True Story

by Eyeswirl the Weirded

Chapter 9: Viewpoints

Well, thought Blueblood, that was an hour wasted.

He couldn't fault Mayor Mare's professionalism, at least, because her reasons for assigning who to what the day of the Summer Sun Celebration were all about their past work, not their personalities. This went double in the case of Rainbow Procrastinator Dash, but regardless, he was no closer to fabricating a rumor Rarity wouldn't dismantle. Well, the others must have found something, right? At the very least, he felt confident that Shining wouldn't have learned anything useful and they'd have a funny moment of failure camaraderie when he got back to the library.

Setting out to do just that, he passed a doorway, was grabbed from behind, and yanked into a dark room with a hoof over his snout, the door shutting and locking in the next instant.

His first instinct was to teleport away, but lacking visual on a safe spot in which to do so, used an illumination spell first. The assailant let go when he did this, but as he whirled around to face them while charging a more offensive spell in tandem with the light one, he nearly dropped both.

"...Er... Hello."

"Good afternoon," deadpanned Rarity. "I can see that you're very busy, but perhaps you'd indulge me a simple question."

All but sneering at her, he raised an eyebrow. "'Why am I abducting ponies in legal offices?' I think you'd be more suited to-"

His smart-flank response was cut off with a slap across the face before she grabbed his head in both forehooves. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"W-what?!"

"The potion, you idiot, the potion!"

He blinked slowly, enunciating the most articulate response he could compose. "Huh?"

Her voice softened as her face saddened. "When we first met? Why didn't you ever say anything?"

Still in her grip, he scoffed as realization dawned. "Wasn't it obvious, once my personality reversed?"

"We were complete strangers, how the hay could I have known that wasn't the real you?! Or that you weren't just stringing me along?!"

"...Oh. You never connected the dots afterward? I just kind of assumed, after that first party, that everypony knew what they saw earlier wasn't-"

She shook his head, speaking through gritted teeth. "I. Didn't." She was breathing heavily, a thin layer of mist in her eyes. "All that time," she whispered, "I had assumed you were some chauvinistic beast, a shameless playcolt, a-" her breath hitched. "...Do you remember what we were talking about, just before?"

He only stared back, mouth set in a grim line.

She shook him again. "Answer me!!"

"I was aware," he muttered, "the whole time." There were tears in the corners of the fashionista's eyes as she stared at him in horror. Prince forced a smile, and a much cheerier tone. "But in your defense? Half of what you guessed before was pretty spot-on."

There was a short silence as she stared back at him, incredulous, before letting go of his head and giggling to herself. "You really are an idiot."

"Hmph," he said while indignantly raising his muzzle. "Well, with due respect, madam, I'm not the one who made untoward advances on a drugged-up loon."

Tightly clenching her teeth, Rarity felt her whole head heat up to uncomfortable temperatures. If she wasn't careful, she might perspire, but more important at the moment was rage. "You are the one that started the sweet nothings, Mr. Blueblood!" He must have expected her to say that, because his next words came with an insufferably smug grin.

"Yes, before I was free of the effects of the personality-reversing potion. What was your excuse for escalating matters, Miss Rarity?"

Absolutely livid, Rarity stomped her front hooves like a filly throwing a tantrum. "Is it so wrong, after years of climbing my way up the fashion rungs from this backwater town, countless nights of toil for project after project, deadline after deadline, that when my fondest dream should manifest itself and sweep me off my hooves, I should embrace it?! Do you have any idea how it felt to have my heart swell up with the realization of what is every filly's dream at some point, then ripped out and stomped flat?! I discovered a whole new kind of ice-cream later that afternoon just to get over it rather than attending the celebration I'd personally helped to set up!!" There was an audible pause. "Though in hindsight, perhaps that last part was for the best."

Blueblood snorted, his amusement gone. "Do you think it was any easier for me; trapped and helpless in my own body as my mouth, speaking words that were not my own, nearly led me to be taken advantage of? I was actually relieved when the other mares fainted or ran away, because at least they wouldn't have partaken in... that, which was to be my punishment for failing to tell a little filly to sod off!"

