//------------------------------// // Forks (RariTwi SoL) // Story: Parma Quentaron Sintë Undómëo // by Undome Tinwe //------------------------------// "No, not that one. That's the salad fork, dear." Twilight winced as Rarity batted her hoof away from the offending silverware. "But it's the same as the other fork," she pointed out, gesturing to the identical object next to it. "Yes, but this one is on the outside, so it's the salad fork," Rarity replied. "Oh, I see," Twilight mused. "So positional context matters in addition to shape." "Exactly." Rarity nodded approvingly. "We'll make a proper Canterlot socialite out of you yet." "Thanks for taking the time out to teach me all this." Twilight fluttered her wings awkwardly, still getting used to the sensation of having extra limbs. "I really do appreciate it." "It's no trouble at all." On the other side of the table, Rarity picked up the correct fork for her meal and began delicately picking up the curried beets on her own plate. "Remember to take small pieces, so that you don't make a mess." Twilight did her best to moderate the amount of food she was picking up each time. "I'm just glad that no one's around to see this besides you. I swear, the nobility are all so— ugh, sometimes I still don't get why you wanted to blend in with them so much. I mean, I get that it's good business, but some of those ponies..." "They're not all bad." Another small bite. How the nobles ever managed to fill their bellies when they ate so little would continue to puzzle Twilight. "Some of them have a good heart underneath all the glitz and glamour. It's just a matter of finding the right ones to ally yourself with." "I guess. I know you said Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis are nice ponies, but I don't know how to go about finding more." Twilight sighed, her shoulders slumping down as she rested her forelegs on the table. "Sometimes I wonder if Celestia didn't make a mistake crowning me as a Princess. I don't know how to do politics or play games with the nobility or any of that stuff. If anything, you should've been made a princess!" Rarity snorted. "As much as that would have made me deliriously happy, I'm afraid you're the most qualified of all of us. Also, don't rest your hooves or forelegs on the table. That's poor form, darling." "How am I the most qualified to be a princess?" Though she raised her forelegs off the table, Twilight proceeded to make another faux-pas by waving them around in an exasperated gesture. "Hooves down, Twilight." The words came out almost on instinct now. "And if you think about it, you'll see that I'm right. Consider the others in our little group of friends. As much as I love them, I doubt that Fluttershy would take to princesshood well. Nor would Applejack or Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie might, but I'm not entirely certain that Equestria would survive a Princess of Parties." "Fair enough," Twilight conceded. She took another bite from her beets. "But what about you? You know how to talk to ponies, you understand who can be trusted and who can't, and how to get the right people to do the right things. The fact that you've managed to make all these connections even though you're from Ponyville should be enough to justify you getting some kind of noble title, to say nothing of the fact that you're the Bearer of Generosity." "And that's exactly why Celestia didn't want me to be Equestria's newest princess." The way Rarity said it, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, gave Twilight pause. "Huh?" "Don't talk with your mouth full.," Rarity admonished as she swirled the wine in her glass before taking a delicate sip. "Also, if you're speaking to nobility, you should avoid such vulgar language. A simple 'pardon?' or 'I'm sorry?' would be much better." "Pardon?" "Much better." Rarity frowned. "Didn't Celestia teach you any of this when you were her student?" "Not really, no," Twilight replied. "She just let me hide in the library or lab whenever we had guests over." "I see." Another sip of wine. "Well, that only furthers my point, really." "What point?" "I could have been a princess," Rarity explained. "I think I would have been quite decent at it, if I do say so myself. But I would've been exactly what everypony expected a princess to be. Elegant, refined, politically savvy, and manipulative." "You're not—" Twilight's words were cut off by Rarity, which she thought was pretty rude, but she wasn't the one giving the etiquette lesson. "I am, dear, though I appreciate your attempts to defend me from myself. Regardless, it's true that I know how to play the game, but that's not what Celestia wants from her newest princess, I should think. At least, given that she chose you over me." "Then what does she want?" Twilight asked. "She wants to change the game," Rarity replied simply. "She doesn't want a princess who excels at playing politics, because that will only breed a more cunning brand of nobles. She's made a choice to put a mare in charge who is intelligent and witty and virtuous, who is willing to do what is right over what is proper. A mare who, when presented with a fork in the road, will choose the road less travelled, and one that may take Equestria to new heights." "I see," Twilight said, touched by Rarity's words. She was always stunned by the insights that the other mare managed to possess, and this was no exception. "So why do I have to learn all this stuff if I'm supposed to break the mould?" "Well, it's still a good idea to be able to hold a basic conversation with the Canterlot Elite without causing a scandal," Rarity replied. "Which is why I'm going to teach you just enough not to make a complete fool of yourself in front of the cameras, but anything beyond that will have to be your own choice." Twilight frowned. "That's a lot of trust ponies are putting on me," she muttered. "Some ponies are born to shoulder great responsibilities," Rarity replied as she finished off the last of the food on her plate. "I guess." Twilight picked up her own glass of wine and took a sip. "Thanks, Rarity. For everything." "No, thank you, Twilight, for being the mare you are," Rarity replied. "I look forward to seeing what you'll achieve with us by your side. Also, that's the wrong hoof for holding your wine glass." "Oh, right. Sorry!"