I Love You, Shining Armor

by CrackedInkWell

Chapter 2 - Getting to Know You

“.... Then the talent agent was quiet for a long, long time, trying to process what he had just seen. So finally he said, ‘That’s… an interesting act. What do you even call it?’ and the family goes, ‘The Aristocrats!’”

A fit of laughter burst out, and Shining looked on disturbed. Beside him, the prince laughed along in front of the hoofful of Canterlot’s elite. Mostly minor aristocrats. They gathered together for a charity fund for… Well, Shining wasn’t entirely sure what the fund was for exactly, other than it takes place at one of the nobility’s homes. The ballroom of a mansion that seemed a little too… gaudy for his tastes. Even just by looking up, he wondered if the owners of this place had looked up one morning and thought that their ceiling wasn’t covered with enough gold yet. But one thing he was certain about, is if these really are the elite of Canterlot… he wasn’t impressed.

“My word, Upper Crust,” Blueblood chuckled, “Where do you even come up with something like that?”

“From listening on the common folk when they think we’re not listening.” The mare that wore more gems than a jewelry store replied. “Usually they’re quite unimaginative, but on occasion, they say some rather amusing things.”

Shining rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything.

Next to the mare, a tuxedo-wearing gray stallion said, “Speaking of which, Your Highness, I wonder when you’re going to address it?”

“Excuse me?” Blueblood tilted his head, “I’m not entirely sure what you’re referring to, Jet.”

“The silent new face that has been hovering around you in the room. You haven’t even introduced us to him yet.”

“Haven’t I? Well, this here is my new bodyguard, Shining Armor. Hired him quite recently as a matter of fact.”

Shining gave a little wave.

“Not much of a talker, is he?” Jet Set smirked, “Surely, Your Highness, you don’t have to scrape the bottom of the barrel.”

Both Shining and Blueblood raised an eyebrow, with the prince asking, “What does that mean?”

“Well no disrespect to you, but I just thought that there are perhaps more dignified ways of picking up a stallion. Might I suggest a brothel?”

Shining’s jaw dropped as they laughed and Blueblood laughed along. He hadn’t known the prince for that long, and already he felt disgusted by the backhoof disrespect.

“Oh I’ll take your word for it, surely,” Blueblood answered with a wicked smirk, “I believe you have experience with it?”

Jet Set’s expression changed from mean joker to shocked, especially when the circle of elite and his wife laughed louder.

Blueblood then excused himself to have a few refreshments which Shining followed close by.

“Maybe it’s because I have hardly been around Canterlot’s elite,” Shining pointed out, “but they’re horrible.”

“For once tonight, I agree,” Blueblood said quietly, approaching the punch bowl.

“I just can’t believe they would say stuff like that.”

“And?”

“What?”

“Did you expect something else?”

“I don’t know, I almost half expected you to probably punch somepony in the mouth. It took every bit of restraint not to strangle what’s his name.”

Blueblood looked over his shoulder, “You should keep your voice down. They might be idiots, but they also have ears too.” Lighting his horn to levitate a cup, he laddled the punch into his cup. “Privately, I agree with you. The nobles and the wealthy can really try one's patience as you’ve heard.”

“Which makes me wonder why you come to events like these in the first place.”

“They are, as one would say, a necessary evil.”

Shining raised an eyebrow while the prince daintily sipped the punch. “In what way?”

“For one, like it or not, they provide funding and endorsements to all sorts from hospitals to roads.” Another sip, “That, and historically it’s unwise to upset them too much. There’s only so much agitation you could cause before they demand your head on a pike.”

“But they’re awful.” Shining said, “I mean where do you find the patience not to slap a few of them.”

“The trick is not to take it personally. Keep them happy and say that you’re on their side and they will follow you to the ends of the earth. You’re speaking to someone who has perfected years of the art of politics. Punch?”

Shining glanced down at the bowl, “No thank you, it’s not professional to be drinking while on duty.”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow, taking another sip he replied, “I don’t taste anything alcoholic if that’s what you mean by drinking.”

“I’d rather not risk it.”

“Suit yourself,” Blueblood shrugged. Privately, the prince did admire that he has integrity. Someone who knows when to take his job seriously, even when tempted. Then, a thought came to him, what is he like off duty? What does he enjoy when he isn’t working? Perhaps, while they’re taking a breather from the elite’s jokes, he could engage in real conversation. “What do you enjoy most?”

