//------------------------------//
// Chapter XI - Soaring Heart 
// Story: The Early Life of Blueblood 
// by Macgyver644200 
//------------------------------//

"Morning, Blueblood."

Blueblood smiled at Spike as he walked in.  Four weeks had gone by, and Blueblood had finally been declared strangles-free.  "Morning, Spike," he said.

"You feeling any better?"

Blueblood nodded.  "Mm-hmm.  My antidepressants are finally working.  I'm not back to normal yet, but it can't be too long now.  I'd say in another two weeks, my depression should've cleared up."

A smile broke out over Spike's face.  "Great!"

"Indeed."  Blueblood's smile vanished.  "At least, until the next time it comes around."

Spike walked up and put a claw on Blueblood's leg.  "You'll beat it then, too.  And the time after that and the time after that.  Blueblood, I promise you're going to crack a-hundred if it kills me."

Blueblood took a deep breath and Spike could hear him saying something under his breath.  Finally he turned back to Spike.  "Thanks.  Like I said, I'm not back to normal yet."

"Eh, you never were normal.  That's why I love you.  Listen, have you seen Cadance around?"

Blueblood shrugged.  "Maybe she's out in the gardens.  It is a nice day outside."

"Maybe, but I haven't seen her all morning.  Not even when I woke up."

Blueblood hmmed.  "That is odd.  Celestia's gone missing, too, but not like that's odd."  He patted a stack of papers next to him.  "I finished the bill she was working on early this morning.  I think it might be my best work to date."

Kibitz walked into the room.  "Good morning Spike, Blueblood."

"Good morning."

"Blueblood, Princess Celestia gave me something to pass on to you."  He reached into his coat and laid an envelope on the table.  "She also said to turn left at the Royal Sisters' Fountain."

Blueblood opened the envelope and pulled out a gold key.  "What does this go in?"

"She didn't say, so I assumed it was not my business to know.  She also asked that you do this right after breakfast and says that she'll be waiting for you there in approximately two minutes.  Also, that's the only key, so please don't lose it.  Good day."  He turned, but stopped.  "Oh, and Blueblood..."  He smiled, very slightly.  "Welcome back to the land of the living."

With that, he left.  "Well, Spike," Blueblood said, looking at the key, "looks like we have an adventure on our hands."

<*>

The Royal Sisters' Fountain was hidden deep in the hedge maze, but Blueblood and Spike had been in the maze often enough that they were quickly nearing it.  They also knew there was very little else.  "What do you think she wants," Blueblood asked Spike.

Spike shrugged.  "I 'unno.  You've already shot down alicornhood."

"Unless you can tell me how I can invent something I can't even do and don't even know.  Maybe it's just a part of the garden that's very special to her."

Spike rolled his eyes.  "She'd be all hush-hush about that?"

"If she wanted some privacy."

The two arrived.  The clearing was surrounded by two walls, a half-circle of hedge and the castle wall, which was covered in ivy.  There were several benches and small trellises scattered around the centerpiece, the fountain.  It was an enormous statue of a laughing Celestia and Luna, gilded in gold and silver, spraying water from their horns and a fine mist from their wings.  The fountain's pool was decorated with two spirals, one in rainbow colors, and the other in blue and white.

Spike looked to the left of the entrance.  Down that path was more maze.  "I hope you're right," Spike said.

"I have to be," Blueblood said.  "Turning left here would be a wild goose chase."

The two entered the clearing and walked over to the brick wall, on the left of the fountain.  Blueblood ran down to the far end of the wall while Spike went to the near end, and the two began pushing ivy aside to find a keyhole.  The two searched the entire wall three whole times, but they turned up nothing.  "Are you sure there isn't anything you're missing?" Spike asked.

Blueblood took the key in his hoof and looked it over again.  There was nothing on it, no writing or images.  It was just an ordinary gold key.  Blueblood held the key up to his eye, but he could see nothing in it.

