The Firstborn of the Stars
Chapter 1: Luna's New Foal
Starswirl the bearded sighed as he prepared the spell. The sirens had been a curse on the land for too long. They had caused nationwide havoc and if they weren't stopped it could spell utter travesty for equestria and beyond! But this didn't keep him from regretting the thing he had to do. He had cast a special spell on himself to make himself immune to the sirens song, something the sirens themselves were not aware of. Not until it was too late.
"NOOOOO!" sonata and aria cried. They screamed their spell franticly but to no avail.
"WE WILL BE BACK! THIS ISN'T OVER! U HAVEN'T DEFEATED ALL OF US!" adagio's threat faded as she and her sisters were sucked into the vortex. All was calm. The sirens were gone. But adagio's last words echoed in starswirl's mind. "you haven't defeated all of us!". What could she possibly mean?
Far off, deep in the safety of the sea. A newborn siren watched the scene without comprehension. Her stars-shaped heart crystal glowed blue. Without the influence of her sisters she had no need to feed on hate. she had never liked it, or been able to compel it anyway. But that did not change her song ability one bit. As the waves swept her off into the unknown, she stared at the beauty of the night sky. The currents carried her into a calm lagoon and into the everfree forest. There, she spotted a soft blue light. She was instinctively attracted to it. She followed it and soon found herself in a cave filled with glowing blue flowers and a small waterfall cascading down on one wall. she sensed magic thick in the air, and loved the cave all the more for it. She caught sight of a small bed in a corner. She suddenly felt very sleepy. She crept over to the bed and settled down, her nose full of the sweet but strange smell of the glowing flowers. She was fast asleep in moments.
Having already visited the dream realm, princess luna, goddess of the night, defender of dreams, and second in command for all of equestria, roamed the everfree forest. She was looking for signs of trouble, performing her duty to protect ponykind in the depths of her night. She slowly but surely headed towards her favorite cave.
Once she arrived she was astonished to find a very young foal sleeping peacefully in her cave. The cave had been a place where luna liked to visit just to relax and enjoy herself when she could. She had enchanted the waterfall to always flow but never flood and the flowers to always bloom and never stop glowing or die. This was her paradise, but now some young foal had found it and was sleeping in it. She didn't want to wake the foal but she needed answers. She had cast spells to hide this cave from the outside world but somehow this foal had found it. She tried to enter the mind of the young one but found herself unable to.
"Strange," she thought to herself. "This is certainly one special foal" then she caught sight of the heartcrystal. She gasped as everything became clear. Then the foal started humming in her sleep. At the sound, luna covered her ears, but she soon found that although she could sense strong power in the foal's voice, it was not an evil power.
"Could it be?" she thought as she uncovered her ears. "A good siren? Could it be possible?" The foal's heartcrystal started glowing blue. A natural, sweet, good blue. The foal yawned awakening from her slumber. Then she looked at luna with bright eyes. She laughed and reached up her hoofs, wanting to be held. Luna grasped the foal in her magic and held her close. The foal only wanted love. She meant no harm. Luna was already falling for the little one's cuteness when-
"Mommie" the foal smiled as she said it. "Mommie"
"What!? Oh no! No no no no no." luna had no time to care for a foal. She had duties, she couldn't possibly… the fola looked at her with those big adorable pleading eyes and said again "mommie" this time with more begging in her voice.
"Oh. Oh!" luna raged a war in her mind. On one hoof, she had duties to equestria and they had to come first. On the other hoof though, this was a very special child who needed a home and would be in grave danger without help. Luna gave in.
"ok" she said smiling at her new child. She was now a mother, her daughter of the night, the first born of the stars.
"Well" she said thinking "first off thou shalt need a name." she examined her new foal. She saw the sparkle in her eyes, her blue coat and flowing mane, her star-shaped heartcrystal. Only one name would fit such a combination.
"How about 'Blue Star'?" she asked. The faol giggle in delight, seeming to like the name.
"Then Blue Star it shall be." luna said. "Now i shall fly thou home and introduce you to my dear sister." and with that she flew off cradling Blue Star in her magic.
