She lay without her regalia and with her eyes closed; silent, stolid, and calculating. The only movement either of them could see was the rise and fall of breath from her ribs and barrel.
He had never seen her like that before, and he was certain few ponies had.
At last, she exhaled softly and opened her eyes. However old she was, she truly looked it.
“Will you accept this colt, Celestia?” Blueblood asked, her tone no longer fawning or adoring.
“I am seeing many reasons why I should not,” the goddess answered, her voice barely louder than the crackling fire behind her.
“But you have to!” Noble Heart insisted. “Nightmare Moon is coming and the princess can’t—!”
Celestia did not glare or reprimand, but the look from her tired, ancient eyes silenced him. He lay down on the rug to quell his vertigo.
“Celestia, look at me,” Blueblood begged, appearing every bit of her 138 years. “I’m just so old. I’m so tired. I cannot keep on like this. And what’s more, Nightmare Moon is coming in twenty years. Do you genuinely think I can last that long?”
The queen looked at away from them, her eyes deep in thought. “I could never ask any soul to cling to life against their will.”
“Not directly, no, but that is what are telling me to do if you do not accept the colt.”
Celestia flinched. “I do not mean to.”
“Not with malevolence, you don’t,” Blueblood stated coolly.
The queen grimaced. “I’m sorry.”
“My feelings are irrelevant in this matter, Celestia. What is not, however, is the fate of Equus.”
Celestia stood and walked to the window, gazing up at the half moon that held Nightmare Moon’s imposing visage.
Noble Heart forced himself to stand on wobbling hooves. His world was once again rocking back and forth in his enchanted vertigo, but he didn’t care. Blueblood was right: there were more important things to worry about than personal feelings.
“Queen Celestia?” he asked as he joined her. “What’s wrong with me?”
She reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the moon and looked at him.
“You said that—” He belched and quickly shoved a hoof in his mouth prevent himself from vomiting. The world was now tilting dangerously to one side and he started stumbling in his perceived direction of gravity.
The alicorn caught him with a wing, and he pressed against it until the world tilted to a less awkward angle.
Noble Heart swallowed the impending bile and started speaking again. “You said that-that—” he swallowed again. “You have reasons why you don’t want me. Why?”
She steered him to the fire, keeping him firmly pressed to her body, and gently pressured him to lie back down.
“You’re so young,” Celestia began.
He whipped his head to look at her. “And she’s too old!” he protested. His vertigo did not appreciate the movement and he felt an wave of vomit come up.
Half a step ahead of him, Celestia teleported a chamber pot in front of him.
When he was done puking, she continued with her explanation.
“The title of Blueblood is not one to be given lightly, Noble Heart. By calling a pony as such, I am naming them my crown heir to take the throne in the event that I can no longer rule. But I must give it somepony who I can trust, somepony who is dependable, and unfortunately, I cannot say that about you. You are simply too young. Your personality is still developing, Noble Heart, and you don’t even have your cutie mark yet! I only crown adults because they already know who they are, and while they can commit to change, adults rarely have the ability to change who they are at the core. I could give you the title of Blueblood tomorrow, but what guarantee do I have that you are still going to be worthy of it the day after?”
“The first Blueblood was still a filly when you named her your niece!” he argued.
“Bluebell was fourteen when I named her my heir, older than you are now,” Celestia pointed out. “Furthermore, I was not in the correct state of mind when I gave her the title.”
“Age aside, your grace,” the princess cut in, “that still does not change the fact that Equestria needs a Blueblood. When Nightmare Moon deposes you, we need to have stability.”
“And what’s to stop her from deposing a Blueblood?” Celestia countered. “Nightmare Moon is a god, not some mortal with megalomania and delusions of grandeur.”
Blueblood’s eyes narrowed. “Not even the gods are invincible, Celestia. Besides… I seem to recall a story of two silly fillies who took it upon themselves to journey across the lands in order to stop a callous god from practicing his chaos.”
The queen looked away indignantly.
The princess continued. “You’re right, Celestia: we don’t know what this foal will be when he becomes a stallion. We don’t know whether or not he will be good king or whether he’ll be able to challenge a god for supremacy. But we have to try. We have to at least give Equus a fighting chance against Nightmare Moon.”
Noble Heart pulled away from Celestia and forced himself to stand in front of her.
“Queen Celestia, I know you aren’t happy about this and that under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be your choice to help protect the world. But I promise that I’ll do everything in my power to protect Equus and everyone in it. I mean it!”
He looked deep into her eyes with determination. Despite his enchanted vertigo, despite reeking of vomit and looking ready to fall over, Noble Heart felt strong. He thought about Cranky, and Twilight Velvet and Night Light and Shining Armor, and his parents and his brother, and even the foal in Twilight’s womb. He would challenge gods for them. He would do anything for them, because if he didn’t, no one else would. He would guide them through the impending nightmare, no matter what the cost.
Celestia slowly stood, eyes locked on his all the while. Once again she was silent, stolid, and calculating: a powerful and wise god determining the worth of a mortal child.
But then she flexed her wings to their fullest extent and fell down to her front knees, bowing so deeply that her horn tip touched the floor.
“My Prince.”
He and Blueblood breathed a sigh of relief. “I won’t disappoint you,” Noble Heart promised.
Celestia stood upright. “I see how passionate you are about this, Noble Heart, and now I realize I wouldn’t be able to stop you even if I tried. Perhaps Equestria and Equus will be in good hooves.”
He lay down on the rug to prevent himself from keeling over. “What made you change your mind, your majesty?”
“Look at your flank, boy,” the princess said with a scoff.
Noble Heart’s heart skipped a beat when he saw it. A large, beautiful compass rose was embedded on his flank. “When did I…?”
“Right after you made your promise,” Celestia said with a gentle smile. “I’d be a fool not recognize such passion and dedication for guidance.”