Rarity dates Prince Nightshade

by Dream Volt

To the depths of Canterlot

Author's Note:

NOTE: This story takes place in the same AU as my Rise of the Elements stories. Obviously reading them would help, but really you don't need to. There are various things that might make more sense if you have, or hints of certain things, but there isn't anything actually important to this story that isn't explained in it somewhere.

It was a dark and dour room in the bowels of the castle. Twilight clearly was telling the truth about the cleaning spell as despite an unmistakable look of disrepair there was no dust whatsoever. Not that I had much doubt but it was interesting to see for myself that Canterlot would simply remain clean because Celestia enchanted it thusly. I was so thankful to Twilight for teaching me some basic cleaning spells, but an automatically clean city is a different level entirely. Applejack's family member, one Carmel Apple, a mare with a sticky messy mane I was sorely tempted to do something about, but I didn't want to get distracted, had led Applejack and I down here.

She had closed the door behind her and then he stepped out of the shadows. In the end this whole thing could be somewhat silly but I was just so curious. He was built much like Chrysalis, but more masculine. Not quite as masculine as I would have suspected, but masculine enough. Unlike that horrid Queen that ruined the wedding earlier, he had a dark blue mane and sky blue eyes. Yes they were a bit odd to say the least, but the effect was striking. Also less green is almost always better, not always, but nearly so. He was a prince loyal to Luna that tried to stop this whole thing, with help from Applejack for reasons I'm still not sure of.

"So why exactly did you even let me find you?" asked Applejack

"Hmm, oh no my hive is a touch mad at me right now, so they happily had Cara lead you here for a bit of revenge. Such is the price of allowing as much freedom as possible."

"Your ma ain't the same way, is she?" Applejack drawled

"Not as far as I know, but perhaps she's changed more in 1000 years than I think. Now I think it's time you introduce me properly to your lovely companion."

AJ rolled her eyes. "Ah know ya know that's Rarity."

I tried to push her aside, but brick walls have more give. Clearly the upper limit for earth pony strength and resilience is very impressive. Instead I gracefully surrendered to that possibility, and simply stepped around her. Nightshade took my hoof in his and gave it a kiss. I let out a titter of just the right intensity, pitch, and length.

"Oh my, so a true gentle stallion as well as an exotic prince. Please don't mind Applejack, she is well mannered when she tries, but is almost as bad as Rainbow. I am Rarity, Countess of Manehattan, and rising fashion star."

"And I am Prince Atropa Beladona, leader of the Canterlot hive, though over the years we've spread though much of Equestria."

Applejack groaned. "So you really did come with me fer exactly why ah thought ya did, and the small talk was just a bonus."

"Oh come now Applejack. Think about it."

I certainly had. It was clear Luna was aware of and trusted him, as did Cadence. Though I suppose Cadence trusting Chrysalis resulted in this whole mess so perhaps I should focus on Luna's good judgement in this matter instead. Applejack also seemed to trust him to some degree. He is a prince, and so far all evidence points to him behaving as a proper prince should, though I must be careful not to get my hopes too high. Then there is the shapeshifting.

"An exotic prince that defied his mother to serve the crown of a foreign nation, and he is not only gorgeous in a strange sort of way, but should be able to take the shape of any stallion that one could dream of."

"Oh I can do more than that." Then Nightshade was copying Luna. "And of course one must never forget that we changelings can alter ourselves to fit an outfit."

"Oh of course not. It all just seems so intriguing." I gasped "Oh and you are fey as well. The wonderful mystery of it all. Still, you actually have some gender issues, correct? A tendency to stay in female for notable lengths of time?"

"Yes, though in my case that's more of an issue of being indecisive than what you're thinking of. We aren't like ponies you see."

"Hmmm…"

It was something to think about. Something that I hadn't picked up on upstairs, only that Shinning found him annoying and he seemed to be a long time ally to Equestria, very much unlike his mother. I summoned a little rug with a flash and sat down on it. I really could never thank Twilight enough for her lessons. So far it was only fabric and other fashion related objects, but summoning items was terribly useful and there wasn't much else I could think to summon. So there were numerous further questions to ask, but now wasn't the time.

So what do I know now? First positive, if he's comfortable in mare forms I could put him in dresses. First con, it's not clear how awkward that would actually be, and if he likes wearing dresses as a stallion that could be a problem. Though whether that's true or not can't be determined at a glance, and if he does so only in private I'm not entirely sure I would care. Second pro he is a prince and if I chose to marry him I would be a princess. Con, I'm not entirely sure if being princess of the changelings might not come with some unwanted issues. Despite the stories I read I have some understanding of how the fey really work and know any involvement with them can be dangerous. It's why I greatly worry for Fluttershy even if in truth it's the fey entire that should worry about her.

"Since ah'm guessing she's going to be busy a while now, how about we focus on why ah came here in the first place."

"I can still hear you know." I said "Just because I am considering important matters does not render me deaf."

