The Noblesse Oblige, Part II

by Aquarian_Sage

Rating: mature
Tags: Other, Original Character, Philomena, Tragedy, Prince Blueblood, Princess Celestia, Drama, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 53817

Noble Heart has been coronated as Prince Blueblood CIX and his journey to the Equestrian throne has begun. Will he be strong enough to challenge Nightmare Moon and be king, or will he crack beneath the looming threat of the goddess of the night?

Nightmare Moon is coming, and with her, the promise of a dead Equus. Noble Heart Platinum, now coronated as Prince Blueblood CIX, will rule in Queen Celestia's stead once she is banished to the sun by her evil sister. But the crown is a heavy, heavy burden to bear, and to be a ruler requires great sacrifice, suffering, and dedication. Will Prince Blueblood be able to handle the pressure of his eventual battle with Nightmare Moon for the throne? Or will he become a casualty before she is even unleashed from the moon?

Rated M just to be safe.

Additional tag: General fiction

Published 2015-09-17 02:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-26 01:02:49 UTC

Celestia isn't too fond of parties...

The coronation lasted ten. Long. Agonizing. Hours. Hoof after claw after hand was shaken, dance after twirling dancing was had, and conversation after meaningless conversation was spoken.

But at last, Celestia, clement and sweet Celestia, called the celebration to close.

Prince Blueblood sat with Queen Celestia on her throne, watching the last ravages of the party meander and leave. He wanted so desperately to complain and moan, but since there were strangers (and even worse, cameras) around, all the colt could do was close his eyes and lean on her.

“They’re not all this bad, are they?” he murmured to her, just barely concealing his exhaustion.

The alicorn chuckled as she cocooned him beneath her massive wing. “This was probably the worst party I’ve been to in this past century, perhaps even the one before that, so no, they’re not all this bad.”

He sighed softly in relief.

“But they’re not much better either,” she finished.

He couldn’t help but groan.

“As Blueblood, you are under the expectation to attend every function I attend, as well as those that I simply cannot due to other more pressing obligations. But… you are still young. I’ll see what I can do about sparing you from as many as possible, at least until you are of age.”

“Oh thank the gods,” he breathed in relief, happy to take whatever scrap she could spare.

“You are most certainly welcome,” she smiled. Celestia then yawned and flexed her wings to stretch them before setting them down again.

“Well, Blueblood, I don’t know about you, but I’m sick of this place. Would you like to leave with me?”

“Yes, please,” he told her, barely concealing his excitement.

“Alright, let’s go,” Queen Celestia nodded in agreement. Her horn lit up and in the next instant, they were in her apartment.

She immediately got up and started to undress.

“Oh, my work never ends,” Celestia bemoaned. “Tomorrow I have to deal with cleanup and meetings with some of the dignitaries, then the day after I have start approving the plans for the Hearth’s Warming Eve party. You’ll go to that one, won’t you, Blueblood? From today, it’s abundantly clear that you don’t like parties, but the Hearth’s Warming Eve party is usually the most wonderful of them all, and it’ll be (dare I say?) fun. Blueblood…? Blueblood?”

She turned around to look at him and burst out laughing. Her heir sat frozen in place, muscles completely rigid and his eyes contracted to pinpricks.

“Oh, Blueblood, I’m so sorry!” Celestia snorted. “That was your first time teleporting, wasn’t it?” She walked over to him and gently touched his neck with her hoof. “Next time, I’ll tell you when I’m going to teleport us.”

His eyes rolled to look at her. “Promise?” he whimpered.

She kissed his temple. “Promise.”

He got up to go sit at her vanity. Blueblood examined himself and was not impressed with what he saw. Princess Platinum’s cloak was large and would dwarf any mare or stallion who wore it, but it made him look and feel especially small. Queen Celestia’s tiara, while not particularly massive, was not made for a foal in mind. Blueblood truly looked as he felt: a foolish colt trying to be king.

He pulled off the tiara and examined it with his hooves. Even though it wasn’t physically heavy, he could already feel the immense weight it bore.

Celestia appeared behind him, no longer smiling.

“Queen Celestia?”

“Yes?”

“How do you stay strong?”

She exhaled softly, studying the golden trinket in his hooves. “It’s an ongoing battle, Blueblood.”

“But how do you do it?” he pressed. “Just today, you had to do so much. I saw you and I became worried because I’m afraid that I can never be you.”

Celestia embraced him from behind and pressed him snugly against her barrel. “You’re right: you will never be me, but I do not say that to be cruel. Blueblood, I have lived a long, long life, one that I would never wish upon anypony.”

“How do you keep pushing forward instead of giving up?”

She sighed again. “I think about my ponies. I think about how much they need me to be strong for them. If I cannot get up for my own sake, I get up for theirs.”

Blueblood set down the tiara on the vanity and looked in the mirror. There they were: a young and confused colt with far too much responsibility, and an ancient, tired god with far too much pained wisdom.

She at last pulled away from him and made her way to her bed.

Blueblood unfastened Princess Platinum’s cloak and hung it on a corner of the mirror. He considered treating the ancient heirloom with more respect, but considering that his grandmother braved the wilds of Equestria and faced windigos in it, he figured that it would survive a night without a hanger.

“Why don’t you come join me, Blueblood?” Celestia asked from her bed. “Today was so taxing and I know that you’re tired.”

Without saying a word, he made his way to her. Once he was in bed, Celestia put out the fire in the fireplace. Now, the only light came from the soft glow of her mane and tail.

“Queen Celestia? Do you think it’s possible for mortals to defeat gods?”

“Possible? Yes; I’ve personally seen it happen.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” she nodded. “But a mortal probably wouldn’t be able to do it alone. They would need help from others if they hope to even stand a chance of challenging a god.”

“Who do you think will help me defeat Nightmare Moon?”

“I cannot say,” Celestia admitted. “Perhaps everypony will band together to help you with your task, or maybe another god will pledge their aid, but let us not worry of such things now. Nightmare Moon isn’t coming tomorrow, even if she were, we would need to sleep to even stand a chance against her.”

“Good night, your majesty.”

She kissed him and pulled the covers over them. “Good night, Blueblood. Your training with the princess begins tomorrow.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

If I knew how to draw, I would make a picture of Blueblood and Celestia sitting at her vanity, just studying their reflections.

A Tale of Philomena

Philomena lazily preened herself on top of the back of Princess Blueblood’s arm chair. The princess herself sat silent and still with her eyes closed, as if she was asleep. Blueblood the Younger considered walking up to her to check if she had actually fallen asleep, but based on his past interactions with her, he knew that would be a terrible idea.

At last, Blueblood the Elder opened her eyes and looked at him. He wanted to make a wise crack and ask if she enjoyed her nap, but prudently decided against kicking the hornet's nest.

“Why are we here?” she finally asked, gazing down at her nephew with a stolid façade.

“Because you summoned me here?” he answered with uncertainty.

The princess shook her head. “No, colt. Why are the Bluebloods here? Why do we even exist, despite an eternal and immortal queen?”

“Oh! Oh, well, because—”

She held up a hoof, effectively silencing him.

“You are a prince now. Each word you say must be certain, each move must be deliberate, each thought must be calculating. Choose your answer wisely, boy, and never be afraid to admit your ignorance, for to be ignorant is far more preferable than to be stupid.”

Blueblood the Younger pondered her words for a minute, trying to understand the meaning of his lesson. But eventually he gave up, not getting the point she was trying to make.

“What do you mean when you say ignorance is better than stupidity, princ—?”

“I did not say that,” she cut in, displaying a surprising amount of patience in her tone. “Bear in mind that the most powerful thing in the world are words. Do you understand?”

He nodded.

“Speak when spoken to, boy.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“As I was saying, the most powerful thing in the world is words: they can inspire, they can kill creativity; they can save lives, they can destroy them; they can be your greatest ally, and they can be your worst enemy.

“Though you are young, do not underestimate the malice of others, as many, many, many souls will try to manipulate you or trick you for their own gain, and use words to do so. Am I clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Raw!” Philomena cried as she hopped down from the back of the chair to the princess’ foreleg.

“I see she approves.” Blueblood the Elder gave the phoenix a genuine smile as she stroked her feathers. “Now then, you quoted me saying that ignorance was better than stupidity. Did I actually say that?”

“No,” he admitted.

“Then what did I say?”

“I, I don’t—” he stammered.

“Say it with conviction,” she emphasized.

“I can’t remember what you said exactly,” Blueblood the Younger confessed.

She nodded, not bothering to turn her gaze away from Philomena. ”Fair enough. I said that ‘ignorance is preferable to stupidity.’ Why?” she asked rhetorically. “Because it is better to address when you don’t know something rather than to try stupidly blather on about things you don’t understand. Am I clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Though he didn’t show it, the prince felt extremely uncomfortable by their conversation. It seemed like everything he was doing was wrong and needed to be critiqued.

“This gets me back to my first question: why are we here?”

He mulled over the question again, taking his time to be as calculating and deliberate as she asked. At last, Blueblood the Younger came to terms with the fact that he didn’t understand what she was trying to say, and spoke.

“I don’t know, ma’am.”

Princess Blueblood smirked at her nephew right before tossing Philomena in the air. “We are here because of her.”

In a time that has been almost forgotten, there were once ponies who resided in the forbidden forest Everfree. Back in those days, the Sun Queen, eternal and beautiful, had made her castle there to rule over her queendom with compassion, generosity, and joy. But despair had taken over the Sun Queen’s heart, a final stroke of darkness that her banished sister, the jealous and haughty Moon Queen, had cursed her with twelve years earlier.

Ponies from every corner of the queendom had journeyed to see her, each hoping to make their belovéd Lady smile again. Bards sang to her comedic ballads filled with gaiety, but still she did not smile. Explorers galloped to the farthest corners of the world, bringing back rare gifts and tales of wonder, but still she did not smile. Goldsmiths toiled away at their forges, crafting the most exquisite jewelry and baubles that made everypony coo with delight, but still she did not smile. At last, the greatest mages in the land wove powerful spells filled with the most wonderful things they could think of, and with their combined might, cast them upon her. But still she did not smile.

All the while, an earth filly, who was as lovely and blue as the bluebell flower, watched as each attempt failed to make their Sun warm again. She turned to her parents and asked

‘Mother, Father, why does everypony visit our Lady bearing gifts?’

‘They do it to make her happy,’ her parents answered.

‘But she has everything she could want and more! Why isn’t she happy?’

‘Because they must not have given her what she wanted,’ her parents said before going back to tend to the castle gardens.

Unsatisfied, the bluebell filly went to see the happiest soul she knew: the kitchen dog.

‘Old mutt, every day I see you, you always have a wag in your tail and have a smile in your mouth. Why are you always happy?’

The dog laughed. ‘Because of all my friends! They make me fat with table scraps, they scratch me where my fleas itch, and they make sure I am never lonely!’

‘Is that what happiness is, old mutt? Friends?’

‘Of course! Everyone is happy when they have friends! Why do you ask, little pup?’

‘I ask because the Sun Queen is sad. Do you think you can be her friend, old mutt?’

For the first time in her life, the bluebell filly saw a dog who was not smiling. ‘Believe me, little pup, I have tried. But regrettably, she nudged me away and asked that I go back to guard her larder.’

‘But you are the happiest soul I know and you said that happiness is friends! Why would she push you away?’

‘I am afraid that she does not want me as a friend. Maybe she will never accept a friend in her heart again.’

‘So how can we make our Sun Queen smile?’ the bluebell filly asked.

‘I am many things, little pup, but I am afraid that I am not smart. Go find the cat. She knows many things, so perhaps she knows the answer to your question.’

And she left to go seek the cat.

The cat looked down at the bluebell filly with disdain, as cats are wont to do, but she nevertheless listened to her story.

‘The dog (though it pains me to say it) maybe right about the queen having need of a friend, but he is wrong about her never opening up her heart again. If she doesn't, it will be her demise, and she loves this world too much to do anything so selfish. The Sun Queen, eternal and beautiful, needs a friend, but her friend must be as eternal and beautiful as her so that she may be spared from the pain of loss.’

‘But where can I find one who is as eternal and beautiful as our Sun?’

For the first time in her life, the bluebell filly saw a cat experience chagrin. ‘Alas, little kitten, if only I knew, but sadly I have never left these castle walls, so I would not know where to find such a friend. Ask the goose. He has traveled much of the world, so maybe he knows where to look.’

And she went to go seek the goose.

The goose paddled in the pond while she told him her story, but he nevertheless listened.

‘I am sorry to admit this, but the cat misplaced her trust in me,' the goose said with a sad sigh. 'I'm afraid I cannot think of anything as eternal and beautiful as our Sun, save for the Moon, and the mages now forbid us from even mentioning her, lest we break the Sun's heart again with her memories.’

‘But if you don’t know, goose, what can I do?’

‘Now don’t you fret, little gosling, for Hearth’s Warming Eve is approaching and Sinterklaas will come galloping in on his frosty mist to provide all the little ones in need with gifts. Though you are a bit older than those who he usually visits, perhaps if you wish hard enough, and if he sees your need as great enough, he may come to see you.'

And the bluebell filly did as the goose instructed and waited for the arrival of Sinterklaas, the most generous of spirits.

It was nearing Hearth’s Warming morning when the bluebell filly had finally given up on a visit from Sinterklaas. Perhaps he did not perceive her in dire enough need, or maybe she did not wish hard enough.

But then, just a few minutes before the Sun Queen began the new day, the great stag of generosity materialized before her in his frosty mist. Before the bluebell filly could even speak, he silenced her, so as to not wake her parents.

‘Sweet child, I have heard your wish and see in your heart that you are in dire need. However, I am afraid that I cannot give what you ask of me.’

‘But if you cannot give the Sun Queen a friend, then who can?’

‘If only I knew, my little pony, if only I knew.’

She pondered her situation for a moment. ‘Sinterklaass, no matter who I turn to, nobody has a proper solution for the problem. So for my wish, instead of giving my Lady a friend, could you perhaps take me to Vortigem the Librarian?’

‘Vortigem?’ he asked in surprise. ‘Why him?’

‘I need an answer for this question. Perhaps the god of knowledge will know what to do.’

‘Very well,’ Sinterklaas agreed, 'I will take you to see Vortigem, and I shall petition him on your behalf, but by dusk, I will take you back home.’

And he took her to Vortigem’s Library.

Vortigem, like all dragons, was extremely covetous of his hoard, and like all dragons, he was equally as impatient.

‘Had Sinterklaas not spoken on your behalf, I would have shut my doors in your face in the hopes that they would crush your muzzle to pulp. But since he has beseeched me so eloquently, I shall listen to you. Now tell me, brat: what do you want?’

And the bluebell filly told him her story. When at last she finished, Vortigem the Librarian simply told her that what she sought was just outside his doors and to leave him alone with his books.

The bluebell filly wandered through the land that surrounded the great library of the world. Finding nothing that was as eternal and beautiful as the Sun Queen, she lay down to weep.

After some time, a wild bird, hearing the filly's sobs, fluttered down next to her.

‘Oh sweet bird, whose feathers are redder than even the robin’s breast, perhaps you can help me. I spoke with the dog who directed me to the cat who directed me to the goose who directed me to Sinterklaas who brought me to Vortigem the Librarian who told me to go look out here for what I wanted. But there is nothing that is as eternal and beautiful as the Sun Queen. Please, lovely bird, show me what to look for, or at least tell me if Vortigem has played a cruel trick on me!’

‘My little chick,’ the bird began with a voice full of sweet, soothing song, ‘Vortigem, despite his cantankerous nature, has not led you astray. Indeed, I am quite so flattered that he would hold my race in such great esteem.’

‘You are what I am to look for? Oh sweet bird, I do not deny your beauty, and I dare say that you would catch the Sun’s eye if she were to see you, but how are you eternal?’

‘Ah, little chick, your strength is most admirable, but I am afraid your mind is not quite up to par! But do not fret, for I have the solution to your conundrum. Take me back with you to your lands and you will see my true nature.’

And when Sinterklaas came to deliver the bluebell filly back to Castle Everfree, the sweet bird, whose feathers were redder than even the robin’s breast, followed her.

The foal made her way to the Sun Queen, who lay despondent with despair. Nopony even bothered to shoo both filly and bird away from the Sun’s bedchambers. They’d let her try and fail just like everypony else.

‘Your eminence, I have spoken with the dog who directed me to the cat who directed me to the goose who directed me to Sinterklaas who took me to Vortigem the Librarian who told me to go look outside, and I have found this sweet bird, whose feathers are redder than even the robin’s breast. I did so to find you a friend, my Lady, to find you someone who was as eternal and beautiful as you. I do not know what this bird is, but I hope that my journey has brought you your heart’s desire.’

And the moment the bluebell filly finished speaking, the bird, whose feathers were redder than even the robin’s breast, leapt forth. In a blinding flash of light that rivaled even the brilliance of the dawn, the bird burst into flame and fell into a pile of ash at the Sun’s hooves.

‘Oh, my Lady! Please forgive me!’ the child wailed. 'I see now that Vortigem and this bird have played a cruel trick on me! I'm sorry!'

But the Sun Queen did not seem bothered by the loss of the bird. Instead, she nosed through the ashes and when she stood, a naked and ugly chick was resting on her muzzle.

‘Great god who guides our heavenly lights through both the night and day, this filly has shown me your plight and I must say that I am terribly sorry for your loss. Though there is nothing in the world that could possibly ever hope to replace the love of a sister, I ask that you accept my offer of friendship, as eternal and beautiful as you.’

And at last, the Sun Queen smiled.

The prince lay on the rug, listening to the story and enjoying the feel of Philomena’s beak grooming his already immaculate mane.

“Princess, why doesn’t our family tell this story to us?”

“I suppose they have forgotten,” she sighed. “Or perhaps they do not wish to remember.”

“But why?” he asked, practically purring under the ministrations of Philomena. “Bluebell impressed Celestia so much that she adopted her as her niece and heir, starting the whole lineage of the Bluebloods in the first place.”

“That is true,” the decrepit mare agreed, “but there are many reasons why the story is spurned in the first place. The most blatantly obvious one being the Platinum propensity towards racism. Bluebell was an earth pony peasant who managed to succeed where allegedly superior unicorn mages had failed.”

“Are you sure it’s that?” the colt questioned. “My parents aren’t too fond of the other races, but I can’t imagine them denying an important part of the history of our House.”

“Then either your parents are closer to modern thinking than I presumed, or perhaps they haven’t had any reason to flaunt their master race theories to you. In any case, I suppose another reason why this story is forgotten is because of how Bluebell’s story ended.”

“She married a Platinum, didn’t she?”

“Oh indeed she did, colt, but the way that Platinum managed to weasel into her skirts and treated her is a source of great shame for our family. Her husband used her, lied to her, and manipulated her for his own gain until the queen herself stepped in to cow him. It was a great source of mockery for House Platinum: a once regal and strong family resorting to petty ends just to remain relevant in the changing times.”

Philomena hopped onto the rug to join the prince, affectionately rubbing her beak against his fur.

“But I believe the final reason why nopony has told Bluebell's and Philomena's tale is because of apathy.”

“What’s apathy, princess?”

“Apathy is when somepony simply doesn’t care. Many of the noble houses are apathetic to everything save their indulgent lifestyles and their belovéd sport of incest. What would your cousins care about this story? It’s not like knowing it will land them even more exclusive parties or opportune spouses.”

Prince Blueblood sighed softly and went to change the subject. “Why did Queen Celestia name Bluebell her heir?”

“After her battle with Nightmare Moon, Celestia realized that her title as god-queen of Equestria was more precarious than she initially thought. After meeting Philomena and listening to Bluebell’s journey, she decided that in the event she should fall, there would be somepony to take the throne in order to prevent ponydom from regressing back to the weak, squabbling tribes of Hurricane, Platinum, and Puddinghead. Luckily for us, such an event has never occurred…so far.”

The colt swallowed. It seemed like everything led back to Nightmare Moon. “Princess, why did you choose to warn me about Nightmare Moon instead of warning everypony else?”

She closed her eyes and leaned back into her chair. “Because you seemed the least incompetent out of all the Platinum’s I’ve seen.”

“Is that it?” he pressed in incredulity.

“Essentially,” she confirmed, sounding nonchalant.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Ta da! And now you know how Philomena came into Celestia's possession and why the the title of Blueblood even exists. Bonus cameo from Sinterklaas the stag and an OC god I made up. I'll probably include him in later if he fits within the narrative.

Chapter 4

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

I was totes listening to this while I typed out this chapter.

Chapter 4

“Only two days ago, you were Noble Heart Platinum, son of the Duke and Duchess of the Unicorn Range. You were one day expected to take your parents’ title once they passed away or retired. From what I’ve seen from our family, actual politicians and bureaucrats would have managed the duchy while you lazed away at parties and seasonal retreats.

“Now you are Prince Blueblood CIX, heir to Equestria’s throne, and unlike all the other one hundred eight Bluebloods before you, you will one day be king. When that time comes, you must shoulder Queen Celestia’s current responsibilities, as well as fight a goddess of nightmare and darkness. Your destiny is not an easy one, and I truly pity you for having to deal with such hardships.

“Nevertheless, you have shown both the queen and I that you are up to the task. Today, you will begin your twenty year journey to the throne.”

“What must I do to be a good king?”

“You must sacrifice and suffer. Even in times of peace and prosperity, the crown is an arduous burden to bear, but in times of conflict and hardship, you will know the true meaning of anguish. You will have to make difficult choices, where no matter what you choose, you will still lose, but you lose less with one option than the other. Being selfish, even for a moment, is not an option, lest you inflict pain on dozens, hundreds, thousands, or even millions of others. You will grow to hate yourself for what you must do as king.

“I… I am sorry that I must say these things to you, nephew, and I am sorry for what I will put you through in the future, but as king, your own personal feelings are entirely irrelevant. What matters is protecting the nation from the looming nightmare.”

“I understand, princess. I hope I can live up to your expectations.”

“I am sorry that you must. From this day forward, you need to dedicate every fiber of your being to not only Equestria, but to Equus. You will be broken, both physically and emotionally, and pushed to extremes that I would normally never ask somepony to do, but it must be done, for no ordinary pony can wear the crown and challenge gods. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“No. Not yet you don’t. Now follow me. We will begin our first lessons.”

“What are we doing?”

“We, my dear boy, are going to study for the entrance exam for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“But I’m already—”

“Yes, you are technically enrolled, but your parents got you accepted via name and bits. We are going to have you get in through your merits and your merits alone.”

♫Hello, Twilight, my old friend♫

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

♫I've come to talk with you again♫

The afternoons and evenings he spent in the Canterlot public library were still painfully slow for Blueblood, but Twilight Velvet made his six hour study sessions infinitely more bearable.

“So what do flashcards accomplish?” the pregnant mare patiently pressed.

“They, they…” he looked at the ceiling for the answer.

“Queen Celestia can’t help you here,” Twilight smirked playfully.

‘Blue Heart’ exhaled softly with a smile before looking at her. “Flashcards com-compartamentalize information.”

“I think you meant to say ‘compartmentalize,’” Twilight Velvet gently corrected him.

“Er, sorry, Mrs. Twilight,” he apologized. “Flashcards compartmentalize information into smaller, more digestible forms.”

“Very good!” she beamed. “It seems you’re getting better at retaining information than when you first started.”

Blue Heart nodded. “My tutor and the princess have said so, too. They say my magic control is getting better, and it feels like I understand the technical concepts more.”

Twilight grinned. “That’s great! I’m so glad that I could help you with your task.”

Blue Heart couldn’t help but agree. “When the tutor explains the theory, the princess expects me to get it all in one go, but it’s just so hard for me.” He sighed and slumped down on the desk. “I mean. I’ve always been a good student, but the stuff they want me to do is so above my level.”

Her heart ached for him and she desperately wanted to put a comforting hoof on his back, but she didn’t dare. Instead, all she could was offer encouraging words.

“Blue Heart, you’re improving by leaps and bounds,” Twilight Velvet assured him. “Before, you were aimless and having trouble keeping the books in your head. Now, you’re like a ship with a steering wheel! And you may not be memorizing the material word-for-word, but you’re keeping all the important concepts. You’re doing great!”

The colt sighed and picked his head only to rest a hoof against his temple. “But it’s not good enough. The princess was a prodigy when she was my age. She had already gotten in to Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, she was top of her class, she was on her way to becoming Equestria’s greatest duelist, and she was junior chess master. Equestria deserves her more than they deserve me,” he finished with a miserable mutter.

“Blue Heart?” she murmured.

He didn’t respond or even look at her as he began to make flash cards.

“Blue Heart?” she repeated. “I know what it feels like to not be good enough, to never be good enough. Hay, I went through that with my husband’s parents and they never accepted our relationship. But ultimately, you can’t go through life trying to please everypony—”

“I’m not trying to please everypony!” he blurted with a loud volume. Instantly he winced and dropped his voice down to a whisper. “I’m not trying to please everypony,” he restated. “I’m just trying to good enough for them.”

“And I did the same thing for my in-laws.”

“It’s not the same,” he grumbled. “I am prince of Equestria, my duty is to my nation, and I must be strong enough to bear the burden of the crown in the event that Queen Celestia cannot. I need to be the best because I have to be. But I can’t. I’m not good enough. I was okay as Noble Heart, son of the Duke and Duchess Platinum, but as Prince Blueblood CIX, nephew and crown heir to Queen Celestia?”

His head once again hit the desk and he hid his face in his hooves. “I’m a failure.”

And Twilight embraced him, tenderly pressing his head into her neck. “You’re not a failure, Noble Heart,” she murmured in his ear. “You know what you are? You’re dedicated, you’re self-less, and you’re strong. You may not be a prodigy like the princess was, but every day I see you, you’re working so hard to improve yourself to be the prince that you think Equestria deserves.”

“What I want to be and what I am are two different things!” he argued. “I’ll never be half the pony that Princess Blueblood is, much less the queen! Equestria deserves more than me.”

She gently nuzzled him. “I think that you’re perfect for Equestria. Even though you’re young and inexperienced, Queen Celestia saw your humility and love for the nation, and right now, I’m seeing that in you."

She pulled him away from her neck and looked directly into his glamoured eyes. He was a hair’s away from crying, judging by the tears threatening to spill and the quick breathing, but she pressed on. “Noble Heart, what I’m about to say, I mean from the bottom of my heart: you’re more like Queen Celestia than you think, and if you ever ascended the throne, I would be honored to call you my king.”

He swallowed and opened his mouth to say something, but he then crushed her in an embrace.

“Oof! Be careful!” she giggled, trying to dispel the heavy emotional atmosphere that had descended on them. “There’s three of us here, remember?”

He quickly recoiled. “Sorry!”

Twilight Velvet laughed. “It’s alright, Blue Heart. Here.” She then lifted up her sweater to reveal her swollen belly. “Would you like to meet to another of your subjects?”

“Okay,” he answered as he slid down to the floor in front of Twilight’s seat. The colt pressed an ear and hoof on her stomach.

“Do you hear the heart beat?” she asked.

He shook his head and once he did, she guided his head to wear he could hear the foal.

“Do you want it to be a colt or a filly?” Blue Heart asked.

“I already have a colt, so a filly would be nice,” she said. “But Shining has his heart set on a little brother he can play knights with.”

“How many months have you been pregnant?”

“Ten,” Twilight informed him.

“Wow, you’ll have the foal any day now!”

She laughed. “Even though I’ve done this before, I’m still kinda scared, but it’s okay.” She then pressed his head more tightly against her belly. “Noble Heart,” Twilight Velvet whispered. “I know that you don’t think you’ll ever be like the princess or the queen, but remember. They are what they are, and you are what you are. Don’t focus on what you can never do; instead, focus on what you can. I know my family drama is trivial compared to the burden of the crown, but once Night Light and I accepted that we could never get his family’s approval, we worked on what was important: us. You can do it, too, Noble Heart. I believe in you.”

He embraced her and the foal in her womb.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

In the Service of Our Future King

He was pleasantly surprised when he saw that there was a crackling fire lit in his royal apartment. He was also greatly displeased when he saw the princess dozing in his bed.

Blueblood the Younger silently slid off his panniers and sweater. What did she want now? Well, no matter. They’d discuss it in the morning before he met with his tutor. The young prince made his way to the door. He’d have to sleep with Celestia tonight.

“Don’t be rude, nephew,” Princess Blueblood CVIII growled from the other end of the room.

He felt her field grab his tail and yank him back in.

“Stay,” she commanded.

“Oof!” he exclaimed as he was dragged to the center of his apartment. “Just what do you want?” the prince demanded.

“It has come to my attention that you are receiving outside aide in your studies.”

How did she…? “Yes, ma’am,” he nodded.

Princess Blueblood looked directly into his eyes. “Does this pony know who you are?”

“No—”

“Do you think you can lie to me, boy?” she spat. “Don’t insult me.”

“How did you even know?” he demanded, not even bothering to defend his dishonesty. “Do you have somepony watching me?!”

The decrepit mare rolled her eyes with a sneer. “I saw it in the way walked and held yourself as you went to your studies. I saw it in how you performed the tactile portion of our magical training sessions. Despite my warning about having outsiders interfere, you still—”

“No pony can challenge the gods by themselves!” he shouted back.

Blueblood CVIII bit back whatever retort she had to say and glared.

“The queen said it herself: nopony can challenge a god without help. She offered to help, so I took it!”

The princess closed her eyes and sighed. “Yes. It is true that no single mortal stands a chance against gods. But you cannot trust just anypony—”

“Twilight’s not just anypony! She’s my friend and she promised to keep my secret!”

She raised an eyebrow. “Your friend?” she repeated. “And did you show her who really are?”

“Not on purpose,” he admitted. “I stepped on my scarf and it came off.”

“Did anypony else see?”

“No, we were in an empty wing of the library.”

“As far as you know,” she bitterly muttered. “And just who is this filly exactly?”

“She’s not a filly, she’s a mare. She has a husband and a son and a foal on the way. Her name is Twilight Velvet Sparkle.”

Prince Blueblood immediately felt himself yanked forward by his aunt’s field.

“Sparkle?” she hissed, her eyes murderous with rage. “Twilight Velvet Sparkle of House Sparkle?”

He now found himself levitating upside down in front of her. Again.

“You little fool,” the princess growled. “Whatever friendship you think you had with that wench, it ends now!”

“What?!” he screeched. “Why?!”

“Because, you naïve little twit, she’s using you! She’s using you to further her own agendas!”

He looked at her in angered shock. “Are you kidding me?!” he yelled right back in her face.

And then the princess cast Prince Blueblood’s most favorite spell in the world: the zipped lips spell.

“Listen to me and listen well, colt,” she murmured softly. “You will encounter few more treacherous and cruel than nobles.”

“Mmm?!”

“While you have made your disdain for House Platinum loud and clear, believe me when I say that they are hardly the worst of the lot. Nay, it is the lesser houses you should be wary of, for they have so much to gain through skullduggery, chicanery, and other such unchivalrous practices.”

He glowered at her impatiently, feeling the blood pound in his temples from both fury and being held upside down.

“Remember that you are now Queen Celestia’s heir, and as such, you are the second-most desirable pony in the world. Mares will throw themselves at your hooves to fawn, and stallions will constantly give you their adoration. Ponies will claim how much they love and respect you in the hopes of political favors (among other things). You must be ever vigilant against those sycophants for they will do everything in their power to use your power. Am I clear?”

