The Blueblood Chronicles

by No One and Nobody

Chapter 16

Author's notes: Sorry for the long wait ya'll. I'll stop saying I'm gonna update often and be honest with you guys. Summer was a mixture of laziness/writer's block and now, my schedule is just too packed to give me this free time. And as my mom will so readily point out, I've got things to do that are of greater importance than this. THIS IS NOT ME GETTING BORED WITH WRITING!!! I LOVE THIS BOOK AND WILL FINISH IT!!!

Chapter 16: A Canterlot Catastrophe.

"Did you hear the latest news?" asked Fleur de Lis at their weekly tea, "But I'm sure you have Blueblood. Aren't you excited?"

Stormwing and Blueblood looked up from their respective teacups with puzzled expressions. Stormwing swiveled his head towards Blueblood, who looked back at him and shrugged.

"Stallions," said Fleur, rolling her eyes and dropping two sugar cubes into her tea and then nibbling a third, "Honestly Blueblood how could you of all ponies not know? It's all over the streets and you do live at the castle!"

"Just lucky I guess?" Blueblood said, shrugging again.

Fleur harrumphed.

"Princess Cadance and Captain of the gaurd Shining Armor are getting married! Don't you ever pay attention to anything?!"

"Hmm," said Blueblood, turning back to his tea.

Stormwing's eyes, however, bugged out and he spat tea over the entire table and his two companions.

Fleur glared at him and dried herself off with a napkin.

Stormwing continued on without a care, too engrossed now in the subject to apologize to his damp friends.

"Cap's getting married?! Shoot, why didn't I hear about this before?! Me and the boys could've been teasing him about it for weeks!!"

"But isn't he your superior?" queried Bluebood, one eyebrow raised.

"Yah but he doesn't stand on rank. Unless it's an emergency or somepony's inspecting us, Cap's really cool and awesome with everypony. He's just like one of the boys. Man, that's a bummer that he's gettin hitched."

"Sounds like a nice guy," said Fleur, "I'm glad cause I don't want Cadance to get anypony who isn't good enough for her."

Blueblood and Stormwing looked at her and she shrugged.

"What? We attended filly school together. We were friends."

"She's like your adopted cousin or something, isn't she?" asked Stormwing, turning to Blueblood.

Blueblood, who up until this point hadn't really been paying a great deal of attention to the subject, shrugged. He'd never really spent much time with Cadance. Canterlot Castle was a big place and it always seemed she was at other countries on diplomatic duty. To be honest, sometimes Blueblood felt a little jealous of his Equestria-trotting relative.

"I dunno. I don't really know her that well."

"Well maybe if you behave really nicely, they'll let you be the flower girl or something," Stormwing said with a smirk.

Blueblood stuck his tongue out and stood up.

"Well it's been fun, but I've got to get back. Maybe I'll see ya'll later."

"Goodbye," said Fleur.

"Ya see ya," said Stormwing. Then, turning his head to Blueblood, who was walking out of the cafe, he yelled, "Maybe you could be mare of honor!"

Stormwing turned back to Fleur, who just stared at him with a, 'Is that really what stallions talk about?' look.

"I was kidding," chided Stormwing in a sing-song voice.

Fleur just looked at him as if he were all the stupider.

---

"Hello Aunties," said Blueblood, walking in on Celestia and Luna, who appeared to be neck-deep in wedding planning.

Both his aunts had disheveled looks about them. Their usual immaculate and flowing manes were a mess of tangles and knots. They each had dark circles under their eyes which was saying a lot about Luna being she had a naturally darker coat. They both had drowsy, somewhat unaware expressions on their muzzles which were made all the more obvious when they waited several seconds before they seemed to react to Blueblood's greeting.

Blueblood stared at his aunts in awe. He hadn't seen Celestia this tired looking since before Luna came back.

"Oh, hi Blueblood," said Celestia, trying unsuccessfully to hold back a yawn, "We're just pla-ah-ah-nning Cadance's wedding."

