//------------------------------// // Prince Blueblood and Perception // Story: P.B. and J. // by TheAmazingMe //------------------------------// Joe came to a few minutes after my conversation with Aunt Luna. She bowed out gracefully, leaving instructions with the guard posted at my door that I was not to be disturbed. Joe got up out of the bed and stretched out. I was hooked up to a few machines so the best I could do was adjust the bed into a reclined sitting position. I wasn’t crazy with him moving out of hoof’s reach, but his expression was unfeigned worry. He was the first to speak. “Blueblood, I love you. That was the scariest thing that ever happened to someone I love.” His hooves wrapped around one of mine and he held on tight. Taking my other hoof to caress his face, I pulled him in for a small kiss. We pulled back slightly, foreheads still pressed together on one side and horns crossed. “Seeing you fall to that spell was the scariest part for me.” I said, after a moment to let the memory of Joe falling to the ground pass me. He kissed my cheek. “I’m sorry I got hit.” I tapped his nose gently. “Don’t apologize for something like that.” He drew back and looked at me, then the bed and the room around us. He walked a small circle and turned back to face me. “What’s the plan for the future?” Joe asked quietly, almost as if he was afraid to ask. Hearing the tone of his voice, I looked into his eyes. It was the question we hadn’t really dared to answer. We were public as a couple, I was rising to become the Acting Head of a reestablished Royal House, and I’d just been attacked by what could very well be the first of many security nightmares. “I take it you won’t be coming over to my place for a while.” He stated it rather than asking. It dawned on me just how much I meant to him. Perhaps it was the emotionally charged day I’d had, but I really wanted him closer to me. He’d been by my side all night and I had an almost physical need to hold him. Of course I couldn’t just admit it, so I shrugged and waved him closer. He sat back in his chair, but leaned back out of reach. “I refuse to let this incident change my life so drastically. I might have to bring a few House Guards with me, but I’ll go where I want to go. To do otherwise would be to let them win.” I waved again. He scooted his chair closer, yet still out of reach. “Celestia and Luna are okay with that?” He asked, the flicker of hope catching into a fire in his eyes. “I’m going to have to fight to stay visible, stay positive and stay in a position of authority.” I reached a hoof out, trying to ignore the tingle in my nose and the warmth rising to my eyes. “I will fight to stay with you as well. You proved beyond any doubt that you’d do the same for me today.” I pulled his hoof, and he stood up reluctantly. Scooting over, I encouraged him back onto the bed beside me. He resisted a little, but gave in when I started pulling more insistently. His face broke into a half-smile as we cuddled against each other. Brushing a strand of hair out of my face, he kissed me again. “You’re very affectionate tonight,” I observed. He rested his chin on the top of my head, careful to avoid my horn. “Can you blame me?” He asked, his throat bumping and vibrating against the side of my face in a way just this side of painful considering my bruises. Pushing his chin off my head, I kissed his cheek. “I suppose I can’t.” It was late, we were exhausted in more ways than one. We fell asleep in each other’s hooves. I wouldn’t say that the hospital normally allowed this, but nopony disturbed us. We woke up and made it through a few checks and conversations with the nurses and doctors on duty. These all passed in a blur as I was mostly focused on getting out and going home. Of course, there was one matter of honor that couldn’t wait. My rescuers would be meeting with me before I left the hospital. I’d outright refused to be seen in my hospital room, so I was wheeled over to an empty conference room (silly overprotective hospital rule) to meet my rescuers. Unfortunately, with the war looming, I hadn’t had time to talk with Aunt Luna about some sort of reward. I wasn’t without my own resources. Even if I went in with empty hooves I could find a way to suitably compensate them. “You’ve got to be kidding.” It was a slip in protocol. Given that I recognized a certain red and black coated unicorn entering alongside the civilian and two guards who’d rescued me, I had to give myself some leeway. Talk about a small city. “Guess I have to turn down that article. Now I’m much too personally involved to be objective,” Life Story remarked as he walked up with two of my protectors. “What?” I asked, to Joe’s amusement. Bastard actually chuckled at my exasperation. Life smiled. “Your Highness, may I present my husband, Sogni Divolare and our son, Bruiser.” I shook my head as I shook their hooves. “Don’t