Ex Sanguisby PhycoKruskChaptersMysteriumCorvusAmicaeMysteriumCadance is ill. Those three words had done nothing to prepare Princess Twilight Sparkle for the reality that was awaiting her when she had arrived in the Crystal Empire following the letter from Celestia. She would not have used ‘ill’ to describe the state Cadance was in when she saw her: She was thin. Not ‘thin’ to mean ‘skinny.’ Cadance was nearing the end of her term of pregnancy, and it showed around her belly, but everywhere else, her muscles had wasted slightly and the skin underneath her coat — which had grown so pale as to appear ashen — was too tight. She appeared as if her skin had been slightly too small for her body and had to be pulled taut in order to fit. Her mane was similarly near ashen and hung limply, her eyes were sunken, and she was barely lucid. No, Twilight would not have said that Cadance was ‘ill;’ had the physician not been present, she would have thought Cadance was dying. She was still not convinced that Cadance wasn’t dying, and her need to settle her nerves and seek some place where she felt less rattled had led her to travel the corridors of the palace in search of Celestia. It did not take long to find her, seated in the library with mounds of books scattered about, some opened on the table in front of Celestia and others closed. The ones that were closed were stacked sloppily and haphazardly, almost as if they’d had the audacity to be unhelpful and had been discarded as punishment. Nopony had known anything about what befell Cadance, and it seemed that even the library of the Crystal Empire, filled with lore and knowledge long forgotten by the rest of Equestria, had yielded nothing. Celestia herself had not taken Cadance’s illness altogether well, and although she did not look nearly as dead, her mane had lost much of its shine and color, and the expression on her face was grim in a way that Twilight could not recall ever seeing before. What had caught Twilight most off-guard in that moment, however, was not the grim look, but rather that Celestia was ignoring the books opened in front of her in favor of a letter floating in her magic field without worry for the direness of the situation it was being read in. “Celestia?” Twilight asked. Celestia pulled her attention away from the letter for a moment. “Twilight,” she answered. Celestia pulled her attention away from the letter for a moment, and only for a moment, and then turned right back to it without further comment. Twilight watched for a moment with wide eyes, and then shook her head to clear the fuzz and walked towards the table. “Have you found anything?” she asked, not really certain what she was asking about. “Rest assured, the library has been thoroughly useless,” Celestia answered, folding the letter sharply and placing it on the table and rising up from her seat. There was no cushion present, Twilight noticed. “Well, is there anything that I —” “My apologies, Twilight, but I have no more time to talk now. There is much to be done, and scarcely any time to do it.” Celestia left. She did not excuse or explain herself; she simply walked to the door and left. Twilight stared after her for several long moments once the door had closed, unspeaking and unmoving, but shook off her stupor the moment her senses began to return. “She left,” she said to herself, or perhaps to no one. “She just left!” She turned her attention back to the table covered with opened books, and her eyes fell upon the letter that had started this mess, left along the edge as if forgotten. It was unbecoming, of course, to read another’s mail without permission. Unbecoming of both a lady and of a Princess. But that solitary letter was to blame for everything that had just happened, and so with a passing glance back at the door, Twilight walked to the table, lifted the letter in her magic, and began to read. Dear Princess Celestia, It is with regret that I must inform you that my great grandfather Lamp Lighter is 50 years dead, rest his soul. Although you and I have never met he always spoke very highly of you when he recounted the trials of his youth, and I think it should bring you some measure of comfort that he passed on his own terms in the loving glow of family and with ruby blood. Already, the letter was not off to a great start, not because of its content, but because of the numerous grammatical errors present in only the first paragraph. The urge to mark corrections was suppressed with relative ease, however, as Twilight noted that the spelling was good, and that if nothing else, the syntactical errors were consistent. Whoever wrote the letter may have not been well educated in writing, but at least they probably weren’t lazy. After a moment to organize her thoughts, she resumed reading. He was careful however to pass on the stories of his tribulations to his children and they passed them to their children. Although we here have moved beyond the baseless superstitions of the past we still fear the old blood and look to the heavens with trepidation. Upon receiving your letter I relayed the contents immediately to my master Dr Anders von Kessel, an accomplished physician and practiced hunter, whose great grandfather Wolfgang von Kessel was served by my great grandfather as you doubtlessly recall. I am very sorry to say that he agrees with your assessment regarding your niece Mdm Mi Amore Cadenza and has begun preparations to depart for Equestria. At the least I shall accompany him and perhaps too will 1 or 2 of our fellows if we can convince them of the urgency of the situation. Many of the old lamps have gone out but some should still be lit and if we are fortunate we should reach the border in 2 or 3 days at the usual crossing, but be warned that if the lamps are not lit then the same journey may take us as long as two weeks. It is most likely that I will be pulling the luggage and equipment myself so if it is possible please have a faster means of transport waiting for us as Dr von Kessel does not feel we can sacrifice even a moment. Dr von Kessel recommends that Mdm Cadenza be given NO ADDITIONAL MEDICAL TREATMENTS beyond the most basic afforded for prenatal care for the next 5 days unless we have not reached the border within 3 days from the day you receive this letter, which I have been instructed should be not more than 2 hours once it is sent. If however we have not reached the border after those 3 days Dr von Kessel recommends that on the 5th day Mdm Cadenza be given a transfusion of at minimum 1 unit of compatible ruby blood from as distantly related a source as possible but that 2 or 3 units would be preferable as this may slow down the onset of symptoms until we arrive, to be repeated every 5 days as necessary. Once we have arrived Dr von Kessel will examine Mdm Cadenza and will provide an accurate diagnosis of her condition and an appropriate treatment. Although Dr von Kessel does not presently believe there is any risk of it he has advised that you be watchful in the event that a blood moon rises as this will greatly complicate the situation. If a blood moon should rise at any time Dr von Kessel orders that any and all medical treatments to Mdm Cadenza BE STOPPED AND AN ABORTION BE INDUCED Twilight threw the letter away from her, as much as a sheet of heavy paper could be thrown. An abortion? On what amounted to little more than a hunch with no actual examination or diagnosis? Princess Celestia couldn’t have been seriously considering such a thing. She wouldn’t consider it! After all the time she’d spent teaching Twilight the importance of evidence and analysis, she would not. Nearly a full minute passed before the letter was sheathed in Twilight’s magic and drifted up to her face again, shaking so badly that it was almost impossible for her to read. BE INDUCED IMMEDIATELY BY ANY AVAILABLE MEANS. Failure to follow this order may birth a living nightmare that we will not be adequately equipped to handle without a great deal of collateral damage. We are coming as quickly as we can and will waste no time