Hellish Monday

As the first rays of the sunday morning appeared on the horizon, two maids were locked in a hushed argument on their journey down the hallways of the prestigious Canterlot Castle. The ponies, one yellow and the other a shade of deep purple, usually went about their work with a sense of pride and duty.

Today, however, this sense was cast out the window. Each was trying to decide who would be the sacrifice of the day. Something odd considering that the palace in which they worked was the center of ponykind, a beacon of freedom and justice, such concepts of ritual sacrifice being long outdated. Yet here they were.

No, things in the capital were not the marble pristine of elegance so many associated it with. Underneath the veneer lay a dark secret; one that only the staff and the princesses knew all too well.

Hence, the argument. For the the loser here would attend to one particularly infamous pony. One who all the staff knew both feared and reviled.

One pony that, if it wasn't for the fact that he was a direct descendant of their diarchs, chances were that he would have been thrown in jail, beaten up repeatedly and/or exiled from Canterlot and maybe all of Equestria, a loooooooong time ago.

"Okay, okay, what about this? You take over today and in exchange I will…foalsit your kid, free of charge for one whole month?" The maid with yellow fur and white short and slightly messy mane and tail, offers to her co-worker.

"One whole month?" The purple-coated maid said incredulously. "You mean starting tonight, knowing full well that Pearl has just started growing her horn? Which means that you're willing to put up with twenty-four hours, seven days a week, of non stop crying and uncontrollable magic?" A trace of a sardonic grin plain on her lips.

"Y-Yes." Harsh as it was, she was desperate. "What do you say Mist?"

"Not. A. Chance. Clean Breeze." Mist stated with finality in every syllable. "I'd rather face that than deal with our 'beloved' prince," she hisses with venom in her voice..

"Ple-heh-heeeese Mist!" begged Clean Breeze. "I already chewed the arrow last week." Making her eyes as big as she possibly could. Being sure to quiver her lip. And pulling her ears back

Years of catering to the prince had hardened Mist, her heart was unmoved by her fellow's puppy dog eyes. "And you only took one of those days, Breezie." Mist glared at her. "I took the whole week with him before that. At this rate, if I have to spend one more day with Blueblood, I am going to strangle him, consequences be damned! Not even if that means, a one way ticket to the sun"

"But I can't stand him!" Clean whined, on the verge of tears.

"I know," Mist said, taking Breezes hoof. She gave it a gentle pat before looking her square in the eyes. "But we all have to pony up and endure it; and let's be real, you have been weaselling out your duties for far too long." She jabbed an accusing hoof into Clear Breeze's chest. "Don't think I don't know about your little 'deals', Breezie."

Clean Breeze shifted uncomfortably. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I know you offered all kinds of deals with other staff." She looked sternly at her friend, "By Celestia's sun, I hope you really didn't offer that poor colt that just started as a butler yesterday a date in exchange for switching jobs."

Breeze's blush did nothing to hide her guilt, nor did her weak smile as she searched for an excuse. "Well, you know, I… I was just thinking…since he seems to like me, and was kind of cute…"

"Just do your job, Breezie," Mist said with a sigh. "And believe me, we got it easy. Blueblood just expects us to bring him stuff, then nod and smile." She added a saccharine smile, and the sickly sweet stretch and hollow eyes showed just how practiced it was for her. "It's the princesses who have it rough." She said with nod of her head toward the princesses' quarters, which were conveniently enough located as far away from Blueblood's wing as possible.

Clear furrowed her brows. "Really?"

"You'll see soon enough." Mist solemnly nods before continuing. "For now, just take a deep breath, close your eyes and keep reminding yourself, 'They will give me a raise for this'."

Suddenly the two came to an abrupt halt. "Here we are." Mist, not daring to look, instead closed her eyes, the silence in the air akin to that before an execution.

Clear stopped cold as her head slowly turned to see a set of double wooden doors with an image of none other than the prince himself carved into them. To any visitors or guards this door was nothing more than just one of the prince's manifestations of his gigantic ego. For the staff that actually had to go inside it was the door to the Underworld

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." Mist and Clean Breeze said simultaneously, their personal mantra.

