Cracking open his eyes, Blueblood stared at the unfamiliar walls. Something shifted against his barrel under the covers and he lifted them up slowly, only to receive a wet tongue to his face, followed by a bark assaulting his ears.
Pulling back, he stared into the happy face of a little brown dog, its tail wagging eagerly. The unicorn gave a groan as the feeling of his body returned, very sore from his work the previous day, and the memory of him nearly passing in front of a massive red stallion as Blueblood left the farm entered his mind.
Reaching down with a hoof, he scratched the dog between the ears until it had enough and leapt from the bed. Sitting up, he saw the door to his room was slightly ajar and the dog gone. There were creaks and groans from both the mattress and his limbs as he slowly slipped from the bed.
A wondrous smell drifted into the room, causing his stomach to rumble, and even though he wondered briefly where it was coming from, he stepped out into the main room. The front door was open and he could hear the dog barking at something out there, then turned towards the kitchenette of the guest cabin he had stayed in, his eyes going wide.
“Good mornin’ yer highness.”
Just setting down a plate stacked with pancakes was the massive stallion he met the evening before. Blueblood frowned, as he didn’t recall introducing himself, but still sat at the seat he was pointed to, his stomach rumbling again
“Have we met? Properly, I mean.”
“Eeyup. Was a few years ago, Ah came up to Canterlot to get some aid, as the farm was havin’ some difficulties. Name’s Macintosh Apple, but folks just call me ‘Big Mac’.”
“I can certainly see why!” The earth pony turned away with a chuckle, leaving Blueblood to dig in, which he did so heartily. His gaze roamed around the room until it settled on a clock hanging over a fireplace, his eyes going wide, and he quickly swallowed his mouthful. “Is there a reason you saw fit to let me sleep until ten a.m.?”
“Ya needed yer rest. Now eat up, then Ah’ll walk back into town with ya.”
Blueblood finished his meal and the two stallions left the small lodge, depositing the dirty dishes in the kitchen of the main house before stepping onto the dirt path that led back into town. The walk was silent, the pair greeting ponies with a wave as they passed, until they were in the town centre, Blueblood turning towards Mac.
“Thank you for walking with me, I’d best get back to my host now. I’m surprised she didn’t tear the town apart when I didn’t come back last night.”
“Nnope, Twi knew where you were, Ah told her.”
Blueblood blinked in surprise at the way Mac casually spoke about the princess, his head cocked as the earth pony started walking again, right towards the unicorn’s destination. Overcome with curiosity as to just how familiar Mac was with Twilight, Blueblood let him go inside first, then followed in.
The main floor was devoid of life, but that didn’t faze Mac, who was trotting happily up the stairs to the private area. Deciding not to press the issue, Blueblood sat down and began to take another look at the papers Wise Words had brought down, frowning at them.
One of the governmental departments seemed to have an expenditure much greater than they should have, and it was down to him to discover which one, then put a stop to it. Afterall, three thousand bits being spent on a single ‘team building’ event, even in Canterlot, was too high, which meant that… “Somepony or ponies are embezzling funds from the crown.”
Just as he was about to start looking closely at the company on his current sheet of paper, there was a bright purple flash to the side, Blueblood turning to see what it was and raising an eyebrow.
Lying on his back was Big Mac, and upon his chest was Twilight Sparkle, their lips locked and forelegs wrapped around each other. Blueblood cleared his throat, causing the two ponies to pull away from each other in shock, stand up, and stare at the side walls.
“Perhaps you should be careful where you teleport to, Twilight. And perhaps I need to speak with your father.” Blueblood smirked as he made out Twilight blushing through her fur even though she was glaring at him, then went back to looking at his work. “Foal Protection Services… why is it always them that has to cause me trouble, and now of all times?”
Seeing Blueblood looked a bit agitated, Twilight motioned Big Mac towards the door with a hoof, leading him over to it. “I’m sorry, but can we call off lunch for the day?”
“Eeyup, Ah don’t mind. Ah was gonna ask if ya didn’t mind holdin’ off until tonight instead. Ah… might’ve made the reservation a bit later, as lunch was fully booked.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the stallion, then her horn glowed as the door opened behind him, and he leaned down to nuzzle her cheek, the mare giving a happy hum. She returned the gesture with a peck to the tip of his muzzle, watching him leave and begin to trek through the streets then called after him, “and next time you surprise me like that, you’ll find yourself teleported into the town fountain.”
