The tension was palpable among the royal sisters as they watched from a distance. They could see Blueblood spending some alone time with his god-aunt Tempo. Who, after placing a bouquet of white carnations on the graves of Blueblood's parents and sharing a couple of stories about them with the prince, politely asked the sisters for a moment alone with him, telling them that there were a couple of things she wanted to discuss with him alone. Naturally, Celestia was opposed to the idea, but after some coaching from Luna, she reluctantly agreed and gave the two of them a moment to talk.
Time seemed to have slowed to a crawl as Celestia kept watching Tempo like a hawk as she spoke with her nephew. She could feel the mare taunting her somewhat as she occasionally looked back at her with a smirk and even going so far as to place her right wing on the Prince's back for support as they kept chatting. It was an act that was in Celestia's mind, only reserved to her, Luna and Cadence.
Oh no, she didn't!
"I am sure that that is enough time those two have had," Celestia proclaimed and started to march forward until Luna placed her hoof in front of her, halting her sister's advance.
"Come on, Celly, just let those two have their moment. There is a lifetime of catching up between them," Luna argues in pity. "Regardless of the history that you two might share, Crossfire Tempo has the right to be a part of Blueblood's life, just as you and I do."
Celestia could only grumble and look to the side in frustration. "I don't know if she still deserves that privilege."
"Seriously, Tia, what happened between you two? What caused you to have such little faith towards that mare?" Luna questioned the perplexity of her sister's behavior.
"Because that mare became all that I have learned to despise in the noble class," Celestia was quick to answer before sighing in shame and lowering her head in disappointment. "That mare was once one of the greatest captains the Wonderbolts ever had. A pegasus of action that wouldn't think twice about getting her hooves dirty and was the perfect example of a teammate. But after her accident, she changed to the point that I couldn't recognize the mare I once knew, and my nephews trusted with the lives of their offspring. At first, I blamed myself for the change, but then..."
She trailed off as she looked at Luna, who brought her hoof to her face, "You pampered her while recovering, didn't you?"
"This one wasn't my fault! The mare couldn't even move, for pony's sake, Luna! So I hired a couple of nurses and ONE butler to assist in her recovery. I didn't go overboard, I swear. Sure, I was concerned and let her stay in the palace, and I made sure that Blueblood visited her as often as possible. But that was it; she never was treated any differently than other injured subjects." Celestia defended herself before continuing. "I might have even been a tad bit more strict in her recovery sessions and made sure she didn't skip any of them."
Luna looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not wholly believing her sister but was willing to give her a chance to explain herself. "Go on."
"Everything was going well right until her flying lessons started. According to her trainer, she was in perfect condition and ready to fly again, but each time she tried, her wings went stiff and refused to move. Like some sort of defense mechanism when trying to lift off, revealing that her mind was not completely healed from the accident."
"I see. That must have been a terrible experience for her," Luna commented, bringing her right hoof to her chin in thought.
"That's the thing. I'm not sure she even realized or cared about her situation. Sure, she told me how frustrated she was being grounded, but when the doctor told her, Tempo took the news rather well, calmly even. It was like a part of her didn't care about flying anymore, and she didn't even make an effort to seek professional help to fix it. Each time I tried to encourage her or even asked why she didn't want to look into the problem, she only replied by telling me, 'I'd rather not do it.'" Celestia recalled the event getting more emotional by the second. "Poor Spitfire, when Tempo announced her early retirement, I swear I saw that little filly's heart break in two. The old Tempo was her hero, and she saw her crash and burn."
"A sorrowful story indeed," Luna nodded in agreement.
"After that, you can start blaming me for getting my hooves in her life a little bit. She was still Blueblood's guardian and was currently unemployed, so I extended my invitation to live in the palace even more and even offered her a sum of bits for her to start again when she felt ready. Having her help raising Blueblood was more than welcome."
Luna's eyes widened in realization. "Sister, you are not saying…?"
