//------------------------------// // Friends and Enemies // Story: The Infestation of Equiss Prime // by Jest //------------------------------// The sound of humming filled the filly’s room as she hopped from her desk to the now less empty bookcase nearby. She ran a hoof down the spines of the books that had come into her collection, knowing their titles from touch alone. The ability to know so much was a strange new addition to her growing list of skills, but it had come in handy as she had stayed up late studying and ended up groping around in the dark with only her eyes for light. Closing her eyes, the filly continued down the line of books until she felt the familiar touch of the one she was looking for. With a quick yank the book was free and the Life and meditations on magic was now safely in her hoof. Hopping back over to her desk, the filly laid it atop her to-read pile, which had shrunk considerably over the last several days and she made a note of visiting the library sooner rather than later. Sighing contently, the filly sank into her pillows and glanced at her to-do list, only to chuckle at the sight. Every line had either been crossed out or had a check mark beside it save for one which simply said ‘Make another to-do list’. Twilight tore the list from the wall and whisked it away to the garbage can. Taking out her trusty quill, complete with Mister Swimmer, she wrote the first item on her new list. ‘Go to library and get more books for class and personal reading.’ Nodding contently, the filly looked at her reading pile, thinking which book she should read. They were primarily fiction or personal study rather than something for Celestia as Twilight had already read well ahead of the meagre amount of books the princess had assigned to her. The list she had been given would have been intimidating a week ago, but something about her flare had made her already startlingly fast reading pace double overnight, allowing her to flip through a chapter book in minutes and demolish a textbook in a matter of hours. Glancing over at her calendar, she noted that there were no upcoming tests to study for, or classes that she wasn't already weeks ahead in. The filly sighed, indeed there didn't seem to be anything on her calendar that was even remotely interesting, save for an appointment with that nice therapist lady she had to talk to once a week. The filly found it strange that she had to talk to somepony like that as she didn't have any problems that warranted a mental health expert. Sure, her eyeballs were still all glowy, but she was pretty sure a therapist couldn't help her with that. She frowned, still a little annoyed that she didn't have any special powers despite her eyeballs glowing like Lady Cyclops’ which she had read about in one of her brother’s comics. She had just barely lifted the next book from her pile when a knock came from the door. It was firm, even and unrushed, most likely Bull, Twilight figured. “Come in!” she called, hopping up from her pillow and trotting over to the door. Silver Bulwark popped her head inside, instantly noticing the excited filly scampering up to her. “Mornin’, young miss.” “Good morning, Miss Bull!” Twilight yelled back, saluting the guard. Bull chuckled. “Don't suppose you know this, Celestia lady, do ya?” Twilight covered her mouth with her forehooves, holding back a giggle. “I don't know… What does she look like?” “Great big bugger this one is, with flanks as wide as-” “I think that's plenty enough description for young Twilight,” Celestia remarked with a smirk, stepping in behind the giggling guard. Bull leaned in real close to Twilight, whispering conspiratorily to the filly. “I dunno, young miss. You think we should let her in?” Twilight glanced up to Celestia’s amused expression before nodding. “She looks nice.” The guard grunted. “Alright, but don't come crying to me if she makes off with your silverware.” The silver glow of her magic pushed open the door as she stepped to the side, bowing to the alicorn. “After you.” The alicorn was obviously trying to maintain her usual poker face, but one look down at the giggling filly and it fell away instantly, morphing into a wide smile. “Why, thank you, Bull.” “Your Majesty.” Bull nodded once to the alicorn then again to the still giggling filly. “Young miss.” Twilight nodded back like the guard showed her, making her grin as she shut the door. Once alone, the alicorn lay down on the floor and opened her hooves, allowing Twilight to scamper up to her and jump into her waiting embrace. With a smile on her face, the alicorn gently squeezed the filly while nuzzling her softly. “And how is my favorite iddy biddy filly?” Said filly’s cheeks puffed up and she glared up at the alicorn with all the hate she could muster, which wasn't much. “Hey, I’m not iddy biddy! I’m actually big for my age.” Celestia rolled her eyes. “So you are saying you are just iddy, then?” Twilight rubbed her chin thoughtfully before nodding. “That is acceptable.” “Well, I’m glad we could get to the bottom of this very serious matter so quickly.” The alicorn ruffled the filly’s mane, making her giggle. “Now then, what have you planned to do today?” “Visit the