The Humble Prince

by Lighting Ace


The First Steps (Edited By YB, CC And GT4)

After finishing reading yet another love letter addressed to her while eating some blueberry ice cream from a bowl, the Princess of the Night yawned in exhaustion, stretched her body, fluttered her wings, and smacked her lips together. Her regalia was already removed and set aside for maximum comfort.

Contrary to what her citizens or even her sister knew, the Princess of the Night actually enjoyed some of her sister’s sun’s rays before calling it a day, just as much as a pony would enjoy a part of her night before heading to bed. She simply didn't have much to do and looking after the dreams of her subjects often required a lot of effort on her part. So, by the time her duties were over, there wasn't much energy left in her.

To spend what little of her time remained she often tried to distract herself with some nice reading, some origami, or, as it was in this case, a nice laugh at pretenders wanting to mask their underlying wishes for power or money, disguising them as love letters. They believed that one thousand years of isolation had somehow made Princess Luna naive in the game of politics.

Oh, this one is by far the best. This stallion didn't even know how to write a love letter. It is, word for word, a poem I myself wrote five or six hundred years before my banishment… and it was addressing my favorite ice cream flavor!

The princess chuckled at the utter lack of effort the pitiful noble had put into his letter. She yawned.

Well, I think that is enough humor for one night.

She crumpled the piece of paper and put her now empty bowl on her nightstand before settling onto her bed, using her magic to place a blanket on top of her. Her eyes were already beginning to grow heavy as her consciousness slowly faded away.

Unfortunately, before sleep could finally reach her, a loud knocking on the door woke her up with a scare, making her leap up with a yelp and fall off her bed, her wings and legs getting tangled in the blanket in the process.

"Luna! Open the door! Open it now!" It was the voice of her fanatical, irritating sister calling for her on the other side. Luna growled and glared at the door as she stood up, untangling herself from the bedsheets and blanket.

“It’s ten in the bloody morning, sister. Equestria had better be under attack, or so help me…” she grumbled as she approached the door. "I hear you, Celestia! You can stop knocking now." She opened the door and looked at her sister, not even bothering to hide her anger. "Alright sister, where is the fire?"

Luna barely had a chance to process what was happening as her sister invited herself in and pulled her into a hug, spinning both of them around. "It happened, Lulu! It really happened! Our wish came true!" Celestia exclaimed in excitement as she continued to spin her poor sister around.

"Tia, unless you want me to vomit, I suggest you put me down this instant!" Luna grunted in both alarm and anger as she was starting to feel nauseous. Luckily for her, Celestia got the message and put her on the ground.

The moment her hooves touched the floor, the Princess of the Night tried to clear her head as she regained her bearings with a shake of her head. Mind free and clear she focused on her sister once more. "Now let's start this again, slowly. What is all the commotion and why couldn't it wait until night court?" she asked, crossing her front hooves.

The good spirit that possessed Celestia moments ago returned with a renewed vigor as she clapped her hooves in excitement. "Luna, the wish we made last night, do you still remember it?"

"Like it was eight hours ago, dear sister," Luna deadpanned.

"Well, it came true!" Celestia chirped. The joy she was feeling could be rivaled only by the Element of Laughter.

Luna, meanwhile, just kept staring at her, unamused. "Excuse me?"

"I know what you are thinking, Luna, but I swear it’s true! Blueblood is no longer the jerk you know. He is a completely different stallion!"

"…So, let me see if I got this right: you decided to disturb my carefully planned sleeping schedule by marching into my room and spinning me like a windmill without my consent for some kind of prank that our nephew is trying to pull on you?" Luna yawned. “Why am I still listening to this drivel when I could be in my sweet, blanketed paradise?”

"What?" Celestia glanced at her sister in bewilderment, just before she felt herself being teleported back out in the hallway just outside of the door to her sister’s room. A resounding thump and click confirmed Celestia’s suspicions: Luna actually had the nerve to lock her out!

"Do not buy his act, sister. He is trying to play you. Again,” Luna’s voice called out from beyond the door. “And please, don't wake me up unless Canterlot is actually under attack. Or if there’s pineapple for dinner, whatever…" Hoofsteps were heard on the other side of the wooden door, followed by telltale creeks of a bed frame, indicating that Luna had gone to bed.

