Life was good.
In the two years since graduating, Blueblood had gradually took on more responsibilities. He sometimes held council on his own, met with other diplomats, arranged events with himself, the princesses, and other rulers— there were few things he was unable to do. There was even talk of renovating one of the towers in the castle to be his and his alone. And over the years, he'd rejected numerous mares; some lovely, some not, and most may have thought him a priss or a diva, but at least one pony knew the truth: Shining Armor.
Despite his days growing ever-busier, he always made time for his oldest friend. Whether it was nights spent together, or their rarely coinciding days off, he felt he saw Shining Armor more often than he ever did. Shining had been making his way up the ranks in the royal guard, admitted soon after graduating what felt like ages ago, and he was only getting busier, but somehow, amidst the chaos, it worked.
It was one of their nights, now, and a special one, at that. Shining Armor and him were eating dinner together in one of the more private dining rooms of the castle, and Blueblood had news.
"Earlier today, Celestia and Luna told me they were making arrangements for my coronation." An impossibly simple sentence, but one Blueblood spoke with utmost pride as he levitated his drink to his mouth and took a sip.
"Really? That's incredible!" Shining Armor smiled and raised his own glass. "Cheers to that."
"And I finally told them I chose you to serve as my knight. They weren't surprised, of course." They also hadn't seemed especially happy, but he was really trying not to dwell on it.
"Wow," He said, and placed his glass down without taking a sip. "It's really going to happen, isn't it?"
"Barring the most unfortunate, yes."
It had been a good two years, but a long one. Half of their time spent together was spent sneaking around. They were too old for sleepovers, and Blueblood had moved the bed Shining used to use out of his room long ago. It had been a permanent fixture for years, but they had to grow up. Unfortunately, that meant if some castle servant saw Shining Armor leaving Blueblood's room in the early hours of the morning, they could only draw one conclusion regarding their sleeping arrangements... luckily, it had not happened. They were more careful than that.
When they went out in public, there was no affection to be shared. It was nigh unthinkable. Equestria was a welcoming society, for the most part, but even the most forward-thinking ponies would be sure to give a royal guard and a noble on an obvious date more than a few looks— and maybe a few words, too. It was easier to ignore that they were anything at all, unless they were alone.
Blueblood enjoyed being alone together best, anyhow.
He found himself thinking that if it hadn't been for his attendance of that silly, childish dance, he couldn't imagine what he would be doing. It wasn't often that he felt like reminiscing, but there was something about tonight; maybe it was the drinks, maybe the good news, but as they wandered to his room and climbed in his bed he felt his mind meandering.
"To this day, I don't believe I've congratulated you on winning that whole king thing at our formal."
"That?" Shining laughed. "I thought you were being quiet. That's what you're thinking about?"
"Sure," He said. "Why not? You looked good with a crown."
"Hey, you're the prince, not me. But thank you." He acquiesced.
"Hmm."
"And you still didn't congratulate me."
"Oh, right. Congratulations." He squinted at Shining Armor, muzzles inches apart. He'd spent a great deal of time looking at Shining Armor over the past couple of years, but this time it was with new eyes. "I think you'd be a good prince. In another world, maybe." He could imagine it; Shining Armor with some strange combo of princely attire and armor, because even as a prince he'd never give up his dream of being a guard. His family congratulating him, and a pretty princess to rule by his side...
He'd made himself uncomfortable. He pushed the image back down.
"Right, me as a prince. Why not make Twily a princess, too, while we're at it? Or Cadance?" He chuckled. "That's not happening. I'm... right where I belong. Your knight. Eventually, that is."
"Right where you belong..." Blueblood let out a small sigh as he shuffled further into the blankets. "Yes. By the way, how is Cadance?"
"She's good. Her and Twilight hang out sometimes. I think Celestia's taken a liking to her." He shrugged. "I haven't spoken to her in a while."
"That's nice," Blueblood said. There were few words exchanged for the rest of the night, only the blissful embrace of both Shining Armor and sleep.
The attention was getting worse. He was simply going to have to start fending ponies off with a stick.
It was a difficult task to go out in public. It seemed the rumors had spread about his upcoming coronation, and every pony had a question of some sort: 'How does it feel to be Equestria's first prince in over a century? Are you going to get your own kingdom? Are you looking for a worthy mare to court? Are you secretly going to try and overthrow the princesses?' Each more boorish than the last. He'd only ever give a short, terse reply, if any at all, and expected the questions and approaches to slow, but it seemed they never would.
