As the end of the day approached, Prince Blueblood gasped and tried to gather his breath before attempting the teleportation spell one more time. "Ok…okay I'm ready."
"Oh no, you are not!" Celestia scolded the stallion as she walked to him, the ring around the two looking like a war zone after their training. Ever since they started, the prince had put all of his effort into trying to master the teleportation spell, having success in taking and moving small objects around him with a radius of almost 30 miles. Unfortunately, when it came time to try it on himself, the magic kept short-circuiting and dispelling with a massive force before the spell could even begin, resulting in the prince being hit and tossed into the air as if a hot air balloon exploded in his face. Nevertheless, the prince persevered and continued trying, much to the displeasure of his aunt, whose worries kept growing with each failed attempt. "Blueblood, I told you, advanced spells have a higher risk of drawbacks, you can't force these things!"
"But auntie! I’ve almost mastered it!" Blueblood complained as Celestia put a wing on top of him.
“And you will in due time dear, you’re already making a lot of progress, and you can take solace in knowing that you managed to understand how to teleport objects without any problem." She faced him with a caring smile. "There is no shame in failing from time to time. That is why we are here, after all. Teleporting an object and teleporting a living being, especially yourself, are leagues apart when it comes to difficulty, so it is normal that you will need more time.”
She let him go and stood back. "Do not push yourself too hard, that never helps. Everything must come at the right time. Even Twilight needed years of practice before perfecting this spell." Celestia explained as she put everything back in order.
The prince just sighed in defeat at her words, wanting to argue back and try to cast the spell once more… and yet, he knew it was pointless at this point. His stamina was almost gone, and he didn't think that there was much magic left for him to spare.
Noticing his expression, Celestia brought his head up. "Let's stop for today. Tomorrow, we can continue."
That surprised him. "But auntie, your duties…"
"...Are on hold, I told you. We are on alert now; royal court and my regular duties have been cut in half. Besides, I’d rather get behind on some paperwork than force perfection on you; we all learn at our own speed." She told him with a smile, the prince just nodding and picking up the books while Celestia put her regalia back on, both heading back to the entrance.
As they walked, the prince opened the book on teleportation with some interest. "Even so, I'm still confused..." He told her before looking back at the book. "I keep doing everything the book tells me to do, so why isn't it working?"
"Perhaps it’s because you are looking at the problem all wrong," Luna replied, appearing at the entrance of the vault and taking the book away with her own magic. "Greetings, nephew."
"Aunt Luna!" Blueblood rushed to her and gave her a hug using his neck as she did the same.
"What are you doing up so early, sister?" Celestia asked, approaching the two with a raised eyebrow as Luna ended the hug.
"Early?" She reciprocated the same expression, before looking up and then looking at Celestia with a neutral expression. "Tia, it's almost time for you to lower your sun." Luna proclaimed, pointing up with a hoof.
"It is?" Celestia asked in shock as she looked up. "By my stars, it is! Did we really spend all day practicing magic?" Celestia couldn’t hold in her surprise.
Luna simply nodded. "You did, and left me to explain to the entire castle staff why you just vanished into thin air!" Luna exclaimed with a glare. "Honestly Tia, I understand that you want to start teaching magic to our nephew in secret. But if you’re going to do a disappearing act, you need to form a plan and give a reason why you were gone to our subjects."
"I'm so sorry Lulu, I really thought that Blueblood and I would only be there for a couple of hours at most,” Celestia responded with some embarrassment. "I suppose… time flew by without us noticing."
"Indeed it did." She then noticed the state Blueblood was in at the moment. The stallion’s mane was messy, he was practically covered in sweat, and was gasping occasionally while his horn was discharging sparks occasionally.
"By my stars Tia, what were you teaching our nephew? Transmutation magic?" Luna questioned with a worried tone as she turned to her sister with a raised eyebrow.
"It wasn't her fault, Aunt Luna," Blueblood explained. "Aunt Celly just wanted to teach me how to teleport myself, but I just couldn't do it at first. So I kept trying and... well, it looks like I overdid it."
"I see." Luna nodded before looking at Celestia with a neutral expression. "Let me guess, you wanted to stop him but he kept telling you that he could do it?"
Celestia could only chuckle nervously with some heat on her cheeks, making Luna sigh and shake her head. "Tia, you seriously need to learn when to say 'no.'" Luna told her in disappointment before turning around and heading towards the castle. "And you were worried about me teaching him how to use a flame sword...” she added under her breath before looking back. “Now let's go, sister, it’s time for me to bring the night and then meet Cadence and Shining at the train station."
Celestia nodded and closed the entrance of the vault before following, but before they walked too far, the prince rushed ahead of the two and got in their way. "Wait!" He told them before gasping for air from the sudden movement.
"Yes, nephew? What is it?" Luna wondered with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, I was wondering… since you are here already, would you please show me how you move the sun and moon here instead? Please, just this one time?" He asked them while scratching one of his hooves and trying his best puppy eyes on them.
The royal sisters looked at him for a moment before they smiled and approached the prince. "I am sorry nephew, perhaps another time." Luna apologized.
