"Well," Twilight pauses, trying to figure out how she wants to phrase her response. She finally blurts out, "You're in a herd with Doug, correct?"
"Yes. Second mare, of the five of us." Rarity peers at Twilight, then Spike. "Is something the matter?"
"Well, you said, just now, that you wanted to 'Find my Prince' at the Gala." The temperature in the room palpably increases as Twilight stares daggers at Rarity. Doug finishes his carrots, his lips pursed to a tense frown as he chews. Spike likewise raises an eyebrow, dipping the last of his haychips into the Fire Sauce. The biting edge in Twilight's voice cuts through the air, "I don't suppose you want to, I don't know, explain that to me?"
"Ah." Rarity turns to Doug, walking over and nuzzling him. "I know this will be uncomfortable, darling, but try not to let it disturb you too much, okay? Twilight is going to cast her magic detection spell on you. I promise it is harmless, and please let us know if it bothers you too much."
Twilight raises an eyebrow as Doug flinches, "I am? What does that have to do with anything?"
Rarity glances at Twilight, "I promise that my explanation will make more sense after you have seen this." She turns back to Doug, one hoof gently rubbing into his back, "Everything will be all right, dear. Trust me."
Doug slowly nods as he sits down. His body shakes as he lifts Rarity, tightly holding the unicorn is his lap. "I... I think I can do that. If I know it's coming." He squeezes his arms and legs, clenching his eyes shut, slowly releasing the tension before he says to Twilight, "O- Okay. I'm ready."
Twilight shrugs as she moves forward, a thrumming pervading the room as her horn lights. Doug's breathing gets shorter and faster, noticeably shuddering at the sounds of her hooves as the she thrusts her horn forward. The room lights up, two brilliant equine shapes and a small green blur against a dark backdrop. Surrounding them is a purple tint on nearly everything, the whole room pulsing with magic - it courses through the wooden walls and floorboards, the food, the creatures. Twilight gapes, slowly walking around the one blank spot, a black void where the human should be.
Rarity nuzzles Doug, the bright blue aura whispering to nothing, "You are doing incredibly well, darling. I'm so proud of you." She grins as his hand grips her mane, hiding her grimace a little as his fingers curl deeper; she can feel the hairs that will be out of place. But, given that she will likely need to redo it after her upcoming hurried jaunt through the rain showers, she can deal with a few strands that aren't perfectly positioned. It is the least she can do, given what they all went through.
Twilight quietly says to herself, slowly getting louder, "He has no magic. How does he have no magic? That shouldn't be possible! All life has magic! Everything has magic!"
Rarity nods, "Yes, well, the answer to that will have to come another day. Suffice it to say that Doug is not... native to Equus. We don't know how he got here, or where he came from. And since he started a new life here, with Applejack and myself and the others, he has no intention of returning home."
Twilight fixes Rarity with a hard stare, then Doug. Spike pulls out a long roll of parchment, ready to take notes. Twilight says, a touch of confusion mixed with doubt, "Okay. I... Wait. Really?" Her hooves come to her head as her elbows rest on the table, trying to massage the impossibilities away. "I'm having a hard time believing that." She sighs, "But I also didn't believe you on the magic part, either." The light around her horn fades, the room returning to its normal saturation.
"Or the foal part," Doug unhelpfully adds as he looks around, his body visibly relaxing as he cracks a smile.
Twilight groans, rolling her eyes, "Yes, or that. Fine. I'll accept this for now, but I want an explanation later. Promise me that?" At Doug's cautious nod she continues, Spike putting away the paper, "Okay. So, how does this relate to the 'Prince' part?"
"Oh dear," Rarity says, exchanging an unhappy look with Doug, though he tries to smile encouragingly back. "Well, you see how Doug does not have any magic, correct?"
Twilight coldly responds, "I'm still having a hard time believing it, but yes."
Rarity slowly nods before saying, "Well, you see, because of their mixed heritage, each of the foals has difficulty with magic. They have far fewer thaums available for everyday use compared to most other ponies. Which means that certain magical tasks, those that you or I find trivial? The fillies struggle with to the point of being insurmountable. For instance, Scootaloo can barely generate enough lift to stay aloft, but is able to rapidly push herself around on her scooter. Hedge, on the other hoof, can hover for a short duration, but quickly tires and can barely move laterally. Sweetie Belle struggles with simple levitation." Rarity glances to the floor, "And you know how important raw power is to a unicorn, especially a young filly."
