Estranged Royalty
Princess Cadence breathed a sigh of relief after having finally gotten her rambunctious daughter to settle down for a nap. She had to take a moment to re-style her mane and tail so that they wouldn't look so frazzled. If this was what Sunburst had to go through on an almost daily basis, he was long overdue for a raise. And Cadence also made a mental note to formally apologize to Twilight for that one time where Flurry had been abruptly dumped into her hooves.
Once she had regained her composure and her dignity, the crystal princess trotted into the throne room and took her seat upon her crystal throne. To think, she'd once thought holding court and tending to visitors was boring, and that she had craved excitement. Now that Flurry Heart had entered the picture, the steadiness and predictability of court was a welcome relief from the chaotic struggles of parenthood.
It wasn't long before the first guest entered the throne room. It was none other than Twilight Sparkle. And as soon as she came trotting in, she and Cadence performed their usual greeting as they chanted together. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Then, as they often did afterwards, they chuckled about it. No matter how many times they did it, it never got old.
Cadence flashed a warm, welcoming smile. "This is a nice surprise, Twilight," She said as she trotted back to her throne and sat down. "Usually, with how organized you are, you tend to give me plenty of advanced notice when you're coming for a visit."
Twilight nodded. "I know. This was really a spur of the moment decision. But I had to come and see you."
The candy colored alicorn questioned with a quirked brow. Something about the way Twilight had said that raised suspicion. "What do you mean by that, Twilight? Is something wrong? Did you use 'The Want It, Need It Spell' again?"
Twilight blushed a shade of bright red with embarrassment. "It was only that one time, Cadence! I wasn't thinking straight," She quickly recovered, coughing into a hoof. "And that's not why I wanted to see you. Everything's fine in Ponyville. In fact, things have been so quiet and peaceful that I started doing some research."
"I'm still not seeing what that has to do with me," Cadence inquired of her fellow alicorn. Then it dawned on her all of a sudden. "Wait a minute, were you doing more genealogical research?"
The young princess firmly nodded, somewhat sheepishly adding. "I just started thinking. I know you told me that story about how you became an alicorn, and I wanted to believe you. But I had to make sure, so I... did a little bit of research. And as I did so, I started thinking about other things. There was something I realized that struck me as odd."
"What is it, Twilight? You seem to be trying to beat around the bush." Cadence questioned.
Twilight swallowed hard. "W-well, Princess Celestia adopted you into her family, right?"
The princess of love somewhat hesitantly replied. "Yes. What does that have to do with anything?"
Twilight explained further. "And, Prince Blueblood is also part of her family, she adopted him too."
Princess Cadence quickly realized what her sister-in-law was getting at. Something of a frown started to form on her face as a result. "Oh, so you... noticed."
Twilight Sparkle hesitantly replied. "Y-yeah, it was... k-kind of hard not to notice. It doesn't seem like you and Prince Blueblood have ever spoken to one another at any point. I've never seen him show up to any important events in your life: Not your royal wedding, not the birth of Flurry Heart, not anything. And... you're family, isn't family supposed to always be there for one another?"
At that Cadence let out a sigh, swishing her tail a bit in frustration. "Twilight, you must understand: Blueblood and I have had a..." She paused, putting a hoof to her chin as she tried to think of what to say next. She ultimately settled for. "'Complicated relationship' to put it delicately. We've more or less stayed out of each other's way, and it's been for the best. Blueblood is very opinionated, you know."
Twilight nervously answered. "Y-yeah, I know. Rarity had a really bad encounter with him at the Grand Galloping Gala a few years back. Though to be fair, it seems he's not the only pony with a high ranking title whose reputation precedes him. And even so, I've seen how you can make other ponies get along."
"That's only if there's a spark between them that can be mended," The candy colored princess protested. "I wish I could say there was such a spark between my adopted brother and I, but I don't want to be a liar. Blueblood and I haven't spoken to each other face to face in years, and I think that's for the better for both of us."
