Nebula's War

Ten minutes later, Grand Valor and his men were lying in the infirmary, delivering the bad news to Prince Blueblood.

"They attacked you and ran away?" Blueblood inquired. "Did you see where they went?"

"No sir, my men and I were incapacitated. We didn't see anything." Strong Arm sat up in his bed, cradling his bandaged leg.

"That little runt! If I ever find him, I'll tear off his-!"

"Strong Arm, please!" Prince Blueblood remarked. "I'm sorry to see them leave, but we have neither the time nor the resources to track them down now. Our plan will have to go on without them."

"Plan, sir?" Asked Grand Valor. "What do you mean?" Prince Blueblood's voice took on a more formal tone.

"After you left to apprehend Azure Night and his men, the council was faced with a dilemma. Namely, with Discord being as powerful as he is, tracking and apprehending him will be difficult, to say the least. We simply don't have the resources to take on a threat like this. Following my coronation, I will visit the kingdoms of the changelings, the dragons and the griffons and explain our plight. If all goes well, we'll have a few more allies in our fight against Discord."

"Great idea, sir! And I'll accompany you in case something goes wrong." Grand Valor tried to sit up, but fell back as a stabbing pain shot through his chest.

"No, you stay here and rest." Blueblood insisted. "You have eight lacerations, three cracked ribs and a concussion; the best thing for it is bed rest. I also have a team of soldiers ready to accompany me. I assure you, I will be okay."

"As you wish, sir." Grand Valor sighed. "When do you expect to return?"

"One week from today, if all goes well." Prince Blueblood replied. "But then, I'm getting ahead of myself. My coronation will take place in two days, once we've had time to plan our strategies for addressing the non-equine kingdoms."

"Of course, sir." said Grand. "But please, let me know if there is anything at all that I can do to help."

"I shall." Blueblood replied, and left the infirmary to Grand Valor and his men.

The following week was one of the most hectic in Canterlot's history: the coronation regalia were taken out of storage and cleaned, officials practiced the appropriate speeches and rituals ten hours a day and the soldiers had to practice new marches and formations in the courtyard. Meanwhile, officers were tasked with delivering invitations to every equine ruler, such as Prince Rutherford of YakYakistan and King Jasiri of The Zebra Homelands. Of course, Sugarcube Corner, Equestria's most famous bakery was commissioned to bake a very special cake for the occasion.

“A cake for Prince Blueblood’s coronation?” Mrs. Cake sighed in a sad, monotone voice. “Well, thank you for coming to Sugarcube Corner. We’ll bake the cake and bring it to Canterlot this afternoon.” She bowed to the guard and trotted halfheartedly into the kitchen, where two mares were cleaning the countertops.

“Who was it, Mrs. Cake?” Asked the first mare. She was a tall earth pony with blonde hair, white fur and a cutie mark in the shape of a scroll.

“It was one of the royal guards, Anamir.” Mrs. Cake sighed. “Prince Blueblood is having his coronation tomorrow, and he needs a cake.” Her eyes were glazed with tears as she turned to leave the room. “Could you do this order, please? I… need to check on the children.” Mrs. Cake walked calmly out of the room, but the mares could clearly hear her sobbing under her breath.

“Poor Mrs. Cake.” Anamir sighed. “She hasn’t been the same since the princesses disappeared.”

“Well, you can hardly blame her.” The second mare replied. She was a pegasus with sky blue fur, a soft brown mane and a cutie mark in the shape of a rainbow-colored heart. “Pinkie Pie disappeared the same day, and she was practically a daughter to Mrs. Cake!”

“No, that’s true.” said Anamir. “In fact, the whole town has been pretty dreary since Twilight’s friends disappeared.”

“It has. It really has.” The pegasus sighed. “But at least we have each other.” Anamir smiled cheerfully at the pegasus.

“That’s right, Chiarascura. We’ll always be best friends, no matter what.” Anamir said, and gave Chiarascura a gentle hug.

“Now come on, let’s get baking!” They trotted over to the closet, took out two aprons and tied them around their waists before pulling a large cookbook down from the shelf.

"This is such an honor!" Anamir cheered. "I never dreamed that I would one day bake desserts for royalty!" She adjusted her glasses as she peered down at the recipe. "Chiarascura, could you please get two dozen eggs from the icebox?"

"No problem, Anamir!" Chiarascura replied as she tied her silky brown hair into a ponytail. Anamir did likewise, and began scooping flour into a large bowl. In a matter of minutes, they had beaten the ingredients into a smooth, creamy batter.

"It smells delicious!" Chiarascura purred and ruffled her feathers. "Like vanilla and lemons!"

"I know, right?" said Anamir. "Pinkie Pie used to use this recipe for cupcakes, and they were delicious! Light and fluffy, tangy with just a little bit of sweet." Anamir continued to stir the batter, but Chiarascura's ears drooped slightly.

