//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 // Story: Blueblood's Blush. // by Sophocoles //------------------------------// It wasn’t until later that day that a beam of light from the open window finally fell on Trixie’s eyes, causing the blue mare to stir. She sat up, groggily rubbing at her purple eyes as the whole world came into focus. The first thing she saw when she came to was a heart monitor. A.... A heart monitor! She stiffened as her eyes snapped wide open. A tube ran from the monitor and around her hoof. The faint “beep-------beep-------beep” showed that Trixie was indeed alive. The room was small and white with a few portraits of ponies Trixie had no relation to hung on the walls. The couch that belonged to this room was pulled up close to her bed, as if someone had been laying there before she came to. Trixie let her head fall back to the pillow and sighed, memories of last night flooding into her mind. She remembered Celestia and Blueblood. She remembered how wonderful the night had seemed to be going. She remembered the fun, the laughter, the food. Then she remembered when she passed out. The mare rubbed her eyes with her hooves, sighing. She really messed everything up. Everything she could have ever wanted was right there. Right in front of her, and then she had to let her pride get in the way. It was a few more moments of silence before a hospital pony walked in and noticed the now conscious Trixie. She trotted over. “How are we feeling today, Miss Trixie?” asked the pony with an obvious fake grin plastering her face. Trixie blinked up at her, thinking for a moment. “Trixie feels fine. Can she go now?” “As soon as we tell you a few things. You really were starving yourself there, hun. It’s not healthy doncha’ know?” She reached over and grabbed a clipboard that sat on the table to the right of Trixie. “But since it wasn’t intentional, you won’t have to see a therapist. Instead some nice young colt promised to be providing you with all the food you need to survive. A prince I think, actually.” Trixie looked down, the guilt hitting her like a slap to the face. The hospital pony spent the next five minutes reading a long list of foods she should and shouldn’t eat until she reached a proper weight again. She went on and on, but Trixie wasn’t really listening. No, she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was find Blueblood and tell him just how sorry she was. After ten more minutes, Trixie was outside Canterlot Castle with a list of foods held in her mouth. She looked around for a bit, hoping to catch some glimpse of the stallion she hoped to talk to, but she saw neither hide nor hair of him. She sighed before turning slowly to go back inside when something caught her eye. It was the helper pony with the green coat and red mane that got her the dress for last night. Maybe she would know where Blueblood was. Trixie trotted over. “Excuse me!” The pony squeaked and looked up at Trixie. “Y-yes?” “Do you know where Blueblood is?” Her tone of voice was that of urgency. “I-I think he’s in his room, ma’am.” She avoided eye contact and stared at the floor. Trixie hugged the pony. “Thank you thank you thank you!” She then took off. She trotted back inside, quickly looking around. She went down every hallway until she got to the very top of the castle. She got to a door with a gold plaque on it that read “Blueblood”. After a mane and breath check, she knocked three times. A yellow glow surrounded the door and it was flung open. Blueblood lay on his bed, facing away from the door. Three or four wine glasses were beside his bed, one of them tipped over and broken. The room was messy and the windows were closed, causing the room to get an eerie grey color. Blueblood himself was tossed carelessly on his king sized mattress, half covered with his blanket. His hair was untidy and the tux he had worn for last night was wrinkled and thrown in the corner. Trixie nervously stepped in. “A-ahem....... B-Blueblood?” Blueblood’s ears perked up and her quickly jumped out off bed and flung himself onto the blue mare, hugging her close and tight. “Oh Trixie! I-” He stopped in the middle of his sentence and quickly let go, taking a step away from the mare and tossing his head up in disgust as if remembering he was mad at her. “Why hello, Trixie.” He did his best to sound mad. The blue mare sighed, sitting down. “Blueblood...... I’m so sorry.” She caught the prince’s attention, for he opened one eye and looked down at the mare. “This was all my fault.” She could feel tears welling up in her eyes. “None of this would have ever happened if I just told you....” She closed her eyes against her steamy tears. “Blueblood.... I live in a mobile home on the outskirts of town. It’s broken down and I’ve had to repair it so many times I’ve lost count. I’d buy another one, but the problem is I can’t. I can’t because I don’t have any money. I’m as poor as a rock, Blueblood. And as dumb as one too. I can’t afford to feed myself and I certainly