A Princess's Gentlecolt

It was about a fortnight until Hearth's warming, and Princess Twilight was trotting through Ponyville, to Mr. Blue's House. Even though she was a princess of Equestria, the barer of the Element of magic, a student of Princess Celestia herself, and Mr. Blue's loyalty to her was only superseded by Celestia, she was nervous about what she wanted to ask him. Earlier that week she had been visiting the foals ward at the hospital, and had noticed some of their toys were rather old and beaten up. She wanted to ask Mr. Blue if he would repair or replace some of them, wood working being his job when he wasn't working for Twilight, but she was worried her asking would seem like an order not an inquiry. When she got close to his house, she heard him working in the large shed behind the house, he'd made into a workshop. She trot round and knocked politely, on the open upper half of the door.

"Good afternoon your highness." He bowed slightly.

"There's no need for that." She used his real name, meaning it was a casual visit.

"Certainly, Miss. Twilight." He opened the bottom of the door, and gestured to the small red painted bench, he had for guests. Twilight sat down and watched him carefully dismantling a wooden train, after a moment she realized it was the foals ward train.

"Did nurse Redheart ask you to repair the toys?" She asked, feeling guilty she hadn't asked him sooner.

"The last commission I had to fill this year, was some wall decorations for the hospital." He rolled the train along his workbench gently, then picked it up removing a wheel. "I asked if the hospital needed any extra gifts for Hearth's warming, when nurse Redheart showed me the foals ward, I couldn't leave the toys so beaten up." Twilight nodded, somewhat happy he had done, what she was going to ask him.

"That was actually why I came, I was going to ask you to repair or replace the old toys," She said, looking away. "But I got worried you would treat it as an order, that you'd feel taken advantage of." He chuckled.

"No, if you had voice that concern when you asked, i wouldn't have." Twilight smiled hearing him say that.

"Would you like some company while you work?" She asked.

"Certainly."

Twilight watched him work, the glow of his magic around the tools he was using, to make new wheels for the train and its carriages. She had seen some of the things the Apples had hoof made over the years, even though his magic made the work faster, he still took the same care. Each wheel was checked and attached firmly to the train, then he rolled it over the workbench again.

"How did you get into woodworking?" Twilight asked, as Mr. Blue dismantled the cab, examining the roof and making measurements.

"When I was young, I wanted to be a palace guard, I think most colts do at some point." Twilight giggled, thinking about her brother. "On my fifth birthday my parents got me a wooden sword and shield, they weren't the most expensive and I would soon grow out of them, but I treasured them like nothing else." He chuckled.

"I went on countless adventures in my back garden, slaying dragons and protecting Princess Celestia." He put his tools down.

"One day when I was sevenish I hit a tree too hard and the sword snapped, I asked my dad if it could be fixed, and he explained to me it would never be strong enough again." He neatly levitated the pieces of the train to one side, ready for painting. "He helped me make a new sword over the next few weekends, it wasn't very good compared to what I can do now, and he taught me to use my hooves which took longer, but I was proud of that sword." Twilight smiled, watching him start to examine a shape sorting cube, that had suffered someponies frustration.

"I started to make more swords, a better version of the first, one with carving on the cross guard, one I painted blue with a red hilt and cross guard." He laughed. "I loved that one, after a while my dad trusted me to work pretty much on my own."

"Then you got your cutie mark?" Twilight asked, helpfully dismantling some of the toys that just needed a single part replaced.

"No, that happened when I was about eleven, I decided to make my friend a birthday present, and my mark appeared when I finished it." He smiled. "I think my sister still has all my swords somewhere, even the huge long sword i made, I'll have to send her a letter and ask."

"You're not going to see her?" Twilight asked, saddened.

"Her husband and I don't get on, and my brother and I have differing opinions, about what real work is." He sighed a little. "I still send Hearth's warming cards and gifts for my niece and nephew, but we rarely see one another anymore." Twilight nodded, then noticed the time.

"I'm sorry to suddenly leave, but I have to do some things before tomorrow, it was nice watching you work and talking to you." Twilight ran outside and flew off, the first time Mr. Blue had seen her fly in his time in Ponyville.

He went into the back door of his house, to get the lantern he hung next to the shed door. Partly as an invitation to ponies to come talk to him as he worked after dark, and partly to see once he was finished for the day. He forgot to check his fireplace before heading back out, his house comfortably warm when he had been in there.

It was well past dark, when he heard two ponies trotting through the snow, from the station. Rarity and her sister had been in Canterlot for the day, and the train had taken longer then expected to reach Ponyville.

"He's probably working late, like I do," Rarity said, as they trot past his house.

