New Blood

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…”