Her fears were only confirmed when Celestia merely nodded. "Just like Blueblood, she slowly started to make ridiculous requests and use him as a tool to obtain them. She didn't have much power to order ponies around, but her god-nephew did. She took full advantage of that fact. She practically taught him how to behave around others."
"And molded him into the narcissistic manipulating brat we knew." Luna whispered, looking at the mare in question. "She is the one that created that monster. That is the root of your anger toward her, no, it is more than just that, you are concerned that she might try to repeat it, am I right?"
"That is only half of the issue, sister, but yes, it is a big chunk of the problem. Part of me is happy that her time in exile has humbled her somewhat, and so far, she hasn't been demanding anything and only seems set on earning my forgiveness. Though, after what she did to make me exile her…that would take more time."
"What did she do?" Luna asked now intrigued by the story, but once again before Celestia could explain, the mare in question approached the two with a sigh before looking at Celestia. "Blue asked me if you could talk with him in private for a moment or two."
"Just me?" Celestia asked, pointing at herself as Tempo nodded. "He said something about feeling in another body and said that you could help while Princess Luna and I chat a little," she explained before looking at the mare in question. "Which I think it's a good idea, as my god-child told me, this is an opportunity for us to get to know each other better and I don't think we have had the pleasure of meeting yet, Princess Luna."
"It is a perfectly valid point," Luna nodded in agreement. "And I have a couple of questions I have meaning to ask since I was informed of your connection with our family. Mainly how did you and Bluebloods parents meet in the first place?"
"Isn't that ironic? Blueblood asked me the same thing, earlier." She then glared at Celestia. "One might think his supposed Grand Aunt would have tried to help a family member remember as much of his past as possible, but I imagine talking about his parent's circle of friends was simply too low on the list," she spat at Celestia with a voice full of venom. Even Luna was impressed by the bravery of the mare, pointing out her sister's age.
She is brave I will give her that
Luna mentally praised her before stopping Celestia from turning Tempo into ashes by placing her hoof on Celestia's shoulder. "Just go to our nephew, sister. I will take it from here," Luna instructed her, pointing at Blueblood with her head while he kept staring at the graves.
Celestia only sighed to calm down before nodding. "Not that you would ever believe me, but I truly intended to introduce you two, maybe not immediately but eventually. I would have done that," she defended herself before leaving.
"Forgive me if I find that hard to believe, Princess." Tempo retorted as she kept glaring at Celestia. At that moment, Luna could practically taste the resentment both mares were feeling toward each other as Celestia approached her nephew while Tempo turned to regard her with a calm smile. As the ruler of the night considered the mare before her, while she was willing to listen and give her a chance, Luna was ready to stay alert and weigh all of her actions in case the mare in question may have any ulterior motives.
Once Celestia reached Blueblood, her maternal alarms started to flare. She could detect the signs of fatigue and fear in Blueblood. It was clear that he didn't have a peaceful rest the night before. At first, she laughed it off, thinking it mere stress of seeing his parents, but now she was sure that it was more than just that. Something else was bothering and happening to Blueblood, and her concern slowly grew as a result.
Rather than voice her presence outright, the princess decided instead to simply sit next to Blueblood and look at the graves herself, which consisted of two simple marble plates with a steel plaque on top wherein a gold inscription was etched. Here lies Royal Treatment/ Formal Attire, friends, husband/wife, loving parents, and beloved members of the royal family.
It was just as she had instructed for their funeral. A single tear ran down her left cheek as she paid her respects to them in silence, remembering the scar that their departure left on her heart.
"Do you miss them?" Blueblood asked while keeping his gaze on his parents.
"Always. I know full well that they are resting in peace with the rest of my family, and despite being gone, their spirits keep watch over us. Though, there are days where I look at the stars and think about what a shame it is that Equestria will never be able to taste Royal's special royal strawberry tarts ever again," Celestia said with a small smile, earning a low chuckle from the Prince.
"My dad knew how to cook?"
