Bluebelle of the Ball, The Musical

by mr lovecolt

Act 1 Scene 3: Big Top Cakes

Author's Note:

The tune of "Les Poissons" is property of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, no copyright intended. However, the lyrics are my own parody. The song is Les Poissons from "The Little Mermaid".

Prince Dusk Shine and Princess Bluebelle looked at the scene before them. Red and white streamers had been tied to the large chandelier that hung in the middle of the ballroom ceiling. They flowed outward and touched the walls, giving the impression of a circus tent. The velvety purple drapes that covered the large windows facing the Royal Canterlot Gardens had been taken down, only to be replaced by bright red curtains. For a moment, neither pony spoke, but Dusk Shine finally found his voice.

“I also received news that there are going to be ice sculptures in the shape of various animals.” He said. “Celestia also had animal masks made. It seems she’s trying to give you some cross between a circus and masquerade theme.”

Dusk Shine turned to Bluebelle and watched as she trotted to the center of the room. She looked up at the chandelier and charged her horn. One by one, the streamers dissolved into nothingness. When she was done, she turned to Prince Dusk Shine.

“Dusk,” Bluebelle asked, “Are you going to help me or am I going to have to do this by myself?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Get rid of those abominations covering the windows.”

Dusk Shine nodded his head. A purple aura surrounded each curtain and they too disappeared into the void. A moment later, the room was laid bare. He heard Bluebelle sigh, and when he turned around he saw that she was lost in thought. Then again, his own mind had begun to wander back to their interaction that morning. The Anemoi had been fascinating, even though Boreas’s gaze did linger on him longer than he was comfortable. What had fascinated him even more, however, was that Bluebelle had laughed. She actually laughed. Technically it was more of a chuckle, he thought. In all the times he had seen her interact with anypony, she was always blunt to the point of rudeness. But as Dusk Shine looked at the events, three things checked off in his mind. One, Bluebelle didn’t have to let him into that room. Two, she acted like a completely different pony when she spoke with the Anemoi than when she is interacting with anypony. The most important thing that he noticed was the Bluebelle didn’t stop Zephyrus when he called him her friend, nor did she say anything when he said the same thing.

But what does that mean, Dusk Shine thought, and the theories began to write themselves into his mind like notes on a chalkboard. Was it the compliment on her furniture, he thought, only to dismiss it a moment later; it didn’t change her demeanor. Was it me trying to empathize with her plight of dealing with the party, he thought next, only to dismiss that thought, as well.

Finally, one theory rose above the others. Her demeanor changed when I showed interest in the Anemoi, he thought. Nopony outside of the royalty really knew that Bluebelle controlled the winds. Maybe sharing common interests with her is the key. There was something else she had said, however, and it floated in the back of his mind.

“Ah, a blank slate.” Bluebelle said, snapping Dusk Shine out of his thoughts. “I was thinking maybe something jazz inspired, like the party scene from Fitzpony’s The Great Trotsby.”

Dusk Shine smiled. “I love that book,” he said, “but I would have thought you were more of a classical music type mare.”

Bluebelle quirked an eyebrow. “And why would you assume that?” She asked.

“I don’t know.” Dusk Shine replied, trying to hide his blush. “You just seem so proper all of the time.”

“Just because I hate the thought of getting dirty doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a good Buck Pongione now and then.”

“He is great on the flugelhorn.” Dusk Shine replied, “And you can’t forget about Nina Simpony.” He watched as Bluebelle closed her eyes for a moment. She opened her mouth and started to sing.

“Pony’s kindness is overflowing.”

“And I think it’s gonna rain today.” Dusk Shine sang, adding his voice to hers. “So, Jazz Era theme it is.” He charged his horn and a scroll, quill, and ink well appeared. He began to scratch out the items needed. “We should check on the food preparations.” Bluebelle opened her mouth as though to say something, but then she stopped and nodded her head. Together, they left the ball room and entered the hall to make their way to the kitchen. As they trotted through the hall, the light of the morning sun shone through the windows, and the moved in and out of the shadows. “Bluebelle,” Dusk Shine asked, “this morning, you said something about the ponies here being different than my friends in Ponyville. What did you mean by that?” Dusk Shine nearly bumped into Princess Bluebelle due to how quickly she stopped. He looked on as she cocked her head, as though preparing carefully what she wanted to say.

