A Flimsy Relationship

by MasterofHearts1313

Chapter 3: Making It Perfect

A Flimsy Relationship

Chapter 3: Making It Perfect

It had been two days since Flim had arrived at the castle, and it was surprisingly calm inside the walls. There was no assault on the castle doors by the press and paparazzi (though having Pegasus guards who could patrol the skies against even the snoopiest shutterbug likely helped in this respect). There were no calls from the social media. There wasn’t even a complaint about the newspapers from Luna. Rather, it had been a peaceful existence at the time.

Princess Celestia and Flim were sitting in the throne room, Celestia upon her throne, and Flim upon a stool at a work bench he had the guards move into the throne room. Both were working together in the close proximity of each other. The silence wasn’t nearly as deafening with two ponies in one room. It was a peaceable quiet, waiting to be broken.

After a few minutes of listening to the new rhythm in her life, Celestia turned her head around the throne and looked at Flim. “What are you working so intently on?”

Flim turned around, raising a visor off of his eyes. “Oh, sorry, Celestia. Thought using magic would make the whole process quiet. Didn’t mean to bother you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Celestia replied as she stood up and walked over to the desk. She raised an eyebrow as she observed the boxes on the desk. “What is that?”

“Oh, this?” Flim took hold of one of the metal boxes and pulled it towards himself. “Well, while sorting through some of your documents, I observed some had a curious film on them. It seemed almost like they had been vanished through the air and reassembled somehow. Therefore, I figured I’d make something to synthesize that sort of effect.”

“You realize they already have teleportation spells, right, Flim?” Celestia chuckled. “It really isn’t necessary.”

“Well, not everypony gets the chance to learn such magic,” Flim informed the white mare. “So, I figured a device would have been just the thing. Granted, it still required some magic to activate, but…” He took a wrench off the desk and placed it on one the white panel on the upper side of the box which was a white, glowing panel. He placed his horn against one of the buttons on the side, letting his green magic flow into the device and the wrench was zapped from one box’s top to the other’s. He leaned back up. “It’s not a perfect practice. I’d need to figure out a way to store magic energy to power the device, if earth ponies and pegasi are going to use it. Also, I have made it strong enough to transport something up to the size of a pony,” he cleared the wrench off of its resting place and tapped a different button on the box and jumped into the beam from his stool. He disappeared for a few seconds, before appearing again over the other box and landing with his four hooves planted carefully around the box. “However, as you can see, there’s no way to bring the box with you, when you’re being transported, so it will really end up a one way trip, until you are shipped back by the receiver.”

Celestia watched with careful awe, her eyes wide as she watched the unicorn showing off his invention. “That was awfully dangerous, you know. Did you even sample it before?”

“Well, I figure if it can move a wrench, it can move a pony just as easily.” Flim jumped off of the desk, before sitting himself back on the stool.

“What are the buttons for?” Celestia tapped one of the buttons with her horn carefully. With nothing on top, there was nothing moved. However, it still glowed as though working. “Does it change the power?”

“No, I was thinking that they could be labeled for different requests.” Flim folded his forelegs in thought. “It’s not perfect yet.”

“And you made this in two days?” Celestia looked at Flim curiously.

“Less than that, but like you already said, sweetheart, there are already transportation spells. It’s far from perfect. All I did was super focus the spell to make a reliable transport system. With all of my free time, it’s wonderful to work on my inventions. Hopefully, I can one day make it where the buttons can connect to different boxes, rather than only two being connected, that way one box could make deliveries all around Equestria.”

“Less than two days?” Celestia thought a moment, before nodding sagely. “Yes, I suppose you have not worked constantly upon it. You have been by my side surprisingly dutifully, save for when we sleep.”

Flim blushed and curled up slightly in his seat. “Actually, that’s not what I was working on just now.” He shoved the boxes away and picked up a quill with his magic. He nibbled on the tip as he watched a sheet of parchment. “Tell me, did you make attendance to this past Canterlot Agricultural Fair?”

