Rarity and Blueblood's Adventures in Parenting

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 1
Chapter 8

Chapter 2

“Are you sure you don't need me to watch Lacey while you're gone?” Twilight asked.

With the date of Rarity's planned excursion with Fancypants quickly approaching, Twilight had offered to come by to keep an eye on Ivory Lace while her friend was running around her room trying to get everything together so she could leave for Canterlot that night.

“Thank you again for the offer, Twilight, but I simply cannot ask you to watch her for that long. It's too big of a job,” Rarity responded as she levitated a bottle over to the filly sitting on the floor of the boutique. “This family friend of mine has no problems taking care of her and would have plenty of help. Besides I don't think Spike would enjoy having Lacey around for so long, he hasn't exactly had a chance to get used to her.”

Twilght nodded, she knew that Spike had yet to warm up to the filly, but she had a nagging feeling that she should be trying harder to help her friend out. After all, she and the girls were all worried. They all knew that Rarity was keeping something from them. They just weren't sure what it was or how they should approach it.

“Are you sure you don't need any help? I mean, I'm from Canterlot; it wouldn't be too hard for me to just pop in for a visit. I'm sure my parents would appreciate the visit from me too.”

Rarity stopped short, secretly glad she was facing away from Twilight when she dropped that bomb because the white unicorn was sure that the truth about her situation was written all over her face. As much as she loved her friends, truly she did, she did not want them poking their heads into her secret, especially not this week. She tried not to let it faze her. Instead she continued to pack up her wardrobe to bring on her excursion as if there was nothing bothering her.

“Oh Twilight, that's sweet, but it won't be necessary. Trust me. My family and I have known this mare for a long time, she's a dear and I've placed my full confidence in her.”

“If you're sure...” Twilight said trailing off as she looked down at the filly giggling loudly on the floor with one of her toys. “Look Rarity...” Rarity turned around, still focusing her magic on the objects she was packing, “the girls and I are worried about you.”

“Why?” She asked, not fully paying attention.

“It's about Ivory Lace's father... you've never mentioned him and... well, we're worried that he may have hurt you.”

Rarity stopped cold, she lost control of the dress she had just folded and watched as the magic surrounding it disappeared and the garment slowly fell to the floor. She wished she could just explain to her friends once and for all that it wasn't that Ivory Lace's father had hurt her, but that for her reputation's sake, she just could not say who he was. Rarity and Blueblood had promised each other early on in the pregnancy that this information stays within a very small group of ponies.

Unfortunately, that small group did not include her friends.

“Are you OK?” Twilight asked noticing her friend's mistake.

“No... I mean yes. I'm okay, but no her father never hurt me. I just cannot for the life of me remember his name,” The lie flowed off her tongue so easily. At this point she had used it so many times to explain to other ponies who asked. Rarity shook her head and smiled at the purple unicorn. “Well it's no matter, he is off living his life and I'm living mine.”

“You know with my magic we could probably find out...”

“Twilight, please. Just drop it. It's not worth it.” Rarity snapped as she loudly zipped up another bag and put it on the floor next to the slowly accumulating pile of luggage. “There is no use for her father around here anyway, nor will there ever be. When I get married, I assure you it will not be to her father. I would prefer that her father be a stallion who can actually take care of Lacey and I. Like Fancypants for example. He is somepony who would actually take care of us and treat us with respect.”

“When are you going to tell Fancypants about Ivory Lace?”

“Maybe during our trip, depending on how well it goes.” She paused. “At least that's the plan, telling you five was difficult enough, but this is somepony who is showing an interest in me. He might not feel the same way about me when I tell him the truth.”

“Is that why it took so long for you to tell us? Did you think we were going to hate you?”

“Not at all, darling. It wasn't like that at all, I was just a tad bit ashamed. It wasn't exactly my finest moment,” She looked over at her daughter and smiled, “It's all water under the bridge now. I don't know where I would be if it weren't for her and what I would be doing without the help of you and the girls.”

“It really hasn't been a problem,” Twilight beamed, “Lacey is the sweetest. Her father really is missing out, you know.”

“Yes, I know.”

* * *

Blueblood sat at the table with his mother who was fervently explaining to him how he should behave once Rarity and his daughter enter the palace. If it was up to him, she would know nothing about this, but there was no way he could easily explain to his mother why he was babysitting a filly for a whole week. Not to mention his so-called trusted servant Jeeves, told her.

He lost track of what his mother was talking about several minutes in. She started out by ranting about how disappointed in him she was for not telling her sooner and the responsibilities he was going to have this week. He knew exactly what she was probably saying anyway and knew well enough that this advice should not come from somepony who left him to be raised by servants and nannies. Obviously she was somepony who knew less than he did about raising foals.

Blueblood's mother slipped a small box across the table catching his attention, he looked up at his mother who was smiling smugly and took the box, opening it slowly. He peeked inside, groaned and quickly closed it again, giving it a slight nudge away from him.

“Mother, why did you give me the engagement ring father gave you?” He knew the answer, but he was avidly hoping that he was mistaken.

“When that mare gets here, I want you to propose to her. Believe it or not, it is the right thing to do.”

“Absolutely not! I refuse to marry her.”

“Your publicist and I have been talking and we've both come to the conclusion that this could do great things for your image. Marrying a common mare from an obscure town is a sure way to get more ponies to like you.”

“I find that I am well liked already.”

“I mean by the common ponies,” His mother responded. “Besides, I think your father would have appreciated it if you stepped up to take responsibility for once.” Blueblood frowned, she knew he was going to try and guilt him into this, but he didn't think she would do so by mentioning his father. “Your publicist and I already have the story planned out to send to the presses.”

“Please do tell what you and Positive Publicity have come up with,” Blueblood rolled his eyes already bored with the conversation. He just hoped she would give up on the idea, it was a lost cause anyway.

“You and...”

“Rarity.”

“You and Rarity had been secretly dating for months because you were afraid of the negative publicity she could get if the relationship went public. Then, once you two found out that you were expecting Blue Belle, the two of you decided to make the relationship official. You both quickly realized that there was so much hype surrounding your cousin Cadance's wedding, so instead you decided to get married in a small ceremony and have an exquisite wedding later. It's a flawless plan!”

“Certainly,” Blueblood said flatly. “Mother you do know that she is here to drop off our daughter so she can go off gallivanting with Mr. Fancypants, right?”

“Bluey, dear, you know it won't last.” She was probably right, but he did wish it would work out for them. He wasn't exactly a fan of knowing that she would become a bigger part of Canterlot society, of course he figured that by that point they would know better than to go anywhere near each other. His mother passed the ring over to him again, “At least try proposing to her. At least you can say that you tried, if only for the sake of Blue Belle.”

The ring became shrouded in the soft silver glow of his magic as he placed it in his jacket pocket. His mother smiled and left the room, leaving Blueblood in blissful silence for the last time before his daughter got here.

He spent the last week preparing himself for this day, but in reality he wasn't ready in the slightest. Sure there was a nursery down the hall from him all set up in pastel colors and there were enough supplies around the castle to take care of a baby for months, but he wasn't ready to meet her.

The original plan had been that they would give the filly up for adoption. Once she was born, he and Rarity planned to give her to a couple who actually wanted a baby. He wasn't sure what happened, but a few weeks before their daughter was born she sent him a letter telling him she changed her mind and planned to keep her.

“So like a mare, always so indecisive.” He had thought when he saw that letter. The stallion had not agreed with her initially, but after a series of angry letters back and forth, he finally acquiesced. He made it clear early on though that he wanted no part in raising her.

Sir?” a voice came from behind him, Blueblood turned around. “The uh... mare is here to see you.”

“Very well” Blueblood said to his servant as he stepped down from his seat.

The palace was huge, even just the Blueblood family wing of the palace was bigger than some houses in Canterlot. Still, Blueblood thought that the length to the front door of his wing of the castle was not long enough.

He opened the door to see Rarity and a pure white filly with violet hair seated in a carrier on her side.

He looked at his daughter for the first time. The first thing he noticed was her eyes, they were exactly the same shade of blue as his. It was the same with her coat, while Rarity had a slight tinge of gray in hers, his daughter had the same pure white shade he did.

How in Equestria, where genetics could be so crazy, did he end up with a filly that looked so much like him?

“Hello, Miss Rarity.”

“Hello, Blueblood. Sorry it took so long, I had a little problem with luggage.” Blueblood peered out the door, there were at least four bags on the ground.

“Is there a reason you brought your luggage up here too?”

“These are just Lacey's, my bags are still in the cab. It took a few tries to fit it all in the cab, but it all worked out in the end,” she said with a large smile as she trotted through the doorway. “Do you mind holding Ivory Lace while I bring her stuff in?”

“No, not at all,” he lied.

Rarity smiled and lifted the filly out of carrier and handed her over to Blueblood who gingerly took her in his hooves.

He looked down at her confused, what was the big hoopla? He didn't understand what his servant meant when he said that the prince would have an instant connection with his daughter the moment he first held her. Obviously, this was not one of those cases.

The unicorn filly looked up at him with the same confused face he was giving her, then she started whimpering and within seconds, began to cry. Surprised to hear such a loud sound come out of something so small, Blueblood let go of her and jumped slightly, then caught her with his magic right before she hit the ground.

“Oops,” he said. Rarity rolled her eyes. “It's not like I planned it, I just wasn't expecting her to make a sound.”

“Please tell me you're joking.” Rarity said as she stole away the filly from him and tried to calm her down. Blueblood shook his head, she sighed. “Maybe I should just tell Fancypants I'm too sick to attend this week. You obviously cannot handle this task.”

“Good plan, you should tell him you are not able to attend. Tell him you have more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Yes, and then I would become an old mare and the only pony I would blame is you because you wouldn't even try acting like a father for Ivory Lace for just one measly week.”

The stallion sighed, knowing that he couldn't win in this situation anyway, he decided to make the situation worse and do what his mother wanted him to do. He took the ring out of his pocket and kicked it over to her. Rarity looked down at the ring, confused at first, but then was hit with a sudden realization. She glanced up at Blueblood, unsure of how to react.

“Is... is this what I think it is?” Rarity asked. The white unicorn nodded, his face stoic. “That was... the worst proposal I have ever seen. Now I am sure that your mother put you up to this, but you could have at least delivered it with a bit more tact instead of just throwing it to the ground.”

“All you had to do was say no,” Blueblood mumbled.

“There was nothing to say no to! Tha was abysmal and nopony in their right mind should acknowledge that as an actual act of love or even admiration,” she said holding her head high.

Blueblood ignored her dramatics, he was in no mood to deal with her today any more than he had to. He was frustrated enough that he already had to cancel some of his plans for the week just to stay in and take care of the filly he never wanted to meet in the first place.

“Look, just give Blue Belle back to me and...”

“Ivory Lace.”

“Just hand me my daughter, Rarity!” This didn't help ease the filly's crying, instead it just exacerbated it. The crying before was just whimpering compared to the all out screeching that the argument between the two unicorns led to.

“Now look what you have done! This has never happened with her before,” Rarity said as she tried to console her.

“Me? If you had just trusted me with her in the first place...”

“I did trust you! You dropped her! How am I supposed to trust you after that?”

“I told you I wasn't expecting her to make a sound!”

Several of the prince's servants came over to the pair and took the screaming Ivory Lace off to the nursery Blueblood's servants had set up. Blueblood hoped that they would have better luck with her than he was having so far, in fact this introduction had done nothing but remind him how glad he was to have left so early on. Rarity watched nervously as the prince's servants carried the foal away from the duo then looked back at Blueblood and shook her head.

“This isn't going to work, is it? I should have known better than to ask you, you can't do anything I ask you to do.”

“Are you saying Miss Rarity, that I am a failure?”

“That is exactly what I'm saying.”

“I said I would do this for you and as long as you keep up your end of the bargain and leave me alone after this week, then I will do it. So go off and screw your so-called 'knight in shining armor' before your little illusion wears off.”

“Watch your language! Even if you don't act very princely, you still are one and you're a father too. Do not use that kind of language around my daughter.”

“Blueblood, darling!” He groaned inwardly. Of course his mother would come and interrupt them now and make things even worse than they already were. She always had to stick her nose into situations she wasn't part of. “And this must be your lovely fiancee!”

“Oh no, no no no no. We are just two ponies with a baby,” Rarity quickly interjected.

“Mother this is Rarity and Rarity this is my mother.”

“Charmed to meet you, dear,” His mother said. “I hear you are going on an airship with Mr. Fancypants.”

“Yes...”

“Darling, have you realized that he is a little too old to keep up with a filly like yours?” Rarity just stared back at the mare in shock, then her gaze migrated over towards the prince who just stood there silently.

“No, but thank you for pointing that out. I will take that into consideration,” she answered.

“Well, mother thank you for that lovely... thing. But now it's time for Miss Rarity to leave.”

“Oh Bluey, she can't leave before I show her around. I'm sure she would be interested to see where Blue Belle will be living for the next week.”

“Actually, it's Ivo...” Rarity began.

“Why don't you let me give her the grand tour of this wing of the castle? I would love to get to know her a little more,” the prince's mother interrupted. Neither Blueblood nor Rarity knew how to respond to this, but his mother took the silence as an agreement and led Rarity off down the hall towards the nursery.

Blueblood took that opportunity to mix himself a stiff drink. If this was how the day was starting out, he was going to need something to keep him going. He could hear the faint sounds of a one-sided 'polite' argument from where he stood and took a long sip.

This was the reason he didn't want his mother to find out about Rarity or Blue Belle.

Within minutes, Rarity was storming out of the suite, a loud slam following her departure. While the stallion was curious to know exactly what happened between his mother and her, now that she was gone he could finally relax. The hard part was over, at this point all he had to do was get through the week without any problems.

His servants had been able to calm down his daughter, so he decided to try his hoof at holding her again. He peered into the nursery, the filly was wide awake and was clearly enjoying playing with the toys that had been left out for her. Despite how nervous and unsure he was about this week he was at least glad that those toys got some use out of them, better than letting them gather dust in a closet.

The prince stepped into the nursery and scooped up the baby unicorn, once again she looked up at him confused and started sniffling. Blueblood closed his eyes, “Celestia please, don't let her start crying again.”

The unicorn foal started whining, it was quieter than it had been before, but it was still as heart breaking as it was when Blueblood heard it before. Her father scampered about the nursery in confusion trying to figure out what it was she wanted, and ended up corralling his servant, Jeeves into helping him when his initial suggestions didn't work out.

The stallion tried feeding her, but she snubbed the bottle and the baby food. He convinced Jeeves to change her diaper, but it was empty. Blueblood was starting to get frustrated, what else could a tiny filly possibly want?

“Perhaps sir, she wants her mother,” Jeeves suggested after they tried to set her down for a nap.

“Why? I'm here! I'm her father, is that not just as good as her mother?”

“Sir, she doesn't know that. If anything, she knows that you are the one who almost dropped her and yelled at her mother. Remember, she has never seen you before.”

The white unicorn handed the foal off to another servant and walked off exasperated. He really had tried, but maybe Rarity had been right. He hadn't been raised by his parents so how was he supposed to know how to be a parent to his daughter? It was unnerving just thinking about having to take care of her for the whole week.

For months he was able to push her out of his mind, forgetting she even existed at some points. It wasn't possible to push her out of his mind anymore, not when she would be sleeping down the hall from him.

Taking a deep breath he went back into the nursery and decided he would try his hoof at taking care of her again. He shooed Jeeves out and picked up one of the toys she had been playing with earlier.

“Let's try this again,” he murmured to himself.

The following morning, the prince was sitting at the table trying desperately to stay awake while attempting to feed his daughter who was more enthusiastic about the morning than he was. The prince had spent the whole night doing whatever he could to get the foal to stop crying, but he felt like all he accomplished was jokes for his staff to make about him and two hours of sleep. He needed help with the simplest of tasks and had often become frustrated with the filly.

He knew it was bad when his mother had to step in at one point.

“Good morning dear, how are you?” His mother asked walking into the kitchen and grabbed the mug of coffee Jeeves had just set out for her.

“I've been better,” the stallion responded as he tried to send the spoon full of baby food into her mouth. The filly wanted nothing to do with the food this morning though and refused to cooperate. “I swear sometimes I think that her mother did something to make her hate me, she's just so difficult.”

“Oh I'm sure it isn't that bad, Bluey.”

“She won't even let me feed her! I'm treated like some kind of stranger! I am her father!”

“She probably has both of her parent's stubborn attitude, neither you nor that purple maned thing are the easiest to get along with,” his mother replied.

“I suppose.” He sighed. “By the way, what exactly did you say to her yesterday?”

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” she responded innocently. “You know, you really should fight harder for custody of Blue Belle. Her mother seems to be a sensitive little thing and really Blue Belle should be raised among the elite of Canterlot not some backward little Earth pony town.”

“Mother please, just no. The filly hates me enough already why drag this torture out for longer than a week?” She didn't respond to him, just walked out of the room while Blueblood went back to trying to feed the unwilling filly. “Why don't you like me?” Blueblood asked, whispering in pure frustration, “why make this week more difficult than it has to be?”

“Mama?” The filly asked innocently.

“Your mother isn't here, please just work with me this week? You will never have to see me again after this week. Okay, Blue Belle?”

“Mama.”

“Can you say dada?” The foal made a face at him, Blueblood huffed. “I didn't think so.”

The morning dragged on with the prince trying everything he could to keep her happy, he was glad to note that she had at least stopped crying at the sight of him. By the time he put her down for a nap, all he wanted to do was sleep, but instead of running to his bed to take a well-deserved nap, he sat down at his desk and penned a letter.

It was only a few lines and he didn't bother look it over before he sent it out, he didn't even care if the recipient got it, just writing everything down helped him. He called in a servant to send out the letter and once he was certain it was in good hooves, he started to nod off.

Chapter 3

Rarity and Fancypants were enjoying their lunch in a secluded booth in the fanciest eatery in the little town they had stopped in. It was a breath of fresh air compared to the rest of the trip thus far, which was far from what Rarity had expected. So far, they had been mobbed by ponies whose only agenda was to spend time with Fancypants, and when those ponies were around she never got a word in edgewise. It wasn't just the yes-men though, he had already received dozens of letters asking to discuss business so far, making it harder for the two of them to spend any time together.

When the letter for Rarity arrived she groaned, who could possibly be sending her a letter now? This was the first time in over a day that she had gotten time alone with her stallion. She looked apologetically at her date as she hastily opened the letter up.

Rarity,
You win. I can't do this, she hates me. Nothing I try works and I'm pretty sure she really misses you. I know that you are thousands of miles above Equestria, but it would mean the world to me if you could just get off at your next stop, come to Canterlot and pick her up. I promise that I will pay you double for the rest of my life, if you just do this one thing for me.
-Blueblood

Rarity slipped the letter into her dress trying her best not to let her anger get the better of her. She had no intentions of leaving for Canterlot until her trip was over and couldn't believe he had the gall to ask her to. She was sure the prince was just overreacting anyway, Ivory Lace had never been that fussy of a foal. She made a mental note to send him a letter later when she wasn't spending time with a true gentlecolt.

“Is something wrong my dear?” He asked.

“No, I'm sorry, this is just a letter from a client asking for an ensemble when I return,” Her date nodded.

“We haven't had a chance to spend time together lately, I apologize for that. Even when I am away from Canterlot, work seems to follow me.”

“No I understand, even when I'm away work follows me too...”

Another letter arrived at the table, Rarity frowned. What could be so important that he had to send two letters to her? For a brief second she was worried that perhaps something else had happened to the foal and it was urgent. Images of all the possibilities ran through her head, each one worse than the last.

When the unicorn mare noticed that the letter was addressed to Fancypants she let out a quick sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't another letter from Blueblood, she was happy. Her smile waned when she noticed her companion stand up and start to walk away from the table.

“I'll be right back,” he promised.

Rarity frowned, she should have seen that coming when she noticed the note wasn't for her. Rarity took her letter out of her dress, and asked a passing waiter for a quill. She figured now was as good a time as any to write a response back to him. She watched as her date walked out of the dining area, she was sure that she had seen more of him walking away from her, than of his actual face.

Rarity knew she shouldn't really be complaining. Oftentimes, she had put off visits from him for foolish reasons, but it was different when the shoe was on the other hoof. The only time they had spent together without anypony else was when they were in their little room last night and at that point they were both too exhausted to even acknowledge the others presence.

She was having a good time though, the spa on board was lovely and there were plenty of ponies to engage in good conversation with, but it wasn't what she had been hoping for.

Rarity waved down the closest waiter and handed him the note she had just written up. Glad to have that out of the way she turned back to the salad in front of her. Fancypants returned not long later with smile on his face.

“Sorry it took so long, my dear. I will have you know though that there are two new things in my possession.”

“Oh?” Rarity asked trying to sound interested. While she did enjoy spending time with Fancypants and hearing all about his life, sometimes hearing about his career could be a bit dull. She found that oftentimes when they talked about their lives there was a lot they had in common, but when it came to business, they were on two completely different planes.

“The first is something you might find terribly dull, but the second will be more personal.”

“Personal?” She asked raising an eyebrow. The unicorn stallion levitated a gold necklace over to the mare whose eyes grew wide. “This is for me?”

“I know that it is fairly early into our trip and that we have several more days airborne, but I felt horrible leaving you alone while I have had to work. I couldn't let a lovely mare like yourself handle a week like this without a gift of thanks.”

Rarity sat there absolutely stunned that he would do this for her. Nopony had ever done something like this for her over something important, let alone over something so inane as not spending enough time together.

She loved that he did this for her, she loved that he actually thought about her even when he was working.

She didn't love that her brain was prodding her to tell him about Ivory Lace.

“Thank you so much, Fancypants,” she said as her magic took over the necklace so she could slip it around her neck. “I wish I knew you were getting me something, I feel positively awful that I have nothing to give you in return.”

“Don't worry about it, dear Rarity. Your presence is enough. Sometimes I believe that you are quite possibly the only mare in Canterlot whose thoughts do not belong to another pony. Trust me, after years of living and working in Canterlot, a good conversation is a well-needed break from the norm.”

At this point her brain was begging her to tell Fancypants about Blueblood and Ivory Lace. How could she not? With all the compliments she was receiving from him, he obviously cared about her. He cared enough to deserve to know the truth.

“Fancypants.... I...” she paused, the truth was at the tip of her tongue. “I just wanted to thank you again for this, for everything. It has been surreal.”

“Maybe another time.” She assured herself.

* * *

Blueblood received a response from Rarity by dinnertime. He sighed in relief, and put his daughter in her crib to read it without his hair being tugged at. This was it, this is what he had been waiting all day for and not a moment too soon. A day and a half had gone by slowly enough, this letter could be his saving grace.

Blueblood,
Please stop acting like a colt, I will not leave my trip to pick up Ivory Lace. All I ask is that you spend a little bit of time with your daughter, is that really too big of a task for you?
Don't feel that I'm belittling you for having some trouble, I assure you that I had the same problem when I brought her home. I was never good with foals, sometimes even watching my sister is a task in itself. I packed all those bags for that reason, this way you would always find something to keep her occupied.
And no, I'm sure she does not hate you, she just has no idea who you are. Whenever I go somewhere without her, she stays with my parents and my sister, with whom she is comfortable around. This is a strange environment full of strange ponies. Just try harder.
-Rarity

He threw the letter in the trash, annoyed that she would even bother sending him a message if she had no intentions of helping him at all. Even when she was thousands of miles away she always knew how to get to him, it has to be some special talent of hers. The stallion was sure that everything she mentioned was just a way to make him seem inferior, why would she ever have problems taking care of a filly? She's a mare. Mares know all about that stuff.

He sat down on the rocking chair that had been placed in the nursery and levitated the filly over to him and onto his lap. This was something somepony with a baby did, right?

“I can do this,” he whispered to himself as he started rocking. It was oddly soothing to be sitting like this with his daughter, even though she was more interested in looking at the toys on the floor instead of him trying to relax with her. At least this time she wasn't crying, which Blueblood considered a vast improvement over the past day and a half.

At some point, Blueblood nodded off in the rocking chair thinking about the most recent mare who had caught his attention. She had been in his sights for years at this point, but she always seemed to be in the hooves of somepony else. He waited for her, if only to stay away from being coerced into fighting whatever stallion she was currently dating. He had learned once before that while he may have had some training with the royal guard, as per royal tradition, fighting was not something he was particularly skilled in. Thankfully, she was single now and he wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

All through his thoughts, he kept feeling a dull pain on his head, at first he was able to ignore it for the sake of her beauty, but after awhile he jerked awake. Unlike him, the baby unicorn was wide awake and exercising one of her magic bursts by bumping a small, thick leather bound book against the side of his head over and over again. The prince snatched the book from the foal's magic, bracing himself for a flood of tears, but instead the filly looked at him expectantly.

The stallion looked from the filly to the book and back again, curious, Blueblood opened it up and placed it on his lap, immediately his daughter curled up next to it to better see the book. He assumed it must have been one of the many distractions that Rarity had packed Blue Belle for her stay. Maybe this would be something that could keep her from crying for a while.

“To Rarity and Lacey from your bestest friends. Oh Celestia, seriously?” Blueblood groaned, of course her little friends would come up with something so silly to give to a baby. Maybe books like this are considered a normal gift for them?

He didn't know and didn't care to find out, instead he turned to the first page. The book was little more than a scrapbook with compiled pictures of Rarity, her friends, and pictures of Lacey from birth up until what looked like few days ago.

