Rarity stretched her arms above her head and groaned herself awake, and while she was a little sore from the rather lackluster bed of Windsoar’s inn, she felt relaxed and rejuvenated regardless, and she couldn’t help but crack a smile as the light of dawn peeked in through her blinds.
She wanted to just tear open the blinds and get a good look at what was no doubt a breathtaking vista of the snow-dripped sleepy village just starting to come alive under the rays of the morning sun, but she was a bit too modest to stand in front of the window before getting dressed, so she dug through the nightstand first.
Rarity hummed as she opened the several drawers on the nightstand, taking out different shirts, pants, skirts, and tunics in order to decide which ones were right for her today. She was Rarity after all, so naturally she had several ensembles to choose from even while travelling.
And with Rainbow Dash nowhere to be seen— almost certainly already up and at ‘em long before Rarity even awoke— Rarity didn’t feel the need to rush while deciding on the perfect wardrobe for the day’s adventures.
That is, until she heard some odd commotion coming from the window.
Rarity’s ears perked up before she even consciously noticed the noise, as she was completely consumed by her fashion situation, but the noise only got louder until she had no choice but to pay attention to it, and she looked over toward the window in bewilderment.
It sounded like people talking, but loud enough for Rarity to hear them through the inn walls? They weren’t that thin.
Rarity stepped over to the window and peeked through the blinds, and her stomach dropped. A crowd had gathered outside, and who else would be at the center of it than the one and only Rainbow Dash, who appeared to be puffing up her chest as the crowd looked on; so she was either boasting or arguing, but either way if it was enough to draw a crowd, Rarity needed to step in to make sure everything was okay.
Though conveniently, that made the fashion decision much easier; a dazzling sky-blue blouse underneath a large and dashing white overcoat, with cute black leggings and just a pinch of color thanks to the addition of a purple scarf— ‘mediator chic’, as Rarity decided to call it.
Rarity trotted her dazzling self outside and approached the crowd, the villagers kindly making way for her so she could get to the center of everyone— where she was rather irritated to see that Rainbow was actually boasting and arguing; specifically, with Blueblood.
“Dare I ask what’s going on here?” Rarity grumbled, standing next to Wind Rider who was at the front of the gathered crowd, but seemed perfectly content to let his partner go at it with Rainbow alone.
“Prince wasn’t too impressed by Rainbow’s claims that she already killed the sea serpent,” Wind Rider chuckled.
“Does he not believe her?” Rarity arched an eyebrow. It wouldn’t be good if these two found out that Rarity and Rainbow had been caping for Rain Shine, but she couldn’t imagine how they would find that out. Rainbow could be dense sometimes but she absolutely knew better than to admit to that.
“No idea,” Wind Rider shrugged, an amused grin across his face. “The townsfolk are all vouching for her, say their rivers and fishing routes basically cleared up overnight. Which is enough for me to buy her story, by the way. Prince though? He’s a stubborn one.”
That was good at least. Wind Rider wasn’t on their case, and the villagers had their daily lives returned to normal. Rarity smirked at her good work; this mission could officially be considered a success, as soon as she dealt with—
“Hey, Rarity!” Rainbow called out and waved her arm above her head to beckon Rarity. “Show him the thing!”
Rarity sighed and walked into the battle zone, Blueblood turning around to face her and having quite the obtrusive vein popping out of his forehead.
“Ah, Rarity. There you are,” Blueblood said, trying to keep his tone measured but Rarity could tell he was about ready to boil over in frustration. Which, to be fair, was a common effect of talking with Dash, Rarity had to admit. “Would you care to set this situation straight, if you please?”
“Show him the thing, Rarity!” Rainbow stuck her head out from behind Blueblood and bore an ear-to-ear grin, and Rarity couldn’t help but laugh. Blueblood was really aggravating Rainbow yesterday, so she must have been having the time of her life now.
“From what I understand,” Rarity hummed, fingers tracing the serpent scale in her coat pocket, “Rainbow has told you the truth. We killed the sea serpent in the middle of the night.” Rarity took the scale out of her pocket, and Rainbow darted beside her so she could see Blueblood’s eyes widen as he gritted his teeth, and Rainbow laughed manically at the sight.
“You expect me to believe—” Blueblood snapped, but then he clenched his fist and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before continuing with more composure. “If you killed the serpent, why not bring backs its head as proof?”
“Cuz this is all that was left,” Rainbow said smugly, showing off her own scale that perfectly matched Rarity’s, and Rarity forced a similarly confident smile despite not appreciating Rainbow’s rather exaggerated lie. But then again, Rarity could work with this.
“That’s about the size of it,” Rarity explained, placing the scale back in her pocket. “The serpent was reduced to— well, I shan’t describe what happened to the pitiful thing. There are children in this crowd.”
“How exactly did you manage to do something like that on your own?” Blueblood asked skeptically.
“I have a boon,” Rarity tapped her finger against the hilt of Celestia’s onyx blade, “from the Queen herself. It grants a rather gruesome end to any creature unfortunate enough to meet its blade.”
