A short lapse in communication was all it took for Blueblood to take his leave, swiftly and deliberately trotting through the door, leaving the two princesses in an uneasy silence.
When Celestia turned to Twilight, she found her wistfully staring into Blueblood's empty cup, likely still contemplating all that she had heard.
Celestia's caring and beseeching tone cut through the silence. "Twilight... Please listen to me."
Twilight turned to regard her. Her eyes were glossy, the fur beneath her eyelids was damp. "Are you really going to let this happen, Celestia?"
Celestia hated to see her student and friend so upset and bewildered. She opened her mouth to speak but was swiftly cut off.
"Did I not do enough for you? For Equestria? I took on my role as a princess, I defended our country when no one else could, I returned your sister to you... And now this? You dubbed me Princess of Friendship, I-I thought that meant I was meant to bring love and happiness to other ponies, not be a—" she squeezed her eyes shut, appearing to be wrestling with the concept. A single tear seeped through her closed lids. "...a pawn in your political games?"
Celestia's face hardened. "Twilight, hear what I have to say before you—"
"Don't look at me like that!" Twilight snapped, suddenly defensive, "I haven't done anything wrong! I've only tried to help you and Equestria, and now?! And now—"
"I have no intentions of you and Blueblood's marriage being permanent," Celestia stated, her tone clear and soothing.
This seemed to knock the wind out of Twilight. "Y-you don't?" she sniffled, suddenly still.
"In fact, I implore you to fight this ruling at every opportunity. It is not just. At the time of this archaic law's conception, the national climate was much different to what it is now. Many things have changed, and what was once considered a necessity is now nothing more than simple barbarism; this is but a tactic for the Royal Council and their affiliates to strengthen their positions."
As Celestia gauged Twilight's reaction –relief appearing to gradually emanate from her– she noticed that it was quickly offset by something she identified in her prized student far too often, a spark of realisation.
"If that's the case, why didn't you tell us this when Blueblood was in the room? In fact, why didn't he seem to care?"
Celestia sighed, stepping closer to Twilight and lifting her in her magic, setting her down on a luscious pillow. "The situation is complicated, to say the least. Suffice to say that Blueblood is by no means happy about this union, but if the council have willed it he is unlikely to oppose it directly."
Twilight's head tilted from where she sat, still shaking off the familiar, comforting feeling of Celestia’s magic. "Why not? He has every right to, doesn't he?"
"To be frank, Twilight, the position Blueblood holds is tenuous, much like mine. Of course, the power at my disposal is immense, but there are other factors at play. Unfortunately, the strongest does not always win, and this is a prime example of that.” Celestia began to softly pace before Twilight, her hooves landing with little force, as if her energy had been sapped.
“When you live to see my age, as I'm sure you will, you come to realise that there is more than one way to fight, and ofttimes the least trodden path is the most fruitful. I cannot oppose this decision directly as I have to be seen to be cooperating with the council and attempting to facilitate a stable future for Equestria. If I was to go against the voices of so many, it could lead to turmoil. You must understand, Twilight, that power only exists as long as other ponies give it to you. While you may trust me without question due to our shared history, I do not have such connections with the common pony."
Twilight slowly nodded. "Explain one thing though: Why does it have to be us? You said you were unable, but what does that mean, exactly? Plus, with Cadence and Shining Armour—"
"I went through menopause roughly six hundred years ago," Celestia interjected, her eyes focused on the floor, "And Luna and I have agreed that foals would not be good for her health. We worry that the stress of motherhood might give rise to serious depression, and that the consequences would be catastrophic. As for Cadence..." Celestia scowled, uncomfortable with the words she was about to say.
When she spoke, it was with a snarl. "Cadence is feared for what she has birthed. A natural born alicorn is unheard of in history, and a large element of the reason for this union is that alicorns are precisely what are trying to be avoided. Because Cadence is the only alicorn to have ever given birth to an alicorn, while so many others have tried in the past, the council is reluctant for her to have any more foals, they believe Cadence’s ability to birth alicorns to be an anomaly, statistically she should be one in a billion,” Celestia’s eyes narrowed, “In other words, the council wishes to see royal foals that aren’t Flurry Heart."
Twilight's eyes hardened, she too appeared upset by the prospect. "Why would anypony want to avoid alicorns?"
"To put it simply, they are feared. We are feared, that is. In the last Equestrian census, there was a twelve percent swing in favour of the monarchy being disbanded. Luna is the sole reason. The population is fickle, many ponies hadn't even heard of the mare in the moon until Luna's return, yet when I embraced her as my sister and allowed her to retake her rightful place alongside me, ponies quickly educated themselves, to varying levels of success." With this, Celestia ceased in her movements, looking at Twilight squarely.
