Chapter 1
Blueblood anxiously pawed at his clothes, breathing deep. 'Calm', he told himself. 'Got to be calm.' The bouquet of roses he was holding with his magic trembled a bit with him, his nerves almost getting out of control. She'd been the one to suggest it, not him.
He'd almost felt too nervous to accept, but had hurriedly spat out a garbled "Yes, of course I will!" And now he was here. He'd walked most of the way. He didn't know how his aunts would react to him going out with an earth pony, and his sister... Well, he just didn't want her to know. Not yet. Cadie was always the one to say he'd find a very special somepony, someday. But even now, he didn't want her to know.
It wasn't that it wa- His train of thought was interrupted as somepony opened the door, a pony he didn't know. She was another unicorn, but she carried herself very differently. "Yeah?" she asked. "Whatcha want?"
"Um," stammered the prince, trying to explain himself, "I'm, I'm here to see Octavia?" His voice refused to stay calm, quavering as he said so. The other pony stared at him for a second, then turned inside, and called out to whoever was inside.
"Tavi, there's a stallion here to see ya. Finally got a date, hey?" Blueblood didn't precisely know who this unicorn was, but he wasn't entirely sure about her. 'Stay calm,' he reminded himself. 'She's probably one of Octavia's friends.' Blueblood hadn't spent much time out of the castle, but that was how friends talked to each other. Probably. Aunt Celestia hadn't let him out unguarded, and Aunt Luna was much the same. If he hadn't snuck out tonight, there would probably be a group of guards making sure he was 'safe'... or, to be more correct, alone.
He was dragged from this train of thought by Octavia's appearance. The earthpony mare was just as he remembered her. Just as stunningly beautiful as when he first saw her...as when he had finally built up the courage to talk to her. Her coat sparkled like the moon at night, and he couldn't stop himself just gazing at her beauty.
She giggled, and walked over to him. "Hello, Blueblood. I see you're on time." Her face was mischievous as she spoke to him, and his jaw dropped. He stammered for a bit, and held out the flowers. "Oh, are these for me?" she asked happily. "They're beautiful. Thank you, Blueblood!"
He tried to stammer out something, about how it was nothing compared to her beauty, but she silenced him, placing a hoof on his lips. "Shhh," she said, still smiling. "We'll have all night. No need to say it all at one time." He gratefully nodded, thanking her silently for her understanding. He knew right now that she was the pony. The pony he loved.
"I have just the place in mind," Octavia said with a cheeky grin on her face. "Palomino's. Come on, I'll take you there." Blueblood allowed himself to be guided along the street by the mare, who at least seemed to be enjoying the date. He was, too, he had to admit. Despite it being an unfamiliar process, he was enjoying it. He couldn’t really decide whether it was because of the adventure, or because of the entrancing mare with him.
The night was a nice one, as well. The muted lights of the city didn’t block out the beautiful stars above, and Blueblood was happy. The cool breeze wasn’t cold enough to be uncomfortable, and he couldn’t think of a better night for what they were doing.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at the diner Octavia had mentioned, the bright neon sign reflecting on the windows. Octavia pushed open the door, and beckoned Blueblood to follow her in. The diner was small, and empty – only three other ponies were eating there, a group of pegasi over in a dark corner. Octavia didn’t seem to worry about them, bringing Blueblood over to a two-pony table. As they sat down, Octavia smiled again at Blueblood, who felt slightly uncomfortable in this place. He had to admit, he wasn’t used to eating in the same room as other people. But Octavia was here, so that made it all the better. He smiled back at her, content in this moment like he never had been before.
Another earth pony mare came over, and asked in a slight drawl “Hey there, Octavia, mystery stallion. Who’s the colt?”
Blueblood was about to speak up, when Octavia gave him another smile and said “This is Blueblood. This is our first date.” The other earth pony looked over Blueblood with a critical eye, and Blueblood was feeling distinctly uncomfortable by now. Perhaps this hadn’t been such a good idea.
At last, she stopped, and nodded to Octavia. “He looks like a cute colt. So…” and she took a pad out of her saddlebag, putting it on the table with a pencil, “what’ll you two be having?”
