Most stories have grand beginnings. Some start on a dark and stormy night. Others begin with a cataclysmic event. Some throw the reader right into the action. Some withhold it for chapters, slowly building up the tension. This story most closely resembles the last, for it starts with a simple event. The birth of a pony.
“Push!” The doctor commanded, a towel floating between the thighs of the mare in labor. “I can see her head, she’s almost out! Just keep pushing!” The mare let out a scream of anguish, her body protesting against the very action she was taking. It slowly built, rising in volume and pitch until her voice cracked and broke. As her lungs began to seize up from not taking a breath for so long, the cause for her distress became apparent. The foal unicorn’s head finally pushed free of her mother’s vaginal muscles, the filly’s horn having ripped them apart in the process.
The mothers eyes glazed over as she faded from consciousness. The unicorns on staff quickly and gently pulled the filly out, wrapping her in towels and blankets. It took but a moment of being free of her mothers womb for the foal to start screaming in her mothers place. The umbilical cord was quickly severed, left hanging from the torn and bleeding vagina of the mother. As the foal began to calm and quieten, a nurse turned to the mother. She placed a hoof against her neck, and shook her head. “She’s gone. To be expected, the filly’s horn ripped her open.”
“No one will mourn the passing of an Earth Pony slave, Nurse,” another replied. “She has served her purpose to the kingdom. Now, go inform the King of what has happened. I expect he will want to name his newest daughter.”
“Of course,” the nurse answered, leaving the room. The doctor who had been in charge of the birth took the newborn into his magic, levitating her to a wicker basket, complete with blankets to lay her in. As he lay the foal down, who had long since fallen asleep, the father calmly strode into the room. He turned to the dead mare on the table, sighing deeply.
“I liked her you know,” the king commented, more to himself than anyone. “Was there nothing that could be done?” he asked, turning to the staff.
“I’m sorry my lord.” The doctor bowed along with the rest of the nursing staff. “The foals horn caused severe tearing along her vaginal muscles. It’s a wonder she lived as long as she did. By the time we realized what was happening, it was too late.” The doctor pulled a long black sheet across the table, covering the body. “That leaves naming the foal to you sir.”
“Very well.” Again, the king sighed deeply. “Make sure she is given the burial rights of a unicorn, she served faithfully.” He sat back for a moment, then rose, trotting over to inspect his newborn foal. The filly lay there, her white fur a stark contrast the the blues and pinks of the blankets wrapping her. “Platinum,” he declared. “She shall be Princess Platinum, for the pureness of her coat, and the strength of her mother.”
“Sir, her mother is an Earth Pony. How can she be the princess?” A nurse asked, confused. “Mustn’t she be of pure royal blood to hold that title?”
A collective gasp went through the rest of the room as the king turned to the nurse. As his gaze leveled upon her, she wilted, bowing low and stammering apologies.. The king sighed. “Normally, yes, pure royal blood is needed to claim such a title.” The king looked off, staring out a window. “But, a few things make this different. One, I am the king. If I want her to be a princess, she shall be. Two, for a true heir to be born, I must sire a foal in the Queen. Which requires me to be intimate with her. I would rather not.” The king turned, a slightly pensive look on his face. “And three, I have no other daughters or sons who can take up the throne after me. She must be the princess.”
“Sir, you have sired other foals, a few of which I have delivered myself,” the doctor commented, confused. “Why are they unable to take the throne?”
“The only other unicorn I have sired is Clover.” The king replied. “And while she could, she won’t. I can see it in her eyes. She does not want to rule, she does not want that power. I will raise Platinum to desire that power, so that she will be a strong, just ruler.”
“Yes, my lord,” the doctor replied, bowing, knowing the discussion was done. He wrote in the name on the birth certificate before setting it aside. “Now, my lord, due to the complications during the birth, I would like to keep her here a few days.” The king turned, an eyebrow raised. “Well sir, the act of killing one’s parent, whether intentional or not, causes a profound ripple in the foal’s magic. As the deed was done with the filly’s horn, that increases the chance that something may arise from this. I wish to observe her so we may be better prepared for whatever may come.”