during our journey. Sincerely, Candle Wick, Esq PS Dr von Kessel is rarely wrong. He seems to believe he can save Mdm Cadenza and her child so please do not worry. I will gallop until my legs break if it will save them. Twilight reread the letter, and then reread it again. There could not have been a hidden meaning to any of the words, neither was there an answer that would make Cadance well and set everything back to normal. This was not the way things were supposed to be and this fact was not only left Twilight unsatisfied, but also angry. She had come looking for answers — even if she did not expect to receive any — and now had new questions instead. That those questions centered around exactly what Celestia was planning to do to her sister did not help her mood. Folding the letter up and stowing it under one wing, Twilight Sparkle rose and walked to the door Celestia had exited through only minutes prior. She had found the other Princess once; she would do it again. Author's Note I could not tell you exactly where the idea for this story came from; only that it appeared in my notes one day. Originally, I was going to put it in a blog, just so it was out there, until I realized I had written more over the year than I thought. It only took about a half hour at that point to fill in the gaps and have a full chapter. As you can see, this story is already on hiatus. Honestly, I don't know if I will finish it, even though I know what big points I would want to cover. I have too many other projects, you see, and we'll have to see which of them get finished. CorvusAfter the fact, Twilight Sparkle felt just the tiniest bit guilty with the way she had demanded Celestia tell her what the letter was about, and exactly what she was planning to do to her sister because it had worked so well. The elder Princess with wide eyes and ears pinned back moments before shame overtook all her features would be an image that Twilight would never forget, no matter how hard she tried. But it had worked, and Celestia immediately spoke. “There is magic in all things as you know, Twilight, but there is a deeper magic in blood. It is only the uncommon few who can draw it out and the rare among them who can bring it to its true potential. And then, there are those outside, who find within blood a doorway to where we are. “Doctor von Kessel’s people are naturally more attuned to the magic of blood than any other I have found, and if he is anything like his great-grandfather, then he is both a physician and a spellshaper as much as you or I, in his own way. If anyone will be able to help Cadance, he will.” “And what if he can’t? What about the abortion?” Twilight demanded again. “If it becomes necessary, then it will be painful and all of us will mourn, but at the least, we will all be alive to do so,” Celestia had replied as she turned to leave Twilight’s company once again. “If it becomes necessary, it will be the best possible outcome for us all.” That had been two days ago, and Twilight had passed the time researching Cadance’s condition further — to no avail — and keeping her company. The hardest part had been the few moments when she had almost been herself, when she was so happy to see Twilight and so happy she was going to be a mother. She was certain that, whatever might happen, the situation could not have gotten worse than that. And then, it got better: Celestia had roused her just before sunrise and told her that Doctor von Kessel and his companions — four of them — had crossed the border not more than a half-hour before she’d received the message by dragon fire, and were expected just before lunchtime. To this end, Twilight found herself standing out on the largest balcony the palace had to offer — wondering if it would, in fact, be large enough for three chariots to safely land — alongside Celestia and a small detachment of Guards, watching as those chariots approached from the southwest. The crystal ponies in the streets below knew that their Princess was pregnant, and that she had fallen ill could not be kept secret from them, so it was hardly any surprise that when the chariots passed overhead in formation that cheers rose up from the ponies below that were going about their day. In the Square below, the Crystal Heart pulsed once and shone a bit brighter than it had, buoyed by the good feelings surrounding it. Although Twilight could not see this happen from her position on the balcony, she felt it and smiled. As they approached the balcony, all three chariots changed formation to fly one behind the other, and then entire line dove somewhat suddenly, leveled out and then dipped again, landing in neat sequence one after the other so close to the edge of the balcony that the last one clipped and knocked over a potted fern, their drivers running around the perimeter so they could slow down somewhat responsibly. It was the sort of daredevil flying Twilight would have expected from the Wonderbolts, but didn’t believe the Royal Guard was practiced in at all. As the chariots slowed down on their circuit towards a stop, Twilight finally saw enough of their visitors to see what separated them from herself, and indeed, from most everyone else that she knew. “Humans!” True, they were not quite like the humans she had interacted with previously; their proportions were different, where their legs were not quite as long as she would have expected despite them being a bit taller, their eyes were smaller on their faces, and their skin and hair did not seem to come in the same wide-range of colors, but they were still unmistakably humans. An earth pony was the first off of any of the chariots, with a vermillion coat and slate grey mane and tail, and a lit candle for a cutie mark. Even without that clue, this was obviously the Candle Wick — “esquire,” Twilight reminded herself — from the letter. He did not waste any time, and the moment he was on the balcony, he was galloping to one of the other chariots. Despite possibly meeting Princesses, he had no clothes, but this was perhaps due to him pulling a luggage cart and not wanting to tear anything. The second visitor and first human off the chariots was on the balcony only a split second after Candle Wick, and was dressed in well-worn brown trousers and waistcoat, a white sleeved-shirt, and rumpled brown boots. His skin was a light nearly-peach, his face clean shaven and his hair dark brown and pulled back, not quite reaching to his shoulders. Unlike the others, he was sharing his chariot only with luggage, and started half-heartedly unstacking what was with him. At the chariot that Candle Wick had hurried to, the next one off — also a human — was apparently confined to a wheelchair and needed assistance from both Candle Wick and the other passenger in order to descend. Their hands were the same color as the previous human’s — ‘man’ was the word, Twilight recalled — but they were wearing a long and very utilitarian brown overcoat, trousers and wide-brimmed hat that otherwise concealed their identity; their only truly discerning feature was the left leg, missing below the knee and replaced with a peg made from dark wood. The third of the humans remained in the chariot as she helped guide the wheelchair down to the crystal floor. The shape of the body suggested, from Twilight’a experience, a female — ‘woman,’ she thought was the word — and she was dressed air more sharply than her companions in a deep purple skirt and matching jacket, white blouse and gloves, and black boots with a modest heel. A small, purple fascinator rested atop her head, pinned to her long, braided platinum blonde hair. Twilight thought at first that she was wearing a mask, the skin on her face pale enough to be look the same shade of white as her gloves. The last of the visitors was dressed as smartly as the woman, although he was wearing crisp grey trousers and a matching frock coat and waistcoat over a white shirt with a burgundy cravat around his neck, and finished the ensemble with a top hat that matched his coat and shoes made from polished