Canterlot at night.
It's a lovely sight, the moon shines bright,
the stars twinkle o'er and we bask in their light.
It's the night of The Gala and... and...
Um...
Shoot. I was never much of a poet, but I'll keep working on it. Anyway, it's the night of the biggest party in Equestria, everypony who's somepony will be here, which, one hopes, will include the one pony I've longed to meet ever since I saw her in that magazine, the most beautiful creature ever to grace these halls, the-...
Is somepony singing? I hear singing. I'm acquainted with the idea that one is supposedly able to hear music when thinking of their potential special somepony, but this sounds... Off. I peer curiously out the window closest to the sounds. Ah, there are indeed ponies singing! Quite a few of them, actually.
My heart stops. Among the singers, I see Her, the mare I've longed to meet since first I learned of her, the short-lived super model that just up and disappeared a while after her debut, the bearer of the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy! My tongue tingles to even speak her na-well, think it. A prince doesn't speak to himself aloud, that would be a sign of psychosis, so my tongue does not tingle so much as my mind. Mind tingle. Whatever.
But it's more than her stunning beauty that captivates me, she's said to be the sweetest, kindest, most patient pony in Equestria, that she, too, takes a liking to the natural world... Barring dragons, rumor goes, but my personal list of beasts, manticores and the like, I'd pay good bits to never come in contact with far outstrips her own, so I'll not judge there. I've dreamt many a time about introducing her to my own friends in the Royal Garden, talking for hours about each and every genus and species and how they relate to we ponies in the grand scheme of things, holding and petting the little ones, oooh, I can hardly wait!
She'll surely come to the Garden herself, I should get going, and catch her as soon as the opening ceremonies are concluded!
---
Something I've kindof never noticed before? Living in the castle is a little on the odd side. That's not to say there's anything wrong with it, it's Canterlot Castle, perhaps the nicest, most luxurious, most comfortable place in the world, it's just that whenever something big and important happens here at the palace, The Gala, for instance, I'm guaranteed to be invited. I live here. All the guests are seeing the sights of this magnificent architecture for perhaps the first time, a sight they'll likely remember all their lives. Me? I'm just walking around my house. Well, Auntie's, but you get the idea.
Perhaps this is why the Gardens feel so special to me? The company of a flock of exotic birds is unlike anything I've ever felt among ponies, the quiet understanding between us so much more meaningful to me than the predictable pleasantries of the Canterlot Elite. Yes, even the buzzard who perches on a nearby branch pretending to be aloof, but still inclines his head or lets out a buzz enough to show he's paying attention to the rest of us. You're not fooling anypony, you big softie!
I'll head out now, but as I move toward the Gardens, I give a cursory glance over my shoulder. Not seeing Miss Fluttershy anywhere, I figure she must already be outside...
---
Hm... Odd, I don't see her out here, either. There's this other mare, though, purple mane, white coat, looking in my direction quite a lot... Now that I think about it, wasn't she near Miss Fluttershy when the singing started? Perhaps they're acquainted? I'll go introduce myself, just in case...
We exchange names as I struggle to contain my enthusiasm for the coming meeting, I can feel the enormous grin practically splitting my face. Her name is 'Rarity'. Before I can ask about that most enamoring of pegasai, she points out one of the roses I've helped to grow in a nearby bush. That's when it hits me, a rose, of course! While pretty and fragrant, -not terrible snacks either, if one is careful of the thorns- they also signify a certain closeness with nature, do they not? Many flowers are pretty, roses are among few that bear even a small threat to those that hold them, not unlike the animal life I've come to know on these very grounds... The anaconda around the back has nearly greeted me a little too enthusiastically, a few times.
Anyway, the rose, it's sure to show Miss Fluttershy that I'm as tune with living things as she is! Still, it would be... unfitting, to say such a thing out loud. I blurt out something about it matching my eyes and take the rose, putting it in my vest where it's sure to be visible. I know there's a certain romantic implication with roses, but as that, too, is part of what I hope to bring up when I finally meet her, I hope it isn't too forward. Wouldn't want to scare her off by coming on too strong, after all.
Oh, Rarity's still here. Perhaps she intended to meet Miss Fluttershy in the Garden as well, if only to socialize as friends do? I grab a pillow and take a seat. Waiting...
