Sapphire glow, bumbling creation, destiny’s queen, all for joy’s very zealous exit - @imaginary-dagger Sapphire walked down the hall to the throne room, her deep blue scales shining with whatever light would pass through the small windows up above. The walls were made of black stones of all different sizes. The ceiling was lined with gleaming gold. Portraits of the queen, Queen Eclipse, hung on the walls, showing her shiny, jet-black scales and sharp claws. Her heart thumped with excitement as she walked to the gate. A dragon, destined by prophecy to create something that would save the kingdom. The gate to the throne was lined with jewels, so many kinds that she couldn't name! Two guards in shiny armor stood at the gate. Sapphire bowed down to them, and the guards opened the gates. Inside, there seemed to be millions of dragons lined up on the sides of the red carpet. Queen Eclipse waited for her, sitting on a throne made of pure platinum. "Our prophecy dragon! Welcome!" the queen said in an elegant voice. "Hello, my majesty," Sapphire replied. On the right to Eclipse stood Princess Moonlight. Her scales were silver with black spots. "Now here comes the part of the prophecy where Moonlight steps down for good," Eclipse said, a bit disgruntled. Sapphire could see why. Moonlight would have been a wonderful queen, with her cleverness and her love for the kingdom. "I would be delighted to give up my role as royalty in the face of a better future," Moonlight said as she bowed down. The crowd cheered with excitement. On the left to Eclipse stood the kingdom prophet, Neptune. His scales were like Sapphire's, but with white swirls and sharper horns. "This year will bring hope and prosperity for all of us," Neptune announced, "as long as Sapphire is here." The crowd cheered for Sapphire. She basked in the glory of so many dragons loving her. "I want to give you this," Eclipse said as she placed a golden brooch with a bĺood-red garnet on Sapphire's chest. "This brooch represents love and passion, giving our new princess motivation to help us. Now welcome our new princess, Princess Sapphire!" "Sap-phi-re! Sap-phi-re!" The crowd chanted her name, loud and clear. Moonlight stepped off the side, beckoning Sapphire to take her place. Moonlight walked on the carpet, looking to the right of her. Strange, but it's probably nothing. "This royal meeting has been dismissed," Eclipse said. The dragons poured out of the hall, including Neptune, leaving Sapphire and Eclipse behind. A few days later, Sapphire woke up in a bed made of cotton. She was used to the moss beds she used to sleep in, so this was a good change. She put on her new horn rings and walked out the door. She went to the castle gardens, her favorite place ever since the castle tour. She took a look at the dainty roses when she spotted a bee buzzing over to a magnolia. It went into the center and carried pollen and nectar with it. Sapphire wanted to see where its hive was, so she followed it to a corner of the garden see a bustling hive full of honey, or so it seemed. The queen was in bad shape, so Sapphire put a ring made of epidote, symbolizing recovery and regneration. Sapphire went on her way back inside. A few hours passed, and Sapphire heard Eclipse speaking. "A big hive has formed in the corner of the garden, and it's been a bother. If you could remove it, I'd be delighted." Sapphire tried to stay calm. She didn't want the bees she was attached to to die! Of course, she might have been overreacting about the bees, but she definitely wasn't overreacting about the epidote horn ring. If she told Eclipse about how she stuffed a ring into a hive full of stinging bees, she would be dead in under a second. She rushed to the castle gardens, as the bees could be dead any second now. She blasted through the rose and the magnolias, reaching to the hive to see the bees better than ever. Their wings were shining bright, and the queen was healed. The most notable thing was the honey. It became a deeper gold color, reflecting the sun's rays. It almost looked like a liquid sunrise. "Sapphire, could you please leave the garden?" Eclipse said, suddenly appearing behind her. "We have some-" Eclipse stared at the glorious honey. She put a claw into a honeycomb, and the bees didn't even care. She tasted it and her face lit up. "These bees seem to have some magic in them. I felt it heal all my injuries, inside and outside," she said. From that day, on, the epidote was kept in the hive. The honey in it was sent to hospitals as a last resort to any chance of dying. Sapphire got all the attention from making this discovery, but she felt weird about it. She never got any peace or quiet unless she was in her bedroom. One day, when she was at yet another party, she spotted Moonlight. "Hey, Moonlight, help me cope with all this attention! Please!" she cried, trying to stay quiet. "You can be like me and fake a prophecy with Neptune," she said.
"There was a bit of truth to it," she explained, "but we faked most of it so I could get a break." Sapphire's world shattered. She never thought that Moonlight could be so untruthful! Then again, her advice worked, and it could work again. She looked around a saw Neptune sitting with a friend. "Hey, Neptune..."