Sorry is the hardest word
A member of royalty walking through the streets of Ponyville was not an uncommon sight. Being the personal fiefdom of Princess Twilight Sparkle meant that a Princess was seen almost daily (Depending on how much on a study bender Twilight was on). Along with Princess Luna’s annual pilgrimage for Nightmare Night and Princess Cadence's visits to her sister in law, the residents of the large town had grown used to ignoring a ponys status.
But today a member of the royal family that most had only seen in the newspapers was walking through town. Flanked by two members of the Celestial Guard, the ponies that saw the procession were not sure whether to bow to the stallion or not. Prince Blueblood was not a pony that had a good reputation in the town, the heart of the gossip network (a certain white unicorn that likes to make dresses) had seen to that. And the stories in some of the newspapers only confirmed what they heard on the grapevine.
As the stallion walked through the marketplace, Applejack’s attention was drawn to the commotion that the new arrival was causing. Unfortunately for the mare, she made eye contact with the Prince who was looking around a little lost. Seeing the face of a member of the Royal Circle of Friendship, Blueblood started walking towards the Apple’s market stall.
A fear started to rise up from the very depth of Applejacks soul, as she battled an inner dialogue. The Prince had hurt, emotionally rather than physically, her friend and the spirit of honesty was urging the farm-mare to give the stuck-up noble a good talking to. But equally a large part of knew he was a member of Equestria’s Royalty, and it would not be proper to cause a scene in the middle of the marketplace - even for a country mare as herself.
As the Prince reached her cart, Applejack bit her tongue. “Good Morning Prince Blueblood” she nodded politely as she spoke.
“Good Morning, er, Applejack” the unicorn replied a little light and softly “I was hoping you could assist me?”
“Why of course your highness” she replied through gritted teeth.
“I need directions to - ”
“Princess Twilights castle is just over there.” Applejack interrupted, pointing to the obviously large crystal castle on the edge of town.
Blueblood sniggered slightly “I can see that fair mare. Thank you, but I’m not looking for Princess Sparkle. Can you point me in the direction of Carousel Boutique?”
Applejack was so startled by the question, that she mumbled the directions and just pointed in the direction of the fashionista’s shop. Blueblood thanked her and began the walk across town.
Meanwhile. inside the boutique, Rarity was finishing up the cup of tea she was drinking with Twilight and Spike. Spike had volunteered to work with Rarity on a new project, and Twilight had popped along for a walk and a visit. Looking at the pair, it filled the alicorn’s heart with joy to see the new deeper friendship that had developed between her ‘son’ and her good friend. Sure, Spike had taken a while to get there, but the maturity he had shown by moving on showed he was growing up...a little too fast for her motherly instincts!
About the same time Twilight got up to leave, Blueblood approached the boutique door. He could hear multiple voices chatting inside, and hearing the higher pitched tones of the pony he had come to see caused a pit in his stomach. Instructing his guards to wait outside, he knocked on the shop's door.
“Come in, we’re o-pen!” a singsong voice called out from within, and with a deep breath Prince Blueblood opened the door and stepped inside.
It took but a few moments for Bluebloods eyes to note Twilight Sparkle in the room, and he instantly bowed on his front legs “Princess Twilight, I did not mean to intrude on you!”
“Prince Blueblood” Twilight curtsied back, surprised but remembering the formalities.
“Are we alone?” Blueblood asked nervously.
“Yes, there is just the four of us?” Twilight replied with a hint of confusion.
“Then please Princess Twilight, do not lower yourself to me, I do not deserve the honour from one that has earnt it!”
The three other creatures in the room looked at each other with a bit of surprise. Twilight trotted over to the unicorn stallion, and gently lifted his head with a hoof “Blueblood, we grew up together. I consider you a friend...of sorts.” Twilight added shooting a look over to Rarity “And I don’t let my friends bow to me.”
The larger pony stood up but still somehow seemed to shrink in the presence of the smaller alicorn “That may be Princess Twilight, but you are a true royal whilst I am nothing but a name.”
