Prince Blueblood enjoyed a peaceful afternoon, drinking tea and eating a sandwich. He was rather bored as he munched away. He was surprised to see a rather handsome-looking stallion come by in a chariot. The stallion came off and adjusted his bow tie, then said, "Hello, Prince Blueblood! My name is Prince Spearheart! And I'm the one who has come seeking aid from a fellow prince!"
The prince spat his tea out upon hearing this proclamation, another prince! How absurd he knew his royal family better than anypony, and he was certain that this mysterious purple-colored unicorn was not royalty. Prince Blueblood eyed the stallion, slowly coming over, then asked, "So, who are you again?"
The rather posh-looking unicorn adjusted his bowtie and said, "your cousin Prince Spearheart, long story short, I'm a third cousin removed, etc.," the mysterious stallion laughed sheepishly.
"And…why do you need my assistance?" Prince Blueblood asked rather sharply, not taking his eyes off the stranger for a second.
The purple-coated stallion slowly came forward and bowed his head. "Alas, I've been living away from royalty and need assistance learning to be refined as yourself."
Prince Blueblood seemed to be taken in by this notion seeing that this "Prince Spearheart" does appear rather regal. He constantly desired to have a younger brother to teach in the ways of refinement. Despite his claims and still not fully trusting him, Prince Blueblood felt then with a smirk as he replied, "alright, I'll teach you how to be a refined prince."
The purple-coated unicorn then sighed in relief and sat across from his mentor. Prince Blueblood then turned towards the waiter who came by and ordered his student a cup of Earl Grey.
Once the tea arrived, the prince explained, "First, I'll explain how to drink a cup of tea."
The stallion then slowly levitated his cup to his mouth, gently sipping it without making a sound. He settled the tea back down, turned to his student, and said, "now can you copy what I just did?"
Prince Spearheart said, "yeah, that doesn't seem too hard." He lifted his cup, sipped it with a smile, and said, "See, that wasn't so hard."
The white-coated unicorn was somewhat surprised as he replied, "are you sure you never had training? It's as if you have been a prince your entire life?"
The purple-colored unicorn seemed to quiver a little at the question, then said, "I did mention I was from royalty, and I was raised with class. I just so happen to have fallen out of the public eye."
Blueblood sipped his cup with a suspicious look on his face as he mumbled under his breath, "I see…."
The waiter then came back and gave them the sandwiches. Prince Blueblood then took a bite, placed the plate down, and said. "Waiter."
"Yes, sir?"
Prince Blueblood just threw his head up, pointed at his sandwich, and continued his complaint. "I specifically asked for mustard, and there isn't a dash of it in this sandwich."
“I…I apologize…”
"Don't just stand there stammering like an idiot! Go and fetch me another!"
The waiter quickly bowed, then left as another waiter came and gave Spearheart his sandwich. He did the same, taking a bite, then spat some out as he dabbed his mouth with a napkin, then snapped, "was I not speaking Equestrian!? I ordered my sandwich with gems!?"
The other waiter bowed and replied solemnly, "I Apologize, my lord."
The purple-coated unicorn copied Blueblood, throwing his head up and snapped, "of course, now go fix your mistake at once! And don't delay!"
The other waiter ran off as Blueblood scoffed, "such low-life commoners, I despise dealing with such riff-raff."
His student paused in what he was doing, seeming concerned, and was about to say something. "He didn't deserve to be treated like that."
"What was that?" Blueblood snapped as he turned towards Prince Spearheart, who seemed to be somewhat worried or disturbed in some way. He cleared his throat and said, "sorry, but I meant you were absolutely right; commoners...a…are beneath us."
Prince Blueblood gave a chortle, then said, "of course they are; you have to accept that if you want to become a prince?"
The purple-coated unicorn nodded, and they finished their meal quite delicately and slowly. As Prince Blueblood wiped his mouth, then said, "would you like to attend some activities with me? I was planning to attend an opera with some friends. We'll have a private booth due to my royal status."
The purple unicorn stammered, "…of course! I have nothing else going on, and it would help me get my face out there."
"Yes…if you really want to spread your face, I suggest we throw a gala. Do you own a manor?"
The purple-coated pony got rather excited as he jumped up from his chair and exclaimed, "Yes…yes, I do!"
"Good, no, come let us attend various activities while there; we shall spread your name all across Canterlot!"
"That sounds wonderful!" Prince Spearheart cheered as he got up and followed him to his chariot; they set off down the road once they were settled.