"We should at least check." Sweetie Belle was already trotting up the side of Mr. Blue's House, as she spoke. Mr. Blue was sat staring at a wooden animal, it was so chewed up he couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a Hedgehog, Armadillo, Pangolin or some kind of Toad.

"Good evening." Sweetie Belle beamed, stood at the door.

"Good evening, Miss. Sweetie Belle." He turned to face the door, glad of the distraction.

"I do apologise, Sweetie insisted we check on you," Rarity said, trotting slowly up.

"It's not a problem Miss. Rarity, I'm always happy to have guests." He offered them the bench to sit on, and after a moment Rarity nodded to Sweetie Belle.

"Are you making toys?" Sweetie asked, wide eyed.

"Mostly repairing these, though I do make toys." He put his tools down, and levitated a draw from the other side of the shed, removing thirty or so Palace guards figures. They were carved, each one generic and featureless with the exception, of their armor and wings or horns.

"The detail on these is exquisite," Rarity said, levitating one of each in front to her, her glasses perched on the tip of her muzzle. Sweetie Belle was carefully looking at the ranks, lined up on the workbench.

"Why are they all stallions?" She asked, gently straightening one that was out of place.

"Social convention, and the fact I've never seen a female guard pony up close, long enough to replicate how the armor sits." He used his magic to nudge the pony back out of position, Sweetie Belle sticking her tongue out at him, and turning her nose up.

"Do you make any other figures?" Rarity asked.

"A few." He levitated a group of nine ponies from a draw.

Two of them were generic mare and stallion figures, one was clearly a nurse modeled after Nurse Redheart, the other six were two Pegasi, two Earth ponies, a Unicorn and an Alicorn. Based on the unicorns fabulous mane, and one of the Earth ponies wearing a cowboy hat, they were supposed to be Twilight and her friends.

"I was thinking of making some play houses, based on ponyville buildings for the foals," He said, levitating the guards back into the draw.

"Oh, which buildings?" Rarity was quite curious about his plans, Sweetie looking at the tools he used carefully.

"Town Hall, the school house, the hospital, barnyard bargains, sugar cube corner and your boutique maybe." He listed.

"How about Golden oaks... library..." Sweetie Belle realized Mr. Blue had never seen the library.

"Probably best to make the castle of friendship," Rarity said, hugging Sweetie gently, as she looked down.

Mr. Blue worked silently for a few minutes, the mares watching, then Rarity stood and wrapped her scarf around Sweetie Belle.

"Stay here Sweetie, I'll be back in a few minutes." Sweetie Belle nod, as she buried her muzzle in the warmth.

Mr. Blue noticed, and put some more wood in the small stove, he used to keep his workshop warm.

"Are you doing anything special, for Hearth's warming?" He asked, Sweetie Belle sitting up a bit more.

"Not really, mum and dad are back from their last trip of the year, so we're spending it at home." She seemed rather neutral about it.

"Do you enjoy your job?" She asked, Mr. Blue stumped as to where to move the conversation, after Sweetie's lack of enthusiasm.

"Of course." He smiled. "Why do you ask?"

"Just checking." She beamed.

When Rarity returned, she was carrying a Thermos and three cups.

"Sorry I took so long." She sat next to Sweetie, who cuddled up to her sister for warmth.

The three chatted, as they drank the hot chocolate Rarity had made. As Mr. Blue returned to the last few things he had to finish for the day, Rarity and Sweetie carefully put the figures away, and swept up the few wood shavings on the floor.

"May I asked you something?" Rarity asked after a while, Sweetie Belle fighting sleep. Mr. Blue simply nodded. "Why do you travel so much? I see you at the station quite often."

"I don't actually, I collect orders from the station twice a week, but I did keep my workshop in Canterlot." He was only half lying.

"Oh, and I was hoping for some gossip." Rarity winked, smiling.

"Sorry Miss. Rarity, nothing secret going on." Sweetie mumbled something about, fruit tree bark campaigners, nuzzling into Rarity more.

"I think I should take Sweetie home." She giggled quietly.

She levitated Sweetie onto her back, and waited as Mr. Blue doused the stove, and locked the shed.

"Do you have any plans for Hearth's warming? If not, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind an extra mouth to feed," She said, kindly.

"Thank you, but I've already been invited to Hearth's warming lunch, by the Cake's, and Lyra and Bonbon."

"Oh, well, if I don't see you before, Happy Heart's warming," Rarity said, smiling.

"Happy Hearth's warming." Mr. Blue bowed his head.

When he closed his door, he realized his mistake. He had been so focused on work, his fire had gone out leaving his whole house cold. He relit the fire place, getting his pillow and duvet, to curling up on the sofa.