"Isn't that something SHE should be doing?" asked Blueblood, staring at his already overworked aunts.

"Unquestionably," said Luna. Blueblood was quite annoyed to see that her tiredness hadn't changed her way of speaking, "But in as such as our niece doth plan a royal affair there is considerable more devising than an average ceremony. So mine sister and I hath offered our services to Princess Cadance."

"hm," said Blueblood, backing away in case Celestia recruited him for stuffing envelopes, "Well I think I'll just go and congratulate Cadance."

And Blueblood left the sisters with stamps stuck in their manes and multiple papercuts to find his adopted cousin.

"Why didst thou not entreat his assistance?" asked Luna.

"This isn't his wedding," said Celestia, "Besides he's probably upset that he's not in the wedding party."

---

Blueblood trotted down the halls in no apparent direction whistling contentedly. He didn't really plan to find Cadance.

Maybe I'll go see how Stormwing is, he thought as he turned a corner.

Much to his surprise, he saw his cousin, laying unconscious on the floor with some, hideous, bug-like pony standing over her.

Blueblood ducked back behind the wall and watched.

"Sleep tight," said the bug pony in a distorted voice, "And dream well. For dreams will be the only nice thing you have for the rest of your life."

Her sick giggling sent shudders down Blueblood's spine.

The bug pony's horn began to glow, and Cadance vanished in a flash of green sparks.

Blueblood gasped and the bug pony's head turned in his direction. Blueblood jerked his head back around the corner.

"Hmpf," said the bug pony, looking around and then turning around again.

Blueblood watched in silent awe as she morphed into the very likeness of Cadance and began to walk down the hall, giggling softly.

I've got to warn somepony.

He turned tail and dashed back towards the throne room.

---

"Auntie!" screamed Blueblood, bursting through the doors into an empty throne room.

He stared around at the lack of princesses in the room then, his eyes caught on a card with his name on it sitting by Celestia's throne.

Walking over to it, he broke the seal and read the letter.

Blueblood,

We went to pick our flowers for the wedding. We'll be back later.

Love,

Aunties Celestia and Luna.

"What timing," said Blueblood, crumpling up the parchment and running back out the door. If his aunts couldn't help him he'd go to Shining Armor.

---

"Alright men!" shouted Shining Armor at his command, "Straighten up and look forward."

The line of stallions straightened up and saluted Shining Armor, who returned it.

"Shining Armor!" interrupted Blueblood, running full speed out of the castle and up to the white stallion in dress armor.

"At ease, men!"

The line relaxed and Shining Armor turned to Blueblood.

"Yes Prince?"

Blueblood wheezed slightly, trying to regain his breath before speaking.

"Shining Armor. You're fiancee's been kidnapped."

Shining Armor's eyes expanded rapidly and he stared at Blueblood, terror-struck.

"W-w-w-what?" He stuttered, "C-c-c-c-cadance, kidnapped? By who?!"

"Some, I don't know, bug-pony or something."

"Bug-pony?" asked Shining Armor, as skepticism crept onto his face.

"Yeah and-"

"Is there a problem dearest?" came a feminine voice from behind Blueblood.

Shining Armor and Blueblood both looked to see Cadance strolling towards them with two guards beside her.

"Oh Cadance," said Shining Armor, walking forward and giving his wife-to-be a peck on the cheek, "Blueblood was just telling me-"

"That the royal guard looks awesome," said Blueblood, interrupting. He knew this pony was really that bug-pony and that whatever she was up to, she couldn't be trusted, "You do a fine job Shining. Oh and Cadance," he said, turning his attention to his fraudulent cousin, "Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are out choosing the flowers for your wedding. You should probably go help them decide. Their probably fighting over sunflowers vs. evening primroses."

Cadance gave his a puzzled look, but then kissed Shining Armor again and headed off towards the Canterlot florist.

Shining Armor turned back to Blueblood with a quizzical look on his muzzle.

