Chapter 1: Prince Blueblood
Chapter 1: Prince Blueblood
When I was young, the Grand Galloping Gala was better than Hearth’s Warming Day. It was a date circled on my calendar each year, one that I prepared for with baited breath. Now, how I dread it. It is nothing more than a chance for peasants to throw themselves at my hooves, hoping to marry out of the cesspool from where they spawn. I have long learned to dread the night specifically, and make sure to stockpile plenty of alcohol to get through it. Heck, with all the buzz about Princess Sparkle, this was the year I really thought I could simply skip it entirely. No one would notice if I didn’t make a presence, no one would care. Of course, then Aunt Tia, in all her infinite intelligence, asked if I would plan this year’s Gala.
“Can’t Aunt Luna do it?” I ask.
Celestia smiles in that warm, sunny way she always does. “My sister planned it last year. I want you to do it, Blue.”
“What about Princess Sparkle? It is her first Gala since joining the royal family, after all. I…I couldn’t just rob her of the privilege.”
“It is a wonder a silver tongue did not spawn on your flank when you were a colt.”
Instinctively, I look back at the compass rose on my creamy fur. Long ago, Aunt Tia inflicted burns upon me (long story,) but the fur has grown in fully, and now even carries a certain glisten and glaze that I am pleased with.
“Blue,” Aunt Tia says, and I turn back to her. “I want you to host it this year. Please?”
“Why though? I’m not exactly Stallion of the Year.”
“Which is exactly my reasoning. I want the ponies of Equestria to start seeing you as I do.”
I huff.
To commemorate the occasion, she offers a small gift, wrapped with white paper and topped with a light blue bow that matches my eyes. Upon opening it, I find an old flask with the initials P.H. engraved over the front. I recognize it as my father’s flask almost immediately. The shock of it causes my magic to flicker, but Aunt Tia catches the flask with her golden glow and waits for me to take it back. I look to her, eyes wide, mouth agape. There is a story behind this gift she gives me. There is something more she wants to say, something she wants to tell me, but she simply leans forward and kisses my forehead. As she turns to trot down the hallway, I notice crystals are forming in her eyes.
I thought the Gala was a dreadful affair, but nothing could prepare me for the planning of it. Days of my life are wasted selecting which cloths should be used for the banners, going over the guest list again and again, auctioning the contract for the fireworks. To Miss Rarity, off in Ponyville, I commission the decoration contract. Personally, I am not her biggest fan, but it seems like a task she is up to. Princess Sparkle is kind enough to help me with the guest list. I speak to Aunt Luna about a special set of constellations for the night sky above, instead of artificial fireworks. Those are for common peasants after all. Everything is actually going well, at least until it comes time to select the night’s cuisine.
Oh, what a dreadful task! A steady line of bakers and chefs line up in the banquet hall, and buffet me with fritters and donuts and other disgusting confections. The whole while, I must smile and swallow down every single one of them.
My foalhood is a mass of black blobs, but perhaps once I had the dream that all foals share, to eat sugary treats for an entire day. To get young colts and fillies to stop such fantasies, parents should allow them to indulge. After the fifteenth éclair, all of it tastes like sickly sweet mud. Perhaps worse, with every eye on me, I cannot sneak a gulp from my flask to calm my nerves, and I am feeling absolutely dreadful by the time a rather bubbly pegasus comes before me.
The pegasus carries a plate in her mouth. Resting on the plate is a muffin, as well as a tall mug. Whatever drink is inside the mug is steaming and distorting the air above it. How warm the drink is, and how long the mare has been waiting, the mug must be enchanted to keep the drink boiling hot.
The mare’s fur is grey, and her mane a rather unflattering yellow that reminds me of hay, both in color and texture. Her eyes are the same shade of yellow, and goofily splay in opposite directions. She’s on the large side, and it is only when I notice a pair of stout wings at her sides that I realize she’s a pegasus, not an earth pony. A year ago, she would never have even been allowed inside Canterlot, considering her ugly hair, her derpy eyes, and uncouth demeanor, but times change, sometimes with the swagger of a snail, and others with speed of lightning.
