The train doors opened and Rarity stepped out to marvel at the wondrous city before her, Canterlot! The architecture of the buildings, the high and middle-class ponies going about their businesses, the fashion, all of it to die for!
“Oh, Opalesence!” she got giddy, talking to the cat in the carrier she wore along with a saddle-bag. “I am so excited for my stay, and even more excited to see… him again!”
“Miss Rarity?”
She turned to see a unicorn pony dressed in chauffer’s uniform.
“That would be me,” she confirmed.
“Excellent, I am here to escort you to Canterlot Castle by instruction of Prince Blueblood. He also asked me to give this to you.”
He levitated a rose tied with a royal purple ribbon, and she took it in her telekinetic grasp. Breathing in its elegant fragrance, she sighed, and asked, “But why is he not here?”
“Prince Blueblood sends his apologies, Miss Rarity,” the chauffeur answered, “for he was caught up in a pressing engagement. But he assures you he will see you once we arrive at the castle.”
“Very well then, good sir,” Rarity accepted. “Allow me to collect my baggage, and we’ll be on our way.”
Since the gala, Rarity and Blueblood had kept in touch through letters and visited each other only a couple times due to Blueblood’s responsibilities. As a Prince and Princess Celestia’s nephew, he had his own share of royal duties, although he admitted in one of his letters to Rarity, that sometimes his jobs were just tasks Princess Celestia didn’t want to do herself.
But the distance had made their hearts grow fonder and the limited visits had only served to strengthen their growing relationship, as even though their primary communication since the gala had been through letters both always looked forward to the other’s reply, and thus far neither had disappointed the other. Blueblood had been especially impressed of Rarity’s business as a successful seamstress and fashionista. That made Rarity happy and relieved, that she was showing him she wasn’t some gem-digger (well, she was in the literal sense but that wasn’t the point).
In his letters, she had learned more of Blueblood than she had foolishly never considered, and that made her disappointed with herself for literally judging the cover of the book. Blueblood was more than a prince; he was a respected business-pony in his own right! His family owned the most successful airship production company in Canterlot, and he himself was in fact a genius in aeronautical design, having designed most of his company’s airships himself!
Beauty and brains was always an attractive combination to Rarity, and just as attractive was Canterlot Castle as it loomed ahead, and standing at the entryway was that handsome unicorn stallion she’d been ever so hopefully looking forward to seeing again!
Blueblood had forgone his dress collar and blue bowtie, now just standing naked, with only a fine-groomed mane and tail his current aesthetics. His eyes brightened as they fell upon Rarity, as she followed the chauffeur through the entryway, and they both bowed to the prince.
“Your Excellency, presenting Miss Rarity, owner and proprietress of Carousel Boutique.”
“Thank you, Five Star,” Blueblood said appreciatively, “Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? You’ll still be paid for the full day.”
“But Your Highness!” The chauffer, Five Star, was blown away by Blueblood’s offer. “I’ve hardly done much work today, and while I’m grateful for such-”
Blueblood held out a hoof, making him settle down.
“Five Star, I insist you take a paid day off. I’m feeling very good today and I’m just wanting to share how good I feel.”
“Well then, thank you, Your Highness,” Five Star said as he bowed and smiled before leaving the two.
“That was very generous, Blueblood,” Rarity complimented him.
“Coming from you,” Blueblood said as he took her hoof and kissed it, “that means so very much. Now, why don’t I show you to your suite? Bellhop!”
A teenage unicorn with a gray coat and red mane in a bellhop uniform streaked up, saying, “You called, Your Highness?”
“Be a good colt and carry Miss Rarity’s things, please,” Blueblood gestured to the miniature mountain of luggage Rarity had set in threshold.
The bellhop gulped.
Blueblood led Rarity up a private tower and opened the doors, revealing a fantabulous suite, making Rarity gasp.
“Here? I get to stay here?!”
“When you sent me your letter you were coming to Canterlot for a visit,” Blueblood said as Opalescence made herself comfortable on the four-poster bed, “I had this suite arranged just for you, and even added a drawing table and mannequin. I recall how on occasion you are struck with inspirations and just have to flesh out your ideas.”