“Excuse me?” Shining blinked.

“I mean, what do you like doing when you’re not on duty?”

Shining raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Oh for no… particular reason.” Blueblood lied, “I was only curious. To hopefully gain some insight from someone of the common folk. I want to hear from the source what they’re into.”

“Well… I don’t think I speak for everypony.” Shining shrugged, “But if you were to ask just me, and what I’m into, I would say that lately, I haven’t had much time for leisure time.”

“How come?”

“Because I’m part of the royal guard. With physical exercise early in the morning, and guard duty that lasts for hours, by the end of the day I’m too exhausted for fun except for many days off.”

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that. But are there any interests you have?” Blueblood picked out a creampuff and levitated over to Shining, which he accepted.

“Well, it’s kinda silly, really.”

“Do tell, silly is welcomed in a place like this.”

Shining’s ears folded against his head, “I’m pretty much a nerd. Like embarrassing big time. Back in high school my friends and I had an O & O session every Saturday-”

“A what?”

“You know the game Ogars and Oubliettes?” Blueblood shook his head. “It’s a fantasy role-playing game that gets interesting once you know what you’re doing. But when I’m not with my friends, I have an interest in comic books. Not just in superheroes (although that too) but really any that I could get my hooves on.”

“Like what?”

“For example, I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t stand my literature classes because I found the books we’re given were unbelievably dull. However, when dad gave me the comic book versions of them where I could see the story as it unfolds, suddenly I became really interested in them.”

“Oh? Do you have a favorite?”

Shining took a bite of the creampuff, taking a moment to think, “While I wouldn’t say favorite, there is one that I remember the most. You know the story, Gallup’s Travels?”

“Yes!” Blueblood unexpectedly squeaked, getting a few heads turned and his face turning pink. After clearing his throat he said, “I mean, yes, it’s a personal favorite of mine.”

“Oh really? Well, the books I had were both really interesting and funny. And the art is to die for. Whereas the book focused way too much on details and not the actual story, that one I could follow no problem.”

“You must be lucky, I had the actual book. But even then I still fell in love with it. I remember reading it many times when I was a colt. Looking back on it now, it was my foalhood escape, that desire to explore uncharted lands of small ponies and massive giants, of floating islands, and the Island of the Houyhnhnms and Yahoos. It’s almost funny how much influence that book has on me.”

“Maybe it’s because it was fun,” Shining shrugged. “I remember reading what I read because they were fun. Like… Oh! Like Treasure Island, the first comics based on books that I enjoyed. I remember pirates, the island, and the captain. Oh! And Long Pon Silver, I actually cried at the end.”

Blueblood smiled, “You know, I remember reading a good deal of adventure books when I was growing up. About faraway lands and ponies that were outside the palace walls. Why, every birthday Auntie Celestia would gift me an adventure book to add to my collection.”

Shining smirked, “Maybe you and my little sister should start a book club.”

“Pardon?”

“My sister, Twilight. She’s a much bigger bookworm than I am. Fiercely smart too. She’s a prodigy of your aunt.”

“Wait? Twilight? As in Twilight Sparkle - she’s your sister?”

“Didn’t you know?”

“No, this is news to me. Of course, I’d heard of her, but I had no idea that her brother was also working in the palace as well. Who would have thought?”

“Speaking of which, mind if I ask a personal question?”

“Depends. How personal is personal?”

“Well kinda. Do you have siblings or…?”

“Only child. I don’t have that large of a family outside of my aunt and a cousin.”

Shining’s smile dropped, giving way to a sympathetic look, “Oh, I didn’t think of it like that?”

“What?”

“That you don’t have that big of a family I mean.”

Blueblood shook his head, “Don’t be. I hate to cut this short, but I think I’ve spent too long from them.” Finishing the rest of the punch, he added, “Back to the grindstone.”

---

“.... This movie sucks.”

“Shhh!”

Every Saturday, Shining and Cadance would have a brief moment of the week where they could go out on a date. It was the only time that either of them to look forward to as any duty or job is set aside for a while to breathe and relax. Being Shining’s turn, he decided to take his marefriend out to the movies. However, when they went there wasn’t anything that was playing that truly grabbed their attention. With the theater they went to, they had the choice of The Wearmoles Strike at Midnight or Sea Goblins. They chose the former in hopes that maybe it would be interesting.

