//------------------------------// // 569 - Marriage of Ideas // Story: Lateral Movement // by Alzrius //------------------------------// For Starlight Glimmer, the last thirty-six hours had been a whirlwind of activity. After accepting Twilight’s offer, becoming the Princess of Friendship’s official student (the first one, Spike had told her later), she’d spent the rest of that evening getting to know how six ponies whose backgrounds, personalities, and cutie marks were all so wildly different could be best friends. Though “getting to know” them might have been a bit of a stretch; she’d actually spent most of that time listening to them talking about how some magic map had sent them to Vanhoover in the first place – to find her, according to Twilight – which had then spun off into tales of their adventures together. From rediscovering the Elements of Harmony together to saving the Crystal Empire to going on danger-filled journeys to other dimensions, the things those ponies had been through together had bordered on unbelievable, and by the time Starlight had settled down for the night in one of the sleeping cars her head had been spinning. Even so, she’d been out like a light as soon as she’d closed her eyes. As it turned out, realizing that the philosophy you’d spent most of your life following was flawed (to put it nicely) could be pretty exhausting. Admitting that she’d been so wrong had been a bitter pill to swallow, but with the proof of it right in front of her eyes, it had been impossible to deny. Just a few hours in the company of Twilight and her companions made it clear that the six of them were the closest of friends – and, in the case of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, more than that – the same way Starlight remembered being with Sunburst. But what had affected her most was the way that seeing such genuine friendship up close, rather than recalling it through the blurred lens of distant memories, had driven home just how poor of a friend she’d been to the ponies in her village, despite her earnest desire to do right by them. It had been a thoroughly depressing experience, and when she’d woken up the next morning, Starlight had felt too ashamed of herself to get out of bed. She’d only gotten up because Twilight had eventually come to check on her, coaxing her into coming to breakfast. Where her teacher’s friends had been waiting to throw her a surprise party. That had been Pinkie’s work, it had turned out. The hyperactive mare had somehow sensed that Starlight would be feeling down, and had gotten up extra early to coordinate with the train staff and the other passengers to get the dining car all to themselves in order to throw a party in honor of her new friend. That she’d somehow found balloons, streamers, a piñata, and other party supplies sufficient to decorate the entire car was a mystery Starlight still hadn’t figured out. Nor had Pinkie been the only one eager to celebrate her. Applejack had raided the train’s food supplies in order to whip up some apple-flavored treats for the occasion. Fluttershy had cajoled several birds who’d been flying near the train to come inside, conducting them as they sang in harmony. Rarity had insisted that turning over a new leaf deserved a new outfit, and had made her promise to stop by the boutique she ran once they got to Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had had likewise promised to take her to see the Wonderbolts the next time Cloudsdale drifted by, and the horrified face she’d made when Starlight had confessed to not knowing who the Wonderbolts were had put everypony to laughing. The only one missing had been Spike, who as it turned out had been stuck with “Blueblood duty” (something which, Starlight had been amused to learn, he’d agreed to only because Rarity had batted her eyes at him; apparently the little guy had a thing for her despite being Soft Mane’s boyfriend). By the time the party had finished – concluding with a group hug – Starlight’s depression had been completely gone, replaced by gratitude toward the ponies who had rescued her in more ways than one. The rest of the day had been spent on talking with her new friends, and this time Starlight had done more than just listen, opening up about her life and the decisions she’d made. It had been surprisingly easy to admit her many mistakes, knowing that the ponies she was talking to wouldn’t judge her for what she’d done wrong. It was, Starlight had come to realize, the exact opposite of what had happened with Lex Legis. Whereas Twilight had seen how heartbroken she was and been moved to help, selflessly reaching out to her again and again, Lex had mocked her in her grief. Starlight could still remember the way the coldhearted unicorn had smiled when the ponies from her village had rejected her, jeering as he’d condemned her for her failings. That he’d intended to curse her afterward only drove home how cruel Equestria’s newest prince was. Twilight must have felt the same, because as the day had neared its end, she’d brought up the need to report what had happened to the Royal Sisters (though Spike’s begging her not to make him babysit Blueblood anymore might have