Twilight stood there a little confused. When living at the castle as a filly, the two of them started out as good friends, both learning from their mentor, or aunt, Princess Celestia. But blueblood was a little older than her and as he grew up he seemed to become more and more distant until such a point they would never see each other.
Then the next thing she knew was the chaos at the Grand Galloping Gala, and the story from her friend afterwards. She had no reason to doubt her friend, and still didn’t to this day, but something about his behaviour didn’t seem to ring true to the picture in her mind. As well as the stories she had heard of his behaviour in recent years.
“Well, whatever our respective statuses, you are a friend and I don’t expect my friends to bow...or call me Princess” Twilight smiled softly at Blueblood, giving the stallion a little of his resolve back.
Spike and Rarity had just watched this unfold, but Blueblood now turned to address them. “Forgive me for my rudeness, Good Morning Spike...”
“Good morning Prince Blueblood” Spike replied, as confused as Twilight. He had also grown up round the pair, and he remembered times as a young whelp that the Prince used to play with him, and take him on adventures. And then it all just stopped.
“...and lady Rarity, I hope you don’t mind my visit this morning?” Blueblood continued.
Rarity didn’t respond, and just stared at the visitor. Her mind was torn between the need for politeness, and the desire to let rip with a tirade of abuse. She may be a lady, but the evening with Prince Blueblood had dug a deep scar in her dating confidence. This was further hampered by the whole Trenderhoof incident.
Her thoughts were brought back to the present day when Prince Blueblood spoke again “Ms Rarity, I have no desire to intrude. If you want me to leave, I will do so with haste, but I just want to talk.”
“Okay?” Rarity replied a little coldly, leaving a silence in the room.
“I was just leaving, so I’ll leave you to it...if thats okay with you?” Twilight asked, clearly asking her friend.
Rarity nodded, and Blueblood turned back to Twilight “Of course Prin...Twilight. Can I come and visit you when I’m done here?”
“Of course, I will be studying but feel free to come and find me in my castle once you are finished.”
With that, Twilight slowly trotted out of the boutique, causing the guards outside a slight panic to drop into a bow as quick as possible as a member of Royalty casually walked past.
Blueblood then turned to the dragon in the room “Ah, Spike. Will I see you later with Twilight?”
“Here’s staying here to work with me. Anything you have to say, can be said in front of Spike!” Rarity added a little forcefully.
Whilst Spike perked up at hearing this, he knew what it really meant. The old Spike wouldn’t have taken it as a sign of affection, but now he knew that he was Rarity’s rock - a steadying influence in a life that had lacked stability for a long time.
“Heh - ” Spike looked a little sheepishly at Blueblood “ -what Rarity said.”
Blueblood paused for a moment to think “I guess you heard from Rarity about the Grand Galloping Gala?”
Spike nodded to confirm, looking over to see Rarity with a determined but also slightly nervous look on her face. Blueblood coughed to clear his throat “Well, then there nothing I am about to say that will be of surprise then. Rarity, can we sit?”
“Yes, of course” Rarity waved her hoof towards the table where she had been previously sitting with Twilight “Would you like some tea, theres more cups left in the pot.”
“Yes please. That is most generous of you.”
The trio walked over and Rarity poured three new cups of tea with her magic, adding milk and sugar to her own. Rarity sat on one side of the table, Blueblood on the other, and Spike in the middle. As the three of them drank, an awkward silence descended over the pair. Blueblood looked nervous, and Rarity finally plucked up the courage to say what was on her mind.
“So, you must be here for a reason, I haven’t heard from you since you pulled me in front of you to protect yourself from a cake!” Rarity’s voice was calm, but a slight inflection at the end made her feelings on the matter clear.
Blueblood visibly winced at that “I can but only apologise for that. And thats why I’m here, to apologise.” The stallion took a deep breath "I'm sorry."
