New Blood

Chapters

1 - Cold Open
2 - Little Baby Blueblood
3 - Five Years Later...
4 - New Friends And Admissions
5 - Six Months Later...
6 - My Little Brother
7 - The Coming of Sunset
8 - The Zebra Princess
9 - Silver Sanctum
10 - Escape Pt. 1
11 - Escape Pt. 2
12: Ponyshire
13: Reunion
14: Night Talks
15: The Calm
16: The Storm

1 - Cold Open

I was standing in a corner of the large ballroom where the Grand Galloping Gala was currently taking place, a glass of sparkling cider from Sweet Apple Acres in my hand which I was sipping gradually. All around me, the other noble ponies were busy talking to each other about some bullshit or something. I sighed and brushed my blonde mane to the side and leaned against the wall. Each year I attended these things, it was the same old boring thing. A bunch of nobles with their heads so far up their asses that they could give birth to themselves over and over again just sat around and talked like a bunch of squabbling chickens. Boring stuff that I couldn’t care less about. However, being in the body I was in now, I had to know what was being talked about.

For a former brony like me who’d been reborn as an anthro version one of the most reviled characters from the show, it really sucked to be a prince, even if it was only in name.

“So here you are,” a familiar female voice said. I turned and saw the young Sunset Shimmer walking up to me, a glass sparkling in her hand. She was wearing a warm red flowing dress with a light orange bow in her mane. And she looked exhausted. “The Princess was wondering where you’d gone disappearing to and asked me to find you.”

I sighed and took another sip of the cider in my hand. “I bet she has,” I said with an exhale before bringing my hand to my mouth to properly hide the burp that escaped my lips. I sighed and continued, “You look about as bored as I feel. Seriously, this place needs to kick it up a notch, bam!” I threw a fist out like I was hitting something, then let it fall.

“Well, you know the Princess,” Sunset said, turning and facing the other nobles with me. “Nothing too extravagant for her little ponies.”

I released a horselike snort on reflex, something I hadn’t really gotten used to since I’d been born into this weirdly anthropomorphic version of Equestria some sixteen years ago. “Believe me, I know more about palace life than I really care to know. It’s ridiculous, to be honest. And way too stuffy.”

“Is that why you sneak off at night and go down to the orphanage and play with the foals?” Sunset asked, smirking at me with a knowing grin.

I turned and gaped at her. “How’d you know about that?”

“You think you’re the only one who has to sneak away from my dear old teacher’s ever watchful eyes for a breather?” Sunset asked. “Seriously, she’s a good teacher and all, but she’s a bit too smothering sometimes. She always says it’s for my own good, but I’m sixteen now! Practically a mare grown, as she likes to say.”

“Yeah, I get that, but can you blame her really?” I asked. “She’s immortal unlike you and me. She’s probably lost so many friends that she treasures every new friend or family member that she can. But yes, it can be a bit much. Besides, I like going back to that orphanage. I did spend the first five years of my life there, after all.” The last part I said in a whisper since that was a crown secret only known to me, Celestia, Sunset and Cadance, the recently ascended alicorn.

“Still, she’s being extra smothering tonight, it seems,” Sunset said, taking a sip of her own sparkling cider. “Is she expecting something bad to happen?”

“I think I can understand why she’s being so protective,” I said. “You and I are both closer to Aunt Celestia than most. And these nobles would love to get their grubby little hands on one of us. No, not foalnapping, but we could be used as bargaining chips in the little song and dance called political marriage.”

Sunset’s eyes went wide. “Marriage?! Bluey, we’re both too young for that!”

“Only two more years to go, Sunny,” I replied. “Two more years before we both reach the legal age. That’s two years for someone to push their own son or daughter onto us.” Clearing my throat, I deepened my voice to make me sound like a posh noble. “‘My little Rainy Days would love to meet you! She’s sixteen just like you and you have a lot in common!’”

Sunset smirked at the exaggerated interpretation of the noble ponies. “Nice, nice.”

I ran my hand through my blonde mane again and leaned against the wall, staring up at the golden alicorn statue in the center of the room. “Well, I’ve been playing hide and seek from Auntie for long enough. Where is she now?” I asked, downing the rest of the glass and setting it down on a nearby table where other used dishes had been placed.

“Where else? The main hall where she’s greeting everypony else,” Sunset smirked as she, too, downed her glass and set it beside mine.

“Ah, so you were the guided arrow sent out to find me, huh?” I joked as we walked together along the wall of the main hallway where the majority of the ponies were standing and talking.

She threw a playful punch at my arm. “Shut up, you,” she snarked.

“I’m not hearing a noooo,” I teased back, nudging her with my elbow.

She groaned and sighed. “Fiiine, yes. She told me to find you and get you too. There’s a family she wanted you to meet.”

I raised an eyebrow. “She’d better not be trying to pawn me off as a marriage partner, or so help me I’ll sic Spike on her again.”

Sunset chuckled, then looked around. “Where is Spike, anyway? You two are almost never apart.”

“After last year, he didn’t really want to attend. I bought him a bunch of the Power Ponies comics to tide him over.” I thought back to the previous year’s Gala, where I’d brought the young dragon (who I’d managed to hatch with my own unique magic when I was six) with me for the first time to the Gala. His presence was only tolerated because the nobles saw that the purple and green dragon was with me. And even then, they never saw him as anything more than my servant. I’d left early that night and the two of us, along with Sunset, had gone down to a sweets shop where I spoiled the poor depressed dragon.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah, I remember that. Dumb nobles. Dragons are magnificent creatures, after all.”

“A dragon is the finest creature ever,” I sang softly. “There’s more to him than just guarding treasure.”

Sunset snorted. “You have a song for just about everything, don’t you?” she asked.

“Actually, Spike made that one up a while ago,” I said, and it really wasn’t a lie. The young dragon had made it up a few months ago.

“He’s doing alright, isn’t he?” Sunset asked with concern.

“Oh yeah, he’s doing great,” I said. “His handwriting still needs work, but he’s really pushing himself to learn how. Especially when he learned that he can sent messages via dragon fire.”

“That is seriously cool, not gonna lie,” Sunset said as they reached the main lobby and headed to the stairs. “How’d he figure that out? You never really told me.”

“Well, about a month ago he had a really bad cold,” I explained, “and I was in the other room making him some soup when I heard him sneeze and then shout something like ‘No! My comic!’ I rushed in and he told me that he’d sneezed and his comic had gotten destroyed. Poor guy was so upset until Aunt Celestia came teleporting in, holding the book in her hand.”

“Wow, it went right to the Princess?” Sunset asked as they began climbing the stairs.

“It did,” I chuckled. “Spike was so happy to get it back. It was the first comic he’d bought with his own allowance so it was important to him.”

“I didn’t know dragons could do that,” Sunset admitted.

“Neither did Aunt Celestia,” I said.

Sunset snickered. “You’d think with how old she is she’d know a lot more than that.”

“Hey, give her a break,” I chuckled. “She’s over a thousand years old and has spent a lot of it running a kingdom. I’ve seen how tired she is at the end of every night, and so have you.”

She nodded. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”

“Ah, there you two are, I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever show up,” a familiar regal female voice said from in front of them.

The two of us turned and we were face to face with Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria. Even after having gotten used to her form over the eleven years I’d called her aunt, it still blew me away just how remarkably gorgeous she was. Much like her show counterpart, her mane was a shimmering rainbow which flowed in some invisible wind. She was wearing a flowing white dress with sparkling sequins embedded in the shape of her cutie mark all around the skirt. If anyone looked up the word goddess in the dictionary, they’d find a picture of Celestia there for sure. However, even though I’d been a human fan of the show before being reincarnated here, I still saw her as family even now. So I had no shame in walking over and throwing my arms around her. “Hi, Auntie.”

Celestia wrapped her own slender arms around me, leaning down a bit to nuzzle my face affectionately. “My dearest nephew,” she said softly and warmly. “Sunset, thank you for finding him for me,” she said as she broke the hug.

“It was easy to find him,” Sunset chuckled. “He was sulking in the corner like normal.”

I put my hands on my hips and glared playfully at Sunset. “I do not sulk,” I said, giving a fake pout.

“Fine. Brooding then,” she amended.

“I’ll have you know I was in deep thought, thank you very much,” I said, crossing my arms and glaring at one of the few friends I had in the castle.

“Ease up on him, Sunny,” another familiar voice said from beside Celestia. Looking down, I saw the young Cadance, the new alicorn who was about a year younger than me and Sunset. She was wearing a dark blue dress with light azure stripes on it and had blue sequins on the side of her dress in the shape of her cutie mark. “Poor stallion’s probably got enough on his mind without more to brood on.”

The two mares burst out laughing at my expense while Celestia held her hand up to her mouth and tittered regally. I groaned and threw my hands up. “Fine, you win. I give up.”

A tender hand was placed on my shoulder and I looked up into the smiling face of my aunt in this world. “You know they don’t mean anything negative by it, don’t you?” she asked.

Even though I knew a bit more about her than was normal, I still deflated. She had a way of calming me down in ways that only a family member or even an adopted aunt could do. As she ran a gentle hand through my mane I sighed and looked back at the still giggling mares. “Yeah, I know,” I said. Looking back up at her, I asked, “So, you wanted me to meet a certain family?”

She smiled wider. “Yeah. I think you’ll be pleased to meet them.” Leaning down, she whispered, “especially after all you’ve told me.”

I raised an eyebrow. Celestia was the only pony in Equestria who knew who and what I used to be before arriving here. She even knew about the show depicting life in Equestria. Despite that stressful conversation, Celestia had still welcomed me into the family as her nephew even though I had been a human in his past life. “Really?” I asked.

Slowly, she turned me around until I was facing a family of four. Four ponies I immediately recognized. She’d actually invited Twilight Sparkle and her family. “My little ponies,” Celestia said from behind me as she gave my shoulders a reassuring squeeze, “please allow me to introduce my nephew, Prince Blueblood.”

I watched as the four ponies of varying ages all bowed to me. Night Light, the father, was wearing a very well tailored black suit with a white shirt and red bowtie. On the left chest of his black coat was a sewn on version of his cutie mark. Twilight Velvet was wearing a pink and purple dress with dark purple sequins on the skirt which showed her cutie mark. The young looking Shining Armor, who couldn’t have been more than thirteen, was wearing a suit that matched his father’s own minus the embedded cutie mark on his own coat. And then there was Twilight Sparkle. She wore a dark purple dress with her mane tied back into a bun. She had to be about Spike’s age, I guessed, if not a few years older. Then again, I’d never been the best at guessing foal ages ever since arriving in Equestria. “Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Night Light said.

I smiled down at them. “The pleasure is mine, my good stallion,” I said. “Please raise your heads.” I felt Celestia’s approving hand pat me on the shoulder. She, along with her personal assistant Raven Inkwell, had taught me about how to behave like a proper noble and prince. Both mares had drilled it into me so much that now it became easy to slip into my princely persona. As the four raised their heads, I gave them each a winning smile. “May I ask your names?”

Night Light took the lead. “I’m Night Light, Your Highness. I’m a member of the Royal Guard. This is my wife, Twilight Velvet. She’s an editor with Canterlot Publishing.”

“Your Highness,” Twilight Velvet said, curtsying to me politely. I nodded my head to her kindly.

Night Light continued. “And these two are my two foals, Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle.”

I looked down at each of them in turn. Shining bowed to me politely enough, but it was Twilight who caught my attention. She was looking at me with wide purple eyes, looking frozen. I smiled wider then knelt down so I was eye to eye with her. “Hello there, Miss Sparkle,” I said, before turning and looking at Shining. “And to you too, Mr. Armor. It’s nice to see you both here. Did you just arrive?”

Shining, looking pleased with himself at being called Mr. Armor, nodded. “We just got here,” he said. I noticed that his voice had not yet dropped, so it sounded more childish than it had in the show.

“Are you really related to the Princess?” a high pitched and adorable filly’s voice asked. I turned and saw Twilight looking at me with those same wide eyes.

“That I am, Miss Sparkle,” I said.

“But I thought the Princess didn’t have any foals,” Twilight said.

I didn’t need to turn around to know that Celestia’s face had frozen in that perpetual smile. In truth, I had found out that in this body, I was distantly related to the Princess. I’d learned that Celestia and Luna had a third sibling, a stallion named Eclipse. Unlike his two older sisters, Eclipse never managed to ascend to alicornhood. Instead, he’d actually settled down and had a family of his own. Because he was related to the princesses, he and his family had been invited to stay in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Eclipse, however, had politely declined. He didn’t want his family to be caught up in political intrigue. He asked that his two older sisters not interfere in his attempt to live a peaceful life. Both had accepted this, of course, but had still kept subtle tabs on the family, making sure they were well protected even if they didn’t know it.

Then the family had vanished without a trace a few hundred years ago, and not even the best of Celestia’s network could find them. All seemed lost until they found a new lead, which led them to the orphanage where my mother, an unwed sixteen year old mare, had me. Unfortunately, she had died in foalbirth, not even having the strength to say who my father was. Not that it mattered. The report I’d read said that my mother, a sky blue mare with dark blue and white mane and tail named Golden Sparks, had come into the orphanage abused and beaten, likely from whoever the father was. Upon further investigation, Celestia had found that her family was the one she had lost track of.

She’d quickly adopted me, of course, and after eleven years, I was now the sixteen year old prince that I’d become today.

“Twilight, that's rude!” Twilight Velvet scolded her daughter, pulling her back towards her before looking up at Celestia. “Please forgive her, your Highness,” she added, “my daughter tends to be a bit blunt sometimes.”

As I stood and looked back at Celestia, I saw that smile only get kinder. “Think nothing of it,” she said, then turned to look down at Twilight. “Prince Blueblood is my nephew, not my son,” she explained.

“Ooooh!” Twilight said, looking like she understood.

I decided to step in before she could ask something insensitive again. “Hey Auntie, would you be okay with me taking young Miss Sparkle and Mr. Armor here on a short whirlwind tour of the palace?” I asked.

Celestia looked down at me with a somewhat surprised expression before she relaxed and smiled. “If they want to, sure.”

“I wanna see the palace!” Twilight exclaimed, looking around in awe at the massive lobby we were all standing in.

“Well, I’ll show you around,” I said, but looked back at her parents. “With your leave, of course.”

“O-Of course, your Highness,” Night Light said.

“You can trust my nephew and his friends,” Celestia said. “They’re responsible young adults.” Turning to me, Sunset and Cadance, she said, “You can go exploring for a while, but not too long, okay?”

“When we’re done, it’ll feel like we were only gone in ten seconds flat, as Bluey here likes to say,” Cadance smirked, shoving me playfully.

I laughed slightly, then gave her a playful glare. “Riiiight…” Turning back to the two young foals, I held out my hands to both of them. “Take my hands, you two. I don’t want you running off.”

“Eeew, I don’t wanna hold another stallion’s hand,” Shining said as he backed away.

“What about me, then?” Cadance stepped forward and offered her own hand to the young stallion.

I watched in amusement as Shining looked up at the young mare, his eyes going wide and a small blush forming on his face. There was silence for a bit, until he finally said, “Um…yeah…I guess that’ll be fine.”

“Ah darn, now I don’t have a hand to hold,” Sunset said in a joking manner.

Smirking, I quickly reached out and grabbed hers. She looked at me startled as I said, “And now you do, Sunny.”

As I led the impromptu group back up the stairs, I could hear Twilight Velvet chuckle. “Those three are really good friends, aren’t they?”

“Wow! The throne room is so big!” Twilight, who was now sitting on my shoulders and holding onto my horn, was looking around the empty throne room in awe. “But why are there two thrones?” she asked, pointing towards the dais.

I smirked. Twilight had been asking me, Sunset and Cadance a never ending barrage of questions ever since we’d started, but not before I learned about her and her brother’s age. She was eight and Shining was thirteen. Shining had expressed an interest in joining the Royal Guard himself, while Twilight hoped to get into Celestia’s School For Gifted Foals. I had been partly responsible for the rebranding of that school, since it not only was for unicorns now, but for gifted pegasi and earth ponies as well.

“Well,” I said, “that’s a secret for now. But don’t worry, someday Aunt Celestia will tell the world why.”

“Oh, okay,” Twilight said. She sounded a bit upset.

I looked up, making sure that my horn didn’t poke the cute filly. “Hey, don’t look so down, Miss Sparkle,” I said. “It’s alright.” I put on a thoughtful look, then looked up at her again. “Hey, what do you like to do most in the whole wide world? Do you like cake? Do you like playing on a jungle gym?”

“I like books!” Twilight exclaimed excitedly.

I raised an eyebrow, pretending to act surprised. “Well then, I know the perfect spot for you.” I turned to the others. “Hold onto your hats, everyone. I’m gonna teleport. Miss Sparkle, you might want to let go of my horn for a bit.” I felt her release my horn and grab onto my dirty blonde mane instead. Calming myself down, I began casting the teleportation spell. The sky blue magic that was my own began glowing around my horn. Holding up both my hands, they too began glowing and a quick orb of magic surrounded the group. With a sudden jolt, the scenery around us changed, from a well lit throne room to a dimly lit library. I lowered my hands and the magic that had flowed from my horn to my hands vanished, leaving us in the darkened library. “Darn, they turned the lights off,” I said.

“Got it,” Sunset said, a bright orange glow coming from her own horn that illuminated the rest of us. She walked over to the door nearby and flicked a switch. Warm lights came to life above us, illuminating the many books in the library. I’d actually spent a good deal of time here with Sunset, the two of us helping each other study for the magical exams or to find a new spell to try together. Sometimes Cadance would join us as would Spike, and it was on those days that the librarian, Dusty Pages, would catch the four of them laughing or being disruptive.

I liked Dusty Pages. She was a no nonsense mare and didn’t care that I was a prince or not. She would always be ready with a ruler to smack our hands if we ever got too rowdy. She made me feel less like some out of reach noble and more like another student.

I grinned. “Welcome to Canterlot Palace Library,” I said.

“So…many…books,” Twilight said in silent awe.

“You’d better believe it,” Sunset said, gesturing to the vast collection of books. “You know, I think I first met you in this library, Bluey,” she added, giving me a smirk.

“Yeah, you did,” I chuckled, remembering that day fondly. I looked back up at Twilight. “We have time for a quick walk around the library but then we have to get back to the Gala, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, sounding a bit disappointed, but that disappointment quickly turned to wonder as the five of us wandered through the rows and rows of books that were spread throughout the large room. As I walked through the room, I could hear her muttering the names of books and authors to herself.

After about ten or so minutes of looking, we were back at the front of the library. Sunset had already turned the lights back off and her horn was glowing once more to provide temporary light. “Alright, is everyone ready to go back?” I asked.

“Do we have to?” Twilight asked in a whining tone.

“Aunt Celestia did say she wanted us back in half an hour,” I said patiently. “It’s been that, I’m pretty sure.” I pulled out a gold and diamond encrusted pocketwatch from my blazer and looked at the time. “Yeah, half an hour,” I finished as I put the watch away.

“You still use that?” Cadance asked in astonishment.

I shrugged. “Hey, it’s a useful tool. And you did get it for me for my birthday, remember?” I finished, looking over at Cadance.

The young alicorn chuckled. “Well, yeah. Still surprised, is all.”

I rolled my eyes good naturedly and raised my arms, casting the teleportation spell once again. Immediately, the light around us changed and we were all back in front of the landing of the stairs where the other ponies were still greeting Celestia. I lowered the shield around us and pulled Twilight off of me. Setting her down, I looked around and saw her parents nearby, both with a glass of wine in their hands. I walked over to where they were and said, “Here we are, sir and ma’am. Your daughter and son brought back safe and sound.”

“It was amazing, mommy!” Twilight said before her parents could even get a word in edgewise. “The palace is so big and I could hear my own echo! And the library is bigger than the public one!”

“I didn’t get a chance to see the guard’s barracks,” Shining said with a pouting face as Cadance finally let his hand go and he crossed his arms.

“Sorry about that, young stallion,” I said. “But I’m sure I could put in a word with the captain of the guard to let you look around next time your dad works.”

Shining’s eyes brightened. “You mean it?” he asked hopefully.

“Sure,” I said with a smile, but then I put on a serious expression. “But you need to be on your best behavior while you’re there. The guard is very strict on cleanliness and keeping things in order. You understand?”

He straightened up and in one of the most adorable things I’d seen all night, he saluted. “Yes sir, your Highness!”

I couldn’t help the warm smile that returned to me. “Who knows?” I said, “if you do get into the guards, you might be assigned as my personal bodyguard. Or even my Aunt Celestia’s.”

“You think so?” the starry eyed colt asked.

“With devotion and lots of training, you can do anything,” I replied. “But I’ve gotta warn you, training with the Royal Guard is NOT easy. They’ll put you through the ringer and push you to the limit, But once you get past that, you’re in.”

“And trust me, this guy knows more than you’d think,” Sunset said, smacking me on the back playfully.

“So it’s true that you endured the three weeks of, well, you know,” Night Light asked, looking at me.

I chuckled. “I did indeed,” I said. “I did it about a couple years ago when I was fourteen.”

“So young!” Twilight Velvet said.

“Well, I volunteered for it, and made everyone promise to not let me get out of it no matter how hard I begged,” I snickered. “I’m glad I did, though. Honestly, I think everyone who talks down to the guards should be made to undergo those three weeks. I always tried to be appreciative to the guards before, but after that I gained a new appreciation for what you in the service do.” I gave a nod to Night Light. “Those were the three most brutal weeks of my life. I was sore for about a week afterward.”

Night Light gave me a knowing look. “Same here.”

The two of us exchanged a look then laughed. The mares around us along with Shining watched with confusion as the laughter died down and I said, “Well, as I’m sure my Aunt already said, welcome to the Gala and I hope you enjoy yourselves. Help yourselves to some of the finest refreshments available and enjoy the gardens.”

The two older ponies both bowed, then took their children by the hand and led them into the main room. The moment they were gone, Sunset exhaled. “Well, that killed another thirty minutes of this night. Just another…what time is it, Bluey?”

Pulling out my pocketwatch, I opened it again. “just past seven thirty,” I said, putting it back in my blazer pocket.

“Just another two and a half hours of boredom and snooty stupid nobles trying to suck up to us to go,” she finished.

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” I said, looking at Sunset with concern. “I know these kind of things just don’t do it for you.”

Sunset locked her eyes on me and frowned. “You’ve got to endure it, though. I’m not letting you suffer alone. You or Candy here,” and here she indicated Cadance.

Cadance stuck her tongue out at Sunset. “Oh, shut up,” the future princess of love said in an annoyed tone.

“Make me, nyeh!” Sunset replied, sticking her own tongue out.

“While you two mares bicker like a bunch of hens,” I said with some good natured ribbing, “I’m gonna go talk to Aunt Celestia for a bit. I’ll be right back.” So saying, I turned and walked back up the stairs where Celestia was still sitting on one of the stairs landings, pleasantly greeting the ponies. To my surprise, the line looked like it had shortened. I smiled, realizing that she must have taken my advice about taking a break to mingle among the guests instead of just sitting and greeting the guests all night.

As I reached the landing, Celestia turned and saw me. Her smile became more genuine as she stood and turned to the two pony mares who had just arrived. “Pardon me for a few minutes, my little ponies,” she said, “my nephew seems to want to have a few words with me.”

I bowed apologetically to the impatient looking mares, who both forced themselves to smile at me when they realized who I was. “I’ll try and be quick,” I said as a means of apology.

“Take all the time you need, Your Highness,” one of them said. She sounded like she was from Trottingham judging from the refined British sounding accent she had.

As the two of us stepped up the next flight of stairs and out of earshot, Celestia raised her head and her horn glowed. The space around us was immediately encased in a golden dome and the sounds of the Gala vanished. She turned back to me. “So, my dear nephew, was she the mare you mentioned to me?”

I nodded. “All down to her love of books. That is the Element of Magic I saw in the show.”

Celestia nodded, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “And what of Sunset Shimmer? She is my personal student right now. I had always hoped she would be the one to ascend to be the Element of Magic.”

“Auntie, seriously, she’s really gotten strong in her magic,” I said. “And since you ‘forced’ her to become study partners with me, she’s opened up a lot and accepted friendship into her heart. She’s made friends with me and Cadance along with young Spike. You really don’t have to worry about what I saw coming true about her running away. As for whether or not she’s Element of Magic worthy, I can’t really say now. Maybe she is, and maybe she isn’t. Either way, she’s really quite powerful, just like she was in the show.”

Celestia pursed her lips. “Still, I think it’s best to err on the side of caution, my dear nephew. How old is the young filly?”

“Eight,” I said, “so we have two years before the sonic rainboom event. Unfortunately, since I managed to hatch Spike instead of her, we can’t do the dragon hatching test anymore.”

“The test I have now is just as difficult as hatching a baby dragon with magic,” my aunt said in a reassuring tone.

“I hope so,” I said. “I swear to God, so much has changed already. I don’t know if the future’s already altered irreparably or-”

Celestia put a finger over my lips. “Hush, dear Blueblood,” she said, and the warmth and love in her eyes and smile was enough to reassure me. But, being the kindhearted ruler and aunt that she was, she continued. “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why it’s called the present. Did I get that quote right?” she asked.

I chuckled. “Pretty much,” I said. “Sorry, Auntie. You know me. I get worried over the littlest things sometimes.”

“That’s why I’m here,” she said gently, running her hand through my mane like she was wont to do.

I groaned and tried to push her hand away. “Aaauntiieee! Ponies might not be able to hear us but they can sure as hell see us!” I said.

She laughed and pulled me close into a hug. “You’re my nephew, reincarnated soul or not. Let them look. All they’ll see is a loving aunt showering her nephew with love.”

I blushed hard, but relaxed in her warm embrace. The tall alicorn mare had always been so kind with me and had helped me through some of my darker moments. Especially the ones involving my death. The two of us stayed like that for a full minute before Celestia released me. Looking up at her, I said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, my dear nephew. Now, I’m afraid I have to go back to the drudgery that is this Gala,” Celestia said with a sigh.

“If I was anyone else, I’d go stir up some trouble just to make your night,” I joked, “but I can’t unfortunately.”

“I’d have to discipline you if you did,” Celestia said.

“I know, I know,” I said. “Anyway, I’m off to go spend time with Sunset and Cadance.”

“What about young Spike? Where is he?” Celestia asked. “I invited him too, remember?”

“Yeah, well after last year, he didn’t really want to come,” I said. “I bought him the newest Power Ponies issue so he’s probably reading that.”

Celestia frowned. She hadn’t taken the news of Spike’s treatment at last year’s Gala very well and had given Spike three weeks worth of allowance as a reward. Allowance he’d blown instantly on ice cream which had given him an upset stomach. “I didn’t realize he still felt badly about it,” she said. “Perhaps it’s time for me to have a talk with the nobles who made him feel so poorly.”

“Well, that’s your prerogative,” I said, “but speaking of him, is it okay if the I duck out early to go check on him? I told him that if I could get out I’d take him down to that new donut shop that opened up. Joe’s Donut Shop, I think it’s called.”

Celestia smiled, then her horn began to glow. I suddenly felt a small weight in one of my pockets. Reaching in, I felt a small coin purse. I was about to protest, but she held up a finger to silence me. “Hush now, dear Blueblood,” she said, “this trip is on me. Just promise me you’ll purchase me a few donuts too? After tonight, I’ll need it.”

Smirking, I nodded. “I’ll see if they make anything that has a cake flavor,” I teased.

“Oh hush, you,” she said with a laugh that she only reserved for me, Sunset, Cadance and even Spike. And presumably her sister once upon a time.

“You make it too easy,” I chuckled. “But thank you. I’ll let Spike know.”

“Just be sure you all don’t stay out too late, she said. “And I would appreciate you letting your personal guard know that you’re going out this time. Last time the poor stallion was so sure he was going to be banished for losing you.”

“That stallion takes his job way too seriously,” I said.

“He’s supposed to,” Celestia reminded me for the millionth time.

I nodded. “Yeah, I know. But all of those eutherian ponies do. Especially with the way they come out of the shadows like they do.” I shuddered. “Creepy.”

“You know I worry,” Celestia said.

“And you know I’m older than I look and one of your magical students,” I replied. “But I’ll take Shadow Hunt out with us. Lord knows he could use the downtime.”

She raised her horn again and it glowed. The dome vanished, and I could hear the sounds of the Gala once more. “That’s all I ask,” she said. “Enjoy your time, dear Blueblood.”

“I will,” I said. “Thanks, Auntie.” And with that, I waved at her and ran down the stairs towards my two friends.

“My liege, are you sure this is a good idea?” My guard, a eutherian pony with dark blue fur, black mane and fur and shining yellow eyes, asked as he walked beside me. Like most of the old Lunar Guard, he wore his armor which had been painted black with the exception of his cutie mark emblazoned on his breastplate, a full moon with a knife sticking through it. In a way his cutie mark reminded me of the emblem for the Terran Empire from Star Trek.

“Is spending time with my friends at a donut shop a good idea?” I asked, looking at the bat winged pony beside me. “Shadow, you really do need to relax more. And did you really have to wear your armor?”

“Standard protocol, my liege,” he said stalwartly. “Our old Lunar Mistress demanded nothing but the best.”

I sighed. This one was a hard nut to crack, but I appreciated a challenge. “Don’t make me order you to have fun,” I said. “Remember what happened last time?”

The young eighteen year old eutherian prodigy shuddered at the memory. “You promised me you wouldn’t,” he said.

I nodded. “Yeah, I did,” I acknowledged.

“Yeah, please don’t make him,” a childlike voice from above said. Looking up, I looked into Spike’s slitted green eyes as I carried him on my shoulders, something he really liked doing much like how his show self liked riding on Twilight’s back. “I had water in my ears for three days.”

“Come on, you slowpokes!” Sunset, who was walking ahead with Cadance, waved at us. “I don’t wanna get there and find out that it’s closed.”

“Hold your horses, we’re coming!” I said as I sped up, Shadow following close behind me.

“My liege, if you don’t mind, I’ll go into stealth mode now,” he said, and I could hear the hint of nervousness in his voice. Eutherian ponies were not very well liked by the other three tribes, mostly because they were the result of some of Discordia’s tomfoolery with a number of pegasi back during the time of his rule. Celestia had told him that Princess Luna had taken quite a shine to the new subspecies of pony and had immediately found them jobs as the Lunar Guard. Due to most ponies not looking favorably upon them, they had become extremely loyal to the princess and had even taken her side during her rebellion against Celestia during the events of Nightmare Moon. This, of course, did them no favors afterwards, but Celestia, not wanting them to suffer for their loyalty, continued to employ them as the Lunar Guard, making sure to keep their chain of command separate from her Solar Guard.

“Sure, that’s alright, but do you want a donut?” I asked.

He paused a bit, then said, “If it please you, I wouldn’t mind having a dark chocolate glazed donut if they have one. If not, then a normal chocolate glazed donut is fine.”

“I’ll see if they have any,” I promised just as the eutherian seemed to fade back into the shadows. Specifically, my shadow. I shuddered, still not able to get used to that feeling.

“This is it!” Cadance said a few minutes later as we reached a corner shop with a large donut lit from the inside blinking on and off. “Joe’s Donuts.” She took a sharp inhale. “Smells amazing!”

“Then let’s go in and see if these donuts taste as good as they smell,” I said as I pushed open the glass double doors, hearing a bell ringing as I did so.

“Whoa…this place is so colorful!” Spike said in awe as we all walked in. The store looked exactly as it had in the show to my eyes, the green colorfully decorated walls, the counter with donuts painted onto it, and pictures of pastries hanging from the walls around matched everything I knew about the place.

I chuckled and ruffled the ten year old dragon’s spines. “It is, isn’t it,” I said.

“Wow, it’s pretty empty,” Sunset said, which earned her a smack upside the head from me. “Hey!”

“Everyone’s at the Gala, so of course it’s empty,” I whispered.

Her ears flattened. “Oh, right.”

“Well, I didn’t expect to see anypony here this evening,” a deep voice said from behind the counter. We all turned and saw a somewhat pudgy tan colored unicorn stallion standing up. He instantly reminded me of the soda jerks from the 1940s with his white getup. On his breast pocket was sewn a pink frosted sprinkled donut, presumably his cutie mark. When he saw me, however, his eyes widened. “P-Prince Blueblood??”

I held up a hand. “Please relax, sir. My friends and I are just here to check out this lovely establishment of yours.”

“W-Well, welcome to my shop!” the stallion said. “I’m Pony Joe, and I’m happy to see you here!”

“We’re glad to be here,” I said as I led my three friends to four stools at the front and sat down, looking at the donuts.

Spike began to drool immediately. “Mmm…that pink frosted donut with the extra sprinkles looks sooo good,” he said.

“It’s the house specialty,” Pony Joe said proudly. “That, and the hot chocolate my wife Peppermint makes is second to none!”

“Did somepony call my name?” a voice from the back called out. The door opened, and I saw a pregnant looking unicorn mare with a cream colored coat of fur and a red and white striped mane. She was dressed similarly to her husband, only with a steaming cup of hot chocolate sewn onto her breast pocket as her cutie mark. She saw us all, but when she saw me, her eyes went as wide as her husband’s. “Your Highness?!”

“Please, no need to be so nervous, ma’am,” I said. “My friends and I just had to escape the Gala for the evening and wanted to try out this place.”

She relaxed a bit and smiled. “Well then, welcome to our shop! I’m Peppermint Patty, co-owner and wife of this sweet stallion here.” She stood next to her husband and put an arm through his.

“Can I have some hot chocolate too?” Spike asked expectantly.

I pursed my lips thoughtfully, then finally nodded. “Alright, since tonight’s a special night, you can. But not too much that you get sick, okay? Last time you ate half a cake in one sitting and were up half the night groaning.”

“That was a cake! I’ll be fine!” Spike said with a dismissive wave of his claw.

“Who’s this cute little guy?” Peppermint asked, looking at Spike.

I put my hand on his back and patted it. “This is Spike, my adopted little brother. I hatched him when he was just an egg and he’s been living with me ever since.”

Peppermint smiled immediately and knelt down. “Well hello there, Mr. Spike. I’ve never seen a dragon before. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Spike said with a smile.

“So, what can I get started for all of you?” Pony Joe asked.

Pulling out the coin purse Celestia had given me, I opened it up only to realize that she’d given us ten times more than was necessary, at least if the prices on the board were any indication. I grinned. Tonight was a night where I would punish this solid teenage body of mine. “Well, some hot cocoa for each of us, each with marshmallows to start,” I said. I then patted Spike on the back. “And let’s get this guy his pink frosted sprinkled donut, shall we? Oh, and a question?”

“Shoot,” Pony Joe said.

“Do you have any cake flavored donuts?”

“Oooh…I ate waaay too much,” Spike was saying as I carried him up the stairs to our room. Cadance and Sunset had both headed to Sunset’s little private wing to have a girls only sleepover, leaving me to deal with a groaning dragon. He had, indeed, eaten way too many donuts and was paying the price for it.

“I warned you, Spike,” I said with a sigh as I rubbed his stomach gently. “Ten donuts for someone your size? Not a good idea.”

“I thought it would be future-Spike’s problem,” he said, “but now I am future-Spike.”

“Come on,” I said gently, “I’ll heat up some veggie broth for you before bed. That should help settle your stomach.”

That seemed to brighten the young dragon’s mood as I reached the door to my suite and opened it. I reached over and flipped the light switch, and my suite’s lights came alive. It still surprised me that Celestia had given me the room that, in the show, had initially belonged to Twilight Sparkle. I walked down and placed the young dragon in his bed before heading to the small kitchen my suite had, grabbed a can of veggie broth that I’d bought just in case of Spike getting sick, poured some into a pan and began heating it up. As that was going on, I walked back out and changed Spike out of his normal clothes into his pajamas, a green onesie with room for his tail. The poor dragon was still groaning, so I handed him a bottle of ginger ale to help settle his stomach and put a bucket next to his bed just in case.

Once the soup was done, I helped him sit up and since he was hurting too much to do anything, I fed him the soup until he felt strong enough to do it on his own. He finished the whole bowl and looked remarkably better for it. “Think you can sleep tonight?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah…that soup helped. Thanks, Bluey.”

“No problem, Spikey,” I said, ruffling his spines a bit. “Just get some rest and you can sleep in tomorrow. It’s a free day for me, Sunset and Cadance anyway, so if you’re feeling up to it, we can all go out to Canterlot and have some fun.”

His smile returned and he nodded. “Sure, that sounds fun, but can I sleep with you tonight?”

“Sure, Spike,” I agreed. “Just let me clear up the kitchen first and then it’ll be time for bed.”

“Thanks.”

Less than ten minutes later, the lights were out, and Spike was curled up in bed next to me, the bucket on his side of the bed. He pulled the blankets over him and slowly turned towards me. I was lying on my back, arms behind my back and looking up at the ceiling. “Bluey?” he whispered.

“Hmm?” I turned and looked back at Spike.

“Thanks for taking me to that donut place,” he said.

I smiled at him. “You’re welcome, little guy. Now get some sleep and give your stomach a rest.”

He nodded, then curled up and pulled the covers over him, closing his eyes and beginning to breathe with some regularity. I stayed awake, watching him just in case his body decided to rebel on him, but after a few minutes, the young dragon was snoring away in the adorable way he always did.

I held up my horn, then both of my index fingers glowed as well. I put them both in my ears, and instantly the sound of Spike’s snoring ceased, but only that. I pulled my fingers out of my ears, then looked back up at the ceiling, staring at the dark shadows that were cast by the moon rising nearby. Closing my eyes after a while, I began to doze off.

Ten more years, I thought. Just ten more years until Aunt Luna comes back. Wow…I hope I can get things ready in time for…for…

Those were my last thoughts as slumber overtook me.

2 - Little Baby Blueblood

“Aaand that’s the last box!” I said triumphantly as I set the last cardboard box from my old place into my new one. I looked around my new two bedroom, one bath house that I’d just purchased and smiled proudly. “Well, that’s that!”

“Ya gonna want some help unpackin’ here, mistah?” One of the movers, a burly tanned bald guy wearing a blue cap asked from the front door.

I looked around my new place, then back at the guy. “Nah, I don’t own that much stuff. I can take care of it. You need anything from me?”

“Just a signature heah,” the guy said as he held up a clipboard with a piece of paper on it.

I made my way through the living room towards the front door and took the clipboard and pen from the mover. Finding the spot at the bottom with a space for a signature, I clicked the pen open and wrote Stephen Waverly along with the date: April 11, 2024. “Is that everything?” I asked.

“Nah, yer good,” the man said as he took back the clipboard from me. “Are ya sure ya don’t need any help?”

“Nah, like I said, I’ll be alright,” I replied. “There’s not much here for me to unpack anyway.”

The man nodded and, putting a hand to his cap, nodded at me. “Well then, mistah Waverly, welcome ta yer new home. Have a good rest of yer day.”

“Thanks, you too,” I replied as I watched him go back to his moving van. Closing the door behind me, I locked it, then picked up the key that I’d hung on a tack I’d placed in the wall next to the door temporarily until I could put up my key rack. Smiling, I kissed the key and pocketed it before turning back to the boxes and furniture in the room. Clapping my hands and rubbing them together gleefully, I grinned. “Welp, time to get settled in!”

Five and a half hours later, not including the quick lunch of ramen I cooked for myself around noon, I’d unpacked and stored everything away in the placed where I wanted them and was already lounging around on my brand new queen sized bed. It felt really nice to have a house of my own, even if I had a mortgage to pay. It was my house. Mine!

I opened my laptop, connected to the internet that had just been installed the day before, and began browsing the web. The new job I’d gotten here paid three times as much as my old job, meaning I could finally afford the higher speeds of internet I craved. And not only that, but the mortgage payments were actually less than my old rent. Sure, there were utilities to pay, but even those were cheaper than my old utilities.

I’d really lucked out.

The first thing I did upon opening my laptop and signing onto my now faster internet was finding the closest pizza place, which so happened to be a Godfather’s Pizza, and ordering the most meat stuffed and cheesiest pizza I could order along with a giant two liter bottle of root beer. I then went straight to my external, plugged my laptop screen into the TV and began watching the first episode of Psych. I was around a half hour in when my pizza arrived. I thanked the driver, put the pizza box on my coffee table and just lay on my couch like a lazy ass, watching the episodes pass by and the night fell outside. Finally, with half a pizza gone as well as half the soda bottle, I turned off the laptop and TV, put the pizza and soda in the fridge for tomorrow, then went and enjoyed a nice relaxing shower. It was nice not to have hot water that didn’t go on and off randomly, so I stood there for ten minutes after I washed up, just letting the water wash over me. I even laid down in the tub for a little while before finally getting out and changing into some clean pajamas.

The bed was one of the best beds that I had ever lay in. The comforter was heavy and warm, and the sheets I lay on were soft to the touch like velvet. It felt like I was wrapped in heavenly garments. I grabbed a book from the bookshelf, turned on the light to the side of my bed and spent about an hour reading before I felt my eyelids begin to droop. I put the book on the endtable, turned off the light, put my facemask on, and lay down. Despite my excitement at owning a brand new house and the new job that started in a week, the day had been exhausting. The house around me felt more like a home, with the exception of the pile of broken down cardboard sitting out in the garage for the next garbage day.

Feeling contented, I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and began falling into a peaceful, contented sleep.

I woke in the middle of the night feeling incredibly thirsty. Looking at my phone, I saw that it was just past one thirty in the morning. Not only that, but I really had to go. Obeying my body, I stood up and went straight to the bathroom just on the opposite side of the hallway to my bedroom. After using the facilities, I walked down the hall, turned on the light to the kitchen, then grabbed a glass and filled it with water from the fridge’s water dispenser. The ice cold water felt good going down my throat as I drank about three large glasses before my thirst was quenched.

Feeling a bit peckish now, I pulled out one of the slices of now cold pizza and wolfed it down in only a few bites. This led to me needing more water, which I downed again before I put the glass in the sink to wash in the morning. With a yawn, I began heading back to my room.

And that was when the ground began to sway beneath me.

I froze, stunned by the sudden movement. I’d moved to North Dakota mostly because the chances of an earthquake there were some of the lowest in the U.S. I looked around, watching a painting I’d gotten from an old girlfriend sway in the quake. It popped off of the hook and fell to the ground. “Welp, time to get out of dodge,” I said as I turned and headed quickly towards the door.

And at that very moment, the ground beneath me fell, opening into deep black pit. I tried to stop, but I lost my balance. I fell screaming, clawing helplessly at the air in a vain hope for a handhold. However, what felt like an eternity of falling later, my head struck something and I knew no more.

When I next woke, I was in an inordinate amount of pain, indescribable even. I couldn’t see anything and all I could hear was the tumbling of dirt and rock around me every so often. I tried to scream or call out anything, but all that I could manage was a small croak. I tried to move, but something was on top of me, feeling like it was crushing me.

“Down here!” I heard a distant voice call from above me. “I see a hand!”

“Be careful! The structure isn’t too sound!” another voice called out.

“Oh God…it looks like half the house fell on whoever’s down here. Hey listen! If you can hear me, try and remain calm! We’re coming to get you!”

I was terrified, but I was too weak from whatever had happened to me in order to have a physical meltdown. I tasted something metallic in my mouth. Blood. Tons of blood was pouring out of my mouth. I tried to open my eyes, but nothing happened. Everything was pitch black.

“Holy shit, someone help me get this all off of him! He’s in pretty bad shape! Sir, if you can hear me, we’re gonna get you out of here.”

“Fuck! Look at his eyes!”

“Oh God!”

I felt myself wavering on the brink again, but I was a stubborn guy. I didn’t want to die! Not now! I tried to move, but that only caused me an indescribably amount of pain. I groaned weakly.

“Try not to move, sir! We’re trying to get you out now!”

I tried to say something, but nothing else came out. Something inside me snapped and something warm began flowing out of my mouth. Instinctively, my body coughed which sent me into spasms. Something moved around above, and it sounded like said something was sliding towards me. “Oh no, someone catch that-!”

Immense pain, then complete and utter oblivion followed.

Darkness. That was my entire world for eternity upon eternity. Utter quiet too. The pain was gone, so that was a plus. I was just alone with my thoughts.

Did I just dream about a sinkhole opening in my house? And did I also dream about being crushed to death under debris? And what did they mean about my eyes?

As I pondered the unusual dream, I tried to get a feeling for whatever the next part of my dream could mean. I felt content, that was for sure. Like I was some ethereal nothingness. Huh, pretty cool. I wonder if I can create anything in this dream?

Concentrating, I tried to create a large field of grass underneath a sunny sky. Unfortunately, since I’d never really practiced lucid dreaming, nothing happened. If I had a body, I would have sighed. The darkness persisted as did the quiet.

THUMP. Huh? What was that?

THUMP. Seriously, what is that??

THUMP THUMP.

THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP!

Whatever was making that thumping sound only sped up until it became a steady hum in the background. Confused, I tried to identify where it was coming from, but it sounded as if it was coming from everywhere.

As the hum persisted, I felt a strange change coming over me. The lack of feeling slowly began to chance. It felt like I was growing I was suddenly warm, feeling like I was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth. I felt like I was floating too. Everything around me was dark, not that I cared. It was nice where I was, wherever I was. I also felt like I was wrapped in a thick blanket. It was really comfortable, and I didn’t want to move. Strangely enough, I also felt like I was wrapped in some kind of liquid, but I didn’t feel the need to breathe. I kept my eyes closed and just basked in the strange feeling around me. If this was a dream, I didn’t really mind anymore. It was really better than feeling like my body was completely broken.

The constant humming was shattered, however, when I heard something. I heard a muffled voice, which sounded like it came from an older woman, say something in an unfamiliar language from somewhere. At that same moment, the humming vanished, only to be replaced with the strange THUMP THUMP sound. I frowned and tried to move my hands so I could cover my head, but my hands wouldn’t move the way I wanted them to. Another voice, younger and also female, replied. I couldn’t understand the words, but I could hear the terror in the voice.

I listened in, unsure what I was hearing since the language not only was one I didn’t recognized, but it was muffled like it was behind a thick wall. Suddenly, I saw a light ahead of me. I looked at it in utter confusion since it was right near my head. Something possessed me to head towards it, and so I tried my best to move, but I felt strangely weak. The warm walls around me clenched and I felt myself being pushed towards the light.

Okay, dream, I thought to myself, This is new. Guess I’ll play along. I moved closer to the slitted opening, and the walls around me responded by easing up. The older female voice said something, and the younger one responded with a scream. The walls clenched down around me again, and I moved ever so closer to the opening cave. After the walls released their grip on me, I struggled once more to move. For some reason, my body felt strange all of the sudden. Like it was too small or something like that. However, I continued to struggle with what little strength I had. The younger woman screamed again, and my world became a blazing wall of yellow, warm light. I shut my eyes tightly against the light. From very close by, I could hear a baby begin to cry as icy cold air assaulted my body. I finally began breathing a bit, but only in spasms.

I felt myself being lifted up, then a very large hand began rubbing me. The crying persisted and I tried to open my eyes to see where it was coming from, only for the bright yellow light to force me to close my eyes again. I felt sticky as well.

After what felt like an eternity, I felt something damp being dragged across my body. The sticky sensation slowly went away, and I was wrapped up in what felt like a thick towel or blanket. The crying subsided, then I was surrounded by even more warmth. I heard the gentle but weakened voice of the younger woman say something, and I could tell it was directed at me. I might not have known the words, but the intention was definitely understandable. The warmth and care in her voice spoke volumes to me. Someone’s hand stroked my hair and a small bump on my forehead-

Wait, a bump?! The fuck is that?!

I moved around as best I could, but whoever had wrapped me up had done a damn good job of wrapping me up. I tried a few times to open my eyes, but each time all I could see was a wall of sky blue. Moving my head felt like a chore. Finally, however, I moved my head just enough to see something else. It looked like a bright sun, which forced me to look away. I lay there for a while, wondering just why the world around me felt so bright.

Just then, something changed. There were a number of voices all around me talking in worried tones. The extra warmth vanished and I was lifted into another set of arms. The tones only became louder. The crying resumed, and all I knew was that I was missing the extra warmth of whoever had been holding me.

Holding me…

Slowly, I opened my eyes again, only to find that I was now lying in a massive wooden box of some sort. Above me there was a large wooden roof. I heard footsteps around me and the voices only seemed to get louder. As did the crying. My vision began getting blurry and liquid began seeping out of it. And with that, sudden realization hit me.

I was the one crying. I was dreaming about being born! Now it made sense. The thumping had been my heartbeat and I hadn’t needed to breathe since I was encased in embryonic fluid. What didn’t make sense, though, was why the thumping heartbeat sped up. Had my heartbeat really been that fast?

I closed my eyes, trying to move my arms to cover my mouth, but my body was wrapped tightly. Now that I knew I was dreaming about being born, it made sense. Babies were wrapped up tightly after being cleaned up at birth, after all. I closed my eyes and tried to close my mouth. I was rewarded with the crying stopping. I blinked the tears out of my eyes and the world became sharp again.

That was when the second bombshell dropped. A face came into view above me suddenly, but what a face. I was looking into the face of a weirdly shaped horse. And weirdly colored, too! Its mane was a bright yellow color and her fur was a warm crimson, while her eyes were a sharp blue. The being opened its mouth, and the same older female voice I’d heard before said something in that weird language of theirs.

No, that wasn’t a horse I was looking at. My eyes wandered up to her head, seeing a sharp protrusion coming out from what I assumed was her forehead. A protrusion that resembled a horn. A unicorn’s horn at that.

Just what in the hell is going on?! I thought. Why am I dreaming about weirdly colored horses all of a sudden?!

The woman-no, mare, if all the hours I spent watching My Little Pony were right, looked away, said something in a harsh tone, then looked back down at me. To my surprise, the multicolored unicorn mare reached down with two arms, lifting me up again and cradling me close to her. I was flabbergasted by that. Not only was she a unicorn, but she was an anthropomorphic version as well. I was completely lost. What the hell kind of dream is this?!

At that moment, something inside me seemed to die. A presence that was always near and dear to me was suddenly snuffed out. And the world around me began to divide and blur. I didn’t know why, but I was crying again, only this time out of sheer grief. I tried my best to hold it back, but nothing helped.

I wailed in utter despair and sorrow. I didn’t know just why or how I knew, but something precious to me had just been lost.

Then, I felt myself slipping away into the welcome embrace of slumber…

I groaned when I woke up, trying to keep my eyes shut against the sunlight that was pouring into my eyes. The dream I’d had the night before had been one of the weirdest ones I’d ever had before. It felt so real. Getting up and heading to get a drink, the sinkhole, presumably being crushed, then being reborn in some strange place with some kind of anthro unicorn mare. For some reason, the memory of everything was incredibly clear. Impossibly so.

I should write that down before I forget about it, I thought as I tried to sit up. However, I wasn’t able to move. My eyes slowly opened, and to my horror I found I was still in that wooden box wrapped in a white blanket. Oh, goddamn it! I’m still dreaming!? Can someone wake me up, now?!

I opened my mouth and tried to say something, but all that came out was, “Eeh bah!” What? I can’t talk in my dream?! That’s new…

I frowned, then tried again. “Aaah uuuh?” Don’t tell me I’ve lost the ability to speak!

Just then the unicorn mare’s face appeared above me, looking down at me. Her unusually expressive face was etched with worry, but upon seeing me she relaxed. Reaching down, she touched my hair and stroked it gently. She said something in a kindly voice with a tone normally directed to an infant, then held up a massive bottle filled with white liquid. In that moment, I realized that I was starving, like I hadn’t eaten in days.

Reaching down, the mare brought the bottle to my lips. Realizing what it probably was, I opened my mouth and accepted the bottle without any hesitation. The mare looked slightly surprised, but her smile returned and she gently lifted the bottle up. Some warm and tantalizing liquid flowed into my mouth and I began sucking on it.

All the while, I was trying my best to figure out why I couldn’t wake up or even control the dream. My mind was running circles trying to wrap my head around what I was seeing. Something I’d always heard about dreams was that the people seen in them were always faces that the dreamer had seen in real life, whether in passing, on a daily basis, or anything in between. As I drank, I looked up at the unicorn made. I was positive I’d never seen a face like that before. I’d seen horses on TV and online before, of course, but this was unlike anything I’d seen before.

My thoughts returned, once again, to My Little Pony. I’d discovered it back when I was thirteen. I had a little sister, Sasha, and she’d watched some of the earlier generations that my parents had recorded on VHS off of the TV back in the day. So when the fourth generation show had begun to air, she’d immediately sat down and watched it. Since we only had one television in the house and my parents strictly regulated our computer usage since we only had one PC at the time, I was stuck watching the show whenever it aired each Saturday.

To my surprise, I actually grew to like the girly show and it was one of the things that my sister and I secretly bonded over. At school, I fervently denied watching such girly shows, and thankfully my sister had promised my parents not to tell her classmates or my friends about it. If my former friends were ever over for a Friday night sleepover which spilled over into the morning, Sasha would always be up watching the show. Since she was my little sister, I was ‘forced’ to watch the half hour show with her along with my friends while Mom and Dad made breakfast for us.

I relaxed at the memory, and that helped ease the sadness that was slowly creeping up on me. The same sadness that I’d felt earlier when I felt something had been lost to me. Continuing to suck on the milk bottle, I tried looking closer at the mare who was holding me. The warm crimson colored anthro mare had her sharp blue eyes locked on mine with a gentle kindness, but there was sorrow in those eyes as well. She was wearing a long white apron over a black dress. On her right shoulder, I saw a dark green and stained towel and she was wearing what looked like an older style nurse’s hat over her bright yellow mane. On the left breast of her black dress, though, I saw an embedded image, which showed a sky blue baby bottle with white liquid inside being turned downwards at an angle with three drops of more white liquid coming out like a small fountain.

After half the bottle was gone, the mare gently pulled it away, then lifted me onto the shoulder with the towel on it and began rubbing my back. It was here that I got my first real glimpse of the room I had been born in. And I had to say, my mind had gone overboard with the details. To me, it was a gigantic room, but I tried putting things into perspective and realized, judging from how tall this mare nurse was, that I was in a relatively small bedroom. There was a fireplace in a corner, which was well lit. The walls were white and had brown planks of wood arching upward to the slanted ceiling. In another corner was a freshly made bed with white sheets that had a couple of old faded brown stains near the bottom, but other than that looked relatively clean. Next to the bed was an old wood endtable with an old style electric lamp which illuminated the room even more. The wood floor had a round green carpet with white swirling patterns sewn into it. There were sconces on the walls with unlit lamps hanging from them, and I could see daylight streaming in from a window that I couldn’t see from my angle.

But what was really telling to me was the painting that hung right above the fireplace. The painting was one of a massive palace nestled directly against the mountain slope. Its towers came up out right next to the slope of said mountain, and in some cases even out of the mountainside itself. There were two large waterfalls falling around the palace itself, both of which flowed down into the circular shaped city in front of the palace and leading through the city. The city below was divided into two circles by a river that spread from a lake that one of the waterfalls emptied into. The other waterfall fell into another circular river that spread around the perimeter of the city and fell into artificial pools built directly over the edge of the cliff where the city was built. The city was surrounded by clouds near the bottom and near the top of the city I could see what looked like old style dirigibles docking at some sort of port. To the left of that, a large forest green valley lay with a large river snaking through it. But what caught my eye was an anthro version of what looked like a pegasus flying in the corner towards the palace itself.

Only, as I looked closer, I realized by the coloring that the anthro horse I was seeing couldn’t be a pegasus. The individual in question was wearing a long sleeved flowing white dress with a bright yellow circle with orange sun rays spreading out of the circle painted or sewn near the hip of the flowing dress. Near the bottom of the skirt, I saw some faded colors sewn into a pattern of green, blue, purple and pink. The mare wore a golden belt around her waist, a necklace with a purple gem hanging from said necklace, two golden bracelets on her wrists and a similarly colored crown on her head. She was turning and looking at the painter, gesturing with one hand to the city and holding out her other towards the painter, her magenta eyes full of warmth as her multicolored mane and tail flowed around her. I saw a pair of gold high heels on her feet, and they were feet, not hooves.

I recognized her after a while. It had been only five years since the show had ended, and while I would sometimes go back and watch an episode or two from time to time and would sometime watch one of the fanmade videos on YouTube or read the occasional fanfiction, I knew her for what she was. The alicorn princess of Equestria, Princess Celestia, which was only confirmed when I looked and saw a long white shaft poking out of her forehead that I’d somehow missed.

At that moment, something began rising up my stomach and I burped, spitting up what tasted like warm milk. At the same time, I realized that a pressure that had been building up in my stomach had been released. I realized then that I’d just been burped.

And I slowly started to begin to suspect that whatever was happening to me might not be a dream after all.

I thought back to my last few memories before awaking in this dream, going over them carefully as the woman said something in a slightly amused voice as she lifted me back into her arms. Memories began flooding back into me once more, and I felt myself begin to hyperventilate.

Falling…

Crushing weight…

No sight…

PAIN!

Warm walls…

The oddly shaped entrance…

Being pushed out by receding walls…

No…no way…no fucking way! I refuse to accept that! I did NOT just go through that! This is just a dream! A weird dream about a weirdly anthropomorphic version of Equestria, sure, but a dream nonetheless! Wake up, Stephen! Wake up! WAKE UP, DAMN YOU!

The warm look in the unicorn nurse’s eyes changed to concern as I wore my emotions on my sleeve again, crying out in an admittedly embarrassing display, but the harder I tried to reign in my emotions, the more I wailed. The mare gently rocked me, but the memories continued to play back in my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to banish the few images I had seen before my vision had been impaired in the dream, but even then, the images only persisted all the more, crystal clear. Clear enough to not be a dream.

I opened my eyes and struggled once more, trying my damndest to get out of the blankets wrapped around me. At that moment I heard a new noise from just above my head, but it hardly registered with my little freak out the foremost on my mind. At my sides, I saw an arctic blue glow coming from where I felt my hands were. The sound that I was hearing from my forehead now came from where the two spots of light were coming from.

The unicorn mare saw this and her eyes went wide in fear. If she was afraid, that freaked me out even more and I screamed. Something seemed to flow through me at that moment, coming from my head, flowing down through my neck and splitting as it made its way down my arms and to my hands. The bright lights from the blanket increased, and suddenly two bright bolts of light shot out of the blanket, aimed directly at the ceiling. One struck a wood beam and the other the white patch of ceiling next to it.

That caught my full attention, and not just because there were two holes in my blanket which were somewhat steaming. The holes revealed my babyish hands. I slowly brought them up while the nurse mare was distracted by the smoking ceiling above her. My hands were light gray, and had very short but noticeable fur everywhere. As I looked down, the fur on my hands slowly changed from light gray to white. I reached up and tried to touch my head only to find that I wasn’t able to reach it in this new body. I was, however, able to reach a large tuft of hair. Pulling it forward, I was surprised by how long it was. It was a light amber color and straight, which was a sharp contrast to my natural curly hair as a human.

I heard a door open quickly to my right. The mare who was holding me turned and faced whoever opened said door. A younger voice, but not the same as the young woman from before (who I now guessed was my mother) said something in a frantic voice. The older unicorn mare replied in a calmer tone, then looked down at me. Her kind smile actually helped put me at my ease, and for the moment the memories of my presumable death and the fear that this wasn’t a dream were pushed aside as I went and looked back at my new hands. They were chubby and clean, a lot like a baby’s hand should look like. I tried to get a feel for my new feet, and felt them wiggle ever so slightly, but they felt furred as well.

I looked around again, and caught a glimpse of the second mare. A lot like the first mare I’d seen, this one had a very unusual color scheme as well. She had no horn to speak of, but she was still an anthro pony. She wore an outfit similar to the mare holding me. Her eyes were a dark purple, her fur a deep fuchsia, and her mane, which was straight until the end where it curled up, was a light pink. However, I saw a pair of fuchsia and white tipped wings poking out of her back, both of which were spread in presumable alarm as she looked at the older mare nurse. When her eyes looked at me, there was some worry in them as well as she approached. However, that worry turned quickly to a smile as she stopped beside the older mare and reached down towards me. One of her fingers extended towards me. The first mare said something in a worried tone, but the younger one quickly replied in a reassuring tone.

Curious to see what her hand was like compared to mine, I reached up and did my best to wrap my own hands around her index finger. Her fur was a bit coarser than mine, but it was still plenty soft to the touch. Her nails were remarkably humanlike as well, and were pretty clean as well. Opening my mouth, I tried once more to say something, but all that came out was, “Haa! Haah!”

And somehow, that was enough for exhaustion to wash over me. Even a little bit of exertion seemed to be enough to wipe me out. And with all the crying I’d done in this new body of mine, along with my mini-freak out and magic casting I did, it made a modicum of sense. I released the younger pegasus’ finger and blinked a few times. My heavy eyelids shut again, and the exhaustion overwhelmed me. I fell back into a, gratefully, dreamless sleep.

When I woke again, I was in what felt like brand new blankets, but I was back in the same wooden box, or presumably a crib. The blankets were sky blue instead of the plain white. The lighting in the room was a bit darker than it had been before. Once again, I was wrapped up tightly so it was hard to move, and I felt something warm wrapped around my head.

So, I’m still here, I thought, and I looked around as best as I could. There wasn’t much to see, other than a soft pile of blankets underneath me and the four walls of my crib and the ceiling above me which showed flickering orange and yellow light, presumably from the fire I could hear crackling nearby.

