An Afternoon At Canterlot
A feather starfish is a magnificent creature to see in flight. It seems to have no front or back, like a feathered, aquatic flying saucer. Feather-like fins flap down and fold up invisibly, paper thin to come back again in a constant undulating motion. In effect, it appears to be an endless fountain of wings, flapping once before disappearing in the cracks between the smallest spaces.
Beautiful but alien looking, for all that it is of your world. It's a relevant image to keep in mind for this following passage.
Her soulself travelled these unreal waters, in a form she has donned or manifested in for this place. She resembles in part a feather star, a mass of midnight blue wings, her every oscillation shedding glimmering stardust. Her core is a darkness, so vast and deep as to emanate the horror of the unknown like a light. And, my god, it's full of stars, deathless hopes and dreams like defiant candles in that endless night.
Forgive me, realms like these bring out the purple in my prose.
This place is not real in the sense that it is a place of light or space or matter. It is a place of thoughts and feelings and dreams. I have seen many such places across Everything, called by many names. The aethereal, the nevernever, the dreamscape, the realm of souls. In one place, where endless wars and atrocities stripped that plane of all sanity, it is called the warp. Here, astral plane will do nicely for our purposes.
Here, in this time and place I choose to focus on, a creature flies through this psycho planar ocean. She is not a native to this place, but she moves as someone who has become intimately familiar with its terrain. She avoided the bubbling sea of hate, with its enticing waves and siren songs. She knew well the dark depths of suffering that laid fathoms beneath its waves. She followed up a rapid river of anger and everywhere she went there were godlings. Not like her, but spirits of this unland. Oh, the common cavorting life was easy for anyone to see, but she saw something more.
The genius loci of each area, the overmind of each place. The slithering form of Strife, Spirit Of Conflict and Hatred, or at least what was left of her. There, through the burning badlands of rage, the viperous Rancor, Spirit Of Anger. Although, that one did look up to see her, raising one of her mantis claws to wave gaily.
"Hello, sweetie!" She called to her.
Strange.
She sought her destination through the straightest path but the murky swamp she found herself at bordered all other areas, just as each area border all others as well. Each emotion blending into the others at their borders in a strange spectrum. There, she saw the swamp anxiously fade into the caves of Despair. Over there, it crossed over a thrilling path full of well told horror into the relieved laughter of Joy. Yonder, a storm of coal colored letters obscured the golden kingdom of Pride. Onward, big red letters spelling AUDIT marked the boundaries between this realm and sovereignty of Greed. And the least said about what happened betwixt this place and the ravenous house of Desire, the better.
Here was the realm of Fear and here Luna felt no Spirit. Not a waking, living, one. It was less than ideal, Fear, but this was the only plane she could find not yet awakened. It seemed immoral, not to mention troublesome, to attempt to devour an already thinking, sapient being. Fear, up until now, was merely a force and place.
As she moved to set down upon the murky ground, her many wings twisted, thinned and rolled into the shape of many legs. Feelers that waggled and smelled and listened grow and feathered into way too many wings. From out of this ridiculous number of limbs rose up a head, wearing a ring of horns like some diabolical crown.
As soon as her hooves and her far too busy design touched the simulacrum of ground, voices assailed her. Some of them were whispering chillingly in her ears, some were pontificating and some were even singing.
"The only thing we have to fear-"
"I am the one hiding under your bed"
"Beware your fears made into light."
"Would you like to see my mask? I use it in my experiments."
"Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red"
"That is not dead..."
"Probably not very frightening to a guy like you, but these crazies? They can't stand it."
"I am the clown with the tear away face"
"...which can forever lie..."
"They scream, and they cry. Much as you're doing now."
"Here in a flash and gone without a trace"
"...and with strange aeons..."
"Courage is just fear holding on a minute longer."
"I am the 'who' when you call 'who's there'"
"...even death may die."
"Did you see that face!? It's judging us!!"
"-is fear itself!"
Luna shook her whole body, shaking away the voices like a dog and water. These were just the murky denizens of this lifeless place, she was sure. Such things, these ghouls, would so come to serve her, and not faff about harassing passerbys.