black leather. That detail was not lost on Twilight, but it was not the time to quibble. Unlike the other two humans he’d come with, he had dark brown skin, although any significance in this was not apparent, and a black Van Dyke beard with some thin streaks of grey in it. In his right hand, he gripped the knob of a walking stick made from polished wood, and in his left he carry a small duffel bag typical of a physician that matched his shoes. The moment he’d finished stepping down from the chariot he shared with Candle Wick, he glanced around and, upon spotting the two alicorns, immediately made his way towards them. Celestia turned her head slightly to Twilight and nodded before moving forward herself, Twilight moving with her and both stopping just about halfway across the balcony. “Doctor von Kessel, I presume,” Celestia said. In response, the man tucked his cane under his left arm, lifted his hat from his head — revealing very short-cut, kinked black hair — with his right hand as he came to a stop a short but respectable distance from them, and bowed, arm crossed over his chest. “At your service,” he said, standing straight again but not replacing his hat. “You must be Princess Celestia. You match my great-grandfather’s description perfectly.” “He was rather exacting with his words,” Celestia replied. She nodded her head at Twilight. “This is my compeer, Princess Twilight Sparkle —” von Kessel bowed again, and Twilight returned the gesture — “My sister, Princess Luna is seeing to administrative matters back in Canterlot, but intends to join us as soon as she is able, and you will meet Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband Captain Shining Armor shortly.” “I look forward to it, circumstances notwithstanding,” von Kessel said. He glanced back over his shoulder. “You may have guessed already, but the pony that came with us is my valet, Candle Wick. The tall, dour fellow is Sebastian Vale, one of the Crows. And next is Lady Caroline Aune, who is something of an apprentice to me and a hunter in her own right, even if she doesn’t seem to have the heart for it.” “That’s three of your four companions,” Celestia noted. Von Kessel smirked in response. “Indeed,” he said, before he looked back over his shoulder and called. “Lady Aune. Bring our esteemed guest over here, if you would.” Caroline looked briefly to von Kessel and, once the wheelchair and its occupant were firmly on the ground, turned her attention to Candle Wick, who casually waved her away. Dismissed, she climbed down from the chariot herself, took up position behind the wheelchair and pushed it forwards, guiding it towards the Princesses. As they approached, Caroline’s pallor became even more apparent, until she and the ‘esteemed guest’ stopped alongside von Kessel and Twilight could not help but feel grave concern. Her brown eyes seemed to have a barely visible red haze clinging around their irises. “Forgive me, Lady Aune, but there is something very familiar about you,” Celestia said. “An ancestor I’ve met, or perhaps your skin. It’s difficult to not notice, but you are frighteningly pale.” Alarm crossed Caroline’s face, and she looked very suddenly to von Kessel, who simply nodded to her and gestured his hat towards Celestia. Caroline simply drew in a deep breath, and then looked back to Celestia. “I was advised that I should be honest in all my interactions with your Majesty, and so I shall be,” she replied. “I am Caroline Aune, of Cainhurst.” “I see,” Celestia replied without emotion. She turned her attention to von Kessel. “These must indeed be interesting times, Doctor, if you see fit to cavort about the world with a vileblood.” Caroline flinched at the word, but if von Kessel was put off, he did not show it. “Annalise is two generations dead, Princess. As dead as one such as her can be made, at the least. The Cainhurst nobles that survived the siege were given monthly transfusions to dilute their tainted blood, and neither the choice to do so nor the administration were left to them. To this end, Lady Aune is my patient, and I will vouch for her character.” Twilight looked from von Kessel to Celestia and then back again. The exchange had captured the notice of everyone present. Neither wore their emotions openly, and both stood tall with their heads high, each staring back at the other for several long moments. “And your esteemed guest?” Celestia said finally, breaking the spell. The woman — judging by the tenor of the voice — in the wheelchair chuckled suddenly, if very weakly, and slowly rolled towards her center to sit as upright as her body would allow her and tilted her head back to look out from underneath the brim of her hat, face dramatically wrinkled from age, and though her blue-grey eyes were still very sharp. “The buzzard still cuts right to the chase,” she said, voice raspy. “Surely, you’re not so old that you can’t recognize me.” Twilight looked to Celestia, whose eyes had widened to an extent that Twilight had thought impossible for the elder Princess. “It can’t be,” she said, almost short of breath and immediately stepping closer, dipping her head down for a better look. “Eileen?” “Oh, so your eyes haven’t gone bad just yet.” “I thought for sure you’d be gone by now, if not to age then to…,” Celestia did not finish her thought, gaze drifting down from Eileen’s face to her pegleg. “Never you worry. The hunt is long over for me, and I’ve since raised up a whole murder of murderers to take my place,” Eileen replied. “Ah,” Celestia said, standing up tall again and looking over towards Sebastian, who was either taking his time collecting his luggage from the pile or deliberately keeping his distance. She looked down to the younger Princess. “Eileen, this is my compeer and former student, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is an old friend I met around the time I first met Doctor von Kessel’s great grandfather, Eileen de Búrca, better known then and perhaps even now as Eileen the Crow.” Twilight bowed as she had earlier, and Eileen tiredly raised her right arm and crossed it over her chest, not quite able to bow herself; if Celestia met her when she met the late Wolfgang von Kessel, who must have passed on at least fifty years prior…. “Well, enough faffing about,” Eileen said. “I don’t believe you had a niece when last we met.” Celestia smiled, her horn lighting and a matching field pushing Eileen’s wheelchair forward while the alicorn turned and matched pace alongside. “I did not, and if she’s herself at the moment, I would very much like for you to meet her. Doctor?” “Of course, your Majesty,” von Kessel answered, taking up position opposite Celestia. “Wick, organize my luggage and have it brought to me the moment you are able to,” he called over his shoulder. “At once, Doctor!” Candle Wick called back before busying himself with their luggage once more. Twilight watched as Celestia, von Kessel and Eileen departed the balcony, and then turned her attention to the remaining visitors, Caroline and Sebastian, who finally saw fit to make his way to them. His eyes were hazel, Twilight noted. She should have been with Cadance, but she was still a Princess, and these were, for all intents and purposes, dignitaries. “If the border you came from is the one I’m thinking of, it’s a very long flight,” she said, turning slightly to one side and raising a hoof to indicate the doors leading in. “Would you care to join me for lunch?” Author's Note It took me some time to pull this together, although not so long as it's taken me to work on some of my other stories. Generally speaking, Bloodborne does not lend itself well to crossovers, even less so than Dark Souls, simply because a lot of the lore is either hidden, or simply left to the player's imagination. You will see the result of this in upcoming chapters. Apologies otherwise for the pace of the story, but there is a little setup that's needed; we won't stay in the Hunter's Dream forever. But at least there's a cameo to tide you over. Hopefully, I've captured that snark we all know and