Practically bursting with excitement, she drops the plate to the table I am sitting at. I should be watching the mug of hot chocolate, swaying left and right, but all I can think about is the flask resting in the breast pocket of my vest, the flask with my father’s initials. With a squeal of glee, the grey pegasus says something, and uses a clumsy hoof to push the plate over the table. The tall mug of hot chocolate tilts back, but when the plate stops, it tilts forward. In front of me, I hear gasps, and then feel tingling heat in my lap.
The tingling lasts a few moments, and is quickly replaced by scorching agony. Not just my crotch, but the hot chocolate washes over my lap and bathes my flanks. If you can believe it, the agony where my cutie mark is far exceeds the pain in my groin, as it reminds me of what Aunt Tia did to me.
The grey mare flutters up and begins reciting a stream of apologies, all at once. They sound rehearsed and practiced, like she had said them a thousand times before. Her words only fuel the utter rage that is boiling in my heart. I flip the table, so that nothing is between the mare and I, and catch one of her hooves with my magic. I yank her down to my level.
“You stupid, wall-eyed whore!” I scream. “You clumsy, daft lout. What is the matter with you?”
I see crystals forming in her ugly eyes. I see her lip quiver. It only makes me angrier.
“You present some peasant fare before me, and for what?” I demand. “A chance to cater the Gala? How can you manage the stress of baking for a hundred when you can’t even set a plate down on a table right?! Return to whatever carnival sideshow you reside and pray to Celestia that I don’t I have you fed to griffons, you derpy-eyed peasant!”
The mare’s wings lock up, as occasionally happens to pegasi under extreme duress. Rolling to her hooves, she gallops out of the room, whimpers and sobs escaping her throat in a steady stream.
The hatred in my heart, as hatred tends to do, falters as quickly as it swelled. The pain remains in my crotch, but it is not as if I have never been burned before. I look about at the guests who remain in the room. They stare at me with shock, disgust, and fear.
I do not gallop away, but without a word, I turn and leave the banquet hall. Only when I am safely in my personal quarters, and have set all sixteen of the door’s locks into place, do I take out my flask and attempt to gulp down a mouthful. To my great disappointment, it’s already empty.
A day later, and my coat is washed, and my wounds have been treated with salves and bandages. The scalding was unpleasant, to be sure, but was purely mundane. After some salves and a healing spell, you could never tell I had been burned at all.
I keep expecting Aunt Tia or Princess Sparkle to come busting into my room and reprimand me like I’m a young colt. I was mean to a pegasus who is best friends with Princess Sparkle, for all I know, and Aunt Tia always hates when I yell at the peasants. It is two days before I realize they won’t be coming in at all. I hear through whispers that Princess Sparkle is now in charge of preparations for the Gala. Should I be happy or sad about that?
Once or twice I do try to offer my services to her. I suggest a bakery I know of, or offer to handle the guest list (granted, I have little idea who to invite.) She looks at me with fear, as if she couldn’t obliterate me with a stray thought, and sheepishly tells me it’s alright. The servants all cower in my presence, which isn’t actually all that strange. But when I turn my back, I do not hear a single snarky comment, whispered under their breath. Aunt Tia will not see me. I am not sure why, but how I wish she would just yell at me.
I don’t mind having the entire castle mad at me. I am accustomed to it by now. And I have yelled and screamed at more servants than I care to remember. So why is this time any different? Why, when I close my eyes, do I see the little dumb faced mare, staring at me with a quivering lip and tears in her eyes? Why do I dislike the fact that the servants avoid me? I try to talk to them. I try to say good morning, but they only bow their heads, and again and again I find myself caring that what they think of me…
Honestly, what gives?
I feel I must do something. I must offer my apologies, but first, I must learn the name of the mare. If I could, I would ask Princess Sparkle or Aunt Tia just who that little grey mare was, but they have enough on their plate, handling the Gala. Besides, I don’t want to talk to them, actually. I will just find another method.
I have met the cyan pegasus, Rainbow Dash, once or twice before. None of those times were particularly pleasant, but she’s a pegasus, and the grey mare is a pegasus. Lacking any alternative, I ride the train to Ponyville, where I eventually spot a cyan hoof stretching over a cloud’s edge, and hear a raucous snore.
