Blueblood's Just This Shy, You Know?
There was a knock on the door, and Blueblood’s head jerked up, startled, nearly snapping the quill he’d been using.
Who would be knocking on his door? No one ever knocked on his door! That was one of the things he liked about his office - it was too far from the main halls to ever be accidentally approached, and just far enough away that any pony who had business with him found it easier to send a message by courier instead. Even the couriers didn’t knock. If it was between 2 and 5, they’d just come in, and if it wasn’t, then they’d drop the message through the slot.
Not that Blueblood wasn’t in his office outside of those hours, of course, he just... found it soothing to only have to talk to other ponies at specifically scheduled times.
There was another knock on the door, and Blueblood bit his lip. In the steadiest voice he could manage, he called out, “W-who is it?”
“It’s me, nephew. I was hoping we could discuss something.”
Blueblood’s eyes brightened, and felt the tension that had been building in his throat drain away. “Auntie! Of course, of course, come in!”
Blueblood bustled about, tidying the stacks of maps and notes on his desk, discretely throwing away the remains of the lunch from hours ago that he hadn’t finished and otherwise trying to make his office presentable as Celestia settled into the cushion in front of his desk. Pausing long enough to give her a quick nuzzle, Blueblood hurried back to his seat and beamed at her and waited to hear what was on her mind.
“Nephew, I have heard that you had declined your invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala. I was hoping I could convince you to reconsider.”
As soon as he’d heard the words “Grand Galloping Gala” Blueblood had started fussing with the ink pots and quills before him. “Oh, er… I don’t know, Auntie. I mean, there’s just so much work to do, after all. I need to check all the maps for consistency, make sure the royal surveyors all received the memo about the latest revision to section 17 of the zoning regulations, and there’s a proposal for this new type of paper that doesn’t fade as quickly in the sun, which, you know, would be saving us money in the long run but it has to be tested and then there’s the feasibility studies of bits saved versus cost of reprinting everything or opting to phase it in slowly, and-” A hoof over his mouth stopped him from continuing.
“Nephew. Blueblood. You know I’m proud of the work you do, and admire your dedication to your post… but I’m starting to worry about you! Ever since Twilight left, you hardly speak to anyone. You rarely leave your office, you have your meals brought in, you conduct almost all of your business through correspondence…”
Blueblood looked down and chewed his lip. “I haven’t… I haven’t been avoiding everyone.” He perked up and said brightly, “In fact, I’ve actually been sharing meals with Auntie Luna as of late!”
•§•
It was a little after midnight.
Aside from the guards and a few ponies in the kitchen, there were only two ponies awake in the castle, and they were sharing a table in the dining room.
Princess Luna, Steward of the Night Sky, was taking a short break from her duties to have what would be lunch for a pony with a more usual schedule.
Prince Blueblood, Royal Cartographer for the Equestrian Throne, was having a midnight snack after having finished his work for the day and before retiring for the night.
As usual, they had exchanged greetings upon meeting.
“Auntie.”
“Nephew.”
With no need for formality, they sat wherever they wished at the enormous banquet table. This was usually on the same side, and a few seats apart from each other.
When their meals arrived, they ate in silence.
Having only a small snack, Blueblood would normally finish first and would then politely excuse himself.
“Auntie.”
“Nephew.”
•§•
Blueblood smiled up at Celestia, clearly proud of how social he’d been. Celestia, for her part, tilted her head slightly and said nothing for a few moments.
“I know you’re a grown stallion, Blueblood, and can make your own decisions. I will not order you to come to the Gala, but I would consider it a favor if you’d think it over again. You’ve grown into a fine young stallion; you shouldn’t hide yourself away.”
Blueblood tapped his hooves together and couldn’t bring himself to look at her. “I… I’ll think about it, Auntie. I promise.”
Celestia gave a small smile at that, and to Blueblood it felt like a ray of sunshine, just for him.
“Thank you, nephew. That’s all I ask.” Her smile grew a fraction larger and a twinkle came into her eye. “Actually, if you do end up going, I also ask that you remember to groom yourself. I’ve never seen a pony who forgets to brush their mane as much as you.”
