Bad Blood
White on Black
Ch.13 “Bad Blood“
Breadn Butter and Merry Daisies were sitting in the shade of a umbrella and enjoyed their coffee. Over Merry’s shoulders Breadn could see the outer castle gates. Where normally a minimum crew of two pegasus guards would have stood, now there were ten unicorns guard that glanced around the plaza that was adjacent to the gate. Even though their demeanor remained stoic, it was obvious that they were nervous.
The cause of their nervousness wasn’t immediately apparent; the crowd was the usual mixture of busy white collar workers, and tourists. The latter swarmed in and out of the souvenir shops and cafes that lined the plaza. They entered with full wallets, and left richer in experience (which usually took the shape of tacky lamps, t-shirts, or postcards with such glaring lies as, ”Wish you were here.”).
Only if you were used to the daily bustle of the big city, you could make out some irregularities. The guest that sat in the cafes looking just a little too relaxed to be tourists; the small crowds that gathered near the sidestreets, whispering to each other, but falling silent whenever somebody else got close; the silhouettes of ponies in the upstair windows; and of course the simple fact, that all of the aforementioned were glaring at the guardsponies.
For two days now there had been no open protest, but everyone with even the slightest bit of common sense could feel that something was in the air. Tension was building up, and if something didn’t happen soon, it would unload, one way or another.
Breadn took all this in as his gaze wandered over the packed plaza. Furrowing his brows he turned to Merry.
“I don’t like this,” He muttered, careful not to let anybody else hear it.
“You worry too much. You’ve seen the people that gathered here; they are all just concerned and want to know that their children and loved ones are safe,” Merry pointed out, but by now a sliver of concern had found it’s way into her voice.
When the protest still had been going, it had been great. They had met people they knew; their old math teacher, the old lady that lived across from Merry, a mother that Breadn knew from his children's kindergarten. Everywhere they had seen faces that mirrored their own concerns, their fears, and it had been a great relief to share them. Ever since the guard had told the protesters to leave the plaza though, the situation had grown more and more tense.
“Have you seen some of the new guys that came yesterday?” Breadn asked Merry.
“I know one of them back from my school days. He was called Brawny, and even back then he was only ever looking to start fights,” he continued, rubbing his shins as a memory of a particular painful encounter resurfaced.
“I have to admit, that there are some shady guys hanging around, but you always get these kind of people. Remember why we are doing this,” Merry replied. It would have been more reassuring if it didn’t sound like she had to convince herself as well.
Breadn gaze wandered over the plaza and then back to Merry.
“Come to speak of it. I know what I’m here for,” he said, his hoof unconsciously wandering to the photograph that he had in his pocket, “but what are you here for?”
“I’m just concerned about... erm... people... “ she mumbled blushing profoundly.
“Never would have thought that you’re such an philanthropist,” Breadn teased the beige mare.
Before he could delve any deeper though, a waiter arrived at their table.
“Do you want to order anything else?” he asked just with the right amount of distanced politeness that made it clear that the chairs were only for paying customers. Breadn looked at one of the groups that stood around in the shadows of a doorway, then back to Merry.
“Two more coffee, please.”
---
Twilight watched her mentor as she dealt with the various pleas of the petitioners that visited the solar court. With the wedding preparations proceeding more or less smoothly, and Chrysalis away on some kind of business, she had time to spend with her teacher. Admittedly she had hoped for something a bit less official, but sitting on the advisors seat, and listening to Celestia taking care of her subjects worries, was rewarding in its own way.
“How can you stand all this?” Twilight asked during a calm moment. Celestia had just sent away a young noble who had asked her to dim the sunlight so that his roses would grow better. “Some of these request are downright stupid, if not insulting.”
Celestia gave her an indulgent grin, before gesturing towards a stuffy looking red unicorn that sat among the spectators of the court.
“Do you see that young colt over there?” she asked. Twilight nodded, careful not to stare directly at him.
“That’s the royal treasurer and master of the taxes, Shiny Bit, right?”
“Yes, my student. Do you also know what his great-great-grandfather was?” Celestia continued her slightly teasing questions.
Twilight furrowed her brows. She was dimly aware of most of the nobles at court, mostly because she had met them at some point or another, but she couldn’t recall ever hearing about Shiny’s grandfather.
Apparently it had been a rhetorical question anyway, since Celestia continued talking, “His great-great-grandfather was also known as the Dread Pirate Blackbeard.”
Before she could react to that news the solar diarch pointed at another pony that Twilight knew as the keeper of the Royal heraldry.
“His great-great-great-aunt was Blight Light, the wicked witch of the west.”
