Family
Bursting into a wide grin, I hold my hooves out with a call of, “Granny!”
“Cutiekins!” the golden mare returns as she quickens her pace through the garden entrance and snatches me from my mother’s grip. Ornate smiles as Golden swings me in a circle and blows a kiss on my cheek. “Oh, you are just so sweet, I could gobble you up!”
I burst into laughter and scream in mock terror. “Eek, dragon granny!”
“Do I hear the screams of a fair princess? I, Grampy Dragon, was looking for one of those for my tower,” a brown stallion says as he steps up behind his wife, making a show of searching the area.
Golden Garden pulls me to her chest protectively. “Too late, go find your own princess, ya old geezer!” She punctuates the statement by maturely sticking her tongue out.
At his frown, I laugh even harder. Granny and Grampy are always so funny when they visit that I don’t even have to pretend to be amused by their antics; it makes sense since they apparently met at an improv group in college.
“Grampy! I go to tower!” little Blueblood calls, apparently tired of being ignored as he tries to pull from Dad’s grip.
“Oh? Don’t think I’ve ever heard of a prince being held in a tower?” Grampy says, rubbing his salt and pepper goatee. Eventually, he shrugs and scoops his grandson up. “Oh, gender-normativity can hit the curb. This little guy’s mine now, and he’s worth more treasure than all of my hoards.”
“I’m glad you two could make it,” Mom says, and I can’t help but agree. I’m especially glad they are the first to arrive. A couple familiar, friendly faces has helped settle my nerves.
“Of course we made it,” Granny says as she cradles me in her foreleg. “What kind of grandparent would miss their grandfoals’ first birthday? A bad one, that’s what kind.”
“Agreed.” Looking around Granny’s shoulder, I spot a grey stallion with a darker grey mane. “It’s our duty as grandparents to spoil the little ones rotten, and what better time to do that than at a party?”
“Grandpa!” both my brother and I shout. Grandpa Shield hardly ever visits, but when he does, he always brings an assortment of sweets that have Mom scowling and Dad trying to swipe a few.
“Why, hello there, strangers,” he says casually as he comes closer, “You two, big, grownup ponies wouldn’t happen to have seen a couple of little ankle-biters around here, have you? They go by the names Pureblood and Blueblood.”
Dad goes to raise his hoof, but Mom elbows him just as my brother shouts, “Grandpa, me Blueblood!”
I play along and nod fervently. “Aha, and I’m Pureblood!”
Grandpa Shield blinks owlishly before giving a boisterous laugh. “So you are! I hardly recognized the two of you with how big you’ve grown.” Little Blueblood puffs out his chest in pride as he is exchanged from the hooves of one grandfather to the other. “Oof, I can barely lift you, you’ve grown so much. Maybe I shouldn’t give you this after all. I don’t want you getting too heavy.”
Pulling a piece of candy from the breast pocket of his suit, Grandpa jerks his hoof back a second too late as the candy vanishes into his grandfoals mouth, the wrapper floating gently to the ground. Seeing the self-satisfied look on the colt’s face, the adults can’t help but laugh.
“Grandpa, what about my candy?” I whine. It wasn’t even an act; I don’t know who made the little balls of heaven, but the hard candies Grandpa always had on him were absolutely scrumptious.
“You want one too, Pure?” I nod vigorously. “Well, let me just grab one then… Hmm?” The stallion taps his pocket. “Oh, it seems to have gone missing, but where possibly to?”
I can tell he’s acting, but I still tilt my head in confusion. What was he up to? “Maybe…” he began moving in close to look at me with squinted eyes, “Aha! There it is!”
Reaching forward, he seemingly pulls the candy from behind my ear, getting a wide-eyed stare from me and a gasp from my brother. I had heard of the fabled behind-your-ear trick plenty of times in my previous life, but I never expected to see it in a world where real magic existed, nor being performed by a creature without fingers. Really, how does one perform sleight of hand without hands?
“Hey!” Blueblood yells with a stormy expression. “No magic by sister!”
“I’m okay, Bluey,” I cut in, snatching the candy from my grandfather’s hoof and slipping it into my mouth. “It didn’t hurt at all.”
“Really?” he asks, unconvinced. When I nod, the colt’s head slowly turns to look Grandpa in the eye and whispers, “Teach me.”
Snorting, the stallion smiles and responds, “Maybe later, little one, but now, it seems it’s time to greet the rest of the guests.”
Sure enough, ponies could be seen moving up the entrance, and I clench a little tighter to Granny. “Oh! Revel, we have to get the gifts from the carriage,” Golden says as she passes me to my mother.
