In Sun's Light

Will went back to Equestria, content that he had scared the princess enough for one day. He really would wait, and he really would kill Gavin, along with the others that had flashed through her mind, if they got in the way of his plans, and if they kept him from her. And he would certainly kill Celestia.

When he walked through the portal and back into Equestria, he was careful to collect the dust he had made. He had been sloppy, that first night. No matter. Nopony suspected him. Now, onto more pressing matters.

There were five mares that were making his campaign against Twilight a real bother. They never left each other alone. All except for one. The mare named Rarity. As such, she was a primary target. He had been following and studying her for days, preparing to strike. From everything he had learned through letters stolen from Princess Celestia's personal collection, (after she had dissapeared, of course.) he had learned that she was quite capable of holding her own in a fight. She was a match for him in physical strength, probably, but he could beat her with magic.

He was watching her, to see if he could make a move. He saw an opening and was about to take it when he realized that he was not alone in stalking Rarity.

Curse it all, there was Blueblood. He was watching Rarity too. Why though? Will took a moment to indulge in his own curiosity. It was no secret how he had treated the poor mare at the Grand Galloping Gala. For all his talk of being nobility, Prince Blueblood had no concept of being a gentlecolt. He never held doors, pulled out chairs, or even so much as said bless you when a pony sneezed. His table manners only showed when there was a guest he was trying to impress. He could have really learned from Will.

After determining that Blueblood would be staying a while, Will snuck off, annoyed by this inconvenience. Looks like there would have to be another royal disappearance before long.

* * *

Blueblood watched Rarity with regret as she went about the castle, admiring the tapestries and remarking to the castle's beauty. He seemed to always take these things for granted, and here she was enjoying them. They were so different from each other.

She was an enchanting mare, truly beautiful. He felt so shameful over how he had treated her at the Gala. That wasn't all though. He was a selfish pony, he had to admit, and he wanted her. She truly was beautiful, and charming, and considerate. But she wouldn't consider him after all he had done to her, he was sure of it. He had made quite a fool of himself, that was for sure. As he watched, a small, but very clear voice rang out behind his.

"What'cha doing, Prince Blueblood?" Blueblood jumped before putting on a deadpan face and walking across the hall. Just in time too! Rarity, also startled by the voice, had looked over. He gave her a quick, curt nod, not feigning any interest, as she looked at him. She waved in response. After getting out of sight, Blueblood whirled to face the filly following him, and the one who had caused the disturbance. Her name was Gold. She was attending the school of gifted unicorns, right there in Canterlot. The entrance exam was an advanced spell, in which one pony had to be turned into a plant and back successfully and without negative consequences.

The idea had been thought up after hatching dragons magically was deemed unethical and a teacher had reflected on Twilight Sparkle's performance. Fauna to flora transfiguration spells were complicated, so the school board had accepted the idea as a replacement. It was said Gold had passed this exam with flying colors, attracting the attention of Princess Luna, who wanted to emulate Celestia in having a personal protegé, in the process.

Gold was not an aptly named filly, as only her eyes were relatively close to the color gold. They were a shiny, rich yellow color. Maybe she had been named for her eyes. She was a light teal color with a two toned mane, light blue and a dark sea green. She wore red wire framed oval shaped glasses that managed both style and effectiveness. (She was nearsighted.)

"Prince, were you just stalking her?"

"N- No! Of course not!" the prince replied indignantly. Gold just giggled. They had been friends for only a few weeks, and their friendship was an unlikely, surprising one. Blueblood found Gold to be a charming young filly, and she made for good conversation due to her stunning intellect and mature understanding of life. Gold herself just needed companionship. The other fillies and colts in her grade found her intellect and skill with magic unsettling, and tended to avoid her, much to her own distress. She had a few friends, including Luna, and she even had a colt-friend, a young guitarist, but she was a pony who couldn't stand someone being afraid of her. Blueblood had been mean at first, but the two had slowly started to get along as understanding blossomed between them.

"I would not stoop to stalking a mare."

"Isn't that the one you were a jerk to at the Gala? No wonder you're stalking her. She's pretty." Blueblood blushed.

"What are you doing anyways? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Class ended an hour ago." Sure enough, it was 4:05. She had got out an hour ago.

"W-Well, I-"

"Come on, lover boy, let's go get you a soda or something."

Gold walked away, and Blueblood followed her, having some small delight in the idea of a soda, not even aware that he had just prolonged Rarity's life by instead focusing a pony on his own.