//------------------------------//
// I Mourn For The Colt I Once Knew (Cadence POV) 
// Story: Aftermath of a Fallen Star 
// by Rated Ponystar 
//------------------------------//


Aftermath of A Fallen Star



By Rated Ponystar



Edited by The Unnamed Pawn



 I Mourn For The Colt I Once Knew (Cadence's POV)



***


There are no words to describe what it means to lose somepony you loved dearly. I lost my parents at a very young age when our carriage fell off a cliff. My mother and father were killed on impact, and the only reason I survived was because, at that moment, my alicorn blood activated. I survived, but only barely. It turns out I was the last descendant of the Crystal Empire’s royal family when it was believed that the usurper, King Sombra, killed them all. Many said I was lucky to have survived, but I didn’t think so. I wished, for a long time, that I was dead because I had nopony left. I was alone in the world with powers I had no control over. 

Then, one day I learned that Princess Celestia and some of the Bluebloods were coming over for a trip to the countryside.

I remembered Princess Celestia was an alicorn just like me so I quickly went to see her. She was talking to this young colt, who was shy and looked confused the moment he saw me. Princess Celestia was curious about me and I told her everything. She quickly adopted me into her family and since then Aunt Celestia raised me. I’ve always seen her as my second mother.

It was all strange to me, and I was scared now that I was called a “Princess” of Equestria just because of a simple adoption. But there was somepony to help me. And his name was Prince Blueblood.

I know what you're thinking, how was I friends with a the most snooty, ignorant, racist, and hateful pony in the entire world? The idea that the Empress of the Crystal Empire, Alicorn of Love, and foalsitter of Princess Twilight Sparkle, was friends with the murderer of that very pony. The pony who I once treasured like my own little sister.

The truth is... Blueblood wasn’t always like that. The Blueblood I knew, the cousin who became my first friend in Canterlot, was once a kind and gentle soul. I remember how shy and nervous he was, always hiding from me and doing his best to avoid me. I thought at first he hated me, but it turned out he was just nervous. 

I attended the same lessons as him when we lived in the castle; both of us learning about Canterlot society, politics, and other studies. When I messed up he would always quietly correct me since his family had raised him to master these studies since he could walk. I would always give him a polite smile and thank him for everything, and he would blush and turn away. Over time he slowly grew out of his shell and became my first true friend. 

We would go out on adventures together as pirates or knights seeking to battle evil and get treasure. Canterlot was our world and we ruled it as children. The summer festivals and winter balls we attended together, laughing, dancing, and having fun like normal ponies. Sure, we had access to the greatest rooms, food, toys, and clothing as members of the royal family, but the most valuable thing we had was our friendship. I was known as “Candy” to him and he was “Bluey” to me. 

He told me his dream was to be a great noble like his father, to rule over ponies and keep Equestria strong. I never liked his father to be honest. He was too cold, too rigid, and he seemed to have a dislike for me as well as most ponies in general. He treated the servants and guards especially like they were beneath him. Aunt Celestia was the only pony he showed any respect, but I always thought he eyed the throne greedly. I didn’t like him, but I didn’t tell Blueblood that because he was his father after all.

Sometimes I wonder if he’s the reason that Bluey became who he was years later.

We grew older, but our friendship still stayed strong. At least... until that day.

Blueblood had been called home by his family, saying he was old enough to learn proper noble lessons and such. Meanwhile, Aunt Celestia asked me to watch over and take care of a filly by the name of Twilight Sparkle, whose parents were friends of hers. I was nervous about taking care of another filly, since I had never done so before and I was still hurt that Blueblood had left for who knew how long. Little did I know those years spending time with Twilight would be the best I ever had.

The little filly was so adorable, cute, and kind that my heart was won over immediately. While I had lost one friend, I gained another in the form of Twilight Sparkle, who quickly became like a sister to me. We learned, laughed, played, and enjoyed our time together like two peas in a pod. Even after she became Aunt Celestia’s prized student, our friendship never stopped growing. Through Twilight, I found the love of my life, Shining Armor, and a surrogate family with Twilight Velvet and Night Light. 

For over seven years, I thought my life couldn’t get any more perfect. Then I learned my best friend was coming back after so long.

Only what came back wasn’t my best friend. It was a total stranger. I don’t know what they did to him or how they did it, but the shy, sweet prince I knew as my best friend in the whole world came back as a rude, bigoted, snobbish, jerk. 

He told me that his father and mother had taught him valuable lessons. Lessons he had to use in order to make sure the nobility of Equestria was protected from those who were seeking to undermine it. I was surprised by his attitude, but I still did my best to be friendly as possible. He often associated with other nobles who I didn’t like either because of their attitude or their politics. He treated the servants and guards like trash, always ordering them to do everything for him. I was stunned, hurt, and confused. What had happened to my best friend over the years and why was he acting like this?

Despite this, he still remained friendly towards me. Like nothing had changed between us, although he often disapproved of my relationships with the Sparkle Family, saying they were too low class to associate with, even if they were nobility of the lowest rung.

Then one day, I heard Twilight crying in the halls and I rushed over to see what was going on. To my horror, Twilight was in tears as Blueblood ripped on her, saying she was pathetic and didn’t deserve to be Celestia’s student or my friend since she was not noble enough and therefore insignificant. 