Hearing such a statement caused Twilight to gasp, her wings bursting out to either side of her! Despite all she had dealt with over the years, to hear that her own sister-in-law could not be speaking terms with another member of her family was shocking to say the least.
Princess Cadence, meanwhile, was already thinking back to the last time she could remember ever having spoken to Prince Blueblood. She couldn't recall the exact date and time, but she knew it had been many, many years ago, back when she had just started settling in to her new life in Canterlot. And back when she had just gotten used to being the adopted niece of Princess Celestia.
The teenaged Cadence had been enjoying a perfectly pleasant day in the city of Canterlot, taking in the sights and sounds of Equestria's capital city. Compared to the little village she had known before, Canterlot was almost overwhelming! Everything was so brightly colored, and there were so many ponies almost everywhere you looked! To think, not that long ago she had been just a simple pegasus filly. Yet here she was now, officially of royal blood through adoption.
So lost in her thoughts was the alicorn that she didn't realize or pay attention to where she was going. All of a sudden, she felt herself collide with somepony. She opened her eyes, and saw herself face to face with a unicorn colt who seemed to be about her age. Just like Princess Celestia, he had a lilly white coat. But unlike Princess Celestia, he had blonde locks styled to perfection, and arctic blue eyes that currently looked to be very upset. If she squinted, she could just make out what appeared to be his cutie mark: A compass rose in shades of yellow and pink.
"Well, aren't you going to apologize for getting in my way?" The colt snapped and snorted. "I'll have you know that I am royalty, my aunt is the supreme princess and sovereign ruler of our land. Surely, you would not show such disrespect to her. So why should I be any different? I am a prince, after all."
"O-oh, so sorry," Cadence replied as she hastily apologized. "I'm still new here. I didn't see you, honest."
The colt humphed and narrowed his eyes. "Really? How could you not notice me?" He stomped a hoof down. "Just who do you think you are, anyway?"
Cadence cleared her throat. "I'm Princess Mi'Amore Cadenza," She then blushed. "But please, just call me Cadence. I have no idea why my Aunt Celestia insisted on giving me that fancy title. She says it has to do with my cutie mark, but she won't tell me why. She keeps saying I'll understand when I'm older and ready for more responsibilities."
At that the colt with blonde locks jumped back in surprise, gasping audibly! "Wait a royal moment! You mean to tell me that you are that newly ascended alicorn that Princess Celestia insisted on bringing back with her from her most recent trip abroad?! The same one I hear she has officially given permission to become a certified foalsitter?!"
"Y-yes," Cadence somewhat nervously replied. "And, you said she was your aunt too?"
The prince firmly nodded. "Indeed she is. She took me in out of the kindness of her own heart and taught me all the ins and outs of being part of high society. She taught me the importance of making good connections, and I'd like to think her lessons have more than paid dividends. I have recently been inducted into the planning committee for the Grand Galloping Gala," He then bowed his head. "But you need only know me as Prince Blueblood."
The candy colored alicorn gasped as her eyes went wide! "No way! If Princess Celestia is your aunt and also my aunt, then that would mean we're family! You're my brother!"
Prince Blueblood humphed. "Technically, yes. But I hardly think it matters if we are related or not. Whereas you spend your days entertaining young ones while their parents attend important meetings and parties, I spend my time hobnobbing with the cream of the crop of Equestrian society. Not a thing goes on in this city that I don't know about. And just what you are a princess of, Cadence?"
Cadence proudly gestured to her flanks, which displayed a heart made of pure crystal and surrounded by yellow ribbons. "I'm the princess of love. At least, that's what Aunt Celestia told me. She says it's because of how I reversed a spell that was intended to make ponies hate each other," She then let out a sigh. "But it wasn't enough to save my parents, they were too far gone."
Blueblood appeared to be moved ever so slightly by Cadence's confession. "Well, that's something else we have in common. I too was orphaned before Princess Celestia adopted me."
