Chapter the Eighth - Her Noble Hero
To say that the inhabitants of Ponyville were strangers to unexpected events would be a gross misunderstanding of the town’s daily happenings. However, there were still things that could take its predominantly female population by surprise. For one, the presence of two stallions, each of whom would have been a fair contender for the title of ‘Most Attractive Stallion In Equestria’, was drawing much attention.
Prince Blueblood’s perfect grooming, svelte allure, and elegant accessorizing made him a prime target for the desires of those who admired the upper crust. Quite a few of Ponyville’s local mares had eyes for him, especially those amongst the unicorn population. Despite having been in Ponyville for several days by now, the Prince still attracted very much attention.
Big Macintosh, in contrast, was what some would have described as ‘the local flavor’. The farmer was strong and muscular, towering over most ponies by nearly a head. He stood steadfast and unflinching, a true example of stability in a wild and changing world. His quiet, reserved disposition made him both a mystery and a challenge even to the more outgoing mares of the town. He was certainly no stranger to their affections, though he had been rather uninterested as of late. His heart was already spoken for.
The two stallions ambled through town, discussing everything and nothing all at once, fully aware of the eyes watching them. Big Macintosh simply shrugged them away, indifferent to the interest he was attracting. Blueblood, on the contrary, reveled in the attention. He stood tall and proud, occasionally returning a mare’s look with a charming smile.
“Pray tell, Big Macintosh, how was your evening yesterday? I take it walking Miss Fluttershy home was no trouble? Might anything interesting have occurred?”
A turquoise unicorn mare was reclining on a bench in an unusual manner, watching closely as Blueblood walked by, hypnotized by his cutie mark or perhaps his rear end. A beige female earth pony with a two-colored mane, presumably her mate, soon called her back to order, at which point the unicorn offered an apologetic grin.
“Eenope. We said our goodbyes, and she thanked me for the evenin’. I mean... it ain’t like... uh... we’reacoupleoranythin’ofthesort.”
Blueblood raised an eyebrow. Between how quickly Macintosh had spoken, the sudden fear of eye contact, and the fact that the he was now chewing on his stalk of wheat as though his life depended on it, it was easy to tell that there was more to it than he was willing to let on. Of course, intruding any further would have been most impolite.
“Oh! I’m sorry for assuming. You certainly seemed close enough.”
Big Macintosh eyed the Prince nervously and spoke under his breath.
“I’m a pretty bad liar. Jus’... keep this to yourself, would you? Fluttershy and I ain’t ready for the news to come out.”
Blueblood smiled and nodded politely. He couldn’t quite understand why a couple wouldn’t want to put themselves on display, but he had enough respect for Macintosh to follow the farmer’s wish.
The two fell into an awkward silence, both searching for words as they walked by a flower stand.
“Girls! Look over there!”
A pink earth pony pointed to the stallions, the lily flower stuck behind her ear falling off as she dramatically stood up from behind the stand.
“Now those are what I call stallions!”
A second pink pony, this one green-maned, joined the first.
“They’re so… so...!”
A white mare with a deep fuchsia mane completed the trio, exclaiming even louder than her friends.
“So attractive!”
“So handsome!”
“So dreamy!”
With a chord of sighs, the three mares brought each brought a hoof to their respective foreheads and fainted on top of one another.
“I reckon you get this much attention in Canterlot all the time, huh?”
“You could say so, yes.”
Silence fell upon the two as they continued to make their way towards the farm. With little to do and many things to talk about, the Prince had agreed to give Macintosh a helping horn with a particularly tricky set of repairs on the barn’s roof.
“I’ve been meaning to ask, Macintosh, do you have any plans to expand Sweet Apple Acres’ business any further? The name has been developing a very strong reputation in Equestria, and yesterday, I recall you mentioned a potential interest in going international. Do you have any concrete plans in that direction?”
Big Macintosh paused for a moment, deep in thought.
“‘Fraid not. Thought about it, but we ain’t got enough contacts to pull it off. For now, we’re just keepin’ an eye open for opportunity.”
“Oh, fair enough.”
“Why do you ask’?”
It was Blueblood’s turn to avoid eye contact.
