Stelline and the story of the heirs

She couldn’t remember when the first time was, but she hated this part of her life for as long as she could remember. Being home, that is. Of course she wasn’t home a lot, but she had to come here. He made her to. He made her come here, He made her report. He forced her to do what He wanted to do. But of course she obeyed. Why would she not? She always had. It was her life. Her sole purpose. To do as he wished. Beyond that, there was nothing.

She heard the sound of her hoofs reaching the ground being reflected by the dark walls. The few torches that were lit here and there weren’t nearly enough to light the place up, but He despised the light. He made her hate it as well. So she hated it. She turned left when she reached the T-shaped fork in the corridor. She never wanted to turn left, but as He was there, such a thing as choice did not exist. It were only a few steps when she smelled it. His smell. The smell of carcasses of the creatures He ate. The smell of the power He desired. The smell of her world. The world where no questions existed. The world where there was no reason why. There was only Him. When she reached the door she bowed to the guards, who were lit only by the light of two faint torches. Their disgusting black wings were the only part of their body she could see. The rest was covered with black clothing. They had no eyes, of course. He didn’t want anyone to see. She could, because she was useful and not replaceable to Him, and she knew this. But the guards were, so he Had removed their eyes.
“Tadus Inquirium.” She said, and without saying a word the guards opened the door.

The smell was all there was for a moment when she walked in the large dark room. Of course there was no light here. Only the smell. And His loud breathing ahead of her. She knew her way around, so she walked towards him without bumping into anything. When she reached her place in front of the stairs she bowed as deep as she could. She could not see Him, but she knew He was there. “My Lord.” She said with her voice. Her voice, but she hated it. It was always the same. She heard others speak. She heard the differences. But her voice was always the same, and He hated it. It reminded Him, he once told her. Of what, she did not know. But it was something He did not wished to be reminded of. So she always was punished. Of course she was. She did something He did not want, and she did not want such a thing to exist. But no matter how hard she tried, there was no difference. 

“Did they have it?” He said.
His trembling voice. He spoke soft, for His doing. Maybe His mood wouldn’t be altogether bad.
“No, My Lord. I did not find it in their possession.” She heard something fly through the air and not too much later it crashed against the wall and scattered in a thousand pieces.
“Where is it!” He yelled, and the ground shook.
“It has to be somewhere! Where is it! WHERE is it!” He yelled, and she had a hard time standing still because his low voice made the ground shake.
“Are you absolutely sure they did not have it?”
“I am certain, My Lord.” Another thing flew through the air.
“Go out again. Find it. Keep an eye on them. Maybe they know where it is. Do whatever.” Do whatever. She always did whatever for Him. Hell, her entire life existed of doing Whatever.

She almost stood up, when she remembered.
“My Lord.”
“What?” He yelled.
“They did not have it, but they had something else I found interesting.”
“What?”
“A holy stone. I never saw one like it. It was copper colored and absolutely round. They were pretty fascinated by it themselves. They didn’t know what it was.”
“Go get it.” He said, with a surprisingly certain voice.
“Yes, My Lord. But what about…”
“GO GET IT!” he yelled and she almost really fell over this time.
“get it, but don’t be seen. We can not risk it. Bring it to me as soon as possible.”
“Yes, My Lord.” She got on her feet and turned around to leave the room, when she felt the whip and she fell on the ground, feeling the pain of it on her back.
“That is for being rude.”
The whip hit her again.
“That is for staying away too long.” 
And again.
“And that is to learn you.”
The whip hit her once more, but He remained quiet. Slowly she got on her feet and resumed walking. When she almost had reached the door, He said: “Don’t tell her.” The whip hit her again, but she managed to stay on her feet and she continued to walk. She didn’t have an opinion on the hitting. It happened, because He wanted it. It had been much worse. She heard the door of His room close behind her, and she didn’t look back. She felt as if the small light of the torches greeted her. Tomorrow she would set out to get the stone for Him. He wanted it, so she would do it. Not because she was scared, or because she wanted to. Her life was His, and she did as He wished. To her, that was all.

As Twinkle Star and Stelline walked through the field, the sun was once again setting behind them. They were happy to be out of the castle for a bit. Today had been a day of a lot of talking. Talking with Regala, with Ivy and Fleur, with Regina. For Stelline, it had mostly been talking with Regina. They both were so relieved that there were no hard feelings whatsoever, they had talked for hours. Twinkle Star didn’t really know about what, but it wasn’t really her business either. But when her sister asked if they could take a walk, Twinkle Star realised Stelline wanted to talk with her, so she agreed.

Twinkle Star adored the little flowers in the fields and she enjoyed to the an occasional bee flying around them. She loved the calm sound of a singing bird somewhere. A gentle breeze played with her hair sometimes, but Stelline’s was tied together by Aline, which gave Stelline quite a different look somehow. Twinkle Star didn’t mind that they weren’t talking for now. She loved the evening, she loved to walk around like this. They both giggled when they saw two cute rabbits hopping around, one trying to catch the other. The castle was behind them, a shadow against the setting sun. It was once again a beautiful evening, and Twinkle Star hoped she would never get accustomed to evenings like this.

“I heard Aline got the job?” Stelline said, while they both walked down a small road that led into the bushy area beyond.
“Yeah, she did. She’s so happy with it, and I think mom is pretty happy with it as well. She helps Tsuyo out, but her job is focussing on hairdressing and make up and all. She doesn’t have to cook, which I think is quite a good thing.” Twinkle Star answered and Stelline giggled.
 “So she stays at the castle?” 
“Yeah. She gets the small room next to Tsuyo’s. Maybe she’ll get her own house later, but for now, she’d rather live at the castle.”
“That’s good. I’m glad it worked out.” Stelline said.

