//------------------------------//
// Chapter 33 
// Story: Yes, My Lady 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

Bluebottle's Cute Cenera was a huge event, having usurped the Town Hall for celebration grounds.  Blueblood himself had come to town, going straight to Pinkie Pie to ensure Bluebottle got the best possible party to celebrate that he would enjoy.  To make sure of that, he had dropped a complete dossier of Bluebottle's likes, dislikes, ambitions, and everything else he'd gathered from their frequent talks together and a bag of bits that was twice the size of the dossier and said, "Make it the best.  Ask for more bits if you need them."

Pinkie had stared at him until he clarified he was commissioning a Cute Cenera, and then gotten to work.  The party was a massive affair, and the entirety of Ponyville was in attendance.  While it was impressive, the importance of the party came from two particular conversations that took place during the party.





Scootaloo sat back, smiling as Bluebottle showed off a little with his talent, wowing and charming the fillies and colts of Ponyville.  She didn't even bat an eye at the fillies around their age batting their eyelashes at him.  She knew far too well that he was completely dedicated to her, and completely oblivious to the flirtations of others.  Still, he might make some friends.  He had far too few of those.

Scootaloo had been joining in the festivities earlier, but had pulled back to rest.  She hated that such things tired her out more than they used to...but her eye wasn't the only injury that Sebastian hadn't been able to fully repair.  While getting a demon not native to Equestrian magic as a servant had several advantages, a total lack of familiarity with the normal magic pathways of a pegasus was not always one of them.  Every so often, she would find herself flagging without reason and have to stop to catch her breath like this.  She considered it part of the price she was paying for her goal, and accepted it.

"Sunrise Wingshadow."

Even if it did leave her open to such ambushes.  She turned to where Diamond Tiara was staring right at her, and smiled softly.  "Hmm?"

"That's who you really are, isn't it?" Diamond deduced calmly.  "That's the secret regarding you that I was supposed to be left guessing at as part of my 'hazing', isn't it?"

"...no and yes," Scootaloo responded.  "I freely admit that I am Sunrise Wingshadow, but I don't think that's who I really am.  That's a very complex question that's rarely answered so simply.  Is Diamond Dazzle Tiara who you really are?  Or is that just the name you were born under and have lived under?"

Diamond chuckled softly.  "Aren't you going to ask how I figured it out?  It wasn't because your fiance called you by name where I could hear.  That was just confirmation."

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.  "Oh?  How did you know?"

"I managed to snag a large amount of my father's files as part of my packing to stay at the Acres," Diamond explained with a smirk.  "I thought they were business files, and I wanted to be up to speed on what was going on with the business so I could step into his shoes if I needed to.  But they weren't that kind of business files."  She sat down beside Scootaloo.  "Dad was your agent, wasn't he?"

Scootaloo thought about how to respond.  "...my family's agent, yes," she concluded.  "You know what that means?"

"I do," Diamond confirmed, her expression showing she was steeling herself to something difficult.  "...which is why I want to be your agent."

Scootaloo turned to Diamond, her eyebrow climbing up her brow.  "Excuse me?"

"I want to be your agent," Diamond insisted firmly.  "I want to help you keep Equestria safe, like Dad did.  I have a lot to make up for, to make him proud of me.  So...tell me where to start."

"Grow up," Scootaloo stated flatly.

"Excuse me?" Diamond snapped back.  "Last I checked, we were the same age!"

"Exactly," Scootaloo pointed out.  "A little girl heir to a merchant.  Exactly how useful an agent do you think that's going to be?"  As Diamond's intense reaction faded, Scootaloo continued.  "You want to be a valuable asset to House Wingshadow?  Start by living your life.  Grow up, study, learn, become a worthy and trusted heir to your father's business...become a mare he can be proud of.  Show the world that you're stronger than your situation...and keep your eyes open so you're never caught off guard.  Make friends, make contacts, make bits.  Then when everyone knows your story, and knows you're every inch the savvy business pony your father was and more...then you'll be an asset.  Trust that when that time comes, I will have work for you, work I'll be able to trust you with implicitly...because you're my friend."

Diamond smiled softly, pleased by the praise even if she didn't like having to wait.  "...I'm being a little silly, aren't I?"

"You'll grow out of it...eventually."

The pair of friends shared a happy giggle.





Granny Smith sat back, sipping some cider as she watched the party unfold.  She was more attending as chaperone than anything, but she still wanted to be awake for a while longer.  There was someone here she wanted to talk about.  Much to her surprise, he saught her out.  "Ya couldn'a told him who I was instead a givin' him a wild goose chase?" she demanded harshly.

"And rob him of an adventure?" Blueblood asked as he took a seat.  "Perish the thought!"  He smiled softly at her.  "You seem to be doing well."

"Quite well," Granny responded curtly.  "Prob'ly all that common carnival fare ah eat."

Blueblood's hoof froze as he reached for a pastry.  "...oh...she was...one of yours?"

"Mah granddaughter, yes," Granny confirmed darkly.  "Funny ta hear ya say that of th' same food ya used ta gorge on at every excuse ta 'build a bulwark against the mouthfuls of manure nobles call fine dining'."

Blueblood flushed guiltily.  "I...I'm terribly sorry about that.  You know why I act like that when I have to be 'Prince Blueblood' at parties-"

"It was still mah granddaughter, and mah recipes," Granny added coldly.  "Not ta mention one o' her best friends ya used as a shield against a flyin' cake."

Blueblood hung his head.  "Yes, Aunt Celestia has given me the fifth, sixth, and seventh degrees over that particular gaff," he murmured softly.  "Though like with her, I contend I did them both a favor.  Lady Rarity would be miserable if she married into the nobility, endlessly judged and derided for 'climbing the ladder by being climbed'.  And Applejack faced in me the absolute worst of noble judgmental behavior.  The fact she rallied proves - to others and to her - that nothing will keep her down for long, which counts in her favor for the long term."

"And ya think that spares ya mah disgruntlement?" Granny asked coldly.

"Unlikely," Blueblood allowed.  "I expect I'll have to do something rather silly, humiliating, or both - probably publicly right here at this party - to get back in your good graces.  To be honest, I'm rather looking forward to the excuse to pull the stick out of my plot."

Granny did her best to suppress her smirk, but failed.  One thing Blueblood was excessively good at was making others feel exactly how he wanted them to about him, making him absolutely incorrigible when he put his mind to it.  Glancing around, she suddenly grinned.  "Yer brother's about ta send his cake flyin' towards Rarity.  Go shield her and ask her ta dance."

Blueblood swallowed nervously.  "I'm...not sure that would be-"

"Ya got five seconds ta think."

Twenty seconds later, Granny sat back with a chuckle as she watched Rarity angrily chase Blueblood around the room with a rolled up newspaper of all things, screeching like a griffon fishwife.  This was entertainment.