I watch the two pass the incoming guests, already wishing they were still here as the first new pony comes up and gushes about how cute we are. Sleight of hand nothing, how do ponies pinch cheeks without fingers?
Blueblood the 16th stood next to his father as Ornate introduced the foals to the family. “So, the candy trick? When did you learn that?” the younger stallion asked as he watched his wife and children with a smile.
“Well, I was overseeing some basic training at the request of Princess Celestia; seeing how the next crop of guards was shaping up and discussing techniques with the drill sergeant. Anyway, the recruits were on their personal time when I noticed it, a group of stallions all hunched up in a circle.
“At first, I thought there was a fight or some such, but when I got closer, I saw this earth pony putting on a magic show. Now, that’s not something you see every day, so I stayed and watched. It was nothing spectacular, just some card tricks, but it had me intrigued. I was thinking of Pureblood at the time and thought, well, maybe she’d like that sort of thing. Ended up asking the lad if he’d show a few tricks; he was more than glad to when I explained it was for my granddaughter.”
“Really? You learned magic-less magic tricks just to make my daughter happy?” Blueblood looked incredulous. “When I was a colt, all you did with me was have me run drills in the backyard until Mom made you stop.”
“Oh don’t go complaining about that again,” Stalwart Shield groused. “It made you a hit with the mares when you got to high school, didn’t it? You probably wouldn’t have even caught that wife of yours' eye if it weren’t for my training. Besides, Pureblood is my granddaughter and it’s my duty to spoil her. It’s in the grandfather code. Look it up.”
“I was just kidding, Dad,” Blueblood said with a chuckle. “I’m touched, really, and glad to hear you care so much for my foals’ happiness.” His tone sobered. “What I’m not glad to hear about is that you’re still working. I thought Aunty would know better and let you enjoy your retirement.”
“Bah, I’ve got nothing better to do. I’d rather keep busy than sit alone looking out the window all day. About the only good thing to have come from retirement is that it’s let me start to grow my beard out again. Your mother would have appreciated that. She always had a weak spot for facial hair,”
Though it was meant to be comedic, it caused Blueblood's expression to sadden. “Dad… You know you can always come stay-”
“How do earth ponies and pegasi manage without magic?” a pearl pink mare with a cornflower blue mane fumed from over by the snack table. She was attempting to grab hold of the ladle for the punch with a hoof, but was only succeeding in sending it spinning around the rim. “Actually, how do you two manage living this way?”
The question was directed at Ornate, who walked up, grabbed the ladle with practiced ease, and poured the mare a glass. “With practice and patience, Class Act,” she answered. “You’ll find when you have a foal, that you’ll do things that used to sound impossible for them. Like getting up seven times in the middle of the night to figure out why they’re crying.”
“Augh, no thank you,” Class said, “I don’t know how you can manage any of this, cousin, but more power to you. I can’t live without magic, or my beauty sleep.”
“Well, it’s easier with the two of us,” Blueblood said as he and his father approached. With the same finesse his wife showed, he poured a glass for himself and Shield, who accepted it with a nod. “And the staff has been more than accommodating of our daughter’s condition.”
“I know you already told all of us, but is it really that severe? Not a spark of magic around her? Like, not even levitation?”
“Well, she has another doctor’s appointment next month,” Ornate said, looking over at her children and giving a wave as they played with their uncle. The brown, green maned stallion was jawing the little ones ears off, it seemed. “They want to measure her reserves to see if there’s been any growth. If there has been, it should mean being around magic will cause her less pain.”
“A unicorn without magic…” the mare said with a slow shake of her head. “What sort of life will she have?”
While Blueblood’s lip twitched slightly downwards, Ornate looked ready to berate her cousin before Stalwart Shield interrupted. “I’m not surprised to hear that from a Canterlot unicorn, especially a civ. You lot tend to think magic makes the world go round, and you know, maybe it does, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be great without it.
“I’ve accompanied her majesty to the lands of the gryphons, minotaurs, and have even visited the underground capital of the diamond dogs, and none of their people could sling spells around like us unicorns. But you know they had something else in common that more than made up for that: ingenuity.
“Most of them can’t do nearly half the things we ponies can with magic, and yet, it’s a fact that the bulk of the military tactics used by the Wonderbolts are taken right out of gryphon history. No one can deny that when it comes to industry, minotaurs are decades ahead of Equestria. The deepest, oldest mines in the world belong to diamond dogs and their smelting techniques are so complex and produce such pure metals that Equestria’s willing to let them extend mines into our lands just to get our hooves on the stuff.”
