Blueblood brushed his coat with a bit more force than he normally used. He had woken up after falling sleep again to find it was nearly dinner time. His stomach was starting to growl, and the fact that he had in fact just been crying did not make him happy. He felt disgusted that he had dreamed that wretched memory after so long without it, and was a bit disappointed in himself for weeping like a foal.
Thus it was that Blueblood was in no mood for any tom-foolery or crazy antics. As he left his room, and made his way down to the dining hall, a number of servants scurried the other way as he approached. His grimacing face and sour mood made it a wise idea to avoid the irate prince.
At length he walked into the dining hall, giving the doors a bit more of force than needed to open them, causing a mild thump as they flew apart. His family looked up, and immediately noticed his foul mood.
“Bad day at work?” Shining asked, hazarding a guess. There was a pause as Blueblood looked daggers at the Captain of the Guard, and he recoiled a bit. Blueblood sat down at his usual spot and sighed, rubbing his face with his hooves.
“Sorry for that everyone. I have just been a bit…stressed from a number of things,” Blueblood said, apologizing for his behavior. Shining nodded, already forgiving him, but the Princesses looked at him with concern.
“Are you sure you’re alright, Blue?” Cadence asked, using his pet name from when they were younger.
“Is your work truly so stressful? I thought you had someone helping you? What was his name…Azure…” Celestia stated, rubbing her chin.
“Azure Flame,” Blueblood said quickly, before his aunt thought anymore about the stallion that technically didn’t exist. “And yes, he is a large help with my work, but I have other things beside paperwork on my mind.”
“In that case, we have a wonderful surprise for you, dear nephew!” Luna exclaimed. Blueblood looked at his new aunt with a curious eye. He could also see, from the corners of his eyes, that Celestia and Cadence were smiling, so they were in on the deal, but Shining was looking down at his plate, with an expression on his face that said “This isn’t going to end well, and when it all crashes down, I won’t say I told you so because you are my wife and my Princesses, but I will give you a look that says I was right and leave it at that.”
Shining Armor had a very expressive face.
“We heard about your little event for the patients at the Grand Heart Hospital, and were very proud of you for hosting it, especially when you read and answered that little filly’s letter. So we decided to help you with the preparations!” Luna said, happily explaining. Blueblood was indeed surprised, and smiled at their thoughtfulness. But a thought occurred to him. It was a small thought, barely formed, and all of a sudden he got worried.
“But you all are busy with setting up the Grand Galloping Gala! How can you help without getting behind on your own work?” Blueblood inquired, as the nagging thought at the back of his head grew bigger and louder.
“Well, when we thought about it, who better to throw a party for sad ponies than someone who can make anypony smile? Who better to design the festivities and plan the events than ponies who know what to do and do it well? Who better to provide wonderful refreshments than a pony who can provide succulent fruits and fruit products? Who better to make others have a good time and feel better than ponies who are kind and loyal?” Luna asked rhetorically.
At this point, the thought in Blueblood’s mind was practically screaming at him, but with considerable force of will, he ignored it.
“You don’t mean…?” He whispered, terrified to vocalize his suspicions.
“Indeed! We have invited Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony to help with the preparations for your Hospital mini-Gala!” Luna broke into a wide smile along with her sister and niece. Shining Armor kept looking at his now empty plate with the same expression as earlier, but with “Well, here it goes!” written on it as well.
“YOU WHAT?!” Blueblood screeched, literally jumping out of his chair to land on the dining room’s floor. He shook with shock, and only now did Celestia and Cadence begin to think that this had been a bad idea. Luna didn’t notice this, and kept on talking.
“Indeed, dear nephew! We have invited them, and they have accepted! They’ll be here the week before the Grand Galloping Gala to help you set up! Aren’t you glad?”
Blueblood looked to Luna, who was still smiling, to Celestia, who shared a frown with Cadence, to Cadence who was trying to ignore Shining Armor’s vindictive “I told you so!” smile, and to Shining Armor, who was sharing his smile with the rest of the room.
A number of the serving staff and nearby Guards rolled their eyes at all this, apparently agreeing with Shining Armor that the plan to invite the Elements of Harmony, of which Rarity was included, to help with Blueblood’s event was a bad idea. A really bad idea. The six mares were close friends with each other, and would likely hate Blueblood because of his actions during Snob Mode at the previous Gala on behalf of their friend Rarity. The castle staff also knew that Blueblood was truly sorry for his acts, but the Mane Six, as some fool of a journalist had called them after beating Discord, would not be so easy to sway to be nice to, in their eyes, a stuck up noble.
“I! Uh! Wha!” Blueblood began, hyperventilating, and then keeled over onto to his side, falling unconscious before he hit the ground. As he faded, he thought to himself, “Curse you Murphy and your Laws!” and then it all went black.