Ha! How many of you expected to see Cranky Doodle Donkey and Prince Blueblood in the same story? Nobody, that's who!
The gilded life of a noble, with all of its riches, pomp and circumstance, and eternal restraint was simply not for him, yet it was all he knew. But when the princess murmurs a warning in his ear, this colt takes it upon himself to discover its true meaning and hopefully challenge the gathering tempest head on.
She had been a great beauty, ponies would say. She had been a master dueler, a talented artist, and a brilliant chess strategist, they would gush. Looking at her, cocooned protectively beneath Queen Celestia’s mighty wing, Noble Heart thought otherwise. But nevertheless, he tolerated the words, neither refuting nor confirming the claims made of his great-great-great(?) grandaunt.
He couldn’t wait for this to be over.
“I’m so glad to see you all here,” Queen Celestia said, as magnanimous as ever. “And I’m so glad to see that you’ve made it to yet another year, my niece,” she added as she nuzzled the decrepit mare.
“Ah, my queen, I am ever grateful to be here by your side as your loyal servant,” Noble Heart’s great-great-great-great(?) grandaunt sighed in an antiquated cadence of speech.
Celestia laughed before kissing the top of her balding head. “To me you are far more than my servant.”
“Such is your generous heart, your grace, nevertheless, I am honored to have been at your side for all these years.”
“Truly, Princess Blueblood,” the alicorn agreed. “Now is there you anything you wish to say before we commence your birthday brunch?”
“Before we commence this repast? Nay.”
Celestia laughed again, her voice as sweet as morning songbirds. “Your birthday brunch, your rules.”
And they feasted.
Noble Heart gazed at his scrumptious meal in apathy. How many of these tedious functions had he attended in his short life? Far too many to count, that was for certain. “Mother?”
The mare in question either ignored her son or didn’t hear him, instead keeping her attention on the gossip her sister was spewing.
“Mother?” Noble Heart said again.
“… under their noses the entire time! A son of House Sparkle with some nopony author? The shame that stallion’s mother must feel!”
“Mo-ther."
“In a moment, Noble Heart,” she said, not even bothering to look at him. “Yes, I heard from Lacy Pants that they have a son!”
“Sapphire Diadem!” Noble Heart snapped.
Sapphire whipped around to glare at her son. “It is most unbecoming for a colt to refer to his mother by her name, and especially heinous for a Platinum of all ponies to behave in such an uncouth manner."
“I just wanted to know when it would be acceptable for us to leave.”
If she hadn’t gone through decades of courtly grooming, Sapphire would have responded in the way she truly wished. Instead, the mare merely flared her nostrils and gave her son a cruel, piercing stare he had long-since grown immune to.
“Pardon us, Ruby Circlet,” Sapphire said, her undercurrent of anger barely perceptible.
Ruby shot her nephew a contemptuous look. “You’re excused,” she assured her twin.
When they were outside of the dining hall with only the company of stolid guards, Sapphire brought her face close to his and spoke freely. "Every.Single. Time. Noble Heart.”
The colt bristled, but did he did not dare interrupt her tirade.
“Every single time we have a nice outing you have to ruin it with your, your antisocial affliction!”
Noble Hearts eyes narrowed at the accusation
“And frankly, Noble Heart, I’m sick of it!” The mare now began to pace. “I’m sick of not being to sit down and have a nice chat with my sister at this nice birthday brunch in this beautiful palace in this beautiful city. I’m sick of it! What will it take?” she demanded. “What will it take for you to just learn to be a normal pony?”
Noble Heart grumbled something incoherent.
“What?” Sapphire Diadem asked in exasperation. “What in Queen Celestia’s name do you have to say that could possibly excuse your abysmal attitude?”
“I said there’s nothing wrong with me!”
“Inside voice,” she hissed.
“No!” The colt now made his voice louder.
She sighed in long suffering. “Eugh. “Why can’t you be like Golden Crown?”
“Well, since I’m not normal enough for you or your stupid parties, then why don’t you spend it Golden Crown and have a nice birthday brunch!” And he turned tail and ran.
“Noble Heart, get back here!” Sapphire commanded, not making an attempt to catch him herself.
But the colt was already gone.
Noble Heart ran until he finally broke out of the stifling air of Castle Canterlot.
“Where are the sky chariots?” he snapped at the mule tending the hedges.
The jack raised his eyebrows, but he pointed the colt to the right direction.
Noble Heart bolted. When he at last reached the field where the chariots and pegasi were resting, he hopped onto the back of his servant.
“Take me home!” Noble Heart commanded, hiding his face in the stallion's neck.
“Uh—?”
“Just fly! Just go right now!”
“Er, as you command, sir,” the pegasus said with uncertainty as he took flight.
Throughout the flight back to Chateau Clover, the charioteer decided to not comment upon the wetness he felt on his neck.
In the quiet, hallowed halls of Castle Platinum, Noble Heart wandered. It had been a scant few hours since his charioteer flew him to Castle Platinum. Over and over his mind wandered back to the princess's brunch: large, fluffy pancakes dripping with syrup, massive fruit salads gleaming in the sunlight, light and buttery Prench croissants, and the cheeses, oh the cheeses! Why in Celestia’s mane didn’t he eat before getting into the argument with his mother?
At the thought of her, Noble Heart’s tensed with anger. Who was she to chastise him for not wanting to be some social flutterpony? Who was she to accuse him of having an ‘antisocial affliction?’ Just because he wasn’t a carbon copy clone of her like Golden Crown didn’t mean there was anything wrong with him.
Noble Heart’s stomach grumbled. Sighing, he fell out of bed. The brunch certainly looked nice, but maybe he could find an adequate replacement here…
Getting up, the colt quietly cantered his way to the castle's kitchens.
When he got the kitchen he heard others talking. He swiveled his ears forward…
There were four.
Noble Heart dared a peek. The staff was enjoying a small tobacco/gossiping break by the window at the far end of the room. Even more fortunate for him, the larder was right next to him.
With a thumping heart, Noble Heart dove into the pantry, making a particularly concerted effort to be silent on his hooves.
Apples, carrots, pears! The perfect meal for a hungry colt. He began to munch away, making sure to keep both his ears focused on his servants.
“They’re here already?” a milch cow asked as she looked out the small window.
“Ugh." The head chef took a deep drag from her pipe. “Time flies quickly when you don’t want it to.”
“I’ll say,” the pastry chef agreed. “At least they won’t be hungry for awhile.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” the donkey said. “I’m pretty sure the ‘lovely’ ladies of House Platinum,” he then adopted a falsetto voice with a thick Canterlot accent, “had an absolutely dreadful time, and the food was just horrid, and the servants ever so disrespectful.”
The chefs laughed.
The milch cow was not amused. “You should be careful, Cranky. The walls have ears, and you could get fired for saying such things.”
Cranky scoffed. “Let the miserable old bags fire me; I’m going to quit soon anyway! I just wanted to save up enough money to go traveling some more, and I’ve done that and then some! If they fire me in the next hour, it’s no hair off my muzzle.”
The pastry chef released a dreamy sigh. “Ah, Cranky, if I but had thy courage.”
The head chef banged banged her pipe against the wall. “So if you already have the bits you want, why are you even here? (Not that I’m complaining, of course.)”
Cranky chuckled. “Have I got a something to tell you.”
“Well, this must be good if the Cranky Doodle is willing to break his no gossip rule.”
“Oh believe me: it’s a doozy!”
“Well out with it then! Before the Platinums bust in here barking out orders!”
“Well, just the other day, I was minding my own business gardening the vegetable patch like always, when who should I see but Princess Blueblood herself!”
“When was she here? I thought she lived in Castle Canterlot,” the heifer said.
“Maybe she was taking a break? Who knows with her. Anyway, I decided not to pay her any heed, because you know how it is: do not speak unless spoken to. When I saw her, I saw she was writing down something, a journal, I think, but again I just left her to it and went to go do some busy work in the greenhouse.
“Just as I made it to the greenhouse, the wind comes by and blows all her parchments everywhere! I was about to ask her if I could fetch anything, but Celly’s belly, the princess was quick as a whip. The moment that gust blew away her stuff, she does some magic and the papers freeze in mid air!”
At this, the colt stopped stuffing his face with pears and inched forward to the door of the larder, ears straining to listen.
“Ah,” the head chef said in understanding. “You know that she used to be the greatest dueling mage in the land? I guess she never lost her reflexes.”
“Not quite.” Noble Heart could hear the smirk in Cranky’s voice. “I bet when she was younger, the princess could have caught every single one of those pages, but she missed, I would say… about 1/4 of them.”
“Still not bad for a mare in her one hundred thirty’s!” the milch cow chimed in.
“You’re telling me!” Cranky laughed. “Luckily for her, most of those papers flew by me, so I immediately started collecting what I could.”
“What did the princess say?” the pastry chef asked.
“Nothing,” Cranky answered. “She just watched me as I picked up her pages. When I gave them to her, Princess Blueblood counted them and said she was still missing a few.”
The cow grimaced in empathy. “Was she nasty about it?”
“No,” the donkey continued. “I just said to her, ‘How many did I miss?’ And the princess gives me the number, and I go back to look for them.”
“Wow.” The head chef gave a barking laugh. “No mean words, no orders, just ‘I need this’ and that’s it. I can hardly believe that Princess Blueblood’s a Platinum. Was she watching you like a hawk?”
“Nope! The moment she tells me the number, she looks down and starts to organize all the papers, and I just go on my merry little way to get the rest.”
The pastry chef groaned in envy. “If only the rest of her family were so accommodating.”
Cranky nodded. “I'll say. But back to my story: I’m looking for the rest of her pages, and I find a few that had some juicy info on them! And I mean national security information.”
“Cranky!” the milch cow said, completely scandalized.
“I ain’t repeating that kind of stuff, and it’s none of my business anyway. That stuff’s for Queen Celestia to look into, but I find the princess’ latest page (I could tell by all the smudged ink) and oooooh Celestia.”
The heifer stomped her hoof. “I don’t think I’m going to listen to this anymore!”
Cranky snorted. “Calm down, Maple. I wouldn’t tell you national secrets unless someone literally tortured it out of me. No, the stuff I saw on that last page, well... Let’s just say that the princess is mad.”
“Crazy mad or furious mad?”
“The second,” Cranky clarified. “I know everyone here can’t stand the Platinums—”
“—Speak for yourself!” Maple huffed.
“—but Princess Blueblood hates them.”
A chorus of disbelief answered him and Noble Heart leaned closer to the door.
“It’s true!” Cranky went on. “She kept writing on and on about how they shamed the queen and all the great Platinums of the past, and you know, I agree with her! All the Platinums do nowadays is play tea party and rub fetlocks with the who’s who of Equestria. None of have ever worked a day in their lives and the only reason why the family is still relevant is because of all the taxes and rent they collect from all their lands!”
“Cranky, be quiet!” Maple admonished.
“Well by telling me to be quiet, you’re telling Princess Blueblood to be quiet, because that’s what she said.”
“You’re just exaggerating,” the cow insisted.
“I’m not! Anyway, the princess said that she had something planned for all of them when they got back from her birthday brunch. And if you don’t mind, I think I’m going to head down to the dining hall. I’m going to see what Princess Blueblood has in store for her family. You’re welcome to join me, or just stand here thinking about how magnanimous and lovely the Platinums are.”
And Noble Heart heard the light clipclop of the donkey’s hooves as he calmly cantered away.