Wow, was I really like that just a moment ago? Celestia thought to herself as she looked at the door with a measure of guilt. Oh, my poor nephew. It’s no wonder he passed out. I must have scared the fur off of him.

With a dejected sigh, Celestia decided to comply with her sister’s request and let her have some sleep. She couldn't actually blame Luna for being so grumpy. She, herself, would have been the same if Luna had barged into her room in the middle of the night. At the moment though, there were more urgent matters to attend to. Specifically day court, which, to her displeasure, was about to begin.

For now, she needed to perform her duties and hope that her nephew wouldn’t relapse into his old ways by the time Luna woke up. The clock is now ticking.


Meanwhile, in Blueblood’s room

The prince woke up with a groan. He sat up, bathed in the light from the open curtains shining onto his face. A few dull blinks of his eyes later he concluded that he was back in the same room where everything started.

"Good morning, Prince Blueblood.”

Looking to his right he saw a familiar looking purple maid cleaning the room with a feather duster that she floated through the air using her magic. "Did you sleep well?" she asked.

How is she…? Oh, right. Doctor Caliber told me magic exists here, Blueblood thought before answering.

 "Y-Yeah, I think so. Good morning to you too…Mist, was it?" he replied, his voice still raspy from sleep.

The maid nodded, approaching his side. "How are you feeling, my Prince? The doctor said that you should take things easy for a while.”

"I'm feeling better, thanks," Blueblood answered her with a smile. Then he blinked when a worrying thought entered his mind. "Is my mom still mad at me, Misty?"

Mist raised a curious eyebrow. "Misty?"

"Oh! Sorry, did I say something wrong?"

To his surprise, the maid only chuckled and shook her head. "Oh no, my Prince. It's just that I didn't expect you to give other ponies pet names. I really don't mind. In fact, I kind of like it. As for the princess, there is nothing to worry about. I’m sure she understands what is happening. She sends her apologies that she couldn't be here to greet you when you woke up." She put the feather duster away. "Also, for future reference, Princess Celestia is your aunt, not your mom.”

"Wait, really?" the prince asked her. "But her fur and mine are so similar."

"I know, right? I’ve heard some of the other staff joke that if you were to cover your mane and sit in front of her you would almost vanish," Mist chuckled.

Blueblood couldn’t help but join in on her merriment. "Well, we would certainly be doomed if we ever got lost in a snowstorm, huh?" he quipped.

Mist chuckles turned to laughter, more so out of the sheer ridiculousness of the situation. Just a few days ago she would have rolled her eyes at the prince’s ‘humor’, but now… Oh, to Tartarus with what Doctor Caliber said about helping recover his memories, I want this new Blueblood to stay!

Once their laughter died down, Mist looked at him again. "Anyway, Dr. Caliber told us that you lost all of your memories, right?"

Blueblood just sighed and looked down. "Yeah, I really can't remember a single thing, sorry. In fact, where are we right now?"

"In your room, my Prince," Mist answered. "And as for your lost memories, do not worry, my Prince. I assure you that everypony here in the castle will be more than happy to help you start over." Feeling a little daring, Mist placed a hoof on his shoulder. "You’re a fast learner, remember? Less than a day has gone by and you almost managed to walk by yourself!"

"Well, it might be because I have such a great instructor." Blueblood looked back at her, making her giggle and blush from embarrassment.

"Oh, you…" she started, and then an interesting idea entered her mind. "Would you like a tour of the castle? I can tell you what I know about Canterlot and it would be a good way for you to practice walking.”

"You know what, Mist, that sounds like a great idea," Blueblood responded with a nod before pulling the blankets away from him and, with shaky legs, managing to stand up. "Where should we start?"

"How about the royal gardens?” she offered. “They’re beautiful at this time of the day, with plenty of fresh air, and there are lots of different animals for you to see. My cousin calls it horticultural therapy."