Blueblood didn’t quite know what to say, but Octavia did. “We’ll have the salad, please, Bonne. Thanks,” she said with a smile at the earth pony, who scribbled something down, and left the two. Octavia smiled back at Blueblood. “Didn’t scare you too much, did she?” she asked with humour in her voice. “She likes to know everything that’s going on. You don’t need to worry about her.”
Blueblood’s mood lifted a bit at Octavia’s kind words. “I…I guess I’m just not too used to talking with people,” he said with a little chuckle. “I suppose it just takes a bit of practice.” Octavia was still smiling at him gently, and he took heart that he hadn’t ruined the evening…yet, at least.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be used to it in no time, my prince,” Octavia says, with a teasing inflection on her last words. Blueblood’s cheeks reddened in a blush. This was the first time she had referred to his nobility, and he wasn’t quite sure what she meant.
His wondering was interrupted by the return of Bonne, carrying a long and shallow bowl. As she laid it down, Blueblood could see that in it was a salad with romaine and spinach lettuce, red cabbage, green and black olives, cheddar, swiss and fresh mozarella, cucumber and strips of red and yellow bell pepper, with what looked like red wine vinegar and olive oil infused with basil, onion, garlic, and black pepper dressing. On the side were a few fresh greens, including celery, broccoli, cauliflower and peeled carrots served with a dip of some sort.
Octavia smiled over the meal at him. “I think you’ll like this, my biggest fan.” Blueblood’s blush deepened at her words, and he turned his face down, unable to meet her gaze.
“Um…I… think I will, too,” replies Blueblood, almost whispering.
Octavia nudges him. “Are you okay, Blueblood?” she asks in concern. “I hope I’m not making you too uncomfortable.” Blueblood looks up to her with a little smile, and nods. “No, no…I’m just…Just a bit new to this. Um…I…I actually haven’t been out…in the town, I mean, by myself.”
“It’s okay,” says Octavia with a gentle smile. “I’m new to this thing too. But…Are you enjoying it?” she asked, with a hint of anxiousness in her voice. She looked to Blueblood, hopeful for his approval, and he for his part could not refuse it.
“Of course I am,” he said, smiling, almost relieved that she was anxious too. “It’s…It’s just good to be… to be with you.” Almost to prove he was enjoying it, he took a bite from the salad before them both, and smiled. “I do like it, my lady,” he says, a little bit of humour in his tone again. The anxiety left the room in those words, and the two ponies instantly felt more comfortable in each others’ company.
As they ate, they talked about each other. Octavia told him about how she came to meet Vinyl Scratch (the unicorn who had answered the door, as it turned out), where she had learned to play the cello (her skills at playing it she downplayed, humbly stating that there were many others who played the cello far better than she did, though Blueblood privately doubted this) and about her parents (apparently, heard Blueblood with nerves playing up again, she had told them about the date, and they were very eager to meet him. He hoped they’d still be so happy after they had met him). In his turn, Blueblood told her about his sister, Cadence (who, it was true, was not as well known even as he was, and he wasn’t known at all. He didn’t tell her about Cadence’s hope of him finding a mare he’d fall in love with, though), and his aunts, Celestia and Luna (he tried not to talk too much about them, lest his unhappiness with them come out. With any luck, she’d never have to deal with them).
But all too soon, the dinner finished, and it was time to be off. Bonne came back to their table with the bill at the ready, and Blueblood counted out the bits, before passing them to Bonne with a little smile on his face. She nodded, and left the two to make their way out. They walked back to Octavia’s residence, talking quietly on the way.
Finally, at last, they were at Octavia’s house. Blueblood was loath to leave her now, but hopeful that it would only be a short parting. He smiled at Octavia, and said “Well…We’re here. I hope…I hope you enjoyed tonight.”
Before he could react, she kissed him, and smiling, answered “I loved it, my Nocturne. Shall we do it again?”
Blueblood, still stunned, managed to garble out a “Sure” before his mouth finally caught up with his brain. “Uh, yes, yes, of course!”
Octavia, for her part, seemed amused at the effect of her actions on him. “Then I will arrange for another night for us to go out, my Nocturne. Be safe,” and with that, she went inside. Blueblood, still dazed, began walking back to the palace, trusting in his talent to keep him the right way.
“Where have you been?” called his sister as Blueblood tiptoed into the palace. He flinched in dismay, before turning to her.
“It’s none of your business,” he said, before making to continue on his way to bed.