library, get more books, do more studying.” She shrugged. “The usual stuff since I don't have any work to do.” The alicorn nodded. “I must apologize for that. I had assumed you would be a little slower to complete your coursework. Don't worry though, next week I will have more for you.” The filly smiled. “Yay!” “In the meantime though, why don't we go find some friends for you to play with?” Celestia offered. Twilight visibly shrunk, glancing over at her desk. “But I don't wanna. Ponies are dumb and say mean things about my eyes.” She crossed her forehooves over her chest and pouted. “Besides, I have lots of friends here in the castle.” “Oh, like who?” “Bull! And uh, Night Shine, and Rose Bud, and uh… Chef Butter Roll!” the filly answered confidently. Celestia shook her head slowly, placing a hoof on the filly’s shoulder. “I’m happy you are getting along with more of the staff, but you need friends your own age.” The filly pouted. “But ponies my age always call me names.” The alicorn hugged her a little tighter. “Well, I know one pony who is the nicest colt around, I’m sure you two would get along famously!” The filly slowly opened up, looking up at the alicorn with a small optimistic smile. “Are you sure?” Celestia’s smile filled her face and she beamed down at the filly. “Absolutely. Why, I even helped raise him for several years when he was young and I just know you will like him.” Twilight’s smile grew and she hopped out of Celestia’s hooves. “Does he like books?” She glanced over her small collection. “Maybe I should bring a book.” Rolling her eyes, Celestia stood up and gently pushed Twilight towards the door. “He is quite the avid reader, but I don't think bringing a book to the playground is the best idea. You don't want it to get wrecked, do you?” The filly gasped and trotted over to the door. “That would be terrible.” She shivered. “Plus I’m pretty sure Miss Golden Stacks would eat me if I wrecked a library book.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “You mean Miss Stacks the librarian?” The tiny pony gulped. “Yeah, she's scary.” The alicorn made a mental note of it, determined to deal with that at a later date. With a magical tug she pulled open the door, nodding to Bull who waited on the other side. “Hey young miss, where you two off to?” Twilight grinned, hopping up to the guard and saluting. “I am off to meet a new friend!” “Well, ain't that just the bee’s knees,” the guard remarked with a smile. Twilight turned to Celestia, a question already on her lips. “Do bees even have knees?” “Technically, they do.” Celestia shook her head. “But that is a question for another time.” She nodded down to the guard. “Your services will not be needed, please remain here until Twilight returns.” The guard’s face grew tense and she motioned for the alicorn to come closer. Celestia lifted an eyebrow, but did as she was asked, coming in close to the guard, allowing her to whisper without the filly hearing. “Are you sure this is a good idea, Your Majesty?” she whispered, sparing a glance at the filly who had busied herself staring up at a painting that hung across from her door. The alicorn followed her gaze to the filly before nodding slowly. “Yes, I do believe some socializing is in order. Why do you ask?” Bull frowned, watching as the filly tried to mimic the overly pompous expression the unicorn in the painting was making. “I just have a bad feeling is all, plenty of ponies round here find her strange and you know what ponies are like around folk they find different.” Celestia grimaced, already painfully aware of that fact. “I doubt this particular colt will be any trouble, but I may be wrong about this. With that in mind I’d like you close at hoof just in case things go poorly. We will be in the maze, so please remain at the entrance thereof, I will have somepony else cover her room.” Bull nodded, breathing a sigh of relief, her smile growing as the filly suddenly burst into a round of giggling as she was no longer able to hold the pompous expression any longer. “Thanks, Your Majesty.” With a nod the alicorn stood back to her full regal height. “Ready to go, Twilight?” The filly nodded. “What were you whispering about?” “Her majesty just wanted to talk to me, is all,” Bull remarked, reaching down and ruffling the filly’s mane. “Hmm.” Twilight scrunched her face up tight, staring at the guard intently. “Hmmmm!” Celestia raised an eyebrow and leaned towards the guard. “What is she doing?” Bull shrugged. “She's trying to figure out what we said by reading my mind.” The alicorn’s eyebrow raised a little higher. “It's a game she likes to play. She ain't half bad at it either.” “I got it!” Twilight yelled suddenly. “Oh? What did you figure out, little one?” Celestia asked kindly, barely holding back a giggle. “Something about a…. Maze?” she asked. Celestia blinked, sharing a baffled expression with Bull. “Did you tell her about the secret playground?” Bull shook her head. “No, did you?” “No…” Celestia turned. “Say Twilight, why don't you tell me more about this game of yours…” The filly beamed up at her, bouncing excitedly. “I got it right, didn't I?” “Err, sort of.” Celestia began walking down the hall, her small