“Ms. Dash?” I call out. The only indication that it is Rainbow Dash is the sky colored hoof that stretches slightly over the side of white fluffy cloud. If it were a clear day, the hoof would be invisible. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash is far too lazy to move the swollen grey clouds out of the sky. Uck. How I despise being in such a backwater settlement like this.
Well, to be fair, there was the banquet at Sweet Apple Acres that was quite satisfactory. It was a small celebration in my honor. Ms. Dash was there, and although she spent the majority of the time mocking and ridiculing me, I would be lying if I said it was a completely unpleasant night. Considering she seems to mock and ridicule everypony, I almost felt like one of her friends. I would just hate to get caught in the rain because she isn’t doing her job, a job she has only kept because she is snuggly with Princess Sparkle.
“Ms. Dash,” I say, just a little louder. With my magic, I fetch a rock from the ground, and carefully throw it at the cloud above me. Although I cannot see through the layer of fluffy white, I hear a snort and groan, and soon Rainbow Dash’s head is peeking over the cloud’s side. It takes a moment for her magenta eyes to focus on me, but she smiles quite wide when she knows who I am.
“Prince Blueballs! What up?” she asks. With a flap of her wings, she lifts off the cloud and glides down to stand before me. It’s subtle, but I do see a cringe in her eyes. “Geez Blue, you look like something scraped out from between Spike’s toes.”
“Ever the charmer, Ms. Dash. Why did the Wonderbolts ever let you go?”
“I’ve only been suspended for a week or two…” she says, eyes narrow, but she can’t stop a smile stretching over her lips. “I knew you had some snark in you, Blue.” Walking beside me, she gives me a (rather hard) punch to the ribs I assume is some backwater sign of affection. Even though I can feel a bruise coming on, I can’t help but smile. Oh, to talk to someone! To hear another voice! I enjoy solitude, but loneliness is truly a curse. Suddenly, I feel sympathy for old King Sombra swell in my heart, and wonder what torture Aunt Luna must have gone through, locked away in the moon all those years. Just to hear a voice, even a voice as raucous as Rainbow Dash’s, is pleasant on my ears.
I should jump right to the point. Let her return to her nap, but it feels like it has been ages since I’ve actually had somepony to talk to. “What were you suspended for this time?” I ask. “Did they have the audacity to make you wing-pony for a day?”
“I invited Fluttershy up to hang out. She was a bit nervous, and somepony said something pretty bad about her, alright? And then that somepony fell… into my hoof… repeatedly.”
I chuckle. “I imagine the suspension is more a technicality, than meant to be an actual punishment. You defended your friend, after all. You should be proud. And certainly, your superiors were merciful. If you were a unicorn, and under my father’s command, well… the law is the law, he would say. Regardless of motivation, there must be consequences for such a brutish act. Would you like to see something?” I ask. I admit, I am rather excited as I take out the flask, my father’s flask, from my coat and levitate it just before Rainbow Dash’s face. “Aunt Tia gave it to me. It’s strange. I know this belonged to my father, but I don’t actually ever remember him drinking from it, and I remember almost everything about my father.” Pondering to myself, I unscrew the top of the flask and take a quick drink.
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash says, nervousness suddenly taking her. When I offer her the flask, she takes a drink of her own. “You know,” she says. “Princess Celestia told us some stuff about you, after you left your little party a few months ago. She uhm… see, she told us about your dad. And, I just wanted to say, if you ever want to come by and talk… I know, I always thought talking about that sort of stuff was for egg heads, but it can help. I’m here to talk, if you ever want to, about your father I mean. Or about anything, actually.”
I don’t. As I recall, I am here on business, and decide to change the subject. “I am wondering if you can help me, Ms. Dash. I am afraid, a day or two ago, I acted in an inappropriate manner to a young mare. Would you be able to help me track her down?”
“Inappropriate for a prince?” Rainbow Dash grins wide. “Look at you, Prince B. Letting your eyes linger on a fine mare’s assets a bit too long? I guess the rumors about you being gay ain’t true.”
Considering the heat I feel on my cheeks, I imagine my entire face looks as red as an apple.
“Awe, damn, don’t tell me it was Fluttershy? If it was her, probably better to just let it go. You trying to apologize will just make her get all squeaky.”