It wasn’t.

Not only was the movie cheaply made, it had a cheap script, cheap acting, cheap music, and a cheap-looking monster. If anything, privately, they wondered why they and the only other pony in the theater were still watching this.

Cadance offered Shining some popcorn, “No thanks.” Shining said, looking mindless at the screen. “I wish there was a good movie on.”

“Me too,” Cadance agreed, a few kernels being popped into her mouth. “So how was your week?”

The way she said it made Shining chuckle, “Yours wasn’t that good?”

“Busy, and borderline stressful,” Cadance replied, getting the other pony to shush them. She continued, with a lower voice, “I mean, my professors have given me a lot to read and write about.”

“So… what classes are you taking again?”

“Advance Psychology, Sociology, and Couples Studies.”

Shining raised an eyebrow, “That’s a thing?”

“The last one is for things like couples therapy and how to conduct them. Something I think would become very useful.”

“Sounds hard.”

“Hard? Not exactly, it’s just a lot of stuff to juggle that’s getting me. But I’ll live.” She levitated her paper cup with soda in it. “How was your week?”

“At least I have some good news for once,” Shining said when the other pony shushed him. He lowered his voice. “I think I’m gonna be climbing the ranks soon.”

“Wait? Really?”

“Uh-huh, I’ve recently taken up a position that the other guards didn’t want. My superior said that if I kept it up, I would finally earn my place as either Lance Corporal or Corporal, I’m not sure which.”

“At least there’s some progress there.”

“More than that, but thanks to my offering for the job, I should be getting a raise pretty soon.” Shining wrapped a hoof around her, “Which means I could finally take you out to much better places than this.”

“You know I could always pay.”

“C’mon, Cade, it isn’t fair that you have to pay for most of our dates.”

“I’m a princess.”

“So? It’s still the right thing to do to pay for the one you’re dating. Honestly, I don’t want to be a mooch for leaving you with the bill. And it’s not fair for you to have to do it.”

“What if I want to?”

“Then my code of chivalry will suffer all the more for it.”

“SHHH!”

The two fell silent, letting the actors on the screen battle out the Wearmoles with sticks.

After a while, Cadance asked, “What is your new job anyway? Aren’t you still in the guard?”

“Yeah. I took up the role of bodyguard.”

Cadance raised an eyebrow, “You bodyguarding someone?”

“Why not? Nopony else was gonna do it.”

“Really? Who are you guarding?”

“It’s one of the nobles here in Canterlot - I think you might know him.”

“Who?”

“Uh…” Shining raised a hoof, “I’m drawing a blank all of a sudden. But apparently, he has acted as Equestria’s diplomat several times.”

“Well, that doesn’t narrow it down at all.” Then after a beat, she asked, “Describe him?”

“Okay. He’s a unicorn. Blond with a long mane. Has apparently came out as gay and… Oh! He’s a prince.”

“BLUEBLOOD!” Cadance dropped her the popcorn but Shining was able to catch her drink.

“Hey! Keep it down!” The pony from behind them yelled.

Cadance took Shining by the hoof to drag him out of the theater and into the empty lobby.

“What’s the matter?” Shining asked.

She turned to look at him. “Blueblood? You’re bodyguarding for Blueblood?”

“Yeah! That’s his name. How’d you know?”

“Shining, he’s my cousin.”

Shining blinked, “Really? Huh, that’s news to me.”

“Hey, I’m in the same boat. I mean, Bluey said that he hired someone for the job of being a bodyguard, but he didn’t say who.”

“Bluey?” Shining tilted his head.

“Just a name we have for him. Still, this is a total surprise that you’re the one he’s talking about.”

“Why’s that?”

Cadance paused… does he know? “Shiny, has Blue said anything surprising to you?”

He shrugged, “Other than he likes adventure books? Not really. Why?”

Weighing her options, Cadance decided to tell him the truth, “Shining, I don’t know if you know this, but I think he has a crush on you.”

“What?” Shining blinked, “How do you know?”

“He told me, but I didn’t know it was you.”

