Her Birthright

by DougtheLoremaster

Chapter Two- Grimoires, Uno, and Robot Dragons

Applejack glanced at one of the very thick books as she carefully lifted it from within one of dozens of various boxes. She tried her best but couldn’t really decipher what seemed to be moving letters of various calligraphy on the spine. As she handed it to the strange dragon, she noticed his strength was impressive for one of his tiny stature; effortlessly holding it in a single claw, before shelving it.

“Hey Spike, what kind o’ books are these anyway?”

Spike spoke in a less formal manner than before, his accent seemingly having vanished.

“Hm? Oh, these are Grimoires Twilight has collected over the past thousand years, Applejack.”

“Is she really that old?”

Spike climbed up the ladder and slid the book into place next to a book that looked to have been made entirely of woven gold. Looking down, Spike replied offhandedly.

“Much older than that, to be honest. If it weren’t for Celestia’s enchantment on her, she’d probably have her wings by now, like her cousin.”

A look of abject horror appeared on Applejack’s face as she shouted out in fear.

“Can we say that?”

Spike just laughed.

“Yeah, thanks to Twilight’s spell, Celestia won’t be able to see or hear what we do in here. Feel free to say that tyrant’s name all you want.”

Applejack pulled another strange book that watched her back with a single bloodshot eye, causing her skin to crawl.

“Huh. Well, what about uh-Mistress?”

Spike opened his mouth to respond, only to be knocked off balance by a spurt of emerald flame; a rolled-up scroll flying out. Applejack gasped as she watched him fall and just when he was about to crash to the floor, a light purple glow enveloped Spike’s body causing him to levitate there, upside down. The scroll unrolled before his eyes, as he floated upside down.

“It says: Yes, I can hear and see everything that happens within my magical domain, Applejack and don’t ever call me mistress again. Twilight is fine. Since you’ve been working rather hard, take a break and enjoy some hard cider on me. Now, then, I have to take care of a cyan Pegasus who needs her wings clipped.”

At that moment a bottle of hard cider materialized, levitating before Applejack. Meanwhile Spike suddenly spat out yet another scroll in a plume of emerald flame, as he was lowered to the ground after being flipped right side up:

“And Spike be more careful.”

Applejack blinked in surprise as she reached out and grabbed the bottle in her hooves.

“Oh, Uh, Thanks, Twilight, Darling.”

Suddenly, Applejack gasped and ran to the window fervently scanning the landscape outside.

“Did she just say a ‘cyan Pegasus’, that sounds like Rainbow-”

CRASH!

Outside the window, Applejack was interrupted by several flashes of lightning over Ponyville, amidst the clear blue sky, were seen striking with fury: the explosions of the various impacts causing the ground to quake. And ten seconds later, the furious onslaught was over.

“What in tarnation?”

Moments later, the library door creaked open, and a blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail stumbled in, her wing tips charred black, groaning in a dazed stupor. Collapsing to the floor, she winced in pain as she murmured.

“I gotta help with unpacking books, or something.”

Applejack stared at the burns of lightning.

“Darling, what in the name of apples happened to you?”

Rainbow chuckled weakly.

“I-I don’t know.”

With that Rainbow fell unconscious.

---

Hours later, on another assigned break, Applejack took a cold swig of her cider, glancing at all the empty boxes, and the dozen or so more to go. Then her eyes wandered over the limp form of Rainbow on a cot nearby.

“Hey, y’all sure she’ll be alright?”

Spike didn’t bother glancing at Rainbow as he laid down a two of spades on the box.

“Yeah, she’ll be fine; if Twilight meant to kill her, she wouldn’t be here. My guess is she has plans for her. Not my place to question an Alicorn, and word of advice, I suggest you don’t either. Your move.”

Applejack took a look at the cards in her hooves, before playing the ace of spades on top of Spike’s card. Once more she glanced at Rainbow, still asleep, before shifting her gaze over to the bookshelves once again.

“Uno. So what exactly are these grimoires anyway?”

Spike replied while drawing a card, his bright green eyes almost appearing to dull as he did so.

“Books of the damned. Forbidden spells, taboo knowledge she’s taken from various, now extinct, ancient civilizations around Equus, and the like. Twilight says it quiets her mind to read them and remember those times. Ugh, go.”

Spike threw down an eight of spades in disgust after drawing fifteen cards. Applejack paused before lowering her final card, curious.

“There are darn near one hundred an’ twenty of those things on the shelves, an’ that’s only what we unpacked so far, we still got-”

Applejack paused to mentally count the boxes that were still sealed, gesturing with a hoof as she did so.

“Forty-five boxes to go. If they’re extinct then how did Twilight come across them?”

Spike seemed troubled for a moment.

“It’s still your turn.”

Applejack however, refused to let it go.

“Spike, how did Twilight get these?”

Spike looked her in the eyes with a deadpan expression, saying simply.

“The world has forgotten them, and you should forget this conversation ever occurred. Even a torch wouldn’t light the darkness ahead, if you don’t.”

Applejack glared at him and raised a hoof in annoyance.

“Darling, that best not be a threat.”

However, Spike didn’t seem bothered by the aggressive movement as he rose from the box and walked over to a sealed one; extending his razor-sharp claws to slice open the tape in an instant. He sighed, almost as if he had this conversation before.

“It’s a warning, from one who knows. Sometimes the light we follow hides the real monsters. Anyway, get your flank in gear, we got books to shelve, and you never know when Twilight will return.”

As AJ took a moment to try to comprehend his words, behind her Rainbow groaned and attempted to sit up, disrupting her thoughts.

“Ugh, what is going on?”

Turning around Applejack gave a warm smile and gave Rainbow a giant hug.

“Rainbow! Well, well. Look who finally woke up, Darling.”

