All was eerily calm on a lonely island far beyond the borders of the Griffon Kingdom.
The birds softly chirping in the trees above, the timberwolves howling in the distance, the waves crashing against the beach. It all seemed normal on this bleak piece of land other than the…sound of a foghorn?
This nostalgic sound caught the attention of a wild and mangy-looking creature. Curiosity welled inside it and it began to search for its source. Panting heavily, it seemed that finding this sound was its sole purpose to be alive. Adrenaline furiously pumped throughout its body as it finished climbing up to the highest hilltop it could find. It then focused its sight to the direction of the sound and saw what appeared too good to be true.
A large crab-fishing boat not far from the shoreline of this jungle prison.
"Finally," it spoke in a gruff but refined male voice.
Without another thought, he sprinted off the hill and bolted through the dense forest with quiet grace and swift precision. His green body cloak shook violently from the force of his galloping, his self-made longbow and a quiver of arrows matching his body's rhythm. Arriving at a cliff side, he saw his destination right there in front of him. He leaped off the cliff, landing perfectly with a roll at his rendezvous point and drew his bow and an arrow with his magic. Striking the clothed arrowhead across the ground he set the projectile on fire before fixing it to his bowstrings. Taking a few deep breaths and aiming very carefully, he thought only of what he had to do. With this in his mind, he let go and the arrow flew. It sailed across the sky to the other side of the shore where it struck a pile of wood that exploded with heat.
The captain of the ship was checking his inventory when he heard the explosion. His instincts told him to look towards the shoreline where he spotted the green cloaked pony.
"Bless me eyes. Bring 'er about, lads! Some poor bastard's been marooned on that hellhole!" the captain shouted to his crew.
At that sound of those words, the cloaked pony knew his ordeal was over at long last. Exhausted from the run, he slowly trotted towards the bonfire. Needless to say, he was unbelievably relieved that someone had come to his aid. He dropped to his knees when he arrived at the fire. The captain and his first mate had come ashore to check on what caused the fire, but they couldn't believe what they saw.
The pony was disheveled, dirty, and much leaner than your average stallion. His fur was unkempt and grayed from dirt, and his hooves were severely calloused over. The only sign of him being a normal pony was the unicorn horn peeking out through his messy mane.
"What in blazes happened to ye, lad?" the captain asked.
The pony answered, "My ship. It went to the bottom of the ocean. It was called the Majestic Prince, but I managed to swim here. I've been stuck here all alone ever since it sank."
"That's impossible. I heard about the Majestic Prince and that happened half a decade ago. Even so there weren't no survivors, not even-
"Jet Set, Upper Crust, Florina Tart, Rainbow Shine, Holly Dash, Royal Ribbon. Or even Fleur Dis Lee."
The captain was shocked. Had this stallion memorized the names of the dead? "How do you know their names?"
The pony gave no answer. All he did was remove the cloak from his face to reveal himself. Amidst the dirt and grime, the captain saw one very distinctive feature: eyes with the most beautiful shade of blue. He hadn't seen such eyes ever since he saw…
The captain finally realized who this pony was. "By the gods. It's him."
Now knowing the truth, the captain and his mate lifted the pony onto their backs and sprinted towards their ship. The rest of the crew saw this and quickly helped their new passenger on board. He was given food and water from every crew member and even given a place to sleep in the cabin. He ate ravenously as if he hadn't seen a proper meal since he was born. The captain ventured into the place where the survivor pony was in, but was only greeted by an empty plate.
"And I thought me wife ate too fast," the captain joked.
Forgetting his manners for a second the pony wiped his mouth, looked at the captain the pony said, "Thank you."
But the captain waved him off. "No need for it, lad. 'Snot every day I get to meet Canterlot royalty."
"Please do not treat me as such. I am merely another pony as you are. I'm not like I was before."
"Well, a week in that place and I'd have lost me mind. But, we won't talk about that now. Ye get some rest. It'll be a long trip back home." The captain was about to leave, but turned back. "Almost forgot. I know yer name, but ye don't know mine. Seven Seas, Captain of the Queen's Gambit. I know these waters like the back of me tail." Seven gave a hoof out to the pony who stared at for a while. The pony quickly bumped it and went back to his meal. "And don't ye worry about payin me back. The only thing ye owe me is a drink when we get to land."
"We will get to land, right?"
"On me father's honor, oh ye of little faith!"
