Jump to content

Wolf in Pony's Clothing? (Pressy)


Blueblood

Recommended Posts

 

LHoNTYo.jpg

 

With the realization that his companion was still rather rattled, Taira instinctually gave Blueblood another nuzzle to the cheek. "Sorry about that, Blue-san..." The kirin rubbed at his nose again and then looked back up to the handkerchief, "I'd be happy to make use of more of your hoofkerchiefs, but that one is the first you gave me! It's special." Taira sniffled a moment as he watched the Road. He could see some carriages going in opposite directions across the street. If Taira waiting a couple seconds longer he could...

 

Taira assumed a ready position and would then jump up and on top of one of the carriages. It was a strongly built one, considering ti held him and he didn't wind up just crashing through the roof of the thing and on top of the two richponies inside.  He waited a few seconds and then jumped again on another, taller carriage crossing the street and then onto a nearby in a show of agility. One last leap took him to a fire escape on the building opposite the street, where his kerchief now dangled in the wind. A strong breeze almost snatched it up, but the kirin was quick enough that he snapped it up in his jaws.  

 

"I got it!" He called down to his friend before leaping down back onto the street, "See? Told you I could get it!"  For such a sturdy looking kirin he was certainly light on his hooves. When he got back down he was already making use of the cloth, "Hmm... Well, now that you mention it... I've been curious about that magic school place since I stopped by. It seemed pretty lively when I walked by earlier today."

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"It's quite alright, really..."  Blueblood's protest was a weak one, not really one to object to Taira's nuzzles.  Really, if the big shaggy stallion wanted to be affectionate or impressive, who was one unicorn Prince to stop him?  And sure enough, the kirin was impressive once again, bounding from carriage roof to carriage roof, leaping at last to snatch the kerchief away from its brief dreams of becoming a flag.  Huzzah!

 

"Wow!  You demonstrate quite the ability, although..."  Blueblood paused awkwardly in his congratulations to spare an eye towards the bounced-on carriages.  The owners and drivers had stopped in shock upon hearing, and feeling, the sudden impact of the heavy stallion.  That stoppage now was backing up traffic, leaving quite a few high-class ponies in a lowering mood.  "Er, yes, perhaps we should best get going!  Auntie won't be in at her school, it's not in session today anyway I think, but that means we won't be bothering anypony by showing up!  Anyhow, let's be off..."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

LHoNTYo.jpg

 

 

Taira was mostly oblivious to the worry of the high class ponies in their carriages. His attention was still focused firmly on Blueblood, so he paid them no mind. "Lead the way, Blue-San!" The stocky easterner followed along cheerily behind, un-phased by the glares behind him from the passengers of the carriages. "So a Magic school, right? All of them are new mages for the most part, right?" Already he was curious, " It's been a long time since I've seen any advanced magic from other lands." 

 

In the back of his mind, he was only slightly worried that all the mages might be able to see him for what he truly was... but the prospect of seeing this place was just too exciting for him. He'd have to be wary of any particularly powerful magic user's though. Sudden magical swells like the ones Blueblood gave off might lead to more problems with his disguise and he'd rather not end up flooding the entire school with his mist if he could help it. 

 

The kirin eagerly cantered back up beside his fancy friend, "Are there any other very notable mages that teach there?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blueblood, being slightly more sensitive to the opinions of the nobility at large, set a hasty pace towards the academy.  "Well, more or less.  Auntie's school has grades from Magic Kindergarten all the way up to Graduate Studies, but it's mostly colts and fillies.  Still, some of them are rather precocious.  But if you want advanced magic, you'd best ask the teachers.  I heard that Starswirl the Bearded himself popped back up from a thousand years ago, bit like Auntie Luna, apparently.  Don't know if he's actually giving lectures these days...."

 

The Prince blinked, realizing how bizarre that must have sounded.  He tried to figure out how to explain it, but his own muddled knowledge of magic was failing him.  "I don't know, there seems to be a lot that happened a thousand years ago, and now all sorts of ponies and whatnot are coming back from that time.  At least, they are here; does that sort of thing happen in your county?"

 

They had arrived at the campus during the discussion, though out of a kind of habit Blueblood was entering through the gardens rather than the imposing facade.  "Most foals come in through here; they originally built the school when marble architecture had to be cold and impressive.  This way is much more welcoming."  Indeed, the path was lined with many bright flowers, with little sculptures of unicorns reading or casting spells around a fountain.  The whole scene presented the impression of learning as a fun adventure, bringing friends along to romp through the world of the arcane.  Some of the statues looked as if they had been recently added to form this particular impression.

"Never came here myself as a colt.  At least, as a student.  I'd sometimes meet Auntie here, before we'd meet to play together... hm, though that was only twice I can remember."  Blueblood wandered the gravel path with the slow care of melancholy nostalgia.  "I had... much different dreams and ambitions then."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

LHoNTYo.jpg

 

 

 

Hearing about precocious students caught the stallion's ear. While advanced magic was fascinating, youngsters often seemed to come up with the darndest spells. He'd made up his own mist magic when he was a youngster. How great it would be to see those days again. Upon hearing the name Starswirl, his pace halted only for a moment. That name sounded so familiar... well surely he'd realize where that name was from in time. 

 

Taira scrunched his nose slightly as they approached the school. That scent of magic hung heavy in the air as the pair approached. In response, Taira steadied his breathing to make sure he wasn't too bothered by the intense magical scent. Keeping his mind off his nose would require some distraction. Blueblood's question couldn't have come at a better time, "Hmm... Well, Now and then some very very old yokai pop up from time to time. Or some very ancient kaiju come to stomp around on the landscape." As the pair strolled along, Taira would scrub his hoof to his muzzle again and heave a sigh, "Seems some Older Yokai have been popping up here and there lately." He could only imagine Heiwana's ears burning back home in Neighpon. With a smile he cantered back up to the noblepony's side, "Some of the Yokai have some issues with the Neighponese over past actions committed against them and that seemed to be what brings some out of hiding."