charge easily keeping pace. “How did you come to start playing this game of yours?” Twilight shrugged. “Bull said I wasn't supposed to know about how her date went and then it was like bam! I knew! And I was right!” She withered slightly. “Well, sorta right.” “Interesting… Say Twilight, how are your visits with the therapist going?” The filly’s smile remained in place, but her pace slowed slightly. “Okay. Velvet Touch is nice but asks lots of silly questions.” “Really now, like what?” “Like yesterday she asked…” “And then Daring Do swooped down and swiped the goblet of fire right out of Ahuizotl’s hand!” the filly announced excitedly, bouncing beside the alicorn who nodded politely. “Really now? She sounds like quite the adventurer.” “Yeah!” “So does that mean you want to be like her when you grow up?” Celestia asked, stepping outside and into the castle gardens. Twilight glanced briefly at the immaculately kept grounds, her innate curiosity calling out for her to inspect the foliage in closer detail. She had more important things on her mind right now and that strange looking tree would reveal its secrets later. “Nuh uh.” She shrunk a little, her shoulders slouching. “Promise not to laugh?” Celestia giggled. “I promise.” The filly stopped before glancing right and left before looking up at Celestia. “You gotta put your hoof over your heart, like this. Dad says a promise made on the heart means you will never ever break it.” The alicorn did as instructed, placing her hoof over her heart. “I promise not to laugh.” “Okay.” Twilight glanced around before leaning in. “I want to be a super princess!” “A super princess? What's wrong with just a regular princess?” Celestia asked curiously, holding back a laugh. The filly shrugged. “A princess is cool, but I want super powers too! Like laser eyes or the ability to talk to fish.” She tapped a hoof to her chin. “Actually that last one sounds lame.” “Well, I think it sounds radical,” Celestia commented, her smile faltering when Twilight didn't return the expression. “What, is radical not in use anymore?” Twilight shook her head. “Not really, but you are getting closer.” “Fi,” the alicorn cursed. “And here I thought I was getting good at this slang thing.” Twilight giggled and got back up, prompting Celestia to continue walking deeper into the private gardens. “Good thing you got me around, huh?” The alicorn smiled faintly, gazing off into the distance. “Quite so, young Twilight.” Together the pair walked in relative silence, with Twilight humming some tune she only half remembered, her eyes flicking this way and that as gawked at all the different types of plants that grew in the royal gardens. Celestia smiled the entire time, her gaze occasionally glancing down to Twilight and watching the filly as she stared silently at some new type of plant she had never seen before. The innocent curiosity was both adorable and quite the change from the normal reactions she saw when guiding someone through the gardens for the first time. Nobles would silently judge the worth of each plant as they passed them by, Celestia half convinced that she could see a running tally of bits slowly ticking away above their head. Occasionally they would point out a tree or flower that had a more expensive, and in their opinion, better replacement. Dignitaries always kept an air of polite judgement that was only slightly more enjoyable than the nobles who were more open in the way they judged the garden. After all, royal gardens, menageries and collections of art had been a measuring stick for the worth of a leader for centuries, which meant that every time she took one such individual, it turned into a subtle horn measuring contest. She rarely if ever took anyone that didn't fit into those two categories through the gardens, partly due to the potential for damages, and there was the fact that a few of the plants in the garden were dangerous to ponies. Which was a shame as she genuinely enjoyed watching Twilight flit this way and that, drawn to each strange and exotic plant where she stared for a few seconds before trotting off to the next curiosity. The alicorn felt a smile across her face, the alicorn silently thankful that they had discovered that Twilight didn't seem contagious in any way, lest this event have never happened. By then they had worked their way deep into the maze at the centre of the gardens, and though it wasn't very large, it was designed to confuse and Twilight quickly found her head spinning, unable to remember which way the exit was. The filly turned around suddenly, looking up at the alicorn. “Where are we going?” “To a secret playground I set aside for the castle’s younger inhabitants.” Noticing that the filly seemed unconvinced, she put a hoof on her shoulder. “Trust me, Twilight, it's going to be fun.” The filly nodded. “Okay.” Together they continued to walk deeper and deeper into the hedge maze, the walls of plants eventually meeting above their heads, creating a canopy that nearly blocked out the sun. Just as she was about to light her horn, the filly noticed that there were lanterns along the path ahead of them. The lanterns hung from either side of the wall and glowed with a