can’t afford to start a new diet now that I’m sick. Blueblood, this is all so hard for me.... I... I’m sorry.” She lay her head at his hooves and covered her face up, tears running down her face. Blueblood looked startled. He thought for a moment before putting a hoof on her head and gently rubbing in a circular motion. “You could have just told me. I have money.” Trixie sat up and rested her head on his shoulder. “Yeah.... but Trixie.... I didn’t want to get my pride hurt; and that was a stupid idea on my part.” She sighed. Blueblood laughed. “Well I guess everything’s better now. Well...” He pulled back so he could look Trixie in the eye. “Trixie, Celestia and I talked last night. She said that we would fund you until you could get back on all four hooves. You see, this castle is rather large; and not all the rooms here are taken up. Plus, we have a ton of food. And, well....she said that if you wanted you could.... come.... live in the castle. “ He smiled sheepishly at her, waiting for an answer. That’d mean she would stay here. No more moving around, no more traveling show biz. She thought for a moment longer before smiling up at the white stallion. “Of course.” He tried to contain his childish joy the best he could, but that proved too great a task for the prince. He stood and laughed, hugging Trixie tighter than before. Trixie was also happy. The two of them walked to Celestia’s room to tell her to good news. They knocked before noticing the note on the yellow door. It read, “Trixie and Blueblood. Go to the dining hall.” The two looked nervously at one another before heading in the direction, each thinking of the terrible or wonderful fate that lay in store for them. They pushed open the double doors and before they knew it they were engulfed in a cloud of pink. It seemed as if they were being attacked. Attacked by an army of angry pink killing machines. They could feel themselves being squeezed tight. Tighter and tighter almost to the point where they couldn't breathe. Then it hit them. They weren't being attacked. No, they were being hugged. A loud high pitch voice cried out in glee. “I’m soooooooo happy for you two!” cried out the pink ball. When the two were finally able to pull away, they could see that the pink cloud was actually a pony. Blueblood put his hoof to his chin. He seemed to have remembered this pony from somewhere before. Trixie was in the same dilemma; she could recall seeing a similar face when she first visited Ponyville. The two took another glance of the room and could see that the pink pony was not the only visitor. Oh no, there was a white one, an orange one, a yellow one, a blue one, and a purple one. Trixie cringed at the sight of the purple one. She remembered that one by name. Twilight Sparkle. Blueblood also coughed at the sight of the white one. He’d had a rather unfortunate run in with her at the last Gala. Rarity was her name, as he remembered it. All six of the ponies came up and introduced themselves to the couple. Blueblood and Trixie politely shook their hooves, not wanting to be rude. The pink one, who introduced herself as Pinkie Pie, wouldn’t leave them alone. She kept asking them what their favorite color was and whether or not they liked the game Pin the Tail on the Pony. Eventually the two split apart and made small talk with the six. Rarity tried her hoof at speaking to the prince. “So..... how are things going? I-I see you and Trixie are..” She cleared her throat. Blueblood nodded. “Yes. And... well I’d like to apologize for being such a stuck up jerk to you. I shouldn’t have acted that way. It was wrong of me.” Rarity was taken aback. “I... Ooh... well... You’re forgiven.” Trixie eventually dragged into a long conversation with Twilight about ancient magic. She understood most of what the purple pony said, having studied ancient magic excessively in her youth. They talked and talked, but one question burned deep in the back of her mind. Why? “Twilight.... Not to be rude.... but why are you here,” the blue mare asked quizzically. Twilight smiled. “I was waiting for you to ask that question.” She gestured to the small purple dragon in the corner who had escaped Trixie’s notice until now. “ Princess Celestia said that you might have a good lesson for me to take down.” Trixie blinked, surprised by the pony’s kind words. “Well.... I-I’d love to.” Twilight pulled out a quill from seemingly nowhere and handed it to Trixie. “Why don’t you take this one down.” Trixie smiled before getting to work on the letter. “Dear Princess Celestia, I learned that the ponies that care for you will always love you, regardless of whether you have a lot of money, or can buy your own food or not. It’s good to always let them know when something is wrong especially if it’s important. Your pride should never get in the way of your relationships with other ponies. Who knows, maybe the pony really cares about you and wants you to be safe and sound. Always trust your friends. Signed, The Great and Powerful Trixie”