It was a snowy day in Canterlot. Blueblood wore his favorite scarf over his uniform, tugging it up to just cover his snout as he walked through the cold. His hooves were a little numb from trotting from the carriage to the door; he took a moment to think about how glad he was he didn't have to walk to school like so many of his peers did. The perks of carriage access.
As he pushed his way into the school, he looked around at the few students milling about their lockers, socializing or putting their things up. It was too cold to go out into the courtyard, which had been his original plan; it was often abandoned in the early morning before school and it was a fantastic spot to sit and go over his schedule for the day. He'd also already had breakfast, so there was no use in going to the cafeteria. He guessed he'd just be the first one to arrive to his homeroom class.
Except, he wasn't.
A unicorn sat at the end of the front row, rubbing his hooves together and blowing hot air out onto them. There was an open seat beside him. As disturbed as his plan had already been, he was feeling a bit daring. Or maybe he just wanted somepony to complain to. He could have taken any other seat, and normally, he would have, but for now, he took a seat beside the colt.
"Good morning."
The other colt looked up from his front hooves, eyebrows raised, but did not look directly at him.
He noticed the colt was wearing no winter gear whatsoever.
"My name's Blueblood. Do you need my scarf?" Giving to the needy commonfolk was a virtue, of course.
"Huh?" The colt put his hooves down in his seat, as if trying to pretend he hadn't been trying to start a fire seconds earlier. "No, I'm fine. Just forgot my jacket this morning... and my mittens. I was already about to be late, so I didn't wanna walk back and get them. But, uh... thanks. I'm Shining Armor."
"About to be late? Class doesn't start for almost thirty more minutes." Blueblood couldn't imagine walking to school from any distance away without gearing up for the cold. This colt must have been pretty tough.
"So? I like to be on time." He frowned, slightly.
"I see." Blueblood, even at the young age that he was, thought he was something of a body language expert. Based on Shining Armor's (head tilted downwards, eyes purposefully averted, brows furrowed) he assumed the colt felt perhaps a little judged. He had to remedy that, so he said, "Perfectly respectable." Blueblood smiled at Shining Armor (in a practiced manner that was neither mockingly large or unnoticeably small), and Shining Armor finally met his eyes and gave his own smile back.
Blueblood remembered how startling it had been at first to look him in the eyes. Their coat was the same brilliant white, and their eyes the same icy blue; if he ignored the blue mess of a mane Shining Armor had, it was strikingly similar to looking into a mirror.
But he had always liked looking into mirrors.
Blueblood soon learned that Shining Armor was hardly one of the 'needy' commonfolk at all, and was just, in fact, stubborn and proud. He had the option of taking a carriage to school every day; he simply opted not to. He also had a mother and father that would remind him no less than three times to wear a coat before he left for school, and a little sister that would remind him at least once, too, as she put on her own coat. Yet most of the time, Shining Armor showed up to school shivering, wearing only his uniform and insisting he could handle the cold.
Blueblood learned all of this because he quickly began to spend roughly half of his free time at Shining Armor's house.
His aunts had taken no issue with this. In fact, they encouraged it, provided he kept up with school first. They seemed quite pleased that he had made a friend. Blueblood suspected they were happy that all of their time drilling the importance of connections into his head had made at least somewhat of an impact.
Ah, his aunts. Months after meeting Shining Armor, he still hadn't spoken a word about them despite ample opportunity.
Shining Armor had to be curious. For that matter, so did his parents. Shining had asked a few times if he wanted to have him over instead, and Blueblood always responded with a polite 'no' and no further elaboration. When pressed, he tried to explain that his aunts did not always love visitors, that they simply were not the hosting type even if they weren't the ones doing the hosting, even going so far as to say they may be upset with him. He had even once said their abode was in no condition to allow for guests. Shining's parents seemed to assume the worst, because they started to remind him he was always welcome at their house constantly. (Later in life, Blueblood realized the combination of that comment and the sheer amount of time he spent anywhere but home made his aunts sound like terrible slobs of ponies.)
Of course, Shining's entire family was soon to learn the truth.
School was out for the summer. It was one of the rare nights he ate not only at home, but with his aunts. The long dining table always seemed so empty with just the three of them, all sat on one end of it.