“Oh, no reason; simple curiosity, that’s all.”
The farmer shrugged, turning his attention back o the road in front of him.
Up in the air, a yellow pegasus mare with a turquoise mane was handling a cloud, positioning for the afternoon’s downpour. Her eyes catching the two stallions below, she released the cloud and brought her hooves to her mouth, wolf-whistling in approval.
The nimbus drifted freely, coming to a stop directly over a blue unicorn bearing an hourglass on her flanks. Mesmerized by the attractive display walking across the street, she failed to notice her drenched mane falling flat on her face, let alone the localized downpour that was its cause.
“I gotta admit, it’s surprisin’ how much you changed just these last few days.”
Blueblood turned towards the farmer, intrigued.
“Oh? What do you mean?”
Big Macintosh remained silent for a moment, pondering his next words.
“When you first turned up at the farm, I didn’t think there was much to do with you. I figured I’d toss some farm work at you and you’d run screamin’ right then and there like some highfalutin’ city pony.”
Blueblood smirked, pondering how he would have reacted to such a comment just days ago.
“In all honesty, I most likely would have if it had not been for... particular circumstances.”
“That honor-bound thing? Heh. I was pretty surprised when you went and ate your slice of humble pie like it was nothin’. After the first day you asked me not to pull any punches, and I thought for sure we’d soon find out you’d hightailed it back to Canterlot. Yet you just kept on goin’ an’ goin’. I’m mighty impressed.”
The two of them reached the outskirts of Ponyville as Macintosh spoke, passing by the last building on the edge of town, a local pub known as the Thirsty Trotter. Seated comfortably on the establishment’s terrace, a plum-colored mare bearing grapes and a strawberry for a cutie mark watched the two go by, a dopey smile on her face. She was oblivious to the fact that her hooves were no longer pouring her favorite fruit punch into a glass, but rather onto her nearby tulip sandwich and hay fries.
“To be truthful, I am rather unsure of how I survived these days of labor, but I am quite glad I did. I feel like a new pony. I also feel sore from all that farmwork, but that’s another issue entirely.”
Big Macintosh snorted.
“Don’t worry. The farmhooves all get that for the first few days. It’ll pass. If anythin’, a cold bath does wonders for sore muscles.”
Prince Blueblood raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
“Oh? A cold bath, you say? I’ll be sure to try that out... not that I don’t bathe every night already, of course, albeit at a more comfortable temperature. I mean, obviously-”
“I know what you meant.”
The two were silent for a moment, still marching towards the farm. Soon, Blueblood gave a sigh, which attracted a curious glance from Big Macintosh.
“I worry somewhat. Despite all my work, I have yet to hear or see from Rarity other than an ambiguous note. I wish I knew where she stood about this, or what she is expecting from me.”
Big Macintosh nodded.
“If it’s any comfort, Applejack’s havin’ lunch with Rarity right about now. Knowin’ those two, they’ll probably wind up discussin’ a lotta things, you included. Ain’t no tellin’ what she’ll-”
Big Macintosh was interrupted by the shrill screams of three fillies in the distance. He recognised one of them as Sweetie Belle, but the other two were a mystery to him.
“What’n tarnation?”
By the time he recovered from the surprise, Blueblood was already galloping off towards the source of the noise.
“Big Macintosh! Hurry up! Those fillies might need help!”
Big Macintosh caught up with the Prince in an instant. Thanks to his strong legs, the farmer was a fast runner. He glanced at Blueblood as they charged ahead.
“The screams’re comin’ from the gemstone quarry! They must’ve gotten in trouble with some varmint!”
“Lead the way, Macintosh; you know the path better than I do.”
As he rushed forward, Prince Blueblood noticed a small figure, a short distance in front of him. Catching up to the creature, he recognized it as Spike, Twilight Sparkle’s young draconic assistant. He seemed to be headed in the same direction as the stallions.
“Big Macintosh! Blueblood! Did you hear that? Somepony’s in danger!”
Spike found himself hoisted into the air by the unicorn’s magic and placed on the Prince’s back, where he instinctively clung to the blond mane to keep from falling.
“Hang on, young one! Those fillies will need all the help they can get!”