love our hoontah of hoontahs for. AmicaeRetiring to the small dining room — more of a break room for those who needed a quick snack — had not gone quite the way Twilight had anticipated. Lunch had been ready on time — at Celestia’s request, a collection of sandwich fixings including cured meats usually reserved for visitors that indulged — and was probably at least adequate, if not delicious. However, upon arriving, only Caroline sat with Twilight — there were no chairs, but the tables were low enough that she was comfortable sitting on a cushion on the floor — while Sebastian had made a sandwich and then sat away from them. Worse, when Twilight had asked if he’d like to join them, he replied with an emphatic “No,” and then moved even further away. Twilight dejectedly returned to the table she was sharing with Caroline. “Was it something I said?” she asked, more of herself than of Caroline. “He does not mean it as an insult, Princess. They never do,” Caroline said. Her sandwich had been cut into four triangles, and she popped the reminder of one of them into her mouth. “Never —” Twilight looked at Sebastian again, and then back to Caroline — “Wait, this is normal?” Caroline swallowed her bite of sandwich. “It’s hardly a surprise, where the Crows are concerned. They are the hunters of hunters. Their prey are humans and ponies, rather than beasts or nightmares. I suspect their unfriendliness is as much a defense as their masks are,” she replied. Twilight could not help but frown a bit sadly as she looked in Sebastian’s direction. “If I’m to be honest though, I suspect that Mister Vale’s unfriendliness is a quirk of his personality,” Caroline added. “Even as a boy, he was very disagreeable whenever I saw him.” “Oh!” Twilight turned back to Caroline. “You two grew up together then?” Caroline looked at Twilight silently for several seconds. “Princess —” “No.” Caroline startled slightly, caught by the suddenness and force of Twilight’s response. Twilight, in return, recoiled slightly, and then slumped just a bit, ears drooping. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I don’t want to be a Princess right now. I want to be a friend, and my friends just call me Twilight.” Caroline was silent for a few seconds more. “Twilight,” she began, pausing for a moment before she continued. “I can see that making friends comes easily to you, but it’s a struggle for me, no matter friendly another party might be. The stigma of Cainhurst does not leave readily. I need time. Often more than others are willing to give me.” Twilight smiled warmly and reached out, laying her hand in front of her, halfway across the table. “Days, months, or even years. Take as long as you need, and when you’re ready, I’ll be here,” she said. Haltingly, Caroline lifted her own hand and, taking several seconds to do so, laid it on top of Twilight’s hoof. She watched both for another second, and then squeezed very lightly before adopting — before allowing herself — an almost imperceptible smile. “Thank you,” she said almost too low to be heard. “Even now, you’re busy working.” Two heads spun towards the doors connecting to the outside corridor, not needing to look even that far to see a second alicorn, taller than Twilight and dark blue with a mane that resembled nothing less than a field of stars, smiling as she looked back. “Luna!” Twilight remarked with a start. Both she and Caroline hurried to stand from the table. “I didn’t hear you. How long have you been there?” “Long enough to see that I should let the Princess of Friendship work uninterrupted, naturally. And also long enough to see the exact moment to announce myself to catch you off your guard,” Luna replied, smile becoming a smirk. Twilight blinked, looked to Caroline, and then back to Luna. “Oh! You sneak,” she said, allowing herself a grin before she turned to Caroline again. “Lady Aune, I’d like you to meet Princess Luna, of Equestria. Luna, this is Lady Caroline Aune, of Cainhurst.” Caroline flinched slightly, but Luna simply nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Aune,” she said. Caroline bowed in kind, arm crossed over her chest. “A pleasure for us both, I’m happy to say,” she replied. Luna cast her gaze across the dining room. “And that one, who seems perfectly content to ignore all of us?” she asked. “Sebastian Vale, your Majesty. Please don’t look too harshly on his behavior. It is personal, but nothing against you,” Caroline replied. She stood up from her bow, but still kept her head lowered and gaze averted from Luna’s. “Miss de Búrca is the only one he’s ever shown any deference or real interest to that I know of, and I don’t imagine that will ever change.” “Miss de Búrca?” Luna repeated, frowning slightly. “I see that my sister still has that vexing habit of omitting a great many details from her missives. She mentioned that some… somebody, I suppose, was coming to help, but not a trio.” “A quartet, actually,” Twilight said. “Well —” She furrowed her brow for a moment — “A quintet, counting Candle Wick.” Luna hummed briefly. “Lady Aune, I noticed your reaction when Twilight Sparkle introduced you. I do hope she has not inadvertently offended you,” she said. “Oh, no, not at all, your Majesty,” Caroline a bit too hastily. She drew in a slow breath. “I am from Cainhurst, as she said, it’s just that stating so almost invariably provokes a… an extreme reaction.” “I see,” Luna replied, watching Caroline for a moment before offering a casual shrug. “In any case, I know nothing of Cainhurst, and while dearest Twilight is not always right in her judgements of character, she is rarely wrong. She believed in my own goodness when she had no reason to, so if she believes in you, then unless she is proven wrong, so shall I.” Caroline startled again, looking at Luna with bewilderment. “I — thank you, Princess,” she said, bowing once more. “My word, Lady Aune! Please forgive me if I sound presumptive, but are you ill?” Luna asked. “No, your Majesty.” Caroline stood up again, head lowered. “I am simply from Cainhurst. One of the older lineages.” “Ah. I believe that I understand now. Well then, Caroline, if I may call you that, I still know nothing of Cainhurst, and you need not fear meeting my gaze. I do believe, in fact, that I should like to get to know you better.” Caroline was spared the need to respond when the doors to the dining room opened. “Everyone’s here, perfect,” said Candle Wick as he came walking in, approaching the three ladies. Sometime after Twilight had last seen him, he’d slipped on a cream-colored waistcoat. “Well, you’ve almost met all of them now,” Twilight said to Luna before she stepped forward and nodded to the earth pony. “Mister Wick, I’d like to introduce you to Princess Luna —” She stepped slightly to the side and gestured back with one one hoof — “Luna, this is Candle Wick, Esquire.” “A pleasure, Mister Wick,” Luna said, standing tall but nodding nonetheless. Candle Wick bowed his head and bent one elbow to bow further, sweeping his other arm backwards as he did. “I’m happy to hear the pleasure is not solely mine, your Majesty,” he said. “Goodness, barely ten words and already I like him very much,” Luna remarked as Candle Wick stood up. Twilight giggled, and even Caroline showed a little mirth. “Were you looking for us, Mister Wick?” Twilight asked. “In fact, I was. I’m here to collect all of you,” Candle Wick replied. “Doctor von Kessel has concluded his examination and prepared his diagnosis.” Author's Note One aspect of the show that I don't really like is how hard Twilight pushes to befriend others right now. I understand that this is a necessity, given the format they've got to work with, but what made sense with Twilight Sparkle, in this case, doesn't really make sense with Princess Twilight Sparkle. As an alicorn, she has all the time in the world, and I think she would recognize that as a powerful asset as the Princess of Friendship: Everyone makes friends at their own pace, and Twilight's greatest advantage is that she can match that pace no matter what it is: If it ends up taking years, she can wait years.