"By Celestia, I really hoped you were joking when you first told me this was the entrance to Tartarus." Clean said, tearing her eyes from the door to look at her friend. "Are you sure there is nothing I can do to…" Her chance at making one last effort to get out of this, disappeared as the maid discovers her friend to be long gone by the time she turned around.

"What!? Mist, you can't…! Actually I can't really blame you; I would have probably done the same." Clean sighed in defeat before looking at the door frame once more, mentally preparing herself.

"I will get a raise, I will get a raise, I will get a raise..."

Clean kept repeating that mantra as she gathered as much courage as she could muster before opening the door to meet the devil himself.

Let's get this over with...

With a steady march and practiced smile, the maid walked toward the curtains and, using her magic, pulled them apart so the sunlight could bathe the room in gold, earning a yelp from the prince when the rays struck him square in the eyes.

"Good morning prince," Clean said professionally, only to receive a pillow to the face for her efforts, a livid stallion glaring at her soon after. His fur was as white as snow; his horn and body was slightly larger than the common stallion; his mane, though a little messy at the moment, was a beautiful shade of gold and he has just the the right amount of muscle on him. Overall he was the living image of perfect health, the stallion admittedly very attractive. Unfortunately, his personality was anything but that.

"How dare you interrupt my beauty sleep, you buffoon!" he shouted. "Is common etiquette not taught to you airheaded maids anymore?"

"My apologies, Prince Blueblood, but as you requested―"

"Oh, forget it." Blueblood said with an exaggerated roll of the eyes. He rolled out of his opulent bed and headed toward the restroom.. "There is no way for a commoner like you to comprehend the problems a pony of the royal family must face on a daily basis."

Clean grit her teeth. "Of course, sir," she said as she started making his bed.

"Oh, Dulcy, if only you knew how much I envy your simplistic style of life." Blueblood said. There was a pause before the prince burst out laughing. "Oh, by my dear aunty, I crack myself up." he said before closing the door.

"Yeah, you're hilarious, prince."

Kill me. Kill me now.

Later that day, as Blueblood enjoyed the beauty of the sun in the garden while tanning, he ate another grape and spat the seed of it into Clean's face as she held the prince's beverage, her seed-covered face carefully emotionless.

Monday night saw Blueblood host a private party in the royal ballroom with the most snobbish of nobles in Canterlot, most of whom only claimed to be friends with the prince as an excuse to bump elbows with royalty and show off their wealth.

"Ah! My friends, I'm so happy to see you could make it tonight. Please, come, come, leave your coats with the help," Blueblood haughtily said, pointing at Clean Breeze with a smirk.

"The what?" Clean's eyes widened in shock before she was buried beneath a mountain of tacky coats and sweaters.

"And hurry with the snacks! Chop chop!" Blueblood ordered as he led the guest inside.

On Tuesday, the prince, trying on a new suit in front of a large mirror, turned to a tailor who was sweating bullets. "I say, this new suit must have cost a small fortune and a lot of time to make. Am I right, my good sir?"

"Y-You are correct, Excellency nothing but the finest of materials for royalty."

"Good, I will take ten," he said with pride. "Including this one. Dulcy, pay the kind stallion," Blueblood proclaimed as he leave the store. Clean, trying her best to keep standing under the mound of clothes, jewellery and other things the prince bought all around the city as he used her like a mule, growled.

"Yes…sir," she huffed, hooves trembling.

And then came Wednesday.

"SOLD! To the prince that didn't let anypony else compete at the auction," the auctioneer announced with annoyance. Every participant gave Blueblood the stink eye as he waved at them in victory. He suddenly stopped and cleared his throat as he stared expectantly at Clean.

"Ah,, bravo!" she fake cheered, clapping for him as he resumed his showboating.

Thursday: "No, please don't! Don't make me go!" Clean cried her eyes out as two guards dragged her toward the prince's quarters. Her hooves leaving marks on the ground as she struggle.