soft blue light that felt both gentle and warm. The filly’s eyes went wide and she trotted up to one such lantern, staring up as the blue flame flickered within. “Ooooh.” “Would you like to know how to make a lantern like that?” Celestia offered. “Oh, yes please!” Twilight exclaimed. Celestia giggled, a hoof covering her lips. “I’ll make sure to include that on the schedule for next week then.” The filly wilted slightly. “Could you at least tell me how you make the flame? Is it a spell, or alchemy?” Her eyes went wide and she spun around, staring up at Celestia. “Or is it both?” “You are both right, and wrong,” she said. Twilight blinked. “What do you mean?” The alicorn leaned down and winked at the filly. “For that answer, you must wait until your next lesson.” Twilight groaned, but her sour mood didn't last long, her mind already turning as it tried to figure out the newest mystery laid out before it. Noticing that her student’s mind was occupied once more, Celestia continued deeper into the maze, weaving this way and that as Twilight stared up at each passing lantern. It wasn't long until the filly was completely lost and they neared their final objective. Just as they made the last turn in their journey Twilight stopped suddenly, her eyes opening wide as she lifted a triumphant hoof into the air. “I got it!” she exclaimed. Celestia lifted an eyebrow at the suddenly exuberant filly. “Oh? Did you figure it out?” The filly nodded, using her magic to retrieve one of the lanterns from its hook and gently lowered it to her own height. Celestia was tempted to stop her, but the filly seemed gentle enough that there wasn't any harm in allowing her to continue. Twilight pointed a hoof to the bottommost part of the lantern. “This part has the fuel which is alchemical in nature.” She moved her hoof up to the lowest point of the flame, where there was neither wick or any sort of readily apparent fuel source. “Where a spell array heats up the gas that escapes from the tank.” Celestia clapped her hooves. “Congratulations Twilight, that was very well done. Tell me, what led you to that conclusion?” The filly beamed under the praise, her back straightening as her head lifted a little higher. “The way you said it made it sound like both a spell and alchemy was at work, but not that they directly combined. With that in mind I just had to figure out the spell and after I figured out it was just a heat spell it was relatively easy to discover how it worked.” “Bravo Twilight. Keep that in mind and I’m sure it will help you some day,” Celestia congratulated. Twilight’s smile grew and she strutted proudly down the path, only to look up and just now realize they were walking towards a dead end. “Uh princess, are you sure this is the right way?” Celestia smirked. “Oh, why do you say that?” The filly trotted up to the wall of plant matter and just turned back to Celestia with an odd expression, as if asking, ‘seriously?’. The alicorn chuckled and just stepped forward. “Sometimes, you must simply trust when your mind says otherwise.” The alicorn strode confidently toward the plant wall, causing Twilight to grimace as her mentor was no doubt about to get a faceful of bush. Instead, she simply passed through the wall as if it wasn't even there. “Huh?” Raising her hoof, Twilight mimicked the action, pushing it against the wall and finding there was no resistance. Which wasn't what she was expecting, causing her entire body to topple forwards as she overcompensated, landing on her belly with a thump. The regal laughter of her mentor brought the filly’s eyes upwards where she saw Celestia looking down at her with a smile. “It's merely an illusion, Twilight. Meant to keep out the curious passers-by and allow the fillies and colts of the castle to enjoy some private time away from the prying eyes of their peers.” She extended a hoof to the filly. “Come. I will introduce you.” Twilight nodded, taking the alicorn’s hoof and being helped to her hooves. Once standing, the filly slowly looked around, her eyes going wide as she beheld the secret playground. The walls and impromptu roof were both made of the same hedge as the maze was, save for the fact that it rose much much higher and created an enormous domed ceiling over the entire area. This impressive amount of work had all gone into hiding a large play structure, complete with a slides, swinging bridges and just about everything a foal could ever want. Beside it were several sets of swings, and a jungle gym in the shape of an enormous tortoise. Next to the structure were several lavish benches for adults to sit and watch. There were only a hooful of ponies in the secret playground, made up of a group of seven foals playing on the structure and a single adult sitting on the benches. The foals were many different colors and had a variety of cutie marks, however that is where the difference ended as they all sported finely manicured horns on their heads, and so did the single adult. Twilight shrunk behind the alicorn, noticing that the foals had stopped playing and had all turned to Celestia and were gawking at the newcomers. The adult seemed to have a bit more class however and trotted over to them, a