It was important to maintain appearances.
Prince Blueblood kept up his regal, stony facade as he led the dark gray guard ponies through the hallways of Canterlot Castle. He kept himself a half-stride ahead of them for the sake of appearances: it wouldn't do to be lead around like some criminal. Though the curt wording of his Aunt Celestia's letter had certainly implied this meeting may end with him being labeled one.
Prince Blueblood of Canterlot:
I require your presence in my study no later than midnight tomorrow evening.
We must discuss your behavior at the Gala.
-H.R.H. Princess Celestia of Equestria
The Gala, of course. It had only been yesterday that the mares from Ponyville had completely destroyed the grand event. The royal guard ponies leading-- following him were stern faced and silent as always. Not that the common rabble of Canterlot ever had much to say to him. When they did it was largely empty braying of compliments or endless fawning and bowing and scraping. That, or mares trying to talk their way into his estate by way of his bed. The guards weren't much for the former and, Blueblood shuddered, would not be terribly successful in the latter.
Not that any actual mares had been either. The estate part, anyway.
Of course Blueblood had a fair inkling of what this was about. At the least he had a few ideas of what it could be. The Gala had been a complete disaster, and she may blame him somewhat for that due to his presence in the ballroom at the apex of the chaos. There was also the small matter of his having inadvertently insulted a number of the chefs in the royal kitchens over their choices for catering the affair, though that had been before the start of the Gala proper. Also, of course, there was that mare--
He noticed that both of the guards stopped following him a few paces away from the masterfully engraved, gilded doors to Princess Celestia's private study. They both wore poorly-hidden smug looks on their ashen, nightguard faces. He tried not to react.
Prince Blueblood sighed as he raised a hoof to knock at the door. The sound reverberated through the stone hallway. A moment passed before a carefully guarded, slightly-too-maternal voice called from within. "Come in."
He hesitated, but then simply pushed the door open with his hoof, not bothering with magic for the moment. Celestia's carefully maintained 'princess smile' only twitched momentarily as she saw him enter, and was fully back to its normal blithe meaninglessness as he closed the door behind him.
Prince Blueblood had been Princess Celestia's 'nephew' for nearly the entirety of his life. He knew her in a way that fairly few other ponies did. Perhaps her protege... Sparkle, was it? Perhaps Princess Luna. Nopony else knew how to really read Princess Celestia. But the point here was that nopony else would see anything but the Princess calmly resting on her plush velvet couch, sipping at a cup of very fragrant tea.
What Prince Blueblood saw was exactly that, of course, but he also saw the slight glimmering along the edges of her mane. He saw the slight over-brightness of the room. He could feel her body radiating heat as though it were midday instead of rather late in the evening. He could see that slight tension in her jaw, behind her pleasant, maternal smile. None of these were good signs.
"Hello, my dear nephew Blueblood."
"Good evening, Auntie."
Blueblood crossed the tufted carpet of the private study carefully, stopping to stand perhaps two ponylengths from the princess. He bowed respectfully, or respectfully enough if one considered his title. Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, did not deign to reply to his bow, and so he spoke again to fill the silence. "You wanted to speak with me about the Grand Galloping Gala, Princess?"
The use of her title, rather than the markedly less formal 'auntie', did not go unnoticed, he saw. Prince Blueblood was afforded a great deal of leniency due to his noble status, but even he knew it was a bad idea to go blatantly provoking royalty. He felt that adding her proper title might help ease the tension he was feeling from her. It didn't seem to work quite as well as he'd hoped.
"I trust you've kept up with the news today, nephew?" Celestia's voice was warm and motherly, with only the slightest icy undertone that chilled him completely.
He thought a moment. Oh yes, that. "Your private donut party with the... what are they being called? The Elements of Harmony?"
Celestia's response was only a silent nod. She was plainly waiting for him to go on.
"... Two of which I met at the Gala. I expect the white mare--"
"Her name is Rarity."