“Certainly I was.” Celestia smiled. “It’s one of the best times I get to leave the castle for, and I am always seen as one of the judges for it. Many respect my opinion of taste, after all.”

“Perfect!” Flim began scribbling upon the paper.

“What are you writing down, then? What does it matter that I was at the fair? I go to it every year.” Celestia sat down, watching Flim rather than his writing. He had a very serious expression.

“What’s important is that I was at the fair this last time. I was scouting out of farmers to contract with, especially prize winners. It’s amazing what you can talk somepony into doing when they’re just won something.” Flim watched his grammar as he wrote. “You see, that means that you and I had to pass by the same stalls at least once or twice, finding the winners. I wouldn’t be too surprised if we actually were standing in front of a stall at the same time and just didn’t realize it.”

“So, you’re suggesting that we ‘met’ at the fair, then?” Celestia looked down at the paper.

“Well, had to come up with an appropriate story for how we met.” Flim nodded smartly to himself. “It took a lot of calculation, you see. It’s not easy to explain how I could meet you without guard very easily. I’m not that familiar with your schedule, aside from when you eat, sleep, and do paperwork now, but not before coming to the castle. That means that I needed a considerable excuse.”

“And so that means we’d have had to have met somewhere public.” Celestia’s expression brightened. “That’s brilliant!”

“There’s more,” Flim corrected. “You see, the agriculture fair was two and a half months ago. Enough time for a whirlwind romance without seeming like I had pulled the wool over your eyes with a quick free dinner. Oh, the papers would slander you something good, if the romance was too immediate. Letting the time for some possible moonlighting and other forms of quiet romance without it surfacing makes it believable.” He held up the paper and tapped it to straighten the sheets. “So, with the story that we met at the fair over the apple stand, I would say we’ve straightened out the first meeting, should paper or pony ask. I doubt that the farmer in question would deny it, with the fame it would bring him.”

Celestia turned to look at the papers, taking the story as her own. “So this is really thought through, I see.”

“I put it on you to decide what our courtship was like, as you would know the guard better than I.” Flim allowed his story to be taken, before getting off of his stool. He walked along. “Speaking of which, how about you show me around the grounds, so I can become familiar when I’m asked my part of the story?”

“Of course,” Celestia consented as she turned and walked along as well. She read through the story and tucked it beneath her wing as she finished it. She was the one who led the way through the doors, allowing the guards to handle the doors.

The white mare made her way through the garden with the yellow unicorn stallion at her side. Hedges, bushes, trees, and flowers sprung abroad and beautifully green across the castle’s landscape.

“Really know your horticulture and topiary around here.” Flim observed the plants as he trained his eye. “A lot of high hedges, which I guess makes sense. You have really healthy flowers which I could have stolen bouquets from just to give back to you. I could see sneaking around her challenging, but not impossible.”

“I’m glad it meets your approval.” Celestia smiled. “We do our best to make the castle gardens beautiful as we do host many parties, even if I don’t attend them all. Canterlot has many gardening services who are more than ready to tend to the royal shrubbery.”

“I should assume so.” Flim spied around as he walked along. “Who wouldn’t want to serve you?”

“Flattery for a princess or a lover, Flim?” Celestia watched the unicorn stallion curiously.

“For princess, in this circumstance.” Flim marched ahead. “If that was meant to be romantic, I would have taken the effort to sound more jealous.” He turned his head back to see here with his own smile. “Now, come on, you have a statue garden here, right?” He galloped along.

“Hold on, Flim!” Celestia took off at a gallop after him. After a moment, she took a moment to enjoy the wind through her billowing mane. She noted how she had not taken the time to really enjoy running. When was the last time I even took the time to fly for pleasure? she mused to herself.

