To Turn Over A New Leaf

Shining Armor and Princess Cadence were flying towards Canterlot from the Crystal Empire in their royal chariot. Shining wasn’t very happy.

“Do we have to visit your brother?” said Shining.

Cadence looked at him. “Well, we’re visiting your sister too,” she said.

“That’s different,” said Shining. “We LIKE my sister.”

“Come on now,” said Cadence. “Aunt Celestia says that she’s straightened him out in the last few years. I want to see if it’s true.”

“I doubt it,” said Shining with a snort. “He’s an ass. He only cares about himself. He’s never done anything good for anypony.”

“You used to be friendly with him in the past,” said Cadence. "Also, he introduced us to each other, remember?"

Shining’s eyes widened. He had forgotten all about that.

FLASHBACK

A younger Shining Armor was at a party in Canterlot. A younger Prince Blueblood walked up to him.

“Shining, I know a great mare for you to meet," said Blueblood. "She’d be perfect for you.”

Shining sighed in annoyance. “No thank you, your highness. I’m not interested.”

“Oh, come now, Shining. She’s right behind us. And did I mention she’s my sister.”

Shining’s eyes widened. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! Blueblood, are you crazy!? She'd never be interested in me! She’s an alicorn Princess!”

“She’s also single,” said Blueblood. “And I think she’d like you. So it’s time to play my favorite game.”

‘Oh no,’ thought Shining, but before he could protest, the Prince put a hoof around Shining’s neck and spun him around.

“Haaaaaaaaaaaavvvvve you met Shining?” Blueblood said to a beautiful pink alicorn princess who was standing there talking to some other guests.

The Princess turned and looked at Shining with a smile.

Shining couldn't help but stare at her. She was without a doubt the most beautiful thing he had ever seen before in his life. He knew he shouldn’t be staring, but he just couldn’t help it.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” said Blueblood as he trotted away towards the open bar.

“Hi,” the Princess said to Shining.

“Hi,” Shining said back to her, a blush on his face.

END OF FLASHBACK

“Okay, I suppose that's true,” said Shining with a sigh.

“I hope he has improved,” said Cadence. “I’d like to have the same kind of relationship with my brother that you have with Twilight.”

Shining looked at his wife. He could see how much this meant to her. He leaned over and nuzzled her cheek. “Okay,” he said.

Cadence smiled and nuzzled him back. "Thank you."

...................................

Blueblood was sitting at the table in his dining room eating breakfast. He looked down at the morning's newspaper and frowned. It showed a picture of him and Trixie kissing at a party he and her had been at last night.

“Darn paparazzi,” he said to himself. “Haven’t they ever heard of privacy?” ‘Oh well,’ he thought to himself. He wasn’t ashamed of letting the world know he was in love with Trixie.

After their first kiss three nights ago, he and Trixie had officially become a couple, and they had been going out each day since then.

Suddenly he heard the doorbell ring. He wondered if it was Trixie. The butler walked over to the front door and opened it. A few seconds later he came to Blueblood.

“My lord, you have visitors,” he said with a smile.

‘Visitors? Pleural?’ he thought to himself.

The butler continued. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband Prince Shining Armor.”

Blueblood’s eyes widened in shock. Them? What in the wide wide world of Equestria were they doing at his house?

Blueblood walked to the parlor to meet his sister and brother-in-law.

“Cadence! Shining Armor!” he said. “What a pleasant surprise.”

“Hello, Blueblood,” said Cadence, going up to her brother and hugging him.

Blueblood looked over at Shining, who was obviously forcing a smile onto his face.

“How are things in the Crystal Empire?” asked Blueblood.

“Wonderful,” said Cadence, releasing Blueblood from her hug. “How are things here? Aunt Celestia said she’s been straightening you out.”

Blueblood smiled sheepishly. “Yes,” he said. “She has. I’ve been trying to act better than I used to.”

‘I’ll believe that when I see it,’ thought Shining to himself.

“By the way,” said Blueblood, “you’re not the only one who’s found a special somepony, Cadence. I have a marefriend now.”

Cadence beamed, excited that her brother was discovering the magic of love. “Blueblood, that’s wonderful!” She gave him another hug. “Who is she?”

“Her name is Trixie,” said Blueblood. “And she is the most wonderful mare in the world.” He sighed happily as he thought about her.

‘Yep, he’s in love,’ Cadence thought to herself with giddiness.

...................................

Unknown to them, outside on the street, Trixie was walking up to Blueblood’s mansion, going to see her new boyfriend.

As she was walking up to the front door, she noticed movement in a window. She glanced over at the window, and was horrified by what she saw inside. Prince Blueblood was hugging some pretty pink mare, who was giving him a kiss on his cheek.