“Aunty Celly noticed you were gone at dinner,” Cadence informed him primly. Blueblood’s heart sank. That would mean another ‘discussion’. Another talk from Aunt Celestia about how ‘they were so worried’ and how it was ‘so irresponsible’. At least…
“…Wait,” said Cadence, interrupting his thoughts. “There’s something different about you. What were you doing? Where were you?” Blueblood froze. No, there was no way she’d know.
“Nothing! I was just going out wit-“ he spurt out, before he realised his mistake.
Cadence’s eyes sparkled with delight and surprise. “You’ve found a marefriend? Oh, brother! I told you that you would! Oh, who is it? What’s her name?” Blueblood blushed furiously, and stamped off indignantly. “Awww, brother, come on, I don’t mean to be embarrassing! I just want to hear about what you’ve been doing…Who you’re dating.”
Blueblood forced himself to be calm, and replied to his sister, saying “An earth pony mare. Her name is Octavia. She’s a musician. That’s all I’ll tell you.” Cadence nodded, with a slight hint of sadness at her brother’s secretive behaviour. She was just about to reply when Blueblood spoke again, continuing “And you are not to tell Aunt Celestia or Aunt Luna about her. I don’t want anypony to know.”
“But brother, why shouldn’t they know?” Cadence wanted to know. But the answer would have to wait for another time. For at that moment the doors opened again, and in walked Celestia, gazing sternly at Blueblood. “Nephew of mine, come with me. We have a matter to discuss.”
Celestia and Blueblood sat opposite, Celestia looming over her nephew. “So, nephew,” she began, “I know you have been out of the palace. I also know what you have been doing.” Blueblood seethed, but tried to hide it. This constant surveillance was part of why he hated her, and he knew that she knew it.
“Yes? So what?” he demanded, anger making him rash. Celestia peered at him, disappointment in her face. Blueblood didn’t particularly care. Let her be disappointed in him. She wasn’t the pony whose approval he sought. Not now.
“My nephew, I am disappointed in this relationship. You know better than how you appear to act. Your ‘love’ is ill-fated and ill-based,” Celestia spoke again in a chiding tone. “I have already received note of a pony far more suitable for you, my nephew. A unicorn mare of far more class than that earth pony.” Blueblood was furious. It was only by the highest levels of self control that he remained sitting.
“You will meet her at the Gala. I will brook no argument from you on this matter,” said Celestia with finality, and she left the room.
Blueblood fumed for a moment, before he spoke to the empty room.
“I know I cannot change your mind, Aunt,” he started, “And I know this meeting will happen. But you cannot choose the mare’s mind! And if I cannot withdraw from your arranged relationship, then perhaps she will! I will make her hate me, by whatever means necessary!”
THE END
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Dsarker · 2.8k words · 52 3 · 2k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.359 seconds
Total duration
1,013 users online
2,319,154 hits today, 1,943,222 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Liked it till I got to the end... I'm sorry making Celestia a bigot is not cool and ruined the story for me.
Hope it's not the same as another story with the same title
edit: it's not.
like the first commenter says, it's a little weird. maybe if the story was tagged alternate universe...
Scrap the ending. Everything else was wonderful though.
1393398
Hmmm? Where is she a bigot, I'm sorry? She's simply looking out for her favourite nephew...after all, why would he ever want to fall in love with a normal pony...when he could have one of the Element bearers?
Ok... sorry when I read this last night I had to plow through fics that bash Celestia so I wasn't in a good mood. I've reread it and the wording of Celestia comment is directed at just Octavia than at Earth Ponies in general. Still I cannot see Celestia saying something like that, she might not be a bigot but you made her a bitch. Love is love.
1394948
And power is power.
1396896
Yet love over came even Celestia, despite my thoughts on the Celestia/Chrysalis duel love can overpower even the most powerful ponies. The love of one's nation can overcome the love shared between sibling.
1394884
Celestia`s remark of "... than that earth pony." gives reader rather solid impression that Celestia`s disapproval of Octavia is based first and foremost on the fact she IS an earth pony.
If so, in your story Celestia is unabashedly racist.
1397562
Plus, that impression is set up from the beginning by Blueblood's own perspective:
" He didn't know how his aunts would react to him going out with an earth pony"
So, Celestia might have different reasons, and Blueblood simply believes she's racist, but - well, he doesn't seem to be wrong about that, at least as far as we as readers can see.