Bringing herself back from the pleasure of the rush, the alicorn princess stopped before the statue garden found within the castle grounds. She looked around. “Flim? Flim, where are you? You really shouldn’t run off, if you’re not familiar with the place. There have been ponies who get lost during parties, youknow!”

“Gotcha!” Flim jumped from behind a statue of a mare in a bold battle with large serpent.

“Woo-ho!” Princess Celestia jumped with a shudder. “Oh, Flim! Do you really think it’s clever to go jumping from behind statues?”

“Not jumping from behind them, but they would certainly make for good hiding, as I sneak through the gardens.” Flim smirked as he walked over to an empty pillar. “You see, Celestia, should I be really fearful of looking out of place beside a statue, I could always pose as a statue. In the dark, I wouldn’t seem any different, unless the guards looked really closely. And if they did look that closely, I could always knock them over the head and make a run for it, before my identity is known.”

“Flim, I don’t think that is such a good idea,” Celestia said as she walked over, recognizing the pillar that had once held the infamous Discord had been cut short when the dracoequus was freed, but that rough cutting made it all the more dangerous of a stand.

“Oh, nonsense,” Flim retorted as he stood up on his hind hooves. He posed dramatically. “What do you think? I could have my own statue here soon. Pretty handsome, huh?”

“Flim,” Celestia scolded. “You aren’t exactly a pegasus, and I can’t stand by while you hurt yourself.”

“I’m not going to hurt myself.” Flim chuckled. However, he soon teetered and lost his footing. “WOAH! OH!” He spun his airborne forelegs to keep himself steady, but he fell forward. He clutched to the pillar’s side, but his hat fell from his head and flipped upside down. He caught it with his magic, though.

“FLIM!” Princess Celestia’s eyes widened as she watched her subject in danger. She rushed up to the pillar and stood up against it, proving her full height. She could have nipped the stallion by his vest and gently removed him, but her eye was caught by something else. She looked within the upside down hat. “Flim, what is this?”

The unicorn stallion chuckled as he relaxed himself upon the pillar. He moved himself to be bowing upon three of his legs, his right foreleg outstretched. His horn upon his bowed head motioned to the three rings in the straw hat. He opened one eye and smirked. “Princess Celestia, would you do me the honor of being my bride?”

“But Flim,” Celestia gasped as she looked at the assorted rings of various sizes. She blushed as she realized the proposal.

Flim chuckled as he took the rings out and replaced his hat upon his head. “I had Flam pick them up. Didn’t really get a chance to leave the castle, you know.” He moved the largest ring down and around Celestia’s foreleg. “I know this is the traditional courtship ring,” he moved and placed the smallest ring over her horn, “but unicorns seemed to have popularized this type of ring,” he placed the third, incomplete ring over the shoulder where it met the wing, “and yet some pegasi insist on this sort of ring. I couldn’t really decide what was best for an alicorn, so I chose all three.” He jumped casually off of the pillar and hummed to himself. “So, that takes care of the story of the proposal.”

Celestia gasped again as she turned to see the stallion. “You… you planned this?”

“Of course, milady!” Flim replied casually as he headed back towards the castle. “Now, there’s much to plan for the wedding. Princess Cadence and her stud Shining Armor may have had the wedding of the century, but I say we either go small or make this the wedding of the millennium.” He chuckled. “Now, I’m not really a social pony, but I doubt that your subjects would allow it to go silently. So away to planning!”

“Yes.” Celestia smiled after admiring herrings. “Yes indeed!” She strolled politely back to the palace after the slick con-stallion.

~

Twilight Sparkle sighed as she took the time to look over the side of her own personal carriage as part of the princess tier. She frowned as she folded her forelegs over the side of the vehicle, laying her head of them. “Right down there will be fine, thank you,” she informed the two pegasus guards pulling her.

The guard on the right nodded and gestured to his companion to start heading down. They drifted slowly to the ground on the outskirts of Ponyville. They pawed at the ground as they turned to face the newest princess. “We have arrived, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” the guard of the left informed her.