"When you are a food critic for so long, you pick up a thing or two, nephew. Just as how Formal Attire knew her way around a needle and could easily give Rarity a run for her bits making dresses, as well as giving her opinion," Celestia replied finally looking at Blueblood, "I dare to say, if she was still around, Rarity might have done everything in her power to become her apprentice. She was just that skillful at her job. Oh, the stories I could tell you of how many times she convinced me to be the model of her latest creations." she recalled with fondness as she extended her wing and covered Blueblood back in an improvised blanket. "I still wonder how she did it," she confessed in honest surprise.
"They were prideful, arrogant, and loved to talk about themselves for hours, but all there gloating was well earned and always had as much advice as criticism. A bit of an annoyance at times, but their hearts were always in the right place, and I loved them all the same."
"They sound like incredible ponies, with flaws sure, but very passionate about their jobs," Blueblood said, smiling in pride as he tried to hide his unease, yet Celestia saw right through that and wouldn't allow it.
"What is in your mind, dear?" she asked with a voice of concern, making it clear that it would be pointless for Blueblood to lie, so with a sigh, he dropped the act and simply told the truth.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure myself. Right now, my head is a swirl of mixed feelings and conflicting thoughts. At peace for getting to meet my parents, happy to obtain an incredible family, thankful for hearing so many stories about them…" the Prince recalled with a smile for a moment before turning that expression into sadness "…; guilty for taking over his life, determined to prove myself worthy of being their son and a prince, fearful of what I did and I might do to the kingdom," he confessed lowering his head before raising it in determination.
"But if I truly want to be Blueblood, I need to do this. I need to come clean and pay my respects to them…to his parents," Blueblood said the last part in a whisper. "I need to apologize, and promise them that…God, I don't even know where to start!" he brought his right hoof to his face in frustration.
"It's ok, Nephew, there's no need to force yourself," Celestia nuzzles his side in an attempt to soothe his worries as the Prince tried to calm himself. "Just take a deep breath and speak from your heart," she coach him with a warm smile. "I told you before, and I will tell you as many times as you need to hear it. Royal and Formal would have loved to have you in their lives, and I'm sure that if they were here, they would be grateful that you continue their legacy and that of their son." She ended by cleaning some tears forming in his eyes.
"Thanks, Auntie," Blueblood nodded and sniffed once before looking at her. "I needed that."
"Anytime, and if you still need more time, I will understand completely. Luna and I will be there when you are ready."
"It's ok, auntie. I'm ready now," he claimed before turning his attention back at the graves. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, the Prince prepared himself before speaking to them. "Mom, Dad, I know that this conversation might sound a bit weird…because it is. Me having a human soul, I'm not entirely sure if we are family or not, not to mention that the original Blueblood…is gone forever. And no one will ever know it." the Prince confessed in shame as he felt Celestia's hoof on his shoulder, giving him the strength to continue.
"I can't change what happened or do anything about it, regarding where he ended up. But I can and will honor his memory and continue his legacy as if it was my own. This is in no way an excuse or request for taking over his life, but rather, it's my way of thanking him for letting me have a second chance at life. So, with the princess as my witness, I promise you that I will ensure that the name Blueblood will not end up as infamous in the books of history," Blueblood solemnly swore at the graves of his parents before stepping back.
"Are you feeling better?" Celestia asked him in concern, placing a wing on his back.
"Not really," Blueblood answered, letting go of a breath he was holding while keeping his head low before raising it and looking at her with bags under his eyes and a weak smile. "But it's a start. At the very least, I said my peace and paid my respects. Do you think it will be enough for them?" he asked, turning his attention to the graves, Celestia sensing his worries and fatigue.
"I'm sure they will," Celestia replied with a warm smile. "And who knows? Perhaps my nephew will manage to weasel his way out of Tartarus and into his mother's hooves."
That last comment caught the Prince by surprise as he looked back at her. "Is that even possible?"