Despite still being angry, Rarity blinked twice. "Filly?"

So did Blueblood. "...I thought you heard the story?"

"I heard you drank a potion that reversed your polarity, so to speak, when did little fillies come up?"

"Ah, well then. Short version: Inspected Sweet Apple Acres, was asked to stay for brunch, begrudgingly accepted-"

"Applebloom?"

"Correct."

"Ah."

"-ate Zap Apple product, allergies, nearly died, and was given the Yinyang panacea potion to 'fix' it."

Another pause followed before Rarity muttered something back. "There was much I didn't know, it seems." Speaking a little louder, she raised an earnestly confused eyebrow. "But, what about the other things you've done since you came here? I suppose you drink those potions on a regular basis?"

He again mirrored her expression. "'Other things'? I'll take full credit for being a rotten bastard for the rest of that day after the potion wore off, but you're going to have to be more specific."

"I once witnessed you shouting at foals, even threatening them in broad daylight!"

"Threatening...?"

"Yes, threatening!"

---

"When I find you, I'll make paste of your hooves!!"

The shout from outside her bedroom window made Rarity jump, glancing out her window to see Prince Blueblood facing some bushes.

"Just you wait, you little troglodytes, because when I catch you, your families won't recognize the remains!"

---

Blueblood rolled his eyes. "I was not 'threatening' them, what you overheard came during a game of tag while foalsitting."

"...Foalsitting?"

"Yes. Foalsitting."

---

It wasn't a typical day for Prince Blueblood, but with Doctor and Ditzy off handling what he must have misheard as a rabid yeti problem or something and Thunderlane and Blossomforth picking up the slack for Rainbow Careless Dash, he was the one tasked with foalsitting Rumble and Dinky. The game of the moment was hide and seek, which he found himself taking to with surprising enthusiasm.

"Bet you can't catch us," Rumble called over his shoulder while running off to hide.

"Yea," called Dinky, galloping alongside him, "you big slow-poke!"

Grinning with amusement, Blueblood called right back without looking in their direction. "We'll see who's slow when I catch you two and stuff you into a box!"

Their merry laughter told him they welcomed the challenge.

---

"Come out, come out," he said to some old boxes around the back of Quills and Sofas, "and I won't have to feed you to cragadiles." The sounds of muffled giggling told him exactly which one they were (perhaps ironically) hiding in, which he lifted telekinetically with a cry of "AHA!"

Dinky and Rumble immediately scampered off, the latter calling over his shoulder as Blueblood gave them a head start again. "You seek like a blind parasprite!"

"Perhaps so," he retorted, "but when it catches you, this parasprite will EAT YOU ALIVE!!"

As before, he followed the sounds of foalish laughter.

---

"So," Rarity surmised, "that moment outside my window...?"

"More of that, yes.

"...Oh."

"Indeed. You know, it's funny that you should bring up foal abuse, Miss Rarity, with the way you feed Sweetie Belle."

Shock quickly changed to indignance. "I beg your pardon?!"

"She brought in a sample of your cooking to one of Miss Pie's parties, and I can tell you I'd have willingly had a double dose of the Yinyang panacea after that!"

Looking like she'd tasted something strange herself, Rarity made a confused face. "What? I've never cooked anything for one of Pinkie's parties."

Blueblood looked skeptical. "Not even toast?"

---

Death.

That was the golden ideal at that moment, the melodious sound of the word a promise from the heavens as Blueblood lay on the ground, choking and hacking and wishing his stomach would just explode and end it already. Alas, he was given no choice but to persist through the horrors of living, the awareness that somehow, someday, he may again face a trial like this one as haunting to him as visions of a purple, starry hat in the corners of his sight.

Applebloom, feeling a bit of deja vu, had to ask. "You okay, Mister Blue?"

Scootaloo tilted her head. "He doesn't look okay." Eyebrow raised, she turned to Sweetie Belle. "Where'd you get that 'toast,' anyway? I know we all said we'd bring something to Pinkie's party today, but your dish is gonna make ponies sick."

"Uh-" Sweetie smiled sheepishly, just a hint of a blush visible as she started to sweat, "w-well, I kinda forgot until the last minute, so I asked Rarity to help me!"

