"But, Auntie," the petulant voice drones against the clop of hooves on polished marble, "Why do I have to learn about the Griffon Republic? Nopony ever goes there! And they hate us!" Prince Blueblood punctuates his statement with a shake of his head, his amber mane billowing out in his golden aura. The hairs twist, wrapping around themselves as they lay down, now securely braided against his neck.
"Because, Lunaris," Princess Celestia says, her patient voice explaining for the second time that hour, "It is no longer the Griffon Republic. It is now the Griffon Empire. Wait." Princess Celestia sighs, a hoof massaging the headache she knows will be coming. "That was the name before. They are the Griffon Kingdom now. The griffons that are coming into power are creating a whole new system of government, and it would behoove us to gain early allies with them, if only to influence their policies to be more favorable to ponies." Princess Celestia follows the white unicorn around another bend in the castle corridors, a body length behind her nephew.
The ambiance of the castle shifts as they continue descending, polished marble giving way to utilitarian stone and rough carved doorways. The two arrive at one of the lower level storerooms. Lunaris Blueblood scoffs, kicking at the tile as he opens the door to the armory, then inspecting his hoof for any scuff marks. "And why should I care? Once a race of uncouth barbarians, always a race of uncouth barbarians. I heard they ate the last pony who had the misfortune of venturing into their lands."
"Yes, while that may be true, it was several months ago, with the previous regime. In fact, it was the main catalyst, the reason that the coup happened." Princess Celestia sighs, standing just outside the door, "But the reason I have for choosing you is because, my dear nephew, I can think of nopony more suited to spread the fires of friendship with the Griffons than you." Princess Celestia's smile increases, the corners of her mouth drawing up. It is not a forced smile, merely one honed from hundreds of years of trying to convey exactly how hopeful she is that one of her friendship lessons, quite possibly the most important lessons a pony can learn, would be taken seriously. Not that it has worked in the past.
"You are joking." Lunaris states as he ignores her smile. Princess Celestia shakes her head as she stops in the hallway. Lunaris enters the armory first, a curt nod to the private on duty.
The gray earth pony mare stops doodling as the unicorn opens the door. She initially snaps to attention, a fast salute to the Prince. He undoes his bow tie as she relaxes; the Prince cares little for decorum when he is merely there to check out his rapiers. In fact, he is stripping out of the rest of his suit in front of her! Her eyes widen, drifting to the stallion's toned flanks as he practically struts past her. He is either uncaring about her leering stare or adoring the attention; it can be hard to tell which, given his general lack of reaction to the lower ranked mares. Or the noble mares, for that matter. The honed muscles underneath the pure white coat, thicker than many of the earth pony mares in the guard, the kind of muscles that one gets from years of training, and hours and hours of-
Private Aspide gasps, barely more than half a breath, as Princess Celestia rounds the corner. She scrambles back to attention, bringing her hoof to her head. The alicorn's voice and hooves never echo in the halls, and this trait makes it particularly difficult to keep tabs on the sole ruler of Equestria. Private Aspide repeats the salute, crisp and to the letter this time. Alas, the quarter second delay in Princess Celestia's nod of acknowledgement reveals all she has to say. The other guards had warned her to not relax when on duty, and here she is, caught staring at the royal flank in front of the Princess!
Princess Celestia implores from the entry, "Please, my nephew, at least consider it." He grunts in return, the soft 'schwing' of metal quickly withdrawn from a scabbard. The sound distracts the guard, the slight turn of her head to watch Prince Blueblood inspecting the golden one of his two rapiers. She gulps as she turns back to attention, realizing that, once again, Princess Celestia is watching her break protocol. Princess Celestia's eyes continue to stare at Aspide as the alicorn walks to the door, the sound of her hoofsteps vanishing as she leaves the room.