"What happened to your parents?" Princess Cadence hesitantly asked.
"If you must know," Blueblood scoffed in an indifferent tone of voice. "They were the unfortunate victims of a carriage accident whilst enjoying a well earned vacation to Trottingham. It was of good fortune that I was too young to accompany them, or I would've surely become a victim of the accident too. Luckily, Princess Celestia stepped in and officially took me under my wing rather than allow me to suffer the indignity of having to be stuck in an orphanage," He shook his head from side to side. "The very idea of having to associate with common trash makes my fur crawl. I'm far too dignified to be subjected to such a fate."
Cadence could hardly believe her ears. She had experienced a few ponies like this already and had thought little of them. But for her more or less adopted brother to display such prejudices, it sickened her. She narrowed her own eyes and glared at him. "You're not supposed to act like that, you know! Aunt Celestia specifically believes that as royalty, we're not to place ourselves above the others or think we're better than them."
Prince Blueblood threw back his head and laughed. "Ha, shows what she knows! She spends her days putting on a poker face whilst attending to the needs of those who come to see her. Just because she doesn't feel the need to cloak herself in the majesty of her title does not mean we're to be subjected to the same. Why shouldn't we be treated with the dignity and respect that our titles bestow upon us? Royalty and nobility will always outrank those of lesser class."
"But don't you see? That's the problem," Princess Cadence protested. "I've been foalsitting for a lot of ponies who are not neither of royal blood or belong to the nobility. Many of them are some of my best friends."
The prince with blonde locks only coldly replied. "Well, you live your life the way you want to. If you're content to waste your days with the lower class, be my guest. As for myself, I am quite content to be included only among the best and brightest Equestria has to offer," He spat at the ground and turned his head. "I've wasted enough time talking to you. It was nice getting to know you, Mi'Amore Cadenza. May our paths never cross again."
The candy colored princess could only watch as her adoptive brother trotted away, his head held high and refusing to look at her. How could there possibly exist somepony so cold hearted?
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Twilight," Princess Cadence spoke up as her recollection of memories ended. "For what it's worth, I held out hope that he might one day learn the error of his ways. But seeing as he neither attended my wedding or has paid a visit to me here in the Crystal Empire, I think it's quite clear that he has no intention of ever trying to make amends with me."
"So, he hates you and you hate him?" Twilight questioned with concern.
Cadence shook her head from side to side. "Hate is far too strong a word, Twilight. He is part of my family, after all. We did at least for a while maintain ties through letters. But even those eventually tapered off. And it's now been years since we've had any form of communication. Knowing Blueblood, he probably doesn't care much either way if we never speak to each other again."
Twilight stubbornly protested. "You can't let a bad experience or two in the past cloud your judgment. You're the princess of love for pony's sake! You should try to lead by example. If he won't come to you, he should come to him. Reach out to him, go to him in Canterlot, do something!"
The princess of love only frowned in reply, lighting up her horn and producing a finely sealed letter. "Perhaps this will convince you, Twilight," She said in a frustrated tone. "This is one of the last letters he sent to me. It was just after my wedding to Shining Armor, a wedding Blueblood was invited to but never bothered to show up to. Trust me, he was one of the first ponies I sent an invitation to. And I never got a reply. This was the closest he came to acknowledging he even knew about my wedding."
The letter was soon unsealed, and Cadence cleared her throat as she read it aloud for her sister-in-law to hear. The letter read as follows:
Dear Princess Mi'Amore Cadenza,
Yes, yes, I know you prefer to be called Cadence. But I for one find it ridiculous, even childish for you to refuse to embrace your title and the privileges that come with it. You are of royal blood, so you should act like it instead of denying it.