Twilight thinks back to when she got her cutie mark, the first (though by no means only) time she nearly failed a test involving magic. But, to barely be able to lift a dragon egg, much less hatch it? Or the other magical effects that happened then, or that she has been able to perform since? To be denied all that?
Rarity continues, "The various earth pony fillies don't show as obviously, yet they similarly struggle with magical application, such as when they are planting and tending to crops. And there is little hope of it improving." She gives a sad smile to Twilight, then nestles her head against Doug's chest.
"Oh." Twilight solemnly walks over, slowly pressing a hoof to Rarity's withers, a soft nuzzle to her glum friend. "I... I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"It's quite all right, darling, we have all long come to terms with what it means for them." Rarity softly smiles at Doug, the human returning a forced smile in return. "We do our best to not treat the foals any differently, and none of us will stand to hear a disparaging remark against them. I don't want you to treat them differently, either. They are still ponies, and quite capable of performing any task ahead of them, though the application of their efforts may surprise you."
"Okay, I can do that," Twilight says, slowly nodding her head. "But, what does this have to do with the Gala and the 'Prince'?"
Rarity moves back, nuzzling Doug as she says, "We, that is to say Doug and I, talked about it before. Should I want to have another foal. And, after all this time, I think that I am ready." Rarity sighs, "Unfortunately, we don't exactly have a lot of options in that regard. They boil down to not have more foals, an option I am not particularly enthusiastic about. Wait and hope something new is discovered. But, after seven years?" Rarity frowns, "I don't exactly have forever to wait. As I'm sure you know."
Twilight gives her an encouraging smile, "But you still have plenty of time, right?"
Rarity nods, "Sure, another twenty years, give or take. But we will still face the same problem next year, and the year after that, until it is too late. Or we are rushed into the decision by the hard facts of biology. And it is better on the foal the earlier we make that decision." Rarity grimaces, "I suppose I could simply have a foal with Doug and hope for the best. After seven years of little progress, that option is looking more and more... acceptable. But we both wish to spare her the difficulties that Sweetie Belle faces. Now, we believe that the condition our foals suffer from will end with them; that is to say, they will not pass it along to their own offspring. Which is why we are considering that option."
"I suppose that is reassuring," Twilight says, slowly pushing a hoof against the floor. "And I guess the last option is this 'Prince'?"
Rarity glances up to Doug before she nods, "The rest of the herd knows, of course; they respect our decision, but don't want the same for their own future foals, should we choose to continue expanding our little herd."
Twilight's eye squints, "So, what, you just pick a stallion and-"
"No, dear," Rarity shakes her head. "Not just any stallion. Doug met the esteemed Prince Blueblood, oh, two? Two and a half years ago?" She glances at Doug, continuing at his nod, "Had a wonderful time working with him during their week long trip to the farming communities of Vanhoover. The Gala would be my chance to do a bit of scouting of my own, make sure that he lives up to his reputation. Not that I am worried, of course." Rarity sighs, "Unfortunately, I would not be able to marry him, so I won't ever get that royal wedding and Princess title."
"You know," Doug says with a smirk, "If I married a Princess, that would make me a Prince. And then, wouldn't all of you become Princesses?"
Rarity stares at Doug for a few seconds before her eyes spring open. "Darling! That is perfect! Oh, Twilight, I take it all back." She moves over, nuzzling the purple unicorn, "The extra ticket must go to Doug." Rarity turns, planting a hoof on Doug's chest, "And you better not mess this up for me!"
Doug rolls his eyes, "Come on, Rarity, we both know that's not what you want." He firmly grabs hold of her foreleg, lifting and pulling the unicorn to a two legged stand. She pirouettes, a cheerful smile on her muzzle at the impromptu dance. She grunts as one arm goes to her flanks, gripping tightly and lifting the unicorn to his lips. Rarity bats her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering as she coos. Doug says, "How about this. I'll think about it. But for now, we all have work to get to, right?"