"Sounds good to me. Lead the way, Misty," the prince chirped with excitement as he started to advance toward the door, wobbling on his hooves and almost losing his balance on more than one occasion, until he finally got a steady rhythm.

Okay! I think I found the trick. It’s like walking on your hands and knees, more or less.

The prince nodded to himself and with some degree of difficulty managed to reach the door, with Mist close by in case he needed assistance.

Okay, so far so good. They think I have amnesia. I just have to keep playing along until I find a way home.

The prince nodded again. With growing determination and some navigation help from Mist, they made their way toward the gardens.


Meanwhile, at the train station

A tall, slender, pink alicorn with a tri-colored mane and tail, a small golden tiara on her head, golden horseshoes, and a golden, heart-shaped peytral stepped out of the train station, carrying a baby filly tucked against her with her right foreleg. Said baby was a light pink alicorn with a purple mane and tail featuring a blue streak through them. Once outside, the tall alicorn looked back with some exasperation.

"Shining Armor, please, I’m begging you, just let the guards take our luggage," she pleaded as a white unicorn with a blue mane and tail approached them, carrying four large and heavy suitcases on his back. He was struggling to maintain his balance as he walked.

"And I told you, Cadance, that our guards can’t…urgh…defend us if they’re too busy carrying our luggage. Besides, I can take this, n-no… p-problem…" he wheezed. It became apparent soon after that the weight was too much to bear and he collapsed unceremoniously on the train platform. The nearby guards chuckled, already used to this behavior from the royal couple.

Cadance rolled her eyes skyward. “Oh Celestia, give me strength… or give my little Shiny more strength.” she murmured before using her magic to levitate their luggage and handing it to the guards, who nodded and took it away.

Shining groaned, displeased. "Caddy, why did you do that? I got…"

Cadance silenced him by giving him a quick peck on the lips. "I know you did, my strong, capable husband. But you’re a prince now and we have our own ponies for things like that." She then brought the filly in front of him. "And Flurry doesn’t want to give up sitting on her daddy’s back, right Flurry?"

Flurry, as expected, giggled and extended her tiny hooves to Shining, waiting to be picked up.

Shining couldn't resist the adorable sight and caved, gathering up his little filly and placing her on his back. "I just can't say no to those adorable eyes. They’re weapons of mass compliance, I tell you," he cooed with a smile, looking at Cadance. "And I know what you did just now."

Cadance surprised him with another kiss, feigning ignorance with a flutter of her eyelashes. "I don't know what you are talking about, dear."

"Suuure you don't," Shining replied with a roll of his eyes as they walked through the streets of Canterlot.

"Oh, I can't wait to see my auntie!" Cadance exclaimed in excitement, prancing along as they continued.

Shining laughed and shook his head at the display his wife was making. "I don’t doubt it. You didn't stop talking about it the whole way here. I think even the train conductor knows why we’re here.”

"Can you blame me? This could possibly be the first time Aunt Celly will be able to add a student exchange program at her school! You know it’s one of the most prestigious schools for magic in all of Equestria."

"It sure is," Shining agreed with a nod. "Although, I still think that we should have told her that we built our own school in the Crystal Empire when we first broke ground on the project."

"And ruin the surprise? Come on dear, where is your sense of mischief? Besides, she was probably too busy with the news of Twilight opening her own School of Friendship."

"Okay, point taken," Shining conceded as they kept moving. "I still find it funny that Twilight thought of building her own school only a couple of months after we opened ours.” He chuckled a bit. “It's almost like building a school is the new trend amongst royalty.”

"Are you sure you didn't mention it in a letter to her?" Cadance looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

Shining shook his head, perhaps a little too quickly. "My lips were sealed, I swear. I assure you it was a total coincidence. Completely and utterly.  My sister, the self proclaimed Princess of Books, opened a place of higher learning. Who would have thought?"

"Well, I still think it was very sweet of her," Cadance replied with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah, it sure was."

After their exchange, the royal couple continued their walk in blissful silence until they reached the castle. Unfortunately for them, they arrived at a poor time as Princess Celestia was busy attending day court and Luna was too tired to receive them properly. 

