//------------------------------// // Meeting The Survivors (Edited By BS) // Story: The Humble Prince // by Lighting Ace //------------------------------// Skipping through the street with a big grin on her face, Sonata was virtually glowing from happiness as the group made their way back to school; next to her was Neferti, who, although not as excited, was also happy as the two chatted about Sonata's new powers, and discussing how she can use them as well as battle strategies while checking on all the messages Twilight left them on Sunsets phone. Behind them were the two Bluebloods, one unable to help but feel pride in his handiwork and the other lost deep in thought, a notion his counterpart quickly noticed. "Something on your mind Blue?" The Prince asks with a raised eyebrow. "Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Just thinking about how crazy this day has been. I mean crazier than normal." He replied, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact. With a knowing smile, the Prince nodded a couple of times. "It felt good, right?" "What?" Teen Blueblood looked at the Prince with a mix of surprise and confusion "Don't worry; it's completely natural, and more importantly, I understand where your confusion is coming from. Having this strange sensation in your chest. Discovering what it's like to help another just because having that strange warm sensation coursing through your body feels weird but in a nice way, right?" "I...suppose," the teen admitted, bringing his open palm to his chest before looking at the Prince. "Did the same thing happen to you with Nefertiti?" "Oh yeah, when we first met..." The Prince paused and looked at his counterpart, confused. "What are we talking about here?" "Ah... helping others?" "Oh! Then yeah! Yeah, the same thing happened; a bit of a rocky start...and some conflicting emotions here and there, but that's it." "Great! same here." There was an awkward silence until the teenager decided to speak again. "So...what happens next, then? Do I ignore them? Do I do something about it? Do I talk with someone?" The teenager asked, resuming the conversation "Heh, that is the question, isn't it? I would love to tell you that there is an easy answer, but there is not, and I can only suggest the first step." "And what would that be?" "Take this opportunity to do some introspection; look inside yourself. Wonder what you truly want to do next, talk, act, plan, then do. Do what you feel most comfortable with. Never ignore what you are feeling. Trust me; it will never go away." "What if I'm scared?" The Prince sighed before replying, "Not gonna sugar coat things here, Blue; the whole process can potentially be large, tricky, maybe even painful, and yes, extremely scary, but trust me when I tell you this." The Prince smiled and looked at his friend "The rewards you get from all the hard work you put in are more than worth it, and I guarantee you that you will no longer be alone." That left the student quiet as he thought about his doppelgangers words and looked at Sonata and Nefertiti smiling when gazing at Sonata. "That actually is encouraging. Tell me, Prince, how long did you and Nefertiti take to get where you are?" In annoyance, the Prince only rolled his eyes at the comment, "For the last time, we are just..." "Friends, right, right, so you're not there yet then." The teenager smirked and nodded a couple of times, which only peeved the Prince even further. "I'm just gonna say this; I have caught you taking glimpses." "I won't even humor that with an answer. Nefi and I are just friends, just like you and Sonata can be, too, if you give her a chance." The student nodded and started to ponder his words "Right...friends," He replied half-heartedly and remained quiet. Oh god, I forgot. They are still teenagers; of course, all that melodrama will be there with both of their hormones on a rampage. The Prince internally sighed. I better be careful before Nefi, and I get dragged into all that drama once she starts flirting again. Now that I think about it, she mostly does it with me. Have I grown so used to that and our little mental games? Now that we have had time to get to know each other... not to mention her emerald eyes... NO! I'm not going there; I promised the girls I would not touch the subject until everything was back to normal. The Prince shook his head with another blush as the two Bluebloods picked up their pace to catch on to the two girls. "Bludegard Zagreus Blood!" Startled, the group stopped and looked to the right, three of them getting ready to fight while Teenblood hid behind the rest, only to be surprised when they saw none other than Celestia and Luna in human form approaching them along with a handful of students. The adult pair, in particular, appeared to be glaring at the