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The name of the island they found me on is called Lian Yu. In the Lijiang language, it means "Purgatory". I had been stranded there for five long years. I had dreamt of my rescue every cold, black night since then. And for those five years, I had only one thought, one goal--survive. Survive and one day return home.
The island held many dangers. To live, I had to make myself more than what I was, to forge myself into a weapon. I am returning not the stuck-up colt who was shipwrecked but the stallion who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my kingdom.
My name is Prince Blueblood.
The Majestic Prince, the prized yacht of Prince Blueblood himself sat peacefully in the calm waters of the Baltimare shipyard. He held this boat with so much esteem it was easy to see why he aptly named after himself. He had been looking forward to this trip for many months and was ready to set off. The cargo had been loaded on and the many friends he invited were very excited about their vacation of a lifetime. However, before the ship left port Blueblood needed to say farewell to some special ponies in his life.
"You don't need to worry, Aunt Celestia, Aunt Luna. I know very well how to care for myself."
"You need not remind us," Celestia replied. "However, there is no shame in wishing you safe travel."
"And you need not say we don't need to worry," Luna said. "Regardless of how many times you tell us not to, we shall still."
Blueblood couldn't help but chuckle. "These things are true, but you make it sound as if I'm going to war."
Then a new voice said, "And you make it sound as if you're not traveling hundreds of miles away from home."
"Yes, I know Rarity," Blueblood said. "However, you all know how important this is to me."
The Prince's longtime marefriend, Rarity, had also come to send him off. However, she had some motives of her own.
"If it is that important, darling, then I don't understand why you can't just take me with you," she berated him. "If you still believe that I haven't forgiven for that night at the Grand Galloping Gala, you are surely mistaken."
Blueblood stopped her. His playful eyes now held an essence of sternness in them. "It isn't about you forgiving me, my love. It is about me forgiving myself. The fact that I treated you in such a way makes me sick that I could possibly be the same pony as him." He then drew her closer and gave her a soft nuzzle. "I love you, and you are the greatest thing to ever happen to me. And if anything were to happen to you, then I would no longer have a desire to live."
He had said this to her many times before, but this was one that resonated through her heart. So much so that she began to tear up. "Oh, Blue. You're going to make my mascara run."
"And you would look beautiful nonetheless." He smiled as he pressed his lips to hers. The delicate and tender touch between them felt like nothing but magic. Though he truly and desperately wanted to take her with him, he just couldn't. He had to break from her not wanting the kiss to linger on. He knew that if it had, he might not have left that day.
"Goodbye for now, my sweet Rarity."
"Be safe, my darling Prince."
They finally separated and Rarity went along her way. Blue had known that she was getting busier at her shop in Ponyville, so she was saying goodbye on borrowed time. He was still glad she came after all and left him one more thing to look forward to when he got back.
"She is a good mare," Celestia said with pride.
"This I know very well." Blueblood then put each of his forelegs around Celestia and Luna. They in turn put their wings around him creating a cocoon of feathers and warmth. This had been their way of hugging each other since he was a young colt and was always adamant about never changing it.
"I will come home again. I promise."
No other words were said between them. But, there were none to be said. The Princesses were proud of their nephew and would support in any way they could. Even if it meant letting him go out on his own. They took to the air and began to disappear into the horizon back to Canterlot. Blueblood waited until he couldn't see them anymore to finally turn towards his ship. A lone mare peeked out from the deck of the boat looking very impressed at Blueblood.
"Flankspeare would be jealous," she said.
"You know it was not acting. I meant every word of it."
"Sure, keep telling yourself that. Now come on. We want to get out of here while we still can."
Blueblood gave her a sly smile knowing she was right. The day was still strong and they had much to look forward. "Then shall we set sail, Madame Dis Lee?"
"Please. I've told you Fleur will do just fine."
"Very well, Miss Fleur."
The Prince knew fully what he was doing, and he hadn't planned to regret it. If only he had known what would happen in the ensuing weeks. If only he had known that everything from then on would be all his fault.
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The next thing he knew, Blueblood was being awake and lying on a hard floor. It took him a few seconds to remember that he was now on a ship heading to Equestria, not still trapped on Lian Yu. He felt a strange sense of comfort from the ground's coldness. Had he traded his bed for the floor in his sleep?
"Bed's too soft, ain't it?"
The still sleepy stallion looked up to see Captain Seas standing in the doorway. The sea-stallion had sympathy written on his face, something the Prince wasn't expecting. He walked to Blueblood's side as he continued.