---

Rarity facehoofed. "Oh, goodness gracious, that filly." She looked back at him with tired eyes, like this was something she'd had to explain one too many times before. "It usually starts in the morning...

---

Waking from her beauty sleep to the sound of a smoke alarm, Rarity had a split-second daydream that some day, it would be because the house was actually on fire. Shaking it off, she got up, quickly made her way downstairs, and found Sweetie Belle engaged in a familiar routine with an open window and a desk fan. She looked over her shoulder with a frown.

"I tried airing the room out a little sooner this time, but it went off anyway."

Rarity smiled with a hint of amusement, if only for having gotten used to this. "It's meant to go off if there's any smoke in the room at all, Darling, the best way to prevent it is to not make any smoke."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. I'm not allowed to leave the house until this is all cleaned up, am I?"

She smiled wider, this time with pride. "That is correct."

"Can I get some help? I don't wanna be late for Pinkie's party today."

Nodding, Rarity got started with her usual selection of spells for this situation. "I'll get the walls and ceiling, you get the floor and dishes, and we attack whatever's left together."

Sweetie beamed. "Okay!"

---

"I must have missed her taking what I interpreted as wreckage out of the house for her throwing it away, not taking it to be eaten by anypony. My little sister means well, but she is an atrocious chef."

How very kind of her to pin her work on me, at that. We'll certainly have a discussion about this when next I get my hooves on her.

Blueblood's mouth opened, then slowly closed again. "...In hindsight, that makes some sense."

"So, speaking of little fillies that offer food," she said with an accusing eyebrow arch, "what were you doing to terrify that filly scout just before the big race a while back?"

---

Bravado made ponies do the strangest things! Honestly, Rarity of all ponies could understand supporting Foal Hope however necessary, but racing through a particularly intense storm was simply begging for somepony to get hurt! Rarity wouldn't stick around for that, however, she'd simply make her contribution and return to her safe, dry home.

That was the plan until she'd caught sight of Blueblood standing before a trembling filly just across the field. She couldn't see his face at this angle, but there was no doubt in her mind that it was cruel and malicious, because the filly-scout in front of him trembled as though he were Nightmare Moon herself!

---

Blueblood raised an eyebrow. "Hm...? Oh, little Tag Along? I did nothing to her on the day of the race, but we had met before." He chuckled with a weird kind of nostalgia at the memory. "Actually, I suspect it was that very interaction that led to my inspection here..."

---

Prince Blueblood liked his suit, very much so. What he hated the most (other than alcohol sometimes and family most of the times) were stains, mud and general dirtiness. And that’s exactly why all of those things had to get on his new suit. Soaking wet, confused and angrier by the second, he really didn’t care that the little filly scout didn’t mean to ride her scooter right through the only puddle on the road. She didn’t mean to destroy his new favorite suit with mud and she really tried to apologize and was feeling sorry. All Prince ever thought was about rage.

"You... YOU LITTLE BRAT! LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY NEW SUIT!!"

His screams were loud enough to wake up all the cats within a mile and break a glass in nearby cafe. Not with voice, but by startling a clerk, who dropped a glass full of juice on the floor. But Prince didn’t stop there, he got on and on, lashing any insult he knew about on the little bugger who DARED to destroy piece of art he covered himself with. Never mind that it was dirt cheap for him and making another would take hour or two, while a child’s psyche would be damaged forever. And it was starting to crack, as the little filly was starting to sob, barely making out the apologies from her bawling, until finally she was about to cry a literal river.

---

"And that was how I got my first friend-punch! I really was out of line that day, how I shouted at the top of my lungs over some mud on a new suit."

"I should think not!!"

Startled by the sudden outburst, Blueblood blinked in surprise at the enraged mare across from him, made just slightly scarier by the angle of lighting from his horn in the otherwise dark room. This faded when she quickly regained her self-control, but it was an image he wouldn't be forgetting.

"Yes, so," she said with a little blush before clearing her throat, "while you may have gone overboard, it sounds like you had some reason to make her think you were a foal-hating monster."