With a tinkling laugh, the Princess of the Sun left the room, and a lightly blushing prince.
•§•§•§•§•
It wasn’t that Blueblood didn’t like other ponies. Not at all! If it were up to him, he’d have liked nothing better than to get to know more ponies and do… things with them. Hang out? Go to parties? Play… hoofball? That was what friends did, right?
And that, in a nutshell, was the problem. Blueblood liked other ponies; he just had no idea what to do around them.
Blueblood liked maps. You knew where you were with a map! You could find landmarks, determine which way was North, plot a route to wherever you wanted to go… maps were easy, if you knew how to read them.
Ponies were... confusing.
Still, if growing up under Celestia’s tutelage and alongside Twilight Sparkle had taught him nothing else, it was that if you were confused about something… research!
•§•§•§•§•
Blueblood hadn’t had to visit the Royal Library for quite some time, ever since he’d finally collected copies of his own of all the texts necessary for his duties as Royal Cartographer. Being able to look up everything from the comfort of his office, without having to talk to a single other pony, it was just so… convenient!
Yes. Convenient.
Unfortunately, while all of his books were about fun and exciting things like maps, geography and how to draw to scale accurately, he’d completely neglected to get his hooves on any about social interaction. Social dynamics, and several treatises on what the best mix of residential and business zoning were, yes, but nothing about social interaction. Still, Blueblood wasn’t worried. He had a plan, this time!
Quietly, he placed the note he’d spent all afternoon drafting on the librarian’s desk and waited to be noticed.
•§•
It was twenty minutes later, when she’d finished cataloguing the pile of returned books, that the librarian looked up and noticed the white unicorn standing by the desk. “Oh! Hello there. How can I help you?”
The unicorn seemed startled by being addressed and actually took a step back. With a clear effort of will, he kept from bolting and without saying anything or getting any closer, used his magic to lift up a slip of paper that was on the desk.
Card Catalogue looked from the note to the nervously smiling stallion, shrugged, and adjusted her glasses.
“Hello I am looking for the very best book you have on manners the kind very fancy ponies like Princess Ce the Princesses would use can you tell me where to find it or if you could please write it down that would be even better thank you”
Catalogue peered over her glasses at the poor colt, who had the same strained smile on but was now sweating and eyeing the exit as if afraid a portcullis would slam down at any second and trap him inside with a fierce and pony-eating librarian.
Raising an eyebrow but not saying a word, she quickly wrote down a title, location, and some directions on the back of the note and slid it across the desk.
Looking the tiniest bit more relaxed and far more grateful than seemed appropriate, the unicorn snapped up the note and bobbed his head in thanks.
Card Catalogue almost wished him luck, but caught herself at the last minute and just waved goodbye instead.
•§•
Perfect! Flawless! That wasn’t hard at all. With enough preparation, maybe he could handle the Gala after all.
•§•§•§•§•
Actually checking out the book had been an ordeal, but since the alternative would’ve been to try and read it in the library when a pony could wander in at any moment and just start talking to him, well..!
Far better to suffer the line for check out and then dash for his office than try to focus with that worry gnawing at the back of his mind. No choice at all, even.
Once safely back in his office, with the door securely closed behind him, Blueblood slipped the book out of his saddlebag.
“Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette for Inexperienced Up-&-Comers...” Blueblood puffed on the cover to blow the rest of the dust off. “Ooh, it’s even got a picture of Auntie Celestia on the cover! This must be the best book on manners! Chapter 1: Deportment, Carriage and Posture - which is right for you?”
Blueblood read quietly for a few minutes until he couldn’t resist any more. From habit too old to break, he peered around and made sure no one was watching, and then quickly flipped ahead several pages, scanning as he went.
“... aww. I was hoping it would have little cartoons, like ‘Goofus & Gallop’... ah, well.” Blueblood sighed and went back to the page he had flipped away from.
•§•§•§•§•
He was ready; he could do this. He WAS ready. He could DO this!