He nodded at her, scowling all the while.

“That Twilight Sparkle is not your friend. Whatever aide she has given you is only a means to an end, and that is getting ever closer to power. Am I clear?”

He nodded.

“Now tell me: what has she done for you?” And she undid the spell.

“She’s a librarian!” he shouted at her. “Twilight is a peasant! Her husband is a professor of astronomy at the university! And her son goes to some plebian school, not Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns! Does she sound like a noble to you?”

“What?” the princess demanded with a raised eyebrow.

“This isn’t even the first time I met her!” he insisted. “I met Twilight before my father put the zipped lips spell on me for a month. She helped me with my homework and bought me something to eat at some commoner’s café called Pony Joe’s. Does that sound like something a noble would do? ”

She narrowed her eyes, searching his eyes for any falsehood.

“The noble houses have long since made it forbidden for peasants to bear noble names, so it is entirely impossible for that Twilight to not have connection with House Sparkle—”

“She’s not—!”

“I will see to that,” the princess growled, dropping him on the floor.

He tried getting up, but the pounding in his temples intensified, so he could only lie on his rug until his head straightened.

“So you’re going to spy on her?” he demanded.

“Only if I have to,” the princess stated, nonchalant about the whole matter.

“I can’t believe this!” he snapped. “You were just going on about how despicable nobles are, but look at you: you’re going to spy on somepony—”

“I need to protect you!” she barked.

“From what? A librarian who wants to help me study for the entrance exam?”

“No,” Princess Blueblood stated in a cold voice. “I need to protect you from those who would get in your way. You will be king when Nightmare Moon comes, and while she will more than likely defeat you, I will not have you be a casualty before she even lays eyes on you. Am I clear?”

“But—”

“Am. I. Clear?” she demanded in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

He looked away indignantly. “Yes, ma’am,” he murmured.

The decrepit mare looked down on her nephew, expression once again unreadable. “Whatever study technique she has shown you, keep at it. Your book knowledge has markedly improved. I will see you soon.”

He staggered onto his hooves. “Yes, ma’am.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Had to delete and edit this chapter and the one after this one. Now the story's flowing along much better.

Time is something you do not have

He watched her hobble in during his tactile lesson with a tutor. The tutor glanced at the princess, but did not bow to her yet, unwilling to break form while casting the spell. The prince glared death at his aunt. Blueblood CVIII looked at them both, not seeming to be bothered by the colt's obvious rancor.

The moment the tutor finished with the demonstration, the prince spoke. “Leave us,” he snapped while keeping his eyes glued on his aunt.

“You are in the middle of a lesson,” the princess stated. “Finish it.”

“No,” the colt insisted. “You and I need to talk, princess, so you,” he now addressed his teacher, “leave.”

“Uh—” the poor instructor began.

“You have—” the princess started to say.

“What? Obligations?” he spat out the word. “A five minute chat isn’t going to put me hopelessly behind on my studies.”

“Neph—”

“Frankly, I think our discussion is going to be more educational than what I’m doing at the moment. I’m going to have more responsibilities one day, so I need to learn to stick up for myself now, rather than get plowed over by other ponies,” Blueblood CIX quipped.

The princess got a sour look on her face, but she nevertheless kept her tone civil. “Very well, my prince. You are dismissed,” she nodded to the teacher.

The teacher bowed quickly before exiting. Whatever was going, the tutor preferred not to be caught in the middle.

“So what did you find?” Blueblood the Younger sneered at her. “Is Twilight some evil, selfish noble who plans on using my crown to her advantage? Or is she some librarian who was just doing her job?”

“Night Light Sparkle is of House Sparkle, so Twilight Velvet does have that connection,” Blueblood the Elder stated calmly.

“What?!” the colt exclaimed in shock.

“But luckily for you, Night Light has been disowned (quite willingly, I might add) from his House.”

“Disowned?” he repeated, confusion replacing his anger.

“Indeed,” the princess noted as she leaned back into her seat. “He was disowned for marrying Twilight Velvet, a peasant.”

“Fantastic, so will you let me go to the library after practice?” he demanded with great impudence and impatience.

“If that is what you want, then yes, nephew, I will… on one stipulation.”

“Seriously?!”

“End your friendship with her.”

His jaw dropped but he quickly recovered. “Are you kidding me?!” he shouted at her. “You said it yourself, she’s just peasant! What could she possibly do—?”

“Precisely,” Princess Blueblood interrupted at a more reasonable volume. “What could she possibly do?”

“She’s helping me study—!”

“And so ends the extent of her usefulness,” she stated didactically.

“And what, in Celestia’s mane, does that even mean?!” he screeched at her.

“Don’t be foolish, colt,” his aunt snapped. “What Celestia said is true: no single mortal can challenge gods, but just what could Twilight Velvet Sparkle do against Nightmare Moon, hmm?” she sneered caustically.

“She, she…” he stammered, looking away and flattening his ears against his skull.

“You need powerful allies to defeat Nightmare Moon, not the friendship of some bookish librarian. Use the librarian for all that she’s worth and then forget about her. Twilight Sparkle is a distraction, an obstacle who will hold you back.”

“Would Queen Celestia do that to her subjects? Just forget about them once they weren’t useful anymore?” he demanded, tears pricking his eyes.

“No, but considering that she’s leaving the world to suffer for her past mistakes, I wouldn’t exactly follow her code of conduct rule for rule.”

“Twilight isn’t going to hold me back,” he insisted, a tear now sliding out of his eye “She’s part of the reason why I wanted to become Blueblood in the first place!”

“Was she? Or were you thinking about Equestria as a whole?” the princess asked with an incredulous eyebrow raised.

“Yes! I mean, no! I mean, I mean— why can’t somepony be my ally and my friend?”

Blueblood the Elder scoffed, as if he asked the stupidest question in the world. “Yes, it is possible to have somepony as both your ally and friend, but Sparkle is just librarian who writes foal’s books in her spare time. She can’t teach you powerful spells, she can’t do battle with ancient abominations, she can’t guide a nation. All she can do is teach you how to study and buy you dinner at, what did you call it? Pony Joe’s? Is that what you need to do to defeat Nightmare Moon? To stuff your face full of pastries?”

“I hate you!” he screamed at her, now crying freely. “You’re worse than my parents ever were! I wish I never met you!”

Princess Blueblood CVIII facial expression was entirely impassive as she watched him cry. “You will be king one day. You cannot be selfish, for millions upon millions of lives will depend on you in the coming darkness. I warned you that you be pushed to great extremes, just like I warned you that you would be broken. You are Blueblood, and as such, your personal feelings are irrelevant. The moment you convinced Celestia to accept you as her heir was the moment you let go of your own life. Now, as I told you before, every fiber of your being must be dedicated to Equestria and Equus. Am I at last fully understood?”

He couldn’t bear to look at her, and even if he did, he wouldn’t be able to see her through his tears and sobs.

“Answer me, King Blueblood!” she commanded.

“Y-y-yes—”

“With conviction! Nightmare Moon will not forgive weakness!”

“Yes, ma’am!” he forced out.

“Then stop crying. I will fetch your tutor. If s/he sees you crying, s/he will undoubtedly report to the queen.”

“But—”

“You have twenty years to become strong enough to face a god who has been around for millennia. Time is something do not you have.”

The princess then teleported a small basin at his hooves, teleported snow from outside into the basin, and melted it. “You have until I return with your tutor. Look presentable.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

I thought about having the title be 'Friendship is Not Magic' (if I could italicize words in my chapter titles), but it sounded rather cliché.

♫ Because a vision softly creeping♫

Hearth’s Warming came and went, and still Prince Blueblood pored away at his books on magic theory.

Twilight hadn’t come to work for the past few days, which was entirely reasonable, seeing how most ponies preferred to pass the week with their foals at this time. He was torn by both disappointment and relief.

His glamoured eyes scanned the text, and he forced himself to rewrite some sentences. Just like she had taught him to do.

‘Forget about Twilight!’ he berated himself before rereading the passage again. He applied more pressure to his quill to try and drown out his thoughts.

‘Ultimately, a unicorn’s magic will fall into one of three categories: day, night, and twilight…’

The nib of his quill broke off.

“Oh come on!” he hissed to himself.

Fine! Maybe he would be better of reviewing history! Blueblood angrily yanked out a different parchment from his panniers and slammed open the book.

But still, no matter how hard he tried, his mind drifted back to Twilight Velvet and all that she had done for him: the study techniques, the flashcard quizzes she helped him with, the Pony Joe pastries she snuck in for him to snack on, the kind words…

His head dropped on his book. Just how was going to break off his friendship with her? Could he even do such a thing? Prince Blueblood tiredly rubbed his eyes. As much as he wanted to continue studying, he found that he simply couldn’t focus. And what did Twilight tell him to do when he could no longer grasp a book’s material? Take a break.

The colt got up and made his way began to mindlessly meander through the library. There were few librarians and even fewer patrons. He exhaled softly and went on to a wing that was seldom visited by ponies. Being around his subjects repulsed him.

Just what was he thinking when he begged the queen and princess to name him Blueblood? Why in the singing bells of Tambelon did he agree to challenge a god? He leaned against a bookshelf for support.

How could he hope to challenge Nightmare Moon if he couldn’t even face Twilight? Kind, mortal, and powerless Twilight…

Blueblood got up from the bookshelf and started walking to the history section.

Once he got there, he started scanning the titles. The prince had been warned by his aunt that looking for any serious references to Nightmare Moon would be fruitless, seeing how Celestia had essentially reduced her to the foalish villain of Nightmare Night. Honestly, the only reason why he had even found the ‘Story of the Heavenly Sisters’ was due to the fact that it had lay forgotten in the Platinum library.

Sighing, he opened a copy of ‘Predictions and Prophesies.’

‘ … on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape and she will bring about night time eternal.’

He read prophesy over and over again, even though he had long since memorized it. In twenty years, he would be part of that prophecy, trying to save Equus from an everlasting darkness and nightmare. If he didn't, the world would end beneath cold gaze of a white moon.

The tome slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor, its sound echoing in the silent wing.

“I am a servant of Equestria,” he murmured to himself. “I will protect and nurture my nation and subjects regardless of form or gratitude. I toil to ensure that the world will remain alive and well, and to guarantee that Equus will not break into a lifeless husk. My... my duty, now and always.”

He picked up the book and slid it back into its proper space.

“I need to get back to work,” Blueblood mumbled.

Every time he felt his mind wandering back to Twilight Velvet, he repeated what his aunt had told him:

“I am Blueblood. My personal feelings are irrelevant.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Gee. Great words to live by, Blueblood. Real nice. I can't see that biting ponies in the flank later down the line.

A Velvet/Night Story

He read the final passage of the book again and skimmed over his notes, checking to see if he had missed any important details. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he then scribbled down his last few flashcards. He perused the text one last time before closing the book with a small snap. He turned to his check list.

~~Read chapter~~
~~Reiterate important concepts~~
~~Make flashcards~~
Test comprehension of the material

Blue Heart threw his head back and exhaled, rubbing his tired eyes. He heard the clip-clop of hooves approaching him.

“You’re done with it?” Twilight Velvet asked as she placed a small paper bag in front of him.

He rolled his neck to her and smiled. “Yes, I finally got through all the important books that the princess wanted me to get through. Now all I have to do is go through the smaller ones.” He then opened the bag. Inside were a small sandwich and a bottle of cider. “What time is it?” the colt asked before taking a bite.

“You have one more hour,” she assured him. “Can I see your checklist and notes?”

“Mhmm,” he nodded, more occupied with his snack than her.

The mare read through his scrolls and flashcards for a couple minutes. At last she looked at him again. “Blue Heart, I’m so, so proud of you.” Twilight was beaming. “You’re using all my techniques flawlessly! Your notes are thorough and to the point, your flashcards contain all the key components and the more difficult ones, and your checklists are keeping you on track! You’re guaranteed to get in Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns now, and I bet you’ll even be ahead of your class.”

He gulped down some of his cider. “Thank you, Mrs. Twilight,” he smiled back, glowing with pride. “I couldn’t have gotten this far without you. I’d probably just be reading the same books over and over again, trying to memorize everything.”

Twilight Velvet sat down next to him. “Well, I’m glad to have gotten you out of that rut,” she agreed. “It took me ages to develop the study habits I’ve shown you, and it took me even longer to develop your discipline. Now let’s review: what are Twilight Velvet’s six points of studying?”

“Reiterate to retain,” he recited, “the first sentence of each paragraph contains the most important information, check lists keep ponies on track, flashcards quizzes to ensure comprehension, it’s okay to take short breaks when needed, and when confused always ask for clarification.”

Twilight softly clapped her hooves together. “Congratulations! Blue Heart, you’ve just mastered how to study! I knew ponies twice your age who could barely even do one or two the techniques I showed you.”

“Is, is that everything you know about studying?” he asked, apprehension lacing his tone.

“Pretty much,” she nodded. “But nevermind that; you passed my class with flying colors! Would you like to do a flashcard quiz?”

He looked at his half-eaten sandwich pensively. “That’s all, huh?”

“Mhmm,” Twilight assured him.

Blue Heart looked up at her. “Then let’s celebrate. I’ve been studying this stuff everyday for six hours. I think I’ll call it quits early tonight.”

“Oh, you want to celebrate?” she asked in amusement. “What do you want to do?”

“I want to go for a walk, but you can’t leave, can you?”

The mare sighed. “No, unfortunately not.”

“Then let’s just talk. We’re friends, but sometimes it feels like we hardly know each other.”

Twilight laughed. “Well, I disagree, but if you want to, we’ll talk.”

The colt slid down from his seat and pressed an ear against her swollen stomach, listening for movement. “Have you decided a name for the foal?”

She rested a hoof on his head. “Well, I definitely have a name picked out for it if it comes turns out to be a colt. I’ve been thinking of calling him Dusk Shine. If I have a filly, well, I’m still debating that.”

“What does your husband— what’s his name again?— want to name the foal?”

“My husband, Night Light, wants to name the foal (ugh) ‘Twilight,’” she rolled her eyes.

Blue Heart laughed as he got back in his seat. “Real creative.”

The mare sighed. “I love that stallion to pieces, but sometimes... you’ll understand once you find a lovely mare to marry. Anyway, I’m curious: I couldn’t help but notice that you read a couple books on the basics of earth and pegasus magic, but that wasn’t on your reading list at all. Why’s that?”

“Oh well, sometimes the entrance exam includes a couple questions on earth and a pegasus magic, so I thought it’d be a good idea to have me read up on them. Plus, I don't really know the extent of earth and pegasus magic, and since I do happen to live with somepony who can use every races' magic…”

“Ah, makes sense. Though I’d guess the queen would add that your list since you are living with her.”

“Oh, she never added any of the books on my reading list.

"Hmm, I'd expect her to take a more proactive role in your situation."

"Queen Celestia doesn’t know I’m studying to get into the School for Gifted Unicorns.”

Twilight Velvet recoiled in surprise. “Really?”

“Mhmm,” he nodded. “The queen’s pretty busy running Equestria, so she doesn’t have time for me. That’s why the princess is in charge of my education.”

“I thought you spent Hearth’s Warming and New Year's together,” she pressed.

“I did, but other than that, I haven’t really spent much time with her.”

“But, but you’re—!” Twilight cleared her throat with a blush, ashamed at having raised her voice. “You’re her nephew, her heir. I thought you’d at least eat or spend some time with her after your studies,” she whispered

He shook his head, completely nonchalant about the topic. “She eats before I get to the castle, and I’ve only spent time with her after my coronation, and for Hearth's Warming and New Year's. We don’t really talk much, but that’s okay.”

“Blue Heart—” the mare began.

“Honestly, Mrs. Twilight,” he laughed. “You’re taking this harder than I am. Besides, I think I’m going to see more of her in the future.”

Her blushed deepened. “Er, sorry, Blue Heart, I guess I got carried away there. Anyway, when do you think you’ll be able to spend time with her?”

He shrugged. “Truthfully, I can go to her apartment tonight and spend time with her there, but I don’t want to bother her; she has her duties, and I have mine. But I’ve been thinking… when somepony really impresses Queen Celestia with their magical talent, she invites them to be her student. I’m hoping that maybe, with all my practicing and studying, I’ll be good enough to become her student , that way when we spend time together, I’m not just bothering her, I’m working with her.”

“Oh!” Twilight exclaimed quietly. “Yes, I’ve heard of that. You know, I think she had her last student fifteen years ago.”

“Yes, the princess told me about her. She said her name was an earth pony named Scarlet Ivy. Scarlet Ivy’s magic was so strong, she could make a tree sprout leaves in the middle of Winter!”

“Oh yes, now I remember. When I was a little filly, about twenty years ago, Scarlet Ivy went to the mall and made the flowers bloom. It was Winter and the ground was hard and ice cold, but she did it somehow. A bunch of other earth ponies got together tried to do the same thing, but even with all their combined magic, they could barely make the grass of the mall even sprout, much less get flowers to bloom. My parents took me to see all the plants. The greenery stayed like that for a couple of days before they finally froze to death.”

“Really?” he asked, eyes wide with wonder.

“Oh believe me, I may have been young, but it’s pretty much impossible to forget skipping through healthy stalks of sunflowers in the middle of Winter. Nopony except for Queen Celestia could have done such a feat of magic.”

“Wow,” he looked down at the crumbs of his finished sandwich. “When you put it that way, I’m not even sure if I could ever even hope of being her student.”

Twilight gave him a playful noogie. “Keep doing what you’re doing and you just might.”

He looked up at her, green eyes shining. “Thanks, Twilight. You’re a good friend.”

“I always try to be.”

“Say, Mrs. Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“You’re a Sparkle, right?”

The question caused her to pause, but she then recovered. “Yes, I am a Sparkle,” she answered tentatively.

“So that means you’re related to House Sparkle, right?”

“Er, well, I suppose—”

“Well, it’s just I’ve been wondering this since I first met you,” he began. “If you’re from House Sparkle, why are you a librarian?”

“Because I love books—”

“But Mrs. Twilight, if you love books so much, why not just spend your days in the Sparkle library? For that matter, why does Night Light work for the university? He could just study astronomy in the Sparkle observatories and not have to be bothered with students or—”

“Where’s all this coming from?” she quickly cut in.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Twilight,” he apologized, his voice the epitome of innocence. “It’s just I’ve never seen nobles have jobs like you do. I’ve also never seen a noble send their son to a public school before either. Say, why isn’t Shining Armor at an academy or Queen Celestia’s School—?”

“We’ve talked about this before, Blue Heart!” she interrupted, forcing a fake giggle.

“We have?” he tilted his head. “I don’t remember—”

“Remember when I spoke about my in-laws?” Twilight’s voice was quick and almost nervous.

“Oh, oh yeah, I remember!” he nodded. “But if Lord and Lady Sparkle don’t want you to use their library or observatory, why not just use yours?”

“I— what?”

“I mean, even if you’re from the House de Lis or from House Pants, you should still be able to—”

Twilight Velvet placed a hoof over his mouth. “Blue Heart, I’m not a noble,” she told him. “I’ve never been.”

The colt pulled her hoof away from his mouth. “Really? So that means you’re a—?”

“Yes, I am a commoner.”

“I never knew that nobles were allowed to marry non-nobles.”

She exhaled. “In an ideal world, anypony would be able to marry whoever they wished, but… anyway, I’m not a noble and neither is Night Light… at least not anymore.”

“What do you mean, Mrs. Twilight?”

“You’re a bit too young to understand—”

“Please tell me, Mrs. Twilight!” he begged. “Please, I promise I won’t talk to anypony about it.”

She gave him a half-hearted smile. “I wouldn’t expect you to.” The mare then sighed. “Truthfully, it’s rather difficult to talk about that subject, even after all this time, but, I guess I’ll tell you about it.

“Night Light had always been curious and liked to observe things. In fact, that’s how he got his cutie mark: by observing the moon and stars. But as he got older, he wondered what life was like beyond the gilded cage of Castle Sparkle— he called his lifestyle a gilded cage, you see, because he always felt trapped by the formalities and traditions of the Houses.

“As Night Light grew older, so did his curiosity about common life, the life I grew up in. Finally, he managed to convince his parents to let him attend a public university. Oh, they fussed and made a ruckus about how a private university would be better for him, but in the end, they agreed to let him go.

“We met at a study group I was leading. Poor Night Light! He was so gifted in math and science, but when it came to history and literature, he was so lost! I was working for the university to get a few extra bits, and they had me in charge of a literary study group. He was so awful at writing literary analyses that he begged me to give him extra coaching.

I agreed because I just felt so bad for him! The poor stallion tried and tried, but he never could get the gist of literature like I did. I kept coaching him and the more I coached him, the more we got to know each other. We stopped being acquaintances and became friends. Then we became good friends. And then— oh I don’t know what possessed me to do this, but I told him I-I liked him more than a good friend.”

Twilight Velvet was giggling like a school filly at the memory.

“He says—” she stopped to smile and giggle again. “Pardon me. He says ‘Oh thank the gods.’ He asks if he could kiss me and I said yes and after that, we decided to start our romantic relationship.”

She released a dreamy sigh.

“It was wonderful, but unfortunately, we always had a terrible shadow following us. Even before we became good friends, Night Light told me about his family and their view on ‘peasants.’ The both of us knew that once his final year of university was up, he’d be forced to go back home. Of course he tried to tell his parents that he wanted to get his doctorate in astronomy, but they were having none of it. They were done with their son mingling with riffraff and giving him ‘radical’ ideas like marrying for love, and living life the way he wanted to.

“I followed him back and we had our relationship in secret, but after a few months of it, both of us were sick of slinking in the shadows and constantly looking over our withers. Night Light finally decided to open up to his parents, the Count and Countess Sparkle.

I… I remember when he came back to me and told me that they wished to meet me.”

Twilight’s ears dropped and her posture slumped.

“He seemed so sure that they would accept me into their lives. I wasn’t, however; it just seemed too good to be true. And it was.

“We met the day after the Summer Sun Celebration because they wanted us to eat at the Sparkle estate. Dinner was just so awful! His brother and sisters didn’t even acknowledge my existence, and that hurt, but his parents were even worse. They mostly just ignored me, but when they did look at me, they gave me this look like I was some flea.

“But Night Light tried, the gods bless him, he tried. But finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. He started demanding why his parents ordered me there only to be cold toward me. They barely said anything, but he just kept getting angrier and angrier and angrier, until finally his mother spoke up.

“‘Either you choose House Sparkle, or you take the peasant.’”

The mare released a shaky sigh.

“That’s what she called me: the peasant. To this day, I don’t think I’ve ever been called such an ugly word. I know I’ve never cried harder. Night Light, seeing me like that, literally threw his plate right in her face and just started screaming at them. I’ve never seen him like that and I hope I never do again.

“The guards were summoned and they just looked like they were champing at the bit to get rough. A couple hooves were thrown, but I just couldn’t take it anymore. I… I told everypony I was pregnant, right then and there.

“Everypony just froze as they all stared at me. I normally don’t get stage fright, but being the center of everypony’s attention was so unbearable that I just shrunk into a corner and started crying harder.

“But then Night Light came.

“He asked me when I found out. I told him I found out just the week before. And then he just asked me if I wanted to leave. Of course I said yes and we just left. His oldest sister escorted us out. Right as we got to the gate of the Sparkle estate, she simply told him that he wasn’t her brother any more, I would never be her sister, and that our foal would never be the first grandchild of House Sparkle.

“Neither of us said a word or even looked back.

“Of course to save face, House Sparkle never mentioned what happened, but the story got out last year after somepony came to the absolutely brilliant observation that Night Light was teaching astronomy and living a middle class life out necessity, not for ‘rustic charm.’

“Ponies can talk, but Night Light has told me over and over again that he has never been happier. I still feel bad though… he sacrificed everything he ever knew to be with me. Some days, I wonder if I was worth it. But then I see Shining’s smile and I feel my baby’s kick and I know that even if I wasn’t worth it, our foals are.”

Blue Heart’s gaze seemed pensive. “So that’s your story?”

Twilight Velvet nodded and then stretched. “Yes.”

He slipped out of his seat. “It’s getting late Mrs. Twilight. Good night.”

“Good night. See you tomorrow.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Daaaawwwww~! :heart: The Velvet/Night story I threw in this chapter was so cute! I wish somebody would flesh it out. :rainbowkiss: It would totally give Chrysalis diabeetus.

♫Within the sound of silence♫

Blue Heart walked into the library the day after their rather personal conversation. He seemed oddly aloof, but Twilight Velvet wrote it off as him being preoccupied by private matters. Perhaps he would tell her later, or perhaps not, but regardless, she wasn’t particularly worried. He didn’t appear to be particularly conflicted.

She met him at their usual time in their usual spot. To her surprise, he wasn’t studying, but rather glancing back and forth between a scroll he was levitating, and the titles of books he had placed on the table. To her even greater surprise, a middle-aged unicorn mare was sitting on the floor and watching him. Judging by his nonchalance, Twilight assumed that perhaps the two knew each other.

“Good evening, ma’am, sir,” she nodded to the two. “My name is Twilight Velvet Sparkle and I’m a librarian here. Do you require any assistance with anything?”

Blue Heart didn’t even look up from his work, and the mare only stared back her, her expression stolid.

“Well alright, then,” Twilight forced herself to maintain a professional smile. “I’ll just—”

“Good bye,” was all the middle-aged mare said before getting up. Twilight watched her go, thoroughly confused.

“That was strange,” she said as she approached Blue Heart. “Who was that?”

“Nopony you should concern yourself with,” he mumbled, crossing something items off his checklist.

“Uh, alright, if you say so, Blue Heart.”

He paused in his work and finally looked at her. He looked rather annoyed and raised an eyebrow.

Twilight furrowed her brow. “Is something the matter?” she asked, not appreciating the look he was giving her.

He blinked, his countenance contorting into a look of distaste.

“What?” she pressed.

“Never mind,” he went back to his checklist, sighing like a tired, exasperated parent. “I would like to check out these books.”

“You’re not going to study here?” Twilight questioned in surprise.

“My business is my own, Mrs. ‘Sparkle,’” he stated before rolling up his parchment. “Now check out these books for me,” he ordered.

“Blue Heart, what, in Celestia’s mane, has gotten into you?”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m a patron, you’re a librarian, so could you please just do your job?”

“This isn’t like you,” Twilight said as she narrowed her eyes. “Just who are you?”

He bared his teeth in a snarl. “You dare disobey your prince?” he snapped.

“The prince?” she repeated. “I have no idea what you—”

He yanked off his scarf and instantly the glamour disappeared, revealing Prince Blueblood CIX, nephew and heir to the goddess of the sun, Queen Celestia. He quickly wrapped the scarf back around his neck and Blue Heart came back.

“Now that we got that business out of the way, Mrs. ‘Sparkle,’ check. Out. My. Books.”

“You’re not Blue Heart—”

“No, I just showed you I’m the Thunderbird!” he snapped, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

“— because Blue Heart is a good friend of mine, and he would never—”

“Friend?” the colt sneered. “You think that you’re friends with me? I’d call that claim rich, but considering you literally lost your husband a fortune, I’m afraid ‘rich’ isn't the word for it.”

Twilight Velvet’s jaw dropped in shock. “Blue Heart, how could you say that?!”

“I only speak the truth,” he huffed. “Unlike you, with your nonsense about us being friends.”

“Why in the singing bells of Tambelon are acting like this?” she demanded. “We spoke just fine last night and every night before that—”

“Because I didn’t know I was wasting my breath on a peasant,” Blue Heart interrupted.

Twilight’s voice hitched in her throat before a fury rose within her. “What did you just call me?”

He looked her straight in the eye. “Peasant,” he repeated, not at all cowed by her anger.

“And since when has that ever mattered to you?” Twilight questioned. “From the day we first met, it was clear as Celestia’s day.”

“Hardly,” he replied. “You had the name Sparkle, so I knew you were related to House Sparkle. I merely presumed you were enchanted by the simple life of plebeians and wanted to get a taste for it before returning back to— to what did you call it? The gilded cage?”

“Well, this is my life, Blue Heart! I’m a librarian and proud!”

“Proud?” he repeated. “So mean to tell me that you’re proud that you cost a son of House Sparkle his family and status? You’re proud that you got a stallion disowned from a life—?”

“Night Light made his choice!”

“Just like I’m going to make mine: I do not wish to pursue a friendship with the likes of you,” Blue Heart stated.

“I— what?!”

“You heard me. I’m going to wash my hooves of you.”

“Blue Heart, how could you—?”

“You served your purpose in helping to prepare me for the entrance exam, so I’m done with you.”

“Done with me?! What am I, some soiled bandage?”

“Hardly,” the colt rolled his eyes. “I sincerely doubt a soiled bandage could ever force some pony to live the rest of their lives in mediocrity.”

“Blu—!”

“I am the horn of the queen!” he cut in. “When I assume all of my responsibilities, I’m going to need actual allies in court, not some nopony librarian who writes foal’s books in her spare time. When I thought you were a Sparkle— a real Sparkle—, I had every intention of providing everything for you and your foals: distinguished spots at private academies and schools, royal favors, esteemed positions in Castle Canterlot. But now I’ve changed my mind. You can do nothing for me, so I will do nothing for you. Good bye, Mrs. ‘Sparkle.’ Seeing how you refuse to render your services onto me, I think I shall continue my studies in the royal library in the castle. Have a pleasant life, madam.”

And he left with his muzzle in the air, leaving a stunned and hurt Twilight Velvet behind.

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Prince Blueblood met the middle-aged mare at their designated meeting point in the Canterlot Public Library.

“Do not cry,” the princess commanded as she dropped the sound-silencing barrier she had placed over Twilight and him. “Do not speak. Be as blank as freshly fallen snow. ”

And he did just that.

They walked back to his apartment in the castle and the moment Princess Blueblood clicked the door shut behind them, he dove into his bed and began to sob uncontrollably.

The decrepit mare’s eyes softened as she watched her nephew cry. “You have learned many valuable lessons today,” she told him as she moved to sit down on the arm chair by his bed.

“I-I do-don’t care!” he hiccupped into the pillow.

“I know it hurts,” she whispered, her tone gentle. “But it had to be done. You can’t keep spending time with a pony who can’t help you in your battle against Nightmare Moon. You can only make time for those who can.”

“Tw-Twilight was my best friend!” he argued. “She was the only one who ever treated me so nicely!”

The princess grimaced and looked away, unable to bear the sight of the heart-broken colt. “I’m sorry, nephew, but it is as I’ve told you before: you cannot be selfish. You need to focus on yourself and on real allies, ones who can fight underneath you in the coming battle.”

She waited for him to respond, but all Prince Blueblood did was cry.

“Despite your inexperience, you have shown me that you have great aptitude in many important skills needed to be king.”

“Like what?” he spat, finally looking at her with blood-shot eyes.

“Sacrifice,” she stated. “A quick wit. Composure. You’ve impressed me today, nephew.”

He flopped back down into his pillow and continued to sob in silence.

“You willfully surrendered your friendship with that Twilight Sparkle mare. You’re tongue was sharp and fast when you were cutting her down. You maintained the correct faces for when you severed your ties with her, and when you needed to appear controlled. You have done well.”