“Thank you so much, Prince Blueblood,” Rarity was in awe of this gesture.
“You’re very welcome, Miss Rarity,” Blueblood replied with a smile, “But please, we’ve known each other for a while, just call me Blueblood.”
“Well, then you just call me Rarity,” she bargained with a sly look, making the prince chuckle.
“Touché,” he replied when they heard a groaning and looked to see the bellhop had arrived, straining under the mountain of baggage on his back.
“Your luggage, mademoiselle!” he gritted his teeth. “Oh, and I have this note for you, Prince Blueblood.”
He struggled to levitate a note while holding the luggage, so Blueblood took it in his aura and gave it a read, which spurred a cross look on his face once he saw what it was.
“Oh blast it all, another meeting?”
“Is something wrong, Blueblood?” Rarity inquired, hoping everything was alright.
“Everything’s fine, dear,” Blueblood assured her. “It’s just sometimes Auntie Celestia can really annoy me when she gives me the tasks she doesn’t want to do herself. But, she’s still the Princess! I have to take this meeting, I am so sorry.”
“Oh pish-posh,” Rarity waved it off. “I’m a big girl, I’ll just find something to do in the meantime, and once you’re finished, I’ll meet you back here and we can catch up further.”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Blueblood said as he gave her a quick peck on the cheek, making her gasp in happiness, as he left.
“Your Highness,” the bellhop strained as he bowed his head as Blueblood past him by.
“Enjoy your stay, Rarity, and I’ll see you soon.”
As he made his way down the stairs, he heard Rarity shout, “Thank you!”
Smiling, he just carried on.
The meeting his aunt had saddled him with was with another annoying politician, specifically one of the Duchesses of the Aristocratic Council. Canterlot, pristine and sophisticated as it was, was not without its downsides. The aristocracy and ambitious were always aiming to better themselves, even at the expense of others. There were different types of these annoyingly selfish snobs but each had their own distasteful flavor.
Business-ponies were usually looking to expand their enterprises and while some were honest business-ponies there were the greedy types that worked even dishonest means to get even richer.
The upper-class ponies were pompous snobs, thinking themselves the top of the foodchains and all other ponies beneath them were trash or ‘the help’, and loved nothing more than to show off their wealth and/or rub it in the faces of the lower-class.
But politicians were especially unappealing, and occasionally dangerous opponents. At the moment, Blueblood was speaking with Aurora Boreala, the Head of House Pallas and Duchess of Education, a beautiful but unlikable unicorn who endeavored to pull strings and get educational decrees and legislations passed if they benefited unicorns and didn’t care how her ideas were unfair towards pegasi and earth ponies.
“Now, Prince Blueblood, with this amendment, magic schools across the nation will benefit greatly from council-sponsored scholarships,” Aurora explained. “Unicorns everywhere will have the best educational opportunities possible!”
“With earth ponies and pegasi the minority,” Blueblood deadpanned.
“Oh trust me, Your Highness,” Aurora insisted in a blasé manner. “Earth ponies? Pegasi? They’ll be so much better off with we as their superiors. Surely you, a self-respecting unicorn prince, can see how scandalous Equestria has become thence the Unicorn Kingdom renounced their rule to the Royal Sisters. No offense to your aunt and her sister, Prince Blueblood, but this nonsense of equality amongst all ponies is doing more harm than good. Earth ponies should just tend to agriculture, like the mud-pushers they are, and pegasi, such brutes, should mind their places and concede the weather to us unicorns! After all, it was our responsibility before the princesses took over the duties of raising the sun and moon, so why shouldn’t we at the very least-”
“I think we’re done here,” Blueblood had had enough of the horseapples pouring from this reprehensible creature’s mouth. “As for your proposal…”
Aurora was startled by a slamming sound and looked down at the document she’d presented at the start of the meeting, and saw the big fat word ‘denied’ stamped in messy red ink.
“Wha- But- Prince Blueblood, be reasonable!” she steamed.
“Guards? Take this slimy no-name, and… throw her into the moat,” Blueblood instructed, the Guards present moving in, and Blueblood took great satisfaction in hearing the politician screech indignantly as she was carted off for an unscheduled bath.