As I lay there, I decided now was the best time to try and think through exactly what was happening to me. I really didn’t want to, but I knew it was better to face the facts as they seemed to be laid out before me. I woke up at night back in my brand new home, got a drink, then there was either an earthquake and a sinkhole appeared beneath my house, or the rumbling was just the sinkhole appearing on its own.

Which didn’t make sense. I’d made sure to do my research on various properties in the area near my new working place before I settled on that small house at the end of the block next to that small forest. It was as solid as they came. Sure, it was built in the 1980s, but I had assurances from the realtor that the old owners, an elderly couple who’d wanted to move to a warmer climate, had done some impressive renovations before selling it. New wiring, plumbing redone, a new roof and more improvements besides those.

Then again, sinkholes did happen at random. I remembered seeing that there’d been a small lake nearby, but it hadn’t been full in months due to a small drought.

That’s it, isn’t it? The water got into the ground and caused a collapse. Fucking hell…

I closed my eyes and tried once more to wake up. Please wake up, Stephen! Please wake up! God help me, I don’t wanna be here! Help me someone! Please! I clenched my body tightly, trying to force my mind to wake up.

And that’s when something warm enveloped me around my lower body. I opened my eyes wide in horror. No please…dream, you’ve humiliated me enough! Don’t make it so that I’ve just shit myself!!!

I moved around, and the warmth moved around with me. I began babbling in fear as I moved around and shuddered when the warmth moved up my back. In frustration, I screamed again. In rapid response to that scream, the older mare nurse appeared in front of me. She said something in a kind voice, then her horn began to glow the same color as her eyes. All around me, I felt a slight tingling and heard the same sound as before when I used my magic. I felt my ears move for the first time, facing forward. I was lifted up without her hands and moved to a nearby table. She set me down, stopped her magic casting, undid my blanket and then used her hands to change me.

I was so embarrassed. I’m a fucking adult male, for Christ’s sake! I shouldn’t have to be wiped and changed, even in a dream!

As she lifted me up, I looked between my legs. Seeing what I expected to find there, I was a bit relieved to find I was still the same sex. At least my dream didn’t take that from…me…

No, Stephen. You really should face the facts now, shouldn’t you? Is this really a dream? It’s way too realistic to be a dream. But what else could it be? Who dies and gets reborn as an anthro pony except those damn protagonists in those Human In Equestria stories?! Sure, I like the show, but not enough to be sent here! Come on, I mean really! I just got a nice job and a house with a low mortgage that I hope to pay off in less time than it says! And I don’t wanna go through puberty again!

As the nurse mare put a clean diaper over me, I shuddered once more. I really should face this new reality, shouldn’t I? I died in my old world. Rather brutally if what I heard those rescuers say was true. Then I wake up here, in the womb of a pony mare.

As I thought about her, I realized I had no idea where that mare was. I’d only been close to her for maybe a few minutes before I was taken away from her. While the mare wrapped me back up in the blanket, I went through all of my memories one more time, just to be sure. And I made sure not to get distracted this time. As I listened, my stomach sank. This was absolutely no dream, of that I had to begin accepting. It was too realistic to be one. It was just…way too real. What I couldn’t understand was why or even how I was born here? Here, of all worlds!

Okay, did the Tree of Harmony bring me here? Or Discord, maybe? Or maybe this has something to do with Twilight Sparkle? Maybe Celestia or Luna did something? I forced my once more growing panic attack down and made myself focus on the here and now. Weird reincarnation into an anthro pony foal body aside, I had a plethora of problems. The first and foremost being that the language I’d heard spoken was completely new to me. If this really wasn’t a dream and I was here to stay, I’d have to learn the language being spoken as fast as I could.

Fortunately, since I’m in a baby’s body, I can probably absorb stuff a lot faster, I thought to myself as the mare who’d changed me was now sitting in a rocking chair, singing some sort of lullaby softly to me. But why can’t I speak my own language? Is it because I’m not in a human body anymore? Or is it because I’m in a younger body in general? Or maybe it’s a combination. Anyway, I need to relearn how to talk, and learn the language of this world as fast as I can. I’m gonna go crazy otherwise.

Once again, I felt my eyelids begin drooping. Again with this?! I didn’t even do much this time! What the fuck?! Upon seeing this, the mare smiled and finished her lullaby, then carried me back to the crib, put me back in, then leaned down and gave me a small kiss on the protrusion coming out of my forehead. My horn, I realized. So, I’m a unicorn, huh? I’ve always wanted to cast magic. But language first. That’s the most important thing. And find out where my mom is and why she isn’t here with me?

The mare spoke to me quietly, and I finally heard her say something that I recognized. She said it at the end of the sentence, and it felt like the word was directed at me. But it wasn’t a very pony-ish name.

As I drifted off once more into sleep, my last thought was, What kind of a name is Vladímir?

Author's Note

If you all think I should upgrade this story to M, please let me know.

3 - Five Years Later...

The years passed. Long, long years. And unlike my first life, the memory of my new body was incredible.

During that very first week directly after my birth, I was kept in that same room and fussed over by the older nurse and a few other mares. An older stallion dressed as a doctor came and gave me what I presumed was a physical since he poked and prodded me. He seemed surprised at a few things, but since I still couldn’t speak the language I couldn’t even guess what he was surprised about. I did, however, recognize a thumbs up symbol when the worried older mare nurse asked something. She looked relieved at whatever the doctor then replied with.

I spent most of that week in the bed, and it was a lot of the same thing. Feeding from a bottle, being burped, being bathed, sleeping and being changed was all I really knew. And it gave me time to work through my feelings on the matter. Early in that week, and probably on day two, I finally completely accepted that this really wasn’t some fever dream and that I was really in this new world. That was one of the longest crying sessions I’d ever had. I’d just lost everything I’d worked to accomplish and had somehow been reborn in a world that my sister and I were both fans of. Me to a lesser extent, sure, but I still called myself a brony. The nurse comforted me as best she could, but it took a while for me to cry out a lot of my emotions until I was exhausted. Being in an infant body made me susceptible to exhausting myself very fast, and thinking seemed to cause most of my naps.

At the end of the first week, I was taken out of the room where I was staying and taken out into a large room which was filled with young anthro ponies ranging from preschool to twelve or thirteen, at least that was my guess. Ponies from each tribe of each color scheme gathered around and looked at me. The fillies were all over me, cooing and talking to me with that same strange language, while the colts mostly pretended to not find me cute.

I admit, I acted as cute as I could, eyes wide in wonder, although the wonder part wasn’t hard to fake since I was still in wonder at what was going on. In that first visit, I noticed that some of the foals had markings on their clothes. It seemed to vary from pony to pony. Some had them on their left or right chest, some on their hips, and some on their backs. I happened to glance one of them, a younger stallion, remove a jacket only for the symbol to vanish from the chest portion of his shirt to only reappear on the t-shirt underneath. Some of the other foals, mostly younger ones, didn’t have these marks, which I guessed were cutie marks. As I thought about that, it made a lot of sense. For an anthro version of ponies, walking around naked wouldn’t really be feasible, especially since the older mares that I’d seen had human-like breasts and I’d noticed that, unlike normal horses or ponies, I didn’t have a sheath for my own unmentionables.

After the first week, I woke up at one time feeling incredibly warm, warmer than normal. Once the mare nurse came for my feeding, she looked alarmed and put me in a warm bath while she told another nurse something. A while later that same doctor stallion came back and looked me over, then told the nurse a few things, gave her a piece of paper and left.

After that, the nurse gave me some foul tasting liquid, but I endured it because I really didn’t want to die of some childhood malady. In a few days, my fever went down and I was feeling much better. She seemed surprised when I readily drank that nasty medicine, but there were advantages of being a child with an adult’s brain.

After that first week and after the fever was all gone, I would be placed in a large play area with children’s toys, all stuffed animals. From my new playpen, which I would be in for a few hours at a time before I would inevitably pass out from exhaustion, I could see the entire room. Seeing it from the angle I was now at made it look impossibly big. There was a bed in the corner, a desk in another corner, the same fireplace and painting, and a door to the right of the desk. Across from the desk, there were two rectangular windows that were covered with light brown shades.

As for the toys I was given to play with, there were six, all stuffed animals. There was a pegasus pony, a dragon, a cow, a bull, a sheep and even a griffon. All of them were anthropomorphic. I was especially fascinated by the anthro versions of farm animals. The cow was dressed in a pair of blue overalls with yellow buttons holding the straps in place as well as a white t-shirt over it. The bull was dressed in just blue jeans and boots, and nothing else. In its hand was sewn a pitchfork. The sheep was obviously female since she wore a pink dress. The griffon, which had a similar color scheme to Gilda but was male, was wearing a pair of brown shorts and a somewhat torn gray t-shirt, although I guessed it was torn from being played with. The dragon was a male and only dressed in a pair of black shorts and held a spear in its hand which had been sewn on like the pitchfork had been to the bull. And finally, the pony, which was a mare, had light blue fur, dark green and purple striped mane and tail and had three reeds as a cutie mark sewn onto the sides of her red dress.

I used these toys to my advantage. I wasn’t sure if it was because my soul or consciousness had been shoved into a younger body, but I played with them and at the same time pretended they were saying things while trying to regain my ability to speak English.

I lost track of time while I was doing this, spouting nonsense when there was someone watching me, but whenever they left, I would slip into my rapidly reforming English skills. I even had names for each of them. The dragon was named Magma Storm, the griffon was Gilligan, the cow/holstaur was Annabelle, the bull was named Apollo, the sheep was named Fluffy, and the pony was named Daisy Reeds due to the cutie mark.

In order to retrain myself and to keep my mind entertained out of fear that I might forget who I was in my past life, I created a little show in my head called The Six Amigos and pretended that each of these toys were real people who lived in a house in Canterlot. As I regained the ability to speak proper English over the course of the next few months, each of the characters in my made up show developed characteristics of their own. I did use more mature themes in my make believe show as an extra means of keeping my memory intact.

Apollo was one of the heads of the household. I based him a lot on Iron Will, even imitating him whenever I created dialogue for him. He was a stubborn bastard who worked in the fields on the edge of Canterlot (I’d made up a few things about the city since I didn’t know anything about the actual layout of Canterlot aside from that painting). He was a hard worker and felt strongly about being the provider for his two lovers and his friends.

Annabelle was a loving and responsible holstaur who tended to be one of the only ones in the household who could calm Apollo down. She worked at a dairy factory, ironically enough. In order to make it a bit less weird for me, I invented a job for her where she would actually be in control of milking actual cows and preparing their milk for the creation of cheese and ice cream. I had no idea how things worked in the real world, but even the thought of holstaurs being attached to udder machines or even just milking themselves was a bit off-putting. However, I had to reason that if that was the case, it was a different world, so different rules applied.

Fluffy was the youngest individual in the house, and thus was not only the goofball but was always getting into trouble. She worked in a textile factory where she would create and sew blankets and create pillows using the wool from her body and the body of other sheep. Despite this, as time went on, she became a bit more mature. She still loved pulling pranks, but had learned, from the various episodes of my imaginary show, that certain pranks weren’t okay. She loved Apollo and Annabelle very much, however, and was pretty loyal to them. She was also the only other being in the house who could talk Apollo down.

Magma Storm was a miner who worked in the underground mines in Canterlot. The pay was excellent and that meant that he lived in the master bedroom of the house since he could afford to pay for it, but his job was also incredibly dangerous. He and Apollo would have shouting matches a lot of the time about minor things, but in the end they were both respectful of each other and were friends.

Gilligan was actually a part of the Canterlot Weather Team and was responsible for making sure the weather around the city was maintained. He was a bit timid and had a little bit of a stutter, but that never stopped him. There would be times when he got teased for his stutter, but Daisy Fields would always stand up for him if she saw him being picked on because of it. He was using the Weather Team as a means to pay for college tuition so he could become a professor at Canterlot University. He also had feelings for Daisy.

Daisy Fields was a reporter for Canterlot Daily News, a fictional smaller startup newspaper in Canterlot. She was a bit of a gossip and loved hearing the latest paydirt on someone, she slowly learned to better control herself as time went on. She was also somehow completely oblivious to the feelings of her griffon friend and I had fun coming up with scenarios where some sort of romantic gesture or incident would be something she’d play off as being friends or something like that.

During the time I spent in that office, I also began to secretly practice using my magic. I did remember that in the episode where Pinkie Pie babysat the Cake twins how Twilight and Rarity explained that unicorn foals would have magical mishaps, and the latter half of the episode showed how that was the case. However, since I had the self control of a full grown adult, I felt fairly confident I could learn quickly enough.

How wrong I was.

The first time I tried to use my magic, my horn glowed and two beams shot out of my hands up to the ceiling, creating two burn marks in the ceiling. The nurse was alarmed, but didn’t look too surprised. She said some soothing words to me before putting me to bed. I held back a lot the next time, and only managed to create a fizzle of sparks coming from my hand which burned through a small portion of the blanket. Fortunately, I managed to hide it from the nurse so she didn’t discover it until much later, and even then I suspected she thought the burn came from the fire since my play area was near the fireplace. She moved me away from the fire after that.

With some simple trial and error, I found the sweet spot for controlling objects around me with telekinesis. And with that, I learned something unusual. I’d seen the nurse use her own magic, but with her she didn’t need to use her hands to channel said power. In fact, I saw other unicorns using their own magic with only their horns. Since I had only a handful of examples of magic, I wasn’t entirely sure if I was right to hypothesize, but it appeared my magic casting ability was unique or just less common than the average unicorn. I could use magic easily enough, but whenever I tried to use my horn only, it never worked, so I had to make do with my hands.

After about a month, they moved me out of that room and into a smaller room with a window, a door, a desk with a lamp and chair, a vent at the bottom of the wall where warm air came out, a large mirror, a closet which was closed and empty currently, and a crib. The toys came with me as did the play area. It was here that I began to suspect that I was either in some kind of hospital or in an orphanage. I also began to suspect that the feeling of loss mere moments after my birth had to do with the death of my mother. Seeing as I hadn’t breastfed yet, it made sense. Despite not even having seen her face, I was deeply saddened by this revelation and used that sadness for one of the more serious episodes of my fictional sitcom, where Gilligan’s mother passes away and he recedes into himself only for the five others to set up a very respectful (and in some cases, funny) wake for the older griffon woman. It helped me grieve in my own way.

The temperature began warming up as time went on and the sun began shining through the window more and more, leading me to conclude that my birthday must have been in the winter or early spring months at some point. Over the course of the days and weeks, I managed to reclaim my complete ability to speak English. Not only that, but I gained a full set of teeth, including incisors. I was surprised when, after my last teeth came in, the older nurse began feeding me with more solid foods. I was a bit reluctant at first, especially since the first meal she brought me was a few strands of dry hay. However, when I tasted them, I was pleasantly surprised by how good they really tasted. They had a unique earthy taste and the crunch they made was incredibly satisfying.

It didn’t take me very long to be weened off of milk and formula and put on more solid foods. While that was going on, I had actually nearly retrained my body only to relieve myself when I wanted it to. I still had to use the diapers since I had no means of using the toilets, but I was fairly confident that once I took my first steps and mastered walking in this new body I would be able to start using a toilet with ease relatively quickly.

Once I had all my teeth and was eating solid foods, I began to start trying to learn the language of this world. The nurse who was in charge of me noticed my interest in the books that were on the small bookshelf in her office and began sitting me on her lap before bed and reading me children’s stories. It started off with easy enough words to decipher since the book was just one identifying assorted objects, colors and other commonly used words. The written language itself was written in a rather more flowing script than English and sounded melodic to the ears of someone like me.

I used my new child’s brain to my advantage, paying very close attention to the words and letters and the sounds associated with them. I managed to lift a pencil and a few sheets of paper from the desk of the nurse with my magic and hide them in one of my toys one evening. I grabbed the objects with my magic and stuffed them into the fluff of Apollo, the biggest stuffed toy, through a small hole in the back which revealed the inner stuffing but small enough that my nurse didn’t notice when she carried me and my toys to my room that night. I would practice writing by the light of the moon that shown into my bedroom before I would have to hide the paper and pencil under my bed before passing out.

More time passed, and soon the weather began growing cooler again. Rain began falling and the heater would clank to life. By this time, they finally began putting me in a main room with other foals my age. I was fascinated by them all and not only spent time studying them, but interacted with them, playing with them as best as I could. Some of the pegasi were, indeed, flying around the room while the unicorns were using their magic everywhere. The earth ponies were strong even by baby standards and played with sturdier toys than the rest of us.

But I saw something I didn’t expect: a lone filly with batlike wings, fanged teeth and slitted eyes. She was a dark green with a black mane with a silver streak running through it. One of her eyes was almost always covered with her long mane, and from this I saw she had heterochromia, one yellow and one blue eye. It also seemed none of the other ponies seemed to want to play with her. They would take one look at the little filly and cry. I later picked up that she was something called a eutherian pony. Feeling sorry for her, and more or less curious about the eutherian filly since she always seemed to play in the darkest corner of the room, I would crawl over to her and try and play with her. The first time I did, she hissed at me and I saw a forked tongue, but I persisted, and soon she warmed up to me. It got to the point where she would visibly brighten up when she saw me crawling towards her.

As it turned out, this would come back to bite me in the ass. The other children in the large play area would begin babbling at me, some with insults in their childish Equestrian, some even calling me a bat pony lover, if I interpreted their words right. I simply ignored them, but the eutherian filly would break down and cry nearly every time. I would hug the poor filly and comfort her.

The nurses, as kind as they were, either didn’t see the childish bullying because they were too busy or just ignored it for some reason. I began getting a strong sense that these eutherian ponies were not very well liked even as adults since I’d never seen any others in the orphanage save for this one.

As my first year went on, I was involved in a couple of birthdays for the foals in my play group. I noticed that whenever a cake was brought in, the nurse would hand the birthday girl or boy the first piece of the cake before the others getting cake. Then the child would be given small plates of cake to hand out to the rest. I noticed that the eutherian pony was always last, and it always seemed like there was some reluctance on the part of the birthday pony to give it to her, but the nurses always insisted.

Some time after it began snowing outside, the room began being decorated with old looking red and gold garlands and a small tree with lights and miniature stuffed toy ornaments. The nurses began dressing in colorful and more festive getup, and I assumed this meant it was the pony version of Christmas, AKA Hearth’s Warming. Small presents were put under the tree and one particular day we were all given one of the presents. For me, I was given what looked like a couple of different storybooks that looked somewhat more advanced than the ones I’d been getting read up until that point. We were all given small bits of peppermint soft candy to chew on after a festive vegetarian dinner.

Another month passed and I continued discovering new things about my world. My magic practice, which I would do every evening after I was put to bed, was improving substantially. Since I had nothing else to compare myself to, I still concluded that I was just an odd one out for using magic with my hands and horn instead of just my horn. With it, however, I realized that I could cast two different spells at once, or one spell and have the effects be somewhat more powerful.

As for the language, I realized that it was incredibly similar to English in a lot of ways. There were twenty six letters, and as far as I could tell the words as written were identically written in English. To explain further, I wrote down the Equestrian alphabet and placed the English alphabet on top of it once I’d mastered it. Then I wrote down the word BOOK in English and Equestrian. The first letter of the word in Equestrian was the second letter in the Equestrian alphabet same as English, then there were two instances of the fifteenth letter, which matched O precisely, then there was an instance of the eleventh letter, which matched K. Of course, there were a few differences in place, such as a small arch between both Equestrian O’s. I noticed this as an extra mark on other various letter combinations, such as TH like in THE or GH and OU like ROUGH, although for that word there was an arch over the OU and under the GH equivalent.

This made it easier for me to master the written language, but the spoken language was harder since I now had to assign new sounds to the letters and combinations. The vowels were in the same places, but were all the wrong sounds. And there were instances where some words might have been spelled with the exact amount of words as their English equivalents but with an extra syllable in it.

It was just past the new year when there was another birthday celebrated. As I was wondering who it was, I was surprised to find that it was my own. After being given the first slice of the cheap tasting vanilla cake with a candle on it representing the Equestrian version of one, I was given a plate to give out. I immediately headed over to my eutherian friend, who I had come to learn was named Crystal Moon if my interpretation was correct, and handed her the first slice. She was super surprised by this, but looked at me with an expression of gratitude. After I passed out the rest of the cake bits to the other foals with help from the nurses, I walked over to Crystal and the two of us ate together, babbling on in baby talk. Or rather, she talked in baby talk, and I emulated it since I didn’t want to be caught knowing how to speak yet.

It was sometime about a couple weeks after my first birthday where we received an unusual visitor. A few hours before, I was thoroughly washed and put in some really nice looking clothes. Then after being placed in the play room, the nurses paid extra attention to us. Two young looking and well dressed ponies, both unicorns, walked in a few hours later and it all made sense. The nurses were dressing us up in the hopes that the young couple might adopt one of us. However, the moment I saw them, I could sense something off about them. They spoke in one of the poshest accents I had ever heard and were incredibly dismissive of the lead nurse, who was named Sunny Breeze. They looked us over with a scrutinizing eye, practically skipping over the eutherian and me, her because of her being from “…that race of pegasus rejects,” and me because, “What kind of name is Vladímir for a pony? His mother must have been from Stalliongrad.”

After an agonizing half hour of having to endure the two nobles looking over children like they were nothing more than cattle, they picked out one of the young colts who the mother called “…colt of excellent breeding.” It was here that I learned about an unusual tradition in the adoption of children in Equestria. Name changes for foals at being adopted was something that happened. The colt was chosen by both parents and I overheard the name.

The pony who had once been called Blazed Saddles had now been named Jet Set.

Honestly, I felt relieved to see the newly renamed foal leaving since he’d been the worst of Crystal’s tormentors before I’d arrived to begin protecting her. However, I also felt badly for him since, if he was the same unicorn I saw in the show, he grew up to be an incredibly snobby noble.

It was during one of the summer months when I lost my first friend. In the months up to that, a few other pony couples, most of them rich looking nobles but a few looking like they came from out of town (including a young couple who said they were from a town called Ponyshire, which I would later learn was this world's equivalent to Ponyville) came and adopted some of the year old foals. It was near evening when a tired looking young eutherian couple walked in. The foals shied away from them but I was more than fascinated. Their names were Midnight Sun and Nocturne Haven. Sunny showed them directly to Crystal, who I was currently playing with. The two expressed surprise that a unicorn was playing with a eutherian, but they sat and played with us for about half an hour. I realized that, even though they saw the close friendship I was developing with Crystal, they wouldn’t adopt me, and it was confirmed when they told Sunny that they’d adopt Crystal but not me because “…that young unicorn will only be despised worse than we are because we are raising him.”

Poor Crystal was crying hard when she was taken out of the room, reaching out to me in a desperate attempt to get back to me. I had to admit, I too was crying, mostly because I now had no friends.

With her gone, I was alone once again. It shattered my heart to have lost a friend my physical age in this world. Since the other foals my age were still teasing me and excluding me, I began to slowly retreat into myself, continuing to read and learn the language of Equestria as fast as I could. The grammar was practically identical to English, I learned, but as I continued learning, subtle differences began making themselves known but it mostly had to do with certain words having an extra syllable. And those were few and far between and were leftovers from a language predating Modern Equestrian called Middle Equestrian.

Not much changed as the summer of my first year turned to autumn, then winter. My second birthday came and went, and I continued self teaching myself to read, write, and use magic. During one week when the head nurse was gone, I managed to sneak a peak at a magic book for beginners.

It was here that I learned about the way magic worked in this Equestria. The air around me was practically filled with what was known as Static or Stationary Magic, magic that is at rest. I also learned that magic being cast was known as Kinetic or Dynamic Magic. One of the oldest laws of magic were the Three Laws of Magic, which were practically word for word copies of Newton’s Three Laws of Motion.

Rule 1: Magic at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an outside force.

Rule 2: Magic in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.

Rule 3: For every spell action, there is an equal and opposite magical reaction.

The magic in the air was known by various different names. Mana, æther, ki or élan vital among other names, but they all meant the same thing. In essence, if I was interpreting the book right, it was its own element, like an extra atom in the, presumably, nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere of the planet. Every being on the planet had some form of magic within them in varying amounts, but it seemed that only unicorns and alicorns had the amount needed to utilize the mana in the air to manipulate the world around them with any control. Pegasi and earth ponies had their own level of magic, but they had less control over their abilities than unicorns and alicorns did. This explained why alicorns were so powerful since they had every magical aspect of the three main pony races within them.

The main magical reservoir in a unicorn and alicorn rested in what was commonly referred to as the anima, a portion of the mind and soul of a unicorn and alicorn where magic was channeled through the body and up through the foci, that being the horn. If one wanted to use magic, there were two ways to go about doing it. Visualization was one way.

For example, if a unicorn wanted to do something like transform a rock into a teacup or something all they had to do, just like Starlight had once explained to Trixie in that one episode in season seven, was visualize as much about the object as they could and make the magic flow out of their horn to the stone. It was one reason why telekinesis was one of the very first spells learned, mostly due to the fact that visualization for that was as simple as thinking “Hey, I want that toy over here” and casting a spell to surround the toy with their magic.

The second way, which had practically gone out of style by the modern day, was using incantations. The process for using incantations was definitely slower, but from what I learned it used less magic if done correctly and as such was more powerful. Incantations weren’t used anymore because of their slowness and warm up time and due to the fact that the magical language needed to cast the spells was practically a dead language. Faster spells were the norm in the modern world. The book didn’t tell me anything about the language of magic at all, not even what the letters looked like.

The book did mention, however, a sub-branch of incantations dealing with what it called runic magic circles. The section was brief but informative. Apparently, there was a means to carve a spell into a magic circle using the ancient magic language. The more inner circles of the spell were carved, the stronger the spell became. All a unicorn needed to do was push some of the mana into the words and the spell would take effect. The magic circle would act as a substitute for a unicorn’s anima, drawing the mana from the air and continually casting the spell. These sorts of magical circles drew even less magic from the air.

Despite all of this new information I learned that week, I still had many questions. Where did magic actually come from? Was it a finite resource? Was it replenished somehow? How could I figure out just how much magic I could use? Did my anima grow or was it set from birth? However, despite these questions, I continued practicing in secret, branching out my skill set and trying to learn new spells.

I stayed far away from teleportation, but using a transfiguration spell yielded results. I now had a way to hide my writing utensils and he paper I lifted without needing to be sneaky anymore. I still hid the pencil and paper, which I disguised as random toy blocks, under the bed. The reversion spell was a lot easier, since all it required was for me to blast it with magic, making it change back.

I felt badly for taking advantage of the nurses who had to be busy with other foals. Their distraction gave me ample opportunity to secretly practice controlling my bodily functions, magic, reading, writing and speech. However, I didn’t want to stand out two much and be labeled a prodigy child.

By the time of my third birthday, however, the nurses brought in a chalkboard and began teaching us the Equestrian alphabet, using little songs to help the foals memorize the letters better. They did this for about half an hour each day at first, but eventually they stretched it out a few minutes each time until finally we had an hour each day devoted to learning Equestrian. I kept pace with the others, not getting too far ahead, faking difficulties when they gave us something like crayons to write with. It did give me extra time to review the language.

When spring rolled around, however, that was the first time we were all taken outside. There, I discovered that the building we were living in was a heavily repurposed mansion, old, in desperate need of a new coat of paint and various other repairs, and surrounded on all sides by a large stone wall. There were other older ponies already out there on that warm spring morning, all in their own little cliques and groups of friends. The sun shone high in the morning sky, which illuminated a large snow-capped peak to the left of the front of the house.

And there, nestled snugly into the mountainside, was what could only be Canterlot Palace. Unlike how it was shown in My Little Pony, this palace didn’t have the colors that it had in the show. It did, however, gleam in the sunlight with its whitewashed spires and the flag of Equestria, which was similar to the show. There were twenty four white stars on a sky blue backdrop, and a stylized sun and moon directly in the center. However, there were no representations of Celestia and Luna on the flag anywhere.

With all of us being outside more and more regularly after that, I began putting an effort into some exercise to build up my strength and lose the baby fat. I started by using my new motor skills to run around the property near the stone wall so I wouldn’t get lost. My first day I only managed to get around once before collapsing and panting. The nurses were a bit concerned by it, but not enough to try and stop me at first. As far as they knew, I was just stretching my legs and burning off my childish energy.

However, when I didn’t make any new friends by the end of the summer, that’s when they grew more concerned and tried to subtly push me to making friends. An effort that I didn’t appreciate much but couldn’t say much about without getting strange looks. Despite their efforts to make the other foals my age include me, I was still bullied because they remembered me as being the “Bat pony lover.”

So I kept to myself as the summer turned to autumn. My fourth birthday came and went, and by now I was “talking” just as well as the other foals my age, at least in public. In private, at least to my ears, I was talking more like an adult, albeit with hints of a childish lisp still there due to my still developing body.

As I had been growing, however, my appearance began getting closer and closer to that of one of the ponies that had made an appearance in the show, but I continued to dismiss it as being a completely major coincidence, much like how Daring Do looked like a recolored version of Rainbow Dash from the show and how Octavia had a lookalike who played the fiddle. I also reasoned that Blueblood couldn’t have been born yet, considering the fact that I was born in the year 1374 A.F., which stood for After the Founding. I learned from my secret studies that the Summer Sun Celebration had not yet reached its thousandth occurrence. In fact, there were just over a couple decades to go before that fateful celebration arrived, which would make me twenty six at that time.

Something else I learned about the world was that the calendar, while identical to Earth’s own calendar, had vastly different names for months and days of the week. The twelve months were as follows:

Bygynneth
Laven
Wintend
Sprende
Plantende
Summerstar
Midsomar
Skīven
Sumorend
Hærfest
Forstbyn
Enede

As for the days of the week, there were seven each, which were as follows:

Sunsday
Moonday
Platday
Hurday
Pudday
Nerday
Endday

I wasn’t entirely sure of the origins of each of these names, so I translated them into English. When I saw the words on the page, a lot of them made sense but some were a bit odd for me to figure out. Not that it mattered much to me, just some information to store away for later when I got access to more books.

The year passed once more, and soon I was five. By that time, I had mastered the language, more or less, and could make educated guesses about the words in Equestrian that I hadn’t seen or heard before. I didn’t know how far ahead I was magic-wise, but I knew I hadn’t learned too much since all I could do was sneak peaks at the magical book. It surprised me that I hadn’t been caught after all this time, but since the orphanage, which I had finally learned was simply named Canterlot Orphanage, seemed understaffed, I managed to get away with a lot.

On the downside, bullying was easier to get away with as well. Fortunately, the examples I saw were few and far between, and mostly directed at me once word got out that I was a so-called bat pony lover. It never got too bad, and since I had an adult mind I could easily ignore it.

It was during my fifth year in Equestria, however, that things took a drastic turn for me.

On the morning of Summerstar 20, 1379, the nurses gathered everyone in my age group together in the main yard. Sunny announced that the group would be going to see the Summer Sun Celebration the very next day, so we would all have to go to bed early. I was just as excited as the other foals, but for a different reason. Since the Summer Sun Celebration took place in Canterlot this year, I’d finally be able to see Princess Celestia in person, even if it would be from a distance. We were all put to bed early that night. Despite my excitement, I had made sure to spend the day wiping myself out, skipping naptime by pretending to sleep so that I could sleep soundly enough to be awake to see the Celebration.

Sunny woke me up about an hour before the sun was to rise. I quickly got up, threw on pants, shoes, a shrt sleeved shirt and a jacket. I was practically the first one out the door into the cool first day of summer morning. The stars blazed overhead like diamonds. I impatiently waited for the other groggy foals to come out, some groaning and yawning, but other looking as excited as I felt.

Once we were all gathered, the three nurses who were to be our supervisors for this trip led us to the only other building on the property, which was the stable. Inside was the only horse drawn carriage the orphanage owned as well as a pair of stallion and mare horses. Actual horses, and not anthro versions. They were hitched to the carriage and Sunny drove them down the streets of Canterlot.

Since this was my very first time out of the orphanage, I took the time to look around at the houses and buildings surrounding me. The streets were all clean and made of cobblestone. In the center of the streets was a small carved ditch covered by a metal grate, while the streets curved very slightly upward from that ditch up to the sidewalks. The buildings I saw were all very old fashioned and practically medieval, but still very clean and well maintained. There were a few lamps on the streets themselves, all lit from within with warm yellow light magic. The few roofs I could see were all covered in what looked like red clay tiles with a few others being covered in stone slabs. The roof of the orphanage was covered with the former.

We were driven by Sunny to the palace where we were led to a massive field where I saw a number of chairs sitting in a semicircle facing a raised stage. The chairs themselves were already filling up with ponies. The raised stage at the front had a large golden representation of the sun on a large stand taking center stage. Standing at attention in front of the stage in medieval looking armor and holding horns in their hands stood eight guards, four pegasi and four unicorns. However, unlike in the show, I could tell they were all unique as opposed to the unusual sameness I remembered. There were a few special seats raised above the crowd where I saw nobles sitting and looking at the stage from a vantage point above the crowd.

We found our seats and were given hot cider to drink while we waited. I sat next to Sunny near the edge of the right part of the half circle of chairs and sipped quietly on the delicious beverage while we waited. The sky to the east began to grow brighter with a dark blue glow, then lighter and lighter. The closer the time came, the more excited everyone around me became, and I wasn’t immune to it.

Finally, the sun looked like it was about to peak over the horizon, and that was when the eight guards raised their golden horns to their lips and blew an announcement. Another pony stood near the stairs that led up to the stage, then held up a large cone to her lips. “Fillies and gentlecolts,” she began, “Introducing her royal highness, the ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia Dawn!”

That last name caught me completely by surprise, but I had no time to contemplate it once the princess herself walked onto the stage directly in front of the golden sun structure. And holy shit, she was the very epitome of pony beauty, that was for sure. Much like how I’d seen her in the painting in Sunny’s office, she wore that same white flowing dress with her cutie mark sewn onto her hips. She wore the same gold chain around her waist, the necklace, bracelets and the crown on her head. She could easily have been a model back on Earth had she been human. She had all the curves in all the right places, and her smile was radiant. She was about a head taller than the guards standing there, and her fur almost seemed to shimmer in the pre-dawn morning light and the lamps set up around the stage and the semicircle of chairs.

The crowd went nuts, myself included. I clapped and hollered as she looked out at all of the ponies there. I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like she took her time to look into every pony’s eyes for a split second because when she reached me, I was almost positive she looked at me just as she had the others. Once she finished, she held out her hands, silencing the crowd. “Welcome, my little ponies, to the Summer Sun Celebration,” she said. Her voice was melodious, deep, and warm. It wasn’t the same voice as the one I’d heard in the show, but it was almost mesmerizing.

Once again, the crowd cheered, clapping their hands loudly and whooping. I joined in, excited to see just how this version of Celestia would raise the sun. She held up her hand to silence the ponies once more. She spread her wings, which were larger than any I’d seen so far. She pushed off of the ground, raising her larger than normal horn which began to glow. As I watched, I saw her actually begin speaking, but since I was so far away, I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I immediately saw her horn glow brighter as she continued talking in that weird language. She closed her eyes and held up her hands as the sun crested the horizon with its normal faster than normal motion. The large orb of plasma or whatever the sun was here rose until it was directly behind Celestia and the massive golden sun.

The applause that followed was tremendous. So much so, in fact, that one of the raised platforms, which was being held up by wood only, began to sway thanks to a little colt jumping up and down in place. I saw the motion out of the corner of my eye since it was the nearest raised platform to where I was. The family who was on the platform quickly went from a celebratory mood to one of horror as it began falling directly towards the section where I was located.

I acted before anyone else did, reaching up with both of my hands and casting as powerful a telekinesis spell as I could, making the platform slow down, but not stop moving. I grunted at the weight of not only the wood platform but the four ponies inside whose weight they were supporting. I tried my best to stop its movement, but it didn’t work. The weight was crushing, and I knew my efforts were useless. And judging from how one of the younger ponies was positioned, this would only end in tragedy for him. I closed my eyes and pushed with everything I had, but it wasn’t enough.

Just then, the weight was suddenly gone. A hand was immediately on my shoulder, and I opened my eyes. The platform and the four ponies inside were floating in midair now thanks to the efforts of two of the unicorn guards. Four of the pegasi were flying up to grab the now floating ponies and carry them down to safety. Once that was done, the unicorn guards carefully placed the crumbling platform into a pile nearby.

I looked up uncertainly, only to find myself standing next to Princess Celestia herself. She was looking down at me like a mother who was proud of her son for a job well done. “You did well, my little pony,” she said reassuringly. “What is your name?”

“V…Vladímir, Princess,” I said breathlessly.

Her eyes widened a little bit at that, but that was all the reaction I saw from her. She was about to say something, but then she seemed to grow blurry. I felt myself being caught as the world around me went black.

4 - New Friends And Admissions

I had never passed out from overuse of my magic before. If I ever found myself growing tired from usage, I would immediately stop and recover. It was how I managed to gauge just how much magic I possessed or how fast my inner anima chamber was growing as I grew. Even I wasn’t foolish enough to try and overexert myself to that degree. It would have been stupid. Same with my physical exercises. I would always stay hydrated and well fed, trying my best to eat a healthy diet, at least according to my new pony physique. I missed real meat, but their hayburgers were a welcome substitute.

I came to surrounded by utter warmth and comfort. That was my first impression. My next impression was a gentle smell, lavender, if my sister’s shampoo scent was any indication. Third, I could almost sense a presence sitting nearby. Slowly, I began to open my eyes, trying to blink out the exhaustion in them. I was not in my bed at the orphanage, that was for sure. For one, my bed there had absolutely no canopy with purple curtains. That, and the room actually had plenty of decorations, like a few paintings and didn’t look sad and crumbling.

Slowly I began sitting up. One of the first things I noticed was the fact that the comforter covering me were a dark blue with some white swirls sewn into the fabric. Light came pouring in from four massive arched windows that looked out onto a warm summer day. I couldn’t tell whether it was morning or evening, but since the sky was still its normal crystal blue color and judging by the direction of the sunlight pouring onto the floor, the sun was at least high in the sky.

The walls themselves were a deep grayish blue and arched up into a large dome above the center of the circular room. Hanging from the center of the ceiling was a large unlit candelabra. Looking around the room, I saw a desk meant for an adult, a wooden dresser with a large full body mirror standing to the side, a closed door next to the foot of my bed that presumably was for a bathroom or shower or maybe even a walk in closet. Looking over the bed, I saw a brown and light brown checkered wood floor with a large white circular crème colored carpet in the center of the room.

Taking stock of my body, I realized that I felt somewhat weaker than normal. My horn ached and my hands felt like they were slightly asleep. The rest of my body was a bit warm, but I attributed that to the thick royal red sheets covering me.

Pushing aside my light blue comforter I reached up to touch my horn, only to notice that there was something wrapped around the base. Frowning, I tried to remove it using my hands, but it was stuck tight. When I tried to cast magic to lift it off with greater force than my body could generate, all that happened was that sky blue sparks shot out of the tip of my horn.

“A magical suppression ring,” I muttered in English. “Hmm…makes sense,” I added as I very carefully got up out of bed and walked over to the mirror. I was wearing a light brown set of foal sized silk pajamas with pockets in the pants and one on the left breast. My mane and tail looked like they’d been brushed and cleaned rather well, leaving my rather long mane hanging by my sides loosely. My coat of fur looked cleaner than it ever had. And to my utter confusion, I looked more like what I remembered of Blueblood from the show. “Seriously, what the everloving fuck…?”

I turned and looked back at the room, taking in the sights and smells. There were a few lavender plants hanging from plants sconces on the wall, looking like they’d been freshly placed there. Now that I got a closer look at the room itself, I realized it looked a lot like the room that Rarity had stayed in during the episode where she tried to attend Twilight’s party and Fancy Pant’s garden party at the same time. I ran to the window and looked out at the scene below.

There below me lay the entirety of Canterlot from a high tower. The window I’d chosen had a view of the sheer cliff next to the palace, but it also showed the circular city below me. The sunlight shone high in the sky, and I noticed that it was in the western portion, meaning it was early afternoon. I saw a few pegasi flying around some nearby towers and even further down into the city where the saying “They look like ants” couldn’t have held truer.

Unlike the Canterlot I’d seen from the show, this version was a lot bigger and built into the side of the mountain like Minas Tirith instead of on the edge of the cliff, which to me made a lot more sense. In case of an invasion, the palace could double as a stronghold against the invaders. Plus, being high up made it harder for non-flying races to invade. The towers either came out of the cliff below me or were buried into the side. I had assumed in the past that there were secret tunnels for the escape of the Princess and palace officials in a worst case scenario.

Jus then, I heard someone jiggling at the door handle. Turning quickly, I was just in time to see the door open, and someone in a demure French maid uniform walk in. However, it wasn’t a pony I saw walking in, to my utter confusion. Instead, it was a healthy looking older anthropomorphic cow. Like the cow plushie I owned, she was one of the more common types of cow, white with black spots. She also had a pair of tan horns sticking out of her head and dark brown eyes. Along with that, she was a lot like my plush toy in that she was larger than most other beings I’d seen, but not in an overweight type of way. If I had to describe her in one word, it would be curvy.

When the cow maid saw that the bed was empty, her eyes widened and she looked around worriedly before her eyes locked on me. A look of relief washed over her as she quickly rushed over. “Young sir, you should still be in bed resting,” she said in a deep but still feminine voice as she put a tender hand on my back and gently leading me back to the bed.

“Um…I should?” I asked. “I mean, I feel alright.”

“The mage physician said you should rest until you feel strong enough to use your magic, sir,” she insisted as she lifted me up and placed me in bed once more. Pulling the blankets over, she tucked me in gently.

“I really feel fine, ma’am,” I said politely.

The maid smiled kindly at me, then pulled a stool up next to the bed and placed a cool hand over my forehead. “Well, your forehead isn’t as hot as it was before,” she said as she pulled her hand away. “You’re looking better than you were when the mage physician first looked you over.”

“How long was I asleep?” I asked.

“Since early this morning,” the maid said. “Are you thirsty, young sir?”

I swallowed a bit, realizing that I was indeed really thirsty. “Yes, ma’am,” I replied, “I am a bit thirsty.”

She nodded and stood. “I’ll be right back, young sir.” With that, she headed to the second door, opened it, and walked inside. I heard some liquid being poured into a glass, then the maid came back out with a glass of water in one hand and a white jug in the other. She sat back down and after putting the glass on the endtable, helped me into a sitting position. Bringing the water glass to my lips, she said tenderly, “Open wide.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed about being helped like this, I nevertheless did as she said and she helped me drink the entire glass of cool refreshing water. She poured another glass which I also downed. After my third glass, I said, “I’m good now, thanks.”

“Not a problem, young sir,” the maid said as she put the empty glass back and helped me lie back down. As she did so, she asked, “I trust you had a restful sleep?”

“Um…yes, I think so,” I said. “Are those other ponies okay?”

The cow maid smiled. “They’re all okay, young sir.”

I nodded in relief. “That’s good. What about the others I was with?”

“They went back where they came from,” the maid said. “One of the orphanage nurses didn’t want to leave, but the Princess reassured her that you would be receiving the best of care. Sunny was her name, I believe.”

I smiled. “Yeah, that sounds like her.” My smile faltered as I felt a dizzy spell wash over me. I held my head. “Ow…”

The maid’s hand was immediately on my forehead. “Oh dear, you’re warming up a bit,” she said. “You should get some more rest, young sir. The mage physician said it would take until nightfall for you to fully recover all your mana and that rest would help the recovery go by much more quickly.” I nodded and pulled the covers back up. The maid helped tuck me back in, then stood back up. “Sleep well, young sir.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said

The maid chuckled. “So polite. You can just call me Buttercup, young sir.”

“Oh, alright. Nice to meet you, Miss Buttercup. I’m Vladímir,” I replied.

The now named Buttercup smiled. “You sleep well, young Vladímir,” she said.

“Sure thing,” I said as I closed my eyes. I heard the maid quietly walking towards the door and exiting. It didn’t take me long before I fell once more into a nice and comfortable sleep.

A sleep that was rather rudely awoken by the voices of children some time later.

“…is that really the colt, Anna?” a harsh sounding young child’s voice asked upon my return to consciousness.

“That’s what my mom told me!” a cuter sounding child’s voice replied.

“He really doesn’t look like he had the strength to use magic,” the first voice said. “He doesn’t look any older than us.”

Something poked my cheek none too gently. A third, softer voice called out, “Um, didn’t your mom say we shouldn’t touch him, Anna? Isn’t he supposed to be sleeping?”

“I’m not touching him that hard, Frosty,” the second voice said in a softer tone than before.

“You’ll wake him up!” The now named Frosty replied. “Oh dear…what if he gets angry?” Frosty now sounded nervous.

“Oh, don’t be such a worrywart, Frosty,” the second voice said. “He won’t wake up!”

I decided to scare them a little bit. I moved and groaned, “Too late.” I heard gasps from about three young children and heard them backing away a little bit. Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked down towards the source of the noise. Three young children stood there, gaping at me in shock. The first one I saw was the older looking eutherian boy standing protectively in front of the other two. He had the typical batlike wings common of his subspecies, dark blue fur, black mane and tail and shining yellow eyes. He looked like he had a cutie mark based off of the a full moon with a knife sticking through it that was sewn on both of his shoulders. He was wearing a pair of brown slacks, a dark blue t-shirt and black shoes.

The second child I saw was a young cow girl. She had white fur with caramel colored spots including one spot surrounding her left eye. She had a pair of light brown colored horns and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a pair of dark brown overalls over a blue t-shirt and some thick looking brown shoes. She had light brown curly hair which was tied up in pigtails.

The third child was, to my surprise, a timid looking sheep girl. She had cloud white wool, which looked like it had been freshly shorn, a larger pile of white wavy wool on her head, part of which obscured her left eye which only showed her right eye being green, pinkish colored skin underneath, and a pair of pink horns that looked a lot like smaller ram horns directly above her sheeplike ears, which were lowered. She was wearing an adorable little light blue skirt and a white blouse along with a pair of black shoes and some thin knee high socks.

Slowly, I sat up and groaned, looking down at the three unusual children before me. “Um…hello,” I said in a confused tone, “Who are you guys?”

To my surprise, the cow girl stepped forward and gave me a large, wide smile. “Hi! I’m Anna Belle! This is Shadow Hunt and Frostfall Coat,” she said, indicating the eutherian and the sheep girl in turn. “Who are you?”

“I’m Vladímir,” I replied.

Anna was immediately even more excited. “Oh wow! That’s a really strange name! But a cool name too! Are you from really far away? Did you really use magic to try and stop a pony family from falling?”

Frosty, or Frostfall, put a hand on Anna’s arm. “H-Hey,” she whispered, “not so fast, Anna.”

Anna looked down at the sheep girl, then back up at me. Her smile turned sheepish and she scratched the back of her neck. “Ahaha, did I do it again? Sorry, Frosty.”

“It’s okay,” I said reassuringly, giving the two girls a kind smile. “But to answer your question, I’m not from really far away. I’m from here in Canterlot. And yes, I did try and use magic to stop that tower from falling.”

Shadow, clearly the oldest of the group, looked at me with a hint of suspicion for a few moments before he relaxed. “I saw what you did,” he said, “but I’ve never seen anypony use magic with their hands before. How old are you?”

“I’m five years old,” I said, holding out my hand to show all five digits. I filed that small nugget of information about magic away as something to look up secretly later, or at least try to.

“Oooh ooh! Me too! I just turned five years old too!” the happy go lucky cow girl said. “So is Frosty! Shadow is seven!”

“Really?” I looked at all three of them, and the two girls did seem to be around my age, although I wouldn’t have been able to guess that Frostfall was that age since she looked younger and smaller than that. However, since I didn’t know anything about any of their races, I knew it wasn’t polite to assume or base my assumptions on human or pony standards. “Well, nice to meet you guys.”

“Hey, wanna play hide and seek?” Anna asked.

“Anna, he’s supposed to be resting, remember?” Frostfall reminded her companion before turning back to me and walking over, a look of concern on her adorable face. “Are you feeling okay? I’m sorry if we woke you up.”

I smiled warmly down at the kind and considerate sheep girl. “I’m alright now,” I said. “I’m not as tired as I was earlier, but I don’t think I’m awake enough to play hide and seek yet.”

“Awww, but this room has sooo many good hiding spots,” Anna said, looking around the room.

“Well, it is a bit small for playing that,” I said.

“Small?? Vlady, this room is bigger than where Mom, Dad and I live!” Anna said as she looked around the room. “And it has a better view, too!”

“Vlady?” I asked.

“Eh, Anna has nicknames for all of us,” Shadow said in an exasperated tone.

“Oh, Shady, it’s soooo much nicer than calling you Shadow all the time,” Anna said with a wave of her hand. “It’s such a sad name!”

“I don’t know, I like the name,” Frostfall said with a soft smile as she looked over at Shadow.

“Yeah, I agree,” I said. “It’s a strong name.”

“And my father says it’s a name that can put fear into the hearts of your enemies,” Shadow said as he put his hands on his hips, looking quite proud.

I couldn’t help it. I chuckled at that. Anna pointed at me and her mouth went wide with an even wider grin. “There’s a smile!” she said.

“You have a nice smile,” Frostfall said.

I blushed a little bit. “Thank you,” I said. Slowly, I pulled the comforter off me once more and swung my legs over the side of the bed, which was how I realized that I needed to answer the call of nature. “Um…do you know where the bathroom is?” I asked.

“Right over there,” Shadow said, pointing to the second door where the maid from before had gotten my water.

“Thanks, I’ll be right back.” So saying, I got out of bed and rushed into the bathroom. The moment after I closed and locked the door, I turned and gaped at how exquisite it looked. It was unlike the bathrooms I’d seen in the orphanage. For one, it was a lot cleaner. Not that the nurses who ran the orphanage didn’t keep it clean, but there were stains there that wouldn’t come out regardless of how hard they tried. The nurses would not only clean them weakly, but would give some of the older children there portions of the bathrooms to clean each week. One week it would be the tub, the next it would be the sink and counters, another it would be the toilets, and on and on it went. The nurses would supervise the children, of course.

However, this bathroom, while it had all the necessary accoutrements like a sink, bathtub and toilet, was also a lot more pristine. The floor was made of tiled marble instead of the wood that I was used to back at the orphanage, the faucet for the sink was a golden swan’s head, the toilet itself was bright blue porcelain, and the tub was made of gold as well, or at least it looked like it was, but I did see a bit of white underneath a portion of gold that had been rubbed away.

After doing my business and washing up with lavender scented soap, I walked out only to see Anna standing and bouncing on my bed while Frostfall was walking around, looking at the room with her own look of wide eyed curiosity. Shadow, meanwhile, was near the window next to the door looking out of it, almost like he was keeping watch for someone. When Anna saw me come out, she jumped over to the side, then bounced off of the bed and onto her feet. “That’s a bouncy bed!” she said with a smile.

“Is it? I’ve been sleeping in it, so I haven’t noticed,” I said as I walked back to it and climbed back in. I bounced a bit up and down and noticed that she was right. “Well what do you know? It is,” I chuckled.

“And comfortable too,” Frostfall said from the other side. Turning, I saw her pushing down gently on the mattress from where she stood next to the bed.

“Not as comfy as you, Frosty!” Anna said, rushing over and hugging her, rubbing her cheek against Frostfall’s own. “So fluffy!”

“A-Anna!” Frostfall said, blushing a bit, “I just got my wool sheering done. I’m not that fluffy!”

“Just wait until winter,” Anna said, turning to me, “and you’ll see that Frosty has the fluffiest wool coat ever!”

I chuckled. “I don’t doubt it.”

“Hey, since you don’t feel like playing hide and seek, how about we play something else?” Anna asked, reaching into her overall pocket and pulling out what looked like a bag of marbles. “Do you know how to play marbles?”

“Ah, shoot! I lost again!” Anna said as Shadow knocked her shooter marble out of the impromptu ring that we had set up on the ground.

I chuckled as I moved over towards where my shooter marble was located nearby. “You won the first three games, Anna,” I said as I leaned over the small circle to aim my shooter marble at Shadow’s own.

“Heh, yeah, I guess so,” she said as she lay down on her stomach, holding her head in her hands and moving her legs back and forth as she and Frostfall watched the ending of the game. When I flicked my shooter marble and it hit Shadow’s, she and the others watched as it headed to the small string that we’d used for the circle. The tension was palpable as his marble slowed down. We al watched carefully as it touched the circle, then crossed over it. I held up my hands in victory. “Yes! I win! Finally!”

“Lucky shot,” Shadow muttered as he grabbed his shooter marble.

“Luck, nothing! That was pure skill!” I retorted with a smug grin. We’d been playing the marble game for about an hour, and I really was starting to like these three children. Anna was the kind of kid who didn’t let much bother me. She was always smiling and pretty hyper as well. It was also from her that I learned that her race was called holstaur. Frostfall was a quieter kid, but once she came out of her shell, she was really fun to hang out with. She told me she was part of the ovitaur species. I knew what race Shadow was already, and from what I gathered about him, he was the protective type and rather loyal to his two younger friends.

“Is that a challenge, then?” Shadow asked, looking down at me with a challenge in his eyes.

“Challenge how?” I asked. “What do you wanna do?”

“Another game, just you and me, right here and right now,” Shadow said.

The competitive spirit rose up inside me and I grinned. “You’re on!”

“Awww, I wanna play again, too!” Anna pouted cutely enough as Shadow and I began to reset the marbles.

“This is a challenge between males, Anna,” Shadow said, “you wouldn’t understand.”

“I wanna play! I wanna play!” Anna continued.

“Come on, Shadow, let’s just let her play, huh?” I said, looking over at the eutherian. “I don’t mind.”

Shadow looked at the holstaur girl, who was giving Shadow big pleading puppy dog eyes. He rolled his eyes and sighed. “Fiiiine, you can play.”

“Yaay!” she said excitedly as she reached out to grab her shooter marble.

Unfortunately, that was the time that the older holstaur maid from before decided to come and check in on me. The door opened and we all froze. Slowly turning, we all saw a stunned looking Buttercup looking at the four of us gathered up on the floor in the corner where the carpet wasn’t an issue. Her shock quickly turned to parental anger as she looked at Anna. “Anna Belle! What are you and your friends doing here?!” she asked angrily as she put her hands on her hips and rushed over towards us. “I thought I told you that this young stallion needed some sleep, young heifer!” Turning to me, she gave me an apologetic look and bowed. “I am so sorry about my daughter and her friends, young sir. She’s just really curious.”

I chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, it’s alright,” I said. “Anna’s a nice girl.”

Buttercup looked surprised at that, but only for a few seconds before a smile creased her lips. “You’re very understanding, young sir,” she said before she turned and walked over to her daughter, grabbing her by her cowlike ears and pulling her to her feet before continuing, “but my daughter knows better than to disobey me. Your father and I are going to have a serious talk with you when he gets off work, young heifer!”

“Ow ow ow! I’m sorry, mom! I’m sorry!” the young calf said, wincing as her mother pulled her ear.

“As for the rest of you,” the maid said, looking at the now scared Frostfall and slightly nervous looking Shadow, “I’ll be telling your parents what you were both up to.”

“Hey, it’s alright,” I said, not really wanting the scared looking sheep girl to get in trouble. She had that sort of attitude and look that made me want to protect her at all costs. Ravioli, ravioli, don’t let the sheep girl be bullied. “They weren’t bothering me. We’ve been playing for about an hour, anyway.”

“I appreciate you saying so,” Buttercup said, “but the mage physician was clear. You need rest, and the Princess herself ordered it so.”

“She did?!” Frostfall asked, now looking petrified.

“I really feel fine, I promise,” I said as I stood. “My horn doesn’t hurt anymore, and the aches are gone.”

The maid came up to me, knelt down and put her hand on my forehead again. She held it there, then nodded. “Well, your fever is gone,” she admitted, “but even so, you should still listen to the mage physician’s orders.”

I nodded in understanding, then turned to the three children I’d been playing with. “Sorry guys. Guess I gotta get some more rest.”

“Mommy, can we come back and visit Vlady sometime when he’s feeling better?” Anna asked.

Buttercup looked down at her daughter, then back at me. I shrugged and said, “I don’t mind playing with Anna and her friends again. It was fun.”

Buttercup put her free hand on her hips, the other now wrapped around Anna’s wrist. She looked at the pleading young holstaur calf, then back at me. Finally, she sighed and said, “If the physician says it’s okay, then you can come back.”

“But what if he has to go home before that?” Shadow asked.

“I guess you could come visit me where I live,” I said.

“We can discuss it later,” Buttercup said. “Right now, young heifer, you and your friends need to let this young colt get his rest. Physician’s orders.”

“See you later, Vlady!” Anna said with a wave as her mother pulled her towards the door.

“Feel better soon, Vladímir,” Frostfall said kindly and with a wave.

“You’d better! It’ll be nice to have another stallion to talk to,” Shadow said.

“Oh hush, you!” Anna said with a giggle as they all left the room, leaving me once more alone with my thoughts.

I lay back down in bed, pulling the covers up and closed my eyes. Today had definitely been one of the weirdest days of my life ever since reincarnating into this odd anthro version of Equestria. I relaxed, and a smile began forming on my face. Despite having the mind of someone about thirty or so years old now, it had felt nice to play with someone my own physical age. It made me feel like a kid again. Then again, I was a child again I had to remind myself. Yawning, I pulled the covers up closer, turned onto my side, and began falling once more into a comfortable sleep.

I woke to feel someone gently stroking my mane. Keeping my eyes closed, I listened and waited to see who was visiting me now. A few moments later, someone sat on the side of the bed, then chuckled a bit. “He really does look a lot like Eclipse,” a soft and very familiar voice said. “I wonder if he really is related to him…?”

Eclipse? Who was that? I thought. However, I knew better than to eavesdrop anymore, so I began to stir. Moving onto my back, I yawned and stretched a little bit before opening my eyes. Only to find myself staring into two absolutely gorgeous magenta eyes. There, sitting on the side of my bed, was the very Princess of Equestria herself, Princess Celestia Dawn. Her mane flowed majestically as if being blown by some invisible wind as did her tail behind her. She was wearing the same white dress I’d seen her wearing at the Summer Sun Celebration, only now I saw her cutie mark emblazoned on the part of her dress near her hips. I froze halfway through my stretching, completely mesmerized by how beautiful the Princess actually was. Back on Earth, I remember reading one time that Lauren Faust herself had called Celestia the epitome of pony beauty. Being in this unusual version of Equestria and having not seen another human in five years, I’d grown to appreciate the beauty and attractiveness of pony mares.

The Princess looked at me, and her smile turned into a very small smirk. “Oh my, are you alright?” she asked in a tone of concern, but the look in her eyes only confirmed that she knew just what I was thinking.

“I…yes I am, Princess,” I replied, quickly sitting up and lowering my head towards her.

She chuckled softly. “Please, raise your head young Vladímir.”

I did so, looking up at her once more. “Of course, Princess.”

She giggled again. “Such a proper gentlecolt,” she said. “Those nurses at the orphanage certainly have been raising you well.”

“I’ll let them know you said so, Princess,” I promised.

She nodded. “Please do.” Then, she did something I hadn’t expected. She reached down towards my horn and slowly remove the magical suppression ring from it. Immediately, I felt the flow of magic from my horn to my hands return.

Surprised, I looked down at my pudgy childlike hands, then back up at her. “Thank you, Princess,” I replied.

She looked down at my hands as well, then back at me. “So, you did use your hands to channel your magic,” she said softly. A shudder of fear ran through me. Was I in trouble or something? Celestia must have noticed my apprehension because she quickly added, “Oh don’t worry, you’re not in any sort of trouble. I have just never seen anypony use magic the way you have in many hundreds of years.”

That stunned me. I raised an eyebrow and looked up at her. “Really? It’s that rare?” I asked.

She nodded. “One of the last ponies I saw who used it died hundreds of years ago,” she said. “His name was Eclipse.” I noticed a faraway look appear briefly in Celestia’s eyes before she turned back to me. “Are you feeling better now? Using that much magic up at such a young age takes a while to recover from.”

“I feel much better than this morning,” I admitted. “That was this morning, right?”

Celestia nodded. “You’ve been up here ever since the morning,” she replied. “It’s almost time for me to lower the sun, actually.”

“Wait, it is? But I have to get back home,” I said worriedly.

Celestia giggled a bit. “Actually, the mage physician wanted you to stay overnight just to be safe,” she replied. “He was worried you might not recover your magic fast enough. And there is no need to worry. I’ve told your caretakers about the situation and made sure they know you’re in the best of hands.”

“Wait, not recover my magic fast enough? What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, what do you know about magic, young one?” Celestia asked.

“Not a whole lot, Princess,” I replied.

Celestia nodded. “I understand. Well, when somepony your age uses that much magic all at once, it can cause someone to pass out like you did.” I saw her slipping into a teacher persona as she continued, so I paid close attention. “See, everycreature has some magic inside them, but most of it is in something called the anima. It pumps out magic through the body and helps keep everycreature alive. If you don’t have enough magic inside you, you’ll pass out like you did so you won’t lose all of it. While you’re asleep, the mana in the air moves back into your anima and fills it back up with magic much faster than when you’re awake.”