The older stallion looked Class right in the eye and she shrunk back. “From what I’ve heard and seen, that filly is sharp as a tack and so sweet she could give Nightmare Moon a cavity. She has pair of loving parents and a brother to watch her back. And she has my blood running through her veins to boot. So what kind of life is she going to have? My guess, a pretty darn extraordinary one, wouldn’t you agree?”
The mare gulped, cup splashing in her shaky hoof as she nodded. “Yes sir, M-mister Shield, sir.” She pointed in a random direction. “I’m going to go use the bathroom if no pony minds… bye!” With that, she disappeared in a cloud of dust towards the house.
“… Thank you, Shield,” Ornate said, voice a whisper.
“Yes, it may have been bit excessive, but… thank you, Dad,” Blueblood agreed. “Though I hope Class Act will be alright. She’s a nice enough mare, if not a bit airheaded. I think you really scared her.”
Shield waved his hoof dismissively. “Bah, I don’t see what you two are thanking me for. It was just conversation. And scared? I don’t know what you’re talking about, boy. You heard her; she needed to use the bathroom. Darn punch must have gone straight through her.”
“Of course,” said Ornate, a giggle hid behind a smile. “Don’t mind us, we’re simply reading too much into things. Celebrating our foals' first birthday has us a bit high-strung, I suppose.”
“Though the feeling is obviously misguided,” Blueblood added. “Things have been going swimmingly. Why, there was no reason at all to be nervous.”
Just then, there was a commotion by the entrance as an immaculate, white carriage with gold accents pulled up and a stallion appeared with a trumpet. Taking a deep breath, the stallion put the horn to his lips and played a quick note of fanfare. “Now announcing her royal majesty, Princess-”
A large, white hoof was placed gently on the stallions shoulder. “I thought I said this was to be a casual visit and to not bring the horn,” a tall mare said as she came the rest of the way into view. Though her words were chiding, there was no bite behind them and she wore a gentle smile on her serene features. “Though I’m curious, where did you hide that thing?”
The stallion chose instead to look down with a sheepish smile and blush then answer as the mare looked up and spotted the three adults by the punch bowl. Smile spreading wider, she called, “Nephew, it is so good to see you after all this time!”
While she grinned widely, Ornate and Blueblood both displayed varying degrees of shock on their features. For the mare, it was that the leader of Equestria was in her garden. For Blueblood however, it was something far more astounding. “Aunty…! What happened to your mane!?”
That… is one huge pony. In any other scenario, that would probably be a very rude observation, but it is totally accurate as a mare easily twice the size of any I’ve seen steps into the garden.
One second, I’m listening to Uncle Sunlight name off all the different flowers in Mom’s Garden, and the next, he’s bowing to this newcomer. I admit that, at first, I’m scared of who this could be. A mare that size could do a lot of harm if she wanted to, and that’s not even considering the saber-length horn on her head. Even if she didn’t run that thing through my skull, casting any magic with it would probably feel like she did.
I’m scared until she calls my dad her nephew and he responds with aunty as well as yelling something about her mane. I don’t know what the problem was, her mane looked quite nice with her silky, pink hair pulled back into a simple pony tail. Perhaps it was a bit long, nearly reaching the ground, but it was nothing a few snips couldn’t fix.
“Calm yourself, Nephew. Believe it or not, this is my natural mane color,” the mare says, coming closer. As Mom and Dad rush up to meet her, I reflect on her entrance. Didn’t that trumpet pony say something about a princess? A princess of where? Pony Amazon? And how is she related to us?
“Y-your natural mane color? Then what happened to the…” Dad gestures wildly off to the side of his head. “The floating thing?”
The mare chuckles. “Well, having heard of my newest niece's condition, I couldn’t very well come see her with magic flowing out of my hair. It took some meditation to rein my magic in completely, but it seems the effort was worth it.”
At this, she looks at me, and I can’t help but look away shyly. As kind as her eyes are, her sheer size is still intimidating. So much so that I find myself sidled up to my brother for comfort.
“Your Majesty, it’s always a pleasure to see you,” Uncle Sunlight said as he got up.
“And you too, Sunlight Shine. It’s nice to see you enjoying some time off instead of cooping yourself up in a greenhouse or lab.”
Sunlight only blushes in response as the princess turns her gaze to my brother and me. Mustering up my courage, I say, “Hello, your- um- Your Majesty.”
