Blaze the Pony Tale

by Wolven5


69. Sweet & Elite - Part 4

Blueblood tapped his hoof anxiously as he awaited their arrival. After careful planning and executing the instructions sent from Miss Pinkie Pie, the party for Twilight’s birthday had been prepared in the Canterlot Castle Ballroom.

Blueblood wore a dress-collar similar to the one he’d worn to the gala, along with a burgundy-colored bowtie, and on his back was a wrapped present he’d purchased for his old schoolmate. While Blueblood wasn’t sure if Twilight would totally remember him, it was only proper etiquette, along with a slight desire to catch up, that he get her a gift.

However, he was actually waiting on Twilight’s male friends, Midnight Blaze, Big Macintosh, and Thunderlane, the three of them having left Ponyville some days ago to make a delivery. After they’d heard of the change in Twilight’s birthday plans, they’d grabbed the next train to Canterlot, planning to meet the whole gang there.

“Blue, buddy, ya gotta calm down, dude.”

Soarin had invited himself to accompany Blueblood to meet the guys.
“Your friend, Twilight’s coming later. You’re just meeting with her boy buds first, no big.”

“It’s not meeting her gentlecolt friends, Soarin,” Blueblood corrected. “I can’t help but feel a little guilty for going behind Rarity’s back. It feels hypocritical of me, I mean… I was looking for an honest and sincere relationship with somepony, and now I’m finding myself being deceitful and underhooved.”

“Sometimes relationships calls for a little subterfuge, Blue-boy,” Soarin waved off his concern, looking kinda know-it-all at the moment. “Goddess knows before the gala, I made as much time as I could squeeze to get studying done while under Spitfire’s tyrannical scrutiny. Blueblood, when somepony’s in the wrong it’s not necessarily a bad thing to wanna go behind their backs to teach them a little lesson. So long as nopony’s hurt and it’s something you both can live with and accept.”

Blueblood nodded, Soarin’s words giving his heart a little ease, when a train pulled in, the PA system announcing the arrival from Dodge Junction. Blueblood and Soarin waited as a few ponies spilled out of the train doors and they saw them, the blue unicorn, red earth pony, and dark gray pegasus, each of them carrying a wrapped present as well.

Blueblood approached them, clearing his throat, as he said, “Be welcome, gentlecolts, we have been expecting you.”

“Blueblood, haven’t seen you since the Gala!” Midnight walked up and held out a hoof, which Blueblood took in a polite shake.

“Soarin, how’re your courses going?” Thunderlane asked.

“Awesome, and thanks to the princess,” Soarin commented, “Spitfire’s eased up on training so I’m getting a lot done and learning so much!”

“Glad t’ hear that,” Big Mac said as he approached. “So, we hear Miss Rarity couldn’t head back t’ Ponyville fer Twilight’s special day.”

“Yes, although I’m afraid her excuse was… not what you would call the truth,” Blueblood informed them before explaining everything. “…so Auntie Celestia offered the ballroom for Miss Twilight’s birthday party, and she’s planning to surprise Rarity.”

“I gotta say, I’m not entirely surprised of Rarity,” Midnight sighed. “When you’ve heard her talk and talk and talk about the glamour of high society, you know she’s gonna go for it if given the opportunity.”

“So when do the girls get here?” Thunderlane asked.

“If their train is as punctual as yours,” Blueblood checked the station clock, “in a half-hour, just in time to catch Rarity before she heads for the Garden Party.”

Midnight chuckled, Soarin asking, “What’s so funny?”

“Is it wrong to look forward to watching our favorite diva squirm?” Midnight cracked, and the stallions, even Blueblood, couldn’t help laughing with him.

In her suite, Rarity posed for Opalescence, wearing a yellow shawl held at her neck by a jeweled clasp and flowers in her tail.
“What do you think, too much?”

Opal just sat on the bed, grooming herself with a detached air.

“You’re right, too little,” Rarity decided as she levitated a chapeau that matched her outfit perfectly, alighting it onto her head. She took a deep breath before facing her suite door, “Garden Party, here I come!”