I slapped him in the jaw.

I faced my best friend, tried to lecture him, to change his ways... it was probably the last time we ever spoke as friends.

He left with only a glare and that was the end of our friendship. 

After I comforted Twilight, I had to be comforted by Celestia as I cried over what had happened. I slept in the same bed as her that night, tears streaming down my face as she held me close, singing lullabies to me. It was something that I hadn’t needed since my first few weeks in the palace when I was a filly. I cried because “Bluey” was gone. Replaced with a stranger.

Blueblood and I never spoke to each other again, at least on friendly terms. Anytime we passed through the halls we just glared at each other. My friendship and love with Twilight only increased as I saw her grow up, become a hero and later my sister-in-law, restore my ancestors kingdom, and become an alicorn just like me.

Everything was going great. I had a family, subjects who loved me, and a sister who had a grand vision for all of us. I was willing to do everything in my power to help see it come to fruition. We even planned how to integrate changelings into my kingdom to show how I was putting the past behind me to give them a better future.

But Blueblood would not stay quiet. He hated Twilight, hated her vision, hated how such a low born like her could be a greater and noble pony then he was. I knew he was jealous, anypony with clear eyes could see it. He often tried to talk down Twilight’s ideas, saying that she was ruining tradition. Despite the loud voices he stirred up siding with him, Twilight had a bigger support group and more power behind her words with me, my aunts, and her friends backing her. He remained persisent and while I wanted to deal with him myself, Twilight said she could handle it...

Then one day... my friend... my sister-in-law was dead. Assassinated by her own subjects.

Those days were the hardest for both me and Shining. We held each other, weeping for the sister who we both loved so much. The emptiness and pain that I had felt when losing my parents was nothing compared to what I felt when I saw the mare who I helped raise since she was a filly lying in a glass coffin before me. I remember kissing her farewell on her forehead as my tears dripped down her smiling face. She was so beautiful, so innocent. It was unfair for this to happen. To me, to her, to all of us. 

And it was all because of one pony. 

Blueblood.

Despite how much I loathed him, I always remembered how he was once a good colt. A kind colt. My best friend. Since our fight, I wanted to believe that somewhere, deep inside, my Bluey was still there. I remember him coming to my wedding, dancing with me just once, and wishing me happiness before he left without saying a word. It made me hope that there was a chance he could be saved. If we could turn Discord good, couldn’t we turn Blueblood as well?

But that hope shattered when I learned he was the leader of the group that assassinated Twilight. I couldn't believe it when I heard that he was the one behind the death of my sister. I refused to believe it. I didn’t want to believe it.

Then the trial came and when I heard those hurtful words from his mouth, about how he deserved to be an alicorn instead of Twilight, I realized that the sweet boy I once knew was no more. I lost somepony dear to me at the hooves somepony else who was dear to me. I knew then that I would never see Bluey again.

I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. Bluey was my first friend. The one who I’d had sleepovers with. The one who I’d played tag with. The one who told me that he never had a friend until he met me. How could my fillyhood friend become this? 

I decided to ask him myself. I visited him on his final night alive. What I saw barely looked like a pony. His horn was gone, cuts and bruises from endless beatings by the guards had ruined his once smooth body. His tail had been cut off and his cutie marks torn from his flanks. His mane looked like it had been burned off and his teeth were all but shattered. For the first time, in a long time, I felt pity for him. 

When I sat down, he used his one good eye to look at me. He said nothing, but I could see in his eye there was anger, fear... and guilt. I don’t know if it was for his actions or only towards me, but I was probably the one pony left in the world who was willing to show him kindness as I sat beside him and stroked his broken hoof. Tears spang down from his eyes and soon I joined him. 

“Why, Bluey?” I asked. “Why?”

He gave no answer, just continued to cry. I didn’t ask a second time. All I wanted to do was comfort the one who was once my friend. That was who I was comforting. Not Blueblood, but Bluey. To me they were two separate ponies.

The last words I ever heard from him as I left the room I will always remember.

“I’m sorry... Candy...”

I didn’t go to the execution. I was in too much distress to do so. But I did order two of my own private guards to take the body after it was all over and done with. It turns out his family didn’t want it, nopony did. He was to get no burial or special honors. To all of Equestria, Blueblood could have been food for the flies or tossed into a ravine without a care in the world.

But I couldn’t let that happen. I owed Bluey that much. They took his body, sealed in a plain old coffin, and had brought it before me. Apparenty, nopony bothered to touch it after it was left to rot on the stake he died on. 

I lead the guards in secret to a secluded area in the mountain, where they buried the coffin. I carved a small tombstone out of the rock and put a single name on it. 

“Bluey”

After I ordered them to never speak of this day again, I stayed up on the mountain, at the grave that held one of my oldest friends and also the murderer of the sister I loved most in the world. That night I cried like I never did before. Because I had lost two ponies that I had once loved dearly.


***



The Princess of Hearts visited the Fallen Star every year



Every so often she would go up the mountain alone



Nopony ever knew why



Nopony knew of the grave that only ever had one visitor