“Have at you, you oversized furnace! You have robbed my citizens of wealth and home! That means you’re going to answer to me!” Keldeo finds himself staring down the barrel of a gun by the name of Scales, a massive fire breathing dragon. His sword honed directly at the beast, perched atop a throne decorated with golden bit coins, precious gems, and fresh fruit. The wyrm sputtered out flickering embers with a snake-like hiss. “This bounty is mine, prince! All that is missing from collection is the crown on your head!”
“Not even in death will you take the crown away from Equestria! Taste my steel!”
Scales discharged a pillar of flames from his mouth that was hot enough to melt the gold around it into a puddle, engulfing the prince completely from behind his shield. It briefly looked as though the story has already come to an end, but the firebrand was only getting started. A magical discharge dispelled the flame and Scales flinched as Keldeo lunged into the airspace above his head. The prince took a swing, a prideful glint in his eye as he was ready to cleave the head of the menacing dragon in two. The beast only had time to gasp before the sword was already at it’s destination. When suddenly…
Bingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbing
Keldeo’s sword didn’t even leave a scratch in Scales’s scales. The blade resonated, wobbling like it was made of rubber! It shook so violently, it traveled up the hilt, into his forelegs, ending within the whole of his body. His teeth clattered together and eyes shaking in their sockets like a freshly made gelatin snack with fruit bits inside.
bingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbing
He fought to regain control and plunge the blade into the forehead of Scales, but it was no use. He couldn’t stop this unnatural shaking. He dropped the sword and it shattered to tiny bits, like a window with a swift encounter with a kickball. Hooves to his head, Keldeo could still hear the loud, clear ringing of his sword. The bits still continued to resonate, defying logic.
bingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbing
“No! Not now! Why does this have to happen now?!” Keldeo pleaded, lefting his head up. The dragon was now at eye level, with a wicked, manure eating grin streaked across his face, drawing a deep breath. “It is time for you to rise… and… SHINE.”
bingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbingbi- THRUMB
The ringing sound halted as the world darkened around Keldeo. All ended, right there. The only sensation he felt now was of warmth and comfort. A very soft and plush bedding lay beneath him. Now light started to filter in, stinging his eyes as he awakened to a familiar scene. A pale purple gradient, dipping off into a sky blue. Intricate bobs and strokes in the painting gave birth to soft, breezy clouds. To his right, drawn curtains overlooked a somber, snowy city of Canterlot in the midst of a soft blizzard. To his left, a dresser with a vanity. At its rest, a pillow lay on the floor alongside a gold brass alarm clock with two bells.
“Hmmgh… always at the best part…”
Arching his back and propping himself slightly with his ginger head, Keldeo let out a mighty yawn as he stretched out his hooves. Reclining back, he swiveled back and forth on top of his comforter. He felt quite at peace, and so unbelievably cozy in his warm room. He fought with the idea in his head to just pretend his alarm had never gone off and to sneak in an extra ten minutes of sleep. He was up half the night before, trying to pen down the incarnation of how to cast a brand new spell. He had been working on it for a big project in school, utilizing a valuable resource that had rarely before been experimented with; dragon fire. Perhaps that was the fuel that conjured up his heroic flub of a dream…
“Mother would kill me if I overslept… and double that for Twilight…” Muttering to himself under his breath, the little prince toppled his way out bed. Another series of stretches, first with his forelegs and then with his rear, like a cat that has awoken from its nap. He trotted across his tidy prince room, heading for the private bath in the distant corner. The scent of smoked wood hung subtlety in their air, wafting in gently from the fireplace stationed central in the room along the northern wall. The coals inside were completely cool, husked, and dusty; they had burned out hours ago the night before and were about due for a cleaning. Stockings also hung as well across the mantle, a holiday tradition. While these wouldn’t be the royal family’s stockings to be filled with goodies, these ones Keldeo had prepared himself to distribute to his friends and family. Each one had a name written on the top brim with a glittery substance; Mom, Dust, Cadi, Twilight, Spike, Blue, Barris, Trebble…
The private bathroom of a prince is about as regal as one might expect. The primary color theme is pastel yellow, white, and hints of woodland brown. The floor looked to be a white marble tile, with slip resistant plush rugs at key spots (toilet, sink, and surrounding the tub). The tub itself was situated in the corner with two steps leading up to it. It was large, with jets that have been witness to a disastrous bubble bath or three during Keldeo’s years growing up. The handles of the faucet glowed a light blue, turning to release a torrent of hot water rushing out, willed to do so by the prince’s magic. A thermometer built into the side of the tub indicated the temperature so those who could afford this luxury didn’t have to second guess temperatures; 105 degrees, perfect for soaking out the morning groggies.
