//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: A young priest and an old priest. // Story: The Fall and Rise of Prince Blueblood. // by KittyrinnAiko //------------------------------// “Nova? Sunshine? How’d you get stuck in the wall like that?” Mrs Seakite asked the two. “And why aren’t you at flight camp?” “I got my cutie mark!” Nova said cheerfully. She was also very relieved that the walls were all made from cloud material. “Can you perhaps send word to camp and let them know we are alright?” Sunshine asked. “Does this have anything to do with that loud boom and rainbow light?” “No,” Nova said. “Yes,” Sunshine said. “OK, maybe,” Nova admitted. “And can you get me out of here before I stain the wall yellow?” Sunshine pleaded. “I’ll be right back.” Mrs Seakite replied and then trotted to the front door, opened it, and went down the walk. Once there she signaled a security detail, two white stallions in Pegasus guard uniforms who rushed over to her. “Miss Nova and Miss Sunshine are stuck in a wall, any chance you can get them out? Also, some pony needs to get word to the camp that they are here.” “How’d they get stuck in a wall?” “No idea.” “Alright, let's have a look.” One of the guards offered and they followed her in. “How did you get that far into the wall?” One of the two stallions asked dumbfounded. “She teleported us here.” Sunshine offered. “Nova, you can teleport?” Mrs Seakite asked. “Maybe. Sort of,” Nova replied sheepishly. "At least we didn't land in anything solid," Sunshine added. “Dispatch, I’m going to need a young priest and an old priest at the Commandant's Quarters,” One of the guards said into a radio mic. “And contact Flight camp and let them know that Miss Nova and Summer Mustang are at their house.” “Can do. What’s the young priest and the old priest for?” “They are embedded in a wall.” “Horse laughter.” “Oh, come on!” Sunshine protested. “Well young fillies, you gave every pony quite a scare today. Not to mention the hole in the wall that’s going to need patching. Care to explain what happened?” Colonel Mustang asked crossly. “And Sunshine, why do you have a hoof bag on your head?” It was late afternoon, they were in the front parlor, Ray, Wintry, Spitfire, Cadance, and Wind Rider were there all wanting an explanation. Nova and Sunshine were sitting on the sofa looking very subdued. “There was a unicorn after Rainbow,” Nova explained. “Care to explain how you knew?” Spitfire asked. “It’s just that like I’ve mentioned before,” Sunshine offered. “And I really shouldn't go into details because it could be dangerous.” “Dangerous?!” Wind Rider exclaimed. “A Unicorn who was apparently after Miss Rainbow, and an unknown Alicorn show up at Flight Camp and the only pony who seems to know what’s going on is you. Spill it!” “She’s not to say anything,” Mrs Summers ordered as she entered the room. “The entire incident is to be swept under the cloud. It never happened.” “Now hold on?” Spitfire protested. “It never happened," Mrs Summers ordered. "It's been a really interesting day and someday I hope to tell you all about it." She then walked over to Sunshine, lifted the hoof bag, looked, and then set it back down. "Well, this is awkward.” Mrs Summers said softly. “Though I did have a hunch it might have been you.” “No pony can know.” Sunshine hissed. “Well, you can’t go around with a hoof bag on your head forever you know.” “Ah, was that a horn?” Spitfire asked. “Mom, is that going to happen to me?” “Well, if you do something heroic where the fate of all Equestria lays in the balance it might,” Mrs Summers offered with a sly smile. “But I didn’t,” Sunshine protested sheepishly. “Nova did all the work. All I did was alert her. Well, that and saved her from becoming a pavement pelt.” “What you did was act as an agent of Harmony. The two of you may even be capable of wielding an element of harmony. Nova is already a young Alicorn, so for whatever reason, it went to you instead. It might have something to do with your bloodline as well. Regardless of the circumstances.” “We both ended up in that ascension zone. I’m not supposed to do any ascending until I’m around a hundred years of age,” Nova offered quietly. “That’s what father told me. In a hundred years, and every hundred after that until I pass eight-hundred then it kind of caps out until I hit a thousand. Externally instead of gaining wings or horns, a fox pony who is of the