It had taken a couple of hours before Midnight and Applejack had shown up for breakfast, but overall they were both satisfied with the end result. However, a certain white Alicorn had planned on having Midnight start his training shortly after breakfast, which was now long over, but that didn't stop the two ponies from taking a seat and having a late breakfast, much to the instructor’s furious disapproval.

"I honestly can't tell you the last time I have ever had this much trouble with helping a royal member of the court, of any court for that matter, get into my classroom and study like the rest! You are a grown stallion! You should know better than to talk back to an instructor when they ask something of you! Much less with your mouth full!" A grumpy and very annoyed elder unicorn groaned, trying his best to berate Midnight for his inhospitable actions and sheer lack of showing interest.

Midnight and AJ looked to each other before giving out a muffled laugh from them both having a mouth full of breakfast. After a few seconds, to finally swallow what they were eating, Midnight spoke up, still chuckling.

"AJ, I dunno about this guy. He thinks he can seriously train me to become a royal snob. Should I enlighten him? Or should I let him attempt the impossible?" He smirked as he glanced back to the now seething elder unicorn as he pressed his glasses further up onto his nose and tossing part of his yellow mane out of his face with a hoof.

AJ gave a slight chuckle as she watched the green unicorn fuming for a moment before she spoke up as well.

"Ah reckon ya could enlighten him a bit." She laughed but paused as the unicorn turned his head to her upon hearing her dialect.

"I take it that you must be Miss Applejack." He stated as he grinned mischievously.

"Ah am, an why ya'll askin?" She stated with a scrutinizing glare.

"Well, Princess Celestia has advised me to instruct you as well. Since you seem to have a slight problem with the way you speak." He stated as he cleared his throat, smiling toward the young mare.

"Are ya'll makin fun'o the way ah talk?" She asked as she glared even harder toward the instructor as he continued to smile.

"I'm not making fun of it, heavens no. I am simply making an observation to what I was told." He stated as he stepped up to the table, placing a small satchel onto it. "And since neither of you seem to be cooperating, I guess I will have no choice but to begin the lessons here." He sighed as he began to pull several books from the satchel and setting them up onto the end of the table.

As he was placing the items onto the table, the dark Alicorn grinned as he leaned over and began whispering into Applejack’s ear.

"Think we should give him the royal treatment?" He asked, giving her a wink.

"Ya mean? Talk fancy?" She grinned evilly.

"It's that, or torment the poor bastard until he runs away pulling his mane out." Midnight snickered.

"OH! How'bout this!" Applejack snickered as she began whispering into Midnight's ear, his own grin turning more and more sinister with each word Applejack was saying.

"Oh you're goooooooood!" Midnight grinned evilly toward her. She smirked back, nodding her head while cocking her brow.

"You know it sugar."

After a few minutes, they had finishing up their meal; the table had been cleaned up by the castle staff; and the two ponies that were at the opposite end of the table were now sitting toward the other end as they listened to the instructor.

"Thank you two for finishing up so quickly, I do say that I may not have as much work cut out for me as previously thought." He tittered. "Now then, my name is Proper Etiquette. Do not let the name fool you, I may be proper now, but my teaching style is very strenuous to the intellectually declined. I hope that both of you have, at least, half a brain in order to understand what I am speaking about." He sighed as he looked to the two ponies, both nodding in understanding, which surprised the elder unicorn as his glasses drooped slightly in disbelief.

"We understand, and we know quite a bit about all the formalities of being royalty as well." Midnight stated as he gave a soft smile, much like Celestia’s.

"I do understand the prospects of having to be formal at gatherings, and while in the company of those who seek to have our company and thoughts on subjects as well." Applejack stated in a more upper class, and soft tone. Her pronunciations of each word were perfect each time.

Proper Etiquette stood there, his cheeks burning a little from having heard Applejack’s serene and upper class tone of voice, it having done a complete 180 in dialect and tone from what she had spoken with earlier.

"But ah don't unner'stand why ah gotta speak all fancy, t'ain't like ah'm gonna need teh talk to any other fancy ponies n'such." She blurted out right afterward, causing Proper to gawk.

