Celestia XVII: The Broken Princess

by brokenimage321

Criterion: Intrusion

I was starting to feel pretty good about myself… before I tripped.

It happened so fast—one second, I was walking along in the dark, listening to the drip of water, smelling the dirt and the damp, and starting to feel confident in my chances for the first time since I’d woken up. I broke into a little trot—and suddenly, my hoof struck a rail, and my world turned upside down.

I screamed and rolled head over heels until I slammed my back into something hard. I rolled over right-side up, my head spinning, and spat a curse. I ached all over, but the knee on one of my forelegs burned white-hot. I hugged it close and swore again, trying to keep the tears from rolling down my face.

I have to admit, I almost gave up right there. Buried in the deep dark, nowhere to go, and no way to get there even if there was—and no idea how to get back to those tracks I’d been following. I’d been in some scrapes, but this was the most lost and hopeless I’d ever felt.

But then, I saw it. A dim, blue glow in the distance, just enough to discolor the blackness. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed it, if I hadn’t been in the dark so long already. But my eyes widened, and I clutched to that light like a lifeline. I stood on shaking knees, the pain in my knee almost blinding, and hobbled towards it.

As I drew closer, I saw that the glow was moving away from me, bobbing along gently as it did. I tried to walk faster to catch it, but my legs wobbled dangerously. I tried to call after it, but my throat felt like ash and tar, and all that came out was a sort of harsh bark. Yet, they must have heard me, for the glow froze in place.

I lurched my way towards it as fast as I could, until, slowly, the glow began to gather into a point. Soon, it grew bright enough to where I could see the ground under my hooves, however dimly, and I picked up the pace.

And then, suddenly, I rounded an outcropping, and I stopped cold.

“Blueblood?” I rasped.

Blueblood stood there, eyes wide and chest heaving, staring at me. His mane was dirty and tangled, and his eyes had a frightened, haunted look to them. He wore his white tuxedo, of course, but it was dirty and torn, and hung loose on his frame. His horn glowed blue to match his eyes, casting strange shadows on the walls.

“Cece?” he asked, unbelieving.

I snarled, then pounced.

I slammed into him and he collapsed under me with a yell. I pinned him to the ground, then pressed the tip of my horn to his neck.

“You’re not Bloob,” I hissed.

“I am,” he protested, gasping for breath. “Cece, I really am—”

“Prove it,” I spat. I pressed my horn down harder, and a drop of his blood welled up under the tip.

He swallowed, glanced up at me with terror in his eyes, then spoke.

“Ch-chocolate sprinkle,” he gasped.

I cocked my head, but did not lift my horn.

“Chocolate sprinkle,” he repeated. “You told me last week, that’s your guilty pleasure. At Doughnut Joe’s. Yeast doughnuts, with chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles.” He smiled weakly. “You have some of the best caterers in Equestria at your beck and call, and could ask for literally any dessert you wanted, but your favorite treat in the world is the chocolate sprinkle doughnut from some late-night shop in downtown Canterlot.”

I stared at him, unmoving, and he swallowed again.

“Sissy?” he asked uneasily.

At my nickname, my eyes widened. I stepped backwards, lifting my horn from his neck, and he gasped for breath. He rolled onto his stomach, then clambered to his hooves awkwardly.

“Geez,” he muttered, as he brushed himself off. “Paranoid much?” He looked up at me, then did a double-take. “Sissy,” he asked, scandalized, “what happened to you?”

I looked down at myself in the blue light of his horn. The slime in my coat had mostly dried, but it was still green, and matted and caked with dirt. I looked back up at him with a frown.

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” I said, my voice still rough.

He smiled weakly. “Been down here for three or four days,” he said. “Those… those bugs captured me. Threw me in a sealed chamber. I only just managed to get out.”

I nodded. “They put me in a cocoon or something,” I said. “I can’t get my horn to work with all this stupid slime, so I’ve been wandering in the dark.”

He nodded. “Figures. They wouldn’t want to make it too easy on us, after all…” He sighed. “So, which disguise did they use on you? I got cornered by a couple Royal Guards.”

I opened my mouth, then hesitated.

“C’mon,” he said. “I gotta know—if nothing else, for curiosity’s sake. Who’d they dress up as to nab you?”

I closed my mouth again, then swallowed. I looked him in the eye, took a deep breath, then told him who had kidnapped me.

I told him, “You.”

Comments

[badninja]

So I wonder how the imposters where able to raise and lower the sun? Hopefully as the story progresses we will see just what Chrysalis pulled off and how her end came about.

[Captain Nitpick]

9914709
We don't know how long she's been down there. It may not have been long enough to be an issue.

But if it has been long enough, there's a couple of possibilities.

The Peytral with the Sun Stone is conspicuous in its absence. We don't know if changelings could make use of it, but it's there.

The first story tells us that when the sun is moved it pushes on the moon. The reverse may also be true.

[Comickook]

Excellent job on this flashback chapter. The exchange between Celly and Blueblood was quite well done. I especially liked how Blueblood used info that only he and Celly would know to convince her he was the real Blueblood as well as the mention of the disguises used to capture them.

Anyway, very good work on the characterizations and future chapter set-up. I'll definitely be looking forward to more.

[Blaster M]

A front knee injury is an equine death sentence. Good thing Equestria's got hospitals.

[Sylica telca]

Damn that's scary