The jail cell was dark and rather cold. A white unicorn stallion lay on the bed, trembling slightly in an attempt to ward off the night chill slowly creeping through the barred windows. Outside, a crescent moon could faintly be seen through a halo of fog leftover from an earlier thunderstorm. Somewhere in the distance, a ship’s horn faintly sounded.
The pony lay facing the ceiling, hooves held close as if trying to physically contain the warmth leaving his body. And they said alcohol was supposed to warm you up.
His blond mane was messy and partially hid his face. The matted appearance reflected his mood. This jail was not where he wanted to be, incarcerated in some small seaside town. The merrymaking of earlier in the night seemed incredibly distant now.
The sound of two sets of hooves clacking against the floor echoed throughout the cell. One set was heavy and weary, the other light and graceful.
“Somepony’s come to take charge of you,” said a voice. The stallion on the bed recognized it as the police officer who had brought him in to negate a bout of public intoxication. The prisoner sat up, surprised to see a tall blue mare standing beside the cop, most of her body hidden by a long cloak.
The officer unlocked the cell door. Sliding off the bed, the disheveled stallion meekly crept out, falling in step slightly behind the mare as she turned away. It was a small town and the jail was sized to match, so finding the door wasn't difficult.
Outside the building fog hung heavy and thick, muffling noises and giving the air an oppressive, blanketing feel. The stallion pushed some stray mane out of his eyes and sighed. “Thank you, Aunt Luna.”
The mare pulled back her hood, letting a generous amount of ethereal indigo mane spill out. She glanced at him without pleasure. “Blueblood, do you know why I’m here?”
“Um…” The stallion shifted uncomfortably. “Besides getting me out?”
Luna considered that. “Let us walk. There is a conversation we need to have.”
Feeling somewhat reluctant, Blueblood followed her away from the police station. They passed the wharf where several vessels were huddled together, waiting out the fog to continue their journeys. Blueblood looked at the ships for a moment with interest before continuing to follow Luna towards the beach, where waves crashed on the sand. In the summer, in the daytime, it would be an ideal vacation spot. The cooler autumn weather had put off most tourists, but that had never been a problem for Blueblood. He often told his mates that he could find a party anytime, anywhere.
In the distance a beam of light swept through the fog, cutting like a scythe through the sky. It was a lighthouse just down the coast. Its illumination was the only thing visible through the weather, and as the lens swung around even that disappeared from view.
“Your mother asked me to talk to you,” said Luna. Her hooves did not sink much in the damp sand as the two of them followed a meandering path on the vacant beach. Between some remaining intoxication and more body mass, Blueblood had a little trouble lifting his hooves clear of the sand. He shivered again, feeling the wind coming off the ocean.
Luna let silence pass between them for a few seconds while she collected her thoughts. “Blueblood, how many times have you been arrested?”
“Just the once.” He kept his head down, hoping the waves would mask his voice.
“But this isn’t the first time the local police decided that you needed to sleep off a buzz?” asked Luna.
Blueblood shook his head. He averted his eyes, watching the ocean roll into foam and wash onto the beach. He wasn’t sure of the tide cycle, but Luna ventured closer to the waves, knowing that it was on its way out.
She glanced at him. “I don’t want to lecture you, Blueblood. You probably feel the same.”
The stallion did not reply. Usually when a pony said something like that, there was a lecture in it for him anyway.
“What would you like to do with your life?” asked Luna.
It was not a question Blueblood had been expecting. He considered his answer for a long moment before settling with a shrug.
“I expect not just drinking and partying,” murmured Luna. She gave Blueblood a pointed look, expecting him to answer and drive her point home.
“Er, no.”
Luna’s look softened. “It’s true that royalty plays by a different set of rules than commoners. We make a big show of being equal, but not even the regular citizens believe that. They want leaders to look up to. It is our responsibility to give them exactly that.”
Blueblood could see where the conversation was heading and tried to get in front of it. “I suppose that I haven’t been showing a very good public side. But I’ve kept it discreet. I don’t think that jailer even knew who I was.”
Waves broke on the beach a little harder than before and Blueblood sidestepped to avoid getting the salt water on his hooves. He had thought the rougher weather departed with the earlier thunderstorm. The stallion looked up to see his aunt staring at him, a different kind of storm in her eyes. Oh right, the moon influenced the tide.
“It’s not all about appearances,” Luna said, her voice remaining calm. “You can’t just look pretty and dodge trouble, even if you seem to have those skills honed to a science.”
Blueblood barely kept himself from wincing visibly. Harsh words were not Luna’s forte, but they still stung. He took a breath. “Well, what am I supposed to do? The public wouldn’t understand—”
“They shouldn’t have to. You should not be getting hauled away by the police for passing out drunk in random small towns. Everything in moderation, and excess suits nopony.”
“I think it works pretty well for me.” Even as Blueblood said it, he regretted it. Luna actually glared at him this time.