“And hello to you, little one,” she replies, tucking her legs in and lowering herself to our level. “My name is Celestia, and you must be Pureblood.” At this height, she doesn’t seem as scary and I ease up, a more genuine smile coming to my lips. Really, now that I can get a better look at her, she really is quite beautiful, somehow still seeming approachable despite the gold regalia and crown signifying status.
Maybe too approachable as Blueblood moves forward to play with her mane. Before I realize what he is doing to pull him back, he’s engulfed within the pink hair, only a little white muzzle poking out. “Oh, aren’t you an adventurous one? You’re not lost in there, are you?”
At the joking tone, Blueblood lifts a curtain of hair to peer up at the princess, craning his head back to do so. “Nuh-uh,” he answered before deciding to add, “You really big.”
At his statement, Mom, who had moved up behind us with Dad without my noticing, gasps while both the older Blueblood and princess share a chuckle.
“That she is, lad!” Grandpa exclaimed, coming up and bowing his head quickly to Celestia. “She’s the biggest pony in all of Equestria, that’s why she’s the boss.”
Little Blueblood tilts his head in thought before nodding as if the explanation makes perfect sense. “Can I comb hair, Big Boss?” he asked. “it’s pretty n’ soft.”
Still giggling, the princess puts a hoof to her chin in thought. “I don’t know, my hoofmaidens may think you are stealing their jobs.”
“They learn to share,” was his quick rebuttal as he comes out of the pink forest and puts a hoof around my shoulders. “Like we share.”
“But… you’re usually taking my things,” I say, meeting his glare with befuddlement. “What? You do.” Apparently factual statements aren’t appreciated around here since he pushes me forward into a face plant.
“Blueblood! Didn’t I just tell you no pushing other ponies!?” Mom hissed before looking to the princess. “I am so sorry Princess Celestia, Blueblood just gets a little… cranky sometimes and does these things.”
“They share more than just their names, it seems,” the Princess mumbles, sending a glance towards dad who averts his eyes and reaches up to touch his mustache. Helped up by Celestia, I send a glare at my brother and spit out a mouthful of sod. Okay yeah, I know the colt doesn’t like being corrected and I should have remembered that, but come on, this wasn’t even a lesson!
“Blueblood,” Celestia spoke, voice holding the slightest edge of steel. “You are the older brother, are you not? Pureblood is your little sister and it is your responsibility to keep her safe.” Under the large mare’s stern gaze, the colt’s bravado began to falter. “Would you let somepony hurt Pureblood?”
“Wha-?” he began before shaking his head furiously, “No! I no want Pure hurt!”
“Then why did you push her?”
“She… she said mean stuff.”
“So you hurt her?”
“No. Just knocked her down…”
“But being knocked down can hurt ponies badly.” At this, Blueblood actually gasps as if the thought has never occurred to him. And thinking about, maybe it never has. I feel guilty upon realizing it, but I’ve kind of been blinded to that fact. I see my brother running around, picking up language far faster than I’m guessing a human infant could, and, of course, performing insane feats of magic, and it’s hard to think of him as just a baby. It’s not just language he needs to learn, it’s everything.
“Blueblood, you are so, so lucky to have a sister,” Celestia says, a note of sadness in her words. “Be there for her, protect her, don’t push her away over little things, and she’ll always be there for you in turn. Don’t lose that.”
How much the colt understands, I’m not sure, but it’s enough for him to turn and hug me. I hug him back, trying to think of something to say, but drawing blanks.
Smiling slightly, the princess whispers, “I’m glad to see you both understand,” before speaking louder, “Hey now, come little ones, today is not a day to be sad. Today is a day of celebration. Blueblood?” The colt looks up, sniffling, but attentive. “Do you want to do something really fun, you and your sister both?”
When he gives a watery smile and nods, Celestia grins. “Excellent! I’ve yet to meet a foal who doesn’t like this!”
A part of me wants to be mad at this mare for making my brother sad, but another part tells me he, and maybe even I needed to hear the large pony’s stern words, and yet another part is just as curious as Blueblood on what she has planned.
Majority ruled, and I went along with this odd princess’ game. It will probably be at least a little fun, I’m sure.
It was a strange sight to see, their mighty, immortal ruler galloping around the garden with two giggling foals on her back. That she was letting the colt use strands of her mane as reins, cracking them and yelling, “Giddy up!” only heightened the uncanniness of it all.
Yes, strange indeed, yet heartwarming all the same. Every adult wore some combination of mystified and dawww as they watched the three frolic and laugh. Even Celestia was laughing like a child as she played with her niece and nephew.
“I don’t know why I was so nervous about the princess visiting; she really is just a mare like any other… Except for the wings, horn, size, power, and what not.”
