//------------------------------// // Old Friends // Story: Old Friends // by La Vallett1 //------------------------------// The sun was setting. It touched the horizon, painting the sky around it orange. Ponyville's inhabitants were packing their things up and return to their home. Meanwhile, in the local library inside a tree, a certain lavender alicorn was busy reading. Twilight Sparkle turned a page while she absorbed every written word on the book. She jumped when a doorbell was heard on her front door. Who could arrive at her library at this late time at night, Twilight wondered as she trotted to the door. A tired frown on her face, eyes closed and mouth open ready to scold and remind the visitor that the library has been officially closed for the day five minutes ago, she opened the door. “Look, I am really sorry to tell you this, but the library is-” “Closed even for old friends like me?” said a voice. A regal-sounding voice. Twilight opened her eyes to see somepony she had not spoken to since her BBBFF and Cadence's wedding, although even during that time it was very brief. Prince Vladimir Blueblood stood at the door, wearing a small genuine smile reserved only to his family members and very close friends. “Hello Twilight. It has been long since we have properly spoken at each other,” said Blueblood softly. Twilight stared at her third oldest friend, her mouth looking like it had gotten loose from its hinges and couldn't close. The prince's eyebrow rose and he coughed. That got her attention and closed her mouth once she realised that she was gaping. “So, I can guess that now is a bad time to visit you so I will find the nearest hotel to sleep in so until then I will try visit you again tomorrow morning,” said Blueblood, ears sagging slightly as he turned tail to leave the library's doorstep. A hoof on his withers stopped his leave and he turned around to see Twilight looking at him with a small friendly smile of her own. “Of course you are welcome here now, Vladimir. All of my friends are welcome in my home at any time,” assured Twilight, hoof back on the floor and stepping aside. Blueblood went inside, his head moving to look at the inside of the library. “Hmm, quite a quaint little place to live for a princess, especially one who grew up in a city like Canterlot,” the prince said bemusedly. It was then that he noticed someone missing. “Twilight, I seem to remember you having a pet dragon living with you. Where is it?” A sharp pain came to the back of his head. He turned around to see his oldest friend looking at him angrily and a hoof ready to smack him again. “First of all, Blueblood, Spike is not my pet! He is my number one assistant who helps me a lot in all cases. And second of all, he is staying with one of my friends for the night. I'm sure you remember a mare named Rarity, don't you?” scolded Twilight. Blueblood ceased rubbing his head as he recalled somepony named Rarity. “I think I do remember her. I seem to also remember her being a social climbing gold-digger at the Gala. But I didn't know she was your friend at the time and so I treated her like how I treat other gold-digging mares. That was one of my many blunders and I tried to make amends with her though.” Twilight smirked at that. “Yes, one of your many blunders. Just like that time when you-” “WE SHALL NOT SPEAK OF THE BOOGEYMARE INCIDENT AGAIN!” yelled Blueblood, eyes wide and face reddening with embarrassment. Twilight  giggled at her friend's embarrassment to that one foalhood incident. “Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. You have to admit that it was funny at the time.” “I do not know how you find us screaming and crying for my aunt, sister and your brother because we saw an oversized stuffed toy in one closet funny rather than embarrassing,” said Blueblood, his face still red. “Don't forget, it also involved the Palace Guards.” “Don't remind me, please!” the prince pleaded, face becoming redder and his front hoof covering his eyes. Twilight laughed harder at Blueblood's discomfort, which made the prince frown at her. “Oh, you are laughing, aren't you? How about you remember that first time I kissed you.” Twilight blushed at the memory. She looked at Blueblood to see him satisfied at her embarrassment, but still blushing. Finally, she opened her mouth to talk. “Actually, yes I do still remember that time when you kissed me for the first time. It happened like this…” *** Twelve years ago. It was a beautiful evening in Canterlot. In the Twilight Residence were two