MysteriumCadance is ill. Those three words had done nothing to prepare Princess Twilight Sparkle for the reality that was awaiting her when she had arrived in the Crystal Empire following the letter from Celestia. She would not have used ‘ill’ to describe the state Cadance was in when she saw her: She was thin. Not ‘thin’ to mean ‘skinny.’ Cadance was nearing the end of her term of pregnancy, and it showed around her belly, but everywhere else, her muscles had wasted slightly and the skin underneath her coat — which had grown so pale as to appear ashen — was too tight. She appeared as if her skin had been slightly too small for her body and had to be pulled taut in order to fit. Her mane was similarly near ashen and hung limply, her eyes were sunken, and she was barely lucid. No, Twilight would not have said that Cadance was ‘ill;’ had the physician not been present, she would have thought Cadance was dying. She was still not convinced that Cadance wasn’t dying, and her need to settle her nerves and seek some place where she felt less rattled had led her to travel the corridors of the palace in search of Celestia. It did not take long to find her, seated in the library with mounds of books scattered about, some opened on the table in front of Celestia and others closed. The ones that were closed were stacked sloppily and haphazardly, almost as if they’d had the audacity to be unhelpful and had been discarded as punishment. Nopony had known anything about what befell Cadance, and it seemed that even the library of the Crystal Empire, filled with lore and knowledge long forgotten by the rest of Equestria, had yielded nothing. Celestia herself had not taken Cadance’s illness altogether well, and although she did not look nearly as dead, her mane had lost much of its shine and color, and the expression on her face was grim in a way that Twilight could not recall ever seeing before. What had caught Twilight most off-guard in that moment, however, was not the grim look, but rather that Celestia was ignoring the books opened in front of her in favor of a letter floating in her magic field without worry for the direness of the situation it was being read in. “Celestia?” Twilight asked. Celestia pulled her attention away from the letter for a moment. “Twilight,” she answered. Celestia pulled her attention away from the letter for a moment, and only for a moment, and then turned right back to it without further comment. Twilight watched for a moment with wide eyes, and then shook her head to clear the fuzz and walked towards the table. “Have you found anything?” she asked, not really certain what she was asking about. “Rest assured, the library has been thoroughly useless,” Celestia answered, folding the letter sharply and placing it on the table and rising up from her seat. There was no cushion present, Twilight noticed. “Well, is there anything that I —” “My apologies, Twilight, but I have no more time to talk now. There is much to be done, and scarcely any time to do it.” Celestia left. She did not excuse or explain herself; she simply walked to the door and left. Twilight stared after her for several long moments once the door had closed, unspeaking and unmoving, but shook off her stupor the moment her senses began to return. “She left,” she said to herself, or perhaps to no one. “She just left!” She turned her attention back to the table covered with opened books, and her eyes fell upon the letter that had started this mess, left along the edge as if forgotten. It was unbecoming, of course, to read another’s mail without permission. Unbecoming of both a lady and of a Princess. But that solitary letter was to blame for everything that had just happened, and so with a passing glance back at the door, Twilight walked to the table, lifted the letter in her magic, and began to read. Dear Princess Celestia, It is with regret that I must inform you that my great grandfather Lamp Lighter is 50 years dead, rest his soul. Although you and I have never met he always spoke very highly of you when he recounted the trials of his youth, and I think it should bring you some measure of comfort that he passed on his own terms in the loving glow of family and with ruby blood. Already, the letter was not off to a great start, not because of its content, but because of the numerous grammatical errors present in only the first paragraph. The urge to mark corrections was suppressed with relative ease, however, as Twilight noted that the spelling was good, and that if nothing else, the syntactical errors were consistent. Whoever wrote the letter may have not been well educated in writing, but at least they probably weren’t lazy. After a moment to organize her thoughts, she resumed reading. He was careful however to pass on the stories of his tribulations to his children and they passed them to their children. Although we here have moved beyond the baseless superstitions of the past we still fear the old blood and look to the heavens with trepidation. Upon receiving your letter I relayed the contents immediately to my master Dr Anders von Kessel, an accomplished physician and practiced hunter, whose great grandfather Wolfgang von Kessel was served by my great grandfather as you doubtlessly recall. I am very sorry to say that he agrees with your assessment regarding your niece Mdm Mi Amore Cadenza and has begun preparations to depart for Equestria. At the least I shall accompany him and perhaps too will 1 or 2 of our fellows if we can convince them of the urgency of the situation. Many of the old lamps have gone out but some should still be lit and if we are fortunate we should reach the border in 2 or 3 days at the usual crossing, but be warned that if the lamps are not lit then the same journey may take us as long as two weeks. It is most likely that I will be pulling the luggage and equipment myself so if it is possible please have a faster means of transport waiting for us as Dr von Kessel does not feel we can sacrifice even a moment. Dr von Kessel recommends that Mdm Cadenza be given NO ADDITIONAL MEDICAL TREATMENTS beyond the most basic afforded for prenatal care for the next 5 days unless we have not reached the border within 3 days from the day you receive this letter, which I have been instructed should be not more than 2 hours once it is sent. If however we have not reached the border after those 3 days Dr von Kessel recommends that on the 5th day Mdm Cadenza be given a transfusion of at minimum 1 unit of compatible ruby blood from as distantly related a source as possible but that 2 or 3 units would be preferable as this may slow down the onset of symptoms until we arrive, to be repeated every 5 days as necessary. Once we have arrived Dr von Kessel will examine Mdm Cadenza and will provide an accurate diagnosis of her condition and an appropriate treatment. Although Dr von Kessel does not presently believe there is any risk of it he has advised that you be watchful in the event that a blood moon rises as this will greatly complicate the situation. If a blood moon should rise at any time Dr von Kessel orders that any and all medical treatments to Mdm Cadenza BE STOPPED AND AN ABORTION BE INDUCED Twilight threw the letter away from her, as much as a sheet of heavy paper could be thrown. An abortion? On what amounted to little more than a hunch with no actual examination or diagnosis? Princess Celestia couldn’t have been seriously considering such a thing. She wouldn’t consider it! After all the time she’d spent teaching Twilight the importance of evidence and analysis, she would not. Nearly a full minute passed before the letter was sheathed in Twilight’s magic and drifted up to her face again, shaking so badly that it was almost impossible for her to read. BE INDUCED IMMEDIATELY BY ANY AVAILABLE MEANS. Failure to follow this order may birth a living nightmare that we will not be adequately equipped to handle without a great deal of collateral damage. We are coming as quickly as we can and will waste no time