"All due respect your highness, but what was with that joke?"

"It's no joke Shining Armor," said Blueblood, "Can we talk alone?"

Shining Armor rolled his eyes and led Blueblood off into a corner of the courtyard, leaving his men muttering among themselves.

"Well?"

"Okay," whispered Blueblood, "This is gonna sound crazy, but that wasn't your fiancee."

"Your highness-" started Shining Armor.

"No," interrupted Blueblood, "Hear me out. I was walking down the corridors when I saw that bug-pony I told you about with Cadance tied up. She hid Cadance somewhere and then morphed into her. That isn't Cadance."

Shining Armor waited a beat, shaking his head and rolling his eyes, before answering.

"Blueblood, if this is about you not being in the wedding party, I can explain. See I really wanted my sister to-"

"This has nothing to do with the wedding! We've got to find Cadance before that bug-pony does anything else!"

Shining Armor groaned.

"Fine Blueblood. I'll tell you what, I'll quiz Cadance on her life, and if she can't answer, then maybe I'll believe you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my troops," turning away, Shining Armor muttered, but Blueblood could still hear, "We have to protect Canterlot for the actual threat that's been made."

---

A knock resounded on Blueblood's door. Blueblood was poring over books on strange creatures found in Equestria, to see if he could find anything about bug-ponies. He quickly stuffed the book under a pillow and said, "Come in."

In trotted Shining Armor, fuming. His face was so red Blueblood was worried it might burst.

"What," he yelled, slamming the door shut, "Is the big idea?!?! You made me interrogate my own fiancee!! I've never been so insulted in my life!!!"

"Well could she answer all the questions?"

"With one hundred percent accuracy. She even helped me with a headache I was having!! She was all in all the wonderful mare I know, love and am going to marry!!!"

"But Shining Armor, I know what I saw!"

I don't care what you saw, Cadance is fine!! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to plan for my wedding!!"

Shining Armor marched towards the door and said as he opened it to leave,

"And next time you're jealous cause you aren't asked to be in a wedding party, why don't you come up with a more plausible conspiracy theory?"

***

"That's terrible," said Twilight, "What did you do after that?"

"Well," said Blueblood, "I went to several reporters to try to get the word out but they wouldn't take my story, finally I had to go to The Neightional Inquirer and they finally printed my story. But you can guess how it was received. Everypony in Canterlot decided that I just wanted attention or I was jealous."

"What did Celestia say?" asked Twilight.

"Unfortunately," said Celestia, "Luna and myself were too busy with wedding plans and protecting Canterlot. You remember that time, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah," said Twilight, "Well what happened on the wedding day?"

"I was prepared for the worst. I remember I was in the crowd..."

***

"Come on Blueblood," said Fleur, "You didn't need to bring all this," she indicated to the weapons Blueblood had hidden under his suit, "Just who do you thing you are?"

"Blood, Blueblood," Blueblood said with a grim expression on his face.

"Funny," said Fleur, "Are you sure you saw what you think you saw, Were you dehydrated or something?"

"Now you don't believe me?" said Blueblood, glowering at Fleur, "Sheesh, I thought of all ponies, YOU'D believe me."

"I didn't say that Blueblood," said Fleur, "I was just trying to work out a reasonable explanation for what you saw."

Blueblood's attention was drawn away from Fleur at that moment by the opening of the door and the beginning of the wedding march. And here came the fake Cadance, fooling everypony but Blueblood.

Shining Armor looked a little out of it, but Blueblood assumed it was wedding day nerves.

Wait until he finds out just whom he married.

"Don't you dare disrupt the wedding," hissed Fleur in his ears.

"I'm not disrupting anything. I'm simply prepared."

Blueblood heard Princess Celestia starting the ceremony and turned his attention back to the altar.

Just as Princess Celestia was beginning the wedding vows however, the sound of two huge door opening echoed through the great hall.

