Gemstone relaxed comfortably in her hot tub that was connected to her penthouse apartment. She had written to her family that she found one and was living quite happily. She hired some servants to keep house and would invite her coltfriend over every chance she got.
"Your drink, milady." said a unicorn maid serving her.
"Thank you." She magically took the drink and sipped from it. She sighed happily. This was the life for her.
A butler then came to her, "Your Highness, Master Seam is at the door. Shall we let him in?"
"Of course!" she exclaimed.
He nodded and left. A few minutes later, he came back with Seam right behind him. Gem got out of the tub and embraced her beloved. Once the butler left them alone, she asked.
"Why the late-night visit, my darling?"
He beamed, "I just couldn't wait to tell you the news!"
"News?"
"Prim Hemline had just visited me an hour ago at the costume shop!"
Gem gasped, "She did?!"
He nodded, "She told me she loved the costumes I did on my last Bridleway show and wants me to come work for her fashion line!"
"Darling, that's wonderful!" They embraced again. "I always knew you had it in you!" She then magically got a bell and rang it. Her servants appeared. She ordered, "We need some music and apple cider, because we'll be celebrating all night long!"
They followed her commands and soft music began playing. Gemstone led her lover in a waltz.
Seam was happy to have her in his arms, but he knew he couldn't stay there forever. "I'm afraid I can't stay long. Prim wants me in right away first thing in the morning."
"Oh. Well, at least share a cup of apple cider with me before you do."
The butler served them thin glasses filled with cider. As they held them up, she said, "To my darling Seam. May you have the best of luck as you work for that fashion queen, Prim Hemline." They tapped the glasses together and sipped them.
The next morning, Seam was excited to get to work as he entered the building of where Prim's headquarters were. He entered in and saw the receptionist was busy eating doughnuts while going over files.
"Um, excuse me?" he called out.
The receptionist was a dark yellow mare with a black mane. When she turned to face Seam, he gave a timid wave.
"Hi."
"O… M… Goodness! Prim really did hire a guy!"
"Uh, what?"
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like guys don't know fashion or anything. It's just rare to see a cutie like you within the ranks." she winked.
He nervously chuckled, "Well, thanks, but for future reference, could you not call me 'cutie' or 'cute'? That's something my girlfriend does and it feels a little weird to hear it from some other girl, you know?"
She gasped, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know!"
He gave a small smile, "It's okay."
"Your girlfriend is quite the lucky mare to have you."
"And I'm lucky to have her."
A voice bellowed, "Mister Seam!"
They turned to see Prim Hemline coming over.
Seam gave an uneasy grin, "Ms. Hemline. It's a pleasure to see you again."
"Is it?"
He tilted his head in confusion.
"When I hired you as my new technical designer, I expected you to report to me first thing in the morning."
"I was, but I…"
The receptionist held her hoof up, "It was my fault, ma'am. I was just so excited by the new face that I couldn't resist talking."
"Your job, Ms. Blueberry Cheesecake, is to type and file important documents, not to chat with new employees for a long period of time!"
She gulped, "Yes, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am." She quickly went back to work.
"Mister Seam, follow me to your workplace." She took the lead as Seam gave a tiny wave goodbye to Blueberry and followed after the strict mare.
They came to a room full of mannequins wearing unfinished creations.
Prim addressed him, "Now, Mister Seam, there are a few rules we need to go through. One, you are to always stay in your work area and not disturb the others in theirs. Two, never change the creations without my permission, and three, you must never ever enter into my office without my say-so. You may only enter in there when I call for you, but other times, it is absolutely off-limits! Do I make myself clear?"
"Perfectly, ma'am."
"Good." She then pointed to the dresses, "I expect for those to be done by the end of the day."
He gaped, "All of them?"
"Yes. All of them."She eyed him, "Is that a problem?"
"No, ma'am! None whatsoever!" he nervously grinned.
"Good. Very good. Carry on." She left the room.
He turned back to look at the mannequins. There had to be at least over a hundred of them. He sighed, "Well, no time like the present…" He got to work.
