//------------------------------// // Partita No. 1 - 1st Movement: Allamanda // Story: Le Prince et le Menteur // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// Of all the things that Langue had expected ever since he started dating Blueblood, he never expected to have himself feel so… liberated. It was the only word that came close. It was as though he had been carrying heavy weight for so long he didn’t notice he had it until it was removed. After he came out to Blueblood, both his sexuality and his attraction to him, it was like he had died the night he slept with the prince and was reborn again the next day. There wasn’t much of a point in keeping it a secret when Canterlot had suspected when the first snow fell from the sky. By then, everyone knew about it. The royal family knew. The nobility and elite of Canterlot knew. His butler wouldn’t shut up about it.  Blueblood loves him. He loves Blueblood. And he’s not ashamed of doing so. With the first snow of winter that started to dust the city, Langue felt warm whenever the Prince was by him. They saw the city was being decorated in lights with wreaths of pine and holly put up here and there. In the air, while the snow came down, the sound of carols and the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint, and pine perfumed the air. Despite the bitter cold being felt with the wind and sharp snow being swirled through the streets - for them, they couldn’t be any warmer. It had taken a while still for Langue to show his affections for the prince openly. Even after the incident, it had taken much to ignore the stares of passersby when they are out in public. Yet, over the passing weeks, he got used to holding his hoof, linking tails, and even stealing a kiss or two where anyone could see. It was, in a way, almost like walking out naked and overcome knowing he was being stared at. Yet, the more they did so, the more Langue could relax and enjoy being in the company of his prince charming. With the big holiday about a week away, the two went on a date for a stroll in one of Canterlot’s parks. One where the pond had frozen over enough for ponies to ice skate on attracted crowds and vendors underneath the colorful lights.  “I think you’ll love how we do Hearth’s Warming,” Blueblood told Langue between sips of peppermint hot chocolate. “My Aunts always go all out during this time of year.” Sitting side by side on a park bench, Langue adjusted the white scarf that was wrapped around his chilly neck. It had been so cold lately that he had to put on two layers of clothing - one that had a hood with a soft, wholly inside casing, and the other a black trench coat. For the Prince, Langue secretly joked that he looked like he had stolen one of Saddle Clause’s clothes. Head to hoof in blue felt with white furry cuffs around his hooves, neck, and midsection.  “Don’t they have to go all out?” Langue questioned, “Being that Hearth’s Warming is a major day on the Equestrian calendar, are they obligated to do so anyway?” The prince hummed thoughtfully, “There is a degree of truth in that. However, they genuinely love the holiday itself. They put into huge efforts in terms of spectacle, of the Hearth’s Warming pageant they commission every year, even figuring out what kind of gift to give out. I guess that even after all that has happened, the holiday has for them the happiest of memories. If you can get either one to start, they would fill you with stories and antidotes of Hearth’s Warmings gone by.” Langue raised an eyebrow, “Par exemple? (For example?)” “Take for instance the gingerbread town story.” “Don’t you mean gingerbread house?”  “No,” Blueblood shook his head. “Couple hundred years ago, my Auntie Celestia had learned how to make gingerbread houses from a chief of hers. She would tell you that once she understood the basics, it captured her imagination in thinking of the various ways of what she could do it. She went into a baking frenzy where she baked up sheets upon sheets upon sheets of gingerbread. And I’m talking about them being the size of entire walls! She ordered in a literal ton of powdered sugar and every candy known to exist before she started her construction. You see, she didn’t want to make a miniature house as everyone else does.” “What did she do with all that then?” “She picked out a then empty plot of land here and Canterlot, where, on Hearth's Warming Eve, she lead a construction crew to erect an entire block that was entirely made of candy. She built a restaurant, a post office, a barber shop, a toy store, a bakery, and dozens of houses - essentially, a small town that was completely edible. It is said she put up windows made out of sugar, hard