Only the best would do for Blueblood's mansion. The best tapestries, the best carpets, the best silver, the best servants, the best tea. Too bad it was all let down by the pony in the center of it, who was most certainly not the best.
At least, that was Rarity's opinion. It had been for years, and the fact that he was three minutes late to his own meeting simply reinforced that fact.
Still Rarity waited, if for no other reason than to show she was better than he. He had gone to the trouble of having her summoned; she had come out of morbid curiosity to find out what Canterlot's Worst Prince (as voted by Hoofbeats Magazine six years running) wanted. And damned if she was going to leave without telling him off.
Almost on cue, the door to the drawing room opened. Blueblood entered, pausing for a brief mane-flip in a carefully curated sunbeam before flashing Rarity a glittering smile. "Hello."
"Goodbye," Rarity replied, rising in the same breath. "I merely came for the satisfaction of telling you to your face to eat dragon droppings."
"Sit," the Prince commanded.
Rarity laughed in his face and high-stepped her way to the door.
As her magic grabbed the handle, Blueblood launched his next barb. "Twilight Sparkle's future depends on it."
Rarity froze. She didn't look back at him, but her voice was as razor-thin as her frown. "Was that a threat, darling?"
Settling into his favorite overstuffed chair, Blueblood kept his voice painfully bored. "Not from me, so you may stop grasping that decorative spear on the wall. Now sit - we have important matters to discuss."
After a moment's consideration, Rarity did indeed release the spear from her magic and retake her seat. "Explain yourself."
Instead, Blueblood laughed. "Oh, delightful. You have no idea how often I hear that demand." With a smile and a twinkle in his eye, he winked at Rarity. "In your case, for once I am inclined to answer it." He paused just long enough for Rarity to grind her teeth in frustration. "Tell me - are you familiar with the phrase 'Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition'?"
Confused and off-balance by the question, Rarity took the time to respond carefully - and cautiously. "It's a parliamentary term for the strongest non-ruling political party. But what does that--"
He cut her off with his typical casual disdain. "Yes yes, that's the modern usage of it. But were you aware of the original?" He paused just long enough for Rarity to open her mouth and start to respond before cutting her off again. "Long ago, it was a name for the Princess' Privy Council." Picking up a bottle of brandy from across the room, Blueblood poured out two glasses. "What did you think happened to the Founders and their descendants, hm? Equestria newly born, the tribes only just barely unified, and then two sisters who are part of no tribe arrive practically from the ether to take thrones that hadn't existed before. History often glosses over what happened to the Founders after the Founding, after all."
Hesitantly - this time because she wasn't sure if Blueblood was going to interrupt her again - Rarity ventured out her response. "Well, I do know that you are of the House of Platinum, so obviously they survived in some form."
"They did," Blueblood confirmed. "The first of those forms was as the Princess' Council - and as the Loyal Opposition." He floated the glasses of brandy across the room - one for himself and one for Rarity.
Taking the glass in her magic, Rarity swirled the liquor around almost by instinct. Blueblood frowned sharply at her for it, but she forged on. "Opposition to what?"
"To the Princesses," he confirmed. "In those early days there was quite a lot of disagreement and precious little trust. A key role of the Founders was to oppose the Princesses on behalf of the nation - to tell them when they were wrong and to steer them away from poor judgements. They were still young and inexperienced, after all. But they were also loyal to the Princesses - acting as a cushion against the various swarms of nobles, generals, warlords, merchants and sycophants who sought alicorn ears and power."
Rarity sipped her brandy, once more proving that only the best would do here. "I see. So what happened?"
Blueblood shrugged. "Time. Clover never had children. The lines of Hurricane and Pansy snuffed one another out on the field of the Nightmare's revolt. Puddinghead's descendants faded from history, the bloodline diluted beyond recognition. And Smart Cookie's chose to walk away, losing their taste for politics after a handful of generations." He sipped his drink. "I know the location of that line's heirs, but they have little interest in matters of court and I am content to leave them to their mundane lives."
"Which left the House of Platinum," Rarity finished.
Blueblood nodded. "Quite. We have stood where the others faltered, acting as the Loyal Opposition across the centuries."
Frowning, Rarity mulled that over. "So… that role is why you're a flankhole?"