"Everything appears in order," the Prince flatly announces as he walks up to the desk. An impatient cough breaks the earth pony's concentration again, glancing over to the Prince. "Normally," he drawls, pulling the requisite form out himself, a quill levitating to the air, "One salutes the Princess and goes back to do whatever it is they are supposed to be doing."
"O- Of course, your Highness," Aspide stammers, glancing at the completed form sliding in front of her. She grabs her stamp, everything in order, and files the paper away, brushing past her earlier doodles. Which may or may not have been of a certain stallion...
"Sadly, I am not 'Your Highness'," Prince Blueblood says with a heavy sigh, "And never will be. Private Aspide." His hoof taps impatiently against the floor, a metronome counting the seconds he is forced to wait.
"Um, Prince Blueblood." She stares up at the unicorn, his gaze boring into her, the steady tap of his hoof unrelenting.
His throat clears as he stares back, his cold tone finally uttering, "Is this your first day? Am I cleared to leave or not?"
Private Aspide nods furiously, "Ye- Yes, ma'am, have a good day!"
"Unlikely." Prince Blueblood strides out of the armory, the long canvas bag along his side containing his two enchanted rapiers. He quickly walks out, unerringly traveling the winding corridors. Suits of armor, stained glass windows, and decorative trinkets pass by without a glance until he pauses at one of the windows, a quiet inhale as he hears her voice outside in the courtyard.
"Sunshine, Sunshine, Ladybugs Awake! Clap your Hooves and Do a little Shake!"
The courtyard, like all courtyards located inside Canterlot Castle, is overflowing with life. The entire area is verdant, despite the winter chill. Tall green grass and trees still with their full complement of leaves, a few flowers peeking out from the branches. A brown path cuts through the grass, though no coat would ever get dirty from walking along the enchanted trail. A bubbling fountain in the center, the crystal clear waters continually churning through the statue of Clover the Clever.
He peers from his vantage point, and there she is. The newly ascended Princess Cadance, the Joyful Princess, the Princess of Love. Her beautiful mane, chromatic like Auntie's, yet colors all her own. Engaging in some sort of game with one of the more promising applicants to Celestia's private school. A smile slowly grows on his muzzle as he watches the two play, scampering back and forth in the fields. He could watch her for hours.
His mind quickly glowers; and that is all he will ever do. Nopony has been a consort to a Princess in three hundred years. He starts to pull away, but cannot. There she is, such a perfect example of a pony. Smart; one might say brilliant in her studies, and not just of magic. Joyful, which almost goes without saying. Kind and loving to everypony around her. Always willing to sacrifice, no matter the cost to herself. She would never break her word, and her words are always true.
His smile, which has grown more and more forced while he watches the Princess, finally turns to a frown. He huffs as he departs from the window, an unhappy growl growing in his chest when he notices a flash of movement from the courtyard. He stops, looking back; Princess Cadance is waving to him, a wide smile as she tries to catch his attention. His smile, genuine this time, spreads across his muzzle as he waves back, a slight shake of his mane that always catches a mare's attention, though the effect is somewhat ruined by the braid.
Princess Cadance giggles as she watches him from across the courtyard, the two staring at each other for several long seconds before a splash pulls her away. Young Master Sparkle is playing in the fountain again. Princess Cadance sighs, a regretful smile and reluctant wave at the Prince as she goes to collect her charge, the young mare merely trying to inspect the statue from just a little closer than everypony else does.
Prince Blueblood stares for a few seconds longer before he withdraws from the window, another shake of his head. There she is, beautiful as the morning dawn, and yet as unattainable as the same. There would be no mornings in her warm embrace, no late nights spent staring at the stars and his namesake together, and no fifty third removed relatives of Auntie Celestia. Not with her.