floors made out of blocks of peppermint, chimneys made of chocolate, and frosting used as mortar to hold together the gingerbread brinks. And none of these were hollow either, everything in these buildings was edible too. From marzipan cushions to clocks made out of cake, to the candles that were used at the time were mostly made of white chocolate.” Langue’s jaw hangs open. “Sacre bleu, just thinking about it is give me diabetes.” “But there was a practical reason why she did so. In a way, the candy town was a gift to the poor at the time. Essentially, a big feast for them in the most fantastical way possible. It is said that it took a total of twelve days for the entire gingerbread town to be eaten up.” “A remarkable display of generosity on Celestia’s part. What about Princess Luna?” “For her, if you asked what her favorite memory from Hearth’s Warming was, she would probably point to the time when she had constructed a fortress made out of blocks of ice and snow. It was said that it would have been worthy of holding off entire armies if it were made out of stone. But once it was complete, Auntie Luna would declare war on Celestia and they would bring their guards in to have a snowball fight. Celestia would pelt the fort using catapults that were filled with snow while Luna would counter it by having snowballs be flown over and then dropped on them. Of course, neither side would get hurt, but the way my aunts would tell it, they make it sound as though they have gone through a fierce war.” For a long minute, Langue stared at Blueblood before gulping his hot chocolate. “Now that I think of it, I don’t know who, out of your entire family I should be more intimidated by: Celestia, Luna, or Cadence.” “Don’t forget Twilight.” “What?” “She’s technically family, given that my cousin had married Shining Armor who’s Twilight’s brother.” “And does she want my head on a plate or does she not know about us?” Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Langy, you do know that they’re not upset with you.” “Oui, I know. At least for Celestia and Luna, they haven’t come to my home with a battle-ax for my head… yet. Princess Cadance on the other hoof, I’m not too sure about. You told me that she was pretty upset when she found out that I tried to scam you from the start.” The prince put a hoof around his consort. “Langy, are you worried about the upcoming Hearth’s Warming party?” “.... Is it that obvious?” Hugging Langue, the prince told him, “They won’t do anything to you. Even if Cadance does hold a grudge against you, I’m not going to stand by and let you get hurt. I’ll be sure that you will be welcomed there as though you are part of the family.” Breaking the hug, Langue stands up from the bench. “Family… will be something that is unknown territory for me. Going to a family gathering where I wouldn’t be the black sheep.” Getting up, Blueblood follows Langue as they started to stroll down a shoveled path. “I don’t think I’ve asked this enough, but do you have a family?” “In Prance, the only family I got are disappointed uncles, sneering aunts, and some cousins that have a somewhat higher opinion of me. During this time of year, I tend to get presents for them because they wouldn’t think I had an ulterior motive. Speaking of which, I have no clue what to get for anyone in your family.” “If it helps, I suggest Celestia would want something more thrillseeking.” “Thrillseeking?” “This is off the record, but when no one is looking, she loves doing things like bungee jumping off over an airship, or race down a hill in a gocart, or even climbing up Mt. Canter without flying or teleporting to the top.” Langue blinked, “Juste au moment où vous pensez connaître quelqu'un… (Just when you think you know someone…)” After a cough, he asked, “What about Princess Luna?” “Fortunately she’s easier because she has gained an interest in culture. I don’t blame her for being gone for a thousand years. She’s a fanatic to anything theatrical.” “At least I have a few ideas for her.” Langue nodded, “And… Candance?” Blueblood hummed. “Honestly she’s a little trickier when it comes to gifts. But knowing her, she has a fetish when it comes to romance novels?” This got a raised eyebrow from his coltfriend, “With or without the clop?” “Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised. And as for Twilight, she is overly obsessed with books about any subject.” “I see… and you? What would you like for Hearth’s Warming?” Blueblood chuckled, “Maybe you wrapped in a bow under the tree.” Langue, unsure if the prince was joking or not gave a low whistle. “Je ne savais pas que tu avais un côté pervers. (I didn’t know you had a kinky side.)”  “What was that?” “Nothing.” Blueblood raised an eyebrow, “One of these days, I need to learn Prench so I can know what you’re saying some of the time.” For Langue, Hearth’s Warming wasn’t the joyful holiday that most ponies tend to make it out to be. From his experience, it’s a day where you’re expected to bring gifts to those that wish you were rotting away in a prison cell through their wintery glares over dinner. A time when cheerful carols are replaced by arguments. And the “goodwill towards all” is an absolute joke when in the end he is wished that he would get arrested by New Year’s Day.  He hoped, for once, things might be different. Before Hearth’s Warming Eve, Langue had given his butler a couple of days off. He did this mainly so he wouldn’t hear anything about him being right about him and the Prince. Still, he did express that he would like to celebrate it alone - doing what, Langue didn’t know nor cared about.  Up to the big day, he took the time to go around Canterlot to find gifts for the royal family, putting in the extra effort in hopes that he would make a good impression on them. Even going as far as to figure out what to get for Prince Shining Armor. After all, the last thing he wanted was to have a few irate princesses demanding his head on a plate. Then came the big day. On Hearth’s Warming Eve, a palenque arrived with a request for his presence at the castle. Making sure he was in his best, in a green suit and tie in a white dress shirt before stepping out. Then after having the wrapped gifts loaded up, he was taken through the streets toward the palace.  The castle he had been to nearly countless times has now taken a more festive appearance. From the red ribbons that wrapped around the white columns like candy canes to the pair of enormous evergreen wreaths that hung just outside of the drawbridge, everything about it was uplifted to the fantastical. Then when he was escorted inside, he found the interior to be as though it was a physical personification of the holiday itself. Almost no detail was overlooked. From the glass ornaments that hung on the chandeliers, to the streams of evergreen and holly that roped around every wall, even the smell of pine and gingerbread perfumed the halls.   Out of the windows, he saw ponies leaving the Great Hall where they held the annual Hearth’s Warming pageant. While Langue thought it was a shame that he had to have missed it, there was a reason - so that he could avoid the crowds and go straight to the party immediately afterward. A few times he tried looking over towards the windows of the great hall to see if he could catch a glimpse of the royal family but it looked like they had already left. Eventually, he was shown to the Sun Room, past the rows of guards on high alert, and he stepped into the most exclusive Hearth’s Warming Eve party in the world. The small family gathering of all of Canterlot Royalty in one place. Around the room underneath the partly snow-covered glass ceiling and walls that show the falling snow were garlands of Hearth’s Warming flowers in bloom and holly. There were decorated trees around the walls to make it as though they were in a clearing of a well-dressed forest. The ornaments that hung from the trees showed a tri-color of red, blue, and gold. He saw tables that had a dinner and sweets that looked like it was taken directly from a fantasy. He saw hills of pies, a tower of sugar, a fountain running hot chocolate, a village of gingerbread, a forest of fruit, and a lake of sparkling eggnog. On another table were presents piled tall, wrapped in rainbows of paper and steams of ribbons.  And then, there was the family itself. All together in one room. Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Twilight; along with the Princes Shining Armor and Blueblood. When he walked in, he was caught off guard because he didn’t expect any of them to be without their usual crows and jewelry. Instead of being in formal attire that the public would see, here they were relaxed in ugly Hearth’s Warming sweaters, red stockings with fluffy white furry trim, or even in their pajamas. He didn’t expect to see Blueblood of all ponies be in his night gound - a white felt robe trimmed with a pink outline.  “Langy, there you are!” Blueblood greeted him warmly. “Bluey…” Langue looked up and down at him, “I can’t help but feel that I’m overdressed. What is going on?” “Oh!” the prince facehoofed, “Oh, I knew I was forgetting something. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you but with Hearth’s Warming Eve, the family has a tradition where after we’re through with public events we slip into something both casual and ridiculous.” Looking down at the sleeve of his robe, he added, “Believe me, compared to my aunts and cousin, I’m the conservative one.” “Still… I feel rather foolish coming here like this.” “Oh, you’ll be fine. Are those our presents? You can leave them there, the servants will place them on the table. Please, come in, they’re excited to meet you.”  Blueblood lead him first over to where Celestia and Luna were - over by the hot chocolate fountain. In some way, it is funny to see the princesses in something so corny. Celestia, horn aglow to scoop a ladle full of chocolate, while wearing a large red sweater that would make Hoity Toity faint. One that had amaturely stitched stars and small blinking colored lights. Luna was in a dark green sweater that had white snowflakes and a snowmare on the side.  “Guess who just arrived,” Blueblood said, catching their attention. Langue made a respectful bow, “Réchauffement d'un joyeux foyer et bonne année. (A Merry Hearth’s Warming and a Happy New Year.)” “Langue, Happy Hearth’s Warming,” Celestia greeted him warmly. “I hope you don’t mind the outfits, but it’s not often we get to do so when the public isn’t looking.” “Your family secret is safe with me. And how are Your Majesties?” “Doing quite well.” Luna said, using her magic to offer a cup, “Would you like anything, Langue? We have plenty of nearly everything to go around.” “Perhaps later.” “Oh come, tis a time for merriment and feasting. By all means, enjoy yourself - and your coltfriend.” That made Luna giggle happily, “Ah, it is good that you two are together at long last.” Langue tilted his head, “Is that so? Strange as I’m sure this is the first time we’ve met face to face, Princess Luna.” “My nephew has told us all about you.” Luna wrapped a hoof around Blueblood’s shoulder. “I think this is good for him to have a consort of his very own. One that would provide him with all the sexy fun times for many years to come!” “Auntie!” Blueblood pushed away, embarrassed, “Please, not out loud.” “But it’s the truth, is it not?” She turned to Langue, “Truth be told, I was getting worried about my nephew’s well-being for a while. Even after he came out, I was tempted to possibly give him a harem for his birthday - but it seems there might not be a need.” Langue blinked, “C'est encore une chose? (That’s still a thing?)” Celestia groaned, “No, it’s not anymore. I have explained to Luna several times that I’ve dismantled the harem centuries ago. There is no need for that anymore.” Luna huffed, “A great loss, I say. To have all those stallions be demoted to guard duty.” “It’s practical.” “We can control the celestial bodies above us, sister. Not to mention that we can live forever, how are having guards around us at all times practical?” Langue coughed loudly into his hoof to get their attention. “Regardless, I am grateful for the invitation to this little party. Until recently, I never knew that the royal family has a private Hearth’s Warming Eve celebration.” “It’s meant for family only.” Celestia sipped on her cup of hot chocolate. “Given how busy our schedules are, this is one of the few days of the entire year where we can all be together without any outside pressure. At least here, we can celebrate the holiday without keeping up appearances or smiling for the paparazzi. Here we can be ourselves while indulging in a fantastic feast. I mean just look at this, the chiefs have outdone themselves this year.” “Do you consider me as family?” “And why not? With you and Bluey getting so close as of late, and that you tend to come to the palace so often, we feel that you’re already making yourself one of the family.” “Which reminds me,” Luna turned back to her nephew, “let us know when the wedding will be.” “Wedding!” Blueblood and Langue were unanimously taken aback. “Oh come, you two are practically in bed every other night and you barely leave the other’s side. It’s only a matter of time until one of you proposes. And when you do, I will take it upon myself to plan out the details of the wedding as such that would be worthy of the Night!” “Luna,” Celestia interjected, “May I kindly remind you that they have known one another for about half a year, and they’re an official couple for less than that?” The Princess of the Night raised her snout and huffed, “It’s better to be prepared. Besides, we don’t know when they want to get married, so it’s best to plan it out beforehoof.” As the two diarchies continued to banter back and forth, Langue leaned over to Blueblood to ask harshly, “Is this a normal conversation between the princesses?” “I would be lying if I said that this wasn’t a daily occurrence,” Blueblood whispered back.  “Anyway!” Celestia turned back to them, “We are glad that you’ll be spending the holiday with us. If anything, we have prepared a few gifts for you, Langue.” Langue blinked, “You have presents for me?” “You will receive them later,” Luna interjected. “And we do hope that you would appreciate what we have in store.” “.... Should I be concerned?” “Oh no,” Celestia shook her head, “We’ve put in a good deal of thought into it, and I’m sure you’ll love them. But for now, you should go meet Twilight, as well as Cadance and her husband. They’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” “Je parie qu'ils le sont. (I bet they are.)” Langue muttered. Nearby was the one pony that Langue was not looking forward to - Princess Cadance, along with her husband. They were over by the presents table, each putting an ear against a box to give it a shake.  “This one sounds blocky,” Shining raddled a reflective green box. He was in a black turtle-neck sweater, yet covered in glitter to resemble snow. On his withers was a stitched patch of a red nose reindeer with boxing gloves. “I’d bet this one is from Twilight. Maybe another book.” Cadance was rattling a box close to her head. She had on a Saddle Clause cap on her head and a sweater that was an eyesore to look at. An orange sweater that had tiny tree ornaments dangling about, with the biggest one being a patch that was stitched awkwardly on her side that says “#1 Trophy Wife.” She hummed while analyzing the sound, “Either it’s an expensive perfume or a Mare Dinesty vase.” Blueblood cleared his throat to get their attention, “Cousin, cousin-in-law, I’d like you to meet my consort - Langue.” “How do you do?” Langue nodded and offered a hoof to shake. Shining shook his hoof while his wife looked on, darkly.  “You’re Blueblood’s coltfriend, right?” Shining asked. “Oui, I am.” “You know, I think this is the first time we’ve ever seen you face to face. We’ve heard quite a bit about you over the past couple of months.” “Oh… So you are up to date with uh…” Langue awkwardly coughed in his hoof. “Needless to say, things have unexpectedly changed.” Blueblood nudged Cadance’s shoulder, “Aren’t you going to say something?” Taking in a deep breath, Cadance held out her hoof and gave a “Hello.” The way she said it was frosty, cold as the snow outside. Langue cautiously took her hoof and placed a kiss on it. It was clear from Cadance that she didn’t want him here at all. He can see it in her eyes that had nothing but disdain for being anywhere near her.  An experience that Langue felt all too familiar with. “So…” Blueblood said to break the silence, “how are things in the Crystal Empire?” “Oh, same old, same old,” Shining answered. “We’ve been doing what we can to open up trade and tourism to other countries and it’s been a headache, but you know how that goes.” “Understandable, I suppose. You know I was catching up with the Yakyakistanian ambassador the other day and…” Soon the two princes talked about their antidotes to having to deal with other countries. Yet, Langue didn’t pay any attention as soon as they started talking. His main focus was on the princess who had turned around, trying to ignore his very existence. She went on to shake the boxes to listen to them for a couple of minutes. While Langue might have expected this from his family, he found it degrading to have the Princess of Love of all ponies give him the cold shoulder. “Pourquoi me détestes-tu?” “Huh?” Cadance finally looked over her shoulder. “I asked, why do you hate me?” This got a raised eyebrow from the princess. “Last I’ve checked, this is the first time we’ve truly met, and yet you hold a grudge against me when I’ve done nothing towards you. You hold complete contempt against me over… what exactly?” “Don’t you already know?” “You’d find that I’m the world’s worst mind reader without my crystal ball. So it’s going to be tricky to use the non-existent psychic powers that I have.” Cadance raised an eyebrow, “That sarcasm is so thick you could probably cut it with a knife.” “I had to make my point across somehow. But if I had to make a guess - it has more to do with Blueblood, no?” She didn’t say anything. “To be honest, your cousin had surprised me.” “How?” “Well… the thing you must know about me is that, yes, I am… was… a conpony. Where I would use my good looks and charms to seduce mares into giving me their titles - or their bank accounts, whichever came first. Yet, when I do it, I had to be sure that the ones that I was scamming deserved it.” “Deserved it?” “Tell me, have you ever met any mares that think of themselves as the center of the universe? They are so selfish and narcissistic that if they think you’re not worth their time they throw you away as though