wide smile on his face. He was tall, his limbs thin without being emaciated, his deep blue fur positively shimmered in the indirect light and his green eyes flashed with a quiet confidence. The stallion looked to be about his mid-forties and was sporting a small moustache that barely covered his upper lip. When he drew close to the pair he bowed low, nearly sweeping the ground. “Greetings, Your Highness. To what do I owe the pleasure of your acquaintance?” Celestia smiled down at the stallion, subtly motioning for him to rise. “I am here to introduce my newest student to the other foals of the castle. I was hoping she could make some friends.” “Oh, and where is this newest prodigy of yours? I have heard many wild stories over the last several days.” The alicorn crouched down, gently tugging the filly out from behind her hooves. “Come on, Twilight, this is one of the ponies I was talking about.” The filly peeked out from behind the alicorn’s leg, however the second their eyes met the stallion’s face grew dark, making Twilight pull back to the safety of Celestia’s leg. “I don't wanna.” “Come now, Twilight. You were just talking about how happy you were to meet new friends.” The alicorn frowned, gently tugging at the filly’s leg. “Where did that confidence go?” Twilight whimpered softly, making Celestia sigh and lift her leg, robbing the filly of her cover and leaving her open. “Eep!” The filly turned left then right, finding no cover from the gaze of the strangers. A strange urge suddenly overtook her and with nowhere else to go she turned down. The stallion blinked, watching as the filly used her hooves to frantically dig a hole in the dirt. “Pardon me, Princess, but is your protege alright?” “What do you mean?” The alicorn looked down to where Twilight had somehow managed to already dig a foot deep hole, with only the top of her mane and horn still visible. “Twilight Sparkle, get out of there, it's dirty.” The filly poked her head out of her hole and sighed. “Yes, Princess Celestia.” Twilight dutifully crawled out of the hole she had made for herself, standing reluctantly in front of the alicorn as she shook her head. “This is Prince Blueblood the fifth, his son is the colt I told you about.” The filly looked from the stallion over to the playground where a surprisingly well-built colt with white fur and a blond mane stood at the edge of the of the structure, staring down at her with what looked like a mix of curiosity and awe. Perking up slightly, the filly glanced from one Blueblood to the other, remembering what Celestia had said about the son being a kind and gentle pony that was also a fellow book lover. With a sigh, she stepped out from Celestia’s shadow. “Okay,” she mumbled. “Wonderful. I just know you two are going to be fast friends,” Celestia announced happily. The elder Blueblood nodded his assent. “I agree, it seems as though these two have a lot in common.” He glanced down at her, a hint of something dark in the corner of his eye. “Quite a lot in common.” Celestia smiled, gently pushing Twilight toward the play structure. “Go on, Twilight, I’ll be right here talking to Mister Blueblood for a few minutes. After that Bull should be right outside so if you need anything, seek her out, okay?” Twilight nodded hesitantly, making her way over to the play structure. A colt that looked to be about the age of Twilight hopped down and trotted right up to the filly, his eyes going wide as soon as he got close. “Woah, that's crazy. Hey guys! Her eyes really are all glowy!” The fillies and colts all stopped what they were doing and climbed down, crowding around the now terrified filly. A curious unicorn filly that looked a little younger than Twilight walked up to her, only to wince when Twilight’s orange orbs looked down on her. “Eep!” she cried, scampering back and hiding behind a bigger colt. Twilight gulped and awkwardly waved a hoof. “H-hi!” she muttered weakly. “Woah,” the first colt muttered again. An older filly suddenly leapt in front of her, peering into Twilight’s eyes with wonder. “That is so cool! Can you shoot lasers out of your eyes?” Like a soap bubble being popped, the tension suddenly evaporated and Twilight shook her head sadly. “No, not yet.” “Woah,” the foals all mumbled in unison. And just like that the ice was broken and the foals bombarded Twilight with increasingly ridiculous questions until their interest finally wavered and the golden haired colt managed to convince them to start a game of tag. Before the game could begin he trotted up to Twilight just after the other foals had started bickering over who was going to be it. Extending his hoof, the colt smiled warmly. “Greetings. My name is Blueblood, but you can just call me Bluey.” He shrugged. “Everyone does.” Twilight blushed, extending her own hoof and clopping it against the colt’s. “My name’s Twilight Sparkle.” “I assumed as much. Not too many ponies have glowing yellow eyes.” He smirked. Something about the way he said it made Twilight realize It wasn't a jab, just a small joke, like the kind two friends would share. “Princess Celestia said you liked to read.” “I do indeed. I am a big fan of the ancient unicorn philosophers, but…” He