Unsurprisingly, both of the chefs immediately followed behind, ready for the catharsis Cranky had promised. Also unsurprisingly, the heifer stood by the window, enjoying the last few minutes of her break.
With the three equines out of the room, Noble Heart decided to slip out of the larder and go join his family in the dining hall.
Princess Blueblood sat on the throne of the round table, seemingly asleep. All around her, House Platinum was seated, continuing on with their conversations from the brunch. Noble Heart had once again taken his place between his mother and his twin.
“You know, you really missed out,” Golden Crown drawled, “I mean, the queen was talking with some of us one-on-one, and she even gave me a hug and a kiss!” The colt then rubbed his cheek where, Noble Heart assumed, Queen Celestia had kissed him. “I was the first to ask her about it, and when everypony saw, they all lined up for one, too.”
Noble Heart, who was resting his temple against his hoof, looked at his brother without even bothering to turn his head.
Golden Crown kept going. “And the food was to die for! Prench toast, pancakes, omlettes, crepes, fruit salads! The queen spared no expense for the princess’ birthday.”
“You certainly made pig of yourself at the brunch, love,” Sapphire teased her son.
“Yes, well, so did you and everypony else at the feast, mother. Even the queen ate freely! The only pony who didn’t seem to eat much was Princess Blueblood.”
“Yes, darling, I suppose that’s true.” Sapphire Diadem blushed at the memory of letting her appetite run wild. “But when one gets older, one does tend to eat less and sleep more, as the princess is doing right now.”
Noble Heart focused his gaze at his great-great-great-great-great(?) grandaunt. His mind wandered back to what the donkey said earlier…
“Not participating in the conversation again, Noble Heart?” Ruby Circlet asked. Everypony could hear the scolding tone in her voice.
He deigned to glance at her before looking back at the princess.
“Do you mind not being rude to us when we’re trying to talk to you?” Golden Crown said.
The colt in question merely shrugged, keeping his focus on Princess Blueblood.
“Ugh.” Golden Crown rolled his eyes. “Why is it whenever we want to include you in anything, you always have to ruin it by pouting or sulking? We’re just trying to talk to you...”
“Oh save your breath, Golden Crown,” Sapphire Diadem sipped from her wine. “If you’re brother wants to be like this, then let him.”
“No, sister, I believe Golden Crown has a point,” Ruby Circlet eyed Noble Heart with cold eyes. “His attitude is simply unhealthy and unseemly. If he doesn’t change his ways, then I’m afraid that he won’t be able to find a lovely wife.”
Noble Heart shot her a nasty glare before giving them a warning snort of aggression. “You mean you won’t be able to find a wife for me, isn’t that right, auntie? Mother?”
Sapphire once again was glaring back at her troublesome son, but Ruby was not going to take his attitude. “I beg thy pardon, nephew?”
“You heard me loud and clear, auntie-dearest."
“Well I never—!”
“If you want to pout, then fine, we’ll let you pout,” Sapphire Diadem said. “But do not speak to my sister that way. You will address her and the rest of your family with the respect they deserve.”
Noble Heart looked his mother straight in the eye, scowling all the while. “Big talk for some mare who had to can barely do magic.”
Sapphire, Ruby, Golden Crown, and everypony else who had been listening in on the exchange looked at him in disdain.
“Now see here, colt—!” one of his many great uncles harrumphed.
“How dare you—?!” another of his aunts demanded.
“Oh, you’re in for it now, Noble Heart,” a nameless cousin said with a malicious grin.
Noble Heart pulled his lip back in distaste and rolled his eyes. “Like you’re all any better,” he said, now addressing everypony within in earshot.
“You will—!” Ruby began Circlet through grit teeth.
“What?” the colt cut in, “What do you want me to do? Respect you? No, I don’t care, and you can punish me all you want, but what’s the worst that you’ll do? Marry me off to some undesirable noblemare? Not let me marry somepony at all? That’s fine by me!”
A deep, cruel laugh resonated throughout the dining hall, and everypony, even Noble Heart, turned to look. Princess Blueblood was alert and sitting ramrod straight on her throne. Her hard blue eyes glared back them in disgust.
“Ah, truly how the mighty have fallen,” the princess grinned. “How the noble lineage of House Platinum has fallen. From founding nations to passing our days lazing away. From battling windigos to gossiping about our own kin. From surviving famine to glutting ourselves with cakes and creams. How we have fallen indeed.”
“Oh, my princess!” Sapphire Diadem said, suddenly aghast. “Please forgive us, both my son and I. I truly have disgraced our noble house for not teaching my son any better. I shall puni—”
“Be silent, fool.” The command hung an oppressive silence amongst everypony else in the room.
“You all truly disgust me, you really do.” Blueblood laughed another joyless laugh. “When I was still but a foal, even I could see the rot that had long-since consumed House Platinum. Now in my twilight years, it has become apparent our name has grown weaker. I would weep for us if my heart were still able to spare the sorrow, or my eyes the tears. But why bother?” she asked rhetorically. “Ah, poor us, poor me having to live this glorious life of luxury, where all save the queen bows and scrapes to serve us… for now.”
Everypony shivered at her last words and even the princess looked ill at ease at her own assertion. Nevertheless, she regain the silky steel in her voice.
“Do you know why I am still alive after one hundred and thirty-eight years?” Blueblood asked, again rhetorically. “Do you know why I cling to this miserable husk of a body instead of walking through the gates of Tambelon with our Lord Death?”
They all looked at her stupidly, fearfully, apprehensively, and one even in contempt.
“Because of you. Because of each and every one of you has failed to even show the slightest modicum of competence to bear the title of Blueblood. But it is not only me who thinks so, oh no! Even our queen, our patient, benevolent queen who always finds the best in ponies could not even find any trace of goodness in any of you.
“Well congratulations, my little ponies!” she sneered. “For I have made quite an achievement today: the longest serving Blueblood in our one thousand years of service to the queen. But I shan’t claim all the credit for myself, oh no! I could not have reached this tremendous feat without you: you who gorge yourselves at feasts every other week, you who spurn discipline of the mind and body in favor of ‘courtly pursuits’ like parties and gossip, you who have never lifted a single hoof for queen and country, yet still prattle on about how Equestria owes its very foundation to us, to our grandmothers who forged ahead in this once wild land, who tried to maintain order during the reign of chaos, who had propped up Queen Celestia when she first settled on the throne. Congratulations indeed!”
The Platinums looked at one another, unable to say anything to refute her words. None of them had served in the military nor became prolific mage in Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, none save for Princess Blueblood.
Noble Heart pondered her words, and he, like the rest of House Platinum could find no fault in her argument. And yet… and yet…
“You’re one to talk,” he finally said.
The princess raised an almost nonexistent eyebrow at him. “I beg thy pardon, colt?”
“I said,” he repeated clearly and loudly, “that you’re one to talk.”
She closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “Oh? And how so, young one?”
“You’re right that we don’t really do much except rub fetlocks with other nobles, and you’re right about us being nowhere near as amazing Princess Platinum or her earlier descents, but honestly, why do you think you’re so much better than the rest of us? Because of your title? Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but for the last fifteen hundred years, Queen Celestia has managed Equestria just fine by herself, and not a single Blueblood has ever had to bear her crown in the completely impossible chance that she couldn’t rule the nation. You may have been a good duelist and mage back in the day, but you’re still nothing to a god.”
And Blueblood opened her blue eyes and gave him a bone-chilling smirk. “You think so, colt?”
“You're not Starswirl or Clover or, or—”
All of a sudden, Noble Heart felt a magical field envelop him and he quickly flew across the table until he was hanging upside down before the princess.
“Please don’t hurt him!” Somepony pleaded on his behalf, but neither Blueblood nor Noble Heart registered the voice.
The decrepit mare’s eyes pierced through his own and as much as he wanted to fold his ears and look away in submission, he instead chose to glare back at her with defiant eyes.
Finally, the princess brought him closer till his muzzle literally hit the back of her throne and her lips were a hair away from his ear.
“The future is wrought with darkness, colt, and I, unlike you, have the good fortune of not having to bear witness to it, as well as the misfortune of not being there for our queen, but above all our country. The title of Blueblood is not as superfluous as you think, colt, particularly in this gathering tempest. Find the darkness hidden within her, and when you do, seek her, for only she may decide what becomes of us. Speak of this to no one, save for Queen Celestia when you find the nightmare of the moon.”
Noble Heart then felt himself move again, and this time, he was hovering in the center of the round table.
“Do with yourselves what you will,” Princess Blueblood said as she got off her throne and made her way to the doors. “Just leave the young fool alone; the spell will break on its own soon enough. Maybe all that extra blood rushing to his head will help him learn tact.”
Noble Heart gazed outside in boredom and then glanced back at his project. Normally, he found history to be one of his more interesting subjects, but this assignment was so unchallenging that he found it impossible to focus on it.
“Golden Crown, how is your schoolwork coming along?” their mother asked as she peered over his shoulder to his work.
“It’s hard and I hate it. I hate going to school.”
“Oh, I know you do, darling, but you must complete your assignments! It would be most unbecoming of a Platinum to not know the basic history of his own nation.”
“But it’s hard.”
“I know darling." She turned to Noble Heart and addressed with a frigid voice. "Have you been helping your brother with his homework, Noble Heart?"
Noble Heart didn’t even bother to open his mouth (or even look) to answer her question.
“No!” Golden Crown immediately shouted.
“Inside voice, my love,” Sapphire gently admonished.
“I’m sorry, mother,” he apologized.
“It’s alright, darling. What isn’t, however,” she snapped at Noble Heart, “is the fact that you aren’t helping your own brother. What is it this time, Noble Heart?”
He didn’t answer her immediately, but instead inhaled and exhaled softly. “You said it yourself, mother: it would be most unbecoming of a Platinum to not know the basic history of his own nation.”
“I know lots of things!” Golden Crown insisted. “I’m passing my history class!”
“Only because I’ve been doing your work for you! We’re writing an essay on the history of the holidays, not doing research for university professors, Golden Crown; what’s hard about that? The teacher even gave you the easiest holiday: Hearth’s Warming Eve!”
“Enough!” Sapphire Diadem commanded her sons. “Noble Heart, you will help your brother or so help me—”
“Can I just do one project for once instead of two? By the gods, I’d like to do something other than read and write all night!”
“Noble Heart,” she warned.
“Ugh, just forget it!” the rebellious colt shouted in exasperation as he shoved his books in his saddle bags. “Just pay somepony to do it, because I’m done!”
“Noble Heart, get back here!” his mother shouted from behind. But he ignored her like always.
He burst through the mansion gates into the streets of Canterlot. And galloped out of the neighborhood. By the gods, it was cold, but he didn’t dare go inside for a coat. The autumn chill was far more preferable than dealing with her.
The Platinum wandered through the capital city, trying to decide where to go. All around him, Canterlot had put up festive decorations for Nightmare Night: large, laughing pumpkins, enchanted spider webs that would occasionally snare a foal for a moment before letting go, rich, hearty scents billowing out from eateries. The city truly was lovely.
Noble Heart shivered again. As pleasant as the sights were, he needed to get indoors and finish his project. The library would suffice.
Unlike just about every other building in the city, the library was fairly neutral during the holiday, and as much as Noble Heart liked Nightmare Night, it was getting somewhat painful annoying to see all the colts and fillies his age laughing and playing with their parents.
“Good afternoon, do you need any help?” a librarian asked, pulling him from his reverie.