While the foal may have been enjoying it, her father found it to be pure torture. Page after page looking at photos of the one mare he didn't want to see and the silly little phrases that her friends
came up with.

“What the heck is a cherrychanga?”

That was just one of the many little quotes in the booklet that Blueblood didn't understand, but he still read every word out loud to the little filly, who was eager to put her hooves to the pages as if to point at the pictures. She especially enjoyed the one of the six mares standing next to some stained glass window in another part of the castle.

He stopped at the last page, he had been ready to just close it and get it over with, but he had to admit he was surprised that there was any page at all in this book devoted to him. Nothing special just a few paparazzi shots from the gala and the various events that week she visited Canterlot. He focused his attention on the image from the gala, the two of them were smiling for the camera as if they were really enjoying their time together. Perhaps at that point they were having a good time, he wasn't sure, at this point he couldn't remember much of the gala anymore, everything before the cake went flying was a little fuzzy.

At the bottom of the page, in Rarity's distinct cursive were two little lines.

“Even though he's not around,
Your father thinks about you all the time”

He looked down at Ivory Lace, who didn't react to the last page like she did the other ones. In fact, she seemed more bored than anything. He wondered if she had ever seen this page before, if her mother had ever even mentioned him before. While a small part of him understood why she didn't care, more than anything, he was upset that she didn't care about him, why didn't she understand that he was trying as hard as he could?

“Your mother would send you to me with pictures of herself,” he mumbled, tossing the book off the chair and picking up the filly with his hooves. The filly seemed more interested in the papers that had fallen out of the book when he threw it and started whining to get him to pay attention to her.

To appease the whining unicorn, the prince bent over and picked up the papers that had fallen out of the book. Blue Belle reached out for one of them that had a photograph stuffed inside.

“What are you looking at?” He asked as he levitated the photo, the filly was reaching towards, in front of him.

“Mama.”

The unicorn looked at the photograph, it wasn't anything he hadn't already seen before, it was just Rarity holding their daughter after she was born. He raised an eyebrow, what was the point of that? The picture was already in the book why attach it to one of the loose papers in the back? He grabbed the paper the photo had been attached to, away from the filly's grip.

Blueblood,
My mother wanted me to send you this picture. It was taken just after you left. I know you and I made a deal, but I thought maybe you would like to see her sometime?

He started to go through all the other papers that had been sprawled across the floor, each one was similar to the first one he saw. They all featured a picture or two of Blue Belle through the past few months with a short note attached to it, usually featuring a few rewrites on the same page. Every single note was addressed to him, but none of them had actually ever been sent to him. Despite her usually brash behavior towards him, he was surprised how unsure of herself she was in those letters, always crossing things out and rewriting them.

She shouldn't be blaming him for not trying when she was obviously too afraid to reach out to him. After all, once Blue Belle was born only one letter was ever sent to him. Just a short one sent by Rarity's parents that said that the foal was named Ivory Lace and that she was healthy and both mother and daughter were doing well. True, he had never asked for more, but obviously she had no intentions of reaching out to him any more than she already had. It was bad enough that the only letter that was sent to him wasn't even from her.

He looked into his daughters big bright blue eyes, they looked so hopeful and sweet. How could something so sweet and innocent come from two ponies who couldn't get along?

This is what his servants had been telling him about. This was the warm and fuzzy feeling they had mentioned. The prince sighed, he couldn't blame Rarity for what was partially his fault. Perhaps if he hadn't been so against the idea of doing anything for the filly he would have received these letters and pictures. He picked her up and kissed her on the forehead.

“Blue Belle, I promise you that from now on I will try to be a better father to you.”

For the remainder of the week, Blueblood lived up to that promise the best he could. He tried not to get so frustrated with her and found activities around the castle that could keep her busy when she got bored with the usual routine. He figured it was a far cry from what she probably did when she was at home with her mom, but at least she wasn't crying hysterically like she was for the first day and a half.

He tried to convince himself that he was having a good time, and at times he was. He did generally enjoy being around his daughter and watching her experience new things around the castle. At one point he tracked down the window in the picture she liked so much and brought her there. While he didn't exactly like looking at a giant window with her likeness on it, he would do anything to keep the filly happy, and visiting that window definitely made her happy.

By the end of the week, Blueblood was exhausted, he had no idea how her mother put up with her without going crazy. Blue Belle was either off the walls excited, whining or sleeping. There was no in-between.

When he received an invitation from Fleur de Lis asking for a date that evening he jumped at the opportunity to take a night off from being a father. He figured that after this week he deserved a prize and Fleur de Lis was the ultimate prize.

An hour before Fleur was set to arrive the prince made himself presentable, gone were the dark circles that had appeared under his eyes and any traces that he had spent the week doing something anything less than princely. As soon as he felt that he achieved that, he walked into the nursery.

“Hey sweetie, will you be a good little filly for your daddy? He has a very special guest coming over, he has been waiting for his mare to be single for years.” She looked up at him with a blank expression. “Your silence is music to my ears,” he smiled.

* * *

Rarity stood on the deck of the airship, the week was almost over and soon she would have to go back to facing reality. Back to being up for days at a time taking care of Lacey and orders, back to just being a seamstress in Ponyville.

“Rarity? Is everything OK?” Rarity turned around and faced the stallion.

“Yes, I'm just a little sad that our trip is ending, thank you again for this amazing trip, Fancypants.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Rarity. You are my favorite party guest after all.”

“No really, this is the most amazing trip I have ever been on!” She got up and looked over the edge of the airship. “We're thousands of miles above Equestria!”

“Only the most beautiful views for the most beautiful mare on board.”

“You have to tell him” She told herself. “The trip is almost over. It wouldn't hurt to just say it, what have you got to lose?”

“I have something I need to tell you,” she blurted out.

“Is everything alright?”

“I... I'm not sure. This is just something I feel like I should tell you.”

“Go ahead then.”

“I don't know how to put this, and I hope you don't think any less of me when I tell you.”

“Miss Rarity, I assure you there is nothing you can say that will make me think less of you.”

He was so sincere when he said those words that she wanted to cry. He probably thought that she was going to admit a crush or something else that was minuscule compared to the truth. As much as she wished for things to be different she had a grim outlook towards his reaction. “You have to tell him, either the truth gets out now or it gets out later when there is more to lose,” she reminded herself.

“I... have... a daughter...” She closed her eyes and braced herself for the falling out, yelling maybe? Possibly just ignoring her for the last day of the trip?

“Well, Miss Rarity... I can honestly say that was not what I was expecting to hear.”

“I know and I can understand if you have no intention in seeing me anymore,”

“No, it's not that. I feel... bad.”

“Bad? Why would he feel bad? He didn't do anything.”

Out of all the possible responses that he could have said, this one probably hit her the hardest. The last thing she wanted from him, from anypony, was pity. She thought she was handling everything well for somepony her age, especially since before having Ivory Lace, she didn't quite like foals all that much.

“I'm sorry, Miss Rarity, that didn't come out the way I intended. What I meant was that I was ashamed of myself for treating you so badly.”

“Badly? Perish the thought, darling. You have been nothing, but charming.”

“If only that were so... Miss Rarity, have I ever told you about my mother?”

“I don't believe so, no.”

“She was young as well when I was born. My father wasn't around, I never really got to know him. She raised me to respect a lady and I have not respected you in a way that would make anypony proud. I took you away from her and was too busy for half the week to be with you. Not to mention what you and I have done... I just don't want to give you a bad reputation.”

“I assure you that you would never give me a bad reputation, any reputation I receive is because of myself and myself alone.”

Fancypants smiled and put his foreleg around his companion bringing the two of them closer together. Rarity felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, finally she could say that everypony important in her life knew and she wouldn't have to worry about hiding anything anymore.

“So how old is she?”

“She just turned five months old last week. Her name is Ivory Lace.”

There was a long pause, she could feel the stallion's grip around her loosen and she was worried she said something that made him upset.

“The... week you were in Canterlot?” She didn't realize that he would be able to figure out so quickly when Lacey was conceived. Rarity nodded, biting her lip. “Is she my daughter?”

“No, no we hadn't... not at that point.”

“Just making sure, it's been awhile.” Fancypants assured her. “I suppose the true father is one that could cause quite a stir in Canterlot.” he added, with a more whimsical tone in his voice than he had a moment ago. “Many stallions were taken by you, I know for a fact that several events were created so others could get to know you better. May I inquire about her father?”

The words “out of the picture” came to mind, “lout” too. She couldn't think of a single good thing to say about him. She wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt this week, but with how the week started out she didn't think she could.

“Blueblood,” she said quietly.

* * *

Blueblood woke up to alarms sounding and screams protruding from outside his door, he jumped out of his bed and looked back quickly, it was empty. He assumed Fleur left hours ago. Did he smell smoke? His eyes widened, he pushed open his door and ran down the hall. Ponies from all over the palace had gathered around the nursery, the prince pushed through them all only to have his worst fears realized.

The nursery was charred, everything in it was either in ashes or covered in soot. The whole room was overturned as if somepony had been searching for something and when his eyes landed on the empty crib, he realized what they had been searching for.

“Quick, is my daughter OK?” Blueblood asked the closest servant, the servant didn't respond, he only bowed his head. “She's gone isn't she?” He asked quieter this time, the servant just nodded. The stallion took a deep breath and shooed all the servants out of the room and closed the door behind them. He had no doubt that they were listening at the door, waiting to hear what he would do next, but he didn't plan on giving them a show.

He walked around the room examining what was left, one bag full of Rarity's things was left almost untouched, but the rest seemed almost unsalvageable, much like the rest of the room. Pictures were scattered around the room, most were the ones that were taken this week, but there were a few that had come from the bags. He stopped at a particular picture, when he had taken Blue Belle down to the gardens, it was a simple snapshot of her, but it served as a grim reminder for the prince.

Then, an even more chilling thought came to mind. Her mother would be coming by in a few hours to pick her up, the only problem was the filly wasn't here. Not only did she not like him before she dropped the foal off, but now that he had effectively continued to screw things up...

“Shit, Rarity is going to kill me.”

Chapter 4

“I am truly sorry.”

Those four words had been echoing through Rarity's head as she walked up the stairs of the castle towards Blueblood's suite. They had been said to save face and make both of them look good in a public place, but that was all they were. They were just hollow words with no real meaning.

She knew that now, of course. If only she had realized it then.

Rarity trotted through the castle quickly, ignoring anything that wasn't in her path as she thought about what she was going to say when she saw Blueblood. She had decided that whatever it was, would have to be something he wouldn't argue with her about because she had no intentions of staying here long. She never dared stay at the castle longer than needed when she came to visit the prince. It was hard to want to stay when the stallion she was visiting was the biggest jerk she had ever had the misfortune of spending time with.

Her thoughts were stopped short when she noticed the door to the prince's wing of the castle was wide open. She stared at it with confusion, in the past few months every time she had visited him in the castle, he had always been one to make sure that the door was tightly closed and locked, no matter the occasion and had always vehemently opposed the idea of keeping your doors unlocked like Rarity was used to in Ponyville. One day she brought it up to him after having been locked out when he had promised to speak to her, Blueblood ended up spending an hour explaining to her that unlike the ponies who live in Ponyville, in Canterlot doors were locked for personal safety and privacy. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't spoken to her as if she were a child the whole time.

Seeing the door open like this was the complete opposite of everything he had ever told her and it was making her slightly nervous to find out what was in store for her inside that wing of the castle.

She stepped gingerly inside and looked around, the entire room seemed to have been flipped in such a state of disarray she wondered if the stallion had gone on some kind of rampage or something. She was not feeling very positive about the rapid change in décor.

“Oh my...” She said to herself.

Blueblood winced when he heard those words and stepped away with his conversation with the head of the royal guard. He walked slowly over to Rarity with a fake smile plastered on his face while she examined every nook and cranny of the room.

Once he caught her eye, the two ponies stared at each other for a moment trying to figure out how to start off a conversation without out rightly bringing up what was plaguing them just yet.

“Rarity, you're back early,” The prince finally said, he waited a beat and when she didn't respond he quickly added, “and you look lovely... very relaxed and well rested, must have been a nice vacation. Did you do something different with your hair? It looks great.”

He bit his tongue, he hadn't meant to ramble on like that, but he was so nervous about telling her what happened that he would do anything to make the truth less painful for her, even if that meant flattering her just a tad bit. Unfortunately for the stallion, her flat expression did not change.

“I figured I would relieve you of your... what was it that you called her? Oh yes, your biggest mistake. I decided it was time to let you go back to your life as it was before we came into it,” She responded coldly.

“Oh,” he responded, his voice sounding hurt.

“And not a moment too soon I see. Your home looks like a disaster hit it,” Blueblood bit his lip, she drew a short breath and then asked, “now, where is Ivory Lace?”

“Rarity...” the stallion started off as he looked down at the floor, suddenly immersed in his hooves, “she kind of... disappeared.” He looked back up at her and winced as if he was expecting some kind of pain to befall him. Instead the mare just smiled slyly.

“Did you check under her crib?” She asked.

“Excuse me?”

“The same thing happened when my friend Pinkie was foalsitting her one day. Ivory Lace had so much fun with the twins that live with Pinkie, that the three of them hid under the crib when I returned to pick her up. Pinkie and I ended up tearing apart Sugarcube Corner before finally finding them curled up under the cribs in the nursery with a few toys.”

“While that is a cute story, I do not think we are thinking of similar situations...”

“What do you mean?”

“Why don't you follow me to the nursery?” He said as he lead the confused unicorn down the hall and stops in front of the nursery.

He opened the door to the nursery without saying a word and let Rarity peer inside, when she saw the charred nursery, her face fell. She stepped inside and breathed in the smoky smell that had stayed with the room since the early hours of the morning and examined the blackened furniture and the charred remains of her daughter's possessions. With every step she took, she could feel her heart breaking, she tried to contain the tears that were prickling against her eyes, as she turned back towards the prince. So far she had been prided herself on saying and doing exactly what she had practiced in her head, but this had not been part of her plan.

“Is she... dead?” She asked, fearing the worst.

“I... nopony knows right now. The guards have been searching, but there hasn't been any news just yet.”

She didn't respond and the prince turned away from her, he didn't want to see her reaction. He hadn't realized how truly afraid to see her reaction he was, until she had arrived. He tried to focus on a picture on the wall in the hallway of his parents, but all he could think about was how disappointed his father would be in him if he were still alive. Blueblood felt like he should have anticipated this and that he should have been better prepared just in case, after all his father had once put his life on the line to keep his family safe, what made it so difficult for him to do the same?

His thoughts were cut short by the sound of a loud thud, he turned away from the picture and peered back into the nursery only to see an unconscious Rarity lying on the ground.

“This... was not what I expected to happen...”

The hours passed slowly as Prince Blueblood paced the hallway outside his bedroom asking every royal guard that passed in his direction if there were any updates. Every time he was answered with a resounding 'no' and no matter how many times he asked, no other ponies in the castle seemed to have the same sense of urgency that he had.

His prior conversation with Shining Armor had brought him no further to figuring out what had happened to his filly and since then every no he received from the other guards made him feel more and more anxious. It had gotten to the point that he didn't have to look in the mirror to know that he looked like an absolute mess. His usually well coiffed mane was scruffy and out of sorts because he had run his hooves through it every few minutes for the past few hours and his usually clean pressed suit was covered in the soot from the nursery after having spent so much time walking in and out of there searching for something that might give the guards a clue as to what was going on.

“Hello sir, can I get you anything to calm your nerves?” A servant girl asked levitating a cup of tea towards him.

“Nothing will help,” he said as he turned his head away from her in refusal.

“How about your mare friend?” The mare asked, incredibly certain that somepony would have use of her services right that moment. That kind of upbeat personality was not what the stallion wanted to deal with at that moment, not when he was in such a bad mood.

“No, she is occupied right now and I would prefer that you just leave both of us alone,” the prince snapped.

“Of course, your highness,” the mare whispered as she scampered off in the opposite direction.

Blueblood took a deep breath, he felt a twinge of guilt for yelling at the girl, but it was useless now, the damage had been done. Besides, he reasoned with himself, he had bigger things to worry about than the well being of some random servant.

He used this as a reason to take a break from his constant questioning of the passing guards and walked back into his bedroom. He sat down on the red velvet chair next to his bed and rubbed his forehead with his hooves, the lack of sleep was starting to catch up to him, but he refused to give in to it. He had more pressing matters to deal with.

“She is really gone isn't she?” Rarity asked quietly, her voice cutting through the silence in the room like a knife.

“Well... yes.” Rarity sighed and flipped over on the bed to face away from the prince. He quickly added, “I'm sure wherever she is, she is safe and I have no doubt in my mind that the guards will find her, they have been specially trained to keep Equestrians safe, no matter what.”

He heard her mumble a few words to herself and waited a beat before asking, “beg pardon?”

She sat up on the bed and glared at him, “Perhaps if you actually cared about her, things would have been different. Maybe if you had just acknowledged from the start that she was more than just a mistake you made...”

The prince blinked back in surprise, how was it that just a moment ago she knew he was just as upset about this as she was? This conversation was heading in a completely different direction now and he knew he shouldn't give in to her arguing but he was too tired to stay civil with her any longer.

“Excuse me? I will have you know that I do care about her, and I do not understand how acknowledging her as my daughter from the start would have done anything to help this situation except raise more eyebrows. Please do keep up this attitude of yours Miss Rarity, for a moment there I was actually worried about your well being as well, but I am glad that I have been reminded yet again as to why I do not like you.”

“And why is that, Blueblood?”

“Well, to start, you are a vain, social climbing liar who would do just about anything to save your own reputation.”

“Excuse me? That sounds a tad bit more like a description of yourself.”

“No Rarity, you see, unlike you I do not go walking around Canterlot thinking I am the most important pony around just because the elite like my clothes and because Fancypants likes the way my hips look. That is all you.”

“No, of course you don't act that way,” she said as she rolled her eyes, “it isn't as if you use your title to get anything you want, nor is it the only reason any mare shows an interest in you.”

“You would know all about that, after all you have been one of those mares attracted to my title.”

“Absolutely not!”

“Oh so you came up to me at the gala because you liked my personality? It seems if that were the case we wouldn't be arguing right now.”

“Excuse me, but you were the one who came up to me at the gala and airship launch! Never have I ever initiated conversation with you in public.”

“The first time I only went up to you because Auntie Celestia had suggested it to me, I do not want you to be fooled into thinking that I have ever been attracted to you.”

“And the time at the ship launch?”

“You and I both know that it was only to give us good publicity. A nasty gossip column was written about the events of the gala, so apologizing to each other made us look good to anypony who could recall specifics. Not that you didn't enjoy speaking to me that evening, I know you would never admit it to me, but you know that short conversation made you look more important and it made your beloved little Fancypants jealous.”

“I only spoke to you because alcohol had clouded up my rational thinking, looking good with the elite had nothing to do with it. I was already doing very well with them without your help.”

“Sure you were, just like those two glasses of wine you had must have been terrible for your rational thinking, they are incredibly alcoholic after all.”

"Need I remind you that you did buy us stronger liquor later that evening?"

“Of course I remember that! After all, hard liquor is the only way to make you tolerable. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks so, your coltfriend seemed to be pretty dependent on the alcohol that night as well before you came running to me.”

“You took her yourself didn't you? You decided you didn't want to deal with me anymore so you staged this entire incident, didn't you?”

They both reeled back slightly after she spoke those words. Rarity could not believe that she had actually said that out loud. It had been at the tip of her tongue since the beginning of the argument, just waiting for the moment when he had pushed her too far. She didn't actually believe that he did it, but she had wanted to say something that she knew would hurt him just like he had done to her.

Blueblood, on the other hoof, tried to remind himself that she was just spouting nonsense because she was upset. He tried to keep himself from yelling at her, after all how could she have the gall to accuse him for this? Didn't she see how torn up about this he was?

Shining Armor had chosen this moment to tread through the crowd of ponies that had gathered around the door to listen to the argument going on between to the two unicorns. He had just received notice of an update the two unicorns may be interested in, and as soon as he was safely in Blueblood's room he slammed the door shut to keep the crowd from seeing the rest of the conversation, yet the two unicorns were still oblivious to what was going on around them. Even after the crowd had dissipated, he realized that getting them to pay attention to the scroll did not prove to be as simple as he had initially expected it to be.

“I am appalled that you would stoop so low to accuse me! If I wanted full control of her I can assure you that under Canterlot law I would have not have any problems.”

“Excuse me? Your highness...” Shining Armor started to say as loud as he could as he levitated a scroll up towards them. Both unicorns finally looked over at him, each with a look of relief on their face hoping for good news and a way out of this never ending argument.

“Shining Armor! Thank goodness you are here, please tell this silly little mare that I did not hide my own daughter from her,” Blueblood interrupted.

“He didn't hide...”

“Thank you, Shining Armor, but you don't need to repeat him, he's right, he didn't do it. I am sure he was probably much too busy in bed with another mare to notice anything about his own daughter.”

“Rarity, don't you dare base your arguments about my skills as a parent based on our conversations and the one letter I sent you. I put her to bed at a normal time, she was taken around three in the morning. There was never a problem before, why should I have thought last night would be any different?”

“Can I interrupt?” Shining Armor asked speaking up yet again. Both the unicorns stopped their arguing and looked at him. “Prince Blueblood, you need to go into hiding. The guards found this note in the castle and it gives us reason to believe that some ponies stole your daughter and plan on going after you next.”

“What? Why?” Blueblood asked as he took the note from Shining Armors' grasp, his silver magic shrouding the scroll as he brought it over to his eye level and looked it over.

“I told you other ponies don't like you,” Rarity snorted.

“That's enough, Rarity!" He snapped. "Besides, according to this note they are not exactly smitten with you either.”

“How is that possible? How would anypony even know about you and I?”

“We believe perhaps there may be a spy in the castle, it would also be the only way they could know about her. After all, she is not exactly well advertised as his daughter,” Shining Armor said as Rarity leaned over Blueblood's shoulder to get a better look at the note.

Your Royal Highness Prince Blueblood,

Expect that to be one of the last times you are called by this moniker.

The ponies of Equestria believe that it is time for the Blueblood family to be taken out of power. You and your family have built a reputation on top of secrets and lies for generations and we believe that it has to end immediately. Especially in the recent years where you, your highness, have become nothing but a face to a fortune. You have done nothing to prove yourself worthy of your title nor of the treasures you possess.

You and that pitiful mare known as the “Element of Generosity” need to stop pretending to be what you are not. Neither of you have what it takes to truly be a noble that Equestria deserves. Trust us when we say that you have done absolutely nothing to help the Equestrian populace and it isn't like your little one night stand would be any better should she ever ascend to the throne.

As you very well know at this point, your daughter is missing, we have taken her into our possession for the time being. I will assure you that she is safe and will continue to be safe as long as you do things our way.

You should also take note that we do plan on letting all of Equestria know the truth and if we hear that either one of you has spoken to a reporter about what you think is really happening, then you can bet your horn that you will never see your daughter again.

We'll meet again soon your highness, just don't expect to live through it.

“As Captain of the royal guard I believe it is in your best interest to evacuate the castle”

“Why would anypony do this? What have I ever done to other ponies that would coerce them into doing something like this?”

“Perhaps it is because you are a vain social climbing liar who will do anything to save your reputation.” He shot a look over to her, she just smiled innocently.

“Rarity, I know you are upset right now, but this is not the time to insult each other..." Shining Armor pointed out before turning to the prince. "And Blueblood I don't think I need to stress how important it is for you to take this threat seriously. Somepony obviously has it out for you and has already taken measures to prove this to you.”

The pair looked at each other with low and apologetic eyes, neither of them said another word as another member of the royal guard opened the door and signaled Shining Armor to come speak to him.

After Shining Armor left the room, the duo looked up at each other nervously, neither of them had to say anything to know what the other was thinking. They were both terrified to hear what he was going to say when he returned. Rarity dug her head into the back of Blueblood's neck, put her forelegs around him and made a few whimpering noises.

It was somewhat comforting to have somepony who understood the situation and at the moment she was the only thing keeping him from going completely insane, she may not have been the ideal companion, but she would do for now.

The head of the royal guard walked back over to the pair slowly, they broke apart and with every step Shining Armor made towards the bed, both unicorns considered any and every bad thing that could have possibly happened to their daughter.

“Several more notes exactly like the first have been found scattered around the castle. It is assumed that the perpetrator or somepony they are associated with may be hiding somewhere in the castle. At this point it is extremely dangerous for you to stay here Blueblood. You need to leave immediately.”

“I doubt the summer home will be ready for me,” he said quietly.

“I can assure you that it is not ready right now, but really Blueblood it's for the best. Your mother has already checked into a spa in Las Pegasus and I have some of my best stallions looking into small inns and motels that you could stay in for a few days under a false name.”

“I'll take him in,” Rarity piped up. Blueblood stared at her incredulously. “What?” She asked the surprised looking prince, “it would be easier for the guards to contact us if we are in the same place, besides since everypony in Equestria knows that we are not exactly fond of one another, nopony would think to look in Ponyville for you.”

“Absolutely not, she's probably the one who wants to murder me!” Rarity glared at him, he took a step back, “Not saying you stole your own daughter of course, just saying that given the chance... I'll just stop there.”

“Good idea,” Rarity agreed.

