//------------------------------// // Pianos and Letters // Story: Family // by Hope Caster //------------------------------// If there was one thing that Blueblood knew was true, it was that ponies all had something inherently special about them. He himself not only had amazing looks, but also a silver tongue made of gold and studded in diamonds. Sure, he was not a talented singer, nor was he excellent with magic, but he had an air about him that carried confidence. Of course, he was not sung praises outright; he had to make ponies praise him, unlike Cadance and Twilight, who ponies gawked at just for being alicorns. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him bitter when he looked in the mirror and noticed a distinct lack of wings, despite being of royal blood. He was special, there was no doubt, yet for some reason, he wanted to believe that Spike had some sort of talent as well, despite it not being obvious as it was for ponies. Blueblood paced about his room while Spike laid on his bed. He had only just recently discovered that the dragon was his cousin, but he was still working hard as if he'd known since the day he was born. The dragon was absentmindedly staring at the ceiling as his tail slowly swung back and forth. Blueblood was not trying to torture the young lad; he just wanted to know if Spike could do anything that could be considered interesting. After all, if he was present at one of the many regal events hosted at the castle, Spike would need something to talk about. At the very least to start a conversation. “Do you know anything about painting?” Blueblood asked taking note of the large oil painting of his parents and him that hung above his bed. “No,” Spike answered. It was a long shot, and Blueblood knew it. After all, he’d seen Spike’s drawings, and he had no skill in art. Especially that white unicorn from the gala that he despised. “Are you well versed in politics?” “No.” “Damn,” Blueblood silently whispered. Another long shot, but maybe he at least had a faux knowledge in it. Every one well off he knew didn’t really know what they were talking about, and they were turning out fine. Blueblood began to massage his temples as a pressure started to build in the front of his head. “Think, Spike. Twilight has her organizational skills, Celestia and Luna can move celestial bodies, Cadance has-” Blueblood paused and thought back to high school, remembering all the ways the boys described her various talents. “-She has a lovely singing voice.” Singing. The mentioning of singing forced Spike’s mind to wander. How was Sweetie Belle now that she was back in Ponyville? If she were still in Canterlot, perhaps they could have spent today with each other. At the very least, he could tell her about him and Celestia. How would she react though? Surprised? Maybe. He didn’t understand why, but thinking about her brought just the smallest smile to his face. It was safe to say that the two had grown closer as friends over the past five days. Of course, there had been the occasional misadventure, as misadventures and accidents were not strange to such a pair. One such incident was Sweetie Belle tripping and accidentally pressing her lips against Spike’s cheek. Now from the viewpoint of a random bystander, what Sweetie Belle did might have looked like she kissed him. Nevertheless, Spike was certain that she merely tripped and accidentally pressed her lips against his cheek. She did not kiss him. She did not like him like that. They were simply friends. “Spike can you sing?” Blueblood asked, ripping Spike from his daydream. “Wh-what? Uh, yeah, talent,” Spike stole a quick glance at the clock that hung on the wall only to see that  “Blueblood, not that this isn’t interesting, but can we do literally anything else?” A thought popped into his head. “Oh, oh! Let’s go to the House of Enchanted Comics! We can actually go into the comics there! And get this, because there were mountain of lawsuits last month, if we die in the comic, or use the comic’s safe word, we’re immediately ejected from the comic’s story!” “No,” Blueblood deadpanned. “We’re princes, Spike. Princes do not read comic books. Now focus. Can you play an instrument?” “Do royals do anything fun?” “We have small talk and read novels like ‘A Rose Blooms in Winter’.” “But that’s a romance novel!” Spike whined, knowing of the title from the hours Rarity, Twilight, and even Sweetie Belle spent talking about it. “Romance novels suck! Everyone acts stupid and the bad-guys are usually just jerks that you’re practically forced to hate!” “We’ll argue that later. For now, answer the question, do you play an instrument?” “Yes, Twilight, Mom, and Cadance made me learn the piano.” Spike heard Blueblood let out a gasp, but ignored it. What was so important about talent? What did talent ever do to help Blueblood? All Blueblood had was a title, and a job that sometimes ended wars before they started. Other than that, he had nothing, except for extreme wealth, and respect, and magic, and authority, and mares literally lining up to meet him. Spike shot up from the bed, smiling widely. His eyes lidded as his innocent smile turned into a dark smirk. “Hey Blueblood, mares like you, right? Do you think you could teach me a thing or two about talking to them?” Blueblood