“That… that’s not what happened,” I say quickly. “I am afraid I yelled at her, and she ran off in tears. I do not have her name, so I was hoping a description would suffice.”
“Pink hair? Yellow fur? Fine, firm rump that attracts your eyes from across the room?” Rainbow Dash giggles at that last comment, though I turn an even deeper shade of red. By now, she’s rolling on the floor, taken by laughter.
“The mare I am referring to had grey fur and a mane the color of hay. Her eyes had an odd deformity, causing them to look in two different directions.”
“You hit on Derpy?!” Rainbow Dash practically spits the name out. In fact, I feel drops of water on my face, and take an annoyed moment to wipe them off.
“I hit on no pony, Ms. Dash. She spilled a hot beverage on me, and I am afraid that was the straw that broke a very annoyed and tired camel’s back. I said certain things to her that I am not proud of, and I would like to apologize. Do you know where I might find this… Derpy?”
What an odd name for a pony, though no one ever said the pegasi were a creative bunch.
Rainbow Dash rubs her chin with a hoof, pondering. I hope she doesn’t hurt herself. “Derpy usually has lunch at Sugarcube Corner around this time. She’s probably there, snarfing down a muffin, the lazy little bubble brain. Some ponies can’t even do the simplest of jobs.”
“Yes Ms. Dash, some ponies really can’t.” I bow my head gently, before heading off in the direction Rainbow Dash gestured. She returns to her fluffy cloud to nap.
Sugarcube Corner is a large complex, perhaps two or three stories tall, though it seems so much larger. The bakeries in Canterlot conform to a standard size, but I suppose in a rural town like this, you can build as big as you want to. Rather foolishly, I actually knock on the door, before realizing how stupid I am and simply push my way inside.
The scent of confections hits me like a trampling buffalo. I have savored the very finest pastries in all of Canterlot, but nothing has ever smelled as good as this. Rather dumbly, I stand in the doorway, savoring the smells, before again realizing how utterly stupid a stallion I am and take my first steps inside. While the smells inside the bakery are heavenly, the décor is purely peasant. Apparently, no one ever told them that yellow should be used sparingly, because my eyes actually hurt after taking a quick look around.
“Howdy dearie,” an earth pony behind the counter says. “Haven’t seen you around here. You just moved into town?”
I walk towards her. Her fur is a deep blue that is pleasant on my eyes, especially compared to the ugly décor of the room. She’s also quite plump and jiggly, and I have to suppress a laugh at her excessive size. She is exactly the kind of pony one might expect to work around sweets. “Actually, I’m just visiting the village, looking for someone. I live in Canterlot.”
“I’m Cup. Cup Cake,” the mare says.
After some deliberation, I settle on giving my name as, “Blue.”
“What can I get you, Mr. Blue?”
Bowing my head, I gaze beneath the glass display. It is carnival fare, mostly. The sort of high sugar, high fat chaff that gives peasants their pudge and dull senses. I just wish they didn’t smell so heavenly.
“I’m not very familiar with your confections. Would you please bring me whatever you think is best.” I look around the bakery for the grey mare, though it seems to be empty. I take a table against a far wall and sit down.
“This here’s our hottest seller,” Cup says, placing a plate with cupcake atop it down before me. “Bacon-Maple-Crunch Cupcake. Not real bacon, don’t you worry. It’s all hay, but I’ve had griffons in here that can’t tell the difference.”
I sniff the cupcake cautiously. “I am curious, Ms. Cake, have you ever seen a mare with grey fur and blonde hair?”
“You mean like her?” Cup asks, cocking her head towards the door to the bakery. The mare that had spilled hot chocolate into my laps comes trotting in. Without even looking around, she takes a stool at the counter and places a satchel bag beside her. Her body slumps forward, draping over the counter, while she uses her arms to cover her head. Her wings aren’t even folded neatly at her side. Instead, they hang limp behind her.
Cup walks to the grey mare and gently strokes a hoof over her back. “The usual, dearie?”
Derpy lifts her head. Apparently, the look on her face is enough for Cup, who pulls a plate with a muffin and mug of hot chocolate from under the counter. Without a word of thanks, Derpy begins nibbling and slurping her lunch in the way a peasant would, which is to say, noisily. I realize I still haven’t even tried the cupcake, which I must admit, smells quite good.
