Rarity sipped her tea, her nerves a little shot. Twilight had apologized over and over, to the point where Rarity began to suspect her fellow Unicorn was trying to punish her for her own excessive apologizing after the wedding. She forgave her, of course. Had she been in Twilight’s situation, she would likely have done the same.
Blueblood was in the chair next to her, writing on some form or another. For the last half hour he had been running through the paperwork necessary for the mass arrest and the resulting property damage. The crown would cover it all.
Rarity set her tea down. “I’m going to head out on a walk,” she said, heading toward the door.
“My parents practically committed treason.”
Rarity froze at the admission. She didn’t turn around. She realized, at that moment, that Blueblood had stopped writing.
“My parents were caught funneling some of their money into a Unicorn supremacist group. When they were caught, Aunt Celestia knew that the public would punish me for what they did. So she gave them a choice: go to trial and get life in prison, or turn me over to her care while they did a few... missions for her.”
Rarity turned to look at him. His face was neutral, clearly being a politician had given him a good poker face.
“So... it was similar to what you had me doing?”
Blueblood shook her head. “Your job was to sit there, sell dresses, and look for Changelings They were doing far dirtier work. Still can’t tell you exactly what. They eventually completed their work long after Aunt Celestia raised me. They’ve been trying to get in my good graces ever since. And before you tell me that maybe they’ve changed: I agreed to meet with them once, and believe me, they haven’t.”
Rarity looked at him, trying to read his face. “Why are you telling me all this?”
Blueblood took a breath. “My parents... hearing about what they were was painful. I actually hated Auntie for a while for taking them. But it wasn’t long until I heard what that group did. I went to her and apologized over and over. I had Celestia, but I never forgave my parents.” He took another deep breath. Rarity was beginning to suspect he was trying to stop himself from breaking down. “Auntie, Twilight, Moondancer... they were there for me. I’ll bet Spike would have been too, if he had been old enough to understand. They all helped me, but nopony has ever let me get completely over it.
“When I met you, I dismissed you as just another social climber. But... believe it or not, the fact that you stopped pushing it convinced me otherwise. Mares just trying to get a nobility position would have kept pushing me, thinking they had found a crack in the armor. You actually respected my wishes and backed off. You... aren’t the mare I thought you were.”
Rarity looked at him for a moment, unsure of what to do.
“I... well, I try to be a good pony. I don’t always succeed, but I like to think getting the Element of Generosity has made me better.”
Blueblood nodded. then he slipped into a stare into nothingness. Not one of a pony spaced out, but one of contemplation. Then he spoke.
“Well, your service is over. But... I don’t suppose you would be willing to join me for dinner again?”
Rarity blinked. “You mean... like a date?”
“No. Not ‘like a date’, just a date.”
There was silence for a moment. “Are you saying you want to be my coltfriend?”
“I’m saying I want to give you a chance to convince me that I want to be your coltfriend. I don’t meet many mares who are after anything but my status and bits. Anypony willing to show me real kindness is worth a shot.”
Rarity was unsure what to think at the moment. A mix of sympathy, excitement, nervousness, and uncertainty. Still, in the end, she could only give a small smile. “I think that sounds lovely. At the same restaurant?”
“No. My quarters in the palace. As soon as you’re done with the Expo.”
Rarity blinked. “But the mission...”
“Are you saying you don’t want your designs in the most exclusive expo in Equestria?”
“Oh no no!” Rarity suddenly said. “I’d be delighted.”
Blueblood just grinned.
“So... we’re going to take the rest of this carefully,” Twilight said. True to Celestia's assurances, Applejack’s Earth Pony magic resulted in a quick healing, so they were riding home at noon the following day.
“I don’t think you can take a relationship carefully,” Applejack said. “Ya just gotta take whatever comes.”
“Well, we don’t want to make a decision too rashly. What if we move in together too soon? Or what if we... do that too soon? Oh, I better get out every relationship book the library has and...”
Applejack kissed her on the lips, holding it there for a few seconds. When she pulled away, Twilight was speechless.
“Hmm... a good way to cut you off. Good. I love ya, Twi, but sometimes you start babblin’ about worries and you can get pretty silly.”
“Um... seriously Applejack, some research...”
“Ain’t what we’re gonna be doin’. If we gotta problem we can’t figure out, we’ll take a look, but promise me you won’t go crazy tryin’ to map out everythin’.”
Twilight looked at her fillyfriend (yes, she really had a fillyfriend) and smiled. “Okay, Applejack. I promise.”
Applejack smiled. She gave Twilight one more kiss before the chariot landed.
The pair got out, and they didn’t have to wait long before being greeted.
“Twilight!”
“Applejack!”
The two ponies caught two blurs, each turning out to be the child they had left behind. As Spike wrapped his arms around Twilight’s neck and Apple Bloom placed her head against AJ’s, the two ponies nuzzled into their respective charges. Three other fillies ran up to them. Surprisingly, two of them were Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Sweetie was there with them, while Scootaloo remained unseen.
“We’re back, and we got the rings off. Everything’s back to normal!” Twilight said.
“Well... not everythin’!” Applejack said. She leaned over and planted a kiss on Twilight’s cheek, causing the Unicorn to blush.