“Huh? No— well, maybe,” he said to the heavily pregnant mare.
She smiled at him. “Well, what do you need?”
“I think I have everything for my project but I want to maybe look at some other things, Ms…”
“Mrs. Twilight Velvet, but please call me Twilight,” she supplied. “What’s yours, young sir?”
“My name is... Blue Heart,” he quickly fibbed. It had been awhile since his mother sent off one of their servents to look for him, but he didn't want to take unnecessary risks.
“Okay, Blue Heart, what do you need? What are you doing?”
“I’m writing an essay on the history of the Summer Sun Celebration for school. I have some books, but could you please show me where to find more in case I need them, Mrs. Twilight?”
“Absolutely! Follow me.”
Twilight Velvet was helpful and genuinely friendly, and she was even willing to point him out to the grown-up section in case the books she showed him weren’t challenging enough. For brief instant, Noble Heart wondered what it would have been like to have her as a mother. Twilight probably wouldn’t drag him to boring party after boring party, and she certainly didn’t seem like the type to harshly chastise him for not being a vapid, gossiping twit like Golden Crown. It was nice that Twilight actually had a job too, so she wouldn’t constantly be breathing down his neck over every little thing.
But he sighed and perished the thought. Twilight Velvet wasn’t his mother and never would be, so he may as well as get started on his project.
“It’s getting late, Blue Heart,” somepony said from behind him.
“Huh?” he asked, pulling up from his book. “Oh, hi, Mrs. Twilight.”
“Hello,” she smiled back. “I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s getting late and you’ve been here for several hours. Is the essay you’re writing hard?”
He looked down at his scroll. “Not really,” he shrugged. “I finished it awhile back. Now I’m just reading.”
She nodded with approval. “It’s good to see a colt your age who’s interested in reading for pleasure. But I’m sorry to say that the library closes its doors to foals at 9:00 and won’t be open again for you until 7:00 in the morning.”
“What time is it, Mrs. Twilight?” he asked, looking around for a clock.
“It’s 8:50, Blue Heart. Would you like to check out the books you’re reading before you go home?”
Noble Heart looked at the texts strewn before him. “Not really,” he finally shrugged.
“Well do you mind if I take them back to their shelves?”
“Uh, yeah, do what you need to do,” he mumbled, putting his own personal books and papers into his saddle bags.
Twilight picked up all the library materials and cast a spell. Instantly, books were teleported back in their places.
“There we are,” she nodded in satisfaction. “I’m sorry to kick you out, dear, but rules are rules.”
“I understand, ma’am." Yawned and stretched.
Twilight yawned too. “I’m glad my shift is over because I’m pretty tired as well. Do you have somepony in here to escort you home?”
“No,” he shook his head. Instantly, he berated himself for his blunder. No doubt she would be concerned and want to pry.
“No?” she cocked her head, smiling gently all the while. “Would you like me to walk you home, dear? Or do you live close enough that you won’t catch curfew?”
“Yeah, I live pretty close, Mrs. Twilight, like, fifteen minutes away. Don’t worry.”
“Well, that's a relief,” Twilight Velvet nodded, falling for his lie. “I’ll see you out.”
As they walked, Noble Heart couldn’t help but compare Twilight to his mother once again. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time Sapphire called him ‘dear,’ or some other pet name, though she lovingly lavished Golden Crown with such words. He also couldn’t remember having such a calm conversation with her either. Either he or Sapphire would start quipping the other, then arguing, and usually he would even start shouting at her while she hissed at him through her teeth.
He glanced at Twilight’s heavy belly and felt a twinge of envy at the foal she was carrying. That baby was so lucky to have somepony as lovely as Twilight as its mother.
“Good night, Dusty Tome, see you tomorrow,” she waved by a passing stallion.
“Good night, Twilight! I’ll clock you out.”
“Thanks!”
The mare and colt stepped out into the chilling night and she stretched again. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I’m always happy to leave.”
“I feel like that about some of my classes too."
Twilight chuckled as she threw on her coat and scarf. “Not a lot of foals your age can say the same thing. Do you have a coat or a scarf, hun?”
Noble Heart shrugged. “I forgot it at home.”
Twilight tsked. “You’re just like my son, Shining Armor,” she said as she reached into her saddlebags. “He’s always forgetting his coat, and my husband is not much better.” She pulled out a small blanket and threw it over his shoulders.
“No, no, no it’s fine, Mrs. Twilight!” He tried to pull off the blanket. “The cold doesn’t really bother me.”
“No, no, no it’s not fine, Mr. Blue Heart,” she teased, gently overpowering his magic with her own. “Besides, I don’t mind loaning out a small blanket if it means it’ll spare you from getting sick.”
He touched the fleecy material to his cheek. It was so soft, and it smelled like it had just been taken to a laundress. It was nice and humble and gentle, just like her. “Thank you, Mrs. Twilight."
“Not a problem, dear. Oh and please call me Twilight when I’m off the clock.”
“Okay, Twilight.”
“Mommy!” a colt cried from a distance.
Twilight perked up. “Shining!” Her grin went straight to her eyes as her son galloped to her.
A white colt with a blue mane crushed her in a hug.“Mommy, I learned so much at school today!”
“That’s wonderful! Tell me all about it when we go to Pony Joe’s!” she said right before planting sloppy kisses around his horn and cheeks.
“What’s up, chunky monkey?” a dark blue stallion asked Twilight.
“Eh, same old, same old,” she shrugged as she kissed him on the muzzle. “Ready for work, Night Light?”
“Not until I have my coffee. And just who’s this?” he asked, greeting Noble Heart with a friendly smile.
“Oh, uh, sorry,” he mumbled, finally realizing that he had been staring. He couldn't remember the last Father called Mother a pet name. Or even the last time he had been kissed.
“Oh, nonsense! This is Blue Heart. I helped him find some books for a school project he was doing today.”
“Well how do you do?” Twilight's husband grinned extended his hoof. “My name is Night Light and I teach astronomy for the university. This is our son, Shining Armor, and he’s in level three.”
“Hello, sir. Hi, Shining Armor,” he shook each of their hooves.
“Hi!” Shining beamed. “Wanna come with us to Pony Joe’s?”
“Oh that sounds like a great idea!” Twilight agreed. “Blue Heart was such a trooper today. He came in at four and all the time he was there, I never once saw him leave his spot. You must be starving!”
“Oh, um,” he fumbled with his words. Now that he thought about it, his stomach was painfully empty. “What’s Pony Joe’s?” he stalled.
“Pony Joe’s is the best!” Shining Armor chimed in. “He makes the best donuts and pastries and bagels and hot chocolate and, and—”
“Calm down, there sport,” Night Light laughed as he gave his son a noogie.
“Yes, what do you say, Blue Heart?” Twilight asked. “Would you like to come with us? We like to go there every evening after my shift and before his.”
“I really shouldn’t…” the Platinum mumbled.
“Please, please, please?” Shining pressed. “It’ll be fun! Pony Joe’s is the best!”
“Now, now, Shining, don’t be rude,” Night Light warned. “No means no. If his family wants him home by a certain time, we need to respect that.”
Noble Heart thought about his family: his distant father, his overbearing mother, his insufferable twin; and he thought about how when he got home to their Canterlot mansion, they’d either give him the silent treatment if he was lucky (which he hardly ever was), or immediately start criticizing him for his outburst.
“No,” he finally decided. “I think I’d love to go to Pony Joe’s with you.”
Shining’s eyes lit up. “Alright!” he cheered, “let’s go!”
Noble Heart stared at the humble scenery in curiosity. This wasn’t the first time he had ever been to a restaurant (if this could be called such), but it was the first time he had ever been to a place like this.
“Hey, if it ain’t the Sparkles!” a beefy stallion greeted them from behind the counter. "How was your shift today, Twi?”
“I made a new friend today! I would like you to meet Blue Heart.”
‘A friend?’ When was last time anypony had given him such a title? When had he ever given anypony such a title?
“Hey, how you doing there, squirt?” Pony Joe asked.
“Hello, sir,” Noble Heart said quietly.
“A shy one, eh?” Joe grinned. “Aw, don’t worry, buddy. As long as you ain’t a pastry, I won’t bite you.”
Everypony except Noble Heart laughed.
“So what’ll it be tonight? The usual?” Joe asked.
“Same old, same old for me,” Night Light nodded.
“Two bagels, one with pumpkin cream cheese, the other with egg, lettuce, tomato, and cheese, a banana chocolate chunk walnut cookie, and an uncaffeinated spiced chai,” Twilight rattled off.
“Half a pumpkin cinnamon bagel for me!”
They all looked expectantly at Noble Heart.
“I've never tried anything here. I guess I’ll have he’s having,” he quickly answered, not wanting to hold them up.
“You’ve never—!” Pony Joe exclaimed aghast. “Well, son, I can guarantee you’ll be wanting to come back after tonight!”
Noble Heart smiled awkwardly, unsure of what else to do.
“Margie! Come on, babe, we got customers to feed!”
“I heard!” a mare shouted from the kitchen.
“Well let’s have a seat,” Night Light said as he ushered everypony to a large booth in the back.
“So what did you learn in school today, Shining?” Twilight asked her son.
“Oh, Mom, it was great—!”
Noble Heart watched the family interact, and once again he couldn’t help but feel envy towards the foal in Twilight’s womb.
Everything about them was just so… perfect: the doting father, the invested mother, even the hyper but amicable Shining Armor. He cocooned himself further into Twilight’s blanket. A far cry from what he was expecting tonight.
Night Light placed half of a pumpkin cinnamon bagel in front of him. “Here you go, Blue.”
“Thank you, Mr. Night Light.”
“Mr.?” he laughed. “Night Light’s just fine, son.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Wow, you sure are fancy, Blue Heart,” Shining noted, his mouth full of bagel.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Now if only you were the same.”
Noble Heart thought back to his mother. She’d do far worse to him or Golden Crown if they spoke with their mouths full.
He picked up the bagel with his magic, straining to keep it steady as he took a bite out of it. The bread was heavier than what he was used to, and the flavors weren’t as nuanced or layered as the things he usually ate, but he liked it. The bagel was simple, filling, and without pomp and circumstance.
“Very good levitation there, Blue Heart,” Night Light noted.
“That’s awesome! I wish I could do the same!”
“Shining, keep your voice down,” his mother gently chided.
“Well, I only started casting the levitation spell when I was… how old are you?”
“I’m eight.”
“Well I learned the basics at eight, so you’re still good.”
“You still have remarkable control for your age,” Twilight said. “How old are you, Blue Heart?”
“I’m eleven.”
“Really?” she asked in surprise. “You act so mature. I thought you were older.”
He looked down at his bagel. His teachers would compliment him for his good marks, but he didn’t think a pony had ever genuinely given him a compliment based on his character. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Well, I’m sure you were bored listening to us talk about ourselves,—”
“No, no, it’s fine!”
“—so why don’t we talk about you? How did your project go?”
Noble Heart internally breathed a sigh relief, grateful that Twilight had the tact to not ask anything personal.
“It was kinda boring really,” he admitted. “The Summer Sun Celebration isn’t that exciting.”
“Did you learn anything new about it?”
He shook his head and bit into his bagel, savoring the rich cream cheese. “The Summer Sun Celebration is exactly what it sounds like: a celebration of Queen Celestia conquering the darkness of night.”
“Oh, nothing else interesting?”