There can be no doubt it is the mare from the other day, even without the confirmation her eyes would give me. Now I just need to apologize and go back to my room in the castle, and relax until the night of the Gala where I’ll have to make a token appearance. The only problem is… well, I’m not that good with talking to mares. Quite the contrary to my media portrayal as some sort of philandering playcolt, I don’t really enjoy the company of the opposite sex. Having to deal with gold diggers for almost two decades will do that to even the most earnest of princes. It takes two gulps of liquid courage from the flask I hide in one of my coat’s pockets before I find the strength to walk over to mare, and take the seat beside her.
“Hello,” I say, because, what else is there to say in such a situation?
Derpy turns to me. For a moment, there is recognition in her strange gaze. One or two crystals form in her eyes. She turns back to her muffin. “What do you want, prince?”
“Prince?” Cup asks. “Prince Blue… blood? Prince Blueblood! And in my shop! Oh, what an honor. Princess Sparkle doesn’t come around too much anymore, and Princess Celestia hasn’t stopped by in ages. Did you enjoy the cupcake, prince? Is there anything I can get you?”
“I didn’t really try it, I’m afraid.”
“Was it not to your liking? We have other things. We have a jewel encrusted cupcake in fact. We usually make them up for Spike, but I can whip you up one ASAP. I promise.”
“Ms. Cup,” I say softly. “Ms Cup…” I reach a hoof out, and gently touch hers, and it seems to calm her down. It’s strange. I’ve yelled at ponies for far less, but as I look at Cup, with her jiggly chins and pleasing blue fur, I don’t want to scream and shout at her. I don’t… I don’t want to hurt her, like I have so many before, like I have Derpy. Instead, for whatever reason, I smile.
Alright Blue, what would Aunt Tia do? How would she word this? Let’s try, “Ms. Cake, I’m afraid I am simply not very hungry. Would you kindly fetch me a cup of coffee though? Please, no cream or sugar. Ms. Derpy, would you like something to drink?”
Derpy glares at me, but shakes her head to Ms. Cake. The blue, pudgy mare jiggles and waddles into the back of the shop to make my coffee, leaving me alone with the grey mare.
“So… Ms. Derpy, are you enjoying your muffin?”
Mouth full of bread and nuts, Derpy says something, but only succeeds in lewdly spitting onto the counter.
“I am sorry Ms. Derpy, I didn’t catch that.”
She swallows her mouthful, and glares at me. “That’s not my name, alright? My name is Ditzy. Not Derpy.”
One is better than the other? I want to say. “I’m sorry Ms. Ditzy. I did not intend any disrespect. I spoke to Ms. Rainbow Dash, and she informed me your name is Derpy. I was simply basing it on that.”
Derpy… I mean, Ditzy’s ears bend. “Yeah, Rainbow Dash thinks it’s funny. She thinks just cause I’m a little clumsy sometimes, she needs to remind me every time she sees me, and then she laughs like a dragon on a sugar rush.”
“It’s a bit more like a manticore’s chuckle, wouldn’t you say?”
It’s brief, but for just a moment, there’s a flash of warmth and humor in her yellow eyes. Only for a moment, but it’s pleasant.
“I’m sorry,” Ditzy says softly. “I… I really… I get excited sometimes. If I’m going slow, I can usually compensate for my eyes and all, but I was just really excited and-”
“Apology accepted,” I say quickly. “To be honest, the burns didn’t actually bother all that much. I’ve been burned much worse, just recently in fact.”
Ditzy giggles. It’s a cute sound. Unlike the manticore chuckle of Rainbow Dash, Ditzy’s is bubbly and full of life. I find myself chuckling myself, just a little. “Yeah, I read about that,” she says. “You went on a bender cause Princess Celestia was missing or something? Woke up in the gutter. Very unprincely, huh?”
“That is the story, isn’t it?” I ask.
Why should anyone question the official story, after all? Aunt Tia says I saved not only her, but all of Equestria. She says my deed would have… would have done my father proud… Instead of getting a stained glass mural in the throne room, or anything more than a pat on the back, I get a cover story that perpetuates my image as a drunkard and whore. I know why that must be done. Aunt Tia has an image to maintain. It is still a bitter pill to swallow. My father would say, which is better: to be regarded as a hero, but secretly a coward; or to be regarded as a coward, but secretly a hero? He would call me weak for being annoyed with the present situation, and he would be right. Dad was always right. I was the problem. I was always the-
“You OK?” Ditzy asks. I look to her, and smile. I’m good at that. A smile can cover up a lot after all.