As Spike learned from Prince Blueblood, Twilight nervously trotted toward Carousel Boutique. She was still unsure of what to do in her situation as she didn't want to break Spike's heart, but if she didn't, he would be cursed with chaos for Celestia knows how long. So determined to see this plan through, she knocked on the boutique's door and waited patiently for her friend to answer. Eventually, the fashionista opened the door and was surprised to see her friend; then asked, "Oh Twilight!? I didn't expect you to come by today!"
The violet unicorn bowed her head and said, "sorry, I know you're closed and probably busy, but I need to talk to you,"
The mare trailed a hoof over her mane as she didn't want to tell her she felt but considering the circumstances, it felt as if she didn't have a choice. "Look, I need to speak to you…can we talk inside?"
Rarity nods and lets her in, then sits down and talks. Twilight looked disgruntled, unsure how to continue, then said, "I need to explain something. Has a handsome purple-coated stallion with a flowing green mane approached you?"
The fashionista paused worriedly and then asked, "yes, I have. Why do you ask?"
The unicorn took a sip of her tea, thinking of how she should progress the conversation. For now, she'll try to see what Spike said to Rarity behind her back, then asked, "what did he say?"
Rarity looked up into the sky with a dreamy look, then sighed as she whispered, "oh, he was odd? The mysterious stallion told me he was a long-forgotten prince. Then we talked, and he seemed to be rather nice, so I asked him to go out on a date tomorrow."
Twilight eyed her, then asked, "Seriously!? You didn't learn your lesson with Prince Blueblood?"
Rarity rolled her eyes and said, "well, yes, I have; this prince seems a lot more refined and is nothing like that jerk."
Twilight slammed a hoof into her face seeing Rarity would date Spearheart, so she had to tell her the truth. She raised her head and said, "well, I hate to say this, but that prince is really Spike."
The fashionista blinked, somewhat surprised, then laughed, "you're kidding, right?"
Twilight shook her head, "no, I'm not; we…we both know he's had a crush on you since we moved to Ponyville."
"Right, I…I know that?"
"And you know that he would do anything to help you?"
"Yes, of course?"
"Well, he went out to the old castle of the princesses to help you get inspired again, and there he found an ancient tome that has transformed him into a prince."
The mare blinked, stunned by the news, then whispered, "your kidding?"
Twilight sighed long, exasperated, then said, "I wish I were. The stallion convinced himself he could get a date with you and is probably in Canterlot doing so."
"Oh my? I…I did find that stallion rather off…is there any way to help Spike?"
Twilight sipped her tea and said, "there's only one way you have to tell him the truth. That this isn't going to work out."
Rarity looked down with a guilty expression and whispered, "you're right; I know I should've done that before; it's just."
Twilight also looked down, "I know it'll break his heart, but we always knew this crush isn't healthy for him, and I think you just need to be straight with him."
The fashionista seemed uncertain but nodded, "right… I… I'll tell him tomorrow during our date."
Twilight sighed as she rose from the table and then said, "that's good to hear; I sent him to Princess Celestia for now. But his chaos magic is wild and probably is manipulating his mind. I'll see her to ensure Spike's ok, and hopefully, he's keeping his magic under control."
"Of course darling, this all sounds rather serious…." Rarity paused as she looked downward; with a worried look, she asked, "And what should I do until tomorrow?"
"Wait for him to come by; I'm sure he'll be here tomorrow like you planned. I don't want to make this harder for him than it should be."
"Of course.. I'll do my best," Rarity sighed, looking somewhat depressed about what she had to do tomorrow.
As Twilight left Carousel Boutique, she felt somewhat confident that Rarity would do the right thing and tell Spike that this crush on her should ned. And that his transformation wouldn't make her magically fall in love with him. So until Rarity goes and sees him, there's nothing else she can do at this point. For now, she'll go out and see Princess Celestia to ensure Spike is doing okay. She flew off into the air heading towards Canterlot, hoping that her best assistant wasn't causing too much trouble.
Sike spent the entire evening going through the most tedious and dull activities, attending an opera, going to an art gallery, playing croquet (which he somehow won without knowing how to play), and eating at some posh restaurant. But despite never being raised by such posh ponies, he was surprised at how well he could mingle with these kinds of ponies. The former drake was now at some dull charity bull as he was sitting by with some other rich and fancy-looking ponies who were all gossiping and chatting; they were all fascinated with him and talking a storm about how handsome he was and how amazing it was to know there was another prince. He, of course, did his best to keep up with the lies. But the truth was he hated this life, the stuffiness of these ponies, how Blueblood mocked every commoner they walked by, their attitudes, and how they acted as if they owned everything. They seem not to care about any pony but themselves. Spike hoped that after his date, he'll return to Ponyville, as he intended to avoid becoming like these rich dirtbags. Still, until then, he'll play the part just so he can sell the lies he told Rarity tomorrow about being a prince.
