“Mares and gentlecolts, we have arrived at Canterlot station. If this is your stop, please make sure to get all of your baggage and make your way to the train’s exits. Please have a wonderful day, and thank you for riding the Pony Express!”

Atticus, leaning back into his far too small seat, let out a sigh. He closed his eyes, and for a few moments contemplated not getting up.

After this stop the train was supposed to go to Detrot. He had never been there before, and he did have a two-way ticket. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to do a little sightseeing. Heck, if he was feeling really adventurous, he might take the next stop after that to Mareeland.

A gentle nudge to the side caused him to crack open an eye. Looking over, he saw Rarity staring at him expectantly.

The unicorn was the reason why he had taken the five-hour train ride up to this deathtrap of a city. The exact reason why they were here was a mystery to the human, and Rarity, ever the helpful little horse, had refused to answer any of his questions for this little ‘plan’ of hers.

And he didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit.

“Come along, dear,” she said, rising from her seat. “We don’t want the train to leave now, do we?”

Atticus resisted the urge to groan. He briefly considered telling her no but thought better of it. No matter what the hell they were doing up here he had promised that he’d go along with it. So, rising to his feet—making sure not to hit his head on the top of the ceiling—he grabbed their bags and followed Rarity to one of the exits on the train.

Canterlot’s train station was absolutely bustling. Creatures of all shapes and sizes were walking around. The smell of cooked corn could be smelt in the air. A few crowds were gathered around show ponies, some juggling, some singing, some doing magic tricks. Atticus and Rarity ignored them all, navigating the crowds and making their way onto the streets of Canterlot proper.

Rarity seemed to know the streets very well, leading them into the old city’s depths. The crowds quickly disappeared, until only a few ponies could be seen about.

“So, are you finally going to tell me what we’re doing here or are you gonna keep up with this cloak and dagger shit?” Atticus asked.

“I already told you, dear, I want this to be a surprise,” Rarity said, looking back at him with a smile. “And please, for my sake, keep that potty mouth yours at least somewhat clean.”

“What we’re doing up here is probably a hell of a lot dirtier than any swear I could think of,” Atticus dryly replied.

Rarity just giggled to herself, turning back to face the road ahead. The two went on for a few minutes in completely silence, before Atticus couldn’t help himself.

“Could you at least tell me where we’re going?”

Rarity stopped, turning around to look at him. Instead of looking annoyed, however, she looked very pleased with herself.

“And what do I get for this information? A kiss perhaps? Or would you grace me with some poetry?” She sing-songed.

Atticus frowned. “I swear to god I’ll go to the busiest part of this city and make a scene,” he threatened.

The unicorn chuckled, leaning over to nuzzle his leg before once again making her way down the street. Staring at her warily, Atticus followed. He tried to stay behind the unicorn but, to his surprise, she slowed down so that the two were walking side-by-side.

“If you must know, the two of us are going to Canterlot Castle,” Rarity said. “Princess Celestia and Luna were kind enough to give us a room for a few days while we do what we’ve come here to do.”

“The thing you won’t tell me about.”

“A master never reveals her secrets, darling, especially while the trick is still in play. Now, I plan to drop you off in our room before I go to my boutique here. There’s a few things that I must discuss with Sassy as well as pick up a few things for tonight.”

Atticus shrugged. “I have no idea who the hell Sassy is, but alright.”

“Sassy is one of my managers,” Rarity said as her side brushed against his. “She’s a wonderful mare. A little serious at times but she really is a sweetheart. I’ll have to introduce you before we leave.”

Atticus tried to step away from the unicorn. Without missing a beat Rarity followed him, staying closely at his side. He gently frowned, both suspicious and a little confused.

“What the heck’s going on with you?” he asked.

Rarity’s ears perked up. “Why would you think there’s a single thing wrong with me, dear?” she asked.

“You just seem a little… weird today,” Atticus replied. “And will you quit rubbing yourself all over me? You’re gonna make me fall over for Christ’s sake.”

For a moment, the slightest of blushes could be seen on the unicorn’s face. “Forgive me,” she said with an excited wiggle. “I must admit that I’m excited.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Atticus said, noticing that even with her apology she still stayed as close to him as possible.

The rest of the trip to the castle was relatively uneventful. As soon as the guards noticed them they were lead into the castle to the princesses’ wing.

