As I Roam Through the Wasteland
Prince Blueblood was not having a good day.
He practically dragged himself through the halls of Canterlot castle, his personal guards keeping pace closely, not daring to take the lead from the prince.
Good thing too, he was not in the mood to berate a guard for not following simple protocol.
As the group moved by several large windows that faced outward toward the massive sprawling city below, the late afternoon sunlight streamed in, the dull orange of the setting sun still quite bright.
As such, he had to squint slightly as his right eye was blinded partly by his aunty’s sun, his deep exhale through his nose the only sign of irritation.
This small annoyance was just another thing to add to the growing list of problems he had to deal with this day, and he honestly considered tempting fate by asking exactly how this day could possibly get any worse.
His day had already started off somewhat on the wrong hoof due to the little sleep he had received last night, the companion that had shared his bed with the main cause of this. He had woken up groggily after what minimal amount of sleep he had achieved, the last thing he remembered was dozing off while the two had been embracing.
Blueblood had taken a long look at his sleeping partner that morning before continuing on with his morning routine for the day, his servants arriving to properly prepare him for the day to come. In addition, his loyal maids and butlers had assured him that they would take care of any issue regarding his bed mate. While he had considered asking for assurance on the matter, he had reluctantly left things in their capable hooves.
That was probably the only good thing that he was holding onto in regards to the rest of the day.
Shortly after confirming that he was decently dressed for the day- a new maid of course doing her job and commenting on how handsome he looked- Blueblood had descended to the lower district of Canterlot to attend a ‘small’ brunch between the higher castes of nobility. He arrived without incident, deciding to take his airship over less noticeable transportation in favor of the quickness of it all.
While somepony might comment it was highly unnecessary to use such a dirigible for a simple matter, he was honestly not in the mood thank you very much. Considering too he was in no mood to be judged negatively by the nobles he was meeting, with their snide comments and silver tongues. It was something that he had grown to deal with, but it did become tiring.
Social politics at it’s finest.
After arriving at said brunch at a rather large lush estate owned by none other than Fancy Pants himself, the stallion and the prince well acquainted, everything had gone relatively smoothly.
Then-no doubt a bated trap by the lower class nobility-a mare in a fine onyx dress had commented offhandedly about the recent debacle of the Grand Galloping Gala, the gathered ponies all nodding at the comment.
A week had already passed and still the calamity of that night was still a hot topic, often revolving around the often unknown -at the time- element bearers and how they had completely and utterly ruined the night.
Normally, the prince would have nodded and said a similar comment on how simply dreadful the night had been, and granted, he would rather forget it himself.
However, it was the particular direction the mare had dared to direct her snide remark that had forced him to keep his ‘mask’ intact, though he bristled inwardly at how she spoke on how the prince was hounded by a whorse the whole night, the mare clearly not understanding exactly who she was insulting.
Yes, do insult a hero of Equestria. That will certainly earn you some prestige.
Though the applause of giggling she had earned when she spoke on how the prince was left a blubbering mess at the how he was utterly covered in confectionaries by a stunt by the other element bearers. Sure, it was all made in jest, as they said, but he knew easily that they were openly mocking him about that night. It was already an unpleasant memory, and the mare had the audacity to make it more intolerable.
Only Fancy Pants’ intervention on the subject had kept him from firing off any too underhanded remarks, the other well known noble house doing well to take the attention of the prince’s embarrassment, allowing the stallion time to reacquire his composure.
The social gathering had continued on without hiccup after that, the Blueblood couldn’t help but feel the sting on his pride, even as the time came to depart to accomplish his other tasks for the day. Only a conversation between himself and Fancy occupied his thoughts on the ride up to the castle, the mustached stallion’s words playing in his head over and over.
He dismissed the advice he had been given though.
A prince had his duties. To even consider shirking them was simply disgraceful.
That had been another thing to add to the continued downward spiral of events that plagued the prince that afternoon.
The next piece of work for the prince quickly occurred barely before he could take more than a few steps off his airship, the stallion quickly ushered by a trio of royal guards to his diplomatic meeting with the representatives of Saddle Arabia; much to his displeasure.