Rarity sighs, "Yes, I suppose we do." Her tails swats his flank, smirking up as he sets her back on the ground. "Come, Twilight. Doug, you will be all right by yourself, correct?"
Doug nods, a relaxed smile as he waves to the two departing unicorns. They get to the door, opening it and glancing at the cloudy skies, though they thankfully haven't started raining yet. He looks up as Twilight turns around, a puzzled Rarity glancing back but continuing outside at a hurried trot.
Twilight opens her mouth before closing it, the two staring at each other for a few seconds. Spike coughs as Twilight finally says, "Doug, do you want to go to the Gala?"
Doug shrugs, "Eh. Not really. I would only know a few ponies there, especially if the rest of the herd isn't coming. I'm not that interested in the events, or the dancing." He smirks, "I don't think I'd hit on Celestia, much as Rarity might want me to. Just chat with her instead."
"Princess Celestia," Twilight corrects. "You should use her proper title. And you shouldn't be hitting on her, either!"
Doug stares at Twilight for a few seconds before saying, "Sure. You know, I'd probably just spend most of the time sitting around and enjoying the food. Maybe see if I could find Prince Blueblood and chat with him. Or Spitfire, get her to autograph something for Rainbow. Who knows, I could just wander around the grounds all night. Might do one dance, if they have something appropriate." He shrugs, "So I think I'd find something at least marginally enjoyable to do."
Twilight nods, "Well, this whole extra ticket thing is really eating at me. I don't know who to give it to!"
Doug motions to the dragon, "Just give it to Spike."
"Aww," Twilight groans, dancing on her hooves as Spike holds a claw to his mouth and gags, "But then all of them will be unhappy that they didn't get to go! Even if I gave away my ticket as well, three of my five friends would be very disappointed with me! They would think that we aren't good enough friends!"
Doug nods, "Yup. I would hate to be in that spot."
Twilight nods, a smile growing on her muzzle, "Good. Great. So, here's your ticket." She levitates one of the two tickets, "Do with it whatever you'd like, but I don't want this hanging over my head any more. I'm giving the other one to Spike, and I'd like you to keep an eye on him at the Gala."
Doug cocks his head, "Really? So, the two creatures who don't want to go to the Gala get to go? What sense does that make?"
"Easy," Twilight says with a smile. "Spike, take a note." The dragon dutifully pulls out a quill and parchment, "If I don't get to go to the Gala with all of my friends, I'm going to go with none of them. Or, not go, as the case may be."
"Oh." Doug frowns, "So, I'm not your friend."
Twilight's stunned expression is too much for Doug, the human exploding with laughter as he roars, "Kidding! Kidding."
Twilight shakes her head, restoring some feeling, "Oh my Celestia! I'm so sorry! I heavily implied that you aren't my friend!"
Doug rolls his eyes, "No, Twilight, I'm sorry. I was just foaling around. I'd be happy to consider you my friend."
Twilight pulls at her eyes, oblivious to the conversation going on around her, dropping to the floor and whimpering.
Doug sighs, glancing at Spike, "So, what do you do when she gets like this?"
"I don't know," Spike says sarcastically, "I'm apparently not her friend either." Spike pouts, glaring at Twilight. "Find a comic to read for fifteen minutes?" Spike shrugs, putting away the parchment, "Unless you need her for something. Then I tear a piece of paper. But that backfires sometimes, makes things way worse."
Doug stares at the piece of golden paper on the table. "Eh, probably not worth it." He sweeps the manic unicorn into his arms, hugging the now startled mare. "I'm sorry I said that you aren't my friend, Twilight."
"Oh." Twilight snorts as she recovers, glancing at Spike. "I should have realized that was a joke, huh?"
"Sorry it wasn't that good of one," Doug says, dropping the unicorn back down, though she still catches Spike's eye roll and nod. "Anyway, thank you for the ticket. I'm sure I'll find something to do there."
"Yes, you and Spike both." Twilight nods, glancing outside. The dark clouds loom ominously, the crack of thunder as rain begins to pour from the heavens. She sighs, a wave to Doug before she walks to the front door, debating how best to get back to Ponyville without getting soaked.
Doug grabs the weather manuals from the table before heading to his office, closing his eyes as he rests his hand on the desk, trying not to focus on the ticket now sitting next to him.