This story is a sequel to Prince Blueblood vs. the World
Sequel to Prince Blueblood vs. the World.
It started with an innocent enough request. Princess Celestia asks Prince Blueblood to host the Grand Galloping Gala this year. His life goes downhill from there.
Cover Art by "thedarklordkeisha" on dA, and used with his/her permission. http://thedarklordkeisha.deviantart.com/art/Muffin-of-Love-and-Blueberries-263077850?offset=50#comments
NOTE The characters will be updated based on the present chapter.
Chapters (7)
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.
I'm so glad this chapter came out, earlier I was fearing that this story was going to ship Blue with Ditzy/Derpy, not that there's anything wrong with that pairing, but I just can't see this Blue as anything but a bachelor. Seeing Ditzy's interaction with Time Turner make me hope those two end up together.
3865385 I know what you mean. I never intended to ship Ditzy and Blue. Even in the first chapter, Blue mentions he’s old enough to be Ditzy’s father. I didn’t put this in the shipping group, someone else did, so I hope people aren’t mistakenly reading this. If anything, I wish this would pop into a Ditzy group.
But yes, I think of Ditzy and Turner together. As time goes on, I could see Blue getting into relationships, such as with the Spa Pony or Trixie, but it never sticking.
3869407 Sorry about putting this in shipping,I assumed it was blue/ditzy because of the image.
3869852 It's quite alright. I've just had people complain about the groups some of my fics go in, when I'm not the one who puts them there. I just hope that people won't get the wrong impression about this fic.
A bit of unrequited Blue/Ditzy would be interesting. Angsty Blue, fluffy Ditz/Turner.
3967627 I have some plans for how to do them. Ditzy might feel something, but I just can't see Blue as having anything deeper, save maybe with Trixie.
Oh, I hope Rares doesn't skimp on Ditzy's outfit. She's still objectifying Blueblood, I see.
4144994 Rarity was hard to write in this chapter. On the one hand, Rarity might not realize how much she's talking about Blueblood, and since it is narrated from Ditzy's point of view, Ditzy might be exagerating Rarity's responses, or projecting her own feelings on Rarity. On the other, Rarity definately has the feelings of when you find out your Ex is doing well. It's almost, "What right does he have to improve himself when it doesn't benefit me?" So, yeah, she was tricky.
So glad this story updated.
Excited to see some of the mysteries surrounding BB and his father coming to light.
4319712 Thank you. I am going to try to release the final three chapters fairly soon. It's nice since I had this story mostly planned out even during Prince Blueblood vs. the World. It's also nice to finally have Purple Heart's name in my canon.
And, after this, I would actually like to do a fic set in the Griffon Kingdom that would be continuing this franchise. And deconstructing a lot of the... horrible tropes that have been popping up in regards to the griffons as of late.
My grandfather was a great man. I've loved and adored him, and to this day I can't visit his grave because it just tears me up inside.
"I have sinned against my eldest son, and I can never take it back." is what he once said. Said son worked himself to the bone to be able to afford creating a life for himself on a different continent because he couldn't bear his father's presence anymore.
It's funny how things can be, isn't it?
The feels, oh god the feels.
I'm going to side with Blue on this one, Celestia fudged up pretty bad
I'm sympathizing more with Celestia on this one. Blueblood's the victim, yes, of both parties-- But if he'd stayed with his father, who thought 'counting the seconds' could really determine when his son would drown or aspirate, Blues stood a good chance of ending up with a severe case of death.
Good to see a new chapter, by the way!
4432601
You know what wouldn't surprise me? That Purple Heart, if he ever learned of his son's severe mental problems, will lay the blame squarely at Celestia's hooves.
After all, he only meant for his boy to be strong; but Celestia mollycoddled him. No wonder Blueblood is a mess.
Sometimes the biggest lie we tell ourselves.
4430724 Parental issues. Been there, lived that.
4431857 A reason this chapter took so long was that I wanted it to be up to the reader about who was in the right. And while there is the obvious things that are wrong, like, you know, child abuse, was Celestia completely in the right to lie to Blue, punish the father instead of seeking to help his obvious PTSD, etc. So if you have any more thoughts about why you think Celestia fudged, I'd be interested to hear.
4432601 Yeah, Purple Heart... I hope he at least came off as somewhat tragic. A big problem I see with that family is they work themselves to perfection and end up breaking themselves in the process. Purple Heart broke himself fighting Celestia's black ops. Blueblood broke himself seeking his (dead/exiled) father's approval, which he could never gain because his father wasn't there any more.
It seemed like Celestia was somehow hoping that Blue would somehow miraculously get over an entire childhood of abuse from his father by being shown a single memory that he actually cared for him. That might have been good enough for her, but for Blue that wasn't even anywhere near enough to even consider forgiving him, after all actions speak louder than words, and the only things Blue ever received from his father were beatings and emotional abuse. Then when Celestial realized that that memory did nothing for Blue, she tried justifying her past actions with that flimsy and hypocritical excuse, which Blue called her out on.