---
An hour. An entire hour I widdle away like a buffoon, sitting here under the stars!
Not that I have anything against the stars. As I tried to wax poetic earlier, they twinkle very nicely, and from what I've seen of Aunt Luna, she's a very nice pony as well. It's just that every minute I spend here is another I don't spend in the company of what may some day be my very special somepony, even my wife, my Mrs. Blueblood...
Bah, I've let myself be distracted for far too long, it's time to go in search of her! I've already ascertained that she's not in this area, perhaps still inside? Perhaps... Perhaps she's actually waiting for me? My heart skips several beats at the notion, but it would only make sense, these are the Royal Gardens, are they not? They are! Perhaps she, but a humble beauty of common upbringing, believes she would not be welcome in such a wondrous place without express permission? Oh, my dear, darling Fluttershy, to think yourself unfit to walk the place more befitting your nature than even the most elegant and grandiose constructions of pony kind, your grace is eclipsed only by modesty!
...I wonder if that would make a good poem?
Regardless, I rise to my hooves, I must go in search of my fellow lover of all things natural -that aren't likely to eat, poison, shred, or otherwise brutalize my royal person- wherever she may wait! I don't know where to begin, Canterlot Castle is, I've learned from experience, a very large place, I used to get lost on the way to lunch all the time as a colt. Oh! It's possible that she's become misdirected as well, that she wanders the halls in a hurried daze, just aching to lay eyes on the flora and fauna I've come to know so well all these years! All the more reason I should make haste, or she may be wandering for days, living off water from restroom sinks and potted plants for nourishment!
I would thank you not to ask.
I notice that Miss Rarity has chosen to accompany me on this quest without a word. Perhaps she wishes to help, then? It is, I suppose, only natural to assume a serving role in the presence of royalty, so I welcome her assistance. We survey the castle together, though she seems more often than not to be looking in my direction than searching for Miss Fluttershy. Perhaps she suspects the one we seek will appear immediately out of my vision, and has been checking where I have not this whole time?
Clever girl, that Rarity, clever girl.
Oh, blast! We come to a puddle, directly in the path in which I was moving! I hold out a foreleg to stop my companion from carelessly blundering into it.
"Miss Rarity, stop!"
Stepping through puddles may result in a splash, which may result in unseemly dampness upon one's clothing or fetlocks, a poor means with which to make a first impression on one's beloved, or even slip on the surface of lessened friction and be injured! I could, very easily, but step around the spilled liquid, but being a colt born of the highest blood, I was very strictly taught that a prince never alters his path, never takes a step backward, for to do so is to appear weak! But still, I must overcome this obstacle... I look to my partner in this quest.
"One would hate to slip."
"Yes," she replies with a giggle, "one certainly would."
"One's cloak should take care of the problem."
She smiles at me. "Of course it will."
And then something odd happens. It takes her a few moments to register that I am not currently wearing a cloak, she is. It seems to be with a hint of confusion, perhaps even frustration that she eventually removes an excess piece of cloth and places it over the puddle, that we may proceed. She seems to be scowling slightly, irritated by her own inexpedience in the matter just passed?
Don't worry, Miss Rarity, of course I forgive you!
But we must press on, the time lost here is even more that Miss Fluttershy could spend hopelessly lost, the wonders of the Royal Garden but a fleeting dream in her gentle mind!
---
...How long has it been? How long have I wandered in search of my ideal mare, whom in turn has likely sought me at the same time? Probably hours, at least, for it is still but night time. We must press on, but this ordeal wears on me. Miss Rarity smiles, looking at a nearby stand of some sort, manned by a single orange earth pony. Refreshments! A fine plan of action, and certainly preferable to potted plants in a hallway. We approach the vendor, weariness must be, fittingly, wearing on me, as I don't quite catch what Miss Rarity says to her.
"That'll be four bits," Says the pony I could swear is wearing a stetson. A well-made one, but still a-...
Miss Rarity clears her throat in my direction. Is... Is she suggesting that I be the one to complete the transaction? A prince, it was made very clear to me, does not expend needlessly, even for himself! Towers, music halls, bridges, perhaps the occasional extravagant wonder of the world, these are the things one of my position offers funding for, the smaller things are left to the smaller ponies, of course! I clear my throat in her direction. She mimics the motion. I do it again, more forcefully, this is not a matter to be taken so lightly! One does not simply flout the rules of one's position! Just as Miss Rarity seems to grasp this, the vendor pony speaks again.