“Rarity has a point, as long as she doesn't flaunt you around town I don't see why you can't spend a day or two there while we get another reservation ready for you elsewhere.”

“But... aren't they after her too?” Blueblood asked, desperately seeking a way out of having to spend any more time with her.

“It doesn't seem like they are, there are no outright threats against her. Of course, if something is to happen to either of you that is out of the ordinary it is imperative that you contact the guard immediately.”

Blueblood stayed silent as the guards and Rarity worked out a plan that would keep everypony safe, but he couldn't concentrate on what they were saying, instead all he could think about was what he had just gotten himself into.

* * *

The carriage ride to Ponyville was quiet, Rarity and Blueblood sat opposite each other staring out their respective windows. Neither of them really wanted to be the first to break the silence, the argument they had before they left still stuck with them and without Shining Armor to play the mediator, neither wanted to risk having a repeat argument right now.

Finally, Rarity could no longer stand it and broke the silence:

“I'm sorry I lost my temper earlier, it was crude and unladylike of me, but it has just been a terrible and seemingly never ending day. Last night I told Fancypants that you and I have a daughter and he told me that he did not feel comfortable interfering with our relationship right now, despite trying to explain to him that there was nothing happening between you and I. So I have no idea if I will ever see him again.” She sighed then looked at the prince sadly. “Then, of course I come back to Canterlot and find out that my daughter went missing...”

“I cannot say that I was thrilled to wake up at three in the morning to an empty nursery either.”

“I know and I am sorry I blamed you. You had no reason to hide her. I was just so angry. I also should not have said that you never cared, nor should I have assumed that you were tied up with a mare while she disappeared. What happened between us in the past is just that... the past. I apologize.”

He didn't respond, he just turned back to his window and stared at the moving landscape outside, she followed suit. They went back to trying to pretend that the other didn't exist for the time being.

Blueblood woke up from a sleep he had not realized he had even been in, until the carriage came to a halt in Ponyville. Blueblood sighed, once again he had returned to this backward little earth pony town, he didn't exactly hold fond memories of the place.

He had never actually thought about what it would be like to visit this place again, not after the cold welcoming that he had been given by a certain unicorn family the last time he had been in Ponyville.

And yet here he was again.

The carriage had come to a stop in front of a seemingly normal cottage. Prince Blueblood had to admit that he was surprised, he had always figured that Rarity lived in some kind of crazy looking building that made somepony with an untrained eye believe she was important. He never once believed that she actually lived in such a simple abode, it was actually quite refreshing.

“This is where you live?” He asked as he stepped out of the carriage, “It's... quaint.”

“Oh no, I don't live here. I live in my boutique on the other side of town, but with everything going on I would prefer that nopony know that I am home. Besides, I would like to avoid seeing Ivory Lace's things, so instead my parents have generously offered to let us stay with them for the time being.”

“So let me get this straight... this is where your parents live?” Rarity nodded, “And we are going to be staying here?” Again his companion nodded. “I can't stay here! They will kill me! Your father has made it very clear to me that he does not like me.”

Rarity rolled her eyes and opted to ignore his hysterics as she went to open the door. The prince on the other hand, walked slowly and quietly back towards the carriage, hoping she wouldn't notice his disappearance.

Blueblood knew all too well that if he tried to leave he wouldn't have anywhere else to go, but if he stayed here he was running the risk of getting physically injured again. He knew that he needed to go somewhere, at least for the night, which was quietly creeping up on the sleepy little town.

He trotted up to the door and knocked. The door opened slowly and Rarity's parents peeked their heads out. The prince put on the nicest smile he could muster. He admitted that it probably looked fake, but it was better than nothing. Rarity's father frowned.

“No,” he said as he slammed the door in his face.

“Well it was worth a try, I'm surprised her father even told her that he'd allow me into his home,” the prince reasoned. He figured that perhaps the carriage drivers could take him back to the castle and he could try to find another place to stay in the morning.

Chapter 5

Rarity's parents thought they had seen it all.

After spending every summer traveling to tourist traps all around Equestria, they were well acquainted with the over the top dramatics of their older daughter, the bubbling enthusiasm of their younger one and of course, the colorful and sometimes seedy personalities of the ponies they met along the way.

They had not expected for their eldest daughter to be completely silent upon her return from Canterlot.

Earlier that afternoon, they had received a short note from Rarity acknowledging that she would need to spend a night or two at their place and that she would be bringing a guest with her. The note hadn't answered any of the questions they currently had and Rarity didn't seem like she had any intent to answer them herself.

When she came through the door, they greeted her as warmly as they always had whenever she decided to stop by for a visit. Instead of responding to them, she just walked up the stairs without any acknowledgment. It was shocking to her parents, they were used to some kind of reaction from their daughter. Something other than apathy.

Then as quickly as it had begun, the silence that had unfolded once she walked through the door was momentarily shattered by the sound of a door slamming shut and then the sound of tiny hooves running down the stairs.

“She locked me out of my room!” Sweetie Belle shrieked as she motioned her hoof towards her room.

“Now Sweetie, your sister is really upset about something... we think. Just let her be for a little while I'm sure sooner or later she'll open the door,” her mother assured.

Sweetie Belle walked back up the stairs grumbling to herself, her parents turned to each other sharing concerned looks. This was not how their oldest daughter usually reacted. Usually if she was upset she let them know exactly what was wrong... very loudly. They debated going upstairs to ask her what was wrong, but after having spent many arguments locked outside her bedroom door while she was growing up, they weren't even sure if she would open the door for them.

They heard another knock at the door. The stallion opened the door and both ponies peered outside, their eyes widened in surprise when they saw the prince standing on their front porch with the most fake smile they had ever seen.

Her father's brow furrowed. “No,” he said as he slammed the door in the prince's face.

“Magnum, dear...”

“Absolutely not!”

“He's probably Rarity's guest. Besides, dear, he probably knows why she's upset.”

“Of course he knows what's wrong! Whatever it is, is probably his fault in the first place! And if he is her guest then you can bet your bum that she will get a talking to later. Why bother to give him another chance? He'd just ruin that too!”

His wife ignored him and re-opened the door for the prince. “Come on in, dearie.”

“Thank you,” the prince said as he stepped inside. He had scarcely been through the door when the mare eagerly dragged him over to where they had been sitting.

“Now, do you have any idea what's going on? Rare's been strangely quiet and it's not like her. Her father and I are very worried.”

“Well... you see Blue Belle was taken from my care after I had put her to bed last night... somepony who hates my family stole her as a way to prove I should not have any power.”

“Who in Tartarus is Blue Belle?” Magnum asked furrowing his brow.

“I mean Ivory Lace. Sorry, Blue Belle is a family name and I...”

“So you're tellin' me that my granddaughter was taken because some ponies hate you?” Blueblood nodded. “This is insane!” He turned to his wife and extended his foreleg towards the prince. “This is why he shouldn't have had another chance. I told you it was his fault.”

“I never meant any harm to either...” The prince started to explain, but was cut off by Rarity's mother

“Ignore him dearie, he's just stubborn. Why don't you go on up and talk to Rare? You'd probably have better luck with her than we would.”

“Thank you,” Blueblood said as he stood up.

“No need to come upstairs and see me. I have no qualms with speaking to you all down here,” Rarity responded as she descended the staircase. “Now, I wanted to share with all of you the plan I have come up with. Bear with me, for it may sound somewhat odd, but please note that I have spent a lot of time thinking about it...”

“What? No hello for your dear ol' dad? You just jump right into your plan? I'm disappointed kiddo.”

“I'm very sorry about that father, but I have just been in my own little world for the past few hours. You see, ever since Blueblood and I left the palace I had been thinking of ways to help the Royal Guard find Lacey faster. I have come to the conclusion that I will go out and look for Ivory Lace myself.” She paused for a moment to let the words sink in before adding, “Blueblood, you are welcome to come with me, but don't feel like you have to. I would like to avoid pressuring you into doing something you don't want to do.”

The other ponies in the room looked at her as if she had three heads, while they tried to sort out if she was serious or not. Her parents glanced at each other confused, both trying to understand if she was being serious or just pulling their legs. Silently they were hoping for the latter to be true.

“Rarity, the royal guards have it covered,” Blueblood finally spoke up.

“They were unable to save her the first time around, what makes you think the second time will be any better?”

"Rare don't be like that, it seems like it was something that was beyond their control. After all it isn't like the castle hasn't been attacked before," her mother added, trying to console her.

"Which is exactly why I want to do something, I obviously cannot trust the guards to do their jobs correctly. Besides, Princess Celestia has trusted my friends and I with tasks like this before, what makes this one different?"

"I really do think that we should leave it to the professionals, you and I are much too close to the situation to make rational decisions."

"Professionals? Blueblood, you yourself told me that, as per family tradition, you trained with the royal guard and I have been trusted as a bearer of the Element of Generosity. What pony could be more professional than the two of us?"

"It could be dangerous... I really don't think it would be a good idea for us to do this."

"Says the stallion who probably wouldn't do anything for his daughter unless I made him.”

There was a long pause, nopony knew how to respond to that at first. Blueblood was poised to respond with a smart comment back to her, but stopped himself short, despite desperately wanting to wipe that look off her face.

“Rare, why don't you take your mom outside? I want to talk to the prince alone.”

The mares acquiesced and walked outside slowly. Blueblood's face immediately flushed with fear. Pondering wy her father wanted everypony else besides him to leave the room? Rarity was probably quick to agree because she knew he was going to do something to him.

As soon as the front door closed, Blueblood winced in fear, while her father sat down and sighed in annoyance.

“You know kid I'm not exactly a fan of this idea my daughter has... but she is practically handing you have a once in a lifetime chance to redeem yourself on a silver platter. You should know all about silver platters, I'm sure that's all you eat off of.”

“Actually...”

“Look kid, my daughter hates you, her friends hate you, and I'm sure you know how my wife and I feel about you. Rare wants to go out and find her, let her do it. And for Celestia's sake kid, go with her. Who knows? It might make ponies around here value you for once.”

“I would prefer Rarity to not get hurt. She has no connection to this and I have no idea how dangerous this could become. I would prefer this be done by the guards.”

“I know how you feel, kid. I really do, but it's her daughter too and she has just as much connection to this as you do, if not more. I won't say I'm exactly thrilled with the idea or the situation, but there's nothin' I can really do about it, now is there? Besides, she's right, she and her friends have been trusted by Princess Celestia to take care of seemingly more dangerous villains than this.”

"I suppose..."

"Besides if you do this right then Rare might actually appreciate you. I know I would probably have some respect for you."

While Blueblood was not entirely convinced that this plan would work in any way, shape or form, at this point it seemed like he had no choice. If he even thought about choosing to stay here and hide away from the ponies who want him dead, the ponies in this town would surely make him feel incredibly guilty about it every waking minute. He didn't respond to her father, he just stood up and walked outside where the three mares were sitting gazing at the stars. He took a deep breath and tapped his hoof to Rarity's shoulder. As she turned around, he shot her one of his winning smiles that he usually only saved for his photo opportunities.

“I've thought about it... and you may be right. Maybe the two of us could do it ourselves...” he bit his lip before he almost added “when pigs fly” to his previous statement.

“You mean it?” She asked, her face bright with excitement.

“Yes,” he responded, trying to keep himself from including his own pessimistic thoughts. Right now he just wanted to humor her. Besides, sooner or later she wouldn't want to continue on this journey anyway. How could she when neither of them had any idea where to start, nor did they know what they were supposed to do if they ever did actually find the ponies who took their daughter. While he contemplated that, Rarity levitated an unopened scroll similar to the one Shining Armor had showed them at the palace earlier that evening.

“Did you steal that?” He asked as he followed her back inside. She grabbed the saddle bag she had abandoned earlier and nodded.

“I borrowed it. After all, the guards have plenty of others, besides I need the seal to be unbroken”

“For what?”

“Research,” Rarity replied as she stuck the scroll and another object that the prince couldn't quite see, in her saddle bag and skipped out the door. The prince tried to run after her to catch up to her quick pace.

“Wait... how long have you been planning this?”

“I grabbed a scroll before we got in the carriage and while you were sleeping I formulated a plan.”

“Oh, so would you care to explain exactly where we are going right now?”

“We are going to visit one of my closest friends, Twilight Sparkle, who is a master of research. I noticed that all of the notes in the palace are closed with a wax seal that I have never seen before. I am positive that if we bring this letter to Twilight, she can figure out who sent it based on the seal.”

She stopped short in front of a large tree, based on the signs in front of it Blueblood figured this must be the town's library. “Just wait out here for a few minutes, okay? I don't want you to scare the poor dear before I have a chance to explain the situation to her.”

“Fair enough.”

She smiled sweetly as she opened the door to the library, as hurt and scared as she was, she wanted a few moments of normalcy, besides there would be plenty of time later for Twilight to worry as well.

“Helloooo!” Rarity cooed.

“Hey Rarity!” Twilight smiled as she walked into the main room of the library. “How did your vacation with Fancypants go?”

“It could have gone better...” she said slowly, her smile drooping slightly as she recalled Fancypant's reaction to her one night stand with Blueblood.

“Oh, Rarity, I'm so sorry.”

“It will be fine in time, I'm sure. A trip to the spa with Fluttershy and he will be completely forgotten,” she proclaimed dramatically, then paused and looked her friend in the eye. “Of course that is not why I'm here so late. I'm here because I need your help”

“Oh, of course, what do you need help with? Do you need a new book about fashion to keep your mind off things?”

“No... actually I am here to ask you if you know anything about the Blueblood family, perhaps the history of the family? Or maybe a family curse? Anything really.”

“Why? Did something happen between you and the prince? Was he on the ship too? He made a comment about you being lower class didn't he? I thought you told me that the two of you made some kind of public truce while you were visiting Canterlot...”

“Well... sort of...”

Blueblood took this opportunity to make his grand entrance. He waltzed through the door of the library with his head held high and a smirk on his face.

Rarity sighed, “he's Ivory Lace's father.”

“Blue Belle.”

“Not now!” She hissed before turning back to Twilight whose mouth was wide open as she looked back and forth between the her friend and the prince. “Twilight I know this sounds absolutely insane, but we are in desperate need of your help. Somepony stole Ivory Lace while she was staying at Canterlot Castle with Prince Blueblood. All we have to go on is this scroll found in the castle that was meant for him,” she explained as she handed off the scroll in her saddlebag to Twilight with her magic. “Would you be a dear and research it for us please?”

“Immediately,” Blueblood added. “Forget whatever silly assignment my aunt sent you. This is a matter of greater importance.”

Twilight just stood there, confused, as she tried to register the information that had been fed to her. Thanks to the events that occurred at the Grand Galloping Gala, the two of them had made it painfully clear that they disliked each other. Rarity had made it very clear that she hoped to never have to associate with Prince Blueblood ever again. So how was it possible that even with alcohol they would do something like that? Had they been drugged? Perhaps hypnotized? No, there was definitely some kind of magic spell at work here, there had to be.

She went through all the possibilities before even considering saying anything to them. She wanted to have an articulate response to that bombshell of a question.

“Does Princess Celestia know?” Twilight finally asked still wide eyed.

“No, and I would appreciate it if you kept it out of your little letters to her. I don't think she would take too kindly to knowing that her nephew impregnated one of her precious elements.”

“Does... does my brother know?”

Blueblood sighed. “Yes, Miss Sparkle he was the first in the castle to find out and to answer your next question, no he does not like the situation any more than you do.”

“Twilight, dear, I know you are in shock, but we are in desperate need of your help. Right now, who knows and does not know, holds no importance whatsoever because apparently all of Equestria will hear about it soon enough.”

“I could look it up,” Twilight finally said as she examined the seal on the note.

Twilight Sparkle had to admit, the use of a seal was very surprising, not many ponies used seals when sending letters anymore because it was so much easier to stick them in an envelope instead of waiting for the hot wax to cool off. The only seal she had ever seen in her lifetime featured the crest of Princess Celestia.

She had her doubts about the seal though. What pony would be so simple minded as to give away exactly who they were that easily? She doubted she would find any information about it in any of her books, the seal had to be a fake. Something to throw the ponies off the trail perhaps? The purple unicorn decided that she should start with a different approach.

She took a deep breath. “Blueblood, how about you start by telling me who could have done this to you? Do you have any enemies?”

“Of course not, I'm incredibly well liked among my subjects, well... except for you and your friends, and the duke from Prance because I slept with his daughter, that one mare I left in the woods, the mare I told I had twelve hours to live, the mare I pretended to proposed to, and of course the dozens of other mares I slept with and never talked to again." He paused. "Okay... so perhaps that is just the tip of the iceberg and there are plenty of ponies out there who don't like me...”

“You brought a girl camping?” Rarity asked surprised.

“Really? Out of all the things he said, you are choosing to fixate on that?” Twilight moaned.

“If you thought I was bad around dirt, you should see how he is,” she explained rolling her eyes to prove a point. “Besides, Twilight, it's a lost lead. There are just too many ponies out there who hate him. I would prefer if we searched through your books for information on the seal. I know that will get us further than going through a list of his enemies.”

“Okay...” Twilight responded sounding defeated.

All through the night, Twilight Sparkle poured through the books in her library looking for any information that could be related to the seal, but nothing of importance was popping out at her. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to just get an hour of sleep, but she couldn't let herself just stop without finding anything.

By the time the sun was starting to rise, Twilight and Rarity had started their third pot of coffee and Twilight felt she had come no closer to a conclusion than she had been when Rarity and Blueblood entered the library the night before. She was almost done with the final page of her last book on the history of wax seals and she and her friend both seemed ready to give up all hope on this lead, when one particular image caught her eye. She brought the seal on the scroll and compared it to the one in the book then smiled.

“Finally!” She exclaimed. The other two unicorns quickly moved in next to her to see what she had found.

“This seal bears the logo of the Silver Guard,” Twilight announced proudly.

“The what?”

“Well, according to this book, the Silver Guard used to be a secret society that was run by the members of the royal families in Canterlot hundreds of years ago.”

As Rarity and Blueblood poured over the book and description of the seal, Twilight ran over to one of her bookcases and used her magic to grab several books about the history of the royal families. She hadn't opened those books since she had been back in Canterlot with Princess Celestia, and she couldn't quite recall what they had said about past royal families. Now was the perfect time to refresh her memory.

Blueblood, on the other hand, was trying to get through the small paragraph about the Silver Guard. It wasn't the subject matter that confused him, it was what it was implying that had him flummoxed.

“This book makes absolutely no sense, there is only one royal family in Canterlot. My family. I can assure you that none of the few surviving members of the sole royal family would stoop to foalnapping my daughter.”

“Your family isn't the only royal family, Prince Blueblood.”

The prince looked over at Twilight, obviously confused. “What do you mean?”

“That's just it, Blueblood there's only one royal family now, but there used to be more. According to the Hearth's Warming story, there were two other tribes. Once the Princesses took the throne she allowed the leaders of the three tribes to continue to be figureheads of each race. Meaning that there used to be three houses of nobility. It's quite possible that the descendants from the other two houses are angry with you because you're the only one that is still in power.”

“That's it? That's all I had to do to tick off other ponies? Just being born into the wrong family? That is absurd!”

“I'm not sure exactly, I mean other than just being born into the royal family there isn't really any reason for them to have a problem with you,” Twilight explained shaking her head. “But your best bet is to track down the ponies who used to be a part of the house of Merriweather and the house of Gamesome and find out the truth for yourself.”

“What happened to them that they are no longer considered royalty?” Rarity asked in the midst of a yawn.

“The book doesn't say... whatever they had done must have been pretty bad though. I mean Princess Celestia isn't one to just ban royalty over a trivial matter.”

“So I've noticed,” Rarity said as she glared at the prince.

“How would we go about finding these ponies? Surely they no longer go by these names now that they are out of power,” Blueblood said ignoring Rarity's previous comment.

“I'm not sure exactly, you see the family trees I have stop around the time they left the throne and that was generations ago. I could probably try and research it, but I can only assume that it will be incredibly difficult because there is very little preceding information to help me. It could take days, possibly weeks, maybe even months...”

Blueblood sighed, of course it would come to this. Unfortunately, he did know a pony who would know how to find this information thanks to his bountiful sources of knowledge and his numerous acquaintances. He did not exactly want to associate himself with this pony right now, as they were not exactly on good terms, but of all the ponies in Equestria... nopony else knew better about the Equestrian elite both past and present than this pony did.

“I know somepony who can help.”

“Who?” Rarity asked excitedly.

“I am not at liberty to say right now, because I am not entirely certain that this pony will want to help me; we are not exactly friends. I do know that I will need to go back to Canterlot to speak with him about it. I get the feeling he would not be interested in reading or replying to a letter from me.” Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but Blueblood interrupted her, “before you say anything, yes I know the risks associated with traveling back to Canterlot, especially in broad daylight, but I am willing to take them to get this information.”

He surprised himself with his own words. Just a few hours ago he wanted no part in this quest, and now he was offering to put his own life on the line for information. Perhaps it was because he really wanted his daughter back, or perhaps it was because wanted to be respected instead of laughed at by the other nobles. Either way he decided, he was going to do this.

“Actually, I was going to thank you for finally showing some initiative, but yes, do be careful.”

Chapter 6

Fear is a troubling emotion. Sometimes it makes one more rash in their decision making skills and other times it can make ponies overly cautious. The prince of Canterlot, usually fell into the latter of the two categories, but today, was different.

Today the prince was on a mission, and while he had lingering doubts about this mission, he was determined to prove himself to be more than just the pretty face everypony seemed to think he was.

Blueblood took the earliest possible train to Canterlot. The sun was bright in the sky and the early risers of the population were already out and about on their daily routine. By the time he arrived, the streets were already scattered with those first few early risers. He tried to remain calm as he walked through the streets assuring himself that, at this time of day, most ponies were only just waking up. Most ponies had no idea that the prince was skulking around town trying to stay hidden, and he doubted those that were awake and moving about cared about anything other than their routine.

Although, he had to admit that he wished he had a bit more skill in illusionary magic, like some ponies he knew. He wasn't discounting what he could do though, very few ponies knew what made the majority of Canterlot citizens tick, like he did.

Had this been any other day, Blueblood doubted he would have even been out of his bed. It was hardly past eight in the morning and he, like most aristocrats, tended to be out late. Why make the day bad by starting it so early?

His informant was always at work this early though, and he had information that he and Rarity desperately needed to have. What better place to start than with the stallion who was well known throughout Canterlot to be one of the hardest to obtain a meeting with, but was also the best at what he did? From past experience, he knew that this stallion was usually free around this time and would most likely be able to speak with him. At least he hoped so.

Blueblood still had absolutely no idea how somepony could be up AND at work so early in the morning. The very thought of it made him want to curl up and take a nap... come to think of it, when was the last time he got some sleep?

“Best not to think of it now,” he reminded himself as he continued on.

The office building was not too far from the train station, but combined with the threat of the ponies who were after him, those few blocks seemingly took forever. Every pony he passed made him cringe inwardly. He wouldn't have been surprised if the whole point of the notes was to make him paranoid. If that was the case, it was working very well.

By the time he walked into the office building, he breathed a sigh of relief. No longer was he out in the open where anybody could find him, This was a safe place. Or at least he hoped it was.

Blueblood walked up several flights of stairs as fast as he could. It wasn't until he was almost out of breath that he reached the door with the stallion's name and business etched into it. It was now or never. If he missed this open opportunity there would be no others and not even his princely pull could help him there.

“Finally,” he breathed in relief as he pushed open the door with his foreleg.

A golden unicorn with flat white hair and large glasses looked up at him, thoroughly uninterested at first, until she got a good glance at who the stallion that had just walked in really was.

“I'm here to see Fancypants,” he said briskly, before she had a chance to welcome him to the spacious office.

“Absolutely, your highness,” She responded quickly as she quietly opened the office door and slipped in, closing it behind her before Blueblood could get a good look at the important stallion. He stood by the door awkwardly and waited until his secretary trotted back out and nodded him into his office.

Blueblood didn't wait to listen to anything else the mare started to say, nor did he want to. Fancypants and the information he held were his highest priority right now. He barged into Fancypants' office and walked up to his desk.

Unsurprisingly, Fancypants did not look pleased to see him.

“How can I help you Blueblood?” He asked, trying to stay somewhat formal.

“First of all I just want to say Miss Rarity is inconsolable right now...”

“I was afraid of that...” Fancypants interrupted. “I really do care about her, she's beautiful and witty, she is so much different than most mares in Canterlot. Before you say anything, our time apart has nothing to do with her daughter, I am sure that she is a lovely filly. I am more concerned about her relationship with you.”

“I need to stop you right there, Fancypants. There is no relationship between her and I. I assure you, our private relationship is no different from our public one. I'm not here for any reason, but to ask for your assistance.”

Fancypants raised an eyebrow, “I see.”

“You see, while you and Rarity were away on that airship, I was watching my daughter...”

“Yes, I am well aware of this. Miss Rarity has filled me in on the details as well as the deal you struck. Now what is it that you wish to tell me?”

“Yesterday night, my daughter was stolen by some radicals who wish to see the end of the Blueblood line. So, I am sure you can understand why Miss Rarity is so upset right now.”

“While I'm very sorry this is happening to you and Rarity I don't have any kind of power that can fix this. So, as you can understand, I have no idea why you have come to me, asking for help.”