"Er... I suppose? She got over her fears when I donated a fat sack of bits, so she couldn't have been too traumatized. Speaking of fashion and monstrosities, perhaps you can explain the ugly, lumpy, spike-addled horror I once saw being sold in your shop?"

At this, she took very personal offense, as evidenced by narrowed eyes and clenched teeth. "Choose your next words carefully, Prince Blueblood."

He didn't back down. "Do what you must, but I know what I saw..."

---

There beyond the window of Carousel Boutique stood what could only be called an abomination, a grotesque, misshapen, ugly thing of strands and sharp edges strewn randomly about and colors that would make a swamp hydra sick. The bulk of the thing was just a mass of hanging lumps, like a bunch of burlap sacks strapped together.

---

"And the worst part was the price tag, that it was actually being sold for-" They spoke at the same time as recognition dawned in Rarity's eyes. "-one hundred and twenty bits."

Shaking her head, Rarity sighed. "I would feel the need to apologize for my part in the assembly of that ragged horror, but Sweetie and her friends asked for my help in making a monster costume for a school play...

---

"And it should have big teeth!"

"An' two tongues!"

"And a really ugly mane!"

Poring over the script, Rarity searched for even the faintest hint of what this blasted creature was to look like, but the vagueness quickly grew frustrating, doubly so with three hyperactive fillies bouncing around the boutique. "I'm sorry, girls, but I don't quite understand how we're to make this thing. The closest thing to specifications for the design is the its name; 'Hideous Monster.'"

Scootaloo shrugged. "I still say we just make it look like Diamond Tiara."

Applebloom shook her head. "Naw, she's already the witch and that'd get real confusin'." Looking at Rarity, she frowned. "Are ya sure there's nothin' ya can do?"

Rarity frowned back. "Without some kind of instruction, I haven't the foggiest what the ensemble calls for. The script didn't so much as include a monster origin from which I could hazard a guess!" There was little doubt in her mind that it had been penned by a filly, the only question was which parent had coerced Cheerilee to to actually have it performed.

Sweetie tilted her head. "Couldn't you just do the opposite of what you normally do?"

Blink. "...Er, come again?"

"You normally make dresses that are really pretty, so if you do what you normally do in reverse, couldn't you make a monster that was really ugly?"

There came a long silence.

Could she, Rarity Belle, dedicated fashionista and proprietor of Ponyville's #1 clothes store, put aside all things beautiful and fabulous and violate everything she knew about aesthetics for the sake of her little sister and her friends?

Well, I have to do something with the scrap drawer.

Rarity smiled.

---

"The price tag was their idea of a joke, that on top of eating ponies, the monster charged a hundred and twenty bits up front."

"Hm," Blueblood answered with a little nod. This won a skeptical look out of Rarity.

"That's it? Just 'hm'? No questions?"

"I've met the CMC before, Miss Rarity."

"...Fair enough. So, what about that mare, Trixie, that came to town a while back?"

Imperceptibly against his coat and the lighting, Blueblood paled, but it carried into his tone. "What about her?"

"I ran into her at Pinkie's welcome party the day she arrived. She seemed convinced that you two were as good as wedded, so I thought you'd pulled the same trick with her as with me, but, if there was no trick the first time...?" His somber tone told Rarity this was something of a sensitive issue.

"Trixie Lulamoon is a very odd pony, and I wouldn't take much of what she says at face value. I spent a chunk of that day attempting to make my feelings toward her very, very clear, to no avail, but rest assured that I did not encourage her behavior. On that note," he said with an inquisitive look, "what exactly did you talk to her about? Because it wasn't long after that she was heard saying strange things about horns." Her earnest confusion suggested that maybe Trixie was just being Trixie again.

"Horns? What? What are you talking about?"

"Err, nevermind." Come to think of it, she was talking to Shining Armor at the time. "So... Quite the string of misunderstandings, isn't it?"

"Indeed so," she said neutrally, "much like what the rest of Ponyville is up to right now."