“Indeed she is,” her husband agreed. “It’s simply a shame she can’t show as much more often.”
Some of the guests began to leave, giving their apologies for not being able to stay longer, but the couple understood why. It wasn’t just work that called them away, but children as well. Many of the guests who came had to leave their children at home so as not to risk any unwanted magic being cast around Pureblood, and now they had to return to them.
Noticing this, Blueblood cleared his throat, “Aunty, as much as I’m sure the foals are enjoying the ride, we really should move onto other events. Perhaps presents next and then… cake?”
The majestic alicorn skidded to a halt, the twins on her back disoriented, and looked at the stallion. “Did you say cake?”
From that point on, it almost seemed like the princess was trying to rush things along, passing the gifts down to the foals moments after they opened one. It was still a fun time and little Blueblood in particular seemed to enjoy the mare’s energy, getting more into tearing the paper than actually looking at the toys. After the first few, he actually began tossing them to the side as soon as they were cleared of wrapping so he could reach eagerly for the next.
Once the presents were out of the way, the group sat upon a picnic blanket Ornate brought out, the cake set in the middle in reach of the foals. One candle had been placed on either end for the twins to blow out and, after Pure’s quick puff and Blueblood’s few sputtering attempts before success, the mother began to divvy up slices of cake. “I hope everypony likes chocolate,” the mare said. “If not, I do have a few vanilla cupcakes inside.”
The royal trumpeter cleared his throat, feeling out of place at the meal his hosts had invited him to, but going along with it at his princess’ request. “Actually, if it’s not too much trouble, I prefer vanilla… if it’s not too much trouble of course.”
“Of course not, I’ll have one of the maids bring them out.” Ornate responded, giving the princess' two cart-pulling guards their cake.
“While I most certainly like chocolate, vanilla is a close second,” Princess Celestia said, licking her lips as the a plate passed past her face. “I wouldn’t mind a cupcake as well.”
“I’d like to have seconds, Princess,” Shield said with a smirk. “So please leave some for the rest of us.”
“Oh, you’re one to talk,” she replied coolly. “If I recall, you’re the one who repeatedly got caught with pastries in the barracks during basic training. What was that nickname again? Jelly Donut?”
“Hey, Jelly Donut was one of the finest soldiers I’ve ever met,” he reported with a point of his fork. “My nickname was Stalwart Sprinkles and I’m not ashamed to admit it. The extra laps the sergeant made me run when I got caught helped me become one of the fastest unicorns in the platoon.”
Seeking to change the subject before somepony choked due to laughter, Blueblood the 16th asked his foals, “So, did you like the ride aunty gave you?”
Both foals nodded, Blueblood more vigorously than his sister. “Yeah,” he said. “She’s really fast!” Looking at the princess, he asked, “You come play more tomorrow?”
Freezing with a fork-full of cake halfway to her mouth, she lowered it slightly and gave an apologetic look. “I’m sorry little one, but I have a lot of work to do, so I can’t visit tomorrow.”
He deflated some, but there was still some hope in his eyes when he asked, “Play tomorrow’s tomorrow?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t play tomorrow’s tomorrow either.”
Even the guards couldn’t stand looking at the crestfallen colt without getting misty eyed. “Ah, come on Princess, surely you can find some time off,” Stalwart Shield said. “You’ve been working too much as it is anyway. You may be an alicorn, but I’m afraid even you’ll burn out eventually.”
“I agree, as hypocritical as my father is being, you really do work too much.” The older Blueblood said, ignoring the glare from his father. “Surely you can find suitable ponies amongst the noble houses to help lighten your workload. Gods know they’d be more than eager to accept.”
“Yes, too eager in fact,” Celestia said with a sigh before giving the stallions a reassuring smile. “Believe me you two, I understand the need for rest, but I’m afraid there’s nothing to be done… yet. There’s a certain pony I believe I will be able to entrust some of my responsibilities to when she’s gotten some more experience. I have high hopes for her, but for now, I simply have to stay diligent in my duties to Equestria.”
Of course, little Blueblood didn’t understand any of this, so the princess leaned close and said, “I’ll try and visit as often as possible, little one, but you know, when you grow up, maybe you can come to the castle to visit. How does that sound?”
Perking up, he responded, “Uh-huh! And I can help too so you work less!”
“Well then, I can’t wait.” Looking at her cake, she licked her lips. “And I can’t wait for this any longer, either.”
Reaching a lull in the conversation, everypony took the opportunity to eat until eventually Ornate noticed something strange. “Are you okay, Pure? You haven’t spoken in a while and you’ve only barely touched your food.”