“Please, you really don’t have to be so formal. I already told you to just call me Twilight,” the purple alicorn hopped out of the carriage and walked along. “But thank you. I won’t be long.” She waved to them as she walked into the town.

The meeting place was Sugar Cube Corner, a common place for friends to meet in Ponyville. Twilight pushed her way through the door, only to be greeted by being pounced and rolled back out on her back.

“Oof!” she exclaimed, her eyes shut upon impact. While pinned, she opened one eye and looked up at the pony who had her. “Hello, Pinkie,” she sighed in relieved exasperation.

“Hello, Twilight!” the pink mare beamed at her long-distance friend. “Spike told us to meet you here. You must have some really, really big news! Are you going to stay with us for the week?”

Twilight Sparkle blushed. “Well, no, not exactly.”

“A month, then!” Pinkie suggested.

“No.”

“A year!” Pinkie Pie gasped with joy. “Oh, it’ll be just like old times! You and us being friends together and-”

“Pinkie!” Twilight shouted. “I already visit you guys twice a month, and I haven’t even been a princess for half a year! Now, can I get up and talk?”

Pinkie Pie stopped, and her ears flattened, though she looked more confused than shocked. She stepped back off of the purple princess and back into her housing and sat down, waiting with a still wide smile.

Princess Twilight Sparkle shook herself off as she stood up. She rubbed her head as she walked into Sugar Cube Corner.

Applejack chuckled warmly as she watched the alicorn approach. “Sorry ’bout that, Twi. She’s just been all excited since you sent the letter.”

“We all have!” Spike giggled as he walked over to Twilight and hugged her legs. He had stayed in Ponyville to allow Twilight and her friends to communicate more easily without needing to pick up everything and go on the train every other day. Besides, it allowed him to stay with Rarity and act as her assistant. “So, what’s it like in the castle?”

“That’s the problem.” Twilight Sparkle shifted her weight awkwardly upon her legs and frowned. She looked away slightly, not looking into any of her friends’ eye. “Rather, that’s the reason I’m here today.”

“Missing your friends, right, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash laughed as she walked over and wrapped a foreleg around her royal friend. “Well, there’s no shame in admitting it. With somepony as cool as me as your friend. Even I can’t say I’d be able to stay away from all of you guys for too long.”

“Of course!” Pinkie Pie jumped up and down. “Why wouldn’t she miss us? We are her friends after all.”

Twilight blushed. “Actually, that’s not-”

“Or maybe you got some do-bad for us to face off with storming the castle!” Rainbow Dash punched at the air, smirking.

“Certainly she would have said that in the note,” Fluttershy said as she curled up slightly. “I mean, you wouldn’t wait to give us that sort of news, would you? An-and besides,” she allowed her mane to drop over her eyes to hide herself, “you certainly would have called us to the castle, if that were the case.” She smiled in hope that it wasn’t trouble.

“Well, really-” Twilight raised a hoof in explanation.

“Then maybe it’s-” Rainbow Dash was stopped by Applejack stuffing a cupcake in her mouth.

The orange mare shook her head, smiling. “How ’bout ya’ll give Twi here a minute to explain what is going on, then?”

“Yes, surely it must be something important, if she felt the need to inform us of her arriving before her arrival. You must have had us gather together for some reason, right, Twilight?” Rarity asked as she approached the princess in the room.

“Well, duh!” Pinkie announced. “She’s obviously here to PAR-” The second interrupter was silenced by a whole cake flung by Applejack while the orange mare was keeping the blue mare quiet. Pinkie Pie chewed vigorously on the cake, staying quiet.

Twilight sighed. After being interrupted so many times, she looked away, feeling rather foolish. She blushed as she moved her left forehoof back and forth in thought. “Actually, Princess Celestia is getting married,” she murmured.