Shining blinked again. “But… are you sure? I mean, from what I’ve seen, Blueblood isn’t that bad. If anything, he seems to be a nice guy.”

“Now that’s even more surprising.” Cadance commented, “Because he’s hardly nice, if ever. It sounds out of character of him, to be honest.”

“I mean…” Shining rubbed the back of his head, “But what if it’s true? What do I even do?”

Rubbing her chin in thought, Cadance said, “Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“At least, not at the moment, it’s a little too soon to call since he just told me this week. For all I know, his feelings could change. Besides, he hasn’t done anything to you that made you uncomfortable, has he?”

“... No?”

She nodded. “Let’s not say anything to him about this. But if I were you Shining, I’d be careful with him.”

“Why? Has he done anything bad?”

“No no, nothing like that. The fact is we don’t know everything yet, and I think we should treat his emotions with care. For all I know, it could very much change, but just to be on the safe side, I’d say be mindful.”

“Okay, but what if he does like me? You know, beyond like a crush or something?”

“I hate to say this, but I’m not entirely sure. It’s hard to say when I just don’t know. In the meantime, just be yourself, be respectful, and if he does do something you don’t want to do - tell me immediately.”

Shining promised he will. But as they returned to the theater, he couldn’t help but wonder… does the Prince have a crush on him? He had only known him for about a week. And besides, he hasn’t done anything wrong. However, the next time he goes to work would certainly shake things up, assuming what he might know. At the same time, he’s just as uncertain as Cadance is. For all he knows, maybe it’s something innocent, that the prince might like him as a friend.

Perhaps.

---

“... Now there’s something you don’t see every day,” Maximilian muttered. What the butler was referring to was finding some of the serving staff crowded around Blueblood’s doors, taking peeks through the opening with intense gawking. They weren’t even paying attention until he cleared his throat. “What are all of you doing? Why hasn’t the Prince left to have lunch with Princess Celestia?”

One of the maids stepped aside, “It’s uncanny, did you see the Prince?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Something rare,” a Hoofcolt remarked without turning away from the sight. “Like something you would see in a lifetime kind of rare.”

“He’s… smiling.” Another maid said. “I think he’s happy.”

Maximilian raised an eyebrow, “Happy?”

“It’s bizarre, I know.” A waiter nodded in agreement. “He’s happy as a puppy - and what’s more, I think he’s serious about it.”

“Let me see,” Maximilian pulled several ponies to the side to see what they were talking about.

Immediately, he could understand why the servant staff were so taken aback. Blueblood was smiling. Genuinely. He was humming a happy tune, and skipping (yes, skipping!) like a foal about to open their present on their fifth birthday. Even in the years he’s served as a personal butler to the prince, he had never seen him in such a state. Usually, he’s stoic, cold, persnickety, whiny, and has a ridiculously high standard where he isn’t afraid to point them out to the servants. Seeing him like this, however, was not just out of character - it was surreal.

“You think somepony had put something in his food this morning?” A maid wondered aloud. “Maybe he’s sick?”

“I bet he’s finally snapped,” a waiter rubbed his chin in thought. “That or maybe bewitched somehow.”

“Or maybe it’s something else entirely,” Celestia said, which made everypony there nearly jump out of their hides. So intrigued and dumbfounded by Blueblood’s change in mood that no one had noticed the towering white alicorn that too was curious to see what everyone else was looking at.

“Princess!” Maximilian exclaimed, “When did you get here?”

“Between he’s sick and I bet he’s finally snapped. I was wondering why he hasn’t shown up for lunch so I came to see what was keeping him.” Celestia cranned her neck over. She smiled, “Huh… Most likely, I think he’s in love.”

“What!” The servant staff cried at once.

“Pardon, Princess,” Maximilian raised a hoof. “How do you know? He hasn’t even told us.”

“When you have been alive as long as I have, you tend to pick up certain things that repeat. By the looks of it, I think my nephew has fallen in love.” Celestia stepped towards the doors, and the staff backed away for her to pass. “Now if you all excuse me, I have some teasing to tend to.”

Pushing through the doors, Celestia did think that it was adorable to see her nephew be this happy. To prance about the room while the phonograph is playing a waltz - it’s rather rare to have Blueblood be this deep into daydreaming. He didn’t even notice Celestia entered the room until she lifted the needle off the record.

