"What in the sweet name of Celestia is that?!" A gasp escaped his lips as he pointed to the monstrosity in his mate's arms.
What Octavia held was a rather chunky but still healthy foal, with pale peach fuzz covering her little body and brown spots speckled here and there. Atop her head was a single lock of blonde mane, and her tail was just a single curl only a few strands thicker. It wailed and cried, never opening it's vibrant blue eyes that she had adopted from her father.
She sighed. Why had she married this dumb revolting pile of pale shit? She wasn't even married to him, she was just the poor mare who had to give birth to his heir. And after all this work keeping herself in a healthy pregnancy, he didn't even like what he asked for!
"This is your heir, our foal," She said, almost in perfect monotone as she glared at him.
"It's a pig! A filthy pig!"
Again with this filthy bull cap.
Another sigh escaped the cellist's throat, "Her name is Southern Belle,"
Blueblood's nose wrinkled, as he scoffed and levitated the foal to his face, "I suppose we can call the pig that, she'd earn first prize in any county fair..." As he spoke, the filly reached out to touch his fur, though he quickly returned the thing to it's birth mother.
"I must take a bath to rid of the filth..." He strutted to the doors, scowling at them, "I will not stand to let the filth infect me,"
Belle continued to wail, and even Octavia couldn't stall tears of anger that ran down her cheeks.'
"Why do you struggle so with such simple lessons pig?" The words stung Southern Belle's heart as she struggled to read the simple children's book laid out before her. She was already at the age most fillies would be taught a little before going to public school, yet even such a filly as her who could play any instrument handed to her, bake any sweet asked of her and perform any task given; she could not read nor write.
"I-I'm sorry sir, I don't know why sir," She whimpered.
Blueblood got nose to nose with her, face red as a bulls eye, "You don't know why? Well I know why, it's because you are a filthy swine!"
It was true, her color palette of pink and brown splotches upon her coat made her look like a muddy swine. Even the simple things such as her upturned snout and rather massive rear and gut made her less and less pony like. The only way you could tell she was even a real pony was her curly blonde mane and bright blue eyes, with her blue ribbon cutie mark covering her expanded flanks and small baby horn though very sensitive very strong with magic.
"I-I'm sorry sir..."
"You best be! Or I'll have to wash out your disgusting mouth young lady of it's filthy southern accent," He spat in her eye and trotted away, "Now continue your lessons pig, your mother will be back from her concert tomorrow to fail at teaching you again,"
For a split second she wanted to wail as she was once allowed to as a foal, but only cried silently as her tears fell to the pages below, staining the paper.
Southern Belle trudged after her father, wearing a bright blue dress that poorly hid her portly frame. They were at some stupid festival in the gardens, as fancy ponies would bring their fancy things to sell and buy, some were even willing to trade. She was being forced to carry Blueblood's items, all heavy and causing her back terrible pain. All this stuff was just too heavy for her, but the prince didn't care, not one bit. Even ponies she barely knew at this festival seemed concerned but too afraid of the prince's wrath to actually help her. They only whispered and murmured to one another.
"Poor filly..."
"Her bones must ache so much..."
"She hasn't even had a break yet..."
"That prince is just too cruel..."
Blueblood heard this but ignored it for most of their stroll, till he finally saw the filly was silently crying, looking as though her back was going to snap into two. He groaned loudly, levitating the inventory off of her and onto another servant of his' back. "Filthy Swine, go and get yourself something, make sure it's of use," He sighed, "I'm off to get some wine,"
A grin spread across the pink unicorn's face, and she quickly began galloping through the crowd, slowing down as she reached the more magical and enchanting sales ponies had to offer. There were spell books, potions and even magic pendants, though she came across something even more beautiful. It was a crystal mirror, the framing dull and black like a shadow yet had bright ruby red gems encrusted as though an attempt to jazz it up. At the top was a violet crystal more beautiful than the entire thing alone, and inside it seemed to swirl with all sorts of magic. Even her own crystal clear reflection made her dizzy almost like she was under a spell.
"Princess Belle! I see you've caught interest in this fine piece of art,"
The piggy pony looked up to the scrawny stallion beside the mirror. He had a funny mane and was awfully tall, though didn't seem too bad, "It's all yours if you want it,"
She swallowed the lump in her throat, prepared to coat her southern accent with a rich canterlot impression, "Oh no, I just couldn't..."
"It's all yours Southern Belle, your deserve it," He smiled sadly at her, along with other ponies standing close by.
A mare with a pale blue mane nodded, agreeing with the stallion selling the mirror, "A princess that goes through such a struggle like you deserves it,"
She almost wanted to get away from all this attention she never gets, but quickly agrees to take the mirror under her possession. As she levitates it back to the more social part of the festival, she bumped into a certain white mare.
"Oh my goodness, what's the rush little one?"
Belle gasped, staring at the princess of the sun herself in shock, "P-Princess Celestia! I am so so sorry for such an inconvenience..."
"No trouble at all child," She chuckled, "How what is that you have behind your back?"
She hesitantly showed her the mirror, watching as Celestia got a good look at his, raising her brow almost suspiciously.
"What an interesting mirror, very beautiful I must say," She smiled.
Southern Belle stammered softly, "T-Thank you ma'am,"
As she was about to say your welcome, a certain stallion stormed over, "What is THAT?" He demanded, catching much attention as a crowd already began to form.
"A-A mirror..."
"Oh a mirror?"
She nodded slowly.
