Blueblooded Bluebell

by David Silver

15 - Magical Peer

"You cast it? That's a complicated one." The purple unicorn tapped her chin softly, considering Blue Belle. "Do you mind if I inspect the results?"

"Pardon?" Blue raised a brow and turned her nose up. "I was told you were a guide to my barony. Is this true or not?"

"Barony?" She scrunched with thought. "Sire's Hollow is it's, oh! Right! Dad mentioned that." She nodded with a little smirk. "Wouldn't shut up about it is more how it went."

Blue's ears pricked. "Ah ha, is he a 'traditionalist' then?"

"Completely," she agreed without any measure of gravity, weaving her way down the hallway towards the exit. "But he said the 'traditional owner' was... shoot... I mighta stopped listening around the part. It's you?"

"It is me," proudly confirmed Blue as she walked along with Starlight, noticing that she was in a full trot. What was the hurry? "You... are a hero." A peasant hero, but still a hero! That counted for something.

"Aw, don't bring that up." Starlight waved it away before leaning in. "I thought you'd focus more on what happened with the Royal Sisters."

"Whatever happened?" Her horn glowed as she adjusted her hat on her head. Mares had such good reason to try out different clothes every day, and she was learning to like it. "I trust it's been resolved?" It would be quite unseemly for a baroness to wander around with an outlaw.

"I miiight have switched their cutie marks," she admitted with a little nervous chuckle. "They're back to normal and stopped fighting, so, yay, mission accomplished."

Blue raised a brow at that. "You will leave my cutie mark well enough alone, thank you."

"Of course!" Starlight cleared her throat and pointed ahead to the train station so far ahead. "There it is. We'll ride to Sire's Hollow."

"Being a child of Sire's Hollow, are you not also my subject?" Blue inclined her head towards Starlight curiously. "How proud I am, to have a hero for a subject."

Starlight looked uncertain a moment, considering. "While I am happy with where I was raised, I've given myself over to Princess Twilight Sparkle, really. I'm her subject."

Blue smirked a little, reading between the lines. "You are not one to be anypony's subject, if I hazard a guess correctly."

"Well, no," she sang out in admission, a faint grin on her face. "I'm sure you're completely nice, or Twilight wouldn't have suggested this. If it helps, my dad lives there, and he'll be tickled pink to be called a subject, probably." She tapped at her chin as she walked along, considering it. "Especially if you know a lot of historical stuff."

She had read up on her domain, but history buff, she was not. "What has Twilight informed you of me already?" She weaved around a pony that wasn't paying attention. Huff, baroness coming through! "I confess, I know little of you save that you are a talented spellcaster."

"And so are you," returned fire Starlight, considering the royal pony beside her. "I wasn't joking, that's a complex spell you cast. I've seen pictures of the old you, and this is not that."

Blue swiveled an ear back. That was an earlier time. That pony was... gone... "Let's not linger on that. I knew what I wanted, at last, and I reached a hoof out to have it."

"That's all well and good." Starlight shook her head softly. "But most ponies would not be casting that spell on their best day. Don't just toss it away as 'I did what I had to' there. Besides, Twilight was quite insistent, this is a learning trip as much as anything else. So I'll be your magic tutor for the duration."

"I've almost learned all the letters," spoke Blue proudly.

Acceptance of that is not what Starlight delivered, peering aside at Blue as if she had just said something ridiculous. "You cast that and you don't have the letters down?!"

"I had a very specific goal." Blue sounded perfectly confident still. "I reached for that specific goal, then I grasped it between my hooves. Now, I spread out what I've learned, and am finishing my magical education."

"Right, but..." She shook her head. "You obviously managed it. It just seems odd, to me, that such a high level spell didn't use every letter at least once."

"Then you aren't considering the nature of the letters." A habit Blue had learned a lot of ponies had, which confused her. "What would the rune of floating and air have to do with it?"

"Sorry, what?" She hiked a brow a moment before a smile spread on her face. "Oh, my... Father is going to have so much fun with you." Starlight laughed as she swatted Blue on the shoulder, then hurriedly trotted for the ticket line. "Two to Sire's Hollow, kindly."

"Do you have a royal coach?" asked Blue as she came in closer, not in the same hurry. "I am a baroness."

The pony looked past Starlight to the one making the request. Blue floated out a little signet ring. "Ah! Of course." He brought out two tickets, hesitated. "Are you two together then?"

"Of course," crooned Blue, gathering herself to her full height in her fluffy frills. "This is my guide and tutor for the moment."

"Right." Down came a big stamp on both tickets. "Here you are. Second from the back."

