He felt luxurious when he awoke the next morning. His stomach was still full from the late dinner he had the night before (or rather, only a few hours ago), and his coat felt deliciously clean from the bath Celestia gave him. Lying beneath her silky sheets, he never felt more relaxed in his life.

Blueblood squirmed slightly, trying to feel for the queen.

He cracked open a blue eye and saw that her apartment was empty save for him. He snuggled back into her bed.

Oh well. She probably went to raise the sun. Or maybe she already had.

The prince’s eyes shot open.

Oh no!

He scrambled up and out of bed, tripping over the sheets that had caressed just moments earlier.

Whattimewasit, whattimewasit, whattimewasit?

The clock read… 8:15?!

“Oh come on!” Blueblood shouted in frustration while frantically searching for his saddle bags. “Aha!” he shouted in triumph before throwing the bags on his back.

“The princess is going to flog me alive when she finds out I’m late for—

The door suddenly opened and in came Celestia with her secretary.

“Good morning, nephew. How are—?”

“Ineedtogobye!” he cut her off before galloping away.

A flash of light suddenly blossomed right by his side and Blueblood found the queen cantering next to him.

“Nephew, whenever you’re done with your appointment, can you please spare a moment to speak with me?” she requested.

“I promise I’ll—!” he tried to make a turn, but wound up skidding on the smooth floor and slamming himself into a wall. Of all the weeks, it just had to be rug-cleaning week.

“Blueblood!” Celestia exclaimed, sounding as worried as a mother.

The prince picked himself up and resumed galloping ahead. “Ugh, I’m so late!” he bemoaned.

A flash of light suddenly bloomed ahead several meters ahead of him and Celestia now sat before him, blocking his path.

“Ah!” Blueblood shrieked (sounding a lot more girly than he cared to admit), and forced his legs to lock up. He once again slid on the shining floors, this time right on course with the queen.

She caught him with open legs and gently squeezed him against her barrel.

“Nephew, please, can we talk?” she whispered. “I always get worried whenever I see any of my little ponies hurting themselves.”

The prince was torn: on the one hoof, he needed to get to his destination, but on the other, who refused the queen?

Blueblood sighed. Oh, who was he kidding? There was no way he would have made it anyway.

“Can you teleport us back to your room?” he asked her, resigned to his fate.

“Of course,” Celestia nodded.

They both reappeared in her rumpled bed. Blueblood’s stomach churned and his muscles stiff from the instantaneous journey. The two pulled away from one another and settled themselves in her soft mattress.

“I’m sorry for being rude to you earlier,” he apologized, his gaze stuck on the silky sheets.

“It’s quite alright, my prince,” Celestia responded, placing a comforting hoof on his back. “It was pretty obvious that you have somewhere very important to be.”

“It isn’t,” Blueblood shook his head. “I was just being stupid and wound up panicking. It was stupid of me, and I’m sorry.”

The queen tilted his muzzle up to look at her, but he still kept his eyes on the sheets. “It was important to you, Blueblood, so it couldn’t have been stupid. May I be so bold as to ask where you trying to go?”

“School,” he answered, pulling away from her hoof.

“School? Correct me if I’m mistaken, but isn’t the princess in charge of your education?”

Blueblood nodded. “She is, but she feels I would learn more if I was in school and doing private lessons, too.”

Celestia exhaled through her nostrils. “It seems that I’ve failed you as your aunt, nephew.”

He whipped his head to look at her in shook. “What? No, you been—!”

“Neglectful,” the alicorn finished. “Uninvolved. I don't even know what you're up to, and as your family, I should, especially for something as basic as when you're going to school.”

“Queen Celestia, it’s fine! You have a nation to run, and that’s far more important things to worry about than me—”

The look she gave him silenced his argument.

“Blueblood… who gave you such an idea?” Celestia asked, her violet eyes shining with hurt.

The colt looked away, pressing his ears flat against his skull. “Um…”

“Was it the princess?” she questioned.

“Well…” his mind fumbled as he tried to formulate an answer.

“Ugh,” the queen groaned in disappointment as she buried her face in her hooves. “When you get back from school, I want the both of you joining me for dinner.”

“W-wait!” Blueblood protested. “Don’t blame her, it’s just that I know you’re always busy being queen and all—”

She held up a hoof, effectively cutting off his explanation. “Please just meet me at dinner tonight,” Celestia requested, sounding as exhausted as an over-worked mother.