Spike gave an enthusiastic shout.
“Hold on, Sweetie Belle! I’m coming! Hi-ho Blueblood!”
Noticing the prince’s indignant look, Spike laughed nervously.
“Sorry, I get carried away in the action sometimes.”
~~~
Opalescence’s ears perked up as the echoes of the shrill screams tickled her hearing. She rose up onto her paws immediately, meowing once in an attempt to get her owner's attention
Comfortably installed in the boutique’s little salon and entirely focused on her conversation with Applejack and her cup of after-lunch tea, Rarity paid no attention to the cat on the windowsill.
“... and so I told her: ‘Emerald earrings? Obviously, you want to look like a beanstalk.’”
Applejack and Rarity shared a burst of laughter.
“Oh! Speaking of beanstalks; how is your farm, Applejack?”
“Well, I reckon things are goin’ pretty well. You’d be surprised how helpful Blueblood’s turned out to be.”
Rarity eyes shot wide open and she remained silent for a moment, blinking in incomprehension before breaking into a chortle.
“Oh, Applejack, you almost had me going there. I mean, please, Blueblood? Meaningful farm work? You simply must be kidding!”
Applejack gave a blank stare.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but that weren’t no joke. While I can certainly fault his taste in pastry, I sure as sugar can’t find anythin’ wrong with his work ethic. It’s like I said, that stallion’s driven, an’ I don’t think I need to remind you what he’s driven by.”
Forced to face the fact, Rarity paused, her thoughts speeding through the Running of the Leaves. She was startled out of her musings when Opalescence frantically hopped onto her, meowing for her attention. Rarity mechanically levitated the cat off of her and back onto the ground.
“Not now, Opal; Mommy’s talking with her friend.”
The unicorn turned back to the earth pony with a sigh, blushing intensely.
“That is certainly... interesting news, Darling. I knew he was motivated, but I would have never thought he would be so... devoted.”
Applejack chuckled at Rarity’s flustered reaction.
“Y’know, with how he's been turnin' out, if he weren’t called for, I'd almost be tempted to make a move on him myself.”
Rarity shot Applejack an incredulous look, but burst into amused laughter once she caught on to the farmer’s tall tale.
“Point taken, Applejack. I see he has been doing very well.”
Applejack snickered at the mental image of her hypothetical union with the Prince.
“Heh, I doubt he and I’d be a good- Whoa, nelly!”
Applejack suddenly ducked, narrowly avoiding Opalescence as the cat pounced towards her. The feline fell back down to the floor, only to be enveloped in a blue magical aura and unceremoniously locked up in her kennel. The grate rattled as she tried to force her way out. Annoyed, Rarity simply admonished her.
“Opal, since you’re clearly not going to behave, it looks like I’ll have to keep you in there until you calm down.”
Applejack straightened her hat.
“Anyway, Rarity, what’re you plannin’ to do about Blueblood? He’s been puttin’ in a lot of effort, aren’t you goin’ to at least give him a chance?”
Rarity’s smile fell into a hesitant frown.
“I do realise he’s been working hard, but I’m still unsure of what I should do. I can’t just walk up to him and say ‘Prince Blueblood, here I am, giving you a second chance.’ How awkward! Darling, these things take time. I still need to figure out what to do. How can I even know for sure that he’s any better than he used to be?”
Applejack slammed her hoof against the carpet, a disappointingly muffled thump marking her anger.
“What? Of all the... Rarity! That ain’t fair of you! Not so long ago you were all about finding a noble stallion who’d treat you nicely, and now that there’s one pretty much beggin’ for your attention, you’re makin’ excuses not to give him a chance! You gotta stop leadin' him on! Land’s sakes, just listen to yourself!”
For the second time in only a few days, Applejack proved to be the voice of reason. Shocked by the sudden critique, Rarity’s voice lowered to a whimper.
“Really, Applejack? You think I’m being... unfair?”
The unicorn solidly planted her front hooves in the plush carpet, swallowing her worries.
“No, no. You’re right. I am being unfair, both to Blueblood and to myself. I’ve been so afraid that things wouldn’t go right that I left him uncertain for far too long. Thank you for being honest with me, Applejack.”