tell me that city guard was your sister?” The guard in question sidled up alongside the young stallion. I reached out and shook her hoof as well. “Thankfully not. These stallions all have horrible reputations for troublemaking.” Bruiser piped up, brows knitted in irritation. “Hey, we pulled somepony else out of trouble. Trouble we didn’t even cause!” I directed my attention to the House Guard Div. “Please excuse Princess Luna’s absence. The Princesses are busy making preparations for the...unpleasantness to come. I owe you a great debt. You, your son, and...I’m sorry, what was your name?” I asked, turning back to the City Guard. She had the grace to blush. “My apologies, Your Highness, I am Carnelian Ripple.” Her name sounded like something out of the Crystal Empire, but her coat wasn’t gleaming like polished stone. “Might I ask a personal question?” She smiled and spoke, “Crystal ponies don’t always gleam. Especially outside of the Capitol City and away from the Crystal Heart.” I felt there was likely more to that, but it wasn’t my place at the moment to meddle. “I see. You are all looking well. I’m glad to see that; the explosions last night had me worried I’d gotten ponies killed several times over.” Carnelian looked to her compatriots before speaking. “Well, it wasn’t pretty work, Your Highness, but that driver and the Prench pony were outclassed against two guards and a junior boxer.” “Well, as I said, I am in your debt. If there is anything I can do...” I left the end of the sentence hanging, none of my rescuers seemed particularly keen on naming their boon. Div spoke up, “Your Highness, forgive me, but it is incorrect to say that you are in my debt. I swore an oath when I became a guard, and another when I joined the House Guard. I’m duty-bound. And, not to put too fine a point on it, but I was assigned to your security detail that night anyway.” I drew up an eyebrow. Royal Favor wasn’t something so easily attained, nor would it be easy to dismiss. Before I could speak, Carnelian put in her two cents, “I have to agree with my colleague. I was the closest city guard on duty. Any of the city guards would have done the same.” Briefly, both eyebrows were raised. Settling down to a more neutral expression, I crossed one forehoof over the other. “I am within my rights to Knight all three of you, you know. The Head of the House of the Night is also the head of several orders of chivalry.” The guards paled, and the civilian beamed. Bruiser poked his red-coated father. “How does Sir Bruiser sound?” Life Story looked equal parts pleased and dismayed. “The more usual custom I think is just an award for bravery.” Nodding, I turned to smile at Joe before facing them again. “I’ll have to discuss this further with my aunts, of course. Luna in particular would know what our House’s highest civilian and military awards would be.” Life’s eyes flashed. “The Great Lunar Crescent and the Moon Medallion. I came across mention of those awards in some records from the Crystal Empire.” I nodded. Leave it to a writer to find the most obscure bit of information. “Then we’ll set a date for a proper award ceremony. Before that, I also am inviting you to a little get-together at the palace. And I think I’ll have another opportunity to discuss with you by then as well.” I said, eyes resting on the two guardsponies. “You’re too kind, Your Highness,” Div demurred. I resisted the urge to laugh. Kindness was not an element I’d ever been accused of having before. Well, at least not earnestly. “My thanks to you again, may you have a safe return.” The four ponies bowed and departed. “Do I even want to know what you’re planning?” Joe asked. “Right now all I’m planning is to have you wheel me to the door, walk to the carriage and go home to Luna’s wing of the palace,” I replied. “Well, then let’s get you downstairs and out the door.” He got behind and steered the chair out and to the elevator. Passing the nurse’s station on the ground floor, we nodded and waved to the head nurse. Thankfully, we reached the door without any issues and I set hoof on the pavement. A handsome, yet reasonably appointed carriage awaited. Aside from the armored PLHG members pulling it, it could have belonged to anypony. Joe helped me in, a gallant if unnecessary gesture. Stepping in after me, he closed the door and we were off. “Are you still worried about your face?” Joe asked bluntly. I sighed, realizing he’d picked the perfect moment to ask. I couldn’t go anywhere. “Yes,” I replied sullenly. If everything didn’t hurt unless I used a neutral expression, I’d have pouted. Mentally, I took stock of how I looked. It had only been every twenty minutes that I’d fussed with the three bandages on my face. One bandage on my forehead that covered a nasty looking abrasion, another on my right cheek covering a nasty looking cut, and a third on my chin to cover a small, yet