Trixie filled with rage. “I don’t believe it!” she said to herself. “He’s fooling around on me!” In the back of her mind, she thought the mare in question looked kind of familiar, but she didn’t give that thought any attention. It didn’t matter who that mare was. All that mattered was Prince Blueblood was cheating on her.

She turned around and galloped away from the mansion, tears streaming from her eyes.

...................................

Back inside the house, Blueblood, Cadence, and Shining were continuing with their conversation.

“Although I would still like to know why you weren’t at our wedding,” said Cadence.

Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Because I wasn’t invited,” he said.

Cadence looked surprised. “What? But that’s impossible. Shining sent out all the invitations…”

Cadence and Blueblood both looked over at Shining Armor, who was suddenly looking very nervous.

“Shining,” said Cadence. “You did send him his invitation, didn’t you?”

Shining looked away from her. “Well… um… about that…”

Cadence narrowed her eyes. “Shining?” she said, becoming angry.

Shining glared at her. “Oh come on! He would have just ruined it anyway!”

“I don’t care!” said Cadence, getting right up in her husbands face. “He’s still family! Even the Apple family in Ponyville knows that family is important!”

Shining Armor took a step backwards in fear. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

Cadence turned back to Blueblood. “I’m sorry, Blueblood.”

“Actually, maybe I should be thanking Shining Armor,” said Blueblood with a smile. “Because he didn’t send me an invitation, I wasn’t there when the Changelings attacked. Lucky me.”

...................................

Later that day, after Cadence and Shining Armor left to visit there other relatives, Blueblood went over to Trixie’s hotel room to see her. He knocked on her door. It opened to revel Trixie, who frowned when she saw him.

“Hello, Trixie,” said Blueblood, failing to notice her expression.

Trixie smacked him on the side of his face with her hoof.

Blueblood shouted in pain and held his hoof to where Trixie had struck him. “What was THAT for?” he demanded.

“FOR CHEATING ON ME, YOU ASS!” Trixie shouted. “I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!” Trixie slammed the door in his face.

Blueblood was shocked. How dare Trixie accuse him of such things. Part of him wanted to just walk away right then and forget about her.

‘No,’ he thought to himself. That was what the old Blueblood would do, but he was the new Blueblood. And the new Blueblood wouldn’t just give up on things because they weren’t easy.

Blueblood knocked on the door again. “TRIXIE!” he shouted, trying to keep his voice calm, despite his anger at her for hitting him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I swear I haven’t cheated on you with anyone.”

The door opened again. Trixie still looked angry. “YOU KNOW PERFECTLY WELL WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! I WAS OVER AT YOUR HOUSE EARLIER TODAY! I SAW THAT PINK SLUT WHO HAD HER HOOVES WRAPPED AROUND YOU!”

Blueblood thought for a moment. 'Pink slut?' Then it hit him. She must have meant Cadence. She must have seen her giving him a hug. “Trixie, that was my sister!”

“I DON’T CARE WHO IT… wait, your sister?”

Blueblood nodded. “Yes! That was my sister Princess Cadence. She and her husband were visiting me from the Crystal Empire.”

That was when Trixie realized why the pink mare had looked so familiar before. It was Princess Cadence, ruler of the Crystal Empire. And she was in fact Blueblood’s sister.

Trixie felt like an idiot now for having jumped to the conclusion that Blueblood, who had been nothing but kind to her from the day she had met him, had been fooling around on her. And she felt horrible for having hit him.

“Blueblood, I’m… I’m so sorry,” she said, hanging her head with guilt. “I guess I jumped to conclusions.”

Blueblood reached over and lifted her chin with his hoof for her to look at him. He found that he wasn’t angry at her anymore. “It’s alright,” he said. “I probably would have reacted the same way if I had seen you with another stallion.”

Trixie gave a small smile, and reached up to stroke his cheek with her hoof where she had hit him. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

“It’s okay,” he said.

The two stood there in the doorway for several awkward seconds. Then, unknown to them, a few magic pink hearts floated over to them from the side of the building.

Trixie and Blueblood suddenly felt a strong feeling of love wash over them for each other. They both leaned forward and pressed their lips together in a kiss. They kept kissing, and after several seconds, Trixie pulled Blueblood inside her hotel room with her and closed the door behind them with her magic.

Over at the other end of the building, hiding behind the corner, Princess Cadence and Shining Armor had watched the whole thing. Cadence’s horn stopped glowing from when she had used her spell on them. She looked at her husband.

“I thought they could use a little help,” she said.

“Yeah,” said Shining. “I guess Blueblood really has changed.”

“I’m still mad at you, you know.”

“Crap.” Shining knew where he’d be sleeping that night.