//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 - House Sparkle // Story: The Lonely Prince // by Caladis //------------------------------// Blueblood The morning rays of sunshine poured through the open window rousing Blueblood from his sleep. Him and Twilight had worked on writing letters long into the night, finishing the apology letter to Rarity and turning down all the remaining marriage offers from the other noble houses. As he had explained to Twilight the previous night, the reason why he treated Rarity so badly at the Grand Galloping Gala was because it was obvious that she only wanted to use him for his title, like so many other ponies. Even Twilight had to agree that Blueblood’s wealth and influence would have allowed Rarity to expand her boutique much faster than normal by having the connection of everyone wanting a dress made by ‘Princess Rarity’ or by ponies buying her dresses to ingratiate themselves to Blueblood himself. In hindsight, it was a very selfish motivation made by the ‘Element of Generosity,’ made worse by the fact that she blamed Blueblood for seeing through her act, even if he had done so by making himself undesirable. He did admit that the act was fun to play, if only because while he was prim and proper, he wasn’t snooty. Wanting to fix the issue once and for all, Twilight wrote Rarity a separate letter informing her of Twilight’s engagement to Blueblood, on the off chance that the news hadn’t reached Ponyville yet and requesting that she accept Blueblood’s apology. After all… Twilight didn’t want to have to use a different dress maker for her Royal Wedding Dress, or worse, not invite Rarity to the wedding entirely. When the time for sleep finally came, he was left blushing by Twilight’s eagerness to cuddle him. He accepted without hesitation because they were a perfect fit for each other, and they drifted off to sleep swiftly. And now, in the early morning, he was still amazed by how warm she was. He leaned in to kiss her cheek again, stirring her awake. He really enjoyed watching her eyelashes flutter awake… a prettier sight he had never seen. Twilight yawned. “Morning already? Five more minutes…” Blueblood kissed her again so she could feel it and whispered into her ear… “But if you oversleep, we won’t have time for coffee.” Twilight’s eyes bolted open. “Coffee?” Blueblood smiled at her. “Of course, breakfast is waiting for us.” A quick trip to the dining room revealed a large breakfast prepared for them in advance. They both dug in quickly and Blueblood smiled at how quickly Twilight ate, as if without any table manners at all. Twilight saw him watching her and her ears folded back. “I’m sorry. I often work late like we did last night and then borderline oversleep. I normally don’t have a lot of time for breakfast, and I almost never have guests… so I rarely stand on ceremony.” Blueblood nodded with a smile. “I normally eat alone for the same reason. A prince can’t afford to be uncouth in the public eye but what happens behind closed doors is our own business.” Twilight giggled at that. “You’re more normal than I expected.” Blueblood grinned briefly before his face fell. “Unlike my aunts… I am mortal, with all the wants and needs of a normal pony. I think ponies overlook that because of which family I descend from.” Twilight gulped, afraid that she had reopened old wounds. “Umm…” He waved her off. “It’s fine. It is hard to admit how much I like you without really knowing you. I know of all your accomplishments and some of the deeds of your friends, but I still don’t really know you. I’d like to fix that if you have an idea.” Twilight sensed an opportunity. “Actually… yes. I’d like you to meet my parents. They live here in Canterlot so it’s unlikely that they haven’t heard of our ‘engagement.’ I need to introduce you to them before they besiege the castle.” He smiled at that. “Another lovely idea. When will they be available?” Twilight returned the smile. “They should be available today. Mom is a writer and Dad is a College Professor. Neither tend to work much on the weekends.” They finished their breakfast silently, Blueblood trying to work up a plan on how to approach Twilight’s father. A castle page brought Blueblood a missive and left the couple to have their meal. Twilight hedged. “You seem to do more work around here than I thought…” He harrumphed. “I am a ‘Working Royal.’ I may not have a lot of official power, but Aunty does give me tasks to deal with that she doesn’t have time for. I am trusted to make very important decisions for Equestria, and my wife will be expected to do the same. You already have a lot on your plate being the Element of Magic and having saved Equestria four times now… but as my Princess… you will probably be given royal tasks to complete as well. If that doesn’t sit well with you, please tell me now.” Twilight shook her head. “Extra work doesn’t bother me. I like being useful… I just never pictured myself as a Princess.” He finished his coffee and looked at her. “You don’t think that we could have just cuddled forever without moving the relationship forward, do you? Friends may can cuddle without being considered a couple, but much like your brother, I would be expected to marry eventually.” Twilight gulped again. “I regret having waited so long to find the courage to come back to you and now I see that we don’t have a lot of time to make this right. I’m sure that you’re under a lot of pressure to get married because neither Celestia nor Luna are. On one hoof… it feels like we are rushing this… and on the other hoof, I know we don’t have a choice if we want to be together.” He nodded. “Well said. Shall we be off?” ---------- Twilight They walked together through the streets of Canterlot, leaning against each other and whispering cute things back and forth while four royal guards followed them and rolled their eyes at the antics of their young charges. Normally, Blueblood would have taken a carriage to his destination, but Twilight had insisted that her parents’ home was not only close to the Castle, but that walking would get him closer to the common pony, like he claimed to want. Twilight pointed out her favorite places to go from her foalhood and explained the establishment’s purposes. Blueblood listened with great interest, getting to know her a lot better just from being able to understand her foalhood more completely. Granted… most of the places that she pointed out was libraries, study centers, city parks, museums or restaurants. It detailed a serious filly that loved to eat and loved to study. The thought made him smile. An hour later… Blueblood’s legs were sore from all the walking on the rough cobblestones, but he tried to put a brave face on it. “I need to look into improving the walkways… they are so unlevel.” Twilight shrugged. “It’s considered a low priority. So long as ponies aren’t being injured by them, I’m not sure anypony cares.” Moments later, Twilight turned up a walkway to a medium sized tower that had been converted into a house. She knew that she could walk into her family home without knocking but she knocked anyways since she had Blueblood with her. Twilight Velvet opened the door and smiled widely. “Twilight! You’re home. Give your mother a hug!” Before Twilight could do anything, her mother squeezed the living daylights out of her. Left panting from the hug, she wheezed. “And… this… is…” Twilight Velvet’s eyes nearly popped out of her head before she quickly bowed. “Your Highness! I’m so sorry! I didn’t see you…” Blueblood walked forward. With a commanding voice he said, “Rise.” As Velvet did so, Blueblood raised one of her hooves to his lips and kissed it. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Sparkle.” Velvet grinned. “Ohhh. A Gentlecolt. I’d expect nothing less from the Prince of Equestria, but your affections are wasted on me, as I’m a married mare. Save it for my daughter… and come on inside!” Blueblood turned to the guards. “Please stay outside. This shouldn’t take too long.” The lieutenant nodded and the guards took up their posts. ---------- Blueblood As Velvet led Twilight and Blueblood into the living room, Night Light rose from his chair to greet his daughter. With a gentle ruffing of her mane, he teased her. “Long time no see, kiddo. And what’s this I hear about you getting married! Wow… you’ve gotten kinda pudgy since the last time I saw you. You’re not pregnant, are you?” Twilight’s mouth opened in shock but before she could deny it, Blueblood stepped forward, intending to make an uncharacteristic joke. “I’m afraid that she is… and I take full responsibility. This may be a bit late to ask, but may I take your daughter’s hoof in marriage?” Night Light glared at the Prince. “Damn right you’re going to take responsibility. I fully expect you to marry her.” Twilight whipped around to face Blueblood, as if he had become Discord himself. He grinned at her. “See? It wasn’t as hard to earn permission to marry you as I thought. Let’s talk about it over lunch. I’m sure my beloved knows a good restaurant within walking distance from the house.” Velvet squealed in delight. “Oh, I’m so happy! I’m finally going to be a grandmare!” Twilight got red in the face. “I am not pregnant! Why does everypony think that?” ---------- At the Restaurant Twilight Twilight looked at the menu. “I’ll have the triple hayburger with extra fries and the triple stacked cheesecake for dessert.” Blueblood cleared his throat. “I’ve never eaten here before, so I’ll just have the same.” Night Light whispered to his wife. ‘That’s why she’s pudgy…’ Velvet simply giggled as she ordered for both