He had commented angrily at how the brutes had ruffled his suit somewhat and was only satisfied when he was rewarded by an apology by each in turn. The prince had let a smile work onto his face when he noted when his back was turned that the golden clad guards had muttered several unflattering things under their breath, the armored ponies clearly thinking he couldn’t hear them.
Though, his smile would not last, as he entered the small meeting room where he would meet the sovereigns of Equestria’s southern neighbor, being informed they had already been waiting several minutes due to an error on his part of arriving late. He dismissed any chance of apology. What was done was done.
While the diplomatic meeting had gone on without any major issues, the only glaring issue had come from the abrupt and snapping tones of the crown Sultan of the nation, the brown stallion’s voice often carrying an accusatory tone. The pink coated Sultana had thankfully been on the prince’s side in the matter, stating that the wait had waned somewhat on her husband, causing a belief of disrespect.
Blueblood had assured them that no such thing was conveyed and after repeated attempts the ruler of the desert nation had calmed enough to allow the two to discuss various trade agreements openly. While those talks went smoothly, the prince was easily able to note the no nonsense look and tone the lither stallion carried.
In the end, after the allotted time of their meeting came to a rather quick conclusion, the two had said their proper goodbyes and departed, Blueblood wishing the duo safe travels. He was greeted by one in return, though he couldn’t help but feel it was a bit hollow in all regards.
A brief respite in the form of lunch had offered some hope of perking up his mood in the early hours of the afternoon, though once again that was easily overturned as his food had been made incorrectly, the chef somehow managing to mix up the dressing on his salad with hot sauce.
That had been an unpleasant experience.
With multiple servants having watched the outburst and multiple waiters rushing to find the prince some water, it was of little surprise that after the white stallion had calmed his burning tongue did he give the chef a what for on how to properly cook. The griffon chef had taken his berating in stride, even as his claws tightened around his toque after he had removed it.
Leaving the dining hall in a once again grouchy mood, Blueblood elected to spend the rest of the time simply walking around the castle halls, his normal routine of visiting the palace gardens disturbed by the rather hot day his aunty had decided to make today.
Then, the final coup de grace had been when he had to gather at the council chambers of Equestria’s governing body, led of course by his aunty, Princess Celestia herself. The large circular room was built around a common focal point, an elegantly designed podium that sat atop a raised platform that allowed any pony to speak on behalf of their particular city or county, while the other representatives from across Equestria sat and listened to the various propositions brought forth.
He had hoped to sit next to his aunt in her royal booth as he normally would in these meetings, the separated section allowing him some necessary breathing room compared to the bleacher like seating of the rest of the room. It also gave him the added benefit of talking with his aunt.
Unfortunately, his seat had been unsurprisingly taken by a visiting Twilight Sparkle, the element and royal apprentice receiving the attention of his aunt as the long winded meeting of the council commenced.
Left to sit in with the other common ponies, he had to force himself to stay awake, the mix of a monotone old stallion speaking and his own restless night playing together quite well. The conversations he would have with his aunt between speeches usually helped keep the boredom of the bureaucracy away, but not today.
At one point he dozed off, though had snapped back up just as quickly upon realizing he was asleep, desperately looking around to make sure nopony had seen that.
Noting that most representatives of the chambers seemed to be focusing on the latest speaker, he decided to listen in as well, giving the orange pegasus at the podium his full attention.
The pony had spoken with a fervor, ranting on about the corruption of nobility of his home city of Canterlot, going so far as to list of the frivolous spending that they partook in. Overly luxurious estates, large airships, extensive vacations, even pointing out some interesting purchases, one of which happened to be Blueblood’s recent import of over a dozen crates of Neighponese tea.
Getting over the direct attack on himself, he had seen ponies like this before.
The disgruntled that had enough courage to openly voice their discontent on where certain taxed bits were often going, leading to accusations of abuse.
They had all ended in failure of course. These ponies didn’t quite understand that the nobility had other means of acquiring currency for their own purposes, usually coming from the fact that several had large scale businesses across Equestria.
