Chapters Abductions and Sudden Road trips
The Star manor was by no means as big or fancy as other noble manors. Compared to some, one might call it plain. But it was still a manor and it still held it's own brand of regality. In the light of the moon, the white stone of the outer walls seemed to glow like a small star.
This night, everything was quiet as the members of the house slept. Nopony saw the strange dark figure roaming the halls. It's huge and imposing figure seemed to be covered in the blackest shadows known to ponykind. It's imposing figure and odd gait made one believe that this odd figure wasn't a pony. And as it walked, the manor itself seemed to hold it's breath in dread.
In one particular bedroom a white unicorn mare with a lavender and sky blue swirled mane shifted in her bed and blinked bleary dark blue eyes which found themselves staring up at bright red eyes with stared down at her from a massive imposing dark figure at her bedside. A piercing shriek echoed through the manor, rousing a few of the inhabitants before it was swiftly cut off.
Alarm rang through the manor and the few who'd been roused instantly rushed to the young unicorn's room. The bed was empty, the blankets and sheets yanked across the room. The balcony doors were wide open, blasting cool air into the room. And a mix of white and black feathers were settling to the ground. The only evidence that anything had been in this room.
✴✴✴✴
Normally when such an occurrence happens amongst the nobility, be they they major or minor, the Royal Guard is called to investigate. But this time was very different. Which was why Princess Luna herself found herself staring at the empty room. Untouched since it's owner disappeared last night. The sight was painfully familiar to her.
"I see somethings have not changed. Even though a thousand years have passed." Luna spoke to her sister at her side. Celestia nodded sadly.
"They haven't struck since your return." She said. "Hasn't taken any nobility in the last century. I had hoped that this would stop."
"Fate is rarely that kind, sister." Luna said. "The only way to stop all this is to find this thing and personally put a stop to it."
✴✴✴✴✴
The Everfree forest is considered the wildest most dangerous place in all of Equestria. It teems with strange flora and fauna that would very much enjoy cursing or taking a generous chunk out of you. So it should come as no surprise that nopony knew that in the deepest, farthest reaches of the Everfree, shielded by thick trees and powerful spells that would make Starswirl the Bearded, Clover the Clever and Twilight Sparkle sqeal like schoolfillies, was a small valley. And I use the term loosely.
This dip in terrain was dominated by a large lake. To one side was a miniature apple forest and a large crag that over looked the lake. As the sun rose, there were no signs of pony life. Only thousands of white swans. Some were nestled in huge nests on the lakeshore or further. Others were wandering out to the lake for a swim. When a great black beast suddenly appeared, many of the swans flinched. As it flew over the lake, a flurry of white feathers dropped from it's grasp into the lake and began floundering around. Instantly the swans began to swim towards the flurry of white. Even the swans in their nests made their to the lake's edge.
The only swan that didn't move was one that sat in a nest at the lake's edge, just shy of the water. She was slightly bigger than the other swans and had a certain air of respect and authority. Like a mother. She sat watching sadly as the flurry of feathers was rightened to reveal a young swan radiating terror and confusion. As the others comforted their new flock member, the elder swan turned her gaze to the great rock outcropping where the great black beast had settled down.
She shot the beast the worst glare she could before finally pushing herself from her seat and entered the water. Though the others were doing their best to calm her, it still did nothing to sooth her mounting terror. Once the larger swan entered the lake however, everything went still and they parted to give her a path to the newcomer. Even the young new swan quieted as she was approached, some part of her telling her this was someone of importance. For a moment she stared up at the taller swan who returned the stare with a warm look. Then the older swan reached out and placed her neck across the younger in a calming gesture. The younger sat there as the larger swan gently stroked her then she buried her head in her breast and let her tears pour into the mother figure.
✴✴✴✴✴
"You want us to solve an abduction?" Princess Twilight asked in surprise. Her friends mirrored her surprise. Of all the possible reason why the Princesses would call them to Canterlot, this one was so far a left field it wasn't even there.
"Oh! Detective work!" Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves in delight as her detective hat and pipe suddenly appeared. "Rainbow Dash can be Watson this time!" Before Pinkie could drag the surprised pegasus however, Luna cleared her throat, bringing everything to a halt.
"I'm afraid that this will be unlike anything you've ever seen." Luna pushed open a file with the picture of a young unicorn with a beautiful flowing mane of blue and lavender. "This is Diamond Star. Daughter of Midnight Star, a minor noble. After the loss of his wife when she was very young, Midnight dotes on his daughter. Six months ago one night, she suddenly vanished without a trace. Midnight Star has no major connections that any pony would want to take advantage of, nor is he exorbitantly wealthy. And, since her disappearance there has been no ransom. On the night in question there were no signs of forced entry. Nothing else has been taken, and witnesses claim that they heard her scream before she was cut off. Her sheets had been dragged from the bed, the balcony door was thrown open and several black and white feathers littered the floor."