Blue gathered her ticket in her magic. "Much obliged." She turned away from the ticket vendor towards the train. "Let's be off."

Starlight raised a brow, following after Blue. "Twilight never got a special train for being a princess, and you aren't even that."

"I'm going to hazard a guess she never asked for a special train. If one does not raise their voice, they are certain to lose out on things." Blue buffed a hoof on her fluffy front. "Now, let's enjoy a ride in style."

They entered and walked past the ponies on their benches. Starlight had seen them many times before. She had planned to perch on one just like it! But onwards they pressed towards the back. "So... what is the 'Royal Coach' like?"

"One befitting a pony who has one of these." Blue swerved the ring around for Starlight to see. "Only noble houses that are properly recognized get one, and exactly one." She tucked it away out of sight. "It is proof. Any pony can say they are of refined blood, but the ring removes all doubt." She turned an ear. "My parents gave it to me. They had no real interest in what came with nobility."

"You show that ring to my dad and you've made a new friend," promised Starlight as they pushed ever backwards on the train. "So, is this a really nice place?"

"It's a hotel room, on wheels," promised Blue. "If it's properly upkept, you'll barely know we're moving." She giggled a bit as she walked along, looking happier by the moment. "I admit, I don't ride as often as I could, so this will be great fun for the both of us."

And there it was. The last door, with a conductor helping ponies find their seat and keeping an eye on it. As they came closer, he broke off. "Sorry, only--" Blue displayed her ticket, Starlight a moment after. "Oh! Nevermind then. Please, this way." He hurried to unlock the door and step aside. "Enjoy your stay. If you need anything, there's a pull string."

Inside, luxury. The air was scented of sandalwood. The furnishings were of high quality wood where cushions or gold or silver didn't cover them from view. A bubbling hot bath occupied roughly a quarter of it, and gentle music issued from nowhere in particular. Starlight gazed around with wide eyes. "You're telling me Twilight could have traveled like this?"

"If she never thinks to ask, perhaps she doesn't deserve it." Blue stuck out her tongue a little. The door closed behind her without prompting, sealing them into the comfy room. "Now, do avail yourself. You are my guest."

"I'm the one that's supposed to be showing you around."

"My domain, my room," countered Blue. "In both cases, you are my guest, and as thanks for your valuable service, you are to enjoy yourself. That's a royal command." She winked softly. "One I trust you will not resist too strongly."

Starlight extended her tongue as she looked over the drink bar. "Well, if you insist, I suppose I, Ooo." Her horn glowed as she picked a bottle up. "I never see this anywhere!" She got to pouring not one but two glasses of it. "Have you had it before?"

Blue took a glass in her own magic, drawing over the bottle as well to have a peek. "Hm? Oh, yes. A good label." She set it down back where it came from. "Here's to a productive trip!"

The two glasses met with a soft crystal ring of their impact and they drank eagerly of the fine brew. "Now." Blue clopped her hooves beneath her chin. "Shall we begin?"

"Now, look, don't get me wrong." Starlight turned a hoof on herself. "Who am I to talk? I did some strange things in my day... But I'm still curious."

Blue's face fell into wariness. "This is a common thing. Go on, get it out of the way."

"You sound like you've already answered this a few times. Sorry." She rubbed behind her head lightly. "Still, I was curious if the runic approach changed the way you think about spellcasting."

Blue blinked. That had not been the question she was expecting. "Oh! Well, certainly so. It helps inform my entire grasp on spells and how they work." She nodded softly. "Which leads into spellaltering additions."

Starlight sat up with a big smile. "I'm not the only one?!"

Blue inclined her head faintly at that. "You also modify spells then?"

"Modify, combine, tear apart..." She tapped her hooves together with each announcement. "Messing with spells is half the fun! It's so nice to talk to somepony else that isn't just 'cast the spell as it's written!' about it. I swear, Twilight, you're a doll, but you're way too by the book."

Blue tittered softly, imagining Twilight's approach. "She does have that streak about her. I noticed it as she lent me a hoof in learning. I do appreciate it, mind. Hm, still, it is good to meet another that can reach outside the box, as it were."

"Exactly." Starlight bobbed her head up and down. "But now you have me thinking I might be better off learning the runes instead of just the letters."

"Perhaps we could exchange knowledge?" proposed blue as she reached up and took off her hat, setting it aside. "We could both learn things by the end of this trip."

"Not a single argument there." Starlight almost bounced in place, looking excited. "Though it still blows my mind that I'm getting magic tips from a unicorn that hasn't finished all the letters."

"I'm full of surprises," she sang with a smile. "Let's learn."