"Others have managed to escape before, and if I knew Blueblood…the original Blueblood, I mean, its that he was incredibly crafty and clever in the face of adversity. It's a real shame he used those gifts to avoid responsibility. But on the other hoof, if any pony could be able to outwit demons and monsters and find a way out, it's him. Not to mention that he will not be alone in his endeavor," Celestia added, pointing at Formal Attire's grave. "Never underestimate the willpower of a doting mother, dear. Never."
"Tartarus hath no fury like a concerned mother?" He asked with a chuckle and a raised eyebrow.
"Precisely." The princess nodded. "Hopefully that helps ease your concerns."
"It does a little actually, but it will still take time before the guilt goes away completely." Blueblood then sighed and started to walk back to the group, but stops when he notices his aunt had not moved. "Are you coming, Auntie?"
"Just a second, there is something I would like to tell them as well," She says before addressing the grave.
"Despite what happened, I just wanted to tell you that I care and will continue to love and protect your son as if he was my own. And whoever did this to your son, I will seek them, I will find them, and I will make them regret the day that they ever thought about hurting my family." Celestia said, shedding another tear before turning around and joining Blueblood.
"Thank you."
Both royals froze as they just barely perceived an audible female whisper behind them, yet when they look at the graves, there was nothing there.
"A-Auntie, tell me that you also…"
"...Some things are better left alone, dear," Celestia interrupted him as she pushed Blueblood forward. "Let us just not think about it too much,"
After that, they both returned to Luna and Tempo, who were in the middle of a conversation, or rather, some kind of interview where Luna kept asking questions for the pegasus to answer.
"…afterwards we sort of just kept in contact with one another and soon our chats stopped becoming random subjects and topics to pass the time. Eventually, we became close friends." Tempo ended her story with a smile.
"I see, who would have thought that everything was started by a business proposition to increase the popularity of a restaurant," Luna mentioned with honest fascination. However, Celestia could see that Tempo hadn't won her over just yet, and Luna was still on guard with the mare.
"Heh, just like Twily always says, friendship can bloom at any moment, in any place," Blueblood voiced their presence with a smile as the two mares looked back at them.
"Ah, Bluey, dear! How did it go? Were you able to say your piece to your parents?" Tempo asked with a raised eyebrow, quickly approaching him until Celestia got in between them.
"He did, and all it took was a bit of encouragement from a caring aunt," Celestia tells her with a forced smile, something that Tempo soon copied as both mares kept chuckling at one another.
"Isn't it that right? How fortunate for my nephew to have such a wise and knowledgeable member in the family," Tempo replied as they kept laughing at one another rather forcefully. At the same time, Blueblood snuck away to approach Luna and whisper in her ear.
"And that is exactly why I didn't want to leave those two alone," he confessed.
"Nephew, why in the name of all my stars did you invite Crossfire Tempo if you knew that it would lead to this?" Luna whispered back at him.
"Because Aunt Tempo is part of the family too, and it's not fair, excluding her just because of something that happened between her and aunt Celestia. Don't we all deserve a second chance? We of all people should know about that. Right, Aunt Luna?"
"Oh, nephew, are you sure you know what you are doing?" Luna voiced her concern, surprising Blueblood.
"What are you implying?" Blueblood questioned her with a raised eyebrow.
"I mean that I applaud your intentions and your willingness to give her a chance, but this might not be a good idea. I know my sister better than anyone else, and I know that there are very few ponies that have earned her spite. If that mare is one of them, then bridges burnt might be beyond repairable."
"So, you're saying that you are taking Aunt Celestia's side?" Blueblood questions her as his anger starts to rise. Celestia and Tempo's discussion prevented either of them from noticing the two.
"I'm not taking any sides, nephew, what I'm telling you is to be careful."
"Be careful. So even now, you still don't trust me?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Of course, we trust you. Dear, it's Tempo, the one we still don't know if we trust or not," Luna defended herself.
"Then why don't you put a tracking spell on her too?" Blueblood sarcastically replied, taking Luna by surprise.
"You thought that I wouldn't question how the royal guards managed to spot me without any doubt and prepared the teleportation so quickly despite my face being covered? I let it slide because I convinced myself that you did it because of love. Now I'm wondering if that tracker was from an issue of trust," Blueblood questioned her with a glare before holding his head in pain.