“It’s a beautiful evening.” Twinkle Star said, when it was obvious the Aline subject was over.
“It really is.” Stelline said, and she stopped walking in front of a particularly large tree, which stood quite alone in the large field.
“Listen, Twinkle Star… I wanted to discuss something with you.” She said softly, while she looked up at the tree.
“Sure. What is it?”
“Well… I talked with mother all day, you know. She told me all about the country. How hard they have worked to build it, to let it grow, about the ponies that live here, the scars of the past. It is a sad story, Twinkle Star. But this country is beautiful. The children are growing up in piece and one day it will be strong. The past will not be forgotten, but it will no longer delude the present. Mother loves this country. She worked so hard for it. She’ll do anything to defend it, to help it, to build it.”
Twinkle Star smiled. “I know. And she’s right. It is beautiful, and they all worked hard for it. Not just mother.”
“I know. I can feel it. But I… Do you think I should abandon it the way I am doing now?” Twinkle Star looked up while a cool breeze caught her hair and blew it in her face. She didn’t really get what her sister meant.
“Abandon it?”
“yeah. That’s what I’m doing now, you know. I leave it in the hands of Crystal. She’s a wonderful person Twinkle Star, but you know just as much as I she’s not meant to be a queen. It’s not in her nature to do it. But it is in mine, and I’m running away from it.”
Twinkle Star sighed. She knew the feeling Stelline was talking about. Regina couldn’t have… No, she had promised not to. She had promised it to her, so why would Stelline be any different?

“Did mother tell you this?” She asked her sister concerned.
“Oh, no. She avoided the subject on purpose. I thought it up by myself. But, you know… I am her heir. I was born like that and it is my destiny, not yours, nor Crystals. I feel like this country will need me one day. But what if that day comes? What will I do? Turn my back on it, saying I’ve been through to much? I can’t do that, Twinkle Star. I’m needed here, I know that much. Someone is needed when mother’s final day comes.”  Stelline stared into the distance. The sun was almost gone behind the hill now, and the sky was beginning to turn blue behind them. The first stars were appearing.

“I know, Stelline, I know. But is it really what you want? I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time that not the true heir would take over the throne. Look at mother. She had two older sisters, and still she was the heir, even back then.”
“I know, I know. Mother was only the third child, but… Who says she wasn’t the true heir?”
Twinkle Star looked at her sister in surprise. This was not something she expected to hear from her.
“What do you mean?”
“The true heir is not always the oldest, Twinkle Star. There was a good reason for mother’s sisters not to become queen. I don’t know those reasons, nobody ever told me, nor anyone. But mother became the heir and look how well she is doing. Mother was the true heir to her mother, I know that much.”
Twinkle Star sighed. “So you’re wondering if you really are the true heir, that’s holding you back, isn’t it? You know what you have to do, but you’re not sure if you’re the one to do it.”
Stelline looked at her sister. “I’ve never been sure. I’ve always doubted whether I should become queen. It never felt right.”
 Twinkle Star walked a few steps into the field, and she saw a squirrel running away from her.
“Then who is the true heir Stelline? I’m not. You said it yourself, Crystal’s not. Ivy and Fleur aren’t.”

Stelline didn’t reply, but Twinkle Star knew the answer Stelline would give her if she did. But she knew it wasn’t true. It occupied Stelline’s mind. Maybe it had occupied her mind for sixteen years now. The thought that she had killed the true heir to the throne. But it wasn’t like that.
“You’re wrong, Stelline. Joker wasn’t the true heir either. She hated royalty, she hated to be responsible, her powers were quite low. No Stelline, no matter how much I love Joker, no matter how much I believe what a great pony she was, she was not mother’s heir.” She said, without turning around and looking at her sister.
“But if not, who is?” Stelline asked, and Twinkle star noticed she sounded a bit upset. Obviously she had given this a great deal of thought.
“I don’t know. Maybe no one is. I’d say listen to your heart, Stelline. Even if you’re not the true heir, you’re the one that comes the closest to it. You’re the oldest, you have the most powers. You know how to use them. What does your heart say?” Twinkle Star turned around now and she saw her sister still standing below the large tree. She was looking at a single flower that grew near it’s roots. A single one, the one that was different from all the others, the one that was alone, but the one that was the closest to the large tree.

“I… I can’t turn my back on this country, Twinkle Star. I know I have a burden of the past, but so does everybody else. I’ll be there if this country needs me.”
Twinkle Star smiled at her sister.
 “Doesn’t that settle it, then? If you want to help this place, you know what you’ll have to do.” Stelline slowly nodded, and smiled at her sister. “Should I tell mother right now?”
“Why not?” Twinkle Star answered and her sister began to walk. Before she took off, she thanked her sister for all her help, and she galloped towards the castle.

Twinkle Star sighed. The true heir to the throne… Was there so such thing? If Stelline’s heart told her she had to help this country, why wouldn’t she be the true heir? But a little voice came drifting to the surface of her memory. Find her, Twinkle Star. She is out there… The true heir to the throne…

Twinkle Star stared at the castle. The sun had almost disappeared now. The moon was appearing. She really wanted to know what the stone meant, but somehow it all felt so irrelevant. Her world was peaceful now. Why would she bother? She had her family, her future, her friends. Twinkle Star smiled at this thought. She indeed had anything she ever wished for. With this thought on her mind and a smile on her face, she slowly walked back to the castle, while she dreamed of her future here, where she finally could live in peace.