Fancypants leaned over the paperwork that littered his desk to continue his work, but Blueblood put his hooves on top of the unicorn's paperwork and stared at him straight in the eye.

“Everypony in Canterlot knows how well read you are about the history of the elite. I need your insight.”

“As I recall, your aunt is the immortal Princess Celestia. Is it that difficult, pray tell, for you to ask her? I am fairly sure she could tell you exactly what you want to know.”

Blueblood admitted inwardly that he should have seen that coming, of course asking his auntie was the most obvious course of action. Princess Celestia knew all about the noble families and probably knew a plethora of juicy secrets about them as well. Unfortunately, there would be two problems with asking his aunt, the biggest one being explaining why exactly he was asking about this information when he had never shown interest in history of any kind before. With that, he would have to explain to her what he did, and who he did it with.

He had a feeling she wouldn't take it well.

Not only that, but even if he did go through the motions of explaining everything to his auntie, she never did anything straightforward. He had no intentions of going about this as if he were trying to get through the castle maze or whatever other insane way she would suggest, and he believed that Rarity would agree with him on that note.

“Princess Celestia is the Princess of Equestria, naturally she is a very busy pony. She hardly has time for matters such as this when there are national issues to attend to.”

“Ah of course, you are too embarrassed to tell her,” Fancypants nodded as the prince's cheeks reddened slightly.

“O... of course not,” was the prince's response.

“Your highness, you forget that you and I have spent a fair amount of time together at social events for press reasons. I know you much better than you think I do.”

“Right...” Blueblood responded, unconvinced.

“Prince Blueblood, whenever you see a mare you haven't met, you go after her. Once you have obtained her, you show no interest in her until she finds somepony else. This is precisely the reason why I do not want to be with Rarity right now, I know how you can be around mares you are trying to get, and honestly it can be very frustrating for the ponies around you.”

Fancypants paused, letting the words sink in for Blueblood who just stared at him quietly, unsure of what to do or say in response.

“I also know that you are terrified of letting your dear 'auntie' down even though you have no problems sleeping with any mare that crosses your path...”

“This isn't about me,” Blueblood finally interrupted.

“Isn't it? In my personal experience you seem to be very good at making everything all about you. Specifically after that interview you gave to that society magazine about the gala, you sure made it seem like you wanted attention then.”

“Things are different this time, right now all I want to know is what you know about the Merriweather family and the Gamesome family. It is not for my own personal life, I assure you it is to save my daughter.”

“You mean the one you said you would take care of for a week in order to never see her again?” The prince didn't respond, “precisely what I thought. I know it is difficult to hear this about yourself, but perhaps it is what you need right n...”

There was a loud thud and the office went silent. Fancypants had been stopped mid-conversation by a blast of magic that had him pinned against the wall, his eyes were wide in surprise as his monocle hit the ground with a tiny clink. Several feet away, Blueblood's horn glowed with the same silver magic that kept the elite unicorn pinned to the wall.

“I am terribly sorry about this Fancypants, I haven't slept in awhile and between you and well... pretty much every pony I have come in contact with in the past day or so seems to have the same negative attitude towards me. Is it that difficult for even just one pony to be on my side?”

Blueblood let up on his grip on Fancypants until the other stallion slipped to the ground, still in shock from the blast that had just hit him. He picked up his monocle and stood up as the downtrodden and slightly embarrassed prince quietly headed toward the door.

“Neither the Gamesome family nor the Merriweather family, have been in power for generations.”

Blueblood stopped and turned back towards Fancypants, “Excuse me?”

“You asked if I knew anything about the Gamesome family, and the Merriweather family, and I do. Neither family has been in power for generations. The heirs are still fairly wealthy, not to Canterlot standards of course, but they are not exactly middle class.”

“Have you met them?”

“I am well acquainted with Gamesome Gallant, if that is what you are asking.”

“Great, has he ever mentioned wanting to take my daughter?”

“You said you wanted somepony on your side, but if you continue to ask absurd questions such as that, then how do you expect me to be on your side? I can assure you that Gamesome Gallant would never say or do anything like that, he is a gentlecolt.”

“I have reason to believe that your acquaintance Gamesome Gallant is in the Silver Guard, which, according to the wax seals on all the notes that have been popping up around the castle, are the ponies who stole my daughter.”

“I see...”

“So perhaps you could tell me where I can look for this stallion so I can give him a piece of my mind.”

“And then what do you plan on doing?”

“Excuse me?”

“Mr, Gamesome is one of my best clients and I will not have you running around chasing somepony who may very well be innocent just because you have a hunch.”

Fancypants trotted out his office door and over to his secretary, leaving Blueblood confused and somewhat angry. How dare Fancypants, who had claimed to be on his side for once, contradict everything the girls had come up with, it was blatantly obvious to him that Gamesome Gallant had to have some hand in this.

“Dottie, cancel my appointments for the next few days. I have very important business to attend to.”

“Yes sir.”

Fancypants turned back towards his office and flashed the prince a winning smile, “As I said before, I will not have you sullying my business contacts unless you are completely sure. So I will be attending with you.”

“Right... so you aren't just using this as a chance to get closer to Rarity again? I will have you know she is not in a position to fawn all over you right now.”

“If you had been listening, I am uncomfortable pursuing a relationship with her right now. Of course, that doesn't mean that I do not intend to make up my previous 'abandonment' as it were, by being there for her now. Although I am quite sure that with you as a companion, she will want somepony she can actually have a civilized conversation with.”

“I am positive that she has probably already invited along all of her friends at this point,” Blueblood retorted.

“Nonetheless, I would like to join in on your escapades. I have canceled my meetings for the next few days and I intend to use those days to make sure that you do not falsely accuse an innocent stallion.”

“Fine.”

“Splendid! Come then. We will take my personal carriage.”

“Fancypants... at the current moment, I do not exactly feel comfortable walking through Canterlot in plain sight. There is a death threat against me right now, after all.”

“Through Canterlot? Prince Blueblood, we are only walking across the street. It is still fairly early yet, you speak as though everypony in Canterlot will see you.”

Blueblood wanted to believe him, so far he hadn't had a problem walking through Canterlot without any kind of illusion to cover him, but as he walked outside with Fancypants he could tell he was being watched.

Growing up in Canterlot castle, everypony's eyes had always been on him, especially after his father's death. It had come to the point where it was like a sixth sense, knowing when ponies were looking at him. He assumed it was something that had just come with the title of Prince and he found that it usually worked in his favor. Not only was he able to get the word out about for something, it also made it slightly easier to pick out the mares that seemed to be interested in him. Today was not one of those days that he wanted to be looked at though, not even by the mares. In fact, today he was absolutely terrified of ponies looking at him.

They both loaded into Fancypants' carriage, Blueblood breathed a sigh of relief, he was still alive and he hadn't actually seen any ponies acting out of the norm. He assured himself the fear was all in his mind.

“Hello Fancypants sir, whattya need so early?” A younger earth pony stallion asked as he hitched himself up to the carriage.

“Hello chap, I am taking a small vacation to Ponyville with a cohort of mine. Do you mind bringing us now?”

“Of course sir.”

The prince leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath. At least he could return to Ponyville with some information, though, he was sure Rarity would probably be more excited that he somehow persuaded Fancypants to come to Ponyville with him.

“Gamesome Gallant is throwing an event tomorrow. I already have an invitation, but I am sure it would not be too difficult to obtain two more tickets for you and Rarity. Perhaps then you can speak with him and have everything out in the open.”

Blueblood opened his mouth to respond to him. Was there any way to make him easily understand what they had researched or would he have to waste the whole trip telling him why this stallion should not be trusted? Before he could say anything, a blast of magic burned through the back of the carriage, right in between the two of them.

“What in the...”

They both turned around to see another carriage following them not too far off in the distance, with two stallions running as fast as they could. Blueblood turned back to face the stallion that was pulling this carriage, he was taking his sweet time. No, this would not do. The other carriage started to gain on them, and it didn't seem like they wanted to have a nice chat and some tea. He was sure that if they got any closer, the whole carriage would be blown to smithereens.

“Run!” Blueblood called out to the stallion pulling the carriage. “Our lives are at stake here!”

The stallion turned around just as another blast of magic was shot through the back of the carriage. The stallion pulling the carriage started to run as fast as he could to try and outrun their pursuers.

“I warned you this might happen, but no, you had to ignore me!” Blueblood yelled to his companion.

“I didn't realize it was so serious!” Fancypants yelled back as another blast of magic burned through the back.

They got down to the floor of the carriage and held on to the top of the seat as best as they could as they got jostled around by the chauffeur. Every once in awhile they would hear blasts of magic shooting through what was left of the wall of the carriage above them.

“I have a plan, we will both probably hate myself for this idea later, but it's either stay on the floor here and eventually get hit or this.” They locked eyes, Fancypants nodded slowly in agreement.

“Whatever it is... I'll do it.”

“When I give the signal, tuck and roll.”

“That is your brilliant plan? How glaringly unoriginal, it's from every Daring Do book in existence!”

“I never said it was brilliant, I just said it was a plan! You could always stay here if you prefer.” This was returned with a blank stare. “I didn't think so.”

“On three then?”

Blueblood nodded, “one.” He glanced at the quickly moving ground and winced. He wasn't really going to go through with this was he? What in Equestria made him think he was as adventurous as Daring Do? He didn't even have wings! Not to mention, the only magic he ever really exercised was telekinesis.

“Two.”

This was it. It was all over now. If they didn't get hit with whatever magic was being thrown at them, he was definitely going to kill himself by jumping out of a carriage. He wasn't really going through with this, was he?

“Three.”

Without another doubt to cloud his mind, he closed his eyes and jumped out of the carriage. For a fleeting moment, he felt like he was flying, but that moment ended quickly as he hit the ground with a hard and painful thud. He rolled himself into the forestry nearest to him as fast as he could.

As soon as he was sure that the other carriage had passed his location without stopping, he got up. Blueblood was acutely aware of how much his head hurt from the fall. His horn seemed to be intact and aside from a few sore spots, he seemed to be relatively unharmed. He looked down at his coat and groaned.

“Great, now, my daughter has been foalnapped by some lunatics, those same ponies are trying to kill me and I am coated in filth. I highly doubt that this day could get any worse.”

* * *

Back in Ponyville, Twilight had invited the rest of their friends over to the library in order to cheer up their distraught friend, who was pacing the wooden floors of the library muttering to herself while her friends looked on, still unsure of how to handle the situation.

"I'm sure everything will be OK, Rarity. Blueblood said he was going to talk to somepony in Canterlot about the heirs. I'm sure he is good to his word," Twilight assured her.

"Right, he's an absolute angel," Rarity snorted.

“Oh Rarity I'm sure whatever he's doin' is helping,” Applejack added.

"Oh, because he's obviously been so helpful to me in the past. I cannot think of a single thing he has ever done for me without fighting me on it. Ever. Do you know what happened when Ivory Lace was born?”

“No, you didn't even tell us anything about him until today!” Rainbow Dash pointed out. Rarity ignored her outburst and continued on with her story.

“He acted so boorish that the nurse asked me what I had been on when I met him. Imagine that, somepony questioning my taste! I had never been so embarrassed in my life."

“Oh come on lighten up Rarity, we all make mistakes when we drink too much. I know I have.” Rainbow Dash said proudly.

“Yea, we know.” The rest of them replied.

“Rarity, forget about the past. I'm sure he is good to his word at least about this. You aren't the only one who is missing a child. He is too.” Twilight said.

Rarity didn't respond, she just stared at the open book that had been left open on the table from the all night study session the night before. Anything else her friends said following that fell on deaf ears, she was in her own little world. So, when the door swung open, she barely flinched until the prince marched inside the library proudly.

"I have returned!" He exclaimed triumphantly, Rarity just shook her head as she continued to stare out the window.

“You smell like you just trudged through Sweet Apple Acres,” Rarity sneered not looking up from the book as Blueblood took a few tentative steps into the library.

“I ran into a few technical difficulties on the way back to Ponyville, but I did obtain some useful information while I was in Canterlot.”

"Great, what did you find out?" Twilight asked as Rainbow Dash nudged Rarity as if to prove a point.

“The recent heir to the Gamesome family is Gamesome Gallant. According to my source, he currently resides in Manehattan and he will be hosting a benefit tomorrow for a charity of some sorts. Rarity and I have an invitation.”

“Really? Two invitations to an event we know nothing about. Not that I am questioning you or your techniques, but Blueblood, darling, where exactly are those tickets from?” Rarity asked, looking up at the prince with a raised eyebrow.

Blueblood stepped to the side, allowing Fancypants to step into the library. Rarity's eyes went wide with excitement as soon as she laid eyes on him.

“Fancy!” Rarity exclaimed and jumped up to embrace him.

“Prince Blueblood informed me of your situation, I figured that you might need some extra assistance. So, I contacted my good friend Gamesome Gallant and asked him if he would not mind sparing a few extra invitations for some special guests of mine,” the businesspony explained.

“Oh my, that's absolutely fabulous!”

The conversation was quickly quieted by the sound of a door creaking open. Twilight turned around to see her assistant Spike running into the room waving a letter in the air. He stopped short when he noticed the group of ponies gathered in the room.

“What's with all the guests? Are you having a party? Aww Twi! You promised to invite me to more of your parties! You could have just woken me up! It wouldn't have been a big deal!” He complained.

“Spike, this isn't exactly a party...” Twilight began.

“We're on a super secret special mission to save Ivory Lace from some meanie pies who took her from the palace! Isn't it exciting?” Pinkie grinned, the rest of the ponies in the room glared at her. “What?” She asked when nopony else in the room responded to her.

“Anyway... I have this note for you Twilight” Spike handed off the scroll to Twilight who examined it carefully before opening it. Her eyes went wide as she quickly scanned the note, then as quickly as she received it, she crumpled it up with her magic and threw it in the nearest trash bin.

“Miss Sparkle... what was that note about?” The prince asked as he stared at the trash bin.

“Oh, it's nothing nothing... no need to worry. Everything is going just swell... but uh it might be a good idea if you guys followed me upstairs,” she responded as she started up the stairs, everypony followed quickly behind her up into her room. Twilight shut the door behind her and scurried around the room as if she were looking for something.

“Miss Sparkle, what did the note say?!” Blueblood asked again, this time more anxious than the last.

“It said that you're out of time and they're coming after you now. So be quiet, I don't know how much time we have right now!” Twilight responded back in a whisper.

Before any of them had time to react, the door to the library swung open with a loud crash and muffled hoofsteps could be heard shufling around from the upstairs.

“How did they find us? We weren't on the carriage!” Fancypants asked.

“Carriage? You sent a carriage to Ponyville?” Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.

“How else would we have gotten back here?” Blueblood retorted.

“So why exactly are these ponies after you?” Applejack asked.

“I have no idea!”

“Oooo! I have an idea! Let's ask them!” Pinkie said as she barrels out of the room, “Oh mister bad guys, why are you after the prince?”

“Oh dear Celestia, this will not end well...” Fancypants murmured.

Chapter 7

The library was a complete disaster area. Between Pinkie's constant bouncing, the hooded ponies making a mess of the library, and the rest of the group trying to get as far away from them as possible, the place had seen better days. During this state of disarray, Prince Blueblood could think of nothing, except how much better things would have been if he had just told her that he wouldn't babysit.

All of this running and screaming could have been avoided if he had just said no.

“Rarity, a few months ago, you asked me how I could want absolutely nothing. This. This is why,” Blueblood said as he backed up towards the large window.

“Obviously, when I said that, this was not what I was thinking. Besides, they would have gone after you with or without Ivory Lace!” She shot back.

“Are ya sure now is the time to fight about this?” Applejack asked.

“Quiet everypony, I have a plan,” Twilight said as she stepped forward.

She focused all her energy and power towards her horn and put up a force field around her room. While her defensive powers weren't as strong as her brother's, it would keep everypony in the room safe and it bought her time to come up with a plan. She wasn't sure what to do about Pinkie though, she fell outside the bounds of the barrier and she wasn't sure how powerful those ponies were or how long Pinkie would last out there.

Pinkie, on the other hoof, wasn't worried about the other ponies' power or strength at all. She was, of course, concerned about those other ponies. She couldn't really see their faces, but she knew they weren't smiling.

“I can't believe they want to kill somepony, just 'cuz the prince isn't a very nice pony, doesn't mean he should die! That's crazy talk! Those ponies just need a smile, and a party would definitely do the job! It could be a “Get-To-Know-You” party, those ponies and the prince could talk everything out and then everypony would be happy! It's the perfect plan!” she thought, gasping loudly. It truly was the best plan ever!

“Hi!” she called out to the covered ponies who had entered the library. They stopped their searching for a moment and looked at her in pure surprise. They hadn't expected to see a pink earth pony come bounding towards them at full speed.

“I'm Pinkie Pie! What are your names?”

The ponies did not respond, but instead, each of the three ponies sent a blast of magic barreling towards Pinkie. She bounced around as if oblivious to the magic barrage that was scorching the library walls around her.

“That was a nice try guys! Or are you mares? I can't really tell, isn't it funny? The only real difference between a mare and a stallion is the shape of the muzzle and eyelashes....oh and the parts too! Could you imagine if I was a stallion? That would be hilarious cuz I'd be pink! Who ever heard of a pink stallion?” Pinkie laughed. “Now, can we talk about this super awesome party idea I have? It'll be great! Aaand you can invite anypony you want!”

From inside Twilight's room, the group could hear the blasts of magic pounding into the walls of the library and the side of Twilight's barrier, followed by Pinkie's unmistakable giggle.

“How long do you think she can keep this going?” Blueblood wondered out loud.

“I bet ya five bits the library'll fall apart before they even nick her,” Rainbow Dash responded.

Twilight glanced around nervously. She noticed that around Pinkie some parts of the library looked like they could give out any minute. This could not wait any longer. It was absurd to begin with, but now that her home was starting to crumble around her, and her friends were in danger, she wouldn't stand for it any longer.

“I don't plan on waiting that long,” Twilight said as she started trotting around her room anxiously. There weren't any books around, at least none that would help in this situation. Unless she wanted to risk her life by leaving the barrier, she had no forms of reference whatsoever.

Today she was going to have to go by what she could remember.

“Think, Twilight, think,” she whispered to herself as she trotted back and forth.

The seconds ticked on like minutes, her friends conversed in the background, trying to come up with some kind of plan, but Twilight didn't want to waste time with a plan that might not work. Pinkie giggled again as three more blasts missed her. This gave Twilight an idea. It might not be her smartest move in a crisis, but it was a better option than hiding in a barrier for hours on end.

She carefully let her shield down and prepared her magical focus on getting those ponies out of her library. Unfortunately for her, her plan took an unforeseen deviation when Rainbow Dash barreled out from the corner and grabbed Pinkie from the hooded ponies. She flew back into the room and out Twilight's bedroom window, shattering it into pieces that fell loudly to the ground. As soon as the window was broken, Applejack lassoed her rope around one of Twilight's bed posts and let the end of the rope fall out the window.

“What's going on?!” Twilight screeched.

“We're escaping,” Blueblood stated matter of factly.

“There are better ways of escaping! I was gonna use magic to get them out of here! You didn't have to help destroy my library!” Twilight yelled as her friends hoisted themselves down the rope.

“Sorry Twilight! We'll fix it up and throw you a we-fixed-your-house party!” Pinkie smiled.

Twilight sighed and teleported herself out of the library and joined her friends in running away from the library as fast as they could.

“You know, you could have just opened the window,” she said.

“No time for that!” Pinkie responded as she pulled a shard of glass out of her mane.

The hooded ponies in the library watched as they ran off, they aimed at the runners with the intent to shoot them while their guard was down, but they were stopped.

“Cease fire.” a disembodied voice rang out. The hooded ponies stopped in their tracks and waited for further instructions. “I expect at least one of you to trail behind them, and at your next opportunity, I would hope that you don't act as foalish as you did this time. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes ma'am.” The hooded ponies nodded, then made their way out of the slightly scarred library.

The group of ponies and Spike continued away from the library as fast as they can. They didn't look back and they didn't speak to each other until they were able to hide in the Apple family's new barn. It was as far away from the library as they could get without completely wearing themselves out.

“Why in Celestia's name did they just ransack the library in the middle of the day?” Fancypants finally asked.

“Well the library is a public place, I guess nopony would suspect a group coming in here,” Twilight mused.

“I told you this was dangerous, Rarity. Now do you believe me? They almost killed your friend Pink Cupcake!”

“My name's Pinkie Pie! Oooo, but wouldn't it be so cool if it was Pink Cupcake? Do you think I would still throw parties? Now that would be interest–”

“Sorry to interrupt you, Pinkie, but this is a little more important than what your life would be like if you had a different name.” Pinkie quieted down and Rarity turned back towards the prince. “Look, I understand where you're coming from, but I do not care to abide by what you're saying. I refuse to just stop and go home.”

“Yep, and we'll be right behind you,” Rainbow Dash said proudly as the other four girls smiled behind her.

“No... girls, he's right. It is dangerous, but with a group of us this big we are more likely to be noticed. If that happens, I wouldn't want anypony to get hurt. It is for the best if you keep watch here. Blueblood and I will go by ourselves, with Fancypants as our escort.”

“Rare, with all due respect, we ain’t just gonna let you two do it yourselves, that's crazy talk!” Applejack responded.

“Girls, I cannot in good conscience let all of you come with me. I'm not sure where things are headed.”

“Personally, I would feel much more comfortable if you girls didn't accompany us,” Blueblood said. “In fact, right now, I would feel much more comfortable if we just let the Royal Guard take it from here. I personally don't think I will be able to withstand any more of this terror.”

“But..” Rarity began.

“Before you say anything, could you and I speak about this in private? No arguments. I promise. Just a peaceful conversation about why I don't want anypony to get killed anytime soon.”

“Fine,” Rarity huffed. She looked back at her friends and smiled sweetly. “We will be right back, everypony.”

Rarity and Blueblood left the barn together and walked outside. They took cover under the many apple trees that grew on the farm to stay hidden from any pursuers.

“Now Blueblood, what is it that you wish to talk about?”

Rarity, please understand that our daughter does mean a lot to me. I do love her, but I can't do this anymore! There are ponies out there who are trying to kill me, Rarity! And today they got very close on two instances!”

“I understand, Blueblood, but I can't give up, not now. I do not think I would be able to return home without her. I need to see this through to the end.”

“I wish you would reconsider. The guards are trained to do this, after all, and with the information we have, they could get this situation resolved much faster.”

“Didn't you tell me that at one point, you had enrolled in the...”

“That was a long time ago,” Blueblood interrupted harshly. “It was for tradition, not because I wanted to make a career of it, and I would prefer it if you did not bring that up.”

“Ok, I understand... but I think that we should be able to talk about some things; after all, we have a foal together...”

“That should mean that the only thing you and I need to speak about is our daughter. Nopony says either of us must speak about our history, just the only thing we have in common.”

“Yes, and it seems to be a topic you never wish to speak about, especially before she was born.”

“I promised you that I wouldn't argue with you, I planned on keeping this peaceful for once, do not make it difficult to keep that promise.”

“Please, arguing, flirting and being a jerk seem to be the only things you know how to do. So far, you have proven yourself to be nothing but the unchivalrous failure I have always known you to be.”

The two of them glared at each other stoically, as if waiting for the other to strike first in their back and forth. Instead, Blueblood shook his head and started to walk away from her.

“Put yourself in my horseshoes.”

“Excuse me?” She asked.

“Imagine you are the sole non-alicorn member of the royal family, save for your mother who is not considered to be royalty. The other members of your family will live forever, they have always been loved and reveled, while you, on the other hoof, have been scrutinized ever since you took on the role of prince. Imagine that nopony believes you'll ever be as strong as he was. Now imagine you grow up trying to prove them wrong, as soon as possible, you follow the Blueblood family tradition in joining the guard and on the guard you make good friends, but after several years together all the ponies you befriended are killed because of a mistake you were blamed for.”

“Oh... Blueblood...”

“I haven't finished Rarity. Now, imagine yourself alone, both physically and emotionally. How would you fill that void? How would you feel? I for one, did not feel happy. I slept around thinking that would help and I continued to perform royal duties not out of pleasure, but for obligation. And finally, imagine all those mares coming up to me with intentions of marrying me to become a princess. Sounds depressing doesn't it?”

The two of them are silent, and after several moments of complete silence Rarity looked up at the prince.

“Prove everypony wrong,” she said.

“Excuse me?”

“Use this as an opportunity to prove to everypony that you are strong. You have already evaded death twice, and with me by your side there is no doubt you can do it again.”

“What makes you so sure of that?”

“I am one of the Elements of Harmony, after all. I have helped to defeat Nightmare Moon and Discord, not to mention I personally had a hoof in defeating several changelings without chipping my hooficure.”

He looked up at her and smiled. “You do make a convincing argument.”

“So, what do you say? Will you accompany me to Manehattan tonight? We have an important gala to attend tomorrow.”

“It would be my honor, Miss Rarity.”

They started towards the barn once again when Blueblood put his forehoof out to stop her.

“For the record, this doesn't mean our banter is ending. You and I have a temporary alliance only. Our public relationship has not changed.”

Rarity smiled. “Agreed, and as for what we will be telling the rest of them?”

“That, Miss Rarity, is up to you.”

The two of them went back to the barn, where the rest of them had been waiting impatiently for their return. At the sight of them, unharmed and smiling, the group of ponies and the dragon relaxed slightly.

