someone’s boutta get pounded into a unicorn pancake  
 
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The Canterlot streets were bustling as the high class folk wandered through the city, two in particular making their way over for a Canterlot upper-crust meeting. One was a large unicorn stallion- Duke Blueblood, and the other was a teeny earth pony colt named Crispin. As they trotted along, Blueblood stopped, the colt bumping into his hind leg from the quick halt. Crisp looked up at his father, head tilting.  
 
“Pa?” He asked as Blueblood stared into a shop window.  
 
“Hm… Oh- sorry, my boy, I noticed a perfume your mother mentioned liking in passing before.” He responded gently, a smile creeping onto his face at the thought of gifting his wife something. Crisp also smiled, big and toothy, as his tail swished about.  
 
“You should get it fer her, Pa! Ma will love it!” He exclaimed. Blueblood let off a soft chuckle as he ruffled the boy’s hair with a hoof.  
 
“Haha, alright. Will you be alright out here while I go get it real quick?” He asked. Crisp nodded, already excited to see his mother’s reaction when they return to Sweet Apple Acres.  
 
“Mhm!”  
 
“And you won’t run off now, will you?”  
 
“No, Sir!” Crisp stated, confirming as he plopped himself down on the sidewalk pavement. Blueblood let off another laugh before entering the store. As Crispin waited, front hooves tapping a rhythm on the ground to keep himself entertained, another unicorn stallion stopped, trotting up to the colt.  
 
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? A real country boy, out here by himself in one of the most prestigious Equestrian cities. I can’t believe it.” He started off, a snarky grin on his muzzle. Crisp tilted his head, processing before simply responding.  
 
“I’m waitin’ on my pa. He’s buyin’ my ma some perfume!” He replied gleefully. The stallion rolled his eyes.  
 
“Right. Like your “pa” can afford such a thing from this city at all. What’s he getting her? Dirt fragrance?” He cackled. Crisp just shook his head, not sure what this stranger found so darn funny about his own comments.  
 
“Umm, no, it’s called some’in like… “Spring Sweetness”. Dunno why they just don’t call it plain ole “Honeysuckle” since that’s what it smells like.” The boy shrugged.  
 
“Whoaa “Spring Sweetness”? That’s a pretty popular scent, there’s no way your father could afford that.” He spat. As Crispin held up a hoof to innocently tell him something, the stallion continued on. “I don’t even see why you ratty looking dirty hooves come to our beautiful city. You all turn the scenery sour just by being in the way.”  
 
“I like gettin’ my hooves dirty… especially in the mud! It’s fun! You should try it!” Crispin remarked happily. The unicorn’s smile faded as he stared the boy down.  
 
“Unicorns like us don’t go wallowing in muck like swine. This is the difference between you and I, boy, and this is why you should go back to where you came from, you damned mud pony.”  
 
The tone of his voice really stung as Crisp’s expression shifted, frowning as his ears flattened. He began to back up, but as he did, two strong forelegs stepped in front of him. He looked up to see his father staring at the stranger, his glare was something that he had never seen before. The boy watched as the unicorn suddenly crumbled under the weight of Blueblood’s stare.  
 
“D-Duke Blueblood! What are you doing here? I-I mean– it’s good to see you back in town, Sir!” He said as he gave a courteous little bow. The larger stallion snorted as his horn suddenly sparked dangerously, and this is where the stranger knew he was really in trouble now.  
 
“What did you just call him?” Blueblood asked coldly, disregarding the greeting.  
 
“Huh?”  
 
“The boy. What did you just call him?” He asked again, eyes squinting.  
 
“U-um– well I… you see… I… this city is not really meant for his kind and I- um~~” He tried to explain, but Blueblood cut him off.  
 
“Stop stuttering. What. Did you. Call him?” He asked one more time, even more sharply.  
 
“… I um… I called him a mud pony-~~ y-you agree with me d-don’t you?” He asked on a whim, going off of Blueblood’s status to guess his thoughts on the matter. The Duke stepped over Crisp and approached the stranger as the smaller unicorn stepped away a bit.  
 
“If you ever call my son or any other earth pony anything of that manner again, I’ll have to show you what it’s like when my temper is unruly. Do you want that?” He asked in an unsettling calm way. The unicorn was left speechless. The colt was Duke Blueblood’s son?! Uh oh…  
 
“N-No, Sir- I don’t want that- I won’t do it again, Sir, I promise.” He stammered in fear, legs trembling.  
 
“Good. Now, leave my sight before I start using language no posh Canterlot stallion should be using in public or in front of his child.” The white stallion snarled. To be honest, the stranger wanted to bolt out of there, but he was frozen in place. Blueblood lurched forward, the hair on his back raising as his magic sparked more violently. “I told you to beat it! Scram!”  
 
And that he did. The smaller unicorn broke from his shock and galloped away as fast as he could. Blueblood cooled down as his magic aura faded, heaving a sigh as he turned back to his son, who was also frozen. “Ah– sorry, my little apple. I didn’t mean to frighten you–”  
 
Unexpectedly, the colt suddenly leaped, clutching onto one of Blueblood’s forelegs with the absolute widest grin on his little face. “Pa! That was so cool! Ya showed ‘em what for!” He giggled cheerfully, his little heart swelling with pride at his dad. Blueblood’s worried frown grew into a soft smile.  
 
“You really think so?”  
 
“I know so!” Crispin finalized. Blueblood sighed again, grabbing the box of perfume off the ground where he had placed it in the heat of the moment.  
 
“Well, I suppose I should get this meeting over with. The sooner I do, the faster I can give this to your mother. We can say it’s a gift from both of us, alright?” He said, sweetly. Crisp nodded furiously.  
 
“Yes yes yes!” He replied as they began trotting again. Even after a scuffle, the two seemed to be as cheery as ever just to be close as they walked onward toward their original destination.