Letters From a Little Princess Monster
Trains, Strains and Explosive Pops
...coffee is something i don’t think i’ll understand. its’ nothing like tea. it tastes terrible, it feels like its eating my teeth, and if you put a bunch of sugar in it, it tastes even worse. i even tried it with cream, which i can remember comes from cows, but that didn’t help either. trixie seemed to like drinking it, so i preservered persevered and i think it gets better the more you drink. i asked if bourbon was the same way and she just spluttered a little and changed the subject.
* * *
The sun was dipping near the horizon by the time Prince Blueblood had finished his ‘tour’ of Ponyville, having found neither hide nor feather of any alicorn princess. It really did not bother him at all, because the connections that he did find were much more fascinating than anything he had ever seen in boring old Canterlot.
The townsponies were hiding something. All he had to do was to mention the name ‘Twilight’ to any pony in town, and they would happily bubble on about the adult unicorn that they had never seen, but they always knew some story about her happening to somepony else. She was a skydiver, a deep-sea swimmer, a seapony, world champion rodeo pony, international superspy, member of a secret Neighponese Ninja cult called ‘The Hoof’ or even Clover the Clever, frozen in ice for four thousand years and only recently thawed out in Van Hoover. She had never been in Ponyville, dropped by every Tuesday, only seen on leap years as the invisibility field on her glass zeppelin needed to recharge by moonlight. The connections he had gathered did not just point to one pony, they indicated hundreds, and mostly from stories he had read out of his family library when he was young.
There was no confusion spell spread over the town, no collection of Celestia’s trained intelligence ponies planting false stories, and particularly, no stories of other alicorns. Zip. Zero. Nada. The townsponies knew Luna was in Canterlot, and were particularly happy to regale him with uncounted tales of Aunt Celestia, but even the frequent visits by Princess Cadence to the small town were only mentioned in passing, as if an armored princess and her husband were an experience the town was trying to ignore. And doing quite a good job of it too.
He was almost tempted to stay the night and attempt to pry the information out of some of the lovely fillies that seemed to sprout on each street in colors and variety more numerous than his aunt’s flower garden. But that would involve staying in this little backwards town, so he dropped by the library one last time to annoy Trixie while waiting for the train.
The library was considerably more crowded than his last visit, packed up to the ceiling with boxes leaving only a few paths through the mess. From the cheerful voices that filtered out when he opened the door, it sounded like a number of little fillies and colts were eating ice cream and chattering away on the main floor, discussing elementary magical theory with — Trixie? He paused for a moment at the open door to listen to their voices, hearing the annoying blue twit actually sound normal for a change instead of the petulant whine or arrogant snarl that had always overlaid every word she spoke in his presence. She sounded… happy.
And there was a second quiet voice he recognized as the little mottled unicorn filly who had escorted him to the library, an inquisitory scamp who ended every sentence with a question, and several times, really advanced questions for a little unicorn her age. It might be worthwhile to bring the little filly to the attention of Aunt Celestia, so that Twilight could take the test to get into her School for Gifted Unicor—
Twilight
Twilight Sparkle
Age magic was alicorn-level, and the little cloaked unicorn had only appeared to be slightly younger than the pegasus colt with the camera. If Celestia had used an age spell on — no, that did not fit. The monster that raged through the Everfree Forest was a mindless beast, destructive as explosives and more powerful than even Aunt Celestia, the most powerful alicorn…
Connections clicked together in his mind, starting at the day the sun descended on Canterlot, to Princess Cadence’s trips into the Everfree, to the return of Princess Luna and one little unicorn filly with some suspicious wing-like lumps under her cloak. Little threads of information linked with others: Celestia’s infirmity on the day the Changeling hive blew up, Princess Cadence’s traditional trip to Cavelia even in the middle of the rescue effort, stories told to him by the changeling refugees, and the sudden remodeling that swept every trace of Trixie out of the castle while Luna moved in.
The kind of power produced by the Elements of Harmony could only be controlled by an alicorn, or a pony turned into one. That frightening day twelve years ago when the sun was pulled down on Canterlot was not an accident. Aunt Celestia needed an alicorn to use the Elements of Harmony, so she made one with that power, but the process must have gone horribly wrong. The newly-created alicorn had been driven mad and consumed in agonizing pain for years after she escaped to the Everfree Forest, and quite probably nearly killed rescuing Luna. Obviously, Aunt Celestia had reduced the young alicorn’s age to a young filly and placed her in this town to heal under the care of Trixie, of all ponies. Well, if anypony understood crazy…
“Pardon me, My Prince.” Blueblood blinked away his theories to regard a rather peculiar-looking zebra stallion with odd-shaped stripes who had moved up beside him while he was lost in thought. Both guards were nowhere to be seen, and in fact, there seemed to be a remarkable lack of ponies within eyesight who were paying either of them any attention at all.