And thus they did, chewing on available snacks, and exchanging letters and runic meanings back and forth. "We are a bunch of oddballs," noted Starlight suddenly. "But we were drawn towards our talents, I think? I'm not sure about you yet."

Blue blinked at that. "My talents? Well, I'm still a fine baroness, and a talented magic user, I'm told?"

"Sure, sure, both are those are nice... I'm a magic user too, but when it comes to cutie marks, it comes easily." She clopped her hooves together. "Other ponies find the idea of doing what I do really... daunting. I'm not showing off, promise."

Blue considered back on her own spells. "I was told that... the change I enacted is one of extreme complexity and challenge. Are you saying it's my talent?"

"Maybe?" Starlight inclined her head, chewing a cookie. "To you, this was just a thing you had to do, and I get that, I really do. I was... in a place where I did things I thought I had to do..." She laughed nervously, worrying her hooves together. "Your thing is way less... worrying..." She lifted her ears. "Oh, how's mare life treating you?"

"That is the first question you had about it." And what an innocent one, overall. "Doesn't it bother you?"

"Why should it?" She lifted her shoulders a little. "You want to be a mare, and now you are one, ta da! Sounds like magic being awesome." She nodded confidently. "I'd be really annoyed if I decided I wanted wings and people got all up about it all the time. A unicorn gets to make that choice, so there."

"I... appreciate that." Blue wasn't entirely sure, but that sounded supportive, and void of judgement. "I have heard of that, transtribalists. I never met one myself."

"I bet they're like you." She pointed at Blue. "You just went over a different line. Still a line, still one you went over, still in defiance of the 'natural order' of things." She rolled her eyes, clearly losing no sleep over the idea of flipping nature the big one. "Natural order would have half of us die before we saw our 18th, so... nah." She sat up on her haunches, considering Blue. "But if you're a natural at, hmm, longterm... biological changes, maybe you should lean into that?"

"Making things different has been... a specialty so far." She ran a hoof over her front as her magic reached out, ripping her own clothes apart in favor of assembling a simple but fetching dress around Starlight, singing the extra little notes to make it temporary. She did like that dress. "Like so."

Starlight squeaked in surprised, scrambling to her hooves and looking back over herself. "Warn a mare before you do that. Oh, wow, is that what I've been doing to ponies?" She slapped her head with her hoof with a low thunk. "Dummy."

"A habit of yours?" Blue sat up, her form visible without the dress covering it. "Still, there it is. Changing things is what most of my spells do. I should learn more."

"I bet you'd learn the teacup spell really fast." Starlight nodded softly. "And be less likely to use it on improper things."

"Teacup spell?" Blue Belle inclined her head. "Do show me?"

But Starlight was not focused on that, instead gazing upon Belle's bottom. "Huh, nice cutie mark... What's it mean?"

"Mean?" Blue glanced back at it and back to Starlight. "I got it when I was but a foal. I found my way, led a gathering of other foals out of a little wilderness excursion. Wildly inappropriate for noble foals, but there we are, and I got it." She nodded with confidence.

With a bright flash, her dress was returned, and Starlight was promptly stripped back to nothing. "Ah, there we are. I'm getting better at that."

Starlight skewed her ears, one up and one to the side. "You did that on purpose? Show me!" She clopped her hooves together. "But that's beside the point. In both cases, you were helping something find where it needed to be." She pointed to the covered cutie mark. "You are a, uh, compass? Magic that helps things find themselves! That's kinda neat."

"And yours involves cutie marks..." She rubbed at her chin softly. "I admit, I'm not sure how I'd use that specific specialty."

"I already did," sang out Starlight. "Worked out pretty well in the end. I only almost broke down." She laughed nervously and waved it away. "So... that trick? Do share!"

"Only if you share one too." With a smug smile, she secured another arcane secret from Starlight, exchanging her metamagic in return for it. "If you know the runic meanings, the metamagic makes sense. You are casting a spell and adding 'But only for this long' at the end. The way you say it and how strongly you say it determines how long the spell will hold before it snaps back. The longer you make it, the more draining it will be," explained Blue confidently. "I suggest keeping it to about a day at most if you don't want a really aching horn."

"Right." She went over the symbols with her horn and mouthed them out with silent lip-flaps. "Right... I want to try that!"

"Why not with that teacup spell?" She Inclined her head at a bottle of wine, which promptly became a teacup filled with wine. "One... two..."

"How long did you do it for?" Starlight hiked a brow at the teacup suspiciously.

"Five... six..."

"You aren't going to tell me, are you?"

"Eight... nine..."

"That's just--"

The teacup flashed, resuming its life as a bottle. Blue nodded smugly. "A harmless enough spell to practice with, Just try not to cause too much damage to the train's property."