Friday: "Ah there is nothing like some exercise don't you agree Dulcy?" Blue blood tells while riding a two person bike, only that it's modify so he is leaning comfortable while Clean does all the work.

"Right…Prince," she said, trying her hardest to reach the end of the park.

"Oh what the hell, I think I earned it. let's do one more lap!"

Clean could only whimper in response.

Saturday: "Money to the orphans? Oh, clearly you jest. I mean, I love those small, dirty, and smelly blood suckers as the next stallion, but let's face it, sister. If no pony wanted them, what are they worth?" he declares, making a group of nuns to gasp in shock. Clean at this point was banging her head against a wall.

Finally, Sunday came. Once her shift was over, Clean rushed to her room and jumped into her bed, holding her pillow to her face as she let out the biggest scream possible into it.

This is us getting it easy?! Oh by the stars, what kind of horrible, despicable hell do the princesses have to face every single day?

Clean despaired while looking through a window to see the moon rising on the horizon.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take, Celestia. We need to do something about that nephew of yours," Luna said. Celestia was in the process of putting her tiara and breast plate on an equine manikin.

"Oh come on, Luna, don't you think you are overreacting just a little bit? Besides—" once she was done undressing, she turned to look at her younger sister "—Blueblood is your nephew as well."

"And that is the only reason I have yet to exile him from Equestria. No scratch that, sending him anywhere else might as well be a declaration of war to any nations he ends up falling into," Luna huffed. "And I'm not overreacting."

Celestia chuckled and approached her. "Oh, sister, yes you are."

"Tia! He wanted to change my annual constellation construction so, next to my moon, will appear his smug face for everypony in the world to see each time the night arrives…and he almost succeeded!" Fuming, Luna continued pacing the room. "And this is not the only time he has attempted to pull a stunt like this: he claims to love us, but all of he does is mooch, guilt trip or scheme so he can always, ALWAYS get his way."

"Well Lulu, like the saying goes, a few harmless schemes keeps the mind sharp," Celestia retorts.

"Tia, look at me" Luna grabbed Celestia's cheeks so her sister was forced to look her in the eyes. "It's me, your sister. Nopony is listening; you can talk to me. Why do you so adamantly defend that rotten brat of a nephew?"

Celestia's mask wavered until it finally broke, and she pulled away from her sister. She sighed."Fine. You win, Luna. You are right, he is a petulant little monster, and he really needs to be taught a lesson. I'm not blind."

"Then why do you keep allowing it, sister?"

"Because its my fault he ended up like this!" Celestia blurted out while closing her eyes.

Luna could only blink a couple of times to that revelation. "uh…what?"

"Luna, please don't be mad at me, but... what happened to Blueblood was something I never planned. It's my fault..."

"Tia, why don't we start from the beginning, then. What exactly happened? How could you possibly be to blame for Blueblood's callous behavior?" Luna asked as she approached once more.

Celestia sighed and looked up at the night stars through her balcony.

"I suppose it all started twenty-three years ago. The day of your return was fast approaching and the idea of having you back made me giddy with excitement" Celestia said, a smile briefly dancing across her lips before it disappear completely. "But then…"

"Then what? What happen?" Luna asked.

"Then tragedy struck." Looking at the moon, a single tear fell from the monarch face. "Formal Attire, and Royal Treatment—Blueblood's parents were possibly my last relatives still alive. Over the years I saw all our family tree slowly dwindle and wither as time passed, so knowing I still had them was an anchor that kept me going. Unfortunately for others, that family was portrayed as a dark omen which foreshadowed something terrible..."

Luna's eyes widened. "Nightmare Moon."

With a nod Celestia continued "To this day, the case of my cousins remain a mystery. The only thing that the investigation found was somepony thought, that my relatives were aiming to 'resurrect' the Nightmare and help her bring eternal night." Celestia's hoof heated up enough that the floor underneath her began to bubble. "They weren't even merciful. And poor Blueblood…he was only three at the time." Celestia couldn't contain her tears anymore.