If the threat bothered him he didn’t show it, so Twilight closed the door and let out a soft sigh, then heard chuckling from behind her. Turning around with a half hearted glare, she slowly walked over to the couch opposite Blueblood, who, in his distracted state, didn’t see the rolled up newspaper floating up in a lavender aura.
There was a surprised yelp followed by the stallion looking around for his assailant, before he glanced over at Twilight, who was staring at him with her forelegs crossed. “That was for threatening to tell my father. He’ll find out when the time is right.”
“You know I wouldn’t betray your trust, Twi.” Looking down at the files in front of him, Blueblood became certain the funds being diverted was the work of somepony high up in the FPS, so quickly but neatly wrote a note down, then slipped it into the envelope the files came in along with the original items. “Twilight, would you be able to get your dragon to send this to Princess Celestia please?”
“Firstly, his name is Spike. Secondly, anything I can help with?”
“Maybe, but I think Aunt Tia needs to see this first.” Although she was now a princess, Blueblood didn’t want to trouble Twilight with this, as it would be her nature to see it through, but it was his duty as Minister of Finance to find those responsible.
”Okay then. I’ll get Spike to send it when he gets back.” Twilight took the envelope in her magic and set it down on top of a tray marked ‘out’, picking up the pile marked ‘in’ and floated it towards herself, reading over the envelopes. “Bill, junk mail, junk mail… undelivered parcel? But… the library is open to the public during the day!”
Blueblood watched in amusement as a couple of strands of Twilight’s mane sprang out of place, but her path into a breakdown was interrupted as the door swung open and a short figure entered, walked between the two ponies and into the kitchen with two paper bags, then returned to the main room empty handed, looking at the owner of the building with a confused frown.
“Uh, Twi? What’s bugging you now?”
“Bugging me? Spike, we have an undelivered parcel!”
“Oh, that.” The little dragon took a step back as Twilight rose off the couch, slowly walking towards him. “It’s uh… simple really. The package was too heavy to carry here without magic, and you were out this morning so I thought if it was urgent, then I’m sure Blossomforth would have come to find you right away!”
Twilight’s mental state turned around completely as she closed her eyes and then drew in a deep breath, raised her right hoof to her chest, then extended it out to her front as she breathed out. Now she was calm once more, she looked between her current workload and the stallion watching her with an annoying grin, then a smirk formed of her own.
“Say Blue… you’re going out to search again aren’t you? Fancy doing me a favour?”
“You want me to fetch your post?” He ignored the pout she was giving him as he got up stretched out his still slightly sore body, but it was something he gladly bore if it brought him closer to finishing his quest. Taking the slip of paper from where Twilight had let it fall, Blueblood slipped it into his saddlebags and set them on his back. “I guess I’ll be back later. If you’re gone by then, have a nice night with Mac.”
Twilight watched him leave with her teeth clenched, not angry at him for mentioning something that only a few ponies knew, but waiting for the teasing which was about to come her way from the young drake sniggering away next to her.
“Alright now class, we’re here on invitation from Princess Luna herself… so all of you must be on your best behaviour.” Cheerilee spoke to the foals in front of her, emphasizing the last sentence to three fillies in the front. “Is that clear?”
“Yes, Miss Cheerilee…”
Cheerilee nodded before beaming and giggling like a little school filly herself. “Now let’s go, everypony. We’re in the VIP booth today.” Cheerilee nearly squealed in delight before clearing her throat as they came to a halt before at one of the side entrances to Canterlot Stadium, and she moved closer to where two members of the Royal Guard stood watch, talking to them in hushed tones.
“Didn’t I tell you Princess Luna’s the best Princess?!” Pip whispered into Dinky’s ear, literally shaking from excitement as he stared upwards at the size of the giant stadium.
“Yes, for the thousandth time you did.” Dinky tittered as she pulled out her ticket and showed it to the guard standing by, who cracked a smile and gestured her inside. “Still, I can’t believe we’re gonna watch a Wonderbolt Derby in the VIP area!”
Pip grinned as he followed Dinky up the stairs. “With Princess Luna!” He added in enthusiastically, as they reached the top of the staircase where a multitude of foals were already looking over the balcony to where the race track was located. Many of the ponies who were already present looked at the fillies and colts as though they were flies to a wedding cake.
“Who let these foals in unsupervised?” One mare with a sage coat and amber mane asked out loud, looking around for any pony to answer her.
“They’re with me,” Cheerilee replied as she walked towards the sage mare, smiling nervously as she received stares from the ponies present in the VIP booth. “I’m Cheerilee, a teacher at the Ponyville Schoolhouse on a field trip to Canterlot.” Cheerilee said professionally as she maintained a soft smile.
