"You wanted to speak with me, Auntie?" I asked the Pony who called for me as I walked into her office, waiting for her to invite me to sit before I pulled the chair out and sat on it myself.
"I have some exciting news for you," Princess Celestia said as she stared down at me from across her desk, "We will be having a new pony living in the castle with us, a filly your age," She told me.
"I want you to give her a tour with me, you'll be living under the same roof after all," Celestia said.
"Is she going to be another Guard in training? I didn't know that they could begin training at only eight." I said, trying to hide any semblance of excitement in my voice.
There was no point in getting excited about things like this, it'll just lead to more disappointment.
A lesson I had to learn early on.
"She's not going to be a Guard, no~" Celestia smiled, "She won't be sleeping in the barracks either, but here in the castle proper,"
"In the castle proper? So she's a new maid? I wasn't aware Kibitz was looking for more servants." I said, fidgeting with arms of the chair I sat in.
"Not a servant either," Celestia shook her head, "She's going to be like you~"
Those words caused my ears to perk, catching my attention.
"She's... Also an Orphan?" I asked quietly, "You're adopting a niece?"
"Something like that~" Celestia smiled, showcasing a hint of giddy excitement that was rare to see in the Princess whilst inside the Castle, "Come, I'll introduce you to her."
Stepping out of her office, I followed after the Princess, walking down the corridor before stopping at one of the many unused rooms in the Castle that were kept for guests to use as bedrooms or studies.
"Blueblood, I want you to meet my newest student-" When she said those words, I felt like a glacier found itself lodged in my chest, a freezing sensation washing away any sense of the little excitement I had at meeting this pony.
Princess Celestia didn't seem to notice it, though, as she opened the door to reveal a refurbished guest room and the Unicorn Filly within.
"-Sunset Shimmer! Sunset, I want you to meet Blueblood Platinum. Blueblood, Sunset. Sunset, Blueblood." Celestia introduced the filly, Her Cyan eyes meeting with my Arctic Blue.
She had a crimson mane with pale yellow stripes, her coat was like Amber, and her horn glowed with a deep cyan that matched her eyes as she flipped through the pages of an open book. Her Cutie Mark was of a sun, the same color as her hair.
"As the Princess already said," The filly stood up and walked towards me, a small chuckle escaping her lips as she wiped a strand of hair away from her face, "I'm Sunset Shimmer! Nice to meet ya'!" Sunset Shimmer smiled brightly, her personality confident, energetic, and bright, like the midday sun, as she reached her hoof out to shake mine.
I hated her.
"Blueblood Platinum," I introduced myself as I let my hoof reach hers. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, too."
I didn't simply hate her.
Celestia smiled proudly as we shook hooves.
It was something more than hatred.
"Hope we can get along~" I gave her my best smile.
I despised what this filly represented from my very core.
I absolutely, unquestionably, abhorred Sunset Shimmer.
-------------------------------------------
Prince Bramble was walking in circles around the castle of Thicket, his hooves tapping restlessly as he bounced impatiently around beside the large tree that made up his home.
He knew what was going to happen today. He knew his father had invited the Ponies from Equestria to stay for a while, and he knew they were going to the place where Platinum Manor once sat.
To the place where his mother died.
"Mommy is sorry, Bramble, but I am going to have to ask you to die." Bramble shook his head, pushing the memories of that encounter to the back of his mind.
He tried to stop thinking of that day, to just move on and act like it never happened, but he couldn't.
For all the horror that occurred that day, it was also one of the best days of his life. It was the first time he met people from outside the Everfree Forest who weren't animals!
He helped Princess Cadance save Thicket! He helped stop a thief! He did so many things that day that all the bad that happened simply got outweighed by the good.
And to think that none of it would have happened had he not snuck out of the city.
"My sweet Bramble," The Prince's circling of the castle ended when a voice called out to him, "Go to your room."
"But Dad!" Bramble turned to yell at King Aspen, watching the Deer King exit the castle and step into his courtyard, his long white beard covering the red heart-shaped gemstone that rested over his chest..
"I will not hear any arguments from you," Aspen stared at his son, "I need you to stay in the castle, where you'll be safe."
"But I want to go with you!" Bramble argued, "I also want to understand what's going on with-"
"Silence!" Aspen yelled before he turned to two different Deers with different colored helmets, "Portunes! I want you to make sure Bramble stays in the castle!" He told the deer with the green helmet, "And Blackthorn! I want you to make sure no deer leaves the city while I'm off!"
"Yes, your Majesty!" Both Royal and City Guards saluted the king of the Everfree. "Come on, Your Highness," Portunes turned to Bramble, "You heard what your father said."
"But-" Bramble tried to argue, only for the Royal Guard to pull him close and whisper in his ear.
"My Prince, please, this is the most sober I have seen your father in... Ever, I believe." Portunes told him, "So please, go along with his wishes, just for the rest of the day."
"Fine..." Bramble sighed disappointedly, his eyes flicking up to see the sun begin to lower as the hour of noon passed.