Hopping in while the water was still heating up, Keldeo submerged his head right under the running tap. He wasn’t afraid of embracing the water and the sudden temperature always helped him feel awake. He knew he didn’t always have a lot of time on these school days. Wake up, wash up, pack his bags for school, head down for breakfast, then tack on the extra step of bundling up for the winter cold outside. This year, it has just been dreadfully cold. Sure, every winter is cold, as it should, but it would seem the weather ponies have really been slacking on the job lately. There is too much snow and too cold of winds blowing. Looks like nature is just being stubborn and has other plans. Bound to happen.
Easy in and easy out. Already fully cleaned up before the tub finished filling, Keldeo hopped out, splashing water that ran down the two steps like a miniature sudsy waterfall. The towels in his bathroom rarely saw any use and served more as a novelty item for the prince than anything else, just something to fill up empty space. He had no intention of pouring water everywhere he went or leave it to be cleaned up by any cleaners. He just had himself a more unique way to dry off that has thus far been known to be exclusive to him. He plumped his rear down, drawing a slow breath through his mouth and exhaling through his nose. He crossed his forelegs across his chest before stretching them out before him. Simultaneously, he elevated himself on his back legs while bring up his front above his head, controlling the water around his body. The water that had soaked the floor and filled the small rug beneath him like a dish sponge was leeched dry of any moisture as it as rose up above his head in a floating water bubble, along with any water that drench Keldeo’s own being. Flicking his carpus to gesture towards the tub, the water gently streamed back into the soapy soup, leaving him completely dry and clean.
Water artes. A unique and once believed to be dead form of magic, used long before recorded history. Little is known about these abilities or to what extent that they could’ve been used to. Few scriptures have ever been uncovered that detailed these or how they were used, but this much has been concluded. First, the artes were elemental based. Water wasn’t the sole subject of the field as fire, the air, or even solid rock could be carved and manipulated at will. Second, the magic didn’t belong solely to those who could use standard magic, such as unicorns. A pegasus or even an earth pony could learn how to control the elements if they had the aptitude. To distinguish it from traditional magical abilities, they have been given the name of “artes” based off the translations of the ancient scripts. The third thing known is that the reason any race or species could use the elemental artes is because it doesn’t need to be cast with the aid of a magical catalyst. Through ways of body movements and will, a sort of interpretative dance is performed in order to convey the wielder’s desire on where to send an element and in the manner it is sent. A more lethargic series of movements will cause an element to be slow, while powerful and fast movements will hasten the process. At least, it is in theory. The fourth and final thing that is understood about this is that not just anyone can pick it up and learn it. It doesn’t matter how well one may try to master the techniques scrounged together from rotting paper plagued with holes from rat nibbles or what else happened over time. You seemingly have to be born with the ability to control an element to begin with. Nobody in record has been known to control an element in quite the same way that Keldeo could, completely free of standard everyday magic. The prince of Equestria seems to fill that niche of being special, though it really does stop with being able to float water around and dry things off. He also seems to be able to control water only. Attempts to study his skills with being able to manipulate fire or wind have turned up completely fruitless. Suppose that is why Keldeo’s cutie mark is that of the Coltic symbol representing water.