None of the normal, placid, endlessly patient Princess voice was in that statement. Prince Blueblood took a step backwards without really thinking. "... Yes, Rarity. I suppose she spoke of our time together at the Gala."
The temperature of the room raised a degree or two. Celestia's mane positively shone with light. "She did."
She only waited for him to continue. Prince Blueblood bit back the initial defiant reaction. Obviously treating an angry princess like he would an impudent commoner would not bring good results. Trivializing the unicorn mare's wishes wasn't really what was needed here either, nor was trivializing the mare herself. Celestia was feeling indignant, self-righteous, and hurt on the part of her friend. As grating and irritatingly humbling as it was, biding for time was all he could think to do.
Not that he could think of anything to say to do so. The silence stretched on for a moment, and then became unpleasantly awkward. As each interminable moment stretched on and on, Blueblood's ability to think only waned. Finally, he managed to compose himself just well enough to deliver a line with only a slightly coltish squeak. "What did she say?"
Princess Celestia stood up from her couch and walked slowly around the study, her hooffalls on the tufted carpet somehow sharp and loud despite the material. Prince Blueblood didn't turn to continue facing her as she circled around him. Standing stock-still was just about all he could manage, and the growing frustration in his chest wasn't helping matters. "After I convinced her to be honest, she told me of 'the most uncharming prince she has ever met'. I know you were raised to treat ponies better than that, nephew. I am very disappointed in you."
That last remark cut more deeply than he had expected. It was something all ponies felt, from the lowest rock farmer to the most important ponies in Canterlot, even Prince Blueblood himself. Something about the royal Princesses made all ponies want little more than their approval and respect. Hearing disappointment in Celestia's voice would cut anypony to the core. Blueblood forced himself to stay adamant and upright. "What should I have done, Princess?"
He immediately regretted the derisive inflection on her title. The icy undertone in her voice dropped a few degrees, while the anger-induced heat in the room increased a few degrees. There were few things that truly scared Prince Blueblood. Rioting mobs of the underclass, Hindian ink that threatened to stain his pristine coat, the sight of any of the foals in Canterlot that had could be said to have inherited his eyes, and... an angry Auntie Celestia.
"She wanted a date, Prince Blueblood. You could have treated her to one. A pleasant, chaste evening and she would have been satisfied."
'No, she wouldn't have."
The flare of light in the room made Prince Blueblood immediately regret his tone. In a moment, a number of thoughts flashed through his mind. First, he was doomed. One doesn't just directly defy the Princess, even if one is royalty as well. Secondly, he was right. Of course he was right, he was always right. Thirdly, now that he was doomed, he may as well prove that he's right before he's sent into exile anyway.
Prince Blueblood spoke again after a moment of being glared at by the Princess. He only faltered a moment before he managed to get his normal imperious tone. "I've... I've seen that look on other mares before. She wouldn't have been satisfied with a chaste date, or any date at all."
A raised eyebrow was the only response he got from the Princess, and so he continued.
"She wasn't after me just for a pleasant evening, chaste or not. Mares chase me constantly, I expect I've had more unchaste dates that even the Wonderbolts. That mare--"
"Rarity." The Princess' voice was slightly less strict this time, for some reason.
"-- Rarity is lucky it was me she went after. At least I had the presence of mind to scare her off."
Princess Celestia's anger faded, though Blueblood could tell this was only a momentary reprieve at best. He'd piqued her interest. May as well keep going. "Auntie, if I had wanted anything from her, anything, I could have had it without trying. She's a commoner, trying to marry her way into the nobility. A lesser stallion would have used her to his pleasure and discarded her."
Celestia scowled at his wording, but he was far too deep now to bother to stop digging his own grave. When Celestia spoke, however, none of her anger was in her voice. Only a tired resignation. "Gold Slipper. Blue Belle. Fleur Dis Le--"
"YES, Auntie, I know I have had my share of mares. If I could take back some of my actions, I would. I do consider myself not only an exemplar of all things good about unicorns and an absolutely dashingly attractive stallion, but also an excellent judge of character. The nobility would have destroyed that ma-- Rarity."
