114268701_bewWIDfySCp0uZN

The throne room echoed with a hum of voices. The armor sits heavier than it should. It isn't the weight of the helmet or the polished plates along her shoulders, it's the way everypony looks past her. Their eyes glide past the horn on her brow, the careful guard's stance she practiced for years, but they don't see her. They land adjacent to her. Princess Twilight stands a half-step ahead, wings folded with effortless grace as she speaks with the leaders from neighboring lands. Her voice carries the confidence of a pony who has saved the world more times than any pony could count, but only history will recall. They listen. Of course they do. They always have. Morning Star stands at her post like a statue carved in her likeness, but never to reach the heights of which her mother stands. Her gaze remains forward, jaw set, ears perked. Everything a royal guard should be. Still, her thoughts drift despite herself. *Will I ever be more than just her daughter...* *Her shadow...* The thought felt like betrayal.