Knocking on the door, Mist and Clean Breeze waited in front of Princess Luna's office chambers. "Enter," the princess command with finality. Swiftly complying, both mares entered the room where the princess was waiting for them, sitting behind a desk. "You called for us, your highness?" Mist asked warily.
"Indeed I did, ladies, please have a seat." She invited them both to sit in chairs in front of her. Not wanting to make the situation any more tense than it already was, they complied and did just that, signaling for Luna to continue. "The reason I called for you two is that I wanted to ask you a couple of questions regarding my nephew's…incident six months ago."
"Oh, you mean when he suddenly woke up with amnesia?" Clean Breeze suddenly spoke more casually, relaxing a little — much to the unease of her partner, who could only glare at her for lacking proper etiquette. Luckily the princess didn't seem to mind her forwardness as she nodded at her.
"The same. As well as some of the purchases the Prince acquired weeks before the event that we believe are the real source of his amnesia. Weeks in which you both were on duty as his maids."
At this revelation, all the color drained from Clean's face as she realized that her little trick to skip duty was about to be uncovered. Her expression caught the attention of the princess, who raised an eyebrow. "You were on duty those weeks, were you not?"
"Well…then you see…." A Clean started to sweat while playing with her frontal hooves, trying to come up with a solution. Unfortunately, before she could say anything, her partner already had an answer for her.
"She exchanged most of her first two weeks serving with a new butler recruit and only was present for the final week before the incident." Mist tells Luna diplomatically as Clean could only look back poleaxed and utterly white in horror with how her friend just came clean and revealed her little... escapes. Clean Breeze slowly turned about with a stiff body to see the princess regard her emotionlessly until finally, she sighs in exhaustion. "I can't exactly blame too much for your behavior."
With color slowly creeping back into her face, she looks at the princess as if she was a ray of hope, with watering eyes. "Your highness"
"I wouldn't advise you to relax much, miss. You are still in trouble." Clean stiffened again at the princess's sharp glare. "We will discuss the correct reprimand for dodging your responsibilities at a later time, but for now, there is a more pressing matter. And you are in luck. It was the last week that I'm in the most interested in." Gulping Clean could only nod in understanding. At the same time, Luna stood up and, walking to the side of her desk, used her magic to conjure the armor set that was previously in Bluebloods room on full display so both mares could see it. "Tell me, ladies, do either of you recall where my nephew purchased this?"
"The set of armor?" Mist questioned with a raised eyebrow before looking at Breeze, "I think you were there when he won it, right?"
"More like stole it if you ask me." Clean replied in exasperation, with the memories still fresh and recovering from the scare.
"Care to clarify?" Luna looked at both with a quirked eyebrow, and Clean nodded. "He didn't buy that from any store. That set was one of the articles being auctioned at an event the Prince went to during one of his shopping sprees. He kept betting ridiculous amounts of bits to scare anyone else away from what he wanted. By Celestia, everyone was giving him the stink eye by the time he was done." She sighed in frustration. "And of course, I was then stuck carrying his other acquisitions and then 'placing it correctly' once it arrived."
That comment caught the princess's attention. "Excuse me, did you say 'place it correctly'?"
"Another of the Prince's insane eccentricities that his group of friends always suggested. like how that thing had to 'always be facing west with the helmet pointing at the window at a 90-degree angle straight forward, hugging the very center of the west wall.' Just another ridiculous thing nobles do all the time."
That is it! Whoever gave him that advice is the killer! They must have given instructions to my nephew to set up his own death trap. They practically arranged everything so he would kill himself! Luna reasoned, and she started to piece together everything. I'm so close. I only need the name.
"Miss Breeze, you don't know it yet, but what you just told me has helped a great deal in solving this mystery. I only need you to answer me one final question."
"Of course, anything, your highness."
"Who was the pony that gave those instructions to my nephew?"
"I'm sorry, princess. I couldn't see his face and only managed to hear his voice because right after winning everything in the auction, the Prince just gave me the list and shoved me outside to claim his prizes. That is why I know it was a he."
"I see, that is alright, Miss Breeze. That information can be of use too."
"Is there anything else we can do for you, princess?" Mist asked, and Luna shook her head. "That will be all ladies. You two are dismissed, Miss Breeze. We will discuss the terms of your punishment later on, but do not fret; I will see what I can do to decrease their severity as much as possible."
"Thank you, your highness," Breeze gratefully replied as the two mares left the room, with Breeze giving a stink eye to Mist. "Can't believe you ratted me out!"
"You need to be disciplined a little. You haven't taken your job seriously for a while now."
Luna could hear them bickering for a while before they were both gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
The killer was definitely in that auction event. If I find the list of attendance. I find the killer. I better speak with the crew in charge of transportation. Somepony must have tampered with that armor before it arrived here. Luna deduced before making the proper arrangements.
The next day back at Ponyville
Stretching his body awake, the Prince made his way to the dining room, where the rest of the apples were making their breakfast while chatting with one another. "Morning, everyone," Blueblood greeted them as they noticed him with mild surprise.