His majesty rarely ever bothers with styling his mane. He’s got tangled curls that become nothing less than a chore to work with, requiring more time than that which he’d be willing to invest for a standard day. Vanity just wasn’t his style as his preference was to never wear his circlet symbolizing his nobility outside of special occasions. Occasions like a foreign prime minister visiting or public events where he makes an appearance. It made him easy enough to blend into a crowd as looking at Keldeo otherwise, the thought of him being Celestia’s heir is hard to conceive by first looks alone.
The royal family’s living quarters were located in some of the highest parts of the castle. This luxury home has been featured in many magazines detailing the sweet and elite life of the rich and noble. Though Canterlot Castle itself was very expansive, the personal living space was actually quite modest… in comparison. The bedrooms were all in the largest tower. Naturally, Princess Celestia’s private quarters were at the top, with Keldeo’s being directly bellow hers. While some may think it romantic and beautiful to see all of Equestria from so high up, the prince found it more than a chore at times. He lacked the ability to fly, so he had to take the long way up by passage of the stairs. Easier down than up, it was a gruesome climb up from the complete bottom. It certainly taught him to make sure he had everything he needed for the day just so he could avoid any additional trips back up. At least the dining area was just an additional two floors down.
“Good morning, my sunshine.” Princess Celestia was at the table. Sunshine was her pet name for her son. She was had on the table before her several scrolls; running a nation always kept her busy. “I ordered in breakfast this morning. I’m afraid I have my hooves occupied with things that I didn’t think I could cook this morning.” On the counter, a box of freshly baked donuts sat opened with two out of the baker’s dozen missing as a coffee kettle simmered next to it. That was mother’s idea of a quick breakfast.
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Want to lay off the sweets. What are the reports about?” Keldeo’s blue magic glow opened up two cupboards and a drawer, summoning a bowl, a box of cereal, and a spoon from them. He went to the fridge himself to get the milk.
“Just the snow. All of Equestria is getting buried and it is causing trouble in some places. Applewood has declared a state of emergency after receiving a quarter inch of snow last night.”
“Oh no. A quarter inch. It might not melt away until noon and the highs are expected to be fifty. Now they have to wear a scarf for comfort and not style.” His cereal crackles as it becomes drenched in milk.
Celestia smiles gently. “As for Canterlot, the storm that continues to blow has given the weather team plenty of trouble. But you’ll be pleased to know that I have called in a snow day for all students.”
Setting the bowl on the table across from his mother, Keldeo slices bits of banana into his breakfast. “Oh, really? I just knew you were going to do that! I was up half the night last night working on my project for school and then you decide to call it all off. Thanks, Princess.” He takes a bite of a big spoonful of wheat and oat grains, sided with two slices of banana gleefully.
“I thought you’d like that,” said Celestia. “But I’ve got more good news for you. I received a letter from Princess Cadance yesterday and she said that she’ll be returning to Equestria once her winter break begins. She’ll be staying here through the start of the new year before returning to Germaney.”
“Cadi is coming home? That is awesome! I’ve always wanted to visit Germaney.”
“I’m aware. Maybe you’ll get a chance to accompany me next time I have business there. But unfortunately, Prince Blue Blood won’t be coming back to Canterlot. He chose instead to visit the Ballamas with his friends.”
“Lucky him.” Keldeo said, reading the back of the cereal box with disinterest. Free prize inside! “Drinking hard cider on the beach and wasting time in hot tubs… I mean, you know he’s not even going to go diving and see the reefs. That’d be too much work for him. He doesn’t know how lucky he is to get to do stuff like that, but he instead wastes the chance to really do something exciting.” Keldeo had always gotten along well with his cousin, Princess Cadance. She was always welcoming of Keldeo ever since he was brought into the family and she often foalsat him growing up. The nickname of “Cadi” was introduced when he was first learning how to talk. He used to get so excited seeing his cousin that he tried yelling out her name, but it always came out as “Cadi.” The name just stuck ever since. The same relationship couldn’t have been shared between he and his other cousin, Prince Blue Blood. He was distant enough that he wouldn’t ever hold much political power, but close enough to still be considered part of the royal family and he grew spoiled from it. And since Keldeo was adopted as opposed to being born in the family (with a higher rank to boot), Blue Blood always held his nose up in the clouds when in his cousin’s presence. This got Keldeo to believe that the reason why his cousin was so odd was due to the lack of air in the upper atmosphere.
