The day was like any other, Eclipse's sun rose happily into the sky and the sounds of the suberbs in Ft. Hoovington was normal. Blood Lash picked himself up from his bed with a sigh.
"Damn therapist. Keeping me up till all hours of tartarus with an assignment."
The crimson unicorn lifted a scroll up to eye level, looking it over for mistakes.
"Alright, might as well give this to Dr. Dusk Shine tonight. Ugh all this friendship crap is giving me a headache."
With a flip of his black mane and a blow to get the annoying ruby colored stripe out of his face he looked around for something. "Well, Sapphire Glow should be OK till tonight. I just hope she likes these."
A dark bloody glow enveloped a silver necklace lifting it and the sapphire pendant swung loosely.
"Hehe, eeyup. Looks just like her cutie mark. Love ya sweety."
The teenage colt lifted a picture of him and a white and blue mare at a picnic, smiling at it happily.
"Bloody? Breakfast!" A yell came from down stairs.
" K' mum, be right there!"
Placing the necklace in his saddlebags as well as the scroll with Dusk Shine's work he quickly teleported down to the living room. A short trot and he was at the kitchen.
"Alright Bloody, how did your assignment for Dr. Dusk Shine come out?"
"Eh," he answered with a small grimace. "It was OK. I don't get it though what's all this friendship stuff about anyway? I mean it's not like it does anyone any good anyway."
Ruby Thorn turned on her son with a dark look on her face. "If Dr. Shine believes it to be important, then it is important. He is Queen Nightmare's personal student after all."
"I know mum" Blood Lash said sheepishly. "It's not like I didn't do it. Oh and is it OK if I bring Sapphire here tonight? I had something I wanted to give her."
The dark look cleared up as Ruby looked into Blood's silver and red eyes with her matching set. After a moment she nodded a small smile playing on her lips.
"Sure Bloody, but you have to eat what I made."
Blood Lash blanched at the hidden meaning. "Oh no, what are you mixing this time?"
With a slight humph Ruby Thorn turned back to the stove. "I'm trying to mix oak cakes and pancakes to see how they would turn out."
Blood Lash sighed. "OK mum, lay em on me."
Ruby Thorn ran a restaurant and tried different things at home so she could boost her business.
Surprisingly they were quite good, the soft pancake batter and flaky oat cake made a good breakfast and was extremely filling.
After breakfast and a few glasses of water Blood Lash waved goodbye to his mum and walked out whistling a little tune.
Ruby thorn on the other hand was washing the dishes. A silver green glow lifted them up as she contemplated her next move, luckily she had an ace.
"Heh, let's see if you can deal with him after this heartbreak Dusky, what he doesn't know will hurt deep, and maybe I can get that cut even deeper."
~~*~~
Blood Lash turned down Night-lock St. and trotted to a grey brick building. The building was Anamotion Central Control HQ, or A.C.C. HQ, and it was here that he went to his therapy sessions much to his discomfort. All in all the trouble started at school, as a young colt and a blank flank (which he still was) he was picked on mercilessly, at one point even the fillies and teachers started on him because he was a bastard child of a negasus and a almost magic-less unicorn.
Blood Lash walked through the door and sat in the waiting room after signing in.
It hurt to even think about but he couldn't help but remember how many were shocked to find the news of him being a negasus child, even with Queen Nightmare Moon's iron hoof wasn't enough to keep them from being scorned. However a savior came from an unlikely source, Twilight Dawn who was a daughter to Dusk Shine and a descendant of Princess Twilight Sparkle herself was in his class. A few quick words to her father and Queen Darkened Eclipse herself picked him up from school to have a... meeting. Shudders ran down his back at the memory.
But after a few hours Queen Nightmare Moon stepped in and whisked him away. She had told him he was special, and that like all her negasi and negicorn descendants she would place him in special therapy. And due to that here he was. Day after day, week after week he came to A.C.C. HQ and had lessons from Dr. Dusk Shine.
Blood Lash's thoughts were interrupted by a ding and clip clop of hooves on the tile. Lifting his head he saw a violet unicorn with a magenta streaked purple mane., The stallion also had a star with a shadowy claw grasping it.
"Hello Dr." Blood Lash said with a slight incline of his head.
"Hello Blood Lash, are you ready for today's lesson?" Dusk Shine stopped just a few feet in front of Blood Lash.
"Of course Dr. I have also completed the work you assigned me." Blood Lash assumed a respectful mask, after all he was royalty. Even if it was royalty of a different planet but still. Getting to his hooves he fallowed Dusk Shine to the elevator and got in. Withen a few moments the doors opened and the two unicorns got out. The new hallway seemed to be completely made out of silver, the floors, ceiling, walls even the doors. And at the very end was a door with a matching mark to Dusk Shine's cutie mark.
The inside of Dusk Shine's office was as spartan as the hallway except for the desk, a few cushions and the shelves filled with books.
That and the mechanical dragon that annoyed Blood Lash to no end with all his nagging.
"Time to wake up Cinder, has Dawn been by to see me today? It is the weekend." Dusk Shine said as he sat on one of the cushions and motioned for Blood Lash to do the same.
With a yawn the dragon woke up, stretched and started cleaning. "Naw, sorry Boss. 'Sides, she normally arrives in fifteen minutes or so. Oh hey Bloody, cooken up anything good?"
"No Cinder, I'm not cooken up anything thank you very much." Blood Lash said through gritted teeth.
"Now now Cinder, how many time do I have to tell you not to mess with him? Please go back to cleaning." The older unicorn said with a scowl.
"Yeah I know Boss."
"Alright, why don't we see your report Blood Lash?" Dusk Shine unrolled the scroll and started reading. It took a few minutes due to its length but it was to long before he put it down and looked right at Blood Lash.
"Blood Lash, you did very good. Perfect in fact, exactly what I expected to see."
Pride started to fill Blood Lash's eyes before Dusk squashed it like a baby insect.
"But you don't seem to understand what I mean. You've written a amazing report but do you really understand it? Oh sure you could tell me what it means. But not what it means to you."
The Dr. sat back with a sigh. "Anyway lets get back to where we ended yesterday, why do you think you can't acquire new friends?"
The rest of the meeting went like every other except for the short interruption by Twilight Dawn and her younger sister Final Dawn bringing in cookies. The Dawn Sisters always made the best cookies.
"Alright, I think that's enough for you today, just remember the Queen's offer still stands. If you have nowhere to go their doors are always open. Have a good day."
"Of course Dr. Dusk Shine. Good day." Blood Lash replied.
Walking out of the office his mask crumbled. Yeah, Blood Lash thought. Their offer still stands. I'm sure Queen Eclipse would just want another meeting.
Blood Lash left A.C.C. HQ and went to the PX. Sapphire Glow had said she would meet him their after he was done today and Blood Lash had gotten done an hour early. A smile appeared on his muzzle. He had the necklace in his bags and a eye on a blue rose that was sold in a store near here. A quick trot and he found himself at their normal meeting place.
Being an hour early she wasn't there so he decided to go look around a little, after all his favorite store had a new video game coming out and a new store had just opened right next door.
Today is going to be great! Blood Lash thought with a grin.
How Naive.