Applejack offered an encouraging smile.
“We all need a friend to set us straight every now and then. So, what are you gonna do about it?”
Rarity pondered the best approach for a moment, before making a declaration loudly and clearly.
“I’m going to go see Prince Blueblood and I will-”
Rarity’s fierce words melted into an incoherent mess as Opalescence burst through the grate door of her kennel. The cat made a beeline for Applejack and leapt through the air with an agile somersault, snagging the cowpony’s hat between her teeth and landing behind her. From there, the cat vanished through her cat door with the prize dragging beside her.
Forgetting their conversation, Applejack immediately gave chase, closely flanked by Rarity.
"Come back here and gimme my hat back, ya scoundrel!"
"Opalescence! Let that hat go immediately! It's filthy!"
Applejack shot Rarity an irritated glare the likes of which the unicorn had rarely seen. Rarity grinned back nervously.
"... Also it's very special to Applejack!"
However, Opal was determined in her endeavor and kept rushing into the distance, towards a place Rarity knew all too well: the gemstone quarry.
~~~
Sweetie Belle, Diamond Tiara, and Silver Spoon all huddled closely together as the three beasts closed in on them. Cornered at the foot of a large boulder, they had nowhere to run. Sweetie Belle fearfully stared up at the creatures, while the other two fillies cowered, their muzzles buried in their forelegs. Those ears, those fangs, those claws... Rarity had told her about them: Diamond Dogs.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”
The chief of the canines, a slim and tall dog with large pointy ears, stopped in front of them. He gave a scratchy laugh as he loomed over the filly, watching his two companions approach.
“Looks like some little ponies thought they could take our gems!”
A brown canine much smaller than the first added to the laughter, his eyes fixating on the small turquoise gem Sweetie Belle clutched in her hooves.
“Look at this one! She has a horn!”
Completing the half-circle and trapping in the fillies completely, an enormous greyish-blue lug of a Diamond Dog towered over them, his grubby paws ready to seize one of them at any moment.
The first Diamond Dog cackled cruelly.
“Oooh. Then she should be able to find gems like the other one.”
The other two dogs stared at him, terrified.
“But... but...”
The smallest dog stuttered in a panic, only to find his sentence completed by the oaf.
“...What if she also makes the awful noises?”
Their leader planted his paw straight onto his forehead with a resounding clap.
“Quiet, you fools! Look at her! Little pony, little problems! Just grab her and let’s go!”
The subordinates looked at each other, then at the cowering fillies, and then back at each other before the largest dog grabbed Sweetie Belle and lifted her, taking great care to hold her muzzle with one of his paws. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon could only stare, stunned with fear. What were they going to do? Sweetie Belle squirmed and attempted to shout, but could only make muffled noises.
All hope seemed lost until the thundering sound of hooves echoed from the distance. The fillies gasped, one more muffled than the others, as two stallions and a young dragon came into view. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon suddenly shot up on their hooves in excitement.
“Prince Blueblood!”
Blueblood and Spike posed fiercely while Big Macintosh quickly closed the distance between him and them. The dogs looked at them hesitantly. While the little dragon didn’t seem to be a threat, the two ponies were a lot larger than any they’d seen before.
Breaking the silence, Blueblood’s voiced boomed. He had practiced the Royal Canterlot Voice all his youth, despite it being obsolete, and now it was about to pay off.
“You will remove your grubby paws from that filly immediately!”
The dogs flinched for a second. The smallest dog was ready to run, his tail having taken refuge between his stubby legs.
“Looks like he means business!”
The largest dog was tempted to join in the escape, struggling to keep Sweetie Belle under control as she flailed about wildly.
“We should run!”
The Diamond Dog leader stood his ground as he and Prince Blueblood competed in an intense duel of stares.
“What are you, puppies? There’s only two ponies and there’s... uh... one... two... uh... more of us! We can take ‘em!”
Blueblood scraped his hoof against the ground before charging towards his enemy, his horn lowered and ready to strike.
“Fear my horn, cur!”
The canine tumbled out of the way with practiced agility, sticking his leg out and tripping the Prince. The white unicorn fell face first into the dirt, but did not stay down for long.