Luna then closed the file and floated it to Twilight as Celestia took it from there. "Unfortunately, Diamond Star is not the only case of the nature. Over the course of several centuries, many nobles and common ponies have vanished under the exact same circumstances. This is simply the first time this has happened since my sister's return. And the first time in a century since it was a noble. Roughly more than a thousand mysterious disappearances dating back more than thousand years."
Jaws dropped. "Seriously?" Applejack asked. Celestia nodded.
"The first recorded disappearance of a noble family was Star Song, head of the House of Platinum and eldest grand daughter to Princess Platinum herself. Star Song became the head of House Platinum at a young age following the death of her parents. She was a warm motherly unicorn. Especially to her younger sister, in the absence of their parents." Applejack nodded her head in understanding. "She was a well respected leader. With a good head on her shoulders and wisdom to spare. Luna and I learned many a thing from her."
Luna smiled nostalgically briefly before frowning. "Then one night, she vanished under the same circumstances. At the time, there were rumors of ponies disappearing under these circumstances, but up until then they'd been brushed off as just that. Rumors and gossip. Moonstone, Star Song's little sister, was much too young to assume command over House Platinum and had we not stepped in, it would've collapsed." Celestia nodded.
"In those days there were three major noble houses, founded by the three leaders that had founded Equestria. House Hurricane, House Puddinghead and House Platinum. For the head of House Platinum to disappear so suddenly and completely, the other houses almost turned on each other in suspicion. It didn't help when the elder grandchildren of those houses also disappeared shortly after under the same circumstances. Before the House Platinum could collapse completely and in order to calm the nobles fears, Moonstone became Luna's ward till the day she was old enough to assume command and it was declared that we would do everything in our power to find the missing ponies. Even when she took command over House Platinum, Moonstone maintained those connections to Luna. Since then the descendents of Platinum have been referred as my neices or nephews."
Rarity automatically thought of Prince Blueblood and almost gagged. Celestia continued. "Unfortunately we were never able to find them and only more ponies disappeared. Diamond Star is but the latest." Luna stepped forward.
"Princess Twilight, we tire of this odd game of cat and mouse and wish only a resolution. And so we ask for you and your friends help in ending this creature's reign of terror."
Twilight gave this request a minute of thought. After deliberating with her friends she turned to Celestia and Luna and smiled at them.
"Your highnesses, we would be honored."
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Her friends blinked at the small burn spot on the floor, a thin whisp of smoke snaked upwards. After days of pushing their buttons, Prince Blueblood finally pushed Twilight's last button and she had reacted explosively. Finally Rarity spoke.
"Was that...?"
"An advanced teleportation spell?" Twilight interrupted between breathes as she attempted to calm herself. "Why yes. Yes it was."
Silence reigned for a moment and Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief that her friend hadn't obliterated the obnoxious Prince.
"So, where'd ya send him to?" Applejack asked. Twilight waved at her casually, having finally calmed down.
"I just picked some random, uncharted place deep in the Everfree." Rainbow grinned almost evilly.
"Nice job there."
Twilight spared a small smile of her own. "I thought so too. Now, where were we?"
✴✴✴✴✴✴✴
Bloodblood screamed like a filly as he found himself suddenly fifty feet above a small forest. He barely registered the late hour as he found himself crashing through trees ladened with apples. As if being pummeled by multiple branches wasn't enough, they were all armed with round red heavy fruits which battered him mercilessly like a hundred clubs.
He hit the ground head first and was instantly hit with a splitting headache like some pony had jabbed a red hot knife into his head and twisted as slowly a painfully as possible. In his pain he barely registered the incredible pain in one of his ankles or the startled scream of a young mare. It could've been his imagination, but he could swear he heard something like a bird squawk in that scream. As darkness creeped around his vision, he saw a form approaching him and before he passed out he saw what he could only describe as the most beautiful, deep blue eyes.
Author's Note
I recently watched a performance of Swan Lake with the family and all through the performance my mind was swirling with inspiration. So you can probably guess where this is going, but still. Enjoy and comment please.
Author's Note
Fun Tidbit:
Males swans are cobs. Females are pens. Just so you aren't confused. Also, sorry I didn't specify how Blueblood pushed Twilight's buttons. Cause I don't know how. So it's free game for speculation.
New Locale
The first thing Blueblood registered was the massive pain in his head. It was less piercing than before and had been ruduced to a dull throb. It still hurt and Bloodblood lay there a moment with his eyes shut as he let the pain recede enough for him to think straight and take stock of himself. The next thing he noticed was one of his hind hoofs. It didn't hurt as bad as his head, but judging by the feeling he guessed that it had at least been twisted. He'd have to stay off it for at least a week. Other than that, there were various minor cuts and bruises all over his body.
With his assessment of his faculties complete, Blueblood cracked open his eyes and blinked rapidly to clear them. The first thing he saw was a canopy of apple trees. At first he thought they were wild apple trees, judging by how they grew. But their apples were too fat to be anything but domesticated apple trees. It was like someone had taken domestic apple trees, planted them, then let them do what ever while taking care of them.