“I came here to apologize myself, Ms. Ditzy. I hope you will accept it, from the bottom of my heart.”
“I’m the one who burned you. I’m the dumb, derpy klutz.”
Yes, you are, I want to say. No I don’t want to say that… I ask, “Did you mean to hurt me?”
Ditzy lets out a string of apologies until I lift a hoof to her lips to silence her.
“Well, that’s the difference between us. You didn’t mean to hurt me. I meant to hurt you. It was the heat of the moment, and I had been having a bad day… Well, I have been having a bad life, I suppose, but the simple fact is, I wanted to hurt you. In that moment, I made a choice. Not like I was drinking tainted water or anything that could excuse my behavior. Ms. Ditzy, I am truly and deeply sorry for hurting you, and I ask your forgiveness.”
Ditzy smiles. It’s a cute smile. I’m not sure how old she is, but I suspect she’s older than she looks. Her round, slightly chubby face gives her a youthful complexion, though. She can’t be much more than twenty though, which makes a thirty-six year old stallion yelling at her all the more despicable. “I forgive you, Prince Blueblood.”
I hear the words, and yet there is no catharsis. There is no deep sigh of relief, and the ache remains in my heart. I suspected this, which is why I brought an invitation carried in my coat. With my magic, I pull the ornamentally decorated slip of paper from a pocket and hold it between us.
“I’m just wondering, Ms. Ditzy, if you would like to attend the Grand Galloping Gala in a few days? I must warn you: it will be nothing short of a royal bore. It is little more than an entire night of dealing with gold diggers and obnoxious foals insisting they belong there. I need to go. Aunt Tia insists. I would understand if you didn’t want to come, but… I feel I must compensate you for what I did, and this is all I can think of. I know it is the dream of many pe… uhm… lower class ponies to attend the regal ball. If nothing else, it will be an experience perhaps you can carry for the coming years, and brag to your friends about. Attending is the envy of all who do not attend, after all. So please, take the invitation. Come to the Gala and enjoy yourself, or provide it to one of your friends. The choice is yours, but if you come, I would be happy to see you again.”
Ditzy giggles in that bubbly way, and takes the invitation out of the air. She slips it into a mail bag on the stool beside her.
“Coffee’s done!” Ms. Cake shouts from the back of the bakery. The door swings open, and her rotund form comes jiggling forth. I look to my coat, wondering what the contents of my flask will taste like mixed with the coffee, so I don’t notice as Ms. Cake trips over a lose floorboard. I hear her scream, and I hear Ditzy gasp. I turn my head just in time to see the steaming, brown liquid flying through the air, towards me…
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I love this. I usually don't fave fics that may or may not be one shots, but for thus I'll make an exception
Good luck!
Nice story; show Prince Blueblood starting to redeem himself, but not going over the top with it (like I've seen in other Blueblood stories). Nice touch using Ditzy as the catalyst for that.
Pretty darn good story there
Well, Blueblood's cutie mark is a compass rose-- Maybe it's because he's magnetic to food and drink? It would explain so much.
3723524
I concur. Trying to better himself without pulling a Scrooge, so to say.
Plus, you can't hint at everypony being terrified of him without telling us why!
Pretty frustrating how he is simply... completely cut out of the gala planning. No announcements, no chastising, not even a short explanation. I can see how lonely and despairing that is, that his family would apparently simply drop him, and after he's burnt (even by accident) suddenly everyone's afraid of him.
I'm pretty interested in seeing more of this story. and I'm interested to see Blueblood as an unreliable narrator, but only if the street goes both ways: on one hand Blueblood interprets events much differently than others around him, but on the other hand others might not see why his "unreasonable" reaction might not be so unreasonable. Although presumably this is the reason why he was not chastised in this case, and why there were no rumors: ponies were afraid of his wrath, true, but possibly also felt sorry for him. At least this seems true in Celestia's case, and maybe Twilight's, depending on how "in the know" she is.