Turning on their hooves, Blueblood and Fleur saw another Princess Cadance and Twilight Sparkle galloping up to the altar and Cadance screaming something about a changling.

Impostor Cadance started laughing and was enveloped in a wave of green fire magic. Her body morphed back into the form that only Blueblood and Cadance had seen before.

Screams enveloped the hall as the Bug-pony explained who she was and what she was doing.

She's going to take over Canterlot and leech all the love from ponies! thought Blueblood, I've got to do something.

Blueblood teleported out of the great hall trusting his aunt would take care of the changling queen.

He looked overhead and saw changlings throwing themselves at the force field, trying to weaken it.

Stormwing and the other guards were trying to calm the frightened ponies all around them. But they had all seen the black mass of strange creatures above them and had panicked.

"What's going on?" asked Stormwing as Blueblood arrived.

"No time to explain," said Blueblood, "You're wasting time with the ponies. They won't calm down. You have to get your troops to prepare for those creatures to invade. We're safe as long as my aunt remains strong."

Above them the shield shattered and in flew the changlings, descending like locusts upon fresh crops.

Blueblood fired blast after blast at the oncoming hoards, but couldn't protect everypony. He watched as the citizens of Canterlot were captured and the changling feasted on their love.

Blueblood caught out of the corner of his eye a changling advancing on Stormwing.

Blueblood knocked the changling out with a piece of furniture from the cafe he stood by.

Blueblood and Stormwing stood back to back, keeping an eye on the other's blind spot.

Changling after changling attacked, and was repelled.

Blueblood realized in an instant that all the changlings around them had abandoned the ponies around them and were advancing towards them.

Blueblood wondered frantically why they would leave already subdued prey for two, insignificant, unicorns.

His eyes widened as he understood.

"Stormwing!" he yelled, "I need you to attack me!"

"What?!" yelled Stormwing back, "Why in the hay would I do that? We're friends!"

"DO IT!! TRUST ME!!"

Stormwing, looking thoroughly confounded, fired a blast at Blueblood, knocking him into a nearby wall.

The changlings completely ignored Stormwing and descended upon Blueblood.

Stormwing had done way to good of a job and Blueblood figured he had a cracked rib. He lay still, willing the hoard upon him.

That's it. Come and get an easy meal. No fuss, no mess.

Blueblood thought of Fleur, of Stormwing, of his aunts, of how much he loved each and every one of them.

He could feel the changlings sucking it away from him and his heart grew colder and colder.

A face formed in his mind. His father's face. Then came the rest of his father, beckoning him onward with him. To follow him.

Blueblood backed away from the image in his mind, but it only grew sharper and clearer as the changlings drew from him the only thing that had separated him from his father.

Blueblood felt all the love leaving him and his father's personality coming closer, and closer. Fear, hate and anger filled him. But above all, a hopeless sense of misery, left by the hole the changlings were taking.

An image shot into his mind. Of Stormwing lying on a bed in a hospital, telling him why he wasn't afraid of death.

"I've tried misery. I decided I didn't like it."

Blueblood shook his head violently and cast his thoughts to the original Stormwing, his first ever friend, of Aneighdeus and Leather Loafer and Studious. And of Lily Blossom, the filly who had loved Blueblood till her dying day.

The changlings drew this love from him, trying to satisfy their voracious appetite, but Sombra appeared no more in Blueblood's mind. He had found a source of unrelenting, pure love that the changlings drew from. The love of a friend who never gave up on him, along with the love of his sister, who always assumed the best about him.

Then, before he knew it, Blueblood felt a wave of warm light wash over him.

The parasitical feel cast by the changlings was gone and he felt himself relax and slowly...

... pass out.

---

"Blueblood?" came Fleur's voice.

Blueblood's eyes fluttered open and focused on Fleur, Stormwing, Celestia, Cadence, Shining Armor and Luna, all standing around him in what looked to be a hospital room.

"I shall inform the doctor's as to thy state of wellness," said Luna, exiting.