Blueblood frowned at the gaps and broken branches in the trees above him and surmised that this was where he landed. He recalled seeing someone before passing and briefly wondered why he hadn't been moved to a more comfortable spot. Preferably indoors. Slowly, he turned his head to see a neat pile of apples next to his head. It wasn't exactly an hors d'oeuvres, but he was too hungry to argue. He tried to push himself to a sitting position, but his head spun and he fell back down. He then concentrated on his horn, but felt nothing.
'Come on, it's just a basic levitation spell. You've been doing those since you were a colt. Come on come on.' Still nothing.
Blueblood reached up to tap his horn, only to feel his hoof pass through thin air. Confused, he felt around the space where his horn was supposed to be, his panic beginning to mount. Finally his hoof made contact with a half inch nub covered in cloth. The whole world seemed to stop as his recent headache suddenly made sense. When he'd landed, he'd not only twisted his ankle, but had also effectively snapped off his horn.
He was on the brink of screaming when some force plunged his face into the ground just in time for his panicked screams to be muffled. It didn't take long for his screams to peter off.
'Okay. Okay. Calm down Blueblood. It's not the end of the world. Horns grown back in a year or two. Give or take a few months. Oh there is no way I can show my face in court like this. Or anywhere else for that matter. I'd much rather stay here. Wherever here is......hang on, what the heck is on my head?'
No sooner had that registered, than he felt the sudden release of weight from the back of his head. Immediately he lifted his head up to once more scan his surroundings. It wasn't long before Blueblood found himself face to face with a swan. Judging by the thick powerful neck and large size, it was most definitely a cob. As they stared at each other, Blueblood noticed something different. He'd seen many swans in his lifetime, but he'd never seen a swan's eyes glitter with such intelligence. As the cob stepped off him, Blueblood suddenly realized that he'd been the one to shove his muzzle in the dirt.
The cob waddled over to a nest nearby that he'd missed. Though now that he saw it, Blueblood wondered how he'd missed it. It was much too big to be a swan's nest. In fact, he suspected it was big enough to make a comfortable bed for a full grown stallion with room to spare. Yet the swan casually waddled over and partially dropped from his sight line. Before Blueblood could ponder as to why a swan would need such a big nest however, he felt something nudge his side. Looking down he saw that one of the apples had rolled towards him. Remembering his hunger, he greedily chomped down on the apple and it quickly disappeared.
No sooner had he finished than another apple rolled towards him. This pattern repeated itself nine more times and it wasn't till he finished his last apple that he finally wondered how these apples were rolling towards him. Looking up he spotted another swan. Smaller and definitely female sitting beside the pile of apples. She lowered her head and using her beak gently nudged an apple in his direction. With his hunger satisfied, he didn't eat as greedily as before. As he munched at a more moderate pace, he glanced up to gauge what time it was. Judging by how high the sun was, it was already noon. Suddenly his head began to sway as his eyelids drooped.
'Must've lost a lot of blood.' He thought dizzily.
Before he could pass out however, a sharp jab to his flank brought him to awareness. The perpetrator, the cob from earlier. And judging by the look in his eyes, he wanted him to do something. As his eyelids drooped again, there was another sharp jab, this time to his chest. The cob then gave a deafening call and spread his wings up in a gesture that could be translated as 'get off your lazy flank!' Even though he would normally question this, Blueblood complied without question, though it made him wince to put weight on his bad foot. The cob then grasped his mane in his beak and with a gentle tug led him to the unusually large nest.
As per his suspicions, the nest was indeed big enough to hold a full grown stallion. Once he'd stepped into the nest, he practically melted into it. Even if only to get off his bad foot. He almost fit into the nest with plenty of room to spare. Almost like it had been designed for a bigger stallion. Despite appearances, it was very comfortable. Firm, but still very soft, downy and warm. In no time, he was out like a light.
✴✴✴✴✴
Over the course of a couple weeks, Prince Blueblood quickly fell into a rhythm of sorts. His hoof was healing rather well, though he was still confined to the nest. What he found incredibly odd was his hosts. The first two swans he'd met were the most constant of his companions. The pen would often visit him and would act much like a worried mother, fussing over his injuries and feeding him apples she'd plucked from the trees. And every morning he awoke to find his horn dressing changed. Oddly enough, Blueblood found himself growing fond her and whenever she left he found himself looking forward to her next visit.
The cob was an odd one. Blueblood had watched him wander among the trees as though he were examining them. Sometimes he would observe him doing strange yet oddly familiar things to the trees. It took him a few days to figure out that the swan was actually tending to the trees like an apple farmer. He'd once observed apple farmers work their fields when his dad had taken him to one of his apple farms back when he was a colt.
'How about that?' He thought amusedly once the piece had slipped into place. 'A swan apple farmer.' The idea was almost absurd yet some part of Blueblood told him it made sense. And so, since he lacked a name, Blueblood came to recognize him as Swan Apple Farmer or Apple for short.