"And besides, I am feeling quite forgetful today, I might not remember to lock the window to your room in the evening~" Portunes gave the Prince a smirk.
Bramble's eyes shone with joy as he heard those words, quickly running to his room so as not to give his father any ideas.
---------------------------------------------------
King Aspen stared ahead, looking straight down the road leading to his castle's gates, watching the crowd on the street part as a lone Pony made his way towards him.
"Where is Mi Amore Cadenza?" Aspen asked the Unicorn, his eyes briefly flicking around in search of the pink princess.
"She was unavailable for today, I came alone." Prince Blueblood Platinum told him. "I also hope you have some guest rooms available. I plan on staying for at least a week." The prince gave the Deer an apologetic smile, "Hope it's not too much of a bother, But I came to the conclusion that just one day won't be enough to discover all we need from the Manor."
"Very well," Aspen let out a snort, "I'll let one of the maids know to prepare a room for you."
"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Your Majesty-" Prince Blueblood said, preparing to give a courteous bow to the king.
"Just call me Aspen." The Deer stopped him from bowing, "Right now, we're both working as equals to discover whatever the Pony of Shadows has done."
"Very well..." Blueblood raised his head, "Only if you call me Blueblood in return, it's only fair, of course."
"Of course..." Aspen said before he looked to the duffel bag that rested on the Prince's back, "You can keep that here. No one will touch it."
"Good," Blueblood said as he gently placed his bag on the grass, "Because it's cursed to give a searing pain, as if you're dipping your hooves into molten magma, to anyone who tries to open it other than me~" He smiled simply.
"Are you trying to bring a weapon of-" Aspen turned to yell only to calm down as he saw the Unicorn's expression, "Oh... That was a joke..."
"Yeah, Just said it so nobody tries to open it~" Blueblood smiled, "So... We have a few hours before the sun sets, are we going to the Manor now or-"
"We'll go there now." Aspen said, his eyes focusing on the gates of Thicket as he began to walk, the Prince following next to him.
"Not bringing any guards?" Blueblood asked.
"No. I need them here in case things go... Badly." Aspen let out a slow exhale, "I need them to protect Bramble if anything happens to me." The deer looked at Blueblood from the corner of his eye.
"He is my greatest treasure."
"And besides," Aspen looked away from the Unicorn, "I need to do this alone..."
"..." Blueblood stayed silent as the two royals walked out of the golden gates of Thicket.
"My dearest Gaia..." Aspen whispered as the gem on his chest glowed with a warm red magic, his horns shining with a much softer green glow as the Everfree Forest seemed to move away, clearing a path for the two to walk, "I am coming for you..."
Blueblood looked up at the sky, watching the sky turn a deeper shade of blue, small, faraway stars beginning to appear in the late afternoon.
Blueblood Platinum took a deep breath and steeled his mind as he followed the Deer King deeper into the Everfree.
"Whatever secrets you're hiding, Uncle, I will find them." Blueblood silently said in his mind, one leg moving to grasp a crystal shard around his neck, "Besides," A small chuckle escaped his lips, his eyes briefly moving to catch a glimpse of his cutie mark.
"It's my talent to find what I'm looking for..."
----------------------------------------------
Omake: The New Court Sorceress.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza let out a tired sigh as she handed off a small pile of paperwork to a nearby pony, watching them from the corner of her eye walk away to give them to some pony who actually knew where to place them.
"I could be in the Everfree right now..." Princess Cadance said, stopping herself from groaning tiredly as she thought of how exciting her last escapade in the forest was, "I could be learning more about Amore..."
And so the rest of her day went, guards and servants walking through her throne room, giving her papers to look at, things to sign, telling her more important news she needed to know.
She doubted she needed to know that the Yakyakistani Embassy was bringing in more spices, but at least she knew it.
And it was during those boring hours of work that Cadance found the throne room silent. Guards were in a different room, the new rotation having gotten lost on their way here. No servants came by to give her papers. Nothing.
Cadance found herself alone in her throne room.
And with the little amount of free time she had, Cadance decided to let her mind wander for a moment-
"Are you getting Lazy, Mi Amore Cadenza?" Cadance quickly opened her eyes as a familiar voice echoed in the empty throne room.
"It can't be..." She whispered to herself as she watched a cloud of mist begin to swirl in the center of her throne room, the magical mist twisting and turning, small sparks of blue and purple magic flashing through the cloud before it exploded outwards, revealing a Unicorn, standing tall and proud in the center of the cloud, staring at Princess Cadance with a confident smirk on their face.
"Oh, but it can!" The Unicorn shouted, their smirk transforming into a smile, "For who else would cause a chain of events, leading your royal guards to leave the throne empty, just so they could perform such a magnificent entrance for one pony's eyes only~"
Princess Cadance stood up from her throne, her legs pushing her into a jump as her wings shot her forward.
"Than me?" The Unicorn smiled as Princess Cadance crashed into them, pushing the two of them down to the ground in a heap of limbs.