during our journey. Sincerely, Candle Wick, Esq PS Dr von Kessel is rarely wrong. He seems to believe he can save Mdm Cadenza and her child so please do not worry. I will gallop until my legs break if it will save them. Twilight reread the letter, and then reread it again. There could not have been a hidden meaning to any of the words, neither was there an answer that would make Cadance well and set everything back to normal. This was not the way things were supposed to be and this fact was not only left Twilight unsatisfied, but also angry. She had come looking for answers — even if she did not expect to receive any — and now had new questions instead. That those questions centered around exactly what Celestia was planning to do to her sister did not help her mood. Folding the letter up and stowing it under one wing, Twilight Sparkle rose and walked to the door Celestia had exited through only minutes prior. She had found the other Princess once; she would do it again. Author's Note I could not tell you exactly where the idea for this story came from; only that it appeared in my notes one day. Originally, I was going to put it in a blog, just so it was out there, until I realized I had written more over the year than I thought. It only took about a half hour at that point to fill in the gaps and have a full chapter. As you can see, this story is already on hiatus. Honestly, I don't know if I will finish it, even though I know what big points I would want to cover. I have too many other projects, you see, and we'll have to see which of them get finished.
CorvusAfter the fact, Twilight Sparkle felt just the tiniest bit guilty with the way she had demanded Celestia tell her what the letter was about, and exactly what she was planning to do to her sister because it had worked so well. The elder Princess with wide eyes and ears pinned back moments before shame overtook all her features would be an image that Twilight would never forget, no matter how hard she tried. But it had worked, and Celestia immediately spoke. “There is magic in all things as you know, Twilight, but there is a deeper magic in blood. It is only the uncommon few who can draw it out and the rare among them who can bring it to its true potential. And then, there are those outside, who find within blood a doorway to where we are. “Doctor von Kessel’s people are naturally more attuned to the magic of blood than any other I have found, and if he is anything like his great-grandfather, then he is both a physician and a spellshaper as much as you or I, in his own way. If anyone will be able to help Cadance, he will.” “And what if he can’t? What about the abortion?” Twilight demanded again. “If it becomes necessary, then it will be painful and all of us will mourn, but at the least, we will all be alive to do so,” Celestia had replied as she turned to leave Twilight’s company once again. “If it becomes necessary, it will be the best possible outcome for us all.” That had been two days ago, and Twilight had passed the time researching Cadance’s condition further — to no avail — and keeping her company. The hardest part had been the few moments when she had almost been herself, when she was so happy to see Twilight and so happy she was going to be a mother. She was certain that, whatever might happen, the situation could not have gotten worse than that. And then, it got better: Celestia had roused her just before sunrise and told her that Doctor von Kessel and his companions — four of them — had crossed the border not more than a half-hour before she’d received the message by dragon fire, and were expected just before lunchtime. To this end, Twilight found herself standing out on the largest balcony the palace had to offer — wondering if it would, in fact, be large enough for three chariots to safely land — alongside Celestia and a small detachment of Guards, watching as those chariots approached from the southwest. The crystal ponies in the streets below knew that their Princess was pregnant, and that she had fallen ill could not be kept secret from them, so it was hardly any surprise that when the chariots passed overhead in formation that cheers rose up from the ponies below that were going about their day. In the Square below, the Crystal Heart pulsed once and shone a bit brighter than it had, buoyed by the good feelings surrounding it. Although Twilight could not see this happen from her position on the balcony, she felt it and smiled. As they approached the balcony, all three chariots changed formation to fly one behind the other, and then entire line dove somewhat suddenly, leveled out and then dipped again, landing in neat sequence one after the other so close to the edge of the balcony that the last one clipped and knocked over a potted fern, their drivers running around the perimeter so they could slow down somewhat responsibly. It was the sort of daredevil flying Twilight would have expected from the Wonderbolts, but didn’t believe the Royal Guard was practiced in at all. As the chariots slowed down on their circuit towards a stop, Twilight finally saw enough of their visitors to see what separated them from herself, and indeed, from most everyone else that she knew. “Humans!” True, they were not quite like the humans she had interacted with previously; their proportions were different, where their legs were not quite as long as she would have expected despite them being a bit taller, their eyes were smaller on their faces, and their skin and hair did not seem to come in the same wide-range of colors, but they were still unmistakably humans. An earth pony was the first off of any of the chariots, with a vermillion coat and slate grey mane and tail, and a lit candle for a cutie mark. Even without that clue, this was obviously the Candle Wick — “esquire,” Twilight reminded herself — from the letter. He did not waste any time, and the moment he was on the balcony, he was galloping to one of the other chariots. Despite possibly meeting Princesses, he had no clothes, but this was perhaps due to him pulling a luggage cart and not wanting to tear anything. The second visitor and first human off the chariots was on the balcony only a split second after Candle Wick, and was dressed in well-worn brown trousers and waistcoat, a white sleeved-shirt, and rumpled brown boots. His skin was a light nearly-peach, his face clean shaven and his hair dark brown and pulled back, not quite reaching to his shoulders. Unlike the others, he was sharing his chariot only with luggage, and started half-heartedly unstacking what was with him. At the chariot that Candle Wick had hurried to, the next one off — also a human — was apparently confined to a wheelchair and needed assistance from both Candle Wick and the other passenger in order to descend. Their hands were the same color as the previous human’s — ‘man’ was the word, Twilight recalled — but they were wearing a long and very utilitarian brown overcoat, trousers and wide-brimmed hat that otherwise concealed their identity; their only truly discerning feature was the left leg, missing below the knee and replaced with a peg made from dark wood. The third of the humans remained in the chariot as she helped guide the wheelchair down to the crystal floor. The shape of the body suggested, from Twilight’a experience, a female — ‘woman,’ she thought was the word — and she was dressed air more sharply than her companions in a deep purple skirt and matching jacket, white blouse and gloves, and black boots with a modest heel. A small, purple fascinator rested atop her head, pinned to her long, braided platinum blonde hair. Twilight thought at first that she was wearing a mask, the skin on her face pale enough to be look the same shade of white as her gloves. The last of the visitors was dressed as smartly as the woman, although he was wearing crisp grey trousers and a matching frock coat and waistcoat over a white shirt with a burgundy cravat around his neck, and finished the ensemble with a top hat that matched his coat and shoes made from polished