It's So Tasty
The fanciest restaurant in town was all about the service. Elegant decor, waiters drawn from the finest of theatrical troupes (many of whom served here in month-long breaks between Equestria-wide tours, and said they experienced more drama in that month than in the whole of those tours), and a menu drawn from current trends in Prance, Saddle Arabia, and other foreign lands. Blueblood had snacked before coming, as the portions here were always dreadfully small; this place was about appearances, and it simply would not do to waste this opportunity to be seen with Twilight Sparkle. Separate though their domains and styles were, they were Prince and Princess, and the official record now showed they had just concluded business together. This dinner was about reassuring the public that their business was friendly and concluded well, as much as about anything else.
He was braced for Twilight to teleport in, but fortunately she had the grace to walk to their booth table once she arrived, though being personally escorted by the maitre d' may have clued her in. Her dress seemed a bit odd, being a dark blue outfit with what looked like stars, but it complimented his golden tuxedo. "Wow, I've never been in this place before," she commented as she squeezed into the booth opposite him.
Having already examined the one-page menu he had been provided with, Blueblood offered it to Twilight. "Mmmyes, well. I doubt this will be your last visit. I take it you are satisfied with Rainbow Dash's condition?"
"I am. And thank you for making sure that condition includes 'alive'." Twiight's eyes darted over the menu. "They almost threw me out of the hospital when I offered to help. Something about 'unlicensed medical practitioner'. Just because I haven't gotten a medical doctorate yet..."
"I have no doubt that you will acquire one in due time."
Twilight sighed. "Another thing on my to-do list. They say her memories will fully return by morning, but they're confining her to bed for a day given her injuries. It's a good thing she didn't try flying: the wing she landed on is busted. Heh, knowing her they may have to strap her to that bed even with that. Serves her right for stealing my transducer for pranks."
"I see. And then you debriefed Spitfire, correct?"
Twilight frowned in confusion.
"Err, you did say you would talk to her, didn't you?"
"Hmm? Oh! No, no, I did. It's just this menu..."
Blueblood smiled. "Oh, nopony here but the chefs can actually read it. Just order something from column A and something from column B-"
"I can read it," Twilight interrupted. "It's just Prench, Nipponyese, and that 'Neo-Draco' artificial language they keep passing off. Honestly, Equestrian works just fine for a language everyone can speak. But, umm..." She flipped the menu over, only to find the rear side blank, then flipped it back and looked at Blueblood. "These are all snacks, and I'm not seeing any prices. Where's the dinner menu?"
Blueblood blinked as his mind processed Twilight's declaration. "Err...that is, that is the dinner menu. Or what passes for it."
"Pardon me, mademoiselle." The maitre d', a graying earth pony with looks that could be the star of any fashion show runway he cared to grace, walked up. "I could not help but overhear. Did you say you can read the menu?" His accent was good, but Blueblood had spoken with enough actual Prench to know it was fake.
"Hmm? Oh, sure! I'll have an afalfacapala and a-" Blueblood's ears crossed at the sounds that next came out of Twilight's mouth. The one thing he was absolutely certain of, was that there was no way to represent it in the Equestrian alphabet. "-but keep the sauce mild please."
"Merci!" The maitre d' bowed. "The staff and I have been uncertain how to pronounce that item! You have our gratitude, and half price on your order!" He took the menu and ran off.
Twilight stared briefly as he left. "Weird. So, Spitfire. When I told her what happened she just got this weird look on her face, and asked if I could prepare a lecture or two on moral philosophy, why doing the right thing is the right thing to do. She said she'd get Rainbow Dash willing to listen. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it, assuming Spitfire can pull it off. I've been thinking of mixing Celestia's writings with some works of Cowfucius and Moohammad, and..."
Blueblood held up a hoof. "What matters is that Spitfire has a plan. Did she say anything else?"
"Oh! Right, sorry, got carried away. Hmm, now that you mention it she said this would be all the revenge she needed. I don't know how a lecture counts as 'revenge'." Twilight shrugged. "She also seemed worried about me. She kept asking variations on if I was alright. Eventually I confronted her on it, so she told me she was worried given how close I came to executing Rainbow Dash. I told her not to worry about it, since it didn't come to that. Umm..." She looked at Blueblood. "Should I be feeling bad about it?"
"Hmph. That is akin to asking water if it should be dry, Princess Sparkle. We performed our duty, and the result is another demonstration of fair and honest law for everypony."
Twilight frowned. "The result is that my friend is alive."
Blueblood massaged his forehead. "Princess Sparkle. While I am relieved to hear that that is how the case worked out, you must understand. Without the semblance of law and order, a great many ponies would seek to take advantage of their neighbors. Canterlot – nay, all Equestria would be a much darker and grimmer place. Celestia remembers such a time, and has given me more tales of it than I care to relay. All the suffering of one or two ponies, even ones such as us, would be as nothing compared to the collective sorrows were Equestria to return to those times. Whether we win or lose each individual case is ultimately less important than that justice is served. Ah, and speaking of serving..." He leaned back as the food arrived, along with the bill.