you are a piece of trash?” “.... I can think of a few.” “I may have scammed mares left and right, but I never go after those that were vulnerable, or just good in general.” “I didn’t think a conponies have a conscious.” “Even we have morals, believe it or not. When I moved to Equestria, I thought your cousin would be easy pickings. Recently came out as gay, falls in love easily, and is known for being a royal pain - surely, I thought, this would be the easiest job in the world. But as amazing as it would seem - Prince Heartless, has a heart after all.” “So if you thought he shouldn’t be scammed, why didn’t you try to break up with him?” “Oh, believe me, Princess, the thought did occur to me. Many times I tried to break it off gently, and many times I couldn’t bring myself to do it. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why. But I slowly came to realize the truth that I didn’t want to face for months - the prince has grown on me. I have grown an attraction to him. While I don’t consider myself gay - even still - I don’t have the heart to break up with him. He loves me, and… I love him back.” Cadance frowned but didn’t say anything at first. Eventually, after a pause, she said, “I understood that.” “So why are you upset with me?” “Because you manipulated him. Speaking not as the Princess of Love, but as a family member - my husband had been manipulated before. He was controlled by Crysalis that foalnapped me, and nearly came this close to marrying him on our wedding day. While things did turn out well, it still was painful to go through. I don’t want anypony to go through what Shining and I had. Blueblood, when he came out, I was afraid that someone would manipulate his emotions into doing something he didn’t want to. So imagine what it was like when I found out that’s exactly what happened.” “I don’t need to imagine. It may surprise you to learn that even someone like me has a conscious. It wasn’t that I was unaware of what I was doing - any manipulator would tell you that they know what they were doing - but where I take issue with you is the why I was doing it. In particular, even after it was clear to me that Blueblood didn’t deserve to be scammed.” “You keep saying that over and over, so what was that turning point for you? And more importantly, why didn’t you tell the truth earlier?” Langue frowned, “Allow me to answer that in reverse. Yes, I had lied to him, but the reason why I didn’t say anything until months later was that for once… he didn’t see me as… how you say… arm candy. Of course, he complimented on my looks - every mare I was in a relationship has but… he did something no other has. He wanted to get to know me, wanted to know what my interests, passions, hopes, dreams, and at times frustration were. For once he put me in the center of attention - I wasn’t prepared for that. I wasn’t prepared to be heard, nor being taken seriously, and yet… In hindsight, I lied because I didn’t want it to stop.” For once, Cadance’s critical look soften, “And what was the moment that changed your mind?” Looking over at his shoulder to where Blueblood was still in deep conversation with Shining, Langue answered, “Can I ask you two personal questions?” She told him to go ahead, “Have you ever been in a situation where someone was treating your husband unfairly - just because of who he is?” “The only time that ever happened was back in High School - long before he had joined the Guard.” “And have you ever encountered someone that was bluntly homophobic, and spouting their… unenlightenment to someone that wasn’t straight?” Cadence was quiet for a minute, “Only once. When my husband and I had stepped up to run the Crystal Empire, I had the then captain of the guard - who I will not repeat his name - came into court with a complaint. He told me that he was concerned about recruiting homosexuals into the guard since not only would it weaken security, but he didn’t want…” Her expression soured, as though she had tasted something disgusting in her mouth as she repeated quietly, “didn’t want any stallion-stuffing fags to molest the guard.” She shook her head, “I was not happy when I heard that.” “What did you do?” “I fired him on the spot. He is banned from being able to join the guard, nor serve anywhere within the empire. Of course, he was shocked that I would dismiss him as Captian of the Guard, wondering what exactly he has done wrong. But after all that, there were a hoofful of privates that had come up to me, thanking me for taking their side.” “Then you would know exactly how I felt when… When Blueblood faced something similar. One of the elites of Canterlot was being unbearably arrogant about his sexuality to his face. Seeing him be so degraded, so hurt, that I snapped back them saying that is not how one speaks to a prince.” “.... You stood up for him?” “Oui. And I have no regrets for doing so either.” Cadence didn’t what to say, but it did leave her with little doubt of one thing - Langue, despite everything, had changed. And the key to doing so was that he had fallen in love with Blueblood. “I think I believe you.” She said, “Just… don’t hurt him. Whatever you do, don’t hurt him.” “I’m not planning to.” By then, Blueblood and Shining had wrapped up their conversation and the Prince wanted to introduce him to the last member of the family.  “What did you and Cadance talk about?” Blueblood asked him. “Something productive. But I think we’ve worked things out.” “That’s good to hear.” The Prince then guided him over towards a small table where neat piles of cloth, buttons, thread, needles, scissors, stuffing, and an open book were next to Twilight. Princess Twilight Sparkle. And next to her was a creature that Langue had never seen before - a baby dragon who was holding up an armful of dolls of nearly half a dozen ponies including the princesses. “Princess Twilight, do you have a moment?” She held up a hoof, “One moment…” In her aura was a doll of Shining Armor where she looked between it and the open book. She check and double-checked before sticking a needle to sew a button for the doll’s eyes. It took a few moments to weave through between the cloth and the holes in the button before tightening it, tying a knot, and snipping the thread. “There we go.” Handing the doll over to the dragon she turned around. “Princess Twilight, I’d like to introduce you to my consort, Langue.” “You mean your coltfriend?” Twilight asked, “And you don’t have to call me Princess, Blueblood.” She reached out to shake Langue’s hoof. “I’m Princess Twilight, how do you do?” Langue raised an eyebrow but accepted the hoofshake. “Forgive me for being so blunt, Princess, but you are not what I expended you to be.” “Just Twilight and I understand since I haven’t been a princess for too long. And I don’t want any special treatment either, I’m a pony, just like you.” Blinking, unsure how to reply to that, he looked over to the baby dragon, “And who is this?” “I’m Spike, nice to meet ya,” he said, “I would shake your hoof, but my claws are full at the moment.” “That reminds me,” Blueblood turned to Twilight, “What are you doing anyway?” “A family tradition,” she replied, using her magic to compare samples of the white fabric against his coat, “Every year we would make Hearth’s Warming dolls to be put on the mantle. I’ve made everyone’s except for you two. But it shouldn’t take long. Let me make your doll first and then I’ll make your coltfriend’s.” Coltfriend, as much as Langue had come to terms with that word, it was still strange to hear it from someone else.  While Twilight was cutting and stitching fabric together, Langue spoke up, “Forgive my ignorance, but I don’t think I know much about you.” “To be fair, I don’t know too much about you either.” “You mean you’ve never heard of me?” “Outside of press headlines and letters from my brother and Celestia… not really.” She shrugged. “However, given all the things that have been happening to me and my friends, I haven’t had the time to pay attention to current events all that much.” “I see. Well, would you tell me a little of who you are?” “Certainly. I was Celestia’s magical protege growing up until I moved to Ponyville where she sent me there to learn about Friendship. There I met five of my best friends who we unintentionally became the Elements of Harmony (long story). After a while, Celestia deemed me to be ready to ascend from a unicorn into an alicorn, and thus, the Princess you see know. Later on, the Golden Oaks Library, my home, had gotten destroyed in a battle but now I’m currently living in a crystal castle in town.” Langue blinked, “That’s… quite something.” “Trust me, she’s scratching the surface.” Spike said, “Among other things like becoming national heroes after defeating Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, and recently Starlight Glimmer. So yeah, she may be modest right now, but she and her friends are a pretty big deal.” Humming, Langue remarked, “La pudeur ne fait jamais rage, ne murmure jamais, ne fait jamais la moue quand elle est maltraitée.” Spike tilted his head, “Sorry, what was that?” “He said, ‘Modesty never rages, never murmurs, never pouts when it is ill-treated,’” Twilight answeres, surprising Langue, “A quote by Rich Steel, not a well-known playwright but I’m impressed.” Langue blinked, “Vous parlez prench? (You speak Prench?)” “Honestly, I’m much better at