There was not much else for them to do other than unpack their things and wait for Celestia to finish her duties, so they made their way to the VIP guest chambers and began to unpack. With their luggage set aside, they decided to take a walk through the castle, mostly for nostalgia and so they could tell Flurry about all of the adventures they had when they lived in Canterlot.

"…And right here was when your father finally got the courage to give me his first kiss, Flurry,” Cadance finished telling the story of how she and Shining got together as they strolled through the royal gardens. They soon approached a cherry blossom tree, where they decided to rest in its shade.

"Oh, come on, Cadance, don’t lie to the kid. 'Finally got the courage'? That’s not how I remember it," Shining argued while he prepared to feed Flurry some apple sauce.

"You’re right, dear,” Cadance conceded with a giggle. Then she sent him a wicked smirk. “You also stuttered a lot. Oh, you were so cute back then,” She made an exaggerated face and deepened her voice. “P-P-Princess M-Mi Amore Cadenza, I was thinking, s-s-since this is our third d-date, May I have permission to, uh, could I…um give y-you a small k-ki…"

She would’ve continued had Shining not raised a hoof, his face beet-red. "Okay, I get it. In my defense, I had every right to be nervous. I was barely a recruit at the time and you had already become the Princess of Love!" he said lamely, much to his wife’s amusement.

"And you’re still just as adorable as you were back then and it was a very nice kiss," she said, stroking his ego a bit before backing away and serving herself some tea. "You know I'm just teasing you, honey." Cadance moved closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”

"Yeah, I know,” Shining chuckled. “I love you too."

They continued to cuddle until they heard hoof steps approaching. Shining looked up, his expression curious. "Do you think it’s Princess Celestia?" he wondered aloud.

"Probably. I did ask one of the guards to tell her where we were as soon as she was available," Cadance replied.

They turned around to see that it was instead Blueblood who was walking beside a maid. The royals instantly groaned in annoyance and looked away. Even Flurry was matching their faces. She did not like him ever since he declared her to be the ‘fruit of wasted royal blood' on her Crystalling. She didn’t understand the phrase, but she understood his tone.

"Ugh! What is he doing here?" Cadance hissed.

“Just ignore him, dear. Be still. I hear that monsters like him can only see things if they move," Shining whispered to her, doing his best to ignore the blue pest. Cadance and Flurry were doing the same until something caught the attention of the two royals that had them look at Blueblood again.

"…And then the three tribes decided to join forces and put their differences aside to build what is now known as Equestria," Mist finished her story as they came to a stop in front of an apple tree.

"Wow! And what happened to the Windigos? Are they still around?" Blueblood asked, words laden with curiosity, confusing the royal couple.

"From what I remember, the Hearth's Warming tale says they still exist beyond the Crystal Empire, on the other side of Mount Everhoof," Mist replied as Blueblood stood on his hind hooves to reach up and grab an apple.

Why is he not using his magic? Cadance wondered, growing even more confused as to what she is seeing. The rest of her family mirrored her expression and thoughts.

With a light chuckle and shake of her head, Mist helped the prince and picked the apple without him noticing. Blueblood cheered in success and dropped back on all fours. Before he had a chance to take a bite, a small bunny appeared from some bushes and looked at the prince and maid with pleading eyes.

Cadance expected the prince to shoo the critter away and just eat the apple but, to her surprise, he instead gave it a twist and split it in half The larger of which he offered to the bunny.

"Here you go, little guy."

The sight was enough to make all three of the royal family drop their jaws when they saw how he was being nice to another living thing. He was even petting it while it ate!

Changeling. It had to be.

The maid and prince turned around to leave, only to spy the royal family looking directly at them. Mist was pleasantly surprised at seeing the Princess of Love in the gardens, and wondered why she was here. Blueblood, meanwhile, resorted to the oldest and surest form of peaceful greeting any civilized creature in any universe could give: smile and wave.

"Oh, uh, nice day we are having?" he inquired of them before gathering up the bunny in his hooves, which added to the shock factor of the royals. When he received no response, he tilted his head to the side and added, “Um, hello? Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

That did it. While Cadance and Flurry continued to stare in shock at Blueblood, Shining fainted.