Birthright

by Flowing-Mercury

First Impressions

Birthright: Chapter 2
First Impressions

It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. It was always a beautiful day in Ponyville. Maybe they had put something in the water. She wouldn’t put it past them. Everyone was so happy here all the time. Maybe it was Pinkie? Yeah probably Pinkie. Starlight Glimmer had a habit of thinking about things like this when she went out for a walk alone. There wasn’t exactly much else to do but think on a day like today. She didn’t much feel like talking to anypony else. Not that there was anything inherently wrong with talking to other ponies, she just didn’t feel like it at the moment.

Double Diamond and Night Glider hadn’t answered her letters, and she was worried. Some would argue that she was worrying over nothing, and that could very well be true. But when your “pen-pal's”, from the town that you once ruled with an iron hoof, stop replying to your letters, what else are you supposed to do? Suppose that they had decided that she wasn’t worth talking to after all? She couldn’t blame them. If someone had done to her what she had attempted to do to them, she wouldn’t be much inclined to be pen-pals with them either. Twilight had told her not to worry. “Their letters are probably just lost in the mail” she had said. And Starlight might have been inclined to agree, if only one of them had stopped replying. But both? What were the odds of that?! And it had been a month, even the Ponyville postal service wasn’t that bad. And so, she worried

Starlight looked around her, she had wandered into the park. There were ponies sitting enjoying the weather on the grass. Talking, playing, and enjoying picnics. This was the park where she and Trixie had first performed in ‘The Great and Humble Trixie’s Equestrian Apology Tour (working title)’. That had been a good day. The first real friend that she had made since she was a filly. Starlight’s ears sagged as she resumed her walk. She wished Trixie was here, but she was travelling. She had resumed her apology tour now that the fiasco with the changelings was over. Starlight knew why she had gone, she also had ponies that she needed to make amends to, But she could just really use a bit of company to take her mind off things. Somepony who understood.

“Oh. My. Gosh! Is That Starlight Glimmer?!”

Starlight looked up. In fact a lot of ponies looked up. The speaker seemed to have no issue with being heard. She was standing about ten yards away from starlight in the middle of the grass. She was a Unicorn with a deep orchid colour, and a long, almost pure white mane that was flowing in the light breeze. She was smiling the largest smile Starlight had ever seen outside of a certain pink pony.

“It IS!! It’s Starlight Glimmer! Oh Wow! Starlight, How are you?!” The strange pony was almost shrieking as she made her way towards Starlight. “I haven’t seen you in, like, forever. What are the odds that you would be, like, here. Of all places?!”

“Well, this is where I live, so... Here I am” Starlight laughed nervously, looking around her, everypony was looking at the two of them in confusion. She had absolutely no idea who this pony was. “I’m really sorry but…”

“You have absolutely no idea who I am do you?” The strange mare threw her head back and laughed, as though ponies frequently forgot who she was almost every day. “Don’t worry. I’m not, like, a con-pony who’s going to hustle ya out of a few bits. It’s me, Evangeline,” she smiled, “we met at Princess Twilight’s lecture on cutie-mark magic.”

Starlight was taken aback. That was over a year ago now… Had it really been that long? She thought back to that day. “Evangeline…” Then it hit her. “Of course! Evangeline!” she remembered the whole event. In hindsight, it was quite difficult to forget a mare like Evangeline Blossom…

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Starlight Glimmer had only attended the lecture because she happened to be in Canterlot at the time. When she was caught sneaking around in the Starswirl wing of the Library, she needed an excuse for being there. So she told the guard that she had gotten turned around looking for the lecture hall after forgetting her notes. The guard then kindly offered to escort her there himself so she wouldn’t get lost again. She had no choice but to accept his offer, otherwise it would look suspicious. Fortunately she had managed to acquire what she had came for, before she was interrupted. Starswirl’s time dilation spell was safely in her bags. Her plan could be set in motion whenever she felt like. What harm could it do now to have one final gloat before she unravelled Twilight Sparkle’s world around her. Victory was sweetest when your prey knows that you’re coming. She allowed herself a little chuckle as she made her way towards the lecture hall.

