//------------------------------// // Family Time // Story: Coin's Face // by Silent Quill //------------------------------// My eyes blinked in the light that I found myself standing in, blinded for a moment or two before my sight adjusted and I could properly see where I was. The familiar breeze, scent of flowers, and gentle rolling hills of green carpet surrounded me, interrupted only by an unimposing forest and calm-watered lake. I was back in the Dream; I guess Princess Luna really was telling the truth about anchoring myself here with that magic. I smiled a little as I felt the breeze drift through my coat, sighing to myself before I meandered back over to the lake. I could hear a faint ticking noise, like metal striking metal, from what felt like the back of my mind. Not knowing what to make of this, I shrugged it off and sat by the water’s edge, enjoying the warmth of the dream sun on my coat. I wonder if this is what the real sun is like… I really must ask Princess Celestia when I see her next. I noticed, out of the corner of my eye, a certain… queer sensation to the world around me. It was as if the land, trees, sky, and clouds had taken on a liquid state as a ripple washed through it. What was that all about..? “Ah, Miss Coin, here you are.” I turned my head to see Princess Celestia calmly striding in my direction, stopping by my side and lying beside me. She smiled as she gazed at the mountains on the horizon, as if observing some great work of art. All around her, the air, land, grass pulsed in a steady, calm rhythm. It was as if she had been placed against a flat banner which rippled with her heartbeats. All the while, the faint clicking of metal tapping against metal was present in the back of my mind. “The clicking you hear is sir Caramel hammering your horseshoes into place. Mithril is a powerful magical metal, it can take on the magic of the one who shapes it, can be made into countless powerful alloys, and pure mithril is one of the strongest metals known to ponydom. Normal horseshoes and metal would not be so audible within your sleep, but mithril hammering mithril releases magical sound which can be heard by all but the dead.” Celestia stated to me, almost as if she could see the question forming in my mind. “I see.” Was all I replied with; it made as much sense as anything else had made sense the last day or so. “But you… what is this?” I asked, waving to the distortions around her. “I don’t do that… do I?” Celestia chortled. “No, no; these distortions are the Dreamscape trying to eject my presence. As I am not an instinctual user of Night Magic, I am not meant to be present beyond my own dreams unless placed there by our sister.” I nodded my understanding; it made as much sense as anything else did, I supposed. “And… is this what the waking world is like? Outside, I mean?” “How do you mean?” I waved a hoof at the dream around me, “The wind, the quiet, the sun; is it like this? I feel… comfortable with the sun on my back. It’s a pleasant warmth… is it normal?” Celestia breathed a faint little sigh, shifting in her spot, “For normal ponies, yes; the world during the day feels just like this. For you, however, we are unsure. Creatures of the Night, true creatures of the Night, that is, are often harmed by the sun’s warmth; we are unsure if you will be susceptible to such ailment, and we will be unable to know until you are well enough to be able to make visits to the palace gardens. That, sadly, may not be for several days, perhaps even weeks. It all depends on how you recover. Luna is not harmed by the sun, but we have seen creatures that were, so I don't want to give false hope.” We heard a not-so-subtle pop behind us and turned to see Luna sitting amidst the gently waving grass with another… creature. I could only stare at it dumbfounded, this queer creature which seemed to be split down the middle. Its rear half looked like a pony’s, but from the chest forward was a body that I… don’t think I can recognise. “What is… that…?” My hooves slap to my mouth the moment the words slip through my lips, a blush spreading across my cheeks. How could I just blurt that out, did I suddenly possess no self-control? Granted I was curious, but that creature could have been offended by my unabashed and blunt question, what in the name of currency was wrong with me? I heard Celestia giggle at my consternation before she replied to me. “She is a Hippogryph, Miss Coin. She’s a hybrid born of a… union of a pony and gryphon. Sadly she is an unfortunate victim of my failings as a dream psychologist; one of the ‘Trampled’, as I believe our sister calls them.” She dipped her head to me, “I am not welcome at these meetings that sister holds with them. My presence could cause further harm, or undo some of the healing that has been so gently given, so for now I shall bid you adieu.” And with that, she simply ceased to be there. I stared at the now empty space that had once hosted the white