"Once you've tasted the darkness..."
"I am the wind blowing through your hair"
Yeah, like that. Luna waved them off with the ridiculous multitude of wings her soulself afforded. She didn't have time for distractions. She had things to do, immeasurable power to absorb, nigh deific status to attain and, most importantly of all, a holier-than-thou sister to one-up.
How long had she been planning this? Years. This working, this sanctum invocation, had taken years to set-up. She had to find places in the material world that aspected with Fear and rebuild them into proper manses, just to anchor this place enough. Then she had learn the lay of the land, properly map the ley lines and study its unreal geology. She had to seek out the tempests, zephyrs and wisps that descended from Fear and emerged into reality to learn the gale of their language. Only then could she learn the patterns to the whirlwind politics that took place betweens Fear's component selves even in its slumbering state. She had to postulate, calculate and recalculate the equations and vectors that would apply to the strands of thaums and beads of motes she would weave into a spell at the apex of the working. Only now would she be able to put all of that theory into practice.
This was a working not even the three brothers, with all their power and experience, could accomplish. No, only one such as she, with the strength of the three tribes. Even here, in this unreal place, there was something like land and earth. Only the arion, the earth pony, could feel the magic that ebbed and flowed beneath her hooves, finds the very epicenter and attune themselves to that untapped demesne. Here, there were also winds and sky. Only the pegasus, the sky pony, could hear the sleeping intellectus that permeated the very atmosphere of this place and holds it attention by force of her personality. And, always, there was herself. Only the unicorn, the spell pony, could reach into her spirit, her core, and inject her will into this world around her.
Then, there, an infant godling will be forced into waking existence, a spirit of fear and that spirit will be her. It was only fitting that the power of terror belong to the bane of night terrors, to become the master of the very thing she guarded against. This unclaimed power, with no spirit arisen naturally to have it. With that power, she would finally eclipse her sister, and her little ponies would have to love her. Of course, heavenly Celestia would be allowed to stay as a mere princess, that wouldn't change.
But Luna would be a queen.
Every night, she strides through their anxieties and trepidations, councils them towards relief, and whom is it that they praise? The glorious morning star, the most blessed of heaven, the Light and Fire and Sun. All while she, she who should be an equal, given equal praise, love and respect, is cast away like one of her night terrors. But soon that will all change when she has enough power.
She stood where she needed to stand, she said what she needed to say and she cast what she needed to cast. The end of the long working was beginning. This was the very last stretch, here and now, everything that should have been hers will be. Her ponies will always love her sister for her light and her wisdom, but now they will love Luna for her power and the terror she inspires in their enemies. She will be worshipped by her ponies as those furless apes worshipped her, as The Night Mare. Nothing could go wrong!
Everything started to go wrong.
"What?" Asked a voice.
Luna ignored it, blocking out the voice as she had done all the others. She poured her focus entirely into the spell. Not out of necessity, mind, but exultation. The inertia of all that barreling, spiraling energy maintained the spell all on its own now, and she couldn't even stop it if she wanted to. She just wanted to bask in all that oncoming power and the recognition it would bring.
"Who?"
But this voice was louder than the others, all of whom should have been lost in the cacophony of the spiraling, screaming vortex. This discrepancy finally struck her and she turned her attention to it. What she saw when her senses narrowed would have made her physical eyes widen.
"Who? What!?" She reared. "No, that's impossible! You don't exist!"
At last, this new voice took notice of her, what she was doing and what precisely that meant. A voice wriggled in fear, and fear it was awfully good at. "No, stop! Stop it! Get away from me! STOP!"
But Luna couldn't stop, she was stuck where she was, in the center of keening funnel like a heinous trap. All around her, the dark, shadowy and embodied fear swirled into the vortex and was forcibly sucked into her. She struggled and writhed as something more than power crawled under the skin of her soul. All she could do was mirror its speech and do so in vain.
"Get away! GET AWAY! STOP!"
The screams of two beings overlapped with one another and began to synchronize in a perverse form of harmony. As the two voices became one, their wailing had subsided into weeping. When the two voices disappeared completely, and just one remained, the sobbing began to sound like laughter.