Apple and Nurse, his name for the pen, weren't the only swans to visit. The second day here, he'd woken up to an unusually large swan examining him. His first thought was that it was a cob. However, further investigation revealed it to be a pen. And judging by the way the others acted around her, she was obviously someone they respected greatly. After she finished examining him, the pen gave what Blueblood assumed was a call of approval. After that, the visitors poured in.
For three days after that, Blueblood would be visited by several groups of three or four swans a day. They'd quickly trickled out however and now hardly anyone came which was just fine with Blueblood as he spent much of his time resting.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
Normally Blueblood would be asleep roughly around sunset, but this time was different. He had no idea why, but Apple and Nurse hadn't been letting him sleep. Every time he showed signs of nodding off, either Nurse or Apple would prod him awake. And due to how tired he was, the prince was quickly becoming bruised and annoyed.
"You know I'm more bruises than pony by now." He grumbled irately to them as the sun passed the horizon and darkness began to creep in. "This better be very important."
Of course, neither of the swans answered as they never did. Instead the pen lept from her position on the edge of the nest. She raised her wings like she was planning on flying and stared up at the sky as the moon came into view. The cob mirrored her movements. For a moment it seemed like nothing was going to happen and his time had been wasted. That is, until he noticed it. It was small enough that he almost thought the was some form of hallucination, but nope. There it was. The two swans were glowing.
At first he thought it was the moon reflecting light from their feathers, but when the light grew he scrapped that idea. Then, to his eternal shock the swans began to change. Their forms seemed to warp and grow. Legs became longer and stronger. Wings stretched and grew as feathers retracted. Necks shrank and grew thicker. Heads grew larger and rounder as beaks melted into muzzles and ears sprouted along with manes and tails. Soon the newcomers stopped glowing and Blueblood found himself gawking at a unicorn mare and earthpony stallion. The stallion shot him a mischievous grin.
"Oh I can garentee you it's important." He chortled.
At that moment, Blueblood did the one the thing any grown stallion would do in his position. He started screaming like a foal.
✴✴✴✴✴
"I imagine you'll want an explanation." The mare said a little awkwardly.
Blueblood only nodded, not trusting himself to say anything. After screaming for a full five minutes, a strike to the back of his head sent him flying into the side of the nest. Once he'd cleared the stars from his head and calmed down reasonably, he got a good look at his hosts. The mare now in front of him was a unicorn with a pristine white coat and a lavender and sky blue mane swirled together with some sparse bits of white. Wait. That isn't white mane. Those are white feathers. In fact, now that he looked at her, he could see feathers intermingling with fur. The stallion was an earthpony with a brown coat and pitch black mane. So his white feathers stuck out like a sore hoof. Only his were in a larger quantity than his companion.
"Well, why don't we start with introductions." The mare said when Blueblood didn't say anything. "I'm Diamond Star." 'Diamond Star? That sounds familiar.' "And this is my friend, Steady Hoof." The stallion nodded acknowledgement.
"Blueblood." He finally blurted out in introduction.
"Pleased to meet you." Steady Hoof rumbled in a deep voice as he held out a hoof. As he gingerly shook the offered hoof, he tried to place the larger stallion's accent. He hadn't heard something like it before and some part of him told him that it was old. Suddenly he remembered where he'd heard the mare's name before.
"Hey, aren't you that daughter of a minor noble that disappeared six months ago?" Diamond nodded, abashed. Blueblood gave that a moment's thought before finally speaking. "So you're a swan now." He immediately felt like facehoofing at his intelligent reply.
"Sort of."
"Sort of?" An awkward silence reigned as Diamond Star averted her gaze at his question. Steady Hoof moved towards her and laid a hoof on her withers in a comforting gesture. Diamond looked up at him before taking a deep breath to steady herself.
"It's part of our curse." She spoke hesitantly, suggesting that this was a very sensitive topic. "During the day we're swans. At night we revert to our pony forms."
"Oh. Really." Blueblood slurred as his exhaustion and shock made him sway on his hooves. "Well that's okay." He was out cold before he hit the nest.
✴✴✴✴✴✴
The next morning things went back to normal for the two swans the prince now knew as Diamond and Steady. For the duration of that day, Blueblood felt awkward interest as he watched the two go about their day. The next day, he napped most of the time so he would be able to talk with his new friends. And so began a new routine that spanned roughly a week and a half. During the night, Steady Hoof would take care of the trees as well as he could without tools. Most of the time they didn't really talk. But once in a while he would strike a conversation.
"Soooo." Blueblood drawled, drawing the attention of the other pony. "I don't think I've ever heard an accent like yours."
Steady Hoof nodded. "I had an interesting foalhood."
"How interesting?"
Steady paused a moment as though wondering if he should tell. "My pa was a noble." He finally answered. Blueblood cocked his head in interest.
"Do tell." Steady shot him a piercing look. Blueblood returned with his own challenging stare. After a minute of staring, Steady Hoof turned away. There was a pause before he continued.