There’s no way in Tartarus a school teacher could afford a trip to Canterlot for an entire class, let alone buy VIP tickets for herself and those little pests! “And you’re here because…?”
“We were invited.” Cheerilee responded plainly, her eyes locked onto the sage mare who was as welcoming as sandpaper to fur. “And what would your name be, Miss…?”
“I am Lady Amber Vain, Chief Executive Officer of Equestria’s Foal Protection Services.” Amber Vain snipped as she held her head high, keeping eye contact with Cheerilee who did not back down.
Before anymore words could be spoken, the sound of armor clattering together was heard from the staircase. Two Royal Guards came in and looked around before standing on each side of the entry to the VIP section as Princess Luna and her elder sister Princess Celestia entered. Everypony present bowed the presence of the Princesses, the foals imitating Cheerilee who lowered her head last.
“Please, everypony. No need to be formal around us.” Celestia spoke maternally as she looked around and caught a glimpse of the foals standing near the balcony. A tender smile escaped from Celestia’s mouth as she leaned to her sister’s ear. “Your little guests have arrived, Luna. If you don’t mind, I think I shall join them at the balcony for the end of the first race.”
Luna gave her a nod and then turned towards Cheerilee and waked over with a cheerful smile, glad to see her sister was not upset, but rather embracing the group that she had invited at short notice.
“I am most pleased you made it.” Luna greeted Cheerilee before looking over the latter’s shoulder at the foals, a few of them having turned around to watch the track being reset from an oval track to a more complex one. “I hope they enjoy this outing.”
“So do I, your majesty. I must also apologise in advance in case a few of them grow restless and start to cause trouble.” Cheerilee breathed a sigh of relief as a giggle escaped from the alicorn, and the two took their seats as the first race came to an end, the teacher focusing her gaze not onto the track, but three fillies at the centre of her group.
“Well that was kinda boring,” Sweetie Belle commented as she continued the look down on the track, a soft yawn escaping from her mouth. “They just went left at every turn.”
Apple Bloom tittered as she took a glance at Sweetie Belle, shaking her head before speaking. “Well that was just the warm up race,” Apple Bloom commented as the course was almost finished being set up. “Besides, Fleetfoot always wins when it comes to warm ups.”
“Well when Rainbow Dash becomes a Wonderbolt, she’ll cream the competition in both warm ups and the main races.” Scootaloo declared proudly, squinting her eyes as she looked to the Wonderbolts who were beginning to take their places on the track.
Pip and Dinky stood on one side of the balcony as the race commenced, with every Wonderbolt leaving a trail of light behind as they flew the course. “Who do you think will win this one?” Pip asked Dinky curiously, though his eyes were fixed on the race.
“I don’t know,” Dinky shrugged nonchalantly, unconsciously resting her hoof against Pip’s. When she finally noticed, a red tint appeared on her cheek and she tried to remove herself from Pip.
When Pip looked away from the race and laid his eyes on Dinky’s hoof against his, his breath hitched as he looked up. When his eyes met Dinky’s, the latter giggled as she looked away coyly, her blush still radiating brightly.
On the back of the VIP booth, Amber Vain merely rolled her eyes when she saw the foals enjoying the show, and the Princesses merrily interacting with the group. Luna must have done this to gain some favour from these idiots. When Amber Vain’s gaze fell upon Pip and Dinky, her lips contorted and her eyes narrowed as she felt sick to the bone from the sight.
How disgusting...
Poste Haste peeked inside the sorting room of the Postal Office, seeing Derpy at the bench fast asleep. A sigh escaped from his mouth, before he left the room and closed the door quietly. When he turned around, he was met by Blossomforth who had just arrived from deliveries.
“Hey, um…” Blossomforth began to speak, pausing a moment as she rubbed the back of her neck looking sideways. “I’m sorry I skipped out on our date last night, it’s just Derpy was—” She was cut off when Poste pressed his lips against hers, removing them only after a few moments had passed by.
“No need to apologize,” Poste told her, caressing Blossomforth’s cheek as he smiled softly at her. “She needed a friend, her best friend, last night.” Poste Haste removed himself from Blossomforth, chuckling at the sight of Blossomforth’s burning cheeks.
Blossomforth blinked furiously, shaking her head before smiling slyly at Poste. “You know, not many bosses would be in a relationship with their employees.” She said as she walked past him, flicking her tail across his face.