It's certainly an interesting take on the Gala! However, as others have noted, it basically shifts the blame from Blueblood to Celestia, and most readers will come to the conclusion that she's bigoted against earth ponies, even if that isn't what you intended to convey. And a lot of people won't like that.
1398208
Eh, well, I write what I write, and it comes out as it does.
1397562
If she had been racist, wouldn't it have been a slur? "...than that mud pony."?
Well, well, seeing as people are so quick to defend Celestia, my next story will display her in a positive light, setting an example for all the ponies in Equestria. Look for "Fluttershy's Teaching" (WIP Title, subject to change).
1400049
One does not have to be rude about it to be a racist. As is, the fact that the only reason for Celestia`s disapproval we get to see is that Octavia is "that earth pony" - it`s more then enough to peg Celestia as unabashedly racist.
If that`s not the impression you want to give, then you need to give Celestia drastically different reason for disapproval. For example, Celestia may have had arranged a marriage for Blueblood already and thus, finds his infatuation with Octavia to be inconvenient.Or, she might know something about Octavia that Blueblood doesn`t - for example, she might remember that Octavia`s family sided with Nightmare Moon or Discord in the past.
1400056
The point is not that Celestia can do no evil. It`s rather the fact that her racism comes out of left field. Reader does not expect Celestia of all ponies to be prejudiced against earth ponies - after all, she is partially an earth pony.
1400078
How is a unicorn anything like an Earth Pony? Your comment doesn't make sense.
1400107
Alicorn, you mean. It`s been stated that alicorns unite the traits of all three tribes.
1400118
No such thing as an alicorn in MLP, my good man. Only earth ponies, pegasuses, and unicorns.
1400159
First of all, I`m not man.
Second, if you write for fandom, you really ought to be familiar with what`s present in it.
Unicorns don`t have wings, pegasi don`t have horns.
1400256
Except for the winged unicorns, which is the canon name for the type of pony that the Princesses are. There are no alicorns in the show.
1401765
Potato, potatoe...
The problem is simple. Celestia is partially earth pony, just like she is partially unicorn and partially pegasus. Furthermore, if strict adherence to canon is a necessity for you, should I remind you that Celestia had not been spotted favoring one tribe over another yet?
Not to mention that elements of harmony are evenly distributed between tribes and would most assuredly set Celestia straight, if she were to entertain any notions of prejudice against earth ponies, hm? After all, if Celestia were racist, she`d be no better then villains of the show... and warheads make no distinction between riffraff.
1402083
Exactly! So she cannot be racist in the story.
1402125
Bingo. She should not be, but you present her as one.
As things are worded now, it`s hard to make other conclusions - your story blatantly suggests Celestia is prejudiced against earth ponies. (And yes, this is what we call racism.) If that`s not the impression you wanted to give to a reader, you should rewrite the part of story where Celestia is talking to Blueblood, and give her some different reason for being opposed to Blueblood`s choice of marefriend.
1400256
themoviebanter.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Iamnoman.jpg
On a related note, I have renewed interest in writing that fanfic where pegasi end up as the 'lesser' race instead of earth ponies (and personally, I'm of the opinion that Blueblood is getting the wrong impression from Celestia; she's got legitimate reasons for wanting Blueblood to stay away but 'Blood gets the impression she's just racist.)
1402189
It could be spun that way, if not for what Celestia herself says in the story. A politician with a millenia-long career is not bloody likely to commit such a gaffe unwittingly. There is no good reason for her to specify she`s got a unicorn that would be better then "that earth pony", unless she genuinely meant to say that any unicorn would be better for Blueblood then the earth pony, no matter how prodigious Octavia may be..
1402280
Or, indeed, she is qualifying her statement of 'having a unicorn' with 'better than that earth pony'. Otherwise, she would not need to mention that the unicorn was better, would she?
1402368
Why specify it`s a unicorn, then? And compare it to "that earth pony"?
If your version of Celestia didn`t care about tribes, it would sound more like - "Come now, Blueblood. Surely you can see there`s no future for you with that deadbeat musician. You are a prince, and you deserve a mare of refinement and grace. Thankfully, I know just the pony for you, dear. Gala would be such an opportune time to meet your future wife, don`t you think, Blueblood? I would be most disappointed it if you happen to miss such an opportunity, nephew. Try not to disappoint me, will you?"