“I don’t care how well I did, I just want Twilight,” he whimpered.

Princess Blueblood sighed. “You were just like the queen today.”

He sniffed and wiped his mucus ridden muzzle with a leg. “What?”

“When the queen banished Nightmare Moon into the moon, she went through the exact same thing you’re going through, though on a much grander scale. It hurts to lose a friend, but Nightmare Moon, despite her jealousy and rage, was still Celestia’s sister, and Celestia still loves her, despite all that she did. The queen had to make a great sacrifice for not only Equestria, but for Equus. She had to be quick-witted to defeat Nightmare Moon, for that evil god was surely far more powerful than her. And she had to maintain her composure. If she didn’t, then Equus still would have suffered from the lack of movement of the sun and moon.”

Blueblood the Younger hugged a pillow. “She went through this?”

“Indeed, but unlike you, she did not have the luxury of no responsibilities.”

“I see,” he murmured.

“Even after a thousand years, the queen still bears the burden of that one faithful day. I wish that you did not have to go through something similar, but—”

“I am Blueblood,” he stated, as he sat up and went to the bathroom. “My personal feelings are irrelevant.”

She heard him run the water and listened to him splash his face. “Nephew, I—”

“Could you please glamour my scarf into a different looking colt?” he asked as he came back. “I need to continue my studies and I’ve already wasted enough time today.”

“I will do as you ask, though I am not sure how productive you’re going to be after—”

“Nightmare Moon is coming and I barely know anything about magic,” he told her. “Time is something we do not have.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Chapter 13

Prince Blueblood CIX sat silently in his seat gazing down at the floor, torn between feeling apprehensive or feeling nonchalant. The Spring semester auditions for Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns were, in his humble opinion, distressingly easy.

At first he wondered if he was merely over-prepared for the exams. He did, after all, spend weeks studying text after text and practicing relentlessly with one of the best tutors the princess could find. But then again, this was Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Maybe the tests were supposed to appear easy so as to root out the not-quite-so-gifted unicorns.

He flicked his tail.

Blueblood either passed with flying colors or had failed miserably.

Not even the gods could save him from the wrath of the princess if it was the latter.

Still, it was the end of the day, and he along with another number of students had been pulled aside for one more test. Maybe the proctors were trying to find sift out the best of the harvest. Or maybe this was their last chance to make it into the school.

Blueblood watched as one by one, the fillies and colts were called into the examination room. They came out either crying, furious, or despondent.

The third to last pony was called and she marched ahead to her doom, trembling all the while.

Now, the only other pony in the hall was a little filly. She looked very young, like she was in level 0, and she had a golden coat with a red and gold mane and tail. The filly was also a blank flank (not that that was surprising for a five/six-year-old), so Blueblood couldn’t even get a hint as to what her magical specialty was.

“Hi,” she said, when she finally his met gaze.

“Hello,” he answered back.

“My name is Sunset Shimmer. What’s yours?”

“My name is Blue Heart,” he responded.

“How do you think you did?” she asked, smiling nervously.

He shrugged. “I wish I knew. What about you?”

“I think I was okay on magic theory, but I’m not sure how well I did in the levitation parts of the test.” She huffed. “I can do all that stuff okay by myself, but it’s hard to levitate stuff with ponies watching.”

“I understand the feeling,” Blueblood agreed.

“Really?” Sunset asked. “You look so, so normal!”

He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I do?”

“Yeah! Everypony looks like they want to go hide in their beds, but you? You look like this is nothing!”

Hm. Maybe he had mastered the art of composure. “Well, believe me, I’m scared. If I don’t get in, well…”

“Are your parents mages?” she questioned.

Blueblood rolled his falsely-colored eyes with a scoff. “No, my mother’s terrible with magic: she only knows the basics, and always calls somepony else to do more complicated— er, harder spells,” he quickly rephrased his statement. “My father’s pretty okay with it, but he’s nowhere near as good as a mage. Are your parents mages?”

Sunset shook her head. “My parents are businessponies; they’re good at math and meeting ponies, but not that good at magic. Say, Blue Heart?”

“Yes?”

“After the test, do you think you could show me how to get out? They gave me a map, but I don’t understand it.”

He shrugged. Sure. Why not? “Yeah, okay. I’ll be right here if they call me first, or just wait for me if they call you first.”

Just then, the door opened. The filly who had just taken the test was in tears.

“Blue Heart!” a proctor called.

“Good luck,” Sunset whispered.

“Thanks,” he mumbled back as he made his way into the room.

He swallowed nervously, feeling his heart pound at a rapid pace. ‘I went through a coronation, I can go through this, I went through a coronation, I can go through this, I went through a coronation, I can go through this.’ Blueblood chanted in his mind over and over again.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Blue Heart,” one of the three examiners greeted him cordially. “This will be the final test you’ll be taking for Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.”

The colt nodded, trying to quell his nerves.

“You have seven minutes to complete the test. Starting…” another proctor pulled the blanket from the object in the room, revealing a small crate with a large lavender-colored egg with even darker violet spots. “Now.” And another proctor began the timer.

He looked at the instructions and fell back on his rump.

Hatch a dragon’s egg? Hatch a dragon’s egg?! How in the darkest and more wretched pits of Tartarus was he expected to do that?!

He closed his eyes and began to do breathing exercises to calm himself. Getting flustered would solve nothing, what he needed to was think about how he’d hatch the egg.

Blueblood stood and began to circle around the crate. He started to reach for the egg with a hoof before a proctor spoke.

“Please refrain from touching the egg with your hooves, young sir. You may only touch it with your magic.”

Blueblood nodded and levitated the egg, examining it from all angles. He then held up in the dying afternoon sunlight trying to see the dragon inside. He couldn’t see through the shell.

Perhaps he could try smashing it, but then again the object was to hatch the egg, not just get the dragon out. Besides, he doubted Queen Celestia would ever approve of killing a life (or a potential one at that) just for some test.

“Four minutes,” a proctor stated.

Blueblood let the egg back down and thought. Dragons were said to be as magical, if not more so, than ponies and phoenixes. Maybe he needed to feed the egg with all the magic he could to spur the dragon into coming out.

Blueblood moved to a position where he was facing his examiners. He took a deep breath…

‘In twenty years, I will be king of Equestria.’

…and let go.

‘In twenty years, I will battle a god.’

The proctors narrowed their eyes as they watched him feed his mana to the egg. They had seen this test done dozens upon dozens upon dozens of times, but very rarely did they see something like this.

‘I. Must. Do. This.’

The colt, Blue Heart, was not like the other foals. Though the children had all been either desperate or determined, Blue Heart was not desperate and determined, at least not like the others.

‘For Equestria!’ he thought as his knees buckled from the sheer magical force he was pouring out from his horn and into the egg. ‘For the world!’

It was like they were watching a stallion who had everything to lose.

The magical aura around his horn became white with concentration and he grit his teeth. Never in his life had he done so much magic as he was doing right now.

“Time’s up,” a proctor informed him.

But it was not enough.

Blueblood stopped feeding his magic into the egg, feeling tears prickle his eyes. He had failed. Never mind Princess Blueblood’s fury. He had failed his nation.

He wobbled up onto his hooves. His head, particularly around the base of his horn, pounded from the exertion.

Blueblood fell forward on both knees and bowed till his horn tip touched the floor. “I’ll do better next time,” he murmured into the tile.

The proctors scribbled something down on their clipboards.

“Do not speak about this exam to anypony else,” the head examiner stated, not looking up from his sheet. “If you do, you, and the pony you have spoken with, shall be immediately disqualified from ever reauditioning to Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Even if you are accepted, you may not speak about this exam, lest you be immediately expelled. Am I understood?

Prince Blueblood stood up. “Yes, sir,” he mumbled, keeping his gaze on the floor.

“You can expect your exam results in two days. You are dismissed.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said. "Good bye, sir.”

He walked out the door and collapsed on the floor across from Sunset Shimmer’s seat. He kept his back to her.

“Are you okay?” she asked with worry. While none of the test-takers looked particularly overjoyed after coming out of the classroom, none of the other test-takers looked anywhere near as awful as he did.

“Good luck, Sunset Shimmer,” he mumbled. “I’ll take you out just like I promised.”

“But—”

“Sunset Shimmer!” a proctor called.

The little filly glanced back and forth between Blue Heart and the examiner before she finally went through the door.

Maybe she’d come out crying. All the younger ones did.

Prince Blueblood could feel the pounding in his head slowly subside and he sat up. By the gods, what was he going to do? Sure, he could continue working with a tutor and studying texts, but would it have been the same? The princess had told him that he needed to be in a competitive environment to truly push his limits. His tutoring and study sessions were difficult, but they didn’t carry the same challenge as trying to compete against other students.

He bit his lip, trying to organize his thoughts.

BANG!

A bright, almost blinding flash exploded from the classroom door where Sunset Shimmer was taking her test!

Prince Blueblood scrambled onto his hooves and ran to the classroom.

What he saw made his breath hitch in his throat. Never before had he seen something so beautiful. The dragon egg and Sunset Shimmer were in the center of the classroom. She was levitating off the floor, head tilted up to the ceiling, and horn and eyes glowing white with power.

She was surging, and what a surge it was.

Flames of all colors were engulfing the room, as vibrant and as breath-taking as the sunset filtering in from the window. The room was warm, yes, but the fire did not burn with the same intensity as that of a true fire. The flames licked up the walls and proctors, caressing them with a warm Summer’s breeze. Prince Blueblood felt the fire run up his leg and go all the way up to his horn tip. It was… nice, like a welcoming kiss from a mother.

But then, Sunset Shimmer’s magical surge subsided, and her enchanted flame was slowly extinguished as she gently floated down. When her hooves touched the floor, she collapsed, unconscious by the sheer magic she had poured out from her horn. Blueblood couldn’t help but notice the red and gold sun now adorning her flank.

“Mr. Blue Heart,” a proctor addressed him, pushing her glasses back into place. “I thought we dismissed you.”

“I’m sorry,” he answered. “After my test, I was really tired and needed to lay down. When I heard the noise—”

“Good bye, Mr. Blue Heart,” she cut in, in no mood for excuses.

“I’m sorry,” he quickly apologized again before leaving.

Perhaps it would be best to let the adults escort Sunset out of the school…

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He once again found the princess in his apartment. She sat at his desk with her back to him, scribbling away in her diary by candlelight.

“I failed,” he stated bluntly.

“And you know this?” she asked, not even bothering to stop writing.

“Yes, I couldn’t do the last test.”

Blueblood the Elder scoffed. “The school never releases exam results until two days after the auditions are done. You know nothing at this point.”

“But I—”

“I’ve been alive for a long time, nephew, and even back when I was a filly, that was how the school conducted their business. Just wait and see.”

He threw his panniers at the foot of his bed and climbed in. “I watched a filly surge today,” he informed her.

“Indeed?”

“Yes, she cast all this colorful, non-burning fire everywhere. It was as beautiful as a sunset.”

The princess paused in her scribbling. “Even for a surge, that is delicate and intricate magic.”

“I know, I’ve only had a couple of surges, but when I did, all I'd do was knock things down. She created art. She even got her cutie mark from it: a red and gold sun.”

Blueblood the Elder exhaled through her nostrils as she closed her diary. “Have a good evening.”

“Where are you going?” he called after her.

“That is none of your concern," she stated she closed the door behind her.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Hey, it's Sunset Shimmer! Hi, Sunset! :pinkiehappy:

Heart's Balm Song

He sat at his desk watching the sun sink closer and closer to the horizon. Blueblood was supposed to be studying, but other things were preoccupying his attention.

Just what was he going to do with himself? How was he supposed to even stand a chance against Nightmare Moon if he couldn’t even pass an exam at Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?

Philomena crooned as she shoved her beak underneath his mouth, demanding to be pet even more. He nuzzled her with his muzzle, continuing to stroke down her back.

“Oh, Philomena,” he murmured to his companion. “I’m not sure if I could ever be king one day.”

She gently mouthed his hoof.

“I don’t suppose your sacred fire could stop Nightmare Moon? Do you think if she drank your tears, she’d stop wanting to end the world?”

The phoenix looked up at him. “Raw!” she answered.

Blueblood sighed as he buried his face in her back. There were times he wished he had a bit of earth magic to understand her. Come to think of it, being an alicorn would make battling Nightmare Moon much easier, but who ever heard of a unicorn becoming an alicorn? It was impossible.

There was a knock on the door.

“Enter,” he commanded.

“The queen is hosting a private dinner; we’re expected to make an appearance,” the princess stated.

“Ugh,” he groaned, hiding his face in Philomena’s feathers. “Do I have to— ack!”

The chair was suddenly yanked back and he fell backward on the floor.

“Raw!” the phoenix snapped in annoyance at Blueblood the Elder.

“Try to get there in thirty minutes,” the decrepit mare ordered as she walked away.

“Couldn’t you have at least said yes?!” he shouted back at her.

She didn’t dignify him with a response.

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“My, it’s been too long since we’ve last spoken, nephew,” Queen Celestia greeted Prince Blueblood when she saw him enter her private dining chambers. “And so good to see you, too, Philomena!”

“Raw!” the phoenix answered from her perch on his back.

The colt bowed. “Good evening, your grace.”

“Nephew,” the princess beckoned him from underneath the queen’s wing, “to me.”

He stood next to her. “I was studying,” he scowled at her.

The princess scoffed. “No you weren’t. Philomena was sitting on top of your notes, demanding to be petted.”

The alicorn shot the phoenix a look of disproval.

Naturally, Philomena continued to preen as if she had done nothing wrong.

“Fine, I wasn’t,” Blueblood the Younger admitted a roll of his eyes. “But why am I here? You’re the one who usually handles this type of stuff.”

Celestia spoke up. “I’ve requested you to come here because we’re going to meet somepony very special today.”

“Who, milady?” he asked his queen. “Are we meeting a dignitary?”

She gave him her usual enigmatic smile. “Please sit to my left. Our guest of honor will be here shortly.”

He bowed to the goddess before following her request.

No sooner did he take his seat did the captain of the guard enter into the room. “Introducing the Headmaster of Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, Dr. Bartizan Yorsets, and his wives: Dr. Ashlar Yorsets, dean of engineering of Canterlot University, and Dr. Cella Yorsets, lead researcher of archaeology in Canterlot University.”

In entered the lead proctor that Blueblood had tested under just yesterday. His heart began to beat faster. Did Celestia know he auditioned for a place in her school? Was Dr. Yorsets able to see through his glamour yesterday?

“Introducing Mr. Golden Shimmer, and his wife Mrs. Light Shimmer.” Two unicorn peasants came in, looking undeniably stiff.

Wait, Shimmer? Did that mean—?”

“And the guest of honor for this evening,” the captain concluded, “Ms. Sunset Shimmer.”

Prince Blueblood’s eyes widened in shock, but he quickly recomposed himself.

In came Sunset Shimmer, looking even more nervous than when he saw her yesterday.

“Welcome, welcome!” Queen Celestia beamed at them all. “Please, have a seat!”

“Good evening, my queen,” Bartizan bowed to her. “Princess, Prince,” he addressed them.

Both Bluebloods dipped their heads down in a light bow.

“Sweet Greens, please, bring us our dinner,” the alicorn requested her servant.

“Right away, Queen Celestia,” the butler answered before slinking off.

“So, Bartizan, how did auditions go yesterday?” Celestia asked.

He gave her a small, smug smile. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had the pleasure of seeing such a talented group of fillies and colts enter the halls of the School for Gifted Unicorns.”

“Oh?” she pressed. “Do go on.”

“Indeed,” he continued before taking a sip of wine. “I’ve never had so many foals score so highly on the written and tactile tests, but something that I found even more impressive was that fact that I had so many take the dragon egg test.”

“Ah,” Celestia nodded. “And how many passed?

“I would say about a fourth, your grace,” Bartizan informed her.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise, but then she smiled. “The incoming class must be talented to have so many ponies who passed the egg test.”

“Queen Celestia?” Golden Shimmer began. “About the egg test... The egg wasn’t hatched by the time our Sunset got to it, and she was the last one, so how could anypony have passed?”

The goddess chuckled in amusement. “I suppose we need to explain the final test she took.”

Bartizan looked at the father, countenance full of patience. “Every semester, when foals just like your daughter audition to her majesty’s school, we take the most promising students and have them do one more test.”

‘The most promising students? So I passed? Oh thank the gods!’

“And why is that, headmaster?” Prince Blueblood asked, expertly masking his relief.

“To separate the best of the harvest from the best of the harvest,” the headmaster went on. “You see, we ask the brightest students to do something impossible, and that is to hatch a dragon egg.”

“Hatch a dragon egg?” the colt pressed. “I’m not necessarily sure if anypony could even make a sparrow egg hatch before its time.”

Dr. Cella picked up the conversation. “And that is true. Life happens when life happens, and nobody, not even the gods could ever change that fact. Nevertheless, since the school opened centuries ago, our lady has had the dragon egg test be a part of the auditioning process.”

“But the purpose of the test is not to hatch the egg, my prince,” Bartizan went on.

He stared at him curiously from the rim of his wine glass.

“The purpose of the dragon egg test is to fail,” Celestia finished.

If Blueblood’s mother had been any less strict about her teachings in poise, he would have crushed his glass in fury. Instead, he simply set it back down.

“To fail?” Light Shimmer chimed in. “But why would you want them to fail a test?”

Celestia turned to her. “I know it seems rather harsh, but the dragon egg test is meant to test who a pony is on the inside, not what they know.”

“Oh yes,” Bartizan went on. “Time and time again, I’ve watched foals attempt the dragon egg test and so many fail because they are, simply put, ‘sore losers.’”

Dr. Ashlar chuckled. “I remember when I took the dragon egg test. I failed miserably. I tried casting spells at it, I tried screaming at it, and I even tried smashing it. Looking back at the experience, I wholeheartedly accept that I simply was not ready to be in the advanced classes. I have, of course, grown since then, but the dragon egg test was a humbling experience that showed me I needed to accept failures. Nopony is perfect after all, and we all need to understand our limitations and move on.”

“Wisely put,” Celestia agreed. “I want my little ponies to be the best they can be, but I do not wish to give power to those who can do terrible things with their skills.”

“So how does one pass the test?” Light questioned, thoroughly confused.

“By humbly admitting they failed,” Bartizan replied. “Yesterday, we had this one colt, Blue Heart, take the test. Now Blue Heart had done amazingly well and passed all his tests without doing a single thing wrong.

“When he took the dragon egg test, he was so determined. He was pouring out all this magic, that his field had turned white with exertion! It was almost like his life depended on hatching that egg. But time was called, and rather than keep trying (which would have been automatic disqualification), he stopped, bowed to us and said he would do better next time. Precisely what we were looking for."

“Indeed?” the princess asked.

“Why yes, Princess Blueblood. But then, we had Sunset Shimmer try to take the test.”

The filly in question quivered beneath everypony’s gaze.

“Sunset,” Queen Celestia addressed her with a magnanimous smile. “From what Bartizan has described to me, it seems I missed out on something truly spectacular yesterday evening.”

The young foal didn’t respond.

“Absolutely,” Bartizan agreed. “While surges are not unusual for foals, what you did yesterday warrants special attention.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

“To cast a colorful fire that doesn’t burn? That is something that even skilled mages need time to master.”

“Which is why,” Celestia beamed, “I must invite you to be my personal student.”

The world came to a screeching halt for Prince Blueblood.

Personal student? But-but-but—!

“Raw! Raw!” shouted Philomena as she took flight and circled around the room.

“Philomena!” the god chastised the bird.

“Raw!” she answered back.

Celestia’s jaw dropped at what she had said. “Philo—!” the alicorn began.

“I’lltakeheroutside!” Prince Blueblood quickly cut in, forcing his seat away from the table with a screech. “Philomena!Philomena!” he called the phoenix.

She fluttered down on his back and he quickly trotted out the door.

“Nephew—” the queen tried to call him back, but he was already gone.

Once he was out of earshot, Blueblood began to gallop as fast as his legs would carry him, Philomena flew ahead and he followed her through the castle, unable to focus on anything else but her vibrant plumage.

At last, the two sat up at the highest point in Castle Canterlot. “Leave us,” the prince commanded the guard. The pegasus did not refuse him.

When they were at last alone, Blueblood embraced Philomena in gratitude. “Thank you,” he murmured into her.

She crooned softly in response.

The phoenix and unicorn sat together, while he stroked her over and over again. He looked up into the sky. Luckily for him, it was the night of a new moon, so he did not have to see Nightmare Moon’s visage taunting him from the heavens.

“Oh Philomena, what am I supposed to do?” he begged her, feeling tears sting his blue eyes. “In twenty years, I need to battle Nightmare Moon, but I’m being outdone by some filly in kindergarten. I can't be king at this rate, at least not one who'll be strong enough to defend Equestria. The world's going to end because of me! Ugh, Celestia made a mistake when she chose me to be Blueblood.”

The immortal bird gently wriggled out of his grasp and stood before him, her golden eyes looking deeply into his. At last she opened her beak and began to sing.

With her song, Blueblood slowly felt himself start to relax and his worries slowly subsided.

Of course. Phoenixes were creatures of healing, so her magic could extend to wounds of the heart.

He stood up and embraced his friend again, causing her to stop singing.

“Thanks,” he repeated.

She cooed in understanding.

“I’m not even going back to dinner,” he grumbled. “I don’t need everypony to rub it in my face how amazing that Sunset Shimmer is.”

“Raw,” she said before fluttering back down on his back.

“You want to keep me company?” he asked. “Well alright. If that’s what you want.”

“Raw.”

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

He sat at his desk, peacefully reviewing his notes when the door slammed open.

“What. Was. That?” the princess hissed as she made her way to her nephew.

“Philomena wanted air and I obliged her,” he stated simply, rolling up the parchment.

“You think me a fool? I’ve known that bird for over a century!” she proclaimed as she pointed an accusatory hoof to where Philomena was perched. She continued to preen, nonchalant as ever. “I know when she has an agenda, and she most certainly had an agenda tonight!”

Blueblood the Younger sighed as he closed the door with his magic.

“Could you please cast a sound barrier in here?” he politely requested.

His aunt went to lie down at his bed, but she did as he asked.

Once it was secure, he turned to his aunt.

“You want to know why Philomena started acting up? Because I was upset,” he admitted freely.

“Upset?” she repeated. “Upset over what?” she demanded. “You heard the headmaster: you passed with a perfect score, and you made it into Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns! You made it into the advanced courses! Just what reason could you possibly have for being upset?”

He looked away from her, pressing his ears flat against his skull. “Be-Because that filly got what I truly wanted.”

“And just what did she—?”

The princess stopped short and her eyes narrowed. “You genuinely expected to be accepted as the queen’s personal student?”

Then she rolled her eyes with a scoff. “I could have told you that was never going to happen when we first met!” she sneered.

Her words cut deeply into his pride. “You don’t know—!”

“Don’t make me laugh!” she snapped. “It takes pure magical talent to become Celestia’s pupil, talent that I know you don’t have.”

He recoiled in surprise before baring his teeth in a snarl. “Then why in Equestria did you want me to become Blueblood?!” he demanded.

“Because the world needs somepony to challenge Nightmar—”

“But if I’m so magically talentless, why me?!” he shouted. “Why not that Sunset Shimmer?!”

The princess raised an almost nonexistent eyebrow.

“No mortal can challenge the gods by themselves. That is precisely why I convinced the queen to take on another student.”

“And you chose her over me?!”

“Yes, because that filly’s specialty is magic. Yours is not. Would you hire an illiterate to manage a library? No! You choose the best candidate, and that Sunset Shimmer was the best candidate.”

He looked away indignantly, deeply hurt to realize the truth in his aunt’s logic.

“Whatever feelings of jealousy you have for that filly, let them go. She will be a powerful ally once she completes her education, even more so now that she is underneath the wing of the queen. Do not become an obstacle for that child,” she growled in warning, "do not hold her back, and do not take Celestia away from her. If you do, the world will suffer for it."

He hung his head and dragged himself back to his desk. Silently he unrolled his notes and continued reading.

“Raw!” Philomena stated as she fluttered onto his desk once again positioning herself over his study materials.

He sighed before nuzzling and stroking her. “I didn’t just want to be the queen’s student,” he admitted with a whisper. “I wanted her to make time for me.”

Princess Blueblood listened to his confession with an impassive countenance. “Celestia—”

“—has a nation to run, I know. She can’t waste her time on somepony like me, I know. And she’s not my mother; I can’t go burdening her with my problems.”

She sighed softly. “Nephew—”

“I am Blueblood” he interrupted. “My personal feelings are irrelevant.”

The mare got up to leave.

Though he wasn’t paying serious attention to her, Philomena watched the entire exchange, her golden eyes melting into sadness. When the princess was gone, the phoenix began to sing her heart’s balm song again, but it did not reach through to him, at least not entirely. All magic had its limits, and this was hers, but perhaps she could help the poor prince in another way…

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

I'm not sure how much I want Philomena involved in the story. She might get her own character tag, or maybe not. We'll see.

Chapter 15

He saw her perched atop a street lamp, gazing down at him with indiscernible golden eyes. The denizens of Canterlot either stopped to admire her or simply turned their heads as they passed by. Philomena was a fairly common sight in the capital, but few had ever seen her lurking about at night, seeing how phoenixes were strictly diurnal. But tonight, the fire bird had decided to grace Canterlot with her presence.

“Raw,” she addressed him.

He bowed slightly to the phoenix before continuing on his way to his apartment for dinner. He liked to look at her as much as the next pony, but he was hungry and he just finished a long day of practicing and studying. Prince Blueblood couldn’t wait to go home to the castle.

Philomena took flight, causing embers to rain down with each flap of her wings. The ponies of Canterlot ooo’d in wonder at her majesty.

“Raw,” she repeated. Again as she landed on the next street lamp, still looking at him.

Blueblood looked up at her and exhaled softly. He was hungry and curfew would soon be upon him. Couldn’t this wait until later?

“Raw!” the phoenix said again with more urgency.

Ugh, forget it. Whatever Philomena wanted, she got, and not even Queen Celestia could refuse her.

“What do you want?” he murmured, barely speaking loud enough to hear himself.

She got the message. Philomena turned around, still keeping her eyes on him and took flight. Blueblood lazily cantered after her.

He followed her to an alley. He looked in distaste at the garbage bins and then at Philomena, who sat preening on a fire escape.

“I’m here. Now what?”

He could swear she smirked at him before she dove down and yanked his scarf off his neck, dispelling his glamour.

“Hey, hey wait!” the now-undisguised prince called as he galloped behind her.

“Raw!” she mocked him.

“Philomena come— Sorry!— on! I haven’t eaten— Pardon!— in hours; I don’t have the energy— Excuse me!— for this!”

“Raw!”

The denizens of Canterlot watched as the prince and phoenix tore their way through the streets, some even yelping in surprise to get out of their way.

“Don’t make me— Sorry, sorry, sorry!— use magic on you, Philomena!” he warned the bird.

“Raw!” she teased.

“Okay, I warned you!” he shouted as he leapt over some crates.

Prince Blueblood began to cast a spell… only to slam into a tourist.

“Oof!”

“Sorry!” the prince apologized.

“Raw! Raw! Raw!” Philomena laughed, lazily circling above head to survey the scene.

“Oh shut up!” he yelled back at her before firing a spell.

Unsurprisingly, he missed, and she continued to fly away, his enchanted scarf flapping in her talons.

“Come on!” he shouted in exasperation as he panted after her.

The pair continued on with their chase. Philomena led him through streets and alleyways, and even through a building under construction. Blueblood scrambled desperately from behind. The princess would be angry if she had to enchant another article, and there was no way he was going to face her temper because of a scarf.

The phoenix and prince reached a residential area, and she at last perched on top of a house.

“Are you seriously going to make me go up there?” he wheezed.

She blinked down at him and then began to preen.

“Stupid bird,” he grumbled as he walked around the perimeter of the house, looking for some way up.

At last he spied an open window.

Blueblood bit his lip with uncertainty. While he did not have intention of stealing from the ponies who lived inside, he would still be committing trespassing, and not even royalty was above the law in Equestria.

He sighed. Well, as long as he didn’t get caught, nopony would be able to press charges, right?

The colt slipped inside, silently praying to every god he knew that everypony was in their bedrooms.

He slunk up the stairs, into the attic, and clamored up onto the roof. Philomena glanced at him, but still continued to preen. Oh thank the gods: she was done with her games.

“Philomena,” he whispered, voice full of false sweetness. “Why don’t you give that back to me and we can go to the castle.”

She didn’t respond and he advanced. Just as his hoof was about to touch the scarf, she fluttered a meter away.

“Ugh, just what do you want from me?” he begged.

She stopped preening at last. “Raw,” the phoenix answered.

“Philomena, please, I’m not an earth pony, I can’t understand you.”

She blinked at him once before turning her eyes to the adjacent house. He followed her gaze and his breath immediately hitched in his throat. Blueblood silently made his way behind the chimney to avoid being seen.

Twilight, Night Light, Shining, and a small, violet foal were all gathered in a room. A mare, either a midwife or a doula, was going through some papers and chatting with the family.

She… she had her foal. And by the looks of it, Twilight looked happy and content.

He tore his eyes from the scene and leaned against the chimney.

“Why did you bring me here?” he murmured to the phoenix.

Philomena winced as she studied his hunched frame in the darkness. This wasn’t what she meant to do.

She fluttered over to him and caressed his cheek with her soft, glowing feathers, but Blueblood didn’t respond.

Would her heart’s balm song even work now? She opened her beak to begin singing, but immediately fell silent when somepony softly alighted nearby.

Blueblood didn’t even look up. “I’m sorry about breaking curfew,” he told the mare as she approached. “She took something from me and I had to get it back. Just take me to the castle.”

“Nephew? What’s wrong?” asked the kind, gentle voice of Queen Celestia.

Everything came to a screeching halt. Oh. Anypony but her.

“Queen Celestia!” he immediately perked up. He turned to bow to her. “I’m so sor—!”

He stopped in mid bow. Standing before him was an average-sized pegasus mare with a white coat, pink mane and tail, and a geometric sun cutie mark. Certainly not the queen.

“Er, sorry, ma’am; I’m afraid you have me confused with somepony else.”

“Oh, Blueblood,” sighed the mare as Philomena fluttered on to her back. “It hurts to see you so guarded with me, yet more lax with strangers.” And for a moment, she dropped her glamour before recasting it.

The prince immediately bowed till his horn tip touched the shingles of the house.

Queen Celestia closed the distance between them and gently tilted his muzzle up.

“Nephew, you needn’t be so formal with me.”

He looked away from her ancient, tired stare and pressed his ears flat against his skull.

“Or so distant,” she finished.

“Sorry,” he mumbled. “You just surprised me, your majesty.”

She let go of him. “Did I?”

Blueblood nodded. “I was pretty sure I was out past curfew, so I expected a city guard, or even a royal guard to come get me. Not you, your grace— not that I’m disappointed or anything!” he quickly tacked on.

She smiled. “You’re my family; why wouldn’t I try to come get you?”

He picked up his discarded scarf to avoid looking at her.

“Besides, when word got to me how you were galloping through the city trying to get something from Philomena, I knew I had to intervene. No mere mortal could ever hope to match her, and even I have trouble with her from time to time. Isn’t that right, Philomena?” she asked the phoenix.

