"May I invite you to dance?"
"No! Thank you for the invitation, but my... shoes today, yes, the heels are too high, not suitable for dancing, and I've never danced with a stranger, so never mind."
Aurora had already tried her best just to learn how to walk elegantly on four legs, let alone ballroom dancing.
While politely refusing, she retracted her hoof like lightning. If not for the fact that her upbringing required her to consider the other party's face, she would have really wanted to wipe the part that Blue Blood Prince had touched on a tablecloth.
"A stranger? That hurts my feelings, darling Aurora. Besides the fact that you are my aunt's student, we are also alumni of the same school, and I've even taken a few etiquette classes with Madam Meteora. Look, we have so many connections between us."
"So you go to the School for Gifted Unicorns too? I honestly couldn't tell..."
Aurora forced a strained smile and responded perfunctorily.
That didn't sound like a close relationship at all. Blue Blood Prince was at least 52 generations removed from Princess Celestia; to put it bluntly, it was no different than trying to force a connection.
And don't even get me started on the alumni part; Aurora had never seen him at school. If he hadn't claimed to be a student at the School for Gifted Unicorns, Aurora might have doubted he had ever attended school at all.
As for the etiquette classes... Aurora reserved judgment. She didn't believe her mother could have taught such a creature.
However, Blue Blood Prince had no reason to tell such an easily disproven lie. Since he knew her mother, Aurora decided to give him a little more patience.
"That is your problem, Aurora. Whenever I occasionally see you at school, you're always doing something... 'unconventional.' Honestly, you are the weirdest noble pony I have ever met. You spend most of your time reading those boring books and almost never attend tea parties or social gatherings. You are really quite antisocial."
"celestia above! Those books are so thick, have so much text, and hardly any illustrations. I used to think that besides bookworms, surely no other pony could stand reading them."
Blue Blood Prince rambled on, not noticing the frown beginning to form on Aurora's smiling face.
'Are you looking for trouble, kid?'
As expected, Blue Blood Prince was extremely self-centered, making blunt, uninhibited remarks about other ponies. If they weren't at the Grand Galloping Gala, Aurora would have loved to find a quiet corner to put a sack over his head and teach him a lesson about the harsh realities of the world.
"But as it turns out, you endured this mental torture, and your actions gained the Princess's favor, making you her pupil. This is a boundless honor, surely you must think so too?"
Having heard this much, Aurora finally understood what he was plotting. She hadn't expected someone as young as Blue Blood Prince to have the same calculating mind as those adult noble ponies, approaching her just for fame and fortune.
"If that's all you wanted to say, then I don't think we have anything left to discuss. Let's not waste each other's time."
Out of patience, Aurora bowed politely to Blue Blood Prince and turned to leave.
"Wait! I didn't come to find you just to talk about old news that everyone already knows. I have a much better idea, one that you will definitely be interested in."
However, Blue Blood Prince, who hadn't finished speaking, wasn't about to let Aurora go. He blocked her path again and spoke, speeding up his tempo slightly.
"Other ponies might have forgotten, but I know that our Equestria has always been ruled by two princesses. The other princess I'm talking about isn't Princess Cadance, who only appeared in recent years, but the Princess of the Moon who governs the night, just like the one depicted on the national flag."
Aurora stopped and looked at Blue Blood Prince with a look of surprise.
She had to admit that she was indeed intrigued by Blue Blood Prince's topic. She hadn't expected this kid, who seemed so ignorant, to actually have some insight into the history of Equestria.
These days, it was rare to hear anything about the Second Princess from other ponies. Aurora was curious to hear what Blue Blood Prince thought about this'Second Aunt' who had been wandering the moon for a thousand years.
"You see, there are two rulers of Equestria. A while ago, Princess Celestia turned Cadance into a princess, so perhaps she might bring in another new princess, and I think you are the most suitable candidate..."
"I don't want to discuss this topic with you."
Aurora's face darkened. She interrupted Blue Blood Prince, quickly skirted around him, and hurried away.