pony, letting my mind mull over some things, primarily her last words. ‘I am not welcome at these meetings,’ So this was one of those that Luna had labelled as ‘Trampled’? I glanced back at the hippogryph curiously, noticing her shivering and frightened appearance. She looked dogged, tired, and slightly sickly. Her feather plumage, while lush and unbroken, looked slightly ratty and unkempt. If anypony were to look damaged, this would have been it, I supposed. I noticed Princess Luna’s ear twitch in my direction before she looked over at me, a smile gracing her face after our eyes connected. She then said something to the hippogryph she was with before walking her over to where I sat. The closer the pair got, the lower my ears drooped. “I’m sorry, Princess Luna, am I intruding?” I asked worriedly as she drew into earshot. “I… I might be able to wake up again?” She waved a hoof and shook her head with a smile. “No, no, you are quite welcome here; you provide an opportunity that otherwise would need a little planning, actually.” She gently put her hoof onto the hippogryph’s shoulder, ensuring that the still shifty female could see her action. “Lady Margery Steelfeather the Third, this is Lady Coin Counter. Coin Counter is a... long lost relative of mine. Coin, Lady Steelfeather is the daughter of King Steelfeather, the current ruler of the Gryphon Kingdom.” I nodded before dipping my head to the hippogryph respectfully. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Steelfeather.” She only nodded her head, still shivering a little as she watched my every movement. To be honest, I became a little worried that she hadn’t spoken in return, so I looked to Luna questioningly. “Is she alright?” Luna sighed and shook her head. “Sadly not, I’m afraid; Lady Steelfeather has a phobia of ponies other than her mother, which was unfortunately exacerbated by sister during one of her attempts at Dream Walking. We have been working hard to undo the damage that has been done.” She smiled sadly at the hippogryph next to her. “It has been a long and difficult path, but we are making some headway.” I nodded, putting together what she’d just said; a fear of ponies? I guess that explained why she was eyeing me like I was about to sprout fangs and tear into her. Ugh, that thought made my stomach flip a little. I was thankful that it didn’t decide to take that opportunity to voice its opinion and give whatever was in me a return-trip. “P-Princess, what d-do you h-have in mind..?” Lady Margery asked; her voice was timid and small, barely audible. Luna smiled warmly. “Lady Coin Counter is here only to relax and de-stress, as she is seriously ill in the waking world; if it is alright by her, I was thinking she could be our model for you to get a little more used to ponies. Normally a pony would likely not allow you to simply touch them, but I think it would be beneficial to you to get used to physical contact. Is this alright, Lady Coin Counter?” I gave Luna a curious look before nodding. “I don’t see why not; is there anything in particular you want me to do?” She shook her head. “Just be as still as you can; I shall help guide her as best I can.” With a nod, I sat down and closed my eyes, waiting for the first moment of contact. I admit I flinched when I felt a clawed talon brush against my left shoulder. At my involuntary twitch, the appendage pulled back, only to return a moment later. The palm slid through my fur, moving across my atrophied muscles and unkempt fur. I heard Luna tut as she inspected my body, clearly not happy with how I appeared. I felt a gentle tug on my left wing, and I let the tug slowly unfurl it to its full spread, which causes the talon on my foreleg to pause before moving away. Touch returned soon after, this time on the leading edge of my wing, where it traced over the feathers there, causing me to shudder. Why did this feel so good? I heard Luna hum thoughtfully, “It would seem, Coin, that we shall have to visit you in your ward at the soonest convenience.” She said, baffling me. She wanted to come see me in the hospital? In my condition? I couldn’t fathom what she could want. I sat and allowed Lady Steelfeather to continue inspecting my coat and plumage at her discretion, and after a few minutes of her palm sliding through my fur and feathers, she had cupped my jaw in her talon, holding it as if she were inspecting my face. “M… mother likes it when I do this…” I heard her mumble, before her palm moved away. A moment later, I felt her scratching a claw under my chin in a way that I could only describe as amazing. Oh by the Centurions, where had this been my whole life? I heard Luna giggle at my reaction, likely at the goofy smile and my leg kicking in reaction to this bliss. I didn’t care, the world could be falling down around my wings but I wouldn’t care, this was just so good. A sudden, lurching shudder in my stomach made my eyes snap open, my wing slam shut to my side, and as I heard