“Raw!” she affirmed.

Queen Celestia looked at the scarf he was folding to put away.

“My. Was that what she stole—?”

“Raw!”

“— pardon, borrowed from you?”

Blueblood nodded and offered it to her.

The sun god sat back on her flank and examined scarf, choosing to hold it in her hooves rather than her magic.

“Did the princess enchant this for you?”

“How did—?”

She chuckled in bemusement and threw it over his neck, watching him change form into a lanky green colt.

“I’ve known her for over a century; I think I’m more than familiar with her signature. Still, she has outdone herself with the glamour, and it’s interesting that she even added an anti-detection spell. Are you sneaking into places where you shouldn’t be sneaking to?” she winked.

“What? No! I wouldn’t—!”

The queen laughed again. “Don’t worry, nephew; I’m only teasing. Still, I am curious: just why are you out so late?”

Blueblood took off his scarf and began folding it to put it away in his saddle bags. It was easier to do that than to converse with his aunt.

“I’m sorry, your majesty, but Philomena stole my scarf and I had to get it back. I’m always in the castle before curfew, though. Not even the crown is above the law.”

“Indeed,” she agreed. “Nevertheless, that still doesn’t explain why you’re out past dark.”

“Sorry!” he apologized begin, looking at her with bewildered eyes. “Should I be at the castle sooner? I’ll come back sooner if that’s what you wan—!”

Celestia silenced him by corking his mouth with a hoof. “I didn’t mean to phrase it like that, Blueblood. Your time is yours to do with as you please. I’m just curious as to how you’re spending your time.”

“Oh,” he answered after she uncorked his mouth. “I’m spending it at the library studying.”

“Studying? So late?”

The prince nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I stay until the library closes to foals.”

“My. The princess is certainly taking a rather rigorous approach to your education. I think I’ll talk to her later.”

“No, it’s fine, Queen Celestia,” he insisted. “I want to do it, really. I study better at the library.”

She raised a skeptical eyebrow, no doubt still having plans to speak with the princess about the matter later, but then she dropped the subject. “Well, if you say so, nephew, though perhaps I should take a more proactive role in your education.”

At first, Blueblood’s heart began to beat faster with excitement. The queen would finally start mentoring him! He’d finally have an alicorn guiding him through his twenty year journey to the throne! But then the princess’ words echoed in his head.

‘Do not become an obstacle for that child, do not hold her back, and do not take Celestia away from her. If you do, the world will suffer for it.’

Blueblood swallowed his excitement and formulated his response. “But you’re always so busy, your majesty. When could you possibly have the time to teach me?”

“I’ll make time,” the queen promised. “If I have to cut a few things short, I will. Don’t worry.”

Would that mean taking away time from Sunset Shimmer, the filly who was actually destined to be a great mage in the future?

It probably did, and as much as he wanted to be with Celestia, he couldn’t bring himself to be so unfair to either Sunset or Equus.

“I’m sorry, Queen Celestia,” he bowed with an apology, “but it’s alright. The princess is handling my education just fine.”

Maybe one day, he would be worthy of the queen’s attention instead of her pity, but that simply wasn’t the case right now.

He turned to look back at the Sparkles and their doula/mid-wife, and lay down on the shingles.

Celestia opened her mouth to argue, but after fifteen hundred years of dealing with ponies, she knew when to simply let go of a matter. She’d try again later when he was more receptive to her, but at the moment, she’d hold her tongue and lay down with him.

She watched the scene unfold. The doula/mid-wife was hugging everypony goodbye, having completed her check up. She bent down to plant a kiss beneath the horn of the baby.

“You know, in all my centuries of being alive, I’ve seen scenes exactly like this one play out over and over again, but no matter how many times I bear witness to it, I always feel like an excited little school filly.”

“Why’s that?” he asked, grateful for the change in conversation.

“Look at that filly: she has her entire life ahead of her. Maybe she’ll be a great mage in the future, one of the most powerful I’ve ever seen. Or maybe she’ll be a teacher, or a scientist, or a community leader, or just a humble house spouse.

“And then there’s her brother. Most siblings get jealous when a new foal comes up, but not him. He looks so excited to be there for her: to steady her when she stumbles, to explain things that she doesn’t understand, and to make sure she doesn’t get into trouble. I’m fairly certain they’ll have their disagreements (everypony does), but he looks like the type who wants to be a positive force in her life.

“Now look at her parents: they look so proud and happy to have two beautiful foals blessing them. While I do try to avoid judging ponies with just a glance, from what I see, the mother and father are wonderful ponies, and they’ll raise their children to be wonderful ponies, too.”

She released a dreamy sigh. “It’s all so precious, isn’t it? Each and every one of their lives are so precious, and there are so many times when I wish I could have a life like theirs. But unfortunately, I am supposed to be their queen and they are to be my little ponies,” Celestia concluded with a wistful smile.

Blueblood gazed mournfully at the happy family.

It already felt like he sacrificed so much for the sake of the crown, yet even his sacrifices felt like nothing compared to Queen Celestia’s. He couldn’t even fathom why there were ponies out there who wanted his position, much less Celestia’s.

They watched the family continue to interact for some time before Blueblood’s stomach growled ravenously.

“My. Looks like somepony’s ready to eat,” the god giggled.

“Uh yeah,” he answered sheepishly. “Chasing Philomena took a lot out of me and it’s been a while since I’ve eaten.”

“Oh? And when was the last time you ate?”

“Um, a couple hours past noon?” he answered, trying to recall the precise time.

Celestia’s bemused smile was replaced with a deadpan. “Blueblood. It’s 11:30.”

“Oh then, I better get to bed then! I have a lot to do tomorrow!”

“Not without eating, you’re not!” she argued, not willing to yield in this particular instance.

“But—”

She dropped her glamour, now appearing as a true alicorn. “Hop on,” she ordered as she fell on to her front knees.

“I couldn’t—” he gasped. Riding the queen like some rodeo clown riding a thrashing bull? Blasphemous!

“Would you rather I teleport us back to my quarters?” she offered instead.

Eugh, teleportation?

“I’ll take that as a ‘no,’ she concluded from his facial expression.

“But—”

“Relax,” Celestia smiled. “I get the feeling you’ll like flying better than teleportation anyway. I know I do.”

“Well, if you say so,” he mumbled, feeling extremely uncomfortable as he got on her back.

“Hold on,” she whispered with excitement as she flexed her massive wings.

Formalities be damned, he was going to hold on to her neck for dear life!

Philomena leapt up into the star-studded sky and Celestia followed suit.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

I took too damn long for this chapter. It's not finished, but no matter how many I tried, I just couldn't sit down to focus on it, so I'm just going to stop here and move on to the next one.

No time to say hello, goodbye, I'm late I'm late I'm late!

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.

Let's have a chat

Blueblood walked through the doors to Celestia’s apartment, his stomach churning all the while. Both the queen and princess already sat waiting at the small dining table. Nopony said a word.

He took his seat and the three of them were silent for a while.

At last, Celestia, devoid of her regalia, spoke. “How was school today, nephew?”

Blueblood looked at the empty spot where his dinner would soon be, not that he was all that hungry. “It was the usual first-day-of-school stuff: the teachers introduced themselves and gave us their syllabi.”

“And did anything interesting happen?” she pressed. “I seem to recall you mentioning something about being in level eight.”

“That was the only interesting thing that happened to me, today,” he admitted. “I thought I’d be in level seven, but I guess the headmaster had other ideas for me.”

“And did you speak with Barti— pardon, Headmaster Yorsets?”

“Yes, ma’am, I spoke with him during the lunch hour. He told me that I seemed to have a lot of potential, and he thought I would do better if I skipped a level.”

“Intriguing,” Celestia responded before sipping her wine. “I must say, Blue Heart must have impressed Dr. Yorsets to have him personally intervene with the placement of a student.”

“I, I guess,” Prince Blueblood mumbled, feeling rather self-conscious under her probing. “Before Philomena pulled me away from that private dinner, Dr. Yorsets mentioned somepony earned perfect marks. I— Blue Heart got all those perfect marks.”

What warmth she had earlier disappeared, only to be replaced with a stolid countenance.

“Prince Blueblood.”

“Yes, my queen?”

“Is it safe for me to presume that you were enrolled at the School for Gifted Unicorns before?”

“Y-yes,” he nodded, feeling more and more uncomfortable the conversation went on. He looked at the princess for guidance, but she was even less discernible than the queen. “All Platinums go to the royal school.”

“I see. And how were your marks before, as Noble Heart?”

“They were pretty good. I was always one of the smarter students in class, but I wasn't anything too amazing,” he admitted.

“I see. When did you decide to audition?”

“Um, a day after my coronation, your grace.”

“And may I ask why you chose to audition Blue Heart, rather than go to school as Prince Blueblood?”

“Oh well, it’s just like I told you this morning, my queen: if I went as myself, everypony would just give me special treatment and give me perfect marks regardless. I don’t want to be incompetent when I take the throne.”

She sipped her wine with closed eyes. “Very wise,” Celestia stated, not really putting any pride in her voice. “Now how did you prepare for the audition?”

“Oh um,” he glanced at the princess again, but she was still as stony as ever. “Well, I would see in a tutor in the morning, eat, and then I’d study in the library.”

“For how long?”

“Six hours, your grace.”

The alicorn breathed softly before gently setting the glass down. “Six hours? Fascinating. How many days a week?”

“All seven?” Prince Blueblood answered with uncertainty. Was… was Celestia getting mad?

“My. How studious of you. What did you read?”

“I read…” and he listed off title after title.

Queen Celestia rested her muzzle on two joined hooves, her violet eyes now calculating.

She silenced him with a flare of her wings, an action that greatly unsettled him. She normally reserved her wing flare for large audiences, not for small, intimate gatherings like this. “You must be a prodigy to not only have read all those books, but to also keep the knowledge in your head.”

He swallowed. “W-well, it took me awhile to—”

“Don’t be so modest,” she cut in, her voice devoid of emotion. “It’s still impressive you went through and comprehended all that material.”

“A librarian helped me!” the colt blurted.

At this, Princess Blueblood at last responded. She narrowed her gaze and glared at him in warning.

“A librarian?” Celestia pressed.

“Um, yeah. He showed me a couple books on study techniques and I just did what the books told me: I rewrote passages, I made flashcards, I went to my tutor for help. I would have been completely lost without the librarian.”

At last, Celestia sighed, tiredly rubbing her eyes. “I am so very, very disappointed.”

Her words felt like a knife in his heart. But he— why didn’t— what did—?

“But, but—” he sputtered.

“Not in you,” the queen assured him. She then turned to the princess. “But in you, and, more importantly, me.”

“And for what reason?” Blueblood the Elder snapped. “The boy needs the best education in the world.”

“But more importantly,” Celestia countered, now sounding genuinely angry, “he needs to live: he needs to have a foalhood, he needs to explore the world around him, he needs to play, and he needs to have friends. Not be stuck up in a library, consumed by his studies.”

The colt pressed his ears flat against his skull at her statement, but the action went unnoticed by both mares.

“If time were a luxury that Equestria had, I would let him. If he wasn’t going to be king, I would let him. If his destiny wasn’t to battle a god, I would let him. But sadly, reality remains: Nightmare Moon is coming in twenty years, and you’ll be gone when that happens.”

“You’re killing him,” Celestia stated, her eyes now hard.

“No, your sister will most likely have that honor,” Blueblood CVIII snarled.

The alicorn recoiled, but continued to argue. “He is still a child. He deserves more than what you’re pushing him to do!”

“And what about you?” the princess spat. “If I recall correctly, you and your sister were born under the reign of Discord. You were both still fillies when you journeyed across the lands, seeking a means to stop him. When were you ever a foal?”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “You’re right,” she agreed. “My fillyhood was paltry at best, since we never knew our father, and our mother died when we were young, leaving me in charge of Luna in a world of chaos. Regardless, I would never wish my life on anypony else, and that includes our future king.”

“That is so very, very easy for you to say, considering that you’re not going to be here when your sister breaks the spell,” Blueblood then pointed a hoof at her nephew. “But he is. Equus needs a champion! Somepony to be a bastion of light in the upcoming darkness.”

“We need somepony who knows what it is to live, so that he does not turn as dark and as wretched and as miserable as our enemies of olde!”

“STOP FIGHTING!” the colt boomed, trying (and failing) to mimic a true Royal Canterlot Voice.

The two mares tore their eyes away from each other and looked at him.

“Queen Celestia,” he began. “I know you want me to grow up to be like all the other foals in Equestria, but… but the princess is right: me playing with other colts my age isn’t going to stop Nightmare Moon. But magic and studying? That’s Equestria’s best chance.”

Her eyes softened tremendously. “Oh, Noble Heart. I have failed you tremendously.”

“You keep saying that, but I don’t think you have,” he assured her. “You have a country run. You have millions of subjects to take care of. When I’m ready to help you, I’ll join you, but right now, I’d just be getting in your way, and by doing that, I’d be hurting Equestria.”

Neither Blueblood could even see her moving or even casting a spell: one second she was sitting in her seat, the next she was crushing him in an embrace.

“Never say that,” Celestia murmured furiously, before kissing his head. “Never ever say that. You are as precious to me as my very nation.”

“But—”

“Hush,” she silenced him. “I wasn’t lying when I said that family is one of most my important priorities.”

“Queen Celestia…” he whispered, unsure of how else to respond.

“Princess,” she commanded. “Please leave us.”

Blueblood the Elder, while not looking all too pleased with order, did as she was bidden.

When she was gone, the queen spoke again. “Do you want to know what happened one thousand years ago, when my sister became Nightmare Moon?”

“Yes.”

Celestia pulled away from him and lay down so that she was at his level. “Then I will show you.”

She lit up her horn and touched his.

When Celestia pulled away, Blueblood looked up at her, his eyes as violet as hers. He blinked and they went back to their usual blue.

“Are… are you afraid that I’ll turn into Luna?”

“Yes,” she admitted, her tone somber with honesty. “I neglected my own sister for my— our duties, and the whole world suffered for it.” The queen then caressed his cheek. “I will not make the same mistake again.”

“And I promise that I won’t make her mistake and be consumed by my loneliness.”

She embraced him again. “I want to be a part of your life, Blueblood, not as your queen, but as your family.”

“I want that, too.”

Celestia smiled down at him, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “Then let’s eat. Tell me all about what you did at school today.”

“As long as you tell me about your day, too,” he smiled back at her.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

So whose side are you on: Queen Celestia's or Princess Blueblood's?

His wretchéd destiny

He awoke when he felt himself yanked up into the air by somepony’s field. By the singing bells of Tambelon, why did she always have to hang him upside down?

“Did you tell her about the Sparkle?” Princess Blueblood demanded.

“Wha…?” the colt responded, voice drunk with sleep.

“Answer me!” she hissed desperately.

“What time is—?”

“Twilight Velvet Sparkle!” the decrepit mare insisted.

Blueblood the Younger clicked his tongue in annoyance. “No. She never came up.”

“Oh thank the gods,” his aunt breathed in relief.

“Why? Scared that you’ll face the wrath of Celestia if she finds out what you made me do?” he growled, venom dripping from his voice.

“What happens to me is irrelevant,” she answered without hesitation. “It is you who I’m worried about.”

“Look, I don’t know if you saw what happened one thousand—”

“Of course I saw, fool,” she scoffed. “Every Blueblood before you has seen the story.”

“Oh…” he responded, his shared intimacy with the queen now feeling less special.

“I’ve made a mistake,” the princess admitted.

“Really?” he sneered caustically. “Never would have guessed. I mean, you’re only pushing me to be just like Queen Luna—”

“Be silent!” she commanded, sealing his mouth shut with the zipped lips spell.

If he ever defeated Nightmare Moon, his first order of business would be to purge that bucking spell from every tome and scroll in Equestria and beyond.

“I’ve made a mistake by only explaining your expectations as King Blueblood, not Prince Blueblood.”

“Mmm?” he asked with a confused look on his face.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “As you know, the lineage of the Bluebloods extends back almost one thousand years. While Philomena pledged her eternal friendship to Queen Celestia, we, as Bluebloods, have pledged our eternal service to the throne. We are Celestia’s confidants, and we have helped to keep her rooted in all her agonizing years as the sole Lady of Equestria. In short, nephew, we know most (well, many) of her dirty, little secrets, but more importantly, we keep her happy.”

She then dropped her nephew unceremoniously on his bed and undid the zipped lips spell. She looked at him with expectant eyes.

“… And this couldn’t wait until breakfast?”

The princess scoffed again with a roll of her eyes. “As everypony knows, the queen is a magnanimous mare who would do anything for us, even banish her sister to the moon. However, everypony has their flaws, and hers, simply put, is that she’s too kind.”

“And what does this have to do with me?” he demanded with great impudence.

“It means that she has the propensity to try save everypony, and that includes you.”

He clicked his tongue again and burrowed back in his blanket. “Wow. The queen is looking out for the well-being of her subjects. Who’d’ve thought?”

Blueblood the Elder snarled and yanked the covers out of his grasp. “Don’t you get it?” she hissed. “In looking out for your well-being, she is unintentionally putting Equus at stake!”

The colt glared at his aunt with unmitigated anger. “You said that saw what happened one thousand years ago, when Queen Luna turned into Nightmare Moon. The reason why she turned on Celestia was because she let her own darkness consume her. All she did was pass the days— nights away locked up by herself. So sorry, aunty-dearest, but I’m not about to turn into her. I’m not about to let history repeat itself because you’re too proud to admit that you made a mistake in pushing me like this.”

Princess Blueblood sighed, her countenance bearing a pained grimace. “Nephew, listen to me, please,” she begged. “Queen Celestia loves you. She loves me, she loves her sister, and she loves every single soul in her queendom. But something she has never accepted is the fact that she can only do so much.

“She wants you to have a nice foalhood like everypony else. But just like her, it is your destiny to sacrifice and suffer, because that is what it means to challenge a god, and that is what it means to be king. Do you think Celestia's mother would ever want to see what Celestia has become: a haggard and worn mare who has seen and gone through far too much?

“No.

“Very few souls in this world ever would, but sadly, there are those who do, those who must, and you, King Blueblood, are one of those poor, wretchéd few.

“I do not wish your destiny upon you— please believe me when I say I don’t—, just as Celestia’s mother would not wish her destiny upon her. But you cannot waste time, nephew. Nightmare Moon is a god, and what’s worse, she is a god who will go to any lengths to get her wish, even if there will be no one left in this world to enjoy her night.

“Unfortunately, what you said earlier tonight is true: Nightmare Moon cannot be stopped by you playing and being a normal colt, but only through your dedication to discipline and magic. You can’t be distracted by those who cannot help you in your quest to defeat her, you cannot waste time being a child. You must dedicate every fiber of your being stopping her.”

“You said it yourself, Celestia said it herself: Nightmare Moon will most likely kill me in twenty years!” the prince asserted, tears rimming his eyes. “Can’t I just enjoy myself for a little bit?”

She once again grimaced, her heart breaking at the sight of the boy she was marching to his death.

“I want you to, nephew, but just look at how far you’ve come without distractions.”

“I wouldn’t have made it this far without Twilight!” he cut in.

“I know,” she agreed. “She played her part well, but now what can she do for you? Waste your precious time by idly chatting away with you? Waste your precious time by interrupting your study sessions with promises of meals? You must move forward, King Blueblood, just as Celestia had to move forward after her sister was banished. Every second you have is precious, and you’ve been spending your time wisely: you’ve impressed the headmaster, you’ve scored perfect marks in your audition, you’ve even skipped an entire level. Soon, your magic will be advanced enough to learn how to duel.

“But you cannot slow that progress like Celestia wants you to. The world will need you one day, nephew, as a champion of light. All our lives depend on it.”

“Well what if I don’t want to be that champion of light, huh?!” he demanded, now crying freely. “I mean, what does it matter? Nightmare Moon’ll just squash me like a bug, so really, what difference does it make if somepony is there to wear Celestia’s tiara anyway?”

The princess gazed down at her successor, her face impassive. “You would condemn the trillions of lives who live on this planet? You would condemn every insect, every mammal, every avian, every last one of them without raising your hoof?”

“You know, princess, there's something that’s always bothered me about this whole scheme we have: nobody else even knows that Nightmare Moon is coming back. Here’s a new idea: why don’t we just tell every pony and every nation that some crazy god is going to wind up killing us in twenty years? Maybe then we'll be able to stop her.”

“Because Equus would break.”

“What do you mean?” he snapped, wiping tears away from his eyes.

“How do you think ponies will react to the knowledge that she’s coming? They’d just panic and stupid things out of fear, like neglect the skies, the earth, everything. How do you think everybody else would react when they find out that Nightmare Moon is here because of Equestria’s past mistake? They’d wage war and try to destroy us in vengeance. Furthermore, the fools would just end up killing her, taking the moon with her.

“Few can know about this, Blueblood, and right now, you are one of those unfortunate few.”

He buried his face in his hooves to silently sob.

“My question still remains: would you condemn us all by choosing to avoid your destiny?”

The two Platinums waited in quiet for a long, long time, listening only to the sounds of his sobs.

But at last Blueblood, the one who would be king, looked up at her with red-rimmed eyes.

“I am Blueblood. My personal feelings are irrelevant.”

She bowed to him. “Very well. Just remember what I told you: keep Celestia happy. Do not repeat what you’ve just told me, and make no mention of the Sparkle. You’ve a god to stop, and nopony, not even the queen, can get in your way.”

“Get out.”

“Good night.”

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Moving to New England from Florida soon, so I need to pack all my shit, wash the cat (:raritydespair:), and scream into the abyss, wondering where the fuck I'm going to get all the money needed to pay for it all. Probably not going to be updating for awhile.

Or maybe I will, seeing how inspiration prefers to harass artists when they're busy. We'll see.

Sandbox

It was lunch hour at Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and Blue Heart lay on the grass of the common area. All around him, foals were laughing, eating, reading and relaxing, some with their parents, some with their friends. He couldn’t bear the sight of them.

He glanced down at his book.

In all frankness, he couldn’t bear the sight of his study materials either. Blue Heart shut the book and rolled unto his back, peering up at the sun through the branches.

He had spent weeks upon weeks reading and taking notes. Considering that he had earned his way into the advanced classes, he felt he was entitled to at least one short break.

Blue Heart got up and walked out of the shade of the tree. He needed to take a walk.

The disguised prince cantered through the school grounds, taking small pleasure in the Spring breeze and warm sun against his fur. It truly was a beautiful day and he stopped for a moment to inhale the air.

He needed to savor it while he could. Everypony around him needed to savor it while they could. Who knew if they would be around to enjoy it in twenty years?

Blue Heart continued to canter along the grounds. From the windows, he could spy the foals of the nobility ‘listening’ to their teachers’ lectures. He sighed wistfully at the scene.

It was strange to think that only a few months ago, he had been sitting there with them, dutifully ignoring the peasants during their lunch hour. Blue Heart’s eyes travelled to the back of the room where he saw his twin fighting to stay awake during the lesson.

He turned around.

Last December, he had noted the look of envy in Golden Crown face during the coronation.

“Hmph,” he grunted in dry amusement.

Golden Crown probably would have given anything to have stood before the nation, reciting ancient vows for all to hear. After all, the title of Blueblood was the most coveted honor all Platinums strove for. The horn of the queen, the guardian of the throne, the nephew of the goddess… who wouldn’t fantasize about such a prospect?

Blue Heart shook his head. A part of him truly wished that Golden Crown was the one who was named Prince Blueblood CIX that fateful morning, but the rest of him perished the thought. Golden Crown wouldn’t have lasted a week as prince. He doubted any of his other cousins, aunts, and uncles would be able to either.

He stopped to lean against a low fence, watching the little kindergarteners play under the watchful eyes of their gossiping parents.

Was that why the princess chose to warn him about Nightmare Moon? Blue Heart had never thought himself as strong, at least not in the traditional sense of the stalwart mage off to venture into parts unknown. Still, he had surprised himself for making it this far. The princess clearly saw something in him that nopony else had. He wished she hadn’t.

His eyes trailed after a bunch of young foals playing an animated game of catch.

Still, if not him to fight Nightmare Moon, then who else? Who else would be able to lead the nation in the coming darkness? Who else to try and maintain some semblance of order in a time of chaos?

“Oh good going, Song!” a filly chastised her friend. “You threw the ball over to sandbox. That’s where Sunset Shimmer is!”

“I-I didn’t mean—” the colt sputtered.

“Now, now,” somepony’s mother swooped in with a chuckle. “Just ask Sunset Shimmer for the ball back. I’m sure she won’t mind giving it to you.”

“But mooooom,” another foal whined. “She’s Queen Celestia’s student. We can’t just go up to her!”

Blue Heart huffed at their immature foolishness.

“Oh!” the mother gasped. “That’s her? Well I’m sure she’s a lovely young filly who wouldn’t mind—”

“We can’t take the ball back!” a foal insisted. “She’ll tell the queen we stole from her!”

“I’m pretty sure Queen Celestia won’t—”

“Aw forget it,” a filly groused. “Let’s just play tag. 123NOTIT!” she shouted before taking off.

“123NOTIT!” the others immediately chorused after her, scattering to the wind. The mother sighed and rejoined the other visiting parents.

Blue Heart scanned the common area and let his eyes rest on the sandbox. Lo and behold, there was Sunset Shimmer, building half-hearted castles with only the abandoned ball as her company.

He hopped the short fence and started making his way to the lonely filly.

Blue Heart had almost forgotten: he wasn’t going to be alone in his battle with Nightmare Moon.

Sunset looked up when a shadow entered her space.

“Hello, Sunset,” Blue Heart nodded formally as he went to lie down on the sandy grass beside her.

“Oh, um, hey,” she mumbled back, now turning her gaze back to her sand castles.

“Do you remember who I am?” he asked.

She didn’t bother to look up at him when she shrugged. “Sort of. We were the last two to take the test, but I can’t remember your name.”

“Well, my name is Blue Heart,” he supplied, “and I’m glad to see that you made it in.”

“You, too, I guess,” she sighed.

The disguised prince released a tired sigh, not unlike Celestia’s. “Sunset Shimmer? Is something wrong?”

The golden filly walloped the ball out of the sandbox. “No,” she lied.

“I don’t think that’s true, Sunset. You look very upset.”

“Why do you even want to know?” she snapped. “Besides, you’re bigger than me, so why don’t you go play with ponies in your level?”

“Because I, they…” he trailed off, trying to find the right words.

Sunset, growing impatient, focused on destroying her sandcastles.

“I don’t know if you heard, Sunset Shimmer, but when we took the entrance exams, there was a pony who got 100% on everything, including the dragon egg test. Because of that, Headmaster Yorsets decided to have that pony skip an entire level, so instead of being in level seven, he’s now in level eight.”

She glanced up at him, interest shining in her teal eyes.

“From what I heard, that pony was really surprised but proud of himself for doing so well, but everything, even being successful, costs something. Now, nopony in that colt’s level wants to talk to him. I wonder if they’re all jealous of him, or just see him as an annoying kid who lucked out, but in the end, it doesn’t matter: they’re ignoring him as much as possible. Still that’s not even the worst part.”

“What’s the worst part?” Sunset asked.

“Not even that pony’s twin brother wants to talk him anymore.”

That statement was not necessarily honest. True, Golden Crown (or any of his other family, really) hadn’t so much as written a letter to him since he was crowned Celestia’s heir, but neither had he even bothered to correspond to any of them either, so both parties had no idea what the other was up to. Regardless, Blueblood could already imagine how his brother would receive the news of him: a. getting into Queen Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns through sheer talent and knowledge alone; b. skipping to level eight; and c. being placed in the advanced track of level eight.

He inwardly winced and thought back to the memories Queen Celestia had shown him. Come to think of it, he was casting a pretty large shadow. Perhaps it would be best if he avoided flaunting his accomplishments to Golden Crown. Neither he nor Sunset needed to have a jealous but willing traitor sell him out to Nightmare Moon.

“Blue Heart?”

“Yes, Sunset?”

“I know you're that pony; Dr. Yorsets mentioned you when Queen Celestia asked me if I wanted to be her student. Why won’t your brother talk to you?”

“The same reason they won’t,” he answered, watching the other kindergarteners laugh and shriek with play. “He’s far more jealous of me than the other ponies in my level. And somehow, I think even he isn’t as jealous as of me as everypony else is of you,” he fibbed. He doubted the other students were as hurt as Golden Crown was when he realized his own twin was made the heir to the throne.

Sunset looked down. “Are… are you jealous of me, Blue Heart?”

He focused his green eyes back on her. “I was at first,” he admitted. “But… Sunset, I was there when you surged during the test.”

“You were?” she squeaked in surprise.

The colt nodded. “The fire you made was so beautiful and so warm and just so… magical. You want to know a secret? When I first auditioned, my main goal wasn’t to get in the School for Gifted Unicorns, but to be Queen Celestia’s student, but after seeing what you did in that room, I’ve come to accept that you’re the one who’s going to be a great mage, Sunset Shimmer. I bet you’ll be as amazing as Clover the Clever, or even Starswirl the Bearded!”

“You don’t hate me like everypony else does, do you?” the golden filly asked, flattening her ears against her skull.

Blue Heart shook his head. “No, Sunset, I don’t. Everypony has their destiny, and yours,” he looked at the fiery sun on her flank. “Yours is to be a beacon of light, and to carry on Queen Celestia’s knowledge. I may not be as good at magic as you are, but I want to help you, Sunset. I want to be your friend. Do you want to be mine?”

And at last, she smiled.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Prince Blueblood sat with his queen for a late supper.

“So how was school today?” Celestia asked as ladled out some stew for him.

“I made a new friend today.”

Her violet eyes brightened. “Oh, that’s wonderful, nephew!” she clapped her unadorned hooves with delight. “What’s this pony’s name? Are they in the same level as you?”

“You already know her,” he responded. “Her name is Sunset Shimmer.”

The goddess recoiled slightly in surprise, but then laughed, voice as sweet as song birds. “Sunset? I’m surprised, love! She’s a good deal younger than you.”

“I know,” Blueblood shrugged before dipping his bread in the stew. “But I saw her at the playground today all by herself. None of the other kindergarteners wanted to play with her, and I know what it’s like to be isolated, so we talked and then we played tag for a bit before going back to class.”

His aunt gave him a concerned frown. “Isolated?” she repeated. “What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s not really surprising. I mean Sunset—”

“Speak for yourself, and then tell me about Sunset,” Celestia interrupted, her eyes gazing intently into his with curiosity.

Blueblood shrugged again. “I skipped a level, and I’m in level eight advanced. I don’t know if they’re jealous— it’s too soon to tell— and I don’t know if they think I’m just some annoying know-it-all, but either way, my classmates aren’t talking to me. I don’t really mind, though; nopony’s outright mean to me, so it’s not a big deal.”

Celestia exhaled softly, not pleased to hear about the cold shoulder her nephew was receiving, but she chose not to comment on it. Blueblood genuinely didn’t seem to mind, so if he wasn’t going to make a huff about it, neither would she. “And Sunset?”

“If my class is jealous of me for skipping a level into the advanced classes, how do you think the entire school feels about Sunset?” he asked rhetorically.

