National Geographic Presents: Big Princess Week

by Cold in Gardez

Rating: teen
Tags: Comedy, Rarity, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, Random, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 5337

Twilight Sparkle notices some odd urges, now that she's suddenly become an alicorn.

What if pony princesses were actually highly social carnivores?

What if a National Geographic team began following them around to film a documentary?

What if nopony saw anything unusual about this?

A metaphor about growing up. Or possibly a metaphor about living in a surveillance society. Or maybe just a very, very weird idea that needed to become a story.

Published 2015-06-28 15:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-06-28 15:00:01 UTC

Chapter 1

“So you see, Twilight, you mustn’t be afraid of the changes your body is going through right now. They are a natural part of your development from a unicorn to an alicorn. They are nothing to be embarrassed about.”

Princess Twilight Sparkle was no stranger to awkward conversations. Before moving to Ponyville, virtually every conversation she had with another living pony to whom she was not closely related fell into that category. She had trouble making eye contact, or went off on random tangents, or sometimes forgot that she was supposed to respond when other ponies finished talking.

Those days were past. Thanks to the friends she’d made and the joyful, welcoming citizens of Ponyville, she could talk and sing and laugh – actually laugh! – with other ponies and not worry, deep down, that for some reason everypony was laughing at her. She felt like she had entered a new, wider world, one filled with connections as real and strong as steel for all that they were invisible. She had discovered friendship.

But some conversations were still awkward.

“Oh, I’m not embarrassed, Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. She ducked her head, hoping to hide the flush in her cheeks. “I just… Well, I’ve had these weird urges, and I didn’t know what to think. Rarity said maybe I should speak to you, and—”

“Hush, hush.” Celestia wrapped a wing around Twilight, pulling her close. They were alone now, having retreated to Celestia’s private quarters as soon as Twilight arrived at the palace. “You were wise to listen to Rarity, Twilight. What you are going through now, I have gone through, as have Princess Luna and Princess Cadance. We’ll all do our best to help you and answer your questions.”

“Okay. Okay.” Twilight took a deep breath, held it, and let it out with a slow extension of her leg. “I guess I do have a few questions.”

“Please, ask.”

“Right. Uh, first question.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Why is there a dead zebra in your room?”

Celestia glanced across the room toward the parlour, where a half-eaten zebra carcass was splayed out atop an exquisite Prench silk carpet. “Oh, that? That’s just a snack.”

“A snack?”

“Yes. The kitchen staff is wonderful, of course, and they’ll prepare any dish I ask for, but sometimes you just want a little zebra. I’ve found it’s easier to just keep it in my room, so I can have a bite whenever I want.”

“Okay, that’s… logical, I guess. And you say all princesses have these… urges?”

“Yes, Twilight. Frankly I’m surprised it took you so long to ask about them. Princess Cadance caught and devoured a goat within minutes of becoming an alicorn.”

“Oh!” Twilight ducked again. “I’m not… I’m not disappointing you, am I? I can try hunting something now if you think—”

“Twilight, my dear Twilight, I could never be disappointed in you.” Celestia leaned forward to place a light kiss on Twilight’s forehead. “Every princess develops at her own pace. You shouldn’t feel any pressure to chase down, kill and devour prey before you are ready for it.”

A flood of warmth filled Twilight’s chest – the joy of knowing her mentor was proud of her. “Really?”

“Yes, Twilight. And when you are ready, we’ll be there to help.”

“Wow. That’s… wow! Oh Celestia, I love you so much!”

“And I love you too, Twilight.” Celestia wrapped her forelegs and wings tight around Twilight’s barrel in a hug. “Now, did you have any other questions?”

“No. Well, uh, since you mention it, yes.”

“Please, ask me anything, my faithful student.”

“Okay. Why is there a minotaur film crew videotaping us?”