In the days leading up to the Gala, he had read the book over and over, testing himself until he knew what to do in every situation and every scenario. He knew how to walk, how to hold himself, what food to eat, what words to say. Blueblood knew every footnote of Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette by heart and tonight, at the Grand Galloping Gala, he would prove himself as the best behaved Prince ever!
Just… in a minute or two. After he got some fresh air from the gardens. It was stuffy in the entry hall, and he didn’t want to be in the way of all of the ponies arriving, and it certainly wasn’t because he was trying to avoid them or anything!
After half a minute of staring at a hedge with his back to the other guests and breathing into a paper bag, Blueblood felt collected enough to start socializing. Well, mingling. Well… making eye contact.
He didn’t want to come off as too forward, after all.
•§•§•§•§•
After just five minutes of not bolting every time a pony looked like they were going to take a step in his direction, Blueblood felt he was ready for the next step.
It was time… to talk to someone.
Looking around, Blueblood spied a unicorn mare with a striking purple mane not too far away. She looked to be appreciating the roses, and more importantly, seemed to be by herself.
Steeling his nerves, Blueblood went over the appropriate sections of Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette as he approached.
Chapter 5: Greetings and Introductions… Introductions are the cornerstone of good manners. When meeting a pony for the first time, one should be pleasant, calm, and not overly familiar. If one is not being presented by another, it is appropriate to state one’s own name; it should be said clearly though, without murmuring or mumbling. Such affectations are to be frowned upon.
Blueblood had spent an hour before bed, every night for the last week, saying the words in front of a mirror, and so it was with practiced ease and not even the hint of a quaver in his voice, that he was able to say, “Well, hello. I am Prince Blueblood.”
He couldn’t stop grinning! That had been even easier than he’d thought it would be!
The mare demurely introduced herself, before drawing his attention to the flower she’d been sniffing. “Oh my, what a lovely rose!”
“You mean… this rose?” Blueblood was certain he knew how to handle this situation. It had been covered quite clearly in chapter 5 of Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette.
Sometimes, especially if one is associated with the Host of the party, guests may present a pony with a token or small gift. In such an event, the proper response is to thank the giver, and mention some aspect of it specifically to demonstrate one’s appreciation. However, a pony should not be over-enthusiastic with their gratitude, lest they seem materialistic or greedy. Displaying the token in a position of prominence is an acceptable demonstration of especially deep-felt gratitude.
As he deftly placed the rose where it would be seen by every pony he met for the rest of the evening, Blueblood hoped she’d appreciate that. “Thank you! It goes with my eyes.”
•§•§•§•§•
They’d been strolling through the grounds for about an hour, calmly chatting and watching the other guests, even joining a few discussions briefly before moving on. Blueblood was amazed! He had never felt this comfortable around another pony before; even Twilight still made him skittish at times, and Auntie just didn’t count. She was Auntie after all!
In the course of their wandering they’d arrived at a side-garden, filled with couples chatting and cushions to rest on. Blueblood hesitated for a moment, before remembering the appropriate section of the book.
Chapter 12: Seating, Sitting and Circumstances… Seating arrangements can be difficult waters to navigate for the inexperienced up-&-comer; age, status, connections to the Host and connections to the Crown… all can affect where and when a pony is seated.
In all cases, however, it is considered rude to take a seat before the pony ahead of you has. To do so is to disregard and disrepect the choices of the Host. No one likes a presumptuous pony, after all!
Likewise, not taking your seat in a timely fashion is another faux pas to avoid. The longer you remain standing, the longer you are forcing those behind you to stay on their hooves.
So remember: once the proper order of seating has been determined, set yourself down at the appropriate moment in a timely manner. Don’t leave your fellow guests standing around, waiting on you!
Blueblood nodded to himself and grabbed a pillow. He was older, he had a royally appointed office, he was close to the Hostess of the Gala and just as close to the Princess (that they were the both Auntie helped). According the the tables he’d drawn up after reading chapter 12 for the first time, unless she was a hero of the realm and had personally saved the life of the Princess, he should be seated first.