“Do you like chess, Dusk?” she asked.

“Who doesn’t?” he answered.

Bluebelle nodded and then began to walk again. “Then think of it this way,” she continued, “Every day for them is like a new game of chess. They are the white side and everypony else is the potential black side. Their goal, in every interaction, is to make sure that they either win or at least get a stalemate. All of the ponies in Canterlot have one goal in mind, and that is to continually climb up the social ladder, or at least not get knocked down.” The two walked by the main gallery of the Day Court, and as they passed by the open door, they could see a stallion standing in front of Princess Celestia. The stallion had dark blue fur and a thin white mane. His cutie mark looked similar to both his and Bluebelle’s, but on closer inspection, he saw that it was simply a white starburst. He was speaking passionately, and every now and then, a camera would flash.

“Take that stallion, Blue Moon, for instance,” she said as they continued down the hallway, “He’s an astronomer. Now why in Equestria would we need astronomers when we have Aunt Luna? He knows this, and so he has to come here, every so often, to argue about some error Aunt Luna made with one of the constellations, or a false meteor shower.” The two paused for a moment and continued to look at the scene. Princess Celestia looked up at them for a moment before raising her eyebrow. The two continued on their way. “The pictures that the reporters took will end up on some page in the newspapers,” she continued, “portraying him as a stallion who is standing up to Aunt Luna, or at least doing his part to keep her in line. Once he’s done here, he will probably end up at some small party tonight to regale the guests with his story of how he is the only astronomer to have noticed Aunt Luna’s error. He moves up in the intelligentsia circle, and perhaps even knocks down some other astronomers’ social ranking.”

“That sounds horrible.” Dusk Shine replied.

The two turned a corner and stood in front of the door to the kitchen. “It sounds horrible because it is horrible.” Bluebelle replied. “That is the type of pony that lives in Canterlot.”

An aura began to glow around the kitchen door, but Dusk Shine stopped her. “But that’s only Canterlot.” He said. “There aren’t any ponies like that in Ponyville.”

“Oh really?” Princess Bluebelle asked as she backed away from the door. “What about your friend Elusive?”

Dusk Shine was taken aback. “You were the one who was cold to him the entire time.” He said, his voice rising. “All he did was treat you like a princess and in the end it only got him a ruined suit.”

“I had my reasons.”

“You pushed him in front of you and then freaked out when he got understandably angry from the cake.”

“Did Elusive even tell you why he was courting me that night?” Bluebelle asked.

“He said he thought he was going to meet the mare of his dreams there.”

“Oh please,” she replied, “I overheard him talking with Hoity Toity that night. All he talked about to him was how he was hoping to have a fashion show here. And what better way to promote his line than by getting a princess to model them?”

“He never mentioned-”

“So yes,” Bluebelle snapped, “I was cold to him. I don’t like being manipulated, and I don’t like being lied to. So, as I’ve said, living with these types of ponies all my life, I can see when somepony it trying to use me. I have chosen to stay away from that, and if that means that I have to be alone, then so be it.”

“Well then why didn’t you just tell him that you knew?” Dusk Shine asked.

“I wanted to see if he would pony up and admit to it, and to be honest, he may have at some point.” Bluebelle closed her eyes and shivered. “But then that cake flew at me and I panicked. Just the thought of being covered in-”

Dusk Shine watched as her eyes went wide for a moment and then she shook her head. She turned to the door and used her magic to open it. Dusk Shine entered just in time to see her gallop over to the sink and turn on the faucet. She shook her head as she began to wash her hooves. A minute later, she turned off the faucet and turned around to the head chef, who immediately bowed his head.

“Princess Bluebelle, Dusk Shine,” he said, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Bluebelle looked over to Prince Dusk Shine. He cleared his throat and took out his scroll. “Good morning, Dior” he said, “Please, just Dusk Shine will do. We were just here to go over the menu for the princess’s birthday.” He looked over to Bluebelle, who was now eyeing him curiously.

“Well, Dusk Shine,” Chef Dior replied, “we have many types of food for the party, but I am proud to say that I have created a delight for the senses with my Big Top Cakes.”

“Big Top Cakes?” He asked.