Luna ask what was wrong, the dream around me vanished. * I awoke in a flurry of movement, sitting up hurriedly and reaching to the bedside table, groping wildly for the silvery bowl that resided there. Or, at least, I would have if it had still been there. Instead, my hoof met air and I turned my head to see a stallion holding it in his hoof, looking at it curiously. I grabbed it with my good hoof, trying to pull it out of his grasp. “Hey, hey, what; let go!” He shouted, pulling back on it, almost tugging me from the bed. “What do you even need-” He didn’t get to finish his question before my stomach voiced its opinion on the matter, and the floor… and the bed. And all over me. “Oh geez, lady!” He pulled back with a start, trying to avoid being hit with any of my runaway mess. I coughed my displeasure at the world in general before leaning back up onto the bed and hitting the call nurse button a half dozen times despite protests from the intruder to my room. One press had called a nurse; six should call a bit-cursed army. True to my belief, a clattering of many hooves hurried down the hall and into the room, revealing themselves to be a trio of nurses, the orderly from last night, and the doctor who had introduced me to the princesses. It didn’t take long, though it did take some wrangling, to capture the intruder and drag him away from my bed. One of the nurses was sent off to find some guards and a princess, the orderly, Trixie if I can recall her name correctly, hurried off to fetch replacement sheets for my bed, and the other nurses were busy either keeping the intruder restrained with the doctor or cleaning the mess from the floor. “I’m sorry,” I coughed down at the poor mare cleaning up my regurgitation. “It’s alright, dear; it’s not your fault.” I sighed at the soiled bed sheets I sat in, a pair of tears having snaked over my cheeks. It had always been painful when my stomach rejected its contents, and now there was an extra embarrassment of having missed the bowl and gotten it all over not only the floor, but myself and the bed as well. All in front of these… strangers! Approaching hooves echoed down the hall for a short few moments, and soon a trio of guards entered, followed by Luna. She must have finished up with Lady Steelfeather just after my departure, to be available here now… “Guards, seize him and take him to the dungeon. Alert my sister to his presence and the circumstances of his arrest when you have done so; she will likely want to question him when she has time.” She snapped at them commandingly. The guards complied, grabbing the stallion and proceeding to drag him from the room by his forelegs, the third reciting some ‘rights’ that he apparently had. I admit I wasn’t particularly listening to them; my mind was busy berating me for making a mess of, well, the entire room. I was suddenly lifted from the bed, a blue glow surrounded my body, and I slowly but surely floated into the bathroom, the drip stand attached to my leg squeaking as it was tugged along with me. What in the world was this?! I attempted to flail my hooves for purchase, but they remained pinned to my sides, as did my wings when I tried to spread them in alarm. “It’s alright, Lady Coin, do not worry.” Luna said calmly as she dawdled in behind me. “It is merely my magic levitating you, you are safe. Safe, but in need of a bath; doctor, when the orderly returns, please send her in. We shall likely need a little assistance.” “B-but your Highness, we have nurses on call to-” “Doctor, if I wish to assist family in their recovery, it is doubtful anything you say will halt my attempts.” She said confidently over her shoulder. “Aid in removing this mess from Lady Coin’s coat would be welcome, however.” I heard the doctor sigh in resignation. “Yes, Princess Luna,” his voice had a tone of defeat, which made Luna smile smugly, “however, I want you to keep in mind her injury. It will likely be very painful to get hot water and soap onto it.” Luna only hummed an affirmative before closing the door gently behind her. Her magic deposited me in the large bathtub as if she were placing something delicate and fragile. Her horn flashed twice more, the first placing what appeared to be a glittery blue shield over the injury on my leg, and the second opening the faucets and starting to fill the tub. “I informed Lady Steelfeather of why you would have awoken so suddenly; she sends her regards and hopes that you get well soon.” I gave a subtle nod, shaking off a shiver of my fading illness. Hour by hour I seemed to be getting better; I wondered how much of that was thanks to the medical staff that attended me and how much was simply my body healing itself… how much of my recovery was thanks to the medical aid I’d been given and how much my own body? I admit my mind ran away from me a little as I thought about it. As I thought to myself for a moment, I noticed Luna develop a cheeky grin from the corner of my eye. “Did the scratch