“What the?” Blueblood was finally brought into reality, “Auntie! What are you doing here?”

“I was wondering why you haven’t shown up to lunch and why your staff were gawking at the door. But it seems I interrupted your daydreaming.”

“Oh,” the prince took a moment to compose himself. “Is there something you need help with?”

“Not at the moment, but I am curious what brought this up. I haven’t seen you this happy since you were a foal. Had something happened?” she asked with a knowing smile.

“As a matter of fact, something has,” Blueblood said proudly, “Something wonderful that I didn’t would happen at all.”

“Oh?”

“You see I…” Blueblood trailed off, an embarrassed blush on his face, “Could I… offer you something while you’re here?”

“No thank you. But what were you saying?”

Blueblood went over to his table and took a seat, “I suppose there’s no way to sugar-coat this… but I recently think I’ve fallen in love.”

“Really?” Celestia said, acting pleasantly surprised. “Oh Bluey, that’s wonderful!”

Indeed, even though she had figured it out the moment she had seen her nephew through the doors - this was a pleasant surprise. Not many ponies know this, but she was the first pony that her nephew had come out to. It was still fresh in her mind, how heartbreaking it was to see him had choked on tears as he slowly revealed the truth to her. Knowing what she knows now, she was worried about Blueblood’s well-being, that it may drive him into darker actions. She was also concerned about how the palace, and outside the palace would take the news of him being gay. She was also worried if he would ever find a stallion of his own that he could love - though she may not show it, she was glad her worries were in vain.

“I mean I haven’t said anything yet,” Blueblood rubbed the back of his head. “That, and I’m not entirely sure if he would feel the same way back.”

“Who is it?” Celestia took a seat across from him, “Whose the lucky stallion?”

“Not anyone you would know… but you might know his sister.”

“Oh?”

“You know of uh… Twilight Sparkle?”

“Of course I should know, she’s my prize pupil. But her brother?”

“He’s a guard in the castle that I’ve hired to be my bodyguard. And Auntie, he’s the handsomeness, kindness, if a bit dorkiest stallion you might come across - but (and I don’t use this word often) he’s a sweetheart.”

“And how long have you known… I’m sorry, I don’t think I caught the name.”

“Shining,” Blueblood sighed happily, his hooves propped on the table in an unprincely manner, “Shining Armor.” He smiled, “It sounds like something out of a fairy tale, doesn’t it?”

No reply.

“Auntie?”

“Sorry, but I could have sworn I’ve heard that name before.” She held her chin, “It sounds familiar, but I couldn’t put my hoof on why… No matter. Still, how long have you known him?”

“Well not… too terribly long.”

“Meaning…”

“... Less than a week,” he muttered, “but if you could see him, Auntie, you’d know at a glance why I have a crush on him.”

“Now Bluey, what did I say about appearances?”

“I know, that looks aren’t everything - but already he’s close to perfect as you could get. He’s dorky, but not annoying. He’s dedicated to his job but not one-sided about it. He’s serious but he loves to laugh. He’s on time yet he can be clumsy in all the right ways. I would ask him out on a date, but I just…” He rubbed the side of his arm, “I don’t know if he would reciprocate my feelings back. For all I know, maybe he has a marefriend or is homophobic.”

“But Bluey, you don’t know that.” Celestia pointed out, “And I can already see that you’re about to fall into catastrophizing things again, but at times like this, you still need to remember that our minds and experiences can make things seem worse than they actually are. Remember that Twain quote I like?”

He nodded and recited, “I have survived many disasters in my life, most of which never happened.”

Celestia nodded, “Funny, and true. Even if your bodyguard doesn’t feel the same way back, the way you’ve described him sounds like he would be a good friend to you. Still, you would never know for certain, unless you ask him first.”

Blueblood pulled on the back of his mane, “You make it sound so easy. I do want to ask him out, but there are so many unknowns about him. I don’t know if I should be upfront about it, or wait to gather enough clues to see which way he would fall under.”

“Oh I understand,” Celestia said, “matters of the heart can be a tricky thing. While I can’t guarantee what will happen, I do hope things will work out for you. Though, just remember that your crush is his own pony and should be respected as such.” And with a smirk, she added, “And don’t overdo it by building a shrine in your closet.”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow, “I’m not planning on stalking him.”