black leather. That detail was not lost on Twilight, but it was not the time to quibble. Unlike the other two humans he’d come with, he had dark brown skin, although any significance in this was not apparent, and a black Van Dyke beard with some thin streaks of grey in it. In his right hand, he gripped the knob of a walking stick made from polished wood, and in his left he carry a small duffel bag typical of a physician that matched his shoes. The moment he’d finished stepping down from the chariot he shared with Candle Wick, he glanced around and, upon spotting the two alicorns, immediately made his way towards them. Celestia turned her head slightly to Twilight and nodded before moving forward herself, Twilight moving with her and both stopping just about halfway across the balcony. “Doctor von Kessel, I presume,” Celestia said. In response, the man tucked his cane under his left arm, lifted his hat from his head — revealing very short-cut, kinked black hair — with his right hand as he came to a stop a short but respectable distance from them, and bowed, arm crossed over his chest. “At your service,” he said, standing straight again but not replacing his hat. “You must be Princess Celestia. You match my great-grandfather’s description perfectly.” “He was rather exacting with his words,” Celestia replied. She nodded her head at Twilight. “This is my compeer, Princess Twilight Sparkle —” von Kessel bowed again, and Twilight returned the gesture — “My sister, Princess Luna is seeing to administrative matters back in Canterlot, but intends to join us as soon as she is able, and you will meet Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband Captain Shining Armor shortly.” “I look forward to it, circumstances notwithstanding,” von Kessel said. He glanced back over his shoulder. “You may have guessed already, but the pony that came with us is my valet, Candle Wick. The tall, dour fellow is Sebastian Vale, one of the Crows. And next is Lady Caroline Aune, who is something of an apprentice to me and a hunter in her own right, even if she doesn’t seem to have the heart for it.” “That’s three of your four companions,” Celestia noted. Von Kessel smirked in response. “Indeed,” he said, before he looked back over his shoulder and called. “Lady Aune. Bring our esteemed guest over here, if you would.” Caroline looked briefly to von Kessel and, once the wheelchair and its occupant were firmly on the ground, turned her attention to Candle Wick, who casually waved her away. Dismissed, she climbed down from the chariot herself, took up position behind the wheelchair and pushed it forwards, guiding it towards the Princesses. As they approached, Caroline’s pallor became even more apparent, until she and the ‘esteemed guest’ stopped alongside von Kessel and Twilight could not help but feel grave concern. Her brown eyes seemed to have a barely visible red haze clinging around their irises. “Forgive me, Lady Aune, but there is something very familiar about you,” Celestia said. “An ancestor I’ve met, or perhaps your skin. It’s difficult to not notice, but you are frighteningly pale.” Alarm crossed Caroline’s face, and she looked very suddenly to von Kessel, who simply nodded to her and gestured his hat towards Celestia. Caroline simply drew in a deep breath, and then looked back to Celestia. “I was advised that I should be honest in all my interactions with your Majesty, and so I shall be,” she replied. “I am Caroline Aune, of Cainhurst.” “I see,” Celestia replied without emotion. She turned her attention to von Kessel. “These must indeed be interesting times, Doctor, if you see fit to cavort about the world with a vileblood.” Caroline flinched at the word, but if von Kessel was put off, he did not show it. “Annalise is two generations dead, Princess. As dead as one such as her can be made, at the least. The Cainhurst nobles that survived the siege were given monthly transfusions to dilute their tainted blood, and neither the choice to do so nor the administration were left to them. To this end, Lady Aune is my patient, and I will vouch for her character.” Twilight looked from von Kessel to Celestia and then back again. The exchange had captured the notice of everyone present. Neither wore their emotions openly, and both stood tall with their heads high, each staring back at the other for several long moments. “And your esteemed guest?” Celestia said finally, breaking the spell. The woman — judging by the tenor of the voice — in the wheelchair chuckled suddenly, if very weakly, and slowly rolled towards her center to sit as upright as her body would allow her and tilted her head back to look out from underneath the brim of her hat, face dramatically wrinkled from age, and though her blue-grey eyes were still very sharp. “The buzzard still cuts right to the chase,” she said, voice raspy. “Surely, you’re not so old that you can’t recognize me.” Twilight looked to Celestia, whose eyes had widened to an extent that Twilight had thought impossible for the elder Princess. “It can’t be,” she said, almost short of breath and immediately stepping closer, dipping her head down for a better look. “Eileen?” “Oh, so your eyes haven’t gone bad just yet.” “I thought for sure you’d be gone by now, if not to age then to…,” Celestia did not finish her thought, gaze drifting down from Eileen’s face to her pegleg. “Never you worry. The hunt is long over for me, and I’ve since raised up a whole murder of murderers to take my place,” Eileen replied. “Ah,” Celestia said, standing up tall again and looking over towards Sebastian, who was either taking his time collecting his luggage from the pile or deliberately keeping his distance. She looked down to the younger Princess. “Eileen, this is my compeer and former student, Twilight Sparkle. Twilight, this is an old friend I met around the time I first met Doctor von Kessel’s great grandfather, Eileen de Búrca, better known then and perhaps even now as Eileen the Crow.” Twilight bowed as she had earlier, and Eileen tiredly raised her right arm and crossed it over her chest, not quite able to bow herself; if Celestia met her when she met the late Wolfgang von Kessel, who must have passed on at least fifty years prior…. “Well, enough faffing about,” Eileen said. “I don’t believe you had a niece when last we met.” Celestia smiled, her horn lighting and a matching field pushing Eileen’s wheelchair forward while the alicorn turned and matched pace alongside. “I did not, and if she’s herself at the moment, I would very much like for you to meet her. Doctor?” “Of course, your Majesty,” von Kessel answered, taking up position opposite Celestia. “Wick, organize my luggage and have it brought to me the moment you are able to,” he called over his shoulder. “At once, Doctor!” Candle Wick called back before busying himself with their luggage once more. Twilight watched as Celestia, von Kessel and Eileen departed the balcony, and then turned her attention to the remaining visitors, Caroline and Sebastian, who finally saw fit to make his way to them. His eyes were hazel, Twilight noted. She should have been with Cadance, but she was still a Princess, and these were, for all intents and purposes, dignitaries. “If the border you came from is the one I’m thinking of, it’s a very long flight,” she said, turning slightly to one side and raising a hoof to indicate the doors leading in. “Would you care to join me for lunch?” Author's Note It took me some time to pull this together, although not so long as it's taken me to work on some of my other stories. Generally speaking, Bloodborne does not lend itself well to crossovers, even less so than Dark Souls, simply because a lot of the lore is either hidden, or simply left to the player's imagination. You will see the result of this in upcoming chapters. Apologies otherwise for the pace of the story, but there is a little setup that's needed; we won't stay in the Hunter's Dream forever. But at least there's a cameo to tide you over. Hopefully, I've captured that snark we all know and love our hoontah of hoontahs for.
