A Royal Pain

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 3: A Royal Examination

“So what, pray tell, do you mean by studying me?”

“Oh, just your normal battery of tests to understand the magic at work,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “To study this seapony magic firsthoof is an incredible opportunity, and the way it interacts with your unicorn magic could help us understand how to employ their magic. Just think of the applications of their water magic on the surface!”

“Yes, but this study is going to help us understand how it works? And how to fix it?”

“Fix? I certainly hope nothing is wrong! Well, that’s why we need this initial examination,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Follow me.”

Twilight Sparkle opened a door, and Blueblood followed her down a staircase. The stairs curved down for quite a while, opening into an enormous basement laboratory. The machines reminded Blueblood of the description of a mad unicorn’s lair in a book for young colts. Even when not in use, magical energy crackled in wires, rods, and crystals. But what he found most disturbing was something rather more mundane, a bed tucked into the corner of the room. That Twilight Sparkle spent enough time here that she needed a place to sleep made him hope that she would never fall victim to corruption like Nightmare Moon.

“Are we going to be down here long? I’m afraid I haven’t had dinner,” Blueblood said.

“Not long. I just want some quick readings. We can do the longer tests later. Go ahead and sit there.”

Blueblood sat on an uncomfortable wooden chair, and Twilight Sparkle’s horn flared. He felt some unwieldy contraption get lifted onto his head, and several sensors attached to his body. They itched and pulled at the hairs of his coat.

With practiced moves, Twilight Sparkle inserted crystals into one of the machines and adjusted wires and levers. Then she began casting spells. He counted at least five spells coming off her horn, and felt the effects of magic flowing through him, nothing stronger than a mild aching in his teeth and horn.

Blueblood sat for twenty minutes, hearing only the sound of multiple quills writing on paper. He had plenty of time to watch what was happening. His attention was drawn to one of the machines, writing on its own, ink covering paper coming off a large roll. “What is all this?” he finally asked.

“Oh, just a little something I’ve developed,” she replied. “At its core is a basic spell matrix, which serves the normal purpose of repeated castings of minor spells and stabilizing larger spells. I’ve increased its power, so it can be used with more advanced spells, and then I added some machines to automate the recording process. But really, it’s not much different from the equipment you’d find in a school lab.”

“How does it compare to the lab in Princess Celestia’s school?”

“It’s a little more complex,” she replied. Blueblood lifted an eyebrow. “Okay, a lot more complex.”

Blueblood sighed as the machines continued to record. “Is this going to be my fate here?” he asked. “Work, tests, sleep?”

“Your fate is what you make it,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Ponyville will never be Canterlot, but there are plenty of things to do. The Running of the Leaves is coming up. That’s where everypony races through the Whitetail Wood to prepare it for winter. And then there’s your party tonight.”

“What party?”

“In the pocket of your jacket,” Twilight Sparkle said, pointing. Blueblood looked, and found a colorful decorated envelope there. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out how it got there. He lifted it up and turned it over in his magical aura, holding it away from him like it was a piece of odorous refuse.

“Pinkie Pie has a party for everypony who comes to Ponyville, and tonight’s your turn,” she explained.

Blueblood recognized the name of another of the Elements of Harmony, but the name was also setting off alarms in his head. Frustratingly, he couldn’t remember why. “Maybe I’ll pass,” he said.

“You don’t want to miss a Pinkie Pie party!” Twilight Sparkle replied. “If you want, just show up for the punch and cake. If you don’t show up at all, it will just make ponies talk. And I’m sure you don’t want that.”

“Fine,” Blueblood replied. “Are we done here?”

“Yes. These were just the baseline tests,” Twilight Sparkle said. “The longer tests will come later.”

Blueblood’s long sigh filled the basement laboratory.

Prince Blueblood searched his trunks for something appropriate for a Ponyville party. He eventually selected a collarless jacket, the kind he favored when going slumming with his friends. If he knew anything about this town, few ponies would be wearing anything anyway.