Then there was a bright flash of light.  Blueblood jumped back, dropping the key.  A spot of bright light had formed on the wall and now Blueblood could see a diamond mounted on the wall, surrounded by a gold plate.  He turned backwards and looked up.  A large lens had formed between the two horns on the fountain and the sun was shining through it.

"Blueblood?" Spike asked.  "Blueblood?  What's going on?"

Blueblood looked back at Spike.  "You don't see that?" he asked, pointing at the lens.

Spike looked up.  "See what?"

Blueblood looked down at the grass and picked up the key.  "Here, use it like a magnifying glass."

Blueblood handed the key over and Spike looked through it.  "Whoa."  Blueblood walked over to the diamond in the wall.  The gold plate had writing engraved around it.  Your path is dark, and you do not look bright enough.

"OK," Spike said, "I guess that means we have to make it brighter, even though the sun's shining right on it."  Spike frowned.  "If there weren't so much ivy on the wall, I could just breathe on it."

Blueblood ran his hoof over his chin.  "Alright.  Princess Celestia is in there already and she didn't need the key.  Thus, there must be a way to get in without it."  He looked up at the lens.  "It seems that sunlight is the key, but how do you make the sun... Spike, give me the key."  Blueblood lifted it into the light, focusing the light so that it converged on the diamond.

The diamond disappeared.  Then a crack formed up and down the wall.  Two hidden doors retracted into the wall, revealing a blue portal.  The two looked at it, then Blueblood walked forward.  "Uh, Blueblood," Spike said, "are you sure that's a good idea?"

Blueblood rolled his eyes.  "Celestia's been through it.  I imagine it's safe."

"...well, it still doesn't look very safe."

Blueblood walked up to the portal.  He still couldn't see where it might lead.  Blueblood slowly raised a hoof to the portal, but when he put it in, he could feel nothing.  Finally, he took a breath and stepped through.

<*>

Blueblood ended up in a well-lit stone room.  Surrounding him were several brown stone statues, almost all of alicorn foals, although there were also a mare and a stallion, too.  Blueblood moved towards the door in the room, and he noticed a carving in the wall above the door, where all of the ponies were represented with their cutie marks.  Then Blueblood noticed that one of the foals, a colt with a caduceus cutie mark, had no wings; they simply hadn't been carved on.  An older filly with a sun was standing over him and a younger filly with a moon was playing with him.

Blueblood was transfixed as he realized what he was seeing.  Celestia, Luna, and Divine Gift.

Spike appeared in the room, then looked around.  "Where are we?" he asked.

"A special place."

Blueblood and Spike spun around as Celestia and Cadance revealed themselves.  Celestia smiled.  "Welcome to the Cenotaph of Fortunate Stone."

Blueblood looked at Celestia, then back around the room.  "I don't understand."

Celestia walked up to him.  "Come with me, I'll show you."  Celestia walked up to the door and shone a bright light into the keyhole.  The door swung ajar and the two proceded in, Spike and Cadance following close behind.

It was a hallway of stained glass windows, each one containing a picture of a family centered around a unicorn.  Some were stallions, others were mares.  As Blueblood continued, he noticed that some of the pictures had alicorns as well.

"As you might have guessed, I've had a large family over the years," Celestia said.  "So large, and over so long a period of time, that Luna and I knew we wouldn't be able to remember them all given enough time.  Therefore, we created this place, so that we could always keep their memories alive.   So many of them have moved all over the world, and have lost touch with me, but with these windows I can remember all of them.  I visit this place every month, so that I never forget the wonderful ponies I've been privileged to meet."

"Wait, Eustace isn't dead!" Spike said.

Celestia glanced at one of the windows, which contained a unicorn mare and a dragon together.  "No, he's not," Celestia said.  "These are special windows that change to reflect the good in their subjects.  It doesn't feel right to keep brothers and sisters apart here, so this room depicts generation by generation of the Duchy of Cambreeching as they come to be.  Ah, here."

The four stopped.  The window here held a white unicorn mare with blue eyes seated in a wheelchair playfully shoving a green pegasus stallion.  She was holding a white unicorn colt with blue eyes and in her lap was an open book with a picture of a kraken in it.  Blueblood was possessed of the urge to look at the window through the key's lens, so he lifted it to his eye.