“Forgive the royal highnesses, lady Rarity, but they could not greet you themselves,” one of the guards said as he led them through the stone halls. “They did send along their regards, and a desire to meet with you when you are able.”

Rarity puffed up, looking as proud as Atticus had ever seen her. “Please tell the princesses that I’d love to speak with them whenever they’re able. I’d also like you to thank them for opening their home for Atticus and I—”

“Hey, don’t you drag me into this,” Atticus said.

“—we both are honored that they’ve ever consider doing such a thing.”

The guard bowed his head. “I’ll make sure to send along your message, lady Rarity,” he said, stopping right next to a door. “Here is your room. If you need anything, simply come out and find either one of the guard or castle staff.”

“Thank you very much,” Rarity said, tugging Atticus toward the door with her magic. “That will be all, then. I hope you two stallions have an absolutely wonderful evening.”

The guards saluted before making their way down the hall. Both Rarity and Atticus watched them go, Rarity let out a low, excited noise as they turned the corner.

“Oh, this will simply be divine! I still cannot believe that the princesses were kind enough to let us stay with them. It’s an honor. No, it’s beyond an honor!”

Atticus snorted. “I don’t see the big deal. I stayed up here for a couple of weeks and it wasn’t anything special.”

“It wasn’t special to you because you have no sense of tact or taste in finery, dear,” Rarity said, though not unkindly. “Now come, let us see the wonders that await!”

Throwing the door open, Rarity eagerly trotted into the room. Atticus, shaking his head, followed after her. It took them a few moments, but they were eventually able to find a light switch. Switching it on, they got to see the room in all of its glory.

As with most rooms in the castle, the room was very large and ornate. A fine blood-red carpet decked the floor. Portraits sitting in golden frames lined the walls. In the other end of the room, next to the fancy window that had what looked like a cloud city etched into it, was a very large, very fancy bed. Sitting next to a fireplace was a set of chairs and a table that looked at least two hundred years old.

Slowly looking around with an awestruck expression, Rarity deeply inhaled. “Isn’t it positively lovely, Atticus?”

Atticus looked around the room. “Well, if gold wasn’t so common here I’d love to see if I could get out of here with those painting frames,” he said.

Rarity nodded her head. “Yes… yes, it really is perfect, isn’t it?” she muttered to herself, not hearing a work that he had just uttered.

Making her way toward the bed, she sat her suitcase on top of it before turning around and facing Atticus. “Now I must be off, dear. We are on a schedule after all.”

“If you say so,” Atticus replied, walking over and dropping his duffel bag on the table.

Rarity chewed her lip. For a brief instant, the excitement on her face morphed into nervousness. The unicorn flicked her tail, tucking a stray lock of her mane behind an ear, and just like that it was gone.

“Atticus? Could you come here for a moment?”

Atticus turned to face the mare. “What? Yeah, alright,” he said, walking over to her.

Rarity cleared your throat. “If you could get on one knee I’d be very appreciative.

“Is this when your fetish shit starts, then?” Atticus asked.

“No. That’ll come later. Now please, indulge me if you would.”

Making sure to keep an eye out for any funny business, Atticus did as he was asked, sinking down onto one knee so that she was eye level with Rarity. The unicorn gave him a smile and, to his surprise, closed the distance between the two of them and wrapped her hooves around his neck for a tight hug.

“I just want to thank you for accompanying me up here,” she said, nuzzling his cheek.

Atticus, though not expecting the hug, quickly returned it. “It’s no big deal. It’s not like I had anything to do this weekend anyway.”

Rarity let out a sigh. Her grip on him tightened as she gave his cheek a kiss before resting her head on his shoulder. “Nevertheless, thank you.”

The hug lasted for quite a while. Schedule or not, Rarity didn’t seem all that eager to break it, which was fine by Atticus. He rather enjoyed the feeling of her soft fur brushing against his cheek. There was also something to be said about having a kind of good-looking mare pressed up against him like this.

Before too long however, Rarity did break the hug. “Yes, well, I really truly must be off now,” she said, taking a step away from him. “I shan’t be gone too long hopefully.”

Nodding, Atticus rose to his full height. “Alright, I guess I’ll take a shower or something.”

“Yes, that’s an excellent idea dear,” Rarity said, making her way toward the door. “And remember not to break anything while I’m away.”