Or at least that's what it seemed like to me.
4454112 Mmm, interesting way to view it. I both agree with some things, and disagree with others. But that was the point of this chapter, to allow people to interpret and make their own conclusions about why Celestia kept the truth from him, and only now gave it to him (is a happy lie better than a painful truth), was it right to preserve Purple Heart's legacy as a hero, and was it right to keep Blue's actions in the previous fic from the public? So, well, Celestia did have her reasons for everything she did if they aren't always clear. But, she's not infallable, and some of the things I think were wrong. But my goal isn't to write a perfect character, in a perfect story, who does everything perfectly. She makes both mistakes and decisions that, while "right" have horrid consequences.
4436052
Purple Heart is a walking turd, so why should Celestia give a tinker's damn about any thought or opinion he has?
4323428
I personally like the concept of German eske griffins, a race of proud people, with an high concept of honor and loyalty to the given word, maybe a bit violent (at least from the ponies´ perspective) as consequence of their nature as predators and past warrior culture.
Also, their relationship with the pegasi would be complex: both with a martial tradition, occupying and competing for the same ecological niches, with a past of conflicts and tenues alliances, yet with a grudging respect for each others which sometimes evolves in genuine friendship.
I'm with Raistlin... and wow I am disliking Vinyl. Still, I have faved this, and shall follow it. XD
You tease me with big mac/blueblood and then throw in Vinylblue in the end you evil person!
Hope he just kisses her til she falls asleep or makes an illusion spell on a pillow. That way there won't be he won't give any the incoming headlines about him and her possible merit. I feel a bit bad for Vinyl for having to live that way but at the same time she seems to bring on herself.
4531406 German or possibly Viking/Norse are definitely an influence for the griffons. In the draft of a fic I am working on, I was actually going to write the dialogue of the griffons in German. Aside from the fact that that has already been done, I also think it’s somewhat illogical. I find it difficult to accept that there are no translation spells in all of Equestria. Also, since the story is mostly Celestia and King Gilford (King of the Griffons), they both look rather stupid if they aren’t capable of speaking the other’s language, and Twilight Sparkle no doubt has learned like… twenty languages. It’s unfortunate though, since you can do subtle tricks with languages. I wanted to do a joke where Gilford speaks with very direct, and slightly hostile languages (having a Western “voice.) When the translator speaks to Celestia, she uses very formal and polite language. Celestia responds with formal and polite language, but the translator speaks to Gilford in a very direct and slightly hostile tone. But… it just doesn’t make sense in the lore that Celestia can’t speak the Griffon language, or at least fluently understand it. And, vice versa with Gilford.
4532042 You know, writing this, I was thinking: People are probably going to think I absolutely detest Vinyl since in this and Overture she comes off as a raging jerk. And she is. But, Vinyl is actually one of my favorite characters, because just beneath the bitchy visage is such an amount of tragedy. While in this chapter, it’s easy to see her being an abusive bitch to Blueblood (It’s narrated from his perspective. Also we’ve seen how much he’s going through, where as Vinyl’s tragedies are subtly woven in.) She is going through horrible things though, and I hope people can pick up on that stuff.
I love the idea of a thousand stories happening in one night. And, what I think would be cool, would be to have seen what Vinyl was doing this whole night, and how much Blue being so kind to her really meant to her, since at the moment, she’s basically at rock bottom. For Vinyl, this is probably the first time in a month that someone has been truly, unconditionally loving to her. Not nice, since Blue's kind of a dick, but he's very kind to her. She, like Blue, doesn’t know how to express emotions, and she tragically fails. I want to do more with her though.
4532943 I know this is in the Crack-Ship folder, but I didn’t put it there! I swear! I’m not trying to tease you with Blue/Mac. Or Blue/Lotus… Or Blue/Ditzy… Or Blue/Vinyl… Or, possibly Blue/Celestia.
I’m really trying to show Blue making friends. If I ever do ship Blue, it’d be Blue/Trixie. Won’t ever be Blue/Vinyl, since I have a fan theory she’s actually Blue’s half-sister. Blue and Mac though would definately work, since I think the ponies have very different views of love and sexual relationships, so it's not at all taboo for close friends to fool around just a smidge. Just a smidge! And it'd be tasteful! I may write porn, but by the moon, it's porn with a story!
I think Vinyl is very tragic, though. Even Overture… Octavia is the more tragic, but Octavia is definitely enabling Vinyl’s behavior. So, they are both to blame. Not neccassarily equally to blame, but Octavia is not completely innocent. This, being a stealth-sequel to Overture, has Vinyl really hitting rock bottom, and possibly had Blue not been there she’d have fallen even deeper. But, as the title of this fic might imply, eventually Vinyl will come out the other end, stronger, wiser, better.
And, wow I talked a lot here...
4533096 for me, it's mainly that she's one of the bitch-cordians that bothers me.
while this is typical Vinyl, party and crash hard, it seems, from my view, a bit cruel of her to be such an anarchist, especially with Discord himself running around content in canon.