Once ready, he followed Twilight Sparkle to his destination. Sugarcube Corner, apparently, was that garishly decorated bakery he’d had the misfortune of seeing on his walk to work. Twilight Sparkle motioned him forward, and he opened the door.

Before Blueblood could take in the interior of the bakery, his field of vision was flooded by pink, a very pink mare who had to be Pinkie Pie. “Hi hi hi, Prince Blueblood!” she said, cheerily and rapidly. “Welcome to your welcome to Ponyville party! Normally, it’s a surprise party, but then I thought you’re probably sick of surprises! And then I thought, wouldn’t it be a surprise for everypony else for this to not be a surprise party? Come in, we have cake and cookies and punch and Pin the Tail on the Pony!”

“Uh, thanks,” he replied. She bounced away, and Blueblood could now see the party. Balloons, streamers, bright colors. Plates of cookies and bowls of punch. A phonograph playing happy, silly music. An actual Pin the Tail on the Pony game.

Now it came back to him. Pinkie Pie made every party look like a party for a foal’s fifth birthday. And all the nobles in Canterlot laughed at her because of that. And now he, scion of one of Canterlot’s most noble families, was trapped as the guest of honor of a Pinkie Pie party.

“One hour. I can survive one hour of this,” he muttered to himself.

Blueblood fixed a fake smile to his face and mingled. He did his best to remember the names of everypony who introduced herself, and must have told his cover story for why he was in Ponyville a dozen times. And he sampled the sweets. They were surprisingly good. They weren’t good like a dessert that would help a master Canterlot chef earn his third star; rather, they were good in the sense of comfort food. The treats were soft and chewy, sweet and gooey. He would have adored them when he was a colt, and they still tasted good to him now.

Of course, too many sweets made him thirsty. Blueblood wandered over to the punch bowl, only to have Pinkie Pie pop up in front of him, in that same unnerving manner. “Oh, no, Blueblood, you don’t want that punch! You want the punch on that table over there!” she said. The two punch bowls looked the same to him. He thought about ignoring her, but got the feeling that she wouldn’t let him go.

“Very well then,” Blueblood replied. Pinkie Pie bounced over to the other table, and rapidly ladled punch into a waiting cup, not spilling a drop. Blueblood nodded and lifted the cup with his telekinesis, taking a sip of the overly sweet fruit punch.

It was a while later, when conversing with another Ponyville resident, that he noticed something about the punch. His nose picked up the scent of alcohol from the cup of that resident, alcohol that wasn’t in his punch. Blueblood looked for Pinkie Pie, and found her at the center of the room, standing over a huge cake.

“It’s time for cake, everypony!” Pinkie Pie announced, to hoof stomps from the crowd. She cut the cake and put a center piece on a plate. “And here’s a slice for the guest of honor, Canterlot’s own Prince Blueblood!” More applause followed, but Blueblood thought it was rather more subdued. Then he felt everypony’s eyes on him as they waited expectantly.

“Thank you, everypony, for your warm welcome,” Blueblood said. “My work may only bring me here for a short time, but you’ve made me feel like a local. And thank you, Miss Pinkie Pie, for the wonderful party.” He had given some variant of that speech so many times, it came easily to him. And it always sounded sincere.

There was more applause, and then Pinkie Pie got to the task of handing out cake. Again, it was good, if a bit sweet. The frosting is the easiest thing to ruin, but this cake had rich chocolate buttercream frosting, creamy and just sweet enough. And he had a center piece, just the way he liked, so he didn’t have too much frosting.

By the time he finished his cake, Twilight Sparkle had appeared by his side. “What do you think? Are you ready to go?” she asked.

“Yes. I don’t think I care for this kind of party.”

Blueblood spoke briefly to Pinkie Pie, thanking her again and taking his leave. Once they were en route, and not in earshot of anypony else, Blueblood turned to Twilight Sparkle. “Did you tell Pinkie Pie about my condition?” he asked angrily.