“Oh! Yes.” Celestia waved a hoof in the direction of the three minotaurs and their video camera, which they kept pointed at the princesses, and a boom microphone that hung just a few feet overhead. “They’re with National Geographic. They do this every year.”

“Really? I don’t seem to recall them from years past.”

“Well, you don’t remember me eating zebras either, do you?”

“That’s… also logical, I suppose. But why are they here?”

“It’s part of a cultural exchange I started a few decades ago. I was lonely back then, and… Well, look, the point is, you’re a princess now, so this is just one of those changes you’ll have to get used to. They’ll go back to Minos in a few weeks. Just pretend the cameras don’t exist.”

“Okay. Those lights are very bright, though.” Twilight raised a hoof to shield herself from the studio light the minotaurs were setting up a few feet away.

“I know. Be careful with your wings around them, too. They get super hot.”

* * *

It’s been a year since we last visited with the majestic alicorn princesses of Canterlot. Celestia, the pack’s alpha female, still rules the roost with a firm-but-gentle hoof. After defeating her sister a few years back in a struggle for dominance, she seems to have restored the pack’s hierarchy. Her hold on power is stronger than ever.

Today we’ve managed to get our cameras deep inside their den for an unprecedented look at the everyday lives of these amazing creatures. Watch now, for the first time ever on television, as they perform a traditional display of dominance and subservience in this large stone cavern they call the ‘Throne Room’.

Luna sits upon her throne at the apex of a raised dais. The wide hall is lined with tall windows, and through them the full moon is visible just above the western horizon. As it continues its slow descent, the ponies milling about the hall make their way to the exits. The Night Court is nearly at its end, and a new day is about to begin.

Luna raises a hoof to her muzzle, stifling a yawn. She appears tired, and as the moon sets she is clearly ready to find her bed. But one more task remains to be done.

The huge doors at the front of the hall open, and in walks the sun. Celestia is resplendent in the pre-dawn gloom, shining like a star with all the promise of the new day. Ponies, accustomed to the long and dark night, shield their eyes from from her radiance.

Not Luna, though. She stands and steps down from the dias, approaching her sister. They are nearly the same height now, and they stop only feet apart. Luna’s lips draw back in a sneer. A hush falls on the crowd.

Oh my, it looks like the younger sister is feeling frisky tonight. Are we about to witness another battle for dominance? Has Celestia’s age finally caught up with her?

Celestia growls, her lips peeling back to reveal her teeth. Canines, long and sharp, are bared. Her wings spread like fans, stretching toward the vaulted ceiling, making her seem twice, thrice her normal size.

For a long moment they stare at each other, until Luna looks away. She kneels and rolls onto her back, whimpering quietly, exposing her throat and belly to her sister.

Not today, it seems. Celestia is still the stronger female, and Luna has no choice but to submit. See how Celestia lowers her head to nuzzle at Luna’s chin, symbolizing her ability to tear out Luna’s throat if she so wished. In response, Luna laps her tongue at Celestia’s lips, a behavior used by juvenile princesses to display submissiveness to an adult. There is peace between the sisters – for now.

With their status reaffirmed, Celestia and Luna exchange places on the throne. The moon sets, and across the sky in the east, the sun rises. Ponies, their eyes bleary with sleep, begin to arrive in the palace for their morning routines.

Some viewers might be wondering where Cadance, the pack’s juvenile female, is. She’s fine, but we won’t be seeing much of her this week – over the winter she finally left the pack in search of a mate, and settled down far to the north. If she successfully breeds, she will start her own pack there.

But fans of feisty little Cadance shouldn’t despair, for the Canterlot pack has an amazing surprise in store for us! For the first time in decades, captured here on our video cameras, there is a new alicorn princess!

The sun has moved, and the scene is different. Princess Celestia is outside in the palace topiary garden. Only her bright pastel mane is visible – the rest is hidden behind a large bush pruned in the shape of a chess pawn. She crouches low to the earth, her tail whipping back and forth, while a dozen feet away a zebra family strolls unaware through the flower beds.