herself and her husband. The waiter was smart enough to leave quickly, so as not to get in the way of the family argument about to erupt. Twilight glared at her father, but Blueblood stopped an angry retort with a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now, now. There’s nothing wrong with a healthy appetite. Given Aunty Celestia’s status as an immortal goddess, I’m shocked that being a little overweight isn’t the fashion. I’ve been told that she has curves that make artists cry. Aunty Luna is a lot more athletic but still seems to have curves. I’ll confess that I don’t see either of my Aunties in that light… but at the same time, Twilight seems to have the same types of curves and I find that I like it on her.” Night Light smiled at the softer mental image of both princesses and comparable overall compliment towards his daughter, though Twilight kneed Blueblood in the ribs with a forehoof, knocking the wind out of him. Night Light grinned at Velvet. “Reminds me of the light flirting we used to do on our early dates.” Velvet nodded. “Yup. Right down to me kneeing you in the ribs to make you shut up.” Night Light laughed at the playful memory but then turned serious. “Prince Blueblood. I find you to be an agreeable enough stallion but despite Twilight’s position of personal student of Princess Celestia and Element of Magic, we aren’t nobles, and the other nobles will rip both you and our family apart for allowing yourself to marry a commoner. My son’s marriage to Princess Cadence may not help in this case since the Crystal Empire is considered a different nation.” Twilight knew her father was right, but she hoped to find a work-a-round. Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “The position of Personal Student to Princess Celestia includes the basic peerage of Countess or Count of Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle is a noble… up to or until she is dismissed from Princess Celestia’s court. If she marries me, she’ll be a Princess for the rest of her life. Even if Twilight doesn’t marry me, and even if my Aunty takes on a new student, as long as Twilight isn’t dismissed from Celestia’s court, she’ll always be at least a Countess.” Twilight gasped. “Which is why I can give orders to the on-duty guards.” Blueblood nodded. “Yes. As studious as you are, I’m surprised you didn’t know that sooner.” Twilight face-hooved. “Yeah… well… I guess that comes with having done very little socializing until recently.” Night Light sighed. “Be that as it may, you still might suffer from your wife’s parents not being nobles. Can you afford to take the risk?” Blueblood shook his head. “Normally, I would say no; I can’t afford to take the risk, however… in this case, I don’t have to.” Velvet cleared her throat. “And how do you manage that?” Blueblood grinned in a coltish way that Twilight had grown to realize was him using the limited power he had been granted by Celestia. “By giving you both titles and appointing at least one of you to Celestia’s privy council.” Night Light’s and Velvet’s jaws both dropped at the pronouncement. Velvet recovered first. “And what titles would you bestow upon your fiancé’s parents?” Blueblood took on a serious tone, a tone that Twilight had grown to see as his ‘working’ tone. He fixed his gaze on Velvet first. “The last heir to the title of Princess of Unicornia has passed away. It was the title that Princess Platinum created before the three tribes were united in harmony with each other. While ‘Unicornia’ no longer technically exists, the title is symbolically important to Unicorns and can be only held by a Unicorn Mare. Therefore, Twilight Velvet, I hereby declare you to be Princess Twilight Velvet, of House Sparkle, Princess of Unicornia.” Twilight barely had time to gasp before Blueblood moved on. Turning to Night Light, he proclaimed, mock angered. “And how dare a commoner be married to a Princess! Therefore, Night Light, you must take up the burden of ‘Duke of Canterlot.’ But… you can’t be a mere Duke, no… I feel the need to thrust more responsibility upon you. As a College Professor, perhaps you would feel comfortable filling the vacant slot in Princess Celestia’s privy council as the Minister of Education? What say you, Duke Night Light, of House Sparkle?” Night Light bowed his head slowly as the words threatened to send him reeling. “I don’t feel like we are worthy, but we accept.” Twilight kneed Blueblood in the ribs again, a little harder this time. “My brother was a mere commoner when he married Cadence!” Blueblood shook his head while he rubbed his sore ribs. “Not true. He was the brother of a Countess and as a Captain of the Royal Guard, was a high enough military rank to be considered a ‘Warrior Lord’ or a ‘Lord of the Sword,’ worthy of his own peerage. He earned his right to