Lucidity - An MLP Fanfiction

In Hindsight This Was A Much Better Idea

        Golden Rays and Snow Spellcaster returned not long after the Unicorn had been imprisoned. Although, it was less imprisonment and more so a temporary house arrest with guards outside.

Grenadine and Mirror were recovering inside of the palace when the yellow Unicorn and light blue Zebra arrived with bags of belongings and... Nana. Her white and black striped coat stood out among the colourful coats of the Crystal Ponies. Her eyes were squinted slightly, looking as though they glared at everyone who passed by her.

Grenadine winced at the memory of the elder Zebra scolding her for using her Dark Crystal Magic, but she was fine, now. No need to worry, Nana, Grenadine thought to herself. She broke out of her internal monologue and finally looked up at the doors of the palace, where Goldie, Snow, and Nana were entering.

"Grenadine!" Snow called from the entrance. He jogged over to the Umbrum and hugged her, face slightly red when he pulled back. "Oh, sorry. I don't know if that was unnecessary."

Golden Rays laughed from behind the trio of teenagers, the front of her mane glowing a slight orange tint from where her horn was covered while using her magic. "I would doubt giving her a hug would be strange after what we talked about on the ride over to Ponyville..." The mare trailed off, smirking at the boy's crimson blush.

"I told you that in confidence," Snow seethed. He turned around to see both Grenadine and Mirror sharing a devious look at smiling. "What? Am I not in on a joke? Oh, no, are you laughing at me?" He deflated slightly.

"No, no," Mirror chuckled, raising a hoof to her mouth to stifle her laugh. "Actually, we were thinking about Grenadine's plan from earlier!"

Grenadine's eyes widened and she took a couple of steps back. "Oh, uh, yeah," She stuttered. "I thought that- when I supposedly take over- that the three of us rule together! And I know that sometimes rulers are both married or whatever, so..."

Snow's face reddened and his face split into a grin. Behind him, Goldie chuckled at his response.

"Yes!" He said, a little too excitedly. "Yeah, that sounds like it would be nice," The Zebra repeated, softer.

The three teens were a mess of red faces and awkward smiles, but it seemed they had worked out a plan for their future relationship.

While they were all happy thinking about the current situation, the guards seemed to think now was the perfect time to release the Unicorn from earlier for a minute.

"Oh, how sweet," She crooned mockingly. "The princess thinks love is her answer. Sucks to be you, hm?"

Grenadine scowled and glared at the mare, stomping a hoof in protest to her cruel words. "Shut up, you no good imposter!" She shouted, her dark hair falling in front of her eyes.

"Oh, please. If I left you alone there would be no catalyst for the reaction! I need my spell to work much sooner than you would like. Mind showing it off?" The magenta mare took a few steps forward, her head lowered. How had guards not followed her out? How did she get out in the first place?

In favour of thinking about either of those answers, Grenadine simply exhaled harshly through her nose and tried calming down. Her horn had other plans. There was a flash of green and suddenly it seemed as though Grenadine was no longer in control of her emotions. Her heart was racing, her eyes glowing, her magic forming at the top of her head.

"No, wait-" The Umbrum did her best to keep her magic under her control, but failed. Before she could utter another word, magic was blasted toward the magenta mare, trapping her feet in a cluster of large, black crystals sprouting from the ground.

Gasps were heard from bystanders (why they didn't help initially, Grenadine didn't know) as they looked on in shock and fear. The Umbrum that had been named leader using Dark Crystal Magic on one of her subjects?

"She's like King Sombra!" Someone screamed. People scattered, voices clashing in the cluster of panic. Grenadine was still trying to get ahold of her emotions and magic that she only barely caught sight of the smirk coming from the Unicorn trapped in the crystals.

"I didn't mean to!" The peach mare yelled. She guiltily looked at her cutie mark-- that dastardly moon with the spirit swirling on top of it. Given to her after she nearly killed someone with her Dark Crystal Magic. What a time to be alive.

"Grenadine," Snow called out from behind the mare. "Grenadine!" He called louder when she didn't hear him. The Zebra paced in place for a moment before grabbing a couple of potion bottles out of a saddlebag and tossing them toward the chaos. Thankfully he had prepared a few concoctions just for situations like these.

In a burst of smoke and sparkles, the crystals shattered into nothing more than dust but the damage was done. Grenadine had caused mass panic across the Empire in less than a day after arriving and claiming her rightful place as Empress. Her horn stopped glowing and tears formed in her eyes as she watched people hiding in their homes, getting as far away from their leader as they could before things got out of hand.

"Sweetheart..." Goldie muttered. Right, Grenadine thought. They were back. Mom watched me use Dark Magic. After I promised her I wouldn't. The mare sank to the ground under the eyes of her mother and both of her friends.

"See what I mean?" Came the unnerving voice of the magenta Unicorn. "You destroyed my purpose. I'm going to destroy yours. This was going to be the last year I'd ever have to audition!" Mirror stepped in front of the tearful Umbrum in a protective stance, while Snow stood next to her holding more potions at the ready.

"Your purpose? You're a Unicorn! In a Crystal Empire!" Golden Rays nearly screamed. Her daughter was being attacked for no reason and there was no way she'd let the harasser get away with it. "You have so much potential! You could be a famed wizard if you just stayed out of her business! She's a child."

"She said she started at rock bottom," The mare gritted out. "I think it's only fair she proves herself by reaching the top once more. Without her little friends from her hometown," Finally the Crystal Guards had come to round the mare up and take her back to her home, chaining the door with four guards outside the doors at all times.

"I'm a monster again," Grenadine breathed.

The deafening silence was the response as tears streamed down the young mare's face, staining her cheeks with shame. She had hurt someone. She had scared everyone. She was done for.