“Not really,” Noble Heart shrugged. “But while I was reading about it, I started wondering why we don’t celebrate the longest night of the year, you know? Since Queen Celestia conquers the darkness of night with the moon and stars.”
“That’s what Nightmare Night’s for!” Shining Armor chimed in.
“Nightmare Night is not the longest night of the year, kiddo,” Night Light corrected him.
Noble Heart nodded. “Yeah, the longest night is around Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
“It’s true,” Twilight Velvet agreed. “Nightmare Night used to be the harvest moon celebration, where all the farmers would throw a big party and feast before the Winter set in. But some time one thousand years ago, everypony decided to add the Mare in the Moon into the mix and make her some sort of silly villain.”
“Really?” both the colts asked in unison.
“You know, it’s funny you mention the Mare in the Moon,” Night Light said. “Somepony found some star charts from the pre-Discordian era—”
“What’s the pre-Discordian era?” Shining asked, finishing off his bagel.
“It was the time before the reign of Queen Celestia ages and ages ago, love,” Twilight supplied.
“Anyway, these star charts are absolutely ancient! And I mean maybe two thousand years old ancient.”
“My goodness!”
“Is that a lot, dad?” Shining asked.
“They’re older than the queen by a long, long time, sport,” Night Light laughed. “So I’m looking at these star charts, and I see one of the moon, and you wanna know something real funny? The moon didn’t have the Mare in the Moon in it!”
“Really? Well maybe the astronomer was just being lazy and didn’t paint her in there.”
“That’s what I thought, too, but then I decided to go look at some of the old charts, and I noticed something even funnier.”
“What?”
“The Mare in the Moon is depicted only one thousand years ago. Anything from before that had the moon as blank as a baby’s flank.”
“Really?” Twilight repeated in genuine shock. “Well I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Haven’t you?” Night Light asked. “Or have you simply not looked?”
“Oh…” she said, looking down at her tepid tea. “I suppose you’re right. Are you going to research that?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t,’ Night Light sighed. “I have classes to teach, and the project that the astronomy department has us doing has me swamped. Maybe in the future, but in the mean time, I’ll tell the department head and see what she has to say about it.”
“Wow, it looks like you discovered a mystery, dad!” Shining grinned.
“Unfortunately, Detective Fetlock can’t accept this case at the moment, son. Maybe in the future.”
Twilight stretched. “It’s getting late,” she commented. “What time is it?” she asked, looking at the clock on the wall. “Oh goodness, it’s 9:50! You better hurry home before curfew sets in, Blue Heart!”
He shrugged. “I still have forty minutes, I’ll be fine.”
“Should I walk you home, dear?”
He shook his head. “No, but thanks for the meal, everypony. Dinner was really good.”
“See? Told you that Pony Joe’s the best!” Shining Armor was grinning from ear to ear. “Good night!”
Noble Heart thought about what and who was waiting for him back at the mansion. He forced a smile. “Good night.”
Noble Heart took his time making his way back to his mansion. One hour, he's having the best meal of his life, and the next, he was going in for another row with his mother.
A pegasus alighted down next him, pulling him out of his reverie. He didn’t even spare her a glance; her uniform said enough.
“You alright there, kid?” she asked.
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Well, it’s 10:30, so it’s time for foals to be indoors unless otherwise supervised by an adult. Any reason you're out so late?”
He shrugged. “Went to the library.”
“The library closes at 9:00 for foals.”
“I went out to eat too.”
“And why didn’t you have a grown-up walk you home?”
“Cause I thought I could beat curfew.”
“Well, now I gotta take you back home. Hop on.”
He thought who awaited him and his stomach tightened at the thought. “Can... can we walk, ma'am? Please?”
She quirked a brow. “That depends. How far are you?”
He looked around. “Oh. I was going the wrong way. Whoops.” Neither heard any contrition in his words. "Fiftee— twenty-five minutes that way."
She chose not to hear the first number. “Alright. Lead on, kid. By the way, what’s your name?”
“Noble Heart Platinum.”
"And your parents?"
"Lord Bright Steel Platinum and Lady Sapphire Diadem Platinum."
If the names meant anything to her, she did not show it. "Alright, kiddo. Lead the way." She escorted him through Canterlot.
The pegasus did not attempt conversation with him, nor he with she. As he led them through the streets, he ruminated on what transpired earlier. In the few hours he had spent out of his mansion, Noble Heart had been treated better by strangers than he had been by his family in years. Everypony around him was always extolling how wonderful it was to be a noble and how House Platinum was the crème de la crème, but after meeting the Sparkles, Noble Heart thought otherwise. They probably didn’t have silken sheets or world-class chefs, but at least the Sparkles actually knew how to be happy.
He huffed when they reached the intricate gates. “We’re here."
“Still gotta escort you to your parents."
“I know, I know.” Noble Heart then flattened his ears. "I think you should do the same, ma'am." He then inserted his horn into the ‘key’ hole and fed a tiny inkling of his magic. The gate slowly creaked open with a piercing creak.
The pegasus had her face pinched up in displeasure and it took her a few moments to be able to stand her ears again. "I think I know a mage who can fix that noise."
Noble Heart scoffed. "A mage was the one who layered in that noise spell. I've always hated it every. Single. Time."
He led her to the front door. Noble Heart paused to take a deep breath and knocked once.
The door opened.
“Good even, sir,” the butler said in stolid tone. “Please step inside.”
“Sorry, buddy, but I can’t let this kid go unless he’s with his parent/guardian. Are you either of those?” the city guard asked, knowing the answer.
The butler maintained a neutral expression. “I’m afraid that the Lord and Lady Platinum have bedded for the evening—”
“Then you can tell them to expect a fine in the mail,” she said with a shrug.
The butler blinked at her, expressionless as ever, before finally responding. “I shall be a moment."
The door clicked shut.
“When Mother gets down here, she’ll either cry or start yelling."
“Like I care. The law’s the law, and nopony, not even the queen, is above it.”
“Okay. Just thought I’d warn you.”
She shot him brief, confident smirk. “Anything she can throw at me, I can take ten-fold."
The door opened with unnecessary force.
“Good evening, ma’am, are you this colt’s mother?”
"Do you not see the resemblance, fool?!"
"Yes or no, ma'am."
"Lady," she hissed. "Lady Sapphire Diadem Platinum."
“By law, Lady Platinum I am required to inform you that since your son was out past curfew, he will be personally brought back to you by another city guard. If he is caught again within a six month period, you will receive a fine relative to your family’s income. If he is caught a third time out past the 10:30 curfew for foals, an investigation will be made by protective services for suspected foal endangerment and/or neglect. Should I or any of my colleagues have reason to suspect you, the parent/guardian of this foal, are harming and/or neglecting your foal in anyway, we will report the activity to protective services before the third strike. Am I clear?”
“Why yes, you are most clear indeed… for a fool!” Sapphire spat. “The spell work used to enchant that gate,” she pointed to the gates behind them but of them bothered to look, “will only respond to the magic of a Platinum. None save the queen could pry it open, so of course he lives here. Furthermore, I am well aware of the law, as it was one of my great-great-great-great-great-great grandmothers who even suggested a curfew for foals in the first place. And finally, I would like you to know that we of House Platinum are very good friends with Queen Celestia, and have many friends in high places, so whatever you plan to do with your pitiful power to harass me will simply be destroyed by our myriad of attorneys, bureaucrats, and governmental beneficiaries. Do I make myself clear?”
The pegasus remained stoic. “Loud and clear, ma’am. Here’s your son. Good night.” She spared him one last glance, and Noble Heart could see the pained pity in her eyes.
Noble Heart walked inside and his mother slammed the door shut in the city guard’s face.
“So how are you, Noble Heart? It’s not like I or the rest of us weren’t worried sick about where you were.”
He bristled at the acid in her tone, but kept his mouth shut. Experience had long-since taught him, it'd go quicker if he just let her talk.
“But never you mind that,” she continued. “Never you mind that you missed dinner with our family. Never you mind that your brother can’t even count on you for something as basic help with homework. Never you mind that I was worried that somepony or someone would foalnap you and hold you for ransom. And never you mind that that feather-brained twit is now going to write up House Platinum— House Platinum for Celestia’s sake— for foal abuse. No, my feelings just don’t exist in your world, do they? Ugh are you even listening to me?”
“Loud and clear, mother!” he shouted back. “Loud and clear like always!”
“Why are you so impossible?!”
“I don’t know, why are you and everypony else in this family so damn self-centered?!”
Her eyes widened shock before narrowing in fury. “Language!” she hissed through her teeth.
“Mother?” Golden Crown’s sleepy voice mumbled from the entry way.
“Go to bed, love,” Sapphire Diadem said, softening her voice for him.
“No, Sapphire,” her husband disagreed as he appeared behind his obedient son, “we really need to talk about his behavior.”
Her ears pulled back for a moment before straightening up again. “Very well, Bright. You have a go at him.”
“What are you wearing?” Golden Crown asked, lifting a corner of the fleecy blanket with his magic.
“It’s just a blanket!” Noble Heart quickly snatched it away. “It was cold outside.”
Bright Steel yanked Twilight’s blanket from his magical grasp. “And just where did you get this?”
“I’m just borrowing—”
“Oh Celestia almighty, don’t tell me you stole it!” Sapphire exclaimed in horror.
“No! Somepony let me use it!” Noble Heart blurted. Instantly he regretted his words.
“And just where did you go exactly?” Bright asked.
“I went to the school library, okay!” he half-fibbed. “I just wanted to do my essay in peace and quiet and somepony let me use it cause he saw I didn’t have a scarf or a jacket!”
Bright Steel looked at the blanket in disdain. “I don’t believe you."
“Well go ahead and ask the librarians if I was there!” Noble Heart insisted. “Look!” he started fishing in his saddle bags. “Here’s my essay if you don’t believe me!”
Even after he tossed it at their hooves, nopony even bothered to look at the scroll.
“Noble Heart, why?” Sapphire Diadem asked in exasperation. “Why must you continue to shame House Platinum with your—”
“I’m shaming House Platinum?” Noble Heart demanded. “I’m shaming House Platinum? Well, mother, I don’t know if you can remember what have three moons ago with Princess Blueblood, but she called all of us out for shaming the Platinum line, and it wasn’t because I’m borrowing blankets and doing homework!” he screeched.
“Inside—” his mother began.
“SHUT UP!” Noble Heart roared, tears of rage streaming down his face. “Just shut up, shut up, shut— mmmph?!”
Bright Steel lit his horn. “Zip. Those. Lips."
Noble Heart scowled at his father before opening his mouth. His argument never got out. No matter how he tried and shouted, no sound came out.
“Oh, you’re just impossible!” Sapphire cried. “Impossible! What have I done to be burdened with such a quarrelsome foal?”
Golden Crown ran to her side and nuzzled her cheek. “Oh please don’t cry, mother. He’s like that with everypony.”
“But he treats me the worst!” she wailed. “I just can’t cope with this anymore!”
“Go to bed,” Bright Steel said.
“But father—” Golden Crown began.
“Now.”
Sapphire sighed in both relief and defeat. “Oh just do as he says, Golden, darling,” She then shot a glare at her crying son. “Maybe he can set your brother straight.”
“If you say so, mother.” The two left Lord Bright Steel with Noble Heart.
Even with his wife and obedient child out of the room, Steel refused to undo the spell. Instead, he addressed the butler. “Platter?”
“Yes, sir?” Platter remained as stolid as ever.
“Brandy.”