Blueblood sat at the head of the table. In front of him, to his right, sat Princess Celestia. Across from her sat Princess Luna. The meal had been served already. Blueblood was almost finished when Celestia spoke.
"You know, Blueblood," She began, a napkin levitating in her magic to dab at her mouth before she continued, "I've been doing some of the preliminary entrance exams for next year's students at the School for Gifted Unicorns."
"Yes, aunt Celestia. I recall." Good, his voice did not falter in the slightest. It was a bit of a sore subject, for him, at least. He'd miserably failed his own entrance exam. It was likely the most disappointed with him Celestia had ever been.
"Well, we had a rather promising student try out today. Her magical potential is enormous, to say the least. The last time I recall being so impressed with an entrance exam..." She leaned back in her seat. "I believe it was Sunset Shimmer's."
Sunset Shimmer was a name Blueblood knew well. She was around his age and he saw her around the castle, sometimes, usually with Celestia. She did not seem interested in making friends with him, or anypony else for that matter, a roll of the eyes and snide remark always ready to be brought out when attempting to speak with her. But Celestia adored her and had already taken her as her personal student. So if this little filly was being compared to her by Celestia? She had to be special. "Truly? What'd she do, hatch the dragon egg?" He chuckled.
"As a matter of fact, nephew, she did." Luna spoke.
"Oh." He hadn't even known it was possible; he'd never heard of a foal managing to do it in his lifetime. The test was rather antiquated. It wasn't one the prospective students were meant to pass. "That's certainly impressive."
"Impressive, indeed. It appears she had a magical surge which enabled her to do this, but it was nonetheless powerful to witness. She even earned her cutie mark." Luna smiled, which was a rarity in and of itself, but in particular the fondness in that smile was something Blueblood was unsure he'd ever seen before. "She was so excited."
"We are telling you this for a reason, nephew." Celestia began after a moment. "The filly's parents were excited, too. And we overheard them telling her how proud they were."
"Yes?" He did not like how Celestia's tone had changed; now, she was looking directly at him.
"The filly's name was Twilight Sparkle."
"Oh." He said for a second time. Luna shot him a look: a shocked 'oh' was a social faux pas, as was the way his jaw had slightly dropped momentarily, and he'd done it twice now. He quickly shut his mouth. They'd taught him better, or, well, somepony had. He couldn't remember who. He decidedly took a bite of his dinner in an attempt to relax the tension as Luna's face relaxed again.
And now it was her turn to elaborate. "Her parents also told her that.. what was it? Shiny was going to be so proud of her. I simply had to ask them, because that name sounded so familiar." As opposed to her earlier smile, her muzzle had upturned into something of a smirk. I caught you, it said to him. "As it turns out, she has an older brother. Shining Armor. A student at the Academy for Dignity and Decorum. That is the same colt that you have been befriending for the past several months, is it not?" She asked.
"Yes, it is." He said, and decided that wasn't a good enough acknowledgement, "And Twilight Sparkle is indeed his younger sister." His mouth felt dry; he levitated his glass to his lips and took a sip, the image of calmness.
Celestia smiled at him, and though it was small it felt mocking. "Of course, we were already fairly certain of that. So we have invited them all over for dinner tomorrow night, to get to know Twilight and her family better and also finally meet your friend."
"That's lovely." He lied. "They're delightful." That, however, was the truth.
"We look forward to it." Luna said, and the conversation was over, it seemed.
And in 24 hours, potentially, so was his first friendship.
The first thing Blueblood noticed was that Shining Armor was wearing a necktie. If tonight's dinner went well, he'd simply have to inform him that a bowtie would have been more appropriate.
The second thing he noticed was the sheer confusion on Shining and his family's faces. But there wasn't much he could do about that for the moment.
Blueblood stood, chest forward and neck straight, a few hooves behind and to the right of Luna and Celestia, who were greeting Shining's family. He knew he looked the part of the steely noble colt; it was a part he was admittedly rather great at playing. Internally, he had no idea what was going on or what was being said, too focused on watching Shining's journey through numerous changing expressions to pay much attention. But when Shining looked towards the princesses and gave them a bow and a smile, Blueblood figured it was about time to start paying attention. Celestia had bent a little, down towards Shining Armor to look at him on eye-level. Blueblood only caught Shining's response to her.
