She had been a great beauty, ponies would say. She had been a master dueler, a talented artist, and a brilliant chess strategist, they would gush. Looking at her, cocooned protectively beneath Queen Celestia’s mighty wing, Noble Heart thought otherwise. But nevertheless, he tolerated the words, neither refuting nor confirming the claims made of his great-great-great(?) grandaunt.
He couldn’t wait for this to be over.
“I’m so glad to see you all here,” Queen Celestia said, as magnanimous as ever. “And I’m so glad to see that you’ve made it to yet another year, my niece,” she added as she nuzzled the decrepit mare.
“Ah, my queen, I am ever grateful to be here by your side as your loyal servant,” Noble Heart’s great-great-great-great(?) grandaunt sighed in an antiquated cadence of speech.
Celestia laughed before kissing the top of her balding head. “To me you are far more than my servant.”
“Such is your generous heart, your grace, nevertheless, I am honored to have been at your side for all these years.”
“Truly, Princess Blueblood,” the alicorn agreed. “Now is there you anything you wish to say before we commence your birthday brunch?”
“Before we commence this repast? Nay.”
Celestia laughed again, her voice as sweet as morning songbirds. “Your birthday brunch, your rules.”
And they feasted.
Noble Heart gazed at his scrumptious meal in apathy. How many of these tedious functions had he attended in his short life? Far too many to count, that was for certain. “Mother?”
The mare in question either ignored her son or didn’t hear him, instead keeping her attention on the gossip her sister was spewing.
“Mother?” Noble Heart said again.
“… under their noses the entire time! A son of House Sparkle with some nopony author? The shame that stallion’s mother must feel!”
“Mo-ther."
“In a moment, Noble Heart,” she said, not even bothering to look at him. “Yes, I heard from Lacy Pants that they have a son!”
“Sapphire Diadem!” Noble Heart snapped.
Sapphire whipped around to glare at her son. “It is most unbecoming for a colt to refer to his mother by her name, and especially heinous for a Platinum of all ponies to behave in such an uncouth manner."
“I just wanted to know when it would be acceptable for us to leave.”
If she hadn’t gone through decades of courtly grooming, Sapphire would have responded in the way she truly wished. Instead, the mare merely flared her nostrils and gave her son a cruel, piercing stare he had long-since grown immune to.
“Pardon us, Ruby Circlet,” Sapphire said, her undercurrent of anger barely perceptible.
Ruby shot her nephew a contemptuous look. “You’re excused,” she assured her twin.
When they were outside of the dining hall with only the company of stolid guards, Sapphire brought her face close to his and spoke freely. "Every. Single. Time. Noble Heart.”
The colt bristled, but did he did not dare interrupt her tirade.
“Every single time we have a nice outing you have to ruin it with your, your antisocial affliction!”
Noble Hearts eyes narrowed at the accusation
“And frankly, Noble Heart, I’m sick of it!” The mare now began to pace. “I’m sick of not being to sit down and have a nice chat with my sister at this nice birthday brunch in this beautiful palace in this beautiful city. I’m sick of it! What will it take?” she demanded. “What will it take for you to just learn to be a normal pony?”
Noble Heart grumbled something incoherent.
“What?” Sapphire Diadem asked in exasperation. “What in Queen Celestia’s name do you have to say that could possibly excuse your abysmal attitude?”
“I said there’s nothing wrong with me!”
“Inside voice,” she hissed.
“No!” The colt now made his voice louder.
She sighed in long suffering. “Eugh. “Why can’t you be like Golden Crown?”
“Well, since I’m not normal enough for you or your stupid parties, then why don’t you spend it Golden Crown and have a nice birthday brunch!” And he turned tail and ran.
“Noble Heart, get back here!” Sapphire commanded, not making an attempt to catch him herself.
But the colt was already gone.
Noble Heart ran until he finally broke out of the stifling air of Castle Canterlot.
“Where are the sky chariots?” he snapped at the mule tending the hedges.
The jack raised his eyebrows, but he pointed the colt to the right direction.
Noble Heart bolted. When he at last reached the field where the chariots and pegasi were resting, he hopped onto the back of his servant.
“Take me home!” Noble Heart commanded, hiding his face in the stallion's neck.
“Uh—?”
“Just fly! Just go right now!”
“Er, as you command, sir,” the pegasus said with uncertainty as he took flight.
Throughout the flight back to Chateau Clover, the charioteer decided to not comment upon the wetness he felt on his neck.