“Well?” Twilight asked expectantly.

“Tonight, Blueblood and I are heading to Manehattan. If any of you would like to come along you are welcome to join, but personally I would like for somepony to stay here in Ponyville and keep watch.”

* * *

That evening, Blueblood and Rarity sat next to each other on the train, with Fancypants and Twilight across from them. They had boarded the first train to Manehattan after splitting up with the rest of the group, who had stayed behind as the eyes and ears in Ponyville. The attack on the library was still fresh in their minds, but nopony wanted to be the one to bring it up. Instead, they stuck to safer topics, or in Twilight's case, topics such as an article written in a local paper about the history of the ladder. Anything to keep their minds off the attack.

“Fancypants darling, is there anything you can tell us about Mr. Gamesome? Perhaps a few quirks about him that we should know about before we meet him?” Rarity asked, finally breaking the string of awkward small talk. The other three ponies in the car looked at her with a mixture of confusion and surprise. “Please, you didn't really expect that we would spend this entire trip making small talk, did you?”

“The history of the ladder is a very important part of our lives, Rarity. You should remember that,” Twilight said, frowning.

“Of course, darling, but I personally would prefer to hear about the stallion that we will be speaking with tomorrow night. I am sure there will be time for that another time.”

“Yes, another time, far far away from now,” Blueblood muttered under his breath.

“So Fancypants, pray tell, when was the last time you spoke with Mr Gamesome?” Rarity asked, ignoring Blueblood's comment.

“Well, I spoke with him the other day in order to receive extra tickets to his event, but aside from that, I am not completely sure. Perhaps a month or two ago. We haven't done business together in a while.”

“Is there anything we should be aware of?” Rarity asked, “is there anything about this mysterious stallion that we should know before we introduce ourselves?”

“He is a bit of an odd fellow...” Fancypants started, but Twilight interrupted him.

“There is one bit of information you should know before we get to the event tomorrow.”

“And what could that be?” Rarity asked still leaning in towards the monocled stallion.

“The two of you cannot walk in together or be anywhere near each other. Everypony in Canterlot knows that the two of you don't get along. We have to assume that ponies in Manehattan also know this information.”

“Very true. After all, we do not need a repeat of what happened the last time you two were publicly linked together,” Fancypants said with a wink.

“What happened last time?” Twilight asked.

“Perhaps, we should talk about the present, not the past,” Blueblood answered quickly.

“Yes, instead we should focus on the gala tomorrow evening, I must find the perfect ensemble for it,” Rarity beamed.

Chapter 9

This could all blow up in our faces...

What did that even mean?

Blueblood knew it obviously had to have something to do with his daughter. After all, the letter was dated mid-last week, while she was with him.

It could just as easily have been a work letter, but the way it had been haphazardly tucked away as far from view as possible made it seem as if it were more likely to be about a certain unicorn foal.

Finally, a lead.

Even better, a lead that he could get behind.

It made sense for it to be him. After all, the two of them had never gotten along. Not to mention, he seemed to be around at all the wrong times.

This letter could be the incriminating evidence he needed to prove to Rarity that the theory she thought was insane, was indeed true. Fancypants played some kind of role in the foalnapping.

It had to be Fancypants, for the prince's sanity, if nothing else.

Of course, before he said anything to Rarity, the prince planned on confronting him. It would be the first time in his life thus far that he would be able to hold something over the stallion's head. Besides, he wanted to hear the explanation for himself before she got involved. She would likely try to intervene and make him out to be a good guy, or worse, she might cry.

It was best for both parties if he got involved first, as long as the stallion was able to lead him to his daughter, he might go easy on him. Instead of the death sentence, he might only get lifetime imprisonment and he would give Fancypants the opportunity to leave the party without having to explain everything to Rarity.

Blueblood was, after all, a very generous prince.

Blueblood started for the door, giddy with excitement at the confrontation that was about to occur, before remembering that the reason he was hiding in this room, was because his illusion had been broken earlier. Not to mention, leaving this solitude to return to the busy party right after Fancy's little display would be a task in itself. There would be no way to be able to leave the office without being noticed for who he really was, but he wasn't about the squander this perfect opportunity.

Sacrifices would have to be made, for the sake of the Blueblood family.

Besides, he was sure this would make a lovely follow-up story for the papers tomorrow, and he never passed up a good photo opportunity.

The white stallion took a step outside the office and closed the door behind him making sure it was almost exactly as he left it, in case the host was the kind of stallion, who could tell, under all that mess that somepony had moved something.

He strutted down into the main ballroom, taking notice out of the corner of his eyes that with every step he took, more and more eyes turned to him. He could feel the excitement in the room, the whispers and baited breaths, it did nothing, but make his smile grow wider. These ponies wanted a scandal and he planned on giving the crowd exactly what they wanted.

He didn't stop moving until he was directly beside the new couple, and at that point, almost everypony in the ballroom had stopped what they were doing to see the scandal unfold. Both Rarity, and Fancypants, looked over at the prince, wide-eyed, not expecting him to have come over to them during the party. Much less looking the way he did.

“Fancypants, a word, if you please?” Blueblood demanded.

“What are you doing here? What happened to your illusion?” Rarity whispered through gritted teeth.

“I just wanted to stop by and talk to my two favorite ponies,” he announced, loudly.

Rarity glanced around the room and felt herself blush when she took note that everypony in the room was staring right at the three of them, a few of the party guests even had the audacity to snicker loudly. Rarity frowned, obviously uncomfortable with the negative reactions from so many ponies in the room, but the reaction from the crowd just served to fuel the prince. His cocky grin grew wider as he continued, “Of course, I would like to speak with Fancypants about a very important matter. So, if you don't mind...”

“I do mind,” Rarity huffed.

“Miss Rarity, I was not speaking to you, was I?” Blueblood whispered harshly back. He then turned to face Fancypants, who looked up at the prince and gave a curt nod.

“Very sorry my dear,” he responded, not tearing his line of sight away from the prince. “I assume this is a matter of great importance.”

“Oh, I assure you, it is.”

“Of course,” he responded tersely, before turning back to Rarity. Fancypants shot her an apologetic look. “I am sure you will find the company of the other guests adequate while I am away.”

Rarity didn't respond. She just nodded her head lightly before turning back towards the couple that she and Fancypants had previously been conversing with, while the two unicorn stallions walked out of the ballroom.

The prince led Fancypants into an unlocked room not far-off from the main ballroom, away from the prying eyes of the public. As the other stallion got acclimated to the new conditions, the prince took in a deep breath and glared the elite unicorn straight in the eyes.

“You lied to me, Fancypants.”

“Lie is such a harsh word. But no, I was not entirely truthful to you when I said I would not go after Rarity. I only said that because I didn't want to hear your objections.”

“No, that isn't what I planned to speak to you about, not that your topic isn't frustrating as well. What I mean is that you had said that you hadn't spoken with Gamesome Gallant recently.”

“Yes, I did say that,” Fancypants replied slowly.

“I am now aware that claim was a lie. You see, I ended up in his study,” Blueblood paused as Fancypants narrowed his eyes, then he quickly added, “by pure accident, of course.”

“I believe we agreed that while Rarity and I were gathering information, you would not do anything like this behind of our backs.” Fancypants stated.

“I thought we also agreed that you would not to go after Rarity. So, we are even,” Blueblood stated. “Now, is there something you would like to explain to me? Possibly a series of letters that were sent back and forth between you and Mr. Gallant the week you were away with Rarity?”

“Well... I...”

“I wouldn't lie to me again, Fancypants. I have a letter you sent to Mr. Gallant during the time you were supposedly 'on vacation,' stating 'it could all blow up in our faces' and I demand you tell me what that means!” Blueblood argued as he held up the note for Fancypants to see. The monocled unicorn knocked the letter out of the princes hoof before he had the opportunity to make any more snide remarks.

“Why in Celestia's name would I come all the way out to Manehattan with you, if I had something to do with this?”

“You are evading the question! Just tell me what I want to know!”

“There is nothing to know,” Fancypants responded calmly.

“That is manure and you know it! You expect me to believe that you had a work related reason to message a lawyer that has nothing to do with your line of work whatsoever. I've seen the documents in his office, his expertise lies in family court. What use do you have for that?”

Neither unicorns say anything to one another, the prince stood there, eagerly awaiting to hear the other stallions perfectly tailored answer. While his companion struggled to find the right words to end the silence. Finally, Fancypants sighed, using his magic to pull a folded up piece of paper out of his jacket pocket.

“I had hoped that I could speak to you and Rarity about this together, but if you want an explanation now, I will be happy to oblige.”

He unfolded the papers and levitated them over in Blueblood's direction. The prince took hold of it and briefly glanced at the paper. He rolled his eyes and snorted before attempting to give the papers back to the other unicorn.

“Rarity and I already have a custody agreement, but thank you for your concern, Fancypants,” he said briskly.

“Au contraire, your highness. I had Gamesome Gallant check. You haven't filed any custody papers with the courts.”

“Of course not, those records could be leaked by anypony with a gripe against me! We wanted to keep this quiet as long as possible and to do so, we decided against filing papers for now.”

“Well, now that privacy is no longer an option, perhaps you two would reconsider your agreement and legally file these papers with the Equestrian courts.”

Blueblood looked back at the papers he had been given and this time, he decided to take a moment to completely read them over. He furrowed his brows as he perused further down the page, before ultimately lowering the papers to look directly at Fancypants. His demeanor had changed entirely in the time it took for him to read the two pages he had been given.

“You... want me to give up my parental rights?” he asked quietly

“Indeed I do. You see, you and Rarity have never been subtle about Ivory Lace. I found out about her long before she even told me, thanks to some of the letters that you sent her. Honestly, I understand you were under a lot of stress, but did you have to be so rude?”

“You read our letters?” Blueblood asked dumbfoundedly.

“Only a few of them. I caught a glance of them by accident during an unplanned visit. I am currently in possession of one of those letters. Would you like to see it?”

“No!” Blueblood said quickly, Fancypants smirked. The prince quickly composed himself before evenly adding, “what I said then were the ramblings of an angry and terrified stallion.”

“So you didn't mean it when you told her that you would pay her to give up your daughter?”

“That is not a fair question! At the time, I did mean it, but just because I felt that way then, does not mean I feel the same way now.” He paused for a moment. “But I hardly have any idea what this has to do with giving up my rights.”

“I plan on helping you out of a situation you never wanted to be in. I have been in contact with Gamesome Gallant, whose expertise, as you now know, lies in family law. I care about Miss Rarity, and personally, I think it could be for the best if I helped her raise her daughter and gave you some... other opportunities.”

“So you just brought us down here to sign some crummy papers instead of helping us find her?”

“You asked if I knew the last remaining descendant of the Earth pony royal family. It just so happens that said pony is Gamesome Gallant's son. I did not plan on speaking with either of you about it until she was safe, but I thought it would be a nice start if you both got acquainted with him before we start anything.”

“Rarity would never agree to this, after all those months she spent making sure I owned up to my...” Blueblood paused, and looked at the beaming Fancypants. The prince shook his head in disbelief. “Well, what do you plan to do, convince everypony she's yours and the newspaper was wrong?”

“Rarity wants her to be safe and I could guarantee her safety better than you could. The details don't matter,” Fancypants responded, waving his hoof. “Besides, you have been out of the picture for several months now. Rarity told me you preferred it that way.”

“Yes, before I met my daughter, I did prefer it that way, but it turned out to be in her benefit. She was safer that way.”

“That wasn't why you chose that option. You chose it because it was the easiest way out, and I am here to support that decision by making it even easier for you.”

“Okay,” the prince started slowly. “But what does any of this have to do with that note I found?”

“I took Miss Rarity on that cruise to give her a place where she would finally feel comfortable telling me about your daughter. I was, admittedly, worried about the outcome and chose to give her space after she admitted everything. I didn't want it to seem as if I was rushing her into anything, of course. I still feared that, despite everything, something would pop up and this whole plan would be for naught.”

“Like a foalnapping?” Blueblood asked.

“Rarity isn't like most mares in Canterlot,” Fancypants finally piped up, ignoring the prince's previous question. “And I think we can both agree that the two of you hate each other. Raising Ivory Lace in an environment like that... where you openly hate one another like that, it isn't good for her.”

“I understand your fears, but I can't sign this.”

“Ah, I understand. Please think about it, and by all means, discuss it with Rarity. If—” Fancypants paused, and gave the prince a thoughtful look. “After you find Ivory Lace, what do you plan on doing? According to Rarity, a week ago you were willing to do this without the legal paperwork.”

“Yes, but–”

“Yes, yes, I understand. You didn't feel like a father then because you had never had any interaction with her, but what are you going to do when Ivory Lace is safe? Obviously you do not plan on living with Rarity and Ivory Lace, but sending her back and forth would just make things difficult, don't you think?”

“I hadn't thought that far in advance...” Blueblood admitted.

“Precisely what I thought. I've thought about it in great detail. I can assure you, she would be well taken care of.”

“Well, I would like to speak with Rarity about this before you make any rash decisions about my life,” Blueblood retorted as he opened the door back into the hallway, which had become crowded with ponies who wished to hear about what was happening behind the closed door. They ignored the ponies who had begun to come up to both of them asking questions. While they were making their trek back towards the ballroom, Rarity and Twilight came barreling down the hallway and herded the two stallions back into the room they had just exited.

“Is everything okay? Was anypony following you?” Blueblood asked the girls. Neither responded at first, Rarity cozied up to Fancypants while Twilight began to pace the room nervously. After a few moments of silence, Blueblood finally spoke up again. “What happened to you two?”

“It's not true, is it?” Twilight piped up.

“What are you talking about?” Blueblood asked, raising his eyebrow.

“I got a message from Princess Celestia...” Twilight began, before drifting off, unsure of how to continue.

“About?”

“Ivory Lace.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, I just got a letter from the Princess about your daughter.”

“Yes, I thought I heard you say that, but that is impossible. Even if the papers mentioned it, she most likely hasn't had the opportunity to look it over this quickly. Especially since, compared to other things, it is not exactly front-page news.”

“Actually... I told Princess Celestia about Ivory Lace the other day,” Twilight admitted.

Blueblood blinked in surprise. “You told... my aunt... about the foal...”

“Yea, I sent her a message when we first found out about the Silver Guard. I wanted to know if she had any helpful information.”

“What did she say?” Blueblood asked, already afraid of the answer he had received.

“Well, nothing useful for me, but your note... well, just read it yourself.”

My dearest nephew,

I wish that you felt comfortable enough to come to me when you found out you were going to be a father. I wouldn't have been angry with you. Disappointed, yes, but not angry.

I had hoped that, unlike past relatives of yours, when you became disillusioned that you wouldn't do something destructive as a result. I believed that you had been taught about the Silver Guard one way or another. I thought that you had been lectured about the harm that they could cause you if you gave them the chance.

Now, not only do they have your daughter, but they will stop at nothing to take over your throne. For that, you can thank one of your long deceased relatives, who asked that this be added to Equestrian Law:
Unless a legitimate heir is produced, the eldest illegitimate child via the current prince or princess, will ascend to the throne, regardless of the child's prior status. If the reigning royal should die before the eldest receives a cutie mark, then the foal is to be raised by member of the upper class. Said member of the upper class, hoof chosen by the princess, will be required to teach the foal everything the foal will need to know in order to ascend to the throne once the child receives his or her cutie mark. During this education period, and this education period only, the guardian of the foal would be the interim ruler.

The Silver Guard has used that law to their advantage since it first appeared on the books. Since we know very little about them, with the exception of the seal that they 'borrowed' from the group that had once been made up of only members of the royal family. We can only speculate that they have targeted the Blueblood family for either revenge against them due to past and/or present grievances, or they are members of the elite who are plotting to take over your throne.

Because of this law, and because of your mindless decision to have a child out of wedlock, you have just handed them an offer on a silver platter. If they are successful in killing you, Ivory Lace is considered next in line for the throne, and her foalnappers will make it their duty to be the most likely candidates to take over as her guardians until Ivory Lace receives her cutie mark.

Possibly longer depending on the circumstances.

Unfortunately, there is no way I can help you fix this. This law has been around since before even I took the throne; that makes it difficult to repeal in such a short period of time. Not to mention, if something should happen to you, I have no way of knowing what ponies are a part of the Silver Guard. So, I cannot protect your daughter against being raised by one of them.

I believe that you are strong enough to survive this and find a way to put an end to the Silver Guard for good. There is always a way.

Your beloved aunt,
Princess Celestia.

P.S – Once this is all over, please take note that I do plan on discussing your lifestyle with you.

“She tried to tell me, but I didn't listen...” Rarity whispered.

The prince's ears perked up prompting him to walk over to the whimpering unicorn mare.

“What are you talking about?” he asked, she turned her head away from her coltfriend and closed her eyes.

“Your mother... before I left, when she was giving me a 'tour' of your suite,” she began. “She told me that if I really loved my daughter, then I would marry you, otherwise I should just give her up to you now.”

“She knew about this?” Twilight asked. “Should we talk to her?”

Rarity shook her head, “I was once certain she was a part of this, but I don't think she has anything to gain from this.”

“But she knew about the Silver Guard.” Twilight pointed out. She paused, putting her hoof to her chin in thought, before adding, “of course, it's entirely possible that she has had interactions with them in the past.”

“I believe she was warning me, but I was too stubborn to listen. She knew this would happen,” Rarity said quietly.

“Does nopony have faith in me? Even my own mother expects that I'm going to die and that my daughter will be raised by the Silver Guard,” Blueblood responded, rolling his eyes.

“Well, to be fair, it does seem to be going in that direction,” Fancypants stated. “I am not sure how safe either of you two were this morning when his highness decided a mustache was a suitable enough disguise.”

Rarity and Blueblood glanced at each other sheepishly, then looked away.

“Rarity, you know these plans only go into effect if they kill me,” Blueblood said quietly.

“Oh come on, Blueblood!” Twilight said aloud, breaking the silence that had started to fall over the room. “You said it yourself, the plans we have come up with are doomed. This letter completely threw off my concentration! I wasn't even able to keep up your illusion, and you obviously don't have the magical capabilities to keep it up yourself! Who knows who could have seen you?! You could die, and if that happens, Ivory Lace will be gone forever.”

“It won't end like that,” Blueblood said defiantly. “I refuse to let that happen.” He stopped and took a step closer to Rarity, who was still standing with Fancypants. “You were right, I can no longer stand idly by and wait for other ponies to come in and fix things. I refuse to die like this and I know that we can find a way out of that idiotic plan in case something does happen to me. Our daughter will not be raised by thieves.”

“So then, what do you plan on doing?” Rarity asked, taking a step back from the golden maned unicorn. “Do you plan on just going on like this and hope you survive by pure luck? There have already been two close calls...”

“Personally, if I may,” Fancypants interjected, “I may have a solution to your little dilemma.”

Blueblood groaned. “Here we go again.”

“Do you have something to say, Blueblood?” Rarity asked, obviously annoyed.

“Yes, actually. I found a certain letter in Mr. Gallant's office. A note from your precious Fancypants.”

“Pertaining to?”

“Our daughter, obviously. I found what I had assumed to be a letter speaking intricately about his plan to take her.”

“May I see it?”

“Of course,” Blueblood responded as he levitated the note over to her. Rarity looked it over and passed it back.

“This does not 'speak intricately' of it. It could be about anything!” she exclaimed, shooting him a venomous look.

“Now, if his highness pleases, I would like to explain our conversation to Rarity and Miss Sparkle. I believe it will go along with the papers Miss Sparkle received a few moments ago,” Fancypants insisted.

The prince mumbled some unintelligible words as Fancypants levitated the custody papers over to Rarity.

“That was why I was so busy during the week of our trip,” Fancypants explained. “I had been in contact with Gamesome Gallant about these papers. I apologize for lying to you and keeping this from you, but at the time, I thought this was the best route.”

“I...”

“As you can see, she agrees that this is a terrible idea,” the prince stepped in.

“I never said that,” she responded hastily. Before Blueblood could respond, she brought the papers away from her face and frowned. “They have been fairly accurate about knowing your whereabouts. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they were watching us right now. Especially after your shameful display at Hoity Toity's shop and then again here at this event.” Rarity sighed and shook her head slightly. “I hate to say it, but maybe you should consider signing...”

“Don't finish that sentence!” Blueblood growled. “Why bother spending all that time begging me to do more and then take it all away from me once I do? I wouldn't trek all over Equestria if I wanted nothing to do with her. We'll get past this and...”

“Excuse me, but you didn't even want to come with me!” Rarity interrupted. “It took a lot of convincing to even get you to consider 'trekking all over Equestria' to find her!”

“Not because I didn't want to, I just thought your plan was idiotic! I would have much preferred that you and I would be alive and in one piece when our daughter was returned to us. I want to be there for her, I want to help raise her.”

“Why would you want custody of a foal whose name you have never uttered in your lifetime?”

“Excuse me?”

“Blueblood, you've never even called our daughter by her real name. You and I are obviously not ready to work together if you can't respect me enough to call her by the name I gave her!”

“That is irrelevant.”

“No, it's not!” she responded, stamping her hoof against the ground. “What you are asking for requires us to get along, at least get along enough to agree on her name.”

“All I ever asked of you was to name her Blue Belle, I apologize that I can't stand the name you gave her.”

“If you had stayed, even just a few minutes longer, maybe I would have considered it.”

“You and I both know I couldn't stay even if I wanted to, I had business to attend to.”

“You're lying, Blueblood! I know for a fact that you didn't leave Ponyville right after she was born. You just didn't want anything to do with her. You never did! Why should I give her a name that is so similar to your own?”

“If I had to live with the shame of knowing she exists just a few short hours away, you should have had to live with the shame of being reminded every day, that without me your filly wouldn't exist.”

She paused, taking a step away from the prince, whose eyes had grown wide. Throughout their argument, they had gotten closer together until they had nearly been screaming in each others faces. Nopony knew how to respond.

Finally, Rarity looked back over at him and quietly responded, “even without the name Blue Belle, I was always reminded that you were her father. It was difficult not to, she looks so much like you... and all that time we spent together because you didn't believe me made it that much harder to forget.”

“It wasn't that I didn't believe you, I just found it highly unlikely that one short alcohol induced night together could lead to that,” Blueblood said as he took a step towards her. She glared at him. “Although, I doubt you were complaining. Time in the castle, having every whim catered to you every time you set hoof into said castle... not to mention I paid all of your medical bills during that period.”

“I never said I was complaining!” She responded, raising her voice. “I am merely stating that there is a lot about your decision making skills that has left most ponies, me especially, confused.”

“Name one time.”

“How about the time we were about to have a foal and you kicked the doctor out of the room!”

“Why would you use an earth pony physician anyway? Anypony with a horn could have done a better job,” Blueblood scoffed.

“What was your excuse then?”

“We are not talking about this. We have more pressing matters to discuss, like why you are forcing this half-baked plan on me.”

“Because you have been nothing but rude to me and everypony else involved since we found out! Criticizing everything I said and did, as well as spending most of her life calling her 'your mistake.' You don't deserve her!”

“I deserved her last week. You were begging me to watch her,” he pointed out.

“Yes, as a babysitter. Something my little sister could have probably done better than you!”

“I read those letters in the little scrapbook you packed. Obviously you wanted me around much more than you let on.”

“Quiet!” Twilight yelled. The squabbling unicorns immediately ceased and looked over at her, wide-eyed. “I'm sorry, but could we please get back to the situation at hoof? The two of you arguing isn't helping anypony, especially not Ivory Lace,” Twilight stated.

Rarity and Blueblood continued to glare at each other, but neither of them said a word to the other.

“Now, can we discuss, like civilized ponies, what can be done now?” Twilight asked, exasperated.

“Right, well, there seems to be only two options,” Blueblood began. He turned back to face Rarity. “We could make Ivory Lace a legitimate part of the royal family, or you could try to force me to give up everything you worked on in the past year by giving up my custody to you and him over there.”

“Legitimate? You mean marriage? Really?” Rarity snorted. “You must be joking. You couldn't even manage a decent proposal. An actual marriage would just be a disaster.”

“I'm serious! If we do... this... and something happens to me, then you would have a say in our daughter's studies and her decisions as a ruler until she receives her cutie mark. You are the last person I want to do this with, but it would render everything the Silver Guard is doing obsolete.”

“One short newspaper article caused our 'truce' to break. If that was able to happen so quickly, then there is no possible way that we would ever be able to make a marriage work. Even if we did it for Ivory Lace.”

“Royal marriages have been based on less in the past.”

“I can't agree to this.”

“And why not?”

“We just spent the past few minutes arguing! Blueblood, you just told me you wanted me to be ashamed of myself because we had a foal together! I know you said that just to hurt me, and I know I've done the same to you in the past; that isn't a healthy relationship. I can't, in good conscience, agree to be in a loveless marriage, even if it is for Lacey.”

“But, if something happens to me, then whatever happens to our daughter would be your fault.”

“Not if you give up your parental rights,” Rarity snapped back. “Then she would no longer be considered a part of the royal family, not even illegitimately, and the Silver Guard would have no reason to keep her hostage.”

“I am not signing those papers.”

“Then if something happens to you, it will be your own fault.”

“Isn't there a way for both of you to win? He doesn't have to sign the papers and you don't have to marry him? You know, kind of along the lines of what you are doing right now. Is that possible?” Twilight asked, trying to ease the tension in the room.