let out a disgusted groan. “Dealing with the leeches comes later Spike. For now, let's focus on the piano.” Blueblood’s horn ignited and lifted Spike up into the air and placed him on his back. Blueblood traversed the halls of the castle and went down several flights of steps. “Where are we going now?” Spike asked, as Blueblood weaved through the halls. “Ballroom 2B,” Blueblood said, opening a door to a spacious room. Near the back, across the marble tile, was a grand piano that was well polished with an open cover. Spike had become acquainted with the instrument quiet well before he moved to Ponyville, though he was always bitter about it. At the time, Piano lessons lasted for about an hour, which to Spike was as long as a million years. Pulling out the seat, Blueblood placed Spike down and scooted him closer to the instrument. “Spike, I just want you to try, hear me when I say try, to play a song for me. Just so I can gauge where you are.” “Okay, let’s get this over with,” Spike said with a sigh.  Spike shifted through the music sheets until he came to the one page he was familiar with, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Spike cracked his knuckles and began to play. There was nothing on Earth that Blueblood could name that sounded as bad as Spike’s playing. Each stroke of the keys was halfhearted at best, and the general enthusiasm Spike emitted through his playing was nearly zero. When Spike hit a few wrong notes, the dragon’s enthusiasm dipped to about negative seven. “Stop, just-just stop, Spike.” Blueblood let out a sigh as he shook his head. “That was terrible.” “It’s been awhile,” Spike grumbled. “Besides, the last time I played was when there was a war about to rage between the ponies and the buffalo, and I’m pretty sure the song only made things worse!” “Spike, pause really quick.” Blueblood tried to remember if he ever received a letter alerting the capital of a possible war. None came to mind. “Buffalo, like the ones in Appleloosa?” Spike nodded in response as Blueblood shook his head. “There was a situation arising in Appleloosa with the buffalo, and you did not contact Celestia because?” “Because we had everything under control!” “When you say 'we had everything under control', do you mean the friendship brigade?” Blueblood's eyes narrowed. If there was one thing he knew, it was that things tended to escalate quickly when his aunt's student tried to fix things. The nod he received from Spike caused a pit to form deep in his gut. “Yet, a war nearly broke out, and according to you, your piano playing only made things worse. Pray tell, how did you stop the war from breaking out?" “We didn’t. Pinkie Pie sung a few lines from her ‘You Gotta Share’ song and then the fighting just erupted like a volcano. Luckily, the head buffalo tasted this one mare’s pie and everything turned out okay!” “There is so much wrong with what you are telling me.” Blueblood said as he shook his head. He and Celestia were going to have a very long conversation about the correlation between her student and her friends, and the tendency to have things hit the fan later that day. For now, he would focus on Spike and the piano, not because he wanted Spike to know how to play, but to mitigate his growing migraine. If Celestia bought him lessons, Blueblood was certain that Spike knew how to play. If Spike knew how to play, then that meant he knew how to play with emotion. The problem was that Spike was utterly bored. The way the dragon looked at the ivory keys made that obvious. So all Blueblood had to do was get the little dragon in the right mind. But what would motivate Spike to play? The only thing he seemed passionate about was that filly and her sister. Blueblood’s eyes went wide as he recalled that fit of bravado the dragon had not too long ago. If there was one thing that fueled his little cousin, it was girls. Not just any type of girl, cute girls. Even he had to admit that if that one unicorn he met at the gala didn’t seem like a complete and utter gold digger, he might have fallen for her based on her looks alone. And then that little filly he encountered roaming around the castle, given a few years, she would be one of the most gorgeous mares in Equestria, and Spike was getting to her early. His little cousin was shaping up to be quite the playboy. He looked towards Spike who mindlessly tapped away at the keys. “You know Spike, maybe we should just move on.” Blueblood said with a deep sigh. “That’s what I been saying!” “And you were right. It’s just, I can't say that I’m not disappointed. After all, this was one way that us princes really attract mares, I just thought I could impart such knowledge onto you. I don’t know why, but they love a colt that can play the piano body.” Spike’s ears perked up. “Mares like guys who play the piano? R-really?” Spike asked. He looked back at the instrument, this time with Rarity in mind. It was strange, the keys seemed to glisten and shine with a new glow that he’d never noticed before. “Indeed, mares, fillies, unicorns, pegasi, earth ponies, and everything else in the world.” Blueblood said with a courteous nod. “I don’t understand it myself, but mares swoon at the mere sound of a played piece, especially if it’s Moonlight Sonata. Why, I remember that my playing