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by Eyeswirl the Weirded

Chapter 4: Chapter 3: Another Bird In Another Hoof

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Perhaps it was the activity of the night draining his energy, perhaps it was the more-than-recommended dose of tranquilizers he took to ensure he wouldn’t have to think about being watched as he slept by the haunting night guards, but Blueblood rested well that night, making a point of not getting out from under the covers of his lofty bed until the sun had been up for about half an hour.

He headed down to breakfast, thankfully free of flapping nightmares, no pun intended, and leafed through the morning paper as he bit into a croissant gripped in his magic, nodding thanks to the servant that had left the plate there. It was an interesting headline this morning, some factory workers reported some kind of monster must have been born of their newest batch of frosting, evidently mixed with a jar of Zap Apple Jam. Their account told of how mixing magical applesauce with common confectionary ingredients must have offended nature or something, giving birth to an abomination of frosting and anquish that marched through the factory, setting off alarms and leaving a trail of fresh frosting in clumps along the floor, leading outside. The creature, they told reporters, must have known it wasn’t supposed to exist, because the sugary trail ended by a water hose on the exterior of a nearby building, where the creature must have washed itself away, ending its own life before the reign of terror and heaven’s reckoning could truly begin.

Blueblood set the paper down, face expressionless, and stared into space for several long moments.

Well, he eventually managed to form a sentence, if only in his head, at least Fleur got out of that mess without jail time, I’d have probably had to pay her bail. On that note, I was caught, wonder what sort of ‘penance’ I’ll be saddled wi-

As had been happening a lot lately, his thoughts were interrupted by a noise from a nearby door flinging open, Luna and a comparatively small, yellow pegasus looking directly at him. “Nephew!” Luna smiled triumphantly, a hoof in the air to accompany her impending declarations. “We have settled on a new opportunity with which you may make up for the previous one!” She indicated the light-pink-maned pegasus, who squeaked when she did so, shrinking behind her abnormally long mane as if to take cover in it.

Blueblood blinked, raising an eyebrow. Haven’t I seen this one somewhere? A noblemare I offended in the past, perhaps? Suppose that would be in line with the little “project” Auntie Luna’s wrangled me into, play nice with a shallow, mindless, gold digging-

“You will help this one walk with the animals,” Luna continued, “talk with the animals, grunt and squeak and squawk with the animals!”

Even the delicate-looking mare seemed a little confused, her objection, that word being used very loosely, almost a whisper. “Uhm, th-that’s not quite what I, I mean, sometimes it helps if you make similar sounds, familiarity helping the little critters to learn you don’t mean them harm and possibly convincing them you’re one of their kind, but, um…”

As she went on, Luna regarding her with an inquisitive eyebrow raised, it dawned on Blueblood, his breath slowing in indirect proportion to his terrified heartbeat, exactly where he had seen the yellow pony. The Gala, not just a gala, any of the events held annually, The Gala, the one where, in seconds, a calm evening was reduced to tumult potent enough that Discord himself was freed from confinement not long after, he recalled. He could hardly remember anything specific about the evening, walking about with a starry-eyed mare he couldn’t recall, sitting out in the garden with no fear of bat-winged horrors hanging about at the time, insulting some country bumpkin that apparently slipped past security, and the soul-freezing cry of the timid-looking mare before him. The prince hardly recognized her without the green, tattered dress, this was Fluttershy, supposed bearer of the Element of Kindness and the Shrieking Demon of The Gala, whose death-wail echoed in his nightmares for weeks afterward, and now she was looking at him.

Right.

At.

Him.

Noticing the servant from moments ago had vanished and royal blood rapidly chilling in his veins, he looked pleadingly to his younger aunt, somewhere between begging and praying she realize the horror worse than any of her bat guards standing next to her. She spoke, grinning widely and without a care in the world. “So it is settled, you will assist dear and gentle Fluttershy in communing with the fauna of the Royal Garden.”

He stared at the both of them.

“…”

They stared back.

“…?”

Blueblood sat perfectly still, not even blinking for a moment before he shot up in his seat. “GREATMEETYOUTHERE,BYE!” and fled the room at speeds even faster than in the cake factory the night before.

The two of them alone, Fluttershy looked to the princess with a hint of uncertainty. “He seemed… Nice?”

Luna nodded sternly. “He had most certainly better be, dear Fluttershy.”