I nodded in understanding. I didn’t know too much about human or anthro pony biology, but it sounded like this anima was a lot like a heart, pulling raw mana from the air into itself like veins brought back blood to the heart and the anima was the source of the magic flowing out, a lot like how arteries flowed out of the heart and to the rest of the body. “I think I get it,” I said.

She smiled and continued. “Normally, a unicorn your age takes a full day or two to recover their magic.” She reached over and put her hand on my forehead, feeling my temperature. When she removed her hand, she nodded. “Your fever’s gone now, but I still think you should stay here until at least tomorrow morning.”

“Oh, okay,” I said.

There was silence for a bit before Celestia continued. “I hear you had some excitement a few hours ago,” she said, holding up a small marble in between her fingers.

I chuckled a bit. “I did get some visitors,” I said.

“Did you have fun with them?” the princess asked.

“Oh yeah, we played marbles for about an hour,” I replied. “It was really fun!”

“I’m glad to hear it,” she said with a smile. “Sunny Breeze did mention that you haven’t made any friends.”

“Yeah, they tease me there,” I said, looking down and running my finger in a circle along the comforter.

Celestia frowned and put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

I looked down at the blanket, playing up the poor bullied kid act. “They call me a bat pony lover…”

I could feel Celestia stiffen up at that. “Well, that’s not very nice of them,” she said.

“Eh, I don’t care,” I replied, waving a hand dismissively. “I used to have a bat pony friend.”

“They’re called eutherians, my little pony,” Celestia said.

“Right, right. You-thee-ree-an,” I said it out phonetically, like I had a hard time saying it. “Am I saying that right?”

Celestia nodded. “That’s correct.”

“Yay!”

I was satisfied to see Celestia smiling wider as she ran a hand through my mane before she stood. “Are you feeling up for a little walk?” she asked.

“Where are we going?” I asked, pulling the covers off and swinging my legs over the bed.

“Oh, not very far, just to one of the windows,” Celestia said. “I need to lower the sun and raise the moon. Do you want to watch?”

My eyes widened in genuine excitement. I’d always wanted to see it up close. “Can I really watch?” I asked.

“Of course,” Celestia said as she headed towards one of the windows. Watching her walk from the back, I was struck by how majestically and gracefully she walked. It was almost as if she was floating. Her long alabaster wings were folded behind her dress and seemed to shimmer with barely repressed magic.

I rushed after her after climbing out of bed and reached her just as she raised her horn and opened the window with her magic. She looked down at me as I rushed up beside her, looking out towards the west. The city itself mostly had a view of the western portion of Equestria, meaning that the sun itself was now just kissing the horizon. The sunlight itself was shining over the rooftops of Canterlot, casting long shadows along the roofs and streets of the medieval looking city. “Whoa…” was all I could say.

“Canterlot is lovely this time of day,” Celestia said as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “And the wind is coming in from the west, too.” I sniffed the air as well. It had a late spring/early summer scent to it as a slight breeze blew over the two of us, brushing my mane back gently. Celestia opened her eyes and looked down at me. “Okay, my little pony, are you ready to watch me lower the sun?” she asked.

“Yes, Princess,” I said.

Celestia smiled, then closed her eyes. Her horn began glowing again, only this time it was brighter than before. Then, to my surprise, she began speaking in a language I didn’t expect her to even know: English. “Sun, hear my call and heed my words, for it’s time to go, for now it is time for the Moon to rise up from below. Tomorrow is another day for you to shine your light. Now rest, for you have earned your sleep throughout this quiet night.” As she said those words, the sun began lowering past the distant mountains, bringing twilight light throughout the world. The sky went from bright yellows, oranges and reds to deep purples and nighttime blue. The stars began coming out. Her horn’s magic seemed to brighten more, and she winced slightly as she said again, “Come forth, bright moon, and heed my words, for it is time to wake. Your slumber must come to an end, and your place in the sky you must take. Oh, guardian of the night, come forth and shine your silvery glow upon all creatures, great and small, who slumber sound below.” A silvery glow began shining on the ground below, but not yet on the city since the cliffs hid the rising moon. It wouldn’t be visible for about half the night. Her horn began dimming and she immediately relaxed, smiling and looking up at the bright starry sky in satisfaction. “Another day over,” she said.

“What did you just say?” I asked, hiding the fact that I spoke the same language that she, albeit in an Equestrian accent, had just said. “I don’t know that language.”

“I’d be surprised if you did,” Celestia said. “It’s an ancient language that nopony speaks anymore. It’s called the Language of Magic, and it was used many hundreds of years ago to help ancient mages perform great spells. Not even I know the language anymore, just those words which help me to raise and lower the sun and moon every day.”

That was news to me, and I filed it away for future use. “How come no one speaks it anymore?” I asked.

“Well, because ponies found that there were quicker and easier ways to cast magic,” Celestia explained. “You’ll learn a lot more about it when you start school.”

“Oh, okay,” I said, smiling a bit.

“Now then, I know you’ve had plenty of rest already,” Celestia said as she closed the window, “but it’s time for you to sleep for the night.” She turned around and gently began leading me back to the bed.

“Okay, Princess,” I said as I climbed back into bed once more. “Thank you for letting me watch you lower the sun and raise the moon! It was amazing!”

Celestia nodded. “Of course,” she said, “I’m always happy to. Now sleep well, my little pony, and goodnight.”

I pulled the covers back up over me. “Goodnight, Princess Celestia,” I replied, yawning once more.

“Goodnight to you as well, young Vladímir,” Celestia said. She turned and headed towards the main door, opened it, and took one last look at me before she closed it behind her.

I closed my eyes, surprised at how tired I still felt despite having slept a lot of the day. Then again, I reasoned, Celestia did just take off that magical suppression ring from my horn. Maybe that’s why? As exhaustion washed over me, I decided to table those thoughts for the next day. I curled up underneath the covers and went back to sleep.

I woke to the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Buttercup’s voice came from behind the door as I blinked out the sleep from my eyes. “Young Vladímir? Are you awake yet?”

“Nnng…yes,” I said grumpily as I sat up as I rubbed my eyes clean of any cobwebs.

The door opened and Buttercup came in, carrying a large tray of delicious smelling breakfast dishes. I saw two strips of freshly cooked hay bacon, which to my new tastebuds tasted as good as the real deal, a small bowl of steaming porridge or oatmeal with what smelled like honey in it, a slice of freshly baked rye bread, two small sunny side up eggs, a couple slices of cheese, a freshly peeled orange and a glass of what looked like ice water. She set the platter down on the bed in front of me after pulling open some legs on it which helped it act like a miniature table. “You haven’t eaten in a day, and the mage physician said that it was time for you to eat something to help you recover your strength.”

My stomach began growling loudly as the smell of everything in front of me assaulted my nostrils and took up residence within every nook and cranny of it. I hadn’t smelled anything so delicious in all my time here. Most breakfasts at the orphanage consisted of lukewarm porridge, dry but still edible bread, hard cheese and sometimes some apples or applesauce. My mouth began watering immediately. “That smells so good!” I said, resisting the urge to grab one of the cleanest forks I’d seen and dig in.

Buttercup smiled. “The cooks at the palace are the best in the kingdom,” she said. “Now, though, it’s time to eat. The princess wanted to see you as soon as possible.”

I looked at Buttercup in confusion. “Am I in trouble?” I asked in a nervous tone.

Buttercup immediately shook her head. “No, no, no,” she said quickly and reassuringly. “She just wants to talk to you is all.”

I relaxed a bit, feeling a bit relieved and now more curious as to why she wanted to see me. “Well, alright,” I said as I reached out to grab the small fork provided. Unlike the ones back at the orphanage, which were dull and had lost their shine, the fork I held in my hand was pristine and had a large reflective surface on it.

“I’ll draw you a bath while you eat,” Buttercup said as she stood and headed to the bathroom.

“Thank you!” I called out to her as I took a large bite of the hay bacon, savoring its surprisingly juicy and meaty-ish taste. “Mmm…” was all I could say as I ate. As Buttercup continued preparing a bath for me, I sampled each dish, and was blown away by the flavor of each. It was then that I realized just how privileged those who lived in the palace were to eat like this every day. Not that I ate poorly by any means. We ate well and healthily enough, of course and were kept as clean as possible. The nurses there really did care about their charges, but it was a bit difficult since I always had the impression they were understaffed.

By the time Buttercup came back out, I was pretty much halfway done with everything. The cheese, eggs and hay bacon were all gone and the oatmeal, bread and the orange were all half gone. I was chewing on the still warm slice of bread when she came back out. “My my, you eat quickly,” she chuckled. “Almost as much as my little Anna.”

I smiled a bit. “Well, I was hungry,” I said as I took a sip of the water to wash the bread down with.

“When you’re all done, the bath is ready,” Buttercup said.

“Okay,” I replied as I continued eating my breakfast. As I did so, Buttercup grabbed a rag that was hanging off of her belt and began wiping down surfaces. After I finished, I decided to try and use my magic for the first time since the day before. I lifted my horn up, then felt the familiar tingling sensation as my horn lit up. My magic flowed down through my body and out of my right hand, which lit up as I cast a simple telekinesis spell on the tray, lifting it up and moving it to a flatter part of the bed before setting it down. Once I stopped casting my magic, I took stock of how my magic and body felt. I didn’t notice anything unusual, but I wasn’t going to take any more chances. I swung my legs over the bed and jumped off, holding my stomach. “I’ve never been so full in my life,” I said as I headed to the bathroom.

Buttercup came up behind me. “You about ready to take your bath, young Vladímir?” she asked.

I nodded. “Eeyup,” I said.

“Alright, well the physician and the Princess said to keep an eye on you while you took a bath,” Buttercup said.

I was about to protest automatically when I remembered that not only was I in a five year old body, but I was also under Princess Celestia’s roof, and thus I had to follow her rules. “Okay, I understand,” I said.

Buttercup seemed a bit surprised by my acquiescence. “Wow, you’re a lot easier to deal with than Anna. She’s always whining about me bathing with her,” she said.

I giggled as I began to take off my pajamas. “She is? Heh.”

“Trust me, she is a pain in the behind to deal with for her baths and for when it’s time for her weekly feeding,” Buttercup said.

I shrugged as I removed the rest of my clothes and climbed into the steaming bathtub. “Ooh! Ooh! Hah! Hah! Haaaah…Aaah…” I said as my body got used to the water. I sank into it, letting the warmth wash over me. I splashed my mane and quickly ducked my head under the water to get myself all soaked. “This is a really nice tub,” I said. “Where’s the soap?”

About fifteen minutes later, and after having Buttercup helping me to wash, I got out, brushed my teeth and got dressed in a pair of light brown slacks with a belt, a dark red t-shirt and black shoes. I felt more refreshed and cleaner than I had felt in a long time as we left the tower. It was here that I discovered that the tower itself was about three stories tall with an outside staircase that circled around the cylindrical tower.

Walking through the halls of the palace was an experience. I couldn’t stop staring at everything. It was impressive, to be sure, but unlike how it was depicted in the show, it wasn’t as colorful or whimsical. It was a lot more realistic looking, with portraits of ponies hanging from the walls and statues in the halls along with full blown sets of armor. There were torch sconces on the walls as well as hanging plants.

As we walked, I took notice of the staff walking up and down the hallways. While a good number of them were ponies, I did see ovitars and holstaurs walking through the palace, sweeping or cleaning or carrying something. Male holstaurs looked a lot like their female counterparts, only with longer and sharper horns and without the feminine physique. The same thing with male ovitars.

Buttercup brought me towards the center of the palace in front of a large wooden door guarded by two burly unicorn royal guards. One guard knocked and poked his head in, announcing us. When I heard Celestia calling us in, he pushed the door open, revealing a large dome shaped study. Sitting behind a large white desk sat Celestia. Also there, to my surprise, was Sunny who was sitting in a chair facing the Princess. When she saw me, she jumped out of the chair and rushed over to me, hugging me and looking me over, asking me if I was okay and if I slept well etc. I reassured her that I was okay before turning back to the Princess. “You wanted to see me, Princess?”

Celestia nodded and gestured to the second chair in the room. “Yes, please young Vladímir. Buttercup, thank you for bringing him. You’re dismissed. Go ahead and take the rest of the day off.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” she said, bowing and heading out.

Celestia turned next to Sunny. “Miss Breeze, I hope you don’t mind if I speak to young Vladímir alone.”

“Of course not,” Sunny said, standing and hugging be close. “Thank Celestia you’re alright,” she whispered before she left, closing the door behind her.

Once we were alone, Celestia raised her head, casting a spell that made any sound coming in through the door or the window to her left and right cut right out. Once she did that, she leaned forward. “Now then, young Mr. Vladímir, I’ve been speaking to Miss Breeze, and she told me she hasn’t been teaching anypony at the orphanage magic. Especially at the level you showed yesterday morning. How did you learn magic so well?”

My ears flattened immediately. I knew then that I was caught. I looked down at the floor, fiddling with my fingers. Celestia saw this and in a soft voice, she said, “My little pony, you’re not in trouble. We’re just wondering how you learned magic so fast.”

I bit my lower lip, then looked up at her before asking, “Do you promise not to tell anyone?” I asked. “And I mean anyone?”

“Of course, young Vladímir,” Celestia said. “I won’t tell anypony.”

“I mean anyone,” I insisted. “No ponies, holstaurs, ovitars, any creature. Although, I think there’s one pony you can tell.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “And who’s that?” she asked curiously.

I dropped my childish façade as I sat up. Celestia was the first to take notice as she looked at me with a curious expression. When I next spoke, I used my real tone and dialect as I said, “Your sister, Princess Luna, once she returns.”

Celestia’s eyes went wide with astonishment. “Vladímir, your voice…”

“I can read and write already, and have been able to for a while,” I said, leaning back and giving her a steady gaze.

There was silence between us for a while. Finally, Celestia said, “Okay then, Vladímir, you have my full attention. What is it you want to tell me that’s so secret that you can’t even tell your nurse at the orphanage?”

“There’s a lot I need to tell you,” I said, “and it’s not going to be something that many are going to believe.”

“Okay…well, I’m listening,” Celestia said.

Taking a deep breath, I began. “For one, I’m a lot older than I look…”

Author's Note

That took me forever to write, phew. I know it's not my best, but I don't like keeping readers waiting too long. Anyway, enjoy!

5 - Six Months Later...

To say that Celestia was surprised by the story I had to tell would probably be one of the biggest understatements of the millennium. In fact, it looked like she ran through the entire gamut of emotions. Fear, mistrust, disbelief, shock, but eventually she looked down at me and declared that she could see no lies in my story. She then apologized that I had been through so much hardship and was the very first to welcome me, Stephen Waverly, to Equestria.

I’d broken down at that, and Celestia hugged me close as I finally let loose any remaining lingering emotions about my traumatic death and rebirth. She soothed me and held me as if I were her child, letting me vent my frustrations and anger. Despite that, I was still careful to only speak in Equish as I shouted into her dress.

Once I had finished, she wiped my face clean with her handkerchief, then led me to her private privy where I washed my face up. Despite feeling embarrassed at having broken down so badly in front of her, I did feel a lot better about my new life.

By the time I had stopped crying and was recovering, it was lunchtime. I had lunch with Celestia in her private dining area, which wasn’t quite like it had appeared in A Royal Problem. Instead, I was surprised to see that it was a bit plainer than that. It was smaller, domed room with windows that took in the entirety of the surroundings save for the part of the room that was built into the mountain. The wall that was built into said mountain had been left alone, and I saw why when I saw a vein of gold that ran through the center of the uneven wall. The table was directly next to the window, giving anyone sitting there a good view of the surrounding area.

It was from that vantage point that I finally got my first look of Ponyshire.

The town looked less colorful than the version I’d seen in the show. In fact, it looked more like a typical medieval town than anything else. As I looked through a spyglass at the town, Celestia gave me the rundown of the town itself.

On the northern outskirts of the town, in fact not even located within the town’s border wall, was the lord’s manor, a larger mansion surrounded by a heavily fortified stone wall. Currently, the lord was a pony named Fancy Feet, an elderly stallion who had been the lord there for at least a hundred years.

There were wheat fields located west of the manor. Three families owned the farms which grew the wheat that supplied the town. Each barn had large silos that stored the grain and mills for grinding said wheat. When I asked if there were portions of the farmlands set aside for Lord Fancy Feet, Celestia nodded and said that it was standard for every town and city within the kingdom to do so.

Directly below those fields was where I first saw Sweet Apple Acres, a massive plot of land which consisted of acres of apple trees as well as other fruits and vegetables, although the majority of the property had apple orchards.

The town itself was more or less medieval as shown in the show, albeit somewhat less colorful than in the show. Celestia pointed out the blacksmith shop (a large black building with smoke pouring from its chimney), bread and sweets shop named Sugarcube Corner (which, while it had a slightly more colorful paintjob than most other buildings, wasn’t shaped like a giant sundae), the Golden Oaks Library (which was still made out of a hollowed out living tree), the village green, (where many of the town’s festivals were celebrated), the commons area, the marketplace, a few pubs, the residential district and the stone wall and two gates, the first located at the northern portion of the town near the lord’s manor, the second to the east right near the docks on Saddle Lake near the river which led to the eastern and western oceans.

In the center of the town was the town hall, where Celestia said the town’s mayor, sheriff and the magistrate worked from. Lord Fancy Feet had elected them years ago to help him maintain order within the town as he grew on in years. As befitting its status, the hall was the largest building within the town’s walls, towering over every other building in the city and having a large clock facing each direction of the compass. Celestia said that while the town hall had places for criminals, the crime rate in Ponyshire was so low that they were hardly ever used.

After seeing this, I was hardly surprised that ponies hadn’t developed the steam locomotive. Instead, the main mode of transportation on land was still done by either walking, flying or chariots. Pegasi could still fly, however.

After learning about this, Celestia took the opportunity to teach me some ancient Equestrian history.

She explained that the mountain which Canterlot was built into, the Canterhorn, had been extremely rich in gold veins and had once been the main source of wealth of the kingdom a thousand years ago. However, after the incident with Nightmare Moon, she built Canterlot Palace on the ledge that had once been a very small mining town, moving the seat of power away from Serene Castle, the actual name of the Castle of the Two Sisters, and its neighboring city, Dawn City after both were destroyed in the hours long battle between sisters.

However, aside from this vein that ran through the palace, the mines had finally run dry about a hundred years ago and had been long abandoned. Now, according to Celestia, the majority of Equestria’s wealth came from mines in the neighboring Foal Mountain, one of the richest sources of gems and gold in the country.

After the most informative meal, she summoned a chariot for me and sent me back home, but not before she promised that she would see me again. The way she said it made me a bit suspicious, but I suppressed it. I did ask, however, if I could see Shadow, Frostfall and Anna Belle again. She promised me that they’d be allowed to visit weekly.

Sunny was so relieved that I was okay after I returned, but was upset with me about using magic like that without proper training. I took the scolding, which amused me since she was also hugging me close as she chewed me out. Afterwards, she said that the Princess herself had promised to send a tutor of magic to help train me to better control my magic.

For the next six months, I received a visitor every Moonday, a unicorn mare named Aura Blossom. She was at least in her mid twenties, with light sky blue and cloud white striped mane and tail and a light green fur coat. She would normally wear a dark purple robe with gold fringe. I later learned that this was what the Canterlot branch of the Academy of the Arcane wore.

Aura was a strict teacher, always insisting on sticking to a schedule despite my advanced knowledge of magic. She was aware of my unusual ability to channel my magic through my hands instead of my horn, but despite that she insisted that I should attempt to learn to control magic through my horn just in case. However, in those three months, I was never able to figure out the trick despite every trick Aura knew. Finally, she’d taken me to the Canterlot branch of the Academy of the Arcane where she said that one of the more experienced mages there would give me a thorough examination.

Unlike Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, the Academy of the Arcane was a location where Mages of the realm spent years studying magic and attempting to develop newer and better ways to utilize it. I got the impression that they were pretty much the equivalent of scientific researchers back on Earth, constantly developing and improving technology. The Academy was also a school that taught advanced magic to those lucky few who passed the entrance exams to enter.

The building itself was located on a raised part of the cliff, separate from the city itself. It was a large cylindrical stone tower with four smaller towers connected to the main tower. Each of the smaller towers faced the four directions of the compass. The entire facility was surrounded by a large stone wall with six small watchtowers located at equidistant points within the wall. Each one possessed a large crystal at the top of said watchtowers which could be used to erect a magical protective shield around the Academy in case of an emergency.

Inside, I was reminded more of a monastery than anything, since the ponies there, all unicorns, wore pretty much the same type of robes that Aura did. Most were the purple with gold fringe, but I did see mages wearing two other colors. The first variant was a royal blue with silver fringe while the third was a dark evergreen with bronze fringe. I later would learn that the purple robed ones were the most advanced and knowledgeable mages at the Academy. All teachers wore purple robes. The blue robed mages were students in upper level classes, and the dark evergreen robed mages were students in the beginning Academy classes.

Aura took me to a large circular room in the East Tower where an older pony mage physician named Onyx Bolt placed me in the center of the room. He made his magic flow through a carved runic magic circle in the room, illuminating the room with purple magic. I took note of the clearly English lettering in the magic circle, however I saw some slight spelling errors within them. Ones that I couldn’t really tell them about mostly because I still wanted to keep that bit of information to myself at the time.

The physician performed a thorough examination on what he called my thaumatic pathways, finding that while mostly the same, I had an extra set that ran from my horn to each of my fingers. In simplistic terms, since he only saw me as a child, he said that my magic veins were bigger than average and I had more than the average pony. The largest were, according to him, from my anima to my horn, then from my horns to my fingers. I had a feeling that whatever had happened to me was a rare thing since he seemed extremely shocked by it and whispered a few things to Aura. When I asked if I’d ever be able to use just my horn for magical casting, Onyx told me that it was possible with training, but even he wasn’t sure. After that, Aura told me that she still wanted me to practice using just my horn for at least an hour a day, but at the same time she began moving a little bit faster through her curriculum.

On Enddays during those same six months I would always get visits from Anna Belle, Shadow and Frostfall, always accompanied by at least one of their parents. We would spend time either playing in the orphanage’s yard or going out into Canterlot for some fun. I met all of their parents during those months.

Anna Belle’s father was a dark brown furred holstaur male named McAngus with a few small patches of fur on his hands and arms that looked like they’d been burned away. Of course, when I learned that he worked in his own blacksmith shop, the burns made sense. McAngus had what I felt would be considered an Irish accent. He was a fun loving guy, always cracking wise and never seeming to care what others thought of him. I could see a lot of where Anna Belle got her personality from. His shop was actually one of the more popular ones in Canterlot, and I managed to visit there one Moonday after my lessons with Aura. There, I saw that despite his goofy personality he was incredibly serious when it came to his job. I later learned that he and his fiancée at the time Buttercup moved from their own small island nation of Steerland for better opportunities in Equestria, and for the most part they had both gotten what they came for.

Frostfall’s parents, Maple and Barley, were both castle servants as well. Maple, Frostfall’s mother, had light gray fur and hair which was normally tied back into either a bun or a simple ponytail. She had dark evergreen colored eyes and small yellow ramlike horns on the side of her head. I saw immediately where Frostfall got a lot of her looks from. Maple was a kindhearted woman but it was clear she had her priorities in order and wasn’t afraid to scold her daughter or any of us if we did anything naughty. She worked as another maid in the palace. Barley, Frostfall’s father, had dark brown fur and hair. He had yellow eyes and a black pair of ram’s horns which were larger than his wife’s. Barley was a castle cook, and whenever he brought palace leftovers for us whenever it was his turn to babysit me and my new friends I always saw why. His culinary skills could probably have impressed Gordon Ramsay.

Shadow Hunt’s parents, both eutherians, were the strictest out of all the parents. His mother, Astra Breeze, had dark purple fur with silky smooth black mane and tail and slitted amber eyes. She was a part of the Night Guard who patrolled Canterlot Palace and the city during the night. Her cutie mark was of a field of about five stars and some stylized breeze blowing through said starfield. His father, Crimson Comet, true to his name, had dark crimson fur, with a black and dark gray mane that somewhat reminded me of Spitfire’s own. His tail was the same color but it was fairly short. Like his wife, he was a part of the Night Guard. They didn’t babysit us much, but whenever they did the visits were shorter than most and we never went anywhere. They were fairly cranky from being tired, but I could tell they were trying their best. They definitely loved their son in their own way.

This newfound attention from the outsiders got me teased more by the other foals my age at the orphanage, but I didn’t really pay attention to them. The older foals for the most part just left well enough alone and some even scolded the foals my age for teasing me. Still, the names for me stuck. Cow lover, sheep lover, bat pony lover, magic freak etc. were just some of the names I was given by them.

The months rolled by, and thanks to Aura’s own tutoring instead of self learning, I began getting much better with my magic. In a month, I managed to learn how to better channel my magic so that I could use it more efficiently. I learned how to better control my telekinesis so it didn’t use up my magic fast. I also expanded my magical repertoire by learning some simple transfiguration spells. I even managed to find a way to teleport, although I could only go from one end of the yard to the other.

My friendships with the three children grew over the months. Anna Belle was ecstatic when she heard that one of my toys had a name nearly identical to hers. I would have given the toy to her easily had Sunny not told me that the dolls were from my mother.

It was also during those six months that Sunny finally told me about my mother. Her name was Golden Sparks, and she was, like me, a unicorn. She had arrived on the night of my birth in labor and seriously abused. To my horror, I learned that she was only fifteen when she had me. She’d refused to say who the father was, but Sunny, who had helped deliver me, got the impression that she was afraid of him. All I had to remember her by was a description of her. Sunny said she was a sky blue mare with dark blue and white mane and tail and deep orange eyes. I was told that luckily before she finally succumbed to her wounds and childbirth she managed to see me and gave me my name. Apparently one of my ancestors was from Stalliongrad, which was Threia’s (the name of the world where Equestria was located) equivalent of Russia.

With my exposure to the outside world, I learned something that threw me for a loop: the level of technological development of this Equestria was nowhere near the level of the one I’d seen in the show. There was no electricity, everything was powered by either coal or magic, with many of the lamps being fueled by oil. I found it hard to believe that ponies would use whale oil, so I did a little bit of research in secret. I discovered that there were many different oils used, such as sesame oil and live oil, but there were two that were common in Equestria.

The first commonly used was something called camphine, which the book I read said was made by distilling turpentine with quicklime. The second was gem oil, which was made by crushing certain gems up into a fine powder, which itself was then treated by a certain spell which changed the powder into an oil. The book went into details about how certain gems, once crushed, would emit different colors. For example, emeralds made lamps glow green, sapphires made them glow blue, ruby’s made them red etc. The cheapest oil made from gems was actually garnet oil, which didn’t affect the color of the flame itself. With how common garnets were it made for a convenient source of oil.

There were other sources of light, too. The lamps on the street utilized a rarer form of crystal which absorbed sunlight during the day and slowly released it over the course of the night. I was surprised to see that despite their glow at night being a warm white glow, the crystals themselves were actually a deep crimson when viewed during daytime hours. I later learned that they were called aed gems and were only used in public lighting fixtures in the major cities and towns due to how hard it was to find them.

Stoves were pretty much either wood stoves or a primitive (by my human reckoning) version of a gas stove, the latter of which was also used to heat homes during the winter. Controlling the temperature of the stove was impossible with wood stoves, but it was somewhat possible with the gas stoves thanks to the use of dials which allowed for control over the amount of gas that was let through. However, since there were no ways to detect leaks, inspections had to be done on places where there were gas stoves at regular intervals.

Summer turned to autumn, and I participated in my very first Nightmare Night in Canterlot. On the very night, Hærfest 31st, I went out with my new friends and escorted by Buttercup and McAngus. It was similar to how it was shown in the show, children going to various houses in the city and saying the incantation “Nightmare Night! What a fright! Give us something sweet to bite!” Candy wasn’t the only thing that were given out that night. Some families didn’t just give us candy but also gave out small hot disposable beverage cups full of hot spiced cinnamon cider or hot chocolate to help stave off the cold. The candies we got were almost all handmade and wrapped in thin paper to preserve them. We got caramels, sugar drops, licorice, small sticky buns or donuts, dehydrated sweetened fruits, small chocolates in various shapes, and more. During Nightmare Night I learned that candy was once used in medicine.

Despite not living in a world that had undergone any kind of industrial revolution, the candies and sweets made were actually quite delicious. Even those that were clearly bought were tastier than candies I’d had back on Earth. Either that, or my taste buds were different in this new body of mine. I took advantage of my child metabolism and indulged in the demolishing of my new hoard of candy within the next week.

The weather got colder once again and the Canterlot weather team guided the first snow clouds over the city earlier than they did elsewhere. By the second week of Forstbyn, the roofs, streets and trees of Canterlot were coated in white, with more falling daily. Chimney sweeps were out and about almost every day, most of them being pegasi but I did see a couple of unicorns.

With the onset of wintery weather, Aura redirected my training to focus more on magic that dealt with the cold, such as making ice walls or blocks. She explained that this was the magic used to make the blocks of ice for the ice boxes that had been out for twenty or so years. The orphanage had a large one that had been donated to them about a year before I was born by one of the nicer rich ponies who’d adopted someone from the orphanage. It was one of the deluxe double door versions and could store plenty of food and beverages within.

The reason she wanted me to do it during the winter was because thanks to the lower temperatures, casting any kind of cold magic was easier. Once I got the hang of it, Aura said that I was to keep practicing it for at least fifteen to thirty minutes a day, especially with the onset of warmer weather in the oncoming months.

She not only taught me about ice magic, but she also told me that for homework I was to continue practicing my other magic, especially fire magic which she’d begun teaching me in the summer. She said that practicing during the winter months would do for my fire magic what practicing ice magic would do in the summer months. When I compared it to exercise, Aura nodded and said that was fairly accurate.

And she was right. Practicing fire magic during snowy and cold weather was harder than it was in the summer, especially during the windier days. However, the practice I endured paid off because it grew easier to generate a flame above my hands as the days passed.

Finally it was Hearth’s Warming season once again. The lamps in the houses were changed to be either green or red or a combination of festive colors. Small artificial candles that had many different oils within were placed on trees. Either that, or some of the richer ponies would string smaller white or multicolored versions of the solar powered gems on their trees and place them next to one of their windows. In the center of the city, right in the main square, the Canterlot Hearth’s Warming tree was placed and lit in a grand ceremony. Celestia herself even attended and lit the tree with her magic.

On Enede twenty fifth, I woke to find that I had three extra presents underneath the orphanage’s tree, each from my three new friends. I got a warm wool sweater from Frostfall, and in the note that came with it she said that she spun the wool and knitted this herself out of her own wool. It was evergreen with a red and green striped tree on the front. Anna Belle got me some toy building blocks designed so you could create your very own castle, and Shadow got me a really well crafted wooden sword, much like the ones he would bring during our play sessions.

Of course, I got my orphanage gift as well, a good number of bits, a set of winter and summer clothes and a toy. That year I received a small unicorn pony soldier action figure with detachable sword, spear and shield. Ironically enough, the guard had similar coloring to how I remembered Shining Armor looking in the show.

It was a couple of days before the new year where I received a most unusual visitor once again…

“Hellooo? Hellooooo?” The Royal Guardspony Blazing Armor, a white furred unicorn with dark purple mane and tail, wandered through the apparently abandoned castle. He’d been heading back to Forgeston Fortress after spending a week of his vacation with his family in Frostbite Falls. He was one of the guards that had been assigned to this border fortress three years ago after his training in Canterlot was complete. He was a competent soldier, but was also young and inexperienced in any kind of actual combat. Of course, his training officer, Captain Swift Runner, had drilled into his head and the heads of all the other trainees that while a soldier or guard might hope for peace in their time, they should never lower their guard and always maintain vigilance and training.

Those words came back to his mind as Blazing wandered through the empty fortress. Everywhere he looked, he couldn’t see a sign of any struggle or a quick abandonment. In fact, it looked as if things were going on as normal. There was food in the soldier’s cafeteria, all warm still as if it was just served. He saw half written letters and reports in other areas of the castle, the quill pens dropped nearby.

“Is anypony here!? If this is a joke on the new guy, it isn’t funny anymore!” Blazing said, clutching his sword and shield close to him. All that he got in response was the sound of the wind from the cliffs surrounding the fortress.

He continued looking around, trying to find a sign of anything like a fight. However, he saw nothing. Even the prisoners in the small dungeon were gone, their trays of food all left half eaten. He figured then that this must have happened only an hour ago. As he wandered through the empty fortress, he thought back to noon. He had been on the road still with the fortress in sight, but he’d stopped to take a quick meal break. For the most part, his eyes had been locked on his home. Nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. He hadn’t heard any strange sounds on the wind or seen anything unusual, which frustrated him all the more.

He walked down to the mage’s work station, hoping that Glittering Stone, the fortress’ resident magic expert, might have left some kind of clue. As he opened the door to her work place, the familiar smell of potions, incense and musty books. The entire place was dark save for a few candles lit on the table and a bright blue orb that hung from the ceiling. Her chair was pushed back as if she’d vanished while she’d been sitting there. There were a few books opened on the desk, which in itself wasn’t abnormal.

He moved over to look at the contents of the books on the table and frowned when he saw that the book on the left was just some botany book. The book in the center looked more promising since the title was Rain Song’s Potions, but he quickly remembered that the aforementioned pony had traveled to the zebra lands and studied their craft before returning. Nothing about those potions could have caused whatever happened. The same thing with the third book, which was another potion book.

Aside from that, he saw a stone bowl on the table with a dark purple liquid inside. Besides it there were a few vials of different colored potion bottles, each with the stoppers off. And that set off alarm bells in his head. He knew Glittering Stone well and knew that the moment she poured anything out of a vial, she would immediately close it. They had been set down, that he could tell based off of how they were in order of size in front of him, but the stoppers themselves were just sitting on the table in front of their various vials.

The door behind him was thrown open even more, slamming into the wall moments later. Whirling around, sword and shield at the ready, he prepared to face whatever was out there, but when he saw nothing, he slowly approached the door. Shaking, the poor guardspony looked out carefully, clutching his weapon tightly enough that his knuckles began getting white. However he saw nothing. Breathing a small sigh of relief, he began to pull the door shut, only to remember that the door was extremely heavy and thick. Not even the wind could move it like that.

He stopped, released the door handle and tried to act all casual as he ‘looked’ around the place once more. All the while he thought he could feel the presence of something inside the room with him. Forcing himself to relax was even more stressful for him than anything else. The place was deathly silent.

That was until something dripped onto his shoulder.

He froze, petrified. However, he remembered his training and let the tension out as he slowly moved his hand to his shoulder. He felt something slimy on his shoulder, which made him shudder involuntarily.

Taking the chance, he quickly looked up at the ceiling, where he saw-

“Vladímir, sweetie?”

I jumped in alarm at having my solo playtime interrupted. I was sitting in my room, my toy blocks set up to look similar to Minas Tirith. My toy doll, Blazing Armor, was in my hand and holding onto the sword and shield attachments. “Huh? Wha-? Oh, Sunny? What is it?” I asked as I put my toy down. It was snowing heavily outside, and that mixed with the winds left very few options for playing or practicing magic outside. Apparently the Canterlot and Ponyshire weather team had missed a couple snow days, so they were trying to make up for it with this blizzard. The city was closed for the most part, with posters having gone up suggesting that anyone going out should only do so when it was necessary.

It was Enede twenty ninth, only a few more days until the new year celebration. Since I had no friends at the orphanage I resorted to playing with my toys. It was a really fun distraction and helped stimulate my creative juices and kept me entertained since I didn’t want to give away that I could read at a higher level than I appeared.

“Sorry to interrupt your playtime, sweetie, but you have a visitor,” Sunny said. She looked a bit nervous now, fiddling with her fingers anxiously.

This was a red flag for me. Usually whenever I got a visitor she was never this nervous. She had been a bit nervous when Aura visited with a note from Celestia saying that she was my magic tutor, but afterwards she settled down. I put Blazing down and stood. “Who is it?” I asked.

“Um…you should see for yourself, sweetie,” Sunny said, pushing the door open. “They’re in the office, waiting for you.”

I raised an eyebrow as I stood. “Alright, I’m coming,” I said as I walked out of my room.

Sunny closed the door, then began walking down the hallway towards her office. I followed behind her, thinking about who the visitor could possibly be. Of course, the answer seemed pretty obvious, but I wondered what this particular pony wanted with me.

Sunny led me to her office, where I saw a tall pony with wings sitting in a chair near the fireplace. The pony was wearing a thick white cloak with some gold fringe, and there was a hood over their head. Sunny looked between me and the visitor. “Ah…well, I’ll take my leave,” she said, grabbing a key from the desk, quickly retreating and locking herself out of the office.

This just left me with the not so mysterious pony. I looked over at the hooded pony, crossed my arms, and dropped my childish persona. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit, Princess Celestia?”

The figure sitting at the fire slowly raised their hands to their hood and removed it, letting the rainbow colored mane and horn loose. She turned to me, her magenta eyes filled with a new sense of warmth. Not that she hadn’t shown genuine concern and warmth for me before, but this seemed different. “Vladímir, my young stallion, it’s been too long since we’ve seen each other. Or do you prefer the name Stephen?”

“Vladímir works for now,” I said.

She nodded and gestured for me to join her at the other chair. Curious as to her purpose here in seeing me, I walked up and sat, facing her smiling face. Unlike before, there seemed to be a joy there, a joy that didn’t seem to want to be restrained. “I’m so glad to see you again,” she said.

The way she said it was a bit worrying. Instinctively I moved away from her. “Um, same to you,” I said.

Noticing my frown, Celestia gave me a sheepish look. “Ah, forgive me. I guess you noticed that I’m more than glad to see you.”

“I did notice,” I said with a small smile. “I take it there’s a reason why you’re excited?”

Celestia nodded fast, then stopped, cleared her throat, and reached into a bag that was leaning against her chair. Reaching into it, she brought out a portfolio made out of some shiny black material, opened it and retrieved some papers from it. Then she lifted her horn and cast some sort of spell. Immediately the sound from the outside of the room went completely silent, even the sound of the wind against the window. She cleared her throat and looked at me. “How much did this entertainment show about mine or my sister’s past?”

“Nothing much,” I replied. “Only that you defeated the god of chaos using the Elements of Harmony, discovered the Tree of Harmony in the ravine next to Serene Castle, and the incident with Nightmare Moon.”

“That’s all you saw? Nothing about our family or our lives before becoming rulers of Equestria?” Celestia asked.

“There are comics and books that tell more, but people back on Earth debated a lot on whether those were canon or not, so it’s hard to say,” I explained.

“So you never heard about my brother?”

I froze. Wait, Celestia and Luna have a brother? I thought with surprise. “Um…I’ve never heard about you and Luna having a brother,” I admitted.

She grabbed a small portrait out of the bag and handed it to me. I took it gently and looked at it. The unicorn pony I saw looking back at me was a tall and handsome young looking stallion with a somewhat long and wavy blonde mane, dark brown eyes and a light cream colored coat of fur. Since it was a portrait that only went to his chest like most medieval looking portraits, I saw that this stallion was wearing a dark green coat that wouldn’t have looked out of place in said medieval times. There was a four pointed gold star with a circle around it on the left part of his chest. Written on the frame was one name: ECLIPSE.

Immediately I remembered what I’d heard Celestia say after I’d woken six months ago. Looking up at Celestia, I held up the portrait and handed it back to her. “This is your brother? Eclipse?”

She nodded sadly as she took the portrait back and put it back into her bag. “He was my youngest brother. I was the oldest, Luna was the middle child and Eclipse was the baby,” she explained. “He was pretty talented with magic like me and my sister, but he never seemed to want to pursue it as much. If he had, there’s a chance he would have become a prince of Equestria.” She sighed and looked up at the portrait of Canterlot directly above the fireplace. “He was rather wild as a foal, always getting into trouble and hurting himself whenever he spent time with his friends.”

“Aren’t all younger siblings like that?” I said in an attempt to make a joke.

Celestia giggled slightly. “Indeed they are. But he changed after he met a mare named Diamond Facet. He became instantly smitten with her and tried winning her over, but she wouldn’t have any of it once she saw who he was. The poor stallion was depressed for days. Mother and Father tried to reassure him but he was inconsolable. It wasn’t until Luna gave him a stern talking to that he really tried to change. The change was astounding, but it didn’t take place overnight. He had trouble trying to change. When he spoke to Diamond again, she rejected him again because she did not want a stallion who would change for her. She wanted a stallion who would change for himself only.”

“Ouch. Rejected twice by the same girl. That sucks,” I said.

“If I infer your meaning right, then yes, it did suck for him,” Celestia said with a sigh. “He reverted to his old self almost immediately and nearly got in trouble with the law. We had a family intervention for him and told him how his actions weren’t only hurting those around him, but himself as well. The poor stallion was in tears all the while and apologizing over and over again. Mother and Father also apologized because they blamed themselves for not giving him the attention he needed. After that, he slowly began trying to change once more, and a year later he was the kindest and most loving pony I’d met. That was when he met another mare named Lilac Love. I think you can guess what happened next.”

“He fell for her?” I asked.

She nodded. “Only this time, this Lilac gave him a chance. He courted her according to the traditions at the time, and two years after they started seeing each other my family and I were attending his wedding. I have never seen such a happy couple.” She smiled, looking as if she was watching a memory play in her mind’s eyes as she continued. “It wasn’t long after they were married that my sister and I became the Princesses of Equestria. We had Serene Castle built and invited Eclipse and his wife to join us. But he refused.”

“Really? How come?” I asked.

“He said that he wanted to live a normal life with his wife and foals,” Celestia replied. “He did say that he wasn’t cutting off contact with us, just that he wanted to live without the pressures of life in a palace. He had three foals, two older mares and a young stallion, just like our own family.” I saw a tear fall.

“Princess? Are you okay?” I asked.

She wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and sniffed. “Forgive me, I miss him so. Him and his wife and foals. But back to the topic at hand.” She pulled out a few old looking papers from the portfolio and lay them down on her lap. “Before he passed away, Eclipse asked us for a favor. He asked that we look after his family, and for eight hundred years we kept that promise. We kept tabs on them, making sure they were safe.”

I raised an eyebrow. I almost said that sort of thing was a bit excessive but bit my tongue. “I’m guessing something happened?”

“Indeed. Two things as a matter of fact. We lost track of one family after they disappeared suddenly,” she said. “After that, a group known as the Order of the Sun found the rest of my family and…and…” I could feel the air in the room get warmer as the fire flared up considerably. Her magenta eyes briefly flashed yellow.

“I get the picture,” I said in understanding.

She exhaled and the temperature returned to normal. “We tried finding that family who went missing, but they had vanished so completely that we couldn’t find them. I’d all but lost hope when I met you.”

I felt a chill go down my back at the immediate implications. “What are you saying?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She held up a new batch of papers, these looking a lot newer than the others. “I played on a hunch. You look so much like Eclipse did at your age that I wanted to see if I was right. I searched for your mother’s origins, but until a week ago the ponies I had assigned to the case couldn’t find anything. Then, a week ago, we found something, an old arrest warrant for one Steel Vision in Stalliongrad for the assault and…well…”

“You can say it, Princess,” I said. “I’m older than I look, remember?”

“Right, forgive me,” she said, “sometimes it’s hard for me to remember that when I’m looking at you. Well, to put it bluntly, Steel Vision was arrested for the assault and rape of a young teenage mare from Stalliongrad. A mare named Golden Sparks.”

My eyes went wide. “Whoa, I’m a rape baby?”

Celestia gave me a sorrowful look. “It would seem so,” she said apologetically. “I am very sorry.”

“It’s alright,” I said softly before shaking my head and getting back on topic. “Just to be sure, though, it was the same Golden Sparks, right?” I asked.

“We double checked, and yes it was the same one,” Celestia said. “We traced her back to an old family who had been living in Stalliongrad for a few hundred years. Their roots were traced back to a family who moved there a little less than three hundred years ago. Half of them changed their names, but the other half kept it. The portraits of their ancestors matched the ones we have of them here.”

“Are you saying that you found my real family?” I asked.

“Yes, but we found them too late,” Celestia said. “Somepony else got to them first. They were all killed four years ago. All we found was an abandoned mansion and a will written by your grandfather that states that when Golden or any foal she bears comes of age, the entire property and its assets would be given to her or her foal. Meaning you, now, since there is nopony else left. You are the last of the family line.”

“And…Steel? What about him?” I asked, not sure I really wanted to know.

Celestia’s eyes darkened. “I had him executed.”

The way she said that sent more shivers down my spine. The look of pure revulsion on her face terrified me more than anything I’d ever seen on Earth or on Threia. “I see,” I said as calmly as I could. “So…if I’m reading into this right, I am a descendant of Eclipse?”

As quickly as it came, her eyes brightened and she turned to me. “Yes. Yes you are,” she said with that same happy look in her eyes. “You’re my nephew!” In a blur of motion, she stood and rushed to me, lifting me in her magic and wrapping her arms around me, holding me close in her admittedly warm embrace.

It was all happening so fast that I had to take the time to process just what was happening. I’m a nephew to the princess of all ponies? But the only pony who was related to Celestia was that Blueblood pony, right? Unless…wait, am I really Blueblood?! It would make sense since I look like him, but…seriously, what?!

Celestia put me down after a while. Seeing the shock on my face, she knelt and put a hand on my shoulder. “I’m…I’m sorry, I got a bit over excited,” she said sheepishly. “I’m just so relieved to have found a member of my family.”

“But Princess, I’m not exactly…well, I have the soul of a human inside me, for lack of a better word,” I said.

“That doesn’t matter to me,” she said warmly as she pulled me closer. “Pony or human, you’re family now. That’s all that matters.”

There was something in her voice that gave me all the reassurance I needed. I was still a bit nervous, but a lot of that seemed to vanish with her words and more vanished when she wrapped her arms around me. I actually hugged her back and we remained like that for a few minutes before I decided to ask, “So…what exactly does this mean now? Are you going to adopt me or something?”

Celestia nodded and released me once more. “Yes I will, but not right away. There are some things I need to take care of, but by next month I’ll have everything set up so that you can finally move into your new home in Canterlot Palace.”

I nodded. “Wow…it’s all happening so fast…” I said.

“I’m sorry about that,” Celestia said gently as she lifted my chin to face her, “but I promise that I will make this transition as easy as possible. That is…if you want to be?”

I was conflicted for a few seconds. After all, I still felt like an adult despite being a child currently. However, I realized that not only would I be living in a nicer place but more importantly I’d be close to my new friends and we could spend more time together. That, and it would be nice to have a family again, I thought. However, before I could answer, I had one burning question. “Before I answer, I have something to ask.”

“Go ahead,” Celestia said.

“I know that there’s a tradition of renaming orphans, so I was wondering what you’d rename me?”

Celestia took on a thoughtful look, then smiled after a few moments. “Renaming you would be essential, I think. I might have a good name for you. How does the name Blueblood sound?”

6 - My Little Brother

Author's Note

Man, I feel like the quality of this has dropped ever since I got COVID. It's harder to think, at least that's what it feels like. But I got a chapter out, so hope you enjoy it!

6 - My Little Brother

I remained at the orphanage for a couple more weeks after that fateful meeting with Celestia. Nothing seemed to change in the everyday routine for me. Aura came by at her normal time to train me in magic, and I had the regular visits from my friends. The news from the papers (which I learned were handwritten and then magically copied for distribution) didn’t make mention of her visit to the orphanage or of any kind of adoption.

The day before my sixth birthday, Bygynneth 6th, I received an important looking visitor, an older medium brown furred pegasus mare with dark gray tail and mane, the latter tied up in a secretarial bun. She wore official looking garments, a long dark red skirt and dark brown blouse. Sewn onto both sides of her skirt was her cutie mark, which was a scroll tied in a red ribbon. She introduced herself as Minister Penny Line, a member of the Canterlot Royal Chancery. She carried with her some official looking documents. She spent about an hour with Sunny and almost every other nurse. After coming out of the meeting, Sunny looked both elated and saddened. She took me aside and told me that Penny was from Canterlot Palace and was here to bring me there. Still thinking I was a colt, she said that I would be adopted by the Princess herself as her nephew.

It was here that I received my very first taste of royal privilege as she bowed down and apologized over and over for any rough treatment she or any of the nurses or other foals might have given me. I had to quickly reassure her that I wasn’t mad or anything like that. After she calmed down, she hugged me and said she would miss me. Truth be told, I would miss her, too. She’d been there since my birth and had been the closest I’d had to a motherly figure since arriving in Equestria. She then reached into her pocket and gave me a small copper coin, something the orphanage gave to all the foals who were adopted. On it, there was a smiling foal and the words CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ADOPTION written above. That made me tear up as I took the coin reverently and clung it in my hand before hugging her once more.

After I packed up what little belongings I had, I made my way to Penny, who was waiting at the front. Strangely enough, I saw no other fillies or colts on my way down to the front, which I later learned was on purpose since the Princess wanted my being at the orphanage a secret. Penny and I were hastily packed into a covered horse drawn wagon carriage with nobody seeing us from the outside. We then returned to the palace while Penny told me that the Princess herself had promised to explain everything the moment the two of us arrived at the palace. The two of us didn’t really speak much during the ride there, and it was a rather awkward trip.

When we reached the palace, Penny took me directly to Celestia’s private office and left me and the Princess alone. There, Celestia told me more about her plans. Only she, myself and her personal secretary would ever know about my secret: the fact that I came from an orphanage in Canterlot. From the way she explained it, even Celestia had political rivals at best who might use this as a weapon against her. The ‘official’ story would be that I was found after years of exhaustive search from a small unknown town at the edge of Equestria’s territory. She’d apparently even made a false paper trail for others to follow, which was why she hadn’t come for me right away.

When she told me this, I was a bit stunned and instinctively expressed my disapproval, seeing as how honesty was one of the principals of harmony, but she quickly explained that it was the only way for her to keep her rivals and enemies from finding anything to use against her. It was this first interaction that reinforced for me that this world was a lot harsher than the one in the show. To quote one of my favorite shows, she was playing the game of thrones. And while I didn’t like it, I still had no idea how politics really worked in this Equestria, so I really had no choice but to accept it.

The two of us talked for hours establishing the story. Nothing about my upbringing would really change, save for some names of course. Anyone who really knew about my living at the orphanage had been handsomely paid off, of course. The town I was apparently living in was called Coalton, a small town near the southwestern portion of Equestria. They did have a small orphanage which Celestia had recently closed due to poor management of funds. The other orphans who had been living there had been sent to the neighboring town’s orphanage, which ironically enough was Sire’s Hollow. Coalton was also slowly being abandoned since its coal mine had dried up months prior.

Once the story had been established, my new aunt showed me around the palace, introducing me to key members of the staff. The throne room, to my surprise, looked the most like the one from the show, albeit with muted colors. There were stain glass windows on the righthand wall of the throne itself, showing famous historical events.

The first window showed three ponies, standing in a massive cave. Each were from one of the different tribes of ponydom and each had their hands out, joining in the center of the circle of three. Above the joined hands was a glowing white triangle. On the bottom, a sign read Founding of Equestria.

The second window depicted two familiar alicorns, each sitting on a throne with a unicorn pony mare placing two golden tiaras on their heads. The mare I saw wore dark blue robes with swirls of white sewn into the fabric. There was a dark hood over her head but the artist had not hidden her piercing gray azure eyes and her brown fur. On the bottom, a sign read Starry Swirl Crowns the Sisters.

The third window depicted the same two alicorns, both with blades in their hands and wearing fierce looking armor. Both were facing down a dark gray alicorn with dark magic tinted eyes. Behind the two were two stylized armies facing each other with a large crystal city in the far background. On the bottom, a sign read Defeat of Emperor Sombra and the Last Battle of the Silica Empire.

The fourth window showed both sisters wielding six familiar gems and blasting at a somewhat familiar looking being of chaos. However, unlike the one I knew, this one had long flowing white hair, large but different sized breasts and a slender feminine and more humanoid form. Other than that, all the body parts were pretty much the same, albeit more anthro than animal. On the bottom, another sign simply read Discordia’s Defeat.

The fifth window depicted Celestia banishing the corrupted Luna to the moon. To my surprise, however, there was no mention of Luna’s name. Instead, the sign read Nightmare Moon’s Banishment. I almost asked what Celestia had said happened to Luna, but held my tongue.

If those images hadn’t already told me about my new aunt’s prowess with a blade, then her demonstration in the palace’s training grounds definitely convinced me. This Celestia wasn’t a chump when it came to fighting. She was a warrior princess. She moved with a grace and speed that was indescribable, but with a deadly ferocity that terrified me. She didn’t even use any of her magic or her wings when she fought and still she fought the enhanced and magically moving dummies with striking ease. When she told me that was merely lesson one, I gained a whole new respect for my new aunt. She did promise me that when my body was ready, I would be allowed to learn a fighting style to give me an edge in protecting myself just in case.

Something that stunned me on that first day, however, was the fact that the room I was given was a near carbon copy of the bedroom I’d seen in the very first episode of the show, the one where Twilight and Spike had stayed in. It was a bit more closed off than in the show, having been built into the side of the mountain itself, but nevertheless it was fairly similar. There were two levels, each connected by a large spiral staircase in the center. The room had an amazing view of Canterlot through the massive window on the second level. There were plenty of books on the shelves on the second level already, a brass telescope near the window, a massive hearth next to my bed that kept the entire bedroom warm, a desk which was complete with ink, quill pens and papers all neatly stacked, a practically king sized bed with a stepstool for me to climb up, and much more to see.

My friends were also there in that room with cake to celebrate my adoption. They and their families were there as well, and I later learned that they had been told to keep my secret and had been rewarded for their silence with large amounts of money as well. Anna Belle was the most excited that I would be around the palace and didn’t seem to care that I would become a prince. All she saw was a close friend moving closer to her so she and I could play. I noticed the change in Shadow right away. He became more formal with me, at least until I begged him to act like he had before since I wanted to be friends with him.

Certain members of all three families had been assigned to me, as it turned out. Buttercup had been reassigned as my personal maid and would see to my daily needs. Maple, who had background in education, was to be my main teacher, but not my personal tutor. Instead, she would teach me and my friends in a small classroom setting. She was aware of my intellect and being farther ahead in certain subjects, but she was insistent on teaching me Equestrian and world history, something I was not so great at. Barley was reassigned to be my personal cook for the time being, while Astra Breeze and Crimson Comet were my personal guards, having been reassigned from the Royal Guard to me. At the time, I felt rather overwhelmed by all of this, and Celestia promised me that I would be given time to adjust to the new life I now led.

After the first week, Celestia made a major announcement in the form of a large banquet. There, she told the cover story and introduced me as her distant nephew Prince Blueblood. I had been trained on how to behave and walk as best as I could, but I felt completely out of place in that banquet despite my aunt’s reassurances that I was doing splendidly. It was there that I had the very first of many tastes of upper class society and how nobles and ponies of high standing used honeyed words to try and get what they wanted. It reminded me of an old saying from a movie from Earth, “A nobleman is nothing but a man who says one thing and thinks another.” I kept that in mind during the entire night.

Aunt Celestia’s announcement hadn’t even left her lips before I was being introduced to many noble daughters my own age. I could tell that the fillies thrown at me were as nervous as I felt. However, what brief training I’d had that week came back to me and I put them at their ease with my best imitation of honeyed words, something that made me feel sick to say. However, the giggles of the fillies as we played out in the courtyard more than made up for it.

It was also there where I was reunited with Jet Set. He was nearly unrecognizable, and I was glad that I was as well, having had my mane and tail trimmed. Seeing him reminded me of Crystal, and I made a mental note to ask Aunt Celestia if there was any way for her to find my oldest friend.

Jet Set was already rude and a bully a back in the orphanage, but now he was an insufferable spoiled brat. He was incredibly rude to the maids and servants, especially those who were eutherians or non-ponies, while at the same time he had his nose so far up the asses of anyone of standing that his face might have been brown by the end of the night. He especially sucked up to me, and I had to tolerate it. His father was the Duke of Chicoltgo and was very wealthy, I learned. Jet spoke of Chicoltgo Keep as if it was on par with Canterlot Palace in terms of beauty and scale. He insisted that I come and visit, to which I gave a noncommittal answer.

I was exhausted by the time the night was over, physically and mentally. Physically from all of the walking around and the food consumed, and mentally from having to deal with all the false platitudes I was now a part of. Aunt Celestia personally escorted me to my new room, telling me how proud she was of me for how I acted, but I reminded her once more that I was older than I looked. Nevertheless, she praised my acting skills. However, she did tell me that there might come a time where I might have to visit other noblestallions. She promised to put it off as long as she could.

As the days turned into weeks, I began falling into a new routine. Now that she didn’t have to travel once a week to a Canterlot orphanage, Aura would come and train with me in the training arena multiple times a week, which helped my magical prowess grow much faster than it had before. She was still strict in her lessons, which I appreciated since it meant the lessons stuck more, at least for me. Maple, on the other hand, was a kindhearted teacher who knew just how to teach each one individually. She was impressed by my writing and math skills and advanced me more and more in those areas. My Equestrian history and geography weren’t as good, but since I had the mind of an adult in the growing brain of a child, I made those subjects a higher priority.

The others had their own troubles. Shadow was ahead thanks to his age, and was actually fairly average when it came to his age group except for math, which he struggled with. Anna Belle, being a bundle of energy most of the time, was in general not one of the best students, but she never gave up. Frostfall was smart for her age and she and I would gladly help the other two in study sessions.

To my surprise, McAngus was asked, not instructed as he owned his own business, to take time out of his day to be more or less a physical education instructor to me and my friends. He never allowed me or Shadow to use our special magic, as he viewed that as cheating. Shadow and I both took it seriously, doing our exercises with no complaints. Shadow, due to his being older, was very fit and could easily take on all three of us in games of strength. Anna Belle would complain, but she was just as physically fit as me and Shadow. Poor Frostfall, however, was not the best despite her best efforts but she never gave up.

I hadn’t forgotten my first friend Crystal Moon, and I had asked Aunt Celestia if there was a way to track her down. She promised that she would have her investigative team look into it. A week later, however, she came back with some upsetting news. The family who had adopted Crystal had vanished without a trace about a month after they’d adopted her. The parents had been in their Canterlot house one day with their daughter, and gone the very next day. All of their belongings were gone as well.

Winter turned to spring, and things remained the same with me. However, that day at the beginning of Sprende, my life underwent yet another change…

It was late morning and I was sitting at my desk looking over one of the books in my room titled The Eutherian Art Of Stealth by Fresh Breeze. One of the things I’d learned from Shadow and his parents were that they had a very unique type of magic which was called Shadow Magic. They were capable of not only blending into the shadows quite literally, but some of the more talented eutherians had great powers of hypnosis which they could use to cloud the minds of their victims and make them pretty much invisible. That power reminded me of the one that was used in the old radio serial from Earth called The Shadow.

I was reading it because it was said that some talented unicorns could also learn Shadow Magic. I knew I wasn’t quite ready for it, but I still wanted to try and learn when I was. Having such a power could be a valuable asset, especially since I was now a prince and a high value target. There were practice exercises within, but I knew better than to even do them.

I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the warm presence of my aunt as she walked up behind me. I jumped when she put her hands on my shoulders. “That must be quite an interesting book you have there,” she said in amusement as I jumped up.

“Whoa! Oh…Auntie, you startled me,” I said, putting my hand on my chest. I had grown quite used to calling her Aunt or Auntie, and thinking of her as such always made me smile. I did so now as I looked up at her, only to see her wearing something other than her royal garments. She was wearing a dark blue flowing dress with a gold rope around her midsection and a necklace that had her cutie mark hanging from it. She was wearing a pair of spectacles as well that made her look like more of a teacher than anything. I raised an eyebrow. “What are you wearing today?”

She chuckled and turned around for me to see everything. Her tail stuck out and was flowing in the ethereal winds that they constantly experienced. “I’m going down to my School for Gifted Unicorns today for the opening ceremonies,” she explained, “and since today is a day off for you, I was hoping you would like to join me.”

I felt excitement rushing through me as I put a mark in my place in the book and closed it, setting it on my desk. “I’d love to come!”

Aunt Celestia smiled warmly and put her hand on my back, patting it. “Then get dressed, young Blueblood.”

After I quickly got into my outdoor royal garments, dark blue trousers, a blue and gold long sleeved shirt with a golden triangle sewn onto the chest and a small black cloak attached by a gold chain, Aunt Celestia, myself, and two of her best guards walked towards her carriage, which was pure white with her cutie mark painted on the very top. The corners were lined with gold and the curtains were as white as the paint, but managed to keep out the light very well.

As we were taken to the school, Aunt Celestia and I talked. She asked me how my lessons were going, and I told her. When I asked if there was anything big happening in the world, she told me that she had been attempting to broker a treaty with a nearby island nation of zebras called Farasi. However, it was difficult especially since, unlike Equestria, Farasi consisted of many different tribes of zebras. Like ponies, zebras had three different types of zebras, mountain, plains and imperial. The first two were easy to distinguish by where they lived, but the imperial zebras were so called because they claimed to be able to trace their ancestry back through the Weave of the World as they called it to a time when Farasi was once a powerful empire that spread all over its savannahs, prairies, oases and mountains. They were called imperial because they claimed to be descendants of the line of emperors.