A thousand years and some change later...
Luna looked down into the crib and a gurgling life looked back at her. This creature smiled at her, seemed so happy to see her.
"Do you remember?" She dipped her head inside and brushed her muzzle through black fur. "Do you remember what we did?" Tiny hooves batted at the stars in her mane as strands and constellations floated around the small body. "Do you remember what I did?" She closed her eyes, just listening to the heat and listening to the little one's breath. "Do you remember what I made you do?"
"Luna."
Luna raised her head but didn't turn then, her eyes still fixated on the life. That one seemed no more aware of the inner turmoil in her than anything else that was happening or had happened outside this nursery.
"Do you think she remembers? Maybe not on the surface, but somewhere in the back? Not now but later?" Luna turned her head towards the doorway where Celestia stood, showing her biting lips and narrowing eyelids. "Do you think she'll hate me?"
Celestia stepped forward, crossing the threshold between them. With a glance back, the guard nodded and shut the door. "Luna, I have no idea of what the future will bring." She leaned in and pressed her nose against the bottom of Luna's chin. "What I do know is you, however. You will love her and cherish her." Celestia broke the contact and peered over the edge of the crib, Luna following along. "She will see you for the pony you really are, that you are now, far above the pony you were a thousand years ago and completely different from that amalgamate you both were a part of."
She still wasn't sure. "Will that be enough?"
"It will have to be. If there's any justice in this world, it will be."
A knock on the door and both of them turned. A lunar guard stuck his face in. "Your highnesses." With a scowl of disapproval, baring his fangs, he went on, "It's Prince Blueblood. He's asking to see you. Wait, no, scratch that, he's demanding it. What should I tell him?"
Both sisters gave barely a glance to each other before moving into fairly placid action. Luna horn took a light glow and Celestia gave a small nod. "Let him in, Private Belle." The guard nodded and opened the door. The sisters braced themselves.
"Aunty! Granny!"
He moved as if a foal that just learned to walk and decided to skip on ahead to advanced running lessons. His legs almost appeared to be noodles and his hooves did strange dances as incomprehensible as an electron's position and velocity. He didn't seem to so much as stay upright as trip and fall in every direction simultaneously, if a little more so forward.
Celestia inclined her head a smidgen towards him. "Hello, Blueblood." It almost didn't come out as a sigh.
"Yes, greetings." There was no almost, Luna just growled it. "Grandson of mine."
Blueblood didn't seem to notice, going straight for her even as she focused on something, anything, else. "Granny, it's horrible! The horrid mare is coming back to this castle, again. As if she belongs here. As if she didn't assault my royal visage, a prince of the realm!" He danced and prattled on his feet, looking distraught and hysterical. "It's bad enough that aunty let's that inequine creature into her chambers-"
There was a golden flash of light and the nursery door was slammed shut with all sound absorbed.
Princess Luna's horn stopped glowing right after her sister's and she finally looked his way. "Cease your prattling, Duke Blueblood. The only ones who can hear you now are in this room."
Blueblood frowned, glancing dubiously around. "Are you sure?"
Luna's eyes narrowed. "Absolutely."
Blueblood entire body shifted. He stood up straighter, he smiled, smirked rather, tilting his head and his eyebrows both. "Why, thank you then, grandmama." He turned to Celestia and bowed his head. "My apologies to you, aunty, for bringing up your special some- ape?"
"Monkey, Blueblood," Celestial replied calmly. "Gathaga counts as a monkey."
Too calmly. Blueblood shifted on his hooves, realizing he might have stepped a bit too far out of line. The way granny was smirking only confirmed as much. "Ah, yes, Lady Gathaga. And how is she today?"
"Happily whiling the hours away, updating my planetarium," Luna snorted.
"Luna, your planetarium always had a touch of artifice to it," Celestia said chidingly. "Artifice that is a thousand years old and out-of-date. Gathaga is a good choice for the task."
"No, a minotaur would be a good choice. Your special gizmonk is undoubtedly turning my precious planetarium into a death trap."
"I told her to refrain from adding anything dangerous and to keep it safe."