Not wanting to keep the mare on her hooves for a moment longer, Blueblood sat down as quickly as his blossoming grasp of decorum would allow.
He did wonder for a moment whether he should have gotten a cushion for her as well, but the book hadn’t covered that and he was… hesitant (not afraid, hesitant) to deviate too far from what it specifically laid out as proper or not.
•§•§•§•§•
Walking back into the main hall, Blueblood felt his heart racing. This was hardly new for the Prince, especially as he approached a large group of ponies, but something about this time felt different.
He’d begun to notice it back in the garden, after the mare had found a seat for herself. She’d gotten quiet, and Blueblood never knew what to say, so they’d just sat there for a while, not saying a word, surrounded by the sounds of other ponies’ conversations. Eventually, she’d started smiling again, so he’d smiled back and… that was all. They sat under the stars and smiled and just looked at each other.
Strangely, after all the time he’d already spent around her, for some reason that made his heart pound.
Even stranger was how he didn’t mind.
Normally, when he was around other ponies, it felt like there was a bird in his ribcage, desperate to get out, to escape... but this felt like the bird was singing.
Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette hadn’t had anything to say about birds singing in your chest, so Blueblood just smiled and said nothing and desperately hoped that he wasn’t doing something wrong just by sitting there.
When she’d mentioned how it was getting a little chilly and suggested they go back inside, Blueblood agreed in an instant. The idea of the crowds and being seen and talking and all the rest of it sent his heart racing in the old familiar beat of anxiety, but he’d welcomed it. He had known that pulse ever since he was a little colt, knew it like a life-long neighbor. He knew what it meant, and what to do about it.
He didn’t understand this new beat, and it scared him. It made his hooves tingle as they walked next to each other, it made him want to run away, it made him want to follow in her hoofsteps all night… it made him want to smile.
Blueblood was so wrapped up in thinking about hearts and hooves that they’d nearly stepped in the spilled drink before he noticed it. With a cry and without a thought, he blocked her from setting one dainty hoof in the puddle.
For a moment they were frozen in that tableau and it wasn’t until she’d said, “Oh! Prince Blueblood!” that he realized he still had his hoof pressed against her chest. With a faint blush that he hoped no one could see, he quickly lowered his leg. As his mind raced, going through Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette for what to do in this situation, he failed to hear her last two words…
Chapter 17: Emergencies and Opportunites… While no pony, Guest or Host, would ever wish for trouble to arise, nearly any emergency can be transformed into an opportunity to demonstrate one’s refinement and grace. At the most extreme, a fire breaking out can be a chance to demonstrate the bravery and courage of all in fighting the fire and not panicking.
More typically, if one has left home without a hoofkerchief (normally a tragic faux pas, as covered in Chapter 3), a pony may offer the use of theirs, demonstrating their generosity, and opening the door for one to express their gratitude in return.
To simply draw attention to a problem is rude; to have a solution on hoof is considerate. With practice and a deft touch, one may even allow another the honor of offering the solution. Giving a pony an opportunity to shine and be helpful is never a bad thing!
* The author wishes to stress that they do not suggest or recommend trying to arrange such things deliberately. In small cases, they will make you seem forgetful or ill-mannered; in large cases, mentally-ill or felonious.
Blueblood smiled at the mare and knew exactly how to handle this. Smoothly, he said, “One would hate to slip.”
With a titter, she replied, “Yes! One certainly would.”
Not sure if she needed more prompting, he decided to err on the side of caution. “One’s cloak should take care of the problem…”
“Oh, of course it will.”
There was a moment when he was afraid he’d have to be more overt, but then he saw something click in her eyes.
As he merrily trotted across the covered puddle, Blueblood felt almost entirely pleased with himself. Surely, every pony in the room had seen her cover the puddle with her cloak, and that was one of the classic gestures of good manners, wasn’t it? He’d given her a chance to let everyone see how refined she was, right? That was a good thing, right?
In the back of his mind however, a small part of him quietly wondered why it felt like the book was wrong this time.
•§•§•§•§•
It felt like he’d swallowed something alive, and it was bouncing around in his stomach. Something alive, and with sharp little teeth. Blueblood felt guilty.