foals, one a unicorn filly native to the Residence named Twilight Sparkle and the other a unicorn colt visiting his friend with his BSBFF (Big Sister Best Friend Forever) named Vladimir Blueblood. His sister was foalsitting his friend and brought him along so they could play with each other while she did whatever big sisters do. The two young ponies were sitting next to each other, Twilight was fully absorbed to a large book about Ordinary-Level Magical Theory while Blueblood just sat with her. The young prince looked away from his friend and pondered anxiously whether she would still be his friend or if she would like him more if he would do what he was about to do. He gulped, and turned to look back at Twilight. He shuffled closer to his crush. He always liked the filly. Her studious nature and intelligence made him smile, and her being a shy filly always made want to hug her. He didn't think, his lips touched the furry cheek of his crush and kissed. He now noticed that his face felt hot. “Bluey?” squeaked a timid sound of his friend. A flash sounded and he realised that he still had his lips touching Twilight's heavily blushing cheek. He looked up and saw his sister holding a camera with a photo coming out. She was smiling with adore. “Aww, that was so adorable of you, Bluey! I can't wait to show this to Shining Armour and maybe even Aunty Tia,” giggled Cadence. The two young lovebirds' pupils shrank and began chasing the still giggling teen while pleading her not to show the photograph to Shining Armour and Princess Celestia. *** Present Day. Both Twilight and Blueblood sat on the library floor blushing at the memory, undecided whether to treat the memory with laughter or dismay. Blueblood decided both. “Aunty Tia still has that photograph my sister took in her album. After Grandmother returned from her lunar imprisonment, she showed Gran that photograph. I have to be the first stallion since her return to see my grandmother, the Princess Luna herself, scream at me with adoration and calling me cute while giving me a crushing hug,” Blueblood said grimly. Twilight looked at the prince curiously. “I was just meaning to ask, you said that Luna is your great-great-great-grandmother. What was her reaction upon seeing you and Cadence the first time?” Blueblood winced in pain at the memory. “Well…” *** Two years ago. “OUR VERY OWN TWO GRANDFOALS! AND ADORABLE ONES TOO! WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO BE THY GRANDMOTHER!”, Luna bellowed happily with a very loud voice. Blueblood, ears ringing and crushed to death with Cadence by his own grandmother, looked at his sister and choked, “And you said… I don't... know my... strength.” Cadence, face becoming more purple, looked at her little brother and choked back, “I… know!” *** Present Day. “... If it was not for my dearest aunt’s intervention, I would have died of suffocation,” Blueblood said, still feeling the crushing pain from his grandmother’s abnormally strong hug. Twilight winced at the thought of being crushed by the hug of an alicorn. The library was quiet for a few minutes and the current occupants thought of another subject to talk about. Then Twilight thought of something. “Bluey, do you remember when we both were in a relationship during our teenage years?” Blueblood looked back at Twilight, smiling as he remembered. “Yes, I do remember our time in relationship. If I will be honest with myself, I have to say that time was my best time in my life. There were no stalking mares out there to try taking my heart to climb higher socially. There was only you,” he said, flashing his ‘romantic prince’ smile before it wiped out with a cushion thrown at his face by Twilight. “Don’t start being so romantic now, Bluey. And there were still fillies stalking you that time. There were Moondancer and Minuette fighting to have you as their coltfriend, remember?” *** Six years ago. The school bell signalling the end of the last lesson for the day rang and out of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns came the students, all ranging from school-aged foals, teenagers and young adults. One of the teenaged students was a purple unicorn. Fifteen years of age, she came out of the school building with the book of Advanced-level History of Equus in front of her face. Right next to her came a blond colt of the same age, escorting his cute fillyfriend to his Aunt Tia for their private lessons together. Meanwhile, two fillies slightly older than the young couple were watching them bitterly, both of them