Twilight sighed. "Is that really the only way to look at it? You seem to care more about appearance than reality."
"Because I do. Because I must. As I said, my life for Equestria." He drove a fork into a stuffed mushroom as if stabbing at his life's pains. "Before you ask Celestia to lift my burdens, know that they are my life, and somepony must do what I do."
Twilight just looked at him, jaw open.
"Do I have something on my cheek again?" Blueblood dabbed at his face with a napkin.
"How can you be so blase about it? Whether ponies live or die depends on you doing your job well."
"That is precisely how I can be so 'blase', Princess Sparkle. To have any other attitude, to not see the masses above the individual..." He sniffed, and took a sip of wine. "I doubt I could perform to the standards that Equestria needs, any other way."
"I see," Twilight admitted after a few seconds mulling it over, then put a hoof on his foreleg. "You must not have many true friends."
Blueblood smiled. "You are wise to include that qualifier. I have...some...but most who would call me 'friend' are fair-weather at best. I would hope that I might not include you among that group."
Twilight chuckled. "Never! So, umm..." She glanced at the bill. "...mind if I get that? To thank you."
"If you would please. It is a tradition, at least between friendly councilors in Canterlot – which I would see those who spy upon us even now to see us as – that the loser buys the winner a meal. I must confess, I have been looking forward to this since I learned you would be my co-councilor. Royal purses are among the largest, so I doubt the bill will trouble you."
Twilight lifted one eyebrow, then eyed the bill. Then re-read it. "This is half price?!? This is robbery!"
"Welcome to Canterlot, Princess Sparkle." Blueblood raised his wine glass in toast. "Welcome back."
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Winged Cat · 3.8k words · 22 0 · 771 views
- Winged Cat · 29k words · 22 8 · 1.1k views
- electreXcessive · 2.7k words · 107 4 · 2.2k views
- Maran · 21k words · 65 3 · 1.7k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.232 seconds
Total duration
562 users online
1,113,452 hits today, 2,454,720 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Putting into read later, not often seeing a multiple chapter story published as complete. Most condense into one chapter. Breaking it up chapter wise leaves nice break points to move away for a bit without losing your place. Nice to see.
6761574 I'd considered releasing this chapter by chapter, since it is a mystery, but I try to have my stories at least mostly written (and somewhat edited) before submitting.
But not only does this make for easier reading, it helps me organize my writing. In this chapter these characters are present and this set of facts have/have not been revealed yet; in that chapter there's another set. It also prompts me to have enough content for each scene: a 500 word scene may feel ineffably short, but a 500 word chapter is more obviously lacking. (It can be pulled off well, but it's easier for me to just add more imagery and detail.)
I give you my like because this story was a puzzle I thoroughly enjoyed putting together. I love stories like these.
This was a very nice fair-play mystery and a very interesting take on Blueblood.
And done.
If it weren't for them needing to be seen in public, Twilight could have just long-distance teleported Blueblood to her own castle and gotten Spike to make them a meal at a fraction of the price
6762497
6763479 Thanks much!
6802419 Thanks! Part of the inspiration was seeing Blueblood as a public servant, which got me wondering if even his snobbishness was for Equestria. Someone could even write him as a more-social less-action secret agent. If I follow up with this characterization, I may have to have him teamed up with or opposing investigator-Rarity, though I'd need to find a way to write that much social fu well.
6802458 Yeah, no mystery about the other attorney. The guard wouldn't necessarily know at that point, but she's in the story image and character tags.
6802475 My headcanon notes that Twilight's the type who stays up well into the night reading, while her mentor is literally up with the dawn every day, and wonders what effect years of that had on Twilight growing up.
6802521 Actually, Ling's blood color is stated, though I'll admit I tried to make it seem like an unimportant detail. Carefully reread where she meets Prince Blueblood in the first chapter.
Though deoxygenated blood looks blue, last I checked. That's the origin of the term "blue blood". Just look at your own veins; on most people there's at least one visible somewhere around one or both wrists.
That guilt trip is part of what A Scholastic Awesome is about, though it felt better as a separate story instead of another chapter here.
And...I was trying to write Blueblood as more Edgeworth than Wright, but that is the series I was thinking.
6802542 Nah, it was the crash. But "can punch hard enough to chip rock" is enough strength that I felt it best to establish this detail; it's only a given for the Pie family.
6802570 Teleporting across town is one thing. Teleporting straight from Canterlot to Ponyville, while bringing friends along, appears to be beyond what even alicorn Twilight is capable of (as of the latest season when I wrote this, anyway). Also, she didn't know just how expensive the restaurant would be.
Wow! This was such an amazing story and I was really intrigued by what had happened to Rainbow Dash. I also really liked Blueblood, how he handled the case and the last chapter was so funny! Keep up the good work!