“What? No, of course not,” she replied.

“Well, she certainly acted like she knew.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“First, she made a comment about me being sick of surprises. And then she steered me away from the alcoholic punch. What else am I supposed to think?”

Twilight Sparkle pondered for a moment. “Well, when Princess Celestia sent you here, were you surprised?”

“Yes.”

“And I bet you didn’t like it.”

“Not one bit.”

She nodded. “And do you like rum punch?”

“Oh, dear Celestia, no. It’s nasty.”

“So, there you have it. It’s another explanation for what Pinkie Pie said.”

“I hardly think it’s the most likely explanation,” Blueblood said sourly.

“Do you normally like a piece of cake from the center of the cake?”

“Well, yes, of course, but....”

“Look, Prince Blueblood. I’ve known Pinkie Pie for more than three years now. I have an extensive laboratory, a special talent in magic, and a direct line of communication with Princess Celestia. And I still don’t know how Pinkie Pie does the things she does.” She paused. “But I’ll tell you this. She is the Element of Laughter. If she somehow does know you’re pregnant, then she also knows you don’t want others to know, and she’s not going to do something that makes you sad.”

They walked in silence the rest of the way back to the library. And once inside, things stayed quiet. Spike was still at the party, so it was just the two of them. Both ponies read, Blueblood researching one of the books Twilight Sparkle found about seapony magic.

About an hour later, Twilight Sparkle went to the kitchen and brought out a tray of crudites. “To counteract all those sweets from Sugarcube Corner,” she commented. Then they went back to reading, now accompanied by the sound of crunching vegetables.

Spike returned home later that night. The young dragon had a large tub balanced on his head. “Pinkie Pie gave me leftover ice cream!” he announced. “Double chocolate brownie! I can’t wait to get started on this!”

“Spike! You’ve had plenty to eat,” Twilight Sparkle cautioned.

“But the ice cream is all soft and runny on the edges, just the way I like it!”

Twilight Sparkle sighed. “Fine. One small bowl.”

“Actually, I think I would care for a small bowl of ice cream as well,” Blueblood said.

“Sure thing!” Spike replied. He walked to the kitchen, and soon came back with two bowls. “Here you go, Prince Blueblood!”

“Thank you,” the prince replied. He went back to his reading, eating his snacks. He turned a page, and then noticed Twilight Sparkle and Spike staring at him.

“What?” Blueblood said.

“What are you doing?” Spike asked.

“Reading. And snacking, I suppose.”

“No, that!” Spike was pointing at his bowl of ice cream.

Blueblood shrugged, and continued to dip pickles into the bowl of ice cream before eating them.

“Ewww,” Spike moaned.

“I’m glad you decided to come to the Running of the Leaves, Prince Blueblood,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“I feel like I could use the exercise,” Blueblood replied. “But I fail to see the importance of this tradition. Why not just use magic, like back in Canterlot?”

“A lot of traditions in Ponyville came about due to the town’s earth pony heritage. There weren’t unicorns, so it took physical effort to clear the leaves off the trees and transition the Whitetail Wood from fall to winter,” she explained. “Plus, it wouldn’t be practical. By my rough calculation, there are thirty times as many trees in this forest than there are in all of Canterlot.

“Thirty times?” he replied, surprised. “Well, I guess the town is isolated.”

“I’m glad you finally decided to leave the horseshoes at home,” Twilight Sparkle commented. “I think you’ll be happier if you try to fit in.” He was still going to stand out, as he would probably be the only pony wearing clothes. His loose-fitting outfit resembled the sportswear that Shining Armor sometimes wore. But she also noticed a logo on his clothes. She suspected his clothes came from some big name Canterlot fashion designer.

“Actually, I’m not wearing horseshoes because I’ll be running over uneven natural terrain. It’s one of those basic lessons from physical education class. I thought you’d remember it.”