"Aww, why not now?" Blueblood asked in sadness.
"Because our ritual of lowering and raising the day and night is something special and powerful enough, that it would blind some pony if they caught a glimpse of it unprepared," Celestia explained. "That is why we have a special celebration for our citizens to look at us perform it. It's not only a tradition, it's also the only moment in the year where our celestial bodies are far away enough from the planet so they can't hurt anyone."
"Wow, it’s really that powerful?" Blueblood asked in shock at the revelation as Celestia nodded in confirmation.
"For a brief second, our bodies shine with the radiance of the stars we move, nephew. We even have to cast powerful shield spells on our rooms so that we don't accidentally obliterate them each time we end and start a day. A spell similar to the one we cast on Twilight when we had no choice but to relinquish our magic to her once." Luna continued. "I hope that this helps you understand why we can't just show you our daily ritual, much less when you are clearly this tired."
"Yeah, I get it now," He droned dully.
"Do not fret nephew, like my sister says, there is a day in the year where you can watch us perform our duties without any problem. When that day comes, you will have a front seat." Luna told him as she charged her horn. The prince was startled for a second when he saw his body being surrounded by magic. "For now though, why don't you go take a quick shower and then meet us at castle entrance? You wouldn't like to give your cousin a sweaty and smelly goodbye hug, would you?" Luna gave him a smirk, making the prince blush and look away with a smile.
"Yeah, that just sounds unpleasant for both sides..." Blueblood agreed as he is levitated back down. "Well, in that case, I will see you soon!" He waved goodbye to the two before being teleported back into his room, scaring Clean Breeze and Silver Treat, who were in the middle of a makeout session before his appearance.
"Your Highness!" Clean cleared her throat and stepped away from Silver before grabbing a feather duster and starting to work on a coffee table. "I-I-I was just, you know, cleaning the room a little."
"Uh, y-yeah, me too." Silver added as he started to make the bed, both doing their jobs at a rather fast pace.
The prince at first could only blink in surprise at the image before relaxing and chuckling. "Guys, guys, please..." He went to them and made them stop what they were doing, bringing them to the center of the room. "It’s okay, but you could have chosen a more secluded place to kiss. That being said, I will not get mad at some pony for an expression of true love."
Both maid and butler only kept staring at the ground, their faces red from embarrassment. The prince just shook his head and rolled his eyes at that. "I will pretend nothing happened, okay?"
"Celestia bless you, your highness;" Clean immediately bowed in appreciation.
"Don't mention it. Now go on, you lovebirds, before you get in real trouble with the head butler," He warned them with a smile as they nodded and trotted to his door. "Oh, and you better save me a piece of cake from your wedding, you hear me?" He joked as they left, suddenly freezing both ponies in place.
Silver was the first to recover and look back at him with an even redder face, but still managed to chuckle. "I'm not so sure my alpha mare is ready to add a new member to the herd, your highness," He declared with a chuckle as they both left.
"Herd?" The prince was left confused by that as he continued to ponder those words. "What’s a herd?" Blueblood asked mostly to himself as he closed the door and headed to his bathroom.
At Canterlot Train Station
"Please take care on your trip," Luna told her niece while hugging her.
"I will, Aunt Luna," Cadence responded with a smile.
"Are you sure it's best for you to leave? The list Fort gave us is a bit big... perhaps it will be better if you remain here until we can cross some of them off it." Celestia offer Shining, who was playing with Flurry, before he looked back at her.
"It’s okay, princess; it's not like we’re going back to the Crystal Empire or anything. We are simply going to pay a visit to my sister for a couple of days," Shining explained as Luna ended the hug, and then moved over to Shining Armor, bringing him into a hug while at the same time placing Flurry on her mother's back.
The whole thing caught Shining off-guard but nevertheless, he accepted the hug. Celestia noticed how Luna cast a charm spell on him. With a raised eyebrow, Celestia looked at her sister, who simply smiled and made a quick mental link.
Just in case.
Celestia rolled her eyes while Cadence continued. "Yeah, we will not be gone for too long, we will simply ask Twilight to look into you-know-what..." She subtlety gestured towards Blueblood. The princess, understanding the implication, nodded. "... and then we will return. Plus, she invited Flurry and me to see one of her friends’ magic acts. I think her name was Trixie. According to Twilight, her show is spectacular." She looked at the two of them with a smile.
"She is right. I myself have seen one or two of her shows before, and I can guarantee you that she is quite entertaining to watch."
"That is great to know," Cadence comment and they shared a quick hug.
After saying their goodbyes to the princesses, Cadence moved towards Blueblood with a smile.
"Well cousin, I hope things go better there than they did here," Blueblood mentioned with some guilt knowing that he more or less threw a wrench into her original plan when they arrived.
Cadence only rolled her eyes at that. "Blueblood, just shut up and come here," She ordered him, and open her arms for a hug.
Accepting her invitation, he went to complete the gesture. "Take care, Cadence."