had something to do with it). After a brief discussion with the rest of them, she’d decided that a letter wouldn’t be sufficient, and given the gravity of what Lex’s royal status could mean for Equestria, it behooved her to teleport to Canterlot to speak to Celestia and Luna in person. Starlight had volunteered to go with her, as had Blueblood…though in his case it hadn’t been so much “volunteered” as “cried and begged.” With their plan decided upon, Twilight had gathered everypony around her the next morning and teleported them all back. It hadn’t been instantaneous, needing to make several “hops” before arriving at Ponyville – pausing just long enough to wave goodbye to Spike and her friends as they’d headed home – taking a deep breath to gather her courage before teleporting them straight to Canterlot Castle… “Twilight, I can’t believe you did something so foolish.” Despite how gently Princess Celestia delivered her rebuke, Twilight still cringed. “I know! I’m so sorry! I should never have agreed with Lex’s demand that if he won the duel he’d become a prince!” Still wearing the same stern expression she’d had during Twilight’s hurried explanation of what had happened in Vanhoover, Celestia shook her head. “I don’t mean the terms of your duel, Twilight. I mean that you put yourself at grave risk by fighting Lex Legis, and on your own no less.” “But the rules…” protested Twilight weakly. “Twilight.” Extending one wing, Celestia features softened as she gently placed it under the younger alicorn’s chin, making her look up at her directly. “I know you think that he’s an honorable pony, but Lex isn’t trustworthy. He could very well have killed you during that duel and claimed it was an accident, much like how he evaded responsibility for what happened to Luna’s guard.” Twilight winced, but didn’t have a chance to argue before Starlight spoke up. “Your Highness?” When the elder princess looked her way, Starlight gulped, plunging ahead before she could lose her nerve. “With all due respect, Twilight would have won that duel if you hadn’t sent her a letter at the worst possible time.” “Starlight!” squeaked Twilight, horrified. “Th-that’s right!” blurted Blueblood, leaping to his hooves. It was the latest of a series of interruptions that he’d made while Twilight had told the princesses what had happened. Each time, Princess Celestia had shushed him, leaving him whining and fretting like a foal being told that he had to wait a little longer before opening his Hearth’s Warming presents. “That fiend taking away my title is partially your fault, Auntie Celestia!” Despite his words, Blueblood’s tone wasn’t accusatory in the least, too filled with desperation to let anything else leak in. “So please, make me a prince again!” “You shouldn’t be so upset, nephew,” ventured Luna, who had been largely silent up until that point. “As distressing as it may be to lose your crown, Lex Legis could have done far worse to you had he wished.” Starlight saw pained looks cross Celestia and Twilight’s faces then, and she was sure she must have looked the same. Hearing about what Lex had done to Luna had been one thing, but actually seeing it was something else. It was enough to send a shudder down her spine, knowing that if it hadn’t been for Fluttershy, Soft Mane, and Pixie, she’d be laboring under a curse of her own right now. Blueblood, however, seemed incapable of that level of empathy. “I don’t care that it could have been worse!” he yelled. “I want somepony to make it better! Right now!” His eyes filling with tears, he looked at Celestia again. “Auntie, please!” For a moment Celestia scowled, but the expression lasted for only a moment before she sighed, a mournful expression crossing her face as she shook her head. “I’m sorry, Blueblood. I can’t restore what Lex Legis has taken from you.” Her pronouncement rocked Blueblood back on his hooves. For a moment all he could do was gape at her, his eyes wide and jaw hanging open before he glanced around the room, as if waiting for someone to tell him that the princess was joking. When no one did, he turned back to Celestia, managing to find his voice again. “B-but, but, you’re…you’re you! The most senior member of Equestrian royalty! You can do anything you want!” Looking for all the world like a mother trying to deal with a crying foal, Celestia let out a slow breath as she closed her eyes. “Blueblood…” “You can do whatever you want!” insisted Blueblood. “You’re the princess with the most exalted pedigree in Equestria! No one can protest your decisions, let alone challenge them! You made that rube,” he nodded his head at Twilight, “a princess, so if you say that I’m a prince again, then I’ll be a prince again because no one can tell you you’re wrong, so why won’t you just-” “Blueblood!” The sharp tone in Celestia’s voice, combined with the upset look she gave him, silenced the sniveling stallion immediately, his lower lip trembling. Seeing him cowed, Celestia let her anger evaporate, sorrow filling her features as she looked at him. “I know how important carrying on your ancestral legacy is to you, and that this loss has wounded you deeply. And I want you to continue staying here in the