dressed similar, only in a shade of pink instead. Shining was dressed in his crimson guard uniform, with the medal of 'The Crystal's heart' on his right side.
At last, the moment they had all been waiting for. The sound of trumpets burst into the hall, filling it with an even advance sense of elegance and size. Twilight watched as the sun queen smile widened as the sound of a door open momentarily interrupted the trumpets moment. Twilight stood as she turned to look down the hallway she and her family had walked down exactly three minutes ago. The thing Twilight loved the most about coronations was how precise they always were, every detail planned sometimes months or years in advance.
Twilight smiled sweetly as Ivory Wand walked down the pathway. The light blue unicorn mare was dressed in a dark blue and deep purple gown, made by Rarity, of course, no other pony could so carefully sow diamonds on to fabric. Her mane was no longer left to be assaulted by the elements and dirt, it was now up in a tall, elegant bun that hung to the back of Ivory's head, helped along by some statistically placed bobby pins, clips, and manespray.
As Ivory made it to Twilight row, she stopped for a moment, bowing to the Crystal empress and her family, then to Twilight, who nodded back in response. The mare then moved forward to where The sun queen stood. She stood at the same level Celestia was on and bowed. Celestia then took a step forward as well as another unicorn, who held in her green magic a glittering, silver tiara.
"Ivory Wand Soleil," Celestia spoke, using Ivory's new adoptive family name, Twilight's family, instead of Lulamoon which belonged to her biological family. "We are all gathered here from all walks of life and all kingdoms," Celestia gazed out at every row, keeping all the noble's and royal's attention on her and the little unicorn bowing to her. "Ivory Wand, you helped in the defeat of the dark king, King Sombra, and broke the news to us, saving Equestria from what have almost certainly been a disaster..." Celestia closed her eyes, feeling everypony linger on her words until they became nothing but memories to them. "But today is not a day to linger on the past, today is a day we celebrate the birth of a new princess of Equestria... Princess Ivory Wand Soleil!"
Saying that Celestia lifted the silver tiara from the unicorn and planted it perfectly on to the unicorn's head. The sun queen then took a step back and ordered Ivory to rise. Ivory did without a moment's hesitation and then turned around to face the hall of smiling faces and cheering faces. After the cheering died down in the hall Celestia led the unicorn out on to the balcony, it was not the same one that Twilight stood out on, this one was small and had roses growing on its railing, making it look like it was a waterfall made of flowers.
"I present to you all, Princess Ivory Wand Soleil!" Celestia called out to the ponies down below.
Ivory gave a small wave to the ponies down below, who were more than happy to wave back. Ivory looked behind her to see Twilight and Zephyr smiling at her. Suddenly, Skylar rushed forward and embraced the unicorn in a long hug, a cheer erupted from below as the pair finished their embrace and looked down to the ponies below, Skylar waving proudly with a smile taking up half of her face, and Ivory waving 'modestly'. After another minute, Celestia led the two away and back into the hall, where most of its occupants were now standing and chatting with one another.
"Twilight," Celestia said hushly. "come with me." She said without a smile.
Twilight nodded as she followed the sun queen away from the hall. "What is it?" Twilight asked once they were far away from the hall, they were now in a bearly lit hallway.
"Twilight, reports have come in from east of our borders," Celestia explained, facing the smaller alicorn, "they claim they saw an alive umbrum in its true form roaming freely," Celestia said sadly.
"An umbrum?" Twilight questioned, her eyes filled with worry. "But, what would it be doing in the east?" Twilight raised an eyebrow as she lifted a hoof to her face in a calming manner.
"The report states very little about what it was actually doing there, however, I have a theory... what if, when Trixie brought back Sombra, his fellow umbrums saw this as their time to return?" The white alicorn mare suggested, her eyes unmoving from the ground.
"It would make sense.. but, for only one to be seen... that doesn't make any sense," Twilight stated. "we know that Umbrum's traditionally traveled in packs of at least eight. From what little we know about them, that fact has always been certain. Why would one suddenly abandon the rest of its pack? Or perhaps, why would they abandoned one if it seems to be fine?" The purple mare questioned.
"The report says very little, Twilight," Sighed the alicorn. "why, to be completely honest, I'm not even sure we can trust it. For one, it came in without anything that would mark it as an official report." The white mare said sadly. "Twilight, what do you think we should do?" The mare asked, now facing the alicorn.
Twilight sighed and closed her eyes. "Well, maybe its reformed?" She suggested. "perhaps even learned to live alongside ponies... but, if it has not, I think the best course of action will be to send some guards over to try and be rid of the creature." Twilight said, uncertainly. "But, maybe we should wait until more reports come in," Twilight said with more certainty in her voice. "to be sure," she added.
"That sounds like a plan, thank you Twilight.. go back to the party, have fun with your family." The sun queen said with a wide smile on her face.
Twilight smiled back and trotted off to catch up with the rest of her family. Leaving Celestia behind in the dark hallway, as she was about to leave Luna suddenly appeared in the doorway, she smiled and nodded at Twilight, who returned to smile and nod. The sun queen sighed and closed her eyes. "Tia," Luna said flatly.
"I am fine, Luna, just a bit light-headed." Celestia lied.
"Your wings are greying," Luna said quickly, her eyes focusing dead on the white mare.
Celestia sighed and looked down at the floor as she moved forward, holding her wings tight aganised her body. "Luna, not now," Celestia dismissed her sister's claim as she passed her.
. . .
The after party of the coronation was nearing it's third hours, with no signs of stopping, if anything, the party was now in full swing. Twilight smiled as she watched Skylar introduce Ivory to Flurry. She quietly started to listen in on the trio of mares. "Wanda, this is The Crystal Princess Mia Armour Flurry heart!" Skylar introduced the two. The white alicorn mare giggled as Skylar bowed at her.
"Please," Flurry spoke to Ivory. "Flurry Heart is more than fine!" She laughed.
"Nice to meet you, your highness." Ivory smiled and bobbed her head.
"Wanda's my mother's student," Skylar explained.
"Ah," Smiled the older mare. "so you are the famous unicorn in Skylar's letters to me."
Ivory blushed as the mare smiled. "I guess I am!" Ivory said triumphantly.
"Well, let me be the first to congratulate you on becoming a princess!"