Celestia tenses. Her shoulders rock as she prepares to pounce. The female zebra, perhaps hearing something, freezes. She sniffs at the air, her ears dancing to and fro. The foal at her feet stumbles forward, oblivious, heading straight toward the hidden princess and a grisly demise. Time seems to slow, and Celestia’s body coils like a spring.

Before she can act, a shout breaks the silence. The zebra family and Celestia all turn to see a small, eggplant-colored alicorn tumbling through the gardens, wings all askew, her tiny little crown bobbing atop her mane. She bounces toward Celestia, calling out her name, a huge smile on her face.

The zebras, alerted to the princess’s presence, turn and bolt away. They are far too fast for Celestia to catch, and she settles back on her haunches with a sigh. Still, she manages to smile as the juvenile alicorn latches onto her side.

That’s right! We decided to call this one Twilight Sparkle, following the tradition of naming alicorn princesses after the words that appear on their birth certificates. She is young, not even a year old, and she has yet to start hunting for herself.

You might think Celestia would be upset with Twilight for ruining this hunt, but Celestia has raised many alicorn princesses, and she understands how careless they are at this age. They know only of play and discovery. There will be other hunts, and in time these games will become Celestia’s tools for teaching her ways to young Twilight. Eventually, if Twilight survives, she will help Celestia tackle zebra and even larger game.

With Cadance gone, a rambunctious Luna still chafing at her defeat, and a new alicorn princess to feed, Celestia will be very busy this year keeping her pack healthy and safe. Welcome back to another exciting installment of National Geographic’s Big Princess Week.

* * *

It is morning in Canterlot.

Low mists shroud the city streets. Towers and minarets pierce the fog, rising out of the clouds like solitary soldiers awaiting the dawn. The sun, bloated and red, hovers above the eastern horizon.

Dark shapes flit about the city – pegasi marshalling the remains of last-night’s storm and pushing it away to the south. The streets are dark and shiny and wet, and already the sounds of a million ponies beginning to wake fill the city. Bright pastel forms stream through the avenues and alleys, turning the city’s roads into a river of color and light.

The herd is awake.

Shops throw open their doors. Foals shout as they chase each other to school. Stallions and mares arrive at their factories, at their hospitals, at the palace, and prepare for the day ahead.

But Twilight Sparkle, the youngest alicorn, is not. In fact, she’s not even in Canterlot anymore – overnight she flew back to Ponyville, a smaller herd to the south on the edge of a vast forest. Her castle there is still small, not nearly the size of Celestia’s, but she has time to grow.

It is dark in Twilight Sparkle’s room, on the highest level of the Friendship Castle. The blinds are drawn tight over the windows, sealing out any hint of the dawn. She is a lump in bed beneath the covers. Stray books litter the bed, the floor around her, and indeed every horizontal surface in the room.

Celestia, as our viewers will remember, is diurnal. She sleeps at night and hunts during the day. Luna is nocturnal – she sleeps during the day and lurks around watering holes at night for sick or wounded animals to draw near.

We’re not sure what schedule Twilight will take, yet. We set our cameras up in her den last night, and for several hours we kept quiet watch while she played with her books, chewing on their covers and tearing out the pages to line her nest. It was well after midnight before she finally fell asleep. Our team took the opportunity to affix a small tracking device to a collar around her neck, so scientists will be able to monitor her movements.

It is nearly noon when Twilight finally stirs. She groans loudly and kicks away the covers, sending a cascade of books tumbling to the floor. Her mane is askew, her feathers ruffled and her coat matted. She stumbles out of bed, past the cameras, and into the in-suite bathroom, where she stops in front of the mirror. For a long moment she simply stares at her reflection, then slowly reaches up a hoof to prod at the wide, reinforced collar strapped around her neck. It is stenciled with a white number “4,” and a radio transmitter hangs from it beneath her throat.