The students were still filing their way into the hall when Starlight arrived, which was convenient. It allowed her to slip in virtually unnoticed. The last thing she wanted was to explain to somepony what she was actually doing there. As she looked around she realised she needn’t have worried. Twilight wasn’t even here yet. No doubt the ’princess’ wanted to make a grand entrance at the beginning of her lecture. In Starlight’s eyes Twilight was just arrogant enough for such a thing. She clearly had been here, though. Her dragon was busy adjusting the slides on a projector at the front of the hall, and there was a large screen set up at the back of the room. Starlight ducked her head and made her way to the back of the hall. She didn’t want Twilight to know she was here. Not yet.

The Hall was almost full by this point and there was only a few spaces left. The back row was completely full, so that was out of the question. There was, however, a space left in one of the centre rows. Though, Starlight noticed as she sidled towards it, somepony seemed to have hastily drawn up a reserved sign and placed it on the seat. She noted this as oddly hopeful. She wasn’t aware you could actually reserve lecture hall seating. The pony sitting in the space next to it, however, had noticed Starlight looking. She smiled and gestured towards it.

“It’s fine” said the mare, still smiling, “my friend was supposed to be coming with me today. But she, like, couldn’t make it. Sit down”

Starlight mutters her thanks as she sits down, and begins to look around the hall again. She supposed this position will do fine. She is completely surrounded by ponies chattering to one another. Nopony would notice her unless they were specifically looking for her. She could relax.

“You don’t go to this school” stated a voice beside her. It wasn’t a question.

Starlight immediately tensed up again, as she looked round. The pony on her right was still smiling at her.

“What do you mean?” she asked. More importantly, she thought, how does she know?

The mare however just bursts into melodious laughter. “Ahahaha… Oh my Gosh! You should see your face!” she points at starlight, and in slightly quieter tones, continues, “don’t worry I won’t, like, tell anypony. It’s just that you, like, didn’t arrive with anypony, and you've spent all your time in here, like, watching to make sure nopony can see you. That suggests somepony who, like, doesn’t belong.” Her speech had a strange sense of amusement about it, as though she found everything funny.

The strange pony edges closer to Starlight, glancing around conspiratorially, “It’s okay,” she whispers from behind her hoof, “If anypony asks, you came here with me.” She gives Starlight a small wink.
Starlight smiles nervously, “er… Thanks?”

The odd mare giggles,”Like, No problem,” she says, straightening up, “My names Evangeline Blossom,” she holds out her hoof for Starlight to shake, “but most people call me Lilly.” Evangeline sat staring at Starlight, clearly expecting her introduction.

“Starlight Glimmer” she states reluctantly. She guesses she owes this pony that much. She did not shake her hoof

“Awesome, it’s, like, good to meet you Starlight Glimmer,” smiled Lilly. Does this girl ever stop smiling, thought Starlight. ”So, if you’re, like, not here for the lecture. What are you here for?”

Starlight was taken aback by the question, who did this pony think she is? Prying into others personal matters. But before she could say anything, Lilly looked back towards the front and screamed.

“Oh. My. GOSH!! There She Is!” Lilly was pointing to the front of the hall, where Twilight Sparkle had just entered from a side door, carrying a stack of cards and a book, with her magic. Starlight was pleased to note that she looked stressed

“Good Day Everypony,” greeted Twilight, looking over the hall of ponies, “Thank You for coming.” she turned away from the crowd to place the book on a table set to the side.

Beside Starlight, Lilly didn’t seem to be able to contain her excitement. “YOU ROCK PRINCESS TWILIGHT!!” she screamed, throwing her hooves in the air.

She was so loud that Starlight had to duck her head and cover her ears, which was fortunate, because Twilight had nearly dropped her cards in shock as she turned to see who shouted. Her dragon, Spike, sniggered. Twilight couldn’t see who shouted.

“Er… Thank You” she said, shuffling through her now muddled notes. “Now, When Princess Celestia asked me to speak to you today, I was honoured to have the opportunity to talk about my favourite subject: magic…”

“Isn’t she, like, amazing?” sighed Lilly, gazing at Twilight. “I can’t believe I’m actually in the same room as Princess Twilight Sparkle”

“Personally, I don’t think she’s all that great.” muttered Starlight, sitting up. She was starting to regret sitting next to this pony.

Lilly seemed to have heard her, “Of course she is great,” Lilly exclaimed, staring at Starlight in horror, “She’s a Princess! That makes her great, like, by default!” she said it like this information was obvious.

"The princesses aren't all that..."

“That’s not even including all the times that her and her friends have saved equestria,” she continued, ignoring Starlight, “Nightmare Moon, Chrysalis, Tirek! That makes her, like, double great.”