“He could survive, but we aren't really trusting him to do that, are we?” Rarity snorted.

“So, you would prefer to put your trust into somepony who lied to you, came up with a crazy scheme to be a part of your life, and ignored you for a short time,” Blueblood remarked. “While I, on the other hoof, have been there for you and her since you informed me of your pregnancy.”

“Oh yes, of course, how silly of me. How did I not I realize that all those times you begged me to reconsider my decision to keep her, you were really just supporting her and I? That makes perfect sense!”

“This isn't exactly what I meant before,” Twilight said. “I meant that we could come to a logical conclusion if we all just talked it out.”

“I don't think we will come to a conclusion any time soon. Especially if I have to spend any more time with her!” Blueblood barked. “Honestly, I feel I have reached my breaking point.”

“Then, in all honesty, your highness, feel free to leave. You do not serve a valuable purpose here,” Rarity shot back.

“Fine, I will, but just think about this. Think about everything that has happened in the past few weeks. Every letter, every conversation, every piece of information, and then tell me that you would rather he be the one to raise her. Really think about it, Rarity.”

Rarity paused, her expression softened as she looked up at the prince.

“Bl...”

“No, nothing you say or do will change my mind on this matter.”

Before anypony else was able to get a word in, he was already out the door. He let it close behind him with a loud bang.

Twilight looked at the door, shaking her head.

“I get the feeling that this could have gone a little better...”

Chapter 10

It took all of Rarity's will not to punch the wall closest to her. Not only did he have the nerve to speak to her like that in front of other ponies, but she couldn't believe that some of the suggestions he brought up rang true. It would pain her to admit it, especially in front of Blueblood, but she had to agree; something wasn't quite right.

Fancypants walked up to Rarity and put his foreleg around her, but she was still too furious at Blueblood to respond to Fancy's calming touch. Finally, he spoke up.

“It is not out of the ordinary for the prince to just walk away when things don't go his way.”

“I know,” Rarity huffed, still refusing to tear her gaze away from the door.

“Why don't we adjourn back to the party? I think that after all this, you need a drink more than anypony.”

Rarity shook her head and turned away from the doors to face her companion. She bit her lip to keep from breaking down in front of anypony. With a situation that kept spiraling down around her, she refused to let it show.

“No,” she said, louder than she intended. “Actually, I... I think I need a moment. Excuse me.”

She stepped out of the small room where a few ponies were still lingering, trying to hear what exactly had been going on in the room earlier. Rarity smoothed out the nonexistent creases in her silver dress, and with her head held high, began to walk out of the party, ignoring the whispers coming from other partygoers who had stationed themselves outside the door.

The moment the fresh air from the outside hit her she took a deep breath. She blinked a few times to hold back the tears that were forming in her eyes.

“Look, I know you and I do not always get along with each other, but I just don't want her to grow up without a father in her life.”

He had laughed at the notion then, surprised she would ever even think to ask him to even look in their daughter's direction.

At the time, she had been upset that he thought this way.

At the time she wanted him to step up and take on some responsibility.

How quickly things changed. One tidbit of new information and the last thing on her mind was what she had originally wanted out of him. Now, she just wanted Ivory Lace to be returned to her, with no fear of losing her to some club with bad intentions.

Even if that meant signing away Blueblood's rights. After all, desperate times call for desperate measures, and there was no way they would be able to follow through with any other possible routes. Not without causing more problems.

“Rarity?”

Fancypants' voice was unmistakable, especially on the empty Manehattan street. She instantly straightened up and turned around to face him. Neither one of them said anything as he pulled her into an embrace.

“Everything will work out,” he said quietly.

She nodded, giving him a weak smile.

“I... I think I would like to return to the hotel,” Rarity responded. “I'm not exactly in the mood to make any more appearances at the party.”

“Of course, my dear.”

The couple began to walk back to the hotel, with Fancypants telling Rarity a thrilling tale about the party as it was before it was interrupted, but Rarity's attention to the conversation had ceased. Aside from nodding her head or asking the occasional question when the timing seemed appropriate, she kept quiet.

“Think about everything that has happened in the past few weeks. Every letter, every conversation, every piece of information, and then tell me that you would rather he be the one to raise her. Really think about it, Rarity.”

She had wanted to be with Fancypants for months now, since they began to get to know one another. This was what she wanted. Not only would she be with somepony who obviously cared about her and her daughter, but he would also be her ticket to be accepted into the elite of Canterlot.

Yet, despite all of this, she was not able to get rid of that feeling of dread.

There is nothing to worry about, Rarity, she tried to assure herself. You are overreacting because of something silly he said just to get back at you. Everything is fine.

It wasn't working.

Instead of relaxing, all she could do was mull over previous conversations she and Fancypants had. She wondered if he had ever made mention of him knowing, even in passing, about the foal she so desperately tried to keep secret.

She thought she had done a great job of hiding her secret. Illusion spells hid what she didn't want seen, alibis hid her trips to Canterlot Castle, and a locked room hid all the evidence for months. Not even her closest friends knew the truth until she told them. And even though Fancypants had been by the boutique a few times before Ivory Lace was born, and she had visited his place a few times during her short visits to Canterlot, she had done nor said anything that would have tipped him off.

Nothing. There was absolutely nothing that she had said before Ivory Lace was born that would have tipped him off, and she hadn't seen Fancypants very often until the wedding, and even on their trip together they didn't have a chance to spend a lot of time together.

And yet he knew long enough to have new custody papers written up for them.

“How old is she?”

“She just turned five months old last week. Her name is Ivory Lace.”

“The... week you were in Canterlot?”

Those words kept going through her mind. It was bad enough that it was true, that he was keeping something from her, but admitting that Blueblood might be right? That may have been even more frustrating. She wanted to ignore the feeling; after all, Fancypants had already admitted to knowing.

Yet something wasn't quite right.

She just didn't understand why he couldn't tell her the truth, after all these months. He knew her secret. He knew and wanted to help her. A heavy burden would have been lifted from her if he had only told her earlier and didn't just abandon her when she finally admitted it to him.

Rarity couldn't rid herself of the feeling of dread, and those negative thoughts just kept niggling at her. There was too much that didn't make sense for her. Too much that she just unknowingly overlooked before.

Rarity stopped short in the middle of the quiet Manehattan street. Her date stopped and turned around soon after when he noticed his companion was no longer beside him.

“Is everything alright?” he asked her. He was so sincere it hurt for her to have to admit what was really on her mind.

She considered, for a brief moment, lying to him, saying everything was okay and then moving on, but she couldn't. She was far past okay. Her daughter was taken, and her coltfriend was scheming behind her back to create a new custody order.

“No, I am most certainly not alright!” she nearly shouted.

An abundance of thoughts ran through her mind. Some telling her to save face and regroup, but others telling her to keep going; she had only scratched the surface of the emotions that were weighing her down. She had kept so much hidden for so long, pretending that the only tears she had shed happened within the confines of the castle. And as much as she wanted to continue to put on a brave face, to pretend that her biggest problem was Blueblood interrupting an important conversation, the truth of the matter was she couldn't lie to herself anymore. And she most certainly could not lie to everypony else anymore either.

“...You knew exactly when she was conceived,” Rarity finally said, in a voice hardly above a whisper.

“Excuse me?” Fancypants asked, leaning in to hear her better.

“When I told you she just turned five months, you were able to quickly and accurately tell me that she was conceived during my week long stay in Canterlot,” she explained, louder. She looked down at her hooves, before whispering, “that isn't possible.”

Her companion tried to catch her eye, but she refused to lift her head.

“She was early.”

“I am sorry.”

She ignored his attempts at comforting her, batting his hoof away.

“I never even told the girls that. They had simply assumed she was conceived before I went to Canterlot. So how did you know?”

“My dear, you left one of your letters out when I came to visit,” he responded calmly, ignoring her frantic outbursts. “I am sorry for the invasion of your privacy.”

“When did you find out?”

“A few months ago, while I was visiting you...” He trailed off as if trying to decide whether or not to continue. “And of course, while not publicized, anypony who was at the airship party knew what happened to you two after you had that fight. After all, you both went off in the same direction. Everypony made their assumptions.”

Rarity winced slightly.

“Fancypants, why didn't you tell me that you knew?”

Her companion went silent.

She looked up at him, finally catching his gaze, her eyes brimming with tears. “Fancy, why couldn't you tell me you knew about her? All of that time on the ship away from me, you were scheming behind my back, weren't you?”

“I would hardly call it scheming,” Fancypants scoffed. “I obtained those papers to help you. Despite his claims, he would never be able to help raise a foal who is completely dependent on him.”

“He was out of the picture for months,” she reminded him. “All you had to do was tell me earlier, give me the papers earlier, and communicate with me. Now I just feel bad for suggesting that he is not good enough for the filly he cares about.”

“I couldn't talk to you about it earlier.”

“And why not?” Rarity demanded.

“As I mentioned before, your relationship with the prince was in the way. I wanted to give you space to think about it.”

“Relationship? What relationship? You may have noticed, but we couldn't even stand to spend this much time around each other.”

“Then look me in the eyes and tell me that,” Fancypants responded calmly. “In the past few days, the two of you have gone off together for private conversations where nopony can see you several times; out in the orchard and out shopping together being the two prime examples.”

“Our conversations are nothing more than discussions about our daughter or arguments.”

“Then tell me that you have never and will never think of him as anything more than the sperm donor that gave you your daughter.”

“That isn't exactly fair. Of course there was once a time, however brief it may have been, that I honestly thought we could be a family,” Rarity said. Fancypants glared at her. “Oh don't give me that look, darling!” she continued with a deep sigh. “Things were different then.”

“How could you possibly think that somepony who has publicly insulted you, both at the gala and at the airship launch, would change?

“I had no idea what I was doing,” she admitted. “It was silly and childish, I know, but I kept hoping that, for once, he would pull through for Ivory Lace and I. He and I... we made an agreement that we wouldn't speak of it, and for the longest time I thought it would be easy to keep to that agreement. I... she looked a lot like him, more than I wished she would, and sometimes her mannerisms reminded me of him. He didn't want to be a part of her life for the longest time, and it hurt, just like it hurt to lie to my friends and you.”

Rarity paused, looking up at Fancypants. “I never thought we would be a family, but I didn't want him to abandon us forever. I was never sure what I wanted from him, even now that he has changed a bit... I still don't know what I want.”

“Rarity, you of all ponies should know that he will never be able to keep this up in the long run, especially from a different city. Eventually his attention would shift to something else. I was protecting you and Ivory Lace!”

“Fancy, darling, I understand you don't like him – I don't feel any particularly grand feelings toward him either – but he has proven in the past few days that he does care about her. And I, for one, think that if he wants to be her father, and is willing to do it, then he can.”

“He doesn't care, though,” Fancy replied, exasperated. “He did this because he had no other choices. Deep down, you know it's true.”

“Is it? I suppose it could be, but I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt. I care about you dearly, Fancy, and thank you for offering to help us, but I don't want to force him to give her up unless there are absolutely no other ways. He was right, it isn't fair.”

“But...”

“If you would excuse me, Fancy, I think I would like to be alone with my thoughts for a little while.”

She excused herself from their conversation and walked away, noting that this time he didn't try to come after her.

* * *

The tiny bar tucked away in the grand hotel they were staying in was usually full of ponies, but with the night getting later, it had begun to clear out. At one in the morning, on the dot, Rarity walked through the glass doors and sat down at the bar. Several moments later, a familiar figure came up behind her.

“You look miserable.”

Rarity looked up to see the prince standing behind her, drink in hoof. She turned back around.

“So do you.”

“What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be off with your perfect stallion?”

“I couldn't tolerate a stallion who would lie to me like that and then abandon me for a short period of time when I finally told him what he wanted to hear. It reminded me far too much of somepony else I know.”

“Who, me?” Blueblood asked, Rarity nodded, prompting a sigh from the prince. “Rarity, that was a completely different situation.”

“How so?”

“Because I couldn't handle the pressure. While he was just looking for an excuse.”

She scoffed, but said nothing. He took the seat next to her.

“I'm sorry about how I acted earlier. Truly, I am. But Rarity, you were going to completely cut me out of the picture!”

“It wasn't my first choice, but like your proposal, it was what I was willing to do to keep my daughter safe.”

“I know. I suppose it didn't help my case that I never wanted to be her father until a week ago.”

“Nor were you able to manage a decent proposal.”

“Well that I would chalk up to being forced to rush into one. Give me a chance to wine and dine you and I'm sure I would surprise you.” Blueblood winked.

“And let's hope we never have to worry about that. You and I have done far more together than we should have.”

“I agree, but this is the easiest solution for the both of us, not to mention the best situation for... for Ivory Lace. It could be great having both of us to raise her, and I would be sure you would both be well taken care of.”

“How is it that you are able to promise us the world now, but five months ago, it was impossible? Why did you leave?”

Blueblood looked around the nearly empty bar. There were still a few patrons glancing over at them, as if trying to figure out their situation. Before she could say anything that he thought would embarrass them further, he ushered her into a booth. Rarity followed him without complaint.

“I know things were tense between us that day, and we always had our problems, but I thought you would have stuck around... at least for a little while,” she finally added defeatedly as they got comfortable in the booth.

“I was there when you needed me, but I was already staying far longer than I had anticipated...”

“What do you mean by 'needed?'” Rarity interrupted. “Do you realize how hard it was for me to take care of a newborn, alone? Did you ever think about how difficult it was for me to realize that you weren't coming back?”

“No, I didn't,” he admitted. “We had an agreement that claimed this was the way we preferred it.”

“Yes, I understood our agreement, but you have to understand, you weren't the only one who was terrified. I understand that it was my choice to do it alone, and I realized early on that it would not be an easy path, but Blueblood, I didn't understand how heartbreaking it would be to realize that you were never coming back for us. There weren't enough bits in Equestria to make up for that.”

“How was I supposed to know this, Rarity? I received one letter. One. Just a quick note from your mother two weeks after she was born saying both you and our daughter were fine. How was I supposed to know from that one letter that you needed help?”

“If I had sent you those letters, would you have come?” The prince looked hesitant. “I didn't think so. You were so quick to deny her existence, nothing would change that.”

“How would I have been of any help anyway? I had less of an idea of what I was supposed to do as a parent than you did!”

“Do you remember how we felt when Shining Armor came into the room to deliver the news? We were scared, but we found solace in each other... even if it was only for a few minutes. Just having you around, having somepony who understood there with me... even if it was just those first few days.”

“I'm sorry, I know it must have been difficult and I will fix things. I will make up for my past shortcomings by making sure that the two of you do not want for anything.”

“Do you really believe that marriage is the easiest option for us?”

“I do.”

She rolled her eyes and sighed. “For now, it may be, but weeks from now we would come to regret it, Blueblood. We are even arguing now.”

“I prefer to think of this more as a creative discussion about how we are going to deal with this.”

“I think that we should consider looking into other options.”

“Such as?”

She took a deep breath. “Is it possible she isn't your firstborn?”

Blueblood shifted in his seat and stared at the drink in front of him.

“That is a thought that has crossed my mind many times before,” he admitted. “There is no way to be completely sure unless I tracked down every single mare I've been with, to find out. I highly doubt it, though. While you were not the first mare to tell me you were with child, you were just the only one who wasn't lying to me in order to have a stake in my family's fortune, or force me into marriage for a title. I had been foolish in the past and I almost found myself attached to a mare who was lying to me about her unborn foal's paternity just for a chance at a title and a stake in my fortune. I planned never to make the same mistake again.”

“So what? You just cut off contact from everypony you sleep with to guarantee you never have to deal with possible children?”

“Obviously that does not work. I just believe there are always ulterior motives at play.”

Rarity shot him a look but didn't respond, choosing instead to continue with her original point.

“If you did have another foal, couldn't you marry that foal's mother, instead? That way you have a legal heir to the throne without signing away your rights as Lace's father or marrying me.”

“It's possible, yes, but it isn't something I want to look into. I am and have been a terrible stallion for a long time. Who knows what I could dig up? The family history I've found recently is bad enough.”

“Pardon?”

“While you spent every night doing Celestia knows what with that stallion, I used that time to reread some old books about my ancestry. During my studies, I realized that if what Celestia wrote in her letter rang true, why would ponies who have been out of power for years care about this? How many of them even know about their lineage at this point? The ponies who took our daughter are not looking for revenge, they are looking for political leverage.”

He took a sip of the amber drink in front of him as Rarity awaited more of an explanation out of him.

“The ponies who clearly care enough to want to take me out of power are the ones who know how Equestrian politics work. Most ponies just believe that the princesses run it all, that there is nopony else in Equestria that has a say in what happens both in Equestria and among neighboring nations. Those who know, are mainly part of the Canterlot elite, and they have the most reason to want to take me out of power.”

“And what reason would that be?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow. “What exactly do you do?”

“Princess Celesia has always relied on my family to help,” he said matter-of-factly. “The Bluebloods have been a part of the royal council for generations, assisting the princess with problems both at home and abroad. We have always been more than just pretty faces.”

“So why are they so upset with you? Even with your assistance, isn't the final decision reached by the princesses?”

“Recently, the council has brought up the hot button topic of the land North of Equestria and who will lay claim to that land. Many of the elite want the princesses to expand our borders to include it.”

“What good will that land do? Isn't it a frozen wasteland?”

“Ski resorts, new mansions, new jobs, et cetera,” he listed off automatically. “The land is not a complete wasteland, but no, it is not an ideal spot to live. Yet, ponies want it, even if it means going to war against the surrounding countries who are also interested in taking over the land.”

“That... that is terrible. A war? Why would anypony want that?”

“Yes, well, they wouldn't be fighting in it, now would they?”

“But what does this have anything to do with you? What could you do about it?”

“The princesses claim that the Northern lands were once inhabited by an empire of some sort and for some reason they haven't explained, it disappeared. Unfortunately, nopony else has been alive for as long as they have. Many ponies, and the residents of the countries that surround that land, do not believe it ever existed. Unfortunately, I am having trouble finding proof that something once existed there. There are no references to it in any books, it is not shown on any maps from the past five hundred years, and the only ponies who seem to know about it are Celestia and Luna themselves, and they seem to be holding out for it to reappear.”

“The Canterlot elite have also looked to my family for help. My family has always brought up their issues to the princesses to see what can be done, as we are more likely to receive an audience with the princesses than they are. Recently, they have been coming to me asking my help in convincing the princesses that the land up North could be put to use, but I have always refused. In the past, refusals were usually taken with ease, but I am beginning to think that there is a lot more riding on this decision than they are letting on.”

“Do you really think something existed up North?”

“I don't know,” Blueblood admitted. “Although, I highly doubt the princesses would lie about something like this. And seeing as this has been a hot button topic recently, I wouldn't be surprised if the Silver Guard would take our daughter in order to use her guardian as a spokespony for the Canterlot elite. Not to mention, in a time of turmoil, even when she gets her cutie mark, it wouldn't be right for ponies to look up to a filly for answers. Her guardian would continue to be in charge, because after all, one of the Silver Guard would likely be taking full custody of her.”

Rarity looked over at him, “but...”

“It is quite possible they think that if one of the nobles vehemently disagrees, that enough ponies may begin to question the motives of the princesses,” he interrupted.

“Is it possible that ponies would actually question the princesses?”

“It isn't likely, but nothing is impossible.

“And what would happen if they succeed?”

Blueblood shook his head. “I'm not sure.”

“So, what do we do now?” she asked, sighing.

After a short silence, Blueblood replied, “Honestly, I believe the best course of action is to return to Ponyville.”

“What? Why?”

“Because we're exhausted and there is nothing here in Manehattan for us. It was all just a wild goose chase to get us further off the track. No doubt Fancypants planned it all along,” Blueblood said.

“Do not include him in this! He came all this way with us, was attacked several times, and offered assistance when we needed it. While I am upset with him, the only thing he is guilty of is knowing more than he is willing to admit. He is not a foalnapper!” Rarity snapped, Blueblood just glared at her, in obvious annoyance. “And goodness, Blueblood, we cannot just leave!”

“And why can't we?”

“Well, for one, we cannot just leave Twilight and Fancy here by themselves. And don't you dare try to tell me that Twilight had something to do with this as well.”

“Of course she didn't! And to suggest that I believe any of your friends would have any part in this offends me. Besides, Miss Sparkle trusts Princess Celestia's judgment more than anypony. I just have use for her here, rather than in Ponyville. And Fancypants? He will be fine without you, I'm sure. Trust me, I know what I am doing.”

Rarity was quiet as Blueblood went about explaining how their next few hours would go.

“I will leave them both a note letting them know of our whereabouts. You and I will board the next train to Ponyville and hide away until we are well rested enough to plot a new course of action.”

Rarity quietly nodded her head in agreement as the prince took the closest paper and began to write Twilight a note.

Author's Note

I'm so sorry for taking so long. I didn't mean to leave everybody hanging for so long, but I've been working two jobs and going to school full time, so I haven't had a lot of time.
Thanks so much for all the comments and for sticking by even when I hadn't updated in months, it always made me happy to see so many great responses.
And a special thanks to Nyerguds for working with me on edits for almost two months and not getting really frustrated with me.

Chapter 11

“...”

Blueblood wanted to say something, anything to keep the endless silence from continuing, but words failed him.

“...”

Rarity wanted to break the monotony of the empty train ride, but did not want to start anything she wasn't willing to continue.

“...”

How could he communicate to her that he really did want what was best for their daughter without starting a fight?

“...”

What could she say to him that he didn't already know?

Neither Rarity nor Blueblood knew how to begin the conversation. They feared that what could begin as a casual discussion could quickly devolve into a pointless argument, as so many conversations had gone in months prior.

“So...” he piped up at one point, breaking the pattern of silence. Rarity waited for him to follow up with a real conversation, but heard nothing else. And, Rarity was not willing to attempt to start a conversation either. She doubted her self-control, as she suspected he did as well, in case a friendly discussion were to spiral into an argument. It was just easier to continue the journey in silence.

When the train stopped in the Ponyville station, after a long and silent trip from Manehattan, two unicorns stepped onto the platform. They sighed, relieved that they had made it safely to the small town.

By the time they made it across town to Carousel Boutique, the sun was just starting to rise and the businesses around the boutique were teeming with a morning burst of energy. Ordinarily, Rarity's routine would begin around this time as well. After being woken up by the baby, she would get to work to ensure she had enough dresses on display in the store for the casual shopper, and that she had plenty of supplies ready in case somepony placed an order.

Today, instead, once she and the prince walked in through the back door that led to her home, they instantly collapsed on her chaise lounge near the door, exhausted from the stresses of the past week. They looked over at each other for a brief moment and then quickly averted their eyes.

While scanning the walls looking for anything of merit to keep his interest, Blueblood took notice of one of the picture frames on the wall, and levitated it into his hooves. Timidly, Rarity glanced over at the photo as well. The overly enthusiastic and oblivious grin of their filly stared back at them.

“She sure does like to play it up for the camera, doesn't she?” Blueblood asked with a small smile.

“Since she was born.” Rarity nodded.

“She takes after both of us in that regard, don't you think?” he asked, chuckling nervously.

“I suppose,” she responded quietly.

“Look how tiny she is and how much hair she has. It's so curly.” He paused and pointed his hoof at the violet curls in the photo. “You know, when I was a foal, my mane looked just as curly.”

“Of course, yet another reminder of how much like you she looks...” she muttered under her breath.

“She's perfect.”

“I know,” came her whispered response.

“She got the best of both of us, don't you think?”

“I really don't want to have this discussion right now,” Rarity said hastily.

“We never have, though,” he said. “Our conversations are always about what happened to her or what our plans are when she is safe. We never talk about her though. Please, Rarity, I need this. After finally choosing to have a relationship with her, waking up at three in the morning to an empty nursery, and traveling all over Equestria to find her, I need to do this. I can't keep it to myself like you can.”

“It isn't ideal for me either, you know,” she retorted. “You watched her for one week and, yes, you acted as her father, but it is nothing compared to the five months that I spent up all night with her, feeding her, changing her diaper, or just soothing her tears! It kills me that the last thing my daughter saw me do was yell at her father because instead of saying goodbye, I had to deal with your mother!” She paused for a moment to compose herself, then added, quietly, “Now, I fear I may never see her again because after all this time... I was really hoping we would have known more by now...”

“Rarity...” he said quietly, reaching out to her, but she slipped off the chaise lounge and out of his reach.

“If... if you'll excuse me. It has been a long time since I have gotten any sleep and I would enjoy some beauty rest. If you would like to get some rest as well, feel free to sleep on the couch. I assure you, it is more comfortable than it looks.”

The prince eyed the couch warily, but nodded in agreement. A wan smile appeared on Rarity's face before she turned around and made her way up the staircase without another word.

* * *

Sleep hadn't come easy to Prince Blueblood since the night he has been rudely awoken.

It was easy for him to ignore work related stress or the few social anxieties that have popped up at events. They passed quickly with no problems because ultimately he could shift the blame to somepony else in case of a tight spot.

However, include his foal into the situation and sleep became almost impossible. When he had found out he was going to be a father, he hadn't slept for a week, and that wasn't even a life or death situation. When she had gone missing, it had been even worse. He would stay up all night wondering what had gone wrong and why in Equestria the worst things happened to him.