“Well, Princess Celestia excused me from gym when I was a student,” she said sheepishly. “But I learned all about racing by reading a book before my first race. I even finished in fifth place!”

“You? Fifth place?”

“To be fair, that was only because Applejack and Rainbow Dash spent so much time sabotaging each others’ progress that they forgot about everypony else. They’re competing again this year, and we’re both going to lose to them,” she stated.

“I don’t doubt that. I’m running for fun,” Blueblood said. “Such that it is,” he whispered.

“I’m excited for the race as well,” Twilight Sparkle said. “This will be my first time running as an alicorn, and I’m going to monitor my magical aura to see how prominently my earth pony magic will manifest. I’d also like to watch your aura, too.”

“What is that going to do?”

“I want to see if any seapony magic comes out as you’re running.” Blueblood stared at Twilight Sparkle blankly. “Okay, quick lesson. The physical aspect of the Running of the Leaves, shaking the ground, is only part of what causes the leaves to fall. Mostly, it’s earth pony magic, the trees responding to the will of the passing earth ponies asking the tree to shed its leaves. The pegasi contribute air magic, pulling wind behind them and through the trees. And unicorns, well, our contribution is minimal, sort of helping the other magic work better.”

“I prefer to call it leadership,” Blueblood said.

“But since seapony magic never interacts with trees, I’m really curious to see what happens!”

“Nothing bad, I hope.”

“Of course not,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I’m certain; well, I'm 99.4% confident in my assertion.”

Twilight Sparkle and Blueblood made it to the race’s staging area. Somepony took down their names and issued them numbers. From there, they waited. Blueblood paced around, trying to stay limber, all the while feeling the presence of the cloth patches on his sides, painted with the number 17. They covered his cutie marks, and the rough material at the corners of the patches reminded him of burrs. But if professional athletes could deal with this, not to mention everypony in Ponyville, he could endure.

“Attention, everypony!” Mayor Mare called. “Fillies and gentlecolts, distinguished guests, welcome to the annual Ponyville Running of the Leaves. As always, we race through the Whitetail Wood to get the leaves off the trees and prepare the woods for winter. Follow the trail marked by the arrows. Now, let’s all have a nice, clean race!” Blueblood noticed the mayor looking pointedly at an orange earth pony mare and a light blue pegasus mare. Applejack and Rainbow Dash, he assumed. They looked away from the mayor, and focused their attention on each other.

“On your mark, get set, go!” The herd of racing ponies took off, led by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Those two soon pulled away from the crowd, and Blueblood lost sight of them after a few minutes. He set a brisk pace for himself, fast enough to feel his elevated heartbeat, but not so fast that he couldn’t speak. Twilight Sparkle kept pace with him.

After ten minutes, the racers had spread apart. Blueblood and Twilight Sparkle were behind fewer than ten ponies, and not in sight of anypony else. The trees had shed only a few of their leaves. He noticed Twilight Sparkle’s horn flare.

“What are you doing?” Blueblood asked.

“Remember? I’m checking our magic.” She tsked. “You can do better than that, Prince Blueblood. You have to want the leaves to fall off the trees!”

Blueblood stared down the path and gazed over the trees. You will lose your leaves, he thought. But not much changed. Only a small number of leaves fell as they passed by.

“Good, good,” Twilight Sparkle said. “But, you know, don’t expect miracles.”

They continued to race, passing by one pony who appeared to have worn herself out. Blueblood noticed Twilight Sparkle enjoying the sights of the forest, as if this were some pleasure stroll and not a race. “Why aren’t you taking the race seriously?” he finally asked.

“This is a beautiful wilderness,” she replied. “There’s nothing like it in Canterlot. If you’re not going to enjoy it, then why run?”

“You said it was to prepare the forest for winter.”

“Right, but you should do both! That’s what most ponies do, at least the ones who aren’t hypercompetitive.”