Rarity looked over to the stallion skeptically, but kept her lady like demeanour “Go on”.
Blueblood sighed and put down his cup “I don’t want to make excuses, what I did to you that night was atrocious! No mare deserves to be treated like that, epically one of Equestria’s national heros.”
Blueblood stood up and went over to a window “But I wasn’t myself back then. Growing up, I used to be just like any other pony, my status meant nothing to me. I studied and played with anypony else.”
“I remember that you used to play with me as a whelp” Spike replied.
“Yes, but with Princess Cadence growing into her role I became jealous of the true royalty and started a path towards self destruction. I drank a lot, started doing salt and withdrew from all my friends.”
“I did wonder why we started seeing you less” Spike replied softly, clear feelings of hurt audible in his voice.
“Then, when Princess Luna returned I was both usurped by another alicorn, and the bearers of the elements, my descent really began. I was out of my mind most days, and started a selfish life living off my royal stipend”.
Rarity was feeling a little sorry for the Prince, but years of pent up anger didn’t dissipate that quickly “You didn’t appear to be drunk at the gala!” she protested.
Blueblood flopped down onto the cushion at the table “Not even i would be foolish enough to go to the gala drunk or salted up. But my foul attitude and the self importance I had put on myself stuck even when sober. And thats what you got at the gala”.
Rarity wanted to protest, but Blueblood seemed to be genuinely spilling his heart out.
“I didn’t change afterwards. When you, Twilight and the others defeated Discord, I got even more envious of everypony else, which just fueled my stupid behaviour. I was jealous of Captain Armour marrying Cadence that I didn't even go to her wedding! Cadence, a pony who had always been a cousin to me, a dear friend of many years and I was so arrogant that I missed her first, and maybe only, wedding!”
Blueblood suddenly got a stupid little smile on his face “Not that I would have been any good against the challengings, no it was you and the rest of the element bearers defeating them whilst I ran like a coward.”
The stallion paused for a moment to sip his drink, before continuing “I stayed with my decadent lifestyle and Twilight coronation just fed my growing paranoia that Celestia was out to replace me...of course that was just the effects of the salt, but I grew more and more withdrawn.”
Blueblood looked across with affection to Rarity. “It was only the Tirek incident that made me see sense. When everypony’s magic was stolen, a lot of ponies such as myself just wallowed in pity. But others didn't, they tried to do something about what was going on. I saw Prince Shining armour struggling to try to break into the royal chambers, and I realised just how low I had sunk. He was willing to do anything to protect his wife, despite his complete lack of magic and strength, and I released I had nothing in my life I care for that much”.
A few tears started falling from the Prince’s eyes as he spoke, and he quickly got up and looked out of the window again. Rarity and Spike looked at each other again, not really sure what to say and what to do...there was somepony who they almost hated crying in front of them causing them to be torn.
After a suitably long pause, the stallion started speaking softly again “That day changed me.” He turned and looked guilty at the pair “I’ve been clean ever since, and have been through a vigorous detoxing program. But whilst I can change the future, I can never change the past. All I can do is try to make amends.”
Rarity was still confused as why he was there, but encouraged him to continue “Okay?”
“I’ve apologised to Cadence for missing her wedding, as well as growing apart when we were growing up. Of course the sweet thing forgave me straight away, as is her very nature being the princess of love. And later I’ll seek out Princess Twilight to apologise for missing her coronation.”
“I’m pretty sure the princess of friendship will forgive you!” Spike replied a little sarcastically.
Blueblood turned towards Spike but without any anger “You’re right, she is a better pony than me, and by a large order of magnitude. But maybe one day I can be 10% of the pony she is and do some good in my life. I hope someday to make it up to you as well noble Dragon. But that leaves one of the most important ponies left to apologise to…” and her turned to the unicorn in the room “...you!”
“Me?”