---

The panicked prince took a few moments to run back to his room, throw on a fine, though aged, dark green coat, knowing he would soon be among animals that bathed with their tongues, set his mane in it’s usual perfect style with a quick spell, took a shot of the liquor hidden behind a painting, a hearty drink he kept telling himself he would identify someday, rather than just swiping a new bottle from the hors d'oeuvre table at various social gatherings every now and then, slapped himself in the face, and sped off towards the royal gardens, nerves as steeled as they’d ever be against the monster and it’s quest to…

Wait a minute.

He slowed to a brisk trot. Why would a screeching devil want to be among animals, even the finest in the land? And why was she so… collected? He thought back to a few moments before, the feathered horror standing calmly beside his dark aunt. Of course. He chuckled at himself as the royal gardens came into view, early morning’s light bathing the lush, green foliage and flowers, morning dew still gleaming off the petals adorning the archways, cool, serene air helping to match the newfound tranquility of his thoughts. She can’t be a monster all the time, she’d have never gotten into Canterlot were that the case, something must have pushed her the night of The Gala…

Blueblood remembered overhearing Twilight Sparkle talking about her friends in the times she stayed at the castle since her ascension to the rank of Princess, her Ali-coronation, as the guards had been calling it. One of the things that she talked about with a smile depicting fond memories with those she held dear and a girlish giggle was how fearsome some of her friends, the other Element Bearers, could be. He grinned, as though having learned the weakness of a great and terrible beast to be slain. All he had to do, he was fairly certain, was keep Fluttershy calm and happy, the safety of Canterlot, perhaps Equestria as a whole, depended on it.

He stood on the soft grass, alone, small creatures nearby not really minding him too much. Now, how does one do that with animals…? I used to play in the gardens as a colt, but surely she wouldn’t come all the way from that peasant hovel the Element Bearers apparently choose to inhabit just to-

“E-excuse me?”

Blueblood jumped, which also startled a few nearby birds into taking off for more peaceful parts of the garden. He whipped his head to look at the source of the soft voice, wide-eyed, full-well knowing the absurdity of the thought that she could read his mind doing nothing to dissuade it.

She shrunk back a little, breaking eye contact almost the second it was established. “Oh! I-I’m sorry, was that too loud? I was j-just trying to get your attention and, um, ohh, I’m such a loudmouth!” Looking squarely at the ground, she muttered something more he didn’t catch.

The prince’s eyes darted back and forth instinctively, not even sure what he might have been on lookout for as he spoke, filling his voice with as much of that patented regal charm as he could manage. “That’s quite alright, Miss Fluttershy, I was actually looking for you.”

She blushed, facing him for a split second. “R-really? Because I was standing here for a full minute trying to get your attention,” she glanced at him again, eyes widening in alarm, “I MEAN, n-n-not to say you’re inattentive or anything,” her voice was getting softer and squeakier with every word, “I’m sure you’re very, very busy with, um, whatever it is princes do, it’s just that, I was right here wavingmyhoofinfrontofyourfaceand-“ A moment later, the unintelligible remainder of her spoken thoughts ceased.

Blueblood guessed by her lowered head and apparent attempts to hide in her own mane that she was not having a great time, which meant he’d be in trouble soon if that didn’t change. He flashed a winning smile, giving one of his practiced ‘don’t-worry-about-it’ chuckles for use on intimidated subjects in the hopes it would defuse the situation a little. “Please, don’t worry about it, as Princess Luna said, I am here to help you with the garden animals however I am able.”

Adding the actual words with the laugh didn’t seem to do much for the trembling pegasus, but she was at least at ease enough to look directly at him, deep, light-green eyes touching the edges of his soul. “Really…?”

He suppressed a flinch at her surprisingly intense gaze. It’s almost like a bat pony’s… “O-of course, whatever makes you think otherwise?”

She raised an eyebrow cautiously. “You kindof walked right past me a minute or two ago…”

Red flags in his head. WARNING, WARNING, she’s getting mad, do something NOW!! His eyes once again surveyed the area as quickly as possible, not finding any living things besides plants. He needed to find something with fur or feathers or something, fast. “Y-yes, well,” he stammered out, now about as nervous as the shy mare had been at the start of their conversation, “Let’s get onto those animals, shall we?!”