“Why, you scoundrel! I’ll show you what the Canterlot champion of Longue Corne fencing can do!”
The stallion and the dog engaged in a fierce duel of horn against claw, neither of them managing to score a decisive blow. While Blueblood had far better technique, the Diamond Dog had much more experience in actual combat and the advantage of two paws.
At the side of their duel, Big Macintosh approached the largest Diamond Dog, who seemed hesitant. Still not letting go of Sweetie Belle, the canine watched as the red pony got closer and closer, a fierce look on his face. To his great confusion, Big Macintosh nodded towards the orchard.
“Y’see them apple trees over there?”
The large dog nodded and glanced over to the trees behind him, confused.
“Lemme show you how we harvest ‘em.”
Facing away from the dog and the orchard, Big Macintosh reared up and planted his forehooves solidly into the dirt, striking the beast’s large buttocks with a solid kick. The Diamond Dog was propulsed head over heels into the dirt, dropping Sweetie Belle.
“I’ve got you!”
Big Macintosh lunged to catch Sweetie Belle, only to fall onto his face in the dirt as she was swept out of his grasp.
“Not on my watch!”
The smallest Diamond Dog dived for Sweetie Belle, attempting to drag her to a nearby burrow. However, an obstacle stood in his way. Spike stared him down defiantly, standing his ground between the dog and the pit.
“Pick on someone your own size!”
The Diamond Dog considered his options, quickly opting to charge on and bowl over the young dragon. Spike stared, his confidence suddenly melting away.
“Uh... Whoa! Whoa! What do I do!?”
Blueblood stuck his head out of the cloud of dust that now surrounded his agitated duel.
“You’re a dragon! What would a dragon do?!”
Spike rolled his eyes, realizing the obvious.
“Oh, right.”
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air and feeling a familliar heat rise within him. The Diamond Dog turned back quickly, realising the foolishness of charging headfirst towards a dragon of any age, but he could not run away fast enough.
“Uh-oh!”
Spike breathed out a gout of flame, barely reaching his opponent.
“Ha! You missed me!”
A closer inspection of his rear end proved him woefully wrong, as he realised that a green flame now lit the tip of his tail. Dropping the filly, he fled into the distance at a breakneck pace, desperate for water to put his tail out.
The largest dog recovered from his tumble and glared around the dirty field, noticing that a dizzy Sweetie Belle was now defenseless in the open, with naught but the small dragon to guard her. He ran and dived for her, only to collide with a much larger obstacle.
Big Macintosh looked directly at the dog who had just bumped against his chest, having barely been nudged from his place by the impact.
“Nope.”
Screaming in panic, the dog fled into the distance, following in his companion’s tracks.
“Foul beast! Feel my wrath!”
Blueblood and the last remaining Diamond Dog were still trading strikes and parries, neither of them able to get the upper hand. Between two agile lunges, Blueblood paused and sniffed at the air, erupting in a massive shudder.
“Ewww! Very foul, even!”
Frothing with rage, the Diamond Dog made a desperate swipe for Blueblood, leaving a long claw mark on the stallion’s chest.
“Quiet!”
Blueblood flinched and fell back, feeling a sharp jolt of pain. He glanced over the injury, breathing sharply and intermittently.
Blood? Oh, not again.... Oh dear.... Oh dear.... No. This is no time to panic. There isn’t any blue to be seen, is there? This is nothing.
Blueblood chuckled to himself, feeling his confidence surging anew.
“Know your place, scum! I shall trounce you once and for all!”
Blueblood hopped to the right, attacking the dog’s left.
“Left!”
The dog hopped out of the way, sticking his tongue out at the Prince. Unfazed, Blueblood stepped over to the left, striking from the right.
“Right!”
The dog parried once more, catching the horn between his paws. Blueblood pulled back immediately, continuing his dazzling assault, only to have his every strike countered.
“Left! Right! Left! Right!”
Eventually, where the dog had expected another left, a right came and knocked the beast to the ground. Laughing, the Prince reared up and placed his front hooves against the canine’s back to pin him against the ground.
“Wrong.”