"Pa wanted me to follow in his hoofsteps as head of our house." He said. "Trained me in all sorts of social etiquette and politics. I didn't share his ambitions. It just didn't feel right ta me. I'd often sneak out to work the fields we owned with the other earth ponies." Steady cracked a small grin. "You can probably imagine how he reacted when I earned my cutiemark." Steady Hoof's cutiemark wasn't the sort you'd see on any noble. In the pale moonlight, Blueblood could see his cutiemark, the image of an apple with a star. Blueblood still wasn't sure what it meant exactly, but he could still see the earthpony's point.
"I can probably imagine." Now that he knew a bit about Steady Hoof, he could now understand why his accent had seemed odd to him. It sounded like a combination of an old version of a southern accent and more refined old Equesh. "So, what noble house were you from?"
"House Puddinghead." Had he been standing, Blueblood would've tripped over his own hooves in shock. As it was however, he was still plenty floored in his seat. While the three main noble houses hadn't technically fallen, over the centuries they'd been spread out so thin that very few could claim direct lineage to any of the three leaders. Blueblood himself being one.
"Uh. Um. You wouldn't mind running that by me once more would you?"
Steady Hoof smiled, clearly enjoying Blueblood's shock. "I am a direct relation of Chancellor Puddinghead herself." He clarified. "Her grandson, to be exact."
Up until then Blueblood didn't know it was possible to feel such shock. He sat there with a blank look as he did the math in his head. It didn't take long for him to come up with a number.
"B-but that would make you roughly a thousand years old."
Steady quirked an eyebrow. "Your point?"
Five minutes later, Diamond arrived with what fabric she could get to find Steady Hoof going about his night as usual. Prince Blueblood on the other hoof however was sitting so still he could've been a statue, his pupils dialated to the size of pinpricks as they stared straight ahead blankly. Diamond poked his side only to receive no response. He was officially broken.
"What in Equestria happened?" She asked the other stallion in the area.
"We talked." He said with a small smirk.
When Prince Blueblood finally returned to his senses, he found that his splint had been removed and Diamond was securing a strip of cloth around his horn. A pang of sadness rang through him at the very thought of his precious horn. He almost didn't notice when she finished and sat nearby to wait for him to notice.
"So I don't need my splint anymore." He asked, eager to turn his thoughts away from....other things. Diamond of course, noticed this and tactfully assisted in his chosen distraction.
"Not anymore." She answered gently. "Your hoof can support your weight now, so I figured I'd introduce you to the rest of the flock tomorrow. There's sompony whose been eager to meet you."
"Well I guess that means I'll have to get as much rest as possible." He said weakly and they descended into an awkward silence.
"Blueblood?" Diamond finally said.
"Hmm?"
"Well, um, well I figured you might want to know that it's safe to remove your bandages now that there isn't any threat of infection."
A tense silence ensued as Diamond waited for him to answer. Since there was no threat of infection anymore, Blueblood guessed that she'd tied the fabric around the horn out of tact.
"Thanks for letting me know." Blueblood finally said. "I'll think about it." Blueblood then curled up so he could get a headstart on his nap. It still didn't stop the smallest tear from squeezing itself from the corner of his eye and roll down his cheek.
Blueblood had spent most of the day in and out of sleep. Whenever he did wake up, Diamond Star was sitting vigil at the side of the nest. When evening finally fell, Blueblood, Diamond Star and Steady Hoof enjoyed a meal of apples before setting off. The clearing where Steady Hoof had made his nest was very deep in the apple tree forest. Upon leaving the clearing, Blueblood found that the trees grew closer together and if it weren't for the fact that Steady Hoof took good care of the trees, it might've been impossible to traverse as anything other than a swan. As it was, there were still times when they had to carefully move in single file with Diamond Star leading, followed by Blueblood and finally Steady Hoof.
Once they exited the forest, Blueblood halted and stared in awe at what he saw. The full moon shone down on a glass smooth lake, lighting it up silver and dark blue. The lake alone was enough to elicit a gasp from him, but then he saw the flock. Crowding the shore of the lake was thousands of ponies from all walks of life. Blueblood even saw thestrals and zebras among their numbers. They walked amongst each other on the shore. Some were in the lake bathing in the water. All of them were covered in a combination of fur and white feathers. As the group approached, the others stopped and silence blanketed the area as they looked him over.
Then they smiled and suddenly he was assailed with welcomes and questions about the outside world.
"So your the Prince Blueblood we've been hearing about."
"How did you get here?"
"Can I see your coat? It's been a while since I've seen someone that doesn't have fur and feathers."
"Yay! A new friend!"
More and more ponies assailed him till he couldn't keep up with their questions. Thankfully, before he was smothered by their greetings, Steady Hoof pushed them back, his powerful deep voice demanding attention.
"Enough crowding." He commanded. "Star Song wants to see him before you suffocate him." At that the ponies backed off and parted to create a path down to the lakeshore. As they continued down the path created for them, he was well aware of the other ponies gazes burning into him from all sides. The stared at in curiosity and excitement. Some almost worshipful. Blueblood however was more than a little focused on the oddly familiar name that Steady had said. He knew he'd heard that name somewhere before.