“Right away, sir."
Steel sat down in an arm chair, not seeming to notice his son rolling around on the floor as he tried to undo the spell.
Noble Heart screamed and cried in silence.
“Your brandy, sir.” Platter presented the drink.
“That will be all, Platter.”
“Good night, sir.” And the butler melted into the shadows, just leaving father and son in the dark room.
The stallion sipped his brandy, occasionally swiveling his glass.
Minutes ticked by, but at last, Noble Heart stopped screaming and flailing about on the rug.
He panted as he glared at his father, sweat trickling down his face.
Bright Steel took his time savoring the drink. Once satisfied, Bright Steel set down his glass. At last, he looked at his son.
“If I were a less civilized pony, I would have beaten you for being the cause of your mother’s tears. But seeing how I am the grandson of kings and queens— as you are—, I have decided to simply wait for your willful submission. It seems that your mother and I have been far too lax on you,” Bright sighed. “Nothing we are doing—”
‘You mean nothing that she’s doing?!’ he bitterly retorted in his mind.
“— is working on your atrocious behavior. At this point in time, Noble Heart, I fear that I may have to resort to less savory methods.”
Noble Heart immediately started thrashing and flailing again in protest.
Bright Steel resumed his brandy.
The colt finally calmed down again towards the end of his father’s drink.
“A pity that even Princess Blueblood could not rein in your temper, boy. But I digress. Effective immediately, you are now only permitted to only leave for school and school alone… at least until I can secure a governess for you. Then you will no longer have the privilege of school.”
Noble Heart shouted in shock and stumbled back several steps in shock.
“Furthermore, it seems to me that you seem to run your tongue tends to escape your brain's rein. I think a temporary vow silence would do you some good. At least until you learn to not be so verbally violent with your mother.”
Noble Heart's horrified face became placating, submissive, and apologetic.
Bright Steel was unmoved by the display. “No, Noble Heart, my sincerest apologies.” Neither of them really believed that. “But I’m afraid that I do not entertain beggars. Besides, it truly is unsightly to see the grandson of kings and queens to be reduced to such a pitiful state. Good night."
The stallion stood and left, but Noble Heart simply remained rooted at the spot.
He refused to leave the room even long after his father had left for bed. He tried to speak one last time, but no sound came out his muzzle. The zipped-lips spell was there to stay, at least until his father found a real mage to cast a stronger one.
He stomped his hooves to the ground. Of course this would happen! Why wouldn’t his stupid family ruin an otherwise lovely evening?
He should have just slept in an alleyway with the cats. That would have been easier to stomach than this.
He shivered and glared at the unlit fireplace. Noble Heart thought about rousing Platter to put a fire in it, but he quickly perished the thought. Using any servant and anything of his parents revolted him.
The colt went to collect his things. Everything had been scattered from all his bucking and thrashing, including Twilight Velvet’s blanket. He nuzzled the fleecy material and thought of her again.
Why couldn’t his mother be as patient and kind as her? Why couldn’t his father be as warm and doting as Night Light? Why couldn’t Golden Crown be as earnest as Shining Armor?
Noble Heart put his school things away in his bags and threw them on the arm chair his father had sat in. He then walked to a corner, wrapped himself up in Twilight’s blanket, and laid down on the cold, hardwood floor.
Crying in the dark, Noble Heart replayed his meal with the Sparkles over and over again until he slept.
“Noble Heart, are you listening?” his governess demanded.
He nodded and once again forced himself to look at the math she had on the chalkboard.
“Now as I was saying, the transitive property of equality states…”
It had been a month since his father placed the zipped-lips spell on him. It had also been three weeks and three days since his parents had found a private tutor to teach him after they pulled him from Queen Celestia’s School of Gifted Unicorns. And it had been three weeks and two days since he had been confined to the interior of Castle Platinum.
Noble Heart fantasized about going outside to feel the frosty grass under his frogs. He yearned for the biting late autumn winds caressing his mane and tail. He pined for the feel the sun on his back. But most of all, he ached walk and talk freely.
The colt exhaled and stared blankly at the chalkboard. Who knew when he would experience outside again?
“Do you understand all the properties, Noble Heart?”
‘Yes. I’ve only read the entire textbook front to back.’
He nodded obediently.
“Very good,” the governess said without any hint of sincerity. “I want you to complete these practice problems. If your answers are satisfactory, I will test you on the material after supper. Am I clear?”
He nodded again. What else could he do?
Noble Heart did his school work and completed the quiz before supper, and surprise, surprise, he passed with flying colors.
“Since you’ve done so well, I suppose it’s time to move onto the next subject.”
The colt would have bashed his head against his desk if he still had the ability to feel disappointed anymore.
“Today, we will cover astronomy. Now as you learned in history, unicorns were once masters of the sun, moon, and stars before Discord broke our connection to the heavens over 1,500 years ago…”
Noble Heart straightened and genuinely focused. Night Light taught astronomy, and didn’t he mention something about the moon?
“… and even though she defeated the god of chaos and undid most of his enchantments, the one thing that Queen Celestia was unable to fix was our connection to the heavens. Nevertheless, most unicorns to this day study astronomy as a part of our heritage. We will begin the phases of the moon.”
That’s right! Night Light mentioned the Mare in the Moon. But what did he say about her?
The colt kept his ears pinned to his governess and tried to jog his memory about the conversation he had with the Sparkles a month ago.
The Mare in the Moon, the Mare in the Moon, Discord! The Mare in the Moon and Discord were connected, but how?
“Now take a look at this chart detailing the phases of the moon. You can distinguish the waxing cycles from the waning cycles by the way the Mare in the Moon is shown. If she is slowly being revealed night by night, then the moon is in its waxing cycle. If she is slowly disappearing, then the moon is in its waning cycle.”
That’s right! Night Light said the Mare in the Moon didn’t appear in any of the scrolls from the Discordian era! No, the pre-Discordian era.
For half a second, Noble Heart thought about asking his governess to show him some old moon charts, but he quickly let go of the idea. She was hired not only to teach him, but to spy on him. There was no way that he was going to alert his family to his sudden interest in pre-Discordian astronomy. He didn’t want them to ruin any connection he had with the Sparkles, however distant.
He went through the motions of the class and supped with his tutor like he always did. But the moment her shift was over, Noble Heart trotted to the library.
If he had been anypony else, he would have been at wits end trying to locate what few pre-Discordian scrolls remained in Equestria. But Noble Heart was a Platinum, and Clover the Clever, most loyal and honored servant of House Platinum, had so generously protected their knowledge from the chaos god’s reign.
Noble Heart started pulling out books and scrolls before him, both ancient and recent.
The more he looked, the more he realized that Night Light’s observation had been correct: the Mare in the Moon simply did not exist until five hundred years after Queen Celestia had ascended to the throne.
The colt pulled away from the dusty tomes and rubbed his temples to quell his mental fatigue. Just where exactly did the Mare in the Moon come from? Just who was she?
Noble Heart tiredly searched through the library, looking for a book on old Equestrian myths. ‘Equestria: Myths and Legends’ seemed like a promising start.
‘The Mare in the Moon: see Nightmare Moon.’
Noble Heart narrowed his eyes. Now that he was getting his memory jogged, he did remember hearing Twilight mentioning that the Mare in the Moon and Nightmare Moon were connected.
He flicked ahead to Nightmare Moon’s entry.
‘Nightmare Moon: Ancient goddess of nightmares and darkness. Defeated by Queen Celestia with the Elements of Harmony and sealed in the moon. King Sombra’s mother.’
Who was King Sombra?
Noble Heart went back to the K’s of the book. When he didn’t find King Sombra, he went to the S’s.
‘Sombra, King: God of shadows and fear. see Crystal Empire.’
He turned the pages until he found the entry on the Crystal Empire.
‘Crystal Empire: Long lost city state of Smart Cookie and Commander Poesy (see page 963). Disappeared after being cursed by King Sombra.’
Noble Heart pulled away from the anthology and started pacing about, trying to get rid of some of his pent up energy.
Noble Heart was no stranger to Nightmare Moon, as he had seen plenty of mares dressing up as her to frighten young foals on Nightmare Night. Still, neither he nor anypony else he knew ever seriously researched her. She was just a character used during the holidays, right?
The colt went back to the encyclopedia and read Nightmare Moon’s entry again.
Ancient goddess of nightmares and darkness.
Hey, wait… Wasn’t the Summer Sun Celebration a testament to Celestia’s victory over darkness?
Noble Heart sighed. Night Light sure did stumble upon one doozy of a mystery.
He went back to skimming through titles in the library.
When he had a decent of research materials laid out before him, he started looking through them again.
Most of the other entries were of a similar fare as ‘Equestria: Myths and Legends’ and he dropped his head on a tome, mentally exhausted.
Yawning, Noble Heart put most of the books back where he found them, save for a couple he meant to read later.
Carelessly throwing his texts and scrolls into his panniers, he made his way to the kitchens.
When he got there, the chefs were preparing for the next day.
The head chef cantered up to him and dipped her head. “Ah, my young lord, how may we serve you? Are you hungry? What should we prepare for you?”
Noble Heart shook his head and walked to a less traversed corner of the kitchen and sat down on a stool.
“Are you trying to do some homework? Would you like help?” she pressed, following him to his seat.
He shook his head again and pulled out a book.
“Let me at least get you a table.” The head chef left before he could refuse her.
On many occasions, Noble Heart would slip into the kitchens at night, if only to be in a brightly lit place in the presence of other ponies. He never really communicated with them, but they all seemed to understand that he liked to observe them work and talk from the corners.
From time to time, they would forget he was even there and speak and joke around freely, but usually they behaved themselves in front of him. Noble Heart had considered ‘telling’ the head chef that they could act as freely as they normally did when he wasn’t around, but common sense eventually got the better of him. Ordering somepony to speak freely was an oxymoron.
The head chef plopped a small rickety table in front of him and even lit the torch above his head so that he could read better.
He nodded his thanks and opened up a book about old folktales.
Slowly, his servants were dismissed by the head chef until it was only her remaining. Eventually, even she finished with her work.
“I'm going to leave a few torches lit for you, alright?”
He nodded and watched her leave.
When he could no longer hear the clip clop of her hooves, he felt loneliness descend upon him. How he wished he could speak.
Noble Heart looked down at his text and yawned.
‘Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria…’
He was so tired. Maybe it would be best to curl up in the front of the ovens and sleep. The chefs were pretty good about gently waking him up when they needed to bake bread in the morning.
Noble Heart dragged himself and his things in front of the oven. In the flickering light of the torches, he laid down to read one more story.
‘Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together…’
The colt laid his head down in his book. Never mind. Sleeping was a bett—
He suddenly jolted up.
Since when were there two sisters ruling Equestria?
He continued reading.
‘…there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land.
To do this, the eldest used her alicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn. The younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their queendom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies.
But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night.
One fateful day, the younger alicorn refused to lower the moon and make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one’s heart transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon! She vowed she would shroud the land in eternal night.
Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony! Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister and banished her permanently in the moon.
The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.’
He flipped back to the beginning of the book to find the date when it was first written.
853 A.D.
Noble Heart set everything down on the floor and flipped through the other anthologies to see if they had the same story. Try as he might, he could not find any mention of Nightmare Moon being Queen Celestia’s sister, but the books he was skimming through were much younger, having been written centuries after the old one.
He referred to his moon charts.