The next morning, he got the fire going again with his magic, and made a note to hang in the workshop, telling him to check the fire. After breakfast, he went out and lit the stove to heat the workshop, before trotting into town to get some things.
"Good morning." The Cutie Mark Crusaders beamed, as he walked back.

"Good morning, what are you up to today?" Despite his less than desirable sleeping arrangements, he was quite cheerful.

"Well, we haven't decided yet," Apple Bloom said, the other two nodding.

"Do you need any help?" Sweetie Belle asked, excitedly.

Mr. Blue thought for a moment, theatrically.

"If you go ask permission, then yes I could use your help." The three vanished in clouds of dust.

He continued home and after making himself a drink, when into the workshop, organising the parts to be painted. When the Crusaders arrived, he had the parts and paints prepared.

"If the three of you could take a paint each, and paint the parts I've marks with the appropriate colour, it will save me a huge amount of time." He smiled. "I know its not the most amazing job, so thank you."

The Crusaders didn't complain, just sat down and started carefully painting the parts, then putting them near the stove to dry. All the painting was done within an hour, Mr. Blue letting the three use his kitchen sink to clean up.

"Do you need anything else?" Apple Bloom asked, as Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle checked each other for missed spots.

"No, but..." He levitated a bit to each of them. "For services rendered." The three skipped away, as he went into the workshop.

"Oh, thank you ever so much, again," Nurse Redheart said, as Mr. Blue carried the toys.

"It's not a problem." He smiled.

"Luckily, we don't have many young ones in at the moment." She opened to door to the foals ward. "Good afternoon everyone, this gentlecolt has repaired the old toys for us." The foals who were mobile, came over to Mr. Blue as he unpacked the boxes, he had used.

"I've also made a few new toys, with Nurse Redheart's approval, I can give them to you." He got out a wooden hair dressers set, a wooden iron and two sizes of ironing board, a wooden camera, and a wooden doctor's set, with a stethoscope made of thin rope.

After Nurse Redheart had checked them over, she gave them to the foals, with a few words of warning about not hurting each other. She and Mr. Blue watched the foal's play for a few moments, then quietly left.

"Have you had enough, deary?" Mrs. Cake asked, as she wiped Pound's face.

"Yes thank you, it was wonderful." Mr. Blue smiled, then suppressed a belch, making the twins giggle.

"Oh..." Mrs. Cake tut and waved a hoof dismissively. "It wasn't anything special." She cleared the plates, as Mr. Cake gently caught an escaping Pound.

"Now now little mister, we'll have no flying after dinner." He tickled and raspberried his belly.

For her part, Pumpkin managed to teleport herself in front of Mr. Blue, striking a pose reminiscent of jazz hands before flopping over. Mr. Blue chuckled and played peekaboo with her, Pumpkin almost punching him in the face, when he leant in too close.

"I think it's time, these two had their nap," Mrs. Cake said, putting both foals onto her back and trotting upstairs. "Why don't you two go for a walk, while I clean up!" Mrs. Cake called.

"I'm fine helping," Mr. Blue said, Mr. Cake shaking his head.

"She has a system for large meals, and hates help, no matter how well meaning." Mr. Blue decided to defer to marital experience, and followed Mr. Cake outside.

They trot round the town, greeting other ponies and stopping occasionally to speak to them. Mr. Cake seemed distracted, as they got near Sweet Apple Acers. They stopped looking over the bare trees for a moment.

"There's something I wanted to ask you." Mr. Cake sighed, calming himself. "I'm not Pinkie's actual father, but I still care about her."

"Of course." Mr. Blue nodded, he knew what was coming.

"Do you have any intentions towards her?" He looked at Mr. Blue.

"Pinkie pie is a wonderful pony, a friend to every pony she meets, and that's all I see her as," He said reassuringly, Mr. Cake nodding.

"Thank you, I think I'm just getting paranoid about pumpkin, way before I need to." They both chuckled and started heading back.

When they reached Sugar Cube Corner, Mrs. Cake was sat at the table reading, all the kitchen cleaned, all the dishes washed. Mr. Blue sat in the chair he had for lunch, as Mr. Cake went into the kitchen, to make a pot of tea.

"Did you have a nice walk?"

"Yes dear."

"Well that's good." Mr. Cake smiled and returned to her book.

It was late afternoon when Mr. Blue finally left. He had spent most of it playing cards with the Cakes, or keeping Pound and Pumpkin out of mischief, so they could have a break. He had a soft spot for little ones, especially before they started speaking. He couldn't think of a better first Hearth's warming in ponyville.