"Then why would you by something so filthy and damaged?" Blueblood marked. Everyone looked confused. To them, the mirror was cleaner and brighter than a summer day, though he saw it covered in stains and dirt with the glass shattered into many pieces.
"I-I don't understand what you mean father?" She quickly covered her mouth.
His eyes twitched, and he showed no remorse as he lifted a clean blue hoof up to her face. There was a loud smacking noise as he struck her face, turning her hole cheek red. A collection of gasps spread through the festival, the hole place going still. A look of disgust was one everyponies' faces, even the princess herself. Blueblood looked around confused, "What? What did I do?"
Celestia turned around haughtily, her tail flicking him in the face as she began guiding the sobbing filly into the castle, "Come Southern Belle, let's get you some ice for that..."
She nodded lightly, though wasn't able to hear her very well as a black smoke was clouding around the mirror's purple crystal, a dark distorted voice whispering in her ear oddly comforting words...
Southern Belle found she couldn't sleep as the moon rose, stars twinkling up in the violet sky outside of her bedroom. She was forced to hold a heavy pack of ice to her cheek which kept her from getting drowsy, and it still stung pretty badly. The mirror she had gotten sad across from her bed, allowing her to stare into her reflection and think. Maybe she was just a pretty little filly in a terrible coma dream and had a really loving daddy! No, that wasn't likely. Maybe she was in an internal nightmare because her stupid baby horn decided it was a good idea to screw up and she was actually a rich nerdy girl! No, that was even stupider.
She sighed, slumping in her bed.
"I wish I had a real daddy..." She whispered, tears trailing down her fat little cheeks.
As she turned over to try and sleep, she noticed a funny black smoke covering her bed and a purple mist filling the room. She bolted out of the covers, seeing it was all coming from the funny purple crystal on her mirror. Her reflection was a bit distorted, as the glass rippled like water. Soon, that glass poured from it's hold like water, forming an oddly stallion like shape. The smoke began to cloud around the figure, and soon it really was a stallion. A large grey stallion with a wavy black mane and scary red and green eyes, with a funny purple mist around his funny curved horn.
She gasped softly.
"K-King Sombra..."
She heard about him in stories and myths from few visits to the crystal empire, though never truly saw the king in person.
"Hello child..." His voice was like a lion's roar if that lion had a sore throat.
His hooves barely made a sound on the floor as he approached her, Southern Belle cowering under the covers. She was gonna be eaten or enslaved by the scary shadow king! This day was getting worse and worse by the minute. She froze feeling a gentle hoof petting her head, as the covers were pulled down and he turned her to face him.
"W-What are you gonna d-do to me, sir?" She whimpered.
"Let's just say I'm gonna be your special shadow," Sombra flashed a sharp toothed smile, though with no intentions of scaring the girl.
Belle tilted her head, "Why are you being so n-nice?"
"Well," He took a seat on the side of the bed, "A certain princess had the good intentions to make me be of no harm, so she cursed me to be apart with this mirror. Those ponies who are of good heart will see everything in this mirror crystal clear and be rewarded, those whose hearts are black as coal as mine once was will see the opposite and be punished for their wicked deeds," Sombra explained, "So~ I'm like your cursed demon mirror pony!"
Southern Belle rose a brow, "A what what?"
He cleared his throat, "Perhaps it would be easier if you just called be your special shadow," He smiled.
"Y-Yeah, it would..." She giggled lightly, yawning softly.
Sombra hopped off of the bed and tucked her back under the covers, patting her mane a bit as he watched her fall asleep. Once she was in deep enough of a sleep, he returned to the mirror, the glass rippling like water as he became one with the frame.
Southern Belle groaned softly as the sun awoke her from her sleep, forcing her to prepare for the day ahead of her. She was expecting to have to prepare a bath herself as always though noticed someone already had. And when she went to fetch herself breakfast before school, a full meal had been prepared for her. Nopony ever did such a thing for her before. But she smiled all the while, skipping down the halls as she knew who was being so nice.
"Daughter dearest, off to school already?" Octavia stopped her mid bounce, looking a bit confused. She was never ready so early and she supposed this happiness was to hide her distaste for school activities.
She nodded, swerving around her and towards the front gates, "Uh huh, see ya later mother!" She called out, grabbing her school bag and bounding towards the direction of school.
Octavia shook her head lightly, chuckling as she turned to get herself some toast and maybe a little wine.
"What's so special about such a disgusting mirror?" Blueblood growled, peering into the cracked glass. It was smudged with hoof prints and covered in stains such as dirt and substances he hoped would not involve body fluids. His image was distorted in the poor mirror's reflection, and as he opened his mouth to speak, he noticed something odd. His teeth looked dingy and yellow. He assumed it was just the glass' yellow tinge, but was freaking out as he realized his teeth really were becoming such a disgusting mustard color.
He bolted towards the bathroom, knocking soap and toothpaste over the counter as he grabbed his toothbrush. He scrubbed profusely at the muck and crud on his teeth, though there was such thick layers it was hard to find the white beauties underneath. Once they were sore and sensitive from such a scraping he stopped, spitting out the crud and slop in his mouth. It tasted like earwax and vinegar, a horrible combination for a prince to taste.
As he strolled back into the halls he ran into Octavia.
She looked pissed at him, as usual, "Something the matter dearest? There are bags beneath your eyes," She smirked seeing him freak out and run away crying.
Usually it was a joke to freak him out, though this time his face did seem wrinkly and more droopy like a mule's.