But one thing:
I was wondering, is that supposed to be Muhammad (P.B.U.H) prophet of Islam? Because if it is, please remove it. I'm saying this because Muslims are sensitive on how their prophet is portrayed, and having him depicted as a cow is regarded as very disrespectful. I know that you probably didn't know this and didn't intend to make fun of Prophet Muhammad. Seeing as this was a really good story and I enjoyed it a lot, I would hate for it to be ruined because of a little misunderstanding.
Thanks.
6840512 I keep hearing about that, but...y'know, the ones who complain about that don't seem to speak for all or even most Muslims. Kind of like how a certain armed faction in Syria and Iraq claims to be establishing a Muslim state but their practices violate what most Muslim clerics preach. Most Muslims I know would recognize that the intent is to honor the prophet, by acknowledging his influence with as close a representation as is possible in this context, and take it as honor instead of insult.
6943892 Probably because Blueblood-as-Edgeworth was part of my inspiration.
6944136 Rainbow Dash would not traditionally be labelled as the smartest pony around, in particular when it comes to handling situations she would rather not accept. (Though I'm thinking of doing a sequel to the sequel that touches on her particular form of genius.)
This is a pretty good story, but it could have been a bit longer to further deliver into how Blueblood sees himself. But at any rate, this story deserves more views than it is currently getting.
6965657 Thanks. I'm not sure how to promote it, though. Equestria Daily won't take it (they didn't like how fast the case is resolved, and that we're seeing things through Blueblood's point of view instead of through omniscient narrator), and I'm under the impression that an author promoting their own stories through groups (as opposed to readers doing so) is seen as bad form.
Ve4ry impressively done. Dash felt a bit off in terms of not owning up to her mistakes, but then again if this is an earlier version of Dash, it does fit nicely.
Definitely going to follow up as I really adore your BB.
That would make for an awesome alternate ending, although I guess the story would then need a Dark tag. Fun to imagine though.
EDIT: By which I mean actually writing out an ending in which Rainbow is executed.
7022882 Actually, Spitfire's follow-up lead into a short sequel and didn't need a Dark tag.
Though that's with the help of leaving some things off-screen. Some things are best left to the imagination. Feel free to picture exactly what happened between this story and that sequel in as much detail as you care to.
7031808 I meant an alternate ending in which Twilight and Blueblood actually didn't solve the case. Not just Rainbow picturing the events, but them actually taking place.
7031936 Ah. Well, again, imagine that if you wish. Rainbow Dash certainly did. (As did Spitfire, and Twilight Sparkle in her nightmares.)
That's an interesting twist, having the defendant actually be the victim with amnesia! And I like Blueblood's speech about the greater good to Twilight at the end.
My only concern is Ribbon Wishes and those other merchants. I hope they do pursue some kind of civil action against Rainbow Dash. Being a changling shouldn't be a crime, impersonating a changling with the goal of scaring away customers from someone's shop? I believe that is a crime, and I hope they dock RD's paycheck for damages.
7101171 RD's paycheck is likely to be docked to pay for the police and road crew work she caused. Beyond that, Celestia might rule that nearly dying and nearly causing Twilight to be her executioner is punishment enough for her prank.
Remember, Celestia's trying to push for harmony for all who would accept it. This presumably includes any changelings not causing trouble (of which there has been at least one in the show, at a certain wedding in Ponyville). Hatred of someone for what they are instead of what they do is logically something she would wish to stamp out. Merchants who cater to such hatred, and file suits against those who harmlessly (save for temporary lull in customers) rub this catering in said merchants' faces, may well find those suits lost in a sea of red tape. (Or perhaps pink tape, given what we've seen Pinkie Pie and certain other pink ponies do.)
7115135 I wasn't talking about extra punishment, I was talking about fees paid compensate the businesses for loss of income. A temporary lull in customers can be a big deal to businesses, you never get all the lost sales back, and time is money.
I'm imagining Rainbow Dash showing up in, say, a teenage dragon costume on Cider Day at Sweet Apple Acres, and scaring the entire line of ponies away. Applejack probably won't lose the farm, because most of those customers will eventually return and buy cider on different days, but I doubt when she sues Rainbow Dash for civil damages, she wants to get turned down by Princess Celestia and instead lectured on showing more tolerance for dragons.
7115275 Depends on how she scared them away, though. A rampaging dragon is one thing, and might be what you're thinking. A dragon just waiting in line is another.
RD did the latter type of changeling: no scary face, no intimidation, literally nothing more than just pretending to be a changeling attempting to peacefully shop like anypony, perhaps acting confused when ponies ran away on sight or shooed her out before she could buy anything.
That was nice.
Like and fav!
7721289 As 7333180 noted and as otherwise noted above, part of the inspiration was Blueblood-as-Edgeworth. Edgeworth often is or tries to be in control of whatever life throws his way.
7526570 7721832 Thanks!
"Whether we win or lose each individual case is ultimately less important than that justice is served."
This is one of the best statemens about why we need a law system.
And I can't give you enough praise for this characterisation of Blueblood
7888035 Thanks! (Now if only more in RL would see it this way...)