"Morning, dearie, did you sleep well last night?" Granny questioned as she doesn't waste time giving him a plate and inviting him to sit with the rest of the family, even helping him with a good portion of all sorts of apple treats.
"Like a log, I don't know how you do it, but boy, after such incredible home cooking and with that cozy bed of yours, I slept well last night." He answered while respectfully gesturing for her to stop putting stuff on his plate.
"Ah shucks, aren't you the sweetest dear?"
Granny chuckled before standing back and continuing with her meal.
"Ah, didn't know you were also an early bird Blueblood," Applejack commented, impressed. "I was sure you would be snoring for a couple of hours more before waking up."
"Eh, it's something that I am accustomed to, to be honest, with my usual duties, I normally wake pretty early daily."
"Wow, really?" Applebloom was half impressed, half surprised by the statement.
"Well, it is not all that necessary, but what can I say? I like to have a head start with things. Now that I'm getting more involved at home, helping my aunties run the country. I usually start by taking some of their mountains of paperwork and separate the more urgent matters from those that can wait. Then I see if I can fix minor problems here and there. You get the picture." The Prince tried to explain as best as possible, "I don't want to bore you with the details." He takes a glass of milk while Applejack did the same and takes a sip from it as Granny nods.
"Huh, early bird, hard-working, knows the worth of due diligence, isn't afraid of dirty his hooves, and good family stallion? Eeyup, you earn the granny seal of approval. You would make one heck of an Apple, dear."
At the same time, both he and Applejack choked on their milk at the comment. The only difference being how overt their reactions were. While the Prince managed to contain himself, Applejack spat, sputtered, and looked at her grandma with an intense blush "Granny!"
"Yay! Granny approves," Applebloom exclaimed
"Nope!" Big Mac voiced his objections while glaring at the Prince as he coughed, trying to recover his breath from the shock. "I beg you pardon?" The Prince finally managed to recover and looked to the elderly mare for clarification.
"Oh shucks, don't play coy with me, Applejack. I once was young and in love when I was your age. The only thing I would expect is for you to choose a good stud that isn't afraid to get his hooves dirty and is willing to work for his earnings. something this young fellow knows about." Granny told with a chuckle. Making Big Mac visibly fume with anger and inch his way towards the Prince until Granny stopped his advance with a thrown spoon. never breaking eye contact with Blueblood. "And if Big Mac ever wants to eat another one of my meals again, he will stop this ridiculous big brother act of his and let Applejack date whoever she likes, just like she had no quarrel with him dating Sugar Belle, this instant!"
That seems to snap him out of his anger, and he looked at her in horror. "But Granny…!"
"You wanna test me, big boy?" Granny finally stop looking at the Prince to glare at Big Mac, halting anything he was about to say, "Just because you can give me great-grandkids doesn't mean I don't want the same from Applejack."
"Ok! And with that, we're leaving!" AJ, utterly red at this point, stood up and took Blueblood with her as she rushed out the door. The Prince tried to grab as much food as possible while Granny waved at them. "Have fun, you two."
"For the last time, we are only friends!" AJ finally screamed as they galloped away from the room, making a quick stop in the guest room to grab the Prince's belongings and then going to the farm front gate as the elder pony only chuckle and rolled her eyes.
"Aw, young love, poor guy, that Blue fellow is gonna have a heck of a time taming that stubborn mare." Big Mac only looked away with a grumble making Granny glare at him. "What was that, Big Mac?!"
"Nothing Granny Smith" He responded dejectedly
"That is what I thought."
While that was happening, Applejack kept apologizing for what transpired. "I'm so sorry, please ignore them. I swear this is not how they usually act." AJ tried to explain.
"It…It's ok, I suppose I mean, families like to tease, so I imagine your family…ah likes to tease a bit more than necessary?"
"Yeah! Exactly that! I swear I will give them an earful later but thank you so much for understanding, partner." AJ breathed easier, relieve by his understanding, before glaring back at the house. "What the heck is the deal with them?! All of a sudden, getting interested in my personal love life, and what not?" She had to stop herself once she heard herself before finally laying on the ground with a frustrated grunt, "I didn't mean it like that!"
The Prince had to take a step away to let her vent and had her moment taking a glance at Winona, who rushed from her house to them both and stopped to look at her owner as soon as she fell to the ground. "There, there, Applejack, it's ok. I know you didn't mean for it to sound like that." Blueblood mentions patting her back as Winona whined and sniffed her face before licking it a couple of times in worry, helping her somewhat.
"But I don't understand why this keeps happening. I have never had this kind of problem before." AJ looked up at him, confused and slightly scared about what the Prince was seeing. Yet, he smiled. "Oh, I know why that happens."