In a flash Apple Bloom was out of Applejack’s grip and bouncing around the two older mares in a wild glee. “Yes! Yes! Twilight’s gunna be mah sister-in-law! Twilight’s gunna be mah sister-in-law!”
“Whoa, sugar, little early to be gettin’ that far,” Applejack said, looking over at her blushing fillyfriend.
Twilight looked down at Spike to see him looking up at her with a blank expression.
“Spike?”
The dragon blinked. “Sorry, Twilight. It’s just... a surprise. I mean, I’d figure you two would want time away from each other after all that. I’m happy for you, really.”
Twilight smiled, but she mentally filed away talking to Spike on her “to do” list.
“So... when Applejack marries Twilight, is that gonna make Apple Bloom Spike’s aunt?”
Twilight and Spike jumped at Sweetie’s question.
“Twilight’s not my mom,” Spike said, convincing nopony.
“We better get home,” Twilight said. She gave Applejack a quick peck on the cheek. “Come on, Spike.”
“Aw, really? Do we have to?”
Twilight stopped, looking at Spike. She was smiling. “You made friends after all.”
Spike blinked. “I... guess I did.”
“Well, I still want you to come home now. But I promise you can play with them tomorrow.”
“So we’re still on for the lake tomorrow?” Silver Spoon asked.
“Sure thing!” Spike said.
“And I’ll be seeing you tomorrow,” Twilight told Applejack, the Earth Pony nodded.
Applejack and the five fillies waved goodbye as Twilight and Spike walked down the road. Then Silver Spoon spoke. “Wait... he never picked a winner.”
Apple Bloom stopped. “Hey, yeah, Spike never said who the best kisser was.”
“...What?” Applejack said flatly.
“Wait... I’ve been hanging around the blank flanks for nothing?” Diamond Tiara wretched. “Ew, ew, nasty! I’m contaminated! I’m...”
“So do you not want to go to the lake with us?” Sweetie asked.
“...I didn’t say that.”
Fluttershy sat in her cottage, silently moping, Rainbow Dash had been avoiding her these last few days. Maybe she should have listened to her and just dropped the subject until later. But how much later? How long could they put off a discussion about their future?
Angel sat in his basket, happily munching a carrot. Rainbow Dash was gone. Applejack had come by to pick up Winona, and Owlowiscious had taken that as the cue to fly home. He finally had Fluttershy to himself again. Life was good.
And then the door opened.
“Fluttershy!”
The Pegasus in question jumped, but calmed when she saw who it was. “Rainbow Dash?”
“Fluttershy... I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
Rainbow Dash sat down next to her. “Listen, I was thinking about what you said today and while I was, Scootaloo came up to me and started pestering me. Something about the other fillies having an argument about a kissing contest or something. Anyway, she just kept pressuring me to hang out with her and just kept being annoying, so I figured she needed a trip to the Rainbow Factory.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah, and it worked. We went on a guided tour and she loved all the machines and ran around in the play area. I had a lot of fun too. By the end, she was so tuckered out I had to carry her home. When I got there, I found out her parents were abusive alcoholics and I was the the only one who cared about her. So I went to police, had them arrested, and adopted her.”
“...Really?”
“...Okay, not really. But it did make me realize that I wanted to have foals some day. Not right away, but... I think we’ll be okay in this department.”
Fluttershy squealed and threw herself at Dash, kissing her on the lips.
Angel dropped his carrot in horror. Then he buried his head in his paws, sobbing.
Tank was to his side, watching the scene.
<...So what was the explanation as to how Miss Fluttershy got such a high tolerance level?> Tank asked.
<After Nightmare Night, Princess Luna thought a great way Fluttershy more comfortable around her was a few nights of alcohol drinking,> Angel said, managing to keep his voice steady.
<...That hardly seems shameful.>
<It wasn’t until the night they broke out the Alicorn Wine.> Angel actually shivered. <Trust me, a pony with that much political power shouldn’t be allowed alcohol. And really, you don’t want to know what Fluttershy was like.>
Twilight stopped in the doorway to her bedroom. She looked around. It felt good to be home, but the extra guest bed they had tried to use for Applejack and the absence of Spike’s basket made it seem odd.
Spike had declined moving his basket back, having grown accustomed to having his own room. While that was what Twilight had been hoping for, she’d felt a sense of loss at the same time. Almost like...
No, not like a mother watching her child grow up. It certainly wasn’t anything like that.
She sighed, getting into bed. No Spike, no Applejack, whoever forced them together was still out there. She was going to have trouble getting to sleep tonight.
For hours she tossed and turned, hoping sleep would find her. She had gotten too used to sharing a bed. She was never going to get to sleep.
Then she heard the library’s bell ring.
She got up. Somepony had come into her house. Nopony locked their doors in Ponyville, there was no need, so whoever this was wasn’t breaking in.
She got up and went out into the main room.
“Applejack?” Twilight asked.
The cowpony was indeed at the base of the stairs. She looked up at her fillyfriend with a weak smile. “Hey, sugarcube.”
She looked tired, like she had been struggling to sleep as well.
“Listen... this might sound silly, but... I got used to havin’ ya around... now I can’t sleep. So, do ya think... fer just one more night...”
A purple aura practically dragged Applejack upstairs.
In no time at all the two were in bed, under the covers, stealing kisses and holding each other tightly. Their relationship might have its troubles coming, but they felt like they could take on anything.