“What was that, darling?” Rarity’s eyes widened, being the closest one to Twilight Sparkle presently and having an attention to detail. She swept her purple mane back and chuckled kindly. “Oh, maybe this mane of mine is getting in the way, but it sounded like you said Princess Celestia is getting married.”

“She is getting married,” Princess Twilight Sparkle confirmed. “That’s why I came here. To invite you guys.”

“Oh, do tell us more!” Rarity squealed as her eyes shone. “Why, it’s such a fantastic idea! Actually getting to go to Princess Celestia’s weddings, of all things! Why, I bet that only the best of the best will be allowed to attend.”

Pinkie Pie, swallowing the cake, smiled broadly, jumping up and down. “See! See! I told you it was another party! The biggest party of them all!”

“Darn tootin’!” Applejack chuckled. “So, what’s the deal this time, Sugar Cube? We all bein’ hired ’gain like with Shining Armor’s wedding?”

“Well, yes…” Twilight grimaced.

“Then why are you looking so uptight about it?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “You look like she might as well be marrying a dragon!” She stopped and turned to the smallest member of the group. “No offense, Spike.”

“None taken,” Spike stood proudly. “I know that there aren’t a lot of dragons who are genteel and polite like me.”

“Besides, I’m sure Princess Celestia would marry a nice stallion.” Fluttershy commented with a small smile. “She wouldn’t want someone who would hurt Equestria.”

“It’s not exactly Equestria I’m worried about,” Twilight confessed, looking away slightly so as not to make eye contact.

“Then who is the feller?” Applejack demanded coolly with a smile. “Do we know the bucking bronco or is he some stuffed shirt none of us common would have ever heard of.” She snorted playfully. “I’m sure Rarity would know him anyhow.”

“Oh yes, do tell.” Rarity beamed at the chance for gossip.

“Well, if you really want to know…” Twilight Sparkle bit her lip and seemed to choke on it. “It’s… it’s Flim of the Flim-Flam Brothers.”

A collective gasp was heard from the group of friends.

“Why, that no-good polecat is only after her money!” Applejack announced. “Didn’t ya’ll warn her about him, Twi?”

“Yes, I did, Applejack,” Princess Twilight Sparkle groaned. “But she seems awfully convinced of it, and he doesn’t seem to be trying to pull any kind of scandal. He just kind of sits there beside her all day like some kind of pet.”

“Oh, you mean like the way Spike does with Rarity?” Rainbow Dash laughed as she drifted in midair. “Then I’m sure we have nothing to worry about!”

“Hey!” Spike shouted, blushing heavily. He twiddled his fingers as he looked up at a Rarity with a lighter blush on her face.

“Rainbow Dash does have a point,” Fluttershy spoke up. She winced and quailed as she got a glare from Rarity and Spike. “Wh-what I mean is maybe he’s not such a bad guy. Discord turned for the better, after all. And you even called Iron Will a monster, Rarity, but he wasn’t such a bad guy.”

“Well, I will agree that Iron Will was a surprising gentlecolt, but this is a slightly different circumstance,” Rarity insisted.

“I’ll say! Why, I’m just ’bout ready to march up to the castle and speak my mind on the whole matter.” Applejack pushed her hat roughly forward and huffed.

“Please, let’s not get radical here.” Twilight Sparkle sighed as she pulled several lists out of her pockets. “Really, I suppose we should give him a chance, like Fluttershy pointed out about Discord, even if none of us do trust him.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Besides, if you think about, if he does pull anything that Princess Celestia doesn’t like, she could always banish him and proclaim him for the fraud he is.”

“Well, I guess that is true.” Applejack rubbed her head. “If she banished her sister to the moon, I s’ppose there’s not many ponies she’d be too worried about banishing, when it comes right down to it.” She nodded. “So, I reckon we better see what’s on these lists of yours, then.”

“Right,” Twilight read through. “Well, of course, Rarity has been hired to do the dress.”