She opened the doors and was met with a “SURPRISE!”

*Thud*

The surprising committee, comprised of Twilight, Midnight, Applejack, Big Mac, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Pinkie Pie, Blueblood, Fluttershy, and Thunderlane gaped at the posh-dressed mare, who had keeled over and fainted.

“Too much?” Pinkie asked the others as she moved to give Rarity a closer look. “I mean, we shout ‘surprise!’ as the doors open – Swoosh! – And right before she hit the ground – Shoom! – She-”

“Miss Pie,” Blueblood interrupted as he pointed out Rarity waking up.

“Hi again!” Pinkie greeted her, Rarity gaping at them all.

“What are you- How did you- Why are you-”

“Listen t’ her,” chuckled Applejack, “she’s so excited t’ see us she can hardly talk!”

“Eeyup,” Big Mac said, giving the guys a wink.

“What I mean to say is,” Rarity collected herself, “what are you all doing here?”

“When I got your letter saying you were stuck in Canterlot,” Twilight explained, “I asked Pinkie Pie if it wouldn’t be too much trouble to move my birthday party here, so you wouldn’t have to miss it!”

“Balloons are super easy to pack,” Pinkie concurred as she lifted a tiny suitcase and opened it, a burst of balloons going to and fro as they sped out of air-control.

“And I was kind enough to prepare things per Miss Pinkie’s instructions,” Blueblood added, ignoring the slight look of betrayal his fillyfriend was giving him.

“And Twilight also gave us the heads-up to come to Canterlot after the delivery we made to Dodge Junction,” Midnight brought up. “I can’t wait to tell you all the adventure we had there!”

“Speaking of telling,” Thunderlane brought up as he scrutinized Rarity, “mind telling us what’s with the fancy getup?”

“This? Er, well- I-” Rarity twisted her tongue to ring out an excuse. “I… always put a little something fancy on when… Opal’s feeling under the weather… cheers her right up!”

The guys all rolled their eyes while Fluttershy said, “Oh poor Opal, where is the sick darling?”

“Uh- She’s- Hold on a minute!” Rarity slammed the doors in their faces, perplexing them all. The doors opened a couple moments later, Rarity announcing, “She’s resting on the bed.”

Fluttershy zoomed and they all saw her give a motherly hug to Opalescence, who looked like something the cat dragged in. Or a drowned bilge rat, a very plausible theory.
“Poor Opal, she looks awful!”

Thankfully, everypony else was looking at Rarity’s suite but Rarity flinched at how her cat glared bloody murder at her.

“Is that my dress?”

Rarity startled as she saw Twilight giving the incomplete dress a look over.

“It’s so simple, so practical…” Twilight critiqued, Rarity looking like she had her heart in her mouth, “So… me! It’s the perfect dress for my birthday party!”

The guys all had the same thought, Rarity had dodged another hex, as Twilight hugged her friend thankfully saying, “I love it!”

Rarity sighed in relief, saying, “You don’t know how glad I am to hear you say that.”

She then discreetly whipped up her tail, sending a piece of paper on the desk into the wastebasket.

Unknown to her, when Rarity wasn’t looking, Blueblood levitated out the paper and saw it was a drawing of a most amazing ensemble.
This must have been the dress she originally planned to make…

“Hey Blue, come on!” shouted Soarin’s voice and he noticed the others were leaving and hurried to catch up.

“When I told the Princess that I was moving my party to Canterlot,” Twilight explained to Rarity, now garbed in the fashionista’s plain-jane dress, “she was kind enough to offer us the Canterlot castle ballroom!”

“Allow us, ladies,” Blueblood offered as he and Midnight lit up their horns and the double doors opened to reveal the party, all set up. Confetti all but carpeted the floor, streamers hung everywhere, a table covered with delicious cupcakes and treats, another with a sign that read ‘gifts’, indicating where the birthday gifts were to be placed, balloons tied in strategic areas.
“Miss Pinkie Pie sent very explicit instructions on how to have everything set up.”

