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Description
Morning Frost dragged his hooves down the familiar halls of Crystal Castle. Another night was coming to a close and another sleepless one at that. The stallion raised his eyes to peer out the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined this corridor. Inky darkness was slowly receding, replaced by faded blues and a pale yellow horizon. The sun had not crested the distant mountains just yet, but Celestia would raise the day soon.

He found himself treading the same tired path towards the atrium, like he always did when sleep would not come to him. With Flurry Heart's coronation fast approaching, this walk had become more frequent. His nights had been filled with fitful tossing and turning as of late, fidgeting, and overactive nerves making his skin crawl. His mind raced, burdened heavily with insecurities and a growing, bubbling jealousy he dared not let slip.

Did he have such a right to feel the way he did? He was the Crystal Prince. Reserved, polite, fiercely intelligent. Leagues ahead of his peers in his studies. A champion in battle. He had plenty to feel proud of. And yet... All of that was dwarfed by Flurry Heart's existence. Perfect, pretty, alicorn princess, Flurry Heart.

His older sister was the golden foal; his parents didn't have to say it. Their enthusiasm and adoration for Flurry, their pride for her accomplishments, was the kind reserved only for a firstborn. Rationally, Frost knew Shining and Cadance loved all three of their children equally, but the more Flurry rose to her station, the more she made her kingdom and her family proud... the deeper Frost's mind sank.

He was unwell, this he knew. He had never felt so low in his life, if he was being honest. In a few weeks' time, he would once again have to stand off in the sidelines, forcing a thinly veiled smile as Flurry accepted her crown, nay, her birthright. He didn't know if he could do it. He'd be invisible, like he always was at such events. Just the soldier son with the unremarkable shield for a cutie mark. Just the pegasus brother of the Crystal Empire's sweetheart. Not even a unicorn like his father, or his younger sibling, Aura. Next to his family and his sister especially, he was nothing. No matter what he told himself, no matter what he heard from others, his mind always circled back to that singular thought. He was nothing.

It made him sick to his stomach. Sick with rage. It made him want to kick and scream and cry. But that was not befitting of royalty and his advisors would say he had an appearance to keep up.

Frost paused at the threshold of the Hall of Harmony. Before him was a wall of grand, stained glass windows, their millions of panes illuminated by the growing light of the day. The floor and walls were painted with every color imaginable as he stepped hoof onto the long carpet. There was one of these halls in every castle in Equestria. They were each a little different in who they honored, but each was a display of the ponies held in the highest regard. Ponyville's honored his aunt, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the Elements of Harmony. Canterlot's had two large rose windows, one for each Celestia and Luna. And of course, the Crystal Kingdom's largest window displayed none other than their pride and joy, Flurry Heart.

Gods above, he wanted to smash it. Turn and buck, destroy it with his hooves, stomp it into tiny, little pieces of nothing. Just like him.

This window, with its vibrant glass shining down on his dull coat, stood for everything he despised.

At one time, he would have felt awful for the resentment he harbored towards his family. But in the light of the dawn, he was starting to realize he didn't feel all that guilty anymore.

~~~

Pretty proud of this one!

I'm not promising any sort of schedule but I want to slowly start illustrating and putting out pieces for Gemmaverse, like I've always wanted to do. This one may seem irrelevant and it might be a bit cliche but it's part of the seeds I'm sowing *rubs hands together*

This here is Morning Frost, secondborn to Shining Armor and Cadance and he's got even worse middle child syndrome than Victory lmao

Aaaaand the stained glass ref

Description
Morning Frost dragged his hooves down the familiar halls of Crystal Castle. Another night was coming to a close and another sleepless one at that. The stallion raised his eyes to peer out the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined this corridor. Inky darkness was slowly receding, replaced by faded blues and a pale yellow horizon. The sun had not crested the distant mountains just yet, but Celestia would raise the day soon.

He found himself treading the same tired path towards the atrium, like he always did when sleep would not come to him. With Flurry Heart's coronation fast approaching, this walk had become more frequent. His nights had been filled with fitful tossing and turning as of late, fidgeting, and overactive nerves making his skin crawl. His mind raced, burdened heavily with insecurities and a growing, bubbling jealousy he dared not let slip.

Did he have such a right to feel the way he did? He was the Crystal Prince. Reserved, polite, fiercely intelligent. Leagues ahead of his peers in his studies. A champion in battle. He had plenty to feel proud of. And yet... All of that was dwarfed by Flurry Heart's existence. Perfect, pretty, alicorn princess, Flurry Heart.

His older sister was the golden foal; his parents didn't have to say it. Their enthusiasm and adoration for Flurry, their pride for her accomplishments, was the kind reserved only for a firstborn. Rationally, Frost knew Shining and Cadance loved all three of their children equally, but the more Flurry rose to her station, the more she made her kingdom and her family proud... the deeper Frost's mind sank.

He was unwell, this he knew. He had never felt so low in his life, if he was being honest. In a few weeks' time, he would once again have to stand off in the sidelines, forcing a thinly veiled smile as Flurry accepted her crown, nay, her birthright. He didn't know if he could do it. He'd be invisible, like he always was at such events. Just the soldier son with the unremarkable shield for a cutie mark. Just the pegasus brother of the Crystal Empire's sweetheart. Not even a unicorn like his father, or his younger sibling, Aura. Next to his family and his sister especially, he was nothing. No matter what he told himself, no matter what he heard from others, his mind always circled back to that singular thought. He was nothing.

It made him sick to his stomach. Sick with rage. It made him want to kick and scream and cry. But that was not befitting of royalty and his advisors would say he had an appearance to keep up.

Frost paused at the threshold of the Hall of Harmony. Before him was a wall of grand, stained glass windows, their millions of panes illuminated by the growing light of the day. The floor and walls were painted with every color imaginable as he stepped hoof onto the long carpet. There was one of these halls in every castle in Equestria. They were each a little different in who they honored, but each was a display of the ponies held in the highest regard. Ponyville's honored his aunt, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and the Elements of Harmony. Canterlot's had two large rose windows, one for each Celestia and Luna. And of course, the Crystal Kingdom's largest window displayed none other than their pride and joy, Flurry Heart.

Gods above, he wanted to smash it. Turn and buck, destroy it with his hooves, stomp it into tiny, little pieces of nothing. Just like him.

This window, with its vibrant glass shining down on his dull coat, stood for everything he despised.

At one time, he would have felt awful for the resentment he harbored towards his family. But in the light of the dawn, he was starting to realize he didn't feel all that guilty anymore.

~~~

Pretty proud of this one!

I'm not promising any sort of schedule but I want to slowly start illustrating and putting out pieces for Gemmaverse, like I've always wanted to do. This one may seem irrelevant and it might be a bit cliche but it's part of the seeds I'm sowing *rubs hands together*

This here is Morning Frost, secondborn to Shining Armor and Cadance and he's got even worse middle child syndrome than Victory lmao

Aaaaand the stained glass ref