“Well, I’m not like many bosses,” Poste replied evenly, swatting a hoof over Blossomforth’s flank, eliciting a yelp from the mare. His smile soon disappeared though when his thoughts turned to another mare sleeping in the next room. “How bad was she last night?”
“To be honest… this is the first time since she came here that I’ve seen her even touch alcohol,” Blossomforth admitted, resting herself on a chair as she sighed. “She’s never taken a step near the tavern, but last night… and what those ponies were saying about her...” Blossomforth trailed off as she rested her hooves to her head as she grounded her teeth. “I shouldn’t have talked her into going with me, I knew she was having a hard time but—” Blossomforth words ceased again when she felt a gentle hoof to her shoulder. She looked up to see Poste looking down at her with his green eyes, shaking his head slowly.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Poste Haste told her, before walking to the water dispenser and pouring himself a glass. “You had no idea those ponies would say those things about Derpy,” Poste furrowed his brow slightly as he remembered a few occasions where he had overheard certain rumours about his employee. “Besides, the important thing was that you were there for her when she needed you the most.”
“Thanks,” Blossomforth replied as she was going through some paper work, though her eyes sometimes slipped to take a peek at Poste working. When his eyes met hers, she quickly looked away with cheeks flushing before returning to her work. After a while, Blossomforth’s gaze landed on the door leading to the sorting room. “I’m really sorry…” Blossomforth trailed off, her eyes still fixed upon the doorway.
Poste Haste’s ears flickered when he heard Blossomforth speak. “Sorry, what was that?”
Blossomforth shook her head before answering. “Nothing, it’s fine.” She responded to Poste, before putting the finished paperwork aside. “Thanks again for going easy on Derpy, it’s just—” Her words became silent when Poste raised his hoof.
“Again, it’s no problem, today isn't that busy anyway.”
Blossomforth smiled inwardly at Poste’s words, before suppressing a laugh. “Not many bosses would be so understanding.” Blossomforth stood up from her desk, making her way towards Poste as she fluttered her lashes at him. Just before she reached him, the bell of the front door ringed, causing Blossomforth to immediately freeze and gasp. She quickly flew towards the front desk, greeting the new pony who had just walked in.
“Welcome to Ponyville Postal Services, how may I help you?” Blossomforth asked politely, albeit professionally as she maintained a genuine smile at the customer who was a white unicorn stallion. Something in Blossomforth’s mind told her that he was not from Ponyville, but rather from a metropolitan area such as Manehatten or Canterlot.
The stallion cleared his throat. “Good morning, my name is Blueblood. I’m here to pick up a parcel for Princess Sparkle.” He spoke evenly as he kept eye contact with her.
“Okay, if I could have some proof that you are acting on behalf of the recipient please.”
“Certainly,” Blueblood replied with a smile, “this is what Twily gave me.”
Twily? Blossomforth’s mind raced as she remembered the day she watched when a delegation from the protectorate of the Crystal Empire came to town, and she overheard Prince Consort Armor calling Princess Sparkle by that name, and she knew they were siblings. Glancing down she saw the note she had left with Spike, then looked back to Blueblood.
“I’ll be right back with the parcel Mr Blueblood.” Blossomforth informed Blueblood before standing up and rushing towards the sorting room, opening the door softly and seeing Derpy finally awake, though looking awfully miserable. “Derpy, I hate to ask this…” Blossomforth trailed off as she shuffled her hooves. “But I need help with a parcel for Princess Sparkle.”
Derpy groggily stood up from her seat, giving a weak smile at Blossomforth and then nodding slowly. “Sure,” Derpy replied before locating the sealed box addressed to the library and its proprietor. Derpy and Blossomforth stood on one side as they began to push the heavy box towards the entrance, both struggling against the immense weight. Derpy closed her eyes shut as she clenched her teeth, doing her best to get the parcel to its location.
They managed to get it into the lobby, where Derpy turned and leaned against the wall, rubbing her pounding head with a hoof. “Here’s your parcel, Mr Blueblood.” Blossomforth said lamely, smiling weakly at the waiting stallion, but then she frowned as she noticed he looked like he had seen a ghost.
Derpy huffed and puffed before looking at her friend, who was still staring at the stallion. “What is it Blossomforth?” She turned to face the stallion, her breath hitching when she saw who it was, her mouth opening and closing, but no words coming forth. Derpy’s eyes began to water as she too was now staring at him.
There was an eerie silence in the post office for a few moments, until the unicorn stallion found his voice.
“It’s you… it’s really you.”