The window transformed into a series of scenes from life.  Sea Foam was the grand-niece of Princess Celestia, and was adopted by her after a building collapse crippled her and killed her parents.  Two weeks later, she met Olivine, the son of artists who specialized in seascapes, and the two became close friends.  The two even got their cutie marks together, delivering a passionate presentation on sharks.  After studying marine biology in college, the two were married by Princess Celestia, and were crowned the Duke and Duchess of Cambreeching.  The last scene was of Sea Foam shoving Olivine aside while reading to her only child, Blueblood.

Blueblood dropped the key.  Celestia had told him about his parents, and their pictures had been in the cabinet in the playroom, but he wasn't prepared to see them.  He felt Celestia lay a leg over his withers.  "They're proud of you," Celestia said.

"Spike?" Cadance asked.

Spike was frowning.  "It's alright," he said.  "There's nothing you can do to find my birth parents.  Besides," he looked up at his family with a small smile, "I'm happy with you."

Cadance patted him on the head.  "Good answer, little brother."

Celestia gestured behind the three.  "If I could ask you to turn around..."

The three turned, and they saw themselves gathered together in the palace library.  Cadance and Spike were talking over a comic book while Blueblood rolled his eyes with a smile and a large book.  "This one is yours," Celestia said.  "As you grow, you'll inevitably have to start your own lives away from each other, and you might wind up unable to see each other for years.  However, you'll always be able to come here in the future and see your family together."

Cadance sighed.  "Ignore him, Cadance," Blueblood said.  "Until the lunkhead lieutenant regains his senses, you've still got a dragon and a duke alongside you."

"Actually, Blueblood," Celestia said, "that's only half-true.  Thanks to recent events, I've got other plans in mind for you."

"What?"  Spike spun around.  "I tho-"

"No, she's right," Blueblood said, his heart sinking.  "I don't deserve a title after the way I've acted."

Celestia frowned for a moment, but her smile returned.  "Well, I wouldn't say that," she said.  "I personally think that 'Prince Blueblood' has a nice ring to it."

It took a moment for Blueblood's brain to process what his aunt was saying.  He spun around to face her.  "Come again?"

Celestia smiled at him.  "Blueblood, I didn't mean to imply what I did.  Granted, you can be a pain in the flank to deal with even when you're not depressed, but you know how far too far is.  Yes, when you were depressed, you did some rather unconscionable things, but you know what to watch out for now.  You're one of the most intelligent and most hardworking ponies I've ever met.  If there is anypony who deserves to be in power, you are them."

Blueblood stared at Celestia, then looked at Cadance and Spike, who were stunned but grinning broadly.  "AH BAH UH!" he stopped them before they could come forward.  "Ah ba duh ah sabba uh!"  He turned back to Celestia.  "Bu-bu-but I don't understand!  I'm not an alicorn; I haven't created new magic!"

"You don't have to," Celestia told him.  "A prince is merely someone who's willing to share their talents for the good of Equestria and who's worthy of being trusted with her.  Besides, I've read your work.  Every word you've written in her service is magic."

Blueblood stared into space for several moments.  When Cadance or Spike tried to speak, he put his hoof up, still trying to understand the news.  Eventually, though, he smiled.  "Prince Blueblood," he said.  "It's perfect."

Then he fainted.

<*>

The next two weeks were extremely busy.  Arrangements were made for Blueblood to take his birth office as well as his new title.  Hundreds of ponies, friends, family, journalists, plebians, and patricians were invited to the coronation.  A day off from work and school was organized and a big celebration was planned.  Finally, the day had arrived, the castle was full to bursting, and Blueblood was pacing back and forth in his room practicing his speech.

"While it is true that I am directly related to Princess Celestia, so true a- no."  Blueblood stopped.  "While it is true that I am directly related to Princess Celestia, so too are hundreds of millions of others.  And just because Celestia- no, that's pandering."  Blueblood put his hoof up to his face.  "Ugh!"