under your chin really feel that good? Is this something I shall have to keep in mind for future fun, perhaps inform our sister to get her in on it?” Snapped back to reality, now with water about my waist and steadily rising, I turned my face to stare at Luna in what I’m certain was open-mouthed shock. “You wouldn’t…” I breathed, earning a laugh from her. “Ah, as ponies say, ‘all is fair in love, war, and family humiliation’.” She replied, a toothy and vicious grin on her face. Her horn sparkled momentarily, and a sweet smell filled the room. It seemed to be coming from the bath, and as foam began to float around me, I sniffed at the bathwater tentatively. Luna only chuckled amusedly. “I have added some of my own bath soap, something that Princess Twilight Sparkle suggested I try some time ago and have simply found nothing better which could replace it. I believe the scent is ‘plums and honey’, if I recall correctly.” Again I nodded, not bothering to hide the pleasant shiver that ran up my spine as the warmth of the bathwater soaked into my muscles and bones. A few moments longer and the faucets were turned off, the water up to my chest and the foam up about my ears. I could only give Luna an unamused, deadpan look through the froth. She appeared quite pleased with herself, however, and only smiled back at me toothily. “Now, now, don’t give me that look,” she smugly purred, “You’ll thank me when you don’t smell of your own vomit.” I only huffed in irritation, blowing some of the froth from my face before I felt a sponge glide up my left side. Once it reached the pit of my wing, however, the sensation became… weird. My wing snapped open, flicking water halfway up the wall to my left and I gave a sound that I can only really call a squeak. Luna gave a squeak herself, though hers of glee. “You are ticklish too? Oh, Coin, you and I shall have such fun together!” She said, her tone telling me that she was very pleased with this information. I, for my part, attempted to regain whatever dignity I had and folded my wing back up, throwing her another glare, “It would appear that I will require locks on my doors.” I said irritably. Luna, in turn, stuck out her tongue at me impishly. I tried to relax as Luna gently ran the sponge through my fur, cleaning my left side before migrating to my front, where most of the mess happened to be. It was as she was cleaning this that a knock on the bathroom door sounded and the orderly entered, closing it behind herself with a snap. “You requested my presence, Princess Luna?” “Ah, Ms Lulamoon, yes; if you could take over with cleaning her fur, I will see about taming this bird-nest that Lady Coin calls a mane.” “It’s not that bad!” I protested at her, getting a sidelong look from her. She seemed to take a moment to process a response. “You are correct, Lady Coin; I doubt a bird would stay in something so unkempt.” I could only feel my jaw drop at her comeback, staring at her cheeky grin and hearing the orderly giggling. Realizing that she’d managed to play me like a fiddle, I huffed and glared at her. Something cold soaked into my mane and began to spread itself about, making foam of the long hair. I sighed and let them go about their business, trying to relax at the gentle touch that swept across my body and the tugging of my mane. It felt like hours before they deemed their work complete, each stepping back to eye the sopping mess that was their charge before the tub began to drain. After the water completely finished draining, a sudden deluge of water fell on me, soaking me through once more. “That should have the soap residue removed,” Luna muttered before her magic enveloped me and lifted me from the tub. I was carefully placed upon the rug in the middle of the room, dripping water everywhere. I must’ve looked pitiful- no, as I thought this I managed to glimpse myself in the room’s full-length mirror; I did look pitiful. A burst of magic washed through the room, and with it the water in my fur, mane, and tail vanished. It was so sudden that I jolted as I saw, in my reflection, my body be surrounded in a sudden cloud of steam. My mane and tail also frizzed up and became horribly unseemly. “Ms Lulamoon, if you could brush her coat, I shall see to her mane and tail.” “As you wish, Princess;” And, again, I was subjected to the magic of others. This time, a fine-bristled brush ran through my coat while a different brush ran through my mane, and then my tail. It didn’t seem to take long, to be honest, but again I was forced to spread a wing and squeak when a brush moved over that one spot under my wing, earning me giggles from both other mares. As my wing folded back up, however, Luna’s magic caught it and spread it once more. “Now, now, Lady Coin, keep it there; when I am done with your mane, I shall attend to your preening needs; with some luck, you might learn some things from observing.” Seemingly content with the state of my mane and tail, Luna nodded and