“Maybe not, but I have seen ponies do something like that before.”

“Good to know,” Celestia got up from her seat. “I’d better be going now, there’s a slice of lemon cheesecake with my name on it. And also, if you want to come for advice, you can always ask me or your cousin.”

---

“He’ll last for a month.”

“Too optimistic, are we? No, he’ll last two weeks.”

“Two weeks? This is Shining Armor we’re talking about, he’s a lot more patient than that… I’d give it three at most.”

By the time Shining Armor had returned to his barracks, he found the three Corporles mentioning him. When he pushed open the door, the three of them paused to look at him.

“Speak of the devil.” Nightshade said, “You’ve been with the prince today?”

“Not really. I just got back with my date,” Shining went over to his bunk. “What were you three talking about?”

“Well Ah won’t lie,” Wheat said, as they returned to their poker game. “We have a bettin’ pool goin’ fer ya.”

Shining raised an eyebrow, “Betting pool?”

“I think most of the barracks is getting in on this.” Morning explained. “Since you got the job for being the prince’s bodyguard, all of us are making guesses of how long you would last before you quit.”

“It’s a well-known fact after all,” Nightshade nodded, “ponies who work for Blueblood, don’t stay for long. From what I hear, anypony who stays longer than a year is pretty rare.”

“Honestly Ah’m still surprised you took it up,” Wheat added, drawing some cards from a deck. “You’ll probably earn the rank of corporal in no time fer courage.”

After a beat, Shining asked, “Permission to speak freely?”

“We’re not officers, Private,” Morning said, “Go ahead.”

“What do you three have against him?” This got their attention. “Maybe it’s because I’ve only known the guy for about a week, but the way you three have described him is like he’s a demon out of Taterus. So what exactly have you three have against him? Have any of you worked for him?”

Wheat looked at the other two before saying, “As a matter of fact, we had. All of us have guarded the prince at least once. Now this is before he came out, but for us when we did it… he was unpleasant. And that’s me bein’ nice!”

“I found him way too whiny,” Nightshade added.

“Whiny?” Shining tilted his head.

“Oh yeah, every five minutes he would complain over the most stupid of things that a five-year-old could get around. Honestly, I think he wants someone to baby him, to look be looked after like his parent or something. Now I think you would need tremendous patience to be around the guy - I lasted for three days before I begged to switch me to latrine duty.”

“Ha! You two got off light,” Morning drew a card from the deck. “I know for a fact that he was staring at my flank for hours.”

“You’re kidding!” Wheat looked up surprised.

“Caught him too. Remember that embassy incident a while back when they've sent the prince to smooth things out with the Saddle Arabians? Well while I was standing at the entrance to the conference with my back against everyone, I spotted from a mirror that Blueblood was staring at me. When I looked over my shoulder he looked away. At first, I thought it was nothing but he kept doing it several times, at one point I think he crossed his hindlegs so no one would notice his… ya know. The rest of the trip just creeped me out that I asked for a reassignment by the time we back to Canterlot.”

Shining raised an eyebrow. “... Are we even talking about the same pony? Because so far the guy isn’t nearly as bad as you’re making him out to be.”

“Oh, just you wait,” Morning warned, “he may be all noble now, but when you least expect it, you’ll regret taking up the job.” Putting a card down, he added, “If I were you, I’d make sure I’d watch my back unless you want to get molested.”

Rolling his eyes, Shining went over to his bunk bed. “Call me crazy, but I don’t see the same pony you’re all talking about. If anything, I think the guy must be starving for a friend.”

“A friend?” Wheat questioned.

“With all that he has going on, I think he really wants someone to talk to. He’s pretty interesting once you get him away from any of his duties. He has a love of classic books, and he’s probably nerdy than I am. Besides, to me, the guy can be a bit flamboyant, but I think he’s overall harmless.”

Nightshade turned his attention back to his cards and put a card down. “By the way, when are you gonna be on duty with him anyway?”

“I think this coming Monday. Something about an art exhibition that just opened up.” Shining laid his head down on his pillow. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to one myself, especially for a reception. Wonder what it would be like.”