"Longest I've been away is ten months. When I finally got home, me bed was too soft. Had to sleep on the couch to catch some real shuteye." He offered Blueblood a hoof up which was gladly accepted.
"The only place I could rest was in a cave," Blueblood said. "If I had slept out in the open, I wouldn't have made it this far."
"I can imagine. And speaking of caves."
Seas pointed to a large rectangular crate in the back corner of the cabin. It looked old and weathered with green smudges all over it. Written in some crusty-looking letters was 'Property of Blueblood. Touch and Die' written. "We found that in the one ye were livin' in. Obviously looked important to ye, so we hauled it up before we left. I woulda told ye about it, but ye were fast asleep by the time we were done."
"Very good," Blueblood said. "This crate is indeed very important to me." He walked over to the crate with the captain alongside him. There was a rusty old combination lock on the crate sealing its contents inside.
Seas asked, "So what's in this thing anyway?"
"Mementos," the Prince said as the lock was undone and the box was opened. There were various articles of clothing, jewelry, and photographs of ponies that he knew all too well. "These were some of the prized possessions of those that died on my ship. I've kept them safe for a long time in hopes of giving them back to their families. If they wish to keep them or bury them is none of my business."
"Very honorable of ye. Though I can guess that keeping these must've been hard."
The Prince had a look of sadness in his eyes as he spoke. "It was hard at first. But I had to keep them. I had to keep living for their sake."
"Then that makes you a good stallion, lad."
Blueblood wanted to agree with him, but he couldn't find it in his heart to do so. He felt as if the good part of him died along with the old Blueblood.
"I know it's none of me business, but I feel the need to ask. What it was really like on that island?"
An oppressive silence filled the cabin. Too many memories the Prince had of things that he still wasn't proud of doing. After several long moments, Blueblood said, "Some experiences are better left to ourselves."
"Mm. Fair enough. Well, don't worry. I just came by to let ye know we're a few miles outside the port. I radioed ahead to tell everypony the good news. Not sure who'll believe it, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it eh?"
Blueblood hadn't wanted that when he had just gotten back, but was still grateful to Seas. "Thank you."
"Still no need for it, lad. Come outside when yer ready. We're almost home." He patted the Prince on the back before taking his leave.
Home. That word was almost lost to him it had been so long. That cave had been only place he could call home for the entire five years he was stranded. He could still picture it in his head. His collections of everything from rocks to animal skins had been left behind for some other poor soul to find. Though, it wasn't that he would miss the island. All he would miss was having nothing to worry about other than surviving and getting through the next day. He didn't need to remind himself that he would have to find a way to make his plan work as soon as the boat docked.
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As soon as Seven Seas radioed one of his fellow captains at the Equestrian Port, the news spread like wildfire. Some people dismissed it as a worthless rumor started by some stupid foals trying to get a laugh off a dead man. However, with confirmation on who the mystery stallion was and what he looked like, the kingdom was buzzing with reports about Prince Blueblood.
It wasn't long before the news reached Canterlot. The local newspony had called for the Royal Messenger outside and delivered the stunning news. The Messenger quickly took off in a desperate run to reach the Princesses as soon as possible. He struggled to maneuver around the long corridors and the winding staircases that lead to the Throne Room. Finally, he threw the doors open to the surprises of the Princesses. He had been running so hard that could now barely keep himself upright. He found himself unable to speak as his heavy wheezing preventing him from doing so.
"What is wrong, Writeworth?" Celestia asked. He had to take a moment to catch his breath before answering.
"The ship…that sank…your nephew," he said between breaths.
"You must have a very good reason to bring up that day," Luna said with a voice of contempt.
"Sister." Celestia said trying to calm Luna. The event was still fresh in their minds though they wanted so desperately to move on from the past. "Now, please Writeworth. Tell us what you have to say and what it has to do with the late Prince Blueblood?"
The messenger finally managed to say, "He's alive. The Prince was rescued from an island in Lijiang and he is coming back. He'll reach the port of Horseshoe Bay in half a day's journey."
The halls became dead silent. The only sounds echoing through them were the messenger's panting. Luna could only look at her sister in shock at this news.
The stallion they had buried in an empty coffin was still alive.
Losing herself completely in her emotions Celestia then shouted in her royal voice, "SUMMON THE ROYAL GUARD! GET TO THE PORT! PRINCE BLUEBLOOD IS COMING HOME!"
In just a matter of minutes, every royal guard was ready to embark.