“All the time she says she’s saved Equestria.” muttered Starlight under her breath. Once again Lilly still seemed to have heard her.

“Even so, she’s still awesome” said Lilly, waving off Starlight’s statement. “They say that she only became a princess because she, like, solved one of Starswirl’s most difficult spells. Can you imagine that? You perform a complicated bit of magic, and, like, poof you're a princess?” she sighed, staring off into the distance, “I wish I was a princess…”

Starlight didn’t know if it was just the lighting of the room, but Lilly’s golden eyes seemed to glow slightly as she stared longingly into nothingness.

“I think there is a little more to being a princess than just casting a difficult spell.” said Starlight sceptically, thinking of her own spell, “There’d be a lot more princesses around if that was the case.”

“Yeah. You’re right…” sighed Lilly, her ears going limp as she hung her head. “It’s probably got, like, something to do with destiny as well. I mean, all of the princesses do have cutie marks connected to their rule, so it might, like, have something to do with that…”

In spite of herself Starlight actually turned to face Lilly at this statement.

“What do you mean, their cutie-marks are connected?”

“Well, yeah,” said Lilly, brushing her mane from her eyes, “haven’t you ever noticed that the princesses cutie-marks line up perfectly with their chosen “kingdoms”.” she raised her hoof as though to count them off, “According to the old tales, Princess Celestia and Luna had sun and moon marks, even before their ascension ; Princess Cadence is a Heart; and Princess Twilight. Well, it, like, can’t be coincidence that her cutie-mark is identical to most depictions of the Element of Magic!” Lilly looked at Starlight with a look of dawning realization, “It’s almost as though the Princesses are predetermined according to their cutie-mark…”

Starlight looked away from Lilly, thinking about what she had said. She had never thought about it like that. Though, she thought, that’s just another reason why they’re nothing but trouble. That would mean that some ponies are just chosen to be better than others. How was that fair. It wasn’t even about “talent”, some would just be superior by fate? Nopony is truly equal in a world like that. It was more important than ever, that Starlight complete her task. She would free everypony from this tyranny. Only when Cutie marks were gone completely, would everypony truly be happy.

It dawned to Starlight that Lilly was still talking, oblivious that she was no longer listening. She had somehow gotten onto the subject of her own cutie-mark.

“...I mean if that’s the case. I’m, like, even less likely to turn out to be a secret princess. Not with a mark like mine,” Lilly gestured down at her flank.

At first it didn’t even look to Starlight like she had one but, upon further inspection, she noticed the tiny golden star in the top corner. Barely larger than a tack, it could almost be mistaken for a smudge, or fleck of paint, unless you actually knew what you were looking at. It was quite detailed, as marks go, with a quite striking colour, and what looks like electricity coursing around it. But there was just no getting away from it’s size. It was indeed, not a very regal mark.

“Daddy always said that it was because I was his ‘little bright spark’,” she continued, “but still. it’s , like, soo small! Not cool like other pony’s.” Lilly lowered her voice, as though speaking some unspoken truth. “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have it.”

Against her best efforts, Starlight found herself actually feeling sorry for this pony. Here was a mare who, like her, had drawn a short straw of life, through no fault of her own. All due to the cruelty of so called ‘cutie-mark magic’. This was a pony who could understand.

“I feel the same way,” she said, in an effort to cheer her up, “In my experience, cutie-marks have always brought nothing but trouble.” she attempted a smile at Lilly, placing a hoof on her shoulder, “personally I think everypony would be a lot happier without them. Without such a clear mark of everypony's differences branded upon them.”

To Starlight’s surprise however, Lilly was laughing again. Her silver mane was thrown back as she cried at the heavens.
“Ahaha… No, that’s not what I meant at all,” Lilly was laughing so hard she was crying. Wiping the tears from her eyes and pushing her hair back, she continued, “I would never actually give up my cutie-mark. I mean, if anything it is, like, totally unique. No, It’s just that sometimes I do wish I had, like, a much cooler one, you know?”

This pony was really starting to get on Starlight’s nerves now. It was like she was intentionally trying to annoy her. She especially didn’t like having her beliefs laughed at. She took her hoof from her shoulder and turned away from the stage to face Lilly.

“But you just said yourself that some ponies have better talents to others, because of nothing more than destiny. Why do we let who is superior be dictated by something as insignificant as a mark?” For some reason, it had become very important to Starlight that this pony be made to understand. “Wouldn’t it be better if they were just taken away? If everypony was equal, then nopony would be better than anypony else.”

