P.B. and J.

by TheAmazingMe

Prince Blueblood and Protection

The mists of the memory cleared as Crystal ponies ebbed and flowed around us like a shimmering sea of light. The city looked the same as it ever did, but the ponies milling about were all much happier on average. Everypony had a smile on, laughter rang through the air almost as loudly as the sound of crystal hooves on crystal roads. I stood next to Princess Luna and on her other side stood...

“Master Starswirl, art thou quite sure thou wouldst not look more fetching in a crystal hat instead of thy bell-bedecked bonnet?” Luna asked, her voice respectful as her face gave away the joke.

I took steps forward to face both legendary ponies. I hadn’t made much effort to seek out the famous Pillar of Old Equestria since his return. Clearing my throat, I made to introduce myself when a passing crystal pony walked through me. I stiffened and most certainly did not let out an undignified squeak.

Starswirl eyed her sidelong, his face serious before he chuckled. “I doubt I’d sport it half as nicely as you would, princess.”

It took me a second before remembering this was a memory. I slapped myself for the confusion.

Her smile broadened. “Then We shall have to obtain one and find out!”

A remarkably familiar-looking alicorn princess sidled up to where I’d been standing. It was a trifle disconcerting when ponies walked through me, but I tuned out the distraction. This conversation was important.

The alicorn laughed as she lifted one crystal hat from a passing vendor and insisted on paying for it. Presenting it to Luna, she spoke. “Believe me, you’d rather wear one of those hats than try and sit through an Imperial Headdress styling. That look takes even the most skilled ponies too much time for my tastes.”

“Princess Amore, our utmost gratitude!” Luna said as she took the hat in her magic. Turning to Starswirl, she nudged him with a hoof. “Alright, off with those bells!”

Starswirl groaned, “Your Royal Highness, this is—“

“Watch out!” Princess Amore shouted as something dark streaked across the sky. It looked like a small, black meteor. Dense smoke trailed behind it. Two other dark shapes hurtled across the sky behind it.

The crystal ponies on the ground panicked. In the chaos, Starswirl tripped over a discarded wagon as he tried to dart forward to counterattack. Princess Amore had a shield spell covering herself and Luna, who was startled and wide eyed.

Luna quickly recovered and made to leave the protection of the shield. “Amore, what are you—“

“Trusting in my ponies.” Amore answered flatly.

As if on cue, three crystal ponies took formation. A unicorn led the charge as a pegasus leapt into the air and grabbed a cloud. An earth pony clad in armor stood before the princesses and helped Starswirl to his hooves.

The crystal earth pony shook Starswirl’s hoof firmly. She spoke clearly enough that I could hear her. “Get the Princesses away and defend the Crystal Heart.”

As she turned to charge into battle, Starswirl entered Amore’s protective shield. “Who are they?”

She smiled as her shield crumbled. “My Crystal Shards.”

The ensuing battle between the Shards and the dark shapes in the sky was left behind as the memory moved on to the Princesses and Starswirl standing guard over the Crystal Heart.

“Why leave it to them? What is wrong with your magic, Princess Amore?” Luna asked boldly.

Amore glanced around, ensuring nopony was near to overhear. “My magic is waning. It is always the weakest just before the Crystal Heart ceremony. As I realized that the cycles were getting weaker, I forged my Shards as an elite team to handle the threats I no longer could when my magic was weak.”

“Why is this happening?” Starswirl asked. “How could your magic and the Crystal Heart be getting weaker?”

She looked around, her eyebrows knitting together. “I fear that the love amongst my subjects is weakening. It is the way of ponies, even crystal ponies, to forget the power of love. The effect of the Heart on the weather is weakening and shrinking bit by bit.”

“You need to remind your subjects that their love keeps this kingdom together.” Starswirl chided.

Amore smiled weakly. “I’ve tried in many ways. Should we survive this attack, I shall continue to try and remind them.”

“The Crystal Heart cannot fall to darkness.” Luna said as she grasped Amore’s forehooves in her own.

For a moment, Amore’s eye became unfocused. Then she looked at Luna’s chest and frowned. Looking back up, Amore gazed into Luna’s eyes. “Make sure your heart doesn’t fall to darkness either, Luna.”

Luna cocked her head and frowned. “O-of course.”

The scene shifted, melting and reforming around us.

Starswirl the Bearded sat across from me in a covered carriage bumping along down a familiar crystalline street. His stoicism, bordering perhaps on annoyance, was an almost palpable force. "Is it not enough to start your own order of Knights? Now you start an order of merit? And with ponies from outside your own realm!"