“Isn’t it fancy pants?” Pinkie asked.

“Fancy Pants?! Where?!” Rarity hid behind Rainbow Dash and Soarin, shielding herself with their wings. She suddenly realized it had been an expression as everypony gave her odd looks.
“I mean- Where…ever did you find the time to set up this smashing décor?”

“When you’re a prince, you have the perks of having a castle staff at your beck and call,” Blueblood looked a little haughty at the moment

“And I never leave home without my Party Cannon!”

Pinkie Pie pulled a little blue cannon out of nowhere and fired, an explosion of colorful confetti raining down everywhere, including onto Rarity’s outfit, much to her chagrin.

“I thought about having my party outside,” Twilight brought up, “but Blueblood informed me another party’s taking place on the castle grounds today.”

Rarity discreetly looked out the window and saw Jet Set and Upper Crust greeting the attendees of the Garden Party. She looked longingly to the posh gathering, when a certain party pony all but screamed into her ear, “Let’s... PARTY!”

Twilight’s birthday was instantly thrown into full swing, as was the music playing on the phonograph/record player.

Blueblood was a little out of his element at first. He was used to high society events, posh and elegant soirees, which were enjoyable an’ all but years of attending them had developed a perspective of sameness, no matter what kind of party he’d attended in Canterlot.

But this, a party without all that, the kind the Canterlot Elite wouldn’t be caught dead attending, was worlds apart. The dancing, the music, the food, the atmosphere! It was loose and positive, maybe a bit fast-paced at times, but in no way judgmental, as everypony was in the kind of events Blueblood had been used to since he was a colt.

Everypony here just hung out, had fun, laughed, talked, it was a new experience for the honorary prince, and he quickly understood why a pony from a small town yet could so well fit into the Canterlot Elite could enjoy such company. Even when they had a little fight throwing cake at each other, the ponies were having fun and laughing.

Blueblood loved it.

But as they got into the conga line Blueblood noticed somepony was missing and the side doors were open.
Auntie Celestia’s prediction was spot-on.

Celestia had conferred to Blueblood that Rarity might wait until Twilight’s party got a little crazy enough for her to slip away unnoticed to attend the Garden Party, but was also likely to keep moving between parties to save face. When he’d asked her what he should do when Rarity did so, Celestia told him to do nothing, act as nothing was amiss.

But before he could ponder further, he yelped as a bird-shaped piñata fell and hung in front of him, Pinkie popping out of nowhere, a blindfold and stick in hoof.
“Come on, Bluey! Bust that birdy wide open!”

And without waiting for Blueblood’s consent, she wrapped the blindfold around him and put the stick in his mouth.

Welp, when in Roam, Blueblood shrugged and started swinging the stick around hoping to get lucky.

In no time at all, the piñatas were busted open and candies and other treats poured from them all. At this point, Pinkie directed everypony’s attention to a bowl of melted chocolate, saying, “Let’s dip!”

Blueblood got the idea, having sampled fondue at some of the soirées he’d attended. This was the same principal, just sweeter. He took a peppermint stick and dipped it, enjoying the taste once he took a nibble.

“Pbth!”

They all looked and saw Rarity with a disgusted face and gave her an odd look. Blueblood noticed something on the floor and saw it was the remains of a cracker and olive. No doubt she’d gotten it from the hors d’oeuvres table at the Garden Party. He made sure she noticed him as he raised a brow, but she did the old ‘look over there’ routine, distracting everypony and Blueblood watched her zip out.

He knew Rarity would soon crack under the pressure of attending two parties at once while trying to hide her discretion from either. Celestia had explained the plan to him well. While he felt guilty for this little underhooved operation, Blueblood had agreed with his aunt (albeit hesitantly) that Rarity had to learn this lesson.

“You okay, Blueblood?”

He looked and saw Midnight, “I’m fine but I wonder how long Rarity intends to drag this out…”

“If she can help it, she’ll make sure neither parties meet,” commented Midnight as he levitated a chilled glass of colt cola to the prince. “And I don’t mean the events.”

