Shame! Shame and scandal!
It was a travesty, a tragedy, a stain upon society itself! Most of all for the two involved as they stood facing each other, disheveled, sweating, and exhausted from their mutual exertions upon the other. They couldn't bear to make eye contact, but the awareness of each other's presence was as strong as it was painful, akin to the lingering ache in their muscles.
Rarity spoke first in a mortified whisper. "I... I am so sorry."
Blueblood, just as disgraced, shook his head ruefully. "No, no, it was my idea. Fools that we both are to have engaged in something so uncivilized, it was I who failed to dispel it from my mind the instant it appeared."
"But I went along with it like a rebellious foal! I was just so upset with you, I, I simply lost myself." She draped a hoof over her eyes in shame. "I can't even recall the basis of our disagreement that so spiraled out of control!"
He sighed. "Nor can I, Miss Rarity, nor can I."
They stood in silence, still unable to look up from the floor that bore witness to their indecency.
"What will I tell my parents," Rarity all but whimpered, "how will I ever explain to my family that I could sink so low?"
Prince smiled humorlessly. "Try explaining it to Princess Celestia herself that her nephew could willingly debase himself with such... barbarism."
Rarity let out something between a sob and a laugh. Then, she looked at him, eyes wide. "What... what if we didn't have to?"
He dared look back. "I, what?"
She smiled, slowly, hesitantly, and wider by the second. "Y-yes! We, we could make something up, fabricate events to something more... socially acceptable!"
"Lie?!"
"Could it possibly be worse than what we've already engaged in?"
"You make your point vividly, Miss Rarity."
She nodded a little, still grinning. "Perhaps, perhaps if," her cheeks tinted red, "f-forgive me for being so crass, given the circumstances, but perhaps we could say we just-"
He cut her off, nodding as well. "Yes, I know what you mean to say, and I agree. Anything would be less shameful than the truth."
Rarity smiled brightly. "So it's settled! We'll pretend we were lovers for less than a day, had a heated falling out, and never speak of this again!"
Blueblood grinned too. "Yes! Nopony ever need know that the two of us would reduce ourselves to hoof-wrestling like savages!"
Doctor's story was brought to a screeching halt by three good-natured, but still slightly annoyed hooves upside the head.
---
Doctor rubbed his slightly sore noggin. "Ow. What? Not enough kissing in the rain?"
Thunderlane shook his head, cursing himself for thinking it wouldn't be something stupid. Funny, maybe, but stupid.
Soarin tilted his head. "What's so shameful about hoof-wrestling?"
Doctor chuckled. "Oh, nothing, but for a proper lady and a dapper gentlecolt like those two? It probably wouldn't do their reputations any favors."
"You really think it would be that bad?"
"If Prince lost to a mare and Rarity proved she was 'unladylike' enough to win?"
"Ah."
Bic Macintosh took a slow look around. "Weren't we lookin' fer Blue an Shinin'?"
Soarin, Doctor, and Thunderlane replied in unison. "Oh, right!"
“They’re probably home by now,” suggested Doctor, “so we should find them there.”
---
"So what you're saying," Blueblood summarized, "is that Armor accidentally telling you about the day we came to Ponyville exploded into half the town making up stories while trying to guess at the whole truth?"
Doctor, as ever, smiled. "Actually, I think it's only around forty-three percent of Ponyville at this point, but yes."
The six of them were quiet as they turned to look at Shining, who was already sweating bullets.
Blueblood remained strangely calm. "Still not mad at you." Now it was him that was getting five curious looks. He shrugged. "It's not like he wanted this to happen, and it's not a big deal. Does anypony remember how I actually behaved that day?"
They could have given answers ranging from "drugged-up loony" to "heartless jerk," but it didn't really seem called for.
"Right," he went on, smiling, "so the worst they can come up with probably isn't as bad as the things I actually did, and as everypony except the bi-err, pony in question already forgave me for all that, there's no problem here!"
Kind of seeing his point, Thunderlane, Doctor, Shining, Big Mac, and Soarin nodded.
"Guess all's cool, then."
"Seems that way!"
"That's a relief."
"Eeyup."
"Conflict resolved already? That's an academy record!"
And so, convinced that all was well, the six of them peacefully went on with their lives.
---
The next day...
---
Strange. That was the best word for this town sometimes.
Owner of Carousel Boutique, Ponyville's Premiere Fashionista, Gem-Finder Extraordinaire, all of these were things Rarity could call herself without being disingenuous. One thing she could not call herself was an outcast, a pony to be avoided or quickly walked away from, which made today very strange. Honestly, she knew she didn't offend, because there was no chance of a coat, mane, or tail so meticulously groomed as hers putting off unbecoming odors, thank you very much! And yet, when ponies saw her coming, they'd either clear out or clam up.