Divine Kitsune will gain an extra tail around a hundred years and then another new tail each hundred after until they reach nine tails. We go up in increments if we are lucky enough to live that long.” Now even Mrs Summers was speechless. “You’ll live for a hundred years?” Wintry asked. “If I don’t die from disease, accident, or acts of violence, the potential life span of a fox pony is anywhere from a thousand to three thousand years,” Nova explained. “At least that’s what father told me. I don’t know if it’s true or if it even applies to all fox ponies.” Mrs Summers was staggered by what she’d just heard and went to sit down in a chair. “Mom, are you alright?” Spitfire asked going to her. “That I would cut short such a life as to be kin to divine beings.” Mrs Summers said softly. “Mom?” Spitfire asked. Nova felt her gut tense up like she’d eaten something that hadn’t agreed with her, her ears drooping. What had her Aunt Tia done? What had the lies caused Princess Celestia to do? How many innocents died and was her father among the slain? Nova wanted to ask but couldn't bring herself to do it. Not knowing held a sliver of hope that her father was still out there. Hope that her brother might still be alive if he’d inherited their father’s life expectancy. No, she just couldn't bring herself to ask. It had all been academic for Nova in the first place. She hadn’t experienced anything beyond the fight with the shadow and to her heart at least, every pony she knew was still alive or at least had lived happy lives without her. She did not want to know. Knowing would make it all a little too final, and a little too real. “Past mistakes that haunt me still,” Mrs Summers replied weakly. “As for the events of today I know who the alicorn was, or rather will be. My best guess is that the unicorn in question wanted to take Rainbow Dash out of the picture in order to prevent me from rescuing my sister from the shadow that holds her. - I’m sorry, but there are things that I simply can not tell you, the very knowledge is dangerous.” “More dangerous than knowing the truth about you?” Spitfire asked. “Extremely.” She replied. “The pieces will fall into place when they do.” “Equestria can not know about this horn on my head,” Sunshine cautioned. The others just looked at her. “The knowledge I hold about the future is from an outside source. I may well be the wild card in this world’s timeline but know that the more integrated I become the more dangerous my existence is. Let me remain in obscurity for as long as I can. I think that once we’ve passed the extent of my foreknowledge it won’t really matter anymore. As for that unicorn, from what I know, her actions were aimed at... at that alicorn. It's not to help the Night Mare, she's too petty to think that far ahead. All she wants is to hurt the pony of her obsession in the worst possible way.” “While we are at it, we’ve learned that Cadance's mail is being outright blocked,” Ray Mustang announced breaking the silence that had followed Sunshine's statement. “I ran into an old friend,” Cadance offered. “Remember when I told you how discouraged I was because none of my friends were writing? Turns out they were. It’s just not getting to me, and none of my letters were getting to them.” “That is troubling. - Alright, Sunshine, I can grant you what you want. In fact, it seems I must,” Mrs Summers offered. “There is a device that is sometimes used by undercover unicorns that sort of hides the horn. Fits on just like a suppression ring. Put it on, activate it and all any pony sees is a little swirl of fur.” “Can I get one?” Nova asked. “We had issues at flight camp,” Wind Rider offered. “There was another fox type there who did her best to defend me. That is when others accused me of something inappropriate,” Nova explained. “Fox ponies having both wings and horns does happen. It doesn’t make us royal pretenders. Having both is just something that naturally happens, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s the number of tails that counts.” “And why wouldn't it make you a royal or at least equivalent?” Mrs Summers stated. “What with every single fox pony having the potential to be equivalent to an alicorn.” She got up. “I better get back, and I’ll have someone out here tomorrow morning to get you two fitted.” “Mrs Summers… I know I promised to come back…” Cadance began with her ears down. “By any chance is there