"You do?" Her eyes were wide, and she stood up, and he nodded and helped her clean up. "It has various names, according to who you ask. I call it a swarm syndrome, and it happens when a group of peo…ah ponies, in this case, act or do something altogether. For example, let say you are just walking down the road doing nothing but minding your own business, suddenly a large group of ponies appear and start walking all around you, seemly doing just the same, then all of the sudden you hear one pony saying a command like kneel, or down or something of the sort and the group stops and does exactly that, leaving you right in the center, as you copy them"
"Why the hay would I do that?" AJ asks with a raised eyebrow, yet he merely shrugs "pack mentality mostly, everyone does it, so subconsciously you want to do the same. Like your brain starts to pick up the signals that the community is kneeling for a reason. Like maybe there is danger, or you need to hide or something of the sort. You are unsure, but you know they are all doing it for a reason, so you comply, although with a delayed reaction. And that is what happened back there."
He explained, pointing back at the house, "Your family started teasing and mentioned the subject of dating, colt friends, grandchildren, and the like? It was just a matter of time that all that talk would start to stick in here." He lightly poked her head to give her the idea. "You don't know it, but the memory stays fresh in your mind, so when you're trying to talk normally, those things just kind of slip, you understand now?"
"Yeah…yeah, I think so, I simply let all that teasing get in my head, that all." She nodded a couple of times in realization. "Thanks, partner. I was starting to freak out at how out of nowhere I was having such a hard time speaking normally."
"Ah, it was nothing, and relax. Those things happen. You only need to do your usual thing and let all those thoughts wash over you like water." Winona barked in agreement as AJ petted her head.
"No problem, I'm sure just a day of harvesting and doing some chores will fix me right up!"
"That's what I like to hear because those apple pies, fritters, and other plates last night were scrumptious, and I wouldn't mind having a second portion." He licked his lips at the idea making her chuckle.
"Maybe some other time, for now though, you better get. You wouldn't want to waste daylight, right?"
"Right! See you another time AJ and thanks again for the advice."
"Anytime sugar cube" Both went for a hoof bump, but something on the floor made AJ trip, causing Blueblood to bring her forward and turn it into a hug with their hooves pressing against his chest. "Oh, a hug then? O…Ok," Blueblood mentioned, slightly taken aback by the sudden forwardness of Applejack as he hugged her back, making her flinch at his touch, and her heart beat faster. At the same time, mentally thanking Celestia that the Prince couldn't see her blushing face she knew was sporting right now. "I had a great time, Applejack. We really should do this again sometime."
"Y-your is welcome, sugar cube," AJ said on impulse as she started to close her eyes and enjoy the interaction before realizing what she was doing, jumping back and turning away. "A-Anyway! I have some work to do, so I better be on my way too, have fun at Fluttershy's!" Applejack called out, practically galloping away from him as fast as she could, leaving him blinking as he watched her go with Winona giving chase.
Did Applejack get flustered? No, I must be seeing things. This is Applejack we are talking about. She doesn't get flustered. Blueblood shook his head and decided to be on his way to his second sleepover at Fluttershy's cottage.
Meanwhile, Applejack kept running as fast as she could until she left the farm, found a nearby lake, and threw herself in it, screaming into the water before swimming back up to the surface and the shore.
"What in tarnation is happening to me?! Why I'm acting this weird? It was a bucking hug for Celestia's sake! Why did it felt that good!? And why o why on Lunas big moon did I sniff him? What, am I a dog now? AH!" She kept thrashing in the water for a good while until eventually she calmed down and looked at her reflection
"What the heck has gotten into me? I can't have those mushy emotions. That's not me at all."
"Would it be that bad having those kinds of feelings partner?" AJ's eyes widened in surprise when she saw her reflection taking back at her. "What's the matter with you? You've always been honest with yourself and have nothing to hide. So why in tarnation all these secrets and lies to yourself? Just because it's in your name doesn't make you an actual apple. Of course, you have emotions, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with having those feelings!" The reflection consoled AJ as she closed her eyes and nodded,
"Yeah…yeah, that is right! I'm a mare, gosh darn it! Of course, I can have those mushy thoughts too, so what about it? But why now?" She said with determination before starting to question herself. "In all my life, not once did I have any interest of dating, special someponies, or any of that fancy mushy stuff. So why all of a sudden I'm acting like a filly with her first crush?"
"Because you haven't met someone like Blueblood before." the reflection responded. "Sure, there were others, and sure it was flattering, but they didn't have the right stuff, but him on the other hoof? By Celestia, Granny was right. He is a decent stallion, a hard-working fellow, a big heart…."
…And hooves that could crack a boulder." AJ started to smile with a dopey face and another blush forming, shivering in delight
"Why in tarnation did it take me this long to figure it out!? That fellow is a catch and a half. I need to catch him. No…I need to tell him, No, I need…I need to talk with Granny Smith."
AJ held her head and exited the lake, her head now a hurricane of emotions as she was unsure of where to go from here as Winona finally caught up to her and stopped once she saw the state her master was in. Suddenly the canine was alerted to something invisible, and she started growling at a tree near Applejack. The mare was too deep in thought to notice any of that she would have seen the silhouette of a dragon hiding in the treetops smiling at her work.
One down, She then looked at the horizon in the direction of Ponyville. Look out, ladies! ~He will put a spell on you~ She cackled before disappearing while Winona kept barking in alarm.