amazed my first girlfriend whenever that piece came up. Maybe it’s that dark and brooding thing that goes on, but I am not a mare so I can’t say for sure. But I see that you are unable to play, so why bother? We’ll just do something else.” Blueblood turned to leave, only to have Spike grab his leg. Blueblood smiled. “W-wait! That was just me warming up!” Spike quickly grabbed Blueblood’s tail and attempted to pull him back towards the seat. “Watch, I promise that it’ll be good this time.” Spike shifted through the music sheets until he found a song that had a nice sounding title. He loosened his neck and cracked his knuckles, telling himself just why he was playing. Filled with the fire of love, he began tapping each key with perfect precision, timing, and best of all emotion. Blueblood had never heard a more beautiful song played.   Celestia tapped her hooves against the stone floor. She had tons of work to be doing, yet, she was unable to pick up even a single sheet of paper. She couldn’t help but wonder what Spike and Blueblood doing. Was it good that Blueblood was spending time with Spike? Of course it was. It was something she had only dreamed of happening. At the same time, the thought didn’t bode well with her. After all, Blueblood was spending time with Spike. Celestia felt a small pang of guilt in her heart, but she could not deny that her family and loved ones were prone to making less than responsible choices when it came to pursuing a goal. It was not too long ago that Twilight herself brainwashed the whole town in order to learn something about friendship. For all she knew, Blueblood was teaching Spike that the young dragon was better than everyone else was, simply for being a prince. Then again, her nephew had an impeccable work ethic that anyone would benefit from. If that was all Spike inherited from Blueblood, she would consider it a win. Yes, he would become a little Blueblood in work ethic alone. That was all that would happen. Celestia let out a groan as she laid her head on the floor. If anything, Blueblood was going to try to turn Spike into a miniature clone of himself, which probably included turning the dragon into a unicorn pony. Not that Spike would mind that, it would probably aid him in his quest to woo Rarity. Rarity. There was a pony Spike made sure she knew about. Celestia wrinkled her nose at the thought of him dating a mare that was considerably older than he was. She was probably going to have a very long talk with him when he inevitably had his fragile little heart shattered. Celestia shifted her head towards her paperwork and let out a huff. She had so much to do, and such little desire to do any of it. She still had to fill out form XJ795, finish her regular workload, and then, if she couldn’t get some royal official to go in her place, visit a school fundraiser. Maybe she could put off work for five minutes and visit Spike and Blueblood. Maybe if things weren’t going as well as they could have been, she could push the two in the right direction. The white alicorn let out a silent sob as she counted every way that wouldn’t work. She couldn’t just pop in and start interfering with their lessons, she owed Blueblood a favor. She owed Blueblood a favor. The thought made her stomach upset. It was a position that Celestia never liked being in. While Blueblood rarely held any power over her, he’d be milking his earlier accomplishment for the next week in order to keep her at bay. That was when a devious little thought popped into her head. Blueblood only had power over her. She could call on three other Princesses for help. Technically two since Twilight was avoiding Blueblood until he gave up on trying to turn her into “a true princess” and “Unlocking the secret of turning into an Alicorn”. In all actuality, only one was available as Luna was sleeping soundly as she fought nightmares and dream demons. That left only one Princess: Cadance. It was the mid-afternoon in the Crystal Empire, yet, not a single guard or employee had seen either of their rulers, Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadance. Many thought that they were hard at work planning for the first annual Festival of Freedom. The festival was to celebrate the day that the former ruler of the kingdom, King Sombra, not only blew up like a sack of fireworks, but to also celebrate the hero that saved them all. His name was Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious, and his six sidekicks that kinda just sat around and played games. Others believed that they were planning a secret meeting with the Yaks, so they may teach proud race pronouns such as we, I, us and anything that could substitute the word Yak in a sentence. In truth, none of these things was happening. When their princess returned from a secret trip the other night, there was only one thing she requested. It required her husband, their bedchamber, and a locked door. Cadance let out a soft moan as her husband’s hooves pushed deep into her back, pinpointing every tight muscle without fail. She still didn’t understand why her husband didn’t have a masseuse cutie mark, nor why it was only after they were engaged that she learned of his hidden skill. At the moment, such questions didn’t matter. All that mattered was the fact that Cadance had