That is, until he realized he had a secret weapon.
Blueblood realized another, smaller rumor had spread: that Shining Armor was to be his knight and personal bodyguard. It was all quite exaggerated, really, but it had its benefits. Namely, whenever Shining Armor accompanied Blueblood out, it seemed ponies were more reluctant to approach him, especially since he'd told Shining Armor to stop looking so friendly all the time. Ponies still watched him closer than he'd like, but it at least stopped all the incessant small talk.
It helped so much, in fact, that he forgot he was under such scrutiny.
With three months left until his coronation, he was called into the throne room by both Celestia and Luna. This was slightly unusual; they had all three dined together more often than not at some point during the day, and generally if there was something to talk about, they did it then. It must have been urgent. He hurried to the throne room, a tinge of adrenaline in his hooves.
In the throne room sat Celestia, Luna, and a few guards, as per usual. He felt a little foolish when he saw how calm everypony was, and he slowed his trot down to a walk. He stood in front of them, looking up at their thrones, and cleared his throat. "Good afternoon, aunt Celestia, aunt Luna."
"Good afternoon, Blueblood." Luna said. "Let's get right to it. Your coronation is very soon."
"Yes, it is. Is something wrong?" He looked between Luna and Celestia; Celestia was sat on her throne while Luna was standing in front of her own. It seemed she would be leading whatever discussion was about to take place.
Celestia spoke before Luna could and said, "For one, it's getting to be time to pick a date and send out invitations and flyers. We have a lot to do in the upcoming months to get ready."
Luna's brows were knitted and she tapped a hoof. "Yes, that is true, but there's one small issue."
"An issue?"
"Blueblood, I do not wish to drag you around, hinting and beating around the bush until you eventually understand, so forgive me if I am blunt. The role of a prince carries a hefty responsibility."
He nodded.
"And it is not only a responsibility, but a set of expectations. Namely, your public image matters far more as a prince than it would if you were a normal pony."
All things he already knew, of course. "I understand that." Looking up at the two sisters on the throne, he was reminded of what it was like to be a foal, when they seemed impossibly large and almighty— even more so when he was in trouble (which had been an extreme rarity.) He felt, for some reason, as though he were now.
"Do you? It appears more than a couple of ponies saw you behaving inappropriately with a member of our own royal guard."
Blueblood froze and it seemed the world froze with him. His eyes darted over to each of the guards sat around Celestia and Luna; impassive and stone-faced as always. Luna's face was unreadable as she stared directly at him; he wondered if she could see his heartbeat quicken.
"Behaving... inappropriately?" He knew better than to feign total ignorance, but he wasn't about to out anything about himself that he didn't have to.
"Yes. It was past dark. You were seen in the gardens."
His face fell and Luna's expression changed with his, from a stoic gaze to a smile. It reminded him of the smile she had given him so many years ago at the dinner table. He'd been caught.
"The gardens..." He murmured.
It had indeed been past dark, and they were both perhaps more than a little tipsy, having spent the prior part of the night celebrating a promotion for Shining Armor. The gardens were so quiet; though they were open to all ponies at all times of the day, Blueblood doubted there was anypony else there. They had been too bold. A few stolen touches and more than a few kisses... That explained why he'd received a few odd looks out and about town since then. A joke everypony but himself was in on. His face burned.
"Blueblood," Celestia began, "We love to see you happy, regardless of whether we or other ponies approve of what you are doing. But..."
"But?" He wasn't sure he had even said the word.
"But some behaviors are simply not befitting of a prince. We cannot set a bad example for our subjects, nor can we allow a prince on the throne that our subjects do not respect." Luna finished.
He swallowed. The guards in the room maintained their wooden demeanors. He understood, now, why this conversation was taking place in the throne room. It spared them all the possibility of talking about it more in depth, so as not to give away exactly what happened with who to the guards in the room, but it also made Blueblood feel all the more ashamed.
"Are you going to..?" He started to ask, but the words got caught in his throat.
"To decide against crowning you?" Luna asked, finally taking a step and sitting on her throne. "Not unless we absolutely must. But this will push your coronation back by another moon or so. Ponies will forget about this in time..." She narrowed her eyes as she peered down at him. "If you let them, that is."
"Right." If he let them.
"Are we understood?" Luna asked.
"Yes, aunt Luna. I understand."
And he wished he didn't. The populace would forget if he let them. In other words, if he avoids all reminders of what happened. In other words...
"You are dismissed." Luna said.