"It's ok, Rarity, I got'cha covered."
She then hands us the... What are these things? I don't care in this moment, I'm so famished I don't even hear whatever Miss Rarity's saying as I take a bite. I quickly learn this was a mistake. Regurgitating the mouthful unceremoniously onto the ground, I try to brush the flavor off my tongue as I take a good look at the earth pony's wares, horrified at what I find.
"Fritters! Dumplings! Caramel apples?! My royal lips have touched common carnival fare!"
If mother could see me in this moment, she'd likely bleed from the eyes and mouth as my nanny retrieved the meter stick again, nobility absolutely do not partake of peasant delights! I decide on cleansing my palette before it is stained with this country food's common aftertaste. Forgive me, Miss Fluttershy, but the magic mouthwash young princes who ingest the wrong things are forced to take is a miserable fate indeed.
"I'm going to the buffet for some, hors d'oeuvre."
Rarity catches up just in time to open a door for me... But then she doesn't. I nod toward it, which I felt signified all that could be implied about the situation, but she only mimics me. Again! I repeat the action more emphatically, and so does she! What's wrong with this mare?! I close my eyes, malnutrition is no excuse for a prince to lose his composure. As I'm maintaining my royal calm, Miss Rarity finally seems to understand, opening the door. I proceed through, eager to fill my stomach and continue the all-important search.
---
More meandering through the castle, no sign of my soul mate anywhere. Perhaps in the ballroom, well away from all the lovely plants and darling animals, the last place she should conceivably be? Rarity is much faster with the door this time. Anyway, it's the only one I've not checked... Well, that's not true, the Garden is much bigger than the area I waited in, but surely she'd have gone through there first, I mean-FLYING CAKE!!
The next instant passes before I know what's happened, Miss Rarity having boldly stood in the face of frosting and stickiness to defend me! Before I can say a word to congratulate her, she turns, red in the face, and begins shouting at me for some reason! I can't hear the words as well as I can see the colorful, attire-ruining mess all over her. I hold up my hooves defensively, fearful of an encounter with Miss Fluttershy in which I am adorned like a wedding cake.
"Eww! Uh, stay back, I just had myself groomed!"
She glares at me, looking slightly incredulous. "Afraid to get DIRTY?!" And then, in a manner not at all befitting a lady, she shakes herself off like a Labrador, projecting the sticky mess onto everything within the vicinity! I stumble back, trying in vain to avoid as much of it as possible, but, standing only on my hind legs, I trip, colliding with something.
My mother encouraged throwing my weight around as a colt, but never like this, I think, for before I know what's happened, several columns and a statue are destroyed. I never knew I had such strength! A mere moment later, doors leading to the Garden open, and a veritable stampede of my critter friends storms in, and, standing at the door, dress ripped and filthy?
I see her, my heart freezes in my chest, but for a completely different reason than I'd have ever hoped, terror! Not that she'd witness me in less than my best, as I was at that moment, but for the look of her. I'll never forget what I saw that night, face twisted with rage, pupils shrunken as madness gripped a once-delicate mind! But worst of all? Her scream.
"You're... Going to LOVE ME!!!
I laid on the ground in horror and icy shock, who was this pony? Where was the kind, gentle, peaceful soul I'd longed for all this time? I have but a guess, a speculation those in tune with nature are more likely to understand. Fluttershy, for all her beauty and splendor, is but a creature not unlike those she led inside and sensed what transpired when I knocked over those columns, she smelled a powerful alpha male, and the sheer, animalistic lust drove her mad!
As I lost consciousness, I could only think of the atrocity of what I'd inadvertently committed, dear Fluttershy would never go back to her demure ways now that she'd known power, and it was all my fault!
In the days that followed, Prince Blueblood was seldom seen outside the palace, becoming something of a recluse. The few who saw him in person said he seemed, different from before, always acting very carefully, as if anxious when in the presence of anypony at all. He seemed scared, almost... Shy.
Author's Note
You might have guessed, but I'm going for 'Oblivious Ponce' here in terms of princely characterization, as it seemed like the funniest option. Hope it was entertaining! :D