One of the stuck-up older mares turned towards him and asked, "So, Prince Spearheart Prince Blueblood mentioned you'll be hosting a gala?"
Spike instantly stood up and exclaimed, "Y…yes, it's my welcoming home party!"
A rather posh stallion trotted over as he was a handsome-looking stallion with a combed blue mane and sporting a mustache. Still, despite his class, he also seemed to be relatively intelligent as he welcomed him. "Well, you have to invite everypony. Not every day a descendant of Princess Platinum comes strolling into town."
"Ahahhaha? Yeah, I um…uh was living out in the boonies for some time," Spike quickly replied as he adjusted his bowtie, looking somewhat nervous now, seeing he had to keep up with his lies to seem legit. "Um…uh, who are you?"
The stallion smiled at him, then took a hoof out and said, "Fancy Pants, my lord."
Spike gave a small gasp of surprise as he remembered how much Rarity had told him about this pony. Of all the rich ponies in Canterlot, he seemed to be the nicest and said, "Ah yes, Fancy Pants, it's good to meet you!"
Most of the posh ponies just nodded their heads. They laughed obnoxiously as Fancy Pants looked suspicious and asked, "Oh, I see!?" He turned towards the white-coated stallion and asked, "and Prince Blueblood have you confirmed this for yourself?"
Princess Celestia's nephew cleared his throat and exclaimed, "Oh yes! The stallion is one of my descendants, a third cousin removed. His side of the family was lost to the histories, but he's definitely royalty."
"Yeah..t.. that's right! I had a book on my family showing I'm a descendant of Princess Platinum!" Spike quickly stammered. He turned to Prince Blueblood, wondering why he would lie for him. He was teaching him to be posher, but he couldn't tell if he had bought his story about being a lost prince. But then Fancy Pants interrupted his thoughts. "Now, I assume we should have this party tonight, then? The sooner, the better, I say! The entire kingdom should know of your return to Canterlot!"
"T…tonight?" Spike squealed, surprised at how soon they wanted to throw him a party he hoped they would do a few days from now when he was back to being a dragon.
"Yes, tonight? We can host it at my manor! I just love throwing galas!" Fancy Pants exclaimed.
His wife Fleur blushed as she interrupted and said, "you forget, my dear, it's being renovated."
"Oh, you're right! Blast!" Fancy Pants shouted as he stomped a hoof on the ground.
Spike blinked, seeing this as an opportunity to show off the run-down manor he had transformed into a royal mansion but simultaneously was a bit nervous seeing the mice he turned to staff may seem odd. He was also unsure how to throw a lavish party for these posh ponies.
Fancy Pants turned to face the former drake and asked, "oh, and where are you staying currently?
“Oh…uh…I renovated a run-down manor near the east side of Canterlot," Spike quickly squeaked out.
Fancy Pants was rather excited, then exclaimed, "Oh my!? It's renovated already? That place has been abandoned for years! It became such a hazard we had it condemned!"
Another posh mare trotted over and asked, "how in Equestria did you have that manor renovated so fast!?"
Spike felt his forehead which was now pouring sweat. He couldn't show these posh ponies his newfound powers as it would terrify them. He had to come up with a convincing lie quickly. "Uh um…I have a great team of servants who quickly helped me finish the work. I only hire the best!"
"Oh yes, that's true. I do the same," Fancy Pants commented as many of the posh ponies clopped their hooves and gave their obnoxious laughter. They continued congratulating him as he took a moment by taking Prince Blueblood and then ran down the hall. He whispered, "Hey, Prince Blueblood, if I'm hosting a party at my manor, I must leave to get everything ready."
"Oh, you're absolutely right! I'll stay here and continue spreading the word about you. You should get going."
Spike just gave a nod and trotted off as quickly as he could without disturbing the other guests, but as he was going down a hall from the opera. Prince Blueblood was nearby, cleared his throat, and added, "Keep in mind that Canterlot's elite ponies will all be attending. If you want to make a good impression, I suggest ensuring everything is perfect for the evening."
"R..right…" Spike gulped as he ran off to his chariot and set a course to his manor. He was starting to get worried, but he had no choice, but if he wanted to have a chance with Rarity, he had to show he could hang out with the classiest ponies in Equestria! As he rode off through the streets, he wondered how he would pull this off!?