For the next few weeks, Seam went to work and left at the end of the day feeling exhausted. It showed because Gemstone was starting to worry about her boyfriend overdoing it. One night when they had a dinner date at her penthouse, Seam had been on the verge of falling asleep. He actually did when the mashed potatoes were served and his face landed flat into them.
Gem ordered the butler to wake him and the pony used a gong. Seam leapt up with a startle and once he settled down, he apologized.
"I'm sorry, Gem. I've been tired for the past few weeks. There are so many dresses that need sewing and patterns that need approving…"
"Oh, my poor darling… You are working yourself in a tizzy! You need to tell Prim Hemline that she is demanding too much from you!"
He gasped, "I can't do that! She'll fire me! Also, she said that I can't go in her office without her say-so!"
"But she is ruining your health and our love life! You can't woo me if you're all tuckered out!"
He pondered on that and said, "I certainly don't want to lose you again. Once was bad enough. And I was never this tired working at the costume shop with my folks. Would you be upset if I lost this job with Prim?"
"I would be more upset at her if she fired you because you are a talented tailor and she shouldn't be this demanding to her workers. I should come with you tomorrow so I can give her a piece of my mind." She struck a pose, "After all, I am a princess, and she has no authority over me."
"I don't know, Gem… I mean, I just started getting to know my co-workers. What if seeing you makes them think I didn't get the job by myself…?"
Her eyes were filled with hurt, "You're… ashamed of me?"
"No! No, of course not! I just don't want others thinking that I can't do anything by myself if I have a princess for a girlfriend!"
"Oh, darling, I understand, but Whirl Wind and Sky Blitz are forced to hide their relationship because of Sky's desire to be a Wonderbolt. I thought you would be proud to have me around that you wouldn't be scared to show your relationship with royalty… After all, if you're to marry me, you'll be a prince."
"I know that, Gem, and believe me, I want to marry you, but I don't want others to be given the wrong impression."
"Wrong impression?! What wrong impression?! It would show we are in love!"
"But-"
"But nothing! If you can't love me out in the open, then I have nothing more to say to you!" She turned to the butler with a broken tone, "Escort Mister Seam out, please."
"Yes, Your Highness." He grabbed Seam by the tail and started dragging him out.
"Gem, wait! We can work this out!"
"How?! By me just staying in the shadows?! I've already done that, thank you. Royal duties forced me to stay in one place, but I am now free to live my life, but I can't do that if my coltfriend won't admit he loves his beloved for all the world to see! Good night, Seam." She rushed to her bedroom where she sobbed uncontrollably.
Seam had never felt this miserable except for when Gem was hypnotized and she forced him away. But this was way worse, because this time, she was in control of her actions and he was, too. He didn't want to admit it, but some of what she said was true. If he couldn't open up about his relationship with the mare he loved, why should she have anything to do with him?
Seam had been so distracted by Gemstone's words he didn't notice the police tape at the front doors. Once he did, he saw police telling citizens to keep away. Luckily, Seam saw Blueberry on the side, who was looking nervous.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, Seam, it's awful! Someone broke into Prim's office and stole the funds for the next fashion show!"
"What?!"
"Yes, they came in late at night and broke into the safe! The police were called in this morning when Prim saw it was empty."
"Where is she?"
"At the police station. She's being questioned."
"So I guess this means we have the day off?"
"I guess so, because the police are not letting anybody enter the building."
"Thanks, Blueberry." He went off.
When Seam had reached his apartment complex, he could hear his neighbors squabbling behind the walls as he got to his door. To his surprise, the door was already open, which made him nervous because he locked it before he left that morning. He carefully opened it and to his surprise, he saw Gemstone wearing a trench coat and fedora sitting on his bed and looking over sketches he made. When she saw him, she gave an emotionless expression.
"Gem? What are you doing here?"
"I had to come as quickly as possible when I heard the news about Prim Hemline's stolen funds."
"How did you…?"