He was doing what the book said, and the book knew what was good manners. That meant he had good manners, right?
… so why didn’t it feel like it was right?
He stole a glance at the mare beside him, and almost sighed (Chapter 9: Sighs, Snorts and Breathing - just don’t.) That was why.
She was smiling less; almost exclusively when she saw him looking at her. Her conversation had become more clipped, more formal. Her head wasn’t held quite as high, and while not gone, her sparkle was dimmed. She was unhappy, and it was his fault, and Blueblood had no idea what he’d done or how to fix it.
They’d only been in the main hall for a few more minutes after the puddle incident before she’d suggested they go back outside. Something about the light hurting her eyes. Blueblood nodded and said nothing, following her lead and feeling painfully hollow.
The door to the gardens had been closed by this point, since the sun had set some time ago and the night had brought more than a little chill with it. Unable to bring himself to talk, Blueblood nodded his head towards the door, offering to let her go through first. Even he didn’t need a book to tell him ‘Fillies First,’ after all.
She seemed to appreciate that, and a smile flashed across her face. She nodded back, and Blueblood recognized it for the gesture it was, from Chapter 20: Rituals and Standard Practices.
No pony of good breeding accepts an offering the first time. Food, gifts, invitations… a pony declines once to show humility and not appear greedy, and allow the giver to rescind the offer gracefully or emphasize their generosity.
Blueblood, stomach knotted and a nerves frayed for reasons he didn’t understand, frowned and jerked his head to the door again, just wanting her to accept and go through first and then maybe they could both get some fresh air and calm down!
Instead, she just stabbed her horn towards the door, clearly refusing to go. She was angry. Why was she angry? Was she angry with him? What had he done now? Unable to control himself, Blueblood stuck his nose in the air and huffed, in clear defiance of chapter 9.
“Whatever,” he thought to himself. “If she doesn’t want to go first, I’ll go first. If only so we can stop standing in front of a door bobbing our heads like we’re doing the Pokey Pony or something. Ugh.”
And he felt fine with that until the first moment he felt the evening breeze on his face, at which point the thing in his stomach started jumping even harder, and it’s teeth got a little bigger.
•§•§•§•§•
What had he done? What was he doing? This wasn’t what the book said. This wasn’t him. He may’ve not always known how to act, but he’d always at least known how to behave.
He couldn’t even bring himself to look at her anymore. Every time he did, the thing in his stomach would reach up and give his heart a squeeze.
So, he just closed his eyes, kept his head forward, and followed along wherever she led.
Maybe he could excuse himself and go find Celestia; stay by her for the rest of the night. No one ever wanted to talk to him when Auntie was there. No one ever noticed him. Never. It was better that way. Safer.
“Two apple fritters, please.” Peeking with one eye, Blueblood saw a flash of her smile at the orange earth pony running the snack stand and snapped his eye shut again.
… or maybe he could excuse himself entirely and go back to his office and curl up under his desk. It had been a while since he’d done that, but he was starting to feel just that bad.
He was brought out of his thoughts when she cleared her throat. What, did she expect him to pay for it? It was her idea to get food, not his. She could pay for her own pastries. He cleared his throat back at her.
She coughed again, more insistently. He couldn’t believe it; even Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette agreed with him on this point! The pony who picks where to go picks up the tab. He coughed right back.
As she started to grumble, the mare behind the counter waved her off and said it was on the house. Thanking her, the mare by his side said pointedly, “At least somepony here has good manners.” just as Blueblood bit into the fritter.
He actually chewed for a couple of seconds before her words registered and his mind started screaming at him Chapter 14! CHAPTER 14!!!
He immediately spat out the fritter and tried to redeem himself. "Bleh! Ugh! Fritters! Dumplings! Caramel apples?! My royal lips have touched common carnival fare! I'm going to the buffet for some... hors d'oeuvres."
Nose stuck as high up as it could go, Blueblood trotted off with every iota of dignity he could muster, trying not to show how much he was panicking inside.