"Prismia!" Cadance yelled, her limbs pulling the Unicorn into a hug.
"Aww~ I missed you too, Lovely Little Pegasus~" Prismia said gently as she rubbed her hooves on Cadance's back.
"You look like you didn't age a day!" Cadance exclaimed as she pulled back, her eyes looking over the Unicorn.
Her coat was the same deep purple as it was when she last saw her, her black mane with the blue bangs that resembled a hood was the same, even her soft blue eyes were the same. The only thing that was different between the Unicorn before her and the Unicorn in her memories was the symbols on the golden shoes she wore.
"What can I say? Love is a better youth spell than Hate~" Prismia waved her hoof before she stood up, pulling the Princess up with her.
"Wha- Why are you- I mean-" Cadance took a deep breath to collect herself, "What are you doing here?"
"Did Celestia not tell you?" Prismia raised an eyebrow.
"Did Celestia not tell me what?" Cadance asked.
"That I, Sorceress Prismia! Have been sent here to be your new Court Sorceress!" Prismia exclaimed, a piece of paper popping into existence next to her before floating over for Cadance to read, "The correct terminology is Court Mage, but I already have the title of sorceress, so I have decided to keep it."
"This is- wow... But-" Cadance's eyes looked away from the document she was given, "Why you in particular?"
"Because I asked nicely~" Prismia said with a roll of her eyes, "Really, Cadance, you know I specialize in Emotional Magic. When I heard that a position was open for a new Court Mage in the Crystal Empire, I knew I had to take it." She explained, "The Crystal Ponies used to be the greatest practitioners of Emotional Magic. Back when they still had unicorns, of course. Here I get to research all the notes they saved up, while also watching over you~"
"I- I don't know what to say..." Cadance said.
"I think You got the job is a good start~"
"You got the job!" Cadance yelled before pulling the Unicorn back into a hug.
"Also, I was told to keep this a secret, but I don't really want to~ Alloro's planning on visiting, she wants to meet your entire family," Prismia told Cadance, causing the Alicorn to quickly pull away from the hug.
"WHAT?! Alloro is coming here?! WHEN?!"
"In two or three weeks, I'm not sure~" Prismia shrugged, "Enough about her, I want to meet the stud that won your heart~"
"Wha- Don't change the subject! Alloro can't come here!" Cadance quickly flew to block Prismia from leaving the throne room, only to cough as the Unicorn disbursed into a cloud of mist, reappearing behind her.
"Why not?" Prismia asked as she leaned against a crystal wall, "She raised you for eleven years."
"Because... Because not all of my family is here! Yeah!" Cadance nodded her head quickly, "Most of them are still in Canterlot! And some of them are in Ponyville! And one of them just started traveling around Equestria, and we won't be able to contact him for at least a week! And the Secretariat Comet is coming in eleven days, so I'll be too busy preparing the Kingdom to deal with the magical surge that will follow and-"
"You're making excuses, Cadenza." Prismia said gently before she cupped the Alicorn's chin, "Look me in the eyes..."
Cadance looked into the Sorceress's eyes, a soft blue glow escaping from the Unicorn's horn as she asked her, "Why do you not want Alloro to visit?"
"Because she's like my mother," Cadance began to speak, "And recently I discovered some things about my Mother, my biological mother, and I... I don't want to compare her and Alloro... I don't want to think of her at all, and if Alloro is here... I just don't want to think of her and Alloro in the same light." She let out a sigh.
"You mean Princess Amore?" Prismia raised an eyebrow, "I thought all these Crystal Ponies love Princess Amore."
"They love her, yes, but I can't." Cadance shook her head, "The more I learn about her, the worse she seems, It's like... Whenever I look deeper into her, the more... The more horrible she becomes. And I understand that a majority of the Crystal Ponies didn't know of most of those things that I know about her, so they still love her, and I don't want them to stop loving, but... I myself can't bring myself to do so."
"So you don't want to think of Alloro as somepony similar to Amore?" Prismia reiterated, "Hmm, She's still going to visit, I don't think you can stop her, you know that, right?"
"I know..." Cadance's laments were interrupted as the doors to the throne room burst open, Shining Armor breathing heavily under his armor, a squad of guards following him as they entered the room.
"Cadance! Is everything okay? We saw smoke and heard yelling and-" Shining Armor asked as he ran in, his chest heaving from having sprinted across the entire castle.
"I'm fine, there's no reason to worry for me." Cadance tried to reassure Shining Armor.
"I'm your husband, It's my duty to worry about your safety." He said as he started to calm down.
"Aww~" Cadance cooed at her husband's words, only to remember she wasn't the only mare in the room.
"So this is the stallion that you married?" Prismia asked, a smirk beginning to stretch across her face, "Hey, Stud! Follow me for a moment, I need to talk to you about some things!"
"Huh?" Shining Armor asked dumbly as the Sorceress pulled him out of the room, "Like what?"
"I'm the one asking questions here-" The doors closed behind them.
Leaving Cadance to imagine what embarrassing questions the mare was going to be asking her husband.