glanced over the filly’s shoulder, looking to where his father was engaged in a close conversation with Celestia. He leaned in, whispering in the filly’s ear. “I’d much rather read Daring Do.” He took a step back and smiled. “But my father thinks it's too low brow for royalty.” The filly giggled, her blush growing. “They are really good, maybe we could go to the library sometime?” she asked hopefully. The colt pondered it briefly before nodding his assent. “That sounds nice, when-” “Hey are you two done kissing yet? We’re trying to play a game over here.” An upside down colt yelled from atop the slide. Twilight’s face grew even redder, while Bluey merely chuckled. “Did you decide who’s it?” he yelled back. “Nah,” the colt remarked with a shrug. “Hmmm, well I think the rule is the newest pony is…” He tapped Twilight’s shoulder before sprinting off towards the structure. “It!” Twilight blinked, glancing from her shoulder to the shrieking foals clambering over the structure to get further away from her. “Oh, it is on.” With a manic grin on her face, the filly charged into the structure, chasing down a slower grey maned filly with a dull white coat. Across the playground Celestia smiled faintly, distracted by the sight of Twilight finally joining the other fillies and apparently being accepted by them. “Princess?” Celestia turned down to where the elder Blueblood looked up at her with a smirk. “The troubles of teaching weighing you down?” The alicorn shook her head. “No, actually quite the opposite. It's been a treat to teach someone so young and innocent, even if she is eating through my coursework a little fast. Still, it's a nice change of pace.” “Oh? I thought you would have preferred to teach someone more learned in the proper mannerisms.” He coughed awkwardly. “Not to say she is not intelligent. I merely understand better than most the problems that may arise if the proper respect is not shown to some individuals.” Celestia hummed thoughtfully, remembering back to the few instances Twilight had met a rather overly important noble, most of such instances having ended in at least a partial disaster. “True, but she is learning quickly.” The alicorn’s gaze returned to the filly as she leapt down some stairs in order to catch a filly in the shoulder, tagging her before spinning around and sprinting back up the stairs and out of reach. “I don't foresee any real trouble coming from her.” Blueblood turned as well, his own gaze lingering over his progeny, who was currently standing atop the highest point of the play structure and was sticking his tongue out at the aforementioned filly who tried to reach him. “If it ever turns out that you have another opening for a student, I know Bluey would love the chance to spend more time with you.” The alicorn sighed, watching as the colt finally was reached by a leaping Twilight, forcing him to climb down from his position and chase after the giggling glowy eyed filly. “Somedays I wish my attention was not so divided amongst important matters.” She smiled faintly as she watched Twilight and Bluey go back and forth, tagging each other back and forth before Twilight faked him out, making the colt accidentally touch Twilight and thus tag himself, allowing Twilight to get away. “I would probably spend most of my days simply teaching. It truly is a joy.” Blueblood shared the alicorn’s smile as the two sat and watched quietly. As the game progressed it eventually morphed into a game of hide and seek, with Twilight running past the alicorn, a giggle on her lips. They shared a brief wave, with Celestia barely containing the urge to greet the filly out of fear she would give her away. The alicorn watched as the excitable foal ran past her and towards the bushes before disappearing into a small nook that allowed her to hide from sight. “With that, I should be going now. I fear I have left the court unoccupied for far too long already.” She turned and nodded to the stallion. “Please, do let me know if you have any problems with my Twilight. She doesn't have a lot of experience with friends, I am afraid.” Blueblood nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he watched his son scamper around the playground, finding other foals with relative ease but unable to locate Twilight. “Absolutely, Your Highness, I am sure she will take to the other foals like a duck to water.” Celestia spared one last glance at Twilight’s hiding place before turning to leave. “Good day, Sir Blueblood.” The stallion merely nodded, his gaze drawn to the small group of fillies all spreading out and searching for Twilight who had yet to be found. After a few minutes of fruitless searching had passed the noble frowned, glancing over to where he could see twin orbs of yellow peering out of the bush. They eyes quickly vanished, ducking behind cover and disappearing from sight. One last glance at the group of searching foals told him it would be a while before they made their way over to the other side of the playground and over to Twilight’s hiding spot. Making sure to not give the filly away, he trotted over to the hedge wall stood beside her hiding spot, looking at the group of foals. “You know Celestia’s pity will only