If these ponies had done their homework, they would have no doubt learned this. As such, their berating only earned a target on their back by council members in the pocket of noble families, and Blueblood guaranteed the pegasus would never be reelected to the council chambers.
He had shaken his head as the stallion had stepped down.
A pity.
The pegasus was simply a small fish in a big lake, and lacked the protection of a school to save himself from a larger predator.
For nearly another hour he endured the droning on of politicians and various other representatives before the day’s council was finished and its members were excused. He did not bother waiting to meet with his aunty as he was sure that Twilight Sparkle was no doubt keeping her quite occupied and truthfully he wasn’t in much of a mood for conversation at the moment.
His guard escort had waited patiently- as they should- outside the council chambers and quickly formed around him as he headed back to his room to retire for the day.
And here he finally was, approaching the large stylized doors to his personal chambers, a room grand enough to befit his royal status. Good thing too, he needed all the room.
His door guards saluted as he approached and he offered a stronger nod, his mood perking as he was but moments from relaxing the day away.
“I wish to not be disturbed, is that understood?” He asked rhetorically, knowing of course that they would comply with his order.
“Yes, Prince Blueblood.” The guards replied in sync, the acknowledgment earning nothing from him. He waited a moment before one of the guard’s eyes widened, quickly moving to open the doors for the prince, his comrade following instantly.
He walked through before they were finished, squeezing easily through the widening gap. Free of the doorway, he gave a glance back and raised an eyebrow, letting the guards know it was now time to close the doors.
With a soft clack, the stallion was left alone in his room, his eyes moving across the area as he looked around.
The main aspect of his room happened to be the large ‘living room’ that was the central piece to the entire structure, the doors to several other rooms built into the walls of the rounded structure. Elegant couches and chairs were mostly formed around a large low wooden table of special Zebrafrican trees, the unique pattern of the light brown wood very appealing.
To the left and right were rounded walls that moved outward across half of the room before moving back inward, meeting into a large open balcony entrance across the room from him, large curtains bundled up above the entrance ready to be draped as necessary.
His eyes moved to the left wall, noticing immediately that his bedroom doors were still closed, and the wooden doors not even partly ajar.
Is she still in there? He asked himself, his brow furrowing somewhat.
His eyes moved to his right, noting the three other smaller doors on the opposite wall, two of which led to other dining and sitting rooms while the last had its door closed to his luxurious bathroom.
It was through the doorway that led to his kitchen that one of his maids trotted out, the unicorn mare dressed in her usual black and white uniform and levitating a metal tray of… cookies?
The soft cherry coated mare took a few steps in the direction of the balcony before her eyes caught him standing there, the mare bowing immediately at his presence.
“Prince Blueblood! We didn’t expect you back so soon!” She spoke quickly, causing his eyebrow to perk and look over at the closed bedroom doors.
“Is she still in there?” The same question he had asked himself was now directed at his maid, the mare’s hair bun bouncing just a tad as she rose from her bow.
“Oh no, no” Cherry Blossom began, bringing a hoof to her chest. “The balcony.” She directed him, pointing the same hoof over to the open air entrance, where outside the Equestrian sky was now a soft mix of blue, yellow, and orange.
He looked over, studying the entrance way for a moment, before trotting over to her as the mare blinked when his own marigold aura overtook her marble one, the tray now within his control.
“If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to deliver these myself.” He spoke, using a tone reserved for those he considered close, lacking the ‘holier than thou’ one he carried around the usual castle staff.
Cherry blossom nodded, smiling happily as she stood back.
“Of course.” She said, though the prince didn’t immediately move as he looked toward the balcony again, chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought.
“How is she today?” He asked, the daily question always making his lip stiffen.
The mare turned to look at the balcony as well, though she smiled happily as she spoke, careful to keep her voice low.
“Today is a good day. I think she is finally coming out of that spell she was in.”
Blueblood offered what sounded like a muffled grunt at this, before offering a polite nod to the mare, her sympathetic look sincere in all regards.
He had a swirling mix of emotions running through him as he trotted toward the entrance, the empty space ahead not giving him any particular answers on who he was looking for.