Chef Dior nodded and made his way to the refrigerator. He began humming to himself as he pulled out a small desert cake and set it on the table. It looked similar to a cupcake, with the exception being that the top came to a point. The icing was red and white, just like a circus tent.

Big Top Cakes, Big Top Cakes
Though through many mistakes
I have made this perfect little dish
Now I have to decide
Just what to put inside
Of course princess, I shall do what you wish.

Dusk Shine turned to Bluebelle and spoke out of the side of his muzzle to avoid being noticed by Chef Dior, who was now spinning in circles with the tray of cakes. “Is he always this enthusiastic when it comes to his cooking?”

“It’s not that,” Bluebelle replied, “Canterlot Castle can sometimes be a silly place.” He turned back to the chef. As Chef Dior spun around, Dusk Shine noticed that the cake frosting changed colors.

Ah I’ve seen that you’ve seen
That my cupcakes, they gleam
Different colors when held in the light
That’s the frosting I made
Using magic instead
See how it turns red then white?

“I’m going to tell him the theme has changed.” Bluebelle whispered as Chef Dior continued on with his song.

“At least let him finish.” Dusk Shine replied. “It will give us some time to deliver the message tactfully.” Bluebelle arched an eyebrow, only to have Dusk Shine continue to stare. “You can tell he put a lot of work into these cakes.” The two were interrupted by a coughing sound, and when they turned, they saw Chef Dior staring at them. “Sorry,” Dusk Shine replied.

“As I was saying,” the chef continued as he cleared his throat once again.

'Cause it makes it taste nice

“So what do you think?” Chef Dior asked, but when Bluebelle opened her muzzle to speak, he gasped.

By Celestia’s Sun!
I forgot to mention
How delicious these Big Top Cakes are
Here are forks, take a bite
Here we go, open wide
Now your taste buds should be seeing stars

The two took a bite of the cakes. Chef Dior’s eyes widened and he leaned forward expectantly.

Tell me is it all right?
The taste, a delight!
A dessert sensation, I know
Every Canterlot pony will be asking for me!
Who’s the chef who made those
Big Top Cakes?

Chef Dior’s grin reemerged from his face as he looked at the two royals.

“The little carnival theme that Aunt Celestia came up with has been replaced.” She said. “The theme is now going to be a jazz era one. See to it that the cakes are replaced accordingly.” Dusk Shine winced at the coldness of Bluebelle’s declaration. He watched as the chef’s smile faded away as quickly as it had appeared. Dusk Shine’s and Bluebelle’s eyes met for a moment, and he watched as her eyes softened. She hesitated, but then turned back to the chef. “The cake was delicious though, and the concept is interesting.” She said. “Maybe you can just alter the icing to change to gold and silver? That’s a color theme that resembles jazz.”

The smile reappeared on the chef’s face again and he nodded.

“Consider it done, princess.”

The two royals nodded and headed out the door. As soon as the door shut behind them, Dusk Shine turned to Bluebelle.

“Thank you.” He said.

“For what?” She asked.

“You didn’t have to make him feel better, but you did. Did you see how you got him to smile again?”

Bluebelle turned and flipped her tail at him. “It’s those eyes of yours.” She replied. “They get a weird spark in them sometimes. It actually looks like your cutie mark. Maybe your special talent is mind control.”

A smile crept up Dusk Shine’s face. He caught up with her so that she could see the smirk on his face. “Maybe somepony is seeing the magic of friendship.” He replied in a singsong voice.

“Yeah, if only you could figure out how to control the minds of everypony in Canterlot, we’d be set.”

“No,” Dusk Shine replied, “I don’t want to be a tabloid reporter.”

“Heh.”

Dusk Shine stopped in his tracks. “Did I…” he asked. “Did I just get you to laugh?”

“No.”

“Come on…”

“It was more of a cough, really.”

“If you say so.” Dusk Shine kept his muzzle shut, but the smile remained. They continued to walk for a while until they got to the main hall of the castle. The sound of cameras clicking caught their attention, and they both turned to see a group of tourists walking through the castle. Why am I suddenly so chipper, Dusk Shine thought, this morning I was so upset. Ever since I saw Bluebelle, all I’ve been trying to do was-. He stopped for a moment. He was the Prince of Magic, but he was also the former pupil of Princess Celestia herself, tasked with the singular purpose of learning friendship. Though he no longer wrote letters to her, the thought of solving a friendship problem always excited him.