(at the castel) "tia! Tia wake up!" luna said excitedly.
"Luna?"celestia said still groggy. "What's going on?"
"There's somepony thou hast to meet!" luna continued slightly annoyed at her sister's unwillingness to wake up to such an important thing despite it still being night. She showed the sleeping Blue Star to the wishing-she-were-still-asleep Celestia. "This is my daughter" luna said proudly but quietly. "Her name is blue star. She's a reformed siren, and I am going to raise her"
"Good for you luna." celestia said absently. I took a minute for Luna's words to sink in during which luna stood there counting backwards in her head. Sure enough, once she reached one, celestia sat bolt upright in her bed and shouted "WHAT!?"
"Hush sister! Fie! If I had not foreseen this response and thus put a sound trapping spell in place your scream would have awoken and put the entire castle in panic!" celestia looked around at the bubble of silence confirming what luna had just said. Then she caught sight of the foal in luna's loving hoofs. "Are you out of your MIND!?"
"Peace dear sister. She is harmless. We love her, and we hope thou shalt come to do the same."
"But her voice could-"
"It is of no harm." Luna assured "I heard her song and was not affected in the least. Her voice holds power, but not that of malice." As if on cue, Blue star started to sing in her sleep again. It was a quiet soft sound. Celestia couldn't deny the goodness emanating from it, and luna wouldn't deny the power in it.
Neither said a word until Blue Star stopped her song.
"Well" celestia said, now calmer. "She is quite a wonder, however…..how wilt thou find time for such a task?"
"I was just pondering that myself dear tia." luna said, obviously thinking. "And we think we may have found a solution. For the times that I myself cannot attend to her I will assign a guard for her. For both companionship and protection." celestia thought this over. "I was thinking perhaps sargent Shadow Shield. He is loyal and a trustworthy guard. And for the day mayhap I could assign a day guard? As thou know sirens need no sleep when they come of age." Luna looked expectantly at her sister. After all, tia was a kind and merciful ruler. How could she turn away Blue Star when all she wanted was love?
"Mayhap that could work." celestia finally responded. Luna's heart lept for joy and it showed clearly in her face. She released the sound trapping spell.
Tia looked at the now silent Blue Star. "Blue Star, welcome to equestria, and to our family."
The next day was filled with hustle and bustle. The princess had scheduled a special gala on the spot but nopony knew why. She had also decreed that she would make a big announcement to all equestria at the gala. Thus the castle was very busy. The guards were on alert as usual. The cooks worked overtime to make sweets worthy of the event. Servants worked hard to make the ballroom so clean it sparkled. Tapestries were hung that were only used on very special occasions. Reporters crowded outside the gates trying to get the inside story of what princess Celestia could possibly mean by all this. But nopony paid much attention to them. Celestia was working hard to appease the crowd while still keeping the secret. The only ponies who knew about the new princess where princess Luna and princess Celestia, and one very special pony charged with designing the stain glass window to commemorate the occasion.
Luna was meanwhile attending to her new foal. Blue Star would have only the finest. Luna hoped with all her heart that Blue Star would come to love her night as much as she did. she had begun to feel like her subjects didn't like her as much as her sister, or appreciate her night. But she stuffed those feeling down and went on with her duties night after night. She hoped that Blue Star would help to change that. Maybe seeing another princess of the night would help her subjects to accept her. Even if they didn't it would be enough if her daughter did.
"Oh, dear Blue Star" luna cooed. "Thou art so beautiful. Dost thou see the good in us as we see in thou?" Blue star giggled in response.
"mommie!" Blue Star giggled as she flapped her wings. She flew around the room gracefully until she flew smack into the window.
"Blue Star!" Blue Star started crying. Luna swept her up off the ground and cradled her in her hoofs. "Shhh. all is well. No call to weep my dear child." luna hushed. As she said this, Blue Star stopped crying and her heart crystal began to glow. Luna watched, confused and astonished as Blue Star floated bathed in blue light. Then the bump on her little head disappeared before Luna's eyes and Blue Star stopped glowing and came to rest in her hoofs.
