//------------------------------// // Noble Intentions // Story: Bitterness // by PLCTheCd //------------------------------// Noble Intentions Rarity looked at Rainbow Dash speaking to one of the Wonderbolts before turning to Applejack speaking to her family and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She notices Sweetie Belle among the group and felt a sense of relief that her little sister is safe along with her friends, but before she could go check on her sister, the unicorn heard a familiar, male voice. “My word, Rarity is that you?” The seamstress turned her head to the source of the voice and sees Fancy Pants entering the room. “Fancy Pants, why, what a delightful sight for sore eyes!” she exclaimed, trotting towards the stallion. “The feeling is mutual Rarity,” the stallion said smiling, “It is pleasant to see someone that is not one of those awful changeling creatures.” A thought then occurred to Rarity and asked, “How do you know it is really me?” Fancy Pants simply smirked before replying, “Nopony else trots like you, and I still remember the time you bumped into me that day.” Rarity couldn’t help but smile at Fancy Pants’ response, both from the compliment and the fact that it is really him. “Besides,” Fancy Pants continued, “Princess Luna casted a spell in the palace to detect any hint of changeling presence.” “Well, that is reassuring,” Rarity said nodding before a thought entered her mind to notice that Fancy Pants entered the room alone. “Say, where is that accompanying mare friend of yours?” “Ahh, you mean Fleur-De-Lis,” The unicorn stallion replied, “She remains safe with the rest of the nobles, although the complaints from Jet Set and Upper Crust are beginning to aggravate everypony there.” Then, his smile slowly changed to a serious frown, “Which reminds me, they asked me on to speak to Princess Celestia on the behalf of the nobles.” “What?” Rarity gasped, putting her front hoof next to her mouth, “Are the nobles planning to rebel? Err, I mean, they can’t be that furious, are they?” The stallion sighed, as he removed his monocle with levitation magic and wiped it with a handkerchief that he summoned from his coat pocket before placing it back to his eye and stuffing the handkerchief into his pocket again. “To be frank with you Rarity,” Fancy Pants finally said, “I really do not know, all they told me was that we demand an explanation from Celestia and hopefully for not just for the Princess's sake, but for Equestria as well.” “It has to do with the changelings, isn’t it?” Rarity asked a rhetorically, “Do you think there might be calls for a rebellion?” “I do not know again,” replied Fancy Pants, “I hope nothing to that extreme measure, but Princess Celestia better quell the population soon.” The seamstress felt her heart sink to her stomach, if Twilight furious at her, her friends, her brother, and the princess is bad enough already. But now, she is imagining all of Canterlot, no, everypony in Equestria livid at their poor choices. Rarity’s front hooves buckled suddenly from the emotional weight, struggling to stay awake. “Rarity, what seems to be the matter?” the stallion gasped, kneeling closer to her, “Are you injured by those changelings.” “No,” She answered, “I thankfully wasn’t injured, but I believe all of us are responsible for the changeling invasion.” Fancy Pants’ eyes widened from her statement, enough to have his monocle fall from his face. However, he managed to catch it with his magic and levitate back to his eye. Confused, Fancy Pants raises an eyebrow from his monocle eye. “Whatever do you mean by that?” He asked, “Does this have to do with the wedding?” “I am afraid it is true,” Rarity confessed, then a thought occurred to her. “I don’t think I saw you in the crowd there during the ceremony.” “No, I was not there when the changeling queen revealed herself, I was only to appear during the reception to speak important matters to my friends.” Explained the stallion, “I only heard about the imposter Cadance from the evacuated guests, but enough about me, I’m still curious about your relevance to the wedding.” With a deep sigh, Rarity looks down at the floor before gathering up the courage to speak. “Do you remember my friend, Twilight?” She began, “You met her during the party when we first met.” “Celestia’s student, of course.” Fancy Pants said, nodding. “I remember her and was delighted I was to meet her and the rest of your friends for the first time, but what does she have to do with you?” “Everything,” Rarity trembled, fighting back tears, “We ignored her suspicions about Princess Cadance due to her being Twilight’s foalsitter but we abandoned her after her brother kicked her out of the wedding.” “What?!” Cried out the sophisticate, stepping back in shock and confusion. “But why?” “Twilight was clamoring about the princess being evil, without any proof” Rarity painfully explained as if the memory is stabbing her in the chest, “She embarrassed us and all of us were disappointed in her, because we thought she ruined everything for us.” “It is for one thing to be embarrassed and being disappointed at her but leaving her alone?!” Fancy Pants exclaimed in disbelief. “I have a reason to believe you and you don’t seem to be a mare to make stories up, but I still do not understand why you were so different from the pony I thought I knew.” “Had she provided evidence to back her claims, we would have believed her instead of acting irrational and hysterical.” Protested Rarity, “You would have done the same thing if you were there during the reception, Twilight even admitted she should’ve done so.” “Maybe so,” Snorted Fancy Pants, in a possible gentlecolt way of doing do. “I may have believed you, unlike you with her, but I would certainly have her listen to her side of the story. Was Twilight always liked this hysterical or was she voicing her suspicion before?” A long pause filled the air, both from Rarity’s thoughts about what happened before and from the aftermath. Then a thought enters her mind, and she then remembers, before the reception. Before the reception, everyone was preparing for the wedding, Twilight has in fact, voiced her suspicions before. Granted, the lavender mare did not gather clues before unlike the time of the National Dessert Competition. However, Rarity then remembers Twilight going insane from the lack of lessons sent to Princess Celestia about taking a friend’s concerns seriously. The same accusation Twilight has delivered to everyone. What lasted only in mere seconds felt like hours in Rarity’s mind before snapping back and seeing Fancy Pants who looked both confused and disappointed, just like Princess Cadance. “No, Twilight did voice her suspicion before, but we all dismissed her concerns.” She confessed and sniffled before continuing, “Because of this, Twilight thinks all of us hate her, including Princess Celestia and Shining Armor.” “Well, I do not blame her for doing so,” The stallion said with a sigh, “If Twilight wants nothing to do with you and your friends anymore is one thing but the Princess and the groom too?” “I suppose you want nothing to do with me anymore, do you?” Rarity bluntly asked, something that she wouldn’t normally do. But given the circumstances, she felt like she no longer had anything left to lose. “Then I do not blame you.” “I may not be livid like your friend,” Fancy Pants answered, which got Rarity’s attention with her ears perked up, eyes widen, and finishing off with a small but still audible gasp. “But I am disappointed in all of you.” “Princess Cadance and Twilight’s parents said the same thing to us,” The mare sniffled again, looking at the floor ashamed of her actions before stammering out. “You might now see me as some kind of a bad pony,” As her eyes became moist from the tears, she fought back the said tears before she saw a handkerchief floating in front of her. Rarity lifted her head and saw it was Fancy Pants offering his handkerchief to her. “Please do not cry,” He simply says, “A bad pony does not feel remorse from their actions. But I can tell that you are not a bad pony, despite what you have done.” Rarity lifts the handkerchief from her own magic and begins to dab her eyes with it. “Thank you, Fancy Pants, for the handkerchief,” Thanked Rarity gratefully, as she regained her composure.” But there is the problem, Twilight forbids us from feeling remorse, let alone allowing us to make amends.” “Well, there is a saying my father once said to me back when I was a colt,” Fancy Pants said to her. “A road to Tartarus is paved with good intentions.”