Unlike with Diamond Star, the memory was more than a little weathered. Like an old bedtime story from when he was a colt. When Steady Hoof halted in front of him however, he had to pause his thoughts and return to the present. In a large nest in front of him was a young mare. She was roughly his age, maybe younger. Yet she still held an air of respect that made Blueblood feel like differing to her. Even though she was laying on her belly in the nest with her legs tucked beneath her. Her coat and mane were covered with more feathers than he'd seen on any of the others. There was even a thick coat of feathers going down her neck and covering her neck.
What was left of her original coat was baby blue in color. Her mane was a swirl of rich purple and white not including her white feathers. To one side was a black pegasus stallion with a dark blue and white mane also covered in thick white feathers. The unicorn looked up at him and with a small head gesture, coaxed him closer to sit in front of him. Silence fell over the air as the mare looked him over.
"We've heard a lot about you, Prince Blueblood." She finally spoke in a gentle motherly tone with the slightest tinkle of laughter. It was right then that he remembered where he'd heard this mare's name before, the revelation hitting him like a brick to the gut.
"No way." He breathed as he remembered the tales he'd heard about his ancestor's sister. "You wouldn't happen to be THE Star Song, sister to my ancester Moonstone, would you?"
Star Song laughed. "Guilty as charged." Blueblood's heart almost stopped in shock. Though in hindsight, he probably should've seen it coming. His father always told him that Star Song had disappeared in the dead of night in a flurry of black and white feathers. Just like Diamond Star had. Not to mention yesterday's conversation with Steady Hoof. For a brief moment he wondered why he hadn't connected the dots earlier.
"How?" He asked. Star Song's playful look dropped instantly and the temputure around the lake drop several degrees as the others suddenly became restless. Star Song turned her gaze to a huge rock that jutted over the lake and glared at it as if she wanted to obliterate it.
"The vrothgar." She said in a cold voice so full of venom that it made Blueblood step back out of fear for his life. Many of the other ponies cringed at the name and Diamond Star pressed herself close enough to Blueblood to make stallion blush. She didn't notice. Her eyes were locked on the crag as she almost assumed the fetal position next to him.
"We were brought here by the vrothgar." Star Song continued after a minute, turning her attention back to Blueblood as she spat the name out like it was a curse. "He came in the dead of night and before we knew it, we were marked with his curse and brought here."
As she spoke, the ponies looked down in sadness as they remembered that night when their lives changed. Even Steady Hoof had a solemn expression.
"Why?" Blueblood asked.
"That is a hard question to answer." Star Song said grimly. "Here in his valley we are nothing more than his. Our own magic isn't even ours. The entire area is covered with a magic dome that keeps us hidden, but also takes our magic and makes it his own."
"Why not leave?" Blueblood asked. His question brought pained expressions to every pony present. Even Star Song.
"If it were that simple, I would've flown as fast as I could back to Moonstone's side." She said softly. "We have remained here not by choice but because those marked with the vrothgar's curse are unable to leave. And so we've remained as the creature's prisoners."
An air of solemn sadness blanketed the air so thickly that Blueblood didn't know what to say. "I am sorry."
"It is in the past." She waved off with a smile that lifted the solemn mood. "When Diamond Star first told us of your arrival here, I thought she was joking. She is our newest arrival and was having problems adjusting. Given her situation, I didn't blame her. But when I saw how convinced she was, I came to investigate and much to my surprise, she was right."
"So that unusually large swan was you?" He asked, thinking back to his first day.
"It was indeed." She smiled. "But enough of this solemnity. There are many ponies here in the flock who would love to meet you. I suggest you get to know them."
A thundering cheer erupted around him, nearly deafening him and an instant later he was swept up in wave after wave of feathered ponies.
✴✴✴✴
Blueblood was enjoying himself. Once the initial rush passed, the ponies became a bit more calm. Though the friendly atmosphere never left. Blueblood had been sitting and talking with a thestral and some other ponies when a strong hoof suddenly pulled him to his own.
"Hey! What-?" His protests were cut off by a tense Steady Hoof.
"Dawn is coming." He rumbled. Blueblood looked up at the sky to see the darkness retreating from the rosy glow that crept in. Looking down he saw the others were stiff with panic.
"The vrothgar flies at night." The thestral explained with panic in her voice. "But he watches us at day. If he finds you, he will mark you with his curse." When a dark form appeared on the horizon, she let out a small shriek. Steady Hoof gave Blueblood a somewhat rough shove towards the forest.