Perhaps. But I have written what I have written.
1402189
Yes, I agree. It's rather a case of unfortunate wording on Celestia's part.
Now I'd really like to know if she knows something about Octavia that we don't, or if she doesn't approve of royals mixing with commoners, and picked a dressmaker from a small town because she's a hero.
Or, Celestia knows about Rarity's dream of marrying a prince, and is trying to make it real as some sort of reward...
1402476
And now, you have to bear the consequence of it.
1402802
I sincerely doubt Celestia is that insane to reward heroism with a husband who loathes the arrangement. As for royals and commoners mixing... Rarity is most assuredly not noble - from what we know, she is, at best, of same social standing is Octavia, if not below.
1405233
Aye, if not for the 'being a hero' part, heh! Honestly, I was throwing about ideas for why Celestia was acting the way she was, and her deciding an arranged marriage would do Blueblood good in the long run might fit her character more than simply being tribalist out of the blue... At least a little.
1408823
That much is true - she might think Rarity would be a good influence on Blueblood. However, that does not explain her hostility towards Octavia - one`d think that she`d at least pause to consider the pony in question, and Octavia had given no reason to believe she`s anything but proper.
Um... no. Celestia is not a racist.
1411378
Agreed. It's unfortunate that the story is over already. A bit more background could've really helped to clear things up, no? Maybe a sequel where we get to see things from Celestia's angle?
1413129
I`m rather inclined to think that this simply wasn`t the best effort fimfiction saw and leave it at that.
Author could`ve made a better effort setting things up. As is, Celestia comes across as out of character racist. That`s just how it is.
i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/dymediggler/Stills/th_Oxqtc-1.jpg
Reading all ya'll getting legitimately mad over Dsarker's depiction of a cartoon horses racial opinions is hilarious.
Also, why can't Celestia come off as a racist, Cyto? Why can't she break cannon and be whatever the author wants her to be, again? Just because a character acts in a way you don't expect doesn't mean THE PIECE IS BAD. Infact, it's the very inverse. To a writer, It doesn't matter wither a reader loves it or hates it, what matters is if it wrestled an emotional string , a debate , or an opinion out of him. And Dsarker certainly wrestled something out of you, Cyto.
And that, is the mark of a good writer.
1439366
It`s called fanfiction for a reason. As in, it uses already established characters. My gripe is not with "Celestia is racist" but with the fact it`s presented as a casual fact everyone is aware of. But there already is an established notion of Celestia. If one decides to contradict it? Give reader the reasons why it happened to be like this.
Reader comes into fanfiction expecting established characters to have some predefined characteristics. Those characteristics are not axiomatic - they can be amended as per author`s liberty, provided that author actually thinks the amendments through and presents reader with a plausible account as to why things would go so. But those expectations should NOT be flung to the wind whimsically. After all, what is the point of using predefined characters if you don`t intend to use their predefined characteristics? It would be more sensible to write original fiction in that case.
1413376
I guess it might seem that way.
But...
The Truth...
It hurts.
2402881
Truth is a lie.
Different, a bit on the short side, and a very sudden ending. If it's worth anything, I didn't think Celestia was acting racist at all. The concept didn't even enter my mind. (Testament to my upbringing or naivete, whichever.) I thought it was more a matter of appearances, highlighting a perceived generalization of Canterlot nobility, than race.
2646455>>2646455
Can't argue with you on the sudden ending. It might, perhaps, be suitable to write the Gala itself from Bluey's perspective.
While I do find Celestia's... disapproval of Octavia to be way out of left field, it might not be unbelievable... Maybe she's racist in a subtle manner, preferring Unicorns but not despising Pegisi or Earth Ponies. Or she wants to set up Blueblood and Rarity, and to hell with anything else.
Or she's deliberately trolling him, knowing his response is going to be to piss Rarity off in an epic manner, helping with ruining the Grand Galloping Gala.
For the lulz.
There are plenty of fics that have Celestia acting a certain way, but they usually take time to build to that point. They are never ones that have her as a bigot, however. If you want to improve this story, you need more than just 'it isn't a suitable union because I said so'. Celestia's motivation in this just doesn't work, especially as a vehicle to Blueblood's actions towards Rarity.