"I miss Pinkie Pie." She admitted. "The bakery was always so much livelier when she was around. Pinkie had a joke for every occasion, and she never failed to bring a smile to everypony's face." Anamir stopped stirring and turned to look at Chiarascura.

"I know, I miss her too, but Pinkie wouldn't want us to be sad. She'd want us to smile when we think about her, and all the good times we had together. Remember your first day on the job?"

"How could I forget?" Chiarascura sighed. "Pinkie made a hat for me out of balloons, and wouldn't let me take it off while baking, said that my giggles would make the cake batter light and fluffy. It popped when I was pulling the cranberry muffins out of the oven, but Pinkie just gave me a hug and said 'it's okay, I'll make you a new one tomorrow'."

"See? Pinkie always looked on the bright side, made the best of everything life threw her way." Anamir concluded. "Wherever she is, I'm sure she's bringing a smile to everypony's face."

"I guess you're right." Chiarascura giggled, a smile playing across her muzzle. "I'll keep smiling for Pinkie." The rest of the baking went smoothly: the cake was cooked perfectly, without any uncooked batter or burnt edges, and decorated with blue and white icing, with a handmade figure of Prince Blueblood standing on the top tier.

"It's perfect!" said Anamir. "A cake fit for a king!"

"That's quite fitting, considering the occasion." Chiarascura noted.

"Thank you for your quality service and prompt delivery." The guard said as Anamir and Chiarascura carried the cake into Canterlot.

"Think nothing of it, sir." Anamir replied. "It's an honor to provide the cake for Prince Blueblood's coronation."

"Well, we certainly appreciate it." The guard chuckled, producing a large bag and two tickets. "As a way of saying 'thank you', we would like to offer both of you tickets to the coronation." Anamir and Chiarascura were dumbfounded.

"Oh my goodness, thank you!" Chiarascura cried. "This is such an honor!"

"You are each allowed to bring one guest." The guard continued. "Naturally, formal dress is required. Please arrive an hour in advance."

"Yes sir!" Anamir and Chiarascura said, and after taking their payment and the tickets, they returned to Sugarcube Corner, feeling happier than ever before.

The next day, Anamir and Chiarascura arrived in Canterlot with Melody Guardian, Chiarascura's pegasus boyfriend and Silver Lining, Anamir's best friend.

"This is amazing!" Silver cheered, munching bits of cauliflower like popcorn. "I haven't been this excited since I made my first storm cloud!"

"I know, right?" said Anamir. "I still miss the princesses, of course, but from what I've been told, Prince Blueblood has really turned over a new leaf."

"I should hope so." Chiarascura whispered. "He was very pompous and self-centered a few years ago, and becoming King of Equestria wouldn't do anything to improve his ego."

"Well, I'm willing to give him a chance." Melody admitted. "And besides, no matter what happens, we'll still have each other." He wrapped his soft blue wings around Chiarascura, who blushed and nuzzled Melody's cheek. Soon after, the ceremony began: trumpets blared, a red carpet was rolled out and covered with flower petals, and a procession of soldiers marched down the aisle. Finally, Prince Blueblood and a tall, dignified stallion stepped up to the stage, where they were greeted by salutes from the soldiers and applause from the crowd. As Prince Blueblood picked up the official regalia, the ceremony began.

"Prince Blueblood," The official announced. "Do you swear to uphold the sanctity of our nation's laws and traditions?"

"I do." Prince Blueblood replied, standing tall and proud.

"Do you swear to protect our nation from harm, no matter the cost?"

"I do." Blueblood said again.

"Do you swear to respect your subjects and their beliefs?"

"I do."

"Then, by the power vested in me by the nation of Equestria," The official announced, gently placing the crown upon Blueblood's head, "I hereby dub thee King Blueblood!" As he felt the crown settle upon his head, King Blueblood's ears were filled with the cheering voices and stomping hooves of everypony in attendance. He smiled proudly as he turned his head to the audience and observed his loyal subjects. As the applause died down, King Blueblood addressed the crowd.

"Citizens of Equestria! I know that some of you harbor resentment, even hatred toward me, but please understand that I am here to keep our nation safe." He paused, and then continued. "In fact, I feel an obligation to tell all of you why the princesses have disappeared." A feeling of mingled excitement and wariness broke over the crowd; they wanted to know why the princesses were gone, but also feared to hear what they were up against. "I'm sorry to say that we have been betrayed by one we thought to be a friend." The crowd started murmuring nervously; it was bad enough that the princesses were missing, but a former ally had betrayed them? What could be worse? "Discord has kidnapped the princesses." Cries of shock, fear and outrage rent the air like an explosion.

"Discord? But I thought he was our friend!"