him, and more importantly his hooves, all to herself. “Babe, you’re carrying a lot of tension. What happened?” Shining Armor asked, moving his hooves down his wife’s back. “Discord, Discord happened,” Cadance nearly wept at the thought of the spirit. “Turns out he has a demon spawn of a filly. Then Twilight made everything worse while trying to make things better, and then I had to listen to Rarity's argument for why I should make her sister and Spike fall for each other. It was all just awful.” She let out a deep-seated moan as Shining moved down her back, pushing in-between her wings. “I swear, an alicorn gives you Princess of Love as a title and everyone thinks you’re Cupid.” “Oh, Cadance, let’s not talk about that I can already feel your knots tightening.” Shining Armor quickly moved back up her back, redoing the spots he’d already loosened. “But while we’re on the subject, does anyone ask that you put their wife in the mood?” Shining whispered, drawing small circles in-between her wings. “Shining, if you give me an hour of this, we can do whatever you want tonight.” Cadance murmured. “And yes, even that is on the table.” Shining Armor leaned forward a bit as his mind struggled to process what his wife had just said to him. “D-does that also include the-” “Yes, it includes the outfit.” Shining struggled to find any words to use. Anything that came out of his mouth was an inaudible squeak, before he finally said, “I’m gonna get more oil.” He dashed out of the room, leaving behind a trail of dust in his wake, as he called after a passing servant. “Hurry back!” His wife called, whimpering and she rotated her still stiff wings. Cadance still wondered why her aunt had released Discord from his prison. After all, not much had changed; he was still one of the rudest creatures in the world, and he was no stranger to causing trouble. Just last week he tried to declare the Everfree Forest as the sovereign nation of Disco-Topia, where chaos and dated music reigned supreme. It took several tubs of pudding, a promise that Fluttershy would not put him in his time-out corner, and the promise that April Fools would be renamed Discord Day, but they were able to get him to give up his fruitless endeavor. Part of her felt that the real reason any of that took place was so Discord could change the name of April Fools Day. She let out a whine as her back tightened once again. She needed to stop thinking about Discord; the mere thought of him wound her up like a toy soldier. Her husband’s hooves though, sweet mercy, they were a godsend. As soon as Shining Armor got back with the oil, she would be able to relax, and later tonight, she would give her husband a nice treat. As Cadance thought of the coming bliss her husband would provide, her horn began to feel warm. Any previous knots that her husband had undone were instantly wound back up. There was only one reason that her horn would be warming up, and that was if Celestia was sending her a letter, not just any letter, an emergency Blueblood letter. “No,” she whispered to herself. Her horn began to vibrate just the smallest bit, as a small tingle began to rise in the horn’s base. “No, I need this massage!” She tried desperately to suppress the letter, or perhaps even send it to Spike. It was futile though, only the sender could cancel out the delivery, or change it, and if Blueblood was involved, there was no way that Celestia was giving her any choice in the matter. A mist seeped forth from her horn, taking form of a letter bearing the royal seal of Canterlot before it fell to the floor. Shining Armor trotted, with a bottle of oil balancing on his back. He had received various responses. A few ‘My stallion!’ from some guards, a “You dawg!” from others, and several high-hoofs from various guards. There was a noticeable skip in his step, as he approached his room, which had two guards on standby. They did their best not to give their prince a congratulatory smirk and nod. They failed miserably. Just as Shining was about to grasp the doorknob, a sharp scream tore through the air, shattering all nearby vases and windows, and even managing to crack the very walls of the castle. The three stallions stood shocked for but a moment, before Shining armor issued a single order. “On my mark.” Throwing the door open, Shining rolled forward as the two guards rolled to the side to surround whatever may be waiting in the room. “Cadance what’s wrong!? Is everything okay? Are you hurt?” His wife stood huffing as she stood over a torn letter on the floor. Her head seemed to twist completely backwards as a fiery gaze landed on the three of them. She opened her mouth to yell at them, only to have the command come out as a roar. “Cadance?” Shining asked. His voice was weak, his words coming out as mere whimpers as his wife turned herself towards them and slowly marched forward, each step shaking the room and their very souls. “Sir, I’ve seen this before,” The first guard said, taking a step back. “It was two years ago when my brother ruined my wedding.” “What is it though?” Shining asked, trying to think of something that could have turned his wife into the feral beast she now was. “Sir, your wife is pissed, and you are her husband. It won't matter who she’s pissed at, it’s going to be taken out on