Luna tried to help when he momentarily lost his balance, but he refused her aid and kept glaring at her. "You know, before you start judging and taking others for grated, you should consider their feelings and give them a chance to defend themselves. We wouldn't want a repeat of the…" Blueblood stopped himself the moment he saw Luna's expression and of how she was on the verge of tears, forcing him to question himself and look down in shame and thought. "What am I saying?"
"Nephew, what is happening to you?" Luna asked in worry.
"I'm sorry Aunty I don't know what came over me I'm just…so tired," he confessed, holding his face not in pain but rather in fatigue. "There is so much on my mind, and I'm so stressed." Once he was done rubbing his temples, he looks back at her. "Just give her a chance, auntie. She has been kind to me. I don't want to split my family now," he begged her more calmly. “Plus…what I did in Manehattan, all those kingpins I defeated. I’m praying that this is just me been paranoid, but if a member of his family or group seek my revenge well…Aunt Tempo doesn’t have my cousins magic, or a castle and army to protect herself, she would be the obvious choice to get to me, and if anyone would dare…I-I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself”
"…ok," Luna finally relinquished after sighing in defeat. "For you, I will give her a chance," she replied with a smile.
"And that is all I ask of you." Blueblood nodded with a weak smile before looking back at the two arguing mares. "We'd better stop them if we want to save the rest of our day off, right? The day is young, and there are still a lot of things I want us to talk about. Like what is that Nightmare Night thing I keep hearing about in the castle nowdays?" Blueblood wonders as he goes to break the bickering mares apart.
Luna looked at him in concern as she felt the dreadful yet familiar feelings of anger and resentment emanate from her nephew.
I’mcompletemthenightmarenow < all red
I’m complete m the nightmare now
Oh no.
OH SHIT NOT GOOD
Oh...
Oh fuck
Oh F
k
How to recognize corruption in just 3 easy steps.
Oh no, you mean using dark magic to transform into a Nightmare Moon variant is a bad idea because such magics tend to linger and corrupt? Say it isn't so!
Honestly, his teachers need a swift kicking for letting that one happen without firmly grinding into his skull that this was a no-go area. Blue himself, too. He should be genre savy enough to realize that dark magic is a bad thing.
Whelp time to warm up the orbital friendship cannon.
reading in between the lines, one of the ponies he's met has done something behind the scenes to trigger this. This doesn't seem like a natural progression of events since he's seemed to have a handle on it.
Its like something is trying to turn him into a WRATHful spirit that luna knows all too well. Since they were watching a pegasus they wouldn't watch out for or scan for magical artifacts since they wouldn't expect a pegasus to be using them. In fact even the pegasus might not even aware of using a magical artifact and thus making it more believable to those observing the pegasus.
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going with my theory that somepony whose more verse in dark magic is doing everything in their power to agitate the dark magic within the prince.
My evidence is that whenever it seemed like he lost control or on the verge of losing control he was emotionally distressed or on the verge of anger with the later being signs of wrath of the seven sins he needs to defeat.
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Blueblood to Luna: “Look at me, I’m the Nightmare now,”
I wonder if the moon is gonna be pissed that something keeps stealing its friends
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Yeah a small issue with my editors, it improves again after this and the next one. Sorry for the inconvenience
Aight I'm in grammar mood. There is referring to location, their is referring to possession, and they're is referring to action. You used location when it should be possession.
Those three trip people up easy, so I like to point it out to help reinforce it. There's the mistake made by the people who teach. Their mistake drives people away from getting interested in stuff. They're solely to blame for it, since I got lucky and had teachers that, at least through my home life, managed to have little effect on me and my adventurous, investigate mindset.
Never heard the pony expression version. What an odd take on the common phrase of something being on one's mind.
and out of the humorous mood, into the frying pan, or something like that. This, I may be wrong in, simply due to a lack of experience with it, but I've never seen the term couch used as a verb in place of the similar word of coach, which I have seen as a verb. I am not coaching you, I am merely offering my view. I do believe that that may be a simple misspelling.