Prince, who was at a loss for words when he noticed them. "Is that a sword?! You better have a good reason for being armed young man." Celestia started to scowl at him, yet the Prince remained frozen, his mind running a mile a minute. "Your full name is Bludegard?" Sonata blinked and glanced back at the teenager "And your middle name is Zagreus?" Nefertiti added "Yeah, what about it? Isn't the same for him?" The teenager asked, peeking out from behind his counterpart. "Not it's just Blueblood for me." The Prince immediately replied without breaking eye contact with the royal sisters. Both kept a stern look as they continued advancing, not realizing they were talking to the wrong person; their group hung back, looking tired, dirty, and ragged. Nefertiti looked at her friend with concern when she noticed the Prince was starting to tremble. "Blue, they're not..." "I know Nefi...I know, but even if they are just another version...their voices, their personalities...if they had been in my past life, would they have looked like them?" Both ladies stood before him with their arms crossed with a stern look. "Well? What do you have to say?" Celestia demanded an answer, yet the Prince surprised both by, rather than replying, enveloping them in a group hug. "I know you are not them. My god, I know you are not, but...but, for all I know, my aunts...I just...I want to believe they are ok...I need to believe nothing bad has happened to them." He tightened the hug and did his best to hold back tears. Both principals were soon at a loss for words and were surprised when they spotted their real nephew, who was nervously laughing and stepping back from them. He stopped once he spotted Luna's glare and went silent, understanding her silent order saying, "Don't even think about it." "You're not our Bludegard, are you sweetie?" Celestia asked with an empathic voice as she slowly tapped the Prince's back, who shook his head negatively. Ending the hug, Blueblood cleared his eyes before bowing and speaking to them, "Greetings to you, Lady Celestia and Lady Luna. Apologies for my rude behavior earlier; that was inappropriate; please allow me to begin again; my name is Blueblood, Prince and active ruler of Equestria." "And I'm Princess Nefertiti the First, princess of Abyssinia and ally of Equestria and Prince Blueblood. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she greeted, holding an invisible dress and curtsying as the two formally introduced themselves, putting the principals in a very awkward situation. "Ah, t-thanks? It's nice to meet you too," Celestia tried to be friendly and greeted them in return. "So, I gather you come from the same world as the other Twilight that visited us a couple of years ago?" "Indeed, she is my cousin and has told me stories of this strange yet fascinating world; I was intrigued and wished to visit someday. To tell you the truth, I am pleased to be here. I just wish it would have been under better circumstances." "Well, when Twilight first visited, it wasn't exactly to sightsee either," Luna remarked with a knowing smile. "Oh, and if it's not much to ask, could you please not do that type of greeting again? Celestia and I aren't rulers here, and frankly, having kids bowing to us is rather uncomfortable," Luna concluded, earning a slight glare from her sister for how blunt she was. "Understood, and honestly, you would be doing us a favor." Blueblood responded, and they both nodded and chuckled, more relaxed now that introductions were out of the way. "Like you could not imagine, keeping that act up can be exhausting. " Nefertiti commented while sighing in relief. "I certainly can relate; I still remember when Ms. Sparkle walk through my door while bowing her head." Celestia recalled with a roll of her eyes as the atmosphere seemed to be calming down. Leading to the rest of the students slowly approaching but occasionally shooting a glare at Sonata. "There is so much I want to ask right now, but there is one pressing matter we must attend to first." Celestia excused herself as the students started to surround the royals to introduce themselves; Blueblood recognized some familiar faces like Lyra and Bon Bon. He was then slightly startled when he noticed a teenage version of Photo Finish attempting to take a picture with a broken camera. Most startling was what he would swear were his four royal guards. His surprise quickly gave way to a pang of guilt and worry about how the twins, Amber and Stellar, were doing. All of them were eager to speak with the two. "You alright, Bluey?" Nefi asked in concern as she touched his shoulder and snapped him out of his daze. "Y-Yeah, I'm ok now. Listen, what happens there..." "...Relax, I get it." Nefi calmed him down and dismissed his apologies with a wave of her hand. "I would probably