“Rarity, you were just a young mare a little infatuated by me, and I treated your feelings like you were nothing. I should have gently let you down, or treated you properly, something. Regardless of your standing as a bearer of the element of harmony, no young pony deserved to be treated like that!” Blueblood was practically on his knees by this point.
Rarity was shocked at seeing the noble prince, a stallion that for many years she idolised and then for many years hated, bowing to her like this. “I...I just need to powder my muzzle” and Rarity leapt out of her seat and galloped up the stairs, slamming the bathroom door shut.
Blueblood sighed and sat back down properly, taking a sip of tea. “You know Rarity well, Is she okay?” he asked the dragon.
Spike didn’t reply for a moment “You were her first date, you know?”
Bluebloods face fell on hearing that news “Really?”
“Yes, she was always holding out for her prince charming...and then you happened” Spike replied, his voice calm but cold.
“Spike, I know I’ve hurt you and Twilight, along with some of your friends. But please do not hate me!”
Rarity had sprinkled some water on her face to calm herself down, and was returning from the bathroom. However, she paused out of sight at the top when she heard Spike next line.
“I don’t hate you...I pity you!”
“Pity me?” the stallion half-whispered, almost in tears.
“Yes, and not from a sense of jealousy that you got to date Rarity. It’s just...no matter what happens in your future, you’re going to have to live your life, knowing you’ve hurt some wonderful mares; Twilight, Cadence, Rarity…”
Spike stood up and put a claw on the stallions shoulder “I’m not trying to make you feel bad. For what it’s worth, I forgive you. But that doesn't mean you didn't blew your chance at having a wonderful pony in your life.”
Rarity looked down at the scene unfolding, a sense of pride in just how grown up Spike was being.
“I just hope you do sort yourself out and then maybe, one day, you’ll find yourself a special somepony. Who knows, perhaps you and Rarity might even get to have a proper date sometime...if you're worthy of such an honour.”
Rarity used her magic to slam shut the bathroom door, alerting the pair below she had finished. She then trotted down the stairs as calmly as possible.
“Sorry about that, I just needed to compose myself” she explained as she sat down.
“Rarity...I apologise for making you feel uncomfortable in your own home, but you have to understand the guilt I have been feeling every since I realised what I did to you that night.”
Rarity took a final sip of tea “Prince Blueblood, then if what you said is true, then I understand. I can forgive you but I will never forget it! But I do hope you can turn your life around and do some good in your role as Prince.”
“Thank you. I know you are a mare of integrity, so I’m not going to offer to help your career. But if you do need any help please do not hesitate to ask me...as a friend.”
“Perhaps” Rarity replied a little more warmly than her tone before.
“I could at least make it up to you by getting you tickets to a Canterlot show...you could take your friends or family?"
“Thank you, but that will be necessary. I am fortunate enough that I can afford my own tickets...but the offer is welcome. Now, without being rude, I have a lot of work to do today.”
“Of course, I’ve intruded on your time enough” The three of them stood up and started walking towards the door. Before opening the door, the stallion turned back “Spike, Rarity...thank you. I hope next time we meet it will be in more pleasant circumstances”
Rarity bowed “I hope so to, Prince Blueblood”
“Please, do not bow” Blueblood replied.
“But you are a Prince. Beside, perhaps next time it will be because you've actually earnt it?” Rarity replied warmly.
Prince Blueblood smiled back “I hope so” and with that he left the boutique, leaving Rarity and Spike with their thoughts.
“So, I guess it’s time we got to work?” the dragon said, turning back towards the centre of the room. Rarity closed in behind Spike and pressed her chest against his back, lowering her muzzle to the top of his head.
“Thank you” she sighed as she rested her head.
“For what?” Spike replied a little stunned at the intimate gesture being given by the mare.
“For what you said to Blueblood...I heard the whole thing!”
“You, you did?”
“Yes, and what you said was very grown up.”
The two stood there, a moment passed between the two before Rarity broke the contact. Wordlessly, the pair got to work on Rarity next outfit, Spike gathering up material and Rarity preparing the machines….
