//------------------------------// // 4 Quite a Rarity // Story: The Not-So-Grand Galloping Gala // by Starpony999 //------------------------------// Rarity made a mad dash for the royal gardens. The moment her hoof touched the soft grass of the outdoors, she practically sang. She refrained, however, for there were far too many ponies wandering about. She stopped for but a moment before giddily galloping along again to explore the castle's labyrinth. It was at the heart of this beautiful maze that Rarity would finally be able to express her true calling. Music in nature. She darted in the entrance and took the first right, the second left, the third left, and the fourth right. And by the time she got to the twenty-second fork in the road, the white mare realized she got her directions wrong. She should be able to see the gazebo by now, if only by looking over the hedges. However it seemed her memory had failed her. Dejected, Rarkty turned around and began retracing her steps. Two lefts and then one right than another lef— As the white mare turned that third corner, or eighteenth, depending on how one looks at it, she ran into a wall of fluffy white and silky black. The young mare quickly back peddled and turned her head away from her obstacle. Knowing it would be rude to keep her gaze averted if she had run into another pony, she slowly turned her head back towards the fluff in question. Her eyes widen in surprise and she realized who stood before her. She had run into Prince Charming. The adopted Nephew of Princess Celestia. Although if the rumors were true, he was more than an adopted nephew—likely blood related. His silky blue hair, shiny hooves, and delicate yet strong white wings were enough to make any mare drool. But Rarity was not any mare. She had long gotten over her interest in stallions. Ever since they collectively seemed to prove that they would never have anything to do with a ‘fake pureblood’ like her. Her mane wasn’t primary, her strength non-existent, and she sure didn’t have any magic like the rest of her family. She tried maintain eye contact with the stallion. "I'm so sorry, I seem to have lost my way." She apologized, her eyes constantly distracted by her hooves. Prince Charming smiled, folding his wings to his sides. "Why the fault is mine, fair maiden. I was not looking where I was landing." He bowed and introduced himself. "I am Prince Charming, although you can just call me Prince. Or Charming, if Prince still seems too formal. Whichever you prefer." He smiled again, showing his glistening white teeth to the mare. "Uh, um. I'm Rarity." The earth pony replied, returning the bow. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance." A few moments of silence followed. "Well, I really should be going now." Rarity stumbled over her words, she still wasn't used to somepony paying attention to her, especially not a stallion. She started walking past the prince and went to take a right at the next intersection when the prince called out to her. "I don't suppose you are looking for the gazebo, are you?" Rarity took a few steps back to look at the prince again. He seemed a bit nervous, but still had that aristocrat pattened smile on his face. "Yes, actually, I am." The prince seemed to perk up a little bit at her answer. "Well, madam, would you allow me to escort you there? Aunt Celestia's maze is quite hard to navigate, even with directions. Plus..." His smiled faltered. "You are heading down a series of dead ends." Rarity took a glance back down the way she had been heading. It was near impossible to tell if the Prince was telling the truth or not. But she didn't really have much of a choice. If she rejected the Prince's help, then Celestia knows how long she would be wandering around in this maze. But is she accepted... "That would be appreciated darling, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be good company." Prince Charming perked up instantly. "Wonderful, if you would follow me this way..." He trailed off, waiting for her to catch up. As Rarity came next to the prince, he draped his wing around her and navigated her through many twists and turns of the maze. "Why, of course, all the nobles were shocked. How could a pegasus come up with a protection spell? They were especially perplexed since my talents were centralized around navigation. You see, my theory is that I come from a long line of unicorns..." "I don't suppose you know how much longer it is to the gazebo?" Rarity asked during a pause in the stallion's story. She tried to sound as polite as possible, but it was becoming harder and harder as he droned on and on about his accomplishments in life. The only thing he had yet to discuss was his cutiemark. Although the mare had a feeling that was going to be the next topic. "Hmm..." The stallion muttered, "Let me check." He flew up above the hedges, and Rarity once more considered running away from the prince. He had double checked their directions a few times on this trip, but he seemed to know where he was going. Every time he flew upwards, the white mare had weighed the opposing outcomes. Unfortunately, staying with the Prince won out every time. The stallion glided back down and nodded his head affirmatively. "It's about a five minute gallop, but at the pace we're going, it'll be more like fifteen minutes." "Oh." Rarity responded, a bit disappointed. She hummed a slight tune to herself as they continued walking. "I suppose your cutiemark has to do with that beautiful voice of yours." The violet-maned mare blushed. She couldn't help it, she had never been complimented by a stallion. Well, Macintosh had said something similar once, but he was AJ's and Rainbow's brother. That was different. "Yes, the music note part stands for my singing ability. I haven't been able to play any instruments yet. The butterfly represents my aptitude with animals...." "And that's the story of how I earned my cutiemark." Rarity finished, blushing once more. "Sorry, I've been talking quite a bit." "No, no!" The stallion returned. "It's fine! What a wonderful story." They walked on in silence for a little while. Rarity sighed. The prince was being awfully polite, not diving right into his own story, but she could tell he was itching for the chance. 'Alright, I'll bite' she thought. "So, what's your cutiemark mean? It looks like a compass, and you mentioned you have a talent for navigating?" Prince Charming absolutely beamed. "It is a compass, but it is made of spears. My talents lie in navigation and defense! "You see, my earliest memory was being lost in the woods, and I was running away from some monster..." "So you see, that is how I earned my cutiemark." Prince Charming smiled that winning smile once more. Was he trying to blind her with how white his teeth were? "Navigating the woods." Rarity replied, a hint of uninterest and exasperation creeping into her voice. "How nice." "That and defending myself from the Chimera, of course. Well, anyways, the gazebo is just right up here. I told you I would be able to escort you safely to the prettiest spot in the gardens." As he had been for this entire walk, Charming was absolutely obvlious to her hints. "Although, I assure you, it doesn't compare to the beauty in your eyes." Rarity scoffed, this stallion was impossible. Who cares if he's a prince? He's not very smart for one. 'Although,' she thought as she turned her gaze back to the clearing they had come upon. 'He did manage to get me to the gazebo, as promised. At least he's got that going for him. As her gaze swept the small piece of paradise that was hidden away from the rest of the world, the white mare noticed that an awful lot of animals had crowded around the gazebo. Young leopards and cougars were sun...er...moon-bathing on the gazebo's floor. Pythons and anacondas were wrapped around the pillars and parrots, falcons, canaries, and owls were singing a chorus on the roof. They were all gathering around the gazebo, or rather the pony within the gazebo. "Fleur?!" Rarity called, quite surprised to see her friend there who did not have any previous intentions of exploring the garden, somewhat worried because of that fact, and also rather relieved that she was no longer alone with the prince. "What are you doing out here? Where did these animals come from? Are you alright?" Fleur chuckled shyly. "It's a story, zat's for sure. Mind helping me get out of zis mess first?" The unicorn waved her front hoof vaguely at the animals surrounding her. "I really don't feel comfortable sharing my story, or my space, with any of zese critters. No matter how cute they are." Rarity giggled at her friend's joke. "Sure, I'll see what I can do. But then you have to give me the full details, okay?" "Sans aucun doute!" Fleur promised. Rarity assumed this answer from her friend was in agreement, seeing as she smiled brightly while saying so.