Atticus frowned as the unicorn threw open the door. “I’m not a five-year-old, Rare. I can watch myself for a couple of fucking minutes.”

“Just making sure, dear,” Rarity said, blowing him a kiss as she stepped out into the hallway. “Ta-ta for now.”

As she closed the door behind her, Atticus, still frowning, sat down onto the bed. Bouncing a few times, he kicked off his shoes, sending them flying across the room.

“Fuck you too marshmallow,” he grumbled, reaching over and grabbing her bag. “I’ll show you. Let’s see how fucking secretive your white ass is after I look through all of your shit…”

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_

An hour passed without incident. To Atticus’s disappointment, he found nothing worthwhile in Rarity’s bag, not even a hint of a clue as to what she was dragging him into it. So, with nothing better to do, he got up and took a quick shower. When he was finished with that he found himself lying on the floor with his feet propped up on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. He tried to think up what Rarity had in store for him, but each time he did his mind would wander off into random trains of thought.

Sighing, he placed his hands behind his head. “Man, I really wish I would have brought a ball or something…”

There was a knock on the door before it creaked open.

“If you’re a burglar, don’t steal my shoes please,” Atticus called, not lifting his head up.

There was a giggle as the intruder stepped into the room and closed the door behind them. “Please, as if I’d bother to steal those filthy things,” Rarity said, making her way toward him.

Atticus yawned. “Oh, there you are. I was starting to think that I’d be here by myself all night.”

“I’m terribly sorry about the wait, darling. My transformation took a bit longer than I had anticipated.”

Atticus’s brow furrowed. “Transformation?” he said, picking his head up to look at her.

To his surprise, he saw that Rarity had indeed underwent a transformation. Her mane had been cut and curled. Her fur seemed to have undergone similar treatment, along with being brushed so thoroughly that it seemed to gleam. The unicorn also seemed to have applied quite a bit of makeup as well. Far too much in his opinion.

Rarity smiled nervously. “Well? What do you think, dear? Do I look presentable?”

Not taking his eyes off her, Atticus rolled onto his belly and pushed himself into a sitting position. “Your hair looks great,” he said. “What’s the occasion?”

Rubbing a foreleg, the mare looked away from him. “Well, since the two of us have reservations at one of the finest restaurants in Canterlot, I thought it would be best to ready myself.”

The tip of her horn glowed, and with a pop, two items teleported onto the bed. One of them was a lovely golden dress. The other was a black tuxedo with a bright red bowtie.

Atticus looked at both articles of clothing, clearly puzzled. “We’re going to dinner?”

“Yes,” Rarity said with a nod. “Which is why I took the liberty of making these for the two of us. I’ll admit that it isn’t my best work, but at least we’ll be somewhat presentable.”

Rising to his feet, Atticus pawed at the tuxedo. Like everything that Rarity made, it looked sharp. It also looked like it’d fit him perfectly.

Rubbing the jacket’s fabric between his thumb and pointer finger, he let out a hum. “So when is this dinner then?”

“Within the hour,” Rarity replied. “That’ll give me plenty of time to get you ready.”

Atticus nodded, turning around to look at her. Rarity was staring up at him with an odd glint in her eyes. She also didn’t seem to be able to hold still, fidgeting from side to side. If he didn’t know any better, he would have said that she was nervous.

“Well, I already took a shower, so that’s done,” he said, putting his hands on his hips. “So what’s to eat at this place? Could I get a decent steak?”

Rarity perked up. “So you do want to accompany me, then?” she asked hopefully.

“I’d honestly rather go to dinner with you than just sit here bored out of my mind,” the human replied with a shrug.

Several emotions flashed across Rarity’s face. She wiggled, obviously containing herself. Despite her best efforts, however, her tail wagged like a happy puppy’s as a great big smile came to her face

“Excellent! Let’s get you ready then so we can leave early!” she said with a little bounce.

She was about to take a step toward him when Atticus raised a hand. “Hang on,” he said. “Let me do something first.”

Not giving Rarity time to answer, he made his way into the bathroom. Looking around, he found a small rag hanging on a towel rack that appeared to be made out of solid silver. Shaking his head at the extravagance, he ran wetted the rag and made his way back out into the room, where a confused Rarity was waiting for him.

“And what in Equestria are you going to do with that?” she asked as he knelt down in front of her.