A searing pain shot through Rainbow’s body causing her to grimace.

“AJ, take it easy. My wings are killing me.”

Applejack let go and looked at Rainbow Dash’s wings, sure enough, they were still crackling with electricity. Not only that, but she had electrical burns across her flank that seemed to be arcing with live current, still.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her head in confusion as she winced from the pain.

“I remember being yelled at to ‘go unpack books and stop being so lazy’ before being forcibly teleported to this place by a really angry purple Unicorn.”

Applejack frowned and stamped her hoof; a sign of annoyance for Earthponies. Locking eyes with the magenta eyes of the cyan-furred Pegasus, her tone became rather demanding. Almost like that of a mother asking a filly who took the cookie from the jar.

“Dash, y’all tell me right now. What did you do?”

Rainbow Dash twitched as electricity ran down her flank, and across her cutie mark; a rainbow-colored lightning bolt shooting from a fluffy white cloud. She shouted.

“I don’t know!”

“Oh yes ya do Darling, now you tell me everythin’ about your meeting with Twilight.”

“What’s a Twilight?”

“Darn it Dash, that purple Unicorn is Twilight!”

Spike interjected, as though in reflex.

“Alicorn.”

“Oh, that’s her name? Wait, she’s an Alicorn? She didn’t have any wings though.”

Applejack placed a hoof to her face and sighed in distress.

“Nevermind the wings. Just tell meh what ya did, Dash.”

“Oh right. Well, I was napping on a cloud above Ponyville when…”

---

A large insectoid-pony made its way towards the golden throne in Canterlot Castle, the creature’s black exoskeleton sparkled in the sunlit room; her wings of light blue fully illuminated, resembled spun star spider nests. A mane and tail of teal swayed to and fro with the slightest of breezes from a nearby window; while her fangs resembled those of a spider about to strike. With eyes of a bright envious green, she eyed the figure before her.

Though she stood as tall as any Alicorn, Chrysalis, Queen of her Changeling Hive, hesitated. She was a predator herself, hunting and trapping prey with ease, but as Celestia’s shadow from the throne washed over her, she felt uneasy. This was no predator; this was a monster. She was dangerous. Chrysalis’s every instinct was telling her not to just run, but to be afraid. She did her best to stand tall as her mind screamed to run, to hide somewhere, anywhere. Instead, she found herself instantly kneeling in submission as she greeted the Princess of the Sun.

“Princess Celestia.”

“Chrysalis”

The single word was spoken without a shred of emotion, as the Alicorn raised a hoof to gesture at Chrysalis.

“Rise. And tell me about the progress on the testing arena, my Little Changeling.”

Chrysalis slowly rose up, trembling from head to hooves. Though she herself was Changeling Royalty, she had been forewarned by her predecessor never to correct Princess Celestia. And now, she could see why. She considered her words carefully. Opening her mouth, she spoke in the strange, feminine multi-tonal voice native to her kind.

“My children are awaiting your command, Princess.”

Celestia smiled, sending Chrysalis’s flight or fight response into overdrive, stating in a voice devoid of any feeling.

“Perfect. I am glad I could count on you, such a shame the other hives decided to refrain from heeding my call. I knew I could rely on the Last of the Changeling Hives for assistance.”

Chrysalis froze, as sweat flowed across her exoskeleton. What did she just say? The last…There were over one hundred functioning hives to her knowledge. There’s no way she could have…Princess Celestia put an end to the ambiguity in a soul-shattering instant.

“I was most displeased by their replies. I have no doubt the last remaining Changeling Hive will flourish under your rule; Last of the Royal Changeling Family, Queen Chrysalis. Make sure you do not fail me, as they did. I would hate to see you suffer their fate.”

Chrysalis stared speechless into the mercilessly icy eyes of Celestia, as once again the Celestial Ruler smiled; a steely, emotionless smile. And Chrysalis swallowed hard.

---

“-And after that she transformed into a giant robot dragon and blew up the sun. It was awesome!”

Spike and Applejack stared in disbelief at Rainbow Dash. Spike sputtered.

“What in the- is she just stupid or something?”

Applejack sighed and looked down at her hooves.

“Ah am not drunk enough fer this. No, she ain’t dumb, she just doesn’t have a great attention span. Musta been zoning out when Twilight was talking to her. Truth is that the gal probably thinks that there daydream really happened.”

Rainbow Dash looked around at the bookshelves and suddenly shouted excitedly.

“Wow I didn’t know Ponyville had a library, oh hey AJ when did you get here?”

Spike just stared at Rainbow Dash for a moment before rolling his eyes and stating.

“Break’s over. Now help me get these on the shelf before Twilight returns.”

“Oh, that’s right. I gotta help unpack the books, too.”

Rainbow Dash rose to her hooves, careful not to move her still-sparking wings and walked over to where Applejack was and started unloading boxes with her. That’s when a rather fancy-sounding voice spoke up from the doorway.

“Is this the Sparkle residence, Dears? I was told my assistance was mandatory to put books on shelves by a member of the Royal Family.”

The three halted what they were doing and turned around and found themselves staring at a Unicorn mare whose mascara had been running down the sides of her face. Her teeth were exposed in a grated, forced smile. Her mane and tail were in utter disarray poking out from beneath a rose-colored ensemble that featured gold silken trim. Her azure blue eyes went wide with surprise upon recognizing both Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She frowned and spoke in utter disdain.

“Hold on, why are you two here?”

Comments

[Aiwhisper]

Interesting start.

[Starlight Nova]

Twilight has been raised by her Aunt, a horrific dictator, to one day claim the throne from her.

Why would her aunt raise her to do that?

[DougtheLoremaster]

11837514
It's in the description. To ascend the throne an Alicorn must take it by force.