"Once again, Thank you for the most wonderful welcome to your nation, Your Majesty," Prince Blueblood said with a calm smile as he sat inside the carriage, a table separating him from Queen Jennino Lanternlight.
"Please, I already told you, Your Highness, The Pleasure was all mine," The Canine Queen told the prince as she sat facing him, a dreamy expression on her face as she rested her head in her hands, her elbows resting on the table in front of her.
Starlight Glimmer wanted to jump out of the carriage because of how bored she was.
"Remember Starlight, you need to actually sell the idea that you're my bodyguard, so you need to start actually doing your job," The Prince told her before they entered the carriage.
It was currently the second day in Caninia, Half the employees were left on the ship in the port town, with only Yearling and Trixie coming with.
Starlight wished she could have stayed on the ship as well, at least then she'd die of dysentery rather than Boredom.
"How about a game?" Starlight perked at that, only to again slouch when she saw that it was once again the Queen failing to hit on Blueblood.
"That sounds lovely," Starlight rolled her eyes at his answer, knowing full well he knew what she was trying to do.
"Never in my life did I ever think I'd see Jenn acting like that," One of the other dogs in the rather large carriage, Princess Ambrosia if Starlight remembered, spoke as she watched her older sister conduct what could only be described by Starlight as the world's most roundabout mating tactic.
"I'd be surprised if it leads anywhere," The other Princess, Moonbeam, added as she lay on her back, using the bench she sat on as a bed, her magic staff lying on the floor beside her.
"Every time suitors come up she's all like 'No, I can't do that, I'm much too busy,' but suddenly blonde white and handsome here shows up she's all like 'Oh Moonbeam, I need everything to be perfect for his arrival,' Like she's suddenly getting married, Bleh." Moonbeam said, trying to mimic her sister before saying "Bleh" and mimicking throwing up.
"I think it's cute," Ambrosia defended her sister, turning to look at the shorter of the Princesses.
"If you mean that It's cute how stupid it is, then sure. Jenn never even held a boy's hand, and she thinks what she's doing will get Princely here to notice her?" Moonbeam replied, and Starlight tried to make it look like she wasn't listening in to their conversation.
"Will it even work?" From another corner of the carriage, Trixie piped in with a whisper, "She's a Dog and he's a Pony, Is that even... You know?"
"Hey," Moonbeam said, "If there's a hole there's a goal. Just because they can't biologically reproduce with each other doesn't mean the sausage won't fit the bun,"
Starlight nodded her head subtly, mostly agreeing with Princess Moonbeam in regard to the idea of Dog/Pony intercourse.
"How long do you think it will take for them to notice that we can all hear them?" Starlight froze and slowly turned her eyes to see Blueblood smiling slyly at her, Queen Jennino across him, covering her face with her paws as she curled herself into a ball of Canine embarrassment.
Once again, For what might again seem like the ten-thousandth time, Starlight Glimmer almost felt like she regretted her past decisions.
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"Indy! You won't believe it!" Princess Fiona Fluffyears said excitedly as she ran across the Old Castle yards, jumping into a hug as she wrapped her arms and legs around her older sister, "Jenn and the others are hosting a meeting with Prince Blueblood Platinum!"
"Not so loud!" Princess Indiana Ambereyes shushed her youngest sister before prying her off and holding her at arm's length before quickly walking to a quiet corner of the yard, "If Kath hears that you left the castle, she'll cause a scene, and we don't want her to cause a scene with the VIP in the castle." She whispered loudly.
"Oh Yeah! The VIP..." Fiona nodded her head in understanding, her eyes closed and her arms crossed with a smirk of understanding on her face.
"Yes Fiona, the VIP," Indiana repeated, "You do remember the VIP Kath has over, right?" She asked.
"Me? Pfft! Of course I remember the VIP, why would I not remember the VIP?" Fiona said, her smile cracking and her eyes looking away from her sister.
"You forgot about the VIP didn't you?" Indiana asked with a deadpan expression.
"Totally," Fiona answered truthfully, her yellow tail wagging behind her as she smiled up at her sister.
"Of course you did..." Indiana palmed her face and groaned, "Okay, let's quickly get you washed before one of the servants catches a whiff of you," She said and started dragging Fiona towards the castle proper.
"Oh oh! Do you wanna' join me?" Fiona asked her sister with a smile on her face, her tail still wagging as Indiana dragged her away.
"Join you? I don't have time for-" Whatever retort Indiana had to give immediately fell apart when she turned and saw the wide glistening eyes of her younger sister, all so cute and adorable "-Dammit..."
"Yay!"
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"This is so boring!" A Griffon yelled for the tenth time that hour, her coat of fur and feathers covered by a heavy wool coat to keep her warm in the late fall cold.
"Maybe you should go and do a round of surveying around the ship, you know, for safety?" A Pink Pegasus Filly told her, her tiny body mostly hidden underneath the thick parka she wore.
"You know what Twerp, Fine!" Gilda exclaimed and with a clap of her wings, she was in the air.
Looking at the Griffon from behind a glass window, A certain Earth Pony(?) decided to leave the kitchen and get started with his plan.
"First step, Get the rest of the Love Jelly out of the boys' room," He whispered to himself, the uncomfortable smile he was starting to be known for replaced with a neutral frown.
He only had a few days to get everything ready, He wouldn't let some sniveling brat ruin his great plan.
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"Welcome to the New Castle!" Queen Lanternlight said with cheer as she exited the carriage, her short arms raised above her head as she smiled at the Equestrian party, her younger sister raising her staff haphazardly to create magical sparks of color, her other sister clapping her paws with a smile on her face as her tail wagged.
Suffice to say, Jenn was happy to be off the carriage.
"It looks wonderful," Jenn smiled brightly when Prince Blueblood complimented her castle.
"Jennino, Look at you," Jenn froze and the happy expression on the Queen and two Princesses' faces soured as they turned to look at a blue-haired Dog who was walking nearby with a small platoon of guards.
"Katherina," Jennino said respectfully, her eyes twitching in annoyance to find her eldest sister, and Queen of the Old Castle, so close to her own castle.
"When I heard you returned after the sudden departure you had, I was curious," The Dog Queen said, her eyes looking down at her younger sister, "But seeing you leave everything behind to meet with a foreign prince is simply so alike you, with how you so easily throw away your future for your selfish desires," Katherina Proudpaws, Legitimate Queen of Caninia, mocked her sister with a sneer.
"Are you not tired of playing pretend Jennino? Come back to me," The Dog Queen told her sister, "Being a Ruler was never your strong suit."
As the two Dog Queens fought in the field of family matters, Prince Blueblood had his eyes glued to a different royal, one who he recognized from the year worth of memories his new body gave him.
"Oh no..." He whispered to himself, his eyes passing through Queen Katherina, through her guards, and straight into a familiar face he hadn't spoken or seen since he took over the Prince's body.
A Face that represented his worst enemy!
Someone who is both emotional and affectionate, known to portray their feeling with physical attachment, someone who is powerful both physically but also politically.
And worst of all, someone he can't beat up without consequences.
And when the person his eyes were glued to turned their head and caught his stare, Blueblood felt his blood freeze in terror as the worst of his enemies smiled at him, pearly white teeth ready to devour him whole.
This was a battle he could not win, better to simply roll over and give up...
"Cousin! I didn't know you were here!" The foe said, a cheerful tone to their voice as they moved in the Prince's direction.
And as Prince Blueblood shuddered in terror, all he could do was nod his head in greeting to his adversary and say one word.
One name.
"Cadance."