"It is an honor to meet you both, your majesties."
"It is so lovely to meet you, too, my little pony." Celestia said. She then straightened up and addressed their entire family: "Now, I believe this has been a long time coming."
Celestia stepped aside, further towards Luna and away from Blueblood. A hoof extended in a gesture to her nephew. "This is my dearest nephew, Blueblood, a student at Luna's Academy for Dignity and Decorum... and, if I am to understand correctly, a colt you all already know quite well. It is wonderful to meet the family of not only one of the most promising upcoming students in Equestria, but also of Blueblood's first dear friend."
Blueblood gave a small, polite bow in greeting, thankful his aunt's words did not seem to call for an introduction of his own. He kept his head bowed ever-so-slightly in an effort to hide how his face threatened to flush. His first dear friend. He supposed that was accurate. However, silence stretched, for a moment; it seemed nopony knew quite what to say.
Twilight Velvet spoke first. "Princesses, please forgive our manners and our confusion. We just had no idea he was, well..." She put a hoof to her chin, thinking. "Your nephew, you say?"
"In a sense." Luna answered. "He can be quite secretive when he'd like to be. However, let's not forget the reason for our gathering. Little Twilight is certainly our guest of honor." Luna leaned down and waved at Twilight, who was still hiding behind her mom's legs. The filly gave a small wave and smile back.
"Now, let us save the questions to be asked over dinner. The foyer is a poor place for extended conversation. Follow me." Celestia said, and turned to begin a leisurely walk to the dining room.
It was a quick walk, or at least it normally would have been. Twilight Velvet, Night Light, and Twilight Sparkle were all looking around at the castle with wide eyes at the splendor and luxury. Shining Armor spared a glance every now and then, but for the most part, just looked directly ahead with a determined look on his face. Blueblood couldn't quite figure out what it meant.
The four-minute walk felt like ages as none of them spoke. In Blueblood's case, he knew it would be rude to. The rest of Shining's family was too busy 'ooh'ing and 'ahh'ing every time they turned a corner to make conversation. He just wished he knew why Shining himself was so silent.
Regardless, they soon made it to the dining hall. The usual long table of the night before had been switched for a shorter one that was meant to comfortably fit a group of their size. Blueblood supposed it was meant to feel more cozy.
Thankfully, most of the dinner was relatively painless and more focused on Twilight and her parents than Shining or Blueblood. He had been sat between Celestia and Luna and directly across from Shining Armor, as far away as he could get, so there was no conversation to be made between them. He wasn't sure if it was relieving or anxiety-inducing, or perhaps both.
He supposed he'd like to postpone Shining's inevitable rejection of friendship for as long as possible, though, so he leant more toward the former.
The conversation did eventually turn to Shining. It was Luna who began to speak to him first. "So, Shining Armor. I'm told you're quite well-rehearsed in shield magic. You're one of the top students at my academy."
At this, Shining Armor smiled for what may have been the first time tonight. "Yes, your majesty. I try my best."
"What do you intend on doing after you graduate?" She questioned.
"Well," Shining began, voice full of bravado, "It's always been my dream to become Captain of the Royal Guard. I planned on enlisting immediately after I graduated." And then, he looked around; first over to Twilight, then to Blueblood, and frowned. "Though now I'm unsure if I've got an... unfair advantage."
Blueblood wasn't sure if he was referring to their friendship or Twilight's new status as Canterlot's most promising young unicorn, but he understood how Shining may consider either a conflict of interest. Either way, he was wrong; the new captain was appointed by the retiring captain and neither of the princesses had any say in it (and Blueblood especially did not). But his heart felt as though it sunk when he realized Shining may have thought he ruined his chances at fulfilling his dream simply by becoming friends with him. Still, he remained quiet.
There was only the absolute briefest moment of silence before Celestia spoke, "The Captain of our own Royal Guard, you say?" And then, the Princess of the Sun smiled. It was nearly as brilliant and warm as her namesake. She was almost chuckling as she continued, "We have no say in that, so you have no unfair advantage by way of impressing us. But we would be honored for you to apply."
It was contagious. Everyone at the table smiled back, even Blueblood, though he was mostly happy to hear Shining's nerves being soothed.