“You received such a thing from the Queen personally?” Wind Rider said, Rarity turning to see the alarm on his face, and it brought a coy smile to hers.
“I did,” Rarity said. “She is my mentor, she has been since I was a filly.”
“Y-you’re one of the Queen’s proteges?” Blueblood stumbled back a step, but then cleared his throat and stood up straight. “No wonder I sensed something special about you right away. The Queen has a keen eye for greatness, and so do I.”
“Nice save, buddy,” Rainbow cackled, but Rarity gently clasped her hand.
“Rainbow, dearest,” Rarity said with a sweet smile, “will you give me a chance to speak to Blueblood on my own, please?”
“Yeah, okay,” Rainbow sighed, tossing up her serpent scale and then catching it out of the air. “I’ve had my fun. Alright everypony, you heard the lady!” Rainbow said, waving at the crowd and getting them to disperse. “Give these dorks some privacy already!”
“You wanna grab a drink?” Wind Rider said to Rainbow Dash, who nodded her acceptance and walked off with him, leaving Rarity and Blueblood alone.
Rarity and Blueblood decided to talk on the shore; Blueblood removed his jacket once they reached the lake, and placed it on the ground over the snow, gesturing for Rarity to sit on top of it. Rarity held her hand over her heart and smiled before graciously accepting his offer, Blueblood sitting in the snow beside her.
“You know, bravado aside,” Blueblood mused, “I really didn’t expect that you were a disciple of the Queen herself. You’re definitely full of surprises, aren’t you, Rarity?”
“I have certainly led an interesting life,” Rarity said pleasantly, musing to herself that Blueblood didn’t even know the half of it. He would probably try to take her head if he knew she was escorting two dragons to the Crystal Empire at their request, and that she was formerly in love with one.
Although… perhaps ‘formerly’ wasn’t quite right. Rarity had never truly dealt with her feelings regarding Twilight Sparkle, and after this evening with Rain Shine, she found herself even more conflicted.
She almost felt a glimmer of hope as she traced her fingers along the scale in her pocket; a faint idea that she and Twilight may one day once again be—
Blueblood snapping his fingers in Rarity’s face disrupted that train of thought right quick.
“Don’t ignore me,” he said in frustration, and Rarity felt a humiliated blush stinging her cheeks.
“I apologize,” she said sheepishly. “I’ve had a lot on my mind these past days, and I’m afraid I simply spaced out for a second.”
“Well you had better not let it happen again,” Blueblood said sharply, though before a surprised and rather bemused Rarity could question his tone, he corrected himself. “A Slayer can’t afford to let her guard down, after all. If you had spaced out during battle with that serpent, it might have gone quite differently.”
“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Rarity chuckled awkwardly, brushing a strand of hair from her face and looking away from Blueblood, as she felt a little embarrassed by meeting his gaze. “Now, please, go on with what you were saying?”
“What I was trying to say—” Blueblood paused to fidget with the collar of his shirt, making sure it was just so before resuming his sentence. “What I was trying to say, is I would like to offer you the opportunity to be my Plus One for the Grand Galloping Gala next month.”
“The Gala?!” Rarity practically yelped in surprise. “It’s next month already?! Where does the time go?”
“Little miss adventurer has been keeping busy, I take it?” Blueblood chuckled, and Rarity gave a half-hearted laugh, her brain caught between reeling from how late in the season it had gotten— and the knowledge that the Gala was supposed to celebrate the spring solstice, yet the weather in Equestria was still caught in the dead of winter— and also being lowkey irritated by Blueblood’s condescension.
“Like I said,” Rarity gave a droll smirk, “I’ve led an interesting life.”
“So what say you?” Blueblood smiled, and it nearly took Rarity’s breath away combined with the way he gently brushed a lock of hair from his face. He was beautiful, there was no doubt about that, and he had his charm as well, despite being something of a ruffian in other ways— which, to be quite frank, was rather alluring in its own way.
“I’m afraid I must decline,” Rarity said, standing on her hooves and taking a deep breath of fresh air for the first time in what felt like a year.
“Well,” Blueblood huffed as he stood up, but then he returned to his charming smile right after, “I suppose I can’t force you. I’ll still be there, so I’ll try to come say hello while you’re there. You will be there, won’t you? It wouldn’t be a good look for Celestia’s student to miss it.”
“Oh, I will absolutely make an appearance,” Rarity nodded and batted her hand in dismissal. “And you are more than welcome to find me and share in lively conversation with me and my friends.”
“If I may ask then,” Blueblood said, his nose curling and his lips pursing into a slight frustrated frown, “why you would turn down my invitation?”
One month until the Gala.
One month for Rarity to sort her feelings and get them in order. It seemed like a monumental task, but she would figure out what to do before this coming solstice, and no force on Equestria or from Tartarus would stop her.
“It’s quite simple, really,” Rarity smiled— and the realization that thinking of Twilight brought her not pain, but hope, for the first time since the incident, made her smile so much the brighter. “I’m going with someone else.”