castle while we work out what this means for you. But you of all ponies should know that I can’t simply make someone royalty; it’s long been a point of pride among your family that you can trace your line back to before my sister and I began our reign, and that we acknowledged your title rather than investing you with it.” Blueblood wilted. “But Twilight…” “…was similarly acknowledged as having elevated herself as a princess by virtue of her deeds, the same as Cadance. Both of them are princesses regardless of whether Luna or I recognize them as being so.” Walking over to the distraught ex-prince, she gently wrapped a hoof around him. “Blueblood, if I were to simply declare you to be a prince again, other ponies might not protest the announcement, but it wouldn’t be long before they realized that I could make them royalty the same way, and they wouldn’t stop until I did. Would you really want to see Fancy Pants or Upper Crust become princes, the same as you?” Unable to hide his horror at the idea, Blueblood shook his head. “No! But if you can’t make me a prince again, then how can I get my title back? The only other way would be if…if I…” For a second he didn’t move, staring blankly ahead as his eyebrows rose, clearly stumbling onto some new idea. A second later he shot out of Celestia’s embrace, throwing himself in front of Twilight as he sank to his knees. “Marry me!” Twilight instantly recoiled. “WHAT?!” “Marry me!” repeated Blueblood. “If you do, I’ll become a prince again!” Shuffling forward, he stared at Twilight with all the intensity of a drowning pony spotting a life preserver. “You owe me! You said you’d win the duel for me! It’s your fault this happened!” Sputtering, Twilight retreated, clearly having trouble processing what was going on. “H-hold on! That’s not-, I can’t-” “She’s not marrying you!” snapped Starlight, grabbing Blueblood in her telekinesis and yanking the crazed stallion away from her teacher. “Get ahold of yourself!” “Then have Cadance marry me instead!” yelped Blueblood, still looking at Twilight as he struggled in Starlight’s aura, so frenzied that he didn’t even think to use his own to try and escape. “I’ve heard the rumors! She’s leading some debauched religion, right?! One that allows mares to have more than one husband?! I don’t mind sharing her with that upstart soldier of hers if it means I can be a prince again!” “If you want Twilight’s help convincing her sister-in-law to take your hoof in marriage,” noted Luna dryly, “perhaps it would be better not to refer to her brother as an ‘upstart soldier.’” Blueblood was already opening his mouth, but thankfully Celestia jumped in before he could say anything else. “Blueblood, while I’m glad that you’ve found a reason to continue hoping for the best, perhaps a more…dignified, approach would better convince the mares you plan on wooing that you’re a suitable match for them.” His horn lighting up as he freed himself from Starlight’s aura, Blueblood nodded, breathing heavily with desperate excitement. “Yes! Yes, that’s a good idea, Auntie!” Looking back at Twilight, he flashed a manic grin at her. “I should still have some finances in my personal accounts! I’ll go retain a minstrel to compose some sonnets to convince you and Cadance both of my suitability as a husband!” Shielding herself with her wings, Twilight took a step back, giving him a pained smile that was barely more than a grimace. “That’s not-” “No, you’re right!” scoffed Blueblood. “I should compose them myself! Different ones for each of you, of course! Perhaps with a harpist to create the proper ambiance when I recite them! Or would a lutenist be better? No!” he declared suddenly, holding a hoof out toward Twilight. “Don’t tell me! I shall discover the way into your hearts myself!” Turning, he strode toward the door, his movements firm and purposeful. Pausing at the threshold, he looked back at Twilight, his arrogance reasserting itself for the first time since he’d lost his crown. “Tell your sister-in-law that you and she should prepare to be wooed as you’ve never been wooed before!” Then he left, leaving Twilight staring after him with a growing look of horror on her face while Luna and Celestia did their best to keep their expressions neutral. Raising a brow, Starlight glanced at the elder of the Royal Sisters. “Really?” “It’s given him something to take his mind off what he’s lost,” replied Celestia innocently. “And while he can be a bit…trying, at times, he’s really quite harmless. Twilight and Cadance should have no trouble-, oh!” Celestia’s exclamation of surprise made everypony else follow her gaze, looking at the nearby window where a piece of paper – folded in the shape of a snowflake – floated in on a breeze. Taking it in her telekinesis, Celestia unfolded it, scanning the contents. “It’s from Cadance,” she announced, a smile gracing her lips a moment later. “The last of the crystal pony missionaries returned last night, faster than she was expecting. They’re all back in the Crystal Empire now.” Twilight’s eyes widened at the news. “You mean…?” Celestia nodded, but when she answered a moment later, Luna was the one she spoke to. “It’s finally time to lift your curse.”