AmicaeRetiring to the small dining room — more of a break room for those who needed a quick snack — had not gone quite the way Twilight had anticipated. Lunch had been ready on time — at Celestia’s request, a collection of sandwich fixings including cured meats usually reserved for visitors that indulged — and was probably at least adequate, if not delicious. However, upon arriving, only Caroline sat with Twilight — there were no chairs, but the tables were low enough that she was comfortable sitting on a cushion on the floor — while Sebastian had made a sandwich and then sat away from them. Worse, when Twilight had asked if he’d like to join them, he replied with an emphatic “No,” and then moved even further away. Twilight dejectedly returned to the table she was sharing with Caroline. “Was it something I said?” she asked, more of herself than of Caroline. “He does not mean it as an insult, Princess. They never do,” Caroline said. Her sandwich had been cut into four triangles, and she popped the reminder of one of them into her mouth. “Never —” Twilight looked at Sebastian again, and then back to Caroline — “Wait, this is normal?” Caroline swallowed her bite of sandwich. “It’s hardly a surprise, where the Crows are concerned. They are the hunters of hunters. Their prey are humans and ponies, rather than beasts or nightmares. I suspect their unfriendliness is as much a defense as their masks are,” she replied. Twilight could not help but frown a bit sadly as she looked in Sebastian’s direction. “If I’m to be honest though, I suspect that Mister Vale’s unfriendliness is a quirk of his personality,” Caroline added. “Even as a boy, he was very disagreeable whenever I saw him.” “Oh!” Twilight turned back to Caroline. “You two grew up together then?” Caroline looked at Twilight silently for several seconds. “Princess —” “No.” Caroline startled slightly, caught by the suddenness and force of Twilight’s response. Twilight, in return, recoiled slightly, and then slumped just a bit, ears drooping. “I’m sorry, it’s just… I don’t want to be a Princess right now. I want to be a friend, and my friends just call me Twilight.” Caroline was silent for a few seconds more. “Twilight,” she began, pausing for a moment before she continued. “I can see that making friends comes easily to you, but it’s a struggle for me, no matter friendly another party might be. The stigma of Cainhurst does not leave readily. I need time. Often more than others are willing to give me.” Twilight smiled warmly and reached out, laying her hand in front of her, halfway across the table. “Days, months, or even years. Take as long as you need, and when you’re ready, I’ll be here,” she said. Haltingly, Caroline lifted her own hand and, taking several seconds to do so, laid it on top of Twilight’s hoof. She watched both for another second, and then squeezed very lightly before adopting — before allowing herself — an almost imperceptible smile. “Thank you,” she said almost too low to be heard. “Even now, you’re busy working.” Two heads spun towards the doors connecting to the outside corridor, not needing to look even that far to see a second alicorn, taller than Twilight and dark blue with a mane that resembled nothing less than a field of stars, smiling as she looked back. “Luna!” Twilight remarked with a start. Both she and Caroline hurried to stand from the table. “I didn’t hear you. How long have you been there?” “Long enough to see that I should let the Princess of Friendship work uninterrupted, naturally. And also long enough to see the exact moment to announce myself to catch you off your guard,” Luna replied, smile becoming a smirk. Twilight blinked, looked to Caroline, and then back to Luna. “Oh! You sneak,” she said, allowing herself a grin before she turned to Caroline again. “Lady Aune, I’d like you to meet Princess Luna, of Equestria. Luna, this is Lady Caroline Aune, of Cainhurst.” Caroline flinched slightly, but Luna simply nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Aune,” she said. Caroline bowed in kind, arm crossed over her chest. “A pleasure for us both, I’m happy to say,” she replied. Luna cast her gaze across the dining room. “And that one, who seems perfectly content to ignore all of us?” she asked. “Sebastian Vale, your Majesty. Please don’t look too harshly on his behavior. It is personal, but nothing against you,” Caroline replied. She stood up from her bow, but still kept her head lowered and gaze averted from Luna’s. “Miss de Búrca is the only one he’s ever shown any deference or real interest to that I know of, and I don’t imagine that will ever change.” “Miss de Búrca?” Luna repeated, frowning slightly. “I see that my sister still has that vexing habit of omitting a great many details from her missives. She mentioned that some… somebody, I suppose, was coming to help, but not a trio.” “A quartet, actually,” Twilight said. “Well —” She furrowed her brow for a moment — “A quintet, counting Candle Wick.” Luna hummed briefly. “Lady Aune, I noticed your reaction when Twilight Sparkle introduced you. I do hope she has not inadvertently offended you,” she said. “Oh, no, not at all, your Majesty,” Caroline a bit too hastily. She drew in a slow breath. “I am from Cainhurst, as she said, it’s just that stating so almost invariably provokes a… an extreme reaction.” “I see,” Luna replied, watching Caroline for a moment before offering a casual shrug. “In any case, I know nothing of Cainhurst, and while dearest Twilight is not always right in her judgements of character, she is rarely wrong. She believed in my own goodness when she had no reason to, so if she believes in you, then unless she is proven wrong, so shall I.” Caroline startled again, looking at Luna with bewilderment. “I — thank you, Princess,” she said, bowing once more. “My word, Lady Aune! Please forgive me if I sound presumptive, but are you ill?” Luna asked. “No, your Majesty.” Caroline stood up again, head lowered. “I am simply from Cainhurst. One of the older lineages.” “Ah. I believe that I understand now. Well then, Caroline, if I may call you that, I still know nothing of Cainhurst, and you need not fear meeting my gaze. I do believe, in fact, that I should like to get to know you better.” Caroline was spared the need to respond when the doors to the dining room opened. “Everyone’s here, perfect,” said Candle Wick as he came walking in, approaching the three ladies. Sometime after Twilight had last seen him, he’d slipped on a cream-colored waistcoat. “Well, you’ve almost met all of them now,” Twilight said to Luna before she stepped forward and nodded to the earth pony. “Mister Wick, I’d like to introduce you to Princess Luna —” She stepped slightly to the side and gestured back with one one hoof — “Luna, this is Candle Wick, Esquire.” “A pleasure, Mister Wick,” Luna said, standing tall but nodding nonetheless. Candle Wick bowed his head and bent one elbow to bow further, sweeping his other arm backwards as he did. “I’m happy to hear the pleasure is not solely mine, your Majesty,” he said. “Goodness, barely ten words and already I like him very much,” Luna remarked as Candle Wick stood up. Twilight giggled, and even Caroline showed a little mirth. “Were you looking for us, Mister Wick?” Twilight asked. “In fact, I was. I’m here to collect all of you,” Candle Wick replied. “Doctor von Kessel has concluded his examination and prepared his diagnosis.” Author's Note One aspect of the show that I don't really like is how hard Twilight pushes to befriend others right now. I understand that this is a necessity, given the format they've got to work with, but what made sense with Twilight Sparkle, in this case, doesn't really make sense with Princess Twilight Sparkle. As an alicorn, she has all the time in the world, and I think she would recognize that as a powerful asset as the Princess of Friendship: Everyone makes friends at their own pace, and Twilight's greatest advantage is that she can match that pace no matter what it is: If it ends up taking years, she can wait years.