The dog flailed, trying to free himself from Blueblood’s pin. The Prince struggled to keep him in place.
“Let me goooo!”
Big Macintosh soon ran over, taking the unicorn’s place.
“I’ll take it from here. Go check on the fillies, would you?”
“Of course.”
Near them, Spike approached Sweetie Belle, whose eyes were spinning in confusion from being tossed around.
“Sweetie Belle! Are you all right?”
The filly shook the dizzyness out of her head and looked at the dragon in amazement.
“Spike! You... you saved me! My hero!”
In a flash, Sweetie Belle closed the distance that separated her from the dragon and seized him a a bone-crushing hug.
“You’re welcome. I was only doing the right thing and uh... Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle! I... can’t... breathe!”
The filly blushed, pulling away quickly.
“Oh... um... sorry. You’re so brave!”
“I am? Uh, I mean... of course I am!”
Spike posed proudly, eliciting a warm giggle from Sweetie Belle. Struck by a sudden idea, Sweetie Belle motioned for him to follow.
“Follow me! I think you deserve a little reward, and I’ve got something for you right over there!”
The young unicorn led Spike to the boulder where Blueblood was now checking on the two earth pony fillies. They were still trembling from the shock.
“Now then, pray tell, what were the three of you doing in such a place?”
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon glanced at each other, until the pink filly finally owned up to their actions.
“We thought we could get Sweetie Belle to find gems.”
Silver Spoon cut in.
“We figured it would help her get her cutie mark.”
The Prince pondered for a moment, before offering them a comforting smile.
“So be it, then. It was noble of you to try to help Sweetie Belle with her cutie mark, but the three of you should have known better than to venture into such a place.”
Sweetie Belle and Spike arrived, walking far closer together than Spike seemed comfortable with. Overhearing the conversation, Spike raised a finger and an objection.
“Hold on just a minute! Help Sweetie Belle with her cutie mark? I don’t buy it. You’re always going around calling her and the Cutie Mark Crusaders ‘blank flanks’! You’re always being mean to them!”
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon recoiled. They were caught.
“Is that so?”
Prince Blueblood’s smile melted into a frown of anger.
“Little misses, is what this young dragon is saying true? Do my ears deceive me, or are my local fans... schoolyard bullies?”
The last two words were full of venom and disgrace. The fillies repeatedly looked to each other and back to the Prince, stammering incoherently as they tried to find an excuse.
“We were um... um... we wanted to... uh...”
“We thought that ... well... maybe if we...”
Finally, they looked down with defeated sighs and nodded silently.
Spike silently watched, hesitant, while Sweetie Belle seemed more interested in looking dreamily at her newfound knight in shining scales.
“Young ladies, I want the truth. Why did you truly bring Sweetie Belle here?”
Silver Spoon was the first to own up to their actions.
“We got her to think that, if she found gems, she’d get a cutie mark like her sister.”
Diamond Tiara nodded in agreement.
“We figured that when she’d find some, we’d grab them and run.”
Blueblood remained stone-faced.
“Very well. I see how it is. Young fillies, that is hardly proper for ponies of your status, or really, of any status. Once we get back to town, I would like to have a talk with your parents.”
The two fillies nodded dejectedly.
“At least you two are willing to own up to your mistakes. That is a noble thing to do in the face of one’s misdeeds.”
At the earlier mention of gemstones, Sweetie Belle had suddenly shot back to attention, silently motioning for Spike to keep following her. The small turquoise gem still sat where she had dropped it earlier. Sweetie Belle focused intensely and an unsteady aura of purple magic lifted the stone in the air and dropped it into Spike’s unexpecting claws.
“I found this earlier, and I want you to have it for saving me.”
The young dragon eyed the gemstone over, his eyes wide in amazement.
“It’s... beautiful! Thank you, Sweetie Belle!”
Slowly edging over towards Spike, Sweetie Belle offered a friendly smile.
“You’re welcome, Spike! You deserve it!”
Spike’s dazzled gaze kept shifting between the stone and the filly, until he was startled out of his thoughts by a piercing caterwaul echoing through the air. Opalescence came running seemingly out of nowhere and leapt off of the dirty ground, bouncing off the top of Spike’s head, claws fully extended. The young dragon soon found himself blinded when the hat that she had been carrying fell out of the cat’s grasp and onto his head, the brim completely obscuring his eyes.