"Right, I won't practice by turning you into a teacup, temporarily."

Blue blanched at the idea. "Heavens forbid! That is not the sort of fine look I'm looking for, I promise."

"Just kidding." Starlight waved it away as she looked around for a valid target. Ah ha! She pointed to a discarded napkin. "Teacup! But only for this long." Her words, of course, meant nothing. She was playing the magic with her horn and that was what the universe was actually paying attention to. The napkin snapped together and folded into the shape of a teacup before, poof, it became actual ceramic, waiting to be used. "Perfect. Now... if it turns back, I did it right."

"And if it does not, you did it wrong, but not much lost there." Blue nodded in steady agreement as she turned in place to look at a map on the wall. "Oh, we're almost there."

"Sire's Hollow here we come." Starlight pumped a hoof in victory. "My dad, by the way... he... swears he's getting better, and I think he is, but I'm still his 'little filly' and he will dote on me given half a chance. You know, just so you aren't surprised. He means well, I swear."

"You have many admirable traits," assured Blue. "Even if royal decorum isn't on that list. Any father should be proud of you."

Starlight blushed faintly. "He... shows it a bit much. You'll see it when you run into it, probably right next to me... He'll be our first stop, seeing as he'd be the one that knows about you, your family, and all that." She waved it away. "Forgive me, I don't really know any of that."

"Then you can learn," assured Blue, stepping towards the door. "Let's be ready to disembark and begin our trip in earnest."

The moment the door opened, the 'spell' was broken. The noise of a train was audible. Other ponies were there, also rising to prepare for the next stop. They weren't alone in their lap of luxury anymore, however nice that had been. "Thank you, that was quite good." Blue offered her hoof to the conductor.

He kissed it gently, though she didn't feel the electric charge through it that time? When he pulled his hoof away, a big golden bit rested on it. "You don't owe me anything, ma'am."

"Pfft, perish the thought. You keep that and get something nice with it," insisted Blue. "If you feel guilty, share it with whatever pony kept the room clean and well stocked. It was delightful." She led the way towards the exit with Starlight as the train began to slow down beneath them. "Here we are!"

"Sire's Hollow!" called out a conductor, not the one they had just passed. The train came to a full stop and the doors swung open.

Blue hopped free, almost tripping over her dress as her glowing horn got things back into position. "Dear me, I do need to remember a mare has different freedoms than a stallion."

"It's the dress," noted Star as she landed beside Blue and cantered around her. "I'm a mare too, you don't see me tripping over myself. It's a nice dress though."

"Nice enough to be worth a bit of mindfulness," decided Blue out loud as she turned to regard the small town they had arrived at. "Hm." It really wasn't large. In her mind, she wondered how it had even earned a train station. Regardless... "It's my domain." She put on a big smile and straightened herself. "Let's see it."

"Just this way." She pushed open the gate leading in.

"Welcome to Sire's Hollow," echoed a female voice in an enthusiastically chipper way.

Starlight frowned at that. "I thought she had gotten rid of that."

Blue was too busy studying the gate, trying to find the source of the voice, or the spell? Either way, She was looking about quite intently. "How delightful!"

"Oh, it gets old after the tenth time hearing it." Star chuckled softly under her breath. "Enjoy the novelty while it lasts. By the way, that voice is my friend's mom, good mare, but she's all too eager to try new things, which included a greeting spell on the gate here."

"Starberry!" A stallion was trotting towards them with a huge smile. "There you are! I thought you were coming later?"

Her little scheme to get some time to unpack before running into him, failed. "It just worked out," she lied with a false smile. Soon they were hugging gently. He, to his credit, avoided rubbing and pinching her cheeks. "And who is this? A friend of yours?" He was looking to Blue curiously.

Blue tipped her head faintly. "Baroness Blue Belle, here to see my domain."

Firelight, Starlight's dad, blinked in complete shock. "Baroness? Why... I could have sworn... Um, welcome..." He rubbed behind his head awkwardly, trying to figure things out. "Are you the mother of Prince Blueblood?"

Blue inclined her head, a little frown developing. "Prince Blueblood is no more. You behold Baroness Blue Belle. I apologize for our, my family's, sudden departure. I mean to rectify the gross damage caused by the impropriety."

Firelight rubbed his cheek softly. "I... see... I see... I... see..." The more times he said it, the less likely it was that he saw anything. "So you are Prince Blueblood?"

Starlight applied her hoof to her face.

Blue frowned. "There is no Prince Blueblood. I was born with that name, but it is gone and done. I am Baroness Blue Belle." She took a slow breath. "I am here to resume my duty as your baroness. Starlight implied you would know where I should begin?"