Luna, sitting next to me in full regalia and with a look that would brook no opposition from her esteemed mentor, folded her hooves over her lap. The hoofguards clinked audibly. "Celestia has ruled the kingdom her way, taking the lead on recognizing our subjects. Now that summer is waning it is up to me to begin reminding everypony that there are two courts in Equestria. And if this world is to be as ever-free as the Equestrian Capitol, then we must rule as equals. As my first non-military Order of Recognition, it will be on par with Celestia's Order of the Cross. The Celestia Cross was designed to show that all four corners of our world are under her sun. The Order of the Crescent will symbolize the struggle between darkness and light. It will remind all who see it that light prevails even if one can only see a sliver of it."

Starswirl smiled, and Luna shook her head, easing up as soon as Starswirl did. He nodded at her. "If you are ready to answer questions like these, I have no doubt that you are ready to rule as your sister does."

Luna looked out of the window and sighed. "The war with Discord's so-called followers took a toll on her. If I had been ready earlier, we could have faced them together as we faced all our other challenges."

"Mastering the dream realm is an invaluable asset to the kingdom," Starswirl reminded her.

Luna shook her head and changed the subject. "What do we know about the shadows that attacked us?”

Starswirl gave an un-Starswirl-like shrug. "Not a terrible lot, I'd say. I do have Stygian working on research in the Crystal Castle Library."

Luna wrinkled her nose. "I still can't believe they simply lost shape and dissolved."

Starswirl nodded. "The entire assassination attempt seemed very all-or-nothing to those shadows. Once subdued, they seemed to be in great pain until they...dissolved."

The grim look on their faces shifted as the carriage came to a stop. Starswirl got to his feet first and exited as the memory of the past grew less focused around us. I blinked and opened my eyes to the Crystal Castle Library.

“Blue, can I talk to you?” Cadence called as I set hoof on my suite door. I sighed inwardly, as I’d really hoped to not have to deal with anything else after the crystal memories.

“Of course, Your Royal Highness,” I answered and trotted over to her diligently.

“This isn’t as a Royal, this is as a...cousin, I guess?” She looked up as she thought about that, but shrugged and lead the way to her sitting room.

“I guess there’s no other way to say it than to just come out and say it. I don’t appreciate you attacking my husband in our home.” Her eyes were locked on mine in seconds. For a brief moment, she reminded me quite forcefully of another alicorn I knew.

I considered my answer. Her face flashed in annoyance before she softened her expression and spoke again.

“I think you should apologize. And not just to me. Shining considers you a friend, almost like an annoying little brother. To have you on his case when I’m already riding him pretty hard...”

“Cadence.” Just getting that one word out without putting an edge on it was difficult. “You’re right.” Unlike the vast majority of the time I’d used those words, I actually meant it. “I had no right to interject myself into so personal a discussion, let alone to act the way I did. I can only tell you that I meant no offense. In my own way, I really care for Shining Armor. The thought of him going to war, even to inspect troops, is too much. Yet, seeing his disappointment at being barred from the field left me feeling...” The exact term left me and no matter how hard I tried, I could not retrieve the words. This feeling I had was not one I often entertained. “I’m sorry. I was out of line.”

“I think I understand,” Cadence said, her expression softening further. “I’ve tried telling him myself. You were right that words weren’t doing enough to ease his mind.”

“But I was wrong to put my hooves on him. And, if I’m being completely honest, I fully expected to have my tail handed to me by Shining himself,” I admitted.

She snorted. “Well, you were smart enough to get inside his head. Now be smart enough to get inside his heart and fix the damage you’ve done,” she admonished.

I sighed. “Alright. Where is he?”

She smiled half-heartedly. “This time of day, he’s at the palace track.”

I bowed. “By your leave, my —“

She waved a hoof. “Just make him happy.”

Div fell in step behind me and I almost did a double-take. “You are sleeping at some point during all this, aren’t you?” I asked.

Div nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

I shook my mane and sighed. “Good. I’d hate for you to be glued to my side.”

Div piped up again as we descended the stairs. “If I may be so bold, Your Highness, the other guards seem to believe I’ll be able to talk you out of doing anything...unusual.”

I just barely kept the snort in. “Like attacking the Captain of the Crystal Guards?”

Div paused to collect himself before speaking again. “Yeah, something like that.”

I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. “Well, if it’s of any comfort, I don’t plan on doing that again.”

“Noted, sir.” He didn’t exactly sound convinced but that may have just been his natural tone.

Deciding not to try and convince Div further, I shook my head and exited the final door to the outside. The track was a fair hike down the south lawn. The palace guard facilities were close at hoof, but still a respectful distance away.