It was a trap, it was a trap, it was obvious, she’d tried to humiliate him, no, no, not her, please no, she’d been so nice before, but she’d done it, she must suspect something, must know, know everything, know he’s a fraud, a freak, not her, please… please, not her...
•§•§•§•§•
He’d made up his mind; he couldn’t take it anymore. He was going to find Auntie, excuse himself, and just go to bed. He’d tried his best, and it just wasn’t good enough. He was better off, alone with his maps, just like he’d always known.
He’d barely walked through the door when he saw the cake hurtling down at him. Time slowed to a crawl; he could see every curl of icing, the shadow of every crumb as it barreled towards him. The only thing he could hear were those words from a week ago, echoing in his ears.
... I also ask that you remember to groom yourself.
… remember to groom yourself.
… groom yourself.
With a shriek and acting on pure reflex, Blueblood grabbed the nearest thing he could and blocked the cake. Even after it landed, he was too terrified, too flooded with adrenaline to realize what he’d done; it was only when she spun on him and started growling that it registered that he’d just blocked an incoming projectile with another pony. Although it wasn’t explicitly covered by Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette, he was sure that that was a serious breach of etiquette.
He could see her mouth moving, but the only thing he could hear were Auntie’s words, over and over again, telling him to groom himself. She stormed up to him, still dripping cake, clearly furious, and all that Blueblood could think of was how he had to stay clean, if nothing else, absolutely NOTHING else, he HAD to stay clean.
When he bumped up against the door and realized he couldn’t retreat anymore, the words just spilled out of his mouth. “Ew! Uh, uh, stay back! I just had myself groomed!”
For one brief second, he thought she might actually take pity on him and let him finally escape this endless nightmare… and then the first gob of cake hit him, right between the eyes.
He stumbled back, unable to keep his balance, unable to breathe. His back hit something; he didn’t feel it. There were noises and screams; he didn’t hear any of it. There were ponies running and things falling; he didn’t see any of it. There was smoke and dust and animals and none of it mattered because he couldn’t TALK to ponies or even keep his coat CLEAN and Auntie would-
Blueblood blacked out.
•§•§•§•§•
Blueblood woke up.
“Blueblood? Nephew?”
“Yes, Auntie?” Blueblood kept staring up at the ceiling.
“What were you thinking?”
Blueblood said nothing, and listlessly waved a hoof towards his nightstand. This was new… he’d never been too exhausted to have a panic attack before. And really, after last night, he felt as if he should never stop panicking.
“Royal Manners & Proper Etiquette for Inexperienced Up-&-Comers”? Where did you even-? Oh, nephew… this was written a long, long time ago, when… well… there were a lot of princes, and no princesses.”
Blueblood frowned and looked up at her. “Auntie?”
Celestia sighed. “It was a different era, then. It was assumed that the colts of that day and age would have been brought up being taught manners, but that a mare would need them spelled out to her. This… this book was written for fillies, Blueblood.”
“That… that means… oh, dear.”
“Oh, my poor nephew. Well, that explains most of it, anyway. What’s this I heard about spitting out food someone got for you, though? That couldn’t possibly-”
Blueblood sat up and said with a sniffle, “Chapter 14.”
“Really? But that- well, let’s see… Chapter 14: Etiquette and Principles of Dining... and remember, it’s not just how you eat, it’s WHAT you eat. One does not have pancakes for dinner nor ice cream for breakfast; to drink hot cocoa in midsummer is an invitation for gossip and scandal. In fact, among certain crass and cruel hosts, it is a common prank to set out one or two inappropriate foodstuffs and see who has some. The author cannot stress this enough: eat what’s appropriate for the event!” Celestia lowered the book and stroked his mane. “And since it was the Grand Galloping Gala…”
“… I thought I could only eat the fanciest, most refined things.” He shook his head. “I love fritters, you know that Auntie, but… it was in the book.”
“And the cake?”
Blueblood flinched at that. “That… had nothing to do with the book. I just… didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Disappoint me?”