Celestia’s horn pointed at another stuffy noble.
“Lady Prisma; at her garden parties she usually flaunts her beautifully decorated family tree, but what she always fails to mention, is the fact that her ancestors also include King Ram Steed, who’d enslaved ponies to make them build his mausoleum,” Celestia said, her cheerful tone and expression hiding the subject of their conversation from anyone more than a few meters away.
She gestured towards an pegasus noble, in a way that could easily be mistaken for a friendly wave.
“Duke Flitter, of Cloudsdale, or at least that’s what he’s called ever since his father cut all ties to the mob.”
Twilight looked at Celestia, as it slowly dawned on her what Celestia was tryingg to say. “Do you mean that every noble in this city is in some way related to a dangerous criminal?”
“Oh dear, not all of them... maybe about half,” Celestia replied.
“Wha... but... that... “ Twilight stammered before she could form a coherent question, “Why?”
“Do you know what Flitter junior spends most of his time on?” Celestia continued her questions, seemingly paying no attention to her students confusion.
Twilight remained silent, well aware that her teacher didn’t expect her to know the answer.
Celestia gave her protege a conspiratorial wink before whispering, “He trains a cloudball team.”
Twilight could only stare as she tried to comprehend the sudden shift in tone.
“Every two weeks he comes in here, bothering me about a larger grant for the Cloudsdale cloudball team, being snobbish, ignorant, and an all around brat. His father would have simply upped the drug sales.” Celestia’s tone had become somber again.
“ ‘Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.’ That’s how the saying goes, doesn’t it? I have my own saying. ‘Keep your enemies close, so that you may turn them into friends one day.’ And let me tell you the more dangerous a pony is, the harder I work to keep them close to me.”
Twilight was left to her own thoughts as the solar diarch turned towards the next petitioner.
…
Celestia nephew stared at the mare that sat across the table from him.
Apparently the white unicorn was willing to pretend that her little freakout never happened, at least if her strained ladylike laugh was anything to go by.
“It’s very generous of you to receive me on such a short notice,” Rarity said in the sweetest voice she could muster. Considering that she was still fighting with the fact that there was now another being that wore Blue Bloods face, it wasn’t very sweet at all.
“If you would stop wasting my time, by stating the obvious, I’d be ever so thankful. I’m just humoring Fancy Pants. I really don’t understand what he see’s in... ponies like you.” Blueblood gave his little tirade without so much as looking at Rarity’s.
Ponies, Changelings, even dragons, every living thing shares certain instincts; remnants of a time long ago, when life was hard, and a moment of carelessness could mean your death. It’s more apparent in wild animals, but even domestic dogs possess this almost supernatural sense for danger, which lets them feel the murderous intents of those around them.
As the changeling, who still had Bluebloods form but was wearing a hat for convenience’s sake, saw the grin Rarity was sporting he felt a shiver down his spine, and his subconsciousness tried to convince him that the best course of action included jumping out of the window, screaming.
Blueblood felt nothing. He was busy polishing imaginary dust specks of his hooves.
“Well, if you want to put it like that, let me be frank. What do you think will happen when the nobility of canterlot catches wind of you and your little companion over there,” Rarity said sweetly, gesturing at the changeling, who looked at her hoof like it was a loaded crossbow.
“And why exactly should I care what others think of me? The Blueblood family has always stood strong, and just because a few nobles disagree with my choices, that won’t change the fact that I’m directly related to princess Celestia. I don’t have to satisfy anybody, because I stand above them.” Blueblood’s protest had been uttered in an uncharacteristically calm matter, for the egoistic white unicorn.
Rarity calmed herself, and the poison dripping sweetness in her voice was replaced with a more diplomatic understanding tone, “That may be, but you might have noticed that even Celestia herself has problems maintaining the peace at the moment.”
“What are you saying you foal? The people love my aunt,” Blueblood replied, given a short chuckle at the foolish mare before him. Normally he put up with Fancy’s little pet projects, but this time he had picked up a real loonie.
“You don’t know?” The white unicorn mare looked at him, seemingly baffled.
“What? That apparently you’re far more crazy than I anticipated?” Blueblood shot back, the novelty was wearing thin pretty quickly, and he was just about to call for Bitworth to escort her of the premise.
“Blueblood, most of the castle staff has abandoned the castle, Celestia has to fend of hundreds of petitioners that want to see the changelings gone, and until recently protesters barricaded the castle gate,” Rarity reported, she could even muster a bit of pity for the annoying princeling, that looked more and more uncomfortable in his chair.