"It isn't a matter of wanting to do this, it is a matter of having to. You see, if a royal from any country comes to Equestria, they expect to speak to a wise and intelligent ruler. Not some hick from a hole in the ground." He stated, waving his hoof dismissively. This only causing Applejack to growl out toward him, and cause Midnight's mane and tail to deepen into a darker crimson.

"Ah ain't no hick ya snobby nose lil'pri...." She paused as Midnight put a hoof in front of her.

"Applejack." Midnight stated in a monotone, opening a psychic link to her via magic. "Now that I have your attention."

He stated within the link. "Don't worry about what he says, in the end, we will have the last laugh."

"Awright, but ah hope ya make'im pay fer that insult. Ah wouldn't mind bucking him right up'side the head right now if'n ya'd let me." She stated angrily within the link.

"No worries love, he will get his very shortly." Midnight grinned as they both brought their attention back to the green instructor before them.

After several hours of being taught the proper etiquette that would make other high class ponies respect and admire them. Proper had managed to get them to very quickly turn over a new leaf in the way that they spoke and acted while in the presence of others. Although AJ had been grinding her teeth through the whole event, she found comfort in the fact that this nutty unicorn was about to eat all of his insults in one fell swoop as they both entered into the throne room.

As the three walked up to the bottom of the stairs that led up to the thrones. Proper introduced the two ponies as they were now dressed in royal attire. Midnight in his regal armor, and Applejack wearing her Element along with a small tiara.

"Your Highness' and Duchess'. I bid thee to welcome Midnight Flame, and Duchess Applejack into thy court." He beamed as the two came forth and began to bow but paused as they both shot up the stairs and began to shake everyponies’ hooves quickly.

"Well gooooOOOoooolee! Ah sure do like teh make yer aquatence an'all. This'll be mah first time being king, Yup yup uh huh!" Midnight grinned like an idiot as he began running through the line of mares and shaking their hooves roughly. Upon leaving Celestia stunned, Luna gave an audible snort before covering her mouth with a hoof, trying her best not to laugh at not only Midnight’s antics, but also the total expression of utter horror that Proper Etiquette now had plastered across his face.

Applejack was almost choking from holding in a giggle herself as she went along with the facade of induced embarrassment. Adding a little thicker dialect to her normal speaking tone.

"Well good'golly'gosh ya'll. Ain't been but few owhars since ah saw ya'll, but that there done flew bye while mah stallion an'I was rutting like ferals a short time back! Eeyup." AJ snickered, giving a quick wink toward the now full body blushed group of mares.

*Thud*

All of the ponies sitting at the thrones turned to the sound of a body hitting the floor. Upon looking down to the spot where the noise had come from, they all looked on, trying to hold back any snickers or laughing that would have come from it, but failed miserably as they looked upon the now, shocked into unconsciousness green unicorn, resting on the floor at the bottom of the stairs. Midnight sighed as he hoofed a bag of bits to Applejack, she gave a chuckle as she continued smirking.

"Ok............. I am completely lost at this point." Celestia managed to blurt out as she rubbed her head with a hoof upon seeing what had just transpired.

"Blame our stallion here." AJ piped up giving a loud laugh. "Dern fool thought he'd be able to hustle me in a bet. Bet he didn't know you can't hustle an Apple." She chuckled.

"One more little turn and I would have had you though." Midnight grinned as he gave AJ a playful nudge.

"Yea yea, more bits fer me." She grinned as she tossed the bag up and down playfully on her hoof. Midnight giving a very sly smirk.

"Double or nothing says I can make him pass out with one move." Midnight snickered. AJ cocking a brow at him as she began to push her hoof out the shake on it.

"That's enough you two." Twilight spoke up once the shock had worn off. "I can't believe you did that to my old professor." She sighed as she descended the stairs. Once she had made it to the bottom she began to gently shake the elder unicorn until he finally awoke.