Stepping under the threshold of the curtained archway, his hooves transitioned from the soft carpet of his room onto the smooth stonework that was the main component of his terrace, the half circle construction complete with a matching stylized railing.
The view he could see even without stepping all the way to the edge was breathtaking in everyway. His room was situated perfectly to catch the setting sun crawl its way behind the Canterlot Horn, the mountain casting shadows across much the grand city that sprawled before it. To the right of his view, the western edge of the city curved around the castle’s outermost walls, still stretching for miles as its design moved to connect back to the mountain that it had originally been built on.
He looked to the sky for a moment, noting the hues of orange and pink that fought for dominance with what little of blue was left from the day, the array of colors highlighting what clouds still hung in the sky. A small breeze moved across the terrace, the wind moving his mane just a tad as he relaxed into the wind. The temperature had dropped substantially from its rather stifling one to a he was much more content with now.
He didn’t bask in it long though. He did not come out to admire this view.
His half circle balcony had two main seating features, two intricately designed rounded tables that featured matching chairs lined with only the finest cushions, their colors a deep red to accent the white of the tabletops.
They rested on each side of the terrace, giving a pony the option to sit where he could admire different viewpoints of the city.
Or in this case, she could.
His blue eyes were drawn to the leftmost table, where an assortment of small boxes was stacked near or on the table top haphazardly. Several were opened, revealing what he knew from this distance to be dozens and dozens of tubes of paint, easily a large enough assortments to make any painter happy.
Additionally a simple wooden isle was placed off to the side of the table, placed perfectly to allow the user to catch the contrast of light and dark between the orange sun and the slopes of the Canterlot horn.
Already, a picture was developing on the white canvas, the sprawling city of Canterlot displayed fancifully across much of its surface, while the glow of the setting sun reflected hued rays of light across the painted sky. The mirror between the real and the painted was strikingly spot on, even the detail of the cityscape near perfection.
Still, it was clearly unfinished, recent brush strokes of color and the expanse of white left a clear indication of this.
The painter however, seemed to be taking a brief respite herself though, choosing to admire the cityscape as she sat cross-legged on one of the table’s chairs.
Hmm, cross legged. He thought, finding some comedy in that one would find the position somewhat painful imagery for a pony to be sitting like that.
That was if she was a pony of course.
No, the creature, the woman, sitting at one of his custom ordered chairs was far from anything resembling a pony.
She was a nearly hairless thing, her exposed tan skin blatantly lacking any type of body hair, save for the long locks of chocolate brown hair she had, though these weren’t visible with the red bandana tied over her head, the bulge in the back indicating a tied bun.
In addition to her differences in comparison to a pony, she wore an unusual assortment of clothes as well.
Nothing as fanciful by Canterlot standards and downright pauper by some noble standards, she had on a simple white tank top and a pair of snug fitting beige shorts, the clothes sporting colorful patches of dried paint here and there.
She was tall even when sitting down, her head easily the same height as his own, and her spindly form easily fitting into the chair designed for her.
Her right leg was crossed lazily over the other, while her arms rested on cushioned armrests. Her hands were held in her lap, one holding a small porcelain saucer while the other brought a steaming cup of some liquid to her lips.
She took a delicate sip, her eyes never leaving the view of the city.
Even with only part of her face turned toward him, he could still see the amber colored irises looking out over the cityscape, the orbs alight with energy.
His eyes were drawn to her small face, framed by a few loose strands of hair that had managed to escape their bun prison. Her cute nose caught his attention and he smiled at the petite appendage.
A white tea kettle was placed on the tabletop, her position in front of it blocking his view only until he started to approach. Its spout steamed, an indication of a fresh brew.
Her eyes darted to him as he approached, the clop of his hooves giving him away as he approached. Her head tilted in his direction for a moment before she closed her eyes, smiling knowingly.
“I see someone’s home.” the soothing voice of the human instantly brought him some relaxation, the stallion smiling along with her.
“Mind if I join you?” He joked, to which she rolled her eyes and nodded, tipping her cup in approval.
Blueblood walked around the table, careful not to disrupt her stacks of paint materials as he took the opposite seat, this one correctly made for a pony. Setting down the tray on the table, he looked over to her, seeing her eyes twinkling.