“I don’t have to listen to this pointless drivel any longer. BITWORTH!” Blueblood yelled. Only a second later, the white butler entered the room.
“Throw this mare out right now!” the white noble’s voice was filled with contempt.
“At once sir,” Bitworth replied in a tone that betrayed familiarity with this particular order.
He walked up to Rarity’s chair, but before he could grab her Rarity stood up on her own. Glaring at the butler, she walked towards the door. She seethed and raged as they passed by row upon row of Blueblood paraphernalia. She glared at a particular offending vase that depicted Blueblood rearing on his hind legs, like the warriors of old. Shortly she thought about destroying this mockery of ancient pottery, to alleviate her rage.
“HmmIf you’d please refrain from doing that,” came a polite cough from Bítworth.
Confused by the butler's apparent mind reading powers, Rarity couldn’t help but stare at him, until she noticed that her horn was enshrouded by the signature glow of her magic. Abashed she sat the vase, that was hovering a few feet of its pedestal back.
“HmmmIt seem the young master has taken a liking to madame,” he said while they continued their way to the door.
“What? That snobbish oaf just threw me out of his office for saying the truth. How exactly does this mean that he likes me?” Frankly, Rarity was appalled by the idea, that she could have done anything to garner Bluebloods goodwill.
“HmmYes, as a member of the Blueblood family he’s quite used to the truth being a subject of his will. Even if he threw you out though, he didn’t order me to release the hounds.” Bitworth related in an almost happy fashion.
Not quite sure what to do with this revelation, Rarity followed the butler down the hallway.
Bitworth was just about to show her out the door, when a voice echoed through the main chamber of the house, “If I could take a minute of your time.”
Rarity shot around to Blueblood who was standing atop the staircase, which she had just come down from. The caustic comment she had been ready to throw in his face got stuck in her throat, when she noticed the hat atop the white unicorns head.
“What do you want?” she managed to hiss out between her teeth.
“I want to apologize for Blueblood’s behaviour, he can be a bit... temperamental at times.” The changeling said as he closed the distance between them.
“That’s... one way of putting it,” Rarity replied, trying to regain her countenance.
The changeling grimaced.
“My name is Vertex,” he said, offering Rarity a hoof. Reluctantly she shook it; she felt little need to prolong her exposure to Blueblood’s face, but this could very well be her last chance to put her plan into motion.
“I know that it might not seem that way, but Blueblood does care for his aunt, and if you can do something to help her I’m willing to see if I can convince him to support you.” It was strange to hear Blueblood’s voice in any other tone than contempt, or displeasure.
A hint of a smile stole it’s way onto Rarity’s face.
“Well if you have a place in mind where we can talk, I can show you what I have planned.”
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2618582 Ponies are people too! Down with equine opression!
That sounds slightly ominous and tastes like foreshadowing.
The best way to destroy your enemy is to make him your friend. - Lincoln, Abraham
“To win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
2618684 Will I read anything into the fact that I had the same idea without knowing those quotes? Nah, my ego is allready inflated enought. :P
2618625 After giving out this chapter for pre-reading, people pointed out a few dozen ways this one sentence impacted the rest of the story. Luckily enought these also included the reason I had actually wrote the scene.
Great chapter, I really liked Celestia's modus operandi / saying.
...... Twi?
2619370
: "Aww man, I broke another one."
The chapter's rife with grammar errors, but that's up for fixing later. As Pinkie Pie would say: the plot thickens
.
2618625 The changeling queen, next to Discord, is the most powerful force in equestria right now. If she had love and weren't starving her changlings can take the form of everyone in the city and create mass chaos, unable to tell friend from foe and the like. So Celestia must keep her very very close...
Like Wife close.... 
With sex.... 
2618625 Twilight and Luna are the most dangerou?
2621058 The goddess of the night that has allready turned rouge once, and the element of magic who is (as we know) destined to achieve a status akin to godhood herself? No way, how could those two be dangerous? :P
2622456
"turned rouge once" Dammit, Luna, stop turning into makeup!
Anyway, I did wonder if Twilight was lost in thought because she realized the implications of being chosen as the Princess's personal student or if she's too busy relating it Chrysalis and nobles so that part slipped by her.
2627819 Since I allready got problems with getting all the stuff I originally planned into the story, the answer will have to wait for the eventual sequel (or the sequel's sequel...)
2619370 That makes complete sense she does keep twilight awful close
Please let it be a musketeer hat.
Does this mean Twilight is the most dangerous of all?
9382045
I mean... She nearly made a national catastrophe just because she didn't have a friendship problem to report, so... Yes. Yes she is.