Celestia has been wearing one of our tracking collars for years, and she doesn’t seem to mind it. We’re not sure how Twilight will take to hers, though. She seems intrigued at first. Let’s see what happens.

Twilight tugs at the collar, lightly at first, then with greater insistence. She growls and spins in place, finally stopping to stare directly at the screen.

Uh oh, it looks like she’s seen the camera. We may have to cut this episode short—

* * *

It is morning in Ponyville.

Twilight Sparkle is seated outside one of the town’s small cafes with two of her friends, a yellow pegasus and a white unicorn. They chat quietly, their attention drifting from topic to topic without any direction. They point at clouds, or at ponies passing by, and huddle with their faces pressed together whenever a stallion stops at the vegetable stand across the street.

It’s been three days since Twilight Sparkle destroyed one of our cameras and seriously mauled the minotaur operating it. At some point she managed to remove the radio collar, so we’re having to use old-fashioned tracking methods to keep her in sight.

The girls’ lunch arrives. The yellow pegasus and white unicorn each get a small sandwich on a plate. Twilight Sparkle gets a large antelope haunch, which the waiter sets on the floor beside her. She waits until the others have each taken a bite of their meals, then tears into the antelope flesh with abandon.

Time passes, and the girls finish their meals. Only crumbs remain of the sandwiches, but despite her best efforts Twilight is unable to finish the antelope leg. She grasps the remains in her jaws and slowly drags them up into the branches of a nearby tree, where they will be safe from other predators.

By the time Twilight makes it back to the table, the other two ponies are fussing over the bill. Finally, the white one seems to have enough, and snatches it from the table with a growl. The yellow female wilts at this display of aggression, her ears folding back against her mane, and she assumes the traditional posture of submission as the unicorn pays for their meal.

The white unicorn is named Rarity, we’ve learned. She’s an old friend of Twilight Sparkle’s, back before Twilight hatched as an alicorn princess.

Rarity is trying something we’ve never seen before – she’s courting a unicorn prince. Her luck hasn’t been very good so far, and every time she approaches him, he ignores her or turns away. But she’s a persistent mare, and the potent hormones stirring her blood keep driving her back to his den.

Normally, sexually mature females see each other as rivals, but the tight bond between Twilight and Rarity seems to have transcended the petty feuds we see so often between mares. Instead, our animal experts believe Rarity is soliciting Twilight Sparkle for advice on how to conduct her courtship rituals. If she’s successful, it will be an unprecedented display of altruistic behavior in breeding strategies.

With the bill resolved, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle fall back into a quiet discussion. Twilight gestures up at the antelope remains stashed in the tree, then across the street at a stallion who is shopping for cabbages. Rarity adopts a thoughtful pose, her hoof at her chin, and for the rest of the lunch she is silent.

* * *

With Twilight staying in Ponyville for the time being, we’ve decided to try something different – one of our camera teams will follow Rarity to Canterlot, to see how she succeeds with her courtship attempts.

Prince Blueblood doesn’t look like the sort of pony capable of running down and killing a full-grown buffalo. In fact, his soft body and trim, polished hooves don’t look like they’ve seen any sort of physical exertion, and the killer instinct that drives other pony royalty seems conspicuously absent from his watery eyes.

But there is something about him – his imposing height, or the muscles hiding beneath his coat, or perhaps simply the way his golden mane flows in the perpetual breeze that surrounds him – that captivates suitors. Rarely is he without a coterie of females at his side, all fawning for his attention, subtly preening and displaying themselves in hopes of catching his eye.

Today he is lounging on the palace polo grounds. It is summer, and hot, and the smell of freshly cut grass fills the air. The prince is lying in the sun, eyes closed, while around him a bevy of hopeful females fan him with palm fronds, fetch him tea, and ply him with compliments about his mane.