Something was going on, and as it may have involved her, Rarity deduced that she'd have to briefly wear one of her less flattering labels; 'Gossip.' Noun. Describing her as a verb would be- It didn't matter. She'd only do it long enough to get to the bottom of this, of course! That in mind, she went looking for friends of hers in the hope that whatever had seized the town hadn't yet gotten its hooks into them too. Fluttershy felt like a safe bet, so off she went to the cottage, making the usual mental note to watch out for the filth and grime on the way to her mousiest friend's home.
She tittered to herself. 'Mousiest.' I slay me.
Before even knocking, Rarity heard another pegasus; one she'd met a few times, but never really gotten to know.
"-otally all his fault," accused Rainbow Dash, "you can see it in his stupid face!"
A lady didn't eavesdrop, so perhaps it was fortunate that Fluttershy spotted her through the window. Rarity could practically read her lips as she smiled, said 'One moment, please,' and moved to answer the door.
"Hello, Rarity, what brings you here?"
Rarity smiled in kind. "Good morning, dear, may I come in?"
With a friendly nod, Fluttershy welcomed her into the cottage, where she found the fabulously colorful weathermare sitting on the couch. Truly, that she never did anything special with that mane was a crying shame.
Rainbow greeted her with a half-hearted wave. "Hey, Rarity."
"Hello, Rainbow Dash. Forgive my wandering ears, but I couldn't help overhearing the tail-end of your discussion a moment ago. May I inquire as to what was all whose fault?"
Rainbow glanced at Fluttershy. "Ooh, bet she can clear this right up for us!" Fluttershy shrugged a little, but Rainbow looked back at Rarity with a confident grin. "The thing that went down the day of the Summer Sun Celebration, it was because'a that idiot Shining Armor, right?"
Pure and pristine though Rarity's coat was, it was not truly white. Contrary to popular belief, it was actually a very pale shade of grey, something she'd once often explained to ponies by asking them to make note of her fur and then of the sclera of her eyes. These days, she just let the comment pass. That in mind, it was quite possible for her to grow paler, as she did when she thought that chaos had been entirely due to the nicer of the two relatively new colts in town.
"N-Nightmare Moon's attack, was because of him?!"
Rainbow did a double-take. "What? No, what makes you think tha-" And then she remembered the other thing that also kinda happened that day, drawing a facehoof. "Oh."
"Uhm," Fluttershy meekly interjected, "I-I think what Rainbow means to ask, is, uh... W-well, you and Mr. Blueblood, the-" She involuntarily squeaked at the sudden, cold look Rarity was giving her, though it was immediately replaced with an apologetic one as the fashionista sighed.
"Do forgive me, Darling, but there are things a lady prefers not to discuss."
Fluttershy nodded in her timid, but friendly little way. "I understand."
"But you hate the other guy because of his doofus bodyguard," Rainbow added with an almost hopeful look, "right?"
"Hm?" Pondering what she'd heard about the other Canterlot colt that had taken up residence in the Golden Oaks library, Rarity touched a hoof to her chin in thought. "I... No, I don't think he was involved in any way. We're hardly even acquainted, truth be told."
There was a short silence. Huffing, Rainbow folded her forelegs and scowled. "I bet it was still his fault somehow. That Idiot."
"Anyway," Rarity picked up, "what brought this about, if I may?" And then it came, Fluttershy and Rainbow shared the slightly nervous look she'd seen on everypony else just before they fled. She couldn't even make out Rainbow's hastily-delivered excuse before she sped out of the cottage, leaving her with a lightly-trembling Fluttershy.
Be gentle, Rarity, she'll tell you all about it if you're calm and polite. "Sweetie," she began with a friendly smile, "could you please tell me what's going on?"
For a moment, eye-contact was impossible. "W-w-well, uhm, i-it, k-k-kind of, uh, I-I mean I h-heard th-there was, I-I mean..." Taking a deep breath, she dared look directly at Rarity's face. The face she'd been talking about behind its back. Back of the face? What- More importantly; her friend had a right to know what Rainbow had come to talk to her about. Because it was about her. Kind of. Partly.
Well, actually, it sounded like Rainbow just wanted to complain about Shining Armor again, but still... She tried her best.
"Well, um... h-have you heard what everypony is talking about around town...?"
Rarity later felt the need to apologize to her animal-loving friend when countless birds were sent fleeing into the skies at the sound of a very loud "WHAT?!"