“My son, you mustn’t speak of your cousin like that. I know that he’s perhaps… too pampered, but he’s still family,” said Celestia, looking up from her work. “You’re not planning on ‘forgetting’ to gift him this year, are you?”
“No, mother, I am not. I’ve already prepared a stocking stuffer for him,” replied the prince, annoyed that his mother seems to enjoy digging up accidents that happened in the past. It wasn’t his fault Spike set fire to that bottle of cologne!
“Good. Now, as for your day ahead, I was thinking,” Celestia was always thinking, always planning ahead. She’s had a lot of time to do so. “You should pick Spike up from the nursery and take him for a visit to see Twilight. You know how much he loves to see her, and it really means a lot to him to be involved with your school project.”
Finishing his breakfast, Keldeo peeked into the cereal box to see if there was any sign of the prize. It was a silly thing, some novelty spoon that change color when in milk, but he was curious which one it was. With no sight of it inside, he wondered if the prize was already removed or if it was at the very bottom of the box. “I guess I can do that. I’m not too sure on the spell I crafted last night. It all really rides on her potion to help stabilize the dragon fire. One tweek in her formula and I’ll have to redo my spell from scratch.” Prizeless, Keldeo used his magic to put away his cereal and put his dishes in the sink. “Besides, knowing her, Twilight isn’t going to be happy over school being canceled.”
“Snow day? A SNOW DAY?! But I’ve got assignments due! And what am I going to do this weekend with all my homework already finish?!”
Twilight Sparkle was in the midst of a mid-morning panic upon being told by her mother about school being canceled. While most ponies would be excited for a snow day to happen on the last school day of the week, Twilight was not like other ponies. While some tried to fake being sick to miss out on school, Twilight Sparkle would fake being healthy on days she was sick just to go. To her, attending Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns would only be compared to if anyone else was able to attend a theme park five days a week.
“Why so worked up, Twily?” said Shining Armor, Twilight’s older brother. Their mother helped him put on a suit of armor, preparing him for his day of training ahead. “You’ll still get to have the day added on at the end of the year for makeup. Besides, you can do whatever you want today!”
“That’s true, honey,” chimed Twilight and Shining’s mother, whose name also happens to be Twilight. “You’ve got that big, big project you and His Royal Highness have. I’m really so proud that you’re venturing into a new magical medium to benefit everypony in Equestria.”
“Not really,” said Twilight. “It’s just using the enchanted properties of the chemicals found within the combustion compounds of dragon fire, the alatum draco ignis, to transmute the magical frequencies and deliver parcels and other commodities instantly to destinations far away, fabricating the very world of postal delivery.”
“In other words, snail mail will be a thing of the past. We know, Twiliy. This project has been your pride and joy for the past two weeks.” Shining Armor put on a gold colored helmet, adjusting it snugly and comfortably. He headed for the front door, where a spear stood propped against the trim of the door. “Just try not to burn yourself out on this and enjoy your day off. Believe me, I wish the academy would’ve given us a snow day. Goodbye, mom! Wish me luck in this weather!”
“Keep safe, sweetheart. Don’t catch a cold,” his mother replied.
Opening the door, a cold gust of air and several snowflakes rushed their way into the household and nearly slammed the door against the wall. Fighting his way out and needing more effort than what is normally required to close the door behind him, Shining Armor marched out and followed in the hoofprints of his father (literally) who left tracks in the snow when he left for work earlier that morning. The freezing gale caused Twilight and Twilight to both shiver, cold the bite.
“I’m not sure if today is good to work on the project, mom,” the purple unicorn said, turning to her mother. “The wind is really cold. I don’t think that Keldeo will come. But there isn’t anything I can without his spell! I made my potion last night, but we can’t do anything to it until we test it! It’s driving me crazy just thinking about it! And what if he didn’t even start the spell yet?!”