go so far.” Twilight blinked, peeking out from her hiding spot and finding Blueblood standing all but over her. Ducking back inside the tuft of bushes, the filly shrunk down, trying her best to ignore the adult. “And that is why you are here, pity. She has a soft spot for lepers and commoners and it is only because of these weaknesses of hers that you are here in the castle,” the stallion remarked in a hushed and vitriolic tone. Twilight shrunk down a little further, her hooves unconsciously digging into the dirt as she tried to retreat from the angry stallion. “You waste the princess’ time with your mediocre intelligence.” He huffed. “It's not your fault really, you come from a long line of failures and fools.” He spat his distaste, staining the earth. “The Sparkle family has been a disgrace to the honored houses for too long.” The filly sniffed, pushing her hooves tight against her ears, yet still she could hear his cruel words. “You should not have come to the castle. Every step you take further desecrates those hallowed halls.” Blueblood hissed. “Leave now and there will be no further complications. This is the only time I will offer you such a kindness.” He leaned down, whispering directly into the foal’s ear through a few inches of foliage. “I shouldn't have to tell you this, but if you try and tell anyone, no one will believe you.” Though there was a part of the filly that had grown cold, calculating and very efficient in figuring out just how to make it out of any situation, she was, at the end of the day, just a filly. With a scream of panic the overwhelmed child bolted out of her hiding spot, sprinting past the grown up, tears streaming down her face. She didn't even notice as the junior Blueblood and the rest of the foals all turned and watched as Twilight ran screaming out of the playground, bolting through the illusionary wall and vanishing completely. The rest of the fillies and colts were slow to get back to their game, lingering near the exit to the playground and watching the illusionary wall hesitantly, waiting for their new friend to return. “I don't think she's going to come back. I’m sorry children, I had hoped to ask her a few questions, but it seems as though she didn't take it well.” The elder Blueblood sighed, his features falling. “I am sorry for accidentally scaring away your friend. Why don't you all go back to your game, I’m sure she'll be right back?” To most, this would seem a heartfelt and meaningful apology, to the junior Blueblood it was an empty lie, one of many his father had weaved over the years. The colt’s eyes narrowed and he watched his father throw on his trademark overly exaggerated expressions, coaxing the foals back to their games. Bluey lingered, watching for his friend’s return for a moment before his father approached him. “Why don't you go join the others? I heard they are going to try a new game out. Something called grounders, I think.” Bluey’s gaze lingered, and though he wanted to stay and wait or better yet go looking for her, there was a hard edge to his father’s tone that assured him that this was not actually a question. “Yes father.” “Good. Wouldn't want to leave your friends waiting after all. Oh and son,” the elder stallion placed a hoof on his son’s shoulder, “forget about that filly, she's nothing but trouble. Star Tracker on the other hoof is a wonderful young mare, don't you agree?” The younger Blueblood looked over to where a slightly pudgy filly was standing on a small balance beam, her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she tried to cling to the small board. “Yes father.” “Good, good. Her parents are honorable and good ponies, unlike the filth that seems to have begun to clutter the castle these days.” The colt sighed. “Yes father.” Silver Bulwark grumbled silently to herself, turning down another of the seemingly endless rows of hedges only to find herself in another dead end. “Great. It wasn't good enough that you stayed a little too far behind Celestia and got lost, but now you can't even find your way back out.” The unicorn turned, mumbling curses under her breath. Celestia is going to have your head, she thought to herself, her mind wandering to the shrill cry she had heard minutes earlier. She had recognized the voice’s owner as her young charge, meaning something had already happened to her. What exactly that was unknown and in the minutes since she had started to look she had yet to find heads or tails of the filly. Thankfully she had set up a flare, which should alert the guard and the princess herself but that was no excuse to stop now. The aged guard turned around and put her head down, intent on sprinting deeper into the maze. Something made her stop though, some strange urge stayed her hooves and she looked around once more. She knew better then to dismiss her instincts, even if they felt more like someone tugging at her hoof. Slowly turning around she scanned the hedges for any sign of somepony small passing through, and just as she was about to give up, she found a small clump of dirt near one of the hedge walls. Without the plant ceiling of the other part of the maze, Silver could make out a small trail of dirt leading to