Aurora felt that she had been really stupid just now to think that Blue Blood Prince would have any profound insights. She should have known from her past life that you can't get ivory out of a dog's mouth.
However, Blue Blood Prince, like an idiot with negative emotional intelligence, relentlessly chased after her. He followed by Aurora's side, continuing to add fuel to the fire.
"What's wrong? I wasn't wrong! Or is it that there are two other competitors making you unsure? If that's the case, you're worrying too much, darling Aurora. Compared to those two common ponies of humble origins, you have so many advantages. You have both ability and noble blood, you are so beautiful and so intelligent; you are simply born to be a princess!"
"I heard you've been especially caring toward those two commoners at school. You are so kind, and kindness is a trait a princess must possess. If you ask me, they are truly lucky to be the companions of a future princess; they should be grateful. But then again, once you become a princess, you would look even more compatible standing next to a prince..."
"Shut up."
"The wedding anniversary of a prince and princess should become a national holiday... Sorry darling, what did you say just now? I didn't hear you clearly."
"I said... Enough! Shut up!"
Blue Blood Prince was immersed in his own fantasy world and didn't notice that Aurora had suddenly stopped. He turned back slowly to look for her, only to see this pony, usually known for her good temper, glaring at him indignantly with terrifying eyes.
You have a little booze and you're all high and mighty; you dare to insult my friends and you're asking for trouble.
Insulting her to her face was one thing; she could endure it for the sake of peace. But Blue Blood Prince's uninhibited mouth actually dared to insult Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle, which instantly ignited Aurora's fury.
Forget patience, she was going to explode at him!
If she didn't curse his family tree down to just The Grand Princess and the Second Princess today, she wouldn't be called Aurora.
At this very moment, something else in Canterlot was being ignited along with Aurora's negative emotions.
In Aurora's House of Academic Studies, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle had reached a consensus to plan a trip to Ponyville tomorrow to investigate the Sonic Rainboom. They intended to invite Aurora to join them when she returned, as the three of them had to be together.
Before Aurora returned from the Grand Galloping Gala, they could start arranging the schedule for tomorrow.
Fortunately, the library here happened to have books about Ponyville. They couldn't help but sigh again at how Aurora's place always seemed to have exactly what they needed.
While Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle were busy discussing their plan, little Spike volunteered to help them get the books.
Although he was still young, under the long-term influence of the school group, he was gradually developing into a little assistant. Sometimes he would help with small tasks within his capabilities, which made Twilight Sparkle feel very gratified.
Today was no exception. Under Twilight Sparkle's direction, Spike easily found the books they needed, right where he could just barely reach.
However, while taking the books, Spike accidentally knocked over a petri dish placed on the bookshelf. He was quick-witted enough to catch the petri dish before it shattered.
There was a flower pressed inside the petri dish. It wasn't some rare or precious flower; on the contrary, it was very common, even found in the green belts everywhere in Central City.
But if Aurora saw Spike holding this flower, she would probably jump in fright.
Because this flower had no other special features, but it just happened to cause allergic reactions in dragons, which was why she had thought of studying this plant.
And perhaps due to a moment of carelessness, while looking for information, she had casually left one of the samples on the bookshelf and hadn't recovered it in time. Now, by a great coincidence, Spike had gotten his hands on it.
What was worse, little Spike, full of curiosity, even held it up to his nose and sniffed it.
Although most of the pollen was soaked in the reagent, a small amount of pollen was still inhaled by Spike.
The allergic reaction came both quickly and intensely.
"Kerchoo—!"
"Spike! No!"
No matter how fast Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer's reactions were, they couldn't outpace a dragon's physiological instincts.
The good news was that Spike already knew that when he couldn't help but sneeze, he should try to turn his head away and not sneeze at other ponies, so the flames from his sneeze did not ignite the bookshelf in front of him.
But the bad news was that his flames sprayed onto a bookshelf in another direction, and that was Aurora's most precious one.
Seeing Aurora's favorite bookshelf along with the books on it glowing and heating up like a bonfire, Sunset Shimmer and Twilight Sparkle felt their brains trembling.
'We're doomed!' x 2
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