"Oh Blueblood!" exclaimed Fleur, hugging him tightly, "The doctors were worried. They said that the changlings had drained too much out of you."

"I'm fine Fleur," he said, "What about Canterlot? Is everypony okay?"

"Some ponies were hurt by the changlings, but nopony's died yet," said Shining Armor.

"You were actually the closest call," said Stormwing, "You overachiever you."

"But what happened?" asked Blueblood, "All of a sudden the changling were just... gone? Was it the elements of harmony?"

"No," said Cadence, "Shining Armor was able to cast his protection spell again to drive out the changlings."

"Not without considerable help from you dear," said Shining Armor.

"What about you two?" asked Blueblood, nodding to the rings the two of them wore.

"We're hitched," said Shining Armor giddily, "We just got back from the honeymoon two days ago."

"Two days?" asked Blueblood, "How long have I been out?"

"Almost two weeks," said Celestia, "The doctors were afraid to use magic to wake you up from your coma because of the magical residue left by the changlings."

"Wow," said Blueblood, shaking his head and blinking hard, "Best sleep I ever got."

"I guess apologies are in order," said Shining Armor, "I really should have listened to you. It's just that the changling seemed so... like Cadence."

"Forget about it," said Blueblood, "Nopony believed me and I certainly don't expect an apology from everypony in Canterlot."

"I don't intend to forget," said Cadence, kissing Blueblood on the cheek, "It was very brave of you to stand up to everypony else when nopony believed you. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," said Blueblood.

His eyes fixed on Stormwing, who stood nervously shuffling his hooves, barely making eye contact with Blueblood.

Celestia, noticing it too, cleared her throat.

"Well everypony, I think Stormwing and Blueblood have some things to discuss. Let's leave them be."

With that, she ushered everypony else out of the room.

"Great timing, my auntie," said Blueblood, feeling a weird, reversed sense of deja vu, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well," said Stormwing, looking at his hooves.

"Well?" answered Blueblood, chortling, "I'm afraid I'm gonna need a little bit more to go off of."

Stormwing stood silent for a few moments before continuing.

"Why'd you tell me to attack you? We were doing just find together? Why'd you tell me?"

Blueblood didn't answer for a few beats.

"I didn't want you getting hurt."

Stormwing looked up in surprise.

"So you thought the best way to proceed was to have me blast you into a coma?"

"Yes."

Stormwing looked quizzically at him.

"Didn't you see how the changlings were coming after us? There were other ponies around, but they came after us. They saw us looking out for each other and sensed friendship."

"So when I attacked you-"

"They assumed that you no longer cared for me and decided to go to me for the love they wanted."

"But we could've taken them."

"I didn't want you to have to. The only way to insure that the changlings would leave other ponies alone was to provide them with a strong source of love. I've lived for centuries. I've got centuries worth of love stored inside me. I was the best candidate for them."

"So, you sacrificed yourself for the safety of your subjects?"

"It wasn't exactly a sacrifice. I didn't die."

"But you could've."

"That wasn't the point. The point was that with me, they were going to leave everypony else alone."

Stormwing looked at him for several seconds.

"That's really noble of you."

"No less than any royal would do for their subjects."

"You're under crediting yourself. It was noble."

"Maybe so," said Blueblood, looking out the window of his room.

Beneath him was the city, still recuperating from it's attack. Windows were shattered and burn marks riddled the streets, telling the tales of the battles that had been fought. But amidst the scars, were ponies, safe and happy, going about their daily lives, trying to restore order and peace to their world.

Blueblood breathed a sigh of relief as he realized that Canterlot was safe.

Comments

[Frankie2]

"I went to several reporters to try to get the word out but they wouldn't take my story, finally I had to go to The Neightional Inquirer and they finally printed my story. But you can guess how it was received. Everypony in Canterlot decided that I just wanted attention or I was jealous."

Yet, I bet you not one of the doubters apologized to Bluey.