Aunt Celestia had been trying to work out a peace treaty with the major tribes in order to establish a trade agreement with them, but it had apparently been difficult since smaller tribes had spoken up against the proposed trade. According to the leaders of the larger tribes, said smaller tribes didn’t want foreign politics involved in the day to day of Farasi affairs. Zebras were fiercely independent and hated to have their affairs interfered with by outsiders. Aunt Celestia had been trying her best to reassure these smaller tribes of her intentions to stay out of their politics, but so far it had been a losing battle.

“What if you arrange for one of their leaders to visit Canterlot and see us in person?” I suggested. “While you send one of your trusted nobles there in an exchange?”

“I had thought of that,” she admitted, “but no noble will want to go to Farasi. They all think it’s a filthy disgusting nation full of savages.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s a shame Fancy Pants isn’t around, yet.”

Celestia looked at me with a confused expression. “You know of that young lordling?”

I chuckled. “He showed up in the show I mentioned a few times. He was mentioned as being the most important pony in Canterlot.”

“Well, his father, Charm Pants, is the Duke of Manhattan,” Celestia said, “one of Equestria’s biggest port cities and one of the richest as well. His son is about…thirteen or fourteen if I’m remembering right. The Pants family has always been a friend of the crown and one of the best noble families I’ve known. I’m sure if I asked, Charm would let his son go, but his wife might not allow it.”

“What, is she like most other nobles?” I asked.

Celestia shook her head. “No. Lady Petunia Bush is a very sickly young woman. She worries a great deal about her son, since she nearly died giving birth to him from what Duke Pants has told me. She doesn’t want to lose her son.”

“She sounds like a hovering parent,” I said, “like a mother hen.”

Celestia nodded in agreement. “She is, but a part of me can’t blame her. She’s lost almost her entire family, and all she has left is her husband and son.”

“Still, you said Fancy is thirteen? He’s a stallion grown already, as you’d say,” I replied.

Celestia giggled a bit. “Yes, he is. Oh, we’re here already.”

As the carriage stopped, I prepared myself. I’d seen the school only briefly in the show, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. As the driver opened the door and pulled down the carriage’s steps for me and my aunt to use, I caught my first glimpse of the school. My first impression was that I was looking at some miniature version of Buckingham Palace, but upon closer inspection, I aw plenty of differences. There was a large lawn in front of the building with a cobblestone pathway heading towards the entrance. In the center of the lawn was a fountain with a unicorn pony stallion statue standing in the center. Water spouted from the horn and sprayed out in a dome formation. The stallion statue itself was holding a book in one hand and was holding out its free hand towards the sky.

Behind the statue and yard was the school itself. The school had three sections, it seemed. There were two parallel square sections on the right and left which were connected by a rectangular section that ran perpendicular to the other two sections. At the very center of the building was a large white domed tower which loomed over the rest of the building. All along the walls were windows of identical size. The sun shone down on the school itself, its warm light glistening against the massive building.

My jaw must have dropped without me realizing it because Celestia reached down and gently pushed my mouth closed. “It is impressive, isn’t it dear nephew?”

I nodded slowly. “It’s really big,” I said, slipping into my younger talk.

“Yes it is. Come along, nephew. I want to show you around,” she said, taking my hand and leading me down the pathway.

As we walked, I saw other ponies, all unicorns ranging from about my age to teenage years, walking towards the entrance. Each one was wearing what looked like a uniform. The colts wore a pair of black pants, a beige undershirt with a cravat, a dark purple vest with some kind of sigil sewn into the right breast and a black hooded cloak with gold lining the inside. The fillies wore something that was pretty identical except that instead of pants they wore long black skirts. Some even wore some kind of dark purple berets. Many of them saw us and would greet Celestia as Headmistress instead of Princess. When I asked why, Celestia replied, “I prefer that when I’m here, as the students and teachers know well. It’s one of the few times where I can be something other than a princess.”

For the next hour or so, she showed me around the school. Each classroom was pretty much identical. Unlike the ones I was used to back on Earth, these were more like a small amphitheater, with students sitting in a small semicircle and facing down towards the podium and chalkboard where the professor would stand. Much like the architecture of this world, it was medieval in nature. There was a large dining hall near the center of the building along with a meeting hall which reminded me of a cathedral’s sanctuary. The school had two massive libraries, one in each wing where we saw many students reading and studying the old tomes there. It was as if I’d stepped into one of those schools one sees in a magical school anime, albeit with more realism, if such a thing existed in a world where magic actually existed.

It was during our tour that something unusual caught my eye. We were passing some of the smaller and empty classrooms when I spotted a small cart in a darkened classroom. Aunt Celestia had just gotten stuck talking to a few of the teachers, so when I asked if I could explore one of the classrooms, she turned and nodded quickly. “Just stay in that classroom until I’m finished here, alright?”

“Okay!” I said, and with a childlike excitement, I rushed into the classroom.

The room itself was dark, its two windows to the outside covered by thick curtains. Using my telekinesis, I pulled the curtains aside, letting light into the room, which in itself wasn’t anything spectacular. It was smaller than most of the other classrooms, but it still had the same general shape. But that wasn’t what had drawn my attention, because sitting at the front of the room next to the podium and in front of the chalkboard stood a cart full of hay. And in the middle of that hay, I saw an egg.

I walked up to it, almost entranced by how beautiful it was. The egg was a light purple with dark purple spots scattered all around it. Reaching up, I touched it and caressed its smooth surface. It was cool to the touch, each part of it identical in temperature. Gently rubbing it with my hands, all I could say was, “Spike…”

Suddenly, to my complete surprise, the egg shuddered slightly. I jumped back in alarm. “What the fuck…?” I whispered in English. The egg remained still as I maintained eye contact with it. Slowly, I approached it, reached out, and touched it once more. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the egg shook once more, and I felt a burst of heat coming off of it.

I should have gone to talk to my aunt about this. I should have been more patient about things, but something inside me felt compelled to approach once more. The egg was now trembling as if it was cold. Immediately, I remembered not only that one episode with the dragon eggs but something I had learned in my extracurricular reading about dragons: their eggs needed extreme heat to hatch.

I grabbed the egg and placed it on the stone floor as far away from anything burnable as possible, which was a corner of the room. The egg was still trembling, and when I touched it next, the temperature had gone down considerably. “Shit shit shit,” I muttered. “I need to heat you up!” Remembering my studies in fire magic, I closed my eyes and concentrated. I held out my hands and called forth the basic fire spell. Immediately a ball of bright yellow fire appeared in front of me. I brough the ball of flame to the egg and placed the fire around the egg. The shaking subsided only slightly, but didn’t stop. Gritting my teeth, I poured more magic into my flames, trying to elicit more heat from them.

However, all I managed to do was turn the flame from bright yellow to a piercing white. I felt myself beginning to sweat, my newly cut mane drenched from the heat and exertion. Quickly, I tried to think of a way to increase the temperature of my flames. The only way I could think of at that moment was to increase the oxygen flow to the fire itself, but I had no idea how to do that. Thinking as hard as I could, another idea came to mind. Slowly, I began channeling more magic through my left arm and out through my left hand. I thought back to my teacher’s instructions on how to use dual spells. It wasn’t something I’d mastered, but I felt like I was so close to understanding…

Understand…

“Blueblood?! What are you doing?!” A shocked voice called out from behind me. Whirling, I saw a stunned looking Celestia with the three professors she’d been talking to earlier.

My concentration broke, and with that something else inside me broke. I felt a surge of magic unlike anything I’d felt before. The surge flowed through my left arm and the burst changed the white flames to bright blue flames. The surge then flowed through my right arm and out of my right hand, creating a massive burst of wind that surrounded the flames, making them hotter. My horn flared above me, and I felt magic pour from it, surrounding me with a bubble of magic.

I grew immediately afraid as my magic poured out of me in droves, creating a massive and hot fireball around the egg. The more I tried to retract the magic, the more it came flying out of my horn and hands. There was so much noise from the wind and the magic surrounding me. I was aware of someone shouting something, only to realize it was me screaming for help.

Through all the noise and chaos, I heard something crack. Immediately, I locked onto the source and saw a dark crack that had formed in the egg. As I watched, more cracks appeared, until finally a claw burst through. The egg burst apart, revealing a very familiar dragon baby. A baby surrounded by fire.

I redoubled my efforts to pull the magic away, but my magic wouldn’t obey my commands. Not until I felt a hand firmly grasping my leg. Looking down, I saw Celestia looking up at me with a reassuring smile. It was then that I remembered that fear was something that could overwhelm a magic user in certain situations, especially during a magical surge. She pulled me down and wrapped her arms around me. Despite the noise, I heard her saying, “Deep breaths, dear nephew.”

At that, I felt myself going limp. Her grip on me increased as the noise of wind and fire vanished, only to be replaced by a child’s babbling. Slowly, I turned and saw a young dragon baby rocking back and forth, his tail sticking in his mouth. Our eyes locked, and I saw him release his tail from his mouth. He babbled and squealed in what looked like delight, reaching out towards me.

As my strength returned, I looked up at my aunt and tugged at her. “Can you put me down for a bit?” I asked.

She looked down at me, then back at the dragon baby. Nodding, she slowly put me down and helped me get my bearings. My legs were a bit wobbly, but Celestia stabilized me. The other three professors were standing near the dragon baby, looking at him in awe, however when I began to walk towards him they backed away after looking once at Celestia.

Slowly, I walked up to the baby. In the light of the sun that shone through the window, he looked identical to the Spike I’d seen on the show, although his colors were a bit muted. His scales were a darker shade of purple and his spines were evergreen, but his reptilian eyes were identical in color to those I’d seen on the show. However, unlike the episode which showed his birth, this dragon was covered in a glistening fluid. The young dragon sneezed, letting loose a small bit of blue fire before he began to shiver. Then, he started to cry.

Acting immediately, I removed the cape around me and wrapped the young dragon baby up in it, beginning to clean the thick embryonic liquid off of him. I overheard one of the teachers exclaiming, “Headmistress, surely you cannot be serious in allowing the young prince to engage with a young dragon! They are dangerous.”

“They are no more dangerous than griffons, Professor Ironsides,” Celestia replied sternly, “and this is a child. What will he do? Drool on you?”

I ignored them as I looked down at the as of yet unnamed dragon. His shivering had gone down and he was looking up at me with more curiosity than anything else. “Hello, little one,” I whispered as I wiped his face clean, “welcome to the world of Threia.”

The young dragon’s eyes widened a bit, and a small smile formed on his face, turning wide as he babbled and reached up to grab at my mane. He pulled at it and giggled. I simply chuckled and pat him on the head before turning to Celestia. She looked back at me, and as if a message had been passed between us, she nodded swiftly, then turned to the other professors. “With what has just happened, I’m afraid I must take my nephew home with me and make sure he is alright. Please forgive the abruptness of the departure.”

“Oh, not at all, Headmistress, we understand,” one of the ponies said.

“We will take our leave,” the third one said, but not before she gave me an odd look before turning away and heading out with the other two.

The moment the other ponies were gone, Celestia dropped all pretenses and rushed over to me, kneeling before me and putting her hands on my face. She had a worried look on her face as she looked me over. “What were you thinking, nephew?!” she exclaimed softly as she put a wing around me.

“I…I don’t know what came over me, to be honest,” I replied, looking back down at the dragon. “I just…I knew he needed to be hatched right away. I don’t know how I knew, but I knew.”

Celestia sighed, looking down at the young dragon. “Well…you’ve done something that nopony else has been able to do since I found this egg abandoned. Even I couldn’t do it.”

I was about to reply, when suddenly I felt a burning sensation on the sides of my bottocks. Standing quickly, I put my hands there, wincing. The burning sensation quickly went away, but there was a warmth that was still there. When I looked at Celestia, I saw that she was looking at my arm. Confused, I looked down at my arm, only to see the blank patch on my arm had morphed into a glowing compass rose with two distinct colors to each point on the compass. The north, south, east and west portions were a dark golden color while the smaller portions which signified directions like northwest, northeast, southwest and southeast were a deep royal purple. There was a small silver circle around the compass itself.

As the glow slowly vanished, I quickly grabbed my pants and pulled one side down, looking in shock at my brand new cutie mark which matched the one on my cutie mark patch. Slowly, I put my pants back in order, then looked up at Celestia. “Um…you’re more of an expert at cutie marks than I am,” I said as I pointed at the patch on my shirt, “what exactly does this mean?”

Celestia looked down at me, smiling with what looked like an impressed look in her eyes. “It means, dear nephew, that you have a rare talent for magic, one that even I don’t have. It means, with plenty of practice and training, you can use more spells than the average unicorn.”

“I can master any magic?!” I asked, looking at my cutie mark in awe.

“Master magic? That depends on you,” Celestia explained. “What I mean is you are more magically versatile, but that means you won’t be as powerful. At least, not without a great deal of practice with certain magical spells.”

“So…a jack of all trades and a master of none or possibly some?” I asked.

“Yes, dear nephew.”

I looked down at my cutie mark, then back at my hands. A small grin formed on my lips. “Sweet.”

“Oh, but don’t think you aren’t going to get away with what you just did,” Celestia said in a now stern tone as she reached down and lifted the still babbling dragon into her arms. “You are in a lot of trouble for what you did. So expect some sort of punishment, young colt.”

I swallowed nervously. “Yes, auntie.”

“And the first punishment of yours is going to be looking after this young dragon,” she explained as she turned to walk towards the door.

“Spike.”

Celestia turned. “I beg your pardon?”

“That’s his name, Auntie. Spike the Dragon.”

Celestia turned and looked at the now named dragon baby. She smiled and nodded. “Very well. I suppose since you hatched him, you get to name him. But he will be your responsibility, you know.”

I gave her my best puppy dog eyes. “But Aaauntieee…I’m only siiix years old!” I held up my hands and showed her six fingers.

“No, Stephen. You’re older than that, you know,” Celestia said, giving me a little glare before she relented. “Oh, very well. Buttercup can help you, but young Spike here is your responsibility most of the time. Is that understood?”

“Yes, auntie,” I said with a nod.

“Good. Now, let’s get you home,” Celestia said, “you and I need to celebrate. Six years old is early for a pony to get their mark.”

As we walked out, I looked up at Spike, who gave me a smile. In that moment, I made a promise to raise him properly and never let him ever feel left out of anything. I reached out to him, and to my delight he did as well.

Our fingers touched and he wrapped his claw around my outstretched finger. I was filled with a sense of warmth and protectiveness for this young dragon.

I will protect and cherish him, I thought to myself, cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.

7 - The Coming of Sunset

My cute-ceañera a couple weeks later was a banquet of special magnificence. Much like my adoption party, it involved the invitation of many nobles from across the entire kingdom. The main hall where the last party took place, which was nearly identical to the hall in the show where the Gala took place, was nearly packed with nobleponies who praised me with their duplicitous congratulations. However, being a prince, I had to be polite and thank them.

I received many different presents from each noble. I received fine silken garments that had been specially enchanted to grow as I grew as well as display my cutie mark prominently wherever I wanted it. I was also given fruits and sweets, like chocolate, sweet figs, raisins, sweet jelly, marzipan, and even a form of cookie. I made a mental note to try and recreate some cookies from my world like chocolate chip cookies or sugar cookies and possibly even donuts.

One noble who I had been looking forward to meeting, Duke Charm Pants of Manehattan, gave me a young horse, freshly trained and ready to ride. The horse he had given me, a white mare with a silver mane and tail, was less than a year old and when I was given a ride on her back, I noted just how well-behaved she was. I was given a few sugar cubes to feed her with, and with that she quickly became even more friendly with me. She was unnamed, so I named her Strider. The Duke told me that she was a purebred thoroughbred horse, and that the Pants family had only used that breed of horse for the past four to five generations.

I met the Duke’s son, Fancy Pants, at my cute-ceañera as well. He was a young teenager of about thirteen and was just as kind as his father. I could tell that he was as genuine as they came as well. To my surprise, he too presented a gift to me, a large grand piano that was practically identical to those back on Earth. This surprised me further since I had figured technological development in this Equestria was still in the tenth to twelfth century. Still, I thanked him gratefully and promised him that I would learn to play it.

I later learned that Fancy Pants had paid for the piano with the money that he had earned from working odd jobs around Manehattan, something his father had insisted upon since Charm was of the belief that if one was to rule, one needed to work among the masses in order to see just how they lived and worked. It was unusual seeing the young stallion without his monocle and mustache, but I knew immediately that I had a potential future ally in him among the sea of vipers known as the nobility.

I was also gifted many different things, like a handful of well carved and decorated goblets, a set of silverware, some fine noble jewelry, jars of the finest honey and even some old and, according to Aunt Celestia, rare books.

By the time I got back to my room at around seven o’clock that evening, I was exhausted. Miss Buttercup was there in my room playing with the young baby Spike. When I saw the young dragon, I couldn’t help but smile in relief and happiness, sitting down and hugging him. He seemed really happy to see me too and babbled incoherently at me.

My life became a very busy one about a month after the cute-ceañera. Thanks to the young Fancy Pants gift of a piano, I decided that I wanted to learn to play it as well. Aunt Celestia hired Fine Tuning, one of the best pianist stallions in the city, to be my tutor. He was a light gray unicorn stallion of about fifty with white and black striped mane and tail and a set of piano keys for a cutie mark. He had fierce blue eyes as well. He was a strict but fair teacher and spoke in a rather posh British accent, or a Britmane accent, since he came from Trottingham, Britmane. He had his own idiosyncrasies, though, such as the fact that he always arrived on time without fail and that he wore the very same clothes each time, a pair of black slacks, a white shirt with a red bow tie of sorts and a dark brown vest. One of the ones that I liked was that he would always put a small piece of candy on the nearby table, and without fail he would say, “As soon as the lesson is over, you can have the chocolate.”

During these lessons, I learned that in this new body I had a talent for the piano. Maestro Tuning, as he preferred to be called, never said anything to me, but I later learned from Aunt Celestia that he had told her about this talent of mine. And, truth be told, I actually enjoyed playing the piano. It was relaxing to play a tune.

I also was given lessons on horseback riding from a Saddle Arabian mare named Raana. As this was the first time seeing a Saddle Arabian, I was surprised to find that instead of them being taller than most ponies that the anthropomorphic versions were more or less similar to earth ponies in appearance. Raana was a dark blue mare with azure mane and tail and green eyes and a horseshoe for a cutie mark. Her Equish was good, but there was a somewhat Arabic accent buried within. Just like the Maestro, Ranna was a strict teacher, teaching me not to attempt to be the master of the horse, but a companion. I was just lucky that Strider was patient with me. In fact, Ranna told me that my new steed was being unusually kind and affectionate with me. I wasn’t going to complain, however. It made the riding easier.

Ranna taught me not just how to ride, but of the history of the relationship between ponies and horses. What I learned was quite interesting. As it turned out, horses were first domesticated by earth ponies hundreds of years before the creation of Equestria. They were used mostly as beasts of burden to help around the farms. In fact, something similar had occurred between the holstaur race and the cows in their home country. Ranna explained that horseback riding didn’t come about until the unicorn race saw how the earth ponies had tamed their horses and thought of the idea of riding them. Pegasi never found the need to ride horses thanks to their wings, but there were instances of them riding on the backs of horses, mostly when a pegasi’s wings never grew large enough to allow for them to fly.

My normal schedule for the rest of the year, barring a three month summer vacation that started on the first of Summerstar and lasted to the last day of Skīven, was like this: Moonday through Nerday I had school from seven thirty in the morning to one in the afternoon with a lunch break at ten thirty which went for thirty minutes. During those times I was taught basics, such as Equish/Grammar, Math, History, Physical Education and Geography. Geography and Physical Education were taught on alternating days. On Moondays and Puddays, Aura Blossom would come by at one thirty in the afternoons and give me an hour long magic lesson. On Platdays and Nerdays, Maestro Tuning would come at two o’clock and give me piano lessons for an hour. Hurdays were reserved for my horseriding lessons with Ranna, which started fifteen minutes after my schoolday ended and lasted for an hour as well.

On Enddays I was given special etiquette training by a young pegasus mare in her early twenties by the name of Light Step. She was a dark green furred pony with a few zebra-like stripes on her. Her tail and mane were evergreen and her eyes were, surprisingly, orange. She had a pair of feet as a cutie mark, since her talent was dancing. From nine to ten in the morning, I learned about all the proper palace etiquette such as how to greet someone properly along with how to dance and many other things.

Right after those lessons, which were an hour long, I would go to my next lesson, where I would meet Iron Grip, a minotaur swordsman. He had a steel gray fur coat and black legs. He was a slender bull, but that didn’t mean he was weak. I always looked forward to practicing with him because he was funny, but he also knew how to make the lessons stick. He would praise me whenever I did something right, and if I messed up, he would gently correct me and teach me where to improve.

After an hour-long lunch break which went from eleven to twelve, I had a lesson in basic martial arts from an earth pony stallion named Fisticuffs. He was a light brown stallion in his early thirties with dark brown mane and fur, both of which were already somewhat graying, along with two fists for a cutie mark. His dark gray eyes were still full of youth and vigor and his well-toned body proved that. He was a tough teacher as well, but I learned a lot from him. While what I was learning was the simple basics, Fisticuffs told me that I would eventually be ready to learn martial arts from every pony tribe. At one o’clock, I was free from all lessons.

One thing that I learned while performing martial arts was that I found that certain motions seemed to help my magic flow through me easier. Curious about this feeling, I cast certain spells while simultaneously performing simple motions. To my surprise, certain spells did seem to react much better when I performed them with martial arts, while others didn’t. When I revealed this to Aura and demonstrated this to her, she was intrigued and did some research at the Academy of the Arcane’s library. She found an old record of a unicorn mare who was said to cast magic in the same manner as myself, and that she, too, had found the same thing was true of her. The mare, named simply Duality with no last name, had written down her experiences with magic and what spells worked with martial arts and which ones were needed. She did put forth a disclaimer that since there was nobody else like her during that time, it was possible that said moves only worked for her.

Which was only half true. Some of the spells she mentioned did improve greatly when I mixed them with the little bit of martial arts I did know, but others she mentioned didn’t show any significant improvement. Still, Aura decided that, until further notice, I was to practice my magic normally and when I managed to perform a spell correctly at least ten times, then I could practice it with some of my martial art training.

Sunsday might have been a day where I had no lessons at all, but that didn’t mean I was idle. Not only would I put in etiquette, magic, piano, swordsmanship and martial arts practice for thirty minutes to an hour or so each day, but I would go into the Canterlot Library and either do homework if I had any or if I didn’t have any I would do some advanced studying in politics for about an hour or two each Sunsday. I knew that I was now a player in that field, and I had no idea how others might want to use me for their own political gain, so I needed to figure out how things worked in this world. The political system I was used to was nothing like the one I found myself in and a part of me dearly hoped that things in this Equestria weren’t as bad as they appeared to be in Game of Thrones.

I did make sure, of course, to set some time aside for my three new friends. Thanks to my newfound status as royalty, I received a small stipend from the crown and would treat them to delicious sweets and candies from shops in town. However, being a prince and because my new Aunt was being a bit overprotective, I wasn’t allowed to leave the palace without some kind of escort. Instead, I had gotten into the habit of asking some of the servants around the palace to fetch said gifts for me. It was not quite the same as picking them out ourselves, but it did give me more time with them. The three could leave the palace more freely than I could, and I was a bit jealous of that.

Despite that, we had fun during some of my free time. We would play in my room, run around the garden, and even play around in the royal garden’s large pond, especially during the summer months of my sixth year. In spite of my aunt’s words, Spike was taken care of initially by Buttercup, who took a shine to the young dragon. She would watch over me and my friends whenever we played, bringing Spike along with her as well. My friends all took a shine to Spike as well, but Frostfall was the most taken by him. I could tell she really liked playing with the young baby.

One thing I was surprised about was that I might have been in the body of a six year old, but I had the stamina of someone thrice my age. When I asked Aunt Celestia about it, she told me that what I was feeling was normal for a pony. She seemed surprised when I said that it wasn’t quite the same for humans. I told her that we were one of, if not the only, race on my planet who weren’t born able to walk. While it was the same for any sapient species on Threia, that didn’t mean everything was the same. In general, ponies did have a few traits leftover from their horse counterparts, such as the stamina bit.

That didn’t stop my aunt from worrying that I was taking on too much at once, and she said so. However, armed with the knowledge of my new body’s own biology, I reassured her that I was doing alright. She made me promise to tell her if I was ever being overwhelmed, but I insisted that I was alright. My reasoning being that since I was now a prince, I would do everything in my power to become an asset to the kingdom.

During the summer vacation, I spent a bit more time with my tutors. Most times my morning was spent studying and training with them, but in the afternoons after lunch I had free time. I spent those times either studying any subject that I felt would make me an asset to the kingdom (agriculture, politics, weather control and more) or playing with Shadow, Anna Belle, Frostfall and Spike. For the latter, I still didn’t really get a chance to leave the palace, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t have fun. We even tried our hands at cooking, much to the consternation of some of the cooks in the kitchen.

Despite that, I did manage to invent, or reinvent in my case, some dishes that impressed the cooks there. One of them being a baguette. One of my hobbies as a human was cooking. I wasn’t an expert chef by any means, but I did know some recipes by heart despite being six years out of practice. One of my favorite recipes was a French baguette. Despite the country of France being mentioned in the show, I could only find a place called Prance on the Equestrian map in my bedroom, and they had apparently not invented baguettes. It soon became a popular bread in the palace and all around Canterlot. It was eventually known as a Canterlot Baguette and shops around the city began experimenting with the recipe.

The year passed by fast, and before I knew it, autumn had arrived. The temperatures began to drop, hot apple cider became popular in the marketplace and other shops, and not just as a drink but as this world’s version of pumpkin spice. Sure, pumpkin was a popular autumn dish, but hot apple cider had it beat in terms of popularity. My studies were going along swimmingly, and I had learned that I was a jack of all trades not just for magic but for a lot of other things too, especially everything that I was being tutored on.

Nightmare Night came and went, and I was actually allowed to go out with my friends into Canterlot, with an escort of course. I received plenty of candy that night, and so did my friends with me. When I got back to my room, I found a small basket full of all sorts of delectable sweets and sweet rolls from my aunt. I was beginning to understand how the original Blueblood in the show might have become the way he was. My version of Celestia seemed to have a problem saying no to me. She was extra loving and caring whenever she had the time set aside for me. I never abused such a privilege, but I knew I needed to speak to her about it.

It was on a windy early Forstbyn Sunsday that things took a very surprising turn for me…

“You’re one of the most studious ponies I’ve ever met,” Dusty Pages, the mare who ran the Canterlot Library, whispered to me that day as I carried another small stack of books back to my favorite studying table, which was a corner booth near a window overlooking Canterlot. It had become known as my favorite spot to study to others. One day about a few months back, I had come in to find the normal chair and table replaced with something much more comfortable. I later learned that it had been thanks to my aunt that it had been replaced. The library was so big that it was hard for me to find things. Dusty Pages, however, was one smart cookie and always managed to know where something was without needing to leave her desk and she’d direct me to the place where I could find them. I swore that mare had a sixth sense because whenever any of the other staff put a book in the wrong spot, she would always know and tell the other librarian to put it back where it belonged. She was kind of anal about it. She was decent enough to me, but she was also not afraid to yell at me if I accidentally did something to her library. It was because of that reason that I took an instant liking to her. She treated me like a pony and not a prince. “Don’t you have friends to spend time with?”

“Well, now that I’m a prince,” I whispered, “I need to study a lot, right? Besides, Anna Belle has an appointment with the castle physician, Frostfall has a small fever and Shadow is doing some training with his parents. He wants to join the Guard someday.”

Dusty chuckled as she lowered her spectacles to look at me over them. “If only some others were as studious as you. What do you have there, then?”

“Histories of the early unicorn kingdom’s royalty and their political decisions,” I explained as I carried them towards my spot and set them down.

“How old are you again, young colt?” Dusty always liked asking that question, especially when I found a set of books that were way above my supposed level of understanding.

“As old as I look,” I retorted, giving her a lopsided grin before I grabbed the top book, which was titled The Royal Decisions Volume One, 720-600 B.F.,

Dusty simply smirked, pushed her spectacles back up and looked down at the papers on her desk. I leaned back in my chair, which was covered in the warmest of felt and cushioned with the finest of sheep wool. I opened the first page and began reading. At the same time, I used my magic to cast a certain spell on a quill pen, a spell I’d managed to cobble together using two other spells, telekinesis and another spell which was called mind link. The latter was a somewhat advanced spell that allowed two ponies who cast the spell to communicate with each other telepathically over long distances. I had been experimenting with magic and discovered that if I utilized both spells at once, I could create something that no other unicorn had thought of even trying. The idea came to me from an old anime I’d watched about a Japanese college student who was isekai’d to another world and became king of a nation. In honor of that, I named this dual casting spell Living Poltergeist.

I felt my mind seem to split at that and as I began to read, the sound of magic from my horn ceased. The pen began writing what I wanted, giving me the opportunity to read and write simultaneously. Having my mind be in two places at once was a very unusual sensation, but I’d gotten used to it after a few weeks.

Time passed, and when I looked up from my books to see what time it was, the old hand wound analogue clock on the wall told me it was about ten minutes past eleven that morning. I’d arrived at the library at nine thirty after making sure Spike was alright. I’d been trying to help raising him more as the days and weeks went past, but Buttercup was there to help more often than not. Normally whenever I studied on Sunsdays, I stopped at about eleven thirty, but today I decided to pack things up and leave a bit early.

After organizing my notes and stacking them on the corner of the table where I was sitting, I began taking the books and putting them back where they belonged. Looking over at the desk where Dusty normally sat, I was surprised to see that it was empty. The library itself was strangely empty as well. Normally, I would see a few of the librarians around or even a few other ponies reading, but there was nobody.

Despite the unusualness of the empty library, I had seen it a few times before, so it didn’t set off any alarms. I went back to putting away the books in their proper places. I was just about to go grab my notes when I heard the door to the library slowly open. I turned and saw a foal quietly closing the door behind them. The aforementioned foal was wearing a dark brown and somewhat torn dress and a gray sweater with a black cloak around her, meaning she was likely a little filly. She looked like she was around my age but it appeared to me as if she’d seen better days, with their mane and tail coated a bit in what looked like soot and dirt. As she turned around, some of the soot flew off of her mane and the hood came off, revealing a unicorn with bright cyan eyes, a sooty mane and fur, and a terrified expression on her face. As she looked around, some more soot fell off of her, and I saw her orange fur beneath the dust. Not only that, but her mane was a mixture of fiery yellow and deep sunset red. She raised her horn, which glowed a bright cyan much like her eyes. She vanished in that moment.

Sunset Shimmer! I thought to myself as I heard a teleportation spell go off near the other end of the library. I heard a small groan from that same direction as well before the sound of a body hitting the floor was heard.

Putting my notes down, I rushed towards where I heard the sound, which came from a section near the back of the library. There, I found the filly I’d seen slumped against a bookshelf, her head moving around listlessly and her eyes half lidded. I ran over to her and knelt to get a better look at her. The poor filly looked malnourished judging by how skinny she looked. When I put my hand to her forehead to feel to see if she had a fever, I nearly pulled back my hand in alarm. She was burning up.

I used my newly acquired strength and a bit of magic to lift her up and carry her back to my chair. After putting her down, I went to the door and looked out in the hallway. In the distance to my right, I saw a group of Royal Guards making their way down the hall with purpose. Leading the way was the current captain of the Royal Guard, a white furred and dark red maned and tailed stallion of about fifty named Justice Sword. I ducked back into the library as I heard him shouting orders to his men. “That little brat has to be here somewhere,” I heard him say as I gently closed the door. “Once I find out who fucked up in their duties, heads will role!”

With the door closed, I looked back at Sunset. She was still moaning softly and clearly exhausted. Looking down at the floor where there was a small dusting of soot and soil, I made a quick decision. Using a wind spell, I gently blew everything away so there was nothing visible. Then, I rushed down to where she’d collapsed and did the same thing. By some miracle, I managed to clean everything before the guards arrived. I lifted Sunset and lay her down underneath my table, which fortunately had a long but thick cloth over it, draping down to the floor.

As I did so, Sunset suddenly gasped and sat up, nearly hitting the top of the table. Before she could say anything, I used my hand to clamp her mouth shut. She turned and looked at me, wide eyed in fear. Before she could do anything foolish, I put a finger to my lips. “Shhh, calm down. Do you want the whole palace to hear you? Don’t scream or the guards will find you. Nod if you understand.”

When she nodded, I released her mouth. Immediately, and in a trembling voice, she asked “Who are you?”

“I’ll explain later,” I replied, surprised that she didn’t know who I was. My picture had been well circulated across Equestria by this time, but that would be a discussion for later. “Just sit down here and keep your mouth closed, alright?” She nodded and I smiled. “Good.”

As I sat back up and began taking a look over my notes, I heard the doors to the library open. An angry sounding Captain Sword voice called out in a voice much too loud for a library, “Spread out and find that street rat!”

I looked up and raised an eyebrow, acting confused as a group of about four guards scoured the premises. The captain saw me and his eyes widened. Before he had a chance to speak, I spoke up. “What is the meaning of all this, captain?”

He approached me and bowed. “Please forgive this intrusion, your Highness,” he said before standing back up. “A homeless foal has made their way into the palace. One of the cooks saw her sneaking some food out from the royal pantries before she was chased away.”

Both my eyebrows shot up in half faked alarm. Security of Canterlot Palace was supposed to be the best of the best. “A foal?”

His ears flattened and he had the sense to look abashed. “I know, Your Highness, I’m just as shocked as you. I don’t know how it happened, but once we capture her I will have the matter thoroughly investigated. Speaking of the filly, has anypony come into this room in the last ten minutes?”

“If by anypony you mean some little foal, then no,” I lied smoothly enough. “I’ve just been sitting here quietly doing some studying, but if anyone came in through the door, I’d hear it.” Which was the truth. The door to the library had developed a small squeak to it that Dusty had complained about for months but which still hadn’t been fixed. “What does she look like?”

“She's a unicorn, Your Highness, and she appears to have some talent for magic,” the captain said. “She somehow managed to evade us for the past ten minutes. None of my guards have seen what this foal looks like, since she has been wearing a cloak all this time.”

“Ten minutes?” I asked incredulously. “Wow, that’s…oddly impressive, actually.” I cleared my throat. “Well, nobody’s come in through that door or through any window or by magical means. And I would have noticed a foal wearing a cloak.”

“Captain, we’ve searched the library, and there’s nopony else here, and no sign that anypony left that trail of dust and soot,” one of the subordinate guards said, approaching the table. Upon seeing me, he gave a polite bow. “Forgive us for disturbing your studies, Your Highness.”

“It’s quite alright, I was just about ready to head out for lunch anyway,” I said with a smile before turning back to the captain. “When you do find her, don’t hurt her. I’d like you to take her straight to my aunt. If this foal is as gifted with magic as you claim, she might be more powerful than most unicorns.”

“As you command, Your Highness,” Captain Sword said before turning to the soldiers. “Let’s keep moving. She can’t have gotten far.”

As the guards left the room and shut the door behind them, I let out a small sigh of relief. Looking down beneath the table, I saw that the young Sunset Shimmer was looking at me with fear. “A-Are you Prince Blueblood?” she asked breathlessly.

So she has heard of me, I thought as I lifted the cloth on the table so she could get out. “I’ll explain later,” I repeated. “For now, I want you to come with me.”

“A-Are you going to put me in the dungeons?” she asked, voice trembling in fear.

“No, I’m not taking you there. Just come with me,” I repeated a bit more firmly before I put her hood back over her head. Then, thinking better of it, I took off my cloak, a rare purple one with golden highlights and draped it over her. “Come on. We have to go.” Grabbing my notes, I stuffed them into my bag and made my way to the door. Peering out, and seeing only the guards walking down and into another room, I snuck out with Sunset and closed the door behind me. “Come on, I’ll take you somewhere where you’ll be safe.”

Making my way through the palace towards the palace hospital wasn’t an easy job. I’d hardly ever gone there but I did know where it was. If my estimates were correct, it would have taken me about fifteen or so minutes to get there, but with Sunset and I having to duck and dodge castle staff and a few patrols of guards, it took nearly twice as long. However, we were miraculously not spotted and soon we were in front of the white doors that led to the palace hospital. I opened it and gently carried Sunset inside.

Just in time, too. The moment the doors were shut, she wavered once more and began to fall towards me. I caught her in my arms and held her there. She was sweating profusely now and breathing heavily. Putting my hand on her forehead, I felt my heart drop when I realized her temperature was higher than it was before. Her horn was almost scalding as well.

I looked around and locked eyes with a nurse who was looking in alarm at the sight before her. “Prince Blueblood, what-?”

“Get her to a bed and fetch the healer, quickly!” I ordered, pointing to the little filly I was holding. “She’s very sick!”

The nurse, a young pegasus mare with a white fur coat, light pink and curly mane and tail, and with purple eyes and a cutie mark that was a pair of light blue clouds, rushed over and took the little filly from me. Frowning when she felt Sunset’s temperature, she quickly placed her in a bed and rushed off. I found a chair and pulled it near to Sunset’s bed, keeping a watchful eye over her. A half minute later, a dark purple unicorn stallion with yellow mane and tail, pink eyes and the caduceus for a cutie mark, rushed over with the nurse in tow. He grabbed a stool and placed his belongings on a nearby raised tray. Sitting on the other side of the bed, he began examining her, looking at her tongue, eyes, ears and nostrils. Finally, he turned back to his nurse. “Nurse Skies, go start a bath for her. She needs to be cleaned.”

“At once, healer,” the nurse said as she flew down towards a large door.

“What does she have?” I asked as the mare disappeared into the door.

The healer looked up at me, finally realizing that I was there. He bowed politely enough, and said, “Did you bring her in, young Prince?” When I nodded, he continued, “Well, from what I’m seeing, she probably has a serious case of the Unicorn Flu, but I need to run some more tests to make sure. Where did you find her?”

I pursed my lips for a bit, then said, “She ran into the library where I was studying.”

He looked at Sunset more curiously now, then a look of realization appeared on his face. Slowly, he turned back to me. “Is she the foal the guards have been chasing?”

“Yes.”

“I see.” The healer looked up at Sunset again. There was silence for a while before he looked back at me. “Young Prince, I can appreciate you wanting to protect somepony who’s as sick as she is, but I will have to report this to the guards.”

“Yes I know,” I said, “but isn’t it your job as a healer to…what was the promise again? Do no harm?”

“The Hippomaric Oath,” the healer said with an affirming nod. “Yes, Your Highness, it is. I’ll treat her to the best of my ability. I still need to report this to the guards.”

“No, I’ll do that,” I replied, standing up. “I’m the one who hid her, so I need to take responsibility for it.”

The healer looked surprised at that, but smiled. “You’re an honest young colt, Your Highness.”

“Well, I did break a tenet of harmony, so it’s my job to make it right,” I said. “Just please take care of her. She looks really thin.”

The healer nodded. “We will do our very best, Young Prince.”

The nurse came back in. “Healer, the bath is ready.”

“Very good,” the healer said. “Start cleaning all of this dirt off of her. I’ll begin preparing some tonics for her.”

“Yes, healer,” the nurse said, reaching down and lifting the malnourished and sick Sunset Shimmer in her arms.

Confident that I was leaving Sunset in capable hands, I turned and walked out, adjusting my shoulder bag as I began looking for any guards. It took me only a few minutes before I ran into who else but Captain Sword. The captain was exchanging heated words with two of his subordinates, both of whom who didn’t seem to have any trouble talking back to a superior. “That foal couldn’t have just disappeared into thin air!” the captain said in an exasperated tone.

“We’ve looked everywhere, Captain!” one of the soldiers, a young gray furred and black maned and tailed pegasus stallion, replied in an equally frustrated tone. “It’s not like she can get into those vaults down below the palace anyway!”

“We’ve practically turned the palace upside down looking for them,” the second soldier, an equally as young and somewhat shorter pegasus mare with light green fur, a dark blue mane and tail and fierce looking teal eyes, added to the argument.

The captain swore under his breath, then muttered, “I swear to Gaia herself, if I get my hands on that foal-”

“That won’t be necessary, Captain,” I interrupted as I approached him. “I know where that foal is.”

The captain and the guards with him turned to me. “What? You do? Where?”

“In a castle hospital,” I replied. “But I need to see my aunt immediately. Captain, would you be so kind as to accompany me?” I had phrased it as a question, but I used a tone that indicated that it was an order.

The captain straightened and put his fist on his chest. “Yes, Your Highness.”

I looked at the pegasi who had been talking back to the captain. “You two, what are your names?” I asked.

“Swift Shot, Your Highness,” the mare replied quickly.

“Arrowhead, Your Highness,” the stallion added.

I nodded, and in my best royal commanding voice, said, “Swift Shot, Arrowhead, go to the castle infirmary and keep a guard on the young filly there, but don’t interfere with the healer’s work. She’s extremely sick. Tell the healer and nurses that I sent you.”

The two saluted and turned, heading down to the infirmary. As they did so, I began heading down towards the throne room, with the captain falling into step beside me with the two other guards who’d been with him earlier flanking us on either side. We walked in silence for a bit before the captain finally said, “She was with you under that table, wasn’t she?” When I didn’t respond, the captain sighed. “Your Highness, I understand that you’re a prince and want to protect others, but she’s an intruder. She could be dangerous.” He had a tone more like a parent trying to be patient with an unruly child.

“A dangerous intruder doesn’t have an extremely high fever and soot and dirt covering her,” I replied calmly as we took a turn. I looked up at the frowning captain. “Let me be blunt with you, Captain Sword. From what I’ve heard from my aunt, your record as Captain of the Royal Guard is exemplary. My aunt told me that you managed to whip the Guard into better shape than it has been in for many years. And for that, thank you. Your service to the crown hasn’t gone unnoticed.”

Stunned by my praise, the captain bowed. “Your praise is most appreciated, Your Highness.”

“That being said,” I added, which made the Captain tense up a bit, “I’ve heard rumors that you are a bit more strict when it comes to how you deal with criminals. Now, I try not to listen rumors, so I have no idea of their credibility, but in the event that there might be something to them, just know this: that filly looks like she’s my age. I don’t know why she snuck into the palace, but I have a hunch that she did it because she was desperate. I’ve seen her up close, Captain. She looks like she hasn’t eaten in days if not weeks, she has a very high fever and any magic she uses seems to wipe her out. She first needs a healer’s attention before you start asking her questions.”

The captain looked insulted at my insinuation. “Your Highness, with all due respect, I would never interrogate a foal as I would with a full grown adult,” he said in his defense. “I’m no monster.”

“Then what was that I heard earlier about what you’d do if you got her hands on her?” I quickly replied. “What were you about to say?”

The captain had the good sense to look abashed, then lowered his head. “Forgive me, Your Highness,” he said. “My temper got the better of me. I’ve spent a good twenty years trying to improve the Guard, and to have all that training gone to waste thanks to a little filly…”

Seeing that he looked genuinely apologetic and stressed, I decided to let him of the hook. “Captain, forgive me, I didn’t mean to offend you,” I said in a calmer tone. “I can understand why you’d be upset and I won’t hold it against you.”

“No, Your Highness, I should apologize,” the captain said. “I let my frustration get the better of me.”

“Believe me, we’ll get to the bottom of this, but after being chased around by you and your Guard, she might be a bit tight lipped,” I said. “That’s why I’m hoping that my aunt can come and talk to her. She has a way of making ponies feel at ease and comfortable.”

“Yes, she does at that,” the captain said as we reached two massive double doors.

I looked at the two unicorn guards standing in front of the door. “Gentlestallions, Captain Sword and I have come to see the Princess,” I said. “It’s an urgent matter.”

“Open the doors, soldiers,” the captain added.

After the two looked at each other, they saluted and began to open the massive doors with their magic. I stepped into the massive throne room, which was fairly identical to the one seen in the show, albeit with the colors slightly muted. Sitting on her throne, wearing a dark purple dress with her mane and tail flowing in that same unfelt breeze sat my aunt, looking down at a pair of nobles. I caught the tail end of the conversation. “…no wonder our Farasi neighbors have been asking to open diplomatic relations with us.”

Immediately I smiled, recognizing the voice of Charm Pants as one of the nobles. Beside him stood his wife, a lovely mauve mare with purple mane and hair named Fidelity Hope. I’d met her briefly and heard more about her from my aunt, and apparently she wasn’t just a noble, but she personally used the majority of the money she earned to fund public buildings in Manehattan, like a library and the large Manehattan orphanage among a few others. However, Fidelity kept that a secret and I was not one to spread that information around.

Aunt Celestia was about to reply when she looked past the two nobles and her eyes widened in confusion, but which quickly changed into a warm motherly smile. “Prince Blueblood, Captain Sword, what brings you here?”

Charm and Fidelity quickly turned and bowed respectfully to me. “Your Highness,” they both said.

“Lord Pants, Lady Hope,” I replied, acknowledging them with the proper head nod, “I’m sorry for interrupting this meeting, but something has come up that I need my aunt for.”

“Oh my, is everything alright?” Aunt Celestia asked, standing up and making her way down the stairs towards me.

“There’s been an incident in the palace,” I replied, then looked up at Captain Sword. “You know the first half, I assume. Could you explain what happened first?”

The captain nodded, turned to my aunt and began. “Approximately one hour ago, one of the royal cooks was preparing lunch when he opened one of the royal pantries and found a small foal grabbing bread rolls. He reported that he had yelled at the foal, who I later learned is a filly, to get out, only for the filly to run away. He reported the incident to the guards who brought it to my attention. I thought it was just one of the servant children, but when a group of my guards found the filly and tried to talk to her, she vanished in a clear case of teleportation magic. I put the guards on alert and ordered them to find the filly and bring her to me, but she was elusive. We only now know where she is, and that is thanks to the prince’s actions here.” He looked down at me with a respectful nod.

I gave him a grateful smile and turned back to my aunt. “I saw the filly come into the library about thirty minutes ago,” I explained, then repeated the events that lead up to this moment. I surreptitiously gave a description of Sunset as well, and I saw a brief glimpse of realization pass over Celestia’s face as I did. As I ended my own report, I said, “I know I shouldn’t have lied to Captain Sword, but when I saw she was sick I knew I needed to get her to the healer.”

Aunt Celestia nodded. “We will discuss your lying to the captain later, dear nephew. For now, I would like to see this young filly and see how she’s faring.” Turning to the two nobles, she gave them an apologetic look. “I’m sorry for cutting this meeting short, but it appears something unexpected requires my attention. Would you two care to come back and talk with me later? I’m very curious as to this deal you want to make with the zebras. I have no meetings planned in an hour, perhaps then?”

“We would be delighted, Your Highness,” Charm said with a bow, then bowed to me. “Prince Blueblood.”

“Lord Pants, Lady Hope,” I smiled at them. “Please tell your son I’ve been greatly enjoying his gift, and I have been learning to use it and how to ride the horse you gave me. Thank you once again.”

Charm smiled. “Think nothing of it, Your Highness.” He offered his arm to his wife, who took it with a pleasant smile. “We will be back in an hour. If you’ll pardon us.” And with that, the two left the throne room, being escorted by a pair of guards who appeared from seemingly nowhere.

As Aunt Celestia, Captain Sword and I walked down the halls towards the palace hospital, the princess leaned down and whispered, “Code SS?” When I nodded, she only said, “I see,” and stood back up. I walked beside her in silence while Captain Sword led the way, the other two guards from before flanking us on either side, constantly on alert.

As we approached the hospital, I couldn’t help but wonder just what my aunt might say to Sunset…

When we arrived, the nurse was still bathing the young filly. It apparently took three baths to wash everything off, and by then it was revealed that she had a cutie mark, an image of a sun with bright yellow prominences on one side, deep red prominences on the other, and a half yin and yang symbol in the center where the sun was. This all but confirmed for me that she was indeed Sunset Shimmer.

After her baths were complete and she’d been given some water along with a dark brown and thick tonic of sorts, she was able to talk for a little bit. She did confirm that her name was Sunset Shimmer, and that she was six years old and pretty much homeless ever since her parents had died in a house fire three months prior, only about a week after she got her cutie mark. I was shocked to hear that she’d lived in Ponyshire ever since her parents, a chef unicorn stallion named Sunny Side-up and a homemaker unicorn mare named Golden Eve, moved there from a place called Sire’s Hollow. She didn’t want to end up in an orphanage, so she’d run away and found her way to Canterlot where she’d been living as a street urchin for months.

When the poor filly began sobbing at the memory, Aunt Celestia and I reacted as one, reaching out and pulling her into as best of a hug as we could. After a good long cry, my aunt said that she would receive the best of care and that she’d be nursed back to health by the best ponies available. And with that, Sunset seemed to relax and give both me and my aunt a smile. We did have to leave after that, however, at the healer’s insistence. Aunt Celestia thanked me and Captain Sword for informing her.

After we got back to my room, my aunt asked Buttercup to leave the two of us alone. She retreated to where Spike was. Aunt Celestia cast a shield over the two of us then turned on me. “Blueblood, I’m both proud and a bit upset with you. Can you guess why?”

“You’re upset with me because I lied to Captain Sword,” I said, “and probably because I called his abilities into question too.” I had noticed the captain had spoken quietly to my aunt earlier before Sunset was able to speak, and could only guess why.

“And why am I proud of you?” she pushed.

“Because I helped Sunset Shimmer?”

“Correct,” she said, “but let’s talk about the former first. I know Captain Sword can be abrasive with the guard at times, but he does mean well. He mentioned that you praised him for that, and I am also proud of you for that, but you’re too young to be dressing him down like that. That is my job, young colt.”

I felt my ears flattening a bit. I knew she was right, of course, and I sighed. “I know…but I had to address the rumors, even if they weren’t true.”

“That was right to do, but you should have let me deal with them,” Aunt Celestia said. “And I will deal with them very soon.”

“I see…” Despite now having the mind of a thirty year old, being in a nearly seven year old body made it easier for me to feel the guilt.

“Now, dear nephew, don’t look so down,” my aunt said reassuringly, putting a hand on my chin and lifting my head up to face her. “Like I said, you did the right thing, but while you may have the mind of a human, you still have the appearance of a young colt. You need to be more careful.”

I nodded in understanding. “I will, auntie.”

Her smile widened and she picked me up, wrapping me in her arms and wings, nuzzling me affectionately as she dispelled the shield around us. “Thank you, dear nephew.”

I felt heat coming to my cheeks. “Auntiee!” I said, squirming in her grasp as a more childish part of me took hold.

She kissed my cheek and forehead before putting me on the couch and beginning to tickle my stomach. “Who’s da cutest wittle nephew in da whowe wide wowld?” she cooed in baby talk.

“Ahahaa! Auntie, please stoop!” I begged as I tried to escape from her.

However, despite my exercises and training, my aunt was still much stronger than I was. She pulled me closer and continued tickling me. “Who’s da cutest wittle nephew in da whowe wide wowld?” she asked again.

“Ah! I am, ahaha, I am! Please stooooop!” I replied.

Aunt Celestia laughed, picked me up, and set me in her lap. She wrapped her arms around me. We sat in comfortable silence for a bit until she said, “It’s almost time for me to go.” She lifted my head so I was facing her while she looked down at me. “My dear Blueblood,” she said with a gentle smile, “just know that I am very proud of you for what happened today. Yes, you made mistakes, but it is a learning opportunity. Being a prince isn’t all about giving orders.”

“I’m well aware,” I replied with a smile back at her. “I’m trying to learn how to be a proper prince.”

“It will take time, but I know you can do it,” my aunt said before leaning down, kissing my nose, and then lifting me up and setting me down before standing. “I have to return to court now,” she said before facing me, “but just keep in mind what I’ve said. To be a good royal isn’t just about giving orders and calling others out. It’s also about being diplomatic.”

I nodded. “I understand, auntie.”

With a smile, she lifted her head, her horn glowed, and she vanished. After she did, I lay back down on the couch, staring at the high vaulted ceiling of my bedroom. The excitement and tension of that day began catching up to me, so I pulled a blanket off of the back of the couch, pulled it over me, and closed my eyes for a brief nap.

Author's Note

Phew! That took a while. Enjoy!

8 - The Zebra Princess

Author's Note

Yeesh, it took forever to get this chapter where I wanted, but I finally got it. Enjoy!

8 - The Zebra Princess

“Spike, you need to eat your meat,” I insisted, holding up a fork with some roast chicken on the end of it. “Now come on, say ‘Aaaah’.”

Spike made a face and lifted his nose up, not wanting to eat the meat in front of him. “No! chikin tathts yucky!” he shouted trying to swat the offending fork away.

“Come on, little brother, you need to eat to grow up big and strong,” I tried again with a patient tone.

“No!” he shouted again, inhaling and breathing out a bit of his blue flame at the bit of chicken.

Fortunately, I was quicker, knowing just how to spot when he would begin to breathe his fire. I moved the chicken slightly farther away, just enough to sear the chicken but not enough to burn it. I leveled my gaze on Spike. “If you eat this chicken, I’ll get you a niiice juicy sapphire for dessert. Doesn’t that sound yummy?”

Spike pouted and looked at the chicken like it was the nastiest thing in the world. “Bleeegh!” he said, sticking his tongue out and making a face.

I let loose yet another sigh. Spike could talk somewhat, but he was a fussy young hatchling and I could tell Buttercup was losing sleep. I tried my best to help, but she insisted that she had experienced the same thing with her own child and could handle it.

As I tried to feed the toddler, I thought back on the last four years. Four years since Sunset Shimmer had come into our lives. I say our in reference to me, Aunt Celestia and my other friends. She was quickly accepted into our group of friends with open arms, and despite a few rocky incidents in the first three months, Sunset started to warm up to us.

I saw her during our normal schooling sessions, with my magic teacher and during free time. Just as I figured, she was a very talented mage. She learned things faster than I did. Initially, whenever we studied, she would seem a bit prideful in her ability to surpass me, but after being sat down by Celestia and being kindly but firmly scolded, she apologized and helped me in a more constructive way with my magic.

As the first six months passed, it was discovered that she was pretty good at playing the lute as well (guitars hadn’t been invented yet) and was a very good singer. Aunt Celestia had a lute tutor brought in for her, and sometimes she and I would practice our own instruments together, playing songs and singing with each other.

While all this was happening, I continued raising Spike with the help of Buttercup and others. I quickly mastered fireproofing spells due to his random burps which caused him to breathe out blue fire. Thankfully, nothing of major value was destroyed, just a few bookcases and my desk.

Buttercup and I both took turns teaching Spike how to talk, and I was surprised at how well he picked it up. Sunset took an interest in the young dragon as well and played with him often enough. The three of us became very close. I was grateful that Canterlot’s kitchen staff had hired a griffon cook for visiting meat eating dignitaries since I wanted Spike to have a good and healthy diet.

Strangely enough, when I first smelled a roast chicken, I didn’t react as I thought I would. Being in a pony body I thought that the smell of meat would sicken me instinctively, but the mind must be stronger than the body because I started salivating when I smelled it. I still couldn’t eat meat in large quantities, of course, but I did sneak a small bit before leaving the kitchen, enjoying the juiciness and the texture as I chewed it.

There wasn’t much of note to report during the first four years of Spike’s life. I continued growing and learning from my tutors. As those years passed and I finally reached the age of ten, Aura would sometimes take a break from tutoring us and Aunt Celestia herself would take time out of her day to teach me and Sunset certain bits of magic. Sunset and I were pretty evenly matched, I felt. I might not have been able to cast spells with the same amount of power behind them as Sunset did but there were spells that I could cast that she had trouble with. She and I grew close because of our talents for magic. She would help me and I’d help her.

When she eventually came out of her shell, I learned that she was a lot like Celestia in that she could be a troll when she wanted to be. She loved playing little pranks on me and my other friends, but in the cases where she went too far (which were few and far between) she always made sure to make it up to the recipient of said bad prank.

As my knowledge and body grew, Aunt Celestia gave me more and more permission to leave the palace and explore Canterlot, just as long as I was with my guards. I took my friends out and we’d play and eat good food on our outings. We’d always go out on Nightmare Night for candy and on Hearth’s Warming to sing the famous winter carols door to door. I was surprised to learn that many of them had similar melodies to the Christmas Carols I knew from Earth. My favorite was Carol of the Bells, which was practically identical save for the words Merry Christmas being replaced by Happy Hearth’s Warming.

Despite my self study in politics, there were times when Celestia would give me lessons on how to rule. Lessons which started some time after my eight birthday. She had found me studying in the library at one point, and while impressed by my eagerness to learn how to rule told me that books would only take me so far. She mentioned that learning from an actual ruler would fill gaps in my knowledge, something I agreed was definitely a good idea.

“No! Yucky! Don’t wanna eat it!” Spike shouted again, giving me his best pouting face. A face he had given me, Buttercup and Sunset plenty of times. One I never fell for.

I moved the chicken closer. “No, Spike. You need to eat this. You’ll be big and strong with it. And after that, you can have a nice sapphire.” Holding out my hand, I grabbed said gem from a nearby bowl on my private kitchen counter, holding the gem up for him to see.

His eyes widened and he reached out to try and grab it. “Oooo!” he squealed in delight.

I pulled the gem away and put the meat in front of him. “Eat this first, and then you can have the sapphire, okay? Open wide.”

Spike gave me an indignant glare, but obediently opened his mouth. I placed the chicken in his mouth and with a frown he began chewing. “Blech,” he said as he continued chewing.

I handed him a glass of water. “Swallow it all down then open your mouth. I don’t want you hiding the chicken like you did last time.” At one point, Spike had hidden his meat on one side of his cheek and had even gone to sleep with it in his mouth. It was a miracle he hadn’t choked on the food during his sleep. Ever since then, Buttercup and I had been ever vigilant in making sure he swallowed.

Spike drank the water and swallowed, making a disgusted face and sticking his tongue out. “Yuuucky…” he whined.

“Alright, now open your mouth wide and stick your tongue out,” I told him. He did so, and I looked inside. There were tiny bits of chicken, but aside from the few remaining pieces, his mouth was clean. “Alright, you’ve earned a sapphire.”

Spike’s eyes widened, this time in anticipation. He grabbed it and stuffed it in his mouth, using his sharp teeth to bite down on the gem. “Yummy!” he said with his mouth full of sapphire.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Spike, it’s rude,” I admonished him. “And chew your sapphire thoroughly.”

“Sowwy,” he said sheepishly as he closed his mouth and chewed happily on his dessert.

Stretching, I stood and looked out of the window. It was a nice and warm early Sunsday afternoon, around twelve thirty by the clock on the wall. Clocks in this world were a relatively new thing, at least in Equestria. Most ponies couldn’t afford personal clocks, but most didn’t need to because all they needed to do was look out of their windows and look at their city or town clock located at or near the center of town. Canterlot was no exception, although some of the rich could afford smaller clocks which needed to be wound daily to keep time. Royalty was no exception.

I smiled as I opened one window with my magic, letting the sweet-smelling spring air enter. Winter had only ended about two weeks prior, and I’d spent one of those days observing Ponyshire from my room during their Winter Wrap-up. I thought that I’d seen Applejack’s parents at one point in one of the farms pushing snow away with a plow being drawn by their horses, but it was hard to tell.

As Spike finished his meal, I took him out of the baby chair and set him down on the floor, wiping his face clean with a damp washcloth as I did so. Spike was a quick learner, and once he’d found out how to walk, it was almost impossible to keep up with him. He was a very happy young dragon, but I knew he was in for some hardships in the future because I’d seen some of the nobles in the castle looking at Spike with disdain. However, they held their tongues as I was with him whenever he left our room.

“Can we go out now?” Spike asked, looking up at me expectantly.

I smiled down at him. “Yes, I think you’ve earned it. Just put on your sweater and we’ll go.”

“But dere’s no snow today,” Spike said, pointing to the outside weather.

“Yes, but it’s still cold enough for you,” I replied. Thanks to Aunt Celestia, I learned a few things about dragons in this universe. They would become sleepier in the winter than in the summer, sleeping more than half the time. It wasn’t quite a full hibernation, but they definitely needed to be warm during the times they slept. They would, however, spend the time before this period of semi-hibernation eating a lot of food. Spike hadn’t yet reached maturity, which was the time when his body would start doing that, but I still wanted to keep him safe from the cold since dragons tended to live in more tropical locales.

“I don’t wanna wear dat sweater,” Spike pouted.

I put my hands on my hips. “Spike, Aunt Celestia told you that you need to wear a sweater when it’s cold outside, and so do I. I know you don’t like the sweater, but it’ll keep you warm outside.”

He crossed his arms, or did his best to do so. It only made him look cuter when he pouted with his arms crossed. “Fine, I’ll gwab it,” he said as he walked off to the closet. While he was grabbing his clothes, I threw on my own sweater, a dark purple button down thick long sleeved shirt with silver buttons and gold cuffs with golden cufflinks. Over it, I threw on my short but dark red mantle that I wore anytime I went out of my room. It was similar to the large mantle that Aunt Celestia normally wore, only hers was gold. She’d told me once that Luna’s was a deep royal blue.

“You ready, Spike?” I called out as I slipped on my shoes and waited at the door for him.

“Coming!” he replied as I heard the sound of claws on the floor running up. Spike never liked wearing shoes, especially since the would require special shoes for him. However, Spike’s feet were made of sterner stuff than even some of the best shoes. He did have shoes for special occasions, but he mostly went barefoot.