The king nodded his understanding. “Very well. I will be back in a few days to bring her home. Another of my slaves recently gave birth, I will have her feed my foal as well.” With that, the king left, his cloak trailing behind him. “Keep her well, doctor!”
As the door closed behind the king, the doctor turned to his staff. “Alright, move the princess to the newborn ward. And get that blood cleaned up, I don’t want anypony tripping on it.” The doctor took the corpse into his magical grasp and carried it out of the room amidst a chorus of ‘Yes sir!’s.
As per the doctors request, Princess Platinum stayed in the care of the hospital for a few days. Tests on the foals magic were run daily, with various statuses being constantly monitored. Nothing out of the ordinary was noted, with the exception of a high magical aura reading. But as the princess was a unicorn of royal blood, it was nothing unexpected. As nothing of note was found, when the king returned four days later, they happily handed the princess to him. “We could find nothing abnormal sire,” a nameless doctor reported. “She is fit to go home with you.”
“Thank you, good doctor,” the king replied, taking his daughter lovingly into his grasp. “I shall make sure she receives the best of care. And I shall bring future medical needs of my family here, you have earned it.”
The doctor stuttered and bowed low. “Tha-thank you my lord. It shall be our honor to serve you.”
“That it shall. Make sure you do not disappoint me.” The doctor nodded. “Now, what arrangement have been made for the mothers funeral?”
“Just a moment my lord,” the doctor replied, levitating some files to him. After a moment of flipping through them, he looked back up, a smile on his face. “Her funeral is scheduled for eight days time. She is to be buried among the common unicorns, in a place of honor. Is this alright with you?”
“It shall do.” the king replied gravely. “Make sure she is given a proper service, and a well decorated tomb.” The king turned and left, leaving the doctor smiling.
“Yes my lord!” The doctor called out before returning to his other duties.
2
Princess Platinum led a fairly normal childhood. Which is to say, normal for a unicorn princess. Which is of course to say, very rich and splendid, and very far above what any other pony experienced. She was the princess after all. She was given anything she wanted. The king tried to raise her fairly, treat her as any of his other children. But the queen would have none of it. She despised the king, and all his children.
“BUT IT’S MINE, CLOVER! I WANT IT!” a shrill voice called out, echoing throughout the mansion.
“No, Platinum, it’s mine. Daddy gave it to me, and that makes it mine. You can’t just take my stuff,” a calm voice answered, though with a hint of irritation.
“BUT I WANT IT!” the shrill voice cried back, followed by the distinct sound of a hoof connecting with flesh. The king sighed, looking up from his paper. He enjoyed keeping apprised of the going ons of his kingdom. With a glow of his horn, and a quick flash, he vanished.
The crack of his reappearance in the same room as his foals scared the two fillies. They both fell to the ground, the wooden toy falling to the ground between them. The king raised an eyebrow, lifting the toy in his calm blue aura. “I could hear you across the house girls,” he stated, sitting down. Both fillies sat as well, Clover out of respect for her father, Platinum out of trying to win him over. “This is not how I raised the two of you. I raised you to be kind to each other, and to all ponies.” Clover hung her head in shame, knowing the truth of her father’s words. Platinum, after seeing her older sister do so, followed suit. “Now, I know for a fact I gave this to Clover a few days ago.” The king raised a hoof, stopping Platinum before she could protest. “However, that does not let you off the hook Clover. You need to share with your sister.”
Platinum’s face lit up with greed and joy. “Ya, share,” she exclaimed. Her smug expression lasted all of five seconds before her father’s gaze turned to her, ending her short lived joy.
“And you Platinum,” he began, his eyes leveled upon his youngest daughter. “You can not take things from others. This is Clover’s. If you want to play with it, you must ask her first.” The king rose, the wooden draconequus floating behind him. “I will be sending this back to Clover’s room.” In a bright flash, they toy vanished, leaving nothing but a faint singed smell. “Now, there is a very clear hoofmark on Clover’s cheek, Platinum. Would you mind explaining how it got there?”