Prince Blueblood isn’t an alicorn, but he’s still quite the catch for any hopeful young female. We’ve been following Rarity all morning as she prepares to approach him – let’s see how she does.

A twig cracks as a pony steps on it, and Prince Blueblood’s eyes open. He turns his head to see Rarity standing just feet away. The other females, alarmed at this intruder, stand and hiss, but Rarity holds her ground. Intrigued, the prince stands.

Satisfied that she has his attention, Rarity lowers her muzzle to the ground, carefully depositing a dead rabbit at Blueblood’s feet. She laps at her jaws, cleaning away a bit of blood, and then leans back to see how her gift is received.

Blueblood leans forward, sniffing at the carcass. He gives it a small nibble, then snorts and pushes it away with his snout. The other females smirk and coo for him as he returns and curls up on the grass once again.

Rarity scowls, and for a moment a dangerous light enters her eyes. But just as quickly it is gone, and she slinks away, tail between her legs.

It seems Rarity will need more than just a rabbit to catch Prince Blueblood’s eye. She may have lost this round, but don’t count her out yet – this huntress has a few more tricks up her sleeve.

* * *

It’s been three weeks since we started following young Twilight, watching as she learned how to hunt at Celestia’s side. There were frustrating moments for the little alicorn and her mentor, but also triumphs. She is working her way up from field mice and flightless birds, to wild pigs, and finally to today’s challenge – a full-grown zebra, one of the most wily and dangerous beasts of prey an alicorn princess can tackle.

The sun is blazing over the Equestrian savannah. At noon, at the height of summer, barely anything stirs in the stifling heat. The sun is like a hammer here, blinding, lethal. The animals who call this harsh land home have all retreated to the shade.

All except one. Out of the dust emerges a female zebra. She is haggard and worn, her coat dusty and stained from days of flight. For the past week she has fled, starting from her home in the Everfree Forest, through the Whitetail Woods outside Ponyville, across streams and meadows, down forest trails, and finally here, to this parched land. Here, where her ancestors first came to worship the sun, is where she will escape – or die trying.

Behind her, trailing by a few hundred yards, are two sinister forms. Horned and winged, the alicorns slink through the tall grasses, their shoulders rolling in an easy, fluid gait that conserves energy for the chase. They are both worn as well, but the fear that haunted the zebra’s expression is nowhere to be seen on their faces. Instead, they are hungry.

Celestia, the taller one, seems to revel in the sunlight. She gleams like a star, like polished marble. The dust cannot touch her; it slides from her coat like oil, leaving her immaculate and perfect in its wake. Her chest heaves like a bellows, though, and drool leaks from her open jaws. Even she is close to overheating in the oven that is the Equestrian savannah.

Beside her, little Twilight lumbers along. She is dirty and ragged in comparison to her mentor, with a wild mane and feathers all askew. Her hooves weave, and every few steps she hurries to catch up with Celestia’s longer stride. She doesn’t look like she can take many more days of this.

This is Twilight’s first real test. If they can catch this zebra, it will feed the pack for weeks. If it gets away, they’ll go hungry, until they get back to the palace kitchen. The stakes could not be higher.

The zebra stumbles. She rests on her knees for a moment, panting, before slowly pushing herself back onto her hooves.

It is the sign the alicorns have been waiting for. They split apart and begin bounding through the grass toward their prey. The zebra spots the rising cloud of dust that follows them and breaks into a gallop.

Normally, an alicorn princess would have trouble catching a zebra in the open. But this zebra is exhausted, and these alicorns have an advantage – teamwork. While Celestia thunders across the grassland toward her prey, Twilight cuts away to the side, preparing to cut the zebra off as she turns. Celestia snaps her jaws just inches from the zebra’s flank.

Will this be it? Will Twilight get her first real kill?

Celestia gathers herself for a final lunge, streaking toward the frantic zebra. She manages to clip its leg with a hoof, and together they tumble into the dirt, sending up a huge plume of dust. Everything is obscured within, and Twilight races across the distance, ready to help her mentor with the kill.