Spike ran up to him, smiling. He was wearing a dark green sweater with bronze coated buttons. Kneeling, I began buttoning up his jacket. He groaned at this, but I looked at him. “Remember what Aunt Cellie told you.”

“I know, Bwue,” he replied, “but it’s too wawm in da sun.”

I sighed. “I know, it is made of ovitaur wool. Tell you what, if you get too warm, I’ll let you take it off, but the moment you get too cold, I want you to promise me that you’ll let me know, okay?”

That seemed to cheer him up and he nodded. “Okay, I pwomise!”

I smiled and opened the door. Astra and Crimson were standing there, completely at attention. They turned when they saw me and Spike leaving. “Heading out, sir?” Crimson asked as I closed and locked my door.

“Just out to the private part of the royal gardens with Spike,” I said. “Accompany us, please.”

“At once, Your Highness,” Crimson said.

As the four of us headed down the stairs towards the exit to the garden, I lifted Spike up and set him on my shoulders. He always loved being able to see the world from my perspective. I’d told him a few times that someday he would be as tall as me, if not taller, and that prospect, along with the idea that he’d someday sprout wings and be able to fly, excited him. I always loved seeing that hopeful look in his green eyes.

As we reached the ground floor and walked down the massive corridor towards the gardens, I saw three well dressed unicorns, two mares and a stallion standing in one of the window nooks, glasses in their hands of what I assumed was some alcoholic beverage. Nearby I saw a holstaur maid who was holding a small tray with a mix of empty and half full glasses. When the three ponies saw me, they immediately bowed. “Your Highness,” they said. The holstaur curtsied as well, but said nothing.

I knew these three very well. Hard Bargain, the stallion, his wife Busy Bee and the second mare he was attempting to court, Noblesse Oblige. Hard Bargain wasn’t a noble, not officially, but he did own a large number of wineries and millhouses throughout the nearby countryside. Thanks to his marriage to Busy Bee, he also had access to a large honey farm that had come as a dowry from the more traditional Bee family. I didn’t care too much for Hard Bargain or Busy Bee, but Duchess Noblesse Oblige was one of the rare ponies of high standing that I could stomach. She was the only noblepony in that group, the heir to the Duchy of Bittsburg, one of the bigger Duchies under the crown. They currently lived in Canterlot.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement towards them, giving the Duchess a small smile. She gave me one back. I knew from what Celestia told me that those under Noblesse Oblige’s rule had only good things to say about her. From what I could see, and from the gossip I overheard occasionally, Hard Bargain was looking to expand his holdings once more and become a Duke by marriage. However, Hard Bargain was one of the more ruthless businessponies in Equestria. His smile was not genuine. Busy Bee was very much the same, despite her talent for beekeeping. I’d heard that she treated her bees more like soldiers. I doubted that whoever Fluttershy was in this world would have approved.

I felt Spike waving at the three ponies. Hard and Busy’s expression froze briefly but they both nodded at him with some politeness. Noblesse’s smile was warmer and she raised a hand in reply.

As I walked past the holstaur maid, she averted her eyes. I still gave her a smile as I passed, as I did to all the staff at the palace. They worked hard to maintain Canterlot Palace, after all, and they deserved all the respect they could get. Not that many of the nobles who visited the palace or those few who lived there gave them any.

“I wike Miss Obwige,” Spike said as we headed past them towards a side corridor that would lead to the gardens.

“I do too, Spike,” I replied. “I do too.”

We reached the large double doors that led to the garden and my guards opened them. Cool, delicious air washed over us as we headed out into the large spacious garden. And there, sitting in a circle in the center of the green, I saw Anna Belle, Frostfall, Shadow and Sunset. Anna Belle was standing and walking around the seated Frostfall, Shadow and Sunset, tapping their heads with her hand. As I approached, I head her going, “Duck, duck, duck.”

I smirked. Duck Duck Goose was a game I had taught them, telling them that it was something I’d invented. They seemed to like it. As I approached, Anna touched Frostfall and shouted, “Goose!” Then she began running, giggling as the poor shy ovitaur did her best to stand and chase after Anna. However, Anna was faster and reached Frostfall’s old spot, sitting down with a giggle. Frostfall looked a bit upset, but stood tall and was about to begin another round when she looked up and saw me. Her face brightened. “Blueblood! Spike!” she called out.

Sunset, Anna and Shadow all turned in the direction she was looking. I picked up the pace and joined them in a matter of seconds. “Sorry I’m late,” I said apologetically as I lifted Spike off of my head to set him down. “This guy didn’t want to eat his lunch.”

“Chikin is yucky!” Spike said with a frown.

Frostfall walked up and hugged Spike. Everyone in our friend group had grown quite fond of the young four year old and had become very protective of him, including the normally demure ovitaur. “Blueblood, did you make poor Spikey here eat some nasty chicken again?” Sunset asked with a grin, putting her hands on her hips.

“Hey, it’s for his own good,” I said as I mirrored her appearance. “He needs meat.”

“Who wants to play hide and go seek?” Anna asked, jumping to her feet excitedly. “The gardeners haven’t trimmed the bushes yet, and that means lots of good hiding spots!”

“I’m in,” Shadow said, standing. “It’ll give me a chance to practice my shadow magic.”

“No shadow magic! That’s cheating,” Anna huffed.

“How about this,” I said, not wanting this argument to start again, “When Sunset or I are it, you can use shadow magic, but when we aren’t, you can’t.” Turning to a confused Sunset, I explained, “It’ll give us some practice in detecting foreign magic.”

Her confusion slowly vanished and a grin spread on her face. “Sounds fun!”

Anna’s frown had vanished, and she was looking expectantly at Shadow. “Can you take any of us into the Umbral too?”

At that, Astra stepped forward. “No,” she said, looking at her son. “Shadow is not ready to take anypony or anycreature into that realm.”

“What’s the Umbwa?” Spike asked me.

I smiled. “Eutherians have a special magical power. They can turn into shadows and move among them from place to place. The Umbral is sort of like a magical sub-realm which the eutherians can access using shadow magic.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “Whoa…reawwy?”

I chuckled and nodded. “Really. It’s really cool to watch.”

“Can I see? Can I see?” Spike began to beg. “Can you do it to me, too?”

“I’m gonna say no, Spike,” I said. “Only eutherians can travel through the Umbral. I’ve only ever read about a handful of unicorns who did it successfully. Eutherians can take other non-creatures into the Umbral, but it’s dangerous.”

“Your Highness is well versed in shadow magic lore,” Crimson said. He turned to Spike, knelt and began to explain. “You see, young dragon, it isn’t possible for anycreature who isn’t a eutherian to travel through the Umbral alone. A eutherian can take another creature there, but it takes training. You’re too young to go.”

“What kind of twaining?” Spike asked, looking a bit disappointed.

“It’s a bit hard to explain,” Crimson said.

“Let me try,” I said. I knelt beside Spike and looked at him. “You know how in some dreams you know it’s a dream and you can control it, but then you start to doubt yourself and your control doesn’t work anymore?” Spike thought a bit, then nodded. “Being in the Umbral is a bit like that. You need to really focus or else you could get lost, even if you’re holding someone’s hand.”

Spike looked disappointed, but nodded. “Okay. Can I wearn?”

“It takes years of training, but I don’t see why a dragon couldn’t learn,” Astra said.

“I wanna twy!” Spike exclaimed.

Smiling, I turned to Crimson and Astra. “Do you know anyone who could teach us how?”

Crimson looked over at Astra, who looked back. They slipped into a language I now knew was their own private language. While the other three pony tribes spoke in Equish, the eutherians had their own language which not only catered to their sensitive hearing, but utilized their batlike sonar abilities. I’d studied their language over the past few years, and while I could learn some of the vocals, I didn’t have the necessary sonar abilities to broadcast the full meaning of the words. For example, I could use the eutherian word for puppy, but without a sonar qualifier, I could be talking about a wolf puppy or a dog puppy. Other ponies might find eutherians creepy, but I found them fascinating despite them being mutated pegasi. Crimson then turned back to us. “I suppose we can bring you a tutor, if you’re really interested.”

“I’ll ask auntie if we can get one,” I said with a grin. “What’s training like?”

“It’s mostly about learning to calm your mind and learning to have complete trust in your eutherian partner,” Crimson explained.

“So, is it meditation?” I asked.

Astra nodded. “Learning to calm and control your thoughts helps them from straying. The Umbral is a dangerous realm.”

“What does it look like?” Anna Belle asked, looking eager.

“It’s not as exciting as you might think,” Astra explained. “If I were standing in the Umbral where I’m standing now, I would be able to see everything around me, but it would look like the world is grayer.”

“Isn’t it true that there’s a deeper level to the Umbral?” I asked. “I read about it in one of Blazing Glory’s books.” Blazing Glory was one of the earliest and most powerful eutherians. He was the last eutherian who was a victim of Discordia’s spell to pass away.

Crimson nodded. “Yes, but it’s rare for anypony to reach that level. I only know of a handful of eutherians who can reach the second level. We call it the Penumbral.”

“And before you ask, nopony can describe it,” Astra said.

“Awww, that’s too bad,” Anna Belle said. “Still, I’d love to see you disappear!” she added, looking over at Shadow. “Please??”

Shadow looked uncertainly at his parents, who both gave him an approving nod. He sighed then looked around. Finding a shady spot near some trees, Shadow walked over and stood in the middle of a large shadow. As we watched, a strange change began coming over his body. It started at his feet, which began to become transparent. It moved quickly up the rest of his body. When his feet were completely gone, I noticed that the grass he’d been standing on rose up a bit, like he had just moved. Eventually, he was completely gone, and when I tried using the magic tracking spell I knew, but I couldn’t detect him.

“Okay, that was really impressive,” Sunset said, clearly impressed. Her own horn was glowing and she was looking around. After a bit, her horn stopped glowing. “I can’t even track him!” She turned back to Crimson. “Can he interact with the real world like that?”

“Not unless he exited the Umbral,” Crimson replied, “but he can hear and see ten times as well as he could in the real world.”

“And he can only travel through shadows that connect to the one he entered, right?” Sunset asked in confirmation.

“That’s correct,” Astra said. “He would have to leave and move to another shadow if he wanted to travel. It’s one reason why many of us travel at night. We can travel through the entire land even by the light of a full moon. Some eutherians have even crossed large oceans while in the Umbral.”

“So, um, does he have to come out at the exact same spot where he went in?” Frostfall asked.

“No, he can come out wherever, just as long as it’s within the shadow,” Crimson replied.

“How long can you all stay in the Umbral?” I asked.

“As long as we want,” Astra said. She then paused and turned to another part of the glade. “He’s coming back.”

In the direction where she pointed, I saw a shadowy figure beginning to emerge. Starting at his feet, Shadow fully reemerged, stretched, then rejoined us. “Well? What do you think?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Sunset said.

“I really wish I could do that,” I admitted. “Traveling around invisible and undetectable would be really fun!”

“It would take a unicorn years to learn,” Crimson said.

I was about to reply, when someone opened the door to the palace. One of the guards came out, looked around, spotted me, and walked over to me. Kneeling, he said, “Apologies for interrupting time with your friends, Your Highness, but Princess Celestia has summoned you to court. She wishes to see you. Alone.” He said the last word while looking at Spike.

Frowning, I stood. “Did she say what it was she wanted to see me about?”

“She did not,” the guard said.

So enigmatic, my aunt, I thought as I looked at the others apologetically. “Looks like you’ll have to play hide and seek without me. Crimson? Astra, could you keep an eye on everyone here? Especially Spike?”

Both stood straighter and gave me a salute, a fist to their chest. “Yes, Your Highness,” they said simultaneously.

I nodded, then turned to the other guard. “Take me to my aunt.”

When I reached the massive throne room, which was one of the only parts of this version of Canterlot Palace that resembled it’s MLP counterpart. Sitting on the massive throne on the large raised dais, my aunt looked down at me, smiling warmly. She rose, spread her wings, flew over to me and wrapped me in her arms. I hugged her back. “Hello, Aunt Celestia,” I said with a smile.

“Dear Blueblood, I’m glad to see you,” my Aunt said as she put me down. “I’m sorry that I asked you here when you were playing with your friends, but I wanted you to meet some foreign delegates we received.”

Looking around, I saw nobody else in the room. “Who? There's nobody here,” I said.

“They’re in the Conservatory nearby,” she said, “planting some exotic new plants that they brought for us from their country.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Foreign diplomats are planting in the Conservatory?” I asked.

“They asked to,” my aunt said. “They know more about the plants they’re delivering than we do yet. Come. I wanted you to meet the young princess. She’s about a few months younger than you are.” Taking my hand, she began leading me towards one of the side doors which led to the Conservatory.

The Conservatory itself was a massive room with large raised platforms of dirt lined with large stone barriers to keep the dirt in place. The room was domed with a geodesic window that faced south so as to receive the most sunlight. Inside the room, plants that couldn’t be grown normally spread out among the various paths through the Conservatory itself.

There were large flowers from the fields of Minos, the empire lead by the minotaurs and holstaurs. There were glowing vines that were used to illuminate the Mines of Canina, the realm of the Diamond Dogs, or as they were known in this Equestria, Lykosians. There was a housetree, similar to the tree which housed the current Ponyshire library, all the way from the Woodland Realm of the Deer. There were a few examples of catmint plants from Abyssinia. And there was a freshly planted cactus sitting near the window. With a number of figures kneeling and pouring some light beige soil around it.

One of them, a zebra mare, spotted us approaching and turned. She had light green eyes and the eyelids were painted a light teal color. She also had a typical zebra coloring and stripes, and a warm smile on her lips. She was wearing a skirt with a multicolored tie dye like pattern and white wrappings around her breasts which kept them hidden. This exposed her midriff and her arms. She had a large golden earring in her right ear and three gold chokers around her neck. Her gray and white mane was cut in a mohawk and I noted a small plain golden circlet around her head with a red gem in the center, half of which was covered by. She wore sturdy looking sandals on her feet and gloves on her hands, which she quickly removed. She turned to another one of the individuals and spoke in a dialect that reminded me of some African languages I’d heard.

The being she’d spoken to stood and turned. To my surprise, the individual wasn’t a zebra at all. He, judging from the lack of shirt on him and the strong looking chest, was a couple heads taller than the zebra. He was even taller than my aunt, and she was the tallest pony I’d seen so far. He was a dark and surprisingly slender green creature with two curved horns on his head, one coming from his forehead and one from his nose. His tail looked like that of a boar, albeit with more fur on the end and matching his colors. He had light green stripes running down his chest, a part of which was interrupted by a nasty looking scar near his right pectoral. His eyes were a moderate cyan. He had a large spear in his hand, the handle made up of some type of wood and the tip made of what had to have been gold plated metal which gleamed in the light of the sun. He wore a small purple cape around his neck and a gold circlet on his head with a diamond encrusted in the center. His mane was a dark blue and fell about his head, most of it tied in braids.

He nodded at the zebra mare, then looked down at me. Immediately I felt like he was sizing me up, so I stood and kept my eyes on his, not daring to look away. The unusual creature before me finally nodded as if in approval, then turned to Celestia. “Your nephew is quite well behaved, Princess,” he said in Equish, albeit with an unusual accent.

“Thank you,” she said in reply, placing both her hands on my shoulder. “He is quite mature for his age.” She looked down at me, and said, “Blueblood, I’d like to introduce you to some visitors from Farasi. This is Queen Zwena, the imperial zebra leader of the Simbabwe tribe of Farasi. And this is her husband, King Sandy Trails. He’s an abada and the leader of the Farsight tribe of abadas on Farasi.”

My studies on Farasi came back to me. I had learned about the three different tribes of zebras, sure, but later studies had brought some new knowledge of Farasi to me. Apparently, some seven hundred years ago, two other races, the abada and the kelpie, had fled from their own small island continent which had sunk due to a massive volcanic eruption. They made their way to Farasi where they had begun to incorporate into the zebra’s continent. The three zebra tribes were wary of their neighbors at first, and a few bloody battles ensued, but eventually a treaty had been reached and the zebras gave the two new species areas to live. The abada were similar to unicorns in that they possessed some kind of magic, although the studies on that magic were unclear. They mostly lived in the vast Farasi jungles, which had seen some healthier growth shortly after. The kelpie were an aquatic equine species and had been given Farasi’s Lake Kamari, which was a crescent shaped inland ocean, as a new home to live. The waters of Farasi had become cleaner and more drinkable in response since many rivers ran through the ocean.

I put my fist on my chest and bowed to the two royals. “Welcome to Equestria, your majesties,” I said as I raised my head again. “I hope you have been enjoying your visit.”

Queen Zwena smiled and chuckled in a melodious and deeper feminine voice. “We have been, young prince,” she said in the same accent as her husband. She walked over to her husband and extended her hand, palm outwards. He did the same and touched her hand with his, palm facing hers. “Your nation is very beautiful.”

“I’ve heard that Farasi has its own beauty,” I replied with a small smile, “and someday, I hope to actually see it in person.”

King Sandy raised an eyebrow at me, then smiled a bit. “You are quite polite, young stallion,” he said in a robust voice. “Farasi is a wild and varied land compared to Equestria, but its beauty is beyond compare to us. No offense meant to your nation,” he added, looking at Aunt Celestia.

My aunt chuckled. “None taken. Each of us have a special place in our hearts for home. But where is your daughter and her friends? I was hoping to introduce my nephew to them so they could play with him and his friends.”

“Of course,” Sandy said before he turned back and spoke in the same language he had spoken before. A young filly’s voice responded, and I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. I watched as a young zebra filly led a group of other creatures about her age towards us. The zebra in front of the group had a mohawk just like Zwena’s and wore a dark blue, dark green and white tie dyed sleeveless dress. She looked similar to her mother, but had the same colored eyes as King Sandy. She had a familiar look about her, but I couldn’t quite place it.

She came with a number of different creatures. The first was another zebra, a filly if I wasn’t mistaken. She wore a dark brown and red tie dye dress in a similar style as the first mare, had gray fur with purple waves along her exposed arms. her mane was black, white and a purplish green. And she had light green eyes like a kiwi. Her muzzle was the same purple as the unusual stripes on her arms.

There were two abadas with her as well. Both were the same general build as the abada king, taller and more slender than the other creatures. The first was a light beige abada, who I guessed was a boy, or colt. He wore a pair of gray pants and a light brown shirt with horizontal red, yellow and blue stripes around the chest area. His muddle and horns and even a part of his arms were a light gray and he had a short tail with gray and yellow highlights on it. His mane, gray with yellow highlights, looked like it had been cut to resemble fins. He had dark blue eyes as well.

The second was another filly. She was the tallest out of the group, with bright yellow green fur and dark green arms and legs. She wore a short skirt with sky blue and dark green tie dye patterns on it. Her tail was longer than the first abada and had light blue fur at the end. Her mane was long and curly with a few different shades of a bluish green. Her eyes were a bright purple.

The other two were of a species I hadn’t seen before, but I guessed that they were kelpies. Unlike the other four children, these creatures seemed to be made of water since their bodies were see-through. The first one was a dark bluish-green colored water being with an equine face. I guessed that she was a girl, too. Her mane was long and wavy. It was a darker aquamarine color and seemed to flow like it was an eternal waterfall. Her muzzle was a shade of light sky blue. She wasn’t wearing anything, not that she needed to. Her eyes were a dark black with white irises and a white pupil that seemed to hover inside her head. There was a light purple mark on her lower hips, looking for all intents and purposes like a tidal wave. Her tail matched her mane in color and motion.

The second was a light striped sky blue and white kelpie girl with a shorter but still flowing purple mane and tail. She had black eyes, with bright sky blue pupils that matched her sky blue fur color and white pupils. Like the other kelpie, she had a mark on her hip, which resembled a black snowflake as seen up close.

The first zebra stepped towards her mother, who put her hands on the young filly’s shoulders. “Young prince, please let me introduce my daughter, Princess Zecora. These are her friends, Marini, Dust Devil, Cactus Rose, Medley Brook, and Crystal.” As she introduced them, I watched her point them out. Marini was the other zebra filly, Dust Devil was the abada colt while Cactus rose was the abada filly. Medley Brook was the kelpie with the tidal wave mark and Crystal was the kelpie with the black snowflake mark.

I pushed aside my astonishment at learning that Zecora, the zebra from the show, was a bona-fide princess. I smiled at all six of the children and inclined my head towards them in polite greeting. “Hello. I’m Prince Blueblood, but you can just call me Blueblood.”

Zecora raised her hands, grabbed her skirt, and performed a surprisingly traditional Canterlot curtsy. “Hello, young Prince,” she said, “I am Princess Zecora. Please call me Zecora.”

Medley Brook was beaming wide as she walked over to me. “Hello!” she greeted me with an energy that reminded me of Anna Belle. Her motions were, to put it bluntly, rather fluid and it was like she was gliding over the floor instead of walking.

I was struck by how she smelled. It was like I was sitting near a lake and the freshwater breeze was blowing over me. Her eyes were wide with excitement as she looked at me. “So you’re a pony colt, huh? Wooow! And you can use your horn to cast magic??”

Caught off guard by her sudden approach and energy, it took me a few seconds to respond. “Well, I’m a bit unique, but yes, I can use magic.”

“Miss Brook, show some decorum,” King Sandy said, “you are in his space.”

The kelpie slowly backed away, looking a bit sheepish. “Sorry,” she said.

“It’s alright,” I replied.

I watched as the abada filly walked over to the newly planted cactus plant, knelt down and reached out, touching its needles with a care that seemed practiced. “And how are you doing today?” she seemed to ask the plant. I watched as her pointed ears swiveled forward towards the plants. There was silence for a bit as she apparently listened, then turned back to the group. “The cactus says it’s nice here and it’s eager to get to know the other plants.”

“Plants can talk?” I asked incredulously. I knew that animals, at least those in Equestria, had more intelligence than elsewhere on Threia, but the thought of plants talking seemed a bit unusual even for this world.

Cactus Rose looked at me and nodded. “They can’t talk like we can, but I can understand them.”

“Just accept it,” Crystal said with a wry grin. “She’s weird like that.”

“That’s not very nice!” Marini scolded Crystal.

“Your Majesties,” Aunt Celestia said, “would you be alright with these six spending time playing with my nephew and his friends?”

Zwena and Sandy looked at each other and both spoke in that African-eque language. After some time, the two turned. “As long as they are accompanied by two of our guards, they can,” Sandy said, turning and gesturing to a larger zebra stallion and a bulkier looking kelpie.

The zebra was of a different stock than the other zebras I’d seen. He was fairly muscular and had apparently thicker fur than the others. His mane, which was cut in a mohawk like the other zebras, was dark red with white highlights. He wore armor that seemed to be made of bone. He held a personal shield in one arm that looked like a massive scale and a spear that was similar in appearance to that which the king held, albeit not coated in gold.

The kelpie, on the other hand, was a bright lime green with yellow eyes. She, I could tell her sex from her curvature, held a spear made of clear glowing ice in her hand and a shield made of the same type of ice in another. Her mane was dark purplish-blue with a hint of aquamarine highlights.

“These are two of our joined kingdom’s personal guards, Gulzar and Melody Pond. They are two of the best of each of our guards. My daughter and her friends can play with your nephew and his friends if they accompany them.”

“Of course they can,” my aunt said, “just as long as you’re alright with my nephew’s own personal guards being there as well.”

“You can never have too much protection when it comes to your kin,” Zwena acknowledged before turning to Zecora. She spoke to the young filly in their own language before turning back to me. “Young Prince, I hope you and your friends can get along with my daughter and her friends.”

“I’m sure they’ll get along well,” I said, hoping that I hadn’t jinxed it.

I hadn’t jinxed it, as it turned out.

A couple hours later, my friends and Zecora’s friends were all playing together in the garden. We’d gotten a game of hide and seek going soon after meeting, which was very unique considering the fact that the kelpie could hide in any of the spots of water and be nearly invisible.

I wasn’t surprised when Anna Belle and Medley immediately got along. Medley was apparently a great singer, and Anna was no slouch in that department either. Their bubbly personalities clicked and Anna was finding it hard not to touch Medley’s watery body despite me telling her that it was rude.

I was a bit surprised that Crystal and Shadow started getting along. I got the impression that Crystal was a little older and wasn’t quite as talkative or friendly as Medley, but during the introductions I saw them talking to each other. I even caught Crystal creating a snowball in her hands to show Shadow. This attracted the attention of Frostfall, and she joined the two, listening in quietly.

Sunset was immediately curious as to what kind of magic the abadas used. I saw her watching as Cactus talked to some of the plants in the garden and applauded when Dust showed off his incredible speed that might very well have put Rainbow Dash’s to shame. Especially with the yellow trail he left behind in his wake.

Marini had seen Spike and had found him instantly adorable. She took to playing with him and even asked to see his blue flames.

As for Zecora, after the game of hide and seek was over, I spent some time with her, showing her the garden. I was surprised at how well-read she was. Her Farasi accent was the least prominent out of the rest of her friends.

As we walked along the pathways, she was talking about her hope to one day learn how to use magic of any kind. “I just know there’s a way for me to learn magic somehow,” she was saying as we walked along the edge of the garden closest to the mountain. “I mean, the kelpies and abada can, so why can’t we? And I know it has to do with my cutie mark!”

“Your cutie mark?” I asked, curious now. Initially, I had assumed that only ponies had cutie marks, but when I got to cutie mark studies, I was told that a few other creatures could develop cutie marks of their own. Zebras were one of them. “What’s yours?”

She pointed to her arm, where I saw the very same mark that had been on Zecora’s flank in the show. “My real cutie mark is on my bottom,” she said, “but mom tattooed this on me after I got it!”

“When did you get it?” I asked curiously.

“Well, last spring, I wanted to see what would happen if I mixed up some flowers in with the dinner stew,” she began sheepishly, “so I did, but it broke the pot after dinner went flying everywhere.”

I chuckled a bit before nodding. “You tried to mix a brew, eh?”

Zecora looked at me with a tilted head. “A brew?”

“Sure,” I said. “Potions are a form of magic. I’ve looked at a few potion books here and tried to make some simple ones in my spare time. They’re really fun.”

Zecora looked excited at that and shouted, “Can I see you brew them?! And can I see the books, too!?”

“Well, I think my aunt won’t mind if I show you some,” I said. “Maybe later. How long are you staying?”

“Mom says we’ll be here for a week,” Zecora said as we turned a corner that led to the back entrance to the massive maze, presumably the same one that had appeared in The Return Of Harmony. “There’s a lot of green, here,” she observed.

I heard Crimson’s footsteps as he followed us along with Melody’s wet sounding footsteps. I ignored them as I nodded. “Well, when pegasi can control the rainfall, it’s easy to keep grass growing.”

“I wish we had that,” Zecora said. “It hasn’t rained in Farasi in a while. Even Lake Kamari is low.”

“Oh no, that’s not good,” I said, and at once I began to piece together just why the Farasi creatures might be here. Auntie had told me that negotiations with the various Farasi tribes had been going nowhere, so seeing creatures from Farasi here was definitely unusual. But with what Zecora had just said, it made sense that the Farasians would reach out and seek help from Equestria. I filed that little bit of knowledge away to tell my aunt just in case the Farasi delegation hadn’t mentioned it to my aunt yet.

“Yeah, dad says we can only drink a little bit each day,” Zecora said.

“Well, you can drink as much as you want here,” I said in an effort to be encouraging.

She smiled and nodded. “Medley and Crystal said that the water here tastes different than back home.”

“Really? What does it taste like?” I asked.

“They said the water is sweeter,” Zecora said.

“Oh, I see,” I said, unsure of how else to respond. I knew little about any race on Farasi, but I made a mental note to begin a new bit of research into what was known about them after the delegation had returned. “Hey, what do you like about Equestria so far?”

“Um…I think the plants,” she admitted. “They’re a lot sweeter than the ones we have back home.”

I smiled. “I bet my auntie could give you some seeds and teach you how to grow some of our plants,” I said.

Zecora was about to reply, when she paused. She looked down at the ground in front of where we were walking and pointed. “Hey…what’s that?”

I turned and looked in the direction she was pointing, but didn’t see anything. Not at first, anyway. We were both walking on a cobblestone pathway that wound through the garden. Every aspect of the stones had been perfectly place and if a crack formed, it was immediately taken care of. But on this particular occasion, I saw something that made me pause.

Near a portion of the pathway where there was a lefthand turn that headed back to the main portion of the garden, I saw a very slight crack in one of the larger stones. “What the…where’d that come from?” I wondered as I slowly approached the crack in the pathway, Zecora close by my side. I knelt and touched the crack.

“Young foals, what have you found?” Melody’s silky feminine voice asked as she and Crimson approached.

“Just a crack in the path,” I replied as I stood and faced them.

Crimson joined his Farasian counterpart and knelt at the crack, looking at it curiously. “Hmm…” he said as he looked up at the cliff which was directly above us. He looked around after that and stood. “Well, I don’t see any rocks that might have fallen to cause this,” he said.

Melody looked down at it as well, looking at it with a curious expression. Wordlessly, she stuck her hand on the crack. To my astonishment, her hand seemed to pass through the crack until all I could see was her wrist. Her eyes widened in alarm as she quickly pulled her hand out of the crack. “It’s hollow below!”

“A sinkhole?” Zecora wondered.

“If it is, we should get back,” I replied. “It’ll probably-”

Things happened too fast for us to properly make sense of it until later. I felt the ground under me move upwards like I was standing on a wave. I fell back onto my ass, Zecora right beside me. I saw Crimson hovering in the air and making his way towards me with his arm outstretched, but by then it was too late.

Dark tendrils of black surrounded me. I struggled to break free, but even with all of his strength, Crimson was unable to pull me out. I screamed, only to be encased in total darkness. And that was when I lost consciousness.

“Shadow walking? Your Highness, shadow walking is one of the more advanced spells known to ponykind. More specifically, the eutherians. Not only does it require a significant amount of magic, but it requires a great deal of concentration. The fact that your eutherian friend has learned it at such a young age should not be considered as the norm. It takes a normal eutherian almost fifteen to twenty years to master the technique.”

Aura was in her lecture mode again. It was something Sunset and I were very used to by this point. Whenever she found a subject that she loved to talk about, she could go on and on about it. Sometimes Sunset and I would get her to go on a tangent in case we were feeling lazy, which wasn’t often, but it was still fun to see her scrunch up her nose when she realized what we’d done by the time magic practice was up. Not that we minded. We always learned something new during her tangent lectures.

“Starry Swirl mastered it before her disappearance. Same with Mistmane,” Aura continued. “Starry wrote about it in Chapter Six of her Magic Spell Index. The title of that chapter is Travel Through The Umbral.”

As I listened, something began to happen. I saw a lamp in the corner that seemed…wrong somehow. I couldn’t place my finger on it. I raised my hand, only for Aura to not notice it despite her looking right at me. Something about this scene felt wrong.

I stood, ignoring the continuing lecture from his magic teacher. I slowly walked up to the lamp in the corner of the room, all sound slowly fading away, echoing as if it was inside a massive cathedral. I reached out…

…and massive shadowy tendrils shot out of the lamp, encasing me. I tried to run, but they had me in their grasp. I tried screaming for help, but Aura and Sunset were just sitting there, oblivious. And then there was something nasty covering my lips. Slimy and disgusting which started filling my mouth. With one last effort, I cast the most powerful light spell I knew…

I screamed and sat up, eyes wide and alert. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. My breath was ragged and I took in deep gulps of air.

As I did so, I took in my surroundings. Or lack thereof. I was sitting in total blackness. I could see anything, but I could hear a few distinct sounds. I heard the sound of water dripping onto stone nearby along with the sound of a small creek some distance away. And the sound of someone breathing heavily next to me.

I cast a small light spell, which illuminated my surroundings. I was in a small cavern of black stone. There were a few stalactites and stalagmites scattered around the area where I had been lying. Above me, there was a slightly slanted roof.

And lying prone on her back to my left, I saw Zecora. She looked no worse for wear, but she was frowning in her sleep, slightly twitching. However, as I brought the light closer, I saw small wisps of black smoke emanating from her eyes. I slowly opened one of her eyes only to see that same mist retreating from the light. As it did so, her expression softened ever so softly, but her twitching remained. Carefully, I opened her other eyelid and the reaction was the same. Holding both eyelids open, I poured some more magic into the light orb hovering over us.

With a gasp, Zecora sat up and screamed. In the light of the orb, I saw a black mist escape her mouth and dissipate. Quickly I put my hand on her back and held her up, rubbing her back gently in an effort to help her calm down. “Shh…deep breaths, Zecora. Take in deep breaths.”

She looked around wildly, but when she saw me, she seemed to relax a bit. Putting a hand on her chest, she closed her eyes and began saying something in her native tongue. Something that sounded like a chant. As she did so, I felt some of the tension leaving her body. When she stopped, she looked around. “What happened? Where are we?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, we’re somewhere under Canterlot. I know there are abandoned mines down here from when this city used to be a diamond mining town.”

“But how did we get here?” Zecora asked with a trembling tone.

I stood and stretched, then helped Zecora to her feet. “I don’t know, but what’s important is for us to get out of here and for you to get safely back to your mom and dad. They’ll be very angry with Auntie if they think we did anything to you. Well, unless Melody tells them what happened.”

“But where do we go?” Zecora asked nervously.

I looked around the small cave where we were currently. It looked like it had been a mine at one point, but any wood that had been inside had long since rotted away or fallen. I saw a few ancient rusted pieces of metal lying on the floor along with two tracks that possibly had been used for old mining carts. They had appeared in the Canterlot Wedding episode, but hadn’t looked this run down. “Let’s follow this,” I said, pointing to the two metal tracks. “Hopefully, it’ll lead us out somewhere. And it is heading up a slant.” I held out my hand. “Here, grab my hand.”

She immediately took it, and I could tell she was scared. Her hand was trembling as we both slowly walked up towards wherever the tracks led. It didn’t take long to reach the entrance to another larger cave, where I discovered the source of the sound of running water came from a stream that was running down another old mine shaft. I saw no tracks this time, but I remembered reading somewhere that you were always supposed to go upstream in case you got lost, and even underground that made sense. There had to be a source above that was leaking down through the ground.

Or is it the other way around? I thought, suddenly confused. I felt unsure of my decision, and almost started going the other way. No, I thought. We’ll go upstream. If I’m wrong, we can head down. I turned to Zecora. “We’re going upstream. There should be a source that comes from the surface.”

Nodding, she clung to my arm as we began our slow ascent. While I was wearing shoes that were relatively sturdy, Zecora was wearing thin sandals. At one point, she slipped on a rock and nearly fell, but I caught her.

The cavern began to expand the further up we went, solidifying my resolve that I’d made the right decision. As we headed up, I heard what sounded like a waterfall. Eventually, we reached a large clearing where we did see a large waterfall flowing into a large pool of water. The chamber we were in was almost all enclosed save for a small crevice. A crevice where light poured in.

When Zecora saw it, I felt her instant relief. “Is that daylight? We’re saved!” She let go and began running towards it.

However, something about the light was wrong. I ran after Zecora and grabbed her arm. “Wait, stop!”

She turned back to me, confused. “What? That’s sunlight, isn’t it?”

I gently but firmly pulled her back. “No, that’s not sunlight. Sunlight isn’t purple,” I said, pointing to the crevice.

She turned and looked closer at the light. A small sliver of purple could be seen emanating from it. The smile on her face faded and she came back, grabbing my arm once again. “B-But what is it?” she asked.

“Could be anything,” I said. “It’s probably some glowing plants or something. They have them in the Mines of Canina. They could be here, too.” I looked around the cave, but seeing no other way out save for the small entrance we’d just come through and the spot where the waterfall fell, the crevice was the only way out. “Let’s check it out.”

We approached, Zecora nervously and me with trepidation. The purple glow that came through the crevice seemed to fill me with a slight sense of dread, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why.

The crevice itself was big enough for us to crawl through, and I was grateful that we were still foals because I highly doubted we’d have made it through if we were full blown adults in these bodies, or even if I was in my old adult body.

We finally made our way through and I saw that the crevice led to a small ledge that fell away into the abyss. But that wasn’t what caught my attention. My jaw dropped at what I saw.

We were in a massive cavern with what looked like mile high columns across whatever the abyss was. There were massive waterfalls falling from caverns high above them. And from the columns, I saw bright purple lights. Which came from large windows.

We had just discovered an underground city.

9 - Silver Sanctum

To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I had the mind of someone much older, but even I was still susceptible to shock and awe. The view before me was unlike anything I could have imagined being underneath the mountain except in something like a Lord Of The Rings movie. Only it was much bigger than anything depicted in those films.

The fact that Zecora and I were looking at a city was not in question. There were purple lights coming from what could only be windows. The nearest column showed that. I also caught a glimpse of motion in one of the nearby windows. There were large stone bridges connecting each column at various levels as well, and I saw lights moving back and forth on said bridges. Bright red lights, like torches being held. I also saw some flying creatures moving among the darkness being briefly illuminated by the purple light. I couldn’t tell what they were, but like other races in this world they had the basic anthropomorphic shape of others. There were massive platforms scattered throughout the city as well, with massive structures, mostly pyramid-shaped, sitting on top of them.

The cave itself seemed to go on forever. There were large swathes of light coming from the bottom and a few patches that reflected the light above. Lakes, I realized, or some kind of body of water. They almost all pooled around the massive waterfalls that came down from the high caverns. There was one near us that spilled out onto a larger body of water below us.

I was brought out of my reverie by someone clutching my arm tightly. Turning, I saw Zecora giving me a pleading and terrified look. “B-Blueblood?” she said, but with the sound of the roaring waterfall I couldn’t hear her. I could read her lips, however.

I put my hand over hers. “Try and relax!” I shouted above the din of the falls, “We’ll find a way out of this!” Of course, I was none too sure of this myself. I didn’t have any idea how we could escape this or even reach the bottom. The ledge we were one seemed secure enough for someone of our current weight, but it didn’t go out far on either side. It only went out maybe two feet at the most. I pointed back to the crevice we’d just come through. “Let’s go back there for a bit,” I said.

Once we were back through, Zecora sat against the wall, breathing deeply and with relief. “I hate heights,” she said.

“I don’t like them either,” I said, sitting next to her, “but there has to be a way down there. Aside from jumping.” I frowned and looked up at the ceiling. “I need to think…” Zecora’s ears flattened and she hugged her knees in front of her. I reached over and put a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry. We’ll get out of this. Together. I promise.”

This seemed to placate her, and she somewhat relaxed. I, however, was going through many different scenarios. I had no idea just where we were or what kind of hole we’d fallen into. It was all so confusing even for an adult trapped in a kid’s body. I ran over any spell that I thought might help, but the only three spells that I figured would help seemed far beyond my reach. My teleportation magic was still short range despite practice. The second one was advanced telekinesis that could be cast on the body, leading to flight. I remember seeing Starlight Glimmer doing that in the show, and Sunset Shimmer had managed to figure it out during our magic sessions, but I was still having a hard time with it. I couldn’t last very long whenever I tried.

The only other spell I could think of was the wing spell, but I hadn’t yet tried that. I vaguely remembered the words to cast it in the Language of Magic, but magic cast like that was finicky. If I said the words wrong, things could go very wrong. Kneeling in the dirt, I began writing out the words that I knew were the ones used to create wings. Zecora saw me doing this and gave me a worried look. I looked back and tried to give her my best reassuring look. When that didn’t work, I said, “I’m trying to craft some temporary wings for myself so I can fly us down there.” I pointed to the hole, indicating the city beyond.

Zecora looked back at the hole nervously, then back at me. “What then?”

That was a good question. I honestly had no idea. Still, I reasoned that this city had come about by ponies from the surface coming down some time ago, meaning there had to be an exit. With a confident tone I didn’t feel, I said, “We look for an exit.”

“Shouldn’t we wait here?” Zecora asked. “Father always said that when I’m lost, stay where you are and wait.”

“I know,” I said, “but if this is underneath Canterlot, they’d have found us by now. No, I think whatever sucked us into that hole teleported us somewhere.” I finished the circle and stood. “Alright, I think I did it.”

Zecora walked over and looked at the magic circle I’d formed in the dirt. I held out a hand to stop her from coming too close and disturbing the runes and circle patterns I’d formed. I still didn’t know too much about magic circles and runic magic, but I knew some basic things. One was that the patterns in the circle between the runes was important and if drawn wrong, it could be disastrous. I walked around the circle for a few minutes, looking at the runes and the patterns for any discrepancies. I couldn’t find anything wrong, so I took a giant step and moved into the exact center of the circle. I turned back to Zecora. “Step back.”

She did so, looking more scared now. “Blueblood…are you going to be okay?” she asked hesitantly.

I took a deep breath, not answering her question. Before I could chicken out, I extended my hands and they began to glow my signature color. Tendrils of magic reached down to the circle and flowed through the runes and lines like glowing water. As the flowing magic began to fill the crevices, I opened my mouth and spoke. “To soar through air is what I desire. Now come to me and wings shall I acquire,” I said in the Language of Magic, AKA English.

The magic circle beneath me flared brightly with the colors of the rainbow, making me almost close my eyes, but I forced myself to keep them open because I knew if I closed my eyes the magic might misfire. I felt the magic being drained from me as it flowed from my fingers down to the circle below. I forced myself to keep standing straight despite my weakness until eventually I felt the draining cease. I stopped casting my magic and looked down. The magic circle was a blinding blue glow and the outermost edge looked like it was growing. Zecora looked terrified, but I remembered this from the show. Rarity had been enveloped by solid light, so the same thing was probably happening here.

Eventually, the outermost light had surrounded me in a cone. I closed my eyes now and let the magic spell do its work. I could hear the sound of its musical chime increase around me as some light crept through my hands. There was a pop of air, and the magical chime stopped. Opening my eyes I saw that the magic circle beneath me was dark. I carefully stepped out of the magic circle and Zecora was looking at me with astonishment. She was by my side the moment I collapsed to my knees, holding me up as best she could. “That was…amazing!” she exclaimed as she reached down to touch something beside me. “How’d you make them look so real??”

Slowly I turned, half expecting to see the rainbow gossamer wings that formed during the spell (Aunt Celestia had shown Sunset and me this spell and it always formed the rainbow wings similar to the episode). However, what I saw caught me a bit off guard. The wings were there, but instead of glowing, they looked black and batlike. There were some small sparks of light from the wings like stars, but other than that the wings were inky black. They were eutherian wings.

Alarmed, I stood and reached out to touch one wing. When I did so, I felt a strange sensation. It was like I was touching a limb I’d never known existed. The wing itself felt silky smooth. I’d felt a eutherian wing before when I’d asked Crimson if I could touch his wings. I closed my eyes and tried to feel through my body for the muscle control that pegasi and eutherians both had. After a while, I began to feel it. I moved both wings experimentally, opening my eyes to watch my progress. I was rewarded when I saw them flapping slightly, but not enough to fly. I turned back to Zecora. “Give me some time to figure out how these work.”

A whole hour passed as I figured out how to flap the wings. I was falling from the air constantly, but not far enough to do any damage. Eventually, I managed to stay in the air for at least five minutes, flying around simply and learning how to turn. Once I had a hold on how they worked, I started lifting some small rocks to see how best to fly while carrying something. This took a while, but eventually I managed to learn the nuances of simple flight. I wasn’t looking for anything fancy, just enough to get us to wherever we decided to go.

Once I felt like I’d gotten the hang of things, I landed and made my way back over to the crevice. Zecora was right beside me in an instant as I peered through down at the massive cavernous city. I frowned and tried to find a place that could very well be an exit, but I found nothing obvious. I went through the various scenarios in my head. I had no idea why this city was here, wherever here was. I retreated back into the cave. I’d spotted a few sections of the city that seemed busier than normal but one ledge on a lower level seemed to be nearly empty of the city’s inhabitants. It was close to us, but I wasn’t sure if it was close enough. Still, I couldn’t see any other choice in the matter.

I turned back to Zecora. “I think I found a place where we can try and fly,” I said

She approached with a worried expression. “Where?”

I took her back to the crevice and we both stuck our heads through. I pointed to the lower ledge. “See that smaller ledge? I think if we land there, we can at least be unnoticed.”

“But who lives here?” she asked.

That was the million dollar question, and I had no idea. It could be flying mole people for all I knew. I knew at least we’d stick out like a sore thumb, but I couldn’t think of anything else to do. A city meant they probably had a means of returning to the surface. I hadn’t heard of any kind of race that evolved underground this way, and if they had then they wouldn’t need the lights, especially purple ones. It stood to reason, then, that whoever lived here had either once lived on the surface or had access to the surface. It was possible they preferred the dark like bats or other nocturnal animals.

I sighed softly. “I wish I knew, Zecora,” I said, “but I don’t think we have any other option of getting out of here. Whatever brought us here wasn’t just a normal hole. We’d be dead if we fell so far down. It had to be some sort of magic that teleported us here.”

“Then can’t we go back and try and figure out how to use it?” Zecora asked.

I shook my head. “I might have some talent for magic, but I can’t teleport very well. I still have a lot to learn. Our best bet is looking for a way out through that city.”

Zecora still looked unsure, and I could hardly blame her. Fact of the matter was, I was unsure myself. Was it really the best idea to go down there and try to find a way out? I wracked my brain for any other ideas, using my own real world knowledge, but all I could think of was to try and find some way through the city and out of there. I knew I had to put on a brave face for Zecora, so I steeled myself and looked over at her. “Climb on my back. We’re gonna try flying around.”

This took another half hour to get a handle on, but with my new semi-mastery of flight, I eventually managed to hover above the ground for a good while. She clung to me with her arms and legs, which provided a challenge, but fortunately my temporary wings seemed to not be affected by her clinging. Finally, I felt ready enough, so we both crawled back through the crevice back to the ledge. The sound of the waterfall nearby was roaring in our ears once again, so I had to shout to make myself heard. “Climb on and hold on tight!” She did so, burying her face in my back. I turned to face the city once more.

Finding the edge of the city I was hoping to fly to, I spread my wings wide and began to flap them. Slowly, my feet left the ledge and I was hovering over many meters of air. I could feel Zecora clinging to me much more tightly than before, which I’d anticipated. To be truthful, I was terrified myself. I wasn’t sure if the large lake directly below me was shallow or deep, but I didn’t intend to find out.

As fast as I could muster, I flew towards the edge of the city. I was glad then that we were in a cave because there weren’t any winds to throw me off balance. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, we made our way closer to the large abandoned portion of the city. However, when we were only a few meters away, I felt the sensation of my wings start to fail. Startled, I took a look back to see what was happening. The wings, which had at one point been solid, were quickly starting to disappear.

“B-Blueblood? What’s happening?” Zecora asked.

“Hold on tightly,” was all I could say as I tried my best to flap the wings harder to increase speed. I was relieved to see that it was working, but my relief was short lived as we began to sink in the air again. I could see we were going to miss the ledge I was aiming for, so I frantically looked around to see if there was any other place to land. Unfortunately, the place I saw was a crowded marketplace full of people.

A marketplace full of eutherians and eutherians only.

Unfortunately, I knew we didn’t have much of a choice, so as we began falling I shouted to Zecora, “Hang on tight!” That was enough for the crowd of eutherians below to finally spot us. I saw a few of them looking up at us with curious glances. I waved my hands. “Move!”

We both crashed into a stall filled with some kind of dimly glowing green fruit, sending the produce scattering across the road. I heard someone shouting in alarm, but I was too dazed to understand what they’d said. Zecora and I tumbled until we hit a wall, knocking the breath out of us. Groaning, I slowly pushed myself up only to see I was covered in glowing green liquid. Zecora too was coated in the juice of whatever fruit we’d collided against. I crawled over to check on Zecora and my heart sank when I saw a cut on her left arm. I quickly tore off a bit of my shirt and wrapped it around her arm, stopping the bleeding. She winced but let me do what I needed to do.

It was then that I heard the murmuring of the crowd behind me. Slowly I turned to see a group of eutherians looking at us with wide eyed astonishment. Unlike the ones I’d seen above, these wore clothes that were actually quite lovely. Any eutherians I’d seen on the surface always wore functional clothing, even the guards when off duty. Other eutherians I’d seen wore poor clothes, dirty and sometimes scratched. Here, however, the clothes were quite sturdy and beautiful. Half of them wore less clothing than I expected. I saw several eutherian mares wearing a thin piece of fabric around their chests and the same around their waists. I also saw a few stallions wearing nothing but something like a toga around their waists. Others, however, were wearing clothes that covered more. I even saw some kids staring in.

One of the eutherian stallions pointed at me, or more specifically, my head. He said something in what sounded like a somewhat fearful tone. I couldn’t understand him, however, because he was speaking in the same language I’d heard other eutherians use. Or at least, it sounded like the same language.

The crowd followed his finger and backed away from me, their looks of confusion and surprise replaced by fear, and in some of their cases, anger. Others pointed at Zecora and I could hear their tone change to one of insult. Not wanting things to escalate, I stood as fast as I could despite the pain and said, “Does anyone here speak Equish?”

When I spoke, they stopped, staring at me in mute astonishment again. After a few moments, the murmurs started. A few of the outlying eutherians spread their wings and flew down the street but the others continued staring at us with mistrust in their eyes. I slowly made my way back to Zecora, helping her to her feet, then looking back at the crowd. “Can anyone here understand me?”

When nobody spoke, I heard Zecora say something in her own language to the crowd. That made them back away more. The zebra princess moved closer to me and asked with a trembling tone, “W-What are they g-gonna do w-with us?”

I didn’t have to answer because immediately after she asked I heard a commotion from the crowd behind me. They parted, and I saw what had to be a company of soldiers. Unlike the Solar Guard, these wore armor that seemed to glow with some runic symbols carved into them that were glowing deep purple. They reminded me a little bit of the shapes of the bat ponies seen in the episode Luna Eclipsed. When they saw us, the glared at us. One pointed at me and said, in a threatening manner, “Follow us.”

Zecora took my hand and squeezed it tightly. I squeezed back and looked at her. “Come on,” I said. “We’ve got no choice right now.”

We might have landed in the lower levels of the city, but that didn’t make them any less impressive. Every residence and more permanent building was built into the massive columns that stretched from ceiling to floor of the cavern. Now that we were closer, I could see that purple light wasn’t the only color of light there. I saw dark and light blues and even some pale whites, but the purple was more prevalent than most. As these guards walked us through the streets, we saw many other eutherians flying above them to gaze at us with mixtures of wonder, suspicion, and some hatred. Most of the latter two was directed at me.

The more eutherians I saw, the more I noticed how well fed and clothed they looked. When compared to the eutherians I’d seen living rather poorly in Canterlot, the ones here were living very well. All the while, I heard the same language being spoken among them, a language I knew I couldn’t speak because I didn’t have the necessary biological capacity to either speak it or hear the entirety of it.

When we reached a large area that resembled a town square with a large fountain sitting in the middle, the stallion who’d spoken to me, who I assumed was the leader of this company, turned. “We’re going to carry you two now,” he said. His accent was an unusual one, to say the least. I didn’t ever hear Shadow’s parents or any other eutherian with such an accent. “Spread your arms, both of you.”

I started to do so, but Zecora clung tighter to me. “N-No!” she shouted, “I wanna fly with him!”

The stallion glared at Zecora. “Let him go.”

“No!”

Before this guard could say anything, I turned to Zecora and gave her a reassuring look. “We can’t do anything,” I said, “so just listen to him, Zecora.”

“I don’t want to be alone.” Zecora gave me a pleading look. “Please…”

I pursed my lips and looked up at the guard, who had his arms crossed and was looking at me impatiently. “She’s scared,” I said, gesturing to the zebra. “Is there any way we can be flown up together?”

The guard had an exasperated look on his face. “You either fly together separately or we walk up several thousand steps. Your choice.”

Even I knew that wouldn’t be fun for either of us. I turned back to Zecora. “We should do what he says,” was all I could say. “Please trust me.”

She looked unsure and took some time to think about it. After a while, she slowly nodded. “Okay…”

The leader sighed and pointed to two of the other guards and gave them an order. I felt myself being roughly grabbed and hoisted to my feet. Zecora was treated no better as she was flung over the shoulder of one guard while the same was done to me. I could hear Zecora start to whimper, but thankfully not much else. Suddenly I saw the ground falling away and we were flying.

From the air around us, the city was a marvel. Even Canterlot couldn’t compare. What I thought at first were uneven columns were more organized than I thought. They were natural columns, of course, but most had been carved out to become houses and mansions. There were some large platforms built on the sides of these columns, some of which held gardens, much to my surprise. I tried to look up, but with the angle I was being held at I couldn’t see too much. As we continued flying higher, the buildings built into the columns seemed to become more ornate. There were many different marketplaces and other types of buildings on larger platforms that were built between columns. The platforms grew bigger as we flew up as well, and I could have sworn I saw a small forest on one.

Finally I could see the columns start to expand, indicating we were starting to reach the ceiling. We’d been flying for what seemed like a few minutes. Part of me, the curious mind, wondered just how old this cavern was, but the majority of me realized that I needed to focus on our predicament.

After a few more minutes, we reached a large platform and we landed. I was roughly placed on the ground and was almost immediately found by Zecora, who reached me and gripped my shoulder. We weren’t given much time to recover before they were pulled apart by the guards and pulled towards a massive building. I looked up and almost gaped in shock. We were being led to a massive palace that looked identical to Serene Castle. I tried to get a better look at the castle but I was still too small to look over the guards.

We were led inside none too gently and taken through several corridors, all lit with torches and lanterns. Finally, we reached a large set of double doors. The lead guard said something to the guards at the door, then the latter entered the room beyond. The lead guard came back and glared down at us. “When you both see the queen, keep your eyes averted from her,” he ordered. “None but other royalty can look at her.”

“B-Blueblood…” Zecora whimpered in terror.

The lead guard now with some recognition. “Blueblood? As in Prince Blueblood of Canterlot?”

I had been planning on keeping my identity a secret but I had no opportunity to tell Zecora. Now that the secret was out, I stood up straighter and gave the guard an even gaze. “Correct. You are speaking to Prince Blueblood of Canterlot,” I said.

“And who’s this, then? Your servant?” the guard sneered, gesturing to Zecora.

I gave him a cold glare. “She’s not my servant. She’s my friend.”

The guard simply laughed at me. “I’m sure she is,” he said. Just then the door guard came back and said something to the lead guard. After a brief conversation, the latter turned to me. “Follow.” He turned and the guards at the door opened it. Immediately, our eyes were assaulted with bright purple and yellow light. We were both pulled in and taken forward down a carpeted walkway. After a while, the guards all knelt towards someone, and this gave me a view of who we were seeing.

The eutherian mare sitting on the singular throne on the upper dais before us couldn’t be more than twelve or thirteen. Her clothes were a dark royal purple with golden trim and glowing swirling patterns sewn in. The glowing patterns resembled closely packed stars. Her crown was a dark black circlet with a silver glowing ring in the center and a crescent moon carved above the circlet. She was a dark purple mare with black mane and slitted dark gray eyes. I saw a cutie mark patch on her chest which was a pair of swords crossing each other.

Beside her stood an older eutherian stallion with dark green fur and a dim yellow mane and tail, the former showing signs of balding. His eyes were a dark orange. He wore simple black robes with glowing silver pinpricks of light scattered on it which mimicked the night sky. There was a silver sash tied around his waist. In his right hand he held a dark silver staff with a glowing conical gem sitting on top of it.

The mare didn’t take her eyes off me as the lead guard spoke to her and the stallion standing next to her in their language. She waved him off, then turned to the stallion. The two spoke briefly, the mare looking over at me and Zecora occasionally. When the conversation was over she stood and spread her batlike wings. “So,” she said with a haughty air of authority, “you’re Prince Blueblood of Canterlot.”

I stood straighter. “I am Prince Blueblood, nephew of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

She gave me a quick and hard glare and took a single step towards me. “Be careful who you speak to, colt,” the lead guard said with a cold tone. “You speak to Queen Dawn Star of the Silver Sanctum.”

Silver Sanctum. So that was where I was. I turned back to the now named Dawn Star. “Queen Dawn Star,” I said while inclining my head slightly.

The queen seemed satisfied with this and returned to her throne, sitting down with regality. “Tell me how you came here,” she commanded. “You and Princess Zecora there.”

My eyes shot open wider. “How did you know who she was?” I asked.

Now it was the stallion’s turn to speak. He stepped forward and said, “We may be underground, young prince, but we aren’t ignorant. We know things that would surprise you. Now tell us how you came here, and no lies. If you lie, this orb will turn red.” He pointed to a large opaque orb sitting on a small table beside the queen’s throne.

Despite my surprise, this gave me hope of finding a way to the surface. I decided to play it a bit more calmly. I took a breath and began. “Princess Zecora and I were walking together when we found a part of the pathway had a hole in it. We were curious and we started looking at it. The ground gave way and I passed out. I woke up in an abandoned mineshaft.”

The orb didn’t glow, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I guess the orb only glowed if I made an overt lie, not withholding information. The queen looked at it, then back at me. “Continue.”

I nodded and did so. “We were wandering around in those old mineshafts for a while until we found a ledge overlooking the edge of the city, then I tried casting a spell to give myself wings to fly down to the city so Princess Zecora and I could try and find a way back to the surface.”

Once more the orb remained dark. The queen frowned and looked up at the stallion beside her. They spoke briefly before she turned back and leaned forward. “Are you hiding something from me?”

I thought of an answer quickly, having somewhat anticipated this. “Everything I’ve told you is the truth,” I said, not taking my eyes off of her.

“That wasn’t what the queen asked,” the stallion said. “Now answer the question. Yes or no, young colt.”

I knew I was fucked. Zecora clung tightly to me as I scoured my brain for a way to answer that wouldn’t set off whatever that magical orb could detect. I decided to stall for time and said, “All we want to do is to get back home. If you know who Princess Zecora and I both are, then I guess you know a way back to the surface. If you think we came here to harm you, you’re wrong.”

“Stop stalling and tell us the truth,” the stallion said. “Tell us where you found this hole and we’ll take you back to the surface.”

Before I could answer, Zecora blurted out, “Canterlot!”

That did it. There was silence in the room for a few seconds before the queen turned to the stallion and the two spoke in a worryingly excited tone. After a while, she turned back and pointed at me and Zecora. She gave a command, then in Equish she said, “Thank you for your cooperation. Unfortunately, you can’t leave here.”

Zecora looked stunned as she was grabbed by two guards. “No! You promised! You said we could go home!” She resisted the guards, but they were stronger than she was. “You promiiiiised!” she screamed as she was taken away.

I didn’t resist as I was taken away. Still, I kept my eyes locked with the queen, who gave me a self satisfied smirk as we left the throne room and the doors were closed behind us.

The two of us were led down several flights of stairs to a dark corridor, dimly lit but surprisingly clean. Zecora and I were separated and put into small dungeon cells which were also rather clean. The moment I was put in the cell, the head guard removed the ring from my horn, but warned me that the cell was made of the same material so my magic wouldn’t work. There was a small bed in my cell with a thick coarse looking blanket on top of it and a pillow at its head. In a corner I saw a covered hole which was probably used as a toilet. The room had a sink, a barrel of water with a clay cup on top of it, a chair and table in another corner, and a large glowing crystal lantern hanging from the center of the ceiling.

After the guards were gone, I went to the cell door and climbed up to look out of the small barred opening. I stuck my hand through and tried to cast magic. My horn lit up, but my hand didn’t. I sighed in defeat and looked around. Listening, I could hear the sobs coming from Zecora’s cell, which was on the opposite wall and a few doors down. Holding onto the bars to keep myself up, I called out, “Zecora?”

I heard a sniffing sound coming from her cell. “B-Blueblood?”

“I’m here, I’m here,” I promised. “Are you alright? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

“N-No, I didn’t get hurt,” she said. I couldn’t see her but I could hear her voice. The poor girl was terrified out of her mind. “I wanna go home…”

“I know, I do too,” I said, trying to sound as reassuring as I could. “Everything will be okay, I promise.”

“But why did they do this to us?” Zecora asked. “It’s not our fault we’re here. We didn’t come here on purpose. Why did they lie?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted. I wasn’t too sure what was going on in this place, wherever this place was. “I’ll think of a way out of here,” I said, trying to sound confident. “Just lie down and rest, okay?”

“Okay,” she said quietly. I heard her moving and then there was some rustling sounds from her cell.

I lowered myself down and went to sit on the edge of my new bed, trying hard to think of a way to get out of here. Nothing about this situation made sense. Who were these eutherians? What were they after? Why did they want to know where the exit location was? Obviously they thought we knew something more, especially me, but even with my mind being older than my body, I knew Aunt Celestia hadn’t told me certain things about the security of the kingdom. She’d even fully admitted it to me when I’d asked. What else did they expect me to know?

My thoughts were interrupted by a small shuffle of feet. However, it seemed to come from another cell altogether. “H…Hello…?” a weak sounding voice called out from the cell next to me. The voice sounded young. Too young to be in a cell.

I stood and ran to the door, leaping up and grabbing the bars to get a hold of it. My youthful stamina helped me stay in position, hanging from the bar windows as I tried to look out. “Yes? I’m here,” I said.

I saw a small hand waving through the barred window on the door next to my cell. A bright pinkish hand. I knew that whoever this was couldn’t be a eutherian. Their coats were always dark. The hand was also too small to belong to an adult. “Can you see me?” the childish voice called out. The voice sounded like a filly’s voice.

“Yeah, yeah I can see you,” I said, waving my own hand. “Can you see me?”