The old scrolls seemed to verify the ‘Story of the Heavenly Sisters’, showing the Mare in the Moon after the 800’s, but not before the 500’s.
He went to open a copy of— ‘Predictions and Prophesies’?! When did he pick this up?
Noble Heart sighed in frustration. He must have accidentally grabbed it instead of an encyclopedia. There was no way he was going down to the library; it was too dark and scary to see anything properly. He slumped down and rested his head against the offending tome.
He found himself at the princess’ birthday brunch again. Queen Celestia was lazily gliding along the ceiling with Philomena circling around her, like the sun circling Equus. His parents were dancing behind him, silently content.
‘Well aren’t you going to eat anything?’ Golden Crown asked while he wolfed down a sandwich.
‘Oh right…’ Noble Heart mumbled as he looked at the feast before him.
A bear was lounging in the middle of the round table keeping close guard over a maple syrup pitcher. Noble Heart shooed it away and placed thick, rich slices of Prench toast on his plate.
‘You fool, why did you touch it?!’ his mother screeched in his ear.
Noble Heart suddenly felt himself yanked up in the air by a magical force and he was once again levitating upside down before Princess Blueblood.
‘The future is wrought with darkness, colt,’ she hissed in his ear. ‘Find the nightmare. Find the darkness.’
He wriggled in her grasp. ‘Let me go!’
‘Find the darkness,’ she repeated. ‘Find the nightmare.’
But when he looked to her, she and her phoenix were frozen in mid air. Philomena’s beautiful fiery feathers were blackening, and as she changed, so, too, did Celestia.
‘Queen Celestia?’ He watched in horror as his goddess and queen became grey and lifeless.
‘Find the nightmare. Find the darkness.’
Finally, the dead bird and pony dropped down to the ground. Grogar, lord of death, stood over them as his bells clanged loudly, announcing the sun god’s demise.
‘Find the darkness. Find the nightmare.’
A deep, cruel laugh echoed from Grogar.
‘The night!’ he— no, he was transforming into something else! ‘Shall last forever!’ And a mare, as large and as powerful as Celestia, but with none of her warmth, reared triumphantly over her corpse.
‘Nightmare Moon,’ Noble Heart breathed in shock.
‘The title of Blueblood is not as superfluous as you think, colt. Find the nightmare. Find the darkness.’
That was all he heard before the evil god lunged at him.
Noble Heart nodded at the donkey and attempted to stand up, only slip on a scroll.
“I’ll take that as a no!” the donkey exclaimed as he caught and steadied the young noble.
“Oh, now you’ve done it, Cranky!” the head chef chastised as she trotted over. “I told you to leave him alone.”
Cranky snorted in annoyance. “Well excuse me, princess! You’ll have to forgive me for wanting to wake up a colt when he’s whimpering and twitching in his sleep!”
Noble Heart lifted his hooves so the chef could collect his books and scrolls.
“I’m sorry for any trouble we caused.
Noble Heart waved off her apology.
“You want a quill and ink, son?” Cranky asked.
Noble Heart immediately fished through his saddle bags for his supplies.
‘No trouble,’ he scrawled. ‘Thank you.’
“Well it was no problem,” Cranky nodded.
“Would you like some breakfast?” the chef asked as she placed all his research materials on the table he was using last night.
Noble Heart looked around him. Already his servants were prepping for the day: throwing bread dough in the oven, milking the milch cows, and washing produce and eggs. Even though he wasn’t particularly hungry, he nodded.
“What do you want, young lord? I’ll serve it right up for you.”
The colt pointed to the bread dough being placed in the oven.
“Of course, once that’s done, I’ll give you the first— no the best loaf."
He nodded again, unable to do much else.
“You want me to take you to the dining hall, son?” Cranky asked, before picking up the heavy saddlebags with his teeth.
Noble Heart shook his head and pointed to the other room where the servants’ long tables sat.
The donkey looked surprised for a moment, but he did not say anything. Cranky led Noble Heart to the benches.
Everyone immediately stiffened when he sat down next to Cranky, and those who were enjoying their morning tobacco began to snuff out their pipes.
Noble Heart immediately shook his head and everyone froze, unsure of whether he was disapproving their smoking habits or encouraging them.
Noble Heart pulled out a blank scroll and scribbled something down for Cranky to read.
“He said you can keep talking and smoking,” the donkey announced.
A collective breath was exhaled and everyone immediately tried to rekindle their pipes.
“Oh thank the gods,” rumbled a bull as he continued reading the morning paper.
Even though it was already 7:30, the sun had only begun to rise. Noble Heart looked outside with longing. The deep, pre-sunshine blue was proof enough that Queen Celestia had not, been in fact slain in the night, but nevertheless, he still felt shaken by the nightmare he had.
‘Find the darkness. Find the nightmare,’ Princess Blueblood’s words echoed in his mind.
Noble Heart opened up the ‘Story of the Heavenly Sisters’ and once again read it, this time drinking in the pictures.
How had this story been forgotten by ponies? Surely some mention of Queen Celestia’s sister would have been worthwhile information to keep.
He sighed softly as he closed the book. Was this what the princess had spoken to him about?
He unfurled the most recent moon chart he had and gazed at the Mare in the Moon etched in its image.
Who else could she have meant? Nightmare Moon was a god of nightmare and darkness, so she had have been the one he was told to find.
“Breakfast!” the head chef announced as the kitchen staff streamed in, bearing platters of food.
Noble Heart immediately began to put all his things away into his saddle bags.
‘Ah, poor us, poor me having to live this glorious life luxury, where all save the Queen bows and scrapes to serve us… for now.’
It couldn’t mean…
Noble Heart’s eyes narrowed as he gazed down at the spine of ‘Predictions and Prophesies.’ He started to pull it out.
“Son,” Cranky broke his concentration, “from what I can see, you are a very studious colt who likes his books and scrolls and whatnot. But I’m afraid that the table isn’t the place to do your schoolwork. Nobody here would willingly damage your books and papers, but accidents do happen, and I’d hate to see what would happen if your tutor or your parents found out you accidentally got crumbs on those things.”
Noble Heart let go of the tome and slid his panniers beneath his seat.
‘Predictions and Prophesies’ would still be there, but the tea and bread wouldn’t be hot forever.
When most everyone had finished eating, Noble Heart opened up the appendix to ‘Predictions and Prophesies.’
With a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach, the colt realized that Nightmare Moon had her own entry.
Noble Heart steeled himself and turned to her prophesy.
‘Nightmare Moon: see Mare in the Moon.’
This couldn’t be good.
‘The Mare in the Moon: Myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria. Defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it, on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about nighttime eternal.’
Oh... oh dear.
Noble Heart quietly shut the book and slid it in his saddle bags.
“You alright there, son?” Cranky asked.
The colt looked at him dumbly and nodded.
“You sure?” the donkey pressed, not at all convinced.
Noble Heart nodded again.
“Well, do you need anything?”
He shook his head.
“If you say so.”
Everybody got up and started to go to their stations.
Noble Heart stood, too, and made his way to the castle's main entrance.
The gathering tempest was Nightmare Moon! She was the one the princess warned him about, and Nightmare Moon was the probably the reason why the princess was clinging to her position as Blueblood: so somepony could guard the throne while Queen Celestia was battling her sister.
It all made sense! Why hadn’t anypony seen it before?
Noble Heart stopped before the massive doors and stared outside. He needed to get to Canterlot to speak with the princess! But how?
“You want to go for a walk out on the gardens, son?” Cranky asked, pulling him from his reverie. “The outside gardens may not be much anymore but the greenhouse is still nice.”
Noble Heart flattened his ears against his skull and looked down.
“Aw, come on, don’t be like that, kid,” the donkey gently pressed. “I won’t tell no one that you’ve been outside.
The colt shook his head.
“Don’t you miss being outside, son?” he asked. “I don’t think anyone’s seen you outside since you got here. Don’t tell me you like being cooped up in this musty old castle?”
Noble Heart shook his head again, still looking at the floor.
“I’ll hide you nice and well from prying eyes, don’t worry! I know these gardens like I know my muzzle.”
Unable to get the message across, Noble Heart simply walked up to the massive entry way and pressed a hoof to it.
Where he touched the air, it rippled like water but would not let him pass.
Cranky looked at the colt dumbfounded.
Noble Heart sat down and pressed both front hooves mournfully to his enchanted cage.
The donkey stomped outside and stood before him with a scowl on his face. “So it ain’t enough they cut out your tongue,” he growled. “Your family had to sink your hooves in mud, too?! Well, not if Cranky Doodle Donkey has anything to say about that! Wait here!”
Noble Heart watched him march away. He didn’t exactly know what the gardener had in mind for him, seeing how donkeys didn’t have a lick of magic in them, but he nevertheless waited, curious to see what Cranky had in mind for him.
Cranky came back with panniers strapped to his back and small bag in his mouth.
“Okay, kid, before I give this to you, I have a couple questions to ask: do you want to stay here?”
Noble Heart shook his head.
“Then if you don’t want to stay here, where do you want to go?”
The colt reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a sheet of paper. ‘To Canterlot to see Princess Blueblood.’
The donkey grinned and kicked the tiny purse over to Noble Heart’s side of the entryway. “Just the answer I was looking for.”
Noble Heart opened it and found a small, deep violet pearl. He frowned in confusion.
“I want you to eat it.”
The colt recoiled in surprise.
“Don’t make that face, kid, cause that pearl’s got some powerful sea serpent magic in it.
Noble Heart looked at the innocuous item in shock and then back at Cranky. Not even the Platinum's, with their centuries of collecting, commissioning, and crafting had such treasure. He wondered where his donkey gardener of all souls had gotten it.
“Let’s just say that I’ve traveled far and wide and I met lots of characters on my journeys,” Cranky said with a smirk. “Anyway, that pearl’s some real serious magic and what it can do is make the one who eats able to go with the flow. You want to go to Canterlot to see the princess? It’ll take you right there. But I’m telling you now, the pearl only lasts so long, and Steven told me that after the effects wear off, you’re going to feel mighty sick afterward. You still want to bail on this joint?”
Without hesitation, Noble Heart licked the pearl out of his hoof.
Cranky grinned. “Let’s go, kid; we gotta get to Canterlot.”
Noble Heart felt as if a wave of water had just sloshed inside him, filling his body from frog to horn tip with the sea. He tottered slightly and leaned against the wall for support, but once he got enough of his faculties, he cautiously walked up to the limits of his cage and stepped forward.
He grinned as he stumbled to where Cranky was standing.
The donkey laughed and trotted ahead. “Let’s get to the train!”
The journey out of Castle Platinum was filled with what Noble Heart could only describe as powerful magic. They were walking in broad daylight with countless witnesses, but nobody seemed to notice that Cranky even had a companion with him.
“Hey Cranky, where are you going?” a mule shouted from the bushes.
“I’m quitting! I’m sick of this place and the ugly mugs who run it!” he said with a laugh. “I’m going back on the road to find the jenny of my dreams!”
The workers immediately started protesting. “I thought you said you were going quit on New Year’s!”
“Yeah, you can’t go, Cranky! We need to throw you a farewell party!”
“Nope! Sorry! The road’s a-callin,’ and my lady awaits! Bye, guys! It’s been fun!”
“Bye, Cranky!”
“Bye!”
“Good luck!”
Noble Heart waved his servants goodbye, too, even if they didn’t notice him.
Once they crossed the gates, Cranky started galloping ahead. “Come on, kid, don’t tell me you forgot how to run after spending all that time cooped up!”