"By my moon..." Luna said, not believing what she was hearing.

"I don't even know if Blueblood even remembers their faces; the only thing I knew was that he was completely alone and I was all the family he had left. I…I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could make things right and protect him for my cousins. So that is what I did, for years I did nothing but attend to his needs and wishes, never denying him any request. And at first it worked fine." Celestia wiped her eyes.

"He was such a nice little colt, there was even this little game where he sit on my belly and close his eyes." She chuckle at the memory. "I even hosted a day court like that, and not a single pony ever noticed him. His fur was an exact match to mine."

"Then what happened? How could somepony so sweet and innocent turn into such a loathsome brat today?"

"I… I just couldn't say no to him. Each year you were so close to returning, and I was so happy that you two would finally meet that I really didn't haven't in me to refuse his requests. I thought it was just a phase, but then the requests started became more and more demanding, not to mention ridiculous. And whenever I tried to say 'no' I just kept seeing Royal and Treatment, looking at me in disappointment, judging me and telling me that they were gone because of me. I was…I was powerless."

"Sister, please, their deaths weren't your fault."

"Perhaps, but by the time I saw what I was doing, what I was twisting him into, it was too late. My kind nephew was gone, and thanks to my own insecurities I'm now cursed with this sociopath that is beyond my help."

"Tia...," Luna whispered as she approached. She nuzzled her sister."You have suffered for far too long because of me."

"Don't say that, Luna. None of this was your fault either."

"No Tia, it was the result of both our shortcomings: because of my jealousy and your insecurity, the only other living relative we have has turned into an icon that reminds us of our failures."

"Some nights I see your sky and think 'What I would give for a second chance'. A chance to be a family. Not a 'royal family' but a family, with flaws and arguments, but ultimately a family that actually loves each other."

"I'm sure Blueblood actually loves us, sister, in his own twisted and bizarre way, but he loves us none of the less. I'm sure of it," Luna soothed. "But yes, I do share that wish of yours, sister; I wish I could have seen that nephew you speak so highly of."

"Oh, I'm sure you would have loved him Lulu," Celestia said with a small smile. "He was mischievous at times, but Blueblood used to have the biggest of hearts." Celestia looked into the stars and something caught her eyes. "Luna, look! A shooting star!"

"Quick Tia, make a wish!"

Celestia chuckled at that "Aren't we a bit too old to wish upon a star, sister?"

"You are never to old to have dreams, Tia," Luna argued back.

"Fair enough." Celestia nods and both sisters closed their eyes as they made their wish.

Clean Breeze and Mist approached the room of Blueblood the next day.

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Mist! I don't think I could take another second with that royal pain without ripping my mane out."

"Geez, don't get ahead of yourself, Breezie. I'm only helping you today because I've been in your horseshoes before. After the first week alone with that headache you end up in a murderous rage."

"Did that happen to you?" Clean asked in shock.

Mist nodded. "Once I tried to drown him while he was bathing and need a 'female touch' to apply the shampoo right."

"…Please tell me you are joking."

"Oh Breezie I wish I was," Mist muttered as they reached the door. Both mares sighed in defeat.

"Abandon all hope ye who…" Both mares start their mantra but are interrupted by a scream coming from the room.

"What the hay!?" Mist shouted. The sounds of a struggle and objects being tossed around could be heard on the other side.

"Is he under attack!?" Clean asked, panicking.

"Don't jump to conclusions, maybe he is having a nightmare," Mist replied. "But just in case, lets stay on the door frame, so if he is being attacked we can go and alert the guards."

Breeze nod and they both open the door, and scan the room until they found Prince Blueblood wrapped in his own bed sheets on the floor, squirming around like a fish and screaming. "Oh god, oh god my hands, what happened to my hands!?"

"Uh, my prince?" Mist asked, the first to recover from the oddity of the situation. "Are you okay?"

The prince looked at them in surprise and then began to wriggle away in panic. "What are…where am…Who are you?" He asked in complete terror.

Both maids were only able to blink a couple of times in confusion before looking at one another.

Monday