Diplomatic Privileges

By the time the sun had just almost began to set, Cheerilee had studied the train car thoroughly. She had mentally traced the detailed pattern in the seats, counted every flower on the wall, and came to appreciate the design of the lamps. When she got bored with staring inside the train, she tried to stare outside the train. That lost its charm after a hour. But it definitely beat having to stare at him the whole time. Cheerilee knew he would think she was admiring him if she even glanced his way, and she was not going to give him the satisfaction of that.

Blueblood, however, had no qualms about studying his travel partner. It was honestly starting to irk Cheerilee because he hadn't taken his eyes off her since they sat down. What bothered her even more was that he was quiet now. When they first boarded, he wouldn't shut up about his horrible experience at the Ponyville Spa and how he was tormented and mistreated by the 'she-demon' twins who ran the beauty parlor. Something about 'frigid Crystal Mountain water' and a 'overly aggressive' masseuse was included in his rant.

Thinking back on that, it made Cheerilee chuckle. Aloe and Lotus were amazing mares. She'd have to thank them upon her return. If she didn't die of frustration before then, that is. Cheerilee had a strong will, she was fairly certain she'd survive. There was only the slightest chance of her mentally dying before the end. Only the slightest, though.

"Is there any reason you're not looking at me? Or speaking, for that matter?"

Cheerilee paused, but didn't turn her eyes towards him, and instead leaned closer towards the window. "Just enjoying the view. That's not a crime, is it?" She remarked innocently, taking care to not show the snark in her voice.

"No, it's not a crime, legally speaking. It's just a crime to not be delighting your eyeballs with the sight of me."

Breath. You can do this, Cheerilee.

She whipped her body around, startling the prince. Giving him a straight face, she tilted her head. "Well then, your highness. What do you want to talk about?"

Blueblood fumbled for words. "Oh!... Well, uh..." Cheerilee looked expectantly at him, waiting. Could he really not think of anything to say?

"Fine then, if you can't think of anything to say, I will. How have you been, Blueblood?"

"... What?" A look of genuine surprise graced Blueblood's face.

"How have you been...?" The confusion was contagious. "Don't tell me no one's asked you that before. It's the most basic of questions!"

Blueblood gave a very ungentlemanly snort. "What do you take me for, some sort of hermit? Of course I've been asked that before!" He looked away... Was he averting her gaze? "Just... not recently."

Cheerilee uttered a silent 'oh' but didn't have the chance to say anything as the train door behind her swung open. A light pink mare in a crisp uniform walked smartly up to them. "Is everything going alright here? Do either of you need anything?"

The teacher waited for Blueblood to answer, but he seemed uninterested. Rolling her eyes at him, she turned and smiled at the worker. "No, we're fine, thank you!"

"Okay," The other mare returned the smile, "I'll be back later if you need anything. I'll leave you two alone for now." She winked at Cheerilee as she backed away towards the door. The wink puzzled her, but Cheerilee just shrugged it off. Perhaps she caught something in her eye. Instead Cheerilee turned her focus back to her companion. The fact that he ignored the stewardess irritated her. Blueblood in general irritated her. She hadn't known him very long, but a few minutes was all it took to find how infuriating he was. Yet...

"You never answered my question."

Blueblood arched his eyebrows. "Hmm?"

Cheerilee leaned back against her seat, "How have you been...?" Her bright eyes stared intently at him. She expected him to fumble again. To be surprised. To be at a loss for words.

"My my, is that concern for me? How touching!"

She miscalculated.

"Well, I wouldn't want to worry that pretty little head of yours," Blueblood's grin grew wider at Cheerilee's scowling. "So I'll answer your question. I've been doing just fine."

The mare blinked. Twice.

"That's it? Just fine? Nothing else?"

Blueblood shrugged. "Just because you asked doesn't mean I have to give you a full answer." He was enjoying this, Cheerilee could tell. He seemed to like seeing the look of exasperation on other's faces. Well, she would put an end to his merriment.

She gave him a cheerful smile. A false smile, but he didn't know that. "Well, that's good! It's nice to hear you've been doing okay."

The look of slight surprise on his face was exactly what Cheerilee had wanted. She then turned her attention back to the window which had so enraptured her earlier.

"Back to the window again?" Blueblood grumbled, the whine seeping out in his voice. Cheerilee felt her lips curl into a smug smile. Her mane bobbed as she tipped her head back to look at him.

"Well, you didn't seem interested in continuing in a conversation. And, to be frank, I find the passing landscape much more interesting than staring in silence."

With this, Cheerilee turned her back to him, ignoring his huff of displeasure. Let him simmer.

She tried to concentrate on the scenery outside. They had passed the meadows and mountains of the Canterlot-Ponyville region, and empty fields gave way to lush springtime forests. The evening sky was a dusky yellow, which shone softly on the green trees. The only thing Cheerilee could think of, however, was that the sun finally setting meant she could get away and escape to her cabin soon.

Actually, why wait?

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll be going to bed. It's been a long day."

Blueblood snapped out of his sulking mood. "What about dinner? Aren't you hungry?"

She shook her head, though her stomach yelled at her for it. Cheerilee hadn't had anything to eat since lunch, and even that was a simple sandwich and some water. She wasn't used to traveling much, and she was still adjusting to the motion of the train. Food didn't seem like the wisest of decisions.

"Very well," Blueblood said, and immediately his horn glowed a soft blue. "The stewardess will have to show you to your cabin."

Cheerilee looked around to see what he could be levitating, but didn't see a blue aura anywhere else. She did hear a curious ringing sound, as if someone had rung a small bell.

She shook her head. Confounded unicorns. Standing up, she wobbled but quickly regained her balance. Cheerilee was not going to fall in front of Blueblood and give him a reason to laugh at her. She proceeded to rummage underneath her seat for her small luggage bag. She flushed with anger remembering Blueblood smiling at the sight of her bag when she first boarded the train. The bag had been a gift from one of her students. It was hot pink and covered in yellow smiling flowers, and was possibly the most girly thing Cheerilee owned. She, however, cherished it. She never got to use it much, but she cherished it. The teacher loved anything her precious students gave her, so to have Blueblood grinning stupidly at it had made her blood boil. She thanked Celestia that he hadn't said anything, because if he did...

Let's just say Cheerilee can get violently protective of her students. A little too violent.

Thankfully, Blueblood didn't seem to notice the bag. He was preoccupied with staring intently at the door as the pink pony from earlier had just come in. She had an odd look on her face, as if she were... amused?

"How may I help you two?"

Blueblood nodded his head towards the teacher. "Miss Cheerilee would like to retire for the evening. Go show her to her cabin."

The stewardess dipped her head in a semi-curtsy. "Of course," She hesitated for a moment, a question on her lips. "Will you be joining her soon?"

The room fell into a frozen silence.

"What." Cheerilee and Blueblood said in unison. It wasn't even a question. It was a statement.

The stewardess gave them a perplexed look. "I just thought, since you two got the honeymoon cabin and all..."

"WHAT."

Seconds, then minutes ticked by.

The light pink pony glanced between both of them. "... I'm going to lose my job for this, aren't I."

It wasn't even a question. It was a statement.