"From what I can tell, more and more ponies are beginning to distrust my judgment as a ruler, and now that these same ponies are becoming aware of Nightmare Moon, they are beginning to fear it also. A hierarchy is needed, with proper distribution of power, and we the princesses must be prepared to relinquish our roles should that time ever come to pass.” Twilight appeared to be surprised by this revelation from the way that her muzzle hung, but she quickly shut it.
“However, contingencies must be put in place first. The problem in this is that if I was to remain stagnant and refuse to cooperate, a coup could be a few centuries, if not decades away. In contrast, if the royal tree is to be extended, however that may be accomplished, while the fair distribution between alicorns and the other tribes would likely appease many, there is no guarantee that future generations of royalty will not be incorruptible."
Twilight shifted on her pillow, glancing at the window in thought. Celestia knew it was a lot to process at once. When Twilight opened her mouth, she appeared to have fifty questions at the tip of her tongue. Eyes darting as she considered what to ask, she settled on: “Why did they choose Blueblood?”
“I believe the council sees him as easy to manipulate. He is a strong pony, but reluctant to oppose them. Also, his bond with me complicates matters. They likely knew that if I was to be seen condoning their actions, there was little to no chance he would put up a fight. They do not have his best interests at heart, nor yours, they only seek to further their own respective agendas. Of course, the council have done many things that could ostensibly be seen as beneficial to the majority, some of the things they have accomplished are admirable and significant, in fact, but as time passes, new members fill their halls, and not all of them are so caring and benevolent.”
“Hold on,” Twilight’s eyes fell on Celestia, “What exactly are Blueblood’s ties with the Royal Council?”
Celestia’s answer was forced and abrupt.“It is easier if you ask him that yourself, but I do not recommend leading with it, he is not the most trusting. What’s imperative for you to realise now is that he will not oppose this bond alone. It is for this reason that I didn’t reveal my true thoughts until he had already left. Blueblood is a complex individual, and you would be wise to learn his true nature as you proceed, it may help you to figure a way out of this mess.”
Celestia pushed a smile onto her lips, a sad thing, but genuine all the same. “I urge you to do what you do best, Twilight, dust off those old books and find a solution. If I can assist you in any way in the background, I’ll try my utmost to do so.”
Twilight nodded once more, wiping her eyes and trying her hardest to return Celestia’s smile, though her muzzle would barely cooperate. “I appreciate what you’ve said, Celestia, but Blueblood is just the worst of ponies. All I’ve heard are stories of how he treated Rarity at the gala, and considering that, I just-I just—”
Celestia cut Twilight off with a sudden and affectionate stroke of her mane. Twilight stopped short, slowly exhaling in an effort to release her mounting stress. Celestia’s look was maternal when she spoke. “Exactly, all you have heard are stories. What does that tell you, Twilight?”
“It tells me that other ponies had a negative interpretation of Blueblood,” she stated.
“And you are not other ponies,” Celestia laughed briefly, considering just how unordinary Twilight really was, “As such, you should make your own mind up. I… I cannot promise that you will think any differently as a result, but I do hope that you’ll give him a chance.”
A sharp sound whistled through the air; the repetitive clanging of blades sounded in the gardens of Prince Blueblood’s royal estate.
Blueblood dodged the onslaught of incoming blows with deft and nimble movements, swinging his body as rhythmically as he swung his weapon. With a short rapier in his telekinesis, Blueblood proceeded to whip the sword out of the other pony’s hand, disarming him before moving in for a quick thrust to the shoulder.
The blade connected, being stopped at the other pony’s fur, a magical barrier preventing a piercing, potentially mortal wound.
The swordsman lifted his mask, laughing. “A stunning riposte, prince! I must say, I wasn’t expecting that in the slightest! Tell me,” he leaned forwards, a smirk on his face, “Have you been receiving lessons in secret from one more experienced than I?”
Blueblood lifted his own mask. He returned his tutor’s gaze, but not his smile. “Truly, I have not. I simply do not wish to delay on this morn, I have a meeting that I am quite anxious for.”
“Another?” He laughed, levitating over a decanter of fresh water and two glasses. He offered one to Blueblood, who shook his head in a short motion. “That’s two in a day, is it not?”
“Indeed,” Blueblood stabbed his sword into a mound of dirt with a thrust of his magic, “And I am gladdened by neither. I have a great amount weighing on my mind, and I often believe you’re the only one privy to that, Stone.”
The bladesman smiled. “It’s quite alright to have worries and woes sometimes, my lord, but you mustn't allow them to weigh you down. Besides, it’s not as if I know what any of your issues actually are, and I wouldn’t wish to either. Being able to provide assistance in my own small way is more than enough for me.”