reading Prench than I am speaking the language. I learned it when I was eleven where I could read and write it, and even know what somepony is saying when they speak it - but I can’t pronounce a lot of the words. Weird, I know, but unlike other languages, Prench hasn’t clicked with me fully.” “But how did you know that was a quote from Rich Steel?” “Twilight is the bookworm,” Blueblood explained, “she has the remarkable ability to remember every book she has ever read, and she has consumed entire libraries in her hunt for knowing everything.” “Nevertheless, her intelligence is remarkable.” “Aww, thank you for the compliment,” Twilight said, putting in the stuff of the newly created doll before sealing it up. “And here’s your Hearth’s Warming doll, Blueblood.” She held up the stitched creation that had a gleaming mane of yarn, bright blue button eyes, and even a cutie mark made up of small pieces of fabrics stitched on its flank. “What do you think?” “C'est adorable. (It’s adorable.)” Langue cooed, taking the doll into his aura. “You have quite the talent, Princess. You’re able to capture the more lovable parts of Bluey.” “May I see?” Blueblood took the doll himself to examine it. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever had something like this before. To have something in my image that is so… malleable. I’m almost tempted to possibly give my little me some clothes to put on.” “I’m afraid I don’t do well at making miniature clothes,” Twilight said, “However, I have a friend that could do that. If you want, I could commission her to make a few. Though it is amusing that you want to dress your doll up.” “Well, it isn’t every day that I get to have one of these.” Blueblood huffed before handing the doll over to Spike. “Now I just need to do your coltfriend’s and I should be done.” Twilight levitated some cloth and a few balls of yarn to compare Langue’s coat and mane to find ones that closely matched his. Once she decided on which cloth to use, she immediately set to work. A thought came to the prince, “I’ve been meaning to ask, don’t you spend time with your parents this time of year?” “Shining and I have already gone over earlier today,” She said, beginning to cut shapes. “However, I will be spending the day tomorrow with them. There’s a lot to catch up on anyway.” Langue raised an eyebrow, “You don’t get to spend time with your family much?” “Outside of Spike, not really.”  “We usually see them once in a while,” Spike informed. “Usually things like birthdays, holidays, and stuff like that. However, not as much as a couple of years ago. But you know how it is, right? You get involved with a bunch of stuff so you had little time to visit.” “You make it sound as though you are on good terms with them.” Langue pointed out. “Well, we are,” Spike raised an eyebrow, “Aren’t yours?” Langue frowned, “My family… My family and I haven’t been civil per-se. Back when I lived in Prance when we meet up there was always the sense that they would rather have me arrested than be anywhere near them. Though to be fair, I was a conpony of sorts so… I suppose it evens out.” This got Twilight’s attention, “Was? You mean you reformed?” “In a sense. You can thank Bluey here for changing my life - literally. It was an incident where a scam of mine had backfired in such… unexpected ways.” For a moment, Twilight didn’t say anything to this as she concentrated on stitching the pieces together. But a thought did come to her, “Langue, do you mind if I asked you a personal question?” “Not at all.” “I know it’s not my place to ask this, but have you told your family that you’ve changed?” “.... I haven’t even spoken to them for over a year, Princess. I doubt they would ever want or care to know that I’ve turned over a new leaf.” “But even so, maybe one of these days you should at least reach out to them. Even if they don’t want anything to do with you, at least you can say to yourself that you’ve made the effort.” Twilight went silent as she finished stuffing the doll and sewing it up. “And here’s yours. Do you like it?” This time Blueblood took the doll in his aura, “What a handsome creation, do you think we can keep these?” “After tonight, you can.” Twilight then began to clean up, closing the book and putting the cloth, yarn, and threads away. “For now, I can see there’s a sugar cookie with my name on it. So why not you two enjoy yourselves? We’ll be putting these dolls on the mantel in the castle library later tonight before going to bed.” Before Blueblood handed the doll over to Spike, he placed a kiss on its tiny muzzle. Now having met everyone in the Royal Family, Langue could now spend much-needed quality time with his coltfriend.