a new student Cadance can help you with?” Sunshine prompted. “I kind of get the feeling she’d like to stay here, but I suspect there is some pony who is going to need her.” “Actually, there is,” Mrs Summers replied as the smile returned to her face. She gave Sunshine a smile when she realized she must have known all along. “Cadance, I know it’s been hard on you, but I really need you to come back as promised. First is because the very nobles who have caused you so much grief will raise a fit if you don’t come back. Secondly and possibly more important I’ve taken on a new student. In all my life I’ve never seen another unicorn with such potential. I need you to help keep her grounded, to help protect her from those who would try to use her for their own gains, and I need you to keep me from making the same mistakes I did with Sunset.” “Well then, I guess I don’t have much of a choice,” Cadance replied a bit hesitant. “How about I teach you a tracking spell as soon as you come back? We’ll figure out what’s happening to your mail together,” Mrs Summers offered. “After Flight camp is over that is.” “I’d like that.” Cadance offered. “And any time you get to feeling overwhelmed come visit us.” Wintry offered. “Also, let your friends know to send their mail addressed to the care of Mrs Summers attention to … oh let's see…” “Mi Amore Cadenza,” Nova offered. Mrs Summers turned to look at her like Nova had just said the most preposterous thing ever. “What? That’s who she is.” “What?” Mrs Summers asked, looked at Cadance, her eyes got wide, and then sat on the floor right where she was. “Oh, my, goodness. Why did I not see it?” “I don’t know, nine hundred-plus years? Hasn’t been all that long for me though,” Nova offered. “Even if she is a lot older now.” “Alright, care to fill the rest of us in?” Wind Rider asked. “Nova’s right then, I really am from the Crystal Principality, as she calls it?” Cadance asked followed by Mrs Summers leaping up and giving Cadance a hug. “This day has given me more hope then you could ever possibly imagine,” Mrs Summers announced gleefully while tears of joy ran down her face. “To think that all this time you were actually my cousin Cadenza.” “Alright mom, I should probably take you home,” Spitfire prompted. “I’m serious, her mother was Princess Amore, and she was an alicorn as well.” Mrs Summers explained. “My Aunt.” “Wait, she was?” Sunshine asked confused. If the ponies in the room hadn't known who Mrs Summers was they'd have been really confused. “The historians have all come to the conclusion that she died and they erroneously just assume alicorns can’t die.” “But you can’t possibly think she may still be alive?” Cadance asked. “I don’t know,” Mrs Summers admitted. “She may well be dead, but you are here and until the Crystal City is located I can still hold out hope. Can’t I? An alicorn will live with their days unnumbered so long as they are never subjected to grievous injury. I can only hope that vile unicorn had kept her somewhere rather than murder her outright. That is worth hoping for is it not?” “Yes, I suppose so. It would be good to see my mother again.” Cadance replied with a smile. “Still though, I don’t really remember anything other than that nightmare that I have every so often. Nova was able to help me with it.” “I inherited moms ability to interpret dreams,” Nova offered hoping Mrs Summers would understand. Nova could remember some of the guards whispering about Princess Luna’s alleged ability to pry into people’s heads and didn’t really want it widely known that she could dream walk. “It only works for ponies I’m close with, that is close to.” “I fear it was unfounded rumors about your mother’s abilities that made her a target. Corrupt officials only saw her as a liability to their scheming and I too naive to see through their lies,” Mrs Summers explained. “And so that we don’t see history repeat itself we will keep you and Sunshine secret from the public and those opportunists who would do things like keeping a young mare from her mail. Oh yes, I intend to find out who is responsible and I’ve a mind to add them to the sculpture garden. - And now I really must get going before the palace realizes I’m not there and every pony goes into a panic.” “I’ll see you at the end of flight camp,” Cadance offered cheerfully as they followed her out to the porch. A moment later Spitfire and Mrs Summers were on their way.