Carefully grabbing the back of her head, Atticus brought the rag to her face. Rarity, her eyes widening, tried to take a step away from him, but he held onto her firmly.

“Atticus, what are you—”

“You don’t need any of this shit on,” Atticus said as he wiped the blush from her cheeks. “It makes you look like some goddamn streetwalker.”

Rarity said nothing, just staring at him as he cleaned all of the makeup on her face as best as he could. By the time he was finished the rag in his hands was ruined, and there were a few black, red, and pink streaks on the unicorn’s face that would need to get washed off, but at least now she looked far better.

“There,” he said, trying to use his thumb to get some eyeliner off of her temple. “Now all I gotta do is find a new rag and clean the last bit of this shit off. Then you’ll look perfect.”

With a grunt, he rose to his feet and made his way to the bathroom.

“Atticus?” Rarity said, finding her voice just as he was about to reach the bathroom door. “Do you really think I don’t need makeup?”

“Of course not. You’re a hell of a lot prettier without it,” Atticus said thoughtlessly, bunching up the rag in his hands and tossing it toward the shower. “Now where the hell did they put those other rags…?”

As busy as he was trying to find another rag, Atticus didn’t notice that there was a very noticeable blush on Rarity’s face. He also didn’t notice that she had a hoof over her heart, and he most certainly didn’t notice her small, very pleased smile as she watched him.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~

The dinner was nice, if a bit stiff. Atticus had pulled a chair out for Rarity, he had even placed a napkin onto his lap. The unicorn had tried to keep him from putting his elbows on the table, and he had honestly given it a good ol’ college try, but there was only so much fancy the young man could do in an afternoon.

Nearly everything on the menu had been in a completely different language. Rarity had insisted that it was just cursive, but he knew a different language when he saw one. So, not wanting to look like a moron, he had just gotten Rarity to order everything. She did so, getting him an admittedly great steak with a baked potato on the side, along with some fancy other mini dishes that he stayed away from like the plague.

As the two ate they talked. Atticus only paid half-attention to their discussions, however, readying himself.

He knew that if something were going to happen it’d happen here. The second that he relaxed Rarity would have his pants behind his ankles, or would use some kind of magic to make a sleeve around his cock that would perfectly replicate her marehood. He wouldn’t have even been surprised if the mare had somehow figured out to stop time for a few minutes so that two could fuck each other’s brains out while the fancy ponies around them watched, statue still. As the night went on however, none of that happened. No teasing, no touching, no hooves or tails dragging across his leg.

For nearly two hours Rarity was just staring at him with a smile. She wasn’t quite leaning across the table, but even half paying attention as he was he could tell that she was listening to him with the utmost attention. If he told a joke she’d giggle, if he said something perhaps a little personal she’d reach over the table to grab his hand. When their waiter came out with a bottle of fancy wine Atticus was beginning to think that maybe everything wasn’t as it seemed.

In the end, the two stayed at the restaurant well into the night. They might have stayed until the sun had come up, if not for the fact that the restaurant staff had gently, yet firmly, kicked them out so that they could close. And so, they stumbled out into Luna’s night, both a little tipsy and red faced from the wine, clinging to each other.

“—And you know how Applejack is, dear. If that mare doesn’t get her way she’s huffy, even though she’ll insist that she isn’t. So, when I told her that her dress needed frills to properly accent the green cloth around her waistline she—”

Taking a deep breath of the night air, Atticus looked up into the sky. Luna’s stars were out in full force tonight, gleaming like diamonds in the darkness. Though the moon wasn’t out, they were more than bright enough to light the way for the two.

A giggle turned his attention down toward the mare hanging off his arm. Rarity’s face was flush from the wine. Her immaculate mane bounced with each step, as did her dress, which seemed to glow in the darkness. She was pressing as much of herself as she could against him, a smile on her face as she let out a very unladylike giggle-snort.

“And then, after I managed to get all of the stitching just right, Applejack somehow managed to tear the bottom half of her dress!” she said, throwing up a hoof. “I don’t even know how she did. She simply took two steps and I heard a rip! Oh, by Celestia’s sun was I upset!”

The unicorn wobbled, nearly losing her footing. Atticus had to place a hand against her side to steady her. Rarity hummed at the contact, trying to push more of herself against him.