Platinum’s face fell, her eyes focusing on the ground. She mumbled something unintelligible, refusing to look at her father. “What was that Platinum? I wasn’t able to understand you.”
“I don’t know,” Platinum mumbled, still looking down.
The king raised an eyebrow before turning to Clover. “Did Platinum hit you?” he asked. Clover slowly nodded, wincing at the pain of moving her cheek. The king sighed. “Alright, Platinum, I’m sending you to your room. You are not to leave until dinner.” The king lifted Platinum, amidst her shrieks and flailing protests, onto his back. He then left the room, carrying the foal to her room. She screamed and kicked the whole way, throwing herself onto her bed to continue her tantrum after the king set her down.
She stayed there, kicking and screaming until she fell asleep, her throat sore, her body long since devoid of any energy. She slept for some time before being awoken by a knock on her door. “What do you want?” she cried out, believing it was her father on the other side of the door. To her surprise, to door opened to reveal the queen, wearing what could only be called a large, fake smile. “Oh, hello mommy! I’m sorry I yelled at you...”
“It’s okay princess,” The queen cooed, walking in and closing the door behind her. “Why are you so upset though? I don’t like seeing you like this.” The queen walked over, sitting down on the bed next to Platinum.
Platinum’s face fell. “Well, Clover took this toy I was playing with. I wanted it back but she wouldn’t give it to me.” Platinum sniffed back a sob. “Then daddy came in, yelled at me, gave the toy to Clover, and sent me to my room! It’s just not fair!”
“There there sweetie,” the queen whispered, stroking the princess’s mane. “That’s not fair at all.” The queen lied. She had heard the entirety of the events herself, and knew exactly what had happened. But she hated the king, and all his foals, as none of them were hers. “Here, you go downstairs and play, I’ll go and speak with Dad. Okay?”
Platinum nodded happily, skipping out of the room. The queen grinned until Platinum was out of them room. As soon as her tail passed out of sight the queen’s grin turned to a grimace. “Damnable king.” She growled. “Bastard won’t even consider me, his wife, to sire an heir to the throne, and then makes that little bitch next in line!” The queen turned, facing the princess’s room. “Now, she threw quite the nice little tantrum. The bastard will easily believe she destroyed her room in the process!” She chuckled to herself as she lit her horn, unleashing random bursts of magic, similar to the kind a foal’s tantrum would produce. When she finished, she surveyed the room and teleported back to her room, pleased with her work.
The king rose from his chair, sighing. He never liked punishing either of his daughters. With another deep sigh, he left his office, leaving a few stacks of papers unread, and began the walk to his daughters room. She had been quiet since she fell asleep, and it was close to dinner time. With a smile he reached her room, and gently knocked upon her door. “Platinum, may I speak with you?” he asked cheerfully.
As the seconds ticked by with no answer, the king began to grow worried. He knocked again, asking “Platinum, will you answer me?” Again, he received no response. Growing increasingly worried, he opened the door, gasping at the sight before him. Much of the room was covered in scorch marks, including the small bed that sat in the corner. The bookshelf, upon which had rested many of Platinum’s favorite books, had been turned to dust. The king’s eyes quickly snapped shut as he cast out a spell, searching the house.
He learned two things from his hurried spell. One, his daughter was safe. She was, at the moment, downstairs, playing happily with Clover. Two, it had been his wife, the queen, who had visited such destruction upon the room. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he collapsed to the ground. Slowly and shakily rising to his hooves, he smiled, turning to leave. He closed the door behind him before setting off towards his daughters. He found them, as he expected, playing together, laughing together. “Girls, dinner will be very soon. What would you like to eat?”
“Chocolate cake!” Platinum immediately responded, to which both the king and Clover laughed.
“Platinum, you can’t have cake for dinner.” The king replied. “Perhaps for dessert, but you need something else first.” The king sat down next to the fillies, smiling. “How about a nice tossed salad?” Clover nodded and, after a short pout, so did Platinum. “Alright.” The king rose, preparing to leave. “And fillies, tonight, why don’t you both sleep in Clover’s room? You have my permission to stay up and play as late as you want.”
