"According to your transcript, this is your second incident with Dark Crystal Magic, is that correct?" Ms G asked Grenadine.
The two were sitting in an office somewhere in the back of the school building, away from the rest of the students. Ms G had called Golden Rays, announced that she would need a sub for her class later in the day, shut the door, and had begun to interrogate the young mare.
"Yes, ma'am," Grenadine answered, looking around the room. "I let my temper get the best of me, I'm sorry. It won't happen again-"
"You're damn sure it won't," Ms G sternly declared. Grenadine was shocked into making eye contact, allowing herself to be met with a pair of bright green eyes, almost mirroring her own. "I've had all sorts of troublesome students pass through my class, but no one was such a deviant as to use Dark Crystal Magic on another peer!"
Grammar was almost on top of Grenadine at this point, towering over the young mare while she continued to yell. After she finished her reprimanding, Grammar sighed loudly, pushed up her glasses, and sat back down in her seat. She pulled out a large book with Crystal Empire insignia on it.
"Do you know what this is?" Ms G asked. Grenadine shook her head. "This is the history of the Crystal Empire. From the first princess to King Sombra to Princess Cadence to you."
Grenadine tilted her head in confusion. "I don't understand what you're getting at. Aren't I in trouble for the Dark Crystal Magic? Is my mother coming to get me?" The young mare was even more confused when Ms G chuckled slightly.
"We called your mother, but it was only to check and see if it would be okay for us to show you your past."
"My past?"
"Yes, Grenadine. You know you were born in the Crystal Empire, correct?" Grenadine nodded. Ms G continued. "You are also aware that your mother was taken away as you were placed on the train?" Grenadine nodded again.
"What does that have to do with anything? I am a teenager at school. It's just my tenth year. You're acting like I'm some long lost princess-" Grenadine cut herself off when she saw the look on Ms G's face. "Wait. Am I a long lost princess?"
"In a few words, yes. You are the direct descendant of King Sombra. Your mother was his great-great-granddaughter. The current leader of the Crystal Empire is the daughter of Princess Flurry Heart, but she nor the rest of her family are the true heirs of that kingdom." Ms G had been flipping through book pages while she spoke, finally landing on a page that looked all-too-familiar to Grenadine.
"What? I'm still confused. Why did this 'prophecy' or whatever wait until I was exactly in my tenth year to tell me I'm this special princess? Shouldn't I be the villain? I'm the 'Evil Umbrum,' or whatever." Grenadine was gesturing to her horn while she spoke, ignoring the page. When she finished talking, she finally took note of what was on the paper. "Wait. That's me."
"Indeed it is. It's you as a child. Your mother removed you from the empire because the people were torn between wanting an Umbrum leader once more or having an Alicorn rule over them. I'm sure you know which option was chosen by the majority." Ms G closed the book and placed it back where she had taken it from. "Your use of the Dark Crystal Magic today proved what I thought I already knew. Your ability to use it shows that you are not just a genetic mutation in your horn. You're an Umbrum. One of the last.
"I need to order you to never use your magic because it could potentially corrupt you. It's corrupted most of your bloodline. Do you understand?" Ms G was serious, staring at Grenadine while she added the last few points into her lecture.
"Yes, ma'am. I won't use Dark Crystal Magic anymore."
Ms G sighed, walked to her door, and prepared to open it. "I apologize for the odd nature of this conversation, but you needed to be informed. Times are changing and I don't want your opportunity to slip out of your hands. My hope for you is that you reclaim the throne for your kind. Some people need to see you are not your ancestors."
Reading between the lines, Grenadine could tell Ms G was referring to Sombre and Sunbeam. There would always be someone who wouldn't accept new bloodlines. Ms G opened the door.
"I advise you to look into this further as the Crystal Empire hosts a sort of... competition among civilians. Maybe you can befriend Princess Mirror Glaze and rule together. I apologize again for this strange conversation, but you need to find out about your ancestry before you lose your temper again and let things get out of hand."
"Uh, thank you. I'll do my best."
And with that, Grenadine left the office and entered the hallway. To her surprise, Snow had been waiting right outside the door, reading a book in a language that the mare didn't understand.
Snow looked up as he heard the door click closed. "Grenadine!" He said, snapping his book closed. "What happened? I heard yelling and then things went quiet. Are you okay?"
Grenadine huffed out a laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm the heir to the Crystal Empire throne."
"You- you what?" Snow asked. "You're the heir to the throne?"
The repetition made the two ponies share a small laugh, leaving the hallway and walking toward the classroom. Grenadine filled Snow in on the lecture that Ms G gave her, about how her Dark Crystal Magic indicated that she was an actual Umbrum, and how it was here bloodline that was supposed to rule the throne.
"But didn't Sombra forcefully take over the empire?" The blue Zebra asked when the two reached their destination.
"See, that's what I was thinking. But I think somewhere along the lines of royalty, Sombra forcefully taking over counts as him being a proper king. He was the first leader or dictator or monarch or whatever, and his 'death' meant only the next of kin or next chosen got the crown. Guess that now there's a rightful heir, it all kind of cancels out."
As the two students entered the room, some murmurs came from the ponies already sitting. Sombre and Sunbeam were angrily whispering in each other's ears, clearly upset about Grenadine continuing to sit in class.
Luckily, Ms G entered the room and was able to diffuse the situation. "Children, please calm down. I know you are disgruntled about the Sombre, Sunbeam, and Grenadine situation. So am I," The students were quiet, clearly confused about where their teacher was getting at. "Grenadine is under my watch, and I will be sure that nothing like this incident ever occurs in this building again. Please keep your gossip out of my ears. We will begin the next lesson of the day, now."
Sunbeam audibly gasped, her horn sputtering with a few blue sparks. She flipped her ponytail and defiantly looked away from the instructor. Someone laughed.
Sombre was also visibly upset, with her purple eyes flicking around the room at the other mares and colts who had easily let the situation go. With a huff, the princess allowed the class to go on without another interruption.
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Lucidity - An MLP Fanfiction
FanfictionSmuggled away from a kingdom where Umbrums are a feared and hated species, Grenadine Grey is raised without her birth mother in a new town with a kind Unicorn as a guardian. As she grows up she meets challenges such as snobby princesses, a cursed cu...