“Hmmm,” she hummed in displeasure. “She never mentioned anything about that during our lessons today, but then again, she’s very shy.”

“She’ll open up to you,” Blueblood assured the queen in earnest. “Once she sees how nice you are, she’ll open up.”

Celestia gave him a bemused chuckle. She had been around for over 1500 years, so she was more experienced than just about everyone else in the ways of ponies. Still, it was nice to see somepony else trying to comfort her.

“I’m sure she will,” the god agreed with a nod. “Once others realize I’m not as overbearing as a desert sun, they tend to loosen up a bit. Still, you seem on top of the moon, more so than most ponies when they make a new friend.”

He looked down into his meal and tried to formulate his thoughts. “It’s just that, I don’t know… when I made Sunset feel better and asked her to be my friend, she just gave me this smile and, and everything just felt right! Like when I got my cutie mark.”

Celestia leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling with a knowing smile. “I think I know that feeling. Every single time I help one of my little ponies, it feels like everything I’ve done, everything I’ve went through… it’s all worth it. Is that what you felt Prince Blueblood? Did you feel like a good and true king?”

He gave her an enigmatic but magnanimous smile.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Just moved to New England from Florida. I'm in no hurry to move again, but I like it up here, a lot more than I liked Florida. Honestly, the only things I'm going to miss about that place is the constant beach weather, Publix, and all the tourist attractions.

But I digress. This chapter was hard to pump out because it's hard to get back in momentum after breaking it. Like seriously, I didn't even proofread it at all because I wanted to publish this thing asap. It's a bit rough and choppy, but a rough and choppy chapter is better than no chapter. :eeyup:

Sleep tight

Prince Blueblood finished his days late. He always did, what with all his homework, studying, practicing, and dinners with the queen. Sometimes he would join Celestia for a bath, and on even rarer occasions, he’d sleep with her, too, more so for her sake than his (though he never felt safer or more secure than when he was dreaming away underneath her wing). But usually, Blueblood just went to his apartment, bathed, and went to bed. He had to wake early for his tutoring sessions and then go to school, after all.

But tonight, he found the princess sitting in the dark at his desk.

His eyes narrowed as he shut the door. Only the cruel moonlight lit his room.

“What is it?” he demanded before slipping off his panniers and making his way to his bed. He may as well be comfortable.

She said nothing for awhile, instead opting to sip her dark wine, gaze transfixed on the moon.

“What do you want?” he questioned again.

“Interesting that you chose an apartment with such a good view of the moon,” Princess Blueblood commented, her tone nonchalant.

“And?” he snapped. “Just say what you want to say. I don’t like it when ponies aren’t direct.”

She glanced at him before turning her eyes back to the night sky. “Do not be so forthcoming when you wish to fight with somepony else. It puts them on guard and helps them prepare. It is better to surprise them,” she explained, not at all bothered by his combative language.

“Whatever,” he brushed her off.

“Do you like being reminded of your destiny?” she asked.

Blueblood the Younger scoffed. “No. Who likes looking at their executioner? I don’t like looking at Nightmare Moon, but I need to remember why I’m working so hard in the first place.”

“I figured as much,” she exhaled softly. She sipped her wine again.

“I know you didn’t come here to talk décor, so either spit it out or get out.”

“The queen has informed me about your budding friendship with Sunset Shimmer.”

The prince bristled. “And?”

“It’s… nothing,” she concluded. “I’ll just lea—”

“Why are you here?” he repeated in a loud, commanding voice.

“Keep your voice dow—”

“Tell me!” he shouted.

The princess sighed again. “Truthfully, I don’t know,” she responded.

“I know why you’re here,” her nephew concluded.

“Do you?”

“You’re here because the idea of me having a friend is just too selfish and horrible for you to imagine, and rather than let me have that small happiness, you want to take it out of my hooves and crush it in yours!” he accused.

She drank from her wine, but did not comment.

“But, Princess, unfortunately for you, the world will need Sunset Shimmer and I to work together in the future, so we may as well get to know each other now. Strangers don’t work as well together as friends, right?” he spat. “So right now, you’re confused: do I crush my nephew’s hopes and dreams again, or do I let him be happy for once and make a strong ally. Decisions, decisions,” Blueblood the Younger sneered out the last sentence, acid dripping from his tone.

“Hmph,” she gave him a bemused grunt. “Do you hate me that much?”

He recoiled slightly, somewhat taken aback by her question.

The princess continued. “Am I really just some villain to you? Some wickéd pony who takes joy in crushing your heart over and over again?”

She finished off the last drops of her wine and then poured in some more.

“It must seem that way, doesn’t it, nephew? I’m the one who warned you about Nightmare Moon, I’m the one who begged the queen to make you prince, I'm the one who made you so cruelly rebuke Twilight Sparkle, and I’m going to be the one who kills you. I’m killing you right now, aren’t I?”

His eyes narrowed at her last statement. “So after all my hard work, after everything I sacrificed and I’m going to sacrifice for the crown, you’re going to assassinate me?” he demanded.

“Not in the way you’re thinking,” she sighed. “I’m doing something far more repulsive than forcing you to cross over to the next life. No, the queen was right: I’m killing your heart.”

The princess laughed a joyless laugh and she outstretched her legs, as if to welcome and embrace somepony. “Not even you, your grace,” she said to the moon, “are so vile.” She laughed again. “I can’t believe that I, some mortal, forgettable pony, am going to do something so cruel that even you wouldn’t do it.”

“Why did you come here?” he asked one time more, this time with caution rather than anger.

She downed her glass. “You were right, nephew: I did come here to talk to you about Sunset Shimmer. But then— just as you explained— I asked myself ‘Why?’ Why even bring her up when you’re going to use her—?”

“Sunset’s a pony, not a hammer. I’m not going to use her, I’m going to work with her,” he interjected.

The princess chuckled as she filled her glass again. “Hm, yes, I see Queen Celestia is rubbing off on you. As I was saying, why bring her up when you’re going to work with her when Nightmare Moon comes? But then I realized why.” She laughed. “And I thought to myself, ‘not yet,’ but then I thought to myself, ‘perhaps I should.’” Blueblood the Elder finished with a drunken giggle.

“Should you be drinking so much?” he asked, wanting to steer the conversation away to a more innocuous topic.

“Drinking? I’ve hardly touched this stuff. Why back when I was still young, I could drink twice this and still be sober enough to duel! My, how time flies,” she giggled again.

Prince Blueblood looked at the decrepit mare in distaste. He had seen his mother drink herself into foolishness many times, and he had long since learned that it was best to let her sleep until she was mostly sober. “Do you want to go to bed?” he offered. “You can sleep here, and I’ll just sleep with Celestia.”

She waved him off. “No, I’ll go to bed in my bed, thank you very much. I don’t need Celestia involved in this mess.”

The princess drank some wine again. “You know, before you came in the picture, the queen and I agreed on most things, and what we didn’t agree on, I deferred to her judgment. She’s god-queen eternal after all. Oh, how I loved and admired her! How I love and admire her now, much like most of her little ponies. But, in my humble opinion, the love of a Blueblood runs deeper than anypony else’s: we’re the ones who get a glimpse into her mysterious heart, we’re the ones who sleep with her when the night is too much to bear, and we’re the ones who listen when all other ears are shut out.

“But I digress. You know, I agreed with Celestia on most things and, and, and I already said this, yes? Thought so. But there’s one thing that I completely defy her on. Can you guess what that is?”

“Nightmare Moon?” he offered, his anger having dissipated into caution for his drunk and rambling aunt.

“You,” she concluded. “But even so, I only defy her in action, not in my heart.”

Blueblood the Elder drank and at last turned to face him. Her eyes were as Celestia’s: old, exhausted, and burdened with an unfortunately long lifetime of sorrows. “When I look at you, all I can see is regret: regret for when I spoke to you that morning, regret when I begged Celestia to make you prince, regret for pushing you away from Twilight Sparkle, and regret for what I’m turning you into.”

She turned back to look at the night sky, a hoof over her heart. “You will always haunt me, nephew. Even when I am dead and within the gates of Tambelon, you will continue to haunt me, but even knowing that, I’m not going to change: this world is too precious to place its value below that of a child. For that, I’m sorry, nephew. Eternally so.”

She sipped a bit more wine. “It’s strange. The day after your coronation, I warned you of the arduous journey you would undertake. What I did not take into consideration was the painful journey I would be taking myself.”

“Princess…?”

“I, I,” she fumbled with the words, due to her drunkenness, age, and emotion.

“Do you… want to talk to Queen Celestia?” he offered. “I’ll take you to her— or I'll bring her here, if you want.”

“No,” Blueblood the Elder shot down the idea. “I can’t speak to her about this: she already has enough to worry about.”

“Well, maybe you could speak to, um…” he looked at the canopy of his bed, trying to think of somepony else. Wait, did she…?

“Princess?”

“Yes?”

“Do, do you speak to anypony else aside from Celestia and I? Do you have any other friends?”

The bottle slipped from her magical grasp and clunked onto the floor. Wine sloshed out.

“Never mind,” the prince quickly retracted his statement.

“I thought I did,” she murmured, gazing intently at the moon. “A long, long time ago, I honestly thought I did. Just as Princess Bluebell thought our grandfather truly loved her. Just as you…” A single tear slid out of her eye.

“Are you okay?” he asked, even though they both knew the answer.

“I am Blueblood. My personal feelings are irrelevant. Go to bed, nephew; you have a busy day tomorrow.”

“I think I’ll go sleep with Celestia tonight,” he stated as he got up. “Why don’t you sleep here?”

She attempted to get up but almost slipped. He was immediately at her side.

“Come on,” he gently urged her. “I’ll help you.”

She did not argue when he led her into his bed. She did not fight when he magically lifted her up, nor did she chastise his rather clumsy form. She didn’t even scold him for tucking her in. Instead, she looked ahead blankly, lost in both her head and heart.

He left without another word and made his way to Queen Celestia’s apartment. The guards let him in with no fuss.

He saw her majesty's still form underneath the silken sheets and silently debated with himself whether or not to tell her what had transpired. The prince made it to her bed and attempted to get in.

A single, bleary eye looked into his and Celestia lifted her head to take in his scent. Feeling her warm breath at his muzzle, Blueblood decided to remain silent.

The princess was right: Celestia had enough to deal with.

Besides, she was Blueblood. Her personal feelings were irrelevant.

He slipped into the sun god’s bed and slept.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Whenever I hear Princess Blueblood speak, I always hear Frank Welker's Megatron talking. The only difference being that her voice isn't anywhere near as jaded or harsh as his.

Sleep tight: Part II

Prince Blueblood awoke to the gentle flapping of wings and he opened his bleary eyes to take in his surroundings.

Preening at the window was Philomena. Her brilliant red feathers shone even brighter than Celestia's mane and tail in the dark of very early morning.

He then glanced at the grandfather clock. By the gods, it was too early.

He wanted to go back to sleep, but without his alarm clock, he didn't dare take risk of missing his morning tutoring session.

Blueblood slid out of the protective embrace of Queen Celestia's wing and made his way to Philomena.

"Good morning," he whispered to his friend. "How are you?"

She cooed softly in response, taking precaution to not awaken Celestia.

"That's nice to hear," he nodded, despite being deaf to her language. "Philomena, can you do me a favor?"

She cooed again, this time in curiosity.

"Princess Blueblood was acting... weird last night, and right now, I think she needs a bit of your magic to feel better today. Do you think you can make time for her this morning? She's in my room right now."

The bird spread her wings and bowed deeply in response.

Prince Blueblood nuzzled her for a moment. "Thanks, Philomena. See you later."

She nodded and took flight. He followed her glowing body until it was out of sight. The colt then started making his way to Queen Celestia's bathroom. He never got a chance to bathe the night before.

He stepped in the empty pool and turned on all ten faucets, hoping the door would block out enough of the noise. Several minutes later, the pool filled up with water and the bathroom with steam.

He heard the door open and close and saw golden magic turn off all ten faucets. Oh pony feathers!

A sleepy Celestia carelessly flopped into the deeper end of the pool, sloshing water out of the edge. "Good morning, nephew," she yawned. "Early, isn't it?"

"Good morning, your grace," he bowed his head respectfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"Better than you, I'd hazard to guess," she responded. "You came to bed rather late, and you got up rather early. Is there something on your mind?"

"No—"

She held up a hoof. "Blueblood, if you do not wish to speak, then that is fine, but please," she entreated with concern etched all over her countenance, "do not lie to me. I deal with enough dishonesty throughout my day, and I'd rather not suffer it with you."

"I'm sorry," he bowed his head shamefully. "I won't do it again."

"I would hope so," she nodded in appreciation as she picked up some shampoo. "Mind if I wash your mane?"

"Oh, uh, go ahead," he consented.

The two were silent as Celestia lathered up his mane and combed it clean. Her hooves were nothing short of amazing, and Blueblood found himself getting lost underneath her relaxing touch. He sunk deeper into the pool, dipping his muzzle below the water. He looked at their reflections in the water. The two of them looked like misshapen blobs, though her pastel mane, eternally flowing in an ethereal breeze looked as beautiful as always.

Blueblood pulled his nostrils out of the water.

"I'm going to rinse you off now, okay?"

"Okay," he mumbled, feeling particularly sleepy after her crest massage and soaking in the hot, soothing water.

She poured bowls of water on his head and neck, washing out the shampoo.

"I've always liked sharing my baths with others," Celestia stated. "There's just something about being in warm water in the presence of good company that loosens up all tensions."

He glanced back at her. Her eyes did have a tired look about them, but this was more due to getting up early, not the weight of all her experiences.

~~Princess Blueblood looked so tired last night~~.

The colt completely doused himself in water and swam to the other edge of the pool. He needed conditioner and some soap.

"So are you getting along with Philomena?" Celestia asked before rubbing her face with the hot water.

"Philomena?" he repeated. "I suppose. Sometimes she teases me, but she knows when to stop."

"That's good," the sun god smiled. "I saw you talking to her earlier. Normally, she's a bit more reserved with ponies, but I suppose she must really like you."

"You were awake? Sorry if we disturbed you," Blueblood apologized as he doused his mane with conditioner.

"It's quite alright, nephew," Celestia chuckled. "Truthfully, I was still mostly asleep. I would have written off the experience as a dream if you were still in bed with me. But I'm curious: what did you ask her to do, if you don't mind me asking? It must have been really important, since she left immediately."

His comb stopped in mid-stroke. "How did you—?"

"I've known Philomena for almost a thousand years, nephew; I know when she has a sense of purpose in her flight."

'I am Blueblood. My personal feelings are irrelevant,' the princess' voice echoed in his mind.

He poured bowls of water on his crest to wash out the conditioner, buying time for how to phrase his next words.

The princess didn't want to get Celestia involved (she never did), but at the same time, whatever was bothering Blueblood CVIII must have been pretty terrible. The princess was typically disciplined, and the only emotions she usually showed him were distaste and self-righteousness, never drunken despair.

He finished combing out the conditioner and swam his way back to the alicorn. Well, maybe the conversation didn't have to be about .

"What was my grandfather like?" he asked.

"Your grandfather?" Queen Celestia repeated with a raised eyebrow. If she was bothered by the change of topic, she did not show it. "Nephew, you have many, many, many grandfathers, and I cannot say that I knew them all. Care to specify which?"

"The one who married Princess Bluebell I," Blueblood clarified.

Her face bore a look of distaste. "Oh. Him?"

"Um, him, yes," the colt nodded. "Is that a problem?"

The goddess sighed. "Not really. Even if I didn't answer your question, you could just look him up in the Platinum library anyway. May as well spare you all that unnecessary effort."

"Thank you, your grace."

"I.. don't really know where to start with him."

"Is it really that complicated?"

"Your grandfather? Mmm, I wouldn't say he was too terribly complicated, but the circumstances surrounding him require a bit of detail."

"What time is it?"

"5:40."

"I have plenty of time then. Why not start at the beginning, then?"

"Very well. After we ascended, everypony, myself included, thought my sister and I would reign as god-queens eternal over all of ponydom. But when Luna made her bid for throne and I banished her to the moon, I realized my arrogance, and I realized I was leading my little ponies astray with such foolish thinking.

"However, my sister and I had already reigned for three hundred and fifty years, and we fought to unify the races for over one hundred years before that. Many ponies had long since accepted that the sun and moon as their rulers. Many except for your grandfather, a grandson of Princess Platinum.

"Now the Platinums played a great role in trying to stabilize their lands during the Age of Chaos, and even after the defeat of Discord. Your grandfather, the direct grandson of Princess Platinum, taught my sister and I the ways of the heavens, and helped us master the unicorn aspect of our alicorn powers. But as time wore on, more and more legal power was deferred to Luna and myself, until finally, ponies would only recognize us as the rulers of all of Unicornia.

"Unicornia eventually expanded to include all of the unicorns in Equus, many of the earth pony clans, several pegasi legions, and we were even more open with the seaponies. But at that point the Platinums, and pretty much all of the noble houses had lost their power to us. Of course my sister and I never truly intended for that happen, but in all frankness, most ponies had more faith in the gods who defeated Discord and undid much of his malice, not with the mortals who lorded their names and titles over the masses. It seemed that noble ponies were soon going to be vestiges of a bygone era.

"But then I coronated Bluebell. Unlike the other nobles, Princess Bluebell actually had some influence in the Equestrian government, and unlike me, Bluebell was receptive of the idea of marriage and foals. And hence, your grandfather, Axinite Platinum, got the bright idea of marrying her and once again having the Platinums be in a position of actual power.

"Of course I was more naïve back then, as was Bluebell. I thought it was very progressive from both a racial and societal standpoint to have a unicorn noble court an earth pony gardner so openly... hmm, it's nice to think that Equestria is at least more forward thinking about interracial marriage these days. But I digress. Axinite completely wooed Bluebell, she quickly fell in love with him, and soon they were wed.

"Unfortunately, like a lot of abusers, he began to show his true colors once he had emotional leverage with his victim. It started off with the little things: dear, your idea is laughably ludicrous; follow mine instead! Dear, why not let me handle all of this, and you just garden with your parents? Bluebell darling, let me have this! Love, do that!

"Ugh. I can't believe neither of us saw it sooner. Eventually, he was taking all her responsibilities, and doing his damndest to make her feel like a terrible wife if she didn't cater to his every whim. Later, your grandmother even told me he was berating her for having the audacity for not being born a unicorn. He certainly acted like it, because he stopped showing her affection after she bore him a unicorn foal, Blueblood II.

"Princess Bluebell would confide in me, as well as her parents, but she always understated his behavior, so none of us could really gauge the severity of her situation.

"Not satisfied, Axinite started edging into my space. Now normally I'm open to suggestions and ideas from others— I'm not omniscient after all—, but the suggestions he gave me were absolutely awful! They were blatantly speciesist, racist, and classist! I made him very sorry for daring to even disgrace my presence with his nonsense.

"I confronted Bluebell about, and she, loving and doting mare that she was, defended him and painted him in a good light.

"I almost fell for it. Almost. After that incident, I kept an eye on him and started internally studying his every move. More and more, it became obvious he was a terrible pony, but when I spoke to Bluebell about it, she dismissed my findings. She begged me not to go to her parents about the situation. I so desperately wanted to, and I honestly should have, but I promised that I wouldn't, so I didn't until much later.

"In any case, their marriage worsened when Axinite married one of his cousins. At first, Bluebell welcomed the idea of another mare in their marriage because she wanted to gain a good friend. However, Axinite was everything to his second wife that he wasn't to Bluebell: kind, doting, affectionate, and he even confided in her, a pleasure that Bluebell stopped experiencing once she bore him his foal. Secondly, that mare was even more wickéd than Axinite ever was: constantly berating her over nonsense, demanding this and that, and just mistreating her in every way emotionally.

"But they crossed the line when they decided to mistreat Bluebell's second-born: an earth pony. At last, Princess Bluebell told her parents what was happening.

"Oh Blueblood, I remember that day so clearly. Bluebell's father, still covered in dirt and burs from his work, marched right over to Axinite and literally started beating him senseless. Bluebell's mother took her earth pony grandchild with her and then torched all the 'gifts' Axinite's second wife forced Bluebell to give her."

Queen Celestia sighed. "Needless to say, it was a very public spectacle, one which Axinite never lived down— his permanent limp would never allow him to.

"Of course I had to intervene and Bluebell's parents had to be clapped in irons for their crimes, though their stay in jail was fairly comfortable. Bluebell was extremely distraught over the whole incident, but she then realized what awful ponies Axinite and his wife were, and both she and I regretted ever naming Blueblood to be her successor, considering that Blueblood had her father's bully predilections. However, it was done.

"Princess Bluebell closed off her heart to everypony save for me, her parents, and her earth pony foal."

Celestia looked away for a moment, and once again released a shaky sigh. He saw her wipe a tear away with a wet feather. "I regret a lot of things, nephew. But Princess Bluebell was indeed one of my bigger ones. After she retired, she made me promise to not pass down the line of succession from parent to child, but rather from worthy pony to worthy pony. She also made me promise to keep the lineage of the Bluebloods within the House Platinum."

The colt looked down into the now-lukewarm water. "But why? Queen Celestia, why would she want to keep such a powerful position within my House?"

The alicorn had to wash her face before continuing. "Because she didn't want to force another commoner like her to go through that. The Houses could be friendlier and more open, to say the least, but noble ponies at least know the ways of that world and won't be as caught off guard by such skullduggery. Furthermore, she didn't want her successors to deal with claims that they weren't legitimate because they weren't from a noble House. At least that was her theory, but personal experience has shown me otherwise.

"History has not always been kind to the Bluebloods, but I still choose to keep the lineage of the Bluebloods within House Platinum."

"But why, your majesty? If Princess Bluebell was wrong, then why keep the promise? From what it sounds like, she wouldn't want you to keep a system that wasn't working."

The queen shrugged. "A worthy pony is a worthy pony, regardless of their name, and I've always found a worthy Platinum to bear the title of Blueblood. But I also choose to keep the title within your House simply because it's easier for me."

"But how?"

"Nephew, Equestria is a nation of nine million ponies, and we also have another three million non-pony minorities to include. There's probably a thousand others who are worthy of the crown you bear. Do you think I can take the time to get to know so many? Or even just choosing one to be Blueblood? In addition to that logistical nightmare, how furious do you think Equestrians would be when I finally stopped my search for a Blueblood? So many would demand I really get to know them before making my choice. No matter who I'd choose, thousands, maybe even millions more would be unhappy with my decision. At least when I keep it within the Platinums, I can observe several dozen ponies, and while it is no secret there are members of your family who are envious of your title, at least that number is contained to a reasonable amount."

The colt got out of the pool in silence, processing her words. Celestia opened the drain, and all that could be heard was the sound of water being flushed down pipes.

As he dried himself off with the towel, Prince Blueblood though back to his exchange with the princess. She didn't have any friends...

'I thought I did. A long, long time ago, I honestly thought I did. Just as Princess Bluebell thought our grandfather truly loved her. Just as you…'

He shook off what water he could and encased himself in a fluffy towel.

"Queen Celestia?"

"Yes, nephew?"

"You... you said that history hasn't always been kind to the Bluebloods. WHat do you mean?"

The alicorn winced. "Did I say that?" she asked, even though they both knew the answer.

He nodded.

She sighed, displeased with her blunder. "Truthfully, Princess Bluebell I was hardly the only pony to be used for her position. Many Bluebloods after her suffered similar fates of bad marriages and just bad relationships. Sadly, Bluebell was not the last in the Blueblood lineage to close off her heart to love and friendship."

"Oh..." he whispered.

Celestia went to her nephew and gently tilted his head up to look at her. "Blueblood. I know what I said was not encouraging, but I've also seen many of your predecessors live fulfilling lives. Please... I know it's difficult opening your heart to others, but don't close yourself off like your grandmother did."

"Is that why the princess has no friends?" he cut in. "Is that why we're the only ponies she talks to?"

The queen looked away. That was all he needed.

"I think you should spend some time with her today," the colt told her as he opened the bathroom door. "She wasn't acting like herself last night."

"Nephew—"

"I have to meet my tutor at 6:40 and it's already 6:35. I'll see you later, Queen Celestia. Goodbye."

He trotted off.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Special thanks to everyone who comments, offers their perspectives, and asks questions. All four of you. I take what you say into consideration.

Sleep tight: Part III

Prince Blueblood stood before the princess' apartment two evenings after his discussion with Queen Celestia. In all frankness, he really didn't want to see the decrepit mare, much less comfort her like Celestia insinuated over their dinner. But who was a Blueblood to refuse their god-queen ~~eternal~~? Sighing, the colt pushed the door open and quietly clicked it shut behind him.

Philomena sat silently on the desk chair, gazing through the window at the comings-and-goings of the royal staff. She turned her head around to glance Blueblood the Younger, and he in turn bowed slightly in greeting. She then fluffed her feathers and continued to look outside in silence. The princess lay in bed with her back to both of them.

He exhaled softly, wanting to turn tail and leave. He could just say she was asleep, right? Prince Blueblood glanced between the door and his aunt before swallowing.

True: he could just pretend that he had at least made some modicum of effort to comfort the princess (not that she ever done him such a kindness in the past), but in the end, he let go of the thought. Queen Celestia would, in due time, give him the weight of the Sun, Moon, and Equus. If he couldn't even do this, then how could he expect himself to handle such burdens?

Blueblood the Younger went to his aunt's bed.

Her eyes were closed, thank the—

She twitched and opened her eyes.

Oh ponyfeathers.

Blueblood the Elder did not acknowledge him: she did not speak to him, she did not turn to him, nor did she did look at him. She merely gazed ahead at the wall her bed was pressed against.

Her nephew opened his mouth to speak, but a brief look from Philomena silenced him.

Fine. Princess Blueblood would lead the conversation, if she so pleased. Prince Blueblood, on the other hoof, would join Philomena on the desk chair.

The colt sat stroking the phoenix as they pony-watched their servants down below.

At last, after who knew how long, the princess addressed him.

"It's been a long time since the queen has granted me the privilege of guarding me in my sleep."

"I figured she was with you," he shrugged. "I was in her apartment by myself last night."

"Did you tell her to speak with me?"

"I told her to spend some time with you," he admitted. "I didn't expect her to spend the night with you."

She scoffed. "This is precisely why I told you not to get her involved. She spent the entire evening with me instead of tending to her nation."

"Considering all the work she does all the time, I think she can take an evening off once in awhile," he snapped. "Not even my hardest teachers assign homework every night."

"Hmph. The queen has more pressing matters beyond algebra and intermediate theory, but I suppose you are correct in that regard, nephew."

"Princess?"

"What?"

"Were you always like this?"

She stiffened. "In what regard, colt? There are many facets to a pony, you know."

Blueblood the Younger rolled his eyes as if she asked the stupidest question. "Were you always a miserable, mean, bitter, horrible, and lonely mare?" he clarified.

"Raw!" Philomena barked as she whipped around to look at him in anger.

The princess closed her tired eyes in a grimace. "Do not fight my battles for me, Philomena," she murmured. "Let him speak his piece."

The phoenix glowered at the decrepit mare before nipping her way out of the colt's hooves. She flew up onto the armoire and gazed down at both the princess and the prince.

"Why don't you talk to anyone besides the queen and I?" Blueblood the Younger asked. "Is it because everypony else hates you?"

"Yes," she answered without pause. "Anypony who tried to be my 'friend,' I made them hate me." She opened her mouth as if she wanted to add to her confession, but then she closed her mouth.

"Oh for Tambelon's sake— I hate when ponies aren't direct! Just say it!" he demanded.

"Then get used to it, brat!" Princess Blueblood snapped. "We are Blueblood. The day ponies start being direct with us is the day when Equus ends!"

"Twilight was direct with me!" he argued back. "She was great! She was everything anypony could want in a friend until you had to ruin it. Sunset's nice, too! Should I make her hate me to be just like you?!"

At last, she sat up. "You are making it extremely difficult for me to restrain myself," the decrepit mare growled through her dentures.

He stood up abruptly, causing the desk chair to fall back and clatter on the floor.

"Then don't!" he shouted at her. "Nightmare— mmm!"

"Be silent!" she hissed. "Do you want the whole castle to hear you?!"

He glared at her.

She glared back.

"Alright, nephew," she sneered. "You really want me to speak my piece, then fine. However, you must not speak unnecessarily or I will make you silent. Am I clear?"

He nodded and the princess undid her spell.

"The truth is... the lineage of the Bluebloods is cursed."

The prince opened his mouth to say something, but quickly stopped himself.

The princess sank back down in her bed and closed her eyes.

"The curse began with our grandmother, has been passed down the line from princess to prince and will never stop until our line ends."

"What is the curse, princess?"

"From the moment you took your vows before the nation, you ceased to be an individual. Now, all you are is a title."

"Raw," Philomena warned as she glared down at the mare.

Both ponies ignored her.

"So it was when Bluebell became Celestia's first potential successor, so it was with Bluebloods past, so it is with me. So it will be with you."

The phoenix fluttered down onto the bed and brought her head close to the princess. Her cold golden eyes pierced through the mare's own.

"Just leave her alone, Philomena," the prince muttered. "Let her say what she wants."

She whipped her intense gaze to him, causing him to look away.

"Raw!" she snapped as she flew to the window. Without assistance, she undid the latch, and angrily shoved the glass panes open. With one more look of disgust to the insufferable pair, she flew off.

Fine. They could tear themselves to pieces. What did she care?

Blueblood the Younger watched her until she disappeared. "When you told me to make Twilight hate me... have you done that before?"

"Yes," the princess verified. "I have. Ponies with far more ambition and far less kindness than the Sparkle have pushed me to do that."

"Nopony forced you to do anything."

She gave him a barking laugh. "You are young yet, nephew, but you will learn. You are nothing to ponies but an opportunity to further themselves, you are some young filly's fantasy of 'Prince Charming,' you are some young colt's dream of getting palace connections. As Blueblood, you will never find happiness, only heartbreak as pony after pony tries to use you for everything that you're worth."

He narrowed his blue eyes. "You're wrong. Sunset's not like that."

She turned her tired eyes in his direction. "As Blueblood, you will never find happiness. I cannot say the same for Blue Heart. Tell me, nephew: does that mage-in-training know who you really are?"

He looked down at his hooves.

"Hmph," she grunted. "Then may she be merciful when she does."

"Sunset will be different than all those other ponies you've dealt with," the prince insisted.

"Believe what you want, boy," Blueblood the Elder responded with a flippant tone. "But a word of advice: beware of mares. Should you ever have to inflict your title unto somepony else, be sure to your inform your successor of that. Unless she is female, then tell her to be wary of stallions. Now get out and leave me to convalesce in peace."

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Cats seem to have a vendetta against productivity. Every single time I try to write something, she always comes mewling and whining for attention, only to run away when I try to give it to her, only for me to ignore her, only for her to come mewling and whining for attention, only to...

Night Stalker

He ran as fast and as hard as he could through the halls of Castle Platinum.

She cackled from behind. "Oh yes, your majesty," she sneered with a booming voice, "run, run! Your fear, your weakness, it feeds me!"

The colt tripped on Princess Platinum's cloak and Celestia's tiara flew off his head only to clatter on the floor. It was too dark to see anything! Why weren't any of his light or fire spells working?!