“Hmm, oh it’s nothing, Mommy, I was just wondering about something.”
“Oh, and what was that?”
Turning her young gaze to the princess she asked, “Well, Daddy keeps calling you Aunty, so I was just wondering if you were Grandpa’s younger sister.”
The following silence was broken by Shield when he snorted. “Pfft, no, sweetie, the princess is not my younger sister. Can you imagine? That’d make me some sort of political ruler. Equestria would be doomed.”
“Aunty Celestia is from my mother’s side of the family, and is actually a great aunt,” explained older Blueblood to his precocious daughter. “Well, more than one ‘great’ really, but it’s be a mouthful to say all of them.”
“Really?” she looked the princess up and down. “How old are you?”
This time, the stunned silence was broken by Ornate face-hoofing before the princess burst into laughter herself. The great mare was beginning to wish more than ever that she had more time to spend so that she could see these adorable foals more often.
… Perhaps after the longest day of the thousandth year, she’d finally have the family life she so dearly wished for.
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Yet another great chapter!
Thanks for not breaking it up. It would of disturbed the flow of the story.
Little Blueblood is rather precious.
funny
This story, so far, has been a ride. Honestly, chapter 1 I wasn't sure I would like it. But it had potential, so I tracked it. It turns out I never regretted that decision, it was more than worth tracking. In fact, I wondered if I shouldn't favorite it (which, I stress, I only do for my actual favorites) - I was certainly having enough fun. But something kept holding me back, keeping me unsure if it'd really be an actual favorite. Last chapter, I realized that this one was going to be the make or break chapter - or, more specifically, that Celestia's introduction was going to make or break it. Depending on how this went, I realized I'd either finally be fully sold on favoriting, leave it as a tracked... or maybe even drop it entirely.
You sold me. You sold me completely. This story is an absolute joy to read, and the last of my doubts are completely cleared. This is definitely one of my favorite stories, and I'm excited for where it goes from here. You've got something great here, and I'm glad to be along for the ride.
so, daily updates, okay? thanks
Good question
I would so do that if I were a pony of sufficient biggitude. That would make playing with kids an absolute blast! Celestia proves her wonderfulness once again!
I can only wish that chapters are coming faster...
Indeed.
Truly an adorable chapter, great work.
I just remembered a bit about the timeline we're in.
Cadance
Sunset Shimmer
I know the AU tag isn't here but wouldn't it be something if, even for a time, Pure met them.
I have a question.
I know Candance is coming in the near future for the story but what about Sunset Shimmer? I don't know how old she became Celestia's student, but she does play a rule of helping Celestia of being better teacher to Twilight.
This guy Sunlight Shine, would be a cool idea for him to be Sunsets father. Maybe she is a cousin to the Blue's and that's how she got to be notice by Celestia.
God, little Blueblood and Celestia are adorable.
D'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
I can't help but imagine what pure's face will look like when she finds out how old her aunt really is.
Can't wait to see Blueblood going ham on somepony bullying or making an offhanded comment about Pureblood.
I see what you did there
Otherwise, great chapter, can't wait to see more!
That... Is a very valid question....
And an impressive feat. 
Wait. I haven't given this story a Like yet? What is wrong with me?
tack
Cute story, very enjoyable.
Now this is enjoyable very much so. Kinda wished you put a comment from pure stating something about the princess having a sister. But alas o
Twas not so. And yet I absolutely can not wait for the next chapter
It would have been great to see pure say something about the princess having a sister.
Oh she should totally get visions from the future perhaps in the form of nightmares.
She can reach all of the top shelfs
OH BOY I LOVE THIS STORY
jebs
7500901
Proof once again that orks and ponies are closer than you know.
The squee levels are over 9000...
The best chapter yet. I don't know how long you're planning on making this story, but I really hope you don't timeskip-rush through their entire childhoods over the next couple of chapters. This is some really good stuff, and I'd hate to see it cut short.
So, with another medical check-up coming up soon, I'm hoping to find out that Pureblood's magic core has grown a bit. That way, even if everypony still has to wait a bit before using any magic around her, they would have the hope that comes from knowing that it is just a matter of time.
7500624 it's likely Sunset since if it was Cadence she would have been at the party.
Okay seriously, how did Blueblood become the brat he is if the family is this good. Pure hasn't done enough to affect anything yet.
Cadence?
Twilight?
7501238 Probably Cadence, but I was thinking about Sunset Shimmer when she said that.
7501226
perhaps the gala pissed him off? I mean we have ONE episode if I recall correctly to base his act off... could of been a bad day.