The Prince's demeanor grows as cold as the enchanted steel strapped to his side as he makes his way to the training ground. The two guards on duty salute, Prince Blueblood returning a brief nod in acknowledgement as they return to parade rest. His golden aura, befitting any nobility and matching the compass on his flank, surrounds his pure white horn. His gold hilted rapier, Gilded Graze, slides out of its sheath. The bag, containing his second rapier, rests against the outer wall to the arena as he spots his sparring partner, the one pony who he could go all out on and not worry about injuring. Well, besides Auntie Celestia, of course.
Corporal Shining Armor is meditating, his horn alight. He is resting all four hooves on a single pink shield and levitating three inches off the ground. The shield slowly shifts, breaking into four pieces, each under one of his hooves. He stands, dropping to the ground as each section winks out, one at a time. He stretches, a crack from his neck as he bends one way, then another. His front legs drop to the ground, then his hind legs, finally saying as he completes his stretches, "Good morning, Lunaris."
Lunaris Blueblood's horn shines, his rapier slipping back and forth, a complicated dance through all three axes of revolution. "Is it?"
"Well, it is a beautiful day to go for a walk, and Twily enjoyed getting to spend some more time with her big brother," Shining Armor says with a grin, two pink forms bursting into being next to him. They widen and flatten, a six pointed star emblem appearing in the center of the pink kite shield, a perfect match for his cutie mark. "Practicing offense or defense?"
"Defense today, starting with horn." Lunaris begins stretching his hooves, a few quick lunges from side to side. He glances up, seeing three regally clad mares watching the two from a nearby window. He grins at them, a brief wink before he turns back to Shining Armor, his muzzle turning hard. He hates having to keep up appearances, muttering to himself, "Sycophants," and then in a louder voice at Shining Armor, "Ready."
"Ugh, I hate playing offense. Are you okay with me using shields for this?" At Lunaris' nod one of the pink shields rushes forward, attempting to clobber his right side. The rapier lashes out, parrying the shield as the second shield attacks his head. A fast slash between the two cuts the second shield in half, both pieces falling to the ground. Lunaris turns his attention back to the first shield, only to grunt in pain as the two halves reform and slam into his chest.
Lunaris staggers, trying to catch his breath, waving a hoof as Shining Armor starts to walk over. He grunts out, "I hate that move, by the way. No other unicorn can manipulate his shields so precisely as to feign them being destroyed."
"And here I thought you'd be used to seeing it by now," Shining Armor smirks. He pauses, a glance over to the canvas bag leaning against the wall, one hoof unconsciously coming to his head and rubbing his horn, "Now, you aren't going to use Ward Pierce to even it up, are you?"
"I would think it quite unsporting to use in a sparring match," Lunaris says, getting back to his hooves. "I believe you cursed me out the first and only time I used it." He beckons with his rapier, taking a ready position.
Shining Armor rolls his eyes, "Yes, and Princess Celestia did not care for the language at all. Said it was very unbecoming of a Sergeant." The two pink shields move forward again, the rapier again parrying the shields, though they stay intact this time.
"Is that why she busted you down to Corporal? I thought it was because you tricked Master Sparkle into turning her cakes into potted plants." The rapier pierces through one shield, dragging it into the other one. Both shields burst into a shower of pink sparks, reforming next to Shining Armor.
"What? She's always telling Twily to eat all her greens. I merely prompted my sister to return the favor." Shining Armor chuckles, "Well, that might have had been the manticore's share of the why. Yes, the language was the rest." Shining Armor returns to the offensive, a different pattern of attacks as the shields flank Lunaris, twirling to opposite sides. The rapier seems to hesitate, trying to decide which shield to defend from as they both rush forward. The rapier blocks the shield going for his head, the second shield slapping Lunaris's flank with a loud 'thwack' and knocking the Prince to the ground. Shining Armor pauses, "Are you doing all right? You seem a bit distracted, normally I don't get two hits out of three."
Lunaris utters a curse under his breath as he gets up, bouncing up and down on his sore flank. "Yes, well, I do believe I am feeling a little under the weather. Do you mind taking a break? Come back in thirty minutes? I think I will practice hoof then."