Starlight threw a leg over her dad's neck, drawing him away. "Smooth going, dad. You're insulting her! She's trying to do her best. I mean, I don't get noble pony stuff, but she is trying."

"Sorry honey cakes. I wasn't trying to hurt anypony." He glanced over his shoulder to where Blue waited impatiently. "The rightful heir to that throne was a stallion."

"And he became a she." Starlight rolled a hoof in the air in front of her dad. "And she is trying her best, so if you could get over what's between her legs and focus on things, you could learn more about their family than you could with years of prodding old books, hm?"

His eyes sparkled at the idea. Starlight had grasped his attention fully. "I see, um, Blue Belle, M'lady, sorry for the confusion." He slipped around Starlight, heading back towards Blue. "The castle still stands, but nopony has lived in it for some time... It will need repairs." He rubbed his cheek softly. "If you've come with noble funds, that could be arranged?"

"Of course I have." Blue rolled her eyes. "My word is money, dear." She smiled at that. "If I say something is to be done, it will be done. Word will spread to Canterlot and dear Auntie will move the bits as required, provided I keep my head on straight."

Firelight began to get other ideas... Perhaps it was time to restore a few things around Sire's Hollow... "Let me help then."

Author's Note:

Alright, not a christmas special this time, we did that! Starlight gets along with Blue Belle quite nicely. They both love magic, and pushing past lines other ponies balk at.

Posted early for patrons. Want to get updates early, and/or get your own story here at atreon!

Don't want to do an ongoing thing? You could

Join my discord to chat!

Comments

[Ninjadeadbeard]

"I already did," sang out Starlight. "Worked out pretty well in the end. I only almost broke down."

"Oh, and I might have killed literally everyone and everything throughout time and space multiple times. But that's beside the point..."

[David Silver]

10601136
She was referring to the Luna Celestia swap.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

10601158
Ah, I see. But since this is Starlight, I figure it's an even bet either way.

[Reese]

...Wow, so they just keep a royal coach on the train just in case someone happens to come along for it, instead of coupling it on when needed? Impressive!

"Which leads into spellaltering additions."
...It's strange, and doesn't appear to copy out, but I'm seeing a strikethrough displayed over "altering" there, in the chapter. Is that just my system somehow? If not, and it is in the chapter, is it meant to be, and, if so, what does it mean, if you don't mind me asking?

"Baroness Blue Blood"
"Baroness Blue Belle"?

[David Silver]

10601252
Fixed!

One assumes the car is for any pony with the bits, with actual nobility having the free pass.

[The Weaver]

I think that conversation went vary well. Firelight is more open minded than at first glance.

[Prismfire Productions]

10601252

She knows it is spellaltering, but she is selling it to Starlight as spell additions to cover her own ass and avoid suspicion

[Reese]

10601255
Thanks. :)

Ah, yes, that makes sense.

10601483
Thanks for the hypothesis, but it looks like it was just a typo here; the words now read "spellaltering additions".

[MorningRose]

Nice chapter

[PonyDragon]

I'd be really annoyed if I decided I wanted wings and people got all up about it all the time.

A reference to the Starlight-alicorn-drama, I guess?

"I bet you'd learn the teacup spell really fast." Starlight nodded softly. "And be less likely to use it on improper things."
"Teacup spell?" Blue Belle inclined her head. "Do show me?"

Please don't!
Remember what happened when you teached it to Trixie?

Firelight rubbed his cheek softly. "I... see... I see... I... see..." The more times he said it, the less likely it was that he saw anything.

To be fair, most in his situation would react like this.

[Tenth]

Holy moly, this story is great! Not detecting a Transbian thus far, with Fancy Pants and her being mutually interested, but I’m still somewhat hopeful.

[Alaborn]

"I reached for that specific goal, then I gasped it between my hooves. — grasped

[Atom Smash]

Starlight squeaked in surprised, scrambling to her hooves and looking back over herself. "Warn a mare before you do that. Oh, wow, is that what I've been doing to ponies?" She slapped her head with her hoof with a low thunk. "Dummy."

Hehe, seems Blue isn't the only pony who learns how to better themselves.

[Venlinelle]

Firelight rubbed his cheek softly. "I... see... I see... I... see..." The more times he said it, the less likely it was that he saw anything. "So you are Prince Blueblood?"

I will never get tired of well-meaning but oblivious allies.
Also, I love Starlight and Blue Belle geeking out over magic!

[LilacWander]

What a lovely chapter. It's so wholesome seeing starlight and Bluey get along, I wonder if a certain Imp is following along

[David Silver]

11695869
Starlight is a good pony. That is all.