Platinum’s eyes lit up, and she began jumping in a circle, crying out in joy. Clover’s face fell, though a smile quickly snuck its way into her features. Soon, she was laughing with Platinum, looking forward to the prospect of a night to play with her sister. The king left, a smile on his lips, glad to see his daughters so happy. His smile stayed with him until he left the kitchen, having told his chefs to prepare a large tossed salad for the family to enjoy, and a small chocolate cake to unveil for dessert. It was then that he knew he could put off talking to his wife no longer.
The king quickly made his way to his wife’s chambers. As he walked, his thoughts turned to the past, and his wedding. He was so lost in his memories it was not until the guard outside the queen’s room spoke that he was brought back to reality. “Sir, is there something you need?”
The king blinked in surprise, looking around himself. “No, nothing. Just a chat with my wife,” he replied, his eyes fixing on the door in front of him. “Please stand aside.”
“Sir, the queen has requested privacy.” The guard replied, standing fast. “She told me to allow nopony in until she said otherwise.” The guard bowed low, not wanting to disrespect the king. It wasn’t very often the king and queen’s wishes opposed each other, and he did not want to have to decide who had the greater authority.
The king looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, did she now?” The guard feebly nodded, not taking his eyes off the floor, nor raising from it. The king shrugged, looking around. “Well, tell her I would like to speak with her later tonight, that I’m not happy with what she has been doing, and that dinner will be ready soon.” The guard nodded again, waiting until the king was down the hall before standing, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hoof.
Dinner went as usual that night. Clover and Platinum played with their food and each other, enjoying their meal. The king reprimanded the fillies, telling them to eat while the queen simply sat, slowly working through her salad. After everypony had finished their meals, the chef walked in, carrying a large platter. The fillies stared in awe as a large chocolate cake was unveiled. A piece was cut for both of them and served, which the girls happily ate.
The king and queen stared on happily. After the cake was devoured, the king sent the fillies to Clover’s room. He smiled as they galloped off, glad to see them happy. As soon as they were out of sight, he turned to the queen. “We need to have a talk,” he stated simply.
“Yes, that moronic guard said as much,” the queen replied. With a sigh she sat back, raising an eyebrow. “What do you want?”
“First off, I must know, which guard were you with earlier?” The king asked.
“One of my personal guards. Why? Does it make you jealous?” the queen replied, a smug look on her face.
“Not at all,” the king replied calmly. “I’m glad to know that you aren’t alone. While I don’t love you, and I must be honest, I never have, I do care about you.”
The queen scoffed, leaning back. “So, what is it you wished to talk with me about?”
“You haven’t been a good mother to Clover and Platinum,” the king accused. “In fact, you destroyed Platinum’s room earlier. Why?”
“Why should I be decent to them?” the queen replied quickly. “What have those brats ever done for me? They aren’t even my foals!” she spat, her eyes narrowing at the king.
“You may not have carried them and birthed them, but they are as much your daughters as they are mine,” the king replied calmly. “Platinum will inherit the throne when we are gone, and Clover will likely be one of her top advisors. They will rule this country.” The king sighed, his shoulders slumping. “We have to make them wise and just rulers, not corrupt ones.”
“Then why not bring in one of your whores to raise them? If they’re good enough to fuck, they should be good enough to raise a child.” the queen replied. “You’ve left enough of your other children with those slaves of yours!”
“Because we have to keep up appearances,” the king replied sadly. “The unicorns would never accept a non-unicorn as their ruler. And they have to be raised by us.”
“So why won’t you let me sire a foal? Why won’t you even consider me?” The queen screamed. “Am I not good enough for you? Is there something wrong with me?”
The king sighed. “No. I simply have never loved you. And my father taught me from a young age, as soon as I was interested in mares in fact, that sex should be kept between ponies who love each other.” The king shook his head. “Please, just, help me raise these girls to be the rulers this country needs.”
The Queen scoffed as she stood. Turning on the spot, she left without another word, slamming the door behind her. The king placed his head in his hooves, shaking it slowly.