placed the brush she held in her magic back on the bathroom cabinet. A pleased hum left her lips and she shifted closer, dipping her head to inspect my spread wing closely. She gave a few non-committal tuts and hums, turning her head this way and that as I watched her confusedly. For the love of rubies, what was she doing now? She smiled her impish little smile again and said, “This may feel strange,” and leaned forward to press her face into my wingspan. I think I swooned. Luna giggled into my wing as she worked, evidently enjoying the noises that I was making, shameful as they sounded. She completed a large section of my wing and tugged at a feather, getting my attention back into the room and onto her; that had stung! The feather she had tugged appeared to be bent at a right-angle halfway along its length, and she looked up at me. “This feather is broken, but still healthy,” she said calmly, “it has broken at a point that doesn’t cause harm, yet it is still a blood feather. Pulling it out will be painful, and likely cause you to bleed. Ms Lulamoon, are you finished with your task?” “Yes, Princess,” “Alright, if you could gather some tissues and be ready here, I shall attempt to pull the feather and cause as little trauma as possible.” She paused as the mare tugged six or so tissues from a box and shuffled closer, holding the tissues out in her magic. “On three,” Luna instructed, before taking the feather in her teeth and bobbing the broken feather back and forth three times. She was right, it hurt. I remember yelping and having attempted to move my wing, trying to pull it away from the sudden pain even as the orderly shoved the tissues in the space where the feather had been rooted. I noticed Luna spit the feather out from the corner of my eye, and she then leaned over and pressed her forehead against my own, our horns knocking together with a lightly muffled clack. “Do not fret, Coin, the pain shall pass.” She breathed gently, “As your magic strengthens, you will break feathers less often; at the moment your body is trying to heal, so your magic is focusing on regenerating your wounds.” She waited for me to calm back down before returning her head to my wing, brushing the tissues that the orderly held aside with her horn. “Very little blood, and the follicle appears intact; it should begin to regrow in a day or so.” She warmly voiced. “Now, let’s continue; Ms Lulamoon, I hope you are keeping an eye on what I am doing. As a medical practitioner, you may be required to assist with a patient who cannot preen themselves.” “Of course, Princess,” Trixie replied, putting the tissues into a bin next to the cabinet. “Could you tell Tr- me why you do not use your magic? This seems a little… unhygienic?” “Magic can be used, of course;” Luna began as she moved her oh-so-wonderful administrations over my wing, “as can a tool called a ‘Preening Comb’, usually sold for an impressive amount of bits for hunks of moulded plastic. Preening with teeth, however, gives a better feel for what you are doing. It is possible to upset the pegasus magic within feathers if using unicorn magic to preen, so most non-pegasus parents of pegaus foals will learn as their foal grows.” I felt her grin into my wing and her face shift before I was assailed with that ‘ticklish’ feeling once more, making me attempt to reel away. “Years of experience have me more knowledgeable than most, however.” Still she assailed my sense of touch, leading me to try and push her away with my good hoof and protest vocally with a “Stoppitstoppitstoppit!” A knock at the door interrupted us, “Is everything alright in there, Princess?” one of the nurses called. Luna chortled. “Yes, everything’s fine;” She replied, “just a little family fun.” She added before returning to tickling me relentlessly. * Princess Celestia read furiously as she strolled down the halls of the castle she called home. Not too long ago, she would have called it her castle, but with the return of her sister, and now the miracle of Coin Counter’s creation, it was more a family home than ever. “Princess, are you finished with that yet, it still needs to be filed with the legal crew on the third floor?” Her assistant asked as she trotted alongside. “Almost, Golden Scroll,” came her calm response, “we’re inducting an entirely new pony into the highest of high nobility; this is something that must be done right.” With a smile she finished reading the document, taking a moment for it to filter into her head before humming and nodding, taking a quill from her yellow-maned, white coated assistant and signing her name. The unicorn mare only strolled along calmly as the Princess settled the phoenix feather quill back into its case on her saddle, one of many such compartments for paperwork, stationary, and other assorted bits and pieces. A scroll case levitated from a compartment on the far side of the saddles and floated across, opening with a satisfying pop before being filled with