"Oh......... my CELESTIA!" He shouted in a fury as he glared death at the two. "Never in all my years have I had this much trouble with anypony. Even one that had never been, nor meant to been royalty. He huffed as he got to his hooves and began leaving the room. His berating still being shouted out until his voice had trailed off in the distance down the hall.

Midnight and Applejack just bro-hoofed at that point. Their point coming across very clearly to the angry green unicorn that had just left to go and cry elsewhere.

"What are you two so happy about?! You could have given that poor stallion a heart attack from being so............. so.........."

Twilight was having trouble finding the correct words to express herself, but failed as the two other ponies began to laugh loudly and joke.

"Twi, it was all in good fun. I can't even believe that Tia would hire such a snotty, uppity class pony, thinking that they could teach me about being royalty. I already know the hoofbook inside and out. There really wasn't a need to get him to come here." Midnight chuckled seeing the confused faces of everypony around him.

Celestia looked rather surprised by the remark, and so, asked. "Please then my dear, will you show us how to act royal."

Midnight gave a cocked brown as a dashing smile spread across his face. He took in a deep breath as he began. His normal stature being replaced with a far more proud and, dare I say, quite dashing stance that made him look quite handsome. He slowly walked over to Rarity, sweeping her off of her hooves and into his arms as he began to speak in a slightly rugged, yet kind voice.

"My sweetest diamond, do you not believe that I am made of greatness? That I would use my abilities for anything other than good for the entire universe? I ask of you this. What makes a king a king? Is it the way he must hold himself back when there are those out there that request a fight? Would it be because he decided to hurt the enemy instead of aid them? There are countless questions that run through my mind every second of every day. All of them asking me the same thing. What can I do to become a better pony? How can I change for the better in order to help our kingdom?" He paused for a moment as he kissed her then set her back down into her seat, she swayed from the impact that not only his words, but the kiss had made on her as well.

"A king is someone who does not change for himself, but for his people and kingdom. Should he have to endure training into something that will only take away from his normal being? Or should he remain the same as everypony already knows him. Would you want a clown to show up in a party and then turn into a mime? I think not. That would be pretty boring. So why ask a king to change just to appease a few party members, when in fact, it is the whole kingdom that looks up to him instead of just a small group of ponies and other beings."

He sighed softly for a moment before picking up once again. "Listen," He began in a serious tone. "I can handle being serious around certain ponies, but I will not act differently toward those that already know me. I will always be me because that is what makes me special, just like everyponies’ talents resemble their cutie marks. So please, let me, be me. I am sure that the entire kingdom, as well as the planet would welcome it. Welcome somepony they can relate to, and not be afraid to ask them questions or berate them for a silly decision." Coming to a stop he smiled as Celestia came up to his side, giving him a gentle nuzzle.

"Night, you are correct in your assumptions. Why change who we are when others can find comfort in the fact that we are also like them in so many ways. That we too make mistakes within our lives much like they do. We try to be the perfect role model, but the truth is, a perfect role model is somepony they can relate to. Somepony that has flaws just like them and everypony else across the entire world." She paused giving a slight chuckle.

"I do believe that you have taught me something new today my dear." Celestia stated causing the rest of the ponies around her to give a slightly surprised expression.

"Me, teach you something new? I'm in shock!" He spoke playfully, exaggerating the sentence even more by placing a hoof onto his chest. Celestia, as well as the others, rolled their eyes at his antics.

"Don't get used to it, I am still eons older than all of you combined. It will not be often that you can teach the teacher." She smirked.

"I know, but at least it will be a lot of fun to try." He chuckled. "And if I can't teach you something new." He began as he trotted up to her smiling, then laughed loudly as he licked her eye and bolted down the stairs. "There is always the shock and awe treatment!" He laughed even louder as he could hear her yelling toward him, the sound of rapid hoofsteps making their way down the stairs and taking chase after him.

The other three mares stood there in shock for a moment before laughing.

"I guess that our darling stallion will still remain a colt in his mind at times." Rarity tittered.

"At least he will keep things interesting." Twilight giggled as well.

"Darn tootin!" AJ finished as they all head down the stairs and out of the throne room to find the duo.

Author's Notes:

Edited by ReFro