4533118 Well, I started my canon before Discord was redeemed. This is actually in line with the Return, where Discord is beaten a second time (not killed though). I mean... in broad strokes, this could actually remain in the main canon, but I don't get bogged down with the real stuff. I mean... since Discord isn't dead, it's possible this is lined up with the real canon. So, Discord might just be flattered that people are worshipping him, following his example, he has his own cult...
*shakes head* Right. I'm actually fascinated by your view. Thank you for making mention of that, since it really interests me how small stuff I add to a fic can be what someone focuses on.
4533096 I was kidding
sortaabout the shipping thing but yeah I could see them as friends since neither are in the best of places.Last thing either needs right now seems to be sex as much as they need a shoulder to cry on and support the other. She seems to be okay with guys using her body just so she'll have somewhere to be for the night with someone by her comment about shaking up with a random guy. Thus why I'd like as a twist for her, him playing along with her taunts only to just rock her to sleep or something like that then leave.That way maybe she'll rethink her harsh views on royalty a bit. Of course check in on her in the morning.With the exception of him with his aunts/cousin despite be distantly related cause it still seems weird and bluetrixie(no offense cause I do understand some why people like it) I like prince blueblood shipped with anypony.4533168 I mean no offense. XD
Is this really the end of this story because this chapter just doesn't feel like and ending, I'm not really getting a feeling of closure or resolution. Please tell us that you're continuing Blue's story in another installment.
Other than that though, pretty good chapter. It's good to see that Blue is still kind of a jerk even though he has matured into a better pony.
4702032 It's the end of this particular story, which was Slice of LIfe, and was centered around the Gala. It started with Blue planning the Gala, and ends with the Gala finishing, so that's a weight off Blue's chest. Blue also learns the truth about his father and comes to terms with it. I know what you mean though. Since this didn't have a central villain that could be defeated, or a major conflict, it can leave you feeling unfulfilled, but I do hope there was enough character development for Blue and enough interesting things that you enjoyed to make it worth while.
Also, Blue's story isn't anywhere close to done. I like it when the characters can keep growing and growing. Blue does still want to make a name for himself, get his own job, make his own fortune. The next fic I am planning is going to take place in the Griffon Kingdom, though I haven't decided if Blue will appear or stay in Equestria. Regardless though, while he might not be the central character of any coming fics, he will definately make cameos where his growth is apparent, like how Vinyl has been shown in Overture and then this.
4702817
Well that's good to know, thanks for the reassurance. Looking forward towards your next stories.
I can't help but keep thinking about how blueblood is 36.
4764020 I thought he was 37 in the first chapter.
I kind of aged everyone up a bit from their canon. I just don't see Twilight only being sixteen or so.
Really, they couldn't see the value in being able to rip an enemies armor off? Or use it to impale or ensnare them? The finest military minds in Equestria at work.
Great story, if slightly depressing in places.
5044700 Oh, Blue's magnetism spells? Wow, I hadn't a clue what you were getting at for a minute...
It's more- it's something new, let's not embrace it, you know? What Equestria has now, works, so they saw no need in advancing military tactics like that. Also, Blueblood was the only one who could do it, which made a problem with mass fielding.
Twilight Sparkle, on the other hand, absolutely understands the value of Magnetism, and when she perfects the spell, she'll start doing... a lot. Since I plan out a franchise and write notes, if I ever do get to a certain fic, she'll demonstrate a lot of powers and abilities.
5045333 Ooops. Well, I knew what I meant anyway...
I can see that point about mass fielding, but since Blue would never be a stealthy unicorn, he'd be a fantastic distraction. Come try and defeat the pony against whom your weapons are useless, while the rest of us sneak around and do damage behind you. But inflexibility wins again.
5045483 I agree. A sad sub-theme in Blueblood's story arc is that he had a lot of potential, but he could never achieve it. His father pushed him so hard in training and never told him he did good, Blueblood ended up breaking and thinking himself worthless. He invented an entirely new spell, which even on the surface had huge amounts of usage, but no one at the Point could recognize it as anything more than a novelty. Keep in mind: Magnetism is one of the four governing forces of the world, along with Gravity, High Yield Radiation, and Low Yield Radiation. Even accepting that Equestria is not Earth, and so might have additional governing forces, Blueblood tapped into a spell of incredible potency. He was just never encouraged to develop it, coupled with his low self-esteem. But yeah, I agree completely, and when Twilight masters it, she's going to have a lot more to do.
Why doesnt this have more views/favorites/thumbs up? I can't figure that part out.
5046221 Will you write a sequel to this where Blueblood unlocks his potential? I would love to see that after all what he went through himself.
6254940 I think Blueblood is sort of a polarizing figure.
I do have some ideas for Blueblood, but his characterization is more about his emotional growth rather than his physical. He will have some fics where he does some impressive stuff, but never do everything he could have. I always imagine, had things been different, he could have rivaled someone like Sombra. That sadly won't happen though.