“Me? Create a dress for Princess CELSTIA!” Rarity’s eyes grew wide as she stood on her back hooves. “Make her one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-lifetime wedding dress?” She performed a scripted faint while Spike provided a pillow for her.

“The Cakes will provide the wedding cake,” Twilight announced.

“Oh wow! I have to tell them right NOW!” Pinkie Pie disappeared in a smoke silhouette, though the kitchen was only across the room from the door.

“However, Sweet Apple Acres will be providing most of the general refreshment.” Princess Twilight Sparkle pulled her list out long. “Here is the list of requested dishes for the table.”

“Let me take a look at that there list, then,” Applejack replied as she took the paper from Twilight Sparkle and looked over it. “Well… well golly gee! I mean, the eggs I could always get from Fluttershy, but I’d be buying stuff from half of Ponyville to fill out this order. Most of this stuff doesn’t even have apples in it!”

“Ooh! Ooh! What do I get to do?” Rainbow Dash pumped her forelegs in the air. “Certainly Princess Celestia didn’t forget about me.” She raised her eyebrows suggestively. “Let me guess. Another classic Sonic Rainboom, am I right? Huh? Huh?”

“I actually don’t really have anything down for you, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied, trying not to look at the mare.

“What?” Rainbow Dash looked crestfallen as she dropped to the floor. “But Princess Celestia couldn’t forget about me.”

“It’s okay, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy patted the blue mare on the back. “I wasn’t asked to do anything special, and I don’t mind. Besides, maybe she wanted a quiet wedding.” She smiled in an attempt to comfort her friend. “You know? She’s always been more of a regal mare than Princess Cadence’s playfulness.”

“I guess that’s true.” Rainbow Dash huffed, crossing her forelegs. “It doesn’t seem fair, if you ask me, though.”

“Fair? Fair!” Applejack turned on the purple princess. “Now, hold your horses! Twilight, why is it that these chores only have to do with payment? And why in the hey would the recipes being called for require so many dang ingredients from all across Ponyville, if they were requested specifically from Sweet Apple Acres.”

Twilight Sparkle ground her teeth. She gave a crooked, awkward smile. “Well, maybe Princess Celestia wasn’t the one who made these lists. Flim said Celestia needed to focus on her work, so he wrote up the plans for the wedding. He said something like, ‘If those Apples are too blind to modernize their farm, then we’ll just fund Ponyville until they don’t have a choice but to modernize.’”

“Oh, I knew it,” Applejack shouted. “Well, if that weasel thinks he’s going to overwork us, I’ll show him! No way is he going to bog us down so heavily that he can’t get this order filled!” She placed the list in her mouth and dashed out the door to her farm.

“Well, that explains that,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

“But what Applejack didn’t wait around to hear was that Flim also said ‘just invite all of your little friends,’ even if he did say it rather dismissively.” Twilight smiled more honestly this time. “Apparently he recognizes us as being on good terms because he invited us to be Celestia’s bride’s-mares, seeing how as he declared Luna should be her Mare of Honor.”

“So there’s still a chance I can do something for the wedding?!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “I knew Princess Celestia wouldn’t forget about me!”

“Well, duh!” Pinkie Pie replied, having reappeared beside Twilight Sparkle. “I mean, it is her party. Of course she’d invite us!”

“Speaking of parties,” Spike said as he was fanning Rarity with his claws, “will I be planning Flim’s bachelor party, too?” He stopped and thought. “Oh, wait, he has a brother to do that, doesn’t he?”

“That’s been something of a debate, last I heard,” Twilight Sparkle mused a moment.

~

“No, no, a thousand times NO!” Flim’s hooves clattered against the marble floors of the castle as he glared at the two stallions in front of him. “Listen here, brother of mine! Yes, I am allowing you to be my best stallion, but I am not letting either of you plan my bachelor party!”