The rest of dinner went smoothly.
Blueblood's name did not come up at all.
His luck had to run out. Of course it did.
He wasn't sure if Celestia thought she was doing him a favor or if she knew exactly how nervous he was, but either way, her suggestion to show Shining Armor his room while they talked with Twilight and her parents felt like a condemnation all the same.
Shining Armor had started to say something as they began their walk, but upon being asked by Blueblood to wait until they got to his room, he had obliged. So now, they walked in silence.
It had gotten late. Luna had raised the moon and the sky was painted with stars that shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows they passed on the way to Blueblood's room. It made Shining Armor look borderline ethereal. His coat looked silvery; his eyes glinted like they contained the stars themselves. He turned to face Blueblood, having probably seen his gaze out of the corner of his eye. He'd been caught staring.
He looked away as if nothing had happened.
The door to his room arrived all too soon. It was located in a offshoot of the guests' quarters, more to the center of the castle, as opposed to Celestia's quarters in the eastern wing and Luna's in the western wing. He opened it, inviting Shining to step in first, and offering a seat at his writing desk which Shining decided not to take.
Unsurprisingly, Shining Armor was the first to speak. "Do you keep a sleeping bag or something in your room?"
This had not been anywhere on Blueblood's mental list of questions he may be asked before the night was over, so it took him a moment to reply. "No, I have no need for one. The other guest rooms have beds, however, which are portable. Why?"
"Well," Shining began, touching a hoof to the duvet on Blueblood's bed, "I figured if my little sister and best friend are both gonna be living in the castle someday, I'll be spending a lot of time here. Gotta have somewhere to sleep. Hey, are the guest bed's comforters as soft as this one?"
Blueblood may have short-circuited for a moment. "Pardon? You aren't..." He furrowed his brows. What, exactly, had he been fearing again? Now that Shining was here, talking to him, not mad or even acting different in the slightest, it all seemed so silly. "You aren't at least mad that I lied to you?"
"Maybe a little," He conceded after a moment's thought, "But I guess I get it. Especially if Princess Celestia was right."
Blueblood tilted his head. "Right about what, exactly?"
"Didn't she say I was your first actual friend or something?"
Ah. So he did hear that. Blueblood turned away and began very intently looking out of his window, over the tops of the houses of Canterlot. Most ponies' lights were still on. He almost thought he could spot Shining's house, tucked away on the outskirts of the city, dark save for one light on their porch. He doubted it, though. He'd tried many times in daylight and couldn't quite figure out exactly where their house sat. "She did." He finally responded. "I guess I wasn't quite sure how you would react to me being, well... nobility." The word never sat right with him.
"I'd call it more than just nobility," He snorted, "But either way, it doesn't really change much. It explains some things I've been wondering about." He took a step closer. "Can I ask you a question?" He didn't wait for a 'yes' before he continued, "How exactly are you their nephew?"
Ah, yes. The question he'd been expecting all night; the first question he would expect anypony to ask. He'd had a response prepared, but it seemed to have tumbled right out of the window he stood in front of because he had to think for a moment before he replied. "I'm not. Not exactly." That was simple enough, but he also supposed it was hardly a satisfying answer. "I'm not certain of the full history behind it, but I'm an orphan.
"My mother... she was close to the Princesses. A high-ranking Canterlot noble, or so I'm told. I suppose they felt indebted to her and when she died in birth, they took me in." He turned to look at Shining again as he continued, "I've always wondered what role, exactly, she played in their lives. If she was very important at all, or if it was just convenient for them to take me in."
Shining was silent for a minute as he processed what he'd just been told. "Convenient?"
He paused. He'd never spoken his suspicions aloud before tonight. He supposed there was a first time for everything, though, so he took a deep breath before speaking aloud, "You might remember this being mentioned if you've taken history classes at the academy, but Equestria used to have a history of throning a mortal prince every couple generations. To act as a diplomat, primarily, but also to help the population relate more to the monarchs." He glanced over to Shining, who nodded for him to continue, "The prince was chosen during colthood and raised in the castle amongst the princesses. Typically, he'd belong to a noble family, but it caused tensions amongst them and rumors of favoritism were thrown around and..." He trailed off. "Well, it hasn't been done in over twelve decades now. I suspect the princesses were thinking of starting the tradition back up again and I just fell right into their laps. Too perfect of an opportunity to pass up."