Noble Heart grinned and ran as fast as his legs would take him.
At last! Freedom! He leapt over hedges simply because he could! He playfully shoved Cranky simply because he could! He bucked in mid-sprint simply because he could!
When had he ever been this happy?
“Hey, kid, come on! The station’s this way!” Cranky called out to him.
Noble Heart galloped to his side, covered in a sheen of sweat. He pranced as they walked through the streets of Mareis, elated to see other ponies aside from his servants and sour-faced tutor.
“Two tickets to Canterlot, please,” Cranky said to the clerk behind the booth.
“Sure thing. You, sir, are really lucky, because the next train to the capital leaves in about three minutes. Hurry up before you miss it!”
“Heh! You got it!” The donkey turned to Noble Heart. “You heard him, son. Let’s go!”
Noble Heart laughed a silent laugh, feeling the sea jostle and foam in his body. Could this day get any better?
Cranky sighed as they got off the train. “Well, kid, I’m afraid this is where we have to part ways.”
Noble Heart's eyes widened as he whipped his head around to the donkey.
“I know, I know, but I’m afraid I just can’t be seen with you once that pearl wears off. I just committed foalnapping by taking you, a noble’s son, and if I’m caught— in the capital of all places—, I’ll be locked up in a jail a lot smaller than the one you just got out of.”
The colt looked away and pressed his ears flat against his skull.
Cranky gave him a gentle smile. “Don’t be like that, kid. Maybe we’ll see each other again, but if not, it’s been a pleasure.” And he extended his hoof.
Noble Heart looked at it for a moment, but then he smiled and shook it. Some day, some when, some how, he was going to repay Cranky for his bravery and kindness.
“Hurry up, kid. Time’s a-tickin’ for that pearl.” And the old donkey disappeared into the crowd, off on his next journey.
Noble Heart shuddered in the cold November breeze, despite all the warm bodies around him.
Cranky was right. The pearl's magic was fading, and he needed every ounce of it to get to the princess. He wasn’t even sure if sea serpent magic would do him any good against the enchantments of Castle Canterlot, but he had to try.
To be quite frank, Noble Heart was very much surprised to see himself in the castle without having alerted the guards.
Maybe Queen Celestia and her mages never thought to insure against sea serpent magic...
He looked to the map on the wall. He didn’t expect to have the princess’ living quarters to be spelled out for him, but he at least hoped the map point him out into her general direction.
He frowned at the layout.
“Are you lost, my little pony?” a mare asked from behind.
Noble Heart stiffened. Even though he could feel the last ebbs of the sea tickling his insides, he supposed the magic had worn off. Well, at least he could play off the situation and act like a lost, confused foal.
He turned around to face the mare.
Noble Heart then sat flat on the floor.
His goddess smiled down at him with her usual magnanimous smile.
“You know, when somepony goes through the trouble of using such powerful magic to get in here (during visiting hours I might add), they typically have a destination in mind. Do you have somewhere you need to be?”
Well. He had made it this far.
He spoke knowing not one sound would get out.
Celestia’s eternal smile was replaced by a slight frown as she analyzed the seal.
“Shall I undo the spell, little one?”
His nod was all she needed.
The alicorn lit up her horn and tapped it against his muzzle.
As she pulled away, a translucent red ribbon of enchantment followed her horn.
He opened his mouth freely for the first time in a month.
Celestia gazed in disdain at the ribbon of magic before dispelling it.
At last he could feel himself gain control of his voice.
“The princess,” he croaked.
“I’m sorry. Could you please repeat that?”
“Princess!” he repeated again with more force.
The queen processed his word for a moment before she understood. “You wish to see Princess Blueblood?”
“Yes,” he nodded vigorously, not having faith in his neglected voice to carry the point across.
“Hm, well, I have matters that need attending to at the moment, but I shall not be long. I will personally take you to her the moment I finish. In the mean time, stay by me.”
Noble Heart bowed deeply to his queen, letting his horn tip touch the floor.
“Follow me,” she commanded gently.
They made their way to the throne room, where petitioners were lined up well out the door.
“Have you found the disturbance, m’lady?” her secretary asked, not even bothering to look up from his pad.
“Yes. Turned out to be a false alarm.”
“Ah,” he nodded. “Nice to know that everything’s right as rain. Here’s your last petitioner.”
“Yes, thank you, Steady Hoof.”
Noble Heart waited patiently for Queen Celestia to hear out the peasant, trying to think about what he was going to say to his aunt once he saw her. Perhaps it would be best if he organized his argument for the return of Nightmare Moon through his books and scrolls…
“Everypony, may I have your attention, please!” Celestia called out to her subjects. “The time for petitioning is over and I must rest for the night.”
Groans and sighs answered her.
“I will see you tomorrow at our usual time. Good night, my little ponies! May the moon and stars guide on your journeys home!”
And the peasants filed out.
Noble Heart glanced at his queen from the corner of his eye.
For somepony who had been forced to do battle with the moon, she certainly bore no ill will towards it.
“Well, little one, it’s time to see the princess.”
“The princess?” her secretary questioned in surprise. “But don’t you want to eat?”
“I’d love to, Steady Hoof, but I’m afraid I have a promise to keep, so off to Princess Blueblood I go.”
The stallion shrugged. “Of course, my queen. I’ll see you tomorrow morning then. Good night.”
“Eat well, Steady Hoof. Bye.”
The pair walked down the halls of Castle Canterlot. “So…” she prodded. “Is there any reason in particular you would like to see the princess, or were you hoping she’d undo that zipped-lips spell?”
“Both,” he croaked.
“I see. I suppose I’ll drop you off and get to my meal. I’ll have Princess Blueblood arrange a place for you to sleep tonight.”
He looked at her desperately. “Stay,” he begged.
“You would like me to stay?” Celestia asked. “My. It must be very important if you need a queen for support.”
He nodded.
They reached Princess Blueblood’s apartment and Celestia knocked on her door. Noble Heart was glad she found him when he did. The last drops of the sea had evaporated, so there was no way he would have found his aunt in this maze.
“Blueblood?” she gently called. “Blueblood, my love, it’s me.”
“Enter, my queen, though you need not permission.”
The two ponies stepped into the chambers only to find Princess Blueblood in the middle of wrapping herself up in a robe.
She bowed as deeply her knees would permit her. “My queen, to what do I owe the honor?”
Celestia embraced and kissed her decrepit niece, and helped her properly tie her robe. “I am not here for my sake, but on behalf of his,” she pointed to him with her wing.
“Ah,” Blueblood smirked, adoration in her voice being replaced with conceited amusement. “And to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Noble Heart dropped his panniers, pulled out ‘Predictions and Prophesies,’ and opened to the page that held the damning prediction. He could now feel nausea swell in his belly, but he ignored it.
The princess tugged the book from his magical grip and levitated it over to her. As she read the passage, she laughed a joyless laugh.
“And you expect me to believe this tripe?” she sneered. “Half of these so-called prophesies never came true, and those that did are so vague that any fool with half a mind could see that you could fit any period in history to them. What proof do you have that the Mare in the Moon is going to come back?”
“Blueblood,” Celestia warned. “I would like to remind you to behave. He’s a colt, not a challenging duelist. Be kind.”
But both Platinums essentially ignored her. Whether she saw it or not, this was a duel, and they both needed to fight it.
Noble Heart fished through his saddle bags again and this time he pulled out his moon charts. He unfurled the scrolls one by one on the floor in front of the queen and princess. He then pointed to where the Mare in the Moon was and where she was not.
“Artistic liberties,” Blueblood waved off his silent explanation.
Noble Heart scowled, but he didn’t give up yet. He pulled out the anthology containing the ‘Story of the Heavenly Sisters’ and showed it not to the princess, but to the queen.
Celestia’s breath hitched in her throat. “Just where did you get this?” she murmured as she drank in the pictures of the worst moment of her life.
“Library." He didn’t dare say more, now keeping focused on standing steady, despite his spinning head.
His aunt chuckled. “So now you know. Have you told anypony else?”
He shook his head.
“Good, good,” she nodded as she lay back down in bed. “It’s nice to see a Platinum who isn’t a complete idiot.”
Celestia shut the book and stared at its cover. The golden unicorn with emerald eyes stared back.
“Now tell me, boy: with the apocalypse upon us, what will you do?”
Noble Heart shrugged. He had never really gotten this far in his planning, but he wasn’t too bothered by it. The hard part was over. The rest would come along.
“You don’t know, eh? Pity. You seemed to have everything else in the spades when you have time to think things through.”
He shrugged again, unsure of what else to do.
“May I keep this?” Celestia murmured, her eyes reverent to the tome.
Noble Heart thought it over: on the one hoof, it technically belonged to his parents, but on the other, who would refuse their queen?
Eh, he liked the queen better anyway. He nodded and instantly regretted it, feeling his stomach churn by the movement.
“Will you not speak to your Lady when she speaks with you?” Blueblood snapped. “Bah, such callous disrespect these days.”
He glared at his aunt for a moment and then vomited all over her rug.
Cranky had not been joking when he said that he’d feel sick after the pearl’s magic had worn off. Noble Heart turned to his other side, even though he knew it would do nothing for his land seasickness (a condition that Celestia had simply called vertigo).
“Truly life is kind if our most busy Lady still finds time to spare on you,” Princess Blueblood sighed after the queen left.
It had been six days since he had escaped from Castle Platinum with Cranky, and unsurprisingly his parents were in a tizzy after realizing he was gone. He hadn’t seen or written to them at all during his stay in Castle Canterlot with the queen, but from what he heard from the pegasus who had informed them that he was well out of their reach, their reactions had been delicious.
“My question still remains, colt. The apocalypse will soon be upon us. What will you do when darkness and nightmares rule the land?”
“Can’t Queen Celestia stop her?” he asked, voice hoarse from vomiting.
The princess shook her head. “Nay.”
Noble Heart tried to turn his head back to look at her, but this only exacerbated his dizziness, so he stopped.
When his stomach wasn’t threatening to heave anymore, he continued speaking with her.
“She beat her before. Why is now any different?”
“Did you not read the prophecy, colt? Queen Celestia was only able to defeat Nightmare Moon with the assistance of the Elements of Harmony, which have long since been lost. When Nightmare Moon returns, the queen has two options: duel or surrender. Should Queen Celestia duel her sister, she will most surely lose, and if she does, then Nightmare Moon will seal her away in the sun as penance, or simply kill her to eliminate her biggest threat.
Noble Heart felt a shudder run down. It was difficult to stomach that Celestia wasn’t as invincible as he thought.
“But if our queen surrenders, there is a greater chance that Nightmare Moon won’t kill her. Or she will simply kill her regardless, but Queen Celestia needs to minimize such a possibility, and it’s not because she’s a coward who whimpers at the sight of death.”
“Why?”
“What are your tutors teaching you nowadays?” Blueblood bemoaned. “Ever since she raised the sun by herself, Queen Celestia has been inexorably linked to our day star. Should she die, then the sun will die with her.”
Noble Heart felt sick to his stomach and he quickly rolled out of bed to vomit in the chamber pot.
“Likewise,” his aunt continued, ignoring his retching sounds, “should Queen Celestia kill her sister, the moon shall die. Alas, our poor Lady! Her heart has been broken since she sealed Nightmare Moon away on that fateful day almost one thousand years ago, but if she is forced to kill her, our Lady would not have the will to carry on!”