 

Magnificent scupltures in the courtyard were certainly something to admire later, but Blueblood's melancholy tone wound up grabbing Taira's attention. "Ambitions?" He asked as he gently pat the stallion's shoulder, "... if it's not uncomfortable would you like to share them? I had some strange desires when I was younger too... so I doubt they're anything you should be ashamed of,  Friend."

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Old grudges... unless someone is planning to forgive, I don't see it as very productive to unearth them."  Blueblood remarked as Taira alluded to awakening Yokai.  "As a diplomat, I have enough problems with present-day conflicts without some hoary old legend hauling out their moldy disputes like some cantankerous feuding clan matriarch.  Thank Faust Auntie Celestia and Auntie Luna were able to reconcile."  The Prince had an... odd relationship with the past.  His own lineage and history had plenty of obscure privileges and responsibilities that he would stubbornly defend if challenged, but outside his own class and circle, encountering ponies or other creatures of similar temperament irritated him.  Especially if he had to deal with them in a professional capacity...

 

He sighed again, as memories of simpler days continued to haunt him in the school gardens.  "I wanted to be a sailor.  I got my cutie mark for navigation, you know.  Both socially through crowds, and also through the seas by the stars.  Sometimes I dreamed of being a pirate, other times a navy captain, or merchant marine... being a dashing stallion, having adventures on the seas and parties at the ports.  I tried to run away from home when it was clear my parents wouldn't let me do that, but they caught me before I was able to make it on board a ship.  After that.... I had to stop dreaming."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LHoNTYo.jpg

 

 

Taira gave pause at the prince's response. The older stallion sniffing at his hoof for a moment to see if he smelled at all moldy. Thankfully, the only hoary parts of him were that of his mane and tail.  "Hmm... perhaps." He said as he cantered alongside his friend, "... although I'm not sure if it's quite the same as the disputes ponies had with each other. Stories say that the pups of wolf yokai snatched away so they could be raised to be used for their fine pelts. I can only assume it's a unique kind of infuriating if a yokai saw their own brother being worn as a hat or a coat." One deep breath later, Taira managed to calm his heart over those turbulent days. 

 

His attention again turned to Blueblood as the pony spoke of his past dreams. He spoke of the sailor's life, dashing adventure and celebrations. It was all a very appealing life even to Taira, if he wasn't so bound to the land he would have loved to see the seas. Once Blueblood stopped talking he'd feel a gentle bump to his head, "Now, Why would you go and do a fool thing like that?" He scoffed and took a deep breath, exhaling a small amount of mist that formed the image of a vessel sailing on a sea of clouds. 

"You're a prince, aren't you? Whose to stop you from buying a boat right now, stocking it with your closest friends ... and maybe one or two savvy sailors and going on to the horizon? You can still do all those things now, can't you? You've already got the dashing part down." He shot the prince a wink, "Piracy might be a bit extreme to try, but running your own ship on the high seas, seeing new places and having parties on return, I think you can do all that right now... even if it's not exactly how you dreamed when you were a colt."

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taira's point about seeing relatives worn as clothing was a good one, Blueblood had to admit.  It would be pretty hard for him to negotiate with, say, a caribou chief wearing his marefriend's skull as a brooch.  Ugh... those were depressing thoughts, not that wresting his mind back to the current topic of conversation was much better.  His new friend's attempts to revive his youthful dream only wrested a sigh from the Prince.

 

"Would that it were so simple... of course, when I was hauled back home, I wasn't old enough to defy my parents, but right after... they were lost in an airship accident.  Had to assume the title early, and keep the estate together.  Felt guilty as Tartarus, too; you know how foals can get at the death of their parents.  Thinking that what happened was their fault somehow..."  He shook his head.  Time to put those emotions back in their box, no use taking them out for air again.  "Found myself tangled in a web of petty social responsibilities.  Got free of that, mostly, in the past few years, but only by taking on greater burdens.  I can't really run away to sea anymore.  Not for more than a week, anyway, and the time is hard fought for."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

LHoNTYo.jpg

 

Feeling responsible for the fate of one's parents was hardly exclusive to foals.  The notion hit close to home for Taira, although he'd not thought about those feelings in almost a millennia.  For a second, Taira was taken back to the night of the great battle with the demon bear on top of the mountains with his pack. His father was the leader back then and he didn't make it through to the end. The night's end saw to it Taira inherited the mantle of his father along with the responsibilities of leading the pack... even though he still thought Ranu would have been a much better candidate than himself. 

"You... might be surprised how well I can relate to inheriting responsibilites and loss." He gave the stallion a consolatory nuzzle, "I had to take up my father's business after he passed... and not long ago I lost a daughter before I could even get to here her say her first word." There was a sort of resigned sadness in his tone. Here he'd thought his travels might give him some distance from his worries. Seems not. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blueblood leaned into the nuzzle, breathing deeply of Taira's mountain scent.  "I suppose this sort of thing is the price we pay for living.  Tragedy strikes so many, and all we can do is offer comfort, aid, and prevention where we can."  The Prince stared idly into the fountain, silent in contemplation.  Try as he may, it was impossible for him to put the sorrows of his past back into the dark closet of his mind.  Nothing for it but let sadness take it's course, and hope to halve it by the sharing.

 

Anypony encountering the pair in the garden now might have been forgiven for thinking the two of them had been friends for much longer than a day, if not closer than that.  Blueblood was now resting against Taira's shaggy coat, quietly letting a few tears go, both for his own and the disguised yokai's sorrows.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...