“Honey, don’t worry. The project isn’t due until after the holidays are over,” the white unicorn said, comforting her daughter. “His Royal Highness knows how much this means to you and he’s pretty excited about it, too. You’re both working on it as equals and both want it to work out. You’re doing something completely brand new, never tested before. If your theory is right, it’ll be worth more than just a grade. The prince wouldn’t do this to you. He’s reliable.”
Just then, the front door once again swung open, this time with Keldeo entering with Spike riding on his back, heavily layered with snow gear to the point that his little arms stuck out straight to the sides, unable to anything more than just wiggle them. The prince himself was frosted with a layer of snow, wearing little more than his saddlebag and a soft baby blue scarf wrapped around his neck and muzzle, a posh letter R embroidered on the ends.
“Good morning, Mrs. Twilight. Good morning, Twilight,” said Keldeo. “I’m sorry to come in without knocking, but I ran into Shining Armor out front. He said I could come right in.”
“Heavens, we were just speaking of you, Your Highness,” replied Mrs. Twilight. “You know you’re welcome any time. It is dreadfully cold out. We don’t mind.”
Twilight’s family was very accustomed to having the prince of Equestria over as a guest. Ever since Twilight’s first day at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, it had become difficult to keep the two separated. Originally assigned as a tutor to Twilight and to introduce her to the school, Keldeo has since fostered a powerful friendship as well. They were the best of friends, even. It seemed even deliberate on Princess Celestia’s part to pair the two together. And since the start of the school year, Keldeo has started to walk down every morning to meet with Twilight, escorting her to school. It goes without saying that there has been plenty gossip in between classes about them, though Twilight often has her nose deep in a book to take notice.
“Twilight! Twilight! Twilight!” The little purple dragon on Keldeo’s back stood up, wiggling his arms up and down frantically and energetically. “There’s so much snow! Did you see all the snow?! And guess what I had for breakfast! A donut with sapphires sprinkled on top! Princess Celestia had it made for me! It was yummy!”
Twilight was always happy to see the young little dragon. She was the first pony he saw ever since he hatched from that egg seven years before, so he’s taken to seeing Twilight like his mother. However, he stays within the castle, under watch of the royal family. Domesticated dragons are, after all, a rarity in Equestria with very little known about them. Spike has grown to be very affectionate and playful, but also expensive to feed. Turns out that baby dragons require a steady diet of gems in order to grow hard scales.
“Really, Spike? Did you remember to say thank you?” asked Twilight.
“Mother wasn’t there to give it to herself,” Keldeo said, drying off his scarf and pelt with his water abilities. “She had one there when she got donuts this morning and asked me to bring it to him when I picked him up for a visit today.”
“Oh, so that’s it. Princess Celestia ordered you to come down?”
“She suggested it, but I knew better. If I didn’t bring you what my half of the project, you’d spend the three day weekend tanning my hide over it.”
Twilight’s interest was piqued. “So you brought it?” she asked. “Yeah,” replied the prince.
“Looks like the three of you have your plans set,” said Twilight’s mother, who has started removing the countless layers of snow gear that made Spike look like a giant, warm marshmallow with legs. She was relieved that she didn’t have to further deal with her daughter’s anxiety over books. “I’ll put a kettle on and make us some nice cocoa.”
“May I have tea, Mrs. Twilight?” asked Keldeo. “The dentist said I needed to lay off the sweets.”
“I’ll have a hot cocoa! With sprinkles!” said Spike.
“’With sprinkles,’ what?” Twilight eyed.
“Oh… with sprinkles, please!” Spike corrected himself.
The wind outside continued to howl on this dreary December morning. Most Canterlot citizens have taken to remaining indoors, retreating back to the comforts of their beds for another hour or two of sweet dreams. Within the castle walls, Princess Celestia has called upon her three imperial generals for their council. The reports she had reviewed at breakfast this morning suggests that the winter storms plaguing Equestria is more than just a cold front blowing in.