"But he's so powerful! How will we ever protect ourselves?"

"I knew he couldn't be trusted! Didn't I say that Princess Twilight was wasting her time?" Eventually, the tumult died down, and King Nebula spoke again.

"I know, we are all shocked and afraid to hear this news, but this is not a time for fear. This is a time for action!" The crowd exchanged confused looks. "As you all know, our unicorn magic is no match for that of Discord, but there may be some power in Equestria that can overwhelm him. Immediately following the festivities, I am going to journey to The Changeling Hive, Draconis and Griffonstone and humbly request that they assist us in locating and apprehending Discord. If all goes well, we will have an army of soldiers and a wealth of information about non-equine magic. I'm sure that somepony will have the answer that we seek, and I won't rest until we find it!" The crowd cheered, more excited than confused now, and eager to see the kingdoms of Equestria united under a common cause. Once the crowd had settled down, King Blueblood made his final statement.

"But for now, I invite you all to join me in the castle for a celebratory feast!" Citizens, nobles and soldiers alike filed into the castle, where they were greeted by bowls of lettuce, towers of carrots, bales of hay and other delicious herbivore treats. Anamir, Chiarascura, Melody and Silver piled their plates and filled their goblets before finding an unoccupied table.

"Well, that was quite a speech." said Chiarascura. "I guess Prince-I mean, King Blueblood really does have the country's best interest in mind."

"See? I told you it would all be okay!" Melody replied.

"Too bad about Discord, though. He was a funny guy, gave me a bouquet of squirting flowers on April Fool's Day." Silver sighed. "But then, he's a being of pure chaos, and I guess he couldn't stand being nice all the time. He just had to do something, well, chaotic." A blissful smile spread across his muzzle as he took a bite of cake. "Great job on the cake, by the way, it's absolutely delicious."

"Thank you." Anamir said curtly.

"Something wrong?" Silver inquired.

"Hm? Oh no, I'm fine." Anamir insisted. "It's just… I hope this whole diplomatic mission goes well. Princess Celestia has tried to broker peace with the non-equine races for centuries, but it's never worked before."

"True, but it might be easier now that Starlight Glimmer reformed the changelings and taught the griffons to be generous." Melody noted. "Even the dragons have learned to mind their own business."

"I guess you're right." Anamir sighed. "Besides, it's like you said, Melody: no matter what happens, we'll still have each other."

"That's the spirit!" Silver cheered as he stood up from the table. "Now then, I'm going to get another dandelion sandwich, do you guys need anything while I'm up?"

King Blueblood was as good as his word: immediately after the party, he left to visit The Changeling Hive with six of his best soldiers. A week later, everypony in Canterlot came to greet King Blueblood as he returned with not just his soldiers, but also several hundred changelings. The crowd oohed and aahed as the changelings stood at attention. When the changelings last visited Canterlot, they were fearsome half bug, half pony creatures with black shells, translucent wings and long fangs who had terrorized Canterlot, literally sucking the love from every pony they could find. The changelings flanking King Blueblood were still bug-like, but they were more colorful and fangless, as if they had undergone a literal metamorphosis. It was clear that the changelings had turned over a new leaf.

Seconds later, a platoon of griffons landed next to the changelings, their majestic eagle wings tucked close to their powerful lion bodies. Finally, a team of dragons landed in the courtyard, their colorful scales sparkling in the afternoon sun. Each of the creatures wore a handsome black badge on their chest, adorned with a crimson star that glinted in the afternoon sun.

"Thank you for your kind welcome, everypony!" Blueblood announced. "As you can see, I have been able to broker peace with the Changeling, Dragon and Griffon Empires. Upon hearing of our plight, and the threat that Discord poses to us all, the changelings, dragons and griffons graciously offered to share their soldiers and magical knowledge with us. Together, we will bring Discord to justice." The crowd cheered louder than before. "But I assure you that as we search for the regicidal maniac, we will not leave our homes and citizens unprotected." Blueblood continued. "We will have several dragons assisting law enforcement in large cities like Manehattan and Las Pegasus. The griffons will protect smaller cities and relay news. Finally, the changelings will work undercover and gather intel in our settlements." This time, the applause was less enthusiastic, and there was some murmuring among the crowd.

"He's going to have the changelings monitor us? Is that legal?"

"I thought Blueblood knew what he was doing!"

"What if they pretend to be our friends? We won't know who to trust!"

"Please, everypony, I understand your concerns!" King Blueblood announced. "But I assure you, the changelings will not pretend to be your loved ones. They will simply take on unassuming forms, search for clues and relay the information to the griffons who will in turn tell me. Yes, it's a diversion from our usual methods, but in cases like this we need to use more subtle methods if we are to succeed. I promise, you are all perfectly safe." The crowd was skeptical, but they respectfully applauded and returned to their daily routines.