“I love that mare as if she were my own sister, but I swear she does things just to infuriate me. Just like Rainbow Dash. Ohhhhhh, Rainbow Dash! If there’s anypony on this earth that’s worse than Applejack it’s her! Why just the other day—”

Rarity stumbled forward, forcing Atticus to bend down and snatch the unicorn up so that she didn’t fall flat on her face. “Easy there,” he said, giving her back a pat as she let out another giggle. “Why don’t we find somewhere to sit for a little bit? That way you won’t bust your face trying to walk back to the castle.”

“That is an absolutely wonderful idea, my dear,” Rarity proclaimed, wrapping her hooves around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. “We can spend a bit of time stargazing while we wait for the wine to get out of your system. It wouldn’t do for me to bring a drunk colt back to my bedchambers now, would it~?”

Atticus rolled his eyes, looking around for a bench or a curb that they could sit on. Luckily for him he noticed a black bench not a few feet away. It was a tiny little thing, as were most things in Canterlot, but it’d do.

Walking over to it, he carefully sat Rarity down before taking a seat himself. Before his ass at even hit the bench, Rarity climbed right into his lap. Pressing her back against his chest, the tip of her horn glowed. With a spell, she grabbed both of his hands and wrapped them around her as she wiggled around to make herself comfortable.

“There,” she said, her mane tickling his nose. “Now you won’t catch a cold.”

While Atticus could have pointed out that it wasn’t very cold out tonight at all, he said nothing. He just looked back up at the stars, his grip around the unicorn tightening.

“The stars are really pretty tonight, huh?” he asked.

Pressing her weight against him, Rarity looked up at the sky as well. “Luna did do a marvelous job,” she said.

The two sat in silence for several minutes, just staring up at the stars. Rarity nuzzled her head under Atticus’s chin. Atticus grabbed one of her hooves and began tracing circles on her frog.

“You know, we didn’t do any of the weird shit that you wanted to do tonight,” he said, breaking the silence.

“No, we did not,” Rarity replied. “It had completely escaped my mind, actually. Just as well; I would have been furious with myself if I had ruined our outfits.”

“We could go back to the castle and fuck on Princess Celestia’s throne if you want,” Atticus said.

Rarity giggled. “Maybe on another day, dear,” she said, leaning up to kiss his chin. “Right now I’d much prefer to sit here with you. If you don’t mind that is.”

“We could spend a little while looking at constellations,” Atticus said. “Twi taught me a couple of them forever ago, so I probably could point out a few.”

Rarity said nothing, a smile coming to her flushed, happy face as she grabbed one of Atticus’s arms and hugged it against her chest. Atticus gave her cloth-covered tuft a scratch, which the unicorn seemed to very much enjoy.

“You know… I think our therapy shit really worked out,” he said, leaning back against the bench. “I really don’t hate you all that much anymore.”

“I’m very happy to hear that,” Rarity replied, looking up at him. “I can also honestly say that I don’t hold you with the same contempt as I did before. In fact, I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve grown quite fond of you, my dear.”

Atticus looked down at the mare. Her blue eyes shone brighter than any star in the sky, and the smile she was giving him filled his heart with something that he had never experienced before.

Before he knew what was happening, he had his free hand under the unicorn’s chin and was putting her into a kiss. Pleasant tingled exploded throughout his body as their lips connected. The could feel the softness of her lips, feel their heat, taste the wine she had drank just a few minutes prior, and it made his heart skip a beat.

A giggle escaped Rarity as she deepened the kiss. Her eyes slipped closed, and her face grew even more flush, but any that would have looked upon her would have seen the happiest unicorn that had ever lived.

Neither of them knew how long they held their kiss, but by the time they broke it both were holding onto each other desperately, their foreheads touching.

Rarity was the first to find her voice. “Despite our initial success, we shouldn’t start slacking with our therapy, darling,” she said, rubbing the small of his back. “For all we know, a single missed session could bring us back to square one.”

Atticus nodded at his mare’s unquestionable logic. “Then I’ll guess we’ll have to keep doing it for as long as it takes,” he said, kissing her again. “Even if we have to do it forever.”

Rarity nuzzled him, closing her eyes. “I could not have said it better myself, my dear.”

~~~~ The End~~~

Author's Note

Alright, I'm done. Hope you guys liked it. I know I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope you all have a wonderful holidays and a happy new year.