"A healing spell" Luna breathed amazed. "How hast thou to complete a healing spell. That is a spell only achievable by years of practice and tutelage." Luna was truly puzzled. How could it even be possible for such a young foal to successfully achieve such an advanced spell?
"Thou art truly a special faol." she commented. "Thou has great power. In time we shall teach thou to best use these powers. One day thou might even have the power to raise the moon with me." Luna smiled as she thought this aloud, and Blue Star giggled as if she understood and was excited to learn. A guard knocked on the door.
"Princess Luna?" his gruff but professional voice asked through the door. Princess Luna quickly cast a sound trapping spell and an invisibility spell on Blue Star as she called back "thou may enter". But instead of a guard, princess cadence entered the room. She gave Luna a warm smile. "Greetings Luna. thas been a long time." as soon as luna recognised her she smiled very big and undid the spells on Blue Star. "I was told there was something…." she traild off when she caught sight of Blue Star staring back at her with curiosity in her big blue eyes. "Oh my! Thou hath born a foal!" cadence exclaimed.
"Well not exactly dear niece. We hath adopted her, and we hath named her Blue Star." Luna raised Blue Star up with her magic proudly. "She is incredibly advanced in magic and in flying. My sister hath arranged a gala for tonight in Blue Star's honor. Tis then when we shall address the public and announce my dear daughter's arrival to the royal family. Nopony yet knows about her but us and tia."
"My lips are sealed." cadence promised. "Although i cannot wait for the kingdom to meet her"
"Nor can I." luna said with a smile. Although that wasn't entirely true.
(That night)
Luna felt something she hadn't in years: nervousness. She desperately wanted her subjects to love her daughter as much as she did. What if they didn't like her? What if they didn't accept her because she was a siren? What if they decided to riot?! What if….
"ENOUGH!" she yelled to herself. "This is ridiculous! Our subjects will accept our daughter. Everything will be fine." she took some deep breaths.
"I couldn't agree more my sister." celestia said as she strode into the room. She was wearing a very ornate dress with many shades of pink, orange, green and gold and had adorned her special occasion regalia. Luna herself was wearing a dress covered in ruffles and clouds with shades of blue, purple, silver, and black, and her special regalia accented the dress perfectly. "It will all be fine dear sister. Rest assured, my little ponies will love Blue Star."
"Yes, of course you must be right." Luna took another deep breath. "They shall adore her, as we do." Celestia smiled and luna smiled back.
"It's time" Luna gently grabbed Blue Star from her new crib and followed her sister down the hall to the gala and the awaiting crowd.
The ponies hushed their chatter as they saw the princesses stand on the balcony overlooking the gala. They could see Luna was holding something but couldn't tell what it was.
Celestia addressed the awaiting crowd "Welcome everypony to the Gala of the Stars. We have come here today to celebrate a very special pony. My sister luna will now tell thou all about her." she looked to Luna smiling and stepping out of the way for her to stand on the most seen part of the balcony. Luna took one final deep breath and stepped up to the golden railing.
"There is great news opon this night!" she said in the royal canterlot voice. Not only have the sirens been dealt with by starswirl the bearded once and for all, but a special pony will soon be joining the court!" she waited for the excited murmurs to quiet down before she spoke again. She gentaly removed the blanket from Blue Star and lifted her up in her magic for all to see while she spoke. "This is our new daughter! Her name is Blue Star!" after a stunned silence that seemed to last forever to Luna but really only lasted a few seconds, a cheer went up among the crowd. "Long live the princesses! Long live Blue Star!" they chanted. Luna and Celestia retreated down the steps to greet the crowd more in person, and for the whole night Luna and Blue Star where showered with attention and affection. Luna had never felt so proud. However one among the crowd cheered but for a different reason entirely. Far before the gala ended, she crept outside and, once she was sure that none could see, she released the disguise and took her true form. The changeling spy flew off into the night undetected.
To Be Continued...