He wished more than ever that he didn't know his aunts so well, and that he was not able to parse exactly what they meant regardless of what they actually said— but he did, and he was. As he always did, he knew exactly what they wanted.
For once, he thought he might disregard it.
So what if this was what his entire life had been leading up to? A new life could be made. One that had room in it for Shining Armor, for 'inappropriate behavior,' for anything he wanted, just like Shining had told him years ago.
Blueblood turned around, head held high, and began to depart from the throne room.
"Blueblood," Celestia called out when he was almost to the doors, "We care about you more than you know. Please hear us out."
He looked back.
Celestia stood, frowning, looking like she'd been the one who had just been reprimanded-- like she'd been struck. It was an expression he had never seen on her before, paired with words she'd never said to him.
He nodded in acknowledgement, turned back around, and left.
Years later, Blueblood stood in front of a mirror, carefully adjusting his bowtie with his magic with all the seriousness of a pony getting ready for a funeral. But this was no funeral. The time for the Grand Galloping Gala had come, and this was to be a special year.
He ran a comb through his mane and tail one last time and left his room. He was going to be fashionably late, just as he intended to be. He was perfectly on time.
By the time he arrived at the ballroom, the party was in full swing. As full swing as the gala could be, that is. He spotted Celestia across the room, but made no move to approach her. His eyes were on other prospects.
As his eyes scanned the crowd, he recognized few faces, mainly the most prominent of nobility and gentry - ponies he'd encountered while holding council, and more than a few he'd dined with once or twice. Nopony stood out to him, or at least, nopony that he could see amidst the crowd. He thought a bit of fresh air might do him good, and made for the exit.
It was only once he was outside, admiring the gardens, that he was approached.
"Excuse me," Came a feminine voice from behind him.
He turned around and was taken aback. In front of him stood a mare. A unicorn with a white coat and blue eyes... she looked just like him. Save for her violet mane and her smaller stature, of course. 'Perfect.'
Yes, tonight was going to be a special night. Tonight, he was looking for a mare to make a princess, and this one certainly looked the part.
"Prince Blueblood?" She said.
"That would be me, yes." He smiled at her. "Your name would be?"
"Rarity," She breathed.
He sensed she was more than a little starstruck and realized she must have been from out of town. Even better. "Would you like to accompany me to get some refreshments? This gala was beginning to look dull, but I believe you may have fixed that issue for me."
She gave a girlish giggle and nodded. "I'd love to!"
He pretended the laugh was not grating on his ears and nodded. "Then let us go."
The night was a let-down, to say the least. Each time he gave her a chance to prove her worthiness, she failed. It seemed she thought she was the princess, and he was the lowly suitor trying to win her over. But Blueblood was the one to be wooed! If she couldn't figure that out, she was not worth any more of his time. He kept giving her more chances, however; she was beautiful.
It came to a head near the end of the night.
"Prince Blueblood," She spoke through clenched teeth, "I must say, I did not expect a prince to behave like this. Where is your chivalry?"
"Chivalry?" He laughed. "Dear, you said it yourself. I am the prince, and a prince has no need for chivalry! Here I am, testing you and giving you second chances and third chances and so on to prove yourself to me, and you're failing each one." He tossed his mane over his shoulder. "I have high standards, and if you cannot meet them, it is not my fault."
"Testing me?" She sputtered. "So you were just looking for reasons to reject me."
"I suppose I was," He nodded, satisfied. "And I found plenty."
She glared at him. "That is not what a pony who seeks companionship does. If you go looking for flaws immediately upon meeting a mare, you will never find one you like. Unless that is the point, I recommend you change your attitude. And as for me, I can do better." She huffed and turned, leaving him alone at the entrance of the gardens where they had ended up.
He groaned. Another night proved fruitless. His standards were not that high, truly, he just wanted somepony...
His heart panged.
Like she had said. What if that was the point?
He retired to his room without speaking a word to anypony else. He was a prince. He had tried his best to find a mare. He would have to keep looking.
He wondered if that was the sort of thing he could ask of his knight; to keep an eye out for any mare that may be good for him. But at once, he put down the idea: it was silly, it was pathetic, and his knight (the current captain of the royal guard) didn't know him all that well anyways, and further, was retiring soon.
Blueblood sighed. Another choice to make.
He stood by his window and looked out to the moon, over the rooftops of Equestria, over houses lit up with warm light and happy families. He could have swore he felt where his cutie mark was etched into his skin.
This was what his entire life had been leading up to.
He hoped Celestia and Luna were proud.