Even for someone who has never been inside of Canterlot Castle, it is quite easy to figure out which side belonged to which princess. The east wing’s hallways were dominated by black and blue marble, violet stain glass that depicted the constellations, nocturnal paintings that hung on the walls, and at the other side of the great hall where Blueblood was walking, was a huge double door with a crescent moon. Passing the Lunar Guards that saluted him, the Prince marched his way forward towards the doors that were opened to him to the spiral staircase towards one of his aunt’s bedrooms. After climbing up towards the top where two, high ranking officers stood guard in front of a majestic door, “Is Aunt Luna in?” the blond unicorn asked.
The one on the left nodded, “Her Highness has been expecting you.”
As he said this, the other on the right turned the knob and entered into Luna’s room for a moment before reappearing to spread the door open. “You may enter.”
Taking in a deep breath, Prince Blueblood walked inside to which not only did he found the dark blue alicorn, but also Celestia and Cadance were there. All three sat on a couch facing the door before they were a low table of popcorn, candy, and three large cups with straws in them. At first, he thought it was odd since such a setting and the display of snacks were meant for watching a film. However, given the anticipation on all three of their faces, it was instantly clear that he was the entertainment.
“So nephew…” Luna, who sat to the right of her elder sister, began as her horn levitated a bowl of popcorn. “How was the ball?”
Blueblood raised an eyebrow, “What are all of you doing?”
“Oh nothing,” said Celestia, who was in the middle as she took a few sips from a straw, “We just wanted to know how things went.”
“Didn’t Princess Cadance tell you about it already?”
The Alicorn of Love, which had already taken her seat on the left, shook her head. “I didn’t tell them much, other than you have some good news that they would want to hear.”
“So come dear nephew,” Luna raised a hoof, “please do, as they say nowadays, ‘spill the beans’ for us – was this party amusing?”
Blueblood didn’t answer right away as he sat down on his hunches, forelegs crossed. “Am I being interrogated?”
“Not really,” the Sun Princess turned her attention to a bowl of jellybeans. “Interrogation would mean that we would be asking you questions in a completely different setting. We just wanted to know what happened is all since we weren’t there.” She gave a smirk and added, “Have you meet someone charming?”
“Or perhaps one that presented a nice looking hindquarters?” Luna asked with a smirk.
“Um…” the Prince looked away, trying to cover his muzzle as he felt it warming up.
“Wait, is that…?” the Night alicorn leaned forward. “By the gods it is! He’s blushing!” she squealed in delight.
“I-I am not!”
“Oh yes you are!” Cadance said/song, propping her chin on the leg of the couch, looking at the other princesses. “I tell you, it took quite a while, but when he finally found him, they just had fun for the rest of the night dancing, laughing, and getting to know each other.” She sighed, “It was so romantic.”
The Prince’s blush deepened into a crimson red, trying to hide behind the golden mane of his.
“This is good news indeed,” Celestia agreed. “So let’s get to the juicy details then. What is he like?”
“Is he handsome?” asked Luna.
“Shush!” the pink alicorn waved her free hoof. “Let him talk. We can’t get to the teasing if you two keep interrupting.”
Trying to regain whatever dignity he has, Blueblood took in a deep breath. ‘I’m not doing this,’ he thought as he stood back on all four hooves, ready to turn around. However, before he could leave, he heard the unmistakable, rapid-fire of ‘clicks’ that came from the doors. Snapping his head around, he saw in time to see Luna’s horn dimmed. He frowned, “I’m not getting out of here until I tell you about my night, am I?”
“Oh Blue, what gave you that impression?” his blue aunt asked with a smirk. “Now go on, we’re dying to know.”
With a frustrated sigh, he sat back down. “Well… I didn’t meet him at the ball itself. Rather, I found him playing one of the pianos. I asked him what he was doing all by himself and… we just started talking.” The Prince rubbed the sleeve of his costume, a soft smile on his lips. “He played the piano for me, and from there, we just started to get to know each other a little. After that, we went back into the ballroom and danced though I wish that it didn’t end so abruptly. Even before I knew who he was, he was just…” He looked up at the three amused looking alicorns. “What?”
“Keep going,” Cadance waved a hoof as she had a bowl of popcorn in her aura. “We’re getting to the good part.”
“Do you know who this prince charming of yours is, Bluey?” Celestia inquired.
He scratched the back of his head, “I think you might already know him.”
She tilted her head, “Who?”
“Have you heard of a stallion called Fancy Pants?”
“Oh…?” her face slowly brightens up, “Oh! Yes, I do know him.”
“As do I,” said Luna. “Quite a dashing fellow, isn’t he Blue? Out of all the ponies that you would have met, I didn’t think he was into stallions too.”
“Really?” Cadance deadpanned, “And none of you thought that he had a husband might have been a clue?”
Blueblood blinked, “He had a husband? Well, I knew he was divorced but… a husband?” he shook his head, “Nevermind that, how did you know about it?”
“I’m the Sherlock Hooves of Love, Blueblood,” she retorted. “I’ve done my research as a detective does in trying to find any single guys for this ball. Though, to be honest, out of all the ponies that were here tonight, I did factor in an 87% chance that you would have gone for him.”