3726594
That's some good points. Perhaps everypony looked at him with worry after the incident, which is distinct from fear—but if you're not used to ponies worrying about you, it might be easy to confuse the two. It was the same when Blueblood came upon Celestia in "Prince Blueblood vs. The World", he couldn't place her look then either. Maybe they wanted to give him space. After all, he didn't really want to do the whole Gala planning in the first place.
And Celestia? She might've felt guilty after what happened. He came to her rescue in the cave, he got burned. She tasks him with planning the Gala, he gets burned.
Or maybe it's for a different reason. My own headcanon has Blueblood sharing many qualities with Luna—such as a deep-seated insecurity. Maybe some of the ponies who know the royal family are waiting for the next member to go insane. He does like to spend time with Nightmare Mo- I mean, Princess Luna...
3723516 Thank you. I have lots of ideas, so, someday I do want to write more of this. It's just a matter of time.
3723524 I like Ditzy a lot, and a friend of mine is very loving towards her, so that really cemented me finally writing her. Ditzy will have a very big part in future stories, if I ever get to those.
3726594 It's all a matter of perspective, which is why I have to admit, I'm really loving the first person narrative. Blueblood, who has severe emotional problems, perceives it as everyone abandoning him, where as Twilight Sparkle might view it as just giving him some space to calm down. Also that Twilight assumes Blue didn’t want to host the Gala anyway, she thinks she’s helping him. It’s just… really interesting, how Blue and Twilight and Celestia view certain actions: one neutral action but three points of view.
And, like Celestia says, she wants some ponies to understand why Blue is the way he is. Why he has so many jerkass tendencies. And, what I like and is going to be a theme: everyone knows, but Blue, because he just has some problems he has to get over first. Sorry to be vague. Just don’t want to spoil anything.
3727234 Yeah. Celestia probably feels pretty bad, since like someone said, Blue is apparently a burn magnet.
I agree about Blueblood sharing qualities with Luna, and having deep-seated insecurity. In the prior fic, if Blueblood views Celestia as his mother, he views Luna as his cool aunt: the kind of person you can talk to about different things than your mother. And Cadance is his bullying older sister.
But yeah. Everything does have a reason for why he acts this way, why others act this way. I just hope I can someday put them down on paper. I do have ideas for a second chapter, which would be narrated from
's perspective. And, then you would see: Blueblood assumed Twilight was afraid of him and didn't want him near, Twilight was worried about him, and didn't want him to put himself out having to plan the Gala, something he didn't want to do in the first place.
Aw.
That was nice.
Oh wow you actually posted it! I'm so happy, and it was just as much fun to read the trillionth time around. I liked how you changed certain things around, like Blueblood's coat being all grown back instead of still kinda patchy. It's a nice touch, and it at least gives him some feeling of normalcy. And let me say, I love your Rainbow Dash. She's so funny, and I just love her little quips and commentary about Fluttershy's... er assets... yeah we'll just go with that. It's also nice to see Dash being compassionate to Blue, I'm sure it's nice for him to feel like someone actually cares about him and what he feels. The flask is definitely something new, I look forward to seeing how that plays out, as well as this implied knowledge the mane 6 seem to haw about Blueblood's father. Celestia didn't tell them the real truth before she told Blueblood did she? I'm not sure, but that was a nice present she gave him. Now I wonder if that's the flask Commander PH drank from, I mean, considering BB doesn't remember him drinking from it.... I suppose I'll just have to wait and see like everyone else. Oh, and Ditzy was awesome and cute. I like the way you described her initially as tired and worn out, and that interaction with Mrs. Cake just knowing what she wanted was sweet. I really like how you write Ditzy and I can't wait for a chapter in her perspective. Knowing you, it'll definitely be a very interesting chapter
Anywho, great story! The additions and little edits you made definitely made this a lot stronger. How you managed to sort of reference the prequel with the (long story) bit made me chuckle, but it was an effective way of kind of bypassing the need for lengthy exposition. The story felt very fresh and new, (even though I saw an early rough draft), so props. Good Luck on any later chapters!