Nightmare Moon's glowing turquoise eyes emerged from the shadows and she grinned, revealing her carnivorous fangs.

"Down already, King Blueblood?" she smirked. "A pity. I was hoping you'd put up more of a fight than my worthless sister."

"I'll never stop fighting you!" the child-king shouted as he stood up. "I will protect Equus, and I will stop you!" Even to him, his voice sounded squeaky and pathetic.

Nightmare Moon laughed again as she strode to him. "You'll protect Equus? You'll stop me?"

King Blueblood fought desperately to light his horn. No, no, no! He had worked so hard! Why couldn't his stupid horn do anything?!

The nightmare god stopped before her opponent, towering over him just as she towered over Celestia. "I'm afraid, your grace, that it is much too late to save the world." She then yanked him up and mashed his muzzle against the window.

Outside, Equestria was emaciated and frozen stiff under the selfish and uncaring gaze of the moon. King Blueblood blinked and the Aquastrian Sea boiled under the burning heat of the sun. He blinked and saw all of the denizens of the Equus freezing and burning, starving and weak, before them. They moaned and they screamed, they wept and they cursed, but in the end it didn't matter what state they were in; they were all dying because of him.

He had failed them. He had failed the world.

Blueblood pressed his hooves against the window and began to sob. She dropped him on the cold, burning floor.

Nightmare Moon laughed in pure delight at the world she had created. "There can only be one ruler of Equestria," the god stated as she reared up on her hind legs. "And that ruler will be ME!

She brought down her front hooves—

And he awoke with a yelp, casting the brightest light spell he could muster.

His doors were kicked open. “Your majesty!” his guards shouted as they rushed in, only to shield their eyes from his light.

Blueblood ignored them and instead scanned the room with squinted eyes. Seeing that Nightmare Moon had not, in fact, challenged him for Celestia’s throne, he forcibly extinguished his spell.

“Your majesty, is something the matter?” one of his guards asked.

“No,” Blueblood grumbled, rubbing his lightly smarting eyes.

“Shall we fetch—?”

“It was just a nightmare. You are dismissed,” the colt stated, in no mood to bother anypony at the moment.

“Of course,” they both bowed respectfully to him. “Call us if you need anything, your grace. Sleep well.” And the stallions were out the door.

The prince flopped backwards in his bed, rubbing his slightly smarting eyes. Blueblood was no stranger to nightmares, but none had ever really scared him awake like that.

Prince Blueblood rolled on his side. His grandfather clock began to chime and he swiveled an ear to its direction.

Two strikes.

He groaned. Couldn’t this nightmare have happened right before he had to wake up? With his heat beating this quickly, Blueblood doubted he’d even be able to go back to sleep within the hour.

The colt rolled onto his side and closed his eyes. Oh well. May as well give it a try.

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When Blue Heart sat on the commons the next afternoon, he realized his suspicions from the night before were indeed correct: he wasn’t able to fall asleep before 3:00. In fact, he hadn’t been able to sleep at all.

“Um, Blue?” Sunset gently prodded his ribs.

“Huh?” he suddenly jerked out of his reverie.

“Blue Heart, are you okay?” the little filly asked.

Green eyes blinked at her. “I guess,” the colt mumbled, convincing neither of them.

“Are you sure?” she responded with skepticism. “You don’t look okay.”

“I’ll be okay,” Blue Heart gave her a reassuring smile. “I just didn’t sleep right last night. I’m only tired, Sunset.”

“You promise?”

“Yes, I promise,” he nodded. “Can you tell me about what you did with Queen Celestia after school yesterday?”

“That lesson was so much fun! Queen Celestia taught me…”

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All around him, the world was turning to ice.

Nightmare Moon reared in triumph and cackled with delight. “Behold, King Blueblood!” she grinned. “The beauty of my night!”

“Beauty?!” he spat in fury. “Everyone and everything is dead! Equus is even worse than Tartarus!”

“Tartarus, you say?” Nightmare Moon repeated with a smirk. “Were I able to imprison you there, I would, but instead, you can join all the other traitors in the afterlife!” And she laughed, summoning bolts of lightning down on the earth surrounding him.

King Blueblood screamed as he tumbled down down down into blackness.

He fell with a hard thump on the ground and looked around him. A chill immediately went up his spine as he gazed upon the center of Asphodel itself: Castle Tambelon. All around him, souls were moaning and crying, each of them despairing over how King Blueblood, weak and utterly useless King Blueblood, couldn’t even keep Nightmare Moon at bay.

“I, I’m sorry!” he stammered. “I tried my best, I promise I did!”

“How could you do this to us?” an icy Cranky begged to know.

“I didn’t mean—!”

“Why didn’t you protect us?” Twilight Velvet lamented as she cradled her frost-bitten son.

“Please believe—”

“Y-y-you k-killed m-me,” Sunset whimpered through chattering teeth.

“Sunset, I didn’t—!”

The Singing Bells of Tambelon began to clang, each strike announcing the demise of another.

King— no, Blueblood— no, Noble Heart’s head whipped to the castle and he saw Lord Death himself gazing down impassively at him. The souls disappeared and there was only Lord Grogar and Noble Heart.

The ram’s stolid red eyes smoldered into him and somehow, Noble Heart found his gaze to be far more condemning than Nightmare Moon’s sadistic cackles. The bells clanged even louder.

Lord Grogar stopped looking at him and instead focused his gaze behind the colt. Noble Heart looked and immediately recoiled in horror.

“Oh, nephew,” Celestia sighed in disappointment. Noble Heart looked at the bloody parts of her flank where her cutie marks had literally been ripped out.

“Celestia,” he whimpered as tears streamed down his face.

“How could you do this to us?” Cranky’s voice once again begged.

“Why didn’t you protect us?” Twilight Velvet repeated.

“Y-y-you k-killed m-me,” Sunset echoed.

“Please, I tried!” he told them all. “But she’s a god, I can’t, I couldn’t—!” Noble Heart collapsed on the ground, sobbing in despair.

"Oh, nephew..."

The bells rang louder and louder until all their voices were drowned out. Still, despite the macabre noise and his sobbing, Noble Heart could sense Lord Grogar standing before him.

“Never send to know for whom the bells tolls,” the ancient god murmured, his voice sounding clear despite the cacophony.

“Go away!” Noble Heart shouted.

“It tolls for thee.”

“I said GO AWAY!” And he cast a spell.

Prince Blueblood once again shot awake, and once more, light was emanating from his horn tip.

“Your majesty!” his guards cried.

Blueblood immediately extinguished his spell and looked at his surroundings. He was on the floor and he was covered in a sheen of sweat. His guards stood before him, worry etched into their faces.

He struggled to pry himself from his sheets.

“You’re dismissed,” the prince stated, in no mood to hear from either of them.

They both bowed and took their leave.

Prince Blueblood squinted into the darkness to look at his grandfather clock. It was midnight. Perhaps he had mistaken his clock’s chimes for the bells of Tambelon.

The colt wiped the sweat from his face and walked over to the clock. He needed to turn off its noise mechanism, otherwise he’d be up all night again.

Once that was done, Prince Blueblood curled back up in bed. He was so tired that he would have given anything to fall asleep, but was also so deeply disturbed by his nightmare that he couldn’t stomach the thought of once again entering the dream realm.

He tossed to another position. Only time would tell if he would fall back to sleep…

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… or stay up for the rest of the night, reliving about every aspect of his nightmare.

“Mr. Blue Heart!” the teacher snapped in impatience.

He swiveled his eyes into her direction.

“Need I remind you that the test is tomorrow?”

“No, ma’am,” Blue Heart replied obediently.

“Then I suggest you pick up your quill and take notes.”

“Yes, ma’am. Sorry, ma’am.

With a wobbling field, he picked up his quill and gazed blankly at his notebook.

By the gods, he was exhausted, and that nightmare he had the previous night was consuming what little focus he had.

‘I need to sleep,’ the colt thought to himself. ‘And tonight, I’m going to do it! Nightmare Moon isn’t going to beat me in my own dreams!’

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"Ugh!" he wailed in frustration as he extinguished his spell.

His ear twitched when the door opened. “Get out!” Blueblood snapped at his guards.

It immediately clicked shut.

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“Mr. Blue Heart!”

He jolted awake and sat up. His test stuck to his cheek.

“Yes, ma’am?” Blue Heart blurted as he peeled his test from his face.

His teacher scowled at him before snatching his paper from his desk.

“Look around you,” she commanded before marching off to her podium.

The colt blinked as he studied his environment, realizing that the classroom was devoid of students. He glanced at the clock.

Oh. It was lunchtime.

The mare glared down at Blue Heart in disappointment. “I couldn’t help but notice the way you’ve been acting all week, Mr. Blue Heart.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he flattened his ears against his skull and looked away in shame.

“Not paying attention, not participating, dozing off— Blue Heart, just what is the matter?” she asked in exasperation. “Are you not getting enough sleep at home?”

His cringe was proof enough for her suspicions.

“Do your guardians know you’re not sleeping, Blue Heart?” the teacher asked, this time with concern in her voice.

Silence permeated the classroom as she waited for a response that they both knew would never come.

At last, she sighed in defeat and went to her desk. “Come here,” the mare beckoned him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled quietly.

As he made his way up to her, she scribbled something on the back of his unanswered test and folded it in half.

“Blue Heart, I want you to take this to be signed by your family. Am I understood?”

He nodded.

“In addition to that, you are to complete this test and return it to me tomorrow.

He finally looked up at her, surprised by her clemency. “Really?”

The teacher nodded. “Yes, but I’m reducing your score by thirty points. If you tell any of your classmates about this, you will receive a zero. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am, thank you, ma’am,” Blue Heart nodded.

“Good. Now for the love of Celestia, please get some sleep tonight.”

He nodded once more before leaving for lunch.

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Blueblood the Younger shifted with unease as the princess scanned the note his teacher sent. She set it down, her countenance blank.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I really tried to focus and pay atten—”

“How long has it been since you’ve slept last, Prince Blueblood?” she cut in with a neutral tone.

“I’ve slept a little…” He shrunk beneath her impassive gaze.

The princess beckoned him, and when he came, she tilted his chin up to look at her. She studied the heavy purple bags underneath his eyes, and saw the red that colored his sclera.

“How long has it been since you’ve slept last, Prince Blueblood?” she repeated.

“Three nights ago,” he admitted.

“And what, dare I ask, keeps you from sleeping?”

He mumbled something.

“You are a prince and princes don’t mumble,” Blueblood the Elder chastised.

“Nightmare Moon!” he snapped at a more reasonable volume.

She sighed and rubbed temples. “Why did I even ask?” she wondered aloud. “Nephew, do you see her in your dreams, or does the mere thought of her prevent you from sleeping?”

“I fall asleep okay, but when I start dreaming…”

She pursed her lips. “Does the queen—”

“No, I didn’t tell her,” he interrupted.

Princess Blueblood dipped her quill in ink and wrote a response below the note the teacher had sent. “What happens in your nightmares?”

“What doesn’t happen?” he responded with a scoff. “She kills Celestia, she defeats me, she ends the world, and she laughs at me for not being strong enough.”

The princess signed the note and folded it before giving it to her nephew.

As he was putting the test away, Prince Blueblood thought for a moment.

“Princess?”

“Yes?”

“If Nightmare Moon is the goddess of nightmares, can she…?”

She turned to look at the encroaching nightfall outside. “From what the queen has told me, the spell that banished Nightmare Moon has completely sealed her power as well, making it impossible for her to influence the dream realm as she once did.”

The colt breathed a sigh of relief.

“Nevertheless…”

Oh ponyfeathers...

“Nightmare Moon will be released in twenty years. Perhaps the spell is weakening,” Blueblood the Elder paused as she pondered the situation. “Or perhaps you are (justifiably) terrified by the threat she poses. Regardless, I will seek out the answer. In the meantime, find Philomena.”

“Philomena?” he repeated. “Why?”

“She will— mood permitting—act as sentinel while you sleep.”

“What’s ‘sentinel,’ princess?”

“Guard.”

“I don’t know,” Blueblood the Younger rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “I think I’m just going to sleep with Celestia tonight.”

“Do not,” Princess Blueblood commanded with a firm tone. “As if you couldn’t already tell, Celestia still loves her sister dearly, just as she loves you dearly. How do you think she would feel if she knew you spent your nights dreaming of how Nightmare Moon plans to end us all?”

‘But what about how I feel?’

“I am Blueblood, my personal feelings are irrelevant,” he forced himself to say.

“Precisely,” she nodded in approval. “But do not fret, nephew: should all other avenues of research fail, then I will ask the queen herself if she feels the seal weakening.”

“Thank you, princess,” he bowed in gratitude.

“Thank me by sleeping well tonight, colt,” she dismissed him. “Your morning tutoring sessions are cancelled until further notice.”

He nodded and went to go find Philomena.

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Blueblood stood upon a rocky outcropping, watching the field of wheat flicker with each breeze. From up above, the sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. From below his vantage point, he could see some scattered farmers go about their business tending to the wheat. Contented with watching his little ponies do their work, Blueblood lay down on the outcropping to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.

But soon enough, a shadow fell on the field and the farmers looked up at the sky. Blueblood followed their eyes and felt his heart stop.

The moon was quickly eclipsing the sun, blackening the sky.

And then she began to laugh. “THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!” Nightmare Moon proclaimed as she materialized in a swirl of stars.

Blueblood stood upon his hooves and glared defiantly at the evil goddess. “Not if I stop you!” he shouted.

In a flash of light, Nightmare Moon teleported. She appeared a few meters before him and began to advance.

“You’re kidding, right?” she scoffed at her challenger.

“A-As long as I can still breathe, I’ll-I’ll fight you t-to protect Equus!” Blueblood stuttered as he retreated backward.

The alicorn laughed once more. “You little foal!” she sneered. “What could you possibly do against me, the mistress of darkness and nightmares?”

“I-I-I can—” Blueblood stopped when felt himself bump into a wall. He turned around and yelped.

He didn’t hit a wall, he hit Nightmare Moon, and was she massive! She was easily the size of an ursa major and obviously crueler.

“I-I-I,” she mocked as she bent down to be nearer to his level. “YOU! ARE! NOTHING!” Nightmare Moon boomed.

“I-I’m K-K-King Blueblood of E-Equestria an-and I am—”

“WORTHLESS!” she cut in.

Blueblood scrunched his eyes shut and tried to think of some spell, any spell that had some chance of doing damage against her. Just as he was about to light his horn, a sweet, soothing song interrupted both the god and mortal.

“WHAT?!” Nightmare Moon exclaimed in surprise as she looked for the source of the sound. “NO! NO!” she cried as cracks began to spider web her body.

Blueblood’s eyes darted everywhere as he tried to find the one who was making the song.

“ARGH!” Nightmare Moon screamed.

The colt focused back on her and looked in wonder as Philomena, bathed in white Sacred Fire, burst from Nightmare Moon’s barrel. The goddess shattered into millions of tiny pieces and the moon ceased to be, letting the sun once again shine.

Blueblood collapsed on to the ground.

The sun was shining, the breeze was flickering the wheat, and his little ponies were going on as if nothing happened.

With Nightmare Moon gone and Philomena singing, everything felt right.

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When Prince Blueblood awoke the next morning, he immediately glanced around his room for any sign of fiery feathers.

He saw Philomena perched on the footboard of his bed, sleeping with her head nestled on her back.

The colt crawled to her and embraced her from behind.

Philomena blinked at him with bleary eyes and straightened herself.

“Thank you,” he murmured into her back.

She nuzzled him with her beak.

“Raw.”

Author's Note

Didn't proof-read this one, so please point out any typos.

Is Philomena used often to justify adding her character tag to the story?

Dream Walker

Star charts and scrolls littered the floor of his apartment. He kept glancing back and forth between his project and the constellations.

"You are looking well-rested, nephew," the princess commented as she walked into his room.

He didn't bother to even look at her. "Thanks," he mumbled to be polite.

Blueblood the Elder tentatively stepped over the papers as she made her way to his bed.

"How did you do on the exam that your teacher let you take home?"

He frowned as he scribbled down information on his assignment.

"70%. It was the highest grade I could score any way."

"It's better than a zero," she commented before sinking into his bed. "What are you doing?"

"Astronomy."

The princess rolled her eyes. "I never would have guessed," she responded sarcastically.

Blueblood the Younger sat back on his haunches and rubbed his tired eyes. "It's a project that's supposed to calculate the trajectory of planets on any given date in the future."

His aunt strained her neck forward and squinted at his paper. A century ago, she would have been able to actually see it.

"The Summer Sun Celebration in twenty years?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"What else?" he answered with a shrug. "I know that we were only supposed to study the first three planets that orbit our sun, but I did all six,* plus several stars. Do you think I did it right?' the prince asked as he levitated his project to her.

The princess scanned his work. It was sloppy, full of ink splotches, and scribbles from things he had to eliminate, but otherwise it seemed accurate. The planets were all lined up in a straight line, and what few stars he included also seemed on the same plane.

Blueblood shuddered. What her nephew had just plotted was clearly a rare cosmic anomaly of immense power. She hoped that no other god would draw power from the event, particularly a certain chaos entity.**

"Excellent work," she nodded in approval, setting down the rough draft.

"I thought about asking some real astronomers to see how many stars actually line up with our planetary orbit, but..."

"Please don't," his aunt insisted.

"I figured as much," the colt sighed. "Did you find out if Nightmare Moon's seal was weakening, princess?"

"It is not," she assured her nephew. "I consulted several astronomers, mages, and astromages, and the only way that a spell of such calibre could be broken is through very intensive magnetic and gravitational distress. We are close to reaching the breaking point, but we are not yet there."

Blueblood the Younger looked down at his hooves, not looking all too relieved.

She studied him with a quirked brow, confused by his response.

"Nephew."

He looked at her.

"Did you not hear me? Nightmare Moon is staying on the moon for another twenty years."

"I understand, princess. Thank you for researching that for me." And then he began collecting his scrolls and star charts.

Blueblood the Elder looked down at his project to keep from looking at him. If she were a normal pony, she would have asked him what was wrong. But Blueblood was a Blueblood, and Bluebloods were never normal. Instead, she wracked her brain for a possible reason why her successor seemed upset. Unable to find a cause, she decided to investigate further.

"Tell me about your nightmares," she stated.

He stopped his cleanup to look at her in confusion. "Uh, why?"

"Just speak to me, boy," she snapped with impatience.

Prince Blueblood sat back on his haunches and formulated his response.

"It usually starts in Night Eternal with me running," he finally began. "I'm running as fast as I can and Nightmare Moon is behind me, chasing me through shadows and darkness. She insults me, teases me, brags about her pretty her night is. Everything's usually dead or dying...

"Usually all I see is ice on the plants and rocks and stuff, but sometimes she shows me the Aquastrian sea and how it's boiling under the sun. I think I saw seaponies jumping in and out of the ocean once. But anyways, when Nightmare Moon's done playing with me, she catches up to me. Usually she just— no she always kills me, but sometimes, even after I die..."

The princess closed her eyes to prevent herself from grimacing. Boys his age shouldn't have such nightmares, and yet here he was.

"Do you fight her?" she pressed.

"Ugh, that's the worst part of it!" he snapped in frustration.

"What is?"

"No matter how much I try and try and try, all I can ever do is run! I try lighting up my horn, I try casting all the spells I know, but I just can't do anything! No wait, I'm sorry," he corrected himself sarcastically, "when I finally do cast a spell, I literally cast a spell, causing me to wake up and my guards to barge in, wondering if I'm being kidnapped or something!"

And something in Princess Blueblood's mind clicked. "So you're worried that when you do finally face Nightmare Moon, you won't be able to fight her?"

"I, I don't know, I guess?" the colt answered, clearly uncertain himself. "It's just that... I don't know," he repeated. "If I can't even fight Nightmare Moon— no, not even the real Nightmare Moon, just the one my brain made up— in my own dreams, then what could I possibly do when I finally meet her?"

The princess scrutinized the prince, mind deep in thought.

"What?" he snapped in a defensive tone. "Aren't you going to criticize me or something?" he demanded.

She did not take the bait. Instead, she merely got out of his bed, bid him a good night and left.

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Prince Blueblood looked on in pure horror as Celestia drew her last breaths.

"Your majesty," he whimpered in despair, watching Nightmare Moon rear up in triumph.

"From this moment forward, the night will last forever!" she laughed. "But first," she said to herself, boring her cruel eyes into him, "I think there's something I need to do before I am officially queen. Why don't you make my task just a bit easier, King Blueblood, and..." she took one step towards him. He took a step back.

"just..."

She took another step towards him. He once again took a step back.

"DIE!"

He bolted. Nightmare Moon melted into the shadows in pursuit.

King Blueblood galloped through Castle Canterlot with Princess Platinum's cloak billowing out behind him.

The world grew colder, and frost and ice began to cover everything. Even the arcane magic etched in his cloak could do nothing to protect him against her enchantment.

His hoof snagged on a traitorous root and he fell on the freezing ground. No longer able to run, King Blueblood tried to force a spell to come out of his utterly worthless horn.

The shadows melded together and Nightmare Moon appeared, grinning voraciously at him. "There can be only one ruler in Equestria, and that ruler will be—"

"The sister whom ponies actually like," a mare's nonchalant voice cut in.

Both tyrant and king were caught off guard by the sudden interloper. She appeared out of nowhere, trotting between the two in a relaxed manner.

"That or (gods forbidding) him," she looked down at her king and shuddered, utterly repulsed by the idea that she had to call him as such.

The mare was beautiful. She stood in the moonlight with her white coat gleaming in an ethereal glow. Her silky mane seemed to be made of gold, and shone with a single platinum streak down the middle. Her eyes were breath-taking: long, luscious lashes accented her ultramarine irises. She was a work of art come to life.

"And just who are you?" Nightmare Moon demanded, utterly unimpressed by the mare's looks.

The mare ignored her however and began to do some strange, but graceful prancing movement around the courtyard.

King Blueblood stood up as the mare glided past him.

"No matter," Nightmare Moon hissed, regaining her composure. "I will squash you, foal!" And she lunged at the interloper.

But to Blueblood's utter amazement, the mare dodged the attack with minimal effort.

"Foal?" she repeated. "Ha! Don't make me laugh! I outgrew my tantrums the moment my nanny (oh, Lord Grogar keep thee safe, my darling Clarabelle) could trust me without diapers."

Nightmare Moon snarled in rage and made another clumsy dive at her.

The mare stopped her prancing and tutted with a smug smirk. "My, my, my, how utterly unsurprising: Celestia's poor baby sister is just toddling along, trying to figure out how to walk."

Nightmare Moon seemed to shrink. "You dare insult me—?!" she demanded, her voice at an abnormally high pitch.

"It's a wonder that Tia even had to bother with the Elements at all," the mare commented as she resumed prancing.

"Silence!" the alicorn commanded, her voice growing higher still.

"Then again, she probably just wanted to send you to time-out until you learned to behave."

A smaller Nightmare Moon shot a bolt of lightning at the mare.

The interloper dodged it effortlessly.

"I suppose we'll have to send you back to time-out, won't we?" she asked Blueblood with a wink.

"I am the nightmare of the moon!" the alicorn cried, tears of indignation streaming down her cheeks. "I don't want time-out!"

The mare skipped over to Blueblood and lit her horn. He lit his without any strain, and together they put a squalling, fussy Nightmare Moon back to her time-out on the moon.

The colt looked at her in wonder.

She smirked back at him. And then she began to giggle. And laugh. And finally guffaw in the manner of a deranged lunatic...

...who happened to be lying in his bed with him.

Prince Blueblood yelped and scrambled away from the princess, watching in fear as she howled in mad delight.

"Philomena!" he called, not daring to keep his eyes away from his aunt.

Philomena hopped off the footboard and waddled over to him, unease in her golden eyes as she watched Blueblood the Elder cackle.

"Philomena, I'm scared," he admitted without shame as he hugged her to his barrel.

"Raw?" she replied, as baffled about the situation as he was.

"Should I call for help?" he asked.

"Raw."

"Yep, I think so too. Gu—mmph!"

Princess Blueblood's horn tip glowed in the darkness, just only slightly brighter than Philomena's feathers.

She gave them an unsettling grin, and the colt couldn't even make room for anger over the zipped lips spell she had cast on him.

"I still got it!" she informed them as her giggles subsided.

"Mmm," he nodded vigorously, willing to go along with whatever she delusion wanted.

Her light flickered out, but she still smiled at him.

"Blueblood, my dear, I think I know what your problem is."

"Raw/Uh...?" the phoenix and colt said in unison.

"You need to learn how to duel!" she proclaimed.

"Okay?"

"And I will teach you."

"Raw," Philomena deadpanned.

"I'm with her," the prince concurred. "Princess, you're 138 years old—"

"Don't be silly, nephew—"

"You're always complaining about your arthritis!"

"I think we also need to discuss Warrior's Code and Ethics— no, wait, Nightmare Moon won't be ethical."

"Princess!" he snapped.

"Oh, pardon me," she giggled. "How was I in your nightmare?"

"What?" he demanded.

"Were my quips on point? I don't think that they were, but I'm a bit rusty. I certainly need to get better before I teach you how to quip, though you certainly are a natural. My dueling was definitely excellent, if I do say so myself—"

"RAW!" Philomena snapped, having lost patience with Blueblood the Elder.

"Now, now Philomena-dear: no need to get so snappish," she chastised her.

The prince put the pieces together. "Princess?"

"Hmm?" she smiled back at him.

"Were you... in my dream?"

"Indeed," she nodded with pride.

"But how?" he asked in shock. "Are you... a dreamwalker?"

The unsettling grin was answer enough.

"So that mare who kept prancing and insulting Nightmare Moon, that was you?"

"My dearest king, what you saw in that dream was not prancing or insults, but dueling and quipping. There is a great difference between them, and I think that it is time you learned."

"I thought only Nightmare Moon could dreamwalk!"

The princess tutted. "Nay, nephew. Dreamwalking has been around since the beginning of the unicorns. Nopony can ever truly master dreamwalking the same way that she can, but every so often, a moon unicorn, like myself, will have the ability... though I am unsure if twilight unicorns can dreamwalk. But nevermind that. Tomorrow, I am hiring a dueling instructor for you. For now, go back to bed."

"Are you going to dreamwalk again?"

"Absolutely!" she assured him with a cheerful declaration. "Every single time you enter REM sleep, I'll be there until my mana runs out."

"No," he whimpered.

Philomena nuzzled him in a comforting manner, unsure of what else to do.

He was going to miss the nights when Nightmare Moon just psychologically tortured him.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

*Yes, the other planets in the Equus solar system orbit the sun. They get dragged along by the sun's gravitational pull. I have no idea if this is even possible, but in my uneducated opinion, it makes a bit more sense that the other planets are heliocentric. I can't imagine the ancient unicorns, Discord, Luna, and/or Celestia having the patience to keep the other planets in proper revolution around Equus.

**Twenty years later, the Autobots and (most) Decepticons on Earth were both shocked and dismayed that some obscure prophecy foretelling the rise of their evil god was indeed true. If she could have, Blueblood CVIII would have sent her condolences and empathy to them.

Attention, duelists!

"Nephew, when I was first learning how to duel, my master imparted onto me the four points of dueling: honor, loyalty, compassion, and magic. Those four points are to make up your compass when you duel."

"Honor, loyalty, compassion, and magic," he repeated, trying to keep the four words in his mind.

"Very good," she nodded. "In addition to the four points, an expert duelist is also expected to be generous and gay before and after their battle has taken place."

"Generous and gay?" the prince asked in surprise. "Why? I guess I can see compassion being a part of the compass because ponies shouldn't be beating other ponies to bloody pulps, but what does being generous and gay have to do with being a duelist?"

"Excellent questions," his aunt commended him. "Before and after a battle, a duelist is expected to be gay because s/he must be able to laugh about their victory or defeat. By laughing either at the situation or themselves, the duelist learns to let go of any grudges that may fester between them. In laughing at their victory, the duelist also learns to humble whatever conceit s/he may have developed. Resting on one's laurels is a quick to bring about their demise. The same principle can be applied to generosity: be generous to your adversary, your inferior, and your superior; they are ponies just like you who you should not begrudge or hate. When being generous, offer your opponent the best you can spare: medical attention, a fine meal, or your time. Generosity, like laughter, is supposed to humble the both of you."

"I think I understand: the compass during battle is made up of honor, loyalty, magic, and, um... compassion! The other two things ponies should strive to be before and after battle are generous and gay."

"Excellent," his aunt nodded. "Now completely forget about honor, compassion, generosity, and joy; they have no place in your world."

"What?!" he demanded. "Why even bring them up in the first place."

"So you can lie and pretend to other ponies that you live the Warrior's Code of Conduct and Ethics. In reality, nephew, you're going to battle a god who has no problem killing you and everyone else on this planet. Do not be kind, or selfless, or honorable, or gay with her; she doesn't deserve it.

"Can I at least be all of those things to my non-evil opponents?"

"That is acceptable. Most instructions in dueling begin with the four points and the reinforcement of the other two until the master is certain that their student exemplifies the six. You've already shown me your loyalty to Equus, as well as your dedication to magic, hence you are ready to move on to the next level."

"Which is?"

"Mastering the basics of unicorn magic. Congratulations. You've passed. In fact, you're just so talented that you've moved on to the most advanced lesson. This lesson took me decades to master, and there are some dueling masters who cannot complete it."

Blueblood the Younger gulped.

"But first, answer me this, colt: what is your purpose for dueling?" she asked.

He inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to calm his nerves. "I want to duel because I want to be strong enough to protect my little ponies. I want to duel because I want to protect the whole world. I'm doing this for my queen and for the future of Equus."

The princess quirked a brow. "Are you sure, nephew?"

He swallowed again but glared at her in defiance. "Yes," he nodded. "When I am king, I'm going to bear the weight of heaven and earth, sea and sky, and every single life residing here. I want to protect them and I will give anything for them. Now what is the final lesson?" Prince Blueblood asked.

"Congratulations, you mastered the final lesson," she responded with a flippant tone. "Now let's—"

"Seriously?!"

"Just what is the matter?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"You're, you're psyching me out with all this talk about how impossible the final lesson is, and then you just tell me I passed in, like, ten sentences?!

The princess chuckled. "'Psyching you out?' Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" She clicked her tongue and shook her head, marvelling at the new, youthful slang. "My king, here is another advanced lesson for you: psychological warfare only has the power that you're willing to ascribe to it. Nevertheless, the reason why some dueling masters cannot complete the final lesson is because they do not know their purpose. But you, your majesty, you do. You know that you must battle Nightmare Moon, and you know that you're willing to go to any lengths to protect Equus. You already have a purpose, Blueblood, hence you already mastered the final, most difficult lesson: the lesson of purpose.

But enough of that; let us begin with the tactile portion of dueling. Everything begins with your stance.

Remember:
You do it for them
And you would do it again
You do it for her— that is to say
You'll do it for them

Keep your stance wide
Keep your body lowered
As you're moving forward
Balance is the key
Front right; back left
Now go even faster
And as you're moving backwards
Keep your eyes on me.

Keep my stance wide (Good)
Keep my body lowered (Right)
As I'm moving forward (Concentrate!)
Don't you want them to live!?
Front right; back left
Yes, but put your whole body into it!