A thousand apologies for the lateness of my reply. I have been working behind the scenes for the past several months to restore my reputation after that no good Miss. Rarity publicly humiliated me. What makes her think she's so special? She is hardly any different from the hundreds or so of other suitors who have had the privilege of courting me. I put up with her for an entire evening, and how did she repay me: By smearing me with cake and calling me a royal pain!
Getting back to the subject at hoof, I have heard about what apparently went down at your royal wedding to Shining Armor. Congratulations, by the way. If nothing else, you have chosen an excellent suitor in the form of the captain of the royal guard. You certainly could've done far worse and married below your station. I for one consider Captain Armor to be... adequate, I suppose.
In regards to what has been said about this so-called queen of changelings kidnapping you and taking your place, you ought to be ashamed of yourself! How could you have allowed such a humiliating thing to happen to you?! You are of royal blood for pony's sake! Did Aunt Celestia not teach you how to defend yourself against those who would try to harm you?!
Well, I guess you can thank your sister-in-law for sacrificing herself so selflessly to rescue you. Rest assured that if that so-called queen had had the nerve to attempt such a thing with me, she would've been lucky to walk away with only a wounded pride. I for one would've seen fit to ensure she was made a public example of, to correct the oversight our aunt committed in allowing our Aunt Luna to return to society so soon after her attempted overthrow over a thousand years ago.
I do hope Shining Armor will be a suitable husband for you, and that he will always be faithful to you. You make sure he understands that now that he's royalty too, he is to act like it. But I shan't hold my breath, I suspect you will love him even if he turns out to be a complete slob who cannot manage even the most basic levels of chivlary.
Sincerely yours,
Prince Blueblood
P.S. Do not dare attempt to plant that Sparkle label on me as a result of your marriage. Just because the family has two successful children does not mean they are at all on the same level as you and I.
The letter was then sealed back up and tucked away.
Twilight was left in a state of shock and speechlessness! Any doubts she might have had about Prince Blueblood after the Grand Galloping Gala were now erased. It seems he hadn't learned his lesson at all.
Princess Cadence tried to maintain her composure as she said to her sister-in-law. "Do you see now, Twilight? There's no point in trying to make amends with him. And believe me, I've tried more than I probably should have. Part of me still holds out hope that he might change, yet another part of me feels that I'm a fool to think that will ever happen."
"But Cadence-" Twilight tried to plea in protest.
Cadence threw up a hoof and silenced her sister-in-law. "-It's over, Twilight. I don't want to talk about it anymore, so please drop it."
Reluctantly, Twilight Sparkle did so. She turned and trotted away, still trying to process her shock at how Cadence and Blueblood's family bonds could be so strained. Almost every sibling bond she'd experienced had been warm and welcoming. Even Fluttershy's troubled bond with Zephyr Breeze was nothing compared to the animosity that seemed to exist between Princess Cadence and Prince Blueblood.
The princess of love quickly sought to distract herself for the rest of the day as she continued to hold court. Yet try as she might, her thoughts about Prince Blueblood would not leave her alone. They kept nagging at her, even though she convinced herself there was nothing more to be said or done about them.
When at last court was adjourned for the day, Princess Cadence found herself feeling surprisingly more exhausted than she had been before court had started. That was most odd to her.
Just as the crystal princess rose from her throne and prepared to go check on her daughter (who was likely wide awake by now and causing more mischief), she was surprised to be suddenly greeted by one of the crystal guards! The stallion came rushing up to her, nearly out of breath and looking as if he'd just seen a ghost! "P-Princess Cadence, oh thank the stars I've found you!"
"What's going on?" Cadence questioned with concern.
The guard, still panting heavily, managed to force out. "It's Prince Blueblood, your highness. He's... been admitted to Canterlot General Hospital!"
At that Cadence's eyes went wide! Her wings popped out to either side as she gasped! "What?!"
The guard nodded quite quickly and explained. "The details are still a little fuzzy. Apparently, the doctors are saying it's not life threatening, but it is serious! It happened very suddenly. And supposedly, nopony but him even knew he was sick. I was told to notify you as soon as possible."