He chewed his lip and flattened his ears. “The only two things you asked of me were that I attend the Gala, and remember to clean myself up. I showed up and made a mess of everything, but I hoped that if I could at least stay clean, you wouldn’t be completely disappointed in me.” Blueblood collapsed back onto his pillow. “But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even do that right.”
“Oh, nephew, I’m so sorry.”
His eyes popped open and he stared at her. “You’re sorry? But… but… I was the one who messed up! Who couldn’t even spend one evening around another pony! Who ruined… everything! The whole Gala! You can’t be sorry; I’m sorry!”
“But you did it for me, nephew. You did so much, that I know you find uncomfortable, just for my sake. I only wanted to see you get out more and have some fun, meet some new ponies… I never meant to test you.” Celestia nuzzled him softly. “I just worry about you, you know. Luna gets out more than you do, these days.”
Blueblood nodded and leaned into his Auntie. For the first time in a week, a tension he hadn’t even been aware of finally released. With it came a yawn, and a sudden weight to his eyelids.
Celestia tucked him back in and kissed his forehead. “Sleep now, nephew. You may want to write a letter explaining yourself to a certain mare, but that can wait until you’ve recovered. For now… rest.”
Blueblood could only yawn again, and was soon fast asleep. As he slept, his dreams were filled with white birds that sang together, and knew which way was North.
Right after he tells Celestia about his midnight snacks with Luna, I just picture Blueblood making this face:
I may need to do some sort of epilogue/prologue thing for this, just so I can have Blueblood as a foal being even MORE SHY and awkward and meeting Twilight for the first time.
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This is adorable.
Oh, he’s just so, so…
Omigosh I can’t stand it! I gotta squeeze ‘im!
I'm gonna use this as my personal head-canon regarding Blueblood's behaviour at the Gala.
I like this one best.
And it's subtly brilliant. That he wasn't acting like a prince... he was acting like a PRINCESS.
Which tells you a lot about gender relations doesn't it.
Liked, just for the Hitchhikers Guide reference.
Okay, this shall be FAVED.
This fic is too amazing for words.
I just hope we get to see one of these poor Bluebloods getting forgiven at some point.
"if there's anything more important than my ego in this castle I want it caught and banished right now"
Any chance of you continuing any of these stories? Other than chapters two and three, I've been really enjoying these. It's nice to see some non-bashing fics about Blueblood. I've been hooked ever since I read "The Best Night Ever," but I can never find any good ones.
Bonus point for Hitchhiker's reference in the title.
4309952
Oh my God, thank you! I've been saying this for years now!
This is the Blueblood I most want to know more about. This deserves a pre/sequel, at some point.
In some ways, the complete fiasco of the Gala should be regarded as a mercy for Rarity. I'm not sure she would have been able to handle a relationship with a male version of Twilight who is even more non-socialised and has far, far less common sense.
4310945
Nah, it would've been good for him. He really is a sweet guy, under all the neuroses, and he didn't feel the need to run screaming into the night when he was with her (which is a HUGE step up).
I think it would've been kind of like Trudy & Adrian Monk. He has some pretty big issues, but next to her? They'd seem small.
4310497
Aside from the follow-up to the shiest of all Bluebloods, probably not. I think most of the stories stand well enough on their own, and honestly, I wouldn't know where to go next with most of them.
Except for Shy-guy Blueblood. The idea of him as a little colt, panicking every time someone tries to talk to him is just too adorable and tragic to resist.
Daww...!
I don't think I've ever seen him depicted quite so adorkably, can imagine Twilight was getting vague flashbacks to a few years before when she met Fluttershy for the first time.
4311482
Darn. I was hoping for at least a follow-up to Ringer, having him meet up with Rarity and apologize to her. Possibly ask her for a date.
I am Grinning SO Hugely right now. I'm doing the thing where your eyes half close 'cause you're grinning so hard and this is the first time I've Ever done that and OH GOSH THIS IS CUTE
Yo I want a sequel and prequel for this ficlet man.
Oh god yes, that would be hysterical. I will offer you all my internets.
Hang on while I patch this leak in my eyes.
Amazing
About that...
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