“Wow, what a hussy,” commented Soarin as he and Blueblood sat at a café table outside Joe’s doughnut shop at the Canterlot University campus.
“Ugh, I know Auntie is going to lecture me for that,” Blueblood sighed yet couldn't help but smirk, “but it was worth it to see that nasty dragon put in her place.”
Since the gala, Blueblood and Soarin had actually become good friends. Celestia had heard of Soarin’s college problems from Rainbow Dash and how he’d intentionally gotten himself fired from the Wonderbolts.
To his surprise, she’d met with him and discussed his choices, and later had a talk with Spitfire. An arrangement was made, allowing for Soarin to have more time to pursue his academics and less time being forced through an unreasonable training regime under Spitfire’s command, and the captain of the Wonderbolts had been given a stern talking to from Celestia.
Since they saw each other at the gala, and because Blueblood had been impressed with Soarin’s principals, they struck up a friendship and made time to talk at Joe’s.
“But I can’t believe there are still ponies who think that way,” Soarin admonished. “It’s racist! And I thought it was bad enough when ponies were that way towards other creatures, like the zebras from Zebrabwe, or even the Buffalo Tribes.”
“Unfortunately, there are other ponies like Aurora,” Blueblood sighed as he took a swig of coffee. “And not just unicorns, there are some amongst the Canterlot elite, earth ponies and pegasi, that feel their kind are the pick of the litter, if you know what I mean. Ponies have been around for thousands of years, and even after a millennium of harmony between the tribes-”
“Ah, enough downpour,” Soarin waved off Blueblood's grumbling before saying, “Tell me about this mare you’re seeing!”
“You mean Miss Rarity?” Blueblood thought about it. “Well… she’s certainly different from all the mares I’ve been with.”
“You mean that because she's sincere, right?” Soarin asked.
“Exactly,” Blueblood nodded. “I’ve had my share of admirers, but they weren’t looking for a sincere relationship. I’ve had those idiotic mares with a fantasy of ‘marrying the dashing handsome prince’ and then I’ve had those hussy gem-diggers hoping to marry themselves into royalty or at the very least just brag about being in a relationship with a prince. To be honest, Rarity started off as the former… but then, something just… clicked that night when we met at the gala. I realized if I never gave love a chance I would never find it, and Rarity seemed to throw away her preconceived notions of romance and sought an honest relationship.”
“Well that sounds good,” Soarin encouraged, “but is there anything else you find interesting about her?”
“Well, she’s certainly a true beauty,” Blueblood admitted. “But more than that, she’s a self-made mare, she owns and operates her own fashion business, she’s quite ambitious, but I have seen the sides of her that truly show why she represents the Element of Generosity! We had a date while back when I visited Ponyville, a quaint and lovely town to be sure. We simply spent the day together as she gave me a tour and introduced me to her friends, but thrice in the interim, she noticed somepony in need and took the time to give it to them. There was this upset filly who had dropped her ice-cream cone and she gave the little one a bit to buy a new one, she saw this mare who had accidentally torn a gown she was wearing and easily sewed it up for her, asking for nothing in return, and then she even helped one Granny Smith across the street, long as that was…”
“Wow, one day with you, and she spent a fair amount of it giving of herself to others,” Soarin was impressed with this mare.
“Yes, but the point is,” Blueblood brought up, “she is so giving of herself that I can tell she is a mare I know I can have a relationship with! A close and honest relationship without ulterior motive.”
“Everypony has some kind of ulterior motive, Blue,” Soarin debated, “but it depends on what the motive is. Sometimes it can be only a tiny bit selfish or perhaps the motive is actually for somepony else’s benefit.”
“True, but I am confident Rarity and I can meet each other halfway in this relationship,” Blueblood said confidently when his eyes popped.
Meet?
“Oh dear goddess! I promised Rarity I’d meet her at her suite after my meeting, I have to go!” he galloped off, with such speed Soarin would not have been surprised if Blueblood took to the air.
“See ya later dude,” he shrugged and pulled on his saddlebags before flying off to his next class.