He looked over to Bluebelle, who had continued on through the main hall to the front doors. He watched as the sunlight caught in her mane and flowed down her neck. She moved around the tour group and the guards as though they weren’t even there. To Dusk Shine, it looked as though she was simply floating through the scene, believing herself to not be part of it. She just needs to see what a true friend can be. She needs a true, true friend. He thought back to his time in Ponyville, when Bubble Berry tried with all his might to make Cranky Doodle Donkey his friend and to make him smile. Bubble Berry had told him that he just couldn’t stop until he became his friend and smiled. Maybe it’s an elemental thing, he thought. Dusk Shine galloped until he caught up with her again. They stood at the entrance to the castle, looking ahead at the city of Canterlot. He took a step outside, but turned back when he saw that Bluebelle hesitated. Bluebelle,” Dusk Shine asked, “Are you all right?”

“Actually,” Bluebelle replied, “I realized that I still have work to do with Apeliotus regarding some storms near Dodge Junction. I can trust you to complete that checklist of yours on your own without messing it up too badly.” Before he could say anything, Princess Bluebelle turned around and trotted back into the castle. Prince Dusk Shine began to trot down the stairs of the castle.

“It’s all right,” he said to himself, “You’ll be fine. You just need to make sure that everything goes perfectly.” Dusk Shine paused. Wait, he thought, what jazz era does she want? Does she wants the early Fitzpony Jazz Age or the Zebra-Equestrian Big Band Jazz Age? Dusk Shine’s breathing quickened and he began to gallop away from the castle.

*****

The door to Bluebelle’s suite swung open as she galloped inside. As soon as she was in her room, she slammed the doors shut. She looked around the room for a moment, and then her eyes locked onto the seat Dusk Shine had sat at. She focused her magic, levitated the cushion, fluffed the indentations out of it, and then set it back down. She then made her way to the Wind Room. She floated a crystal through the air and set it on top of the glass dome.

“Zephyrus, spirit of the western wind, I call you forth. Come forward, and perform your duties to the earth.”

Zephyrus appeared with a smile on his muzzle.

“Ah, Princess,” he said, “How is your friend Prince Dusk Shine doing?”

Bluebelle glared into the glass. “Don’t call him that.” She replied.

“What happened?”

Bluebelle paced back and forth around the room. “I don’t know,” she replied, “But I can’t seem to figure out his angle. And I don’t know why it’s just him. I have learned to read the eyes of every pony I meet. I can tell if they want to get in with Aunt Celestia. Tartarus, after just a minute I can tell how they want to use even me.”

“Hasn’t it occurred to you that he doesn’t think like the ponies in Canterlot?” Zephyrus asked.

Bluebelle stopped and turned to the window. Even from a distance, she could still make out Dusk Shine’s form as he trotted away from the castle. “He’ll learn how to think like them,” she replied, “eventually.”

“Are you telling this to me?” Zephyrus asked. “Or to yourself?”

“Well then why would he want to be my friend?” Bluebelle blurted out. She watched as Zephyrus placed a hoof on his chin.

“Maybe because he knows you need one?”

Bluebelle paused. A thought came to her the next moment. There was one voice that she could trust. “I think I’m going to go talk to my aunt.”

“Princess Celestia would know many things about the prince.” Zephyrus replied.

“That’s why I’m not going to talk to her.” Bluebelle said as she began to levitate the crystal away from the dome.

“I wish the best for you, Your Highness.”

“Thank you.” She replied. “For everything.” Zephyrus disappeared. Bluebelle took a deep breath and made her way out of the Wind Room to find her Aunt Luna.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

This is getting interesting. Nice job with twisting Elusive's desire of meeting the perfect mare. I can't wait for the next round.

[mr lovecolt]

3813249 Thank you. Well now, we have Dusk Shine running through town as well as Bluebelle going to see Luna.

[Slythershy]

Having fun reading the fic and parody versions of lyrics so far. I sorta like Blueblood (and extending that to his R63 counterpart as well) and I think he could really use more character development in the actual canon itself. With that said, I look forward to reading more of this fic. :)

[catoparadox]

Canterlot is sometimes a silly place i wonder what that means?

[Cloverman The Purple]

4247042 I thought of putting exactly what you did. Great minds think alike