Noble Heart went to the water basin and rinsed out his mouth.
So if Celestia fought, she would die, taking the sun with her. If she fought and killed Nightmare Moon, the moon would die, and then the sun would die because Celestia wouldn’t be able to live with herself. If Celestia surrendered, Nightmare Moon would probably kill her, and again, there would be no sun. Or perhaps Nightmare Moon would be feeling magnanimous and simply seal Celestia away and bring about nighttime eternal, causing half of Equus to freeze while the other half boiled. But hey, at least the sun and moon would still be around.
He slumped back into bed, keeping his back to his aunt.
So basically they were all going to die no matter what happened.
Noble Heart buried his head in his pillow and groaned.
“Now do you see the severity of the situation, boy?”
He nodded.
“So what do you plan to do when the apocalypse comes?”
He reviewed all the possibilities. None seemed appealing to him in the slightest, but doomsday scenarios never did.
“I don’t know,” he finally answered her.
Silence reigned in the room.
The princess spoke at last. “Is that so?” she asked as she got up from her seat.
“It’s the end of the world, what else can I do?” he demanded.
Princess Blueblood slipped out the door without another word.
After twelve days, Noble Heart was feeling well enough to go back to the Platinum mansion. His parents had paid a very steep fine for foal abuse and Noble Heart now had a case manager that he would need to give bimonthly reports to. But in all frankness, he wasn’t too worried about his parents anymore. With the shame they brought upon themselves Bright Steel and Sapphire Diadem would be unwilling to discipline him.
But Noble Heart had no intention of taking advantage of that.
Nightmare Moon was coming, and with her, promises of death and doom. Whatever grudge he had against his parents simply seemed small in comparison.
He was escorted home by his case manager and two guards, much to his mother’s chagrin and neighborhood's delight
His case manager stared down both of his parents and shot down any attempts of intimidation coldly and efficiently. A couple weeks ago, Noble Heart would have been smirking at his mother and father from behind his case manager’s skirts, but now, he just didn’t care.
His family was curt and cordial when they ate dinner, and for once, Sapphire had chosen not to attack him for picking at his food.
“May I be excused, mother?” Noble Heart asked. “I’m feeling sick again.”
“Very well,” his father waved him off. “Golden Crown, show him to his room.”
He was surprised that he was no longer sharing a room with his brother, but he didn’t question it.
The pair made it all of four steps before Noble Heart stumbled to the nearest bathroom to throw up. He didn’t make it.
By the time Golden Crown (and their servants) managed to get Noble Heart to his new bedroom, he was regretting his decision to leave Castle Canterlot.
“Mother says you’ve ruined us."
Noble Heart flopped into bed. “We’ll be okay."
“No we won’t,” Golden retorted. “Nopony wants to talk to us anymore because everypony thinks mother and father are foal abusers.”
Noble sighed as he wrapped himself in a cocoon. “Everypony will forget about this in a few weeks. That’s how it always is with gossip.”
Golden Crown snorted in derision. “Not with things like this."
“You’ll see,” Noble whispered, not wishing to argue. “Right now, it’s tough, but it’ll be fine later. I promise.”
“You ruin everything,” Golden Crown muttered as he left.
The colt, now alone, looked out the window to see a half moon outside. Nightmare Moon gazed down coldly at Equestria, bidding her time for when she would be at last free and able to destroy the world that rejected her.
It was surreal to say the least, knowing when the apocalypse was coming. Everything would be gone… the queen, Canterlot, Chateau Clover, his family.
His stomach churned again.
He’d lose his parents and his twin.
He got up to puke in his chamber pot.
By the gods… everybody he knew and didn’t know would be dead! And, and he’d be dead, too!
Noble Heart continued to retch until all that was left was his stomach acid, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep that for much longer.
With his head spinning with both thought and vertigo, he stumbled out of his bedroom to make his way to the dining room where his parents were.
He heard them mumbling amongst themselves, and could see their shadows flicker from the light of the fireplace.
Noble Heart stumbled into a wall and started to cough and gag again.
His parents immediately stopped their discussion.
“What are you doing out of bed?” his father demanded. “You’re sick; go lie down.”
“N-n-no,” Noble Heart said as he careened toward them.
“Noble Heart, you need rest,” Sapphire pressed.
The colt toppled on top of her and embraced his mother.
She stiffened, but didn't push him off.
He took in his mother’s heart beat, hair texture, and smell.
Sapphire would die one day, whether Nightmare Moon killed her or not, and so far, the relationship he had with her was strained and combative, as if she were an enemy, and not the mare who gave him life.
An overwhelming sense of guilt rose inside him. How could he have treated her like that? “I’m sorry!” he shouted into her neck. “I’m sorry for everything I ever said and did to you!”
Bright and Sapphire looked at each, completely bewildered by the unorthodox behavior.
Sapphire stiffened shock for a moment, but then she held him in an awkward embrace. “It’s, ah, alright?”
“I love you!” His declaration, though muffled, was heard clearly by his parents. “I love you!”
“I, I love you, too,” Sapphire assured him. Despite how unsure she sounded, they all knew she meant it.
The next day, stumbling and retching all the while, Noble Heart made it to Castle Canterlot and demanded to see the princess again.
She appeared before him: cold, regal, and silent.
“Make me Blueblood!” he demanded.
The decrepit mare said not a word.
“Make me Blueblood!” Noble Heart repeated. “You asked what I would do in the face of the apocalypse, and now I know!”
He waited to see if she would say anything, but she didn’t.
“When the apocalypse comes, I’m going to stare her in straight in the eye and tell her she can’t take me or everyone and thing I care about without a fight!”
The two stood in silence for awhile, Noble Heart glaring at her defiantly, and Princess Blueblood staring at him stolidly.
At last, she hobbled down onto her front knees and bowed deeply, much deeper than he had seen her do for Queen Celestia.
She lay without her regalia and with her eyes closed; silent, stolid, and calculating. The only movement either of them could see was the rise and fall of breath from her ribs and barrel.
He had never seen her like that before, and he was certain few ponies had.
At last, she exhaled softly and opened her eyes. However old she was, she truly looked it.
“Will you accept this colt, Celestia?” Blueblood asked, her tone no longer fawning or adoring.
“I am seeing many reasons why I should not,” the goddess answered, her voice barely louder than the crackling fire behind her.
“But you have to!” Noble Heart insisted. “Nightmare Moon is coming and the princess can’t—!”
Celestia did not glare or reprimand, but the look from her tired, ancient eyes silenced him. He lay down on the rug to quell his vertigo.
“Celestia, look at me,” Blueblood begged, appearing every bit of her 138 years. “I’m just so old. I’m so tired. I cannot keep on like this. And what’s more, Nightmare Moon is coming in twenty years. Do you genuinely think I can last that long?”
The queen looked at away from them, her eyes deep in thought. “I could never ask any soul to cling to life against their will.”
“Not directly, no, but that is what are telling me to do if you do not accept the colt.”
Celestia flinched. “I do not mean to.”
“Not with malevolence, you don’t,” Blueblood stated coolly.
The queen grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“My feelings are irrelevant in this matter, Celestia. What is not, however, is the fate of Equus.”
Celestia stood and walked to the window, gazing up at the half moon that held Nightmare Moon’s imposing visage.
Noble Heart forced himself to stand on wobbling hooves. His world was once again rocking back and forth in his enchanted vertigo, but he didn’t care. Blueblood was right: there were more important things to worry about than personal feelings.
“Queen Celestia?” he asked as he joined her. “What’s wrong with me?”
She reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the moon and looked at him.
“You said that—” He belched and quickly shoved a hoof in his mouth prevent himself from vomiting. The world was now tilting dangerously to one side and he started stumbling in his perceived direction of gravity.
The alicorn caught him with a wing, and he pressed against it until the world tilted to a less awkward angle.
Noble Heart swallowed the impending bile and started speaking again. “You said that-that—” he swallowed again. “You have reasons why you don’t want me. Why?”
She steered him to the fire, keeping him firmly pressed to her body, and gently pressured him to lie back down.
“You’re so young,” Celestia began.
He whipped his head to look at her. “And she’s too old!” he protested. His vertigo did not appreciate the movement and he felt an wave of vomit come up.
Half a step ahead of him, Celestia teleported a chamber pot in front of him.
When he was done puking, she continued with her explanation.
“The title of Blueblood is not one to be given lightly, Noble Heart. By calling a pony as such, I am naming them my crown heir to take the throne in the event that I can no longer rule. But I must give it somepony who I can trust, somepony who is dependable, and unfortunately, I cannot say that about you. You are simply too young. Your personality is still developing, Noble Heart, and you don’t even have your cutie mark yet! I only crown adults because they already know who they are, and while they can commit to change, adults rarely have the ability to change who they are at the core. I could give you the title of Blueblood tomorrow, but what guarantee do I have that you are still going to be worthy of it the day after?”
“The first Blueblood was still a filly when you named her your niece!” he argued.
“Bluebell was fourteen when I named her my heir, older than you are now,” Celestia pointed out. “Furthermore, I was not in the correct state of mind when I gave her the title.”
“Age aside, your grace,” the princess cut in, “that still does not change the fact that Equestria needs a Blueblood. When Nightmare Moon deposes you, we need to have stability.”
“And what’s to stop her from deposing a Blueblood?” Celestia countered. “Nightmare Moon is a god, not some mortal with megalomania and delusions of grandeur.”
Blueblood’s eyes narrowed. “Not even the gods are invincible, Celestia. Besides… I seem to recall a story of two silly fillies who took it upon themselves to journey across the lands in order to stop a callous god from practicing his chaos.”
The queen looked away indignantly.
The princess continued. “You’re right, Celestia: we don’t know what this foal will be when he becomes a stallion. We don’t know whether or not he will be good king or whether he’ll be able to challenge a god for supremacy. But we have to try. We have to at least give Equus a fighting chance against Nightmare Moon.”
Noble Heart pulled away from Celestia and forced himself to stand in front of her.
“Queen Celestia, I know you aren’t happy about this and that under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be your choice to help protect the world. But I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to protect Equus and everyone in it. I mean it!”
He looked deep into her eyes with determination. Despite his enchanted vertigo, despite reeking of vomit and looking ready to fall over, Noble Heart felt strong. He thought about Cranky, and Twilight Velvet and Night Light and Shining Armor, and his parents and his brother, and even the foal in Twilight’s womb. He would challenge gods for them. He would do anything for them, because if he didn’t, no one else would. He would guide them through the impending nightmare, no matter what the cost.
Celestia slowly stood, eyes locked on his all the while. Once again she was silent, stolid, and calculating: a powerful and wise god determining the worth of a mortal child.
But then she flexed her wings to their fullest extent and fell down to her front knees, bowing so deeply that her horn tip touched the floor.
“My Prince.”
He and Blueblood breathed a sigh of relief. “I won’t disappoint you,” Noble Heart promised.
Celestia stood upright. “I see how passionate you are about this, Noble Heart, and now I realize I wouldn’t be able to stop you even if I tried. Perhaps Equestria and Equus will be in good hooves.”
He lay down on the rug to prevent himself from keeling over. “What made you change your mind, your majesty?”
“Look at your flank, boy,” the princess said with a scoff.
Noble Heart’s heart skipped a beat when he saw it. A large, beautiful compass rose was embedded on his flank. “When did I…?”
“Right after you made your promise,” Celestia said with a gentle smile. “I’d be a fool not recognize such passion and dedication for guidance.”