"Oh, er…" Applejack looked at the ground

"No matter, now feel free to stop talking to me so I may better concentrate."

"I was honest with you." Nightshade said "I still don't entirely understand mother's actions, but that may have even been the point. It was the last thing I expected her to do."

"So she did it. What about Fluttershy, could she have really…"

"Stopped it from the beginning? I doubt it. Mother would surely try to weasel out of things. She's been planing this, at least in part, for 1000 years. She manipulated things to last exactly how long she wanted to."

The idea of the fey is one I've liked for some time. Having those wonderful wings, as troublesome as they were in the end, made me feel like fairy princess. Quite a few of my romances work with the idea of a mortal being swept into the world of the fey with all that brings. The highest of society, the highest and oldest of magic, and strange customs abound. And of course passion from all involved, including very often estranged lovers. Yes, I suppose being fey is both a pro and con, terribly romantic, but not terribly safe.

"Is Fluttershy really right about…"

"The injuries? Yes, the way this plan works is you attack and cause confusion. Then you run the ponies into the hooves of another. Sometimes as a replaced love, sometimes as a new pony identity to forge the bonds of love in a stressful time."

"Then how come this is the first time ah heard of changelings?"

"Because it's never done like this. It's risky enough as is, faking an attack from a mysterious enemy force, rogue griffins is most common, but anything can work really."

"So yer saying this attack was two kinds of wrong?"

"Yes. She did loot the treasury, but didn't take much, just some old changeling etchings, and old crown, and three magical artifacts."

"Etchings?" I asked

He smiled. "Yes, though you might find the process a touch disgusting changeling saliva is notably acidic. We've gotten very good with its use over the years. As nature is the most common subject the works were only suspicious in their style."

Disgusting, yet practical. If cleaned properly it would be silly to complain as there are more than a few processes in the fashion industry that use less than savory ingredients. Perfume most of all. Some things it is best to simply not dwell on.

"So yer ma took back some art that was hers anyway?"

"Not really. In fact one of the etchings was my own creation, but mother can be more sentimental that I tend to give her credit, so perhaps it's innocent enough."

An artist? Possibly not a good one, but he is likely to at least appreciate other art. That certainly is a pro. Though I suppose his method is disgusting, so that gets to be a con, though a minor one.

"And the crown?" I asked

"Unimportant as far as I know. It is pretty, but there are countless more in the treasury. It may hold some importance to a past identity I'm not aware of, but it was listed as simply being found in a field long ago."

They kept talking but the mention of crown brought something else to mind and I mostly blocked them out as they talked about missing items. He is at least 1000 years old and has a large group of subjects under his dominion. The exact numbers and how much they might contribute to his wealth are unclear, but it's unlikely for him to be remotely poor. Even if he is not truly wealthy it would make sense for him to have access to the finer things. There are too many questions there for clear pros or cons, but there are certainly possibilities. Then something Prince Nightshade said focused my attention again.

"She may have also taken any number of objects from private collections, as we've had numerous missing item reports, but as of now their validity is hard to determine."

I sighed. "Some nobles have no class and are claiming various objects as stolen for insurance money." I shook her head. "Shameless."

"Yes, and it makes our job much harder." He replied

"And what is that exactly?" I asked, the tiniest hint of smile on my face "You are not in the military yet…"

"I work in intelligence of course."

She laughed, and with a flash was in male pony form. He was tall as Celestia and twice as gorgeous. Maybe a little too gorgeous and not even handsome for some, but I decided I most certainly liked it. His pink coat was a hideous shade of neon pink. His mane and tail were blue and black and flowed marvelously.

"I'm quite good at disguises you see."

"I do." I stood and the rug vanished with a second flash, back where it belonged. "So on top of it all a spy too."

I smiled. It was really just too much. There were problems. There were questions I needed answers too, but I'd gone on dates with stallions with far less promise with less information. With Blueblood I found that all my information was wrong, but had I not been blinded by my own foolishness I would have known that. Hopefully I am not making the same mistake again. Still, risk is unavoidable in life. I still can't say I know how much the matter of gender will matter, but is not part of dating finding out more about your potential partner? And with one risk, why not another? I smiled

"There is a play I wish to see. The premiere will be two Moondays from now. Show up promptly, I trust to you discover the time and place."

Then I walked off. I imagine both of them were staring. If Nightshade wasn't looking directly at my hips I was completely wasting my time walking off so slowly and with such emphasis. Though I suppose some stallions focus on the motion of the tail more, don't they? It was a bold move, and one that could backfire easily. I certainly never set a date without explaining the details before, but oh the impact of that statement. Now lets see if he actually shows up. If nothing else I shall still see a wonderful play in Canterlot wearing a fabulous dress.

Comments

[gear blade98]

Ok I like it

[PresentPerfect]

Please, for the love of anything, either indent all your paragraphs or don't indent any!

[DualKitsune]

Nice job explaining Rarity's process for choosing a stallion. Gotta be impressed with the work she puts into it.