"It was in this morning's paper." She magically handed him a Manehattan Times paper.
"But why…?"
"Because I knew you would somehow be caught in this if the police had reason to suspect you. Despite our spat, I still care about you enough to put aside our problems to help make sure you are 100% innocent in this fiasco. I know you, Seam, and you would never do something like this, so we are going out to find the real criminal."
"What?! How in Equestria are we going to do that?!"
"Thanks to the books series, 'The Adventures of Shadow Spade', that my mother gave to me as a foal, I know how to solve mysteries and it's all about attention to detail. Now where can I find Ms. Prim Hemline?"
"At the police station."
"Then to the police station we shall go."
"Princess, I already told the police that when I came into my office this morning, I found no sign of a break-in, but when I looked into my vault, the money wasn't there."
"Interesting, and are you the only one with the combination?"
"Of course I am! I don't trust anypony with my personal things. That is why I tell all my staff to never enter my office without permission."
Gem muttered bitterly, "So I've heard…"
Prim turned to Seam, "Mister Seam, I am quite shocked that you never mentioned that you were dating royalty."
Seam was about to respond when Gem piped up, "And why should he? Seam is talented in his own right. Why should dating a princess matter when his talent is what got him the job?"
Before Prim could reply, a police officer came up to her.
He said, "Ms. Hemline, we've thoroughly searched your office, but we could not find signs of forced entrance."
"Then how do you explain the missing funds?!"
Gemstone rubbed her chin in thought, "It could have been an inside job. Tell me: did something out of the ordinary happen yesterday?"
Prim pondered on that until she said, "There was one thing… Yesterday, I was given a bouquet of flowers at the front desk. Of course, I do have many admirers in young ponies that are hoping to be great fashion stars like me."
"Did the bouquet have a card with them?" Gem asked.
"No. All I know is that Blueberry Cheesecake told me I had flowers delivered to me. So I took them back to my office."
The police officer had a confused look, "Did you bring the bouquet home with you?"
"No, I left it in my office."
"But there was no bouquet of flowers when we searched the office."
"What?!" Prim exclaimed.
Gemstone smirked, "The plot thickens." She batted her eyes at the officer, "Sir, as a princess of Equestria and girlfriend of one of the workers of Prim's Fashions, I would like to personally take up this case."
"If I may, Your Highness, this is more of police's business than royal business."
"Where our subjects are concerned, everything is royal business, or perhaps I should tell my aunt Queen Twilight Sparkle that you are not giving her niece the proper assistance in this matter…"
He sputtered, "I didn't say I wouldn't help you! The case is yours, Princess Gemstone."
She smiled, "Thank you." She started going and said, "Come along, Seam. We got a lead to follow."
Seam was flabbergasted by the whole interaction and followed after her.
Once they were outside the station, Seam said to Gem, "I don't get it."
"Get what?"
"I don't get that you would tell them you were my girlfriend. Last night, you said you wouldn't have anything to do with me?"
"We'll discuss that later."
"No. We are discussing it now."
She stopped walking and faced him with a sigh, "When I saw the paper, I knew you would be too busy by what happened to think about me… I do still care about you, but what I said last night still stands. But we won't get past it if a thief is on the loose, so I decided to take matters into my hooves. The faster we solve this case, the faster we can get back to our problem."
Seam gave a guilty look, "I'm sorry about what I said. Maybe you're right. Maybe I am ashamed to admit I have girlfriend who's a princess."
"We'll talk about it later. Right now, there's a mystery that needs solving. Do you know where Blueberry Cheesecake is?"
"She told me where she lived at one point when I went to work." he pointed in a direction, "We go this way to get there."
They had found Blueberry's living area, but there was a note on her door saying she was at yoga class in the park. They went there and found ponies doing yoga and being lead by a green mare with a red mane and a handkerchief on her head.
They heard her said, "Let your aura flow as we become one with nature…"
They found Blueberry and Seam called out to her. Blueberry stopped with her yoga to join him.
"Seam, hi!"
"Blueberry, I want you to meet-"
"Your girlfriend?"
