Griffons and Blueblood · 7:18pm Nov 13th, 2018
Ah, Prince Blueblood. For a character that is only mentioned in a couple episodes, he sure gets a bad rep. I mean, Rarity asks him out (I assume, of course; how would the other way have gone?) and we all know how that goes.
Of all the fanfics I read, the vast majority of the ones set in Equestria deal with 'what happens next'. Or, 'what if this was different'. For whatever reason, I find myself drawn to asking (and trying to answer) the question of, 'why is this the case'. What could have happened to Prince Blueblood in the past to make him have such unreasonable* expectations of Rarity?
*Well, he's supposed to be a caricature of female stereotypes, and practically a joke character, so there is that.
In Alternate Beginnings, I try to paint Blueblood in a more sympathetic light. I imagine that, in a female dominated world, stallions are often relegated to the sidelines. You see male leaders in other cultures (Buffalo, Yaks, Dragons) but very rarely in Equestria. Product of a show designed for young girls? Trying to give them more role models (and more toys!)? Sure, probably.
In my headcanon, the firstborn foal of the Blueblood name inherits the title, and is named as such: Solaris for a filly, and Lunaris for a colt. The two Princesses are sisters, after all, and therefore Blueblood is related to both of them. This tradition goes back from before Princess Luna did her whole Nightmare Moon thing, and I imagine that Celestia would have wanted the tradition to remain despite that. This does mean that there would have been a 'Princess Blueblood' or fifty before him, but we can have lots of Princesses and that's okay.
On a side note, my Path of Exile experience deserves a mention; while Solaris and Lunaris aren't exactly uncommon references to the Sun and Moon, they are two bosses you have to face during the storyline. And they are the source/inspiration for his first name.
I know another source (a foreign comic) gives Prince Blueblood the first name Vladimir, but I wanted a more potent reminder for the Prince that he is superfluous, a figurehead, or some way connected to the Princesses in more than just title. Partially because we see very little of the government of Equestria, we don't know what his responsibilities are. Just brief clips of 'important ponies' showing up to sporting events and whatnot.
But he needs something to do, in order to be less of an ignominious noble. In one comic, My Little Pony: Friends Forever Issue #26, Prince Blueblood goes with Shining Armor to the yaks. This takes place after Shining Armor and Cadance are together, and he is... considerably more pompous than my depiction here, though I do try to use some of the mannerisms in the comic. Princess Celestia references Prince Blueblood's prior diplomatic experience in the comic, but doesn't really go more into detail.
So, here we are with Part One of that story: Blueblood goes on his journey to the Griffons. Part Two, when I get the inspiration for it, is Blueblood traveling to the Dragon Lands, set a few weeks after part one. Part Three; which I'm way more interested in and is the reason I am writing this series at all, and may end up getting written before Part Two; is the dating and resolution between Cadance and Blueblood.
On a different note. I Look back at what I've written, though, and I'm a little disappointed. Which probably means I shouldn't have published it, and taken more time to polish the dialogue and descriptions. That's the problem with an easily modified medium, though, and I find I force myself to write and edit when I have a deadline. Alas.
Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed the piece. Now to decide what I want to do with the next part of Alternate Beginnings.
So, is Prince Blueblood: Master Ambassador canon to Alternate Beginnings?
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Yes, they both take place in the same 'verse, though it is written to stand alone.