"Ah yes, for a given value of safe, you mean."
"Speaking of-" Blueblood piped up. "-of dubiously dangerous things belonging to granny; how is the baby?" He actually seemed to brighten then.
Celestia shifted as well, relaxing some. "Quite excellent, Blueblood. Would you like to see her?"
"Absolutely!" He marched right up to the crib, climbing his head over the side and looking down. The creature inside laughed at the sight of him and he cooed. "Ooo, who's a little snot goblin? You are, you abomination of magic, you are! Yes, you are!"
Luna frowned, tilting her head to the side and whispering. "Even after you told me the truth of his position, sister, I have to ask, how much of his prattling and posturing is really an act?"
Let the courts of kings in other nations have their jesters, given leave to say what no other would dare to when the king needs to hear it. The diarchy of Equestria let their subjects speak freely in front of them. When the court begins to think in a way the sisters rather they didn't, they have an entirely different kind of fool repeat those thoughts aloud for all who need to hear it.
Let those other courts have their jesters, Equestria had Prince Blueblood.
Celestia's eyes became half lidded and the sigh was more complete before she answered. "More than you seem to think, less than I would really like." The sigh carried on in her head, memory lightly passing over the events that led to Prince Blueblood and his predecessors to starting this whole farce in the first place.
"Duke Blueblood." Luna emphasized the title. "Why are you called 'Prince'? It's entirely inappropriate."
"It's all part of the image, grandmama." Blueblood turned around, stepping down from the crib and turning to face the princesses. He gave her a patronizing smile and Luna only wished to pluck his mouth off his face and dump it in the trash. "Everyone knows princes are spoiled brats."
"Really? Back in my time, they were dashing colts, often warriors, heroes at least, or the reward of virtuous, heroic mares to have a noble stallion vie for their attention."
Blueblood sighed, almost with patience. "Times have changed, granny."
"If you truly were a prince, I would think that you were responsible for that change."
Blueblood preened, tossing his head back. "Ah, if only I were that good!"
Luna rolled her eyes. "Ugh."
Celestia looked between the two of them, frowning, and rested her focus on Blueblood. "Blueblood, how may we help you?"
"You came here for a reason," Luna reminded him. "Please, get to the point."
"Right you are, granny." Blueblood nodded in deference to them both. He bent one front leg, the other sweeping in front of him and he managed to keep his balance through the bow. "Granny, aunty, your doting descendant offers his services to you once more."
"Get to the point."
"Of course!" He cantered in place, eyeballing the dangerously looming figure of his ancestress. "I understand you will be meeting with your student, aunty, and all her heroine friends, right? To discuss some rather delicate topics. I was wondering if you needed my help at all, as a distraction. I could play the part of Duke Blueblood, noble scion of the Night Court-" Luna snorted derisively. "-or Prince Blueblood, royal embarrassment?"
Luna blew a raspberry past her lips. "When did my bloodline come to this? Deceitful tricksters playing at being an arrogant spoiled fool. Underneath that is only slightly less arrogant, slightly less spoiled and slightly less of a fool. And then, underneath that, is the gnawing, sneaking suspicion that it is I who is being played for the fool."
Blueblood responded with a smirk that played at being enigmatic but Luna personally thought just made him look like more of a prat.
Then again, maybe that's the point. She darkly thought.
Blueblood lifted up his hoof to observe it for a moment. "I was considering adding in a shot at granny's thestrals too. Calling them 'sub-equine'. I know aunty's guards hate me already, so getting granny's too as well might give them a chance to bond and put aside some of that interdepartmental rivalry." He hummed thoughtfully and put his hoof down. "Do you think 'sub-equine' is too much, aunty?"
Celestia tilted her head. "It's a little much."
Luna glanced sideways to her other half. "Tia, this is all your fault. This whole setup has your hoof prints all over it. I don't care how many times you tell me 'it was all their idea'. If Blueblood's predecessors came up with it on their own, they learned it by watching you."
"Luna. Blueblood." Celestia repeated firmly, after so gently stamping her hoof. Luna looked to her and reflected that at this point she very well could have imagined herself yelling and cracking the floor with her hooves to get things back on track. And she still wouldn't have garnered as much authority as Celestia did with those very actions done ever so softly.