Only one word can describe this story so far:
CUTE
i hope pure make friends with twilight break that no time for friends by reading book together without magic
Awww Blueblood was so adorable, what happened to him when he grew up?
And loved his and Pureblood's interaction with Celestia 
Can't wait for your next update! 
Was this Jelly Donut soldier a lightish red color?
I almost squeed when i saw this chapter was out
7501226 I think pure's presence has already made a big difference. Otherwise Celestia would never have given that valuable talk.
7501807 maybe a tad, but I figure this would take longer. right now we see no signs that led to Blueblood being like that at the Gala?
Where's the rest of the story?
(moar plz
)
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Really, even small-scale butterfly effect would be changing Blueblood over the course of a year. He's had to have a tighter rein on his magic for instance compared to his canon self so as not to hurt his sister, making him more aware of others needs and suffering and how he is involved in them. Plus, he's been sharing attention with his sister instead of being the only child, making him slightly less spoiled comparatively.
As for how canon-Blueblood became a much larger jerk than how he'll likely be in this; he simply had less incentive to be good. Being popular for instance would have ended up being a big thing to him, but now that he had someone he cares about who is, lets face it, a prime candidate for bullying by popular kids, he's not going to want to fit in as much with that crowd.
Also, I expect Cadance had a large, indirect influence on his behavior canonly. Here he is, a pony everyone calls a prince, suddenly seeing a new princess who not only has the title, but also the responsibility and power. He'd become envious, suddenly seeing his own title as a result of mere pity instead of being actual royalty. And while this pushes him to participate more in actual politics than his father before him, he still feels inadequate and overcompensates with hotty behavior.
It's not that his parents don't get upset with him about it and discuss it with him, but he's simply to falsely-arrogant to listen.
Now, I'm not saying he's going to be a saint in this, but he'll definitely be a better pony overall, I think. Who knows? Certainly not me. I just go where the story takes me.
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I don't think I'm going to have Sunset in this story simply because then I have to acknowledge Equestria Girls and the many plot-holes therein. Like, If Sunset was older than Twilight at the time of going through the mirror, why did it spit her out at younger than sixteen while Twilight, being younger than Sunset, comes out at sixteen when she goes through the mirror later? Who rules the human country Canterlot High is in if Celestia is just a principle? Blueblood? Discord? How are there parallels of everypony when their wouldn't be do to historical differences? Like, what were the the three human tribes? What did they fight over? Why did they join together? For every pony to have a human parallel, that means every past pony and human who has ever died would have a dead counterpart, which for instance, is weird if a pony died of being eaten by a dragon. How would the human version have died at roughly the same time? cannibalism?
... Wouldn't Pure have to have a doppelganger?
Overall, maybe there's a way to introduce Sunset, but I'm not sure how. The mirror is straight out, but then I'd have to think of a reason and place for her to run off to so that the series canon to play out properly. Ugh, it's all just headache inducing.
7501968 My question lies more on the family. yes i see pure affecting him that way but he also had to get that attitude from somewhere besides peers. They family is just too nice. how a person becomes due to nature and nurture. While she may have a bit of brat by nature. the level we see in canon means there has to be nurture somewhere. Everything that we know that happened in canon has happened up till Blueblood getting a twin sister. How she would affect him did get my attention. I think more of the family should be like his aunt with Pure guiding him away from that.
As for Sunset. the High School setting was a dumb move. The best we can suggest is time dilation affect. Judging by the pictures Sunset has been there for four years by EG1 so the girls are in their final year. And since we have had 3 movies going on 4 in that year it "Earthquestria" runs slower than Equestria.
Here's my thinking of why. Twilight is about 8 when she gets to be Celestia's student, and since she was shocked to hear of Sunset they never met before EG1. Twilight is about 18 at pilot so about 21 by EQ1 and Sunset looks about the same age so logic says theirs a time difference.
Again yeah, poor planning by DHX but that's not a surprise considering the two episodes before Thorax.
So if not Sunset then it has to be Cadence for Twilight wouldn't be born yet or be noticed by Celestia.
I'm probably going to be the odd one out and say that I'm not all that happy with how they treated Class Act.
What she said was a bit insensitive at worst, but they were all ready to jump down her throat. She got lectured and scared off, to the point where she didn't even come back. That's not okay.
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The part about Cadance is something I've thought about for a long while now. I could see it affect him negatively. By a lot, actually.
For example: How do you compete for attention with an Alicorn Princess? A literal Chosen One?