“But certainly you jest,” Prince Blueblood suggested. “Is it not customary to have a bachelor party before the wedding? It would make it very bad form, if you didn’t have one.”

“He’s right, you know,” Flam retorted as well. “It was one thing that nopony was invited to Shining Armor’s bachelor party, when it was found out a baby dragon was the one planning it, but you need to think about your own prestige here.”

“My prestige?” Flim laughed. “Oh, pardon me, my fine pair of quick wits, but what I want to focus on is the wedding. I don’t have prestige as anything more than a business-stallion. You, brother, are the one with a reputation, and it’s none of my business what you do for it.”

“But Flim,” Flam bemoaned. “You’re already a bit of a social outcast, and you need to realize that you need to be part of the social elite.”

“Yes, very much so!” Prince Blueblood declared. “Think about what the nobility will think of you. At least consult Fancy Pants about it.”

Flim rolled his eyes. “Let me make this a point.” He stood up and nodded his head forward simply. “To enunciate my reluctance upon your suggestion for brotherly socialization in stallion camaraderie, I don’t have those kinds of friends.” He puffed. “I don’t want to be stuck in a room with twenty or some odd stallions I don’t know who are swilling upon our restaurant’s cider so much that they are not ever aware of the classic and sharp flavor of the beverage being served to them by attractive mares. Thank you, but no.”

“Oh, the vulgarity of drinking until one is waterlogged,” Prince Blueblood scoffed, though he turned his head away to hide a blush.

“Indeed, brother, do you really think I would just give away that much cider?” Flam smiled opportunistically.

“No. I would expect you to try to sell that much cider, sapping the pockets dry of your ‘friends’,” Flim scolded his brother. He turned to Blueblood. He sighed. “But, I suppose that if you insist I have some kind of party.” He used his magic to pull a little black book out of his pocket and flicked through the pages. “I’ll have Royal Ribbon plan it, then.”

“Royal Ribbon?” Prince Blueblood looked curiously at Flam. “I don’t know him, and I thought I knew everyone in the elite.”

“That’s because Ribbon’s a her,” Flam replied, whispering. “You see, my brother could never make a friend with a stallion in all of his life aside from me, but he gets along swimmingly with the mares. Used to be called the one-date wonder,” he winced, “before he met your aunt, of course. Made a lot of friends that way. Royal Ribbon originally agreed to sample some perfumes for him in hopes of being a model. Great success, though a short contract as he decided to sell the device, not wanting to deal with getting the flowers to grind outside of season.”

“I see,” Blueblood observed. He paused, before standing up. “Wait. A mare can’t plan a bachelor party! It’s supposed to be a stallions-only event.”

“That’s right!” Flam exclaimed in realization. “Why, you’d… you’d ultimately be suggesting sharing Princess Celestia’s bridal shower.”

“Well, I don’t really know about sharing the bridal shower,” Flim mused.

“And he told us it was bad form to have attractive mares at the bachelor party.” Prince Blueblood blushed, realizing he had been caught.

“Hey, these mares actually know me,” Flim tapped his jaw a moment with a pen he had pulled from his vest pocket. “And I don’t need to pay them after words. Leave the bachelor party to the bachelors, I say! If I feel the need to gossip about my wedding, I’ll gossip with the ones who will care.” He stood up and walked away from the two other stallions. “I better see if I can look up Royal Ribbon’s address. She’d know who lives close enough to invite.”

The two stallions stood blinking after the retreating yellow unicorn. After he left, the white unicorn leaned over to the mustachioed twin. “Now, you were only going to invite elite members of society, right?”

“Are you kidding?” Flam replied. “Who else was I going to invite to the king’s bachelor party! Business would go sailing through the roof after that.”

“At least that’s good,” Blueblood confirmed.

Author's Note:

Hey, I know it's been a while since I've added to the story. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I just figured that Flim would be the kind of guy who doesn't like leaving loose ends to chance, despite what happened in the cider competition.