“Well, this is a race, and I’m tired of holding back,” Blueblood said.

“I have enough magical readings from us, and we’re nearing the three-quarters mark,” Twilight Sparkle said. “So if you want to race, let’s go!”

Blueblood nodded and galloped faster. He estimated he would face another six minutes of running, and adjusted his speed accordingly. But when he looked up, Twilight Sparkle had pulled far ahead of him. Gritting his teeth, he raced faster, hot in pursuit of the alicorn. For a while, he closed the distance. But it ultimately proved to be a mistake, as he soon developed pains in his sides, a sign of overexertion. Even worse, he heard the sounds of ponies behind him, catching up. He suffered the indignity of being passed twice on his way to the finish line.

By the time Blueblood crossed the finish line, Twilight Sparkle was already recovered from her exertion. She was talking to Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The earth pony had a smug expression on her face, suggesting that she was victorious, and it wasn’t close enough to argue about. Twilight Sparkle noticed his arrival, and trotted up to him.

“Congratulations! You finished in ninth place!” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Yeah. Great,” Blueblood said in between gasps of breath.

“Applejack came in first, and there’s some bet she had with Rainbow Dash, and as you might suspect, she’s none too happy,” Twilight Sparkle continued. “I came in sixth, which is effectively my personal best, but it’s really not a fair comparison, since I’ve been developing earth pony strength and endurance over the last six months.”

“Sure. Wonderful.”

“Once you’ve recovered, I suggest watching for the bulk of the racers,” Twilight Sparkle suggested. “It’s quite the sight!”

Once again, Blueblood found himself waiting. Soon, his ears picked up a faint rumbling sound. He looked to the woods as the rumbling became a roar. A large group of ponies finally emerged from the woods. As they did, almost all of the remaining leaves fell off the trees. When that happened, Blueblood stared at the sight. Bare trees stretched as far as he could see.

“I told you it was something!” Twilight Sparkle said.

Ponies drank ladles of water from buckets as they recovered from the race. Soon, Mayor Mare took the stage again. “It’s time for the prizes!” she called. The murmuring in the crowd ceased. “First place, Applejack.” The orange pony stood proudly on stage, accepting her medal.

“Second place, Rainbow Dash.” The crowd murmured as the mare didn’t show up. “Rainbow Dash?” Finally, the rainbow-maned mare was pushed to the stage, looking different from when he had seen her earlier. She had a big red bow in her mane, and garish makeup on her face. She tried to make herself look small, but Mayor Mare pushed her forward, praising her excellent performance.

Blueblood listened and watched as the medals were passed out. After eighth place was called, some mare named Shoeshine, his ears perked up. “And that’s it,” Mayor Mare said. “Thank you again, everypony, for participating.”

Twilight Sparkle trotted up, her sixth place medal around her neck. “Sorry, Blueblood. The medals only go down to eighth place.

Blueblood turned and started to walk back to town.

“Don’t be like that,” Twilight Sparkle told the fuming unicorn. “Look, I’d just like to do one more test before heading home.”

“I suppose,” he replied.

Twilight Sparkle led Blueblood to a tree that still had a few leaves clinging to it. “Something I noticed on our run is how your magic manifested. While magic permeates our bodies, it is primarily expressed through a unicorn’s horn, a pegasus’ wings, or an earth pony’s hooves. I noticed you were manifesting magic through your hooves, but only your rear hooves. Since seaponies, well, seaponies that aren’t narwhals manifest through their tails, it appears you have acquired some seapony magic, and it’s working via its closest analog. I’d like to see if you can use it.”

“That’s... mildly disturbing. Let me see if I can sense it.” Blueblood shut his eyes and entered a meditative state. He reached inward, searching for his magical core. He felt it, at the base of his horn, but he also felt something else. It was centered in his midsection, probably surrounding the foal he was carrying. “I feel it.”