“I just hope she finds enlightenment before something undesirable occurs,” Blueblood agreed, accepting the glass.

“Y’mean like this?” Midnight asked before letting out a loud BELCH, the other ponies laughing.

Ordinarily, Blueblood might've been repelled by such uncouth mannerisms, but after attending this party, seeing how different ponies like Rarity’s friends were from the Canterlot Elite, and all the merry mirth he’d experienced, he couldn’t help but laugh as well, and it felt good!

“Uh, what’s with the croquet mallet?” sounded Rainbow above the party madness.

Uncannily enough, the record player chose that particular moment to sound a very explicit scratch.

“Wha’ kwokay malleh?”

“Duh, the one in your mouth?”

Everypony looked and saw Rarity, looking tired, and there was indeed a croquet mallet in her mouth. Her eyes widened in realization as she dropped the game implement and tittered nervously.
“Oh, that croquet mallet! I- Well I- The truth is…”

“Were you at that other party in the garden?” inquired Twilight.

“I…” Rarity drawled, Blueblood hoping she’d come clean before her reputation was made unclean.

“Rarity, I’m surprised at you,” Twilight said, almost sounding disappointed.

“Twilight, please! I can explain!”

Rarity threw herself at Twilight’s feet but the purple unicorn then said, “I had no idea you were such a savvy businesspony!”

“Say what?!” Thunderlane muttered, Soarin elbowing him to keep quiet.

“All of those ponies look so posh,” Twilight commented, everypony following her gaze to socialites passing by the windows. “And with the Grand Galloping Gala coming up, I bet you could totally get some of them to buy your dresses, very smart!”

“W…why… yes! I-I didn’t want you to think I was being rude, so that’s exactly the reason I didn’t tell you,” Rarity said, sounding relieved.

Blueblood face-hooved.
You’re only digging yourself in deeper, Rarity…

“You should totally go over there and mingle!” Twilight suggested to Rarity.

As Rarity gushed to Twilight, Midnight noticed Blueblood looking disappointed as Rarity started making her way to the Garden Party. But at that moment, everything began to fall apart, as Rainbow Dash said, “Hey wait up, we’re your friends! I’m sure they won’t mind if we check out the party too! Come on everypony, let’s show `em how to party Ponyville style!”

The girls followed after Rainbow, Big Mac and Thunderlane tagging along, Rarity whispering, “Oh no…!”

“Well that was unexpected,” Midnight commented, Blueblood giving him the stink eye. “Too soon?”

“Blueblood!” Rarity screeched, looking like a mad mare, “What do we do?!”

“Let’s… get out there and… assess the situation,” Blueblood suggested, and he led them out.

As they entered garden, they gaped as they saw their friends do the conga, Twilight carrying the phonograph, Rainbow swung a little too hard at the croquet course, accidentally knocking off a mare’s wig that the stallion she’d been conversing with subtly excused himself to get away from her. Fluttershy played with the birds, causing leaves to fall onto some of the attendees, a stallion was repulsed by Pinkie throwing her face into one of the cakes at the hors d’ oeuvres table, others avoided Applejack as she kicked up some dirt and pulled a weed.
“How come y’all ain’t gardenin’? This is a garden party, ain’t it?”

Twilight got a little too into her dancing, the attendees giving her a wide berth.

Rarity sipped some punch, hoping it would calm her nerves.
“Can you believe what that pony is wearing?”

She looked to see Jet Set and Upper Crust standing next to her, as they pointed Twilight out… along with the unfinished dress she was wearing that Rarity was responsible for bringing into existence.
“It’s just so plain,” scoffed Upper Crust.

Rarity tittered nervously, commenting, “Yeah.”

But then she all but had kittens when she saw the one socialite to approach Twilight, asking her, “Excuse me, might I ask where you got your ensemble?”

“Why yes, yes you may,” Twilight said, glad somepony had taken the time to notice her new dress, “A very, very close friend of mine from Ponyville made it for me.”