“How was your day?” Alicia asked, setting down her cup on its small saucer. He groaned somewhat, closing his eyes to relax for a moment. Laughter only met him, and he couldn’t help but chuckle outwardly as well.
There was probably a joke in there somewhere.
“Another bad day my prince?” She inquired again, forcing him to nod.
He heard a thoughtful hum as he opened his eyes, her attention on him as Alicia set down her teacup on its saucer, choosing to rest her hand on her chin.
“Tell me about it.” She asked, genuinely curious.
And so he did.
It was therapeutic in many ways to release all the bottled up tension inside him as he ranted, the woman nodding and smiling as she listened attentively to his words.
She understood his anger about the nobles.
She sympathized with the situation with the Saddle Arabians.
She nodded at his thoughts on the pegasus council member.
All the while, as the prince talked, he couldn’t help but lose himself in the eyes of his companion, her face his only world. That smile, the light in those eyes.
It was a rarity that he would hope to see more of.
He even found comedy in the smears of paint across her forehead. The roughed look suited her.
Halfway through his conversation the woman jumped from her seat suddenly, only muttering a quick ‘oh!’ before grabbing a nearby paintbrush and a fresh tube of paint, taking several brushes to her canvas before just as quickly nodding in approval.
He smiled wryly the entire time he watched her work.
They didn’t skip a beat though, and once again resumed their conversation without issue.
Only when he released a heavy sigh at the end did Alicia flick his nose, causing him to go cross eyed at the offending appendage between his muzzle.
“Idiot.” She joked, amusement in her tone. He raised an eyebrow curiously.
The woman slowly shook her head, almost mockingly.
“You had that coming with what you did at the Gala. Honestly, if I was that mare, I would have decked you in the face.” A grin made its way across her face as she took another sip from her teacup.
“How did you find out?” He questioned, a single eyebrow raised.
An eye roll was his response.
“I occasionally have tea with the ruler of the country, said ruler happening to be your adopted aunt as well.” Her deadpan tone caused him to smile sheepishly.
Her gaze turned a bit harder as she continued.
“I’m just as unhappy as her with what you did.”
This time, frustration was the main trigger of his sigh, the stallion running a hoof through his styled blond mane, not caring about ruining the hairdo.
“I thought she was another power hungry countess’ daughter or some such, only looking to grab the highest prize she could. I wasn’t entirely wrong.” He countered, to which she shook her head.
“Blue, you know more than anyone that you cant judge someone by first appearances.”
That was a statement that was all too real for the stallion.
Unbeknownst to his companion, his mind was flooded with memories long past, the visions playing in his head as if just occurring.
A quiet afternoon with his mo-aunt disrupted by guards.
A crying and screaming creature, unrecognizable to him.
A girl, frightened. An alicorn, caring. A colt, curious.
A human, alone. An alien.
A prince, sequestered. Free but not free.
A friendship offered. A connection forged.
One, happy. The other, bleeding underneath.
His ears involuntarily perked as he remembered that night, and he swallowed a heavy lump that suddenly built in his throat.
His eyes moved to the woman’s wrist, easily finding the lighter colored skin that ran jaggedly across the entirety of her wrist, no doubt a matching mark on her other one.
That time has passed, he told himself.
It all happened so quickly, but he did not skip a beat in answering his companion.
“I just wanted to make sure she understood I was not interested. I have other women on my mind.” He answered smugly.
“Oh? Is that so?” She inquired, to which the stallion nodded dutifully.
The quick peck that graced his lips surprised him, her silent movement of reaching over the table to grasp his chin catching the stallion off guard.
They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, before both leaned into another kiss. And another. And another, their movements slow, passionate. Her soft lips tickled his own, and he enjoyed every moment as they continued.
She brought her hand further up his chin as he did the same with his hoof, the two only breaking apart so she could rest her forehead on his own.
“I wanted you to go.” He whispered.
“They would have just asked too many questions about me. It wouldn’t have been our night.” She whispered back, a giggle escaping her as his fur tickled her skin.