"You too, Bluey," She chirped with a chuckle as they ended the hug. "And please, don't blame yourself for what happened. Yes, I'm sad that one of my cousins is gone…” She looked away in sadness before smiling again. “... but I'm glad that I had the chance to meet a new one. One that I hope to get to know better, once we resolve all this mess." She lifted his head with a caring smile, Flurry also hugging him and nuzzling his cheek.
"Nothing would make me happier, Caddy," Blueblood commented, touched by her words as they parted.
"All aboard," The train conductor called out, he himself on the verge of tears while looking at the family.
"Well, guess that’s our cue. We should be going now," Shining stated, picking up Flurry and boarding the train.
"We’ll see you all soon!" Cadence joined her family and waved goodbye before the door closed and the train began to churn and move to the end of the station.
The royal family waved goodbye until it trundled out of sight.
"And they there go..." Celestia mentioned with a sigh.
"Don't worry sister, I cast enough charms for them to easily walk through a war zone unharmed," Luna mentioned with confidence.
"Thank you, Lulu, that actually helps," She then looked up at the stars in wonder. "I just hope we can solve this mess quickly. All this talk about groups threatening to harm my family is really putting me on edge and I just want it to end."
"We will solve it very soon auntie, I'm sure of it," Blueblood reassured her with a smile, helping to calm her nerves.
"Thank you, nephew." At that moment, the three of their stomachs decided to grumble in unison, startling them and putting some heat on their cheeks.
"W-W-Well, since we’re all here now, what do you say about going out for some dinner?" Celestia inquired, being the first one to recover.
"I could go for something," Blueblood replied with a smile.
"Oh! Rarity once recommended me a very good and recently opened restaurant near here. The food can be a bit spicy, but she told me that it’s actually pretty good, not to mention actual regular food instead of those bunny bite that a lot of restaurants insist, 'it’s a real plate.'" Luna explained, making air quotes.
"Sounds good to me, I always enjoy trying something new.” Celestia then turned to Blueblood. “What do you say, nephew? Would you like to try out that restaurant?"
"Sure, sounds exciting!" The prince exclaims with a smile as the three royals walked back to the city with their soldiers waiting at the entrance, including Amber and Stellar, before heading to that new restaurant. As they walked, the prince remembered what Silver Treat told him and he looked back at Celestia. "Auntie, can I ask you something?"
"Sure Blueblood, what is it?"
"What’s a herd?" The prince asked innocently, but the moment he did, the princesses and his two personal guards stopped in their tracks and had a thousand mile stare.
"Auntie?" The prince poked her side, worried as to why she suddenly froze.
Little did they know that a familiar unicorn mare with light pink fur and a red mane also took notice of his question. She was casually drinking some tea at a nearby coffee shop.
My sweet prince charming hasn't even had 'the talk'? She thought in surprise before glaring for a second at Celestia. Princess Celestia, how could you?! Depriving him of such a wonderful and magical experience... She suddenly smiled and licked her lips as she looked back at the prince. Don't you know how vulnerable that leaves him for predators?
"Uh, E-e-excuse me, miss Lips?" The voice of a stallion caught her attention, and when she turned, on her left, the mare found a teenager earth pony stallion probably no older than 15 years old, with blue fur, a basketball cutie mark, a spiky green mane and tail, and a sports jacket, holding a single red rose in his right hoof and a copy of one of her books in his left. He was shaking like a leaf and sweating bullets while trying to form a sentence.
Smiling at the display, Scarlet turned around and waited patiently for the stallion to collect his thoughts. Said stallion had just mustered up the strength to speak up when she raised her hoof.
"Stop." Standing up, Scarlet took a step toward the poor pony, making him flinch and back away. "I'm so sorry honey, but it would never work, you are not mature enough for me." She apologized to him with a small smile and noticed how the poor stallion’s ego deflated in front of her, the pony looking down and appearing to be on the verge of tears.
"Oh, don't be so sad. You showed bravery just by the approach with this flower." She mentioned, stroking his ego as she took the rose. The stallion looked at her in shock as she glanced at him with slightly closed eyes. "So to show my appreciation for such bold fan, I will give you a hell of a consolation prize." She put the rose in her mane and very slowly approached his ear before whispering things to him so intense, the stallion’s face was almost starting to shine for how red it was becoming.
Once done, Scarlet gave his cheek a small kiss and took his book and a quill from her purse, before sighing, using her lipstick as ink. "You have an alpha mare, sweet cheeks?" She asked the stallion, who slowly shook his head no, still pretty shocked with what was happening.
"Oh, we can't have that, can't we?" She faked surprise before using her magic to turn him around and give him the book back. "See that nice mare at the counter?" She pointed at the bartender. "Go there and tell her exactly what I told you."
The stallion slowly nodded as he walked over to the bar, mostly reacting instead of thinking. Scarlet chuckled at the display.
Oh, sometimes it’s just that easy, She thought as she shook her head and paid for her drink, before leaving the establishment.
And now, it’s time for mommy to hunt her prince... She mused with a predatory smile, walking in the direction the royal family went with a sway of her hips.