you. We might be paid to lay our lives on the line if anything threatens the Royal Family or this kingdom, but that right there,” he said, pointing to the savage beast that slowly came towards them, “that is above our pay grade.” “Princess,” the second guard said, raising a hoof, “it looks like you’re super busy. Should we wait outside while you and the prince hash things out? I feel like I’m reading the room right when I say that me and Steel Soldier should leave the room.” There was an approving growl as both guards bowed to Cadance, slowly backing away from the area. “Thank you, my liege,” The second guard said. “Prince Shining Armor, I wish you luck. Also, if you die, dibs on your sister.” “Excuse me!?” Shining shouted, facing the private. “Hey,” The blue haired pegasus raised a hoof to silence the prince, something that would have gotten him killed had Sombra still been alive, “don’t hate the player, hate the game. Speaking of games, you’re up against a super boss.” Shining turned back to his wife and nearly let out a whimper. For now, he would focus on the love of his life. Afterwards, he would find that pegasus, and give him a very long talking to later that night. The talking to would involve the torture chamber, a pair of pliers, a rusty scalpel, a towel, several buckets of water, a rack, and a poorly written IDW Comic arc with art by one Hay Fosgitt. Shockingly, the last one was the most controversial to use. Shining took a deep breath as he tried to work up the courage to face his wife head on. He was going to need a crystal wine glass, a bottle of wine, and a bottle of 208 Proof Chaos Falls Vodka when the wine proved too weak to calm his wife’s nerves. He still wondered where his friends found such a concoction, but considering the alcohol content was not physically possible, something in his gut told him it had everything to do with Discord. “Honey, baby-doll, is everything okay?” He finally asked in a soft, assuring voice. Cadance let out several roars and snarls before finally growling out in an understable voice. “There’s a problem in Canterlot. His name is Blueblood and twenty-eight years ago he was born. Then, about ten years ago, Spike was hatched. Finally, maybe an hour ago, he abducted Spike. In about an hour, I am going to snap Blue’s neck, get arrested, and incur the death penalty. I have a feeling that when the noose or axe destroy my neck, my only thought is going to be ‘Totally worth it’.” Beads of sweat began to form on the prince’s forehead. Things were taking a very dark turn, and that was never good. “I’m guessing you are feeling very tense right now. I still have my magic hooves, I can make you feel so much better.” Cadance took several moments to think over the offer. “No, no I need to go.” “Do I need to set up a train to take you to Canterlot?” “No, I’ll just teleport.” “Teleport? But that takes so much out of you, and you’re so stressed. Won’t it be easier just to stay here and rest and then head out tomorrow?” “Shining I would love to, but Blueblood is probably torturing Spike, and no one talks him down better than I do.” “Celestia does! Can’t she take care of it?” Shining asked, putting a hoof on his wife’s shoulder. “If Celestia could take care of it, she wouldn’t have sent the letter.” Cadance let out a sigh as she massaged her temple with her wings. “He probably has leverage on her. Ugh, someone should have put that brat in his place years ago. But no! Just because he’s our top diplomat, and the ‘good foal’, he’s basically untouchable!” “The ‘Good Foal’?” Shining raised a brow as he tried to picture the most egotistical, narcissistic, selfish, and mean senior in his high school as the good foal. “It was total crap!” Cadance’s voice raised in pitch as her expression twisted to that of a spoiled teenager. “Just because he averted like two or three wars, and always got straight A’s, and never drank unless Celestia gave him permission, our aunt treated him like he was a prince!” Shining mulled over the statement for a short time. There was something about the complaint that didn’t sit right with him. “Babe, when you mention the first part, I’d be more shocked if he didn’t get special treatment. Also, he is a prince.” Shining Armor suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine as his wife’s eyes narrowed. “Shining,” she hissed, “I don’t think that is on the table for the foreseeable future.” “No! Come on, can’t you take away the outfit instead?” “I can, but you won’t get that back.” Cadance took a deep breath and counted to ten to try and relieve some stress. If she got too angry, she would take her spitefulness out on Shining, who hardly deserved anything. “Look, I need to handle this. I’ll be back in two days, and when I do, get ready to rub me down. And if all goes well, then maybe we might have some fun. I love you.” “Love you too.” Cadance’s horn ignited and she vanished in a flash of light, leaving her husband alone in their room with the bitter knowledge that Celestia had ruined their night. Lighting his horn, Shining Armor dragged the Pegasus guard from before back into the room. “Dibs on my sister?” Shining Armor glared daggers at the Pegasus as he dragged the guard towards him. “Is it too late to say Happy Discord Day?” “It’s June.” “I’m not hearing a no.”