"Very well, Lunaris. I do hope you feel better." Shining Armor nods to Lunaris, the aura around his horn disappearing as he walks off.
Prince Blueblood looks up to the three mares tittering in the window. He flashes a brief smile as his retrieval bag teleports to his side. The golden rapier joins its cobalt hilted sister, the Prince glowering now that his muzzle is out of their view. Nothing more than good for nothing aspiring nobles, interested in him for nothing more than his position. Or maybe his chiseled flank. Lunaris sighs; not like Princess Cadance. She cares nothing for titles, she would be a devoted and faithful partner, she-
Lunaris rounds the next corner, his hooves skidding to a stop as he spots Princess Celestia waiting for him. Or at least waiting in the corridor for something. He brusquely nods his head to her, "Auntie."
Princess Celestia's voice lilts as she returns the nod, "Nephew. Have you thought more on my offer?"
"I'm sorry, Auntie Celestia, but ambassador to the Griffons?" Prince Blueblood grimaces, his lips turning up in disgust, "I do not feel it would be a good fit for me at all."
"Have you so little faith in my understanding of my little ponies?" Princess Celestia asks, one eye raising. "I didn't think you of all my subjects would have lost confidence in your Sun so quickly."
Prince Blueblood sighs, a downcast look as he shakes his head from side to side. "No, Auntie, I am sorry. You know your little ponies as well as you know your Sun. I just... I just cannot see myself going there. The sights, the sounds. The smells. I cannot stand the food that Gustave makes you whenever you are interested in trying some more authentic. What will it be like when they aren't making something 'ponified' just for you?"
Princess Celestia sighs, taking a single step towards her nephew. "Is there nothing that can be done, nothing to convince you that this will work for the best?"
"Well, n..."
Before Prince Blueblood can finish his thought, his mind turns to earlier that day. He gets a far off look in his eyes, his brain playing images of Princess Cadance dancing. But not with Master Sparkle; instead, a cohort of their own foals, frolicking around in the castle courtyard. Perhaps a young Solaris, the pure white filly dancing around her pink dam. He grins; perhaps even falling in the same fountain. Or, if he is less fortunate, a junior Lunaris, the colt wrestling with his younger siblings. He closes his eyes, dispelling the image, a heavy sigh before he almost starts talking again.
"I have seen the way you look at her," Princess Celestia calmly states. She is no longer staring at Prince Blueblood, her body turned towards the courtyard Princess Cadance had been playing in. "She is exceptional, is she not?"
"And more." Prince Blueblood grunts, a pained look in his eyes, "But, alas, s-"
"One date."
Prince Blueblood looks up, confusion plain on his muzzle. "Excuse me?"
"I will arrange one date between you and Princess Cadance." Princess Celestia nods, her pleasant smile belying her calculated request, "But, in return, you must do this assignment. No, more than that, you must become the pony that everypony would expect a Princess to court. No more gallivanting off into the night, picking fights with the street gangs and testing one horn against five. No skipping out on attending the balls and celebrations and ceremonies. You must embrace your position as befitting a noble family, and, more importantly, your potential position as The Prince."
"Prince?" the unicorn scoffs, looking up at Princess Celestia. "But I already am prince."
"You are a prince, nephew, yes. But you are not The Prince."
"The Prince?" he asks, a few seconds before understanding dawns across his muzzle. "You mean... The Prince?"
"Yes. The likes of which Equestria has never seen."
Prince Lunaris Blueblood stares at the ground for several seconds before his eyes, hungry with desire, look up at Princess Celestia. "I'll do it. What do you require of me?"
"For your first task, I will send you the dossiers of all the nobles who will be in attendance at tonight's garden ball. You will find out one item about each of them that is not covered in those dossiers, and without any of them suspecting you have an ulterior motive."
Lunaris stares blankly for a few seconds before he grimaces, "I may need to cancel my spar with Shining Armor."