"Right. This is Gemstone."
She let out a loud gasp, "Gemstone?! As in Princess Gemstone?!"
Gem smiled, "The same."
"O… M… Goodness! I never thought I would get to meet royalty! This is such an honor!"
"Blueberry, we need your help." said Seam.
"Of course!"
Gem said, "Prim was given flowers yesterday. Can you tell us who delivered them?"
"Oh, wow… if I remember correctly, she was a unicorn with a snowy coat and a fuzzy mane…"
"Did she give you a name?" Gem asked.
"No. She just told me that the flowers were for Prim Hemline and left."
Seam groaned, "We're back to square one."
"Not so, Seam. The bouquet of flowers disappeared just as the funds had. We find the flowers, we find the funds. Tell us, Blueberry, what did the flowers look like?"
"They were blue and had a weird smell to them."
"Fascinating. Now the next step is to search the florist shops until we can find the blue flowers with the strange smell."
Blueberry said, "I suggest you two take the swan boats to get out of the park quicker."
Seam blushed to Gem, "Well, only you think it's a good idea."
"It is. Let's go."
Moments later, they sat quietly in the boat until he spoke.
"Gem, I've been thinking, if ponies want to think what they think about us, then let them. I was dumb and inconsiderate to you. You shouldn't have to hide in our relationship, not when I love you so much. I don't blame you if you want to end this because you deserve better, but I will never stop loving you, Princess Gemstone."
She was silent for a moment until she softly said, "You… you really mean that?"
"I do."
"Oh, Seam!" she started releasing tears of joy and wrapped her hooves around him.
"I'll shout it to the whole world if I have to, because you are my girl! In fact, I'll do it right now." He shouted out into the air, "I LOVE GEMSTONE!"
She giggled and shouted out, "AND I LOVE SEAM!"
They embraced and kissed on the lips.
It took them the rest of the day, but they finally found the florist shop that sold the blue flowers with the odd smell. And one pony had ordered them the day before…
They arrived at an apartment and Seam knocked on the door. A white unicorn answered it and Gemstone said.
"Ms. Bellflower?"
"Yes?"
"I am Princess Gemstone and this is my boyfriend, Seam. He works at Prim's Fashions, whom I'm sure you heard was robbed last night."
"Yes, such a terrible thing to have happened to a great fashionista. But why are you here to tell me this?"
"Because…" Gem pointed accusingly, "You are the one who stole Prim Hemline's funds!"
"What?! That's absurd!"
"Is it? Yesterday afternoon, Prim Hemline was delivered a bouquet of flowers that were blue and had a strange smell to them. According to the florist, that smell is actually a chemical from the flower that can cause your mind to go blank after a certain amount of time… It's a rare flower that never gets sold, so the only pony who had ordered it had to make sure that the police never found the flowers in Prim Hemline's office so she couldn't be tracked down with the missing funds!
"Prim was the only one who knew the combination to her safe, so you were able to get her to open the vault herself and deliver the funds to you. The question is 'why'?" she eyed the unicorn.
Sweat had trickled down her forehead as Gem and Seam scowled at her until she shouted, "Alright! I admit it! I was a young mare who was on the verge of reaching the height of the fashion industry with dresses made of flowers during Fashion Week, but Prim didn't appreciate the creativity of it and I lost… So I wanted to get back at her and I figured that ruining her next fashion show would do it. I spent months planning for this scheme to work, making sure I got the right flowers that could erase Prim's memory and I had a device in the flowers that when the time came, I ordered her to get the funds and give them to me, but she would not remember me or what happened."
Gem and Seam exchanged smirks as she said, "Just what we needed to hear… You can come in now, officers!"
A few police officers came in and arrested the unicorn.
They were at the police station again where Prim was giving her thanks to Gem and Seam.
"Princess, Mister Seam, I can't thank you enough for recovering my funds. If there is anything I can do for either of you…"
Seam and Gem glanced at each other before smiling. Seam addressed Prim, "There are some things…"