“Get back here, you!”
“Opalescence! Come to mommy!”
Applejack and Rarity came rushing to the scene, screeching to a stop as they noticed the impromptu gathering.
“Big Macintosh? What the hay’s goin’ on here?”
“Sweetie Belle! Prince Blueblood! What happened?”
Opalescence’s came to a stop as she landed on the Diamond Dog’s back, latching onto him with an earsplitting hiss. Panicked, the canine shot up into the air and fled into the distance with an incoherent series of yips, struggling to shake off the enraged feline. Pushed away, Big Macintosh fell to the ground with a resounding thump, but quickly stood back up and rejoined the group.
“I reckon they shouldn’t trouble us for a while.”
Freeing the young dragon from her hat, Applejack nodded to Big Macintosh.
“You said it, brother.”
Rarity ran over to her younger sister, inspecting her from every angle.
“Sweetie Belle, are you okay? They better not have hurt you!”
The filly trotted to her sister and pulled her into a hug.
“I’m okay, Rarity. Spike protected me!”
Rarity turned to the young dragon, whose gaze seemed unable to decide which the two unicorn sisters it wanted to be planted on.
“Spike? Is that so? How admirable!”
Spike hesitated for a moment.
“Yeah, I... uh... I guess I did. Well, with a little help. Blueblood is the one who led the whole thing, really. I helped though, you should have seen it! I was all like...”
Spike inhaled deeply and demonstrated a burst of dragon flames, only to find out as the smoke cleared that Rarity had stepped over to Blueblood. Sweetie Belle, however, had been watching attentively.
Rarity turned to look at Blueblood, who was still discussing matters of discipline and proper attitude with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Next to him, Big Macintosh and Applejack were watching silently, curious about the Prince’s impromptu lesson. Rarity trotted over to the two farmer ponies, leaving Sweetie Belle to lavish admiration upon her savior.
“Big Macintosh, thank you so very much for helping Sweetie Belle from those... repugnant creatures! Is it true, what Spike said? Did Blueblood really lead you to help Sweetie Belle and those two?”
“Eeyup. He was mighty brave about it, too.”
In an instant, Rarity now stood by Prince Blueblood, who turned to face her.
“Oh! Prince Blueblood! Such courage! Such bravery! Such heroism!”
Big Macintosh and Applejack shared a chuckle.
“Well, big brother, looks like she ain’t doubtin’ no more.”
“Eeyup.”
Big Macintosh turned to the two earth pony fillies.
“C’mon, you two; let’s get you home. I think Prince Blueblood and Miss Rarity need to talk. Applejack, mind fetching Rarity’s cat?”
“No problem, big brother.”
Rarity gazed at the Prince with sparkling eyes.
“Prince Blueblood, I am oh so thankful! To think that such a noble stallion has been hidden from me all this time!”
As the farmers left, Blueblood looked at Rarity, unsure of what to say and still afraid that he would accidentally offend her. He offered a heartfelt smile.
“You are quite welcome, Miss Rarity. Still, it was only my duty as a royal of Equestria.”
“Oh, Prince Blueblood, such modesty is unbecoming of a stallion of your status. You more than deserve praise for your actions. How could I ever thank you?”
Prince Blueblood smiled, looking deep into Rarity’s blue eyes.
“You could, perhaps, meet me tomorrow at La Rose Dorée for dinner at sundown? On my bits, of course.”
Rarity paused for a moment, hesitating. She swallowed her doubts, a charmed smile tracing its way onto her face as she gazed back at him.
“I would be delighted, Prince Blueblood.”
~~~
To Be Continued
~~~
Coming up next in To Be a Better Stallion
“Forty three dresses, sixteen overcoats, twenty six hats, thirty five articles of jewelry, and nine different sets of shoes, yet none of these seem quite perfect for the occasion. What am I to do!?”
~Rarity
…
“I just wanted to say, about the other day with the puddle and everything...”
~Rainbow Dash
...