So not capitalizing something in a book can be used to signal a demeanor. I've rarely seen it done, but it is something that can be done, if performed properly. Such as referring to the author... *let me check which author this is* Lighting Ace in everyone's dialogue with capital L, capital A, as it should be. Except for Person C. Person C has a clear vendetta, and whenever Person C is present, lowercase l, lowercase a. Why? Because Person C sees Lighting Ace as below them, and thus, just a mess of letters and words strung together like a sentence, nothing special. Based on what you do a paragraph or two later, I realized this was not the case as to what you're doing.
unless that is what you're doing...
grated is a verb, but you're missing the letter n for granted, common expression, simple error.
choice, not choose, choice is a noun, choose is a verb.
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Got, I always welcome some constructive feed, back and I change it a little, some of the suggestions I didn't understood completely but the ones I did. I manage to saw what you meant. Thanks for the help
see the space there? Between the bloody 'now' and perfectly normal days? Well, aside from Blueblood going psychopathic because something hates him, that's one word, nowadays. Simple error, if you use a phone, autocorrect likely made the issue.
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Okay I did not see that. Clever author
Luna the time to act is NOW!
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Glad to help catch errors to help an author improve. I may have asked this previously, but is English a first language or no?
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No, it is not.
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Well, good on you for picking up another language! I’m trying to pick up Spanish, however I’m just a teen and haven’t been able to get very far aside from forming simple sentences.
I’m absolutely loving this story, I just binged it in like half a day. I do see some grammar errors here and there but they don’t really bother me, I can make out what’s being said easily. The character’s are great, I’m loving the story, and the relationships you’ve made. Speaking of which we need more Fluttershy and Blueblood interaction. It’s super cute and I think he’ll need his soft spoken marefriend sooner rather than later.
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Ironic because that is actually my native language, and even I have difficulties with it, from time to time. Small world right?
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I was just about to point that out.
Damn, that’s clever though.
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Sí, el mundo es muy pequeño.
So happy I didn’t need google translate to form the words, but there’s a mistake somewhere in there.
Well then... appears were getting close and closer to Blueblood's breaking point with his new dark powers
Now, will Blue Boy here come to terms with his darker side, and co-exist with it? Or will he be taken over by it? The suspense is palpable.
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Lol.
First thing that came to mind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zuH8srcwE0
So, all up to date with this one again.
This is the second read through, the first being when you were up to the first version of Blueblood's duel with Jet Set at the Masquerade.
I must say, having an editor (or three) has made this story vastly more readable.
The first time through, it was like you had put the words for your story into a blender, fired them at the page with a shotgun, and then used Google Translate to try and make sense of it all.
Harsh, I admit, but it was VERY hard to read.
But the story underneath was solid.
Having been edited, your story is MUCH more enjoyable, and we can see what was hidden beneath the language difficulties (as someone who has dabbled in languages, I understand the difficulty with trying to write in something not your native tongue).
This story has come a long way, and I look forward to seeing how far it will go.
While I was not initially sold on Blueblood's new ability, it will be intriguing to watch how things now develop.
The relationships between characters, both friend and foe alike, are also very interesting to see developing (yes, I am on Team Celestial Guard).
It will be interesting to watch the Politics develop too, with Blueblood becoming a player (or maybe a piece) on the global chessboard.
My only (post-editing) Criticism at this point, is to try and stay in one Tense. Currently you are alternating between Past and Present Tense with your sentence structure.
I cannot find an example at hoof, while writing this, but it is a minor thing that I am sure will improve as the story continues.
Already you have come a long way.
I look forward to the further travels of the Humble Prince.
Oooooooh fuck that's not good at all......
I guess they have somehow to fix the Nightstallion to take over Bluebloodd mind?
Or is it again father vs son?
Great power come with greater responsibility and massive downsides! Guess they all have to face their darker side eventually.