Did she get it?!

The dust clears, and… the zebra is on her hooves, limping into the distance. Twilight stumbles to a halt, and looks around in confusion. A few dozen feet away, Celestia is standing in front of a large municipal building, making a speech to a small crowd of excited ponies.

No! Oh, this is terrible! Just as Celestia was about to make the kill, she was diverted by a hospital ribbon-cutting ceremony!

Celestia says a few more words, and the assembled ponies clap. The mayor brings out an oversized pair of novelty scissors, and together he and Celestia cut the bright red ribbon strung across the hospital’s sliding doors. Cameras flash as the press capture the moment.

Twilight trudges up to Celestia’s side. The larger princess leans down to lick Twilight’s mussed mane back into a semblance of order, and together they start the long, lonely walk back to Canterlot.

It’s unfortunate for little Twilight, but even for a skilled predator like Celestia, most hunts end in failure. Perhaps next time they’ll have better luck.

* * *

Prince Blueblood is asleep in his quarters.

His bed is gargantuan. From his spot in the center, it requires a deliberate effort each morning to stand and walk to the edge. The covers and blankets are specially made by a company in Canterlot that specializes in sails.

Blueblood jerks upright as his bedroom door crashes open. A dark form is silhouetted by the hallway light – a unicorn mare, her stance proud, her imperial neck arched with cold disdain. She pauses there, enjoying the dramatic power of her entrance, and then strides into his bedroom. Behind her, sliding across the floor in the grip of her magic, is the mangled carcass of a full-grown gazelle.

The prince seems intrigued. He crawls to the edge of the bed and leans over the side.

Rarity approaches to within a few feet and drops the gazelle before him. Blueblood leans down to sniff at it. Satisfied, he buries his muzzle in the ragged wound across the gazelle’s abdomen and begins to feed.

Rarity takes a step forward, and then another. She lowers her head to nuzzle his neck, and when he does not protest, reaches up with a hoof to climb onto the bed.

That’s too far. Blueblood growls and snaps at her. She retreats with a startled look, one that is quickly replaced by a sneer of wounded pride.

Ah, it seems Rarity got a little too confident. It takes more than one gift to earn a prince’s heart. Still, he didn’t reject this offering, which bodes well for her.

A few minutes pass, and the tension seems to ebb between them. Rarity slowly approaches again, and lowers herself onto her belly. When Blueblood doesn’t react, she leans forward to nibble at the gazelle with him.

She doesn’t eat much, though. She’s watching her figure.

* * *

The alicorn princesses of Canterlot are apex predators – nothing in Equestria, not even dragons, preys upon them.

But even the most powerful of carnivores have natural enemies. Competitors who struggle with the princesses for territory or game. If Twilight Sparkle is to mature as Equestria’s newest alicorn princess, she must learn to deal with these enemies – or else.

It is night in Ponyville. Friendship Castle glitters in the moonlight, a gaudy testament to Twilight’s position in the herd here. The night air is still; overhead, a light breeze escorts a few stray clouds across the sky.

No ponies are out this late at night, but in the darkness something stirs. Hunched forms slink from shadow to shadow, moving silently across the trimmed grass that surrounded Twilight’s home.

Claws scrabbled against the stone walls. Growls and yips break the silence. Something new has arrived in Ponyville.

Hyenas and alicorn princesses are natural enemies. They will steal each others’ kills, and chase each other away from prime hunting grounds. This pack of hyenas has just moved in on Twilight’s territory. Will they be able to push her out and take it over as their own?

Dawn breaks over the eastern horizon, and the hyenas begin their assault. They howl and yip, barking madly as they claw at her door. Ponies, newly risen, pause as they go about their day to stare at this odd new spectacle.

High above, the castle’s balcony doors open. A frazzled, bleary-eyed Twilight leans over the railing, scowling down at the intruders.