Shining seemed completely dumbfounded. "Wait, wait. Hold on. So you're telling me you're going to be a prince? Are you going to get your own territory? Your own guard? Am I—"
Blueblood held up a hoof to silence his friend. "No, nothing of the sort. I'd be a prince in title, but my true role, like I said, would be to act as a diplomat. I believe princes in the past typically took a knight, similar to how each of the princesses have their own personal student, but they wouldn't have their own kingdom and military force. And," He hesitated, "It's possible that I'm completely wrong, and once I get to be old enough they'll boot me out of the castle and have me make a life for myself."
"I doubt it. You seem like you're pretty sure you're right."
Blueblood hummed. He doubted it, too. His gaze drifted to a tapestry on his wall. There, on an aegean blue background, was an image: a simple compass rose. "Do you see my cutie mark?" He gestured to the tapestry. "Once I earned it, my aunts commissioned this for my next birthday. I, personally, didn't quite know what to make of it. It might imply that I'm a skilled cartographer, or an excellent sea-farer." He allowed himself a small chuckle. "I am neither of those things. But Celestia once told me... " He remembered it so well. She seemed proud, for once. "She said it meant I was good at following the direction my life was supposed to go in. Good at navigating the situations they were instructing me to navigate."
That had been so long ago, it seemed. He supposed it was still true.
"That's... good? So, wait a moment." Gears were turning in his head. "You've been around Celestia and Luna for most of your life."
"The entirety of it, more or less." Not that he remembered much of his youngest years. He was sure numerous castle servants were also to be accredited with the task of raising him, but he was certain the princesses had done some of it, too.
"Huh. Well, I guess that explains why you talk so weird." Shining snickered, but Blueblood positively balked.
"I talk weird? I speak just fine, thank you!" He huffed, but it was half a laugh, itself.
If Shining thought of him any different, he didn't let it show, then or for the rest of the night.
Luna eventually retrieved Shining to show him and his family to their guest rooms. It appeared they had all gotten on fabulously. For that, Blueblood was thankful.
In the meantime, Celestia stayed behind. She watched, stood right outside of the threshold to Blueblood's room, until the family was out of earshot, and then she turned to face him. A gentle smile was on her face. "Blueblood, I believe you've done well."
She may as well have been singing him praises. Celestia was certainly the warmer of the two sisters, but even she did not hand out compliments often. "Thank you, aunt Celestia. I tried to practice good manners."
"Manners?" She let out a tinkly little laugh. "Oh, yes, your manners were good, but I was referring to your choice to befriend Shining Armor. He seems like a solid colt. I am quite impressed with Twilight and him, both."
It wasn't something he had done on purpose; but he allowed himself to accept the compliment, nonetheless. "Well... I'm glad you like him."
"Of course. I only spoke with him briefly, but based on how his family describes him... I believe you'd do well to maintain your friendship." And then, Celestia stepped towards him and ever-so-briefly extended a wing that wrapped around his side for a small hug. Just as soon as it happened, it was over. "Good night, Blueblood. I'm proud of you."
She turned and left at once, her hoofsteps echoing in the hallway of the castle outside of his door.
For a moment, Blueblood did not move, frozen in quiet, well-restrained delight. She was proud. He walked back over to his window and looked up at the moon.
Different hoofsteps sounded outside his door. His back was turned to it, but he recognized them as Shining Armor. "Mind if I roll in a guest bed and sleep in here for the night? Twily wants a room to herself. She's already starting to think she's all grown up." He sighed.
"Of course. Go ahead."
"Sweet!" And his hoofsteps left, again, presumably to get a bed.
Blueblood guessed Shining Armor was, indeed, just about the ideal colt. Well-mannered, but with a vibrant personality. Strongly dedicated to his goals. Kind, but never patronizing, and down to earth. He was just perfectly likeable without even trying.
As he stared at the night sky, his thoughts went back to Shining, earlier, walking through the halls of the castle by his side, highlighted by the moon and absolutely glowing...
Blueblood wondered if he looked half as good under Luna's skies as Shining Armor did.
'Probably not.'