Everything you have, everything you are
You've got to give
On the battlefield
When everything is chaos
And you have nothing but the way you feel, your strategy, and your horn
You just think about the life you'll have together after the war
And when you do it for her
That's how you know you can win
You do it for her— that is to say
You'll do it for them

Deep down you know
You weren't built for fighting
But that doesn't mean
You're not prepared to try
What she won't know
Is your real advantage
When you live for someone
You're prepared to die

Deep down I know
That I'm just a mortal (true)
But I know that I can light my horn and fight
(But you know that you can light your horn and fight)
With my short existence (Good)
I can make a difference (Yes, excellent!)
I can be there for them
I can be their light
I can do it for them
You'd do it for her
Okay, now do that again (Yes, ma'am.)
You do it for her, and now you say:
I'll do it for them.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Unexpected Stevenbomb, heyo!

My Little Pony is a musical, so I'll make my story a musical too! However, if there's anything that my five years in art school has taught me, it's that I have no musical talent whatsoever, so I'll use already established songs and just swap out a few words here and there to make it fit. :rainbowwild:

Color formatting is a bitch.

Chapter 26

Queen Celestia listened with rapt attention as Prince Blueblood discussed the philosophy of dueling.

"And can you tell me why magic is one of the four points?" Celestia asked.

"The princess forgot to tell me about that one in our first lesson," he laughed.

"I did no such thing," Blueblood the Elder grumbled over her wine.

"Yeah, you did," he insisted.

"I clearly remember starting our lesson off with the six points."

"Yeah, and you explained generosity and joy, and I could already tell why honor, loyalty, and compassion are points in dueling, but you didn't talk about magic at all! It's like you forgot about it."

Celestia chuckled. "Ponies often forget about the point of magic. But what can you tell me magic represents in dueling?"

"Magic is knowledge. Magic is openness. Magic is a willingness to seek out the unknown and embrace its mystery. Magic is what happens when you bring together the other five aspects," he recited. In all frankness, he didn't understand how the other five worked together to make magic, but he didn't really fuss about it too much. He'd get it eventually.

"Excellent," the queen nodded. "Well spoken!"

"And look!" he grinned as he pushed out of his seat and walked to the center of the alicorn's apartment.

"Nephew, sit down; we're going to eat," the princess chastised him.

"Not yet, we aren't," Blueblood the Younger countered as he got into position.

"Indeed," Celestia agreed. "Let's see what he's got to show us."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to collect his nerves. Both mares waited patiently for the demonstration to begin.

Finally, he began to prance about the room. He was nowhere near as graceful as the princess had been in his dreams. Hay, even in his dreams he wasn't anywhere near her level, but that didn't bother him too much. He was getting better day by day (and dream by dream).

At last he finished and bowed to both of the ladies.

"Wonderful!" Queen Celestia clapped her hooves together. "How long did you say you've been at this?"

"A few weeks," he beamed with pride as he took his seat. "My dueling instructor thinks I'm picking this up quickly."

"Well you're (thank you, Sweet Greens) quite skilled," the monarch complimented him.

"That's what he said too! Mr. Rapier wants to have me incorporate spells to my movements soon."

"Excellent," she nodded. "What did you think about his performance, princess?"

"Sloppy," she stated with bluntness.

Blueblood the Younger began to laugh. "That's what she's always telling me after I finish with Mr. Rapier."

Celestia rolled her eyes, utterly unsurprised by her niece's response.

"When does Steel Rapier want you to incorporate spells with your movements?"

The colt shrugged. "Soon," he repeated. "That's all he said."

"Very well. Steel Rapier knows best—"

"No, he does not," the princess muttered.

"— in that regard," Celestia finished, shooting her niece a look. "Speaking of things that'll happen soon, you're birthday is coming up, Prince Blueblood. Do you have any plans yet?"

"My birthday's coming up?" he repeated in surprise. He thought for a moment. "Oh, that's right! I'm going to be twelve soon. But how did you kn—"

"Your birthday was on the adoption papers we signed during your coronation."

"It was?"

Celestia chuckled. "So what plans do you have, nephew?"

"None," he shrugged. "I hate parties. Besides, my birthday's just another day. I don't think I'll be doing anything to celebrate it."

Celestia was slightly taken aback by his response. "Oh really?" she asked, somewhat disappointed in his answer. "Well if that's how you feel about it, then very well. Now let's eat. It's been a long day and I don't know about you two, but I'm certainly ready to taste this Neighapolitian pasta."

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After dinner with the queen, both Bluebloods walked down the dark halls of Castle Canterlot.

"You should do something for your birthday," the princess commented.

Her nephew looked at her in surprise. "Why do you care? I thought you hated parties too."

"My boy, when you get to be my age, you learn to hate a lot of things. Regardless, the queen was rather disappointed in your answer. It's fairly evident that she wanted you to be like a normal foal and say yes to a party."

He sighed. "Do I have to?"

"No," she assured him. "But it would make her happy."

"I guess I'll have a party then, maybe something like your 138th birthday."

She walked to the corridor that lead to her apartment.

"Try not to be as sour-faced as I was during my brunch. Good night, nephew. Sleep well."

"Thank you, princess. Good night."

Author's Note

Please point out typos.

Almost done with this part!

A Celebration Supper for the Prince: Part I

He was such a handsome colt, ponies would say. He was brilliant when it came to his studies, an utter delight to converse with, and had a maturity that beguiled his young age, they gushed. Protectively cocooned beneath Queen Celestia's mighty wing, Prince Blueblood CIX thought otherwise. But nevertheless, he tolerated their compliments, neither refuting nor confirming the claims made of him.

He couldn't wait for this to be over.

"My little ponies," Queen Celestia smiled at the attendees of his birthday party. "It is with great pleasure that we are here this evening to celebrate a very special day for this very special colt. My," she said, turning to look down at him, "it's hard to believe that almost a year has passed between us, your majesty."

"It truly is, my queen," Prince Blueblood agreed. "I never would have guessed that I would be sharing this throne with you, almost a year after you shared a throne with the princess on her birthday."

A small eruption of giggles answered him.

'That wasn't funny.'

"Indeed, child, but life certainly has a way of surprising us. Never in a thousand years did I think I would coronate you, an eleven-year-old colt (now twelve)—"

More sycophantic giggles.

"— would be declared as the one hundred ninth Blueblood. But here we are." they nuzzled. "So, my darling nephew, do you have any words you wish to say?"

"Before this repast?" he asked, echoing the words of the princess that lifetime ago. "Nay."

Queen Celestia flared her wings. "Then let us feast in celebration of your special day!"

And ponies immediately got up from their seats. Many went to the buffet table, but most simply walked around to mingle, not wanting to seem too eager for the food.

Prince Blueblood turned to the princess and quirked a suspicious brow. "You're not going to drink too much wine, are you?"

"I'm facing a conundrum, in all frankness," she sighed in longing. "Do I drink wine now to make this easier, or do I take a lambien* pill later to escape at a more socially acceptable time?"

Queen Celestia tutted. "Now, now, niece this party won't be too bad."

"This party is a smaller version of the Grand Galloping Gala, and you know how I feel about that travesty."

"Just like you know how I feel about the Gala," Celestia pointed out, shaking her head.

"Is the Gala really that bad?" he asked.

"Yes," they said.

"Be grateful you don't have to be a part of that mess every year," the princess grumbled.

"Ugh. If it's that bad, then you're keeping that responsibility till you reach your pyre," the prince said.

"(With threats like that, I'll jump into my pyre.)"

Queen Celestia rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"So, nephew," the alicorn began, "how does it feel to be back in Castle Platinum?"

He thought for a moment. "Weird," he finally answered. "It really is hard to believe I've changed so much and everypony else is kinda same."

"Oh, now you don't know that, my prince." The alicorn smiled. "Why not greet your family? Catch up with them and see."

"I guess. Have fun," he told both mares.

Celestia kissed him. "You too, my child."

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Prince Blueblood was wrong: his family had changed. Tremendously.

A year ago, he had been ignored at best, or criticized at worst. Now, everypony couldn't get enough of him! It was like each and every one of them had been his mentor, second mother, second father, older sibling, or younger sibling back when he was still Noble Heart.

It was no wonder the princess avoided them like the plague.

Nevertheless, Blueblood knew that certain someponies were missing.

"Aunt Ruby, Aunt Ruby," he called to his mother's favorite sister.

She immediately turned around, making him the center of her attention.

"Ah, Noble— pardon me, your royal highness," she giggled, opening her front legs in invitation for a hug. "How times have changed, Prince Blueblood."

He refrained from rolling his eyes. "Indeed," he agreed as he gave her an awkward hug. Blech. Too much perfume.

"I told you he'd come to seek me," Ruby Circlet preened in front of her cousins. "We were always so close, him and I, why I was his second mother." And she accentuated her claim with a kiss at the base of his horn.

He refrained from recoiling, bothered by the fact that she had kissed him at such an intimate spot.

When was the last time she kissed him? Hay, when was the last time she hugged him? "I knew I wouldn't have to seek him out, unlike certain someponies," Ruby bragged as she let him go. "Your grace, you remember my daughter, Fleur, do you not?"

He glanced at his cousin. With her white coat, pink mane, and violet eyes, she bore a rather unsettling resemblance to Queen Celestia's glamour-personas.

"Charmed," he mumbled before grabbing Fleur's hoof and kissing it.

Though her countenance was aloof, he could sense how uncomfortable she was through her body language.

"Your highness," Fleur nodded as she pulled back her hoof just a bit too quickly.

"Aunt Ruby, a word," he requested, already walking to a more secluded part of Castle Platinum.

"Of course, my love." She gave everypony a smug smile as she followed him.

He led them to a dark corridor only lit by the moon.

"A bit far from the party, aren't we," Ruby Circlet chuckled as she looked out the window. "It certainly is a beautiful night, isn't it, your grace."

He looked outside and studied Nightmare Moon glaring down at them. He forced himself to look away. "I need a quick break from the party," Blueblood stated. "Aunt Ruby, where's my family?"

"Hmm?"

"I thought they'd be here by now."

"Oh, don't worry about them, Prince Blueblood," Ruby assured him with a genuine smile. "They wouldn't miss it for the world! Your mother explicitly told me that they'd all be attending your special day! Although..."

"'Although' what?" he pressed.

"Well, I'm a bit worried," the mare admitted, "your brother had a big birthday planned months ago, right here no less! Your parents had been struggling with him since your coronation— oh, now don't make that face!" she tried to reassure him. "It's nothing Sapphire can't handle. Golden Crown is just feeling a bit jealous, but that's perfectly normal for siblings to feel!"

He bowed deeply to his aunt, forcing his face to become blank once again. "Thank you," he murmured as he walked back to the party.

She quickly followed him.

When they reached the party, Ruby Circlet rubbed him between his withers. "Ah, see!" she assured him, gesturing with her other hoof. "There's your father, and your mother as well! And there's... oh..." she trailed off.

Golden Crown's eyes locked on Blueblood's, and Blueblood couldn't help but flinch. His twin's hair seemed uncombed, and his mane and tail were tangled. The sclera of his eyes were bloodshot, and his lids were puffy, as if he had been crying. But the look in his eyes was what caught Blueblood off guard.

Nopony had ever looked at him with such hatred before. It looked so painfully familiar, almost like—

"I need space," he quickly excused himself.

"But your majesty, we just—"

"Leave me alone," he snapped before turning tail and leaving.

Ruby Circlet watched him go, and then turned to look at Golden Crown, but he already had his attention on something else.

Unsure of what to do, the mare scanned the room for the queen. Unsurprisingly, ponies were gravitating to her. Ruby then looked for the princess.

She went to her.

When Blueblood saw the pony encroaching on her space, she didn't even bother to hide her disdain. "Leave me, de Lis," the princess commanded.

"Forgive me, your eminence, but..." and Ruby Circlet finished her statement with a whisper.

Blueblood the Elder's ear swiveled to Ruby as she listened.

"Understood. Dismissed."

Ruby Circlet bowed deeply before leaving to go see her sister.

Blueblood CVIII stood and stretched, listening to her joints creak and crack. She managed not to moan. Princess Blueblood made her way to the queen and murmur something in her ear.

When Queen Celestia heard the message, she continued to smile and nod and giggle, as if she had been told something amusing. She looked down at her niece. After over one hundred years of knowing each other, the pair understood one another better than most ponies could ever hope to. The princess sat beneath the alicorn's wing and played along as being the gracious royal.

After a few minutes, Queen Celestia yawned and flexed her wings to stretch. "Pardon me, my little ponies," she smiled down at the nobles, "but I fear that my wings need a bit of air. I'll see you all in due time."

And she slipped out into the darkened halls.

When she was well away from the party, Celestia lit her horn. A trail of hoofprints lit up and she followed.

She found him in the library, curled up at the top of a bookshelf, and looking at the night sky from a sky light.

"So how are you, nephew?" Celestia asked as she alighted behind him.

Prince Blueblood shrugged, keeping his eyes on the heavens. "Okay, I guess." he mumbled, not meaning it.

"Your mother's sister told us otherwise," Celestia told him as she lay down on the shelf. "How did you get up here?"

He kicked the rolling ladder down the shelf. She lifted her tail to avoid it.

"I want Philomena," he said, finally looking away from the heavens.

"Do you?" she pressed, grateful that he was even willing to talk to her.

He nodded. "She always sings to me when I don't feel good."

Celestia nodded in understanding. "Her Heart's Balm Song truly is something else. You know, when your grandmother Bluebell introduced me to Philomena, I would literally spend days and nights listening to her sing. Hmph," she grunted in amusement. "It took her a good, long while to heal my heart." She then looked up at the night sky. "Of course, some wounds never truly heal."

"Do you want to know something, Queen Celestia?"

"Of course, my love."

"For awhile, I would have really bad nightmares. You know, my nightmares were so bad that I would sleep cast. My guards would always burst through the door, wondering if I was being attacked or something. Even after I realized I had a nightmare, I wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night. I went days without sleeping properly. And do you remember that test I told you about, the one where I scored a 70%?"

"Yes," she murmured.

"I slept through it. The teacher was nice enough to realize that I wasn't sleeping right and let me take the test at home for a thirty point deduction."

"Why didn't you come to me?" she asked.

"Because the princess asked me not— no, don't get mad at her," Blueblood begged once he saw her expression. "You want to guess what my nightmares were about?" He looked up in the sky, and Celestia had her answer.

She grimaced.

"Every night it was her killing me, killing you, killing everyone in the world. I kept seeing Equestria covered in ice, I kept seeing the Aquastrian Sea boiling. Sometimes, the nightmare didn't even end after she killed me. Sometimes, I'm at Castle Tambelon and every. Single. Soul who I care about is wondering why I couldn't protect them. I... I see you there too. You're always so sad and disappointed in me..."

Queen Celestia stood and bent down over him.

"Why didn't the princess want you to talk to me about the nightmares?" she asked while nuzzling him.

"Because she told me that you still love her," he confessed. "She said it would hurt you to hear about her destroying everyone and everything in Equus, and torturing me throughout the day. I could only sleep when Philomena would sing to me at night. And then the princess dreamwalked into one of my nightmares—"

"She what?!" Celestia demanded bolting upright. The movement caused her back left hoof to slip off the shelf. "We're getting down from here," she stated, her tone brokering no argument.

Prince Blueblood felt her field encase him and they both floated down.

"Please don't be mad at her," he repeated. "She knew that the nightmares wouldn't stop, so she decided to see what was going on. We sleep together two nights a week so she can teach me to duel in my dreams."

The sun god looked into his eyes, expression indiscernible. Finally she sighed and looked out the window.

"I like dueling with her, really I do!" he assured her. "It's because of the princess that Philomena doesn't need to watch me every night. My nightmares have gone away!"

"I am so very, very sorry, nephew."

"No, please don't be!" he begged. "Ugh, I'm so sorry that I even brought this up! I didn't want you to feel guilty. The princess was right: talking about my nightmares only hurt you."

"Yes. Talking about it did hurt me, and I do feel guilty, and not just because of not knowing what has been happening behind my haunches. The princess was correct in her initial assumption, but she was wrong to assume that I wouldn't want to listen."

"Ugh!" he groaned, turning away from her. "I'm sorry! By the gods, why do I keep hurting everypony I care about?!"

"Hush," Celestia murmured as she lay down to be at his level. "Nopony is perfect; you don't do the things you do out of malice, my—"

"It's not just you!" Blueblood shouted, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

She recoiled slightly from his volume, but did not chastise him. Instead, she flared open a wing in invitation.

Wiping his eyes, he took his place beneath her wing.

"The princess sent a message to me from your mother's sister. Something about you being upset?"

"I am," he admitted, once again wiping away tears.

"Care to tell me what it is?"

"It's..." He looked away.

"Please speak to me," Celestia implored.

"I-it's my... my twin, Golden Crown," Blueblood confessed.

"What about Golden Crown?" she gently pressed.

"He hates me," he finally managed to say.

"And how do you know this?"

"Remember when you showed me your memories from a thousand years ago?"

The alicorn nodded.

"The thing that stuck out to me the most was how she looked at you, and just how much pure hatred she had for you. I never seen a pony look at somepony else like that, but tonight... he looked just so much like her."

Celestia's eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat.

"Oh Blueblood," she mourned. "I am so, so sorry."

"It's not your fault—"

"Isn't it?" she interrupted. "Only I may name a Blueblood, and I chose you. In doing so, I'm afraid that I've—"

She stopped talking when he touched a hoof to her cheek.

"The princess was right:" he said with a watery smile, "you really are too kind; you're always trying to save everypony, even from their own guilt."

She wiped his tear with a feather. "Be that as it may, nephew, I am afraid that I've made a terrible mistake in naming you, a mere child, Blueblood.

He shook his head. "You could take away my title tomorrow morning, but I will still be Blueblood. No matter what, I will always be Blueblood. I took my vows before Equestria, your majesty, and I intend to keep them." He sighed and looked down at his hooves. "But it's still hard to be Blueblood... especially knowing that my brother is so jealous of who and what I am, even if I can't help but..."

"Casting such a long shadow?" Celestia finished.

"You know all about that, don't you?" he muttered, flopping his head on the floor.

"Unfortunately I do."

"The worst part is that Golden Crown doesn't even know about half the stuff I do: he doesn't know how far I've advanced in magic, he doesn't know that I managed to get into your school on my own merits, he doesn't know that I've skipped a level, or that I've started to learn how to duel. I don't even know what he's up to."

Celestia looked at him. She looked so old and so sad.

"You're turning into me," she stated.

"I—"

"That is not a compliment. Blueblood," she stood and he followed suit. "Please don't be me," Celestia begged. "Please don't be as vain, as stupid, as proud as I was one thousand years ago. Go to your brother, and stop this before you both wind up hurting each other."

He looked deeply into her tragic eyes.

"I love you," he finally confessed, letting his tears fall freely. "I love you and I'll always love you." He stood on his hindlegs and embraced her as tightly as he could.

Celestia sat on her haunches and cocooned him with both her front legs and wings.

"Whether you're here in front of me, or ages away in the sun, I love you, Celestia," he cried in her neck.

She pulled away from him, tears shining in her eyes. "I'll always love you too, Blueblood. Now go, seek your brother, and do not let history repeat itself." Celestia kissed her nephew at the base of his horn and embraced him once more.

Finally, both god and mortal pulled away from each other. He gave her a slight bow of goodbye and galloped away, leaving her behind to look up at her sister.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

*Lambien: For when you want/need to sleep like a lamb.

Final ending arc of Part II of The Royal Governess.

A Celebration Supper for the Prince: Part II

When they got back to the party, the two colts saw Queen Celestia seated at the head of the round table.

Prince Blueblood gave his goddess a watery but reassuring smile.

She, in turn, returned it with a subdued but proud smile of her own.

He looked away from her to focus on Golden Crown for a moment. "Do you want to sit on the throne with Queen Celestia?" he asked.

Golden Crown recoiled in surprise. "On the throne with Queen Celestia?" he repeated.

Blueblood nodded. "Mhmm. I'm sure you'll like her and I'm sure she'll like you."

"But only a—"

"But only a royal can sit on the throne?" the prince finished.

"I— yes," Golden agreed.

Blueblood laughed. "Who cares about that old, dumb rule? It's not like the throne's going to eat you for not being a prince."

"But—"

"Fine," Blueblood smirked. "As the prince of Equestria, Guardian of the Throne of the Goddess, Protector of all Ponydom, and Servant of the Eternal Light, I, Prince Blueblood CIX, hereby order you, Golden Crown Platinum, to sit on that throne."

Golden Crown blinked at his twin. And then an elated grin lit up his face. "Of course, my lord," he replied with a mock bow. "I, Golden Crown Platinum, great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-(ah, whatever)-grandson and heir of her ladyship, Princess Platinum Windigo Slayer, Harbinger of Harmony, Bane of the Enchanted Ice, and Conqueror of Frozen Despair, will do his best to carry out the task you have given me, oh good Prince Blueblood."

It was all Golden Crown could do before almost scampering off to plant his flank underneath Celestia's welcoming wing.

Blueblood watched his twin with a smile.

He had done what Celestia had failed to do one thousand years ago. He had prevented history from repeating itself.

By the gods it felt good to still have a sibling.

The colt looked on as Golden Crown whispered something in his queen's ear. She laughed, her melodious peal lost in the general cacophony of a party. She kissed his temple as he seated himself beside her.

It was too bad that Celestia could not say the same.

Blueblood looked at her in longing, wanting to speak with her, but he didn't dare break up the moment his twin was having with her.

He turned his gaze away from the pair and scanned the crowd. Besides, he had promises to keep, and leagues to go before he could sleep.

Prince Blueblood made his way to stallion whom he wished to speak with.

"Don't drink that pill yet, princess," he told Blueblood the Elder as he walked past her. "We've got to talk.

He could feel her glaring at his tail as he went on, but he ignored her. She wasn't priority at the moment...

But his mother and father were.

The prince at last reached his parents. They stood in a large cluster of ponies. Royal Scepter, as always, said nothing as he listened and sipped his brandy. Sapphire Diadem, however, was uncharacteristically silent.

Blueblood waited for the group to notice him before bowing deeply in greeting. Everypony else bowed or curtsied in return.

"Good evening," he addressed them.

A quick response of greetings answered him.

"Mother, Father, I fear that we haven't spent much time at all together these past few hours." Or few months, really. "May we go somewhere private to catch up?"

Royal Scepter grabbed another brandy and dipped his head. "Of course."

Prince Blueblood turned around and began to walk to the library.

Lord and Lady Platinum followed.

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When the trio at least reached the very same window Blueblood and Celestia sat at mere minutes ago, the colt sighed and loosened his damnable bow tie. If he could help it, he was never going to wear another tuxedo ever again.

Neither of his parents said anything, but Royal Scepter raised his eyebrows.

Prince Blueblood buried his face in his hooves, trying to find a way to broach the subject on his mind.

He sighed again and looked at his parents.

"You seem to be spending a lot of time away from your own birthday party, Blueblood," Sapphire commented.

"Nine months later and that is the first thing you choose to say to me?" he asked in annoyance.

She recoiled and shied away from his gaze. "Forgive me."

He frowned, bothered by how easy it was for both him and his mother to resume throwing barbs. "No, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I should have acted better."

Royal Scepter sipped his brandy, studying his son.

Prince Blueblood met his gaze, causing Royal to swallow.

"I'm not mad at you," he told him.

Lord Platinum drank again to avoid speaking.

The colt walked up to his father, looked him dead in the eyes, and repeated what he said. "I'm not mad at you."

Royal Scepter immediately started dropping to his front knees to—

"Stop," Blueblood begged him. "For the love of Equestria, just stop, Father. You too, Mother. Right now, I'm not Prince Blueblood CIX. Right now, I'm your son and we need to talk."

"About what?" Sapphire asked.

"Everything!" the colt exclaimed. "I just don't know where to start!"

His mother opened her mouth, but she quickly clamped it shut.

Blueblood focused his eyes on her. "What were you going to say?"

"I was..." When did his eyes show such intensity?

"Mother," he said, showing no anger.

"Inside voice," she finally murmured, a crimson blush coloring her countenance.

He buried his face in his hooves for a moment.

"Mother, Father... you two are horrible parents," Blueblood finally managed to articulate, thankfully with no malice.

Neither of them verbally protested, but Royal looked affronted, and Sapphire looked down at her hooves.

"Back when we were still living together, I know I wasn't the best foal. Mother, I'm sorry for all the times I antagonized you, for every dumb argument I cause, all the mean words I said to you, and all the parties I ruined for you. It was petty and immature of me to do all that, and I'm sorry. I knew I shouldn't have been behaving that way, but it's just..."

He looked away from her and walked back to the window. Looking up at the sky, he pressed a hoof against the glass.

"I was just so spiteful towards you, mother," Blueblood admitted. "It felt like everything I did was wrong, and everything you said to me was just an insult or a criticism. I... I can only remember one time you told me that you loved me, and even then I had to be the one who said it first. I was hurt and angry that all we did was argue while you kissed and coddled Golden Crown."

He glanced back at her and saw that she couldn't even bear to meet his gaze. He looked back at the moon.

"But I forgive you, mother. I'm not mad or bitter about that anymore." And he meant it.

"However," Blueblood continued, "what I am upset about is Golden Crown."

Royal Scepter set his brandy down. "What has your brother said to you?" he asked, a subtle edge in his voice. "I saw him sharing the throne with Queen Celestia."

Blueblood glanced at his father, his countenance somber. "He told me he hated me."

Royal Scepter closed his eyes and touched a hoof to his temple. "Your brother said what—?"

"Do not punish him," Prince Blueblood commanded, voice brokering no argument. "He told me what you said, Lord Platinum. I'm sitting here wondering how you could say that to him, your own son. How you could force an eleven-year-old child into silence and house arrest for weeks at a time."

"I was— I am doing the best I can, Prince—"

"I was not always your prince, but I am and always will be your son, just like Golden Crown is your son," Blueblood stated, his blue eyes regal and cold. "You say your were doing your best, but tell me: if Queen Celestia or Princess Blueblood were in that room that night you sentenced me to silence, would you have done it? If I were Prince Blueblood CIX that night, would you have sentenced me to rot away indefinitely in this castle?"

Royal Scepter, like his wife, could not bear to look at him.

Prince Blueblood sighed and looked back up at the moon. "I promise that I am not mad at you, father, because it is here in this very same library that I found the tools I needed to be considered worthy of Queen Celestia's throne. But I am so very, very disappointed at how terrible the both of you are to your children. I may have been able to grow stronger because of all that you two put me through, but the same cannot be said for Golden Crown. You're destroying my brother," he stated. "You're destroying your remaining son."

Royal Scepter downed his brandy. The glass shook in his magical grip. "And what would you have us do, Noble Heart?" he asked.

"Be kind to him, listen to him, let him know that you love him, and please, for the love of Equestria, just learn to be better parents!"

Blueblood turned around and began to make his way to the doors. Both of his parents followed him. "I can't really hate either of you because neither of you do the things you do because you're evil. But you don't need to be evil to do bad things."

He cast one final glance window. Though from his angle he could no longer see the moon, Blueblood could see the silvery moonlight filling the room.

"Golden Crown doesn't hate me anymore," he told them as they walked down hall. "All I had to do was show him kindness. You should too."

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

While I was writing this chapter, I thought I made Prince Blueblood speak and act too maturely for his age. However, given all that he's gone through, Blueblood is far older than his twelve years would suggest.

A Celebration Supper for the Prince: Part III

Mother, father, and son arrived back at the party. Prince Blueblood began scanning the crowd for the princess. Spotting her, he bid his parents adieu and made his way to his decrepit aunt.

"Prince Blueblood—!" somepony began.

"I need an audience with the princess," he interrupted him. "Do not disturb me."

"But your majesty—!"

"It can wait," he snapped, glaring his relative into submission.

The princess saw him through her passing glance. Seeing her nephew approach her with such purpose, she deigned to give him her full attention.

"Good—"

"We need to talk."

"— evening," she finished, rather surprised by his brusqueness.

"Now," Blueblood the Younger commanded.

She quirked a brow and scrutinized him, but nevertheless grabbed a glass of wine before standing. For the fourth time that night, Prince Blueblood walked out of the party with somepony in tow.

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Once more, he lead them to the library.

She took a sip of her wine. Judging by the purpose in his gait as well as the hard look in his eyes, she was going to need a drink or two to get through this.

The princess and prince sat in front of the window.

At last, he spoke.

Blueblood the Elder drank from her wine as she glanced at both him and their foe. Just what was on his mind—?

"I'm not going to fight her."

"WHAT?!" she screeched, obliterating her glass in her grip.

He glared at her in defiance. "I'm. Not. Going. To. Fight. Her," her nephew repeated.

Princess Blueblood stood and bared her teeth. "After everything you've said and done, after all the vows you swore, the spells you learned, the sacrifices you made, and the suffering you went through, you're not going to fight her?!"

Prince Blueblood turned his nose up in the air. "Nnnope," he soliloquized with graceful eloquence.

"Self-centered, cowardly, useless boy!" she shouted. "You would dare to turn your flank against the billions upon billions of lives who reside on this planet?! How could you?!"

He scowled at the furious mare. "Look at her, princess," he spat, pointing at the moon with a hoof. " You saw the memories of what happened one thousand years ago—"

"As did you, fool!" she cut in. "You saw the blackened skies, the destruction she sought to bring—!"

"Let me finish!" he interrupted her, standing up. "Neither of us will ever forget what happened one thousand years ago, and we both know I will be facing that again in twenty—"

"Nineteen!"

"— nineteen years alone. Princess, you saw how heaven and earth shook when the Heavenly Sisters clashed, you know that both sea and sky suffered for a good, long while after Nightmare Moon was imprisoned. Just what, in the name of the gods, do you expect me to do when Queen Celestia— the goddess of the sun, the guardian of the heavens, the light eternal, and the keeper of harmony— had to use some mysterious old rocks (that probably have been around since the beginning of Equus) to defeat her own sister? Hay, even the Elements lost their magic once Nightmare Moon was banished—!"

"Celestia held back! She couldn't subdue her sister because she loved her too much—!"

"'She loved her too much?'" the colt repeated. "How could you say that?! Not everypony is a bitter, lonely mare like you!"

"Who I am is irrelevant—!"

"It's not!" he screeched back. "Princess, you're asking me to give everything to everyone in the world, but at the same time, you're telling me to disregard individuals! You told me to do that with myself, you told me to do that with Twilight, and you almost told me to do that with Sunset! Princess, each life in this world is precious, even yours! You may be Blueblood, but neither you nor your feelings are irrelevant!"

The decrepit mare recoiled at his words, but did not interrupt.

"Even Nightmare Moon is precious," Prince Blueblood finished.

She scowled. "How can you even say that when she almost killed Celestia?" she sneered.

The colt exhaled deeply, as he stared up at the moon. "She is precious because my brother is precious."

"What do you even mean?" she hissed, no longer yelling.

"Princess, tonight I almost lost my brother," he confessed. "I almost lost him because I was too caught up by my title and responsibilities, I was too self-absorbed in myself, and because I'm casting a long, long shadow that hides him from everypony else. Princess, you know far more than I do what it means to be Blueblood, what it's like to have ponies make you the center of their attention, and to bask in your presence. How do you think Golden Crown felt when I had the biggest coronation in centuries? How do you think he felt when Queen Celestia put her tiara on my head? How do you think he felt when everyone in Equestria was celebrating the fact that I even exist? How do you think Luna felt one thousand years ago?"