“Go away!” she shouts. “Go away! I hate you!”

The hyenas redouble their barking. One backs up against the castle’s entrance and lifts its hind leg.

“No, no! Don’t you dare!”

It does dare. Soon the others do as well. The small crowd of ponies watching the spectacle grows, and the hyenas resume their cacophonous din.

“Don’t you laugh at me!” Twilight turns and vanishes back into the castle, her voice still loud enough to hear outside. “Spike! Spiiiiiike!”

Minutes pass. Eventually, the castle’s door opens, and out troops a tiny dragon. He holds a broom in his claws, and he waves it at the hyenas.

“Shoo, shoo!” He swats at them lightly. “Go on!”

It’s more than the hyenas can take. Outmatched, they retreat, and soon Spike is by himself. The crowd of ponies slowly disperses.

That was close. It looks like Twilight was able to drive the hyenas off this time, but they’ll be back. There are no rules in the wild, and the hyenas will only stay away as long as Twilight is strong enough to defeat them.

* * *

Prince Blueblood is in his parlour, a pipe clenched between his teeth and a thick tome of ancient Equestrian lore balanced between his hooves. It is late in the afternoon, and he is surrounded as always by a fawning pack of female unicorns who tend to his every need, in hopes of someday being selected as his mate.

The door crashes open. Once again, Rarity stands astride the entrance. Her mane is disheveled, and her coat streaked with sweat and mud. There is a wild, triumphant look in her eyes, and the assembled mares shrink back. This is an alpha female, and they cannot hope to challenge her.

Rarity steps forward, straining as her magic drags something behind her. A muffled thud fills the room, and the door frame shakes as a huge, shaggy beast crashes against it. Rarity grunts and pulls harder, and slowly, inch by inch, she hauls a stunned water buffalo into the parlour. Its legs twitch with each movement, and a thin smear of blood leads back out into the hallway.

Blueblood stands, his pipe and book forgotten. The other mares melt away, fearful, cowardly, unable to face the vicious hunter who has come to claim their prize.

Rarity comes to a stop in the center of the room, panting. She pauses a moment to catch her breath, then tosses her head, flipping her mane back away from her face to rest in wild curls against her neck. She licks her lips, slowly, languorously, and gives Prince Blueblood a smile.

He steps forward to inspect her prize. The water buffalo is massive, easily ten times the weight of an adult stallion. Its head is twisted at an unnatural angle, and the pitiful wheeze of its breath grows fainter and fainter as its lungs fill with fluid. Slowly, carefully, Blueblood reaches out a hoof to touch the offering.

Rarity snaps at him. She growls, and only when he flattens his ears and sinks down to his belly does she relent. He waits until she takes the first bite, and only then does he begin to feed.

In time, they finish, and Blueblood licks clean the blood that stains Rarity’s cheeks. Together, they fetch a bottle of wine and pair of glasses, and retreat to his den.

* * *

What a busy season it’s been for our princesses. Little Twilight is all grown up now, ready to go hunting on her own. Celestia and Luna are still fighting for leadership of the pack, and we witnessed an extraordinary spectacle: Rarity, Twilight’s unicorn litter mate, successfully managed to court a unicorn prince.

“Seriously? Ponies don't have litters, and we’re not even related.”

Life is harsh here in Equestria, but these magnificent creatures have shown us that even in the most difficult of environments, family is what really matters. Nothing is guaranteed for the alicorn princesses of Canterlot, but as long as they are willing to fight, there will be a place for them in this rich, beautiful world.

“They do know that absolutely nothing they’ve said this whole week is true, right?”

Be sure to join us next time, as National Geographic returns to Canterlot for another visit with the alicorn princesses of Equestria.

“Are you really going to let them keep doing this?”

Celestia sighed. “Look, it’s good for ratings. Now, are you going to finish that zebra leg, or not?”

“...yes.”