feeling seething envy towards that purple insufferable know-it-all. All they could think of was that princess-wannabe was stealing their prince and future husband. “I can’t believe that Prince Blueblood is only looking at that nopony. She has to have cast a mind-control on him at some point,” lamented Minuette as she picked a flower and started pulling off its petals one by one. Her friend, Moondancer, snorted angrily and said, “I know what to do to split them up. Follow me.” Meanwhile, both Twilight and Blueblood were walking towards the palace, chatting about what they learned in history. “I’m telling you, Bluey, Ambition Impériale was not short. In fact, he was taller than average for his day. The ‘short Ambition’ myth was an Equestrian propaganda against the said Prench emperor during the Ambitionic Wars,” argued Twilight hotly. Blueblood deadpanned. “I was only telling you what Auntie Tia had told me. She lived through the Ambitionic Wars,” he said. Twilight knocked her head to the nearest wall. “Duh, that’s because Princess Celestia and Ambition Impériale were mortal enemies! Of course she would tell you that myth, she made it herself!” Twilight replied. As Blueblood opened his mouth to argue back, he noticed two older fillies approaching. “Oh, look Minuette! Looks like Twilight Sparkle is about to doubting the wisdom of our princess and siding with the princess’ enemy! That is, what, treason!” exclaimed Moondancer as she circled the young couple. “What are you talking about?” Twilight asked suspiciously. “You don’t want to stay with a traitor, Prince Blueblood. How about you stay with the both of us?” Minuette asked with half-lidded eyes. Blueblood stared at the strange fillies, wondering what they are on about. “Why would I want to break up with Twilight?” he asked dubiously. Moondancer stopped in front of him and kissed him on his muzzle. “She’s not the sort for you to hang around. I mean, how can you? She’s not even sociable, only caring about books and studies. You should hang out with us, Bluey.” A spell shot at Moondancer and threw her to the ground. Taken by surprise, she looked around and saw Twilight with her horn lit and a very angry look at her face. “First of, I don’t only care about books. Second of all, questioning history written by victors is not treason here in Equestria. And third of all, NOPONY KISSES MY COLTFRIEND AND CALL HIM BLUEY BUT ME!” Twilight screamed and she charged towards her nemesis. Blueblood looked on as the three fillies competing for is relationship began fighting and insulting each other. He began to feel relieved as he saw a group of guards running towards them to break the catfight. *** Present Day. “... And I still remember the disappointed look on Celestia’s face as she lectured me on not to start a fight in the streets,” Twilight concluded as she remembered Celestia angrily shouting at her for ‘savagely fighting publicly like an Everfree Forest wild mare’ as Celestia called it. Blueblood was amused as he remembered. “The battered look and black-eye that fight gave you actually made me want to stay in a relationship with you. You were clearly stronger than anypony gave credit for.” “Are you saying that I’m no longer strong to you?” Twilight said in a mock insulted tone. Blueblood’s ears sagged as he looked at her sheepishly. “Er, n-no! That is not what I meant!” Twilight laughed at that and Blueblood joined in the laughter. As they stopped laughing, Twilight finally looked at the window outside and to her surprise saw that it was already dark. “Oh my, look at the time! Vladimir, do you have a place to stay for tonight?” Blueblood was also surprised when he saw the moon nearing its zenith. And as he thought about it, he found out that he still did not have a place to stay for the night. “Er… no I don’t,” he said sheepishly. Twilight blushed as she thought of a solution. “You don’t suppose you would… stay here for the night, wouldn’t you Bluey?” she asked timidly while scuffing her hoof. “Also, without Spike, it gets lonely in my room. Would you sleep in my bed tonight?” In her mind she thought that Fluttershy felt how she was feeling now most of the time. Blueblood felt unsure about the suggestion. “I-if you don’t mind, my Twilight.” The two lovebirds climbed to Twilight’s bedroom and climbed on her bed. At some point, they started hugging each other and began to kiss. That night was like a dream, they barely remembered what happened during that night when they woke up the next day, old friends in a relationship again.