“May I ask who you are?” After speaking, the stallion remained standing there in a relaxed stance, looking Blueblood straight in the eyes with a green-eyed stare that was mildly disorienting. Still, Blueblood shook off the feeling and stepped back a pace to return the look.
“I am Prince Blueblood, of the House Blueblood. Who are you?”
Those green eyes never even blinked as the zebra replied, “No, My Prince. I did not ask your name. I asked who you are.”
The answer startled him a bit, and Blueblood dropped back another step. “Why, you cheeky little… I am a Blueblood of Bluebloods, and I answer to nopony. Who are you?”
“I will answer you true when you have answered me too. Who are you?”
Blueblood paused with a sharp retort held unsaid on his tongue, regarding the zebra’s green eyes and uneven stripes. There was something about the stallion that just did not seem right, perhaps that piercing gaze that seemed to bounce off the back of his skull, or the way he stood with all four hooves twisted slightly into the soft earth of the path. It seemed as if there were only the two of them in a bubble of privacy, and even if he had raised his voice and screamed for the guards, it would still only be them. He thought for a moment, considering just how Aunt Celestia would respond.
“I am Prince Blueblood, fourth in line to the throne of Equestria. And as such, I demand that you tell me who you are now.”
“Or?” The zebra did not move one more muscle than was required to speak, but the penetrating green gaze seemed warmer, even humorous for a moment.
“Or I shall inform your wife that you have been misbehaving.” It really was not much of a stretch, since he had only heard of two zebras in town, but his guess was validated as the zebra promptly blinked and broke out in a short chuckle.
“My name is Tallgrass, My Prince, and I am of the changeling kind. And as to who I am, that is yet to be determined in many minds. Possibly father, probably husband, I would bet. And no, Zecora is not my mate. Yet.” Those laughing green eyes turned serious again. “And you are?”
“As before, but I suppose I should add that I am a unicorn stallion of uncertain destination who was seeking Twilight Sparkle.”
“I see.” Those serious green eyes narrowed. “Why do you say ‘was’?”
Blueblood considered a number of ideas before settling on the truth as a last resort. “I shall be honest with you. I was seeking a bride. Now?” He shrugged. “My plans have changed.”
“Life is change,” said Tallgrass with a nod. “So if that is who you were, who are you now, My Prince?”
Blueblood paused with his mouth open, but no words came out right away. Old habits of many years seemed to slough away in the evening twilight as he thought about his life and what the changelings had done to his long-stable plans. “I am… a Prince of all Equestria, of ponies and changelings alike, I suppose.” The silence from Tallgrass seemed to pull the words out of his mouth, and Blueblood continued, “They are my responsibility, even if I don’t like them very much, and more important than my own comfortable life.”
“I see. And what of this Twilight Sparkle whom you seek?”
“Twilight Sparkle?” Blueblood fixed the zebra with a serious look. “She is obviously in Neighpon, just like the newspapers have said. I shall have to visit someday. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to thank a young unicorn filly named Twilight for helping me find Trixie and to apologize for treating her so coldly. I’m starting to think this ‘apology’ thing is contagious. Do you know little Twilight?”
“She is the daughter of my wife-to-be, one whom I protect with all my life, you see.” Tallgrass raised one eyebrow and continued, “So who is she to you?”
“Only a helpful little filly with a blotchy coat,” replied Blueblood. “I believe I’ve spent a little too much time here at the library, so if you could come with me for a minute to pass my thanks to your daughter, I’ll just be out of your manes.”
“And catch your train.” Tallgrass pulled his hooves out of the loose dirt and bowed. “Long life and good health to you, My Prince. I wish you luck upon your search for a spouse suitable to uphold the honor of your house.”
“And to you for much the same,” said Blueblood with a tiny fractional bow in return. “Keep a sharp eye on that little filly of yours. I understand she’s gone through a lot, and she really needs a mother and a father to support her.”
And the last thing she needs now… is anypony like me.
* * *
…after we were done studying, we took a break down in the library with all of Trixie’s stuff and just talked about magic for a while. she’s really smart and only had to look things up four five times. i’m not ready for the test tomorrow but Trixie says not to worry because if i do badly, she’ll seduce the teacher and drag him off somewhere to get him to change my grades, which was nice but kind of wierd.
we met your nefew blueblood when everypony was ready to go home and introduced him to the rest of trixie’s students. i think he’s nice but a little weird, and tallgrass claims he’s just perplexuated, which i said he just made up. i’ll do ok at the test tomorrow. you don’t have to visit. really…
Thus ends the seventh section of the arc. Section eight will open at the return of the Equestrian Department of Schools Youth Education Specialist (Grade 2), on his yearly trip to Ponyville to evaluate the progress made by its unicorn students, and to organize a path of study for their next year. It is a visit of little fanfare that happens every year, and although I was tempted to skip it, I think it would be a good idea for me to include it. After all, everypony enjoys a good wedding or two.