3729297 There will be more! ...Eventually!
3730752 Yeah, I posted it. Only took… what, six months?
I like the changes I did too. I was talking to someone who I let see a draft, and he pointed out that it didn’t feel like the prior events had happened. Blueblood was still a severely depressed alcoholic, and he was still carrying the wounds. It really stagnated any development for the characters. Now, Blueblood can be more well adjusted, and in general a better stallion who is growing into the responsibilities; Celestia doesn’t have to constantly be reminded of what she did, etc. Also, it seemed if it wasn’t growing back now, it was never growing back, and I didn’t know if I wanted that kind of commitment for his appearance.
Rainbow Dash was hard to write. I admit, I took a lot of pages from your ideas, but also tried to think of how Blue would view her: Ditzy is slightly more sensitive, while Blue is more aloof, so he can better deal with her and strike back with his own snark. Blue is sad though. Rainbow Dash does really care about him, but he just doesn’t see it. (I actually think she cares about Ditzy too, she just gets annoyed with her, or she doesn’t realize how much it hurts Ditzy, which will be developed in a later chapter.) I’m really happy with the flask too. It’s one of those trinkets you throw in, hoping something will come of it, but even if not it’s a nice world building touch. But I have, since, come up with some developments for it. And I am very happy about PH to finally reveal his initials, and soon to reveal his full name. I have know his name since Prince Blueblood vs. the World, but because that was firmly narrated from Blueblood’s perspective, it seemed off for him to use his father’s name. Chapters will bounce around in perspective, so characters can talk about him without needing to call him “Dad.”
I really love Ditzy too. I was having a lot of trouble with a chapter about her, because I didn’t just want to steal your ideas, but your characterization is so strong I couldn’t think outside of it. I finally wrote some notes for her, and I am really happy with what I came up with. When I have time and will, I will write her chapter out and get it up here. After that, I have started a chapter narrated by both Twilight Sparkle and Celestia. I still need a solid direction to take the fic in. At the moment it’s many Slice of Lifes with a loose continuity, but I am really happy with this so far.
3757492 Just about, give or take a few weeks.
Hmm, maybe I found it justified (the rough draft I saw) since I know why Blueblood would still be kinda depressed, but if I look back on it I can sort of see that. If it weren't for the exposition (the one you said carried on a bit too long retelling what had already happened) near the beginning one could say it felt like the prequel didn't happen. Having Blueblood able to be back to his handsome self probably helped to improve his mood a bit. and like I said, it's nice to see that he can at least feel a degree of normalcy return to his life.
Hard, really? I was under the impression that you liked to write Dash, but hmm... yeah I can see that. She is a pretty hard character to get just right. One wrong word and she'd seem like too much of a jerk, but you did a nice job. She was well balanced between her teasing and sympathetic sides. Pages from my ideas? I never realized we talked that much about Dash; glad I could help though (as indirectly as it was). I would think Blue would have also had to deal with a lot of teasing (and much worse) when he was younger, so he had to have grown some thicker skin. Not that Dash is serious of course, and he knows that (he needs better comebacks though). I'm getting the feeling that he doesn't see/realize how much people actually care about him. But that's a nice thought, I'm willing to give Dashie more benefit of the doubt thanks to this Season; I can believe it a lot easier than I would have this summer. Even if the flask doesn't lead to something bigger its was a nice way to show Celestia caring for Blueblood, and remind us again that his father probably wasn't as good as he sounds. Oh yeah, BB's dad never was introduced in the first fic, welp it'll be fun to do a bit more exploring in his background.
Ditzy is just so lovable and hugable. Oh you could have asked, I wouldn't have minded. I know you would've handled her character carefully and with respect. None the less, the most important thing is that you're happy with it, and I am still excited to see what you have for her, what little twists you added to her character and all. If it's alright, would you be ok with it if I preread her chapter for you? I'd be more than happy too, but only if its alright with you. Oh dual perspectives, that'll be an interesting read. As for the direction... why not have it lead to the Grand Galloping Gala and beyond. I know you've mentioned a couple times that you thought BB and Ditzy would have a lot of things to cuddle over (platonicly). Perhaps they both ditch the Gala and just kinda roam the castle and talk. kinda like Thunderlane and Octavia did except no (at least none that I know of) emotional breakdowns. Take what you want it's your story, as long as your happy with how it's coming out write it how you want.