"'Good morning' is a contradiction of terms." - Jim Davis

It wasn't every day that Prince Blueblood was awakened by the ear-splitting sound of an explosion. A startled cry escaped him as the blast tore through the air like thunder—shattering all the windows of his suite with the debris that came with it. It was fortunate none of the glass was propelled far enough to cause him harm, but that didn't stop him from flailing his limbs in a panic. Though the panic was brief, his legs quickly became tangled in the silk sheets and, before he could comprehend the already-hectic situation, he tumbled off the side of the bed.

Fortunately, he was able to untangle himself before a squadron of guards burst into his room. "Prince Blueblood!" one of them called. "Are you all right?"

Gritting his teeth, the stallion turned to face them. "What happened?" he demanded. "Was there an attack on the castle?"

One of the guards—who he recognized as Lucky Lance, a pegasus stallion who often patroled the corridor outside his quarters—stepped forward and bowed. "There was no attack, Your Highness," he said. "There was merely an... incident at Princess Celestia's school."

Blueblood arched a brow. Well, that certainly made sense. His aunt's School for Gifted Unicorns, given its student body, was accident-prone. But, he'd never before seen such a large explosion. Cautiously, he stepped closer to one of the windows so he could look outside. One of the perks of living in one of the castle's towers was the view. From his lodging, he could see almost all of Canterlot and he could definitely see that the school's roof was now missing. He also saw that the castle and the school weren't the only buildings to sustain damage; ponies were already scrambling about to fix the ravaged walls of their homes and businesses.

His brow furrowed. Now, what in Equestria caused that?

He again turned to Lucky Lance. "Where is my aunt now?" he inquired.

"She was on her way to the throne room, last we heard."

"Tell her that I'll be down in a minute, if you would." With a sigh, he regarded the blond mess that was his mane in the mirror of the nearby vanity table. It was bad enough that the guards had to see him in his current state; he wasn't going to tolerate not looking his absolute best in his aunt's presence. Before he attended to his appearance, however, he needed to attend to the mess that littered the floor of his suite. He pointed his hoof at another guard. "And you," he added, "inform the maids to clean up this mess. I'll also need a carpenter or two to repair all these windows. Understood?"

The guards exclaimed, "Yes, Your Highness!" in unison, saluting. They then filed out of the apartment to set about their assigned tasks.

Shaking his head, Blueblood walked to the vanity able—using his magic to pull a gilded brush out of the top drawer. The glass and debris scattered across the carpet was distracting, even as he combed his mane. He was a tidy stallion. Since he was a colt every accessory, decoration, and piece of furnature had its proper place; rubbish had no place in his suite. Donning a white collar and a black silk tie, he scowled and turned his back to the mess.

He needed to leave until the problem was mended. He needed to see his aunt, if only to distract himself from it.

Yet, he was perfectly composed as he left his sanctuary. His steps were graceful as he crossed corridors and descended stories to reach the throne room. Along the way, servants and visitors bowed as he passed, while he offered only a few nods in reply. In spite of the earlier chaos, ponies went about their business as though there was nothing amiss. His guess was that whatever happened at the School for Gifted Unicorns had already passed into the dreary realm of old news.

When he finally reached his destination, the guards immediately opened the chamber's doors for him. "Prince Blueblood," one of them uttered. "Princess Celestia awaits you within."

"Thank you," he replied automatically as he entered. Slowly, the doors were closed behind him, and he crossed the crimson carpet to his aunt's golden throne. However, that was not where she was located. He saw her standing near one of the grand stained glass windows and it appeared that she was talking to someone. As to whom she spoke, he couldn't see. "Aunt Celestia?" he gently called, approaching her.

The alicorn smiled at him. "Good morning, Blueblood," she replied. She met him halfway, then gave him a nuzzle. "I'm glad you came. There's something we need to discuss."

He chuckled. "Does it concern the explosion that just so happened to wake me by shattering my windows?" he asked. He looked up in time to catch a glimpse of concern cross the matriarch's features. It was a moment like this that he appreciated his aunt's height advantage. Given his heritage, he was taller than almost everypony he ever encountered. Yet, he wasn't taller than Princess Celestia, and it comforted him.

His aunt quickly inspected him, frowning. "Oh, you weren't hurt, were you?" she asked. "Forgive me, I forgot that your quarters are closer to the school than my own."

Blueblood shook his head. "No, Auntie, I'm fine. I already have maids and carpenters on their way to fix it."

"Ah, good." A smile once again graced Princess Celestia's countenance. "Now, to answer your question, it does concern the school and the explosion. Do you have any explanation as to who or what would cause such damage?"

Raising an eyebrow, he briefly pondered the possibilities. Given the look on his aunt's face, she asked him not because she didn't know the answer, but because it wasn't a serious question. She already knew, she simply wanted to see if he could figure it out. "It was either an experiment gone wrong or somepony was really irresponsible with their magic," he said. "Or perhaps Professor Poetic Flare lost his temper again?"