marry Princess Cadence and of course had Auntie’s blessing, the same as us.” The food came right at that moment, cutting off any retort that she could make and gave her time to think about the situation. She ate in silence while Blueblood and her parents engaged in small talk, and she was the first pony finished eating when the time came for her to speak again. In his own way, Blueblood is right. But it doesn’t feel right. Twilight cleared her throat. “Beloved… won’t ponies think you bribed my parents with these titles for you to gain their blessing to marry me?” Blueblood frowned. “I suppose that is a valid concern, but I have no issue explaining my thought process on the matter. You, my dearest, have saved Equestria four times. Technically, your brother was present for two of those times and he helped. You and your brother are two of the most important ponies in our generation. Now… I think that how you were raised is just as important as what you learned and how you’ve applied that knowledge. So, for the peace of the kingdom, I want your parents in positions of authority that allow them to nurture an entire generation the same way they nurtured you.” Twilight’s jaw hung open while the words soaked into her. She numbly heard both her parents express great joy at the prospect of serving Equestria more directly. When she gained her senses, she dove in for a kiss. Blueblood seemed a little hesitant to allow a public display of affection but allowed Twilight to kiss him fully on the lips. She took her time to taste him. To flick her tongue on his teeth. He opened to her, and she battled his tongue for dominance. The moment stretched until they both broke the kiss, gasping for air. Velvet clapped her forehooves together. “Ah… I sense that this was your first real kiss. Cheek pecks are one thing, but a real kiss can take your breath away.” Night Light interjected. “With a kiss like that, foals are next.” Twilight blushed. “You should have seen Princess Celestia’s face when I told her we were going to have a dozen. It was priceless.” Velvet raised an eyebrow. “A dozen… foals? Twilight, that may be a bit too many.” Twilight giggled. “I don’t care if it makes me a broodmare. I want both myself and my husband to be happy and the idea of having foals makes me very happy.” Blueblood sighed with contentment. “You wouldn’t believe the number of royal titles I still have to give out to fill the empty slots. Having more than two heirs would do wonders for restoring the strength of the monarchy. Still… I’m glad that the only ponies that saw the kiss were the restaurant staff, the guards and our chaperones. I’m not ready to see a kiss like that in the press.” Twilight wilted a little. “Sorry… I didn’t even consider that.” Blueblood smiled. “It’s okay. Well. I can’t eat another bite and we really should be getting back to the castle. We need to pack for the trip to Ponyville.” Twilight frowned. “Already? The next train doesn’t leave until tomorrow.” Blueblood nodded. “Unfortunately, I’m going to Ponyville on business, so I need to arrive in style on a Royal Air Chariot. And, since we are engaged now, we need to arrive together. It may be better to leave this afternoon, take care of some basic errands, get a good night sleep at your place, and then handle the official business tomorrow.” Blueblood got up from his seat to go address the guards while she said her goodbyes to her parents, promising to stay in touch with them if there were any changes. Having lingered a little too long, Blueblood called back to her. “Come along my little foal factory, we have more work to do.” He trotted out the door. Twilight yelled back. “Bluey! Come back here!” She raced off after him. Night Light blew out a breath. “Bluey… I haven’t heard her call him that since she was 12.” Velvet shook her head. “And he called her a foal factory without her getting upset. They must really be into each other. At this rate… it is shocking that she’s not already pregnant. And we… need a bigger house.” Night Light grinned. “Big enough for a Princess and a Duke?” Velvet nodded. “Big enough for a dozen grandfoals.” Night Light winced. “Well… we need to ask Princess Celestia if our titles include a royal stipend outside of my new pay as Minister of Education, and then review the value of the tower if we were to sell it and the total amount in our savings as a downpayment on a larger estate. That is… if we don’t just end up living in Canterlot Castle.” Velvet smiled wickedly. “Shining Armor and Cadence are going to have a lot of work to do to keep up with Twilight and Blueblood.” Night Light laughed at the thought. “Yeah… they were always in competition with each other but a challenge to see how many foals they can raise shouldn’t be one of them.” Velvet grinned wider. “We’ll see, won’t we?” ----------