Reluctantly, she pulled away to sit back down, the stallion leaning forward just a tad to try and hold the connection for a bit longer.
Her eyes caught something in the sky, and her head turned slightly to look at it. He followed as well, easily catching the breathtaking movement of the sun lowering just below the Canterlot Horn, the last powerful rays of light shining through.
“I don’t understand you sometimes, Blue.” She started, her eyes never leaving the sky.
“You aren’t who you pretend to be. You’re not a snob. You’re not a spoiled brat. You’re not even some petty person. Though you are a bit of a pansy at times.” She added in the last bit offhandedly, causing him to sputter.
“You’re such a better person than that. Why is it only Celestia and me get to see that?”
He didn’t answer immediately, his eyes roaming across the city below. He looked from pony to pony, watching as they headed home for the day. Their lives were much simpler in many regards. And he envied that.
“It’s easier this way.” He started.
“Acting like much of the nobility keeps their curiosity away. It draws less attention. Less questions. Operating behind the scenes is much rather my style. And since you refuse to allow me to drop my duties-“
“Not on your life.” She affirmed without skipping a beat.
“Then I must make do with what I have. By the way, how is the tea? Did we find the right one this time?” He asked hopefully, looking over to her.
Her sad smile was his answer.
“No, it's close but not quite.” She said, a hard gulp going noticed by him as her eyes grew misty.
“God damnit.” She swore, her voice going a touch more pained.
“It’s fucking Lipton tea. It’s not a big deal.” She seemed to tell herself, and before she knew it, she was enraptured in a hug by the stallion. Somehow, in that moment he had managed to walk around the table soundlessly.
She gripped a handful of his fur, the prince not flinching as her hands shook. Her eyes watered, she sniffled.
“I miss them Blue.” She whimpered. He nodded, strengthening his embrace. He was there for her. He would always be there.
“I miss them. I…I…miss them…I miss…home.” She cried, even as he ran a soothing hoof across her back, shushing her lightly.
“I know. I know.” He repeated over and over, letting her release.
They stayed like that for some time, even after the tears had long since stopped. Even when the night arrived and the stars began to blanket the sky, the two did not let go.
No more words were spoken between the two afterward, nothing needing to be conveyed then what the two already shared. They watched the stars hang in the sky, their configurations stunning in all regards. It may have been hours after the sunset, yet still, the night air was surprisingly warm, the two not needing any further shelter or protection. It was when the two were staring at the lights above did Alicia speak up.
“I think I want to finish it tonight.” the human spoke suddenly. He looked at her curiously.
“Finish what?” He asked confused.
She shook her head, pointing to the half finished painting that had been left off to the side, forgotten.
“Now? But the sun is gone.” He answered dumbly, causing her to chuckle, that smile he loved on her face.
“I know, but I’m having second thoughts on what I wanted.” She looked at the canvas before eyeing the bright white orb in the sky, the moonlight highlighting her face perfectly. Blueblood smiled at her beauty.
“The sun may be gone, sure. But the moon is just as good, is it not?” She stood up, grabbing a paint brush as she approached the half finished piece once more. She took a moment to release her hair from its prison, the long locks flowing down her back as the bandanna was pulled away. The woman eyed him over her shoulder.
“It will need a little work, and some careful retooling, but I think I can make look just as good.” Using the soft white light as her only guide, she began to make several strokes.
He would have been content to watch her, had she not thrown a paintbrush his way.
Barely grabbing the tool in time, and not shouting in surprise, he looked over at her questioningly
She smiled. “C’mon. Help me.” She cocked her head toward the painting.
“You know I can’t paint like you.” He stated, only earning an eye role.
“I know.” Her smile widened, and he shook his head laughing.
“Your loss.” He said, approaching the painting as well.
Together, the two worked to complete the canvas, bringing about a new piece altogether.
Instead of a setting sun overlooking a vast city, a rising moon also joined its companion, the sky blending together to form a brilliant set of colors between the two separate entities. They worked wordlessly, yet moved as one. Where one stoke occurred, another followed. Where one color was placed, another accented it perfectly.
In the soft moonlight of the night, on the balcony of the palace, the two were the only people in the world.