Ooh. I like your Blueblood. He's a self-serving ponce, but not beyond redemption, because he's fully aware what a horrible person he is.
Or he is now, at least.
OOOOOOOOOO, is Green Grass going to be in this story?
Kinda wonder if Tallgrass was pulling anything on BB to get him to change his mind about Twilight.
Oh good. Another Blueblood with a chance for redemption/is starting to realise issues. That's always nice to read. Everypony always seems eager to turn others into villains without remembering that they're people too, and they got where they are due to something.
Even Blueblood wouldn't marry a filly, guess even the Royal Ponce has some kind of standards.
3961376 Are both story's cannon with each other?
Ooo, I love how Blueblood just put the pieces together. He didn't quite manage to put them together completely correctly, but if you squint a little he's not far off. Blueblood may be, well, Blueblood, but he is apparently not remotely an idiot.
And as it turns out, he's not really a bad pony either.
3961480 Well said, Trevor.
3961579 Meh, it was alright.
Basically, I guess I just hate how people want to forget the recurring theme of MLP:FiM, which is redemption and forgiveness. All of the mane six screw up over and over, and yet they're always forgiven, even if they're punished. Luna and Discord also got redeemed, and there's (mild) hope that Gilda might make another episode to get redeemed too.
People seem to WANT things to hate, despite the fact that the show shows (lel) us otherwise. As long as someone WANTS to be redeemed, they should be able to have a second chance, because that's what friends do. They forgive each other when they screw up. I guess I'm just sick of all the fics where Blueblood is a prick JUST to BE a prick. They don't show the why, for for what reason. Heck, one of the best versions of BB I've seen is where he starts as a prick, and STAYS a prick, but you can't really feel horrible about it/him because you know how he became one, and why he stays one, and that makes all the difference...
And I rambled. Sorry 'bout dat.
So, Blueblood is not a totally irredeemable ponce. I always love seeing that side of him.
Or did Tallgrass just use some Changeling Judo on him?
Also, please tell me we're gonna see some... "family reunions" in the near future? My heart aches for the Sparkle family. To know that their long-lost daughter/sister is alive and well... Just want some closure... and maybe some beetus.
Hah! Somebody remembers their Babylon 5.
3961614 Too true. I feel the same way about Trixie. In far too many stories, she, Blueblood and other 'villains' are just set up as one-dimensional 'bad guys' so the 'good guys' can look good taking them down... while unwittingly looking like way bigger jerks than the 'bad guys' ever did in canon. It's like there's a huge exception to the 'love and tolerate' concept applied to these characters, and we're supposed to just accept it.
If you have to push someone down in order to stand a little higher, you're not a hero; you're just a bully.
OMG, A DECENT BLUEBLOOD???? I mean sure, during the Changeling recovery thing he was decent, but that could have been political maneuvering to gain a strong front if Celestia passed or something. To actively abandon his plans out of concern for a little filly???? I want to see more of this... and I think he should get to Neighpon at some point and meet a pretty Geisha pony. Now there's a mare with class who would probably fascinate him and possibly be a good way to start redeeming him for good as he tries to prove himself worthy of her. Bonus points if she's also moonlighting as a kunoichi and messing with him.
Great chapter, I love all the crazy stories about Twilight, she is apparently Batman in this continuity.
Good
3961614
What fic is this?
I MUST READ IT!
3961761 Honestly... I don't remember. It was awhile ago, and I remember being pissed, so I tried to forget about it. And I do, unless something like this pops up, but I only remember it was bad, not the name of the fic. (I suck with names in general. It's a failing of mine...)
3961376
Though wrong in some of the particulars, this is a surprisingly astute guess by Blueblood of the course of events of the last twelve years, given what little information he has.
3961849 was thinking the same thing actually
Interesting. It's always nice to see a Blueblood with some decency buried under the jerkishness.
And do I detect just a hint of self-loathing in there? I think I do. Between that and Trixie setting his tail on fire in chapter 17, I'm calling Trixie/Blueblood as a couple by the end of this thing. After all, Equestria is a Magic Fantasy Land (™), and we all know what it means in Magic Fantasy Land (™) when two young, unmarried individuals dislike each other, now don't we.
Monster's letters might not have the best gramar or spelling, but they have remarkable insight into the character of the ponies around her.
Luna, you had best show up. If you don't, you'll be letting Monster down, despite what she says. You don't want to let Monster down, do you?
I could get used to this side of Blue Blood. I don't feel like I want to shove a flame thrower down his throat and turn it on, like normal. I hope we get to see Twilight's reunion with her family soon as well. The suspense is killing me.
When Tallgrass just kept asking "Who are you?"