“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured without argument.

The queen looked at her prince, once again showing him her pained and weary eyes. He thought back to the time when he, as Noble Heart, begged her to grant him the title of Blueblood in order to one day fight Nightmare Moon. Would he ever have that very same look she had right now?

Part of him did not wish it, but the other part knew that it was a great possibility, considering that he would one day have to bear the weight of her tiara.

Finally, the god spoke. “Where do you have to go to school? I’ll fly you there and explain everything.”

“I have to go to the School for Gifted Unicorns.”

She furrowed her brow, her tired eyes now disappearing behind a veneer of curiosity. “Back when we supped with Headmaster Yorsets, he told me he was egregiously disappointed to not see your name at the roster. Tell me, nephew, do you plan to enroll today on the first day of school?”

He shook his head. “No, my lady. There is no need for that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Nephew, please don’t tell me plan to pull rank and demand to be placed in the school.”

He once again shook his head. “No, the princess warned me that a Blueblood only gets special treatment in Equestria, and since I will one day be king, I can’t have ponies making it easy for me.”

“But Blueblood, how are you planning to go to the School for Gifted Unicorns?”

He pulled a scarf out from his saddle bags. “Prince Blueblood will never attend a single class there.” The colt then draped the scarf over his neck, causing his white coat to become dark grey, his blond mane to darken to ultramarine, and his blue eyes to melt into green. “But Blue Heart will.”

“Hmph,” she grunted, sounding bemused. “Clever. Well, nephew, let’s get up and go.”

They did, and she once again teleported them away.

“Urp,” Blue Heart hiccupped before corking a hoof over his mouth. Well. Looks like he would fast till dinner time.

“Madame!” a haughty sounding mare snapped as she glared at the pair from over her spectacles. “It is now 9:00! Registration began an hour ago. May I ask why you and your son are late?”

The colt raised his eyebrows in surprise that anypony would dare speak in such a crass manner to the queen, but he didn’t say a word; Celestia could handle herself.

He looked at her and was surprised to see not an alicorn, but a unicorn by his side. She had a lanky, graceful figure, like that of the mares of the House de Lis, as well as a white coat, wavy pink mane and tail, and a simple sun cutie mark on her flanks.

Of course. Nopony could know about his connection with the crown, and Celestia was obliging him.

“Please forgive us,” she bowed in apology to the mare. Blue Heart followed her example. “I’m afraid that I held up my nephew, despite his request to be brought here on time.”

The mare’s scowl deepened in distaste.

“And what, Mrs…?”

“Ms. Golden Light,” the white mare offered as she stood straight again.

“And what, Ms. Golden Light, was so important that you would hold up your nephew on his first day at Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?”

A scroll, bearing the queen’s royal mark, suddenly appeared before the marm. “I’m afraid my duties caught up on me,” Golden Light explained. “But I promise it won’t happen again.”

The marm’s glower softened slightly at the sight of the royal document, but she still did not cut the pair too much slack.

“Queen Celestia takes the education of her nation’s foals very seriously. I doubt she’d be happy knowing you chose your job over the well-being of your nephew.”

“Believe me,” Golden Light said, “I am extremely displeased with myself for being so negligent. I try to make family one of my top priorities, but everypony slips up from time to time. I hope he will not suffer for my mistakes?”

“I cannot guarantee how his teachers will respond,” the marm stated bluntly. “Now tell me: what is his name?”

“Blue Heart,” he answered for himself.

The marm narrowed her eyes. “The headmaster wished to speak with you, but it is much too late for that. Here is your schedule,” she levitated a card to him. Golden Light and Blue Heart scanned the text and he quickly looked back up at the marm.

“Ma’am, I think there’s a mistake. I’m only in level seven, but this has me listed as level eight.”

“It is no mistake,” she stated. “Now hurry up and get to class, and maybe your teacher will be merciful to you.”

Before he could move, however, his aunt pulled him into an embrace and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry for making you late,” she apologized. “Try to have a good day at school.”

“I will,” he promised.

“Goodbye, Blue Heart,” Golden Light whispered with one last muzzle.

“Bye,” he responded, not wanting her to let go.

They pulled away and she disappeared with a blinding flash of light.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.