---

Shining had a confused look. Blueblood noticed it right away as soon as they entered the gallery. He wasn’t upset. Wasn’t disgusted. Wasn’t bored. Just… confused.

In particular with one sculpture in the center of the room. It was a mirrored cube that was as big as a pony that reflected the gallery. Showing the other pieces of paint splattered on canvases, a sculpture of airy, wicker-like things that hung from the ceiling. A carefully arranged set of lead tiles on the floor. A table that had snacks and horderves, along with wealthy ponies taking in the art around them.

“Interesting how you react to this the most,” Blueblood observed, holding a glass in his aura, standing next to Shining at the mirrored cube.

“I’m more lost than anything,” Shining told him. “For some of this stuff, I can’t tell if it's art or a mistake.”

“Most of the time, that is rarely the case,” Blueblood took a sip. “Everything here is intentional.”

“Maybe but I keep asking… why though?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well…” Shining looked over his shoulder. “Everything else here doesn’t resemble much of anything. Just weird stuff for the sake of weird. At least with this thing that it’s just a mirror that’s a cube, but otherwise, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with any of this stuff.”

“Understandable. I was confused with all this modern art when I first encountered it.” Blueblood nodded. “But later on I realized how challenging it can be.”

“Challenging?” Shining raised an eyebrow.

“For example, this piece here. This cube is made of mirrors, now, what do you think the artist is trying to do with this?”

Shining tilted his head. “Do? They’re mirrors. They reflect stuff back.”

“Exactly.” Blueblood nodded. “And notice too that this is roughly the size of a pony as well. It’s not an object that you could pick it up in your hoof, nor a monument that you look up and admire. But being pony-sized brings a different experience with it.”

“What does that have to do with any of the stuff here?”

“You see, if you ask what is this art for, you’d realize it's the wrong question. The real question is what can this art do? What kind of experience do you have when you encounter these. Like this piece.”

“Huh…” Shining looked back at the cube but his eyes wondered about it. This time look at it from different angles, even going around the thing. “Maybe… it’s about reflecting the space it’s in. This exhibit.”

“Correct!” Blueblood smiled. “This I think has more to do with bringing attention to this space and how we interact with it.”

Shining blink, “Ya know, you’re really good at explaining this stuff.”

“He certainly knows what he’s talking about,” both Shining and Blueblood looked over as a stallion emerged from one side of the cube. “I’ve been looking for you, Your Highness.”

At a glance, Shining could see that this was another of the elite. The stallion who spoke was a unicorn who was smartly dressed in a suit, a monocle in his eye, and a sky-blue mane. Whenever he spoke, he did so in a smart Trottingham accent.

“Fancy Pants, long time no see.” Blueblood shook his hoof. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I was on holiday but I came back just in time for all this. Besides, I can see that my patronage has paid off.”

“Sorry?” Shining asked.

“The artists here, I have been their patron for their housing and work spaces to create these marvelous works you see. And I’m relieved that they were able to… Oh, I’m terribly sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Fancy Pants.” He offered his hoof to him.

“Shining Armor.” He shook it. “I’m Blueblood’s bodyguard.”

“Is that right?” Fancy smiled, “I dare say that you’ve landed an honorable job for this brave fellow.”

“How so?”

“Well, just coming out.” Fancy patted the prince’s back. “Still a brave thing he’s done. Not many ponies could do what he did, but I believe it has done tremendous good. Why, I’ve had a few friends be inspired by this stallion here.” Fancy spotted something in the mirror and turned his head, “Excuse me, sir! Those squares are not meant to be touched!” He turned back to them, “Sorry for cutting this short, but I really must interfere.” Fancy rushed away from them.

After a while, Blueblood decided to move on to another work, and that bit from Fancy got Shining thinking. While they were looking at a painting that had an expansive color field of blues, Shining asked, “Do you… mind if I asked a personal question?”

“You may.”

“Okay so… I don’t mean any disrespect or anything here, just… keep in mind that this is coming from somepony that doesn’t know anyone who is gay.”

This got Blueblood’s attention, raising an eyebrow. “What about it?”

“Well… for starters, how did you know you’re gay?”

