Eventide Wings

by Tranquil Serenity

Chapter 2: Fanciful Notions

The water sloshed lazily against the finished wood siding of the little vessel, and the rhythmic sounds of splashing with each push of the oars as Eventide sped the boat along, all contributed to the pleasant lull as the two ponies journeyed beneath the dazzling night sky. Even given the perplexing circumstances, Rarity had to admit that there was a certain something romantic to the whole concept of a princess and a handsome sea-captain adventuring out into the night in search of answers, all the while surrounded by the beauty of the open water reflecting the moon and the stars above. She had to stifle a girlish giggle. It was like a page out of one her novels!

But the alicorn would not allow herself to be swayed by fanciful notions. She was a princess now, and as such she told herself she would behave with all the grace and decorum befitting a royal lady of the crown. The crown! Oh, it was such a lovely crown! Or tiara as the case may be. So shimmery and beautiful! She briefly wondered if tiaras and crowns were considered two entirely different forms of headwear or if tiaras simply fit into a subcategory. She was a fashionista, after all. She should know these things.

"You seem cheerful," Eventide remarked with a small smile as he rowed. He was seated across from Rarity, his words quickly drawing her out of her private musings.

"Hmm?" Her cheeks blushed lightly as she chuckled. "Well, I suppose this is all rather exciting, wouldn't you agree?"

"It certainly would seem so," the captain affirmed. "But I suppose this will change a lot for you, turning into an alicorn after having lived so long as a 'humble unicorn', as you so put it."

"Yes, I suppose it will," Rarity replied absently. "I do so wish I knew what I'd done to deserve the honor though. This lovely tiara, these fabulous wings!" She extended the feathery appendages, admiring them. "Aren't they simply divine?!" she cooed. Rarity usually wouldn't have been so forthcoming in front of a stallion, but none of her mare-friends were about and she simply had to share her excitement with somepony!

Eventide smirked in amusement at the fashionista's foal-like delight. "They are as an angel's wings," he told her. "But their divinity applies just as much to the wearer they adorn as to the wings themselves."

Rarity blinked and blushed deeply, folding her wings, she turned her head away demurely while raising a forehoof to hide her widening smile.

"My apologies, Princess," the stallion said softly. "I had imagined somepony so beautiful would've been accustomed to such praise."

It was true that she'd had her fair share of admirers, but the compliments she'd received were often either very simple or delivered with an air that revealed the speaker to be too practiced to be anything more than distantly sincere. This felt... different somehow. The words came off as not merely an excerpt from a rehearsed repertoire, but as the genuine sentiments of a poetic soul admiring another with wonder. His eloquence had been apparent in the way he had spoken to her from the beginning, but even so she felt a bit embarrassed for allowing his sweet words to affect her so.

Rarity cleared her throat in as ladylike a manner as she could manage. "Why, yes, of course," she replied, doing her best to regain her composure. "I receive praise quite often. My work as a designer affords me much positive attention." She winced inwardly. She'd been trying to sound confident and was sure she just came off as arrogant.

"Ahh, yes, you did say you were a designer," Eventide said, seeming unperturbed. "Do you intend to continue on with your profession now that you've become an alicorn?"

Rarity blinked. "I... Well..." She hadn't even considered the sacrifices she might have to make in light of these latest developments. She'd never heard of an alicorn being a fashionista before. She sputtered. "Of course I'll still design!" Rarity insisted quickly. "My friend Twilight didn't give up doing what she loved when she earned her wings! And it'll certainly be the same for me!"

"As you say, princess. I hadn't meant to upset you with the inquiry. But..." Eventide paused suddenly. "Princess, surely you didn't mean Twilight as in the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle?"

"One and the same," Rarity told him distantly, pretending to inspect the nail polish on her forehoof. "It appears that Ponyville shall now be home to two princesses. The Princess of Friendship, and... the Princess of Generosity." Rarity suddenly gasped, bringing her forehooves to her mouth. "Does this mean I get my own palace?!" She squealed and bounced in her seat, rocking the boat slightly. "A palace, a palace! With curtains and draperies and carpets and spires and!—"

"Princess!" Eventide pleaded, afraid that the vessel would capsize.

The alicorn stilled and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry," she whispered. "This is all just so exciting!"

The captain simply shook his head, smiling.

Comments

[TexasDragon1995]

You might as well add in the 'Mystery' tag to this story cause i have NO IDEA what the heck is going in here, but I'm really loving it though.

Keep up the good work my good man

[Tranquil Serenity]

9318678
Haha! Thanks so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying it.

[Arez]

Definitely interested in what's going on.

My blind guess is alternate world.

[Tranquil Serenity]

9318693
Thanks for expressing your interest.

[Acologic]

Rarity had to admit that there was a certain something romantic to whole concept of a princess and a handsome sea-captain adventuring out into the night in search of answers, all the while surrounded by the beauty of the open water reflecting the moon and the stars above.

My darker side is screaming for a determiner before 'whole concept', haha. 'The' in this case.

I really like the tone so far. I don't know why, but the dark, star-filled sky and gentle water and descriptions remind me of Skyrim, when you're exploring a shipwreck on the coastline. Good job so far when it comes to reeling us in; you've revealed nothing compromising but enough to maintain a reader's interest. I wonder how the Princess of Generosity will go down with her friends... if she meets them.

[Tranquil Serenity]

9319010
Thank you for pointing that out. Glad you're enjoying it.