“Well then, shall we?” ~Rarity
“With pleasure." ~Prince Blueblood
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YES GODDAM YOU! I was waiting for this for forever!
307640
They come as I can write them and as my editors can go over them. I'm sorry for how long it can be between my chapters, but I believe making them a great read is more important than getting them out fast.
306770
D'awww, those are adorable!
Awesome chapter! I became M. Bison at the end there.
Let the loving commence!!!!!
On the edge of my seat the whole time... thanks for the update!
Rarity's reaction to the rescue kind of hung up on me. While she tends to be a drama queen, wouldn't she be slightly apprehensive over talking to Blueblood? Again, perhaps this is a matter of opinion.
307901
I figured, as I wrote, that Rarity was far too busy being thankful that her little sister was safe to be apprehensive about things.
That being said, fear not, Chapter 9 will bring all the apprehension one would expect, and then some.
Great chapter, nice to finally see Blueblood reaping the rewards of all his work. I also expect to see more issues to surface as he's far from done with his transformation
YES. I APPROVE.
MORE!
Spike/Sweetie Belle? Really? I guess there's no accounting for taste...
Jokes aside (I just don't really like toy shipping) this was a real nice chapter. I could totally imagine Blueblood and Big Mac walking around town and Blueblood reveling in the attention. Kinda like Asapin from KareKano, only less lecherous.
Nice seeing the steady buildup in Blueblood/Rarity interaction, I'Ll be waiting next chap!
BB and BM make a pretty awesome bromance
308122
Hm... You leave me curious as to what remains to be transformed according to you. Might I get you to expand on that?
Great chapter.
I shudder to think how Spike is going to take all of this...it's inevitable there's going to be some sort of conflict.
Win.
Ah, excellent! I'm glad Rarity and Blueblood are going out now on a, how shall we say, test date?
Great action there, and nice seeing DT and SS getting a bit of a tongue-lashing there by Blueblood.
310828
If it's any comfort, going by the show's canon, he's still a complete jackass.
I really love the reformed Blueblood angle when it is done well.
It's always a delight to see this update. I look forward to seeing events develop now that things seem to be moving forward.
This story continues to delight. You wrote all the interactions very well, especially Blueblood and Diamond Tiara / Silver Spoon. Loved the bit with Opal too. (Why is it that if Winona came up to AJ we'd assume Timmy is stuck in a well, but a cat meows and we scold it?) What I'm really posting to praise is the Sweetie Belle/Spike setup. It's like an age-appropriate Rarity to distract Spike so we don't feel bad for him while we finally get the ship we're here to read! Well played. This continues to be one of my favorite works in the fandom. My only suggestion/hope is that you work in the moment from Sweet and Elite, during the song, where Blueblood and Rarity are christening (celestaning?) an airship - a moment in which I squeeled and said, "I hope that happens in To Be a Better Stallion!"
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Hehe, funny that the airship would come up. I've got something small planned with that indeed.
Seeing as Blueblood began as self-serving as Gaston, I think that was an appropriate cameo in the opening scene.
"Look there he goes, isn't he dreamy!
That Prince Blueblood, oh he's so cute!
Be still my heart, I'm hardly breathing!"
did a read through today, been sitting on this story for a time. Its enjoyable.
After reading all 8 chapters of your story, I think I can give an honest opinion of your story. In this story, you actually get the personalities of all the ponies right, something a lot of authors have trouble doing. You also give an entertaining oc that can easily fit in the Ponyverse. However, the problem I have with the story is Blueblood. It felt that he changed too fast, a personal growth that only took a matter of days. I feel that he should struggle more, especially since he was trained to act that way since birth. Also the musical number. I really shouldn't be saying anything bad about it because this is only my opinion but I hate musical numbers in written stories. Without the instrumental music, the note changes in her singing, or even an idea of the rhythm, it only feels like I am reading school age poetry.
All Me Gusta are belong to you!
Next chapter: confrontation with his mother!!
I hope.
I really do enjoy this story. I think it's written well, plus any story that actually gives character depth and development to Blueblood is a good story in my book!
352231
I can't believe someone downvoted your comment. It was very well spoken in comparison to my own. I always have trouble finding the right words.