Nightingale

by East Coast

Chapter 1: Nightingale

"Princess Gale, Ohhh Princess Gale! Your father is waiting for you!"

The voice belonged to the steward of the castle, my pseudo nany and surrogate mother Mrs. Cake. A sweet, portly mare. Which was rather amusing to me as her husband, the royal baker Mr.Cake was a lanky man, thin as a nail. They had children, the young squire Pound Cake, and Pumpkin Cake seemed to have found work assisting my father, High King Sombra Umbrae. I am Nightingale Umbrae, his first and only child. I lead a privileged life to say the least, I my dresses are sewn from the finest silks, studded with enough gems to make the fabric heavy. My days are spent leisurely stalking the halls of my lavish, if not disquieting home. When I'm not sleeping I'm studyin, which isn't very hard as my special talent is magic, which happens to be the focus of my studies.

I have suitors from lands even my father hasn't seen, groveling for my attention, showering me in lovely poetry and jewls, displays of idolatry that literally move mountains.

I even have a ward, who is a dragon no less. Thorne has been my servant for as long as I've been alive. His family is indentured to mine ever since my father saved his mother from a wild windigo stampede. Of course, I hardly treat him as my father does his dragons. I have been chastised for not punishing Thorne when perhaps I should have, but I just believe that punishing an someone doesn't correct the error.

I suppose my point is, I have the least amount to complain about. I want for nothing, if I want it, I will have it. They will give it to me freely, or I will take it, and none will challenge me.

Ponies would kill to be me, if only for an hour.

And yet... I'm not happy.

My life is empty, no meaning.

I have power, wealth, beauty, prestige, talent...

And I don't know happiness...

Or I didn't, until a few nights ago.

You see, for as long as I can remember, I've had a dream guardian, a mare who protected me against nightmares when I was a filly...

I got to meet her last night, and she took me out, beyond my castle home, guised as peasants we walked the streets, sang songs with the rabble, danced with the drunks. We saw a movie, we sat on the grass outside a little hamlet and gazed up at a sky untouched by pollution, or civilization...

It was a wonderful night. I felt... well... happy!

We talked, and talked and talked and talked.

We talked about my father...

I learned what Sequestria was like before it was called Sequestria...

Some called Equestria...

Most just called it home.

It was then I realized that my lack of happiness was shared throughout a country, perhaps a continent and I knew what I had to do.

I would walk in my father's hoofsteps, and start a revolution.

"Miss Nightingale! Your father grows impatient! Are you aware you have company?"

But, there was this. My fathers' galas. He invites the most pretentious ponies to have a meal with him, and to try to pawn me off on some noble brat...

Perhaps I'm too harsh but, well... The Blue Bloods have been with my father since the begining , Mr.Blue Blood is a titan of a colt, and genuinely charming in his rustic fashion...

But his son...

Oh by the moon is his son annoying! He fancies himself a prince and insists we're made for eachother

`your beautiful and quiet, I'm devilish and brilliant. And the best part, you know that your place is in the bedroom.`

I thought about teleporting his genitals into his throat, but that's a waste of energy...

Instead I just kicked them there. But, I've digreessed.

"Nightingale vas Umbrae. I am coming up."

The strong, distinguished, authoritative voice of my father echoed to my chambers, where I was currently preparing an escape hatch...

And by hatch I mean a lot of bed sheets tied to eachother.

When my father teleported into my room, the expulsion of shadow reminded me that I too had a teleportation spell.

"Nightingale, my darling child. What in the world is taking you so long?"

My father... Tall,terrifying, with eyes like vipers that look through you, see your true worth and snuff it out like a candle in the wind...

Was speaking gingerly and sweetly, eyes half lidded as he embraced me. He was called the shadow king of the north by his enemies because he was as cold as winter snow...

But none of those ponies ever called him dad.

"Darling, you know I have company. What are you doing up here? You aren't even remotely ready. Is something troubling you, something's troubling you."

He drew me over to my bed and we sat down, he ran a brush through my mane, half because it soothes me like nothing else, and half because I needed to brush my mane to at least look half presentable.

"Night, tell me what's wrong. You've been acting strangely for some time. Is everything all right?"

"... Dad... Tell me again about the princesses..."

"What?"

"What did you do to them."

"I banished one to the moon, and exiled the other."

"Were they bad?"

"In a sense. They weren't cruel, but they were stubborn and foolish. And tyranny-"

"Must never go unpunished..."

"Exactly... Why do you ask?"

"I was wondering."

"Well be careful who you wonder to darling, those two are a very touchy subject for many ponies still. Pay them no mind."

He continued brushing my mane and I didn't fight him, how could I? He was my dad... I was leaving tonight, I was...

... But I'd at least let him know.

Comments

[Maelstrom]

Apart from a few grammatical and spelling errors, this is looking to be a very promising fic.