"My friends and I are working on that. I was actually here to talk to Mayor Mare about why she selected you to take part in the Summer Sun Celebration preparations to glean enough details of your personality that making a convincing lie about the whole incident would be possible without you taking offense and dismantling it, thus complicating matters further, with a few friends of mine doing much the same thing." He got a very flat look for this, at which he rolled his eyes. "Well alright, what was your plan to actually fix things?"

She blinked, caught off-guard by the question. "W-well... admittedly nothing, but thank you for at least considering me in your schemes."

"Mhm. Of course," he said neutrally, "if you were to cooperate directly, that could expedite the process considerably."

"That, would be best for all involved," she said just as noncommittally, "would I be mistaken in thinking that the next meeting for this will be in Golden Oaks?"

"Suppose it's not exactly a secret clubhouse. Until then, however, we probably shouldn't be seen together. I'll leave first." As he moved for the door, Rarity called out somewhat indignantly.

"Is it not 'ladies first'?"

"Would you like to be the one to explain that, no really, I invited you to assist with the plan? It may not be entirely convincing from my lips, Miss Rarity, so I'm less than confidant about your odds."

"...Right, well."

To say something polite for the departure was second nature by now, but there was very little in the way of etiquette for when the air was awkward. When he dispelled the light and left, Rarity stood in the dark for about a minute, used her own light spell, and left through a different door. If nothing else, maybe they'd at least have this whole fiasco sorted out by the end of the day.

Author's Note:

And that, I think, was the very first Stallionverse Clip Show! Granted, some of the 'clips' were entirely new scenes, but somehow I thought Sunny, Moonie, Twily would get that one.

Also; just in case anyone is confused about the Trixie mentions, the related scene is in this chapter.

Comments

[Mix-up]

Hum, this was resolved in a surprisingly mature manner on both sides, I just wish that their could be more of the story of this vers. Still this was a great story the whole way thought I can't wait to see more of this.

[ShadowLDrago]

"Good afternoon," deadpanned Rarity. "I can see that you're very busy, but perhaps you'd indulge me a simple question."

Oh?

His smart-flank response was cut off with a slap across the face before she grabbed his head in both forehooves. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
"W-what?!"
"The potion, you idiot, the potion!"

What potion?

Blueblood snorted, his amusement gone. "Do you think it was any easier for me; trapped and helpless in my own body as my mouth, speaking words that were not my own, nearly led me to be taken advantage of? I was actually relieved when the other mares fainted or ran away, because at least they wouldn't have partaken in... that, which was to be my punishment for failing to tell a little filly to sod off!"

That actually sounds nightmarish.

"Applebloom?"

Who else?

Blueblood rolled his eyes. "I was not 'threatening' them, what you overheard came during a game of tag while foalsitting."
"...Foalsitting?"
"Yes. Foalsitting."

Context. Ain't it amazing?

Looking like she'd tasted something strange herself, Rarity made a confused face. "What? I've never cooked anything for one of Pinkie's parties."
Blueblood looked skeptical. "Not even toast?"

That's Sweetie's cooking, the kid's adorable, but can't cook for shit.

Shaking her head, Rarity sighed. "I would feel the need to apologize for my part in the assembly of that ragged horror, but Sweetie and her friends asked for my help in making a monster costume for a school play...

I see.

"The price tag was their idea of a joke, that on top of eating ponies, the monster charged a hundred and twenty bits up front."

How monstrous.

"Mhm. Of course," he said neutrally, "if you were to cooperate directly, that could expedite the process considerably."

Indeed.

And that, I think, was the very first Stallionverse Clip Show! Granted, some of the 'clips' were entirely new scenes, but somehow I thought Sunny, Moonie, Twily would get that one.

Considering that despite it starting as just a spin off it's just as or even more popular than the rest of it.

[D48]

This was a very good chapter. It was nice to see these two sit down and have a mature conversation to work through their differences in a civilized manner, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how their relationship evolves from here.

[howard035]

I thought the part where they unravel a series of misunderstandings would be kind of dull, but this was quite fun!

But watch yourself, you'll make me want to ship them if you're not careful, and I could never do that to Trixie!

[Emperor]

At last Rarity hears the truth of the matter from the horse's pony's mouth. That should clear up any misunderstandings in the future between the two. Right? Right?