the corner of the dead end. Trotting closer made the feeling of being tugged along grow more and more with each passing second and when she drew within mere feet of the corner, she swore she could hear a voice. It was small, barely above a whisper but the guard could have sworn she heard a filly ask why? Speeding up, the guard sprinted to the corner and peered down a small hole that looked freshly dug. Down in the bottom of the hole was a small purple mass that had curled in on itself, her tail tucked tight against her chest, the filly’s tiny hooves running down it in a slow coaxing motion. Silver’s heart fell, sorrow threatening to overwhelm the guard, and only her years of training stopped her from breaking down and weeping then and there. Swallowing hard, the guard turned her horn skyward, casting a small firework spell that should alert everyone to her position. With her job done she fell to her knees and reached into the hole. “Twilight, it's me, Bull. What happened?” The ball tucked even tighter and a wave of sorrow exploded from the filly, causing even the well-trained guard to crumple in defeat, tears crawling down her face, her limbs falling slack. She tried to stand, to move, but all she could think about was that terrible, soul crushing sorrow that made her want to curl up in a ball and weep the day away. Seconds ticked by and through it all Silver’s will was unable to push past the crushing sorrow. Until finally she felt a sudden warmth and calm radiate from behind her. Like the coming of the dawn, the darkness lifted from Silver’s heart and she found strength in her limbs once more. Looking up she saw a concerned Celestia looking down at her. “Are you alright, Silver Bulwark?” she asked, extending a regal hoof to the downed guard. The guard shook her head, pointing to the small hole. “She needs you more.” The alicorn nodded, looking into the hole with a deep sigh. Extending a hoof down, the alicorn pushed past the waves of sorrow and scooped up the filly and pressed the small bundle against her chest. Celestia swayed slowly back and forth, humming a strange and ancient tune in a language Silver had never heard of. Over time the sorrow seemed to dull until Silver was able to ignore its presence until finally it faded completely. The purple bundle slowly opened, yellow eyes peering up at a concerned Celestia. “Are you hurt?” the alicorn whispered. Twilight shook her head. “N-no.” “What happened?” The unicorn thought back to the last words Blueblood had spoken to her. No one will believe you. Doubt flashed through the infested filly’s mind and she wondered if she should even say anything. She considered just doing as the stallion had told her to do and leave, never to return. A voice seemed to take exemption to this, suddenly filling the back of the filly’s mind with its booming presence. Adapt, overcome, destroy. Panic fled the filly’s mind, and in an instant her confidence surged to new found heights. She looked up at the alicorn with sudden steel in her gaze. “It was Blueblood senior, he said-” As the filly recounted what happened, the trio slowly made their way out of the hedge maze, with Silver Bulwark hanging a respectful distance back while the two spoke. Her mind still whirled with questions, and she wondered just what, if anything, could explain that sudden feeling of absolute misery that had overtaken her. She shook her head and focused on the tall pony walking in front of her, noticing that Twilight had fallen still, clinging tightly to the alicorn’s chest. With the filly having grown silent, Silver Bulwark walked a little quicker, matching pace with the longer legged alicorn. “Permission to speak, Your Highness?” The alicorn nodded. “Granted. What is on your mind, Corporal?” “I…” She wanted to ask about what had happened to her, to ask about the misery and whatever magic may be at work, but there were more important matters to figure out. “...was wondering what happened to my charge.” Celestia sighed, hugging the filly tight against her chest. “It seems as though the courtly rumours I had thought were mere slander had more truth to them. Something is very wrong in the house of Blueblood, something I did not think possible.” Her gaze lifted up to the easternmost tower of the castle, one she knew housed the Blueblood family. “What happened to you BB?” Shaking her head, the alicorn let out a sigh. “Suffice it to say the elder Blueblood will not be allowed within a hundred metres of your charge from now on, understood?” Silver Bulwark saluted. “It will be done, Your Majesty.” “Good, now if you would please locate my wayward nephew, I would like to have a talk with him,” the alicorn growled, rage boiling just beneath the surface. The guard nodded hesitantly, an under current of hate flowing through the alicorn’s words. “Right away, ma’am.” Celestia didn't bother watching the guard go, merely listening to her hooves as she trotted back towards the maze. Now alone with her student, Celestia paused, looking down at the now sleeping filly, tears still staining her cheeks. Using a wing, the alicorn gently cleared her student’s face of moisture. “Another mistake. When will you learn, Celestia?” she whispered.