“Yeah, I can see you,” the voice said.

I could hear the flapping of wings from their cell, so I asked, “Wait, are you a pegasus?”

“Yes,” was all the voice said. The hand vanished and the sound of the wings did too.

“How long have you been in here?” I asked, not sure I wanted to know.

“I don’t know…” the pegasus replied.

“Sorry for asking, but how did you end up here?” I asked.

The pegasus paused before continuing. “I was walking home after my birthday party when me, my parents and older brother fell into a hole,” she began. “When I woke up…my…” the filly stopped talking and I could hear her starting to sniff.

“Hey, it’s okay,” I said, backpedaling fast. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No…it’s okay,” she said, regaining herself before she continued. “The eutherian guards found me and…the bodies…and took me to ask me how I got here after promising to take me to the surface. I told them, but they lied and put me in here.”

I frowned and leaned against my door, thinking. The queen and that stallion, who I guessed was some sort of court advisor, had asked me where I’d come from before Zecora had answered. Obviously the location of these doors to the surface was important, but why? Invasion, perhaps? It was possible. If that was the case, then Zecora and I had just become hostages. I cursed myself for being so stupid. I was so desperate to get out of here that I’d gotten myself captured. Worse, I’d gotten Zecora captured.

Still, I had to try and find a way out of this place with Zecora and this newcomer. Which made me realize that I didn’t know her name. I jumped back up, grabbed the bars and pulled myself back up to look out of the cell again. “Hey, what’s your name?”

This was when I got the shock of a lifetime. “I-I’m Cadenza Mi Amore,” the pegasus said, “but y-you can call me Cadance.”

Author's Note

Been a while. Sorry about that. I couldn't think of what to write, but inspiration struck me recently so I finished. Hope you enjoy!

10 - Escape Pt. 1

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy.

Also, author's note. I changed Ponyville's name to be Ponyshire throughout the story.

10 - Escape Pt. 1

Cadance…she had come here somehow…that was throwing me for a loop, to be honest. Not wanting to worry her, however, I just reached my hand out of my cell and waved. “Nice to meet you, Cadance. My name is Blueblood.”

Cadance gasped from her cell. “Prince Blueblood of Canterlot?!” she asked in surprise.

I nodded automatically before remembering that she couldn’t see me. “Yes, that’s me,” I said, “and I’m here with Princess Zecora, a zebra royal from Farasi.”

“Wow…how did you two come down here?” Cadance asked.

In short, I explained what had happened, but left out some key details since I wasn’t sure if we were being listened to. I told her exactly what I told this Queen Dawn Star, nothing more and nothing less. “And that’s how we arrived here,” I concluded.

Cadance was silent for a bit, then she quietly replied, “Sounds like what happened to me…”

“What do you think they want from us?” Zecora asked from her cell.

I sighed and shook my head. “I don’t know,” was all I could say. And truth was, I didn’t know. I couldn’t think of any reason why they would keep us locked up here. I didn’t have enough information to work on. “Still, we need to work on getting out of here. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure my aunt and Zecora’s family will overturn every stone in Canterlot to find us, and if they find out we’ve been imprisoned here, well, say goodbye to Silver Sanctum.”

“Mother and Father wouldn’t be very happy,” Zecora agreed.

“But how do we get out of here?” Cadance asked.

I didn’t have an answer. I looked around the cell block, looking for anything that we might be able to use. I could use my magic in the cell, but if I tried moving my magic outside, it didn’t work. My mind was working overtime as I tried my best to come up with a solution. “Let me think a bit,” I said as I lowered myself down onto the cell floor. I returned to the bed and sat on the edge, staring out at the little bit of cell block I could see from the barred window in the door. We all sat there in silence for a bit, all thinking. I was seriously at a loss for what to do. I went back over the basics one more time. Our biggest issue was getting out of the cells, obviously. I began thinking back on all that I had been taught by Aura about what kinds of objects could block magic and whether there were ways around it. I remembered three big ones in one of her lectures.

The first way to block unicorn magic was with black water, a type of liquid that, when thrown on a magical creature, could block their magic until it evaporated or was washed out, which took a while. If someone swallowed black water, their magic wouldn’t work until it left their system, so it was used to keep the most dangerous of Canterlot’s prisoners hydrated since it wasn’t toxic aside from that.

The second way to block magic was by using a rare high concentration of iron called high iron. Normal iron didn’t block magic, but high iron definitely did. Magical nullification rings made of high iron were placed on the fingers of some of the deadliest criminals in Equestria while they were imprisoned as an extra security measure against escape.

The third, and the likeliest source in this cell, was nullstone, a black rock that looked a lot like obsidian. I looked around and saw that embedded in some of the stones were black rocks. Nullstone didn’t need to coat the entire wall to be effective since it also lined the walls of Canterlot’s dungeons. It was a powerful ore.

It was also brittle if it wasn’t used correctly.

Curious, I walked up to the nearest hunk of nullstone embedded in the normal stone walls of my cell. I dug a fingernail into it and scraped. To my delight, small flakes of black powder came off, landing on the floor. The nullstone in the Canterlot dungeons had been prepared correctly. Here, in Silver Sanctum, they weren’t. I looked around for something to scrape with instead of my nail. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything.

At that moment, I heard a large metal door opening from outside. I walked over and lifted myself up to peer outside, only to be greeted by the stern face of a eutherian guard. He glared at me, then slammed his fist into the door. “Get down from where, whelp!” he shouted. “Meal time!”

I let go of the metal bars and backed away from the door. A small sliver of light came from a meal slot at the bottom of the door. A stone platter came through the door with some kind of brown bread on it and a bowl with some kind of steaming stew in it. The slot closed and I heard the guard open other slots to shove the food in. “Eat up,” the guard said, “this is your only meal for the day.” And with that, he left, slamming the door behind him.

Curiously, I approached the tray and picked it up, taking it to the bed. The stew smelled pretty foul, and I could even see bits of meat in there. The bread smelled somewhat better, but it still didn’t smell all that appetizing. It was just then that an idea came to mind. I looked at the platter and found that there was a clay spoon on it. I picked it up and went back to the nullstone I was looking at earlier. To my delight, the spoon helped to scrape the stone away faster. A part of me felt like Edmond Dantes from The Count of Monte Cristo, scraping away at the stone. Eventually, I did manage to remove the stone, letting it fall to the floor. However, the feeling of success was short lived when I looked around to see that there were dozens, if not hundreds, of nullstones buried in the wall itself. I figured that if the guards found the clay spoon missing, they might be suspicious.

That was when another idea struck. Taking inspiration from The Count of Monte Cristo again, I poured most of the foul-smelling soup down into the toilet hole, but not before putting a bit of the stew on the spoon to make it look like I’d eaten it. I did have to force a bit down just in case they tried smelling my breath. I almost gagged, but with the help of some water it went down without me regurgitating it. Then, I held the clay bowl up and took a few steps back. I faced the toilet and took a few steps towards it. I pretended to slip and then dropped the bowl. To my delight, it shattered on the floor, leaving bits and pieces of the clay bowl everywhere along with small bits of clay. My luck held out even more as the piece nearest to the toilet looked sharp enough to be used as a knife if need be.

Just then, my luck ran out. I heard the dungeon door opening. “Hey! What was that noise?” the same guard called in from the door.

I stood up and scrambled towards the piece of clay near the toilet hole. Not knowing what else I could do, I kicked it into the hole, letting it fall into the nasty sludge. I turned to the door just as it was flung open. The guard looked around and then saw the broken bowl. He glared at me with hate filled eyes. “What did you do?!”

I looked down and then looked back up at the guard, “It slipped and I dropped it,” I said simply.

He groaned, then pointed to the corner of the cell. “Stand over there and don’t move!” he ordered. I did as I was told and watched him pick up the shards of hardened clay, holding them in one of his wings. He would look up at me every so often, making sure I didn’t move. Finally, he’d grabbed everything else, stood, and strode to the door. “Lights out soon, brats,” he said to us as he closed and locked the door to my cell. “You know the rules, pegasus whelp. Tell them.” With that final statement, he left the room.

I lifted myself up again and looked out of my cell door window, my eyes adjusting to the darkness around us. “What did he mean, Cadance?” I asked.

I heard shuffling from her cell, then Cadance replied, “There’s no talking at night. If they hear you talking too much, you don’t get any meals for the next day. They want us to be quiet.”

I scowled, looking back at the room where I would be sleeping. I knew I wouldn’t be able to see anything soon, so the time to act was now. I rushed over to the toilet hole, took a breath, held it, and peered in. There was nothing but darkness. I held out a hand, casting a simple light spell that illuminated the hole. I almost threw up at what I was seeing, but I kept it down. Using my other hand, I lifted the piece of clay out of the toilet and placed it on the ground gently.

It was none too soon, as well, because moments later, I heard a gruff voice calling, “Lights out! Keep your traps shut or no food tomorrow!” The lights above our cells and outside dimmed and went out, leaving us in total darkness. “And no magic casting from you, unicorn whelp! I see one light or hear something being cast, no food for two days!” With that, I heard a door slam and footsteps walking away.

Frowning, I crawled on the floor towards the piece of clay. My hand touched it, and I gagged in response. There was still fecal residue on it. Swallowing the bile rising in my throat, I picked it up, wiped it off with my handkerchief which had miraculously not been taken, then began feeling around for a stone. I decided to go for one near the wall separating me from the outside, and found one in a corner to the left of my cell door. I spent a while scraping at the stone, feeling around for the shards that came off and dumping it in the toilet hole before continuing. It didn’t take me too long, but eventually I had the entirety of the stone out from the wall. There were more normal stones behind it, but that didn’t matter. I placed the carved out stone in the toilet hole, then quietly moved the table over to the corner to hide my progress.

I realized that my body felt exhausted. Nullstones did diminish ones ability to use magic so I decided to sleep and recover my strength. I placed the clay shard under my pillow and got into bed. It wasn’t my bed at home, far from it, but it would do until we got out of here.

As I lay there, my thoughts drifted back to my home. I wondered how Spike was doing. I wondered if he missed me or anything. He was probably worried sick since he tended to crawl out of his own bed most nights and snuggle up next to me, especially if he had a nightmare. Perhaps someone told him a little white lie to ease his fears. I figured that Aunt Celestia was working overtime to figure out just what had happened to me. If Zecora’s parents were like my aunt, they’d be doing the same. I just hoped that there wouldn’t be any bad blood from this when things were sorted. My exhaustion began to get the better of me, and despite my best efforts, my childlike body was not as strong as my mind. Soon, I fell into a dreamless, fitful sleep.

I slept poorly that night, or so I remembered. I kept on waking up briefly, then falling back to sleep. I had no idea just how long I slept each time, but it felt like only a few minutes had passed before I woke up and was unable to fall back to sleep. I could hear the soft breathing coming from the other two cells, so I knew that the other two were probably still sleeping.

I felt tears come flooding back into my eyes. I may have had the mind of someone in his thirties now, but my ten year old body still had a bigger influence on my emotions. I missed my aunt. I missed my little dragon brother. I missed my friends. I missed my teachers. Hell, I even missed my stuffy eutherian guards. I held back on making any noise, but the tears kept coming, flooding out and making the dirty pillow damp. I gripped it, doing my best to keep quiet, but the occasional sob escaped my mouth. Thankfully, it seemed as if no guards heard me. After a while, the tears stopped and I found myself feeling a little better. Turning around, I opened my eyes, but due to how dark it was, I couldn’t tell if my eyes were even open. There was nothing but darkness above me.

Nothing but shadows…

I sat up, a thought coming into my head. Shadow…that was it! It was a long shot, but I’d seen it done a few times before and had read all I could read on the spell. Throwing my covers off, I slowly got onto my feet and stood, the darkness permeating everything. I sat on the cold harsh floor, closing my eyes as I began to try something known as a magical meditation. Aunt Celestia had told me about it once. She explained it during one of our more private lunches. Magical meditation was a way for a pony to ease any mana imbalance within the anima. Not only that, but it helped ease the mind if done properly. I’d tried it a couple times, and thought I’d felt something shift within me each time, but I felt like I was still missing something.

I focused inward, concentrating on the invisible part of me that was the anima. As instructed by Starry Swirl in Magic Spell Index, I concentrated on my mental image of the anima. In my mind’s eye, the dim image of a large lake appeared, the result of the damming up of a nearby river. I hovered over it and noticed that there was a storm blowing. The lake was choppy and the skies roiled with menacing clouds along with the flash of lightning every ten or so seconds. The rain soaked through everything, drenching the concrete holding the dam in place. From what I’d read, Starry Swirl had described a meditative storm as representing an imbalance of emotion. While emotion was a powerful factor in casting magic, one needed to have some sort of balance within themselves to cast it or even use it. Most ponies could maintain this balance without the need for magical meditation, but for those special few with a large enough anima, meditation helped keep that balance within.

In my mind’s eye, I closed my eyes again and stretched out my arms. Focusing, I acknowledged my worries, anxieties, and my sorrow. I reminded myself that these emotions, while valid, had to not hold me back from taking action. Instead, I needed to focus not on my anxieties and fears, but on the here and now. I took several breaths, inhaling slowly and exhaling. As I did so, the storm began to slowly recede. The rain and wind slowly ceased, but the clouds remained. Nothing I tried would make them go away, but they did brighten ever so slightly.

I opened my eyes, feeling a lot better now. I still could feel the anxieties and fears, but they weren’t as present as before. Instead, I used them as extra motivation. Slowly, I stood up and closed my eyes, feeling out with my magic. I knew that Shadow Walking was something that only eutherians were known to be capable of, but I had read that, on rare occasions, powerful unicorns like Starry Swirl had been capable of it. It was a long shot, but I had to try something.

I remembered how Starry said it felt, how it felt like descending into water feet first. I took a deep breath, exhaled, and began to try. I focused inward, like Starry said to do and like how Shadow had described it, working on feeling my way through the mana around me. I looked for a way to open the ethereal door to the Umbral, but nothing seemed to be working. I couldn’t feel any physical change, and there was certainly no change in the magic around me. Eutherian magic wasn’t like unicorn magic, and from what I’d learned about Shadow Walking, it seemed as if Starry had to force her way in whereas eutherians had a more natural connection to the Umbral. Which made sense seeing as Discordia had made them by corrupting a large group of Pegasi while they were inside the Umbral.

Still, I didn’t give up. Instead, I continued concentrating, trying to find a way in without needing to force anything. However, minutes passed by, and possibly turned into an hour, and there was nothing. After feeling discouraged, I decided to give Starry’s method a try. I began casting my magic, focusing on what I thought was the feeling of the barrier between the real world and the first layer of the Umbral. It was a bit difficult with the nullstone in the walls, but eventually I started to sense something different. I focused on a spot in the corner of the room. Slowly, I walked over to it, standing above the spot my magic was forcing open. I started slowly, not wanting to damage anything or be heard.

After several minutes, I felt something around my ankles. I felt the sensation of slight pressure around them. Instinctively, I opened my eyes and looked down, but thanks to the darkness surrounding me, I couldn’t see shit. I quietly cursed myself for my lapse, then resumed my concentration. The sensation began to slowly rise up, making its way to my knees.

And that’s when I felt a pair of hands grab my ankles.

I opened my eyes in shock, but before I could say or do anything, I felt that pressure moving quickly up my body until it enveloped my head. Instantly, the darkness was replaced by a dim grayscale view of the cell around me, along with a very familiar pair of yellow eutherian eyes. I opened my mouth to greet my friend, but Shadow Hunt put his hand over my lips. “Not in here,” he whispered softly, “We’re not fully in the Umbral right now.” Confused, I frowned and looked at him. He noticed and continued, “I’ve been in your shadow since you woke up in that cave. When I came in here, though, I couldn’t leave the Umbral due to those stones. I can’t leave the cell because of the nullstones either. Right now, you and I are halfway through the Umbral. You gave me a way to come back and at least talk to you.”

I put my hands on his shoulders and smiled. “Nice to see you too, Shadow,” I said, greatly relieved to see him.

He gave me a slight smile and a nod. “It’s good to see you too, my prince.”

I looked around the room. I’d never been submerged in the Umbral before, but the grayscale around me was something I knew about from how Starry Swirl described it during her journeys through the shadowy realm. “So, I’m not all the way in the Umbral?” I asked.

“If you were, you’d be trapped like me,” Shadow explained. “I’ll explain more later. Right now, I’m stuck here until you can leave your cell.”

“I think I know how we can do that,” I said. “Am I invisible right now?” Shadow nodded. “And they can hear me, right?” He nodded again. “How long can we be in here?”

“Indefinitely,” Shadow said.

“You have any weapons on you?” I asked.

“Just a couple knives,” Shadow said, gesturing to his belt where two daggers were strapped.

“Perfect.” I reached down and before Shadow could protest, I took one and held it up. “We’re gonna make some noise.”

“My prince, that will bring the guards in-oooh…” Shadow’s eyes widened in understanding and he unsheathed his own blade. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

I nodded. “We can’t touch the real world while in this state, right?” I asked. He shook his head. “And you can get me back into the real world anytime?” He nodded. “Okay, here’s my idea…”

After I’d explained my plan, Shadow looked at me with a worried look. “Are you sure you can do that, your Highness?”

“There’s no other way that I can see right now,” I said. “We can’t do much.” Truth be told, I was more nervous than ever. I looked down at the knife in my hands, wondering if I could do what I needed to do in order to escape. I cleared my head of these distracting thoughts as best as I could, then looked back at Shadow. “I’ll do what I have to.” Clearing my throat, I walked over to the door. I then began to shout. “Help! Help! Someone help me!”

This immediately caught the attention of a guard, who flung the door to the dungeons open. A blinding light came from the door, but the light was immediately dimmed as a eutherian guard stood in the door. “Quiet in there!”

“Help me, please!” I repeated.

The guard growled and stormed over to my cell door. “I said quiet, you little whelp!” he snapped, looking into the cell and seeming to lock eyes with me. However, I saw the guard’s eyes widen, then frantically began looking around. “By her night mane…” he gasped as he fumbled with a set of keys. The door was flung open and the guard burst in, looking around frantically.

Just as he was looking under the bed, I gave Shadow a quick nod. I felt myself being pushed back into the real world. The world grew slightly darker, but with the light from the still open door, I could see the guard in front of me. I raised my knife and brought it down onto an area of eutherian armor that Shadow had explained earlier was a weak spot. Said area was right at the neck, so my hopes that I would only need to injure the guard enough to take him out of commission were moot. I didn’t know any offensive magic yet, so I couldn’t use that.

I heard the thud of blade piercing flesh, the gasp of pain that came from the guard as the air was driven from him, and the look of shock he gave me as his body went limp. His blood now stained my hands as I slowly stood, backing away in utter disbelief. I’d taken a life. It may have been because I had to escape with Zecora and Cadance, but I was still in shock.

The moment I exited the cell, Shadow appeared immediately. He rushed into the cell and grabbed the keys from the now dead soldier’s belt along with his sword. The armor was too big for the twelve year old eutherian, but the sword he held was big enough for my friend. I barely registered this as I could only stare at the bloody knife in my hands and my bloodstained hand and clothes. I could barely hear anything as white noise began filling my head.

I killed a man…I killed a man…oh dear God, I killed a man…

Thoughts like this went through my head on repeat, and despite not having eaten anything since breakfast before coming here, I felt my stomach churn. Getting onto my hands and knees, I began to heave. Nothing much came out, but bile and some small bits of the soup I’d forced down the night before came out onto the stone floor. I felt a hand on my back, rubbing affectionately and reassuringly, but I hardly registered it as I was too busy being sick.

When I was finally finished, I felt something being put into my hand. Looking up, I saw Shadow looking at me while holding his canteen in my hand. I gratefully rinsed my mouth out, then took a few swigs. Looking around, I saw that the person who had been comforting me was none other than Cadance. The pegasus before me was in dire shape, but her pink fur and her purple, dark pink and banana yellow colored mane and tail showed me that she was indeed Cadance. Her clothes were tattered and she was clearly malnourished, but the look in her light purple eyes was one of concern. Concern for me. “You okay, Prince?” she asked after I’d recovered.

I nodded, handing her the canteen. “Better,” I said.

As Cadance took a sip from the water pouch, someone tackled me to the ground. I was ready to fight, but the sobbing sounds coming from my back told me that this wasn’t an enemy. I turned around in Zecora’s tight grip and hugged my new friend back, stroking her mane reassuringly. “You saved me…” she said, trembling in my arms.

“Thank my friend and personal guard Shadow Hunt, not me,” I said, gesturing to the door where Shadow was keeping watch.

Before Zecora could do so, however, Shadow looked over. “Your Highness, we can’t stay here for much longer. We need to get out of here.”

I pushed down my reeling emotional outburst and nodded. I stood, holding the still bloody knife in my hand. “Do you know the way out?” I asked Shadow. “I don’t remember much about the trip from the throne room to here.”

He nodded and gripped the sword in his hand. “Follow me, everypony, and keep as quiet as a mouse.”

I was surprised to see that only one guard was stationed in the dungeon. When I thought more about it, it made sense. Thanks to the nullstone, there was no real way we could escape. Plus, we were children, so what real harm could we pose to a grown guard. Shadow and I took a crystal torch each and used the light to guide us. Shadow led us and I stood between both fillies, knife in hand. I continued focusing on the present and not on what I’d done to that guard. There’d be time later to deal. For now, I knew I needed to focus.

Eventually, we came to a closed door. Shadow made us stop as he put his ears against the thick wooden door. The three of us waited, and then he motioned us forward. Sword in hand, he slowly pushed the door open. A bright purple light poured into the passageway as he looked around. The rest of us waited anxiously until he came back in, shutting the door behind him. “Nopony out there,” he said as he slipped the crystal torch into a nearby empty sconce.

“Let me look,” I said as I approached, holding the torch in my hand out to him.

“I was paying more attention to the directions taken from the throne room to the dungeons, your Highness,” Shadow said as he took the torch from my hand and placed it in the other empty sconce opposite the first, “so I know how to find our way back.” He looked at us, then added, “I need to check something. Stay here and don’t leave.” Shadow slowly opened the door again, then stepped out into the purple light. I watched in shock as his body seemed to sink into the light instead of disappearing as it normally would.

“What did he just do?” Cadance asked me nervously.

“Eutherians can become invisible,” I said, knowing now wasn’t the time for long explanations on the Umbral and Shadow Walking. “When we’re free, I’ll tell you more about it.”

The three of us waited near the door for what felt like hours but what was probably only several minutes. Soon, Shadow returned, coming out of the ground surrounded by a slight mist. “I didn’t see any eutherians in the Umbral anywhere,” he said, sounding confused.

“We’re okay to leave, then?” I asked.

“Yeah, looks like it,” he said as he opened the door wider. “Let’s move, but quietly.”

Zecora moved quickly, but Cadance limped up, wincing a bit. I hadn’t noticed her limping before, and felt terrible for not noticing it sooner. I knelt in front of her, looking back at the young pegasus filly. “Climb on, hurry.”

Cadance looked stunned, then quickly shook her head. “But Prince Blueblood-”

“You can’t walk on that foot, so climb on,” I insisted. “I can carry you.”

Nervously, she climbed onto my back and clung to me. She was lighter than I expected, which wasn’t a good sign. Standing quickly, I left the set of stairs leading to the dungeon and followed Zecora and Shadow.

The hallway we’d entered was large, with purple glowing sconces lining the walls which illuminated the area around us. I noticed that certain things seemed to glow blue. A very familiar blue. Looking down at my clothes, I saw that a small portion were glowing, but when I covered them, the glow vanished.

They have black lights down here? I thought, looking up at one of the nearby crystal sconces. Does that mean that Shadow can move around in the Umbral while even standing in this purple light?

Before I could answer my own question, we reached a corner. Shadow held out a hand for us to stop, but before anything else could happen, four eutherians in those same guard uniforms turned the corner. Seeing us, they froze, then their hands went to their swords. “And where do you think you’re going, little runts?” one of them said in a threatening manner.

Oh, shit… I thought. Acting on instinct, I stretched out my hand and with a telekinetic shove, slammed the four guards into the wall behind them. I turned to Shadow. “Time to run?”

“Time to run,” he confirmed as he spread his wings and flew into the air above us. “Follow me!” And with that, we ran.

11 - Escape Pt. 2

Author's Note

For the foreseeable future, until and unless I become burnt out again, I'm going to try and go back and forth between my Endingverse stories and two other non-Endingverse stories each week, so this week will be the non-Endingverse stories, this one being the one I plan on working on alongside A Cloaked Heart, and next week will be two of my Endingverse stories. Variety being the spice of life and all. If that doesn't work, I'll go back to this and my other story once a week until they're done.

Art for that sword picture done by yakovlev-vad

11 - Escape Pt. 2

The four of us all watched in silence as eutherian guards ran around us, shouting in their own language at each other and passing by us and even through us as if we weren’t even there. Which we technically weren’t. Minutes after we’d started avoiding the guards, Cadance had begun experiencing a headache. As I was carrying her still, I told Shadow to bring all of us into the Umbral until she had recovered. He brought us all into the Umbral and instantly the area around us became…more dynamic. Shadow had taken me into the Umbral a couple of times at my request, and every time it happened things would get a bit duller and more grayscale. However, in this place, it seemed like the colors were only enhanced as was everything else. I looked at one of the purple glowing crystals nearby, wondering just what it was.

What I wouldn’t give to be rescued right now, I thought, Hell, I’ll even take a party from those brawlers in the Adventurer’s Guild saving us! I wouldn’t put it past my aunt to put an emergency quest forward to the guild.

When the hallway was empty, I looked at Shadow. “Let’s stay in the Umbral until we find our way out of here,” I said. “You can somehow enter it even with those lights? Let’s stay in their light until we find a door or something that may lead us out. And let’s keep an eye out anyone who may enter the Umbral. They’re still eutherians, after all.”

“Understood, your Highness,” Shadow said as he began to inch forward. Zecora and I were holding his hands while Cadance was still on my back recovering from her sudden headache. The palace here was unlike Canterlot in many different ways. It was darker, for one, and the various pillars and walls each had sconces with the glowing purple crystals mounted in them. The windows each provided a view of the towering pillars of Silver Sanctum, the purple lights scattered among them.

We continued our exploration of the palace until we reached a dead-end hallway. We were about to leave when I paused. The hallway only had one door at the end of it, and something beyond that door was calling out to me. I turned to face it. The door was like any other door, but the only difference was its color. It was pure navy blue. The others saw this and looked back at me. Shadow approached, looking at the door, then back at me. “Your Highness, we need to go,” he said softly.

“I know,” I said in a distracted tone before taking a single step forward towards the door. “But there’s something here…”

Shadow looked at the door, then back at me. “Your Highness, we don’t have time for this.”

I ignored him for a moment, looking at the door more carefully. After a few minutes, something began to form on the door. A glowing rune began making itself visible. A rune in the shape of Luna’s cutie mark. I turned to Shadow. “Send me back to the real world for a little while. I need to see what’s beyond this door.”

“You’re Highness, I don’t think-”

“I gave you a command, soldier,” I replied sternly. Pointing to the door, I said, “Whatever is beyond this door could very well be important for the enemy’s plans. There is a moon rune here, a rune with an ancient cutie mark on it. The one belonging to Nightmare Moon.” Which meant, at least from what I had studied, that this door could only be opened by Nightmare Moon and even her family. Were this Earth, I would have described the magic as a genetic lock.

Shadow paused; a bit taken aback by my tone. He stiffened, then approached the door. He touched it warily, then turned back to me. “I strongly advise against this, your Highness,” he warned again.

“I know,” I said in a softer tone. “We don’t have much time to argue about it, though, and if these cultists have one weapon or something they might use in an effort to complete their plans, then we have to take the opportunity to deprive them of it, don’t you think?”

Shadow sighed, but shook his head and gave me a dry smile. “Be careful,” he said.

“Here, take Cadance,” I said as I turned around to give the recovering pegasus to him.

Shadow nodded, then took her and helped her to her feet. “Harmony be with you,” as he touched my arm.

Just like that, he vanished, and the colors around me dulled again. Wasting no effort, I turned and tried to open the door, pouring a bit of magic into it. There was the sound of something being unlatched, and the door slowly opened to my touch. I pushed it open, then quickly shut it. The darkness around me seemed to permeate my soul as I held up my hand. The room was soon illuminated by my magic’s bright blue glow.

The room looked more ancient than anything that I’d seen before. There were what looked like centuries of dust gathered around the room. The room was a decent sized triangle shaped affair, with stone tables built into the walls. The tables were covered in inches of dust, but there were outlines of what looked like ancient artifacts there. Some of which I recognized, like Nightmare Moon’s helmet and the full armor set that she wore when she fought Aunt Celestia. I could feel the darkness radiating from these artifacts, the corrupting influence of the jealousy that manifested into Nightmare Moon.

But that wasn’t all that I saw. There were chests on one side of the room, all open and showing a large number of coins that I hadn’t ever seen before. They were the same size as bits, but were made of a dark blue metal that had a bright sheen, reminding me of what oil on water looked like. A dark rainbow sheen. I grabbed a small pouch that was full of these coins and placed them in a pocket for later observation and study. Then I turned to the far end of the room where the magical presence was the most prevalent.

That’s when I saw the sword in the stone. It sat on the side of the room completely opposite the door. It stood out from other swords I’d seen in the past, mostly because the blade itself was made of some blue metal. The sword’s grip was wrapped in a dark crimson material with two metal rings around it for extra grip, and the cross-guard, which was encrusted with a bright blue gem, was slightly curved and a bluish silver tone. The sword’s pommel was a crescent moon surrounding a metal sphere. There were English letters inscribed within the sword’s fuller, and as I approached, I read the words SHE WHO WIELDS ME- before they cut off because that part of the sword was buried in the stone.

As I approached, I could feel the temperature beginning to drop. Not only that, but it looked like there was a mist falling to the floor off of the blade, almost as if the blade itself was made of dry ice. My hands began feeling a bit warm despite the dropping temperature. I wrapped my hand around the grip.

Who dares to touch us?!

I froze in surprise. I’d just heard a voice echoing inside my head. When I tried to let go, I was unable to. I was stuck to it. I felt a chilling cold pass through me, but only my hands remained warm. “Who are you?” I asked.

A mere foal attempts to steal us?! the voice replied in indignation. Release us this moment, or you shall be eternally frozen until my wielder returns!

“If I could release you, I would,” I said hastily as I pulled at my trapped hand with my free one, “but I can’t!”

Hold fast, young colt, the voice replied, not filled with a sense of curiosity. Tell us thy name.

The voice reminded me immediately of Luna’s voice from the show. I stopped struggling and stood up straighter. “I am Prince Blueblood of Canterlot,” I said.

Thy true name is not this Blueblood, but thou art a prince, the voice said.

I was a bit taken aback by how she knew that Blueblood wasn’t my real name. I cleared my throat. “My birth name was only ever given as Vladímir,” I explained.

Ah, a name from the Duchy of Stalliongrad, the voice said. We detect no Stalliongrad accent from thee, however. How came this to be so?

“I was born in Canterlot and raised in an orphanage until Princess Celestia found me and brought me into her family,” I said, realizing belatedly that I was talking regardless of intent.

Truly? And how is it that we are communicating? Only a member of my wielder’s family may touch and be able to speak to us, the voice replied.

I raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you’re the sword I’m holding now?”

We are no mere sword, foal! The sword sounded insulted now. We are Crescent Moon, blade of Princess Luna Selene Nightwalker, Princess of the Night!

My jaw went slack despite my years of control exercises. Crescent Moon was the name of Aunt Luna’s personal blade. Like Aunt Celestia’s own blade, which was called Dawn’s Light, which I had never seen and wouldn’t see until I was of age despite my mental age, it had been personally forged for Aunt Luna at the beginning of their rule over Equestria by the forges owned and operated by the Mystics of the Mountains of Light up north. It had also been lost after Aunt Celestia’s fight with Aunt Luna while she was Nightmare Moon. Lost until now, that is. “Aunt Luna’s old sword…” I said without thinking.

The blade was silent for a while. Thou art related to our wielder by blood? Crescent Moon asked.

“I’m the only descendent of Eclipse left in the world,” I explained, “or as far as we know.”

The voice paused, then spoke again. Our wielder did place a caveat on us and our older sister Dawn when the Princesses had the Mystics enchant us, she said. Only true blood family members could touch us and speak with us. We should have guessed this right away.

I wasn’t about to reply to confirm that, so instead I just shrugged. “How did you get here?” I asked.

Crescent made a scoffing noise. The fools who fled from my wielder’s aid when Princess Celestia used the Elements of Harmony against her captured me and brought me and all that remained of my wielder here, she replied.

“Probably to give to Nightmare Moon when she returns,” I pondered.

Cease from referring to our wielder by that accursed name! Crescent bellowed in rage.

“I’m being serious here, Ms. Crescent,” I said. “The eutherians who placed you here are cultists who are waiting for the return of Nightmare Moon.”

Crescent remained silent for a while, then she said, Thou art more than you seem.

“I am, but we can discuss that later,” I said as I looked at my hand which was still stuck to the hilt. “I’ve been captured by these cultists. Me and a couple of others. I know I’m not your wielder, and I have no right to ask this, but will you lend us your power and aid in our escape?”

The sword was silent for a bit. Then, the runes on it began to glow a bright starlight blue. The blade began glowing a dim navy blue as well. We shall not give thee our full strength, blood of my wielder, Crescent began, but we shall lend thee a portion of it in exchange for a promise from thee.

“What promise?” I asked.

When our wielder returns, and if she is returned to her former glory, return us to her, Crescent demanded. Either thee or thy descendants. Promise us this, and we shall be eternally grateful.

“I never intended on keeping you forever,” I reassured her. “Aunt Luna will return in my lifetime, according to prophecy. When she has been cleansed of the Nightmare, I will return you to her.”

Be sure that thy word is kept, Crescent said, because if not, we shall unleash our rage upon thee and thine.

“Duly noted,” I said as I began pulling. However, as I did, the sword began to shrink. The former sword became a dagger, but in my hands, it very well could be a sword. “Is this what you meant when you said a portion of your power?” I asked.

Nay, Crescent said, we have simply made our outer form easier for a young foal such as thee to carry us.

“Oh, well thank you,” I said.

Is our sheath nowhere in sight? Crescent asked hopefully.

“Aunt Celestia has the sheath back in Canterlot,” I explained.

We see, Crescent said somberly.

“When we get back, I’ll reunite you with your old sheath,” I promised as I stuck the sword into my belt, finally able to release it. “For now, I’m sorry, but this will have to do.”

‘Tis alright, we suppose, Crescent said in a resigned tone.

I looked around the room. “Is there anything else in here I should take with me?” I muttered.

I said it more to myself than anything, but Crescent must have thought the question was meant for her, because she replied, Nay, nothing of true import in this room can be done without my wielder or the power we possess.

When I left the room, I felt a hand grab my tunic. The world became sharper again as I saw the other three begin to rematerialize as I was drawn back into the Umbral. Shadow’s eyes were full of concern, but then relief as he saw that I was unharmed. “Your Highness, you were in there for so long that we were all beginning to worry,” he said.

Zecora was immediately by my side, her hand reaching out to clasp mine tightly. “Are you alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” I promised, then gestured to the now small dagger on my belt. “I found something in there that might help us fight our way out of here if it comes to that.”

The other three looked at Crescent and their eyes widened. Shadow reached out to touch it, but I held out my hand in an almost instinctive manner to stop him. He paused and looked at me. “Your Highness,” he began, “that dagger isn’t safe for you to use.”

“This dagger, as you so call it,” I said in an almost protective manner, “is more than it seems, and only I can wield her for the time being.”

Shadow nodded slowly, although I could tell he didn’t approve. “Very well,” he said. “We should get moving.”

The four of us continued making our way down the halls, Shadow taking the lead as he had been in my shadow when Zecora and I had been blindfolded. Despite us being in the Umbral, even I could see the purple of the medieval black light. Fortunately, since we were in the Umbral now, not even its piercing light could sense us. Even so, our entire bodies were lit up like a light bulb in the same bright blue that resulted from a black light’s glow on white.

We ran for a good five or so minutes, all the while the Silver Sanctum guard presence became more pronounced as the news of our escape spread. Even though we were in the Umbral, we still stayed still when guard patrols rushed by. Shadow was a bit annoyed by this, but old habits for those of us who weren’t in the Umbral regularly died hard. Eventually, however, we found ourselves standing at the entrance of the throne room, where Dawn Star was seated on her throne, looking like she had been hastily brought out of bed. Her mane was somewhat messy, although a maid was tending to that, and her crown was seated on a small table next to her throne. And she. Looked. Pissed.

“How in Luna’s holy name did the prisoners escape us so easily?!” she was demanding of an older dark red eutherian stallion with jet black mane and tail and dark gray eyes. “Captain Stinger, tell me that!”

Wait, I can understand her?? I thought incredulously.

It is our magic that has provided thee with such a gift, Crescent said. Thee and thy companions may now understand, in thy own tongue, the language of these fools.

Oh, I thought, surprised that Crescent had been able to read my thoughts. Thank you.

Thy thanks is appreciated.

“My apologies, your Majesty,” Captain Stinger said, saluting and bowing his head in reverence, “but we don’t know, yet. The three prisoners were spotted with a eutherian youth, but the group vanished shortly afterwards. We’re searching the city everywhere.”

Dawn looked absolutely pissed. “If they find the Tenebra, they can escape back to Equestria and warn their precious Princess Celestia of our existence.” She sat back in her throne and thought for a bit, her jaw working. “Wake up the morning shift as well,” she ordered, “and order the best members of the Vespertilio to make their way into the Forbidden Realm. If there is a eutherian with them, he may be a part of that higher class of mage.”

“I’ve already sent messengers to that effect, your Majesty,” Stinger said. “They should be here shortly.”

“Good,” Dawn said. “In the meantime, make sure some of your guards make their way to the Tenebra to help the Gatekeeper. The prisoners may make their way there.”

“How, your Majesty?” Stinger asked. “None of them can fly.”

“Did you forget that there was a eutherian reported with them?” Dawn asked sharply. “One bearing the armor of the Royal Canterlot Guard, no less! He or she could easily carry three foals! The pegasus filly is with them, too, and she may be recovering her strength as we speak!”

Shadow winced nearly imperceptibly. If this Tenebra could only be gotten to by flying, we were fucked. There was no way that Shadow, despite being older and stronger than the rest of us, could fly anywhere. And I doubted I could perform that wing spell again and be able to fly either Zecora or Cadance for very long. Still, we needed to find this Tenebra. I turned to Shadow. “Let’s follow this Stinger stallion,” I said. “We can at least find the soldiers he will have guarding this Tenebra.”

“I suppose that’s a good point,” Shadow reluctantly agreed. And so, we turned and followed the eutherian down the halls once more. Stinger flew with a purpose, but we followed close behind. Despite carrying the weakened Cadance on his back, Shadow made excellent time while holding onto mine and Zecora’s hands. I pumped my prepubescent legs for all they were worth, wishing I had my adult body back more than once as I nearly stumbled a few times.

Zecora, on the other hand, fell more than once. I had to carry her on my back while holding Shadow’s hand after the fifth fall. She apologized to me for that, but I told her that it was fine. It wasn’t her fault.

Despite that, we still caught up to Stinger as he came upon two young looking eutherian mares in guard uniforms. “Gloom Cimmerian! Twilit Sky! Head to the Tenebra at once! Our Queen wants it double guarded in case the prisoners make their escape there!”

The two mares nodded, giving the eutherian captain a salute. The one named Gloom Cimmerian, who had bright purple eyes a dark purplish brown coat of fur along with dark straight brown mane and tail, each of which had light purple streaks through them, along with a dark anvil shaped cloud with lightning coming out of it for a cutie mark saluted. “Yes, captain,” she said.

Twilit Sky, an extremely dark blue mare with sky blue eyes, a twilight purple mane and tail, each with sky-blue streaks through both and a lighter blue circle with several stars inlaid inside as a cutie mark, nodded in agreement. “It will be done.”

Stinger glowered at them, and I immediately knew something was off. “You’re lucky that your mother was my predecessor, Brighters,” he said, and that last word he spat off as if it was some sort of insult. “Now, get moving!”

The two younger mares nodded swiftly and turned to fly away. We followed close behind the two, and as we did, I heard the one named Twilit sniff. Gloom turned to her. “Sister, what is it?” she asked with concern.

“I hate the captain, sometimes,” Twilit said, a bitter edge to her tone.

Gloom slowed down and sighed. “I know.” She reached back and grabbed her mane, which was tied back in a neat ponytail. She looked at the hair in her hand with a scowl.

“If only we weren’t born with these Brighter streaks…” Twilit said, “then perhaps father would still be in the picture and mother wouldn’t have been forced to retire early.”

“Hey, enough of that talk,” Gloom said sternly as they picked up the pace again. “Father was a coward. Mother raised us despite everything. She gave us food, a home, and even got us into the Silver Guard. If we prove ourselves, we could even get into the Vespertilio.”

“I doubt that,” Twilit said gloomily. “We’re Brighters.”

“So what?” Gloom asked. “We need to prove them wrong. We need to prove that even if we are Brighters, we can be just as good members of the Silver Guard.”

Just as the two guards turned a corner, I saw them pause. They landed and stepped to one side, putting their fists against their breastplates in salute. “Greetings, Princess Viridian,” both said in unison.

We paused and watched as an older eutherian mare in her own armor and a young filly appeared. The older mare wore clothes that I had seen some eutherian maids in Canterlot wearing, so I guessed she was some kind of maid, but one who was also trained in combat due to how she carried herself. I saw Shadow tense up as he looked at her, so I took a closer look at her. She was a dark gray mare with a black mane and tail which seemed to have a dark red sheen to it in certain light. Her cutie mark was a set of three clouds. She did seem to radiate confidence, but also danger.

The young filly, apparently named Princess Viridian, had dark green fur with a dark black mane and tail and dark purple eyes. She had no cutie mark yet, if her dark blue silk pajamas were any indication. She looked like she was around my age, maybe a bit younger. The young filly looked at the two with confusion. “Where are you two going?” she asked with childlike innocence.

“The Tenebra, your Highness,” Twilit replied.

That seemed to get the young Viridian’s attention. “Why?”

“The Queen ordered for guards to be placed there,” Gloom replied, “in case the escaped prisoners decide to use it to return to the surface.”

Viridian tilted her head in confusion once more. “My sister has prisoners that escaped? What did they do? Are they dangerous?”

“Your Highness,” the older armored mare said chidingly, “it is far too early for you to be worried about something like this. You should be in bed resting, not speaking to these…mares.” There was a hint of tension in her voice when she said ‘mares’.

Viridian’s eyes then flashed with the same purple light that came from the crystals around the castle. She scanned the area, but then her eyes landed on us. They focused on us. Her eyes widened in response, and that’s when I knew we were in trouble. “I’m not tired,” the younger eutherian filly said, looking away from us.

Or…maybe we aren’t in trouble, I thought. While Misty was chiding the young princess, I turned to Shadow. “Did that filly see us?” I said in a whisper.

“I saw that, too,” Shadow agreed, “and I don’t know.”

Viridian waved her hand dismissively. “I’m not tired now, Misty,” she repeated while looking back at the young mare guardsponies. “Besides, I’ve never seen the Tenebra.”

“Your Highness, we really should be going,” Misty insisted.

“Not yet,” Viridian replied sharply, almost in a pouting tone. “When I see the Tenebra, then I’ll go to bed.”

“Princess, the Queen wouldn’t be pleased to hear that you were getting into trouble on normal occasions,” Misty said, “but if these prisoners are going to the Tenebra, then you should be far away from it.”

Viridian looked petulant at this. Then, she pointed down the hall. “We’re only a minute away from the Tenebra’s doors,” she said, “and I won’t tell my sister if you don’t.” Her eyes gleamed with childlike excitement.

The two guards and Misty exchanged a look. Then, the armored maid sighed. “I am getting scolded for this, I’m sure,” she said before pointing sharply at the two mare guards. “You will protect the princess with her life. Is that understood?”

“Understood,” both younger mares said.

Misty then reached down, took Viridian’s hand, and turned to walk down the way where Viridian had pointed. Shadow and I exchanged a look before we both nodded and began to follow them again. At the very least, they were walking, so we could follow much more easily behind them. Still, there was something about Viridian that gave me pause. As we snuck after them, I turned to Shadow, who was staring intently at Dawn’s younger sister. “There’s something about that filly that’s different, isn’t there?” I asked.

He nodded silently as he adjusted the young pegasus on his back gently. “I don’t know what, but there’s something about her that I can’t place. I’ve never heard of anypony being able to see eutherians who are in the Umbral, but if she did see us, we may be in trouble.”

“This Vespertilio may be eutherians who can make their way into the Umbral,” I reasoned. “They must call it the Forbidden Realm.”

“That is a safe assumption to make, your Highness,” Shadow replied.

I felt Zecora’s arm, which was around my neck, tighten slightly. I reached up and patted the young zebra princess’ arm reassuringly. “We’ll be okay,” I said reassuringly.

As we walked, the princess looked at the guards. “Do either of you know anything about the prisoners that escaped?” she asked.

“I know that one of them is an Equestrian Prince,” Gloom replied.

“Really? What does he look like?” the princess asked.

“Well, he has bright white fur, straw blonde mane and tail, and light blue eyes, from what description we were given,” Gloom said. “There’s a zebra and pegasus filly with him and a eutherian stallion as well.”

“Huh…why did sister put them in the dungeons?” Viridian asked.

“That I don’t know, your Highness,” Gloom replied.

“It’s nothing you need to be concerned about,” Misty said.

No less than a minute later, the princess and her impromptu entourage took a sharp right, and I noted that there was no left turn. When we turned, we saw that the hallways walls and ceiling began to grow larger. At the end we saw a set of double iron doors. A single eutherian stallion stood at the entrance. I had to assume this was the aforementioned Gatekeeper. He was a burly beast of a stallion, holding a massive sword in front of him. He was a dark orange furred stallion with a dark yellow mane and tail. His cutie mark was of a swinging great sword. When he saw who was approaching, he straightened and saluted. “Your Highness. Lady Misty.” He turned to the mares, and a visible frown appeared. “What are you two doing here?” he asked.

“Captain Stinger asked that we guard the Tenebra, sir,” Gloom explained. “Three prisoners have escaped from the dungeons, and the Queen ordered him to provide extra guards just in case they come this way.”

The Gatekeeper scowled at the two younger mares. “The captain should have sent some more competent guards, then, instead of you two,” he spat. The two mares bristled at that, but the Gatekeeper simply shrugged. “Very well. Take up stations on the other side of the door.”

As the two mares moved to take up their guard positions, Viridian spoke up. “I want to see the Tenebra!”

The Gatekeeper looked down at her, and his face softened, although he didn’t smile. “Princess, I have orders from your sister the Queen not to open this door unless given a direct command from her.”

“I’m the Princess,” Viridian said, “and I want to see inside!”

“It’s dangerous to see inside now,” the Gatekeeper replied. “What if the prisoners come here while I’m showing you around.”

“Then you can deal with them!” Viridian said, “so open the door! I won’t step inside, I just want to see it.”

There was a brief silence in the room, then the Gatekeeper seemed to deflate. “Oh, very well,” he said as he reached to his belt and pulled out a keyring with a single key hanging from it. He turned, walking over to the door, and sticking the key in the lock. He pushed the door open slightly, and he peered inside. He then turned to the princess. “Come and see it,” he said.

The princess walked gleefully up and stuck her head in. “Whoa…that looks cool!” Without so much as a second thought, she rushed into the room, giggling.

“Your Highness, please come back!” Misty shouted in alarm as she and the Gatekeeper rushed into the room.

“Now!” I ordered, and Shadow and I rushed into the door as quietly as we could.

When we entered, I saw that we were in a massive cylindrical room that stretched upwards, but instead of a ceiling, I saw a swirling mass of stars above us. However, they also seemed to be enveloped in an invisible sphere. The stone floor was made of the same purple glowing light that the crystal sconces throughout the castle were made of. Despite the urgency of our plight, I was frozen in awe. It was an incredibly beautiful sight to see. Still, we were in a hurry, so Shadow and I moved to press ourselves against the wall as we watched Viridian looking around. She looked at the Gatekeeper, then pointed up at the lights. “What are those lights?” she asked.

“That’s the Tenebra, your Highness,” the Gatekeeper said.

“Really?” She spread her wings and hovered slightly. “So if I go up there, I’ll end up in Equestria?”

“You shouldn’t go down there, your Highness,” the maid said.

Viridian landed and looked up at the lights. “Where in Equestria does it lead?” she asked.

“A dense forest known as the Everfree,” the Gatekeeper said. “It’s close to Canterlot, and the Equestrians don’t dare go inside.”

“Oh, okay,” Viridian said. Then, she turned and her eyes flashed purple before looking squarely at me. It was brief, but I knew right away that she could see me. She looked away and back to the Gatekeeper. “Why don’t you send those two guardsmares in here and take your station again? I won’t be here long.”

“Gladly, your Highness,” the Gatekeeper said as he bowed and left the room. The two younger mare guardsponies were swiftly pushed into the room before the door was closed nearly all the way.

The two mares looked up at the sight before them, eyes wide. “Wow…that’s beautiful,” Gloom said with an astonished smile.

Twilit smiled as well, but much more reservedly. “So, this is the Tenebra,” she muttered softly.

“What does it feel like to go through it?” Viridian asked curiously.

“I don’t know, your Highness,” Misty replied, “but the scouts who have gone through have said that it feels like you’re going down a slide.”

“Really??” Viridian’s eyes lit with excitement. “Do you think that if I begged sister enough that she’d let me go through?”

“Absolutely not, your Highness,” Misty admonished the young foal. “If you ended up on the other side, you’d be seen as an enemy by the Equestrians.”

“Why?” Viridian asked.

“Because you’re a member of the royal family, and you could be held hostage since we have Prince Blueblood as our own prisoner,” Misty said. “Or will soon enough once more,” she amended.

“I’ve never seen the sun or Luna’s blessed moon, though,” Viridian complained.

“The Queen wouldn’t allow it,” Misty repeated. “Besides, if we go through, then contact with the Everfree will need to be reestablished.”

“Huh?” Viridian looked like her eyes were glazing over.

“Sorry, it’s not important,” Misty replied before she looked at the nearly closed door. “We should get going, though.”

“Not yet,” Viridian said with a pout.

Misty sighed. “Fine. I’ll give you a few more minutes, but we need to get you to bed very soon.”

“Okay,” Viridian said, her pout deepening.

As she looked up at the view before us and the other three waited, Shadow turned to me. “Your Highness,” he whispered, “I’ve been looking at that Tenebra, and I believe that I can carry you, Princess Zecora and Miss Cadance up there.”

“I…I can fly a bit, I think,” Cadance said softly from Shadow’s back. She fluttered her wings, then winced. “It doesn’t look that high.”

“We wait until these ponies leave,” I said, “and then we can figure out how to escape through that. If that does indeed lead to the Everfree, there’s a town called Ponyshire nearby where we can contact my aunt and Zecora’s family.”

“What if they follow us up there?” Zecora asked nervously.

“If they do, they risk exposing their big secret underground city,” I explained, “so I don’t think they’ll pursue us.”

Why doest thou not use magic to create temporary wings of thy own? Crescent asked.

I looked down at the sword and placed a hand over the crescent moon shaped pommel. Because last time I tried it, I nearly got myself and Zecora killed because I’m not yet good enough at magical control to use it.

Leave the control to us, Crescent replied, and before I could object, a pair of magical wings spread from my back. I looked back and saw, to my slight amusement and immense shock, that unlike the wings from before, these were nearly carbon copies of the wings Nightmare Moon was depicted as having. Verily, thy new wings are truly befitting a prince of thy elevated station, she said.

“Your Highness?! Where did these wings come from??” Shadow asked.

“I’ll explain later,” I promised before clenching the pommel and mentally asking Crescent how long these wings would last.

They shall last only for a short while, she replied, so it is best to move posthaste.

“These wings won’t last too long,” I added, “so hopefully these ponies leave soon. We can’t be in the Umbral when we leave.”

Apparently, life has a sense of humor because mere moments after I said this, I heard shouts of alarm coming from the three mares in the room. I quickly turned and saw that Viridian touching the sphere and being sucked in. Everything happened at once after that. Misty flew after the young filly, eyes wide in alarm. The two guardsponies also flew after the group. Inwardly, I swore as I turned to Shadow. “Let’s move!” I turned to Cadance and Zecora. “Hang on, you two!”

Nodding, he brought us all out of the Umbral and he and I both spread our wings and flew towards the Tenebra just as the door burst open and the Gatekeeper rushed in. His eyes widened briefly when he saw us, but that was the last I saw of him. The last I heard of him was him bellowing “INTRUDER!” And that was when the passage through the Tenebra started.

The passage through the Umbral reminded me of the wormhole passage scene from the movie Interstellar, and I wondered if the Tenebra was some sort of magical wormhole. However, the stars soon began to give way to a deep blue, then a sky blue, then a dark green.

The next thing I knew, I was lying face down on a pile of old leaves and pine needles. The ground itself was wet and the front of my clothes were starting to get soaked. Zecora was still clinging to my back, her body trembling in fear. Slowly, I got back up, noticing that the wings that had been on my back were gone. Shadow was nearby and running up to us, his dagger drawn. Seeing this, I reached down and drew Crescent.

Just in time, too, because I saw the two eutherian guardsponies rushing towards us, their own swords drawn. Misty was standing protectively beside a now somewhat messy and wet looking Viridian. I held up my sword as the two guardsponies approached. “This is gonna be fun,” I muttered.

“Stand down, you two,” the princess said in a commanding tone.

The two didn’t even look “But your Highness, he’s one of the prisoners!” Twilit said.

“He and the others were following us,” she said. “They could have hurt us long ago.” She turned to me. “Right?”

“Correct, your Highness,” I said as I stood tall and inclined my head politely to my fellow royal. “We didn’t want to kill anyone.” I shuddered at the memory of being forced to kill the guard earlier.

Viridian stepped past Misty, then faced me. The foal I had been observing was gone, replaced with a well-trained royal like myself. She inclined her head as well. “Well then, your Highness,” she said, “my name is Viridian Nightfallen, First Princess of Silver Sanctum. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

12: Ponyshire

My royal training took hold even more firmly, now. I looked at the four eutherians in front of me, then around at the forest. I had no doubt that we were in the Everfree Forest. I’d never once visited, but the Conservatory had a small golden oak tree that was grown from a seedling that was taken from the Everfree. It exuded a certain type of wild magic that I now felt all around me. Turning back to Viridian and her entourage, I cleared my throat. “A pleasure to meet you, your highness. I am Prince Blueblood of Canterlot, nephew of Princess Celestia herself, which means I am also the nephew of Princess Luna.”

Viridian’s eyes widened in shock, but her royal decorum returned. “A pleasure to meet you as well, your highness,” she said before looking around. “The Gatekeeper said that this is a forest that nopony ever visits. Is that true?”

“You’re correct,” I said, gesturing to the forest around us. “This is the Everfree Forest in Equestria.”

Viridian looked around, and this time I saw some childlike wonder on her face. “This is Threia…” she muttered in awe.

That comment caught my attention, but I chose not to question it at the moment. “Correct,” I said. “It also means that you’re in the Kingdom of Equestria. You are under my jurisdiction.” I paused and gave them a moment for that to sink in.

Viridian looked back at me, and it was clear that she was smarter than her age. “Are you saying that we are now your prisoners?” she asked.

Misty came forward to stand beside her princess protectively, while Gloom and Twilit stepped forward, their swords held towards me and my own group. Luna’s own sword still remained up in my hands, but I made no moves. I looked at the two eutherians, then spoke. “If I had wanted to harm any of you, I would have asked my companion here to take us out of the Umbral so I could kill you with Aunt Luna’s sword.”

That caught the attention of the eutherians, and they all stared at the sword in my hands. “Our high queen’s blade…” Twilit said.

Our wielder did have a soft spot for this race, Crescent said. They are, or were, a race of warriors, noble and capable. But it would seem they hath forgotten true manners.

I held back a snort as I held Crescent aloft. “This is Crescent Moon, the personal blade of one Princess Luna Nightwalker. And Crescent has granted me permission to keep her in my custody until such time as my aunt returns.” I sheathed the sword, but kept my hand on it just in case the guards made a move.

“Stand down, you two,” Viridian ordered, taking a step forward much to Misty’s looks of protestation at her and looks of suspicion at me and mine. “He’s right. If this eutherian colt can travel into the Forbidden Realm as his highness here implies, they could have easily silenced us.”

“You are quite sharp, your highness,” I replied. “However, it’s best that we get out of this forest quickly. There are very good reasons why ponies don’t enter this forest.”

“And where will we go?” Misty asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone. “To some dungeon where the Solar Tyrant will keep us?”

“Your current queen imprisoned me and my friends here without any hesitation,” I replied, returning Misty’s glare with a cool expression of my own. “You also abducted a citizen of Equestria without any provocation, and if our treatment as prisoners is any indication you mistreated her and fed her rotten food and dirty and likely disease ridden water.” I turned to Cadance. “Did you get sick when you were there?” She nodded weakly, and I turned back to look directly at Viridian. “Until today, nobody knew the Silver Sanctum existed. Your actions against Equestrian citizens and against a royal have not exactly been ideal, to say the least. Not to mention the fact that you imprisoned a royal from Farasi. That’s two kingdoms that you’ve taken action against.”

Viridian stared at us, her own expression somber. Then, she nodded her head slowly. “I hate what my sister is now,” she admitted. “She used to be such a nice filly. But since mother and father died to disease, she’s become…harder to be around. I try to help her become the filly she was before, but she doesn’t like seeing me too often.”

“I can empathize with losing your parents,” I said. “I never knew my own. Still, that’s no excuse for her actions.”

“I know,” Viridian said.

“Eutherians in Equestria are mistreated and hated by all!” Misty shouted angrily. “Can you blame our queen for wanting some payback??”

“Unfortunately I can’t dispute that,” I had to admit. “Even now, Eutherians here are sadly not treated as well as the other three races. Still, this may sound like an excuse, but over the centuries, things have slowly begun to get better. There are eutherian guards in Canterlot, nighttime jobs given to eutherians that match their skill set, and more. But this isn’t the time for a debate.” I looked around briefly, then back at them. “We need to get out of here. There’s a town on the edge of the Everfree called Ponyshire. If we can make it there before dark, then we won’t be hunted by the timberwolves, manticores, and the other monsters in this forest.”

Viridian reached up and held Misty’s hand tightly, and Gloom and Twilit moved to protect their princess, eyes kept sharp. “Well…for the time being, I think it would be a good idea to work together to get out of here,” Viridian said. “Which way is this Ponyshire?”

I looked up at the sky, trying to gauge where the sun was. The forest canopy was so total, however, that I couldn’t tell where the sun was. “We need to get above the canopy,” I said, “and perhaps we can all fly out of this place.”

“Your highness,” Shadow hissed, “you cannot be serious! We can’t trust them not to just drop us!”

“I can promise that nopony will be dropped,” Viridian said before she turned to Misty and the two guardsmares. “You will help carry those who can’t fly and you will not mistreat them. Is that understood?”

Misty didn’t look like she liked the order, but Twilit and Gloom straightened and nodded. “Yes, your highness,” all three of them said.

I nodded, then turned to Shadow. “Can you carry Cadance?” I asked. “She’s the lightest of us.”

Shadow nodded. “I can do that, but I can’t recommend this action, your highness,” he said. “We can’t trust them.”

“Duly noted,” I said back quietly, “and if they do betray us, you have the right to call me out. But for now, we need to get out of here.”

A few minutes of discussion later, and it was decided that Zecora would be carried by Twilit while I would be carried by Gloom. Zecora didn’t want to be separated from me, but I told her that neither guardsmare would be likely to be able to carry us. I did give her some extra clothes since it was still early spring and we’d be flying. Gloom flew above the canopy, then came back down a minute later, saying that she could see a vast forest along with a mountain to the north.

“That would be the Canterhorn,” I explained. “It’s where Canterlot is. Ponyshire is south of the Canterhorn, so we should head in that direction.”

“You heard his highness,” Viridian said as she spread her batlike wings. “Are we all ready?”

I gave Zecora one more reassuring hug before she was picked up by Twilit and I was picked up by Gloom. Soon, we were in the air, heading up to the canopy.

When we broke through, I had to blink and squint to keep the sudden excess of light from blinding me. It took me a minute, and by the time I could see, we were flying quickly across the forest. Seeing it up close reminded me of some of the vast forests from Earth. From my history lessons in Canterlot, I had learned that the Everfree was a lot larger than I anticipated, about one and a half million acres of land, to be precise.

As we flew, Viridian came flying up next to me. “I never knew how beautiful trees could be!” she shouted, a wide smile on her face. “We don’t have them in Silver Sanctum!”

“Nature is a good place to relax!” I shouted back.

She nodded, then looked down at the Everfree again. “Why do ponies avoid this place?? Aside from the monsters you mentioned, I mean??”

“Because the forest is unnatural by pony standards!” I shouted back.

“How??” Viridian asked.

I looked down. I knew a lot about the Everfree from my lessons, and from some personal stories from my aunt. I felt there wasn’t any harm in discussing it since a lot of it was common enough knowledge. “I’ll tell you later!” I shouted. “When we get to Ponyshire!”