"You're close. Do you really assume an adult caused it?"

For a second, he was taken aback by the absurdity of her implication, then his momentary surprised devolved into an amused snicker. "Aunt Celestia, surely you're not saying that one of your school's applicants—one of the foals—blasted the roof off the building?"

Princess Celestia's smile grew wider. "That's precisely what I'm saying, dear nephew." Slowly, she lifted her right wing as she lowered her head to look at something. "You may come out, little one, if you so wish," she whispered. "It's all right."

Blueblood followed her gaze, until his eyes came to rest upon a tiny purple bundle partially concealed behind one of his aunt's hind legs. It wasn't until two large, violet-colored eyes and a horn came into view that he realized it was a unicorn filly. She was quite small, with orchid fur and and sapphire-blue hair that was striped with bands of pink and lavender. And she was a shy one, for it took her quite a bit of coaxing from Princess Celestia before she stepped forward and bowed. "H-Hello," she squeaked.

He gave the filly a small smile. "Hello," he replied. "I am Prince Blueblood. What's your name?"

"T-Twilight."

His aunt chuckled. "Her name is Twilight Sparkle. She had a bit of a... complication with her entrance exam, which was what caused that explosion." She glanced down at the little one. "Isn't that right?"

Twilight sheepishly nodded, her ears folding back against her head. "Yes. I'm sorry."

Blueblood inspected the child in curiosity. "I can't believe such a small filly did that," he muttered. "What was her test?"

She sighed. "She was assigned to make an attempt at hatching a dragon egg, but she pushed herself so hard that she triggered a massive magical discharge. But, nopony was hurt and that's all that matters." Unless it counts when ponies are turned into potted plants and back.

"Then, why did you bring her here? Where are her parents?"

"Twilight is going to be staying with us for a while, so her parents left to retrieve some of her belongings. As of recently, she is now my personal student."

The filly's ears perked up and her excitement suddenly showed through her timidness. "Yeah!" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling. "Princess Celestia is going to teach me all kinds of magic!"

Her words evoked a strange and chilling sense of recognition in the young prince and, in a fragment of a second, he could've sworn that the child's fur color shifted to amber right before his eyes. Yet, he didn't address the illusion, and he cleared his throat. "Are... Are you certain, Auntie?" he asked.

She frowned; no context was needed for further understanding. "I'm certain," she replied. "Twilight here shows incredible arcane potential—far more than anyone I've seen in years."

"Yes, but you also said that about—"

She quickly placed a hoof over his muzzle, earning a look of confusion from her new pupil. "This time will be different, my nephew," she said calmly. Albeit, there was a nuance of sadness and hope to her voice. Then, quietly, she added, "I won't make the same mistakes. Trust me." She withdrew her hoof, returning her attention to Twilight. "Now, how would you like Prince Blueblood to give you a tour of the castle?" she asked.

Twilight's eyes grew wide. "Yes, please!"

The prince blinked. "Excuse me?"

Celestia shot him a pleading look. "I need to oversee her living arrangements and the room I want her to have is in need of a few renovations. I also need to talk to her parents about a few things. Do you think you can watch her for me for a few hours?"

Blueblood sighed, glancing back and forth between Twilight and his aunt. He honestly wanted to decline. He had lead tours of the castle in the past, but he was no foalsitter. He didn't have any experience with children at all! His cousin Cadence, stars bless her big heart, was more skilled in that department. Unfortunately, if memory served him right, she wouldn't return from her vacation in Manehattan until the end of the week.

It was clear that he had no choice; the look on his aunt's face told him that there was nopony else to watch the filly. Why else would she ask him otherwise? So, he relented. "Very well, I will watch Twilight for you."

Whatever tension the alicorn felt melted away as she relaxed. "Oh, thank you so much," she breathed. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your help." Gently, she pushed her student towards the stallion. "I'll see you later, Twilight, when we get you settled into your new quarters. Behave for Prince Blueblood, okay?"

Apprehensively, the filly looked up at Blueblood, then she looked back at the mare. "Okay," she said. "Bye, Princess."

"Goodbye, Twilight." With a smile, she gracefully took her leave from the throne room—leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

Despite the confidence placed in him, the Prince was clueless as to how to proceed. As he wracked his brain for a solution, Twilight was surprisingly patient, which made it easier for him. Alright, Blueblood, he thought to himself, tapping his chin. You've lived in this castle almost all your life. Just show her the same places you'd show any other visitor. If she's really going to be living here, then she'll figure out the rest of the layout on her own. Now, talk to her like Aunt Celestia would.

"So, Twilight," he said, motioning for the filly to follow him, "are you excited to see the castle?"

It put him at ease to see her bounce after him with enthusiasm. "Yes, Prince Blueblood!" she replied.

"Stay close to me then, and I'll get you acquainted with your new home."

Author's Note

Aaand we're off on a new adventure, folks!

This time, we've got filly Twilight and her new friend Blueblood! Yay!