"I guess it takes a few tries to write magic, your not-a-dukeness."

Blueblood looked up and saw Twilight smiling in the doorway.  "Congratulations, by the way.  Sorry I didn't say anything sooner, I've been run ragged with taking inventory."  She walked inside.  "Perhaps once you take power you can help hire a few more librarians?"

Blueblood rolled his eyes.  "Later, maybe.  Right now I need to work on my speech."

"Oh, how's it coming?"

Blueblood pointed her to his desk.  "I've written the thanks to friends and family fairly well, I think, but I'm still worried that people are going to think that I was given the job due to nepotism.

Twilight looked over the notes.  "Yeah, you are kind of the atypical prince.  Still, I wouldn't worry about it.  It's Princess Celestia.  Everypony trusts her.  Besides, have you seen how many people are out there?  I think I even saw Doctor Friendly Advice out there."

"Well, yes, but I want to make sure."

Twilight rolled her eyes.  "Honestly, Blueberry, you sound like me.  Just say that Celestia trusts you and you should be fine."  She read on.  "Yeah, everything looks fine."  She stopped at one passage.  "I notice I'm not in here."

"Well, that's for family and friends."  Blueblood walked over to the speech and read it over.  "If you want, I'll just put in a bit about the filly who almost burned the castle gardens down."

Twilight stepped back.  "Yeah, you... do that."

Blueblood let the quill in the inkwell go and turned to Twilight.  "What's wrong?" he asked.

Twilight frowned.  "It's nothing," she said.  "A few of my coworkers made a joke about how I have no friends while I was working and it seems to have stuck.  It doesn't help that, with Shiny deployed, Cadance so busy, and all of my efforts still not panning out, it's actually true."

"Ah," Blueblood said.  "Well, you've missed a few names.  Spike, Princess Celestia-"

"Blueblood, Spike's my assistant; we don't talk that much.  And Princess Celestia isn't my friend, she's Princess Celestia!"

Blueblood stifled a giggle.  "Oh, all the people who say that.  Well, you still have me."

Twilight glared at him.  "That's not helping, especially since we're not even almost family anymore."

Blueblood grinned at her.  "You underestimate my aunt.  Shining Armor will be back and married before you know it.  Until then, we can always get together and practice hating each other for when we actually become family."

"But I don't want to hang out with someone I hate," Twilight told Blueblood.  "I need friends, some people I actually like."

Blueblood's grin vanished as Twilight turned away from him.  She sat down on his bed and put her hoof in her face, a deep frown on her face.  Blueblood frowned as he tried to think of something to tell her.  Then he happened on an idea.  He toyed with it for a few moments, tried to convince himself that it was a bad idea, but regardless he found himself seated next to Twilight.

"What if I could promise you one evening a week where I didn't try to get on your nerves?" he asked her.

Twilight gave him an incredulous look.  "I'd say you were lying."

"Twilight, you were a friend to me when I was depressed.  So, to return the favor, I promise to try and be a friend to you."

Twilight looked into Blueblood's eyes, but his face didn't change.  Finally, however, she relented.  "I don't know if I can call a weekly pity-get-together a friendship," she said, "but I'll take it."

"Well, my bad habits won't vanish in a day, but give it a few weeks and I might surprise you."  He turned back to the paper and started writing again.  A few seconds later, though, he stopped.  "For now, would you mind helping me work on this speech?"

Twilight got up and walked over to the piece of paper.  "Sure, I'd love to."  She scanned it over.  "It still looks fine.  Perhaps you could add a little more..."



...and I wish to thank my confidant Twilight Sparkle, a mare so friendly and so smart that I am certain she'll be an alicorn within a year, two at the most.



Twilight stopped and read the line again.  Then she turned to Blueblood, who was smiling again.  "I mean every word of that," Blueblood said, "and I guarantee you'll have at least one friend at your coronation."

Twilight looked at him for a moment before she smiled.  "Thanks, Blueblood."  She turned back to the desk.  "Let's get back to your speech."