Viridian nodded. “I will hold you to that promise!” she shouted.

I nodded and we resumed our flying. As we did so, I thought back to what I had learned about the Everfree and its unusual history.

I had learned that the vast amount of the territory that was now the Everfree had once been full of towns, small cities, vast farmlands, and more. The original Everfree was only a small forest in the middle of the current Everfree, and even now, nobody had visited that portion of the forest. Not even my aunt had visited. Its origins apparently went back to when Discordia first appeared in Equestria.

The legend had it that a powerful magical anthropomorphic serpentine creature named Demeter gave birth to twins, Discordia and Themis. Themis, an anthropomorphic lioness, was the opposite of her sister in many ways. She valued law, structure, and order. Discordia was, well, the Queen of Discord. The two sisters, despite everything, were said to be close as children, but as they grew apart, their natural personalities began to lead to clashes with the other. Their mother tried to mediate between the two, and for a while it seemed to work, but eventually not even mediation could help. They never left the forest, and the fights between the two caused their magic to intermingle with their mothers, creating a strange area where some magical laws couldn’t be applied. In short, it worked a lot like nature on earth. Chaotic, but with its own sense of order.

Apparently, when Discordia had taken over Equestria, Themis teamed up with Celestia and Luna to stop her sister. It had apparently broken Themis’ heart to help put Discordia in stone, but she saw no other choice. Discordia’s chaos magic had affected the area that would eventually become the modern Everfree, and nothing Themis could do would be able to restore the land to normal. So instead, she and her mother made it so that the affected areas were just like their home, full of wild magic, and the forest quickly grew after that. They helped ponies evacuate their homes but afterwards retreated into the newly formed Everfree Plains, which would turn into the forest.

Aunt Celestia had learned all of this directly from Themis and Demeter herself. The way she described their physical appearance was telling as well, as it matched quite closely with the churches dedicated to them. There were towns that surrounded the Everfree, and many of them had churches or temples dedicated to Themis and Demeter. When I had learned about this, it shocked me because until that time, I had only ever heard of one sort of religious group in Equestria, that being the Order of the Sun. Aunt Celestia had put those assumptions to rest quite thoroughly.

While religion was not as prominent on Threia, at least as far as Equestria was concerned, that didn’t mean that it didn’t exist at all. The Church of Physis, the one dedicated to the worship of Demeter and Themis, existed, Physis being the last name of the family. There were also those who worshiped Nightmare Moon, and I had to assume that those in the Silver Sanctum were quite similar in that regard. For the most part, however, the largest religious groups in Equestria belonged to the worshippers of Demeter and Themis. The church had their own holy book called the Physis Testaments, or simply the Testaments. The Testaments had many different stories about the Physis family, including a stylized retelling of the final battle between Discordia, the Equestrian princesses, and Themis.

I was in the process of reading the Testaments, and I was a bit surprised to see that they were organized much like other holy scriptures back on Earth. They had books, chapters, and verses. It was a shorter volume than, say, the Holy Bible or the Qur’an, but it had a similar look and feel.

I was brought out of my reverie when someone shouted, “I see a tower!”

Looking up, I squinted my eyes. Eutherians had better eyesight than unicorns, especially in the dark. Only pegasi could match them, of course. Still, I thought I could see a tower in the distance. As we flew faster, it became clearly more visible, and I recognized it from my own view of Ponyshire from my Canterlot suite. It was one of the town’s four watchtowers, presumably the Southern Tower. “That’s Ponyshire!” I exclaimed above the rush of wind.

“Princess, I suggest we land close to the edge of this forest and approach on foot!” Misty shouted.

“What do you think, your highness??” Viridian called over to me.

I nodded. “If I remember right, there’s a small pathway that leads from Ponyshire to some castle ruins we can use!” I shouted.

“Then let’s find that road!” Viridian said.

We turned to the east slightly, looking for a break in the canopy that might indicate a road. It took a few minutes of searching, and all the while the tower grew closer, along with the outline of Ponyshire’s secondary town walls and farmland, but eventually we found a break in the trees which lead to the ancient road, made entirely of what looked like cobblestone roads held together with a Roman concrete equivalent.

As we landed and began walking, Viridian came up and began to walk beside me. “So,” she said, “ready to tell me that story, now?”

“Sure,” I said, and recalled everything that I knew about the Everfree and its formation, including the existence of Demeter and Themis. She wasn’t the only one who listened, however. Zecora, who had rejoined me at my side, listened as well as I recounted all that I knew. Soon, everyone was listening, even the still weakened Cadance who was still being carried by Shadow.

As I finished telling them what I knew minus the comparisons I had unconsciously made to Earth, the forest began to thin out and the road grew wider. Soon, we passed by two massive trees that made a natural arched gateway which led us out of the Everfree completely. I paused and turned back to the eutherian guards. “Gloom and Twilit, I believe it would be a good idea for you to discard your armor here. You can recover it at a later date.”

The two began to protest, but Viridian stepped in. “You can keep your weapons, but other than that, do as he says,” she ordered.

Gloom and Twilit exchanged looks, then sighed as they began to remove their guard armor. When they finished, they were wearing what could easily pass for traveling clothes along with cloaks to kee[p them warm in the early spring air. Their swords were still at their hips, and although they were of an unusual type, they weren’t uncommon. When I was satisfied, I nodded. “Thank you, you two. One more thing, thought. I know you may think this insulting, but while it may be okay to use your real names, we cannot let the common ponies know that you are from Silver Sanctum or that her highness here is a princess. I’m afraid I must insist that you refer her by her name.”

Misty couldn’t stay silent at that remark. “She is a princess!” the eutherian maid seethed.

“And she will be given every courtesy when we are inside,” I replied, “of that you have my oath.”

“Misty, he’s right,” Viridian said. “If other ponies knew I was a princess, they might try to harm me, or worse, you and these guards here.” She gestured to Gloom and Twilit.

“But your highness-” Misty tried to protest.

“I will hear none of it,” Viridian interrupted, and I was again struck by just how mature and well learned this filly was. Unlike me, she wasn’t a reincarnation so hers was all natural. “His highness has a good point. When we meet with Princess Celestia, then I will reveal my identity.” She turned to me. “As long as you can guarantee the safety of me and mine when in her presence.”

“Of that, you have my oath as well,” I promised.

“Thank you,” Viridian said.

“You’re welcome,” I replied before I turned to the others. “The story we tell if anyone asks is that you all are travelers who we met on the road after our escape. If memory serves, this road is used, just not often. Understood?” When everyone nodded, Misty begrudgingly, I nodded as well. “Good. Now then, let’s go.”

As we left the forest behind, we saw the towering wall and the southern gate. It was closed, which wasn’t too surprising considering the fact that it was the closest one to the Everfree. As we approached, I saw that the two watchtowers on either side of the gate were staffed by the city guard. One of them, a strong looking dark purple pegasus with cyan mane and blue eyes and a sword piercing a wing for a cutie mark, saw us and shouted the alarm. I paused and motioned for the others to stop as well. “Halt! Who goes there??” the pegasus asked sternly.

“I am Prince Blueblood of Canterlot!” I announced, stepping forward and facing the guardsponies. “We seek shelter in the town!”

The pegasus came flying down cautiously, a poleaxe in his hands. He was followed by another pegasus, this one another stallion with brown fur and a cream white mane. He too, carried a poleaxe. The unicorns on the wall had crossbows aimed at us just in case. When the first guardspony was close enough, his teal eyes widened in shock. “Stand down!” he shouted. “It is the prince!”

As the unicorns lowered their crossbows, I nodded in thanks, then turned to gesture to the eutherians from Silver Sanctum. “These three mares and this filly are with me,” I said before I gestured to Shadow and Cadance, “and this eutherian colt is a close friend of mine, and the pegasus filly is a prisoner we freed when her highness and I escaped capture. This zebra filly is a foreign princess who disappeared with me. I need a place for them to stay in the village.”

“I-I will alert the Lord Protector at once!” the second pegasus said before he spread his wings and shot into the sky with speed that might make the future Rainbow Dash envious.

“Please come in,” the first pegasus, now recovered from the shock, led us to the gates, which were now quickly opening. He looked at Cadance and grimaced. “That pegasus filly looks malnourished, your highness. Here.” He pulled out a water pouch and handed it to Shadow, who took it and began to help Cadance drink.

“She has been imprisoned for longer than anyone should ever be,” I said. “She’s been eating foul scraps, had dirty and tainted water to drink, and has not bathed in a long time.” Turning to the pegasus, I asked, “who’s the captain of the town guard in this village?”

“Captain Strongheart, your highness,” the pegasus said. “He’s stationed at the northern gate.”

“Send a message to him,” I ordered, “and tell him to meet us at the Lord Protector’s manor.”

“Surely you need an escort, your highness,” the pegasus guard said.

“Your duty is to this gate,” I said, “but if you insist, then you may accompany us to the manor, but send a runner or a flier to fetch Captain Strongheart.”

“Of course, your highness,” the pegasus said. “Please wait here while I fetch a carriage and send a runner out.” With that, he turned and left, flying down the wall towards what looked like a stable.

At that moment, two earth pony guards who had been standing at the now closed gate entrance stepped forward. I saw that they were keeping a close eye on the strangely clad eutherian guardsponies with a hint of suspicion. Seeing this, I turned to them. “These ponies are not to be hindered. They are my traveling companions and kept us safe during our walk through the forest.”

The earth pony guards eased up. I turned away and took the opportunity to observe the area around me. I had never seen this world’s equivalent of Ponyville up close, but now that I did, it looked very different from the show version. In many ways, it reminded me of a typical medieval village. The wall we had just passed was the outer wall which surrounded the large farmlands that existed on the outer portions of the town. I saw a large apple orchard to the northwest of us along with a late barn which was made of stone and hefty wooden beams. A smaller farmhouse sat nearby as well. I noted that the pathway we were taking would take us to the southeastern edge of that farm, at least judging from the wooden fence surrounding the orchard.

Those weren’t the only crops I saw in the vast fields surrounding the town, however. There were other farms as well, some of which grew grains, others of which grew beans, and still others of which grew other fruits and vegetables. The majority, however, seemed to be grain farms, at least judging from the older styled grain silos I was seeing. Wheat, oats, barley, and rye, I thought to myself.

I heard the clopping of hooves just then, so I turned and saw a decent sized carriage being pulled by a pair of horses. A young pegasus stallion, who couldn’t be more than sixteen, sat in the coach box. He had light tan fur, calico mane and tail, light gray eyes, and a cutie mark which was an anvil and hammer. By the way he was dressed, I guessed he had to be a squire. The carriage door opened and the pegasus guard poked his head out. “I beg your pardon for the poor state of this carriage, your highness,” he said apologetically. “It’s the best we have at the moment.”

“There’s no need to apologize, good sir,” I said. “It is more than sufficient. As long as it doesn’t jostle about too much,” I added, looking at Cadance.

The pegasus took note of my glancing at Cadance and nodded. “My squire will make sure we go slowly and carefully,” he said, looking up at the younger pegasus. “Steel, you heard him. Slowly so as not to hurt our passengers.”

“Yes, Sir Swift,” the squire said as all of us climbed into the carriage and took a seat.

The now named Sir Swift looked at me apologetically as the carriage began moving. “Please forgive our lack of a banner for this carriage,” he said.

I waved a hand. “There’s no need for apologies. By the way, what is your full name, good sir?”

Sir Swift straightened and put a fist over his breastplate. “I am Sir Swift Thrust, your highness,” he said.

“And your squire?” I asked.

“Steel Mustang, your highness,” the pegasus knight replied.

“And did you find a runner to fetch Captain Strongheart?” I asked.

“Yes, your highness,” he said. “My place is here escorting and protecting you and your traveling companions.”

I had to concede the point. I knew that knights were duty bound to protect a royal above all other duties when in the presence of one. “Very well,” I said.

“May I ask a question, too?” Viridian asked.

Swift looked at the eutherian princess, more so with curiosity than with suspicion. “Of course, young miss…?”

“Viridian Nightfallen,” the eutherian replied to the obvious prompt. Misty and the other two eutherian guards tensed at that, but Viridian held up a hand to silence their inevitable objections. “I take it that you’re a Knight of the Realm, correct?”

“Correct, Miss Viridian,” Swift replied.

“Forgive me if this next question insults you, but why are you stationed in this small town?” Viridian asked, and to her credit, she sounded more curious than anything. Almost like a childlike innocence. “I always thought that Knights of the Realm would be in places like Canterlot or one of the dukedom keeps?”

Swift actually chuckled a bit at that. “Believe it or not. I requested this posting after I was knighted,” he said. “As to why? Well, this town may be small and just like many other towns in the kingdom, but I was born and raised here. I have a soft spot in my heart for this town, and it is also close to the Everfree Forest. I believe that it’s the duty of a knight to protect those who may be unable to protect themselves. Fortunately, the magical wards on the walls have kept monsters at bay for the years that this town had been around. Even so, I still believe that having a Knight of the Realm here provides the citizens here with comfort.”

Viridian looked genuinely impressed by what the knight had just said. She nodded and sat back in her chair. “Well said, sir knight,” she said with an approving nod.

“Well said indeed, Sir Swift,” I agreed with a smile of my own. “You embody the chivalrous spirit that should be ascribed to all knights.”

“You honor me, your highness,” Swift said with a grateful bow.

“We only speak the truth,” I reassured him.

And with that, the carriage fell into silence. I was next to one of the windows, so I pulled the dark green curtain aside and looked out at the landscape around us. The road we were on wasn’t one that led straight to the city’s secondary inner walls and inner southern gate, I noted. It weaved and bobbed slightly thanks in part to the terrain. At one point, I noted, we would be passing by the southeastern border of the orchard. I was sorely tempted to stop and admire the apple trees, even if they had no apples on them yet, but reaching the Lord Protector’s house was more important.

As we passed the southeastern border of the orchard, someone called out a hail. I turned towards the source only to see a strong looking earth pony stallion with a haul of wood hoisted over his shoulder. He was a bright yellow stallion with bright red mane and tail and a bluish green pair of eyes. He wore a pair of dark brown trousers, a dark red tunic, and a dark brown wide rimmed hat. It might not have been a Stetson, but it was certainly one that screamed farmer. On his shoulder was a patch that showed a green apple that had been cut down the middle, showing the inner flesh and the seeds. He was waving his free hand, which was a light brown instead of yellow like the rest of his fur. I had seen this in some taller and stronger stallions, so I wasn’t too surprised. What did surprise me, however, was that I knew who this stallion was.

“Hey there, Swift!” Bright Mac called out as he walked alongside the wooden fence to keep up with us. He had a country accent, but not one from the American West. This one was a little rougher than what I was used to up in Canterlot.

“Hello, Mac!” Swift called back. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay to talk. I need to take his highness and their party to the Lord Protector’s manor as soon as I can.”

Bright Mac’s eyes widened as he looked at us. His eyes locked onto me and they widened in recognition. “So, you’re his highness Prince Blueblood?” he asked.

I nodded. “That I am, sir,” I said.

Bright Mac dropped the wood in his arms and dropped to one knee. “Hail, your highness,” he said, trying to sound a bit more formal in his greeting.

“Halt the carriage!” I ordered. The squire acted quickly and I heard him calling out a call to the horses. The carriage stopped and I looked down at the kneeling earth pony “Well met, good sir,” I replied, looking down at the kneeling pony with a small smile. “Rise and tell me your name.”

As Bright Mac stood, he brushed dirt off of his trouser leg and looked down at me with eyes wide in wonder. “My name is Bright McIntosh Apple, your highness,” he said. “Folks around here just call me Bright Mac or Mac.”

I nodded, then looked at the orchard behind the burly stallion. “Is this orchard yours?” I asked.

Bright’s eyes, well, brightened in pride and he turned and gestured to the trees behind him. “That it is, your highness,” he said. “This is Sweet Apple Acres, and it’s been a part of Ponyshire and my family’s legacy ever since the founding of the town nearly three hundred years ago.”

Three hundred years, I mused. So, is Granny Smith that old, or was that episode wrong? I’ve had zap apple jam, though. “I believe my aunt has purchased your famed apple cider during the cider season here,” I said. “I must confess, I have tried the non-alcoholic variety. It is much more delicious than any other cider I have tasted in my life.” Which was the truth. In both my lives, I hadn’t tasted anything so delicious as Sweet Apple Acres cider.

“My family will be glad to hear it,” Bright Mac said with a smile full of pride.

“Good,” I said with a grin. “I’ve also enjoyed your zap apple jam.”

Bright Mac’s smile seemed to widen. “That’s Pink Lady’s legacy.”

I tilted my head in curiosity. “Pink Lady? Who is she? I sense a tale there.”

Bright Mac chuckled and nodded. “Correct, your highness,” he said. “Pink Lady was the Apple family’s founding matriarch when she and several other ponies came and founded our farm. There was no Ponyshire here at the time. The story, as my mother tells it, is that our first year here occurred during a drought, so we couldn’t grow crops as well as we could. Pink Lady was nearly a filly grown, about fifteen back then. She wanted to help, so one night she went into the Everfree in the desperate attempt to find something that could save the farm.”

So Pink Lady is taking Granny Smith’s place in this universe? I thought. “I take it that she did find something?”

He nodded “She found the zap apple tres,” he replied. “She brought it back although she nearly died in the process. The unique way zap apples grow helped save the farm and brought in revenue to the area. And that’s how Ponyshire was founded.”

I smiled. “Well, it’s good to know that your family survived and thrived,” I said. “The fruits of your labor are some of the best in the kingdom.”

“You honor me, your highness,” Bright Mac said.

“You deserve it,” I replied.

There were a few moments of silence between us before Bright Mac’s smile faltered a bit. “Forgive me for asking, your highness, but I had heard from the town crier that you vanished from Canterlot only yesterday,” he said. “How did you come out here?”

“You are correct in that I vanished,” I said, “and as for how I and my companions came to this town, that is a tale left for another time. Maybe someday I will share the tale.”

“Of course, your highness,” Bright Mac said, bowing low once more.

I smiled warmly at him. “Thank you for this most illuminating talk, good sir. At the moment, though, I’m afraid I must meet up with the Lord Protector.”

Bright Mac tensed up as he stood back up. “Your highness, is there something we should know?” he asked.

“If there is, you will all know,” I promised. “We can’t have the source of the best cider in all of Equestria being harmed, now, can we?”

Bright Mac’s expression softened, but not by much. “Thank you for the warning, your highness,” he said with another bow.

“When matters get settled, would you permit me to visit your farm?” I asked. “I have not been on a farm, and I would be curious to see how one works.”

Bright Mac’s expression changed to one of shock. “Y-You honor me, your highness,” he said, “and I know my family and I would love to host you!”

“Excellent,” I nodded. “I will send a messenger ahead of time to inform you of when I would like to visit. Let me know if the time I suggest is convenient for you.”

“I will, your highness!” Bright Mac said.

“Good. Driver, continue,” I ordered. As the carriage began moving again, Bright Mac bowed again until I brought my head back in.

“Your highness has just made Mac’s day,” Swift said with a chuckle.

“Good,” I said, “because it is due to the hard work and dedication of that stallion and others like him that this town doesn’t go hungry in the winter. Farmers are an essential part of our kingdom, and besides, I have always wanted to visit one.”

“I have, too,” Viridian said after a minute, softly enough that only I could hear. “Our food production methods are quite different.”

“We can discuss the differences at a later date,” I said.

She nodded and we both went silent. I continued to watch out of the window as the inner town’s walls and inner southern gate approached. As we got closer, I took note that the buildings within the inner walls were nothing quite like the buildings in the show. As we were approaching from a small hill, I got a good look over the walls for a few minutes. I saw that a small river flowed through the town itself, which made having a watermill very useful, especially when the river passed between two of the grain farms. There was another watermill in the town proper itself, too, and I also saw windmills in two of the other grain fields.

I also saw that, to the north, there were pastures with sheep in them. Said sheep were being tended to by ovitaur shephards. I saw other aspects of the town that matched what I had learned about typical Equestrian town layouts. The village green, the commons, marketplace, the blacksmith, and a church were just some of the sights I saw before the walls covered them again..

One building that stood out to me before it vanished was one that stood out from the rest. It was much more brightly painted than the other buildings, and it had a sign on it which looked like a baked cake. The sign hung from the door and was swaying in the wind. If that’s not this town’s equivalent of Sugarcube Corner, I’ll be very surprised, I thought.

We did have to stop to check in with the inner wall guards, and once Swift informed them of who was in the carriage, they let us pass without a word. The moment we passed into the town was like night and day. The sound of ponies around us just living their daily lives seemed to permeate the carriage. To my Canterlot ears, it sounded a lot more jovial than anything I’d heard back home.

“Well met, my friend! How are your wives and foals?”

“Freshly baked bread and pastries! Make your way to Sugarcube Corner to have a taste!”

“Are you going to the village green for the traveling minstrel couple’s performance later?”

“Ten o’clock and all is well! Ten o’clock and all is well! Harmony save the Princess!”

That last one came from the town crier who used a speaking trumpet to announce it from a tower near the center of town next to what I presumed was something like a town hall. I turned back to Swift and smiled. “Quite a lively town you have here,” I commented.

“Ponyshire is known as the friendliest town in Equestria for a reason, your highness,” Swift said.

I took on a thoughtful expression and looked back out at the crowd, scanning it carefully. After a few minutes, I turned back. “It certainly seems that way, especially if you’re a day pony.”

Swift raised an eyebrow. “I don’t follow, your highness,” he said, although I had no doubt he had every inclination to follow my thoughts.

I shook my head. “I see no eutherians out there,” I said before I looked at the eutherians in the cabin. I had seen some holstaurs and ovitaurs in town as well, but other races.

Swift’s ears flattened expressively and he looked away, looking a bit uncomfortable. “Well, you’re highness, that is…I mean to say…”

“We eutherians are well aware of the animosity directed towards us,” Misty said, a bitterness in her tone. “Other ponies fear us, so it’s only natural that we are excluded.”

Swift looked down in shame, but before I could speak, Viridian spoke first. “That was rude, Misty,” she scolded.

“I merely speak the truth,” Misty replied stubbornly.

“Perhaps, but you speak it in poor spirit,” Viridian said with narrowed eyes. She then turned to Swift. “Please forgive my companion, sir knight. She is…angry and resents other ponies for the blatant discrimination.”

“I can understand that,” Swift acknowledged, still unable to look at anyone else in the eye. He straightened after a while and looked back at Misty. “Madam, I understand your anger and resentment and I empathize with it. Some eutherians do live in Ponyshire, but many rarely leave their houses until later hours. We have some in the city guard who patrol at night, and I know a few of them. Good ponies, the lot of them. Loyal and capable. The Lord Protector has one or two in his employ as personal staff, as well.”

“What is your point?” the eutherian maid asked, eyes narrowing.

“My point, my lady,” he said, “is that we’re trying to be better. We’re trying, but many still can’t separate eutherians from Nightmare Moon’s Rebellion.”

Misty snarled, showing her fangs, and that was when Viridian and I said. “That’s enough,” at the same time. We turned to each other, looks of surprise and amusement on our faces.

I gestured to Viridian, and she turned back to Misty. “Misty, we are guests of this town at the moment. Do not antagonize our gracious guide and host.” She turned to Swift. “While I can understand my companion’s ire, good sir knight, I cannot condone how she expressed them. Please forgive her.”

“Of course, Miss Viridian,” he said quickly. “I understand her anger, too.”

Misty didn’t look too happy, but she turned away. “…’m sorry,” she muttered.

“Besides,” Viridian said, and I saw a wicked smile form on her muzzle, “while I’m sure you’ve seen many beautiful mares in town, Misty is in a league of her own, isn’t she? Quite the maiden, isn’t she?”

Misty’s cheeks went red and she sputtered out some protest, but Swift couldn’t help but chuckle and nod. “Miss Misty is indeed quite a beautiful mare,” he acknowledged. “Any stallion would be honored to court her. Especially with the fire I see in her eyes and in her words.”

Misty’s eyes were wide with shock at the sudden turn of the conversation. So was I, but I kept it well-hidden beneath my royal training. I thought I felt a small burst of magic emanating from Cadance, and filed that observation away for later. “I trust that we can put this discussion behind us, then?” I asked.

“Yes, your highness,” Swift said.

The cabin went silent at that, and I kept on watching the passing town. We passed by the village green where we saw a light blue unicorn stallion and a burnt orange unicorn mare performing. The stallion had a very similar color scheme to Trixie Lulamoon, and I wondered if these ponies were her parents, but I couldn’t stop again.

We even passed by the town’s local church, and I drank in its design. It reminded me of a typical church, but instead of a crucifix on the steeple, the symbol there was a simple carving of a tree. There were stained glass windows on the façade, and there was smoke coming from the back where a fire was likely lit. In front of the church, I saw several pony mares wearing what I had to assume was religious garb. They were simple green robes with a golden emblem of a pair of scales between a flaming sword along with a headdress that matched those of a nun’s habit. They were standing in front of a table full of food and serving food to creatures who looked less fortunate than most. I even saw a few eutherians in the line, and to my relief the nuns, if the mares could be compared to anything I really knew, were feeding these ponies and treating them with the same amount of kindness as they gave to others in the line.

Swift saw me watching, and when he saw what I was looking at, he smiled. “Those are nuns of the Order of Themis,” he explained. “They always take it upon themselves to feed those less fortunate and to give work to those who they can.”

“Harmony bless them,” Cadance, who had been silent up until this point, croaked out.

I turned and smiled at the young pegasus. “Well said,” I said as I patted her shoulder gently.

Despite her still being weak, she smiled back up at me. “My parents and I were members of our local church,” she said softly, “and we went every Sunsday.” She began to cough after that, and Swift handed her his water again. She drank it gratefully, then slumped back to rest. I looked back out of the window, watching the scene pass us by.

A few minutes later, we passed through another gate, although this one was smaller and private. The Lord Protector’s manor stood on a small hill overlooking the town and was surrounded by grass and a small private field of crops. I looked out of the window at the manor itself. It was a good-sized building, mansion sized as a matter of fact, built with bricks and mortar. There was smoke coming from several of the chimneys and I thought I could smell cooking food on the breeze.

When we pulled up to the door, the manor’s doors opened and a couple of maids came rushing out and put a small set of stairs at the carriage door. It opened, and I stepped out first, followed by everyone else. One maid, who was a middle aged ovitaur, bowed. “Your highness,” she said professionally, “the Lord Protector and captain of the guard are aware of your presence and are awaiting you inside.”

“Very good,” I said. Then, I turned to the others. “Am I smelling a late breakfast?”

“Yes, your highness,” the maid said.

“Good, because I believe some of my companions are going to need food,” I said. “Especially this pegasus filly here,” I added, gesturing to Cadance who was still being carried by Shadow.

The ovitaur maid looked at the pegasus and her eyes widened in alarm. “I‘ll fetch the manor’s nurse, your highness,” she said, “and I’ll inform the kitchen to prepare enough for you and your party.”

“Blueblood? Is that you?” a new voice said from the door.

I froze in shock, then turned to see who couldn’t possibly be there. But there she was. Standing in the door, eyes wide and brimming with tears, stood my aunt. “Auntie…” I whispered, relieved to see her.

Without even a second of hesitation, Aunt Celestia caught me in her magic and pulled me to her, embracing me tightly and clinging to me, her body trembling as she wept. “Welcome home,” she sniffed as she stroked my straw blonde mane.

I buried my head into her body and clung to her as tightly as I could as well. “It…It’s good to be home…”

13: Reunion

“Big Bwudda!”

The first thing I found upon entering the Lord Protector’s manor was a purple and green blur running towards me, slamming into me with surprising strength. It was enough to knock me off of my feet. Spike clung to my legs, and I could hear him sniffling and whimpering. I grabbed him and pulled him into a tight hug. “Hello, Spike,” I greeted happily, stroking his spines lovingly.

“Where did you go?” Spike asked, tears of worry streaming down his face. “I was scawed…”

My heart broke at that. He was my brother; species difference be damned! I hugged him closer. “I’m home, now,” I said. “I’m home.”

As Spike clung to me, another figure approached. Buttercup stood before me, her own eyes brimming with tears, although these were tears of relief. “It’s so good to see you again, Your Highness,” she said.

“It’s good to be seen by you,” I replied with a small smile. A smile which quickly faded as I gestured back to Zecora and Cadance. “These two need a bath and some food.”

“I can see to that, your Highness,” a new voice, also female, said from behind Buttercup. The holstaur maid stepped back to reveal a slender but older pegasus maid. She was light blue with a pale green mane and tail and pink eyes. By her clothes, I guessed she was the head maid of the house. She came up and looked at the two, frowned in concern, then turned and clapped. Two younger pony maids, these ones earth ponies, appeared moments later. “Have a bath run for these two and set aside food for them,” she ordered. “They will probably not be able to eat at the table, so have somepony prepare rooms for them.”

The two bowed then walked up and gently took both fillies before quickly and carefully heading further into the manor. Zecora looked back at me with worry, but I gave her a reassuring nod and she seemed to relax.

When they had left, I looked up at Buttercup. “Are the others okay?” I asked. “None of them disappeared too, I hope?”

Buttercup shook her head. “No, Your Highness,” she said. “The other children are fine. Anna is especially anxious to see you again, so I think you should expect her to be extra clingy with you when you get back to Canterlot.”

I smiled a bit. Anna Belle didn’t seem to stand too much on ceremony with me, but that I could understand since she was not only around my age but was also one of my closest friends. And her hug…they felt magical. “I’ll endure it,” I joked.

At that moment another pony appeared, and this one had to be the Captain Strongheart that I was told about. He was older than Swift Thrust, but still looked like he was a force to be reckoned with. A unicorn stallion, he had cream white fur, long black mane and tail, and piercing light blue eyes. His cutie mark, emblazoned on his shoulder plates, was of a heart that had a sword in front of it. He bowed to me and Aunt Celestia. “Your Highnesses,” he greeted, “I came as soon as I was notified of your presence. What can I do for you?”

“You’re Captain Strongheart, correct?” I asked before my aunt could say anything.

He looked at me, and to his credit, my youth didn’t seem to faze him at all. “I am, Your Highness,” he said.

“Captain, you may start to become busy in the next few days if not sooner,” I explained.

That caught his attention and his expression turned grave. “Is there going to be an invasion?” he asked.

I exchanged a very brief look with Viridian before looking back at him. “There is a likely chance of that, yes,” I said. “I trust Ponyshire has magical barrier crystals on its walls?”

“Are we going to be attacked by aerial assault?” Strongheart asked.

“Eutherians,” I said. “They very well may make an appearance here in the next day or so, or even sooner. It will likely come from the Everfree Forest, but we can’t be too sure.”

The captain stiffened at that, then looked at Swift. “Sir Swift, inform the guardhouses and the gatehouses to prepare for a possible aerial and shadow walking assault from eutherian hostile forces,” he ordered. “I will likely have more information for you at a later time.”

The younger pegasus pressed his fist to his chest, as did his squire. “At once, Captain!” He bowed to me and Aunt Celestia briefly before turning and heading back out with Steel.

At that moment, another pony entered the foyer, only this one was shorter than the head maid, and was an older and portly unicorn stallion. He was tan with a graying mane and tail, both of which had to have been light brown when he was in his prime. His eyes were a deep brown, but even though he was old, he didn’t look like some of the sycophant nobles I’d had around me trying to gain my favor. He walked with a limp and supported himself with a cane. “So,” the stallion said, “you’re the prince everypony was talking about a few years ago.”

“That would be me,” I confirmed.

The older stallion didn’t even hesitate. He got on one knee, albeit a bit slower than most, then lowered his head. “Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said. “ I am Lord Protector Fancy Feet. I do apologize for not being able to attend the announcement of your rise to royalty or your cute-ceañera. I’m afraid I have become less able to travel in my old age.”

I chuckled softly. “No need to apologize,” I said. “I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to jeopardize their health for me.”

“You’re far too kind, Your Highness,” he said as he was helped back to his feet by the head maid. “Please follow me to the dining room. I will have my maids set aside places at the table for everypony here.” He looked at the head maid. “Make sure that it’s done.”

“At once, Milord,” the head maid said before she turned and pointed at two other nearby maids. “We have seven extra guests,” she said, “so see to it that they are given a place at the table. Two extra foals and three extra adults.” She gestured to the four eutherians behind me and Shadow, who was still protectively by my side.

Captain Strongheart was the first to notice the blade strapped to my side. He paused and looked at it. “Your Highness,” he began with confusion, “I was told that you disappeared in Canterlot, correct?”

Unbidden, I put a hand on the hilt of Crescent Moon. “You’re looking at this, are you not?” I asked, patting Crescent Moon gently.

Cease thy actions at once! We are not an animal to be fawned over! Crescent shouted.

The captain nodded. “It is a powerful blade. I can tell. May I see it?”

I shook my head. “I’m afraid not,” I said. “This is a…let’s just call her a family heirloom.”

Celestia, who was by my side, looked down at where the captain was looking and her eyes widened in alarm. “That’s…it can’t be…” She looked at me, eyes narrowing. “Where did you find that?”

I held up my free hand. “I’ll tell you everything, I promise.” I then turned back to Viridian, then raised my arm. “Allow me to escort you,” I said.

To my amusement, the young princess actually blushed as she walked up and interlocked her arm with mine. “Quite the gentlecolt,” she said.

Celestia didn’t look too happy at this, but I knew it wasn’t implicit racism against eutherians, but instead it was the fact that she was an unknown and possibly a danger to me. Still, I gave my aunt a reassuring nod as we made our way down the hall towards the dining hall.

Said hall was quite large for a house of this size, I noted the moment we entered. There was a fireplace at the opposite end of the doorway entrance along with two long rectangular windows on either side which let light from outside stream in. There were two doors opposite each other on the longer walls and a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling which was lit with glowing warm white crystals. The table itself was made of thick wood and had a dark wine red tablecloth with a purple table runner down the middle that was decorated with inlaid gold patterns. On each end of the table runner were gold tassels which hung down either end.

As was tradition, Aunt Celestia took the spot at the head of the table which was normally the place where the Lord Protector would sit. I sat to her right with Shadow taking the seat to the left of me and Spike sitting on my lap, not wanting to leave my side. The Lord Protector sat to my aunt’s left and everyone else slowly found a seat. Misty was seated next to Viridian who was sitting to the left of Shadow. Gloom and Twilit stood behind Viridian as her guards until Princess Celestia turned to them, then gestured to two chairs next to Misty. “Please sit,” she encouraged. They reluctantly did so.

After we were all seated, the Lord Protector turned to the mead maid, who was still standing behind her. Buttercup was standing behind me and Celestia at the moment. “Go see if the meal is ready,” he ordered the pegasus head maid.

“Yes, Milord,” she said before she swiftly turned and headed through one of the doors. Upon opening said door, I could hear the brief sound of pots and pans being jostled and the sound of a surly male voice calling out orders. I had to hold in a laugh as it sounded very similar to what I heard anytime I visited the Canterlot royal kitchens. After a half minute, she came back in. “The head cook says it will be another five minutes, Milord.”

“Excellent,” the Lord Protector said with a clap of his hands before he turned to me and Celestia. “Our chef is one of the finest in the kingdom, if not the world, if I may be so bold as to boast about his skills. All his dishes are always quite delicious.”

“If his sister’s skills are any indication, then I believe it,” Celestia said with a small chuckle.

I smiled a bit as well. One thing I did know about the Lord Protector was that he hired Sauté Brown, a unicorn stallion chef who was the much older brother of Blanch Brown, one of the best cooks in Canterlot’s royal kitchens. Both were from the vassal state of Prance, and as such had a distinct accent. In fact, it was Blanch who had helped me to make a couple of the ‘new’ recipes, including baguettes, which had become extra popular in Prance. Blanch had actually told me about Sauté a couple of times when she was helping me try to create (or recreate to be truthful) new dishes. The two of them had something of a rivalry when it came to cooking, but I could tell they were close. She would always go to Ponyshire to spend important holidays with her family who lived down there. “How is Chef Sauté doing?” I asked.

Lord Fancy Feet gave a small smile. “He is doing well,” he said. “His wife is expecting triplets in the coming days, though, so he may be a bit more gruff with anypony who irritates him.”

“Please extend our congratulations to him,” Aunt Celestia said.

“I will, Your Highness,” Lord Fancy Feet said.

Aunt Celestia smiled, but then her smile faded slightly as she turned to Viridian. “Now then,” she said, “as my nephew says, let’s address the elephant in the room. Who are you and your companions, young filly?”

That was too much for Misty, it seemed, because the older eutherian slammed her palm on the table and stood, her chair falling back as she glared at Celestia. “She is no mere filly, Solar Tyrant!” she shouted, little bits of spittle flying from her mouth. “You’re speaking to Princess Viridian Nightfallen, the First Princess of Silver Sanctum!”

“Peace, Misty!” Viridian ordered with a glare before she pointed over at Spike, who was burying his face into my chest and trembling with fear. “You’re scaring the young dragon over there!”

“If you harm my little brother again, I will have you in chains and in the deepest dungeons of Canterlot and throw away the key,” I added darkly, glaring at her.

Viridian turned back to me, her hands raised in a placating gesture. “Now then, Your Highness, let’s not do anything rash,” she said before she looked at Spike. “What’s the young dragon’s name?”

“Spike,” I replied.

Viridian stood, walked over to me and Spike, and put a tender hand on his head. I tensed up, but her smile was an apologetic one. “I’m sorry for my handmaiden’s words and tone, little dragon prince,” she said soothingly. “Please forgive her. She’s zealous and protective.”

I put my own hand on Spike’s head. “I won’t let the mean older lady hurt you,” I promised in an equally soothing tone, but with a glare towards Misty.

Gloom looked over at Misty. “Miss, we’re not in Silver Sanctum anymore,” she said, “so perhaps it would behoove us to behave like proper guests?”

“She’s right,” Twilit said, “so sit down before you get us thrown into the dungeons.”

Misty’s face was red with embarrassment and anger, but she eventually did grab her chair and sat down, mumbling an apology under her breath.

Once everyone was settled down, Aunt Celestia leaned forward and looked at Viridian who was still doing her best to comfort Spike. “I have never heard of Silver Sanctum,” she said. “What is it?”

Viridian looked up at Celestia. “It’s an underground city for the outcast eutherians who sided with Nightmare Moon during her revolution,” she explained.

Aunt Celestia’s eyes widened a bit. She then turned to me. “Is that where you were?” she asked.

“It’s where that hole led and it’s where I was imprisoned by their queen,” I explained. “Me, Princess Zecora, and young Mi Amore Cadenza.”+

Celestia didn’t react to that name, despite me telling her about the future alicorn Princess of Love. She leaned back and scowled. “That hole that opened couldn’t have led to an underground city under Canterlot,” she said. “All that’s under Canterlot is an abandoned mineshaft, and that’s all been explored.”

“Your Highness,” Viridian said, looking up at my aunt with a serious expression, “Silver Sanctum can only be reached through the Tenebra, just like how my entourage and I got here along with His Highness Prince Blueblood and those with him.”

“But that begs the question as to how they got to this Silver Sanctum in the first place,” Celestia pondered.

“I didn’t see anything after I woke up that looked like the Tenebra,” I said. “Perhaps it was a magical portal of some sort. A natural one between Canterlot and the cave we found ourselves in.” If that one episode of Equestria Girls was correct, natural portals between worlds did happen. I did know that Star Swirl had made a mirror portal similar to the one in the show, though.

Celestia nodded. “Perhaps.” She turned to Viridian. “What is Silver Sanctum like?”

“I can show you, actually,” I said as I held up my hand and cast a spell I had recently mastered, a memory recall one. Above the table, a large magical projection appeared, showing the view that I had seen of Silver Sanctum from the crevice where Zecora and I had slipped through.

Viridian looked at the projection not with surprise, but with longing. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she asked.

Celestia was looking at the projection with a frown. “Those purple stones,” she said, “what are those called?”

“Moonstone,” Viridian said. “It’s quite common down there. It provides us with light, warmth, and fresh air.”

“You don’t have any plants down there?” I asked.

“We do,” Viridian explained as she slowly began to return to her seat after seeing that Spike had calmed down in my arms, “but we don’t have many. We do have a garden in the palace, but a lot of those plants glow with multiple colors.”

Celestia leaned back, thumb and forefinger on her chin as if in deep thought. “Moonstone…glowing plants…impossibly big city…”

“Is something coming to your mind, auntie?” I asked.

Aunt Celestia didn’t reply right away. However, when she did, her eyes were wide. “How could I have forgotten?” she muttered.

That didn’t sound good. “Auntie?” I asked.

She shook herself and looked down at me. “Sorry, I was just lost in a memory,” she said as she reached over and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “Suffice to say, I know where this Silver Sanctum is, now.”

The eutherians from Silver Sanctum stiffened a bit at her tone. Because the way Celestia said it was full of anger. Viridian spoke up. “Your Highness, please don’t hurt the innocents in Silver Sanctum if you do find a way there,” she pleaded. “Many of the eutherians there are only guilty of being angry at you. Many just want to live their lives without the persecution they fear they would face here.”

Aunt Celestia slowly turned to Viridian, and when their eyes locked, the former’s eyes softened. “I will not do any harm to any of the citizens of Silver Sanctum who are innocent in the false imprisonment of my nephew. Princess Zecora, and young Miss Cadenza,” she promised, “but whoever did imprison my nephew and the others will pay.”

Viridian looked a bit uncomfortable, but slowly nodded. “My sister, Queen Dawn Star,” she said. “She’s the one who threw them in the dungeons. And there may be other Equestrians who are imprisoned, too. I cannot be sure of that, however.”

“I understand,” Aunt Celestia said, “and thank you for telling me this.”

“These eutherians…are you absolutely sure they are the ones who you believe will invade?” Captain Strongheart asked. He had been remarkably silent during the conversation.

“Yes,” I said, “so there shouldn’t be any sort of shadows around the town’s outer walls.”

“We have preparations against shadow walkers,” he said.

At that moment, the door to the kitchen opened and a few pony maids came in with platters full of delicious smelling food. Celestia looked around the table. “For now, though, let’s try not to think about such things and eat. I’m sure my nephew will tell us about the escape afterwards, right?”

I looked up at her, nodding. “I will. But first, I’m starving. I haven’t eaten a good meal in a while.”

“Then let us enjoy the delicious food prepared for us,” Fancy Feet said. And with that, everyone at the table was served and we dug in.

“The pegasus filly has a fever,” the town healer said some time before sunset after giving everyone who had come with me to the house a brief examination. “The zebra filly is in better health now, although she wants her family and friends at the moment. As for the eutherians, as far as I can tell, they’re all healthy.”

“And my nephew?” Aunt Celestia asked, looking down at me.

I was standing just outside of Cadance’s room with Spike sitting on my shoulders as he sucked on his tail, a nervous habit he had yet to break. I had just woken up from a long nap that I had taken after breakfast. Rather, I had slept from ten in the morning until a half hour before sunset. I had been woken when the healer had come to check on me briefly. The healer looked at me and smiled. “Oh, don’t worry about him,” he said, “he’s as healthy as a horse, as he said while I was examining him.”

My aunt breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank Harmony,” she muttered before she looked back at the healer. “The pegasus filly…how can she heal?”

“She needs to eat light foods for the next few days to regain her strength,” the healer said. “It may take her a few months to regain her ability to fly.”

Celestia looked at the door that led to the room where Cadance was sleeping comfortably after being cleaned and treated. “Did you find any other signs of mistreatment other than lack of nutrition?” she asked. “Especially…mistreatment of that sort.”

I knew what she meant, but I pretended to play dumb as the healer shook his head. “Nothing of that sort, Your Highness, thank the goddesses.”

Aunt Celestia looked even more relieved. “Please keep an eye on her, then,” she said. “When will she and young Princess Zecora be well enough to travel to Canterlot?”

The healer frowned, considering. “Princess Zecora can travel back at any time,” he said, “but as for the young pegasus filly, I don’t know for certain. I would say perhaps a week, and even then it would need to be by carriage on the ground. I don’t think it would help her to travel by carriage by air.”

My aunt nodded. “Okay, thank you. I’ll leave you back to treating them.”

Afterwards, the two of us were walking down the halls towards the stairs that led to the front door. She looked over at me as we reached the top of the stairs. “Dear nephew, I need to speak to you alone outside.”

“No!” Spike exclaimed, holding onto my head, “I wanna stay wif big bwudda!”

Out of nowhere, Buttercup appeared, smiling down at the small dragon. “Don’t worry, little Spike,” she said as she turned to my aunt. “Your brother isn’t going anywhere. Princess Celestia won’t let anypony hurt him.”

Aunt Celestia smiled down at Spike reassuringly. “Buttercup is right,” she said. “Your big brother won’t be taken away again. I promise.”

Spike looked nervous, but allowed himself to be picked up by Buttercup. “Come on,” she said to the young drake, “I think they have a few of those new treats.”

“Donuts?” Spike asked eagerly, seeming to instantly forget his fear.

“Don’t let him eat too many,” I called out, “it’s almost time for bed.”

“I won’t, Your Highness,” Buttercup said reassuringly as the two headed down stairs.

My aunt and I watched him go, and then I smiled a bit. “Children can forget their worries at the promise of sweets so easily,” I muttered with a bemused expression.

“Bluey, you’re still a child even if you lived as an adult in a past life,” my aunt said as she put a hand on my straw blonde mane. “Now then, let’s head outside. We need to talk.”

The sun was just beginning to set, and from what I had been told, there were a number of rain showers, some heavy and with thunder, coming in through the night, but that wouldn’t start until a couple of hours after sunset. The Lord Protector’s manor sat on a hill overlooking Ponyshire. The town itself looked cozy and snug in its valley location next to the massive Everfree Forest. I could just see this place being a picturesque Christmas card back on Earth.

An evening breeze picked up and I shuddered. Instantly my aunt wrapped me up in one of her wings and pulled me close. “Let’s sit down over there,” she said, pointing over to one of the large wooden benches in a nearby garden.

As we approached, I drank in all of the details of the manor. It was surrounded by its own protective stone wall and had a personal gate that led into the village itself. Unlike other manor estates that I had learned about, this one didn’t have a moat, but there were a few watchtowers and a gatehouse next to the personal gate. To the west of the manor there lay a large field of crops that were for the personal use of Lord Fancy Feet and the staff in the manor itself. There was also the lord’s forest, a pond that was undoubtedly used in summer to cool off, and a green meadow where I saw some sheep being tended to by a few ovitaur and even a minotaur shepherd. They were being herded to the sheepfold at the moment. Near the manor house itself was a stable where I could see several horses being tended to by a few earth pony stablehands, one last check and feeding before the stables were ready for the night.

We reached the wooden bench and sat down. The setting sun was partially hidden behind a tree that was just in the line of sight of the bench at the moment. The bench also had a perfect view of the town below. I watched as ponies came and went, talking, laughing, heading home for the evening, and in the foal’s cases, still playing, especially in the village green or in front of houses in the residential areas. The marketplace just beginning to close, with outdoor stalls being closed and struck. I watched an earth pony stallion sampling a flower from a stall that was still open, chewing on it thoughtfully. That nearly made me laugh. I could eat flowers, now, and it was definitely an experience. I knew that humans could eat certain flowers, but it wasn’t done as often as it was in Equestria.

My thoughts came to a screeching halt when my aunt spoke. “I didn’t expect that you would find Cadance,” she said. “And as a pegasus only, no less.”

I looked up at my aunt, who still had her wing around me as she looked down at me with a small but wry smile. I shrugged. “Neither was I,” I said, “but maybe there’s a reason I found her.”

“Maybe,” my aunt said. She reached out and stroked my mane. After breakfast, I had taken a brief bath to clean up. Spike had insisted on joining me for it despite him already having had one earlier that morning, according to Buttercup. “What’s that phrase you’ve used before? Thank…God? Yes. Thank God that you’re okay.”

I chuckled a bit. “You should thank Shadow, too,” I said. “I don’t know how he got into my shadow when Zecora and I fell, but if he hadn’t, I might probably still be in that dungeon. Not only that, but we got extremely lucky during our escape.”

“I’m sure that the two of us can reward Shadow in a way that’s appropriate for his actions,” she said. Then her smile faded. “Stephen…what happened?”

I paused. She never used my Earth name unless she was extremely serious about something, and never when we were in public. “Well…a lot, to be honest,” I said. “Honestly, I’m still trying to process it.” I leaned back, putting my hand on Crescent’s pommel.

Foolish foal, Crescent said the moment I touched her, thy aunt knows about a certain action taken by thee upon the beginning of thy escape.

“Did my sister’s sword just talk with you?” Celestia asked. My eyes widened, but I simply nodded. She smiled sadly, then held out a hand to her side. There was a flash, and then a belt appeared on her side. A large sword appeared at her side. This one, unlike Crescent Moon, was mostly gold save for the dark crimson grip. The pommel was a disc that had my aunt’s cutie mark on it, and when she drew it halfway out, I saw that the blade itself was gold. There was a pink gem encrusted into the hilt near the guard, and the blade itself radiated heat.

We have not been in the presence of our sister in ages, Crescent hissed.

I looked at the massive sword. On a normal pony, it would have to be wielded with two hands, but I could tell that my aunt could use it with one hand alone. She might not have visible muscles, but as she was an alicorn, she had earth pony strength. Not only that, but I knew she regularly trained with the sword and other weapons daily. “Crescent Moon’s sister,” I muttered.

”Yes,” she said. She drew it completely and held it up. “This is Solar Flare, sister blade of Crescent Moon. I wielded her when I fought with your Aunt Luna. And she and I have lived with the guilt of fighting them.”

Not enough guilt to free our wielder, we see, Crescent said bitterly.

I glared at the sword. “If Aunt Celestia could have freed your wielder, don’t you think she would have?”

Celestia looked at the sword, then back at me. “I have tried, Crescent,” she said somberly. “I have even contemplated giving up my own immortality, but that would have only lasted a year before the spell the Elements cast would have forced her back. Please believe me, if I had the choice to bring her back now, I would.”

“Even then, it wouldn’t be an ideal situation,” I said. “She would still be Nightmare Moon. She would still try to bring about eternal night, which I must tell you would kill every living creature on the planet.”

Not so, Crescent said. Our wielder had plans to keep Equestria safe from adverse effects!

And what about the rest of the world? a new voice asked. Sister, what about the rest of the world? How would they fare?

There was a pause, and then Crescent spoke again, but this time it was in a voice of disbelief. Sol…is that really thee?

Hello, Cressie, the new voice said. This voice was deeper and older, similar to how Celestia’s voice was deeper than Luna’s. It’s been far too long since we spoke, hasn’t it?

Indeed, Crescent said. The last time we spoke to thee, we believe thy words were, ‘We shall see thee punished for this act of betrayal!’ or something to that effect.

I winced, and I saw my aunt do the same. Clearly, the two of us were somehow privy to this conversation. I heard Solar Flare sigh somberly. I regret those words, she said with what sounded like a sniff, and I regret how the two of us lost touch with one another. For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry for everything.

I tightened my grip on Crescent’s pommel, and that caught the lunar sword’s attention. We may not feel pain like thee, young one, she said, but relax thy grip on us.

“Sorry,” I said instinctively as I forced my hand to relax, “but I don’t think your sister wants to fight you.”

Only because she knows we would pummel her into the earth were our rightful wielder here, Crescent boasted, but I could hear some uncertainty in the ‘voice’.

Solar chuckled softly, and it was a chuckle full of a large range of emotions. Amusement, jocularity, guilt, and regret, just to name a few. You may be surprised, Solar said, but I don’t want to fight you or your wielder. My wielder and I never did.

“I made grave errors in judgement when it came to your wielder, Crescent,” Aunt Celestia said sadly, dabbing at an eye with her personal handkerchief, “and just as much so when it came to the treatment of eutherians after her banishment. I may not have participated, but I also didn’t do enough to stop them. Both have been two of my biggest regrets in my rule. All I want is to have my sister back and to fix the wrongs of the past.”

Nobody spoke for a while. Slowly, I began to feel something ease. I realized that it was the anger towards Aunt Celestia that I had felt emanating from the sword at my hip. Thy words are…ones we wish to believe, Crescent said, and we can sense that our temporary wielder believes thee, too. Still, we anticipate that it shall take us time to fully trust thee again. We trust thy understanding in this matter to be absolute.

“Trust is earned, I know,” Aunt Celestia said. “I think your temporary wielder will be able to share this with you.”

Not just him, Solar said, but now that our old line of communication is open again, I can share everything my wielder has done. I would never lie to you, sister.

Crescent paused, seeming to consider things. Then the exposed blade at my side flashed a dark blue. Understood, she said, we await thy reassurances.

Speaking of, I have something of yours, Solar said, flashing in return. Instantly, a large scabbard appeared between me and my aunt, leaning against the bench.

I felt Crescent’s mood improving greatly. Our scabbard! she exclaimed. Quickly, foal, place us in our proper resting place!

“Hold your horses,” I said as I carefully drew Crescent before placing her in the scabbard.

Just like she had done before, the scabbard shrank to fit her new smaller form. When the shrinking stopped, I placed the scabbard on my belt and rested my hand back on Crescent’s pommel. We feel more complete now than we have in ages, Crescent said the moment I touched her pommel again.

Having your scabbard back does wonders for our nonexistent skin, Solar joked. Mistress, young prince, I hope you won’t mind if the two of us temporarily shut you out so we can talk in private?

“Not at all,” my aunt said.

I removed my hand from Crescent’s pommel, and her presence seemed to go silent. In fact, both swords vanished in the same manner as Solar appeared. Despite that, though, I could tell that Crescent was still attached to me, even if the weight was gone.

The moment both swords vanished, my aunt pulled me closer. “Nephew,” she began in a worried tone once more, “did you use Crescent when…?”

Instantly, I knew what she had been hinting at earlier. While I had told the story of my impromptu adventure after breakfast, I had deliberately left out how I had killed my jailer. I didn’t want Spike hearing about that so early. He was an impressionable young dragon. Plus, I felt shame at having to kill. Maybe it was childish of me to think so because it was either him or me, but that irrational thought still lingered. I shook my head. “I used…I used a dagger I borrowed from Shadow,” I explained.

She wrapped me closer in her wings. “Tell me,” she said.

It hadn’t been an order. Hell, it hadn’t been a request. It had been a plea. A plea which tugged at my heartstrings. At that moment, I broke. All of the emotions I had been keeping buried so as not to make anyone else panic came bubbling to the surface. I buried my face into my aunt’s clothes and began to ugly sob. She sat me in her lap and stroked my back and mane with her hands as I let out all of my emotions. I tried to speak, but anytime I did, the memory of what I had done came rushing to the forefront of my mind.

A part of me was embarrassed for how I was reacting, but the vast majority of me didn’t care. I needed this. I might have been an adult mentally, but I had come from a land where I had only been a commoner in this world’s terminology. I hadn’t needed to worry about things that I needed to deal with here. I clung to her tightly, letting my tears flow.

Minutes passed, although it felt like hours. When I was finished, I sat on my aunt’s lap while she cleaned the tears and the inevitable snot from my face. My cheeks were red from not just the exertion of crying, but from a bit of embarrassment at having made my aunt’s clothing dirty. “I-I’m sorry about your clothes,” I said.

My aunt simply waved a hand dismissively and put the handkerchief away. “A little bit of damp like that never hurt any clothes permanently,” she said reassuringly.

I looked up at her, letting myself be more vulnerable. “Does…does the pain go away?”

“No,” she replied, “not completely. I pray to Harmony every day that it doesn’t, because if it did, that would stop me from being a pony in every good sense of the word. And as for your next question, it never should get easier to kill. I mourn the loss of each and every life I’ve taken. There’s a monument that only I know of where I have hand carved the names of those whose lives I’ve ended into a stone pillar. I visit it every year and read the names.”

I had a suspicion that was what she would say. Still, it didn’t make me feel any better. “I see,” I said, my voice cracking slightly.

My aunt held me closer than before, her warm embrace tender and loving. “I hoped you’d never have to endure that pain, or at the very least not have to experience it for many years yet,” she said apologetically, “but now that you have, I will do everything I can to help you heal.”

I smiled softly and leaned in closer to her tender embrace. “Thanks, auntie,” I said gratefully. “And Cadance?”

“I will bring her into the palace as well,” my aunt promised as she leaned down and gave my forehead a kiss. “Now then, I know you slept already today, but you should probably get some more sleep.”

Despite the long nap I had taken before, I yawned. “I guess I still need some extra sleep,” I nodded.

“Come on,” she said as she stood, “Lord Fancy Feet has prepared a room for you and Spike to share.”

“I think Spike would like that,” I said. “Poor guy looked so happy to see me.”

Aunt Celestia smiled sadly. “Nopony could calm him down after you disappeared.”

“Well then, let’s get him to bed before he devours too many donuts,” I said. And with that, the two of us headed inside.

I woke up early that next morning at exactly 1:14 A.M. I knew this because I looked at the slightly glowing clock on the wall in front of me. Spike was curled up next to me, clinging to me tightly as if I would disappear again. Outside, I could hear the predicted rain battering against the window. The blinds had been drawn thanks to the extra light that came from the precautions the towns guard were taking against possible eutherian invaders.

“Gotta pee,” I muttered to myself as I slowly and very gently pried Spike off of me. I cast a small dark red light spell to keep my night vision and to help me see in the dark on my way to the privy.

After I finished my business, I walked back quietly to my room and walked in. To my dismay, Spike was awake and sitting up in bed, looking around with a fearful expression on his face. When he saw me entering, he froze, but after a few seconds, recognition lit on his face. I ran over to him, sitting on the bed next to him as he crawled over and clung to me. “Where were you, Big Bwudda?” Spike asked with a trembling voice.

“Just had to use the privy, kiddo,” I said softly. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“I thought you went away again,” Spike said fearfully.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized, my heart breaking a bit for the poor traumatized dragon hatchling. “I’m not going anywhere. Now then, we should get back to sleep-”

Nay! Sleep may not come for thee at the present time! Crescent’s voice echoed sharply in my head.

I looked over at where Crescent Moon lay on a nearby table. I was surprised that she could communicate with me despite me not touching her. I kept my expression neutral and my body language relaxed as I thought The fuck are you talking about?

Dispense with thy foul tongue, child, Crescent hissed in my mind, for trouble brews just outside of this little hamlet of thine!

This time I couldn’t keep my body from stiffening, something Spike noticed. “Big Bwudda?” he asked.

“Just a moment, Spike,” I said as I stood up and walked over to the smaller sword, grabbing it by the belt and touching the scabbard. What’s going on? I demanded.

The enemy is approaching the gates sooner than anypony anticipated, Crescent said. Solar Flare hath alerted her wielder. Her tone then softened considerably. We apologize for interrupting the moment with thy adopted sibling, but time must not be wasted. Queen Dawn Star is coming.

14: Night Talks

“I should be out there,” Viridian said before yawning again a half hour later after my aunt left to deal with the eutherians who had appeared at the outer gates of Ponyshire. “I must speak with my sister at once!”

“Your Highness, please think,” Misty insisted as she tried to placate the young princess who was standing at the window which overlooked the town, “your sister might very well start a fight and in the process you may very well die.”

“She has a point,” I said as took a sip of the warm sweet milk that the maid who was tasked with tending to our needs had given us. I was dressed in fresh clothes, albeit clothes that were more common than I was used to thanks in part to a lack of regal clothes just lying around. Spike looked more like a royal than I did in that moment, and he was back in bed wearing his normal pajamas. “We’re foals, Princess. We got very lucky when we escaped. Now? Your sister has an army just outside the walls. I’m pretty sure the only reason why she hasn’t attacked is because Aunt Celestia is there, and she’s a powerhouse.”

I had seen my aunt’s enchanted golden armor in the castle’s armory the few times I had snuck in to check it out. The armor was ancient but it radiated magic. When she left, she had been actually wearing it, with Solar Flare strapped to her belt and a custom made helmet in her hand. She had the look of a seasoned warrior in that moment, and I knew that this was not the same Celestia as the show. She might be a master politician, but she also knew when to take action. She had a steely look in her eyes even when she told me to be safe.

Viridian turned to me, her eyes ablaze with fierce determination. “My sister is not one to listen to reason from anypony who she doesn’t like,” she said. “Especially Princess Celestia.”

“Maybe,” I conceded, “but my aunt hasn’t kept the peace in Equestria for a thousand years without learning how to deal with unreasonable foreign diplomats or rulers.” Even as I said that, however, I felt worry creeping up inside me. Would she be able to deescalate the situation? I certainly hoped so. I rested my hand on Crescent Moon’s pommel and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Thy thoughts betray thee, young whelp, the sword said. Thy worry is clear.

I briefly nodded. I don’t know how tonight’s going to go, I said.

Our sister blade is the blade of a warrior, she replied in an unusual gesture of praise. She will not fail so easily.

That makes me feel a whooole lot better, I thought sardonically.

Patience, young one, she said. Thy aunt the princess is no fool. Even if she could not defeat our wielder without the elements, she is more than a match in strength and power against these intruders.

I knew she was right, but that still didn’t make me feel any less worried. I removed my hand from the pommel and looked up where Viridian was now seated in a chair in the large parlor, arms crossed and pouting in a remarkably cute way. “If I could just let them see my face and tell them that I’m okay, maybe things won’t get any worse,” she said with yet another yawn.