nasty looking split. Thankfully, they were able to use a high quality medical grade glue to seal the cuts and covered the abrasion in a mix meant to encourage healing and decrease scarring. “I’ve been beaten up before. And if anything does become permanent, I could always use a bit of creative makeup to conceal it. Or a glamour spell to cover it.” I’d rehearsed that in my head all morning. It was as much to convince myself as it was to convince others. Joe, of course, was not convinced. His eyes communicated that, even though he didn’t say anything. I’d have to remember to train him to school his features in public. His face was too honest. He shook his head and changed the subject “I looked at the papers this morning. Only the mention of two unicorns fighting two guards, one city and one PLHG, made it in to the third page. No mention of an attempted kidnapping. Or princenapping.” Shrugging, I made a guess. “Aunt Luna must have pulled a few strings to keep it quiet. The last thing the Crown or the Guard needs at the moment is the idea that the royalty isn’t safe.” “So, is the royalty safe?” Joe asked. I looked outside. The buildings of the Corona District passed by; the Supreme Court, the School for Gifted Unicorns, The Royal Guard Command Center. “Nopony is ever truly safe. But I will definitely be smarter. I think it’s time I had my own dedicated guards.” “Aren’t the Princess Luna House Guards yours as well?” Joe asked. I shook me head. “I don’t mean forming a full-sized unit. Two guards, two shifts during the week. Shorter shifts when I stay at the palace and longer if I stay with you. As long as you don’t mind having two guards around.” Joe shrugged. “You’re the loud one in bed.” In spite of the pain, I laughed. My face burned from embarrassment at the thought. “Well, we’ll have to work something out. Maybe have them patrol around the yard.” Joe smirked and before I could cut him off, he interjected, “And what if we want to do it in the yard?” We both laughed at that. “Alright, enough. You’re going to break my face. Besides, when have we ever done that outside?” Joe moved over and put a hoof around my shoulders. “There’s always time for a first.” I placed a hoof on his chest and pressed down. “You’re incorrigible. Just awful, you know?” “I know. And I know you love it.” Luckily, the carriage came to a stop at one of the side entrances closest to Luna’s wing of the palace. At the top of the stairs leading to the entrance, Dr. Turner waited. He had his nose in a clipboard of notes. I steeled myself for the onslaught of duties I had to go through to get to my suite. “Alright doctor, lay it on me. What have I got to do?” I asked, mostly failing to keep the exhaustion from my voice. Dr. Turner looked up and smiled. “Not a thing, Your Highness. I’ve taken a few liberties with regards to your schedule. Your aunt’s flower blooms tomorrow.” “Speaking of which, I need you to make sure my rescuers and their guests are on the list for that gathering.” “Your aunt told me the same thing. It’s handled. I’ve also made sure to cover any expenses they would incur from last night, which wasn’t much considering they were guards and the son of a guard. But they got a carriage ride home as well, on you. You’ve been invited to a junior boxing tournament neit month. That came from the head of the boxing commission. Bruiser will be competing that night, but we’ve been asked to keep it a surprise.” “That’ll be fun. Anything else?” Turner nodded his head. “Just two more things. I’ve blacked out your schedule for the next three days except for that Her Royal Highness Princess Luna requires your presence tonight to discuss your security. And of course the flower watching tomorrow night.” I nodded. “I have a few ideas for her already on that security note. Thank you, Dr. Turner.” Turner nodded his head at me and stepped aside. The guard at the door opened it for Joe and I. A Princess Luna’s House Guard just inside the door fell into step with us at a respectful distance. It seemed my security would be tight even in the palace. My suite in Luna’s Wing had a PLHG posted at the door. “There isn’t another one of you in my bathroom, is there?” The guard looked at me strangely and then looked forward. “No, Your Highness. Until further notice, there are to be two guards at your door when you occupy it. When you leave, one guard will accompany you.” “I noticed as much already. Are you supposed to open the door for me or is this one okay for me to touch?” The guard behind me made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snort. I turned to look at him. “Excuse me, Your Highness. The door has been magicked to only allow you to open it. Just place a hoof on the door and it will open for you.” I tapped the door and it opened, glowing softly golden. “Thank you, guardsponies. As you were.” Leading Joe inside, the door closed itself behind us.