“And yet you invited a hundred other stallions?” the Prince deadpanned.
“Like I’ve said, chance and variety,” she shrugged. “Still, I am very proud of you that you’ve gotten out of your comfort zone and finally found someone that you like. And considering it’s Fancy Pants, I say that you’ve picked out a really good choice here.”
“I concur,” Luna agreed, “it’s good to hear that our dear nephew has gotten himself a coltfriend at last.”
“Now wait just a minute!” Blueblood objected, the flustered blush still refused to leave. “I’ve said that I just found someone that I liked. That doesn’t make him my coltfriend or anything.”
“Whoever said that you liked him?” the white alicorn asked with a smile on her face. When the blond unicorn didn’t respond, she went on. “As much as we approve of your choice in companion, I do have to ask: If given the chance, would you like to see him again?”
Here, the Prince put a hoof on the back of his head. “If only it were possible…” he said sheepishly.
All three princesses wore a mile-long grin, “Splendid!” exclaimed Luna, turning to his older sister and niece, “Is there anything any of you would like to add now Bluely has an eye on Fancy’s firm, rounded fl-”
“AUNTIE!” Blueblood interjected, his face was completely red and his ears folded back. “You do not say things like that!”
“Oh come now,” the blue princess rolled her eyes, “At some point this night you have at least thought of it once.”
Her nephew remained silent.
“Ignore what she says,” Celestia waved a dismissive hoof. “You were attracted to him because of his personality and intelligence wasn’t it? Being the big patron for the arts in Canterlot, I do know that he’s quite clever in knowing in the fields of fashion, art, film, theater, and music that even I didn’t know about. Almost like a walking library of culture.”
“I would be lying if I said that you were wrong, Auntie Celestia,” he nodded. “Can I go now?”
Cadance sipped on her soda, “Well it is getting late, and I think we’ve pretty much covered everything that we wanted to hear from you – so goodnight Cousin Blue.”
He heard the double doors being unlocked, so he bowed to all three of them before excusing himself to bed. Once he exited Luna’s bedroom, all three alicorns turned to one another. “So… who won?” the Princess of the Night inquired.
Cadance tilted her head. “I’m sorry, won what?”
The elder alicorn sighed, “To put it simply, some time ago, we’ve made a bet on Blueblood as to what kind of stallion he would go for. I placed my bet on intelligence while Luna on looks alone. Now, however, it seemed that we’ve come to a tie. Fancy Pants is both of those things, so now what?”
Now the Princess of Love was curious, “What was the wager?”
“If I remember right,” Luna got up from the couch, “mine was giving her a three-month break of raising the sun; my moonshine cake recipe; and a paid vacation in Prance from my own purse. While she wagered to raising our moon for six months, twenty barrels of Sweet Apple whiskey and an Istallion vacation. But I guess neither of us had factored this outcome I’m afraid.”
“So wait, you two had placed a bet on my cousin to see what kinda guy he would go for?” Cadance questioned, “And neither of you had thought of inviting me into it?”
Celestia blinked, “Sorry?”
“I want to take part in this too,” she declared, “how about I throw my hat into the ring, but this time we place our bets on something else. Like…” she tapped her chin as she thought for a moment. “Like how about this: We will take turns in designing the setting of the dates that Blueblood and Fancy would go on. Try to make it as romantic as possible for them, but, whoever can make the scene and have them do an activity where they either kiss or say ‘I love you,’ will be the winner. If they happen to break up (which is rather unlikely) then nopony loses or gains anything.”
“Such a fascinating idea,” Luna tilted her head, intrigued. “But if you’re serious about this, what would you wager?”
Cadance breathed in deep through her nose, “Well…” she began. “If in the event that I lose, I would… Both raise the sun and moon for a year… give you my recipe for Hearts and Hooves punch… and I could toss in a month’s vacation to the Bahamares,” she smirked as she added, “with Twilight.”
This got both of her aunt’s attention; the two of them looked at each other with fierce competition in their eyes before turning back to their pink niece. “Done,” they said in unison.
_*_
Blueblood had been laying in his bed for over an hour, tossing and turning in hopes that sleep would overtake him. His mind was still returning to those precious few hours with Fancy. For the first time in his life, he finally met someone that didn’t bore him, nor irritated, or found any flaw that made him want to move on with someone else.
‘It’s like I’ve finally found someone that I can have a real conversation with.’ He thought, ‘Not only that, but he was charming, intelligent, talented, se-’ he quickly shook his head. ‘Don’t get your mind into the gutter so quickly! Sure, Auntie Luna wasn’t inaccurate in how… how… perfect he was. But that’s not possible. What are the odds of me finding someone who is just right in every way? Besides, we’re not in a relationship or anything; we’ve just met after all.’ He turned to face the other side of the bed once more. ‘Though, I do wish that we could have been longer. I wish that he didn’t have to leave so soon. Perhaps, I should try to track down where in Canterlot does he live so that I… what? Ask him out on a date?’
His cheeks flustered as he lit up his horn to cover his head with the sheets. Soon enough, his mind was drifted off to sleep. Yet, before he did, the last thought he had been: ‘I wonder what my Aunts and cousin will do now?’