This is the ONLY thing I could think of.
Fun chapter! Good arc. Curious where it will go next, things are starting to settle down it seems.
3962597 Might just wound you a bit, then. Next arc is the evaluation chapter, *then* the family chapter, which won't go quite as planned (then again, nothing in Ponyville goes as planned. The town budget is "We have some money, we'll fix things as they break and hope there's some left at the end of the year.")
3962425 No, not telling about the weddings. Just because I use that angle on The Traveling Tutor and the Librarian, doesn't mean I'm using it here. I have something completely different to screw up the world.
3961849 3961966 Well, Blueblood's special talent is making connections.
3961753 One would think the ponies of the city are 'getting into the act' with the crazy stories about Twilight Sparkle. Maybe they like her.
3961751 Zebra shamans have a way of getting inside your ODA loop (edit: Observe, Decide, Act), and Tallgrass is getting some practice with that skill. He needs work on the rhyming, though.
3961620 Um. I'm not sure how you're going to take the next arc after Evaluation. I will say that eventually there will be an epic Twilight/Twilight hug and many tears. But these things take time, and the ones closest to you are the ones it hurts most to admit back into your heart.
3961614 Well, I have written a BB fic called The Cancellation of Prince Blueblood that details a brief Twilight encounter. It's the one that got me thinking of OP Twilight, which indirectly led to this story.
3961563 No. Just. No. No way. Not even with Time Loops. Now the characters will be somewhat similar...
3961476 Self-introspection is a horrible thing to do to a Narcissist. Is it wrong that I want to ship BB with a changeling?
3961450 Yes, or at least a Green Grass similar to the Traveling Tutor. After all, his father showed up in Chapter 4 of Monster. The reunion should be epic.
3962952 Excellent example. Five years of pure excellence. So what do you want? :)
Okay thanks for answering.
3961376
Is it wrong of me to want to see a Green Grass Trixy ship? I mean... someone has to save him from getting forced into a marriage.
3962987 ODA loop?
3962987
Not even a little hint? What if I use the puppy dog eyes? (You can't see me, but I'm pouting as hard as I can)
3962952, with that avatar and forum name, I would have wondered if you had posted anything else.
This fic always makes me smile.
Leave it to a changeling to make someone take a long, hard look at himself...
Fantastic chapter. I love your take on Blueblood. I can imagine the web forming in his head during the Gala, the countless reasons to rebuff Rarity's advances as egregiously as possible. Or maybe that was just him being an ass. I should forget not that he is an ass. One with a sense of noblesse oblige, but still.
In any case, eagerly looking forward to more.
3962987
For you to keep writing this awesome story?
Loving the way the story develops. Monster!Twilight is too adorable.
3966249, and then there's the less often used, "Who do you serve, and who do you trust?"
Huh? was not thinking the prince would ponie up like that thought once he got the puzzle he would try and take monster for his own goals
I just read Chapter 14, part four. Bravo for giving Prince Blueblood the skills any member of the nobility would have had to learn, instead of depicting him as the fanfic-standard drooling idiot.
Well that was unexpected. Blueblood, with honor? I was sure that he was going to try and take advantage of Monster's issues for his own gain, because that's what he would do if written by pretty much anyone else. That he stepped out for her sake, and even said as much that the needs of his people are more important than his own really surprised me. I'll have to watch this character, there's more to him than meets the eye.
5693476 I think it has a lot to do with the responsibilities Celestia gave him in the previous story. He actually opened up his manor to the injured changelings after the hive explosion.
Looks like Trixie really sees Twi as a little sister.
...wow... just wow...
You actually made me like Blueblood there for a minute...
...Impressive.
I really like Blueblood in this fic as he comes into his own as a leader both within and without. even if he did try to liquor up a recovering alcoholic to get information. he totally deserved getting lit on fire for that.
There aren't many stories that paint blueblood in a good light. But you did better than most as you had him come to a revelation himself rather than any external force well done.
I like this Blueblood. He knows he has faults, but is not above change.
Tallgrass reminded me of a vorlon.
Always that same one question, and for such a simple question its also the hardest question to answer.
5693476 I suspect a fair bit of self-preservation was involved in that decision, as well. After all, he's seen what Twilight can do, has a surprisingly accurate picture of her current mental state, and is likely wary of shaking that mix to find out just how volatile it really is.
7916501
I agree with the second part but I don't know what a Vorlon is.
What a tale.
8914624
Ever heard of Babylon 5?
9177776
only the best sci-fi show of all time
9815338
But........ not the longest lasting that title belongs to Doctor Who.
Love it when someone makes smart, incorrect conclusions.
3961751
Soooooo, Bakugo?
Blueblood is just smart enough to be able to be dangerously really stupid. Also whatever changeling/zebra shaman bullcrap Tallgrass pulled is really terrifying here.