New Blood

“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.”