Just when I thought I’d start to break a sweat, we made it to the track. Shining was out of armor, running circles around what I assumed were newer guards.

“Prince Armor,” I began, before I mentally kicked myself for the formality. Some habits were hard to kick and being raised under Civil List’s incessant need for structured formality was habitual. Even my years as the Prince of Pleasure hadn’t dulled the edge of those lessons. “Shining, may I speak with you?”

Shining didn’t take his eyes off of the recruits. “Considering you already are speaking with me, sure. Your Highness.”

“I shouldn’t have attacked you in your own home.” I started, before he laughed.

His eyes remained forward. “You’ve spoken to Cadence.”

I shrugged. “Shining, you helped me find out what my mark meant. In my own way I was trying to help you. But I was wrong. I don’t want there to be a wall between us.”

“No, I think you proved your point. Celestia has regaled me with your previous false apologies, Blueblood, so save it.” Of all ponies, Shining was on a very short list of those I never wanted to disappoint. But he had me in a box. Once more I found myself contemplating how to convey a message with more than words.

“How many laps are they doing?” I asked finally, nodding at the recruits.

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. “Fifty more to go.”

I let out a low moan and took off my suit jacket and tie. Handing them off to Div, I whispered, “if I don’t survive, you’re carrying me home.”

Div laughed. “If you do all those laps, I’ll gladly be your faithful steed, Your Highness.”

Head high, I galloped to join the pack of guardsponies. Matching their pace was rough, and I slid to the rear of the pack before I got my breathing right. By the fifth lap I had my rhythm, by the fifteenth, I’d hit a wall. Lap twenty-five saw me catch my second wind and I actually slid up to the top five. The fortieth lap was torture, but at this point the running guardsponies were whispering encouragement out of earshot of their captain.

I tripped in start of the last lap and ate track dust. By then, I’d been running beside the same pony for the last few laps and he reached down and had me on my hooves before I could spit out the first bit of dirt. Seeing that I could still go, he left me behind and caught up with the pack.

My pride has led me to do some fairly stupid things, as well as some fairly impressive things. Joining this run qualified as the former. As for the latter, catching up to the pack just before the finish line and beating half the recruits across it was one of the most impressive things I’d managed so far.

Shining was on the group as soon as they stopped. He had them in formation, in proper posture and shipped off to the barracks in seconds. I was left gasping for air like a fish out of water with Div standing next to me, alert but with humor in his eyes.

He spoke, unsolicited. “Nice turf tasting, Your Highness. I’m actually really impressed that you got up and really buckled down to catch up after that.”

Shining was on my other side before I knew he was there. “Well, not bad for doing half the running that the guardsponies were doing, but still impressive. You’re in shape, but you’re not quite up to the conditioning yet.”

“Shining, I really am sorry.” I tried again, but Shining laughed it off, without the bitterness this time.

“Don’t worry about it, Blue.” Shining said softly, giving me a side hug. “Just don't embarrass me in front of my own guards again.”

He let me go and I turned to hold out my hoof. “Deal.” Unfortunately, Shining hadn’t backed up as much as I thought and my hoof tapped his shoulder. Shining’s reflexes kicked in and he stepped into my space, grabbed my outstretched hoof and used it to pull me over his shoulders and onto the ground. Before I knew it, I was on my back, the air knocked out of my lungs and stars in my eyes.

“Oh crabapples.” Shining said. “Uh, sorry Prince Blueblood, somepony had me on a hair trigger today.”

If I’d had enough air, I’d have laughed. Or cried. “No problem,” I gasped.

Shining turned to Div. “Uh, he’s all yours, faithful steed.” With that, Shining Armor turned and left.

“Thanks, sir.” Div said drily as he heaved me into a sitting position to get more air.

Div was half-carrying, half-supporting me as we made to return to my suite. I was startled by the sudden appearance of the Crystal Castle Librarian, Lexicon. “Your Highness, if I may I have one more thing you may be interested in.”

I groaned as I took my own weight back on my hooves. “Frankly, Lex, I am most interested in my bed at the moment.”

Lexicon passed me a book in his magic. I took it in hoof and looked at the midnight blue cover. It was covered in a silver illustration of a field under a full moon. Turning the tome on its side, I read the title aloud, “‘Controlling the Dream Realm’?”

Author's Note:

Much luv and appreciation to my new editor Eagle!

Comments

[Skarsnik]

Ohh an editor, fancy :)

[Frankie2]

Whuh oh.

[Ice Star]

It's good to see some more of this ship!