be the same if I suddenly saw any members of my guard or all of my family safe and sound..." She started, then paused when the realization hit her. "My family... I don't know how they are. Ok, now I REALLY get where that came from, although I'm not sure I'm ready to figure out how they would look all human-like." She shivered, causing Blueblood to laugh a little and ease the tension somewhat. "You get used to it pretty fast, trust me." Sonata interjected, trying to lighten the mood, something complicated by all the stares the students were giving her. "Yeah... Would it help if I apologized for what I did?" She asked hopefully as the students' glances turned to glares. They were, however, startled and confused when the royals stepped up in defense of Sonata, which she was more than grateful for. While all of that was happening, the principals focused their attention back on their real nephew with a stern look. The teenager started to panic and even attempted to run for it until Luna stopped him with a word. "Hold it, young man!" Bludegard tensed up and slowly turned to look at his aunts with a nervous chuckle "H-Hi, aunties." "Hi, aunties? Did you have fun sneaking out to the moon knows-where in the middle of a crisis? Do you have ANY idea of how worried Celestia and I have been?!" That made him cringe and close his eyes as Celestia joined in. "What were you thinking?! Do you think we are in some kind of game? The world is in a crisis, and you abandoned the shelter knowing full well that monsters were lurking around to do what? To go gallivanting around who knows where; what do you have to say for yourself?" "I'm sorry?" The teenager shrugged while continuing to laugh nervously. The whole conversation made the prince pause between greetings and looked over at the principals scolding his copy; intrigued, he leaned toward Sonata, who explained herself as some students allowed her to talk. Excusing his brief interruption, he turned his attention to the siren; Nefi had the same idea and moved closer to hear. "Sonata, just out of curiosity, did Adagio convince him to...?" She nodded with a sigh. "Originally. The idea was to get as many "meat shields" as possible to stay safe, but he was dumb enough to be convinced with only a little praise, and well, you remember how that ended up going." "Yeah, I get it; everything makes sense now." The Prince nodded in sadness and with a sigh as the students glared at Sonata as she tried to defend herself. "I know it was wrong now! And I'm sorry! I've changed, I swear!" She tries to explain, but everyone looks unconvinced. "That explains why he thought we were a rescue team, but why did he demand a limo and wasn't worried about what his family would say if they saw him?" Nefi turned to Sonata, who shrugged in response. "He probably thought he was invincible or didn't think about it until he met with his aunts again; that is my best guess, at least." Nefertiti blinked before looking at the teenager again and then back at Sonata "...And what about you three? Did you have a plan or...?" Nefi asked, trying to make sense of bringing the teen Blueblood along if they hated him so much "Adagio thought we could look into what was causing this mess and see if there was a portal to Equestria that we could use or use the power for ourselves; I suggested going to the mall so we could have food, shelter, and supplies; Aria agreed because we could arm ourselves and while we were trying to figure out how to sneak back to the school we were attacked, and that is where we found you." "Ah," Both nobles nodded as the principals kept scolding Bludegard, who could not do anything but take it. "Ah, excuse me," Lyra steps in, raising a hand. "Not to be rude, but could you please fill us on...what the hell is going on and what is happening with you hanging out with Sonata. Sorry if I sound demanding, but this whole scenario is weird, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that we don't want another she-devil incident." The other students all nodded in agreement with neutral expressions. "She-devil incident?" Blueblood repeated with a raised eyebrow making Sonata sigh and look away. "Long story, and I assure you it will not happen again." "Ah, I'm sorry, Sonata, but we are not quite there yet; I think we would feel better if Blueblood was the one that told us that...as unbelievable as that sentence is," Lyra added, realizing what she just said. The siren didn't say anything but lowered her head, which angered the Prince slightly as he stepped forward to defend her. "She already answered your question; I would just repeat her statement. I can vouch for her." "So do I," Nefertiti added, touching Sonata's shoulder. "Unlike her less-than-pleasant companions, Sonata was caught up and swept along into the shenanigans of the