“She may very well claim that we coerced you into saying that,” I cautioned her gently. “I don’t know your sister well, but that strikes me as something she’d do if it meant getting her way. She seems to be the type who hates us surface dwellers.”

Viridian took a sip of her milk and sighed. Misty nodded. “He’s right, Your Highness,” she said. “Your sister won’t believe what you say and even if we return to their side, she’ll likely invade here as revenge now that Silver Sanctum is known.”

“All of her plans are moot,” Twilit said.

“She may try something rash,” Gloom added.

Viridian put her cup down and inhaled deeply, sighing heavily. “Okay, I understand,” she said with resignation, “but I still don’t like just sitting here.” She gestured to the outer walls which were lit up brightly with either fires or magical lights. “They definitely brought the Vespertilio with them. They could somehow have found a way in.”

“The Lord Protector and the Princess have placed a few eutherian guards in the Umbral just in case of that possibility,” Buttercup, who had woken during the commotion and who was keeping a watch over us, said. “They’re around the house keeping watch.”

“I hope that will be enough,” Viridian said softly, once more taking a sip of sweet milk. She looked at the beverage. “Do you really drink this to help sleep?” she asked.

I nodded. “It always does the trick for me whenever I’m stressed about something,” I said. Not that I had as much to be stressed about ever since my official adoption. Mostly schoolwork or dealing with young Spike. Still, it always did the trick. Almost always. This time, it wasn’t working as well as before.

Viridian swallowed the rest then put the cup down. “I’m going to bed,” she said. “Let’s hope that Princess Celestia and Lord Fancy Feet can diffuse the situation.”

“I know she can,” I said as I took another sip of my milk before feigning a tired yawn. “Sleep well, Your Highness.”

“You as well, Your Highness,” Viridian replied before she, her guards, and her personal maid walked out of the room, leaving me alone with my silent guardian Shadow Hunt, who had been standing behind me, arms stoically behind his back as he kept watch over me.

When we were alone, I looked up at him, then scooted over on the couch where I had been seated and patted it invitingly. Shadow hesitated, but another, harder pat made my point clear. He walked over and sat next to me. I then turned and gestured for Buttercup to come sit, and she walked over with the same grace and poise she had demonstrated in her years of service to the crown. “Your Highness?” Shadow asked.

“Shadow, drop the act for now,” I ordered. “Right now, you’re my friend.”

He nodded slowly and I saw him visibly relax. Still, he couldn’t completely get rid of his worry as he looked down at me. “Blue,” he said in a softer tone, “shouldn’t you be getting back to bed?”

“I slept for most of the day as it is,” I said before taking a sip of the milk. “Right now I’m not tired.” Which was true enough. My body was out of sync with the day/night cycle and I should probably go back and try and go back to sleep, but I couldn’t really practice what I preach. I was too worried. I looked out of the window opposite the couch, gazing at the bright lights on the horizon where the town’s outer and inner walls were.

Shadow, however, knew me better than that, and despite me being older mentally, I obviously hadn’t hidden my worry as well as I’d hoped. Damn child body of mine. “You’re worried,” he stated.

“Of course I am,” I acknowledged, making sure not to sound snippy, “but I guess you’re right, I should get to sleep, but not yet.” I held up the cup. “Gotta finish this, first.”

Shadow shook his head with a small but wry smile. “Excuses, excuses,” he chided me.

I gave him a playful but friendly glare. “Worrywart,” I teased. “You’re turning into an old maid.”

“I resent that remark, Your Highness,” Buttercup said with a frown, but I could see the twinkle in her eye.

“Why?” I asked innocently. “You’re not old. You’re still young. I bet if you wanted, you could still have many more calves.”

She looked aghast at that, but I could tell she was playing with me. I had officially gotten ‘The Talk’ in regards to how ponies worked. For the most part, things were the same although I had learned I would have to deal with the estrus season when I began reaching maturity. Not that I would experience it as a stallion, but I would have to be around mares during early spring to early fall. “Mind your tongue, young colt,” she chastised me. “I would hate to have to report to the princess what you had to say in her absence.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I replied.

“Still, young Shadow is correct,” she said. “You should be going to bed soon.”

“When I finish this, I will,” I promised, holding up the cup that was still half full.

“And no stalling, either,” she said. “Don’t drink too fast, but don’t stall.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I repeated as I took a larger gulp of the milk.

“Prince Blueblood?”

Shadow and I turned to see the newcomer rubbing her eyes tiredly as she looked at me. I stood and looked with some concern at the young pegasus filly who’d interrupted our conversation. “Cadance? Why are you up?”

“Had to go potty,” she said, “and I heard you talking.” She saw the cup in my hand. “What’s that?”

“Warm sweet milk,” I replied before I turned to Buttercup. “Fetch her a cup.”

“At once, Your Highness,” the holstaur said as she stood and hurried to the kitchen.

I scooted over, patting the other side of the couch invitingly. “Why don’t you sit down?” I suggested.

Cadance did so and her eyes widened when she felt the comfortable couch. She rubbed her hands along it. “This is comfy,” she observed as she leaned back.

“Made of the finest quality materials, I believe,” I said. “Enjoy it, because I believe you’ll experience more of it in Canterlot.”

Her light purple eyes widened at that. “I’m…going to Canterlot?” she asked in what sounded like disbelief.

I chuckled. “My aunt told me she’s going to let you stay at the palace for a while,” I explained. What I wasn’t going to say was that she would have a permanent place there as a ward of the crown. There was no way she was sending Cadance to the orphanage despite its larger funding. After all, she was an alicorn candidate. Whether or not she ascended was another matter, but at the very least Aunt Celestia wanted to give her a loving and caring home. And the fact that she could treat Cadance like another daughter alongside the tomboyish Sunset had absolutely nothing to do with it, nope, I thought wryly.

My aunt and Sunset had formed a bond rather fast, but Sunset was more of a tomboy, so my aunt couldn’t do many feminine things with the rambunctious filly. Cadance, on the other hand, was likely to be more feminine in attitude, at least if my memory of the show version of her was accurate.

Cadance looked stunned by the revelation, and hardly noticed when Buttercup came back and offered the cup of sweet milk to the young filly. She took it, sipped, then looked at me. “Princess Celestia…says I can live in Canterlot Palace?”

I nodded with a smile. It felt nice giving good news to the poor girl. “We’ll head there soon,” I promised.

She smiled, and I thought it was the cutest smile I’d seen on anyone. She took another sip of the sweet milk, then looked at it. “Wow…this is sweet milk?” she asked.

I nodded. “Some of the richest sweet milk in Ponyshire.”

She smiled a bit sadly. “Mother always added water to our sweet milk,” she said. “She said it was healthier for me.”

I shrugged, figuring that Cadance’s parents had watered down their milk to save money. “I see,” I said, not wanting to step on the sore subject of her parents’ deaths.

She nodded and took another sip. “Delicious,” she said.

“If you think that’s delicious, just wait until you taste what the palace cooks can make,” I said. “They make the best meals for Harvestbring.” Harvestbring was this world’s apparent equivalent of a Thanksgiving. “And the bakers make the best sweets.”

“Do they make sugarplums?” Cadance asked. “Mother always made those for Hearth’s Warming.”

“They do, as well as peppermint sticks, hot cinnamon chocolate, cakes, and all of the other Hearth’s Warming treats.” I smiled. “Aunt Celestia even helps bake.”

Cadance’s eyes widened. “She does?” she asked incredulously.

“Of course!” I smiled fondly at the memory of my first Hearth’s Warming in the palace. Aunt Celestia had gone a bit overboard in helping bake, much to the consternation of the kitchen staff. She was an excellent baker, that much was clear, but when it came to other forms of cooking, well, being the Princess of the Sun seemed to work against her in that regard. She burned a lot, and although she had improved in the years since, she still was learning. “Her pancakes are the best!”

“Mother would make pancakes for us sometimes,” Cadance said, putting the cup down. “They were yummy, too.”

I didn’t need to be a changeling to know that she was finally coming to grips with her parents’ death. I scooted over and, in a move that surprised her, I wrapped my arms around her. Her wings shot up in surprise, and I felt her body stiffen. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

That did it. The waterworks came and she wrapped her arms and wings around me. She buried her head into my neck and clung to me as she sobbed. Buttercup came over and rubbed her back tenderly while Shadow sat on the couch, awkwardly looking away. “Mommy…Daddy…” she said between sobs,

I let her get all of her emotions out, and after about ten minutes I felt her body go slack. Looking at her, I saw that she had fallen asleep in my arms. I smiled sadly down at her, then looked up at Buttercup. “Do you mind taking her back to her room?”

“Of course not, Your Highness,” she replied, reaching down and lifting the young pegasus filly easily. “Poor filly,” she whispered softly. As she walked away, I could hear the older holstaur singing a beautiful lullaby to the filly. It was one that she sometimes sang to Spike before he fell asleep.

When she left, it was just me and Shadow alone. I stood and slowly walked over to the window, looking out at the outer walls of Ponyshire where, no doubt, my aunt was trying to negotiate with the eutherians from Silver Sanctum. Shadow stood and walked up to stand next to me. “Bit for your thoughts,” he said.

I put my hands behind my back, trying my best to look imperious, but somehow I doubted that I did. “I’m just worried about my aunt,” I admitted.

“Princess Celestia can handle anything the enemy throws at her,” the young eutherian colt said confidently. “No need to worry, Your Highness.”

“I’ll try,” I said. “I’ll really try.”

The two of us stood in silence for a while, and even when Buttercup returned and reported that the young filly was asleep, I just nodded, thanked her, and went back to staring out of the window.

After a while, I walked away, grabbed the now cool cup of sweet milk and drained it. I sighed, stretched, and yawned. “There’s not much we can do here,” I said. “My aunt can handle-”

Just then, Misty came rushing in, eyes wide with fear and alarm. When she saw me, she straightened and tried to make herself look a bit more presentable, but it was clear that she was frantic. “Have you seen Princess Viridian anywhere in the past few minutes?” she asked.

Alarm bells went off in my head. “No, I haven’t. Mrs. Buttercup? Shadow?”

Both answered in the negative. Misty’s ears drooped in worry. “That willful girl…”

“Is everything okay? What happened?” Buttercup asked softly.

Misty shook her head. “I went to check on Her Highness before I retired for the evening a few minutes ago, and I know I put her to bed,” she explained, “but she wasn’t there. Neither was she in the privy!”

My eyes went wide, any exhaustion banished by the surge of adrenaline. “Where have you looked?” I asked quickly.

“The entire second floor and some parts of the first floor,” she replied hastily. She held her head in her hands. “I was a fool to leave her alone. She is a willful foal…”

“Take it easy,” Buttercup said reassuringly, “we’ll help you look for her.” She turned to me. “With your permission, Your Highness.”

“You don’t need to ask me for that,” I said. “Tell the Head Maid and alert the outside guards know to be on the lookout for a young eutherian filly.”

Five minutes later, the house was lit up and several of the maids, all ponies I absently noted, were searching for the princess. The guards had been notified as well and were searching for her. I admired their discipline and made a note to commend the Lord Protector when this was all over.

However, it was only after ten minutes that a stray thought crossed my mind. I knew that the Lord Protector had a few eutherian guards, all of whom had been assigned to the Umbral to keep watch for any enemies who might come in through that way. I began to fear that they may have been taken out by some of the enemy forces and that they may have kidnapped Viridian.

I turned and walked back to the room where Viridian had been sleeping. When I reached the room, I turned to Shadow. “Your parents once told me that if someone who knew the tracking spell was in the Umbral, it would likely work, correct?” I asked.

Shadow nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but then his eyes widened in realization. “Your Highness, you can’t be serious,” he said in a more formal tone of protest.

“The other eutherian guards haven’t reported in, yet,” I said, cursing myself for not thinking about that, “and you’re the only one here. If the princess has been kidnapped by enemy soldiers, I may be able to track her.” I rushed over to the bed and touched the crystal torch sconce next to the head of the bed. It came on and I began searching for something of hers, a stray hair, some fur, anything.

To my relief, I found a few strands of her hair and held them in my hand. When I looked back, I saw that Misty, Twilit, Gloom, and Buttercup were in the room as well. Misty looked anxiously at me. “Did you find something?” she asked.

“Not yet,” I said, then held up the strands of hair, “but if I can cast the tracking spell using these, I may be able to find her. Especially if she’s in the Umbral.”

Misty’s eyes went wide with alarm at that statement. Twilit’s and Gloom’s faces hardened at that, and Buttercup looked at me with a worried look. “Your Highness,” the holstaur said, “are you sure that’s necessary? Surely there’s somepony else here who can cast that spell.”

“I won’t go into the Umbral without first checking to see if I can track her here,” I said. I raised my hand and my sky blue magic glowed around the hand and one of the hair follicles. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I wished Sunset was here at the moment because she was better at the tracking spell than I was at present. Still, I focused on trying to establish the link between the hair and their former owner. I poured more magic into the hair when nothing happened. After a few moments, I stopped casting the spell, watching the hair follicle cease to glow. Even if she had been dead, I would have been able to find her, but if she was in the Umbral…

“Shadow, take me into the Umbral,” I ordered.

“Your Highness, please reconsider!” Buttercup pleaded in a desperate attempt to stop me.

“Are there any other unicorns here who can cast the tracking spell?” I asked.

“I-I’d have to ask around, but-”

“The longer we wait, the less effective the spell becomes,” I explained, “especially if she’s getting farther away from here.”

Buttercup didn’t look too happy, but she eventually nodded. “As you command, Your Highness,” she said, “but please be careful. And you,” she added, looking pointedly at Shadow, “make sure you protect him at all costs.”

“Always, Mrs. Buttercup,” he replied as he turned off the lamp sconce and then put a hand on my shoulder. “Ready, Your Highness?”

“Ready,” I confirmed.

He stared straight ahead, and I could feel the process begin again. The others watched in silence as Shadow and I vanished into the Umbral. The moment we passed in, I saw the typical color shift around us, the muted colors, the enhanced visual acuity, and the brightness of our surroundings increasing. I looked around the room, seeing nothing that hadn’t been there before. I closed my eyes and focused once more on the tracking spell. At first, nothing happened. Then, I got a hit. It was faint, but it was there. I poured more magic into the spell, and the trace grew stronger. The lock I got showed that she was moving away from the house.

I opened my eyes quickly, dissipating the magic. I looked up at Shadow. “Found her. Bring me back.”

When I reappeared and turned the sconce light back on, the look of relief on Buttercup’s face was the first thing I saw. The looks on the other three mares showed anxiety. I looked at them and braced myself. “She’s in the Umbral,” I said, “and moving away from the house.”

Misty’s eyes went wide with terror. “Somepony must have foalnapped her!” she shouted in fear.

At that moment, I made a decision. Maybe it was the impetuousness of youth overriding my adult sense of judgement. Maybe it was my worry for the safety of the young filly. Maybe it was some sort of influence from Crescent Moon. Maybe it was a mixture of some of them or all three combined. I straightened and looked at Buttercup. “Fetch me a horse at once,” I said, using my best regal tone.

Buttercup’s eyes went wide in alarm. “Your Highness, what are you planning?” she asked.

“I’m going after her,” I explained.

“Not alone, you’re not,” Gloom said, stepping forward. “We’re coming with you.”

“She is our princess,” Twilit said with just as serious a look as her sister.

I looked at them carefully, then sighed. “Shadow,” I said, “check to see where the eutherian guards are right now.”

Shadow nodded and stepped back, spreading his wings, opening the locked window, flew out, then vanished into thin air when he was far enough away.

Misty was beside herself with worry as she began pacing back and forth, her wings fluttering every so often. “I can’t believe I was so foolish,” she muttered as she paced. “I should have been here when she disappeared…”

Moments later, Shadow came flying back in, eyes wide in alarm. “Your Highness, there’s trouble!” he exclaimed.

“What is it?” I tensed up at his tone.

“All of the eutherian guards are fighting with some cloaked ponies in the Umbral!” he said with eyes as wide as saucers.

Misty was immediately next to me. “Were those cloaks black with dark blue fringe and were they wearing necklaces with glowing purple crystals?” she asked. When she nodded, Misty’s expression darkened. “The Vespertilio. The queen brought them.”

“They must have slipped into the city somehow,” Twilit said.

“But how?” Gloom asked. “Those lights should have kept them away.”

“Unless they came into the city before night,” Misty suggested. “Those crystals can let them walk most anywhere without the need for a shadow, but only for about an hour.”

I looked at Shadow. “Did you see any of the enemy down?” I asked.

“Two that I could see were lying down,” Shadow said. “I think they were killed.”

“Good,” I said. “Go back and grab their necklaces.”

Shadow didn’t even hesitate. He saluted, flew back out, and was back in another minute holding two gold chain necklaces with a glowing purple gem hanging from both. “Here you are, Your Highness,” he said, handing them over to me.

I took them and examined them. The crystals were the same as the ones from Silver Sanctum, only smaller. I looked at them, then slipped one over my neck. Nothing felt different. I looked over at Shadow. “Can you bring a horse into the Umbral?”

“Now hold on just a moment, young colt!” Buttercup exclaimed, and I could immediately tell that this was her mother mode, not her maid mode. “Her Highness entrusted your care to me, and I won’t be letting you go out there!”

“The other eutherians are busy,” I retorted as I gestured for Shadow to follow me out of the room as I headed down the stairs. “The invaders are going to notice that two of their people are dead and their necklaces gone. Who knows how long these necklaces will last before they give out? If they have taken Princess Viridian, we don’t have time to waste.”

Buttercup reached out and grabbed my shoulder just as I was about to head downstairs, whirling me around. I saw that Misty and the two guards were behind her, watching this confrontation with anxious faces. Buttercup, however, looked the most anxious out of all of us. “You’re still a colt,” she said, “and even if you are a prince, that fact won’t change.”

I nodded. “Yes, I am a colt, but I’m also a prince. I need to go after her, and it’s not like I’m going anywhere alone.”

“Shadow? He’s a colt, too!” Buttercup shouted frantically.

“We have two others who have combat experience, though, remember?” I looked over at Twilit and Gloom.

Buttercup followed my gaze, then her eyes widened and she looked back at me. “Are…are you sure?” She sounded a bit less sure of herself, now.

“Very sure,” I said. “She is their princess, and they are charged with protecting her.”

The two sisters exchanged glances, then stepped forward as one, saluting. “We are sworn to protect the princess,” Gloom said, “and we will do everything in our power to make sure she is brought back safe.”

“And what if that means abandoning His Highness here?” Shadow stepped forward, looking up at them with a frown. “Will you do that?”

Twilit spoke next. “His Highness has been more than gracious with us given the circumstance,” she said, “and Princess Viridian has expressed interest in staying on good terms with Equestria. We will protect him as if he were our own king.”

“That’s not good enough for me,” Buttercup said. She turned back to me. “If you’re really doing this, then I’m going with you.”

“No,” I rejected the offer. “You need to be here in case Spike, Zecora, or Cadance wake up. They’ll probably be scared about what’s going on if they’re not awake already.”

“Big bwudda?”

Speaking of the devil, I heard the shuffling of feet from behind me. I turned and saw Spike rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he walked up, still wearing his nice fireproof pajamas. I smiled at him and knelt. “Hey, Spikey-wikey,” I said, using the nickname I’d borrowed from the show, “you should be asleep.”

“But why aren’t you asweep, then?” he asked innocently.

Goddamn it, he’s just so cute, I thought as I reached out and paged him on the head. “Well, kiddo,” I said, “your big brother has to go and beat up some bad guys right now.”

“Can’t you do it tomorrow?” Spike asked, eyes wide now.

“I wish I could,” I said, “but tomorrow I was going to show you around Ponyshire and won’t have time to beat up the bad guys. And no, I can’t take you with me. But don’t worry,” I added when I saw the disappointed look on his face, “I’ll bring you back something from the bad guys when I beat them up.”

He looked up at me with the reassurance of a little brother who looked up to the invincible older brother, one who was taller, stronger, and could do no wrong. “Go get ’em, big bruddah!” he exclaimed.

“I will,” I replied, giving him a grin, “you bet I will.” I stood back up and looked back at Buttercup. “Could you take him back to bed and make sure he gets enough sleep for tomorrow?” I asked.

Buttercup gave me the motherly disappointed look I had come to associate with her all too well before she turned and looked at Spike with a motherly smile. “Let’s get you to bed, dear,” she said.

Oh, I am so getting shit for this from auntie later, I said with a shudder before I straightened and turned to Shadow, Twilit and Gloom. “Let’s go.”

15: The Calm

“I never imagined that being behind the Veil would be like this,” Twilit said as she looked around as she, her sister, Shadow and I rode one of the horses from the Lord Protector’s mansion out into the darkness, the glow of the two necklaces we had taken keeping us from needing to follow the shadows.

It had been a challenge to sneak the horse away from the battling guards and members of the Vespertilio, but we’d managed it. It had been a bigger challenge for Shadow to bring us all into the Umbral, but he’d managed it quite well, all things considered. If I was still a prince at the conclusion of this, I would be definitely praising him and giving him a reward.

“Focus,” Gloom chastised her sister.

“She’s heading due east, now,” I said. Since I was at the reins, I redirected the horse in said direction, making it gallop down the nearly empty streets of Ponyshire. It still struck me as strange that we could pass directly through the people in town. The horse seemed to know what was going on, too, because he didn’t seem to care that he was passing through the people in the streets.

“Your Highness, please be careful,” Shadow chided me. “We can’t separate here.”

“I’ll be careful,” I promised, making a mental note to ride Strider more to get more practice. I was decent at horse riding, and it seemed that ponies in general were better at it for presumably obvious reasons, but I was still learning, and this horse was bigger than Strider. I handed the reins to Shadow. “Take the reins for a bit,” I ordered. “I need to focus more closely.”

Shadow nodded and took the reins from me. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Viridian more intensely. Her presence was still moving away from us at a worrying pace. If the other two eutherians had the ability to travel through the Umbral at will like Shadow, I would have suggested that we fly, but that, plus the fact that we only had two crystal necklaces, made our pursuit by horseback all the more necessary. I held my hand out, aiming it in the same direction where Viridian’s presence felt the strongest. Opening them, I saw that I was aiming into the air near the East Gate. “She’s being taken to the East Gate,” I announced unnecessarily. I took the reins back, then leaned forward, holding out a hand and touching the horse’s neck. I lowered my voice and, in English, said, “Ride, faithful steed, fly swift and sure, that evil fail and good endure.” I winced at the phrase, but hoped that Disney wouldn’t roll over in his grave at me borrowing the line.

The spell flowed over the horse and his speed doubled. The stallion practically flew through the streets as we gave chase. Nobody spoke, instead clinging onto the steed. Soon, we were through the inner gate and running at a full gallop through the farmland between the inner and outer walls of the village.

“I think I see something in the air,” Shadow said, pointing up.

The rest of us looked, and sure enough, there was a small figure descending towards the wall. A single figure. I held up my hand and focused my tracking spell. It lit up, and my eyes widened. “She didn’t…” I muttered before swearing. “Tartarus take it! She wasn’t abducted! She left on her own!”

“But that’s impossible!” Twilit said. “She can’t travel through the Veil.”

“Clearly she can,” I growled before I changed my spell. I reached out to try and wrap my magic around her, but I was still too young and my range was still limited. I knew unicorn ranges were quite long with practice, but I was still only ten. I spurred my horse on.

When I was in range of the princess, I handed the reins over to Shadow before I reached out both my hands towards her. The sky blue glow of my magic enveloped my horn, then my hands, and then the diminutive eutherian filly in the air. She froze in the air and I felt the strain of resistance from her. She turned around in my magic grasp, searching, and when she apparently found me, she began flying down towards me. I eased up, but didn’t let go of her. When she landed in front of us, I saw that she, too, was wearing a glowing crystal necklace. “What are you doing here?” Viridian asked, startled, “and how did you find me?”

“Magic is my talent,” I explained as I looked down at her, “and as for your first question, I could ask the same thing. You really shouldn’t be here, Your Highness. You could be hurt.”

“And so could you, Your Highness,” she countered, glaring at me. “I need to be here to make sure that my sister can’t tell the army a lie down there.”

I sighed and looked over at the walls. We were close to the outer walls, and I could feel a pressure pushing against us. The lights from the walls were probably beginning to overwhelm us. I lifted the princess with my magic and set her in Twilit’s arms, then turned to Shadow. “Take us all out.”

As the princess struggled, the light around us dimmed, and soon we were out. We all dismounted, and Shadow held the reins as I walked over to Viridian. “What were you thinking, sneaking out like that?” I hissed angrily. “If you’d been taken by the Vespertilio, it could have been disastrous!”

“I’m the Second Princess of Silver Sanctum,” Viridian replied cooly, standing up and looking at me with a regal expression. “It’s my duty to protect not just my ponies, but yours. My place is there. What would you do if you were in my position?”

I froze, needing to think about it. While I had several years of experience as a human, several more years than I had as a pony, there were times I slipped into human thinking. Common thinking, too. Despite everything, I had to admit that I saw her point. Still, I had to rebut. “And if you had died? What if the Vespertilio at the mansion were sent to kill you?? The eutherians outside and especially your sister could just say we killed you! Not to mention if you show your face up there now, she could say we’re threatening you!”

“Trust me, Your Highness, I have a way to get through to my sister,” Viridian said with such reassurance that I had to admit I almost gave in.

Almost.

”We can’t risk your safety,” I said.

“Your Highness, please listen to reason,” Gloom pleaded. “His Highness is right. The atmosphere here is tense enough.”

“Enough!” Viridian’s calm broke and she looked up at me with fire in those slitted eyes. “I must see this through. Trust me, I can calm my sister down.”

I gripped the hilt of my sword, and Crescent’s voice echoed in my head. She may very well have a point, young whelp. As much as we would prefer to cleave the head of the invading snake from its proverbial shoulders, we believe this must be tried.

I tightened my grip on the hilt before I forced myself to relax. “If this goes wrong, I hope you’re prepared.”

“A princess is always prepared,” she replied.

I shook my head, and had the sinking feeling that I would regret this.

“Prince Vladimír Blueblood! What are you doing here? And with Princess Viridian of all ponies??”

I stood before my aunt, head held high. We were standing in a large room inside the tower. She was wearing enchanted gold plated armor with Solar Flare strapped to her belt. She held her helmet by her side as she glared down at me. I took a deep breath. “Princess Viridian here has a suggestion as to how this conflict might not escalate.”

Aunt Celestia’s laser focus shifted to the princess standing slightly to my right and behind me. “What is your plan?” she asked.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you, not all of it,” Viridian said. “I need to see my sister face to face.”

“That won’t be possible,” the voice of Captain Strongheart said from a nearby circular wooden table. “The enemy leader has demanded the return of her citizens and won’t approach until we produce them.”

“I just sent riders back to fetch you all,” my aunt said. “I didn’t expect you to come here on your own.”

“To be fair to your nephew, Your Highness,” Viridian began, “I snuck out on my own. I have a duty to my ponies and I don’t want to see them harmed if I can help it.”

A look of understanding passed over my aunt’s face and she nodded. “While I understand that, what if they had sent assassins after you to kill you and blame us for it?”

“I said something similar-” I began, but a harsh glare from my aunt shut me up.

“Another good reason for me to be here and not back there,” she replied, “especially since they had already sent the Vespertilio there, either to capture me or kill me.”

Aunt Celestia stiffened at that, but nearby the Lord Protector, himself armed and wearing armor, stood. “Don’t worry, Your Highness,” he said, “the eutherian guards on my staff can all enter the Umbral and are the best of the best when it comes to combat.”

She relaxed, but not by much. She turned to Viridian. “I understand what you want, young Princess,” she said, putting on a warm and motherly smile, a smile which slowly faded as it turned serious. “Still, you shouldn’t have acted so hastily, but as it turns out, your hasty action may have saved your life, and perhaps the life of my equally reckless nephew here.”

The glare she gave me almost made me lower my head. She was absolutely furious. Still, my regal training kicked in and I stood straighter. “I might have been reckless, but Princess Viridian does have a point. We are royalty, and as such it’s our duty as royalty to ensure the protection of those under our care.”

“Please, please let me talk to my sister,” Viridian said, and this time, her regal tone faltering slightly and shifting to a pleading one. “I can get through to her.”

My aunt pursed her lips thoughtfully, then sighed. “Very well, but we will be keeping guards on standby in case, as my nephew would say, things go south.” She turned and nodded at Captain Strongheart, who saluted before he turned to a couple guards and began barking orders. My aunt approached me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “When we’re back, you are going to be much more restricted than before for a time,” she promised.

Great, I’m grounded, I thought ruefully.

The perfect time for us to become acquainted with this new world in which we find ourselves, Crescent said.

Oh, joy, I replied as I watched Princess Viridian be escorted out not just by Twilit and Gloom but two other of the townsguard.

I moved to follow, but my aunt kept me in my place. “You’re not going anywhere,” she said sternly.

I looked up at her, ready to argue again like the stubborn son of a bitch I was, but another glare from her silenced me into submission. I sighed and walked over to sit down in a nearby chair. After my aunt ordered Shadow to keep me in place before she left, Shadow came and sat down next to me. “What did you expect to happen, Your Highness?” Shadow asked softly.

“I get it,” I said, “but I can’t just sit here and do nothing. It feels wrong.”

Shadow chuckled. “Did you pick up that sense of duty from Father?” he asked.

“Him, my aunt, and a few others,” I replied, not mentioning that the others were my Earth family and a few friends I’d once had. “Shadow, I’m a Prince of Equestria.”

“You’re also ten years old,” Shadow chided me softly. “You’re still a foal.”

“Look at the pot calling the kettle black over here,” I said with a smirk.

“I’m almost a stallion grown,” Shadow said, puffing his chest out proudly.

“You’re only two years older than I am,” I reminded him.

“And that means I’m two years wiser than you,” he said in a sagely tone.

I rolled my eyes. “Typhon take you,” I said jokingly.

“If Typhon wants to take me to his eternal torment, he’ll have to find me,” Shadow joked back. Typhon was what the Church of Physis considered their equivalent of Satan. From what I had learned, Typhon had been a large monster during the world’s early ages who, according to the Church, had created the windigos and had spread deadly storms and fires across the ancient world, but he had been defeated by ancient mortals and imprisoned in Tartarus for all eternity. Demeter apparently had the keys to his personal cell on her person.

“Well, why don’t we see if they have something we can nibble on,” I said. “I’m sure auntie will want me to head back soon.”

“We do need to return the horse we stole,” Shadow reminded me.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said with a wave of my hand as I stood and began looking around. The room we were in was circular with a domed ceiling and a glowing yellow crystal embedded in the ceiling’s apex. There was a circular wooden table in the center of the room with chairs surrounding it. The table itself had a map of Ponyshire on it with plenty of holes in it where needles had been placed to indicate placements or incidents. There were three doors in the room which led to the outer wall’s parapet, the tower’s privy, and the stairs which led to both the barracks and the commissary where the soldiers assigned here ate. I knew this because of the map on the wall next to the third door. I pointed to the lower commissary level. “There, let’s go there.”

“Why don’t I go, Your Highness,” a familiar voice said from the door to the parapet. When I turned, the younger pegasus knight smiled and bowed to me. “They have some apples from last year’s apple harvest. Picked on the Feast of Leaves and from Sweet Apple Acres.”

I smiled. The Feast of Leaves was Threia’s equivalent of a Thanksgiving Feast, but with a few traditions that weren’t exactly in the typical Thanksgiving tradition. “Apples sound perfect,” I said. “Thank you, Sir Swift.”

He bowed again, turned, and headed down the stairs to the commissary. I went back and sat down, Shadow having not moved from his seat. He leaned over and asked, “You think those apples are as good as the golden apples from the Princess’ golden apple trees?”

“I’ve heard good things about Sweet Apple Acres,” I replied, “so maybe.”

A minute later, the juices of a surprisingly fresh apple were running down my face. Shadow was looking at the apple in his hand, eyes wide. “By Demeter’s golden hair, this is delicious!” he exclaimed.

“Right?” I asked, taking another bite.

Sir Swift Thrust watched us eat with a grin on his face, eating an apple of his own. “Bright Mac and his family certainly know how to grow them just right,” he said.

“I wonder what they’d do if given a golden apple tree,” I muttered, remembering one of the trees in the Arden which had been slowly producing less apples in the recent years. I made a mental note to bring this up to my aunt when things calmed down.

At that moment, my aunt returned, Viridian and her two guards behind her. Aunt Celestia’s face was grim, and Viridian looked shell-shocked. I put my apple down and stood, my appetite swiftly leaving. “What happened?” I asked, a pit beginning to form in my stomach.

Viridian looked up at me, and I saw tears in her eyes. “I spoke with my sister,” she said, her voice sounding smaller. “We…we have a secret code we used to use with each other, and sometimes still do. I used it with her last week. I used it today…and she responded, but then she rejected me…said I was tainted by you surface dwellers.” Her eyes hardened. “She also demanded that you be brought to justice for killing a guard and foalnapping me.”

“Which is never going to happen,” Aunt Celestia said firmly, eyes briefly flashing a fiery yellow before settling down.

“What now?” I asked.

“They gave us thirty minutes to give me back or else they would attack,” Viridian said. She shook her head. “I was so sure…so sure that she would listen to reason…”

Aunt Celestia put a hand on Viridian’s shoulder. “Sometimes even the closest of family can fail you,” she said with a hint of pain and understanding in her tone. Instantly, I knew she was referring to herself and how she had failed Aunt Luna. “It’s not your fault. You did what you could.”

“I should have done more,” Viridian said, a hint of guilt creeping into her voice. She stood straighter, then, eyes focused. “I’ll go back to her.”

“Not a good idea,” I said. “If your sister is willing to ignore you, then she’s willing to go back on her word more than once.”

“You’re outnumbered here,” Viridian said, a look of desperation creeping onto her face.

“But not outmatched,” I replied, then pointed to my aunt. “She isn’t known as the Whirling Star or the Daybreaker Warrior for nothing.”

“But they have means of combating your magic and fighting style,” Viridian replied. “Magic dampening stones that can drain your magic.”

“Then it may behoove me to bring the day sooner than expected,” my aunt said. This startled me, because my aunt had always told me that bringing the sun too early or too late was detrimental to the world. She had an innate sense of when the sun was to rise and set and, to a lesser extent, the moon and night as well. Of course, I had my doubts as to whether she moved the sun or whether she moved the planet itself.

“No, we shouldn’t do that,” I cautioned, “not unless we have any other choice.” I turned to Viridian. “What kind of weapons do they have?”

“I…don’t know for sure, but I know of a few that my sister talked about being in production,” Viridian said, “why?”

“Tell us about them,” my aunt said. “We need a plan, and fast.”

Twenty five minutes later, Viridian and I were both standing on the parapets overlooking the eutherian army. I was a bit dismayed when I saw that the numbers were bigger than I imagined. At the front was the same eutherian commander who the queen had ordered around earlier. When I put my hand over Crescent Moon’s pommel, she spoke. Need we remind thee that this is quite an…audacious plan? And a foolish one at that.

Your objection is noted, I replied as I patted the sword.

Do not patronize me, Crescent hissed.

I wasn’t, I replied, but I understand why you’d not want to do this.

We doubt that thy mind can fully comprehend the scope of things, whelp, she replied.

I nodded. I’m only ten, after all, I replied.

Mmhmm…she replied, and I could almost see the eye roll.

Below us, Stinger looked up when Viridian and I appeared. His eyes narrowed at me. “What is the meaning of this??” he shouted up at us.

I drew Crescent and held her aloft, her dark blade shimmering in the light. “We are Prince Vladimir Blueblood,” I said while using the royal We, “first of his name and interim wielder of Crescent Moon, demand an audience with Queen Dawn Star in order to attempt to avoid further casualties!”

When I mentioned Crescent, Stinger’s eyes widened and many of the other eutherians looked at each other in awe. From what Viridian had told us, everyone in Silver Sanctum knew about the sword of their lost princess and would definitely recognize it. She hadn’t at first because of its size. “You lie,” Stinger said despite that. “Nopony’s seen the actual Crescent Moon in centuries!”

I held the blade up higher, and Crescent actually flashed with moonlight across the entire army. “Crescent Moon has granted us the right to wield her until such time as our regal aunt Princess Luna returns,” I announced. “Fetch your queen. We do not wish there to be any more bloodshed than there already has been this night!”

Stinger glowered up at me, but then turned and whispered something to a younger eutherian who was likely an aid. Said aide spread his batlike wings and flew to the back of the encampment. Viridian took this opportunity to speak. “Captain Stinger, I can assure you that Prince Blueblood here speaks the truth about not only the identity of this blade, but also that he wishes no further bloodshed.”

“Then they would let you go,” Stinger replied sharply.

“And what would hold you back from attacking us the moment we released your princess?” I asked. “Your word? Her Highness Princess Viridian has told us that her sister has rejected our initial overtures of peaceful negotiations.”

Stinger frowned deeper at this. “My princess would never go back on her word,” he said. It sounded like there was some sincerity in her words, but it also sounded like he was unsure.

“We need assurances of this,” I said as I saw some commotion coming from the back of the encampment. “Surely you can understand that.”

Stinger nodded reluctantly. Just then, Dawn Star appeared behind him, followed closely by the nervous aid. She looked up and her expression faltered slightly when she saw what I held in my hand. “Where did you get that blade??” she demanded.

“That is not important,” I replied. “What is important is that Crescent Moon is with us now.”

“That is an heirloom of Silver Sanctum!” Dawn shouted.

“It is the personal blade of our aunt, Princess Luna,” I replied sharply back, “and Crescent has allowed us to be her interim wielder until such time as our regal aunt returns,” I repeated once more as I lowered the blade and sheathed it.

Dawn Star was fuming, but Viridian pressed the attack. “Sister, what happened to you?” Her tone was pleading, now. “The crystals are always purple.”

Had she not explained that she had a personal code with her sister, one she was hesitant to share, I would have found her last sentence odd. She didn’t share the code with us out of worry that we could use it against her people, and my aunt had reluctantly agreed. Dawn’s face tightened into barely restrained rage. “Sister…don’t…” she snarled. “Don’t take this away from me…”

“The crystals are always purple,” Viridian repeated, expression and tone both pleading.

Dawn gritted her teeth in complete frustration. “And…and the lakes are black…” she finally replied, ears and tail drooping.

When Viridian’s expression relaxed, I realized that things had worked out. I relaxed too.

And that was my mistake.

Dawn looked up at me, pointed, and shouted something in the eutherian language, something I couldn’t understand since I wasn’t in the Umbral. I heard the twang of string, then felt a magical pulse pulling on my ears, throwing me to the side as several arbalest bolts struck the wall where I’d just been standing. Viridian had acted faster than my invisible protector, who revealed herself to be my aunt. Aunt Celestia drew Solar Flare, its blade gleaming with bright inner sunlight. “Treachery!” she shouted. “Treachery of the highest order!”

I looked over at Viridian, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. As my aunt and several guards launched themselves over the wall, I moved over to grasp her hand. “Princess, we need to get you to safety,” I said above the new screams of rage and pain as soldiers fell.

Twilit and Gloom rushed out of the nearby door, moving to protect Viridian as a salvo of arbalist bolts struck the wall. We all went prone as the metal bolts struck the ground. “Your Highness, come along,” Gloom said with an insistent tone as they pulled her to the door.

As we crawled towards the door, I felt a deep anger beginning to rise inside me. Moments before I entered the room my hand moved swiftly to Crescent’s hilt. “No quarter,” I snarled as I turned and stood, drawing the blade.

We shall lend thee what aid we can, Crescent said with a snarl of her own. Send these Tartarus damned ponies to Typhon’s Womb!

“FOR EQUESTRIA!!” I shouted as I leaped off of the wall, using magic to slow my descent.

And I landed in Hell.

16: The Storm

My very first kill didn’t quite feel like how I expected. I’d never even considered the fact that I might have to kill someone someday, especially when I was Stephen Waverly. Of course, now that I was Vladímir Blueblood, Prince of Equestria, the possibility that it would happen shot up. Not that I expected it to come so early in this life.

The stallion I had fallen on with my sword looked at me in shock and disbelief, eyes wide before he looked down at the sword which stuck out of his neck. Then, with a gurgle, all life left his eyes. It didn’t quite feel like how I expected to feel. I half expected to feel revulsion, but instead I felt something else, something that frightened me.

Satisfaction.

Not wanting to focus on that feeling, I pulled Crescent out of the stallion’s neck and twirled around, using the training I had been given to defend myself against another attacker, this one an older and stronger looking eutherian stallion. I utilized my youth and my shorter stature to dance around my opponent before I held out my hand, blasting him with magic and sending him flying.

Yes, Crescent said with glee, the enemies of Equestria are in front of us at last! We will make sure they suffer for their insolence!

That probably explains why I felt so satisfied, I thought briefly before I rushed forward and leaped onto one of the mounted cavalry they had. Unlike horses in Equestria, the Silver Sanctum horses were completely black and had red glowing slitted eyes along with sharper teeth like eutherians had. I stabbed the cavalry stallion through the back and shoved him off before grabbing the reins. The horse, clearly not happy, reared up and neighed loudly. “Come on, hup!” I shouted a command.

To my surprise, the horse rode forward into the fray, seemingly eager and willing to follow my commands suddenly. I leaned forward, looking around at the battle. Despite us being outnumbered by quite a large number, I saw my aunt in the center of it all, Solar Flare twirling in her hands as she swept it across the battlefield with impossible speed and dexterity. Bright flames spewed forth from the sword, either blowing the enemy back or incinerating those who got too close. Part of me knew that she likely could have easily used her magic to deal with them, but she’d told me once that if she had to fight, she preferred the sword because, while she admitted that there were times when she had to fight, she wanted to give the enemies as many chances to surrender as possible, and she hoped that seeing her like this would help the enemy come to such a decision.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite see the enemy surrendering, especially to someone they viewed as a tyrant. I held up Crescent Moon. “Crescent, whatever aid you can lend to me, I beseech you to do so now,” he said.

So thou hast beseeched us, and so shall it be, Crescent replied.

With that, I felt a surge of magic flowing through me, emanating from the sword and moving through me like a hurricane. The night became brighter, colors became sharper, and I could see much farther away than I normally could. I felt my teeth change slightly as well, and my muscles seemed to grow. Crescent began to glow a bright blue and cold mist began pouring off of it.

I swept my eyes around the battlefield, and despite our side being outnumbered, we were still holding the eutherians back. Unicorn magic was a major plus for us as the city guard blasted magic at the eutherians, held magical shields up, and more. The earth ponies used their superior strength to press the physically weaker eutherians back and the pegasi, with their aerial skills, kept the equally capable flying eutherians at bay.

I felt a surge of magic rising within me, and Crescent’s voice screamed in my head, Fool! Thy body cannot handle this much magic for thy first time! Release our magic!

I held up the sword and saw that the veins on the arm that held Crescent were glowing a dark blue. It was also rippling, muscles showing as they apparently tried to hold back the magic swirling within me. I whirled around, spotted a group of eutherians in the air, and swung the sword in their direction.

A blast of icy cold magic burst forth from the sword, releasing nearly all of the magic that had built up. The eutherians stopped in midair, their cries forever stuck in their throat as the fell. I watched in horrified fascination as they shattered into thousands of bloody pieces the moment they hit the ground, the heat of their remaining blood rising as steam in the cold early spring night.

I turned around and saw that my arm was rippling and growing again. I then saw a number of eutherians charging at me, their weapons raised. I swung the sword at them, and just like before they froze before falling and shattering, their blood steaming as well.

I bared my teeth, feeling my new and hopefully temporary fangs against my lips. “They have attacked us, and they will pay!” I shouted.

Indeed they shall, young whelp! Now continue!

I nodded and swung at the enemy, making sure I directed the swings at groups of just eutherians. I didn’t want to strike anyone who was on our side because, despite me suddenly knowing that with training I could differentiate between friend and foe, I had no time to train on that.

Just then I saw a burly eutherian stallion charging towards Aunt Celestia, whose back was turned as she was engaging with three other eutherian soldiers. Panic rose within me as I urged my temporary mount forward. At the last moment, I leaped onto my new horse’s back, leaped up, and roared in rage and desperation as I held my sword upside down, intent on striking the stallion down.

The stallion, however, heard me, and turned quite speedily for someone of his size. He brought his blade up, and I had barely enough time to redirect my blow towards his sword hand. He screamed in pain as I cut his wrist open, effectively making his dominant sword hand useless. We both tumbled to the ground, groaning and grunting in pain as we fell over ourselves.

I somehow managed to hold onto Crescent and got to my feet first, looking around wildly as the chaos of battle raged on around us. Just then, the stallion loomed tall over me, eyes ablaze with fury. He said something in a nasty tone before he raised his remaining hand which held a massive mace in it.

The mace came down and I blocked it just in the nick of time. The eutherian looked surprised, but only for a moment before recognition dawned on him. He began pressing the mace down, using his superior strength and experience to overpower me. I channeled all the magic I had into Crescent, and a blast of icy cold air and magic shot out, catching the stallion in the still injured arm and freezing it.

He stumbled back, giving me time to roll away and get to my feet. The hours of training I got from Iron Grip came back to me. Mind your surroundings, young princling, he would say. Use those swiveling ears to hear everything. I did just that, hearing the chaos of battle for the first time. In battle, there is chaos, he had said, and not the type that the ancient Discordia spreads. He was right about that, I noted briefly as I held up my sword in my preferred style of fighting.

The taller eutherian looked at his frozen and useless arm, then did something I didn’t expect. He raised his mace and hit the arm, shattering it just below the shoulder. He turned to me, covering the injury with one wing. He said something nasty to me, but unlike before I couldn’t understand him since I wasn’t in the Umbral. He swept his remaining wing at me, creating a large gust of wind that would have blown me back had I not seen it coming. I’d seen similar moves from the pegasi and eutherian guards during their training regimens. I raised the best magical shield I could, keeping back most of the wind, but it wasn’t enough. I found myself sprawled on my back once more, still clutching to Crescent Moon.

Never let your weapon out of your hands, I heard Iron Grip’s words echoing in my head as I rolled out of the way of another mace attack before swinging my sword at the eutherian. He was clearly in some sort of battle trance because his eyes were full of rage and determination when I once more got to my feet. He raised it and brought it down once more. Sidestepping, I swung Crescent to deflect the mace’s trajectory. It stuck in the ground, giving me an opportunity to stab the stallion in the throat. His eyes widened in surprise, then I heard him gurgling as blood came out of his mouth. He collapsed onto his side, eyes still full of shock even in death.

Pay attention, whelp! Crescent shouted. I whirled around just in time to see a eutherian mare bringing a shortsword down to cleave my head in two. I jumped back, but I wasn’t quick enough. I felt a searing pain in my chest and cried out in pain as I once more collapsed to the ground onto my back.

The eutherian soldier grinned at me, snarling as she spat on the ground. “Little princes should stay at home,” she said in a thick accent I couldn’t quite identify.

Despite the pain I was in, I grinned. “And the battlefield’s no place for a dainty little mare,” I shot back, hoping to make her angry enough to lose focus.

It backfired spectacularly. Her sneer turnt into a growl as she drew a second shortsword. “Consider yourself lucky,” she hissed. “I never draw this blade in battle.”

“Ah, shit,” I swore.

“Such uncouth language for a little spoiled princeling brat,” the mare shot back.

I got to my feet, looking down briefly at the cut on my chest. It was shallow, thankfully, but it was still covering my shirt with blood. It hurt like hell, but I powered through it, the adrenaline rush causing the pain to dissipate, at least temporarily. I pushed magic into Crescent. “Fortunately, you won’t be alive to share that information,” I shot back.

She rushed at me, using her wings to enhance her speed. I deflected the first few swings, but she caught me on the side of the head with the pommel of her left sword. I saw stars as I went down. Another steering pain erupted on my chest. Looking down, I saw that she’d created another, smaller injury on my chest, carving an X shape with the intersecting lines very near my heart. I jumped to my feet once more, blasting some of my own magic at her. Here, I remembered once more one of the disadvantages of being able to cast magic from my hands: I couldn’t hold my sword in two hands.

The magic blast caught her in the shoulder, blasting her shoulder plate off. She stumbled briefly, but it wasn’t enough. She leapt into the air, then spun, her swords dancing in the light provided by the hovering balls of magic light which illuminated the battlefield. I crawled away from her, still on my back, feeling my magical reserves growing weaker as my anima grew emptier. I was acting more so out of desperation now than anything as I continued to attempt to deflect the blades.

However, one powerful swing finally sent Crescent flying from my hands. She then stomped on my wrist, and I screamed in pain as she dug her boot in. She put her blade to my neck. “Today will be the day where you-”

However, before she could finish, a glowing orange blade pierced her skull, then swiped to the right. I felt blood splattering all over my face as the mare fell, revealing my aunt standing there.

Aunt Celestia glared at the mare, then spat. “Nopony harms my family,” she snarled. She then used her magic to hoist me to my feet and stood nearby to protect me as she swung her sword to brush away any enemies nearby. “Nephew, get out of here!” she ordered.

“I’m a prince of Equestria!” I replied as I reached for Crescent. I swung it quickly which froze several nearby eutherians before they were shattered by several mounted soldiers. “I need to be here! Besides,” and here I raised Crescent, “I can help!”

Aunt Celestia’s eyes were ablaze with anger, now. “I don’t care if you were an adult in a past life!” she shouted, making it sound like it was a hypothetical, but I knew what she meant. “You’re too damned young to be here! Get back-!”

She raised her sword just in time to block something, a blast of dark sky blue magic. I whirled around and held up Crescent just as a second blast of the same colored magic hit my sword. Unlike my aunt, I wasn’t able to keep my footing on my new mount and I was flung from my new horse, sprawling onto my back on the now fully trampled grass. Thankfully, unlike in movies, I held onto Crescent Moon. “The fuck was that?!” I shouted, although thankfully nobody heard me.

Nobody except Crescent. Thy foul language aside, young colt, that was the magic of our wielder!

“Aunt Luna?!” I sprang to my feet, grateful for my youthful resilience as I rushed up to join my aunt.

“No, it’s not,” my aunt replied, eyes narrowed as she glared ahead. “Somepony is using some of her magic somehow, though,” she added.

I looked in the direction of where the blast came from and saw a hooded figure standing in the middle of the battlefield, a black staff in their hands. The robes looked somewhat familiar until I remembered the purple robes with gold fringe from the Academy of the Arcane. This pony was wearing a nearly identical robe, but with the gold fringe parts torn off, making their robes look ragged. On their shoulder, their cutie mark was clearly visible, an upside down triangle with a rainbow pattern passing through it. Inside the upside down triangle was a four sided rhomboid gem.

“So, you’ve joined their side, Mage Prismia Glass,” Aunt Celestia growled angrily.

The mage reached up and removed her hood, revealing a very dark purple unicorn mare with light blue eyes and black and medium blue striped hair and tail. There was a golden necklace around her neck with a gemstone that seemed to radiate dark magical energy. She glared at my aunt. “They offered me what that pathetic Academy couldn’t,” Prismia said with a grin before she looked at me. “Test subjects.”

I knew of Prismia only in passing. She was apparently a magical prodigy who may very well have become one of Celestia’s students had she not begun performing experiments that were not only quite illegal but were quite unethical. Experiments into dark magic and experiments on ponies, holstaurs, ovitaurs, and other sapient beings, most of them children.

A chill ran down my back as I thought about Cadance and myself. Would we have become a part of Prismia’s cruel experiments had we not escaped? My question was answered when the older mare looked at me and grinned. “It would have been fun to see how a member of the royal family reacted to-”

A blast of fire erupted from my aunt’s mouth as her mane and tail erupted into flames, her sclera turning pitch black, her eyes going from purple to fiery red, and her teeth becoming fanged as she turned into Daybreaker. “Lay a finger on MY nephew at your own peril!” she snarled. “I will remove your hands and horn with my OWN hands if you do!”

“Oooh, there it is!” Prismia gasped in elation. “There’s the Daybreaker I’ve so longed to see!”

I did remember the episode with Starlight switching the cutie marks of the two sisters, but I’d never thought that I’d ever see my aunt go full Daybreaker. It was oddly heartwarming to see her go full momma bear for me, but at the same time, the childish part of me was terrified of her. I squashed that fear immediately and walked up, feeling the heat radiate off of her becoming next to unbearable.

Taking a leap of faith, however, I raised my tail and wrapped it around Daybreather’s own. Her head snapped down to me, the fury visible for a brief moment before she recognized who I was. I ignored the burning in my tail , and soon it vanished as Daybreaker came back down. She looked at me with her now normal purple eyes. “Blueblood, I-”

Another blast of magic hit her and she was flung back. I watched in horror as my aunt fell back in slow motion, landing heavily on her back and writhing in pain. I felt myself scream not so much as heard, and I turned and raised my blade just as another blast of Nightmare Moon’s magic came hurtling towards me, striking the blade. It was then that I noticed that she was casting magic from her hand and not from her horn. I had no time to comment on the impossibility of that as the magical energy from her hand doubled, forcing me to pour magic into Crescent Moon.

This foul abominable witch hast further tainted our true wielder’s most awesome magic! Crescent growled. Whelp, we shall give thee more magic, but be warned, it shall not be pleasant!

“Do it, do it, do it!” I bellowed.

The magic from the sword only increased, and I heard myself screaming as it felt like my nerves were on fire. Pain as a child is much more extreme than as an adult, but I had an adult’s mindset, so I held on as best as I can. At least, until a revitalized Daybreaker came bursting in front of me, blocking the magic from Prismia. I fell on my behind, Crescent still clutched in my hands. The blade was smoking.

Prismia laughed. “And there’s your weakness right there, Celestia,” the now clearly deranged mage said with derision. “All that power in your grasp, and you use it to defend an orphan like him! Little orphan Vladímir.”

Daybreaker took a step forward, snarling in a worryingly feral manner as she pushed her blade forward. I tried to get up, but was unable to thanks to the pain of all the injuries I’d sustained. I was vaguely aware of someone coming to my side, one of our mage medics. She cast a healing spell on my various injuries, but I was unable to look away as Daybreaker continued moving forward. One step. Two. Three. Then the magic from Prismia increased and Daybreaker paused in her tracks. Prismia laughed. “Hahaha! Do you know how I am using the magic of the Nightmare?”

“From that stolen relic of my sister’s, trollop!” Daybreaker snarled.

Prismia laughed even harder. “Do you even know where Silver Sanctum is located?” she asked with an evil grin. When Daybreaker didn’t respond, Prismia’s grin became even more devilish. She then pointed to the rising moon, which was waning. “Silver Sanctum is beneath the moon’s surface, you fool! This magic isn’t just a remnant of Nightmare Moon’s magic! IT IS HER FULL MAGIC! IT IS THE MAGIC SHE CURRENTLY POSSESSES, AND I WILL USE ALL OF IT TO MAKE SURE YOU DIE!”

Daybreaker’s fury turned to horror, and Prismia tried to use that temporary lapse to throw my transformed aunt off with another blast of Nightmare Moon’s magic. It didn’t work. My aunt was no fool. In fact, I realized that Prismia had just made a huge mistake. Nobody threatened her family like that. It might have been her Achilles heel like Prismia said, but it was also my aunt’s biggest strength. Her orange blade turned a hot and bright blue, casting its eerie glow across the battlefield as she approached the clearly dangerous mare.

A part of me was still reeling from the revelation that Silver Sanctum was located on the moon, or at least underneath the moon’s surface. I can think about that later, I thought as I quickly got back to my feet, much to the healer pony’s protests and with Crescent Moon still in my hands. The magic from the sword once more began to ripple through my arms. I moved to the side and raised the sword before swinging it down, releasing the magic that was swelling up from within. A blast of dark blue magic shot out from the sword like Aunt Luna’s version of a Getsuga Tensho.

The magic from Aunt Luna’s sword impacted the magic that Prismia was casting, causing both sources of magic to become intertwined. An explosion of immense power erupted from that point of contact, sending a wave of magic out from the collision in a massive dark blue dome. Everyone except for me, Aunt Celestia and Prismia were all flung back onto their backs, temporarily pausing the battle.

However, Prismia got back to her feet faster than the rest of us, her eyes glowing as the magic she was stealing coursed through her. She raised the staff and her hand, aiming one at me and the other at my aunt. “Time to die, and time for a new age to beg-”

The sky lit up with a bright pink light as a streak of pink shot down from the sky, slamming into Prismia and sending her flying. I looked up to see a large pink heart shaped explosion spreading out, followed by a streak of various pink and purple which led from the center of the expanding heart to where the streak of light had hit Prismia. Looking down, I saw a sight that filled me with horror and instantly made me better understand my aunt’s feelings on me being here. “Cadance?!” I shouted as I rushed forward to where the young pegasus filly, who was still glowing from her sonic loveboom or whatever it was, lay groaning.

When I reached her side, she looked up at me, her pink eyes full of fear, but not fear for herself. Fear for…me? She reached up and cupped my face with her hand. “Are you…okay?” she asked.

“Forget about me, what about you?!” I asked, helping her to her feet. “You shouldn’t be here!”

“I…I had to be here,” she said, sounding a bit confused now.

“You had to be here? But why?” I looked at her with confusion. I was trying hard not to be angry at her. She didn’t need that from me at the moment.

“There’s…there’s so much hate here,” she said as she shivered. “It…it hurts.”

I took a moment to survey the battle. Prismia was still lying on the ground, groaning from the hit. Aunt Celestia was approaching the downed unicorn, eyes blazing once more with venom. The soldiers on both sides were attacking each other with a ferocity that bordered on the fanatic.

I looked at my reflection in Crescent’s blade. My eyes had become slits, my teeth had grown fangs, and my mane had grown longer instantly. The look of pure fury and hatred there was enough to stun me. I swallowed, trying to calm down, but it felt hard. The anger, the rage, the hatred. It was…intoxicating. What was wrong in embracing it if it meant the enemies of the kingdom suffered for their insolence?

A small hand pressed against my chest. I looked down to see a clearly still scared Cadance looking up at me, but her brave and determined face struck me hard. My heart rate decreased slowly, and I put my hand over hers. Despite her having been imprisoned for a good long while, her hand felt soft and silky smooth. It was a bit too thin at the moment thanks to the malnutrition, but there was some hidden strength there. I squeezed the hand gently but firmly. “Cadance,” I whispered.

“Your Highness,” she replied.

I shook my head. “Blueblood,” I replied. “Call me Blueblood. All my friends do.”

Her smile was one of the most sincere and lovely I had ever seen. She intertwined her fingers with mine. “Mom always…she always told me I was full of love,” she said. “Do you think…?”

Somehow I got what she was hoping and I looked down at Crescent. Even she seemed to get the message. I heard a mental sigh. We shall not be able to speak to thee for some time if this happens, she replied. Channelling magic that is not ours will make us too weak to speak.

“It might be our best shot,” I replied.

I could almost feel her exasperation as the sword reached her magic into me once more. So be it, she replied.

Slowly, a combination of two different shades of blue magic began to swirl around the two of us. This magic felt different from the magic from before. Whereas Crescent’s magic was meant specifically for combat, the magic that came from Cadance’s anima felt calmer but with the same level of determination. My emotions calmed considerably, but it didn’t feel like I’d gotten any weaker. I looked down at Crescent, which I saw now was glowing with a bright pink light instead of the dark blue that had surrounded it earlier.

The swirling sphere of sky blue and light cornflower blue magic caught the two of us up in its grasp and we began to float above the battlefield. Everyone seemed to turn to gaze at us. I reached down and grabbed Cadance’s free hand, placing it on the hilt of the sword. She seemed hesitant at first, but then a fiercer determination spread across her face. I wrapped my free hand around that one and held the now brilliantly glowing pink sword aloft. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a translucent pink horn begin forming on Cadance’s forehead, but I was too focused on helping her to channel all of that magic within her for it to fully register.

The magic that she clearly inherited from her ancestor, Empress Amore.

With her anima beginning to open up and me to act as a simple channeling device, I helped her focus all of her magic into the sword. For the briefest of moments, it felt like we were as one. I saw her live in a pegasus family in the small floating city of Windshare, her two loving parents raising her properly and to show love. Their deaths, her imprisonment, and her meeting me.

And she saw snippets of my life as a human and as a pony in a single flash. Not only that, but she saw bits and pieces of Friendship is Magic. Even that didn’t stop her from pouring more of her magic into the sword through me, the conduit.

In an instant, a blast of pink magic exploded from the sword in a heart shaped wave, striking each combatant with precision. This wave was larger than the sonic loveboom she’d unintentionally created minutes earlier, and was much more powerful. The hatred and fury within everyone vanished entirely, if temporarily, as the spell took hold. In that moment, even I understood Cadance’s true magic. It wasn’t brainwashing like some bronies showed. It was, in fact, meant to try and show others a better path by briefly opening their hearts to love, which I felt should have been an element of harmony.

With that, the magic swirling around us vanished, and we began to fall. Cadance was unconscious and fell away from me but I grabbed her and held her close while a golden aura surrounded us. Aunt Celestia rushed over as we both landed safely thanks to her magic. “Are you alright??” she asked worriedly. I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. My hand pointed to Cadance’s forehead. My aunt looked where I was pointing and her eyes widened. “Sweet Harmony…”

There, on the patch where a cutie mark would appear, was a very familiar crystal heart shaped cutie mark, but that wasn’t what had caught her attention, because directly on Cadance’s forehead, was a brand new alicorn horn.