“Good. Now, try to use it, and will the leaves off this tree.”

Blueblood concentrated, tapping into his additional magic. He could feel it flow, from his center through his hooves, but something felt wrong. He stamped his rear hooves a couple of times for effect, but it didn’t help. “It’s not working. It feels like, I don’t know, something’s missing.”

Blueblood redoubled his efforts. This time, he felt both of his forms of magic at work. His horn glowed, and then he felt magic flowing through his hooves and into the earth.

Twilight Sparkle watched as Blueblood summoned a sphere of water. Once created, it shot up into the air, washing the remaining leaves off the tree. Then gravity asserted itself over the water. The jet of water came down, forming a beautiful parabolic arc.

Twilight Sparkle stepped back.

Blueblood shouted as the water he created fell onto him, soaking him. His mane was ruined, and he felt leaves stuck under his clothes.

“Seapony magic works to remove the leaves by using control of water currents,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It wasn’t working in the absence of water, but once you used a basic conjuration to create some water, it was successful. Brilliant!”

“Yes, brilliant,” a wet Blueblood deadpanned.

“You really think common seapony magic can be replicated by a unicorn?”

“That’s the thrust of my theory. I’m fairly certain it can, thanks to our research,” Twilight Sparkle said. “One would have to first create a magical matrix to translate the magic to the appropriate shape. It will be difficult, for sure, but I think it can be done.”

“So then I could, say, manipulate water currents in the seapony manner, allowing me to swim faster?”

“In theory, yes. You could use the same magic you showed during our test at the lake. On the other hoof, creating the matrix could wear you out before you could even cast the spell. As they say, individual results will vary.”

“I know that means more work for me,” Blueblood said. “But I feel a lot stronger in my magic ever since I’ve started working with you,” he continued.

“I could introduce you to a basic spell matrix,” Twilight Sparkle suggested. “It wouldn’t be strong enough for what we’ve been talking about, but it’s important to learn the basics first.”

“A fine suggestion, Princess, but I’m afraid work calls.”

“Oh! Sorry, Prince Blueblood! I didn’t notice it got so late!”

“Well then, have a good day, Twilight Sparkle.”

Blueblood gave a friendly wave and trotted out the door. The brisk winter air greeted him. He struggled to button his warm woolen jacket. Two months had passed since the Running of the Leaves, and he was beginning to see a bump in his abdomen. He sighed and reflected on his life in Ponyville.

In a word, life in Ponyville was routine. It was routine in Canterlot as well, but in a more interesting way. Social events were fewer and far less extravagant. Blueblood attended most of them, tagging along with Twilight Sparkle. But other than that, he didn’t do much.

He had embraced Twilight Sparkle’s study of him, endeavoring to understand the magic at work. He also took the opportunity, living in a library with perhaps the world’s most skilled user of magic, to increase his command of unicorn magic. He had attained basic proficiency in eight more spells, and improved his command of a dozen more spells he already knew. Becoming better at magic was never a bad thing, particularly when living in a city where most of the elite were unicorns. It helps to know what tricks one’s rivals could possibly be employing.

And work was going well, too. In fact, he had just completed the most important part of his job here in Ponyville. He was smiling as he entered Town Hall and walked up to Red Tape’s desk. “Here are the last of the surveys in the town proper,” he announced.

“Excellent news,” Red Tape said smoothly. “Any problems?”

“None whatsoever,” he replied. “No matter what the old surveys were written on, the listed boundaries match the properties. However, I did find another two instances of gaps between two properties.”

“Noted. I’ll refer the issue for study at the next town council meeting.”

“I still say you should use my idea to turn those areas into parks,” Blueblood joked.

“Yes, a town park that’s four hooves wide. That would make Ponyville unique, that’s for sure.”

“You’ll probably be seeing less of me over the next month,” Blueblood said. “I’ll survey the farms next, then the mines and other outlying areas. Each of these properties will take some time to survey.”