one you should be angry with. Even if there was a reason, I don't think this is the time or place to be pointing fingers and holding grudges over nothing." They all looked uneasy, exchanging glances until a crack resounded through the sky, alerting everyone as they saw storm clouds forming in the distance, reminding the royals of their shared goal. "We can discuss this later; we must return to the school, where we should be safe." "The school? Are you nuts?" Of all people, Amber complained at the statement, "That is where all this mess started! There is no safe place; those portals keep appearing everywhere, no matter what! That is why none of us have barely slept for weeks now." At that moment, Blueblood noticed the dark spots under everyone's eyes and how they seemed extremely tired. "We need to move, but not toward the storm's center." "She's right, Prince," Celestia interjected with a tired sigh as she and Luna finally returned from scolding their nephew, Luna putting her hand firmly on the teen's shoulder to ensure he didn't try anything—the irritation from the lack of sleep showing more and more. "So that is why Twilight and the group couldn't find any survivors," Blueblood gathers with a nod. "Hard to make a fortified shelter if at any second a portal could open in the middle of it," Nefertiti concluded. "They are students and teachers; of course, they would not be prepared for these types of conditions." "It also explains why Twilight and the rest didn't find anyone; they were actively avoiding the hot spots where the six were searching and probably both sides were either too tired, sleeping, or on the move to notice any of them while nearby." "We managed with what we had," Luna replied. "It's not ideal, but it is something. And as school staff and Principals, it is our duty to ensure the safety of our students. It was a miracle the monsters seemed to vanish, but that will not last and..." Her voice was cut short when she saw at least ten creatures emerging from around a corner, approaching both royals and Sonata. "LOOK, O..." Before she could finish her warning, the trio had reacted and blasted the creatures with a flurry of thrusts, punches, slashes, kicks, and a sizable mystical sound wave. The creatures had barely hit the ground before the trio rushed towards the portal and closed it with practiced ease, shocking the rest of the group, minus Bludegard. "...ut?" With that matter settled, Nefertiti addressed the rest again. "Listen, I understand your concerns, but Twilight and her friends created a protective dome around the school. Plus, we can deal with these creatures, as you just saw. In fact, we came from Equestria to deal with this situation, specifically at the request of Sunset Shimmer. If you come with us, you will be safe and be able to have a proper rest. I imagine you have been craving that for some time now." Everyone seemed unconvinced and kept exchanging glances until the teenage Blueblood had had enough and slipped out from Luna's grip to stand with the royals. "Come on, everyone, what's to think about it? A proper bed, for heaven's sake!" "Blueblood, we can't just go to where all this mess started." Lyra complained, showing her stress. "You're right! There are plenty of other options available! Go ahead and head to the other secure refuge with a monster-repelling dome, two super powerful royals, and the siren from another world capable of dispelling the monsters and the portals they come from." He remarked sarcastically, leaving everyone dumbfounded as the siren and royals only blinked, unsure what to say. With a frustrated sigh, Blueblood turned around and grabbed Sonata's wrist. "Let's go! I don't want to be in the middle of the storm." "Ah...ok," Sonata stammered and followed alone, leaving the royals and survivors behind to stand by awkwardly. "This is an offer, not a command. You can do what you want. Just know that we can protect you better there," The Prince decided to offer as he and her friend resumed their march toward the school. The survivors considered their words until another crack from the sky helped them decide and follow the group. "How did they do that?" One student asked, perplexed by how they managed to convince the group to follow them, give Sonata a chance, and even listen to their version of Blueblood. Another one shook his head "Just don't overthink it; that is how they do things." Taking advantage of their lead, the lioness looked at the Prince with a concerned look as she spoke in a low tone, "Bluey, there is something we need to discuss." He glanced around to ensure nobody was paying attention and leaned toward her. "What is it?" "We have a little hiccup with our plan," She explained and showed him all the messages from Twilight and the final one from Pinkie that she just received.