Suddenly and without warning, Blueblood swung his sword at Stone, clumps of dirt still attached to it. Stone barely managed to parry in time, using the long glass decanter as a shield, though it cracked and nearly shattered under the force of the thin sword’s flick.
“Oh, we’re playing like that now, are we sir?” Stone grinned, readying his weapon.
“Please, will you stop your incessant jabbering and put up some semblance of a fight this time?” Blueblood instinctively ducked, hearing the potted plant that had just whistled past his ears smash on the paved ground ten paces behind him.
Channeling energy through his horn, Blueblood began to pick up whatever garden ornaments and tools he could find, flinging them at Stone with impunity. Of course, not one met its mark.
Blueblood took a hard hoof to the face, stumbling back as he blocked a continuous flurry of swings. If there was anyone more adept with a sword than Stone, Blueblood hadn’t met them.
As he trotted backwards –trying to circle around to avoid backing up onto the path and tripping– he tried to anticipate Stone’s movements, but the other unicorn was as innovative as he was lithe and skillful. Stone went for a touch on his shoulder, then at the last second twisted his blade around in a counterclockwise motion, aiming for his underbelly.
Aware that he wouldn’t be able to block in time, Blueblood twisted his front left hoof, hoping to intercept the blade with his metal horseshoe before it struck true. Unfortunately, he miscalculated his movement, and the blade nicked him across the side of the hoof.
Stumbling forwards, he bent his front fetlocks and crouched down, pain throbbing in his hoof.
“Are you in pain, sir?” Stone asked, trotting over with his sword in a lax mental grip. “Would you like to take five?”
As Stone approached, Blueblood crouched further forwards, inhaling sharply as he put more pressure on his injured hoof.
“You appear to be hurt, sir. We should dress the wound and oof!--”
Springing straight up from his downed position, Blueblood bucked Stone right in the face, forcing him to topple backwards. A magical kinetic burst saved him from hitting the floor, repulsive energy pushing him back into the air. Twisting his body whilst airborne –twirling his sword throughout the motion– he landed atop Blueblood, pressing his blade against the prince’s neck with his aura, pinning him to the floor with both front hooves. “What have I told you about playing possum, sir?” he asked, a small gash on his muzzle from where the reasonably strong buck had connected.
“A real fox will sink his teeth in just to be sure,” Blueblood recited, his tone even, “I submit, in case you were curious.”
“Oh, of course.” Stone climbed off of Blueblood, putting some space between them and allowing him to return to his hooves. “Why the aggression today, if I may ask? It’s been a while since you’ve tried to pull that little trick on me.”
“None of your concern,” Blueblood replied placidly. “Now, could you inform the housestaff that we’re likely to have a guest arriving soon?”
“A guest, sir?”
“Yes you parrot, a guest.” Blueblood snapped. “Tell them that the guest quarters need to be ready for use within the hour, I wish to retire early.”
“May I ask who we are receiving, sir?” Stone asked, sheathing his weapon as he spoke.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Blueblood scowled, though he didn’t allow his frown to stay for long.
“Oh, the princess?” Stone smiled, an eyebrow raised, “Very interesting, Prince. And the nature of this visit?”
“We are to be married,” Blueblood mumbled, eyes averted.
“To what?!” Stone exclaimed, incredulous, “You’re to marry Princess Twilight Sparkle, and you never thought to tell me?”
“You ask too many questions!” Blueblood barked, his brow straight, teeth bared. “Do not assume that you have the right to address me with such impertinence, old friend or not you still work for me. Now, go and tell the housekeepers that we have a guest arriving soon, and do it swifty! I will not tell you again.”
“But prince, this is a joyous occasion, we should be celebrating—”
“We most certainly should not!” Blueblood shouted, before considering the implications of what he had just said. “I do not wish to discuss it now,” he continued, his calm returning in some capacity, “but be aware that this is a matter of great discomfort for me. Furthermore, that is privileged information, between me and you.” Blueblood took a shallow breath before giving Stone a softer look. “Now, if you’d please?”
Stone nodded and trotted away, he likely had nothing else to say. Blueblood looked around at the scene before him, seeing scattered ornaments, mud trodden onto the path, and various other telltale signs of the damage him and his teacher’s conflict had caused in such a short amount of time.
Looking upon it in solitude, a smile slowly but surely tugged at his lips, until it had spread over his whole face. Playing back his favourite scenes from the fight in his mind, he allowed himself to be lost in fantasy –a brief reprieve– softly chortling at the sight of the destruction they had caused in such little time.
Surely, if Blueblood could handle Stone, he could handle anything.