Then again, maybe that's the point. She thought ironically.
Blueblood bowed his head. "What shall you have me do?"
"Tsk," Luna grunted. "Play your games, Prince, but do not take them too far."
"Not another repeat of the gala," Celestia agreed.
Luna eyed her. "Oh, you loved every moment of it."
Celestia smiled serenely and mysteriously.
Blueblood bowed again, a hoof to his chest. He spoke with a great deal more solemnity in his tone. "Understood, your majesties." He raised his head and looked back towards the crib. "One more question."
Luna arched a brow. "Yes?"
Blueblood waved a hoof back and stared between the princesses. "Have you named the baby yet?"
This time, the princesses looked between each other with looks of actual surprise between them. Then, something sort of like contrite shame as they looked back at Blueblood.
He furrowed his brow. "Have you? Considering one of the subjects of this meeting, it might be important."
Luna looked to her sister. "Yes, introducing you surrogate daughter to your new consort as well as the baby. A strange decision to do both today, 'Tia. I'm surprise Twilight hasn't wanted to meet her already either."
Celestia kept looking pointedly at Blueblood. "We haven't come to a decision yet, but it's been discussed."
"I would say it's been close to argued, really," Luna said airly. "It is clear that the child has a theme, presence and destiny connected to the nighttime. After all, you could make a clear argument that she is my daughter. Tangentially, speaking."
Celestia nodded. "And considering her origins, I thought a nice name like Night Dreams or Dreamy Nights might endear her to the populace at large and give her something positive to follow in life."
"And I think she needs a name befitting her status as our peer, a name in Ancient. I have pushed for Nyx and I still think that the 'my daughter' argument is a pretty good one for giving me final say."
Celestia nudged her with her wings. "Tangentially."
"I'll tangent you, Tia," Luna growled.
Blueblood looked between the two of them. "Well, I certainly hope you're able to come to a decision, your majesties. The Elements are due to arrive shortly and I don't think it'd be right to introduce the baby as 'and then there's this thing'."
Luna sneered. "I don't know, I bet Tia would get a lark out of that."
Celestia frowned at her before her feature softened thoughtfully. Then she nodded, acquiescing the point.
Luna snorted and turned upon her erstwhile descendant. "Will there be anything else, Duke?"
"Not at all, granmama."
"Then on to the matter of preserving your non-dignity," She took a step forward, her horn lighting and pulling him around, towards the door. "With how you entered, you cannot be seen simply walking out of here. 'Tia might use you to solidify her aura of endless patience, but I will not."
"You mean to put the fear of the thrones into me?" Blueblood asked, so annoyingly knowingly.
Luna grinned then, a wide grin with a glint of malice and mischief behind her eyes. It was that kind of look she slowly leveled at Blueblood. "Indeed."
Celestia turned towards the crib. "I'll put a sound dampener around Nyx."
As the confident smirk disappeared from Blueblood's face, Luna failed to pick up on that little admission. She didn't know if his sudden show of fear was all part of his act, but she was going to enjoy it nonetheless.
Then again, maybe that's the point.
"What do you think Lady Rarity Belle will do if she ever finds out his treatment of her was all part of 'the plan'?"
"Oh, he had a better reason that just pretending to be a ponce, Luna. But I think you know exactly what she'd do to him."
"Oh, I know. It's just, given what I know of him, I wouldn't help her, but I wouldn't exactly stop her either."
Author's Note
Hiya there! This here is an extensive rewrite of a previously unpublished story, that is I Unpublished it and relegated it to my list of rejects. A significant plot point was simply removed as it wasn't going anywhere and instead I chose to refocus everything on the pony-to-pony interaction.
If there're any concepts herein that you really liked and feel like you write something interesting out, feel free. I'd be flattered, actually and, besides, it'd be hypocritical to tell you not to take ideas from a fanfiction.
Nyx is from Pen Stroke's Past Sins, and this is my own take on her, her origin and her story.
This version of Blueblood is inspired by McPoodle's The Best Of All Possible Worlds