“And what do you accomplish by merrymaking and partying every night of your life? You learn nothing, your character stagnates, and you help none but the local tavern owner. Pinkie Pie may be a partier, but at least she isn’t useless.”
It look Blueblood a moment to remember who that was. The Element of Laughter, yes? He was distracted long enough that a few seconds passed before Luna’s sting registered. “I’m not useless!”
Luna didn’t probe further to find out the details of his counter argument. Blueblood unhappily realized that if she had, he wouldn’t have been able to come up with anything. He plodded along in the wet sand, his thoughts turning inwards.
Through his hazy mind, it was hard to remember anything that had happened earlier that night. Come to think of it, Blueblood wasn’t sure he could recall very much about any time he had entered a drinking establishment. He hadn’t made any important memories. And while there had always been a pleasant high from partying, nothing of real value had transpired.
He did remember the most recent formal event hosted at the castle, the Grand Galloping Gala. Blueblood frowned. He probably remembered it because only champagne had been served and the waiters were far too busy to focus their deliveries on him. Not being pleasantly buzzed had put him in an unruly mood the whole evening. He hadn’t even taken to that mare who was trying so hard to impress him.
Throughout his introspection, Luna’s gaze did not waver. An uncomfortable silence fell between the two as the waves continued to recede. Beneath the cloudy sky with only his thoughts and a disappointed Princess to focus on, Blueblood began to feel as if he were being very foalish. That didn’t mean he had to admit it.
“What does it matter?” Blueblood kept his voice even, portraying an air of control.
Luna shifted her eyes towards the distant lighthouse, considering the question. “Do you want to be known as a stallion who does nothing but party?”
Having his question answered with another question annoyed Blueblood, but he replied, “That would be fine with me.”
The mare closed her eyes for a moment and Blueblood thought she had given up. Instead Luna asked, “You don’t aspire to something more?”
“What would I do?” Blueblood snorted. “A Prince can’t really go any further up the social ladder.”
“I’m speaking of your deeds, not your status.” Luna’s voice had changed, almost as if she were lecturing a young colt. It was exactly what Blueblood had hoped to avoid, and he looked away uncomfortably at being chided.
Luna went on. “Actions speak louder than words, Blueblood. With some of the rumors I’ve heard about you, I can only imagine what you’ve actually done.”
“Um...” he fumbled. “I guess you might, um...have a point. I’ve been lucky to find my way home when drunk. Most of the time, anyway.”
The Princess glanced at his hip, reminded that Blueblood’s compass rose cutie mark symbolized his talent for navigation. He saw her looking.
“I...I haven’t really been doing anything useful with that,” muttered Blueblood. He swung his eyes towards the lighthouse as the glimmering beam swung through the fog once more.
Luna did not comment on his apparent ability to discern direction when intoxicated, not wanting to encourage him. Instead, she looked out to sea over the rolling tide. “Do you think anypony would be out sailing on a night like this? It seems rather dangerous.”
“The lighthouse can be seen for miles, more than enough to navigate by even in the foggiest weather,” answered Blueblood. “I haven’t taken a bearing off this particular light before, but I know this section of coastline.”
“It’s rather a good thing that some ponies decided to light a beacon for others to guide themselves by,” observed Luna.
Blueblood’s ears twitched, catching an undercurrent in her tone. He took a breath. “I suppose so.”
Another line of breakers rolled onto the shore. The stallion watched the water flow and ebb, washing the smooth beach clean of imperfections. Blueblood closed his eyes for a moment, letting the next wave touch his hooves and shift the sand around him. Despite the water, he had begun to shake off some of his previous chill. “I’m sorry for all of this.”
Luna gave a slight nod of acknowledgement, not pressuring him further. The silence begged to be filled with something, however, and Blueblood reluctantly opened his mouth again. “This is...not really what I always wanted to do.”
“You haven’t gone sailing for a while,” observed Luna.
“I miss it,” Blueblood admitted. “Even if I got almost as much drinking done every time we were in port, at least I was accomplishing something. The sailors took their cues from me.”
He realized now what Luna was steering him towards and was reluctant to admit it. Denying the truth was foalish, though. And...and he was a Prince. It was unbecoming for him to act like this. Actually, the same could be said for anypony, royalty or not.
Blueblood swallowed hard. “I need to set a better example.”
Luna smiled, pleased that he’d finally come up with a good answer. She followed Blueblood’s gaze towards the lighthouse, its glow shining bright.
The stallion stared as the powerful beam rotated through another sweep. It was not bad for a guiding light, but nothing compared to his Aunt Luna. She’d reached out to Blueblood when he needed assistance and helped him back to the proper path, showing the way like royalty should. Luna set an example with her own regal poise.
And, Blueblood vowed, he would do the same.
Author's Note
This story came to me in a roundabout way. I had the title and pretty much nothing else.
Concept, character selection, and editing by Kitsunehero