Right then and there, Princess Cadence pushed all those complicated thoughts she had about her adopted brother to the back of her mind. "Go find Sunburst and let him know that I'm in need of his services again. In fact, tell him I'll pay him double his usual rate for foalsitting." She instructed to the guard.
"Will do, your highness," The guard saluted. "But what about you? What are you going to do?"
The candy colored alicorn bit her lip as she suddenly hesitated, questioning the decision she'd just been about to make. "I... I don't know!" And she hastily teleported away without saying anything further!
Cadence soon found herself alone on a balcony within her castle, looking out towards the horizon. For a moment, she had actually thought about going right to Canterlot to see her brother, to get the latest update on his condition and find out for herself what it was that had sent him to the hospital. But something had stopped her from doing so. Something had made her hesitate.
The crystal princess knew what that something was. It was those lingering feelings of hostility towards the prince. She had thought they were relatively mild, all things considered. It had felt more like indifference than anything else. He clearly hadn't bothered to stay up to date on all the developments in her life. And if it wasn't life threatening, what did it matter if she went to see him or not? He would surely recover eventually, and probably be none the worse for wear as a result of it. He'd probably see it as a mild inconvenience.
So why did she feel so bad about not wanting to go see him? Why was part of her mind practically begging her to do so? Why couldn't she sort out these complicated feelings and make a decision one way or the other?
Groaning and putting a hoof to her forehead, Princess Cadence let out an impatient sigh of frustration. Do or don't, how hard was it to decide one way or the other? Would it really matter either way?
In silence, the candy colored alicorn paced the floor of the balcony for what felt like several minutes, deep in thought. She tried her best to weigh the pros and cons of both choices, to decide one and for all how she truly felt about her adopted brother. But a consensus continued to elude her no matter what she did.
At last, Cadence made up her mind. And this time it was settled quite firmly, there would be no hesitating or second-guessing this time. She knew at once what she had to do! Lighting up her horn, she teleported away.
Princess Cadence had to pause for a moment to get her bearings after teleporting into Canterlot. She rarely teleported such long distances. Even with all the experience she'd gained with using her horn, she still mainly used it for small tasks. Long distance teleportation was far more taxing to her than she suspected it was for any of her fellow alicorns.
Once she had recovered, the crystal princess started racing through the streets at a breakneck pace! She didn't stop until she had reached her destination: The massive brick and stone building that was Canterlot General Hospital, one of the finest medical facilities in all of Equestria.
Pushing open the doors, Cadence immediately trotted up to the reception desk and inquired of the unicorn mare standing behind it. "Where's Prince Blueblood?"
The unicorn mare, sporting a white coat, a red mane and tail, and brown eyes explained in a calm, matter of fact tone. "All the way down at the end of the hall, room 126. But be careful, he just came out of recovery and needs to rest: Doctor's orders."
Undeterred by this, Princess Cadence raced down to the aforementioned room. She was not surprised in the least to see that Princess Celestia and Twilight were already there, no doubt they had been alerted to the sudden medical emergency too (it would've been silly to expect otherwise).
"Cadence, you came!" Twilight exclaimed in surprise! "I wasn't sure you would."
The princess of love protested. "When any member of my family is sick enough to go to the hospital, I'm going to be there for them, regardless of what things might be like between them. That's what family is for."
"Are you sure you're ready to see him again, Cadence?" Princess Celestia cautioned her adopted niece. "I know you two haven't spoken to each other for a very long time."
Cadence would not be deterred. "I'm going to see him and that's final! I need to know that he's okay. And then we're going to have a talk whether he expects it or not." With her mind firmly made up, she pushed open the door to the room and trotted in, then slammed it shut behind her.
Prince Blueblood was laying in the hospital bed at the far end of the room, gazing longingly out of the window at the city streets below. Attached to one of his front hooves was a long, narrow tube in turn hooked up to a machine that broke up the silence with audible, steady beeps. His mane and tail appeared to be a bit dishelved, but otherwise there seemed to be no outward signs that his medical episode had at all adversely affected him.