Lilly just snorted again, “No offence Starlight,” she said, looking at her like she had just told her the sky was green, “but your idea sounds, like, super boring. What fun would there be in everypony being exactly the same?”

Before Starlight could answer however, an infuriated student from the row in front, turned face them.

“Do you mind!” he hissed, “Some of us would actually like to hear what the princess has to…”

“Hey, how about you mind,” Lilly hissed back, leaning forward so that her face was inches from his, “we are having a conversation. If you can’t hear the princess for us, then you need a hearing test. Not a course in magic!”

This actually caused Starlight to snigger. It seems this pony has some fire in her. However, when she glanced to the front she gasped and ducked behind another pony.

She could have sworn Twilight had just looked right at her.

Starlight was confident that she had not gotten a good look at her. But Twilight had certainly stopped speaking, and seemed to be scanning the crowd. As though looking for something, or somepony After a few moments she seemed to give up and reshuffled her notes.

“But… um… the real question about cutie mark magic is who it seems to affect…”

That was too close. Starlight had to get out of here now.

“Seriously, like, how rude!” said Lilly, straightening up, the other pony seemed to have turned to face the front again, she turned back to Starlight “So… you, like,... never told me why you were here?”

Starlight was still watching Twilight to see if she would look again. It took a moment for her to realise what Lilly had said. “Huh.. what?” she looked past her towards the exit, it was a straight shot from here. “I’m sorry,” she said, trying her best to look disappointed. It wasn’t working, “But I’ve just remembered that I have to be… someplace else.”

Lilly, however, did look disappointed. “Oh… okay” she said, crestfallen, “I guess I’ll see you around…?”

“Yeah sure,” Starlight was already halfway along the aisle, “around.”

Once she was safely out of the lecture hall Starlight allowed herself a moment to breath. That was a close one. She had almost allowed herself to get caught. At this, the most crucial of junctures. When she was so close to her goal. What if Twilight had seen her? Months of planning would be up in smoke. All because she had allowed herself to be distracted by that… idiotic mare, who couldn’t seem to get her own opinions in order. She felt a small twinge of guilt at the thought of how she had just walked out on somepony just trying to be friendly, but she quickly squashed it. It was not her problem to worry about the feelings of somepony else. She had more important things to worry about.

Starlight set off at a run, through Canterlot, towards the train station. With any luck there would be a train to Ponyville soon, and she could get there before Twilight finished her lecture. She had the final preparations to make at the castle before she arrived. But really, there was no rush. Not now. After all, Starlight grinned at the thought, she had all the time in the world.

However, one thing was certain. If she ever met that Evangeline again, it would be too soon…

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...Funny how things turn out

“Oh my gosh, I mean this is, like, so weird. That I would see you again today, of all days,” Lilly was beaming from ear to ear. She was looking at Starlight like she was greeting a childhood friend,she pulled her in for a hug, “Oh, but it’s soo good to see you. Seriously how have you been? It’s been, like, ages. Literally!”

“I’ve been… good,” said Starlight, returning the hug, surprised by how genuinely pleased she was to see Evangeline again. Good was an understatement, so much had happened since she had last spoken to this mare. It was like she was an entirely different pony. “Actually I’ve been great. I mean… it’s just good to see you again. But, what are you doing here in Ponyville?”

“Oh, like, nothing much really…” said Lilly, pushing her mane out of her eyes,as she finally pulled away “It just, like, dawned on me that I have never been and I thought “Lilly, you should, like, totally go and visit Ponyville. It will be fun. And, like, who knows? You might even bump into Princess Twilight!” And so here I am. But I never thought in, like, a million moon’s that I would bump into you here. It’s like “trip, totally, worth it”.”

“Well, like I say, this is where I live now,” said Starlight. She was still feeling guilty about the way she had spoken to Lilly when they first met. But she was acting as though she hadn’t even noticed. Either that or she was just not saying. Either way Starlight felt that she needed to make it up to her. And she had an idea how. “I’ve, actually lived here for just over a year now”

Lilly smiled even wider, “Really, like, that is so cool. You can, like, show me around then,” she said, her horn shimmered with a faint golden light as she pulled out a map and lay it on the grass. She sat down next to it, motioning for Starlight to join her, which she did. She had circled certain places on the map in what appears to be pink crayon. “I want to, like, see everything while I’m here. Like Sugarcube Corner, the Boutique and the Castle...” She turned to face Starlight. An excited, yet pleading look in her eyes “Have you been to the castle? Is it as beautiful as it looks in all the pictures? I haven’t had the chance to see it yet… well I, like, saw it on the way here on the train but, like, that doesn’t count. That’s, like, actually where I was going when I saw you.”