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Back on the ship, Blueblood about to open the door to the deck of the ship in hopes of seeing Equestria sooner than later. He stopped himself thinking again about what had to be done. He had already mentally prepared himself for what would be both the greatest day of his life yet the beginning of his most difficult challenge yet. He would have to make sure everypony thought the island hadn't changed him that much. He would have to act as himself if the island never happened and he just took a break from the party scene, but he would have to keep his real intentions under lock and key. And though he was looking forward to seeing his family and friends, he would have to keep them far out of this loop. The last thing he wanted to do was to get the ponies he loved involved in any of this. As lonely as that sounded, he steeled himself knowing this was the only way. He had to go through with this. For them.
He finally pushed the door open and the smell of salt hit him. It was dark outside but the lights given off by the ship His first sight looking ahead was Captain Seas, his pure white coat and half-blue half-green mane flowing in the wind. The Prince decided to join the captain and see Equestria for himself once again. They saw the port of Horseshoe Bay, its pristinely blue waters mirroring the lit skyscrapers of downtown Baltimare.
"Ye can never forget beauty like this."
"Absolutely. I remember seeing the city when I first left on my own ship. I could've sworn it wouldn't get any more stunning than it would be at high noon. Now, I'm glad I was able to live long enough to see it be even more so at night."
"Ye say that as if ye ain't expectin' to live much longer."
Blueblood hadn't intended to give that impression, but he agreed that he sounded like that. "If that is the picture I appear to be painting, it is not. It's just…a lot to take in. For the longest time, I thought I would never see this again. And now, I'm finally seeing it again. That is all I meant."
"Right," the Captain said with a smile. "There are times when I've wonder if I'd never make it back home. I'll admit I've been through a few too many storms fer one lifetime. But, I've always been afraid of me wife having to bury me all by herself."
Blueblood remembered Seas mentioning his wife being a big eater quite a while back. He felt bad seeing him as his savior from certain death and he knew next to nothing about him. "What is she like? Your wife."
The thoughts of death seemed to pushed out of Seas' mind instantly. "Oh she's got so much spunk you wouldn't believe it. Her name's Firefly. Whenever I'm feelin' like the world is turnin' against me, she's always there to bring me back into the light. Don't know what I'd do without her."
"Any children?"
"Nah. We've been tryin' fer the longest time, but haven't had any luck. Of course, that hasn't really deterred us. I'm positive that Firefly would make an amazing mother someday."
"And I imagine you'd make for a good father," Blueblood added.
"Thank ye, lad. But enough about me. Let's talk about the great Prince Blueblood. Ye got a mare or little tykes waiting for ye back home?"
Blueblood immediately thought of Rarity. While he was very much wanting to see her again, part of him was afraid that she would hate him for being gone so long. The other part was afraid that she had moved on and some other stallion or mare had taken his place. "Nopony except for my aunts and my sister Cadence," he resolved to say.
"Well then, me friend, ye got a lot of to do if ye wanna make up for those five years gone."
'More than you know,' Blueblood thought.
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For a few moments his mind couldn't help but think of the day after the ship had sunk. He and his friend Jet Set were the only ones who made it to the small lifeboat. They were exhausted from lack of sleep and shaking from the cold. Their food and water rations were never going to be enough for the two of them and both were nearly gone. The two stallions were sitting opposite on either side of the lifeboat. Jet looked at Blueblood who looked as if he would fall asleep and not wake up. How they both wished to be found and go back home.
"Blue, I'm sorry." Jet said.
Blueblood sighed and said, "For what?"
"For not telling you everything. About our kingdom, our home."
"What do you mean?"
"All we wanted was to make it great again." Jet then took a cloth from his pocket wrapped around something. "And now, I know that I can't let that happen. But, I also know that I won't make it. You can." Jet then unraveled the cloth, showing a revolver that sparkled in the dim sunlight."
As soon as he saw it, Blueblood began to panic. "Wh-What are you going to do with that?!"
"Look for an organization called the Blood Brothers," Jet continued. "You have to stop them, right our wrongs, save our home. You are the only one capable of doing this."
Fearing what his friend might do, Blueblood asked, "What do you want me to do?"
Jet looked at Blueblood one last time and smiled. "Survive." Then, he levitated the gun to his own head, and pulled the trigger.
It happened so fast that Blueblood didn't have time to react. By the time he lunged to grab the gun, it was already too late. His friend was dead before his body hit the floor. Blueblood's only reaction was to scream. Scream as loud as he could. His voice echoed all throughout the landscape of water though he knew nopony could hear him. This was his reality now.
He was all alone.