"Move." He growled firmly. Blueblood didn't ask questions and galloped towards the forest while keeping his eye on the approaching dark form. Under the cover of a tree, he paused just long enough to get a good look at the thing. At first he thought it was a dragon thanks to it's dragon like head. But it's long black body was definitely snake like in nature with long arms ending in hook like claws. And spread out was a set of pitch black wings. Not to mention it was huge. As it passed over the lake, its body cast a massive shadow over the lake and made the now swans cringe in fear. Just before he could be seen, Steady Hoof grabbed his mane in his beak and pulled him into the safety of the forest. Before the lake disappeared from sight, Blueblood saw the thing settle on it's rocky perch, partially curling around the rock before folding his wings a settling his gaze over his flock. Were it not for his blazing eyes, Blueblood could almost tell himself that the snake like creature was a boulder.
As he trotted back to the nest, a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, back when I first came here you shoved muzzle in the dirt before I could scream. Was that creature the reason why?" The now swan nodded. "You do realize that even though there was a good reason, I'm still going to get you back for that." Steady shot him a look that said 'I dare you to try it.' It's effect was somewhat lessened by the fact that Blueblood was now taller than him.
✴✴✴✴✴
The next week went by in a flash. Most of the day was spent napping at Steady Hoof's nest. When evening came, he would eat his fill of apples before leaving for the lake. By this point he pretty much knew the path to and from the lake by heart. The Swan Ponies, as he'd come to know them, always welcomed him like he was a part of the flock. Even though he had a less than stellar reputation back in Canterlot, they didn't care one jot. One of the perks of living the way they did was that nopony cared about who you were in your previous life, though nopony really talked about their previous life.
One thing he noticed was that they had a vague idea about events outside of this valley. When he asked about it, he was told that every new arrival would bring news of events in the outside world. They knew about his reputation in Canterlot because of Diamond Star and an earlier pegasus called Sky Watch. Since Diamond Star's last update was six months ago, Blueblood figured it was only right to fill them in on what had happened since. When he mentioned that Princess Celestia was once more investigating their disappearances, nopony was surprised in the least. Apparently this had been going on for centuries and none of the investigations had lead her to the vrothgar. So they weren't holding their breath.
In the whirlwind excitement of the past week, Blueblood had almost forgot his woes. But now that things were winding down Prince Blueblood found himself staring at his reflection in the lake. In particular the strip of cloth around his head. Diamond had told him it was safe to remove, but Blueblood didn't have the courage to face what was behind the dreaded cloth. And he stared. He perked his ears when he heard the approach of two sets of hooves, one of them not sounding right. He made no motion when Star Song settled next to him.
Blueblood had long ago learned that Star Song had lost the use of her forelegs when they'd morphed into powerful white wings. Initially he'd expressed alarm at the thought that the others could end up the same, but Star Song said that it was a condition unique to her, though she wouldn't tell him why. She could stand and walk with them for a short time, but for the most part she got around with the help of her lover, Storm Striker.
Once she was settled with her wings and hooves tucked in the usual manner, the black pegasus stallion stepped back so she could speak with him in privacy. For a time they stared at the water in silence before she spoke.
"Are you afraid to face it?" Blueblood flinched at the blunt question.
"Yes."
"It's understandable." Star Song conceded. "But that does not change the fact that you must face it."
Blueblood reached up and winced when his hoof went past where his horn should've been. For half an hour he gently tapped his hoof on his nub as his stomach twisted in knots at what he might find. It had been this way since Twilight had sent him here a month or less ago. Blueblood suddenly realized a majority of his concerns about the state of his horn had been how others would react. He turned to where the Swan Ponies were. Even with the cloth strip on his head, it was glaringly obvious that something was missing. And yet they had acted like there was nothing wrong and had even welcomed him like family. But it was still painful to know that he was missing a part of himself.
'Oh, to Tartarus with it.' He grit his teeth and screwed his eyes shut as he reached back behind his head where it had been tied. In a moment he felt the cloth fall away. For a minute he sat there with his eyes screwed shut, afraid of what he might see. Then, slowly he cracked an eye open to glance down at the water. As he stared at his reflection, both of his eyes slowly opened wide. There he was. White coat, golden mane and blue eyes. His horn was smooth on top with an ever so slight bit of bone that swooped upwards.
He felt something lightly touch his withers. If Star Song had her forelegs, he guessed that she would be rubbing her right one up and down his back in a motherly way. As it was, all she could do was lay her wing across his back.
"Feel better?" Blueblood nodded slightly.
"A little. It kind of helped that I knew that the ponies here would accept me as I am."
"You should know Blueblood, that broken horn is a blessing in disguise."
"How so?"
"Had your horn been whole, all of your magic would've poured into the vrothgar and you would've been marked as we are. Your magic is still trickling in, but without the obvious means of escape it's just enough that it doesn't suspect a thing. And now that you are healed, you can return home."
Blueblood's ears pressed back against his head in fear of losing the only real friends he'd ever had. And quite possibly, his only true love. "You're sending me away? Why can't I just stay here with you?" Star Song frowned at him and turned to look at the ponies behind them.
