New Blood

“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.