Blueblood let out an exhausted breath, turning his attention toward the painting at those hazy blues. “I can only speak for myself, but for me, it was a slow realization. Around the age of… oh… thirteen or fourteen, it started to dawn on me that colts my age were oogling over fillies but for me, I had no idea what they were talking about. Of course, I thought that some fillies were pretty but they never… grabbed my attention. Not like how a few colts my age were that made me daydream of being together. It took a good long while before I finally pieced it together that I wasn’t like most colts and even longer to come to terms with the fact.”

“And did you ever… ya know?”

“What?”

“Like, have a coltfriend or something?”

Blueblood shook his head. “I wish. But I did have a few crushes here and there, however, my experience is usually from a distance. Even after I came out, it’s still not so easy getting into a serious relationship when you’re not entirely sure if they would feel the same way back.”

“Oh… sorry to hear that.” Shining looked over to the color field and asked, “But I am curious though.”

“Hm?”

“Well… if you did have a coltfriend, what’d you think he could be like.”

Blueblood stared at the painting, hoping that Shining wouldn’t notice the blush. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, paint me a picture here. If you could maybe craft someone you would go on a date with, what would they be?”

Letting out a breath, Blueblood took a moment or so to choose his next words carefully. “Well… hypothetically speaking. If I had my way to say… make a coltfriend, I would say that I want him roughly the same age as me - give or take a couple of years. Physically, I would like to see him as… fit.”

Shining tilted his head. “Fit?”

“You know, someone who has neither let themselves go, nor let exercise go straight to their heads to the point where they’re just purely made out of muscle. I would like them to be… well… something like you would see from Classical Pegasi statues where they’re just right.

“If I had my way, I would make their manes not too long, but just enough when they flick their head, or if there’s a breeze, it would flow like a flag. The face itself, I would want to craft it in a way that’s not only just handsome but has its own qualities I would want.”

“Such as?”

“Oh…” Blueblood tried as hard as he could to fight his blush. “A face that is… strong, but knows when to be vulnerable. Mature, but knows how to be foalish. Sensitive, but not fragile. Compassionate, but not a push-over. The kind of face that you would actively try to listen to you and your problems; even when those problems are silly. A face that would offer you a comforting hug when you’re having a bad day. The kind that reminds you that no matter what… you’re not alone.”

As Blueblood talked, Shining tried to remain stoic, but his ears folded back betraying what he felt. With the memory of what Cadance suspected still fresh, he started to wonder what this prince’s life really must have been like. Picking out how… isolated Blueblood might have been. To him, this is someone who is emotionally starving for affection to want someone who is even nice to him. Of course, he wasn’t entirely sure if Blueblood was talking about him or being hypothetical.

“Perhaps there might be stallions out there who are really like that,” Shining told him. “Have you ever thought of maybe going to places to look for guys like that?”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“Well…” Shining was going to suggest, but his mind immediately drew a blank. “Maybe like a… a gay bar?”

The prince shook his head. “Call me old fashion, but if I’m going to meet someone, I’d rather not do it in a seedy place. After all, it would be unbecoming of a Prince.”

“Then again, why not? Have you been to one?”

“Have you?”

“... Okay, you got me there. But still, you shouldn’t lose hope. Sometimes love can come at the most unexpected moments in places you wouldn’t expect.”

Blueblood ran a hoof through his long mane. “I don’t deny it. I think that the pony I described could be very real.” Blueblood decided to move on to the next art piece in the gallery with Shining following him. With a small smile and a small giggle, he thought, ‘More real than you could ever realize~’

Comments

[Mix-up]

Nice story update, it was interesting to hear what were the issues the guard had against Blueblood. Looking forward to the next chapter and, keep it up.

[Myrkin]

I'm confused about Celestia not remembering Shining Armor. For one, wouldn't she be aware of brother of her personal student? For another, didn't the previous chapter make clear that she knows of him, as she advised Cadance to postpone engagement until graduation?

[CrackedInkWell]

11795180
In hindsight, that was unintentional. One thing to point out is that I have been juggling with multiple projects at the same time, so it’s a miracle that I could keep anything consistent and remember who did what, who said when, and so on.

While one could interpret that as either forgetting or possibly lying, on the other hand it is something that will need to be addressed. Since I’m currently still writing the last chapter, I figure that Celestia should be confronted on this very thing.

[Caladis]

Shining Armor gave great advice to Bluebood. Waiting to see if this bites him in the flank.