He rolled over on the couch, grabbed the photo that he had picked up earlier, and examined it. This morning had been the first time in days that he had seen any photos of his daughter, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt when he looked into those bright blue eyes. There was no making up for being out of the picture for the first few months of her life, but he did promise her that he would try harder and he didn't feel like he kept to that promise very well when he lost her within a week of making that promise.

He kept a watch on the clock on the wall that loudly ticked away the hours and minutes that he lay on the couch looking at the photograph. After three hours of laying there, arguing with himself about what he could have done to keep this situation from occurring, he slipped off the couch and quietly made his way up the stairs to check on Rarity. The silence, while not terrible, made him nervous. The last time he underestimated a situation, he ended up on a seemingly never ending trip to find his daughter.

Blueblood opened the first door by the staircase and stepped inside. The walls of the room he had just stepped into were painted a nice cream color with a pink accent. The fabrics were all luxurious and posh, and the decor made the small room look bigger. He gawked in awestruck at the small room that was lavishly decorated.

“What are you doing up here?”

He turned around, Rarity was sitting in a rocking chair holding a stuffed animal that he deduced belonged to their daughter.

“Well...” he began slowly. “I just wanted to make sure nopony has intruded in order to wreak more havoc on our lives.”

“No, it's just me,” she replied sadly.

The two unicorns stood in silence, once again too afraid to break the silence. Rarity went back to rocking on the chair, holding onto the bear for dear life.

“You couldn't sleep either, could you?” Blueblood asked.

“No, I am just not tired. I had planned to relax in here while you slept and think about is what I would be doing right now if I had just picked her up from the castle and brought her home as planned.”

“And what would that be?”

“Does it matter?” she whispered. “It won't make a difference. She still isn't here.”

Blueblood shifted around uncomfortably trying to find the right words. “Please tell me about her, and everything about her that I missed out on.”

“I don't really feel comfortable with that right now...”

“Stop deflecting these conversations with me!” He thundered. “You never want to talk about her to me and I don't understand why!”

“You always called her your biggest mistake,” she argued. “You never wanted to know a thing about her and you laughed in my face when I asked you if you had changed your mind. That was just a few weeks ago. Why did you suddenly change your mind? And, how can I be sure you won't change it back?”

“Because I'm here. If I didn't want to be here I would have left. I could have chosen to hide out anywhere, but I chose to come with you because I need to see her again and I need to make up the past to you and her. Please, just let me try.”

Rarity took a deep breath, got off the rocking chair, and stood up in front of him.

“What do you want to know?” Rarity asked defeatedly.

“Well... anything...” He pondered. “When was the first time she used magic?”

“It was about... three months ago. She levitated a book, and then two weeks later, she gave the same book teeth. It wasn't quite the most productive workday after dealing with that.”

He chuckled. “Tell me something else.”

“Well...” Rarity started, as she tried to come up with another story to entertain him with. She smiled and said, “you may have noticed this, but she's very curious and loves looking at her surroundings. One time, not too long ago actually, I took her to the marketplace while I was doing my shopping. She was in her carrier and was as content as can be as I picked up food and supplies. Just as I was about to leave one of the stands, the caretaker stopped me and told me that I owed him more money. Apparently Ivory Lace was so enthralled by something she had seen, she grabbed it when I wasn't looking and wouldn't let go.”

Blueblood smiled and listened as she continued on for a few minutes about the past few months. When she finally stopped, he looked down at her and asked, “do you ever wish that I had stayed? Or are you two better off without me?”

“Yes, of course I wish you had stayed,” she began slowly. “I would have loved the extra help and moral support, but you left and that cannot be changed.”

“Right, of course,” he responded solemnly.

“Do you ever wish you stayed?”

He didn't respond. Rarity looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. Prince Blueblood simply picked himself up and made his way around the nursery wordlessly until one particular photograph caught his eye.

“She has a photo of me,” he said, awestruck. His silver aura took hold of a portrait of him that sat up on a high shelf.

“Of course she does.”

“No, but it is in her nursery. There is a photo of me in her nursery.”

“Blueblood, you're her father. I know we never got along and that our... journey together lately hasn't helped that, but it never meant that I didn't want you to know her. Why else would I have come up to you at the royal wedding and ask if you wanted to see her?”

“No, I know. It's just... part of the reason I tried so hard to be her father was because she had no idea who I was and it hurt me more than I expected it to. I always just assumed you glossed over my... participation.”

“She is just a baby,” Rarity reminded him. “You cannot expect a baby to understand that. Besides, I'm sure she knows who you are now.”

“Right.”

They dropped the conversation. Blueblood continued to look around the room, trying to find another object available to pique his interest.

“You know,” Rarity piped up, breaking the silence, “back when I first brought Ivory Lace home, most nights I was up at odd hours with her; I couldn't wait for it to end. I was exhausted all the time and I didn't get as much work done as I would have hoped. I can't even count the times that I cursed you in that time frame.” Blueblood lowered his head, she continued. “I would give anything to go back to those days, right now.”

Tears began to slide down her face. Blueblood walked over, put a hoof against her and pulled her into a hug.

“I just wish I was there to protect her,” she choked out.

“Consider yourself lucky to not have been there,” he responded. “There is nothing worse than stumbling upon an empty and charred nursery and knowing that, despite being right down the hall, you weren't there to stop it. I was there to protect her and I failed, and I regret it every day.”

Neither of them said anything. He just held on to her as she cried.

* * *

Rarity woke up in her own bed just as the sun was starting to set. She had finally agreed, after crying on the prince's shoulder for a while, that it wouldn't hurt to try to sleep. And, with a little help from her medicine cabinet, she was able to get the rest she desperately needed. She decided that it was a good step in the right direction. The next would be getting out of Ponyville and finding her missing foal.

She threw on her robe and with a sigh, she walked downstairs and sat on the couch next to Blueblood, who was thoroughly engrossed in a pile of papers held in the silver aura of his magic. He looked up at her from the papers and frowned.

“Why did you keep these?”

“I think the more important question is, why are you going through my things?” she inquired, annoyed. Her blue magic quickly snatched the pile of papers away from his own and were quickly put back in their original position, before the prince could voice his response.

“I was looking to see if perhaps you missed something in Fancypants' demeanor before you went on a trip with him, but I ended up finding all of the letters that I sent you. I didn't even know you had them still.”

“Of course I do. They may not have been nice, but I kept them as a reminder for those dark days as to why contacting you would not make anything better.”

“Right, sure.” Blueblood rolled his eyes. “I would just like to know where you keep Fancypants' letters. I know you don't want to believe it, but considering everything he knows, he seems to be a very big suspect in my book.”

“Absolutely not! He lied to me, but he would never do something like that. And what about you?”

“What about me? Are you insinuating, once again, that I had something to do with this?”

“No, but I am curious as to who you came in contact with that day. All of those ponies could be just as much a suspect, you know. You are the primary target.”

“Many ponies,” Blueblood replied simply. “It was an ordinary day in almost every way. I met with a few ponies that morning to discuss problems they wanted the princesses to know about. After my meetings, I spent the afternoon with Ivory Lace. Then, once she was in bed, I went on a date.”

“Oh,” she said raising an eyebrow. “You didn't mention that before. Did anything or anypony seem off that day? Any of the ponies you met with, or your date perhaps?”

He racked his brain trying to recall what had happened that day. Although it had only been a few days ago, the day things changed seemed like ages ago. Nothing that happened before the foalnapping seemed out of the ordinary, but there were a few questioning ticks about some of the ponies he spoke with that day that made him wonder if something was really going on under his nose.

The prince walked out of the room without another word and came back with a piece of paper and a pen and started writing things down.

“Blueblood, what are you doing?”

“I have a plan that we can put in motion tomorrow, don't you worry,” he responded quickly without looking up from the paper.

“Pray tell, what is your brilliant plan?” Rarity asked, craning her neck to look at the paper.

“Don't worry about it,” he quipped, moving in front of her to block her view.

“Well how do you know it will work?”

“I don't,” he said before folding the paper up and standing up. “In fact, it could go horribly wrong. I could end up losing my life and you could end up losing custody of Ivory Lace, but it could also go very well and we could have our daughter back without either of us having to sacrifice our freedom. It lends the question though, do you trust me?”

Rarity pursed her lips together and glanced at the wall behind the prince.

“Look, the way I see it, there are not many options for us to choose from. I know I messed up, I treated you horribly, I abandoned our daughter, and I never made anything easy for you. I know you think I am a horrible pony, but I may have a way to turn that around and get her back. Believe it or not, I care about her just as much as you do and all I want is for her to be safe. Please just trust me on this, even if it is the only thing you do for me.”

“Fine,” Rarity said with a sigh. “In the spirit of starting over, yes, I trust you to do this.”

“Thank you. And I understand you have just as much stake in this as I do and I respect your back up plan.”

“Pardon? I honestly have no idea what you mean by that.”

“What I mean is, that I trust that if you have a back up plan, it will be in good use. We are both very stubborn ponies, but between the two of us, we will find a way.”

They made eye contact with each other and smiled.

“I have a feeling though, we will have our daughter within the week and whatever happens afterward is between us and nopony else.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes... as long as all goes well, and I am sure it will.” He smiled. “Now, if you will excuse me, you may have gotten some sleep, but I haven't. It has been a few days and we are both going to need our strength.”

He watched as she left the room, waiting until he heard the soft click of a door closing behind her. Blueblood slipped out of Carousel Boutique's door and onto the streets of Ponyville.

Author's Note

Thank you Nyerguds for proof-reading and editing this over and over again.
And thanks to everybody who is still sticking around, reading this, especially considering it's been awhile since the last update.

Chapter 12

Prince Blueblood took a seat on the bench in the corner of the last train car. He looked around carefully to make sure that, as he hoped, he was the only pony in that train car. When he was sure he was alone he threw down a pile of newspapers and magazines he had slowly acquired while walking from Rarity's boutique to the train station.

Ever since the first article had gained circulation, more like it had popped up. Each of them starting with a variation of the same sentence. And the prince would know best, because since he left Rarity's boutique, he had bought every newspaper and magazine he came across between her boutique and the Ponyville train station. There was no escaping it, nor was there any escape from the death glares he was getting from the residents while trotting through town.

He read bits and pieces of the articles. The tabloids focused primarily on the fact that he had a secret child and (according to a few of those trusted sources) a whole secret life in Ponyville. A couple of the tabloids even ran photos of him and Rarity in Manehattan from the previous day when they had gone out shopping as proof of this so-called secret life, citing his fake mustache as a flimsy disguise.

Worst of all, one tabloid he picked up had a whole side bar dedicated to asking readers if they knew if the "most eligible bachelor" had any other secret children.

It disgusted him and left him with a pit in his stomach.

The newspapers were slightly better. Sure they implied that if he was keeping information about a foal secret. Then they just wondered what else he could be keeping from the public, but unlike the tabloids, they didn't make him out to be the scourge of Equestria. The newspapers just annoyed him as most of the records were publicly available. There was nothing that he, or anypony else, for that matter, could hide. Princess Celestia had always made sure of that.

Regardless, he had bought as many copies of every newspaper and magazine he could in hopes that it would stop the spread of information, if that was even possible at this point.

Even if it wasn't possible to stop the information, it gave him some entertainment for the train ride back to Canterlot.

“Hello, sir, can I get you anything?”

The prince jumped, unaware that another pony had even entered the empty car he had claimed. He looked up from the pile of newspapers that surrounded him at the young blue-coated unicorn mare carrying a tray of drinks and snacks.

“I shouldn't." He hesitated. "But you would not believe the day I had... or past few days, actually. I could use a drink...”

He nodded in the direction of his favorite scotch. She smiled and used her magic to pour a bit of the drink into the glass before levitating it over to him. He grabbed it quickly and immediately took a sip of the amber liquid, sighing with relief.

“Thank you,” he said.

The light blue unicorn gave the prince a small smile while he poured through the print in front of him. At first he blocked her out, too concerned with trying to keep himself occupied to worry about anything else, but every once in a while his eyes would wander over to the server who continued to stand over him expectantly.

"Can I help you with something?" Blueblood asked with an edge of annoyance in his voice.

“No, it's just... You look really sad.”

He sighed in frustration. “Well... my biggest secret just got leaked in the papers for all of Equestria to see, I know that ponies are looking at me and talking about me...”

“And your daughter was taken," she added quietly.

Prince Blueblood looked at the mare, slack jawed. She continued to look at him with the same shy smile she had kept on her face since she first offered the drink, just with a tint of added blush from surprising her customer.

He looked down at the papers in front of him, then back up at her, trying to register what she said before he finally composed himself enough to ask, “How... how did you know that?”

"Oh, well...”

"I know I haven't gone through every publication in Equestria yet,” he interrupted, eyeing her suspiciously, “but I haven't seen that mentioned in any of the ones I have."

“You don't recognize me?" she asked, slightly crestfallen.

Blueblood put down the newspaper he had been looking at and focused on her. She stood there nervously as he tried to figure out if he had seen her before, but after several moments of unsuccessful brainstorming he just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recognize you..."

“I guess a prince like you wouldn't remember a servant like me. You have other things to worry about."

"You work at the castle?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

She nodded. “Yes, my other job is at the castle. Actually... I was working the afternoon after she was taken.”

“Oh?" he responded, still glaring at her intently.

“I offered you tea that day.”

“Hello, sir, can I get you anything to calm your nerves?” a servant girl asked levitating a cup of tea towards him.

“Nothing will help,” he said as he turned his head away from her in refusal.

“How about your marefriend?” the mare asked, incredibly certain that somepony would have use of her services right that moment. That kind of upbeat personality was not what the stallion wanted to deal with at that moment; not when he was in such a bad mood.

“No, she is occupied right now and I would prefer that you just leave both of us alone,” the prince snapped.

“Of course, your highness,” the mare whispered as she scampered off in the opposite direction.

“Right. Yes. I do remember that,” he admitted sheepishly. “I admit that I wasn't in a good mood at the time, although I shouldn't have been quite so snippy with you.”

“You were in the middle of a crisis, so I understand your tension, sir.”

“Well, I apologize nonetheless.”

“I'm sure I would react the same, given the situation. All of the staff of the castle was informed of what happened. We were told that we would be receiving updates, but as of my last shift, we hadn't heard anything.”

“Yes, well, it appears there are no updates to give. Nopony is any closer to finding her than they were a week ago.” He sighed, taking another sip of the drink he had in front of him. He frowned and put the drink to the side, pushing it as far away from him as he could. “I'm sorry, what brand did you say this was? It tastes a bit... different.”

“Oh, I'm not sure. It's just what we have in stock,” she replied, waving off this concerns. “You know, everypony at the palace feels horribly about what happened, and how it must have affected you. It must be really difficult for you to go through, finally meeting your child and then losing her so quickly...”

Prince Blueblood motioned for her to sit down, she obliged and placed her tray down on the seat next to her. He looked around the train car nervously, then back at his new found travel companion.

“I'm not going to get you in trouble for not doing your job, am I?”

“No, of course not,” she responded cheerily. “It's pretty empty this evening. Don't worry about me; how are you holding up, sir?”

“It's been a rough couple of days.”

“I can imagine. Must be really difficult to sleep knowing that there are ponies out there like that.”

“It doesn't make things easier, that's for sure.” Blueblood looked down at the ground. He chuckled and looked back up at the hostess. “You work at the castle, right?” She nodded. “Were you there the week I had her? Did you see her?”

“Uh, yes. Actually, I was one of the ponies tasked with helping to do the dirty work the day she was dropped off.”

“Oh. Right. It took some time for me to figure out what I needed to do, but I am glad that somepony was able to help get her settled in the castle.” He smiled.

“Of course. That is my job, after all.” She beamed. “Speaking of, we have been working on fixing up the nursery. By the time she returns, you would never be able to tell that there had been a fire.”

“Right... the castle. It feels like years since the last time I was there. I suppose when I find her again, it would be a while before she returned there. I doubt her mother would feel comfortable with that and I don't blame her. I feel this incredible, crushing guilt for leaving her alone in the nursery. I even blame myself for having her in the castle to begin with.”

“I'm sorry.”

“There are just some ponies out there who aren't satisfied until they hold the most power. I would be lying if I said I was never like that once. I would never go as far as stealing another ponies child of course, but...” He trailed off. “I just think it's crazy that my five month old daughter is missing and all anypony cares about is that they didn't know about her sooner.”

“I'm sure if they knew about that, things would be different.”

“I doubt it, but it's a nice sentiment. Thank you.”

The blue unicorn mare smiled and looked up at the door, then blushed. “Oh, that's my boss,” she mumbled as she slipped off the bench and picked up her tray. “I'd better get back to work. Enjoy your drink, sir,” she said as she walked towards the car door.

Clunk

She looked over her shoulder with a wry smile. Prince Blueblood was out cold, head resting up against the wall. She continued walking towards the car door, opening it wide enough for several hooded ponies to come in. They surrounded the prince and lifted him, carrying him out of the room as she cleaned up the mess he had left behind.

By the time they left the car it was as if nopony had been there to begin with.

* * *

In the days following Prince Blueblood's sudden departure, Rarity struggled to keep busy. Ponniquins were strewn across her inspiration room in various states of undress with rolls of fabric lying at their base.

A few of the lucky designs to have actually been finished sat proudly in the window, serving to not only show off Rarity's elegant handiwork, but also to keep prying eyes from seeing into the shop. Ponies seemed to be very interested, as of late, in hearing about the latest scoop from the horse's mouth.

Consequently, it had been a while since Carousel Boutique had sported the 'open' sign.

Despite this, her friends were constantly checking up on her, so when there was a knock at her door, Rarity was hardly surprised. Until she opened it to see Fancypants standing there with a bouquet of flowers hovering next to him, held up by his golden aura.

“I hope I am not disturbing you, Miss Rarity, but I was worried. I've been trying to reach out to you since you disappeared from Manehattan, with no luck.”

“I left you a note,” she responded innocently, hoof still on the door, ready to close it.

“Yes, I know. I saw it. I just wanted to see for myself if you were okay. With everything that has been happening, it would eat away at me if I never at least checked up on you.”

“I'm fine," she responded. “Thanks.” She started to close the door but he put his forehoof forward to stop the door from closing completely.

“I was hoping we could talk. May I come in?"

Rarity nodded and opened the door for him to enter her home. He obliged and sat down on the couch. Rarity sat down opposite him.

"Miss Rarity, I know that you are upset with me. I understand that you feel lied to, but sometimes we all need to fib a little to get where we want to be. I am sure you, of all ponies, can understand that.”

“It is very different to fib about where I am from than it is for you to go through my things, steal my letters, learn my secret and then make me feel like manure when I try to explain,” she fumed, shaking her head sadly. "I thought you were better than that."

“I understand how you feel...”

“I feel like my whole world has come crashing down on top of me. I am so confused, and angry.”

“Miss Rarity...”

“It feels so unfair for her and me to be punished for his mistakes. And then, on top of that, I don't even know who I can trust anymore. I've been on this wild goose chase and yet here I am back in Ponyville with nothing to show for it.”

“Miss Rarity, of all the ponies out there, you know you can trust me. After all I...”

“Fancypants, you told me that you knew where Blueblood and I were going after our argument,” she interrupted. “You said it was blatantly obvious to any pony paying attention.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then why didn't you stop me? I mean, I adore my daughter. She's amazing and beautiful and I couldn't have asked for a better foal nor could I even fathom losing her or living life without her, but... I just find it off putting that if you were interested in me at the time, you would let me go off with him when I was obviously inebriated.”

“Would you have listened to me?”

“Of course I would have listened to you! I would have done anything you asked of me, which is why it hurt that you were wary of my and Blueblood's relationship.”

“In my defense, I have known him for several years and I know how he can be.”

“I think we can both agree that I know him more... intimately than you do,” she started. He grimaced. “And while I'm sure you may have good intentions, he and I were a one-time thing, a mistake after a long night of drinking, and if you don't believe me then you can look at the evidence,” she stated as she motioned to the letters she hadn't yet put away.

He looked over at the letters and shook his head. “I know that you must feel hurt, but there is something that I really must...”

"Do you think that there is a problem between us?" she interrupted.

"What do you mean, Rarity? You mean the world to me."

"Then why haven't you taken a single opportunity to fix things? If you knew all about my daughter, including details that not even my closest friends knew about, why would you pretend you didn't know anything? I had myself worried sick over what you would think of me and when I finally told you, you said that you didn't want to see me anymore because you were uncomfortable. Then, a few days later you were fine with it and you wanted Blueblood to forfeit his custody in favor of you. So, please enlighten me, because I truly don't understand what is going on."

"I just want you and Ivory Lace to be safe, and that is it.”

“Then why have you been sneaking around and lying to me?”

“I have been trying to protect you.”

“From what?”

“It's complicated.”

“Well then uncomplicate it.”

“Rarity... I need you to trust me, I can't talk about it with you right now.” She glared at him, but kept quiet. He took a step towards her and smiled. “I have good news for you, though.”

“What could it possibly be?” She sighed.

“I know where Ivory Lace is.”

Author's Note

So I didn't mean to go over a year without an update. Whoops. Turns out I am an easily distracted person.
And thanks so much to Nyerguds for being really patient with me and helping me with edits.

Chapter 13

“What did you say?” Rarity asked incredulously.

“I know where Ivory Lace is. After you left Manehattan I hired my own private investigators to help look for her as well.”

“Yes, that's what I thought I heard you say,” she responded nearly in a whisper, as if in a state of shock.

“Rarity, they found her. She's okay and they are going to do whatever possible to extract her and bring her home safely.”

Her eyes widened, the faintest ghost of a smile started to show up on her face and she slowly, but surely took a few tentative steps closer to Fancypants. From the moment she let him enter her home, she had done her best to distance herself from him, but knowing this, she just couldn't help herself. With every step she became more confident, until she was in his face, until she was right up against him. Her hooves grabbed ahold of the collars of his suit and she pulled his face down to meet hers, the smile that had been on his face turned to shock and fear.

“Why in Celestia's name did you not start with that?!” she demanded.

Fancypants calmly used his golden magic to take Rarity's hooves off his collar and back on the floor, Rarity just stared at him dumbfounded.

“Well, it would be foolish of me to just waltz into your home without apologizing first. You were angry and you seemed very set on your path of calling me out; getting a word in edgewise was rather difficult.”

She took a deep breath to compose herself before looking up at him, trying to hold back the tears that were starting to build up in the corner of her eyes.

“How... how long have you known?” she asked.

He turned away from her. “You always treat me as if I'm your enemy, but I found your daughter and as soon as I found out, I came here to Ponyville as quickly as possible, to tell you,” Fancypants said. “Rarity, I am only trying to help you.”

“This doesn't feel like helping.”

“I know how angry you must be with me and I suppose if I were in your horseshoes, I would feel the same way...”

“Where is she?” Rarity snapped.

“I don't know the full details of it at this current moment, and of course, I don't want you to worry about it...”

“What exactly do you mean by that?” she interrupted. “I'm already worried; I've been a jumble of nerves since the day I found out she went missing.”

“No, I understand and that's why I have my own ponies on the case. They are working on getting her now, but...”

Fancypants sighed and looked at the ground and led Rarity towards a seat. She allowed him to, but she was visibly uncomfortable the entire time.

“Rarity, I'm afraid I have some news that may upset you.”

“Why? What's wrong? Did something happen to Ivory Lace?”

“No, nothing like that,” Fancypants assured her. “Ivory Lace is fine and you will have her back in your capable hooves soon enough and you will never have to worry about losing her like this ever again. I promise you that.”

“But?”

He pursed his lips and his horn lit up with a golden aura and slowly, but surely a small pad of paperwork appeared almost out of thin air and drifted lazily over to Rarity. She grabbed it and her brow furrowed as she browsed the page. By the time she reached the bottom of the page, her face had dropped.

“Is this the same paperwork from Manehattan?”

Fancypants nodded.

“I didn't realize that the plan he came up with was to sign away his rights. When did he do this?”

“I received it from my secretary just the other day. It still needs a judge's signature so it isn't finalized, but it should be enough to get your daughter back. My investigators have a copy and are bringing it to her foalnappers. It should be enough to get her back from them, and since she is no longer his heir they will be unable to go after her again.”

She put the small stack of papers down and tried to hide her disappointment. After the conversation she and Blueblood had in the nursery, she had honestly assumed that she really could trust that he had a real plan to get Ivory Lace back, not to just give up like this. It was especially confusing to her as he had spent so much time and energy defending himself as a parent.

“I understand this is difficult,” Fancypants said as he put a comforting hoof around her. “But this is possibly the smartest move he could have ever made. Once you have Ivory Lace again, it will be like the past month never happened. It will become a distant memory.”

“No, I understand. I see why he would make that choice. I'm just... surprised. When he said he had a plan this just wasn't what I expected.”

“I see... well for what it's worth, I'm sure it was a decision he struggled with.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. He smiled at her and Rarity struggled to return it. She wasn't sure if she felt comforted by that tidbit of knowledge in the slightest, but any response was better than continuing to sit idly by with such an unladylike slack-jawed expression. She glanced down at the paperwork, taking the opportunity to read it over more completely. She pursed her lips, then put it down and looked up at Fancypants quizzically. “So, how long should it take to get Ivory Lace back?”

“Not long at all. I'm sure by the time I return to Canterlot she will be at my home, safe and sound.”

“Then I would like to join you on your trip; it would be silly for you to go all the way to Canterlot to pick her up and then turn around and come back. Besides, it would be much more preferable to spending time here, alone.”