“I understand. It’s a shame you have to do this during winter.”

“I prefer working in winter. It’s best to work when the leaves are off the trees.”

“And we have you to thank for that, Mister Ninth Place,” Red Tape said, smirking.

Blueblood chuckled. This friendly banter was definitely not something he experienced working in Canterlot. “I’ll have you know that you are completely wrong. I will be doing no surveying in the Whitetail Wood.”

“Sure, sure. I hope Princess Twilight Sparkle isn’t keeping you up with all her experiments,” Red Tape commented.

“It’s not too bad. She gets to sleep at a reasonable hour. Most of the time, at least.” Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “What do you know about her experiments?”

“Nothing at all. I’m not a unicorn, after all. All I know is that she’s filed a lot more paperwork for bringing restricted items into Ponyville.”

“I guess I never thought that magic would involve paperwork.”

“It does, and in triplicate,” Red Tape replied with a laugh. “Well, for most unicorns, they’ll never have to deal with it. The restrictions only apply to certain crystals and reagents, and as I understand it, they power the kind of spells that very few unicorns can control. It’s quite obvious to me that Twilight Sparkle has some special dispensation from Princess Celestia to handle these items, but she always fills in the paperwork in time. And even though she doesn’t have to anymore, she still files her requests.”

“What do you mean, doesn’t have to?” Blueblood asked.

“She’s a princess now. Top nobility have freer access to these items, and their requests don’t get added to the public record. To protect national security, these requests are sealed, and can only be opened by royal decree or supermajority vote of the Noble Council.”

“Ah. I don’t think I’ve ever read that law.” Blueblood knew that the nobility regularly exempted themselves from laws. National security was often cited as the reason. While a citizen of a hostile foreign nation could gain some insight into Canterlot’s plans by looking at what the nobles did, the greater threat was some other noble house.

“If you’re interested in the relevant law, I could provide you a transcription,” Red Tape offered. “Of course, the standard fee of ten bits will apply.”

Blueblood grumbled. Bureaucrats. They’re the same everywhere.

Prince Blueblood sat down to lunch. Sitting at a table in the far corner of the restaurant, he worked his way through a daisy sandwich and a double order of hay fries while he perused one of his reference books. It was a special book, with something secret inside. Basic Surveying Techniques and Tools was chosen for this purpose not because it was hard to read, but because the library had a copy, and Twilight Sparkle had already read it.

From between select pages of this text, Blueblood pulled out papers with lines of carefully hornwritten notes, diagrams, and spell formulae. It was apparent from his early interaction with her that Twilight Sparkle would not help him get rid of his problem. So he didn’t mention it again, and instead played the role of eager student. He read all the books she found about seapony magic. He also read every spellbook he could get his hooves on, mostly requested from Spike, under the guise of comparative research.

In front of him now was his plan, a series of spells that would rid him of his problem. To be honest, casting any one of these spells was beyond his talents, and maintaining them all at the same time would be inconceivable. Fortunately for him, Twilight Sparkle had a machine that could stabilize a spell as it was cast, and maintain multiple spells. In casual conversation while enduring frequent tests, Blueblood had learned how the machine worked. He had even tested it, maintaining six different telekinetic auras without his conscious thought.

The problem with Blueblood’s plan was getting the crystals to power the spell matrix. The normal crystals weren’t going to work for the spells he had in mind. The most powerful of the crystals were kept by Twilight Sparkle in a magically secured safe in the basement. Blueblood knew he wasn’t going to get at those. But he could just buy his own crystals!

He smiled as he read the copy of the law Red Tape had provided him. He took a quill in his aura and started filling in paperwork. By the time somepony went through the process of unsealing these records, Blueblood knew he would be cured.

Author's Notes:

Blueblood has... a plan!

The next chapter will will be cloptional, a self-contained clop chapter. If you don't care for clop, feel free to skip it. The chapter following will describe enough of what happened to let you follow along.