//------------------------------//
// Chapter 10 
// Story: Pride and Prejudice and Ponies 
// by arglefumph 
//------------------------------//

Rarity stayed close by Blueblood for the rest of the trip, but they didn't get another chance to speak to each other until Pinkie accidentally knocked over a shelf at the bookstore. Sweetie and Shining moved in to help clean up the mess, while Rarity and Blueblood stayed back.

"Your sister has a tremendous amount of energy," Blueblood said. "I find such passion for life to be charming."

"Yes, well, sometimes Pinkie's boundless enthusiasm gets her in trouble," Rarity said.

Blueblood smiled and ran a hoof through his long blonde hair.

"Mr. Blueblood, I don't wish to pry into your private affairs, but...I saw your reaction when we met Mr. Darcy earlier," Rarity said. "Do you two know each other?"

"Ah," Blueblood said, his face falling. "Yes, in fact, the two of us grew up together."

Rarity was greatly astonished at this information, considering the cold exchange between the two. "Then why was he so standoffish towards you? I know he's generally unpleasant and standoffish to everypony, but to treat a foalhood friend that way!"

"The two of us had a falling out," Blueblood said. "I would explain, but I...I do not wish to damage his reputation."

"I can assure you that Mr. Darcy's reputation in Ponyville cannot be worse than it already is," Rarity said. "The stallion is prejudiced against Earth ponies, and his unbearable pride causes him to treat other ponies as lesser beings. You could not find a single pony in town who could say a good word about him."

Blueblood nodded. "Sadly, that sounds just like him. He was always a bit spiteful towards others, even when he was a foal. I believe that he was secretly jealous of my relationship with his father. My father died when I was very young, you see, and the late Mr. Darcy practically raised me as his second son."

"The late Mr. Darcy?" Rarity asked. She found the interest of the subject increasing, and she listened with all her heart. "I take it he is no longer among the living?"

"He died two years ago," Blueblood said. "It was quite a tragedy. Mr. Darcy was one of the best stallions that ever breathed, and the truest friend I ever had. It is a shame his son is his exact opposite, in this regard. It is his fault I am here, you know."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"The senior Darcy left me an inheritance to provide for me," Blueblood said. "Nothing too fancy, just a small house in the country. But when the house became empty and I prepared to move there, Mr. Darcy stepped in. He asserted that I had forfeited all claim to my inheritance due to misbehavior, though I had done nothing wrong. Left without a home, I was forced to join the Royal Guard."

"How awful!" Rarity said. "This is quite shocking! He deserves to be publicly disgraced."

"Since he is a lawyer, and I am not, I can do nothing," Blueblood said. "Out of respect for his departed father, I have not made the affair public. But still, I would highly advise you to never trust that stallion. He is cruel, petty and underhanded."

"There is no need to warn me against creating ties with that stallion," Rarity said. "I have hated him since the moment I first met him, but this, this is practically intolerable! To ruin a pony's life for no reason!"

"Yes, it is a cruel situation," Blueblood said sadly. "I sometimes wonder what my life would be like, if things had turned out differently."

"You poor, poor darling," Rarity said, running her hoof down the side of Blueblood's face. "I wish there was some way I could make things better!"

"I already feel better, being with you," Blueblood said. "Your radiant beauty and refined manner are all the consolation I need."

Rarity blushed, and Blueblood stole a kiss from her. The two of them smiled at each other for a moment, and she leaned in to kiss him again, when they were interrupted by a large gasp.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle said. "How could you—I'm telling Mom!"



Sweetie Belle did indeed tell Mrs. Bennet about Rarity kissing a stallion she had just met. A heated argument about the situation soon took place in Mr. Bennet's study.

"This is the most scandalous thing I've ever heard of!" Mrs. Bennet scolded. "I can't believe one of my daughters is acting like a two-bit trollop! How could you kiss a complete stranger like that?!"

"He's not a bad pony!" Rarity said.

"I don't care if he's Queen Celestia's nephew!" Mrs. Bennet said. "You shouldn't be running around town with strangers, especially when you already have a suitor in Spike! What if he hears about this and decides not to pursue you?"

"Good! I don't want to marry Spike!" Rarity said. "He's immature, he eats like a pig, and besides, he's too short!"

"Not to mention he ate my prized gemstone cufflinks," Mr. Bennet said. "Do you know how much those cost?"

"Now's not the time for your jokes!" Mrs. Bennet said harshly to her husband. She turned on Rarity. "It's a good thing nopony besides Sweetie Belle saw, or you would be the disgrace of the entire town! I have half a mind to forbid you from going to the Netherfield Ball!"

"But I have to go to Netherfield!" Rarity said. "It took me two months to make my dress, and besides, Mr. Blueblood promised he'd take me!"

"He is not!" Mrs. Bennet said. "Your lovely cousin Spike is going to take you, and that is that!"

"That's not fair!" Rarity said. "You're always interfering with my life! I wish you'd leave me alone and let me make my own decisions! Yes, I met a handsome and nice pony today, and I decided to kiss him! Is that the end of the world? No! The only pony who has a problem with it is you, because you want to control everything your daughters do!"

"I wouldn't have to control your behavior, if you didn't misbehave so often!" Mrs. Bennet shot back. "You disobedient—"

"—Interfering old nag of a—"

"—Nopony is fooled by your fake accent—"

"—Hairstyle which was out of date when you were young—"

"—Petty, high-maintenance whiner!"

Mr. Bennet put his hooves in his ears and moaned. "Stop yelling, you two! Do you want everypony in the house to hear?"

"We can hear you just fine!" a muffled voice said from outside.

"Pinkie, stop listening at the door," Mr. Bennet said.

"Awww..." Pinkie said. There was the sound of shuffling hooves at the door.

"Rainbow, you should go away, too," Mr. Bennet added.

"How did he know I was there?" Rainbow's voice asked. She, too, left her hiding place in the hallway.

"Now then," Mr. Bennet said. "As far as I can tell, you are both correct. Rarity, you acted improperly today. You should not be romantically involved with a stallion, before introducing him to your parents."

"I apologize for my impropriety," Rarity said lowly.

"...Which is why you'll have to ask him to come here first, before he takes you to the Netherfield Ball," Mr. Bennet said. His wife gasped at this. "If he meets with our approval, the two of you can go together. Until then, you are forbidden from seeing Mr. Blueblood. Is that fair?"

"It is not! What about Spike?" Mrs. Bennet asked indignantly.

"Oh, let him court Rainbow Dash, if he must," Mr. Bennet said. "Something tells me he's not very picky when it comes to mares. Or observant, for that matter."

"Father, thank you!" Rarity cried.

Mrs. Bennet scoffed. "I am displeased with this arrangement."

"My decision is final," Mr. Bennet said firmly. "Now before you two leave, I want you to hug each other and put this mess behind you."

"Do we have to?" Rarity asked, scrunching her face a bit. "I'm not a little foal anymore."

"Yes, you do," Mr. Bennet said. "It's the pony way of settling disputes."

Rarity reluctantly wrapped her arms around her mother. "I love you, Mother," she said.

"I love you, too," she said. "Even though sometimes you—"

"End that sentence there," Mr. Bennet interrupted.

"Right. I love you," Mrs. Bennet said. She squeezed her daughter extra-hard. "Just try to behave a little better in the future, okay?"