Princess Celestia stared at Prince Blueblood for a moment. He felt uncomfortable, as if she was staring directly into his soul. Her voice was forceful, but not angry. "She is stronger than you think, nephew."
Blueblood sighed. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this. "My dear Auntie, with all due respect, you have no idea what being a noblepony is like."
To her credit, the Princess did not immediately flare into anger again. She only furrowed her brows to express her displeasure, and waited for him to continue.
He took a deep breath, composing his thoughts for a moment. "You were born into your role, Princess. Look at yourself, you're an alicorn. You stand half again my height and I'm tall for a stallion. You don't have to worry about all the courtly drama and intrigue, all the backstabbing mares, the reporters hounding your every move and publishing whatever they like. You don't worry about your appearance, because it is always perfect on its own. I have six dedicated groomers, Auntie. I must keep my appearances and reputation in mind every moment that I am out in the public. Any mistake you make is either patently ignored or, at worst, whispered about in private."
Celestia frowned at him, but didn't stop his half-addled ranting.
"A year ago I stumbled accidentally at a club opening. I had been awake for thirty hours, attending a string of events that I just couldn't afford to miss. For three weeks following the papers and socialites simply ran rampant with rumors of my having this disease or that one, or possibly my disdain for the club itself, or that I was drunk in public. No amounts of legal threats or offers of bribery could stop any of it. Can you imagine the scandal if I took a wife from Ponyville?"
The Princess took a moment to consider this, before shaking her head. "Nephew, you could have simply rejected her outright instead of treating her so poorly."
Prince Blueblood, despite already doubting that he would be a prince any longer after this meeting, actually scoffed at the princess. "Do you think that would have worked, Auntie? She would have found some other noble stallion who may well have sent her home carrying a foal! I acted worse, more pampered and spoiled than I normally would, so that she would take years before trying this again. For now, she completely hates the idea of dating a noble at all, let alone royalty. Perhaps after a few years of being on the fringes of the nobility, she will be more able to join us properly. She certainly has the beauty for it."
Princess Celestia by now was actually sitting on her haunches, staring at Blueblood in disbelief. Her voice carried none of the scorn or anger she had been showing previously. "Nephew, I... had not thought of that. I may have misjudged you."
He sighed again, shaking his head. "Not really, Auntie. According to all my servants, I am an insufferable lout. I won't be changing that. But I don't seek to simply rut with every mare that throws attention to me, and Rarity has potential beyond that. After the Gala, I am simply seen as chasing another pretty tail, and being stymied by the ruin of the party. She will be practically ignored, instead of being followed constantly and having her life ruined by the attention."
Prince Blueblood's eyes widened as he was suddenly pulled into a hug with Princess Celestia, her forelegs around his shoulders. A subtle, unplaceable, incredibly calming scent filled his nostrils, and her soft and warm body made all of his troubles immediately fade from his mind. How long had it been since she had hugged him like this? He felt like a colt next to this pony. He felt tiny and immature and completely at her mercy; he hated it.
He hugged her back like he could never let go.
After a few moments, Celestia pulled away, and the two ponies took an appropriate short moment to collect themselves. Celestia spoke with a quiet, almost contrite tone. "I must apologize, nephew, I assumed the worst of you without thinking."
Blueblood took a moment to respond, almost instinctively using his magic to fix his slightly ruffled mane. "You can hardly be blamed, Auntie. But the hour is getting late and I've got a milk bath to attend to. For my coat, you understand."
Princess Celestia nodded, a small, but genuine, smile on her face. Prince Blueblood paid her the proper bow of respect and quickly saw himself out of the room. He put on an appropriate look of chastisement for the benefit of his auntie, not wanting the guardsponies outside the door to notice that he had avoided any punishment. Then, he lead the guards back out to the palace gates, half a step ahead of them.
It was, after all, important to maintain appearances.