This was it, no turning back now. Princess Cadence sighed and grit her teeth. Ready or not, it was time for the talk she had wanted and yet had been dreading. She cleared her throat, catching her adopted brother's attention as his eyes quickly fell upon her.
For a moment, all was silent. Cadence and Blueblood eyed each other, as if daring the other to speak or move. But neither did, they just stood (or sat in Blueblood's case) in their respective parts of the room.
At last, it was Prince Blueblood who found the courage to speak. "Oh, it's you," He said to Cadence quite slowly. "It's... nice to see you again, I suppose."
"You don't have to lie, Blueblood," Princess Cadence said in reply. "We haven't spoken to each other in a long time, and we both know why that is. Our bond has been strained, perhaps almost to the breaking point."
Blueblood quite slowly. "Indeed. Though it's only fair that you should know, my abrupt spell of silence in responding to your letters was not by intention. I've been... busy," He slowly trailed off for a moment, then started to speak more. "Apparently too busy. The doctors all say that this abrupt sick spell was brought on in part by too much work. I'm to take it easy for the next several months, give my overtaxed brain and body a rest."
"I'm... sorry to hear that," The crystal prince sincerely stated. "Really. I know all those committees and other things you were part of meant a lot to you."
The prince just unhappily sighed. "Indeed they did. But I suppose it can't be helped. If I must step aside from them temporarily for the sake of my health, my hooves have been tied."
"You're surprisingly calm about this," Cadence remarked with sincere surprise in her tone of voice. Then it was her turn to sigh. "Look, we can't keep going on like this. We can't just keep making small talk and pretending that nothing's wrong."
"Well what do you expect me to say? That I'm sorry I didn't keep up with your busy lifestyle because of my busy lifestyle?" Prince Blueblood groaned in annoyance. "Even if I haven't replied to your letters, I have been kept informed of the developments in your life. I understand you have a daughter, and a most rambunctious one at that."
Cadence slowly nodded. "Yes. Still, it could be worse. At least her surges are under control, thank Celestia for that."
The prince only replied. "Well, you've had your life and I've had mine. And I think we were both better off just continuing on with only the slightest awareness of what the other was doing. I see little reason why we should have to change it just because of this ordeal."
Princess Cadence immediately, desperately protested! "But don't you see?! That's the whole problem! This can't go on! I don't want to keep on pretending you don't exist, Blueblood! We're family, we shouldn't be so distant from each other!"
"So, what, you want to re-establish contact and communication?" Blueblood asked in what sounded like a sincere tone of voice. "Or do you perhaps intend to lure me to that empire of yours whilst I continue my recovery?"
"If you want to," The crystal princess insisted with a smile. "I think you'd love it. It's really beautiful, especially at this time of year. Who knows when you might next have an opportunity? And maybe a change of scenery will do you some good. It can't hurt to try, can it?"
Blueblood answered quite slowly. "Seems like you're quite set on this because of what's happened to me. I suppose we have been growing more apart and more distant. I would hate for you to think I don't care about you at all. I may not approve of the way you conduct yourself, but even I must admit it seems to work to your advantage. Plus, I get the feeling Aunt Celestia wouldn't appreciate this feud continuing to linger like a bad odor."
Cadence then hopefully asked. "So, is that? Does this mean we can finally bury that hatchet?"
The prince shrugged his hooves. "I guess so, at least for now."
Cadence leaned over the bed and hugged her adopted brother tightly. "Oh thank you, Blueblood! I mean it! I never imagined I'd feel this good about getting to talk to you like this. But now I'm glad I decided to do it. It feels like a burden has been lifted from me."
"Oddly enough, I think I feel the same, ever so slightly," The prince willingly confessed. "I could get used to this more... friendly connection between us."