"Nightmare Moon is not some jealous child!" the princess groaned in exasperation.

"Isn't she?" he countered. "Just like Golden Crown, she's stuck in her sibling's shadow while everypony worships Celestia. Luna is sad and angry that nopony appreciates her for everything that she's done. Just look outside! Can't you see how much thought and care she put into planning the night?"

The princess buried her face in her hooves. "She's going to kill us!" she argued.

"And she will kill all of us if she kills me!"

"Which is precisely why you must fight her!" she stated, her tone beseeching.

"Even Starswirl couldn't raise the sun and moon by himself," the prince countered. "Starswirl may have been the greatest wizard to have ever lived and may ever live, but even he couldn't do what the gods can."

"Then what about Equus?" she begged. "If you won't—"

"Can't."

"— fight her, then what, in the name of the gods, are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to do what everypony should have done one thousand years ago: I'm going to show her kindness."

"She's willing to kill her own sister! What hope could you possibly have in reaching out to her?"

"What hope did you have when you wanted me to fight her?" he rebutted. "Princess, I know you're unhappy with my decision, but Equus will be lost if the first thing she sees after one thousand years is ponies who still forsake her."

"Nephew, you promised," she said, desperation in her voice. "You swore everything to Equus."

"Equus is everything to me, princess, more than you can ever imagine. But please just trust—"

"I won't! I won't ever trust anypony ever again!" she cut in. "Prince Blueblood, whe— if she refuses you and your offer of... 'friendship,' then what?"

He bit his lip and looked down. "I... I don't know."

"Are you going to just sit there on Queen Celestia's throne and let her kill you, the last hope of Equus?"

"I..."

"Prince Blueblood, I know that you want to solve this issue peacefully, but what if she doesn't?"

"I don't know..."

Princess Blueblood shook her head. "You do. You must fight her to send her back to the moon. Please, nephew, I am so sorry that she is your destiny, but you can't just let her take everything without trying to stop her."

"And I will!" he promised. "I will stop her!"

"Then be open to all options," she implored him. "Equus needs you, nephew. It needs you to be their light in the coming darkness, be it through your mercy or through your horn."

"Princess, I don't want to hurt her!"

"I know you don't, but please think about what I just said."

"Fine," he consented. "You're right, I need to be open to all options. I need to be prepared for anything."

She breathed a sigh of relief.

"But you can bet that I'm going to reach out to her first," he promised.

"Nephew, you—"

"Your king has spoken," he stated, his eyes commanding and hard.

Both Bluebloods were silent as his words echoed through the library. The princess looked into his eyes, beseeching him to submit to her wisdom. But looking at him, she knew that he would not be swayed by her arguments.

At last, she bowed as deeply as her joints would let her.

"Of course, my lord," she finally sighed in defeat.

The Apocalypse was going to be terrible and she truly pitied everyone who was going to suffer through it. But at 138 years, she could not (and would not) stick around to watch the aftermath. Not to worry, though: she would be sure to torment her nephew relentlessly once they met in the realm of the dead.

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When the Bluebloods made it back to the party, Golden Crown was the one who greeted them first.

He bowed deeply to the both of them, neither of which even bothered to return the gesture. Instead, they both bore indignance in their eyes, making sure to not look at one another. The princess departed for her seat. The prince made his way to the buffet table. Golden Crown followed.

"Um, are you okay?" he asked his twin.

"No," Blueblood grumbled as he picked up a plate. By the gods, it had been four hours since the party began and he hadn't eaten a single thing yet.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Golden Crown offered.

"No," the prince repeated, this time with a mouth full of roll.

Golden Crown seemed affronted. "Well, sorry for asking," he muttered, looking dejected.

Blueblood finally looked at him and his eyes softened. He set down his roll and plate. "No, I'm sorry; I shouldn't have been so rude to you. Golden Crown, there really is nothing in the world I would like more than to talk to other ponies about the stuff I go through, but I can't."

"Why?" his twin asked, raising a brow. "Were you two talking about royal business?"

"That's all we ever talk about," the prince grumbled as he eyed the wilted salad. Gods, why had he waited this long to eat? "I'm never allowed to talk about it."

"Queen Celestia didn't seem that strict when we talked."

"It's not the queen who makes me keep quiet," Blueblood murmured almost to himself as he looked over his withers to glare at Princess Blueblood's back.

"Is she really that bad?" Golden Crown questioned, following his brother's gaze.

"How do you think she is?" Blueblood responded.

"Um..."

"Whatever you're thinking, no, she isn't like that; she's a hundred times worse."

Golden Crown grabbed his brother's second plate, wanting to help him carry his meal back to the table.

"Golden Crown, be thankful you weren't the one she hung upside down after her birthday. She sucks the life and joy out of everything. That's why Queen Celestia and I are the only ones who actually deal with her. Gods, I can't stand to be near her right now; let's go sit with our parents."

"Good evening, mother, father, I trust you are doing well?" he greeted Lord and Lady Platinum. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but could you please keep the 'esteemed' guests away from us?" Blueblood politely requested, barely concealing his annoyance and fatigue. "It's been a very long night for me and this is the first time I've actually had a chance to eat (what little everypony left for me)."

Royal Scepter glanced at his son, taking note of the undercurrent of agitation he carried with him. "As you wish," he agreed with a nod and sip of scotch.

The twins sandwiched themselves between their parents.

"Is she really that bad?" Golden Crown whispered in an attempt to keep other ponies out of the conversation.

"Yes," Blueblood stated with a flat voice. "But nevermind her; if I keep thinking about that, I'll just ruin the mood for everypony. So how was your time with Queen Celestia?"

Golden Crown grinned. "Wonderful. She didn't know today was my birthday too, but she still gave me the best present."

Blueblood smiled as he ate his scraps. "That sounds just like her. What did she give you?"

"She took me flying."

Blueblood's eyebrows shot up.

"It's true! We flew around the castle and skimmed the clouds. Then we were cloud walking—"

"'We?'"

"Well, I was still on her back. She offered to cast a spell on me to let me cloud walk, but I really didn't want to let go of her. She told me to look up at the sky. I never really noticed how beautiful the moon and stars were..."

Blueblood listened with genuine, vested interest. He laughed and smiled and frowned at the appropriate parts of the conversation, but it was sincere, entirely unlike how he had spoken to the rest of his family.

Despite Blueblood's attention on the conversation, he still couldn't help but notice their mother watching him.

The look she gave him was... strange to say the least. During occasions such as this, Sapphire Diadem had always tried to be at the centre or near the centre of ponies and conversations. She laughed, she smiled, she conversed, she danced, she gossiped— everything one would expect a noblemare to do. While Blueblood had barely spared her a glance from beyond their conversation and this one, he could see that she was nothing like her usual self. Furthermore, he just couldn't understand why she was just watching him. Blueblood had initially dismissed her queer behavior due to their conversation, but then he remembered that even before that, his mother was still unlike herself.

When Golden Crown finished conversing with him, Blueblood met Sapphire's gaze with cautious concern in his eyes. "Mother?"

She at last looked away from him, causing her earrings to swing from the momentum. "Hmm?" Sapphire responded, almost finishing her full glass of wine with a few gulps.

"Are you alright?"

She swirled the last few drops of her drink in her glass, her countenance pensive.

Royal Scepter noted his wife's uncharacteristic behavior with hidden worry. "Sapphire?" he pressed on Blueblood's behalf.

"Same old, same old," she finally murmured, now just studying the glass.

Blueblood frowned.

"Did you have a good time tonight?" Golden Crown finally turned around to look at her as well.

She shrugged. "Good enough."

The twins looked at each other in puzzlement and then turned to their father. Royal looked at Sapphire for a moment longer before turning his attention to his boys. He shrugged, equally as perplexed.

"Is this about what I did before—?" Golden Crown began.

"It was my fault," she interrupted softly before finishing the wine. "My apologies, darling."

"Um...?" Golden tried to think about something to say but his mother cut off any potential responses.

"It's getting late and the guests are getting tired; why not light the candles for the cake so we may go to bed?" she suggested.

The boys looked at each other still confused, but ultimately, they both got out of their seats and went to join Queen Celestia at the head of the table.

"So what cake did you get?" Golden Crown asked his twin.

"I got two: coconut with grape jelly in the middle, and pistachio with almond paste in the middle. Which one do you want?"

"Wow, they both sound delicious! I don't know which..."

Lord and Lady Platinum watched them go.

He finally focused his attention back on her. "Sapph—?"

"Not tonight," she murmured, sounding tired and fatigued.

He let it go.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

A Celebration Supper for the Prince: Part IV

The twins lit their candles, blew them out, and one of them even preened under the attention he had been so cruelly denied these past few months. The other watched on with fake smiles and laughs.

Queen Celestia, ever watchful with her millennia of practice, noted this.

Eventually, Prince Blueblood noted her glances and held her gaze for a moment. He cast a fleeting look at the door before once again locking his eyes on her own.

She smiled down at the nameless noble trying to get her attention. The queen then dipped her head in agreement to the noble's statement, all while keeping her violet eyes trained on her nephew.

Blueblood the Younger mumbled a few words to his brother before getting out of their shared throne.

Celestia was both proud and dismayed at the subtlety he was able to display and pick up on. Swallowing back a sigh, the alicorn bowed out of her conversation to follow her nephew.

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Celestia found him outside, lounging beneath the shadows of Princess Platinum and Clover the Clever.

Hearing her approach, he glanced over his withers to look at his goddess. Now, away from all the sycophants and the ponies whom he wished to protect from his somber thoughts, Prince Blueblood appeared how he truly felt: exhausted.

"It was nice of you to take him flying and cloud-walking," he said as she settled down beside him. "It really is a nice night."

"Indeed," Celestia agreed, admiring the statues of the two legendary unicorns. "Though I wish you reminded me that today was your brother's birthday as well so I could give him a proper present."

He leaned into her and she cocooned him with a wing. "You gave him something that nopony had in a good, long while. Besides, he already has more than enough garbage from my parents; memories more precious."

She stopped looking at Platinum and Clover and gave her heir a bemused smirk. "To a lot of ponies out there, what your brother has isn't 'garbage.'"

He shrugged. "I guess, but at the end of the day, things are things. It's not like we can take any of our junk with us into the next life."

Celestia nodded. "True enough."

Prince Blueblood then sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. "Auntie?"

She had to forcibly restrain her excitement over the new hypocorism. "Hmm?" Celestia asked.

"Did you ever really want to be queen?"

She stopped smiling. "Long night?"

He made a face. "Very."

The alicorn exhaled softly as she looked up in the night sky. "I suppose everyone has fantasies here and there about being a ruler. I'm fairly certain that when I was still a filly living under Discord's yoke, I did want to be a queen, though perhaps with foalish ideas of what being queen entailed."

"If you could, would you stop being queen?"

"I've tried to in the past, though Equestria would not let me. This nation is content with me being queen and does not wish to risk the instability of having a constant flow of mortal rulers, each with their own personalities and agendas. Why do you ask?"

Blueblood looked down at the grass, formulating his response. Finally he looked at her.

"I guess it's because I had to be king a few times tonight. I may not be in charge of Equestria right now, but now I get what it's like to have to be the wise and fair leader for ponies."

She rested a temple against one hoof and caressed his mane with the other. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

"Alright. Where do you want to begin?"

"I guess you already know about Golden Crown."

"And I am so very proud of what you've done," Celestia smiled down at him.

"I'm not exactly proud that I led myself into that situation in the first place (considering I had an exact set of guidelines of what not to do to a less-popular sibling), but I am glad that I managed to fix the relationship I kinda ruined. And then there's my parents..."

"Oh?"

"I told my father that I forgave him for silencing me and locking me up here awhile back."

She frowned. "Did you mean it?"

"I... sort of?" he answered, unsure of the answer himself. "I guess bigger things happened to make me bury that in my mind. Maybe I was kinda sore when I brought it up, but now, I think I really am over it... though I still hate the zipped lips spell."

"All wounds leave scars," Celestia told him. "Even I still find myself having an aversion to certain, ah, 'things' fifteen hundred years after Discord's defeat. Nevertheless, I am glad that you found it within your heart to forgive your parents after the terrible abuse they inflicted on you."

He shrugged. "Talking with them tonight made me realize that they aren't evil ponies, just... bad at being parents."

A breeze rippled through the estate and Celestia braced him tighter to her side for a moment.

"With everything you say, my pride and love for you grows, my darling," she murmured to him with a nuzzle. "You display great compassion and understanding for somepony so young. You may yet be a good king when it is your turn to wear this."

And for the second time, she took her tiara off her head and placed it upon his.

He once again could feel the tiara's weight and all the responsibility it bore.

"I don't think I could ever be half the pony you are, your majesty, but I promise I'll do everything I can when the time comes."

"That is all I could ever ask for, Blueblood," she assured him.

"And—" He swallowed, feeling his heart beat rapidly. "And I promise that you'll be with your sister again in nineteen years. Even if it may seem impossible, I promise you it'll happen."

Her violet eyes sparkled with tears, but she still smiled regardless. "Oh, Blueblood," she beamed down at him. "The task ahead of you isn't as impossible as you think. Lulu is still a good pony, I know she is. She may have closed herself off to me, but for you, for somepony else, she may yet be shed of her darkness. You already have such compassion, generosity, loyalty, and honor inside of your heart. Maybe if you learn to smile just a bit more, you'll find the magic you need to save her and all of Equus," she finished with a teary wink.

He kissed her cheek. "I love you."

She kissed his temple. "I love you too, my child. Shall we get back to the party?"

He nodded and the two of them left the shadow of Platinum and Clover.

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The royal pair didn't even get a chance to set foot inside the dining hall before the princess approached them.

"Your majesty," Blueblood the Elder bowed.

"Princess, what's the matter?" Queen Celestia frowned in surprise, noting the urgency in her niece's voice.

"Captain Wind Rider comes bearing urgent news from Manehattan."

"What?!" the alicorn exclaimed.

"A whale has beached itself on the Manehattan shores and—"

"Why does Queen Celestia need to be involved?" Blueblood the Younger interrupted. "Can't Manehattan handle a single wha—?"

"— and," Princess Blueblood continued, glaring her nephew into silence, "the whale is accompanied by an entourage of sea ponies."

Celestia's confusion was immediately replaced by focus. "Sea ponies? Then we haven't a moment to spare!"

"Shall I fetch Captain Wind Rider?" the princess asked.

"Yes, and swiftly, before they disappear back into the sea."

"Understood," the decrepit mare dipped her head before turning around and hobbling to wherever the Wonderbolt was. "Maybe this will be the time when sea ponies finally open themselves up to Equestria," she murmured to herself.

The queen looked down at her nephew in apology. "Blueblood, I am so very, very sorry that our night has to end like this."

He looked down in disappointment. "It's okay," he assured her. "You have your duties."

She tilted his head to look at her. "I promise I'll make this up to you, but right now, I need to do this. The sea ponies have fully segregated themselves from the other three races— save for the pegasi of Neighpon— for over seven hundred years. I need to try and see if this incident will open the way to diplomacy with them."

Captain Wind Rider and the princess appeared. Celestia glanced at them as they approached before focusing back down on her nephew.

She caressed his cheek with a hoof. "Reassure everypony if need be, and dismiss them to leave." She kissed him at the base of his horn. "I love you," the goddess assured him as Blueblood the Elder and the Wonderbolt joined her. "Good night."

"Goodbye," Prince Blueblood bowed to the three of them. "I love you, Auntie."

She gave him a gentle smile before lighting her horn. In a flash, the three of them disappeared, leaving the colt alone.

He sighed. Blueblood would have loved nothing more than to just slink off to bed and leave the guests to their own devices, but duty called.

He entered the great hall and made his way to the throne.

Ponies attempted to approach him, but they gave pause when they saw him, noting the golden tiara resting on his head. He used that moment to stave them off with a calm, patient look.

The prince met Golden Crown at the throne.

At first, Golden Crown's eyes lit up with a smile, but it quickly disappeared. "Noble?" he asked.

Blueblood seated himself beside his brother. "Is something wrong, Golden?"

The pony in question studied him for a moment. "Are you...? Nevermind," he said, peering out to the crowd.

"Golden Crown, do you want this party to continue?"

He shook his head. "I'm tired. I want to go to bed."

Blueblood nodded in agreement. "I feel the same way. Let's dismiss our guests."

"I... you do it."

Blueblood wanted to argue, but he felt too exhausted to even bother. Instead, he looked onto the crowd and held up a hoof for silence.

It took a minute, but everypony in the room became still as they focused on him.

After a moment, Prince Blueblood CIX spoke. "Good evening, everypony. As you may already be aware of, Queen Celestia and Princess Blueblood CVIII had to unfortunately be called away on royal business. Both of our Ladies extend their apologies for leaving these festivities so abruptly. Regardless, I assure you that everything is fine and nopony is in danger; it is merely a matter of diplomacy.

"With that said, I would like to offer you all an apology of my own. Throughout the duration of this celebration, I am afraid that I have neglected many of you in order to attend to my personal business." He bowed as deeply as he could manage on the throne. "I apologize for my actions tonight. A party is a time for celebration, not a time for handling my private matters.

"Nevertheless, it is late, and I, like many of you, am extremely tired. Good night, everypony. Thank you all for taking the time to be here tonight."

Every single pony in the room stood and bowed deeply to their prince.

With that done, the guests went back to themselves, most of them finishing conversations, and some forming a line to personally say goodbye to Prince Blueblood."

The exhausted colt leaned into his seat as he bade his family goodbye.

The ponies all melted to the back of his mind as he thought about everything that had happened tonight.

Making up with Golden Crown, reconciling with his parents, finally standing up to the princess, and speaking with the queen. It was a lot to process.

As he shook hooves, Celestia consumed more and more of his thoughts.

Earlier, she had urged him to not be like her.

He smirked in bemusement.

In all frankness, Blueblood couldn't help but think that he was becoming more and more like her.

The last hoof was shaken and he closed his tired eyes.

He had a long journey ahead of him, but for the first time since he became prince, Blueblood felt at ease.

Maybe Celestia was right: maybe it wouldn't be so hard to redeem Luna, and maybe he would be able to protect Equus without having to fire a single spell.

Regardless, he would do everything in his power to protect the world and his little ponies, just like Celestia always had.

Blueblood opened his eyes again and stared at the dissipating party of ponies.

The tiara wasn't as heavy as he thought it was.

And he smiled an enigmatic but magnanimous smile.

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From her seat at the round table, Sapphire Diadem looked on at her serenely smiling son.

A single tear, tinged black with mascara, slid down her cheek.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Holy shit: two complete stories in a row?

That's an academy record for me!

God, this was hard, but there's nothing like completing a part to make one feel accomplished! :twilightsmile: I hope I can finish 'The Royal Governess' in its entirety. Wish me luck!

The Coronation of a Century. Literally.

The December morning was cold, cloudy, and miserable, not at all suited for the mood of all of Equestria. All around the queendom, ponies and all manners of sentient beasts were abuzz with excitement. It was not every day they had the chance to witness a coronation.

Noble Heart’s stomach knotted painfully and his heart pumped quick and hard, as if he had just done a long, hard run . “Princess?”

“Yes?”

“Was your coronation this big?”

Blueblood shook her head. “Nay. It was perhaps a fourth this size, and there were very few foreign dignitaries invited.”

He looked down at his perfectly hooficured hooves. “I see.”

“Do not sulk, colt,” she reprimanded him. “As much as the queen and I (and you apparently) loathe pompous and vainglorious events such as this, she needs to make a statement today. Equestria needs to know that you are the crown heir to the throne; Equus needs to know that you are the crown heir to the throne. So are you ready?” the princess asked, her tone barely carrying a modicum of concern for him.

“Y-yes,” he lied. He immediately berated himself for sounding nervous.

Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Try not to stutter through your vows,” she stated.

He swallowed, forcing his quivering throat to open up. “Yes, ma’am,” he said, trembling all the while.

She looked down at him impassively. “Do not forget, boy: dignitaries from all over the world are here, and while many have come simply to enjoy the Equestrian air, others have come to gauge you, to see how weak you are. You are the horn of the queen; everything you do is reflection of her will, so be unwavering, be steady, and remember that she is here to support you.”

Noble Heart started to do breathing exercises to try and quell his trembling.

His aunt went on, ignoring his nervousness. “Also remember that all of Equestria is watching you through their mirror pools and crystals. You are to become their prince today, and in twenty years, their king. Show them your strength now. Show everybody your strength now, because you will one day have to challenge a god for them. If you balk before a few cameras and recording crystals now, then how can you possibly handle the nightmare of the moon?”

He closed his eyes and breathed. Slowly, he willed himself to stop shaking. When he opened his eyes again, he gave her a hard gaze of determination.

She smirked. “That’s it, colt, keep that fire in your eyes. It may one day be the world’s only light. Are you ready?” she asked again.

“Yes.” And Noble Heart meant it.

“Now hold still while I put this on you.”

He had heard of Princess Platinum’s cloak before, but never had he seen it. It was absolutely massive and beautiful, one of the few remaining testaments to both her influence and love of splendor. The silk shimmered, its iridescent threads dancing in the dim light of their sparse candles. When Blueblood threw it over him, it felt as though he wasn’t wearing anything at all, but nevertheless, he felt undeniably warm despite the bitter December chill. The enchantments that Starswirl and Clover had woven into the fabric clearly hadn’t faded after all these centuries.

He really wished he was wearing Princess Platinum’s crown to go with her cloak, but alas, the coronet was simply too large for a foal to wear.

“I must take my leave, colt,” Blueblood announced. “I will see you once you meet the queen. Try not to make a fool of yourself.”

He nodded wordlessly as he watched her go, soon to join her.
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The drums began to roll and the trumpets started to blare out a regal fanfare. The moment the colt appeared, the orchestra began to swell a procession march.

All around him, cameras flashed with blinding lights, massive crystals hummed with power as they transmitted the coronation to mirror pools all over Equestria, and ponies, donkeys, sheep, et all started to watch in wonder as Noble Heart Platinum, soon to be Prince Blueblood CIX, dutifully walked ahead with Princess Platinum’s cloak billowing out behind him.

He glanced at the crowds gathered at the edge of the red carpet. The moment felt surreal. Twenty years from now, the sun would not rise, and all of them would wonder why. Twenty years from now, he would face a god who they all laughed at and spurned during the harvest moon. Twenty years from now, they would be his to protect, and by the gods he would.

At last, Noble Heart stood before Queen Celestia, who sat silently on her throne. She did not bear her usual benevolent smile.

She flexed her wings and the music fell silent. Now, all that could be heard was the occasional click of a camera and the shifting of the crowd.

“Noble Heart Platinum, when I first met you, I was highly doubtful. You are young, you are inexperienced, and not too long ago, you didn’t so much as have a cutie mark. And yet, the more I got to know you, the more I realized that you were indeed worthy of being my crown heir, for I have seen many things in you that is all too often not present in ponies who are far older and more experienced than you.”

And in a move that nopony, not even Princess Blueblood, anticipated Queen Celestia removed her tiara from her head and placed it on his.

“Leadership is a heavy, heavy burden to bear, my child, and so many times, I have seen ponies stumble and fall because they simply could not handle such a responsibility.

“But I place my very crown on your head in the good faith that you will be a king for Equestria in the event that I am no longer able to rule. Turn around and face your subjects,” she commanded.

And he did so.

“Equestria will hear your vows when you are ready,” Celestia stated.

Noble Heart stared at the crowd before him. The queen truly had spared no expense for his coronation. Many different dignitaries sat, some bored, some stolid, some calculating. There were zebras, giraffes, griffons, caribou, Hindis, and other different species he didn’t even know the names of. The ponies in the crowd were more attentive than the foreigners, though a lot of them still looked tired and ready to begin the party. He looked at the Platinums. His younger cousins (and brother) were either sulking with envy or uninterested in the event. Their parents were not much better, but they at least had the good graces to appear somewhat composed. His mother on the other hoof was practically glowing with pride, ready to begin bragging the moment the opportunity arose. His father simply gazed back at him, his expression indiscernible.

Noble Heart wanted desperately to look at the princess for assurance, but unable to see her, he simply closed his eyes and remembered her words.

At last, he looked at them again and started to speak.

“Citizens of Equestria.” The cameras started flashing and clicking with more frequency. “I stand before you a humbled pony. Humbled by the title I am about to accept and all the responsibilities that goes along with it. I cannot say what the future holds for our nation or even the world,” he lied, “but what I can say is that I promise that no matter what, I will do my duty as Blueblood and protect our nation just as our eternal queen has these past centuries.

“The earth ponies have a sacred oath they teach their foals that I would like to recite to you:

‘We are servants of the earth. We are born to protect and nurture the world and its creatures regardless of form or gratitude. We toil to ensure that the land remains alive and well, and to guarantee that the world never again breaks into a lifeless husk. Our duty, now and forever.’

“I am not an earth pony, but I take that oath to heart as I stand before you. I do solemnly swear to be a servant of Equestria and to put the needs of my nation above the needs of my own life. My duty, now and always.”

And Noble Heart fell forward on his front knees, bowing till his horn tip touched the floor.

When Prince Blueblood CIX stood, Equestria exploded into celebration.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

Prince Blueblood CIX is the 109th Blueblood. The title he bears has been around for a long time...

♫ Left its seeds while I was sleeping♫

Twilight Velvet, as much as she liked spending her days relaxing with Shining and Night Light, and writing/doodling some drafts of upcoming books, was glad to be working again. While neither she nor Night Light were strapped for bits, Hearth’s Warming shopping and traveling expenses and charity donations certainly had made a sizeable dent in their account, and with Night Light off of work due to the holidays, the (disowned) Sparkles would have been better off with her pay check.

Plus she missed ‘Blue Heart,’ too.

She saw him walk in at 15:00, the usual time he arrived. Neither of them acknowledged each other, as he requested, since he didn’t want her co-workers to get nosy.

As happy as she was to see her friend, something about him felt… off.

Twilight kept herself from staring or frowning in consternation. She would meet him in two hours (just like he requested) and find out what the issue was.

At 17:30, she made her way to his usual spot.

“Good evening, Blue Heart,” she greeted him with a grin on her face. “How was your Hearth’s Warming?”

He didn’t look up. “Fine,” he answered, keeping his eyes on his text.

“Did you attend any parties?” she pressed on, trying not to be deterred by his curt response.

“I don’t like parties.”

Her smile faltered slightly, but she still continued talking. “Did you travel any—?”

“No.”

Her eyes softened. “That bad, huh?”

“Hearth’s Warming is over. No sense in talking about it.”

“Well, Blue Heart, I’m sorry that your Hearth’s Warming wasn’t as nice as everypony else’s, but…” she then rummaged through the bottom of the book cart. She stood back up with a towel-covered basket in her mouth. “Here,” Twilight offered as she placed it beside his books.

The glamoured prince at last looked up from his book. “What is it?”

“Dinner,” she responded. “I thought about getting you something, but well, you being who you are, there really wasn’t anything impressive I could give you, so I decided to give you something homemade and straight from the heart. Of course I’m pretty sure you’ve had better, but it’s the best I felt I could offer. Besides, you never eat while you study (except the pastries I give you), so why not eat now instead of after you leave?”

He tugged the towel off with his teeth to reveal a bunch of different glass food containers and a few plates on the bottom.

“Er, sorry about the tupperware,” Twilight Velvet blushed. “I wanted to present my gift in better packaging but I’m afraid it was either this or a bunch of different plates covered in tin foil, but then the smell would have gotten out and everything would have spilled everywhere, so this was the best I could do.”

He didn’t comment as he magically picked up a glass container. “You shouldn’t have done this…” Blue Heart murmured as he examined the hunk of bread inside.

“Nonsense!” she waved him off. “I made it especially for you. It’s what friends do!”

The colt gazed in dismay at the basket.

Twilight stopped smiling and her ears dropped slightly. “If you don’t want it—”

“It’s, it’s not that,” Blue Heart quickly stammered. “It’s just, I mean I, I don’t have anything for you!” he quickly exclaimed. He winced at his outburst.

“Oh don’t worry about that,” the mare chuckled. “You’ve been treating me every day with your company. Don’t get me wrong, I like my job, but you make my shift go by quicker. Work’s always more pleasurable with a friend.”

His ears drooped as he looked at her gift. “Uh, yeah,” he mumbled. “That’s true.”

Twilight placed a comforting hoof on his withers. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he responded.

She cupped his face with her hooves and gently steered his gaze to her own. “Blue Heart, from the moment I saw you today, I knew something was wrong.”

His eyes wandered to the floor.

“Noble Heart, I’ve been keeping your secrets all this time since we’ve known each other. I promise that whatever’s bothering you, you can tell me anything, and I won’t go off and speak with anypony else.”

“I… I…”

“Yes?”

He finally looked at her with his false green eyes. Then he crushed her into an embrace. “I’m just glad that I got to know you,” he spoke into her neck.

“Hmph,” she grunted in amusement. “Same here.”

They remained in that position when he finally spoke. “Hey, Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“Have you taught me everything you know about studying?”

“Just about. Why?”

He closed his eyes in a grimace of remorse, though she could not see it. “Just curious,” the colt pulled away from her.

“Aw, getting bored of my lectures?” she pouted.

“What? No, I just—!” he quickly backpedaled.

“Relax,” the mare laughed. “I was only teasing,” she assured him with a wink. “Now why don’t we dig in?”

He nodded, and to her relief, he gave her a genuine smile. “That seems like a good idea.”

As they ate, they talked and laughed about their respective Hearth’s Warming breaks.

Twilight Velvet’s usefulness was nearly at its end, but she wasn’t done yet. Despite his dreadful anticipation of the day when she no longer had study techniques to teach him, Prince Blueblood would enjoy every moment he had with his best friend.

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The princess awoke to another body slipping underneath her blanket. Though she was unhappy that the prince was in bed with her, she didn’t order him to leave.

“How do you keep somepony away from you?” Blueblood the Younger asked.

“Hurt them."

“How?”

“By going for their most vulnerable spot.”

The colt shifted. “I don’t—”

“Night Light was disowned by House Sparkle because he chose to be with her. Don’t tell me she doesn’t harbor guilt or anger over that.”

He exhaled softly. “Okay,” he whispered.

The princess opened her eyes to look at him, but all she could see was the back of his head.

“Nephew.”

He said nothing.

“I’m sorry that it has to be this way,” her voice heavy with genuine remorse. “If you were any other pony in the world, I would leave you to your own devices, but—”

“I am Blueblood. My personal feelings are irrelevant,” he cut in.

She released a pained sigh. “This is what it means to be Blueblood and this is what it means to be king. I’m sorry, nephew. I truly am.”

“Good night,” he stated, his tone without any warmth.

She turned her back to him, too guilty to even look at the colt she was forced to break.

Author's Note

Please point out any typos.

So how you guys feel about the princess' characterization? I know I made her unforgiving and hard in the other chapters, but I've also been trying to give her an undercurrent of remorse in regards to Prince Blueblood. Am I doing that, or is she just coming off as an abusive douchebag?