He didn’t notice her frightened, rapidly reddening face as he hefted her onto his back, nor the squeak of alarm she gave when he did, and darted towards the nearest sound of living things. This, of course, scared away the spider monkeys, walaroos, squirrels, a vulture, and more as he and his butter-yellow burden rushed towards them at least four times before Fluttershy finally managed to hop off the prince’s back when he stopped for breath.

“D-don-huff-don’t worry, I’ll, -pantpant- I’ll, animals, find, f-for-huff- the, t-the, uh…” He looked directly at Fluttershy, and the sight was like cold knife twisting through his insides.

She wasn’t angry, wasn’t scared, she was crying silently, muttering something that sounded like ‘just like last time.’ He slowly held out a hoof, speaking very softly. “Are… Are you alright?”

She shook her head, streaming eyes pointed squarely at the grass once again. “No! It’s j-just like last time, I-sniff-I just wanted to m-meet a few-sniff- little critters, a-and, and-!” In the next seconds, she stopped trying to speak, collapsed with her face in her forehooves and sobbed like a small filly.

Blueblood looked at her with lowered ears. I am a monster. Prince Vladimir Blueblood, he thought to himself, reknowned destroyer of mare’s dreams, immune to big, sad eyes? Thought you didn’t care when they started crying, did you? WRONG, YOU WERE WRONG, WRONG, A THOUSAND MOON-BANISHED TIMES WROOONG!!

The sight of the crying pony too painful to gaze on a second longer, he looked around, desperate, If I could just nab one of the little beasts in my magic, she’d-no! It would still be scared, she’d still be distressed, havetodosomethinghaveto-

Inspiration. Memory. A plan!

He remembered how he’d play in the gardens as a colt, one bird in particular seemed to like him more than any of the rest, maybe if…? Blueblood raised his muzzle and let out a sound.

His call was horribly rusty, it had been years since he had last used it, but right now it was his best hope. He held out a hoof, waiting.

Fluttershy’s sobbing died down just a little, raising her head at the sound “W-what was…?” At that moment, a fairy large, black avian with a colorful beak, getting on in years, but clearly still full of life, perched on the prince’s outstretched foreleg, tilting it’s head at him as if to say ‘oh, haven’t seen you in a while, hello!’ The prince grinned a little at the sight of his old, feathered friend, inclining his head toward Fluttershy, which the toucan followed, looking quizzically at the mare who had, much to Blueblood’s relief, stopped crying.

She rose to her hooves slowly, carefully, certain any wrong move on her part would send the pretty bird seeking refuge from the horrible yellow monster she was sure they saw her as. Fluttershy had seen and held toucans before, but this one had such thick, black feathers shiny enough to give it a beautiful luster in contrast to the vibrant, colorful rings on it’s beak! She couldn’t help a cautiously optimistic smile, eyes widening with wonder as she reached out to touch the long-beaked avian with a hoof. It fluttered it’s wings a little at this, turning it’s head to the prince. Fluttershy could practically hear the understood silence between them.

‘Is this one ok?’

‘She’s fine.’

‘Well, ok then… By the way, what’s got you so busy these days?’

‘You don’t want to know.’

‘Fair enough.’

Her heart sank for a split second when it flapped it’s wings to take off, immediately rising again when it landed on her head, nestling a little in her soft, pink mane. She was afraid her smile would split her face, or make Pinkie Pie jealous. Ohh, I’d hate to have her upset I was smiling wider than her, she’d forgive me, right…? Well, now’s not the time for that… She knew it was impossible to look at something while it was directly atop your head, but her eyes drifted upwards anyway as she quietly addressed the toucan nesting in her mane. “Hello, little one, my name is Fluttershy…”

As the bird and bird-pony communicated, Blueblood smiled at the two of them, grateful. Grateful the little friend he’d not visited in a long time remembered him, grateful it was enough to dry the apparent animal-lover’s tears, and, oddly… Grateful to have witnessed this sight. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen a pony so calm, so at peace, and so serenely cheerful, about the exotic fauna of the royal gardens, or much of anything else.

Author's Notes:

Why would a simple bird remember somepony that hadn’t so much as visited in years, you ask? I would refer you to the show’s title.

Next Chapter: Chapter 4: Picture Perfect Panic Estimated time remaining: 3 Hours, 58 Minutes
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