Now it is Starlight’s turn to smile. “Actually…yes, I have seen it.” she can’t wait to see Lilly’s face, “It’s where I live.”

Lilly just looked at Starlight, “What do you mean?” her smile still fixed as she tried to register what she had been told, “How can you live at the castle?”

“Well… it's kind of of the reason I’m here,” explained Starlight, grinning wider, This is going to blow her mind, “ because I live in Ponyville as Princess Twilight’s personal student.”

But Lilly continued to look at her in confusion. Her expression then turned to one of suspicion and amusement. She squinted at Starlight and leaned forward, “Are you making fun of me?” she asked smirking, “come on Starlight, I’m not that gullible.”
Starlight just continued to smile in silence as she watched Lilly’s face, waiting for the bit to drop. Lilly spent a few more moments scrutinising her face, as though looking for a crack in the facade. Finally, realisation dawned, followed by yet more confusion. “You do know the Princess. But… how?...when?”

Starlight’s smile fell somewhat, she didn’t want to get into that story. “That doesn’t matter,” she said changing the topic, “the real question is, would you like to meet her?”

Lilly was taken aback by the question. Excited, she asked, “What, like, now?”

“If you’d like”

“But… won’t she be, like, busy doing, like, princess stuff?”

“She wasn’t when I left”

“So we could just, like, go see her?”

“Sure”

“We could just walk into the castle, and just be like, “Hi Princess Twilight”

Starlight was grinning now, “Yep”

If it was possible for somepony like Evangeline to get more excited, she was now. “Oh. My. Gosh!” she screamed, jumping to her hooves. “This is, like, totally the best day ever. First I find you, and now I’m going to see Princess… Oh no!” Lilly turned back to Starlight, a look of pure horror on her face, emphasized by her pure white mane, which was hanging in front of it. Giving her an almost ghostly appearance.“I am, like, totally not dressed for this! I haven’t, like, had my hair done, or anything. What would the princess think?!”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” smiled Starlight, slowly getting to her hooves too. “Twilight is pretty informal. I don’t think she’ll mind”

“Wow…” gasped Lilly, staring at Starlight as she pushed her mane out of her face.

Starlight looked around her confused. “What?”

“You just called Princess Twilight, like, just Twilight. Are you, like, allowed to do that?” she stared at Starlight with a mix of admiration and awe.

Starlight chuckled in surprise. “Well yeah,” she said, amused by how surprising this seemed, “I mean she is my friend. It would be pretty weird to go around calling her Princess all the time."
Lilly stared at her for a second, then her expression changed to one of complete seriousness. “Right,” she said, “I want details, like, right now! How and when did all this happen?”

“Well… it’s kind of a long story” said Starlight, avoiding Lilly’s gaze, rubbing the back of her head.

“It’s okay,” smiled Lilly,as she started walking towards the entrance of the park. “You can tell me on the way”

Starlight just sighed, she will have to tell her this story eventually. Better sooner than later. “Okay, fine. I actually became her student the day we met. Just shortly after I left her lecture…”

“Really…?” probed Lilly “,but you had said that you, like, hated the princesses. How did you, like, go from that to studying under one?”

“Well… lets just say I had a change of heart…”

And so Starlight began to tell Evangeline the whole story, as they set off towards Twilight’s castle. She told her about her Town, why she had attended Twilight's Lecture, and about Twilight taking Starlight under her wing, to teach her about friendship. Lilly was a good listener, gasping in awe, and asking further questions where necessary, she didn't seem to think any less of Starlight upon hearing what she had done. Neither of them were paying much attention to the ponies around them as they made their way along the path. The other bystanders having lost interest in their conversation a long time ago. If they had been looking though, they may have seen the lone figure standing in the shade of a tree, watch them leave. The onlooker, shrouded in a cloak a little too thick considering the warm weather, waited a few moments in case either of them came back, then set off in the same direction.

Author's Note:

Thanks again for any feedback you are willing to give. The next few chapters should be up a little faster now I know where the story is heading