For half a second, there was dead silence. Then Blueblood broke out in outrageous laughter. "Oh, from the mouth of babes!" Shaking his head, he wiped a tear from his eye. "Hardly. I am a flankhole because it is one of the privileges of my station. Outside of the alicorns and one or two particularly influential public servants, I am the most powerful pony in Equestria. What reason do I have to be nice to those whom I don't wish to be? Including," he added pointedly, "Gold-diggers seeking ill earned fame."
To her credit, Rarity looked at the incredibly luxurious carpet and blushed. "Well, yes, I shall admit that was not my most virtuous moment. But you acted little better!"
The corner of Blueblood's lips twitched to a smug smirk - he didn't try to hide or deny it. "And I don't care one bit, nor do I have any reason to regret it." He winked at her again - the sort of infuriating wink that is usually followed by a punch to the offending eye. Blueblood moved past quickly so as to not give Rarity the opening. "To return to our business, the House of Platinum has served for generations as Princess Celestia's Loyal Opposition. We act as a filter between her and the nobility and, thanks to our status, can speak hard truth where others would demure. But now Auntie is stepping down from the throne and leaving it to the librarian."
Rarity's eyes narrowed dangerously and the spear on the wall glowed cornflower blue again.
Immediately, Blueblood raised a hoof. "I do not claim she hasn't earned it. Any pony with even a passing knowledge of recent history either admits it or is a fool. But do not deny that Princess Twilight is still an academic at heart." He waited, giving Rarity a chance to disagree with him. She did not. "Princess Celestia is stepping down. And perhaps it is time the Founding Families did as well. The others are long vanished and I am the last scion of Platinum, after all. Our line ends with me and there is something graceful about the timing."
Rarity sipped her brandy, now half gone. "So what is your point, hm? You wish to pass some knowledge on to me? A nugget of ancient Unicornian wisdom that has eluded all but Platinum's descendants?" She tried not to drip too much sarcasm - failed, but tried.
Yet he responded with an agreeable nod. "Your Council will take the place that the Families once served, and will fill the spaces we have lost to time. While I expect that you have your own ideas of what your duties shall be, I am going to tell you the truth of it. You shall be her bodyguard - not from knife and spear, but from politics. You shall be her anchor - reminding her where the ground is when she flies too high. You shall be the wall to rest against and the nettle under her saddle - each as needed."
"You say that as if we weren't already," Rarity said with a snorted laugh.
He shook his head. "No, you have been her friend. What I speak of is duty, including that of being her enemy when Equestria requires it. The throne demands much, both of those on it and those around its base. You must do what is good for the realm, not what is good for your friend."
The weight of that drove Rarity to contemplative silence again. "Must the two be opposed?" She squirmed a little at the idea of fighting against Twilight, even merely politically.
"That is the nature of the Loyal Opposition," intoned Blueblood. "You must be what is needed, even if it costs you dearly. You understand why that is, don't you."
She hesitated. But Rarity knew the truth - she nodded. "I do. And I believe Twilight would want it that way."
A rare warmth crept into Blueblood's smile. "She should. Auntie taught her well."
"But why me?" Rarity deflected the subject slightly. "Rainbow Dash is Loyalty, after all. And you and I are practically mortal enemies. Why approach me about this?"
Blueblood's horn lit again, grabbing a scroll from his desk. "Because you are Generosity. You give even when it hurts you. And," he chuckled, "Because you're a unicorn."
Rarity's eyebrow spiked. "Really? Tribalism now, of all times?"
"Some traditions do not bend so easily." Blueblood passed the scroll to Rarity, continuing on as she unrolled it to read. "The House of Platinum is a purely unicorn House, after all."
Rarity's eyes bulged. "I-- I--"
"Have been adopted," Blueblood clarified, just in case she'd misread. "Technically by my late uncle Bloodstone. As of now, the House of Belle is officially a cadet branch of the House of Platinum. Our historical task belongs to you now - don't mess it up, cousin."
Shock overtook Rarity, her jaw working uselessly as she tried to bring it all into focus and sense.
Blueblood sipped his brandy.
Taking several deep breaths steadied Rarity's heart to the point where she could eventually respond. "Well. I suppose I have little choice now, don't I."
"You're her friend," Blueblood pointed out. "You never did."