You don't. Even if you're born a prince, what's the point if all the real power, the real adulation and real love are reserved for this special breed? Just look at how Spike got treated during the Equestrian Summit. In light of this, the title of 'prince' may seem meaningless in comparison.
So, maybe canon!Blueblood acts so entitled to overcompensate. Could be that he knew Rarity was a friend of Twilight's, i.e. Auntie's star student and another competitor for her attention. That's just one idea, there's plenty more.
While we're on that, Pureblood's existence could very well push him into worse behaviour later on. It hasn't so far, but it wouldn't take much. The reason is simple: Pure is smarter than him, or so it seems. Blueblood is developing at a normal pace, but the only other pony to compare himself with is his twin, who outpaces him by a mile. The one thing he's got a leg up is magic, but he's not allowed to perform it since it would hurt her. That's probably why he keeps pushing her, it's the only thing he can do, or at least could. She's smarter, more eloquent, more obedient, gets more attention because of her condition, and the one thing he actually can do better than her, he can't do while she's around. That's a recipe for resentment right there.
7502112 well I kinda of hope she be a positive influence to him. Heck it's a debate on which fans want to die more. Diamond Tiara or Blueblood.
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I'm thinking about having Class Act try to make up for it by offering to babysit at some point. This will open up opportunities for growth on both her side and the immediate family of the twins. Maybe Ornate and Gramps will learn to tone it down.
As for Influence of Pureblood being negative... Maybe a little during puberty when Blueblood is at his most emotional and angsty. When would pony puberty be, by the way? Same as humans, or earlier like most development so far.
Now this was such a joy to read! So many things could have gone oh so very wrong... and yet they didn't. All went much better than expected.
Also everyone being dumbfounded to find out that their princess is actually like one of them... always fun to see that.
Also, Shield's response to how Pure's life will pan out... I can't even begin to describe how awesome it is. Why insult when you can praise the one who the others were (even if unintentionally) belittling?
This chapter gave me quite a few chortles as well. That last question about Celestia's age... ah. Kids will be kids. Even if they do have the memories of someone older from their previous life.
Still, a wonderful chapter. Absolutely worth the wait
Let's go over the checklist:
Foals being adorable, check.
Celestia enjoying time with said foals and cake, check.
Family planning ahead to protect foals from casual magic use, and going overboard when someone makes a (possibly) disparaging comment, check.
Nice chapter indeed.
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Canon Blueblood's behavior could have been the result of a Gotham style 'One Bad Day' scenario. One event that tipped him down the path of jerkdom. There's a story here on FIM (don't remember the name, sorry) where Blueblood went to school with Shining Armor & Cadence. His only friend, Shining, gave him the courage to talk to his crush (Cadence), and all she wanted to do was ask him about his friend, and whether or not Shining was available.
7501968 You don't have to go through so much just for Sunset. You can have her show up and be there for a while, than she disappears making Pureblood think she ran away or something.
Sunset is probably just the same age as Cadance, so there isn't a lot to do with her since when Pureblood is like 8yrs, Sunset would be gone already.
As for the age... I think she was either 14 or 16 when entering the portal, also when looking at the Shining & Candance comic about their school. The teenagers are almost the same height as the adults, also the age could be different between both worlds.
Also if Pureblood was going to see Sunset again in the future, you would have to wait till after EG3 to do it. I think it would be better idea Sunset returns and apologizes to Pureblood how mean she was to her.
That's up to you, u could just hint about her and give a nod.
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Well, DT did get a redemption episode, so... ^_^
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Earlier, I'd wager. Ponies are chock-full of magic, to the point where destiny gives them massive hints as to what they're going to end up being good at and like to do. Every youngster can look forward to their Cutie Mark giving them guidance and reassurance.
As for Sunset, like 7502529, I don't think Sunset was really all that old when she left for the human world. She could be less than a year older than Twilight for all we know. Really, time accuracy has never been the show's strong point. Twilight claims Ponyville has been manually wrapping up winter for hundreds of years, but the village was founded when Granny Smith was a young adult. Granny Smith herself claims there'd been nearly a hundred moons between the last Apple Family Reunion (which happened during episode 1) and the one in season 3, but the writers said Twilight was in Ponyville for about a year before she ascended, which happened at the end of season 3. Makes no sense however you slice it.
Personally, because of Cutie Marks and Equestria's mix of magic and tech, I also believe school doesn't last as long as it does in the human world. Ponies go out and form their own businesses at a much younger age. Rarity, for example, already owns three boutiques, while her human counterpart hasn't graduated high school yet.