Rarity did a spit-take (accidentally onto Jet Set and Upper Crust) and hurried over as the pony, Twilight was talking to, echoed, “Ponyville? You don’t say.”

“She does say!”

“Your Excellency?” Fancy Pants was surprised to see the prince in attendance. “Well, this is unexpected. Would you perchance know this lovely young mare?”

“Indeed, this is my old schoolmate, Twilight Sparkle,” Blueblood declared. “She received this pretty little outfit from-”

“Fancy Pants!”

They looked to see Rarity approach, “Come with me, I’d like to show you… this, uh- Thing! That’s over there, on the other side of the room!”

“In a moment, my dear,” Fancy Pants replied, unintentionally drawing a crowd, “I was just about to hear from where this lovely filly from Ponyville who made her charming dress.”

“What, that dress? Oh come now,” Rarity would have given anything at that moment for this social nightmare to cease. “Who cares, it’s just a plain old-”

“Oh don’t be so modest, my dear,” Blueblood had decided the charade had gone on long enough. “This dress you made for Twilight’s birthday is beautiful.”

The socialites broke out in a collective GASP, some of them dropping their drinks, all of them gaping at Rarity.

All her friends went over to stand by Twilight and Blueblood, Twilight saying, “We all think so.”

“You know these ponies?” Fancy Pants inquired of Rarity.

Rarity looked, seeing the gossip already beginning, her friends now looking confused and catching onto her behavior. To their bewilderment, she turned her back to them and approached the socialites… and declared, “Yes, yes I do know them.”

Rarity had had enough, all the pretending, the lying, the excuses, it was unfair to her friends, to herself, and she finally realized how in the wrong she’d been, how right had been her prince .

“They may not be as sophisticated as all you Canterlot ponies, but they are my best friends! And they are, without a doubt, the most important ponies I know.”

She smiled at them, Blueblood smiling proudly and lovingly at his girlfriend.

“Important ponies?!”

They all looked to Jet Set and Upper Crust, the former saying, “These ruffians?”
“Don’t make me laugh,” Upper Crust sneered as she and her husband began to laugh obnoxiously.

“I, for one, find them charmingly rustic.”

The socialites gasped and gaped at the speaker, Fancy Pants, as he approached Twilight but looked to Rarity, saying, “And I think the dress you made for your friend is lovely.”

Rarity was astounded, as was Blueblood.

“I daresay every mare in Canterlot will be wanting one,” Fancy Pants chuckled.

That one comment caused Upper Crust to say to Rarity, “Oh I’d like to place my order right now!”

“I think you should get two!” suggested her husband, but Rarity ignored them as she approached Fancy Pants.

“How about you introduce me to your friends?” he asked.

“With pleasure!” Rarity beamed.

Blueblood was blown away, but smiled happily as he watched Rarity introduce his old rival to the girls. This was probably the most likable presentation of himself Fancy Pants had ever revealed, at least in Blueblood’s opinion. Granted, he knew Fancy was not so pompous as the likes of Jet Set and Upper Crust, for as long as he’d known him, Blueblood had been constantly compared to the older stallion whom everypony else thought he should aspire to mirror in character and image.

All those times, Blueblood had felt insulted, that he came up short when he hadn’t even been trying to prove himself, and frustrated that nopony believed in Blueblood himself. But for the first time in all the years he’d known him, Blueblood finally saw Fancy Pants as somepony worthy of emulation and sincere respect.

The next day, Blueblood had tea with his aunt on the balcony of her chambers, when she brought up with an impish smile, “Gossip’s abuzz of the events surrounding the Canterlot Garden Party.”

“I must admit, Auntie Celestia,” he replied, “it seemed touch and go for a moment, but it turned out even better than I could’ve hoped for.”

“I am glad,” Celestia said with a smile. “So what do you think? Of Rarity, that is.”

Blueblood considered a moment before answering.
“I think she’s the one, Auntie. Granted, I’m not a hundred-percent certain, but…”

He just smiled, looking more hopeful than his aunt had ever seen him. But she also noticed a slight dull of sadness in his eyes.
“I sense you are not telling me everything, nephew.”