"Look at my ponies." She said. Blueblood obeyed. The ponies were all engaged in various activities. Some were grouped together talking and laughing. So were in the lake, swimming or splashing around. Some had even got together to sing and dance with each other. At first he didn't understand. It seemed like a very warm and friendly place. Almost like a great big family. What was it Star wanted him to see. Then he saw it. He almost didn't, but it was there. In all the ponies he could see deep in them a sort of weary sadness. Like they were resigned to some terrible fate
"My ponies do their best to bring happiness to their lives, but ultimately we are no more than birds trapped in a cage." Star Song explained once he turned back to her. "We are sentient creatures that desire freedom which we cannot obtain."
"Why don't you rebel?" Blueblood asked. "I'm sure you could all take on that snake without even trying."
Star Song chuckled warmly. "I once tried that. And look at what I got for my efforts." The feathers on her wings ruffled and she held it up in example. Blueblood gasped.
"You mean..." Star Song nodded in answer to his question before he could vocalize it.
"Centuries ago, I blindly charged at him in an attempt to take him down. I had just found out my sister had passed away from old age and it hurt so much I had to take out the source of my suffering. Of course I was batted away without fazing it in the slightest. And as punishment, I got to keep my wings even in pony form. But I digress. My point is that I don't want you to throw away what we can't have. Sooner or later the vrothgar will find you and then you'll be trapped like us. Forced to watch the ponies you love grow old and die. Please, I beg of you to not share our fate."
Blueblood had to admit that Star Song brought up very good points. Soon enough, all this hiding would be for naught and he couldn't do that to them. But at the same time, abandoning his friends, ponies who'd welcomed him like family, didn't sit right with him. Unless... He wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of this since it was as obvious as the horn not on his head (he cringed internally at his comparison). He would go, but that didn't mean he wouldn't come back.
"Okay Star. I'll go." Star Song released a sigh of relief. "But there's no way I'm going to just abandon you all." Star Song had a sneaking suspicion what he was talking about. "The way I see it, I'm the only pony here who can leave. So naturally, it falls to me to bring the calvary. Especially since I'm a Prince." Finally something useful he could do with his position.
✴✴✴✴
"This part of the valley is pointed in the general direction of the nearest town to the Everfree, so go straight ahead and you'll eventually get back to Equestria." Diamond explained. Blueblood nodded and adjusted his saddlebag, though it was closer to a basket than a bag. Since cloth was a scarcity, it had been woven from long strong grass and had been filled with enough apples and water to get out of the Everfree.
"Also try not to strain yourself too much. Your ankle just healed and you might hurt it again if you push too far." Blueblood's send off mostly consisted of ponies he was close to. Among them was Diamond Star, Steady Hoof and Star Song leaning on Storm Striker. Diamond was by Blueblood's side, fussing over everything from his recently healed ankle to if he had enough food and water. Rolling his eyes he grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her forehead, instantly silencing her fussing as she blushed furiously.
"Would you please relax." He said. "I'm a grown stallion, I'm fairly certain I can handle a forest. Also," He gently lifted her chin so they were facing each other. "This isn't good by. I'll come back as soon as I possibly can and I'll bring help. Just hang on a little longer."
Diamond Star averted her gaze so as not to look into his. "Okay. Just please be careful. The Everfree forest isn't just any forest."
"So long as I've got ponies depending on me, I could walk through Tartarus and back." He said with a smile. "You Steady old boy. Take care of each other."
Steady Hoof gave him a smile. "Do you even need to ask. You just take care of yourself out there."
"I will." He paused in front of the pitch black area between two trees that marked where the valley ended and the Everfree began. The border through which his friends couldn't walk. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and stepped through. There was a sensation like he was passing through something. Then it passed. He opened his eyes to find himself facing the Everfree forest.
Turning back the way he came he saw the two trees but not his friends. Just dense forest too thick to go through. If he hadn't just come that way he might've believed that. He quickly found a pointed rock and with much effort, managed to gouge a mark into the tree to mark it. His task done, Blueblood turned back to the forest and shot a challenging glare. Before, he never would've even thought about entering the Everfree for anything. But now he had friends that were depending on him, so he thought to himself, 'give me everything you've got, forest' before setting off for the nearest town and then Canterlot.
Okay, little announcement for my readers. First off, thank you all for your likes, favorites, tracking, watches, comments and generally support towards me. You guys are amazing and it just encourages me to make good stories that you will enjoy and it tends to bug me a lot when I take so long to get a chapter posted. Which brings me to the reason for this note. This story is one of my earliest stories and it's not a story I'm proud of. I started the story at the spur of the moment after I attended a performance of Swan Lake as you all know.
I am not particularly proud of how I wrote this and for a time I've had to figure out if I wanted to put it up for adoption or overhaul it. Both choices had pros and cons that I was weighing and I was leaning heavily towards adoption since I'm already writing several other stories (plus I've been feeling kinda lazy lately) and there are lots of authors who are far better at their craft than I am. And then I reread the story which not only made me pause, but it also opened up a new possibility. Co authoring.
So here is my final verdict. To anyone who is interested, please come help co author and either continue this story or give it an overhaul. If any of you are interested, let me know.
-darkponDJ