the document and closed again. “Your Highness, I do apologise for questioning you, but why are we not holding a grand celebration for Lady Coin Counter?” Princess Celestia tittered for a moment as she held the scroll case out to her assistant. “The reaction to Twilight Sparkle becoming a Princess was cheerful because she has been a national hero for years. It was seen as a natural next step for somepony who had done so much and gone to so much effort. Do you recall the inauguration of Cadance?” Golden Scroll shook her head. “I was only a yearling when that happened, your Highness.” Celestia nodded, “It was uproar. She had become a princess after the catastrophe that claimed her parents and the entirety of West Lawndon, and ponies did not think that one so young should have such a gift as a result of such a disaster. The nobles, particularly the now knave Snowhoof house, were furious that one from a common family would be elevated to high nobility.” “Knave..? I apologise, Princess, but I do not think I have come across anything about such a thing.” “The Snowhoof house hired an assassin to kill Princess Cadance before her celebration; an assassin who was woefully inept compared to the Royal Guard. A short interrogation later and I had every noble house brought in for an ‘emergency audience’. Once there, I called out the Snowhoof house and publicly stripped them of their nobility.” Celestia informed her, her voice distant. “The public stripping of nobility has had the benefit of shocking the upper class into realising that they are not above the law.” “Doesn’t explain Prince Blueblood’s behaviour…” Golden Scroll grumbled before slapping a hoof to her mouth and blurting an apology. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean! I mean, I meant to, but I-” Celestia chortled at her antics, “It’s quite alright, Golden Scroll, I am aware that he has not been behaving well; I do not believe he thinks that he can be punished in any real capacity. Princess Luna is going to be handling any punishments that he receives for his bad behaviour.” “I shall refer any complaints about him to her in future, then. With your permission, your Highness, I shall take this scroll to the legal department.” “Of course; thank you, Golden Scroll. Feel free to take the rest of the day to yourself afterwards; I intend to visit Lady Coin Counter after this.” Golden Scroll smiled and bowed. “Thank you, Princess. Have a good day.” Celestia watched her assistant trot away, a noticeable skip in her step as a guard joined her farther down the corridor. With a sigh, she turned to walk deeper into the castle, headed towards the stairs to the underground levels. She enjoyed her walk, as she always did whenever she walked the halls of her home. Grand tapestries and paintings hung along the walls, splashing vibrant colour into the otherwise white halls. Each of them as beautiful as the last, each a delightful interruption to what might have been a boring and monotonous walk. Finally reaching where she had been told the last of her day’s duties was, she strolled past the guards posted at the entrance to the dungeons with but a dip of her chin, following the lit torches. The dungeons weren’t often used, she knew; usually only for ponies who broke into the castle. As such, the lit torches would lead her directly to where the only prisoner in these darkened halls would be. Hey, guards needed to see where they were going, alright? Not everyone can see in the dark like Princess Luna can. Stopping at the only occupied cell, she gazed in at the pony who resided on the straw cot in the corner. She gave a loud and irritated sigh before addressing him directly. “Mr Witty Scoop, once again you have graced these halls with your presence.” He grinned up at her, “What can I say, Princess, I know where the fun is.” “And which of the nobles did you offend to bring you here this time?” Scoop shrugged. “Princess Luna,” Celestia sighed, tiring of this game of beating around the bush already, “I have already been informed of the terms of your arrest, Scoop. You broke into the castle’s medical ward.” He nodded, “Do tell, who was that mare? She didn’t look like Princess Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Luna sent me here personally, so who was it?” Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “That is private information, Witty Scoop, and you are lucky that I do not seal it from your mind. Who told you to break into that room in particular? Out of all of the rooms in the castle, of all the royal gossip you could be making up from looking through our private property, who told you to go to that room?” “Call it intuition, Princess.” He sneered. “I saw her eyes, by the way, very interesting. Dragon-like dagger pupils; very reminiscent of a certain alicorn that attacked Ponyville a few years back… any comments on that?” ‘It couldn’t have been a guard… Their magic compulsion oath stops them from releasing any information we forbid.’ Celestia thought to herself as he rambled on and asked his question. “What you think you saw is irrelevant, especially since you’re going to be here until you decide to cooperate.” She snapped. “You can’t keep me here, I have my rights, and my manager will bring every lawyer he has to get me out!” “I’m sure that the Canterlot Express will survive without you for a few days.” She replied calmly. “Especially when they learn that you have been arrested by palace security for the nth time this year. However, if you tell me who provided you with your information, I will gladly see about having your sentence lightened.” She tuned him out as he began to ramble on and on about rights of the public to know, freedom of the press, and keeping the confidentiality of his sources. Honestly, this was only the tenth time she’d heard it, so it was all rather familiar to her. ‘It wouldn’t have been a member of the medical staff, their code of conduct forbids them from giving out any information on treatments, patients, and the like. So who could be the loudmo-‘ “Blueblood,” She hissed to herself, cutting the reporter’s rant short. She sighed and refocused on him, her eyes stern. “You will remain here until I deem fit, Witty Scoop. After being caught within restricted areas of the castle as many times as you have, you have shown that you cannot be trusted. Your managers will be informed that you were breaking into private property, again, and told that no number of lawyers will retrieve you for them.” “Y-you can’t just-” Celestia glared at him, her teeth bared angrily. “You repeatedly break into my home to find secrets that are not yours to know and sell them to your managers, and then have the gall to tell me that I should not be offended? You dare to tell me that you do not deserve punishment? You should count yourself lucky, Witty Scoop, that I do not press charges! Your track record alone tells me that you have no respect for the privacy of others, imagine what it would tell the courts! “No, Witty Scoop, you will remain here at my discretion, and after that I will have a strict meeting with your managers. You have shamed your profession with your behaviour.” She hissed at him, sneering angrily before turning away. “Enjoy your stay, Witty Scoop.” Back turned to his protests, she strolled out of the dungeon; she had a bigger cabbage to slice. * Celestia’s voice boomed through the halls, echoing throughout the castle and rattling the helmets of the guards closest to her, “Prince Blueblood!” Said prince jolted from his bed, where he had been reading a gossip magazine’s ‘how to be a better lover’ segment, at the loud bellowing of his name. His aunt burst through the doors to his suite, storming into the front room and glaring up at the door to his bedroom. His head tentatively poked out, looking down at her. “I am right here, auntie, there is no need to yell.” She all but growled up at him. “Get down here this instant.” He nodded and slid out of the bedroom door, tentatively trotting downstairs to where his aunt sat glaring at him. He was worried that she hadn’t even moved one of the seat-cushions from nearby to sit on, instead opting to sit upon the hardwood floor of his living room. “Is there something that you require, auntie?” Celestia glowered at him. “I am only going to say this once, Blueblood, so listen and remember well;” she growled, “if I ever find that you are the pony responsible for feeding gossip and information to the Canterlot Express, there will be no more ‘prince’. Do you understand?” He blinked at her dubiously before shaking his head. “No, auntie, I’m afraid I don’t follow.” Her face neared his and she hissed at him, “Your title of prince is an honorific, Blueblood. Given to you in respect of your mother and father, for deeds they did to aid Equestria for years to come. It is an honour I can, and will, quite easily take away.” “B-but!” “No! No buts! You live in my house, under my rules, and you dare to spread our secrets? What gave you the right to breach Princess Coin Counter’s privacy by telling the Canterlot Express where to find her, after I explicitly told you that she was keeping a low profile?!” She drew back and shuddered a steadying breath. “I will be informing Princess Luna that you are responsible for the debacle in the medical ward, and I imagine she will punish you accordingly.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Don’t betray your own family like this again, Blueblood, or I will dictate your punishment. Do I make myself clear?” He nodded profusely, and she huffed at him before turning and storming out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Blueblood waited a moment or so before sighing and strolling back up to his bedroom and returning to his magazine. “So she caught a reporter stupid enough to break into the castle; the other newspapers will simply print the story in the morning. It’s only fair; she took my shoes, I take her anonymity.”