“Well, Auntie… I’m kind of down that she’s going home today,” Blueblood admitted. “While our letters have allowed us to keep in touch, this past week has been one of the happiest I’ve ever experienced..."

"Who is to say that has to end?" his aunt suggested, to Blueblood's joyous bewilderment.

"But I can’t just pick up everything and see her anytime I wish!" He flabbergasted. "I have a business to run, responsibilities of no small consequence, I-”

Celestia raised a hoof, causing him to go silent.

“I think we can make an arrangement,” she assured him.

Blueblood felt giddy as he and Celestia walked up to Rarity’s suite, knowing her time of departure was at hoof. Oddly, the door was creaked open and they noticed she appeared to be just starting to write something.
“‘Dear Princess Celestia,

I wanted to tell you about the important lesson I learned during my visit’.”

“Now that I would like to hear.”

She whirled around to see the Princess and Prince, smiling sheepishly at them, but went on as she looked out the window.
“I learned that no matter where you go in life, you should never forget that you are the product of your home and your friends!”

Blueblood stood by her, looking at what she was looking at, Ponyville in the distance, shining like a jewel, and he couldn’t help but add, “And that is something always to be proud of, no matter what.”

Rarity nuzzled against him as Blueblood returned the gesture, Celestia smiling while nodding sagely, “A lesson well learned.”

“It certainly is!”

They all looked to the teenage bellhop pony, struggling under Rarity’s mountain of luggage.
“But… might I ask we hurry things up a bit! Oh NO!”

The mountain came crashing down, Blueblood giving his fillyfriend a teasing smirk, Rarity smiling sheepishly.

“Rarity?”

She looked to the princess, who said, “I think Blueblood has something he’d like to share with you.”

Rarity looked curiously at Blueblood as he said, “Well, Rarity, we’ve known each other for a few months now, but I don’t want there to be a train-ride between us any longer…”

“Oh Blueblood, dear,” Rarity said apologetically, figuring out what he was getting at, “I agree with you, but… I can’t just leave Ponyville, it’s where my livelihood is, my friends-”

Blueblood placed a hoof gently on her lips, and said, “Which is why I’m getting a residence at Ponyville.”

“What?!” Rarity was blown away. “But- What about your company?! And your royal duties-”

“Blueblood will handle his company via magical correspondence and the two of us will assign a trusted confidante to oversee things when a personal presence is required,” Celestia explained. “Also… I have been abusing my power a little in giving some of the duties I have for Blueblood to see to.”

“I’ll handle some certain paperwork for the company,” Blueblood explained further, “while Auntie Celestia will be my representative and my assistant will be overseeing the company. I’ll still have to make some business-trips every now and then, but I want to be able to see my fillyfriend anytime I wish.”

Rarity squeaked with happiness as she threw her arms around her prince, Blueblood hugging her warmly.

At the train station, Blueblood levitated some luggage onto a cart, Rarity’s already aboard.
“Are you ready, dear?”

“Almost,” Blueblood assured her, “I’m still expecting somepony.”

“Who?”

“I’m here!”

They looked and saw Soarin land down by them, carrying luggage of his own, looking a little tired.
“Sorry I’m late, just had to finish the agreement with the dean.”

“Soarin dear, what are you doing here?” Rarity asked.

“Soarin is gonna move in with me at Ponyville,” Blueblood explained, “We’ve become such good friends since the Gala we don’t want to be separated by my moving to Ponyville. So he’s… my roommate, you could say.”

“But Soarin! What about your courses?” Rarity admonished.

“Correspondence courses,” Soarin explained, “It’s the agreement my dean and I came up with. She sends the work, I send it back completed before a designated deadline. The princess also asked Twilight Sparkle to help me out if I ever need it.”

Rarity took it in, and smiled.
“Well, at least the boys will have more stallions to spend time with.”

“All aboard!”

“Shall we?” Blueblood held out his foreleg, Rarity took it and smiled, as they boarded the train and rode off towards the future. Together.