“I didn't come all this way to Ponyville just to tell you that we found her. I want you there when the ponies I hired bring her back safely. Nopony else deserves to be there as much as you do.”

Rarity smiled and wrapped her forelegs around him in a hug. “Thank you so much! Let me just get my things together and then we can go.”

“I'm sure that won't be necessary. If you want anything, just say the word and I can get it for you.”

“And while I thank you for that, I have a saddlebag full of Ivory Lace's things that I'm sure she'll want after not seeing them for a few weeks.”

“Then I will meet you in my carriage,” Fancypants responded as he walked out the door of the boutique. “As soon as you have everything you need, just say the word and we will head to Canterlot.”

* * *

Blueblood's eyes fluttered open slowly. Sleep had been something so elusive to him for so long that at first it felt welcoming, like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. He could almost ignore the nightmares. Almost. What had started as a whisper of a reminder while he slept soon lapsed into the constant playbacks of walking into a charred and empty nursery that plagued his dreams recently.

Being awake wasn't much better; it was practically a nightmare in itself. He could not recall the last time he had been completely and utterly alone; there was nopony to talk to, nothing to see, and there was nothing he could do about it.

During his stay in the room he quickly learned that magic was out of the question. Any attempt at any kind of magic, no matter how small, not only ended up not working, but also led to worse headaches than any of his past hangovers had ever provided him.

Every once in a while food would appear, unaccompanied, in front of the dim light that barely peeked into the room from underneath what Prince Blueblood had guessed was a door. And, while he reasoned that it was 'just a door,' no amount of pressure he put into pushing it or kicking it did any damage to it. After a few hours of futile raging against the unmoving obstacle, Blueblood slumped down in defeat.

By the time the door finally opened he wasn't sure if he had been in there for a couple of days or a couple of months.

The bright lights that had been forcibly kept out by the thick door, now free of their bindings, flooded freely into the small room. He shielded his eyes on instinct, though chided himself inwardly for doing so as he had no idea how long this visit would last.

When he uncovered his eyes, he wasn't sure what he had expected to see, but he didn't keep his hopes up. Blueblood knew he had been there long enough that surviving this long should have been a treat in and of itself.

Once his eyes acclimated to the light the once blurry figure that had opened the door became clearer. For a moment Prince Blueblood was ecstatic. He had known this pony for years and never had a reason to doubt her before, but that moment was fleeting as soon as he remembered their interactions from the evening where it all began.

“I suppose I should have realized you had a hoof in this much earlier,” he said, exasperated. “You had never shown any interest in me before that week, why start now?”

Fleur de Lis looked down at the despondent prince with a wry smile on her face.

“And it is so nice to see you as well, Prince Blueblood, especially now that you're awake. You look far more well rested now than you did when you arrived.”

Blueblood opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.

“Oh chin up, your highness,” she replied curtly. “You had a fun evening and I am sure it was a comforting memory to look back on while the rest of your miserable life went downhill. Wasn't it?”

“Don't flatter yourself, Fleur, you are not as memorable as you think you are. I had almost completely forgotten that we went out that night, but I'm sure you will forgive me, right? After all, you are the one that stole my daughter afterward..”

“You don't really think I'm the bad pony here, do you?” she asked innocently.

He cocked an eyebrow. “Of course I do! You tricked me, and you and your associates stole my daughter in the middle of the night, and you set her room on fire!”

“Yes, perhaps the fire was a little much, but it did get your attention, didn't it?”

“You could have hurt her!”

“Oh but don't worry, I made sure that fire didn't start until after Ivory Lace was safely out of the castle. The Silver Guard wants to help her, not hurt her. In fact, we are doing her a public service! We are giving her what you have refused to give her.”

“And what would that be?”

“Your daughter is a Canterlot bastard, the daughter of the Prince of Canterlot and a lowly seamstress from Ponyville.”

“Yes, but...”

“Most other foals like her would live out their entire life in some small town or in some miserable part of Canterlot where you have to travel more than a few blocks for a decent meal and a good school. We are giving her the opportunity so many others can only dream of: to cash in on her bloodline.”

“That's not...”

“And I'm sure you know how safe Ponyville is,” Fleur continued, ignoring Blueblood's interruption. “After all, they are no strangers to monster attacks since they are so close to the Everfree forest and what not. Had we not stepped in, she would have lived her entire life in that little monster ridden town without ever knowing her father.”

“That isn't true!”

“It's very selfish, don't you think?” She asked innocently, once again ignoring him. “You have this adorable little filly that you have only recently claimed you care about and yet you would still rather let her live her life as a commoner in Ponyville than live the life of luxury. I think it's selfish. Selfish, but not surprising. Your family is known for its cowardice.”

“Cowardice? I don't know what you mean by that.”

“Of course you don't,” Fleur responded smugly.

“What?”

“At this point, I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you. It's quite a fun little story, for me at least. You probably won't appreciate it. After all, all those years of bad luck seemingly following you around wouldn't have ever happened to you if it weren't for your father.”

“Leave my family out of this,” Blueblood hissed.

“Apparently, when he was captured by us all those years ago, he made a trade. He offered your life to save his own,” Fleur continued, ignoring the Prince's comment.

Prince Blueblood's face went blank, much to his captor's delight.

“Sad, isn't it? Your own father threw you under the carriage to save his own life. Not that it worked out for him in the long run, but still.” She feigned sadness for almost a minute before continuing. “Of course, you've read your family history by now, haven't you? You know that this is only a small part of a long lineage of cowardly moves just like that.”

“Why spend my entire life going out of your way to torture me like this? Why not raise me like your idiotic group plans to raise my daughter?”

Fleur's formerly giggly grin, dissipated. “Well...” she began, unsure. “I'm sure the ponies in charge of our organization believed in the long-term benefits of this plan. I don't know what they had in mind, but I thought this was a much more exciting plan, sowing a few mistakes here and there, an accident that you were in the center of... and now a foal from a one night stand that you tried to make disappear. It all adds up to create... well, you.”

“So I never had a chance. Somepony decided years ago that it would just be more fun to make me out to be some bad stallion.”

“A chance? Your highness, you had hundreds of chances. Did you think we were controlling you somehow? Ha! Some members of the guard set up a few difficult situations that we made sure you landed yourself in, but you ran with it, always choosing the lesser of the two options and now you're dealing with the fallout.”

“So all of this... Rarity and I and... Ivory Lace. This was all just a part of your incredibly fucked up plan?”

“Actually, Rarity was an unexpected deviation from the plan. Your assistant, Jeeves, let slip to some of the other servants in the castle about your little situation almost immediately after you found out about her little bun in the oven. Thankfully, it ended up working in our favor. None of our members would have to go through the awful ordeal of having your foal, and now the new heir to the unicorn line is not only Princess Platinum's descendent, but is also the offspring of an Element of Harmony – a savior of Equestria. The only thing we had to do was sway Rarity against adoption.”

“I don't understand... why are you doing this? For a plot of land? A claim to the throne?”

“Ha, wouldn't you like to know?” she responded smugly.

Blueblood got back up on his hooves, a task that was easier said than done after lying down in the small room for so long. Although his legs teetered as he got used to standing up again, he looked Fleur in the eyes and once again attempted magic, hoping that if it were to work at any time for him, it would be now. He sent up a ripple of magic to his horn, but it was immediately interrupted with a shooting pain that caused him to fall back to the ground in pain.

“I would watch what you say and do in here,” Fleur warned, obviously unafraid of the stallion. “You aren't in any position to fight anypony; you have no magic in here. It may just be for the best for you to think of this room as your tomb. After all, to the ponies who matter, you are already dead. Newspapers have switched from talking about your awful decisions to wondering where you disappeared to. I'm sure they will give you a little article when they find out that you killed yourself, though; you were just so distressed over your mistake and the fallout from it that it seemed like your only option.”

“How many ponies are actually going to fall for that?” Blueblood scoffed.

“Oh Blueblood,” Fleur said with a practiced sigh, as if she had waited for this moment. “We've been feeding articles to the big newspapers for weeks now. After all, our membership has ponies in high places; why would we lie about something as important as the former Prince of the unicorns?”

Fleur didn't wait for a response as she turned around swiftly, stepping out of the room and slamming the heavy door shut before Blueblood had the opportunity to stop it.

* * *

When Rarity joined Fancypants on his trip back to Canterlot, she didn't realize it would be so quiet. It made sense, of course. She wasn't sure what to say to him and he didn't seem willing to break the silence either. It was a far cry to their little vacation together just a few weeks before, where they spent every moment that he wasn't working, talking to each other and just generally enjoying each others presence.

That trip almost felt like a dream at this point; the experience had been very surreal and dream-like, a stallion that gifted her with expensive jewelry and took her on elaborate vacations just because he could. It was almost unbelievable that the entire time he was wining and dining her he was keeping secrets from her.

It was like he was a completely different pony now.

“Could we talk about what happened to us in Manehattan?” Fancypants asked.

“If you wish.”

“I do wish.”

Rarity didn't respond, but she kept her attention focused on him, waiting for him to start. Fancypants cleared his throat. “I want you to understand that I really do care about you. If you think that my asking you to be my marefriend during the party was a lie or that I did it just to create a diversion, then you are mistaken.”

“I know you meant it...” Rarity responded in a voice hardly above a whisper.

“And all I have ever wanted to do was keep you safe. I know ponies out there, cruel ponies, who would go out of their way to hurt you just because they can and all I want to do is spare you from that for as long as I can.”

“I appreciate that, but I want you to understand that I feel as though I have been deceived. You knew so much about my life and I think you... mismanaged the information. If you really wanted to help me and my daughter you should have come forward sooner.”

“I know, I should have spoken with you once I found out, but I didn't know the full story. Rumors travel fast in Canterlot and I had only heard a few scattered things through the grapevine about you and Prince Blueblood. I wanted to wait until I had your side of the story before I took any action, I just wanted to make sure all you covered all your bases, no matter what you and... the father of your foal were doing.”

Rarity, instead of responding, went through her saddlebag, carefully moving things around until she pulled out a little velvet covered jewelry box. She opened it up and pulled out the small gold necklace that he had given to her. Despite being hidden away at the bottom of her saddlebag it had not lost any of the original luster that it had on the day she had received it.

“Isn't this...” He trailed off.

She nodded, inching the necklace closer to him. He glanced at her, unsure of how to respond, until he finally cleared his throat and said, “I bought that for you.”

“I know, but I don't feel comfortable keeping it, not after everything that has happened.”

“Rarity, I think you are overreacting. The past few weeks have been difficult for you; I know that they have because I have been by your side through it all. I have never gone out of my way to lie to you even if that's the way it seems. We can still be the same mare and stallion we were on our trip.”

She shook her head. “Darling, I don't think we ever actually were that couple. I think we thought we were and we played our roles well, but we kept too much from each other. Maybe you could trust me, but with everything you've kept from me... I don't know if I'm comfortable continuing this, especially knowing what I know. I think you should give it to somepony else, somepony you don't feel the need to consistently lie to.”

She let go of the necklace, and they both watched wordlessly as it fell on the seat directly next to Fancypants.

* * *

After the door closed, Prince Blueblood briefly considered what he could have done to get out of the room had he taken the opportunity, but he couldn't concentrate on the what ifs. Not after everything Fleur had told him. The words raced through his mind as they etched into his mind.

Coward.

That was the one word in particular that kept coming back to him, no matter how hard he tried to push it out of his mind.

What if they Fleur was right? He was a coward; he had the track record for it, after all. And knowing now that he was the son of a coward he wouldn't be surprised, if given the chance, that he would likely have raised his daughter to be a coward as well.

He never thought about what would happen when she grew up. He couldn't exactly imagine watching her growing up or teaching her the skills he was once taught. In fact, he hadn't thought about what he and Rarity would do if they got her back; all of their conversations had been about their rocky past, but never about where Ivory Lace would live or where she would go to school.

Or if she would be the heir to his bloodline.

Fleur was right; throughout their search for her he had never once thought about her taking over his position. He knew, in a very general sense, that it was what the Silver Guard wanted for her, but it had never really crossed his mind.

Was that his fault?

He could have raised her to be a Princess, probably not exactly the way that they wanted her to be raised, but a Princess nonetheless. He had just never really considered Ivory Lace as anything other than his and Rarity's foal, the filly whose life he was just starting to get involved in. Perhaps he was the one who had been wrong. He obviously hadn't been bred to do the right thing. His priority for weeks now had been getting Ivory Lace back, but why? Sure, he loved and adored her, but foalsitting her less than a week was very different from actually being her father for the rest of his life, especially since so many other ponies had shouldered a majority of the actual work for the first few days of her visit.

It was becoming less clear by the minute why he had ever bothered in the first place.

Author's Note

This chapter brought to you less than a year after the last one (I know, crazy, right?) thanks to:
Nyerguds fantastic editing
Only having 1 job instead of 3 (Seriously, there's so much free time now!)
And of course, the need to procrastinate on more important things.

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 14

The grandfather clock chimed for the third time since Rarity and Fancypants arrived at his home.

After the first chime, Rarity had still been hopeful. She and Fancypants had hardly been in Canterlot for a full hour and she had no idea how long it would take for Fancypants's best ponies to travel back to his home to deliver Ivory Lace.

By the second chime she was starting to feel a pit grow in her stomach. She sat on a chaise trying to take up as little room as she possibly could as she kept glancing back and forth between the clock and the windows. Fancy had promised her that she would be holding Ivory Lace in her hooves by now, but she still hadn't seen any ponies coming up to his elaborate home.

By the third chime, she had been convinced by both Fancypants and a few of his servants to try to take her mind off the rescue by sitting down to enjoy a meal.

Try being the key word there. Every small forkful of food she was able to eat made her stomach churn and she found it more agreeable to just push the food around on her plate while she waited, hooves teetering impatiently for Ivory Lace to appear at the door.

“You know, Rarity...” Fancypants began, trying in vain once again to distract her. Unfortunately, every attempt at conversation went half-listened to as she continued to steal looks at the windows.

“Fancypants, where is she?” she finally asked, interrupting her companion's conversation. “You told me that if the Silver Guard saw the paperwork, they would have to give her back. It shouldn't take long for the ponies you dispatched to show them the paperwork and bring Lacey home.”

“I'm sure she is on her way.” He coughed. “However, the paperwork doesn't guarantee an easy out. Ivory Lace is the Silver Guard's only option and they won't be willing to let go of her that easily. The paperwork does serve as a legal document that states that once she is out, she can't be taken back.” Rarity opened her mouth to reply, but Fancypants continued. “Not to worry though; when I left to visit you, I was told the extraction was about to happen. They are likely just tying up loose ends.”

She looked up at him hesitantly.

“You have my word,” he assured her.

She looked back down at the salad she had been pushing around her plate. She wanted desperately to believe him, but past precedence had proven to her that, despite her wishes she couldn't believe anything that came out of his mouth.

“Right. Your word. Of course,” she replied curtly.

Fancypants leaned in towards her. “Pardon?”

Rarity looked up hesitantly.“Well...” she started with a sigh. “It's just that you haven't given me a reason to trust your word in a very long time.”

“Ah, I see,” he said thoughtfully as he placed his silverware gently on the table. “I understand why you wouldn't trust me right now... or anypony for that matter. You have had a very rough couple of weeks, but I simply cannot imagine why you would think I would lie to you about this. I would never want to give you false hope.”

“I don't know,” Rarity admitted. “But in the same vein, you have lied to me about so many things lately. Even though I desperately want to believe that you have my best interest at heart, I can't. You knew about Ivory Lace's existence, you lied about it when I told you, you brought me to Manehattan under false pretenses...” She paused, letting the gravity of her anger set in. “Shall I continue?”

He didn't respond, but focused his attention back to his dwindling plate of food.

“I don't think you understand how difficult this has been for me,” Rarity said with a sigh.

“Of course I do,” he assured her.

“No, Fancy, this is my daughter! She may only be a foal, but she means everything to me. Looking for her has been the only thing that has kept me from going completely insane because these past few weeks alone at home without her have been miserable. You can't just offer me a sliver of hope and pull it away from me like that! You promised me she would be here!” she cried.

“I am so sorry, Rarity, I assumed she would be here by now.”

Rarity stood up and walked away from the table until she was standing in front of one of the large floor to ceiling windows that adorned the formal dining room. Fancypants followed closely behind her and put his hoof on her shoulder.

“I know she doesn't mean much to you,” Rarity said quietly.

“Of course she does.” Fancypants reassured her. “She's your daughter.”

“Exactly,” Rarity replied in a voice hardly above a whisper. “She's my daughter and since the day she was born all I have ever wanted was for her to be safe and I couldn't even get that right for her.”

“It isn't your fault. This whole situation is out of your control. Besides, you likely have nothing to worry about; they don't want to cause her any harm. She is just part of a political move they want to make. Of course, now you have paperwork to prove that according to Equestrian Law the prince is no longer her father so they can't do anything. She'll be safe again, Rarity.”

Rarity nodded silently, not taking her eyes off of the window. “Do you really have ponies out there getting her?”

“Of course I do. I would never lie about that. I want her to be with you almost as much as you do. I'm just sorry it has taken my ponies so long to get her back.”

“Aren't the Silver Guard comprised of mainly upper-class ponies and... what? That one group of ponies that attempted to 'attack' us in the library? How hard can it be?”

“I'm not entirely sure; I wasn’t filled in on the specifics.”

“But when you came for me in Ponyville, you said that you knew where she was being held. Correct?” she questioned.

“Correct.”

A light blue shimmer of Rarity's magic lifted Fancypants' hoof away from her, leaving him standing in place with a raised eyebrow as she galloped away from the window. Next to her seat at the table sat her light pink saddlebags carefully perched upright and ready to be picked up at a moment's notice.

“Then perhaps it's time for a new plan. After all, if you want something done right, do it yourself.”

“You aren't planning on going there yourself, are you?” he asked, bewildered.

“Of course I am!” she responded proudly.

“I can't let you go there! It's not safe!” Fancypants argued.

“If I wanted to stay safe, I wouldn't have left Ponyville at all after I learned she had been foalnapped, but she's my daughter and I would give my own life to keep her safe.”

“Rarity...” Fancypants groaned.

“You can come with me or you can just tell me where she's being held, but either way I am going to get her. I can't sit around here any longer and pretend to be interested in making small talk.”

Her companion tilted his head and raised an eyebrow in thought, before ultimately letting his shoulders sag in defeat.

“If that's what you really want to do then go ahead. I'll stay here just in case she is brought here before you get to her.” Fancypants pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and hoofed it over to Rarity. “Here's the address of where I was told she was being held. Please stay safe, okay?”

“I will. I promise,” Rarity replied, as she took the paper out of his grasp and made her way out the front door without another glance back.

* * *

If looks could kill, Fleur would be dead by now and she seemed to take pleasure in knowing that. Blueblood couldn't pinpoint how long he had been in here, but Fleur must have popped her head into the room with a plate of cold mushy food and an ever-growing smile several times a day.

How could it be that at one point he had willingly pursued her?

And even worse, he had convinced her to spend the night.

Just the mere thought of it, knowing what he knew now, made him cringe.

Sitting in that room, Prince Blueblood had nothing but time to think about everything. There were no more distractions of possible routes to Ivory Lace, no more petty fights to get into, and no more places to explore to get his mind off things. At first, he spent that time blaming himself for spending that evening with Fleur; if he had just turned down her offer for that long-awaited date that week none of this would have ever happened.

Over time that thought dissipated.

Turning down that one date wouldn't have done anything except change the date of the foalnapping. After all, nothing else would have changed. The Silver Guard still wanted his title, Ivory Lace would still be illegitimate and if they hadn't already been outed by the papers, he likely would have continued to keep the knowledge that he had a daughter under wraps. It felt like it was an unwinnable situation.

The first few times Fleur returned, he tried to stay strong and ignore her. With the help of solitude and frustration though, it didn't take long for his confidence to wane among all the comments and insults that she hurled at him, all while keeping a smile on her face and a bounce in her step.

It was unpleasant to say the least.

When Fleur opened the door that day, with a plate of food scraps levitated in front of her, Blueblood didn't even bother getting up; something his pink-haired jailer took particular pleasure in.

“Well, don't you look chipper today.” She beamed as she placed the food down in front of him. “You know, I was just with your daughter earlier and she is having such a fun time here. Can I let you in on a little secret?” She giggled. “Of course I can, it's not like you can tell anypony anyway.” The prince tried to ignore her, hoping she would just disappear, but instead she just continued to taunt him. “Well, earlier today I'm pretty sure I heard her call one of our members, 'daddy.' Wonderful isn't it? Do you remember the first time she called you that?”

He flicked his eyes over towards Fleur and back. She was clearly enjoying his pain and while he kept his mouth shut, it was clear that he was disgusted with her.

“Oh, that's right, she never called you that. Honestly, it's been so long, she's probably forgotten all about you! You were barely a blip on her radar while she's all you've thought about for weeks.” She stomped her hooves in glee. “Oh this is just getting better and better!”

Blueblood took that as an opportunity to turn away from Fleur as she continued to gloat in the doorway. He didn't know how long she stood there, continuing to hurl insults at him until finally she deemed pestering him an unworthy cause, but as soon as she put down the plate of food and closed the door he sighed in relief.

He turned back around towards the door and reached a hoof out to touch the plate, as if he were afraid it would bite him if he got too close. The food wasn't gourmet by any definition, but they hadn't been giving him much food at all in the time he had been here and was so hungry that almost anything would do at this point.

Halfway through his plate of food, Blueblood noticed that there was the tiniest sliver of light on the ground next to his plate. Light had become a rarity when locked in a dark room. It really only happened when Fleur came in to give him food and harass him. To see it outside such negative experiences almost didn't feel real. The prince looked up at the door and noticed that it had not fully clicked into place, leaving it just slightly ajar. Just enough so that if he tried he could possibly get out of here.

He stood up slowly and walked carefully towards the door, holding his breath as if he were afraid one errant gust of wind would blow the door into its rightful place. He placed the tip of his hooves in the groove between the door and the wall and moved the door just slightly towards him before stopping short.

Escaping, he believed, wouldn't work out for him in the long run; they had made it very clear that this had been planned for years and they would not have a problem restarting the whole situation over again. If he escaped and somehow managed to get out of... wherever he was, nothing would change. Prince Blueblood was a very well known figurehead, after all. Ponies knew who he was and there was nowhere he could hide. Besides, disappearing would be pointless if they still had Ivory Lace in custody. All it would do was extend his life. He took a few tiny steps away from the door in fear, hoof still outstretched as he tried to muster up the courage to decide whether or not he wanted to stay locked in here or attempt an escape.

His thoughts were cut short by the sound of hoofsteps quickly growing louder outside the door.

Was Fleur back already? He thought she had just left, but it was possible that he had just been standing in front of the door for hours. He no longer had any concept of time.

He covered his eyes as the door creaked open slowly, to keep the increased light out of his eyes. He expected the usual: a nasty comment, Fleur's light hoofsteps that seemed to float rather than trot, but this time the door opened with little fanfare. And despite being able to tell that the light had flooded his cell, there was no cackling to be heard and no nasty comment. The prince slowly let his forelegs drop from his eyes and instead of seeing the lithe pink maned mare or anypony else that he had suspected, it was Rarity who stood in the doorway, hoof on the doorknob.

He had to admit, he had never been so happy to see Rarity in his entire life.

And judging by the look on her face, he assumed she must have felt the same way.

“Blueblood?!” she exclaimed, taking a step forward “What are you doing here? How are you doing? You look simply dreadful!”

“Well, I assumed that my beautiful face hadn't been tarnished, so knowing that I was wrong is just another reminder that things haven't been so great.”

“What happened to you? I thought you left!” she exclaimed.

“I did. I mean, I had a plan at one point, but this isn't it.” He looked around the tiny dark closet that had been his home for the past few weeks. “This definitely isn't it.”

She took the magic inhibitor off his horn and dug through her saddlebags until she found a brush and canteen of water. He sent a flow of magic up to his horn and then out towards the objects she had presented him. Having actual water to drink and something to clean the knots out of his coat and mane made him feel presentable once again and in a less-weakened state. It was the first positive experience he had in a very long time.

“How did you find me anyway?” Blueblood asked as soon as the last drip of water had escaped the canteen.

“I was given the directions to where Ivory Lace was being held and I snuck in here to find her. I've checked a few rooms so far, but I wasn't able to find her. When I heard some ponies chatting and walking away from this general area, I waited until I was sure they had passed and then came over to see if perhaps they were leaving Ivory Lace over here.”

Blueblood stopped short. “I don't like the sound of that. Are you sure nopony saw you?”

“Oh hush, whoever was here has already left. There's nopony around. Trust me.”

“So nopony knows you're here?”

She looked around nervously, her foreleg scratching the back of her head. “Actually, Fancypants knows. He's the one who gave me the directions here in the first place.”

Blueblood rolled his eyes. “Of course he did and he would never steer you wrong. Although, I could have sworn we decided that he couldn't be trusted.”

“We didn't decide anything.”

“For all you know he just led you right into a trap.”

“It was the closest thing I've had to a lead to our filly in weeks! So pardon me for deciding to check it out. Besides, I know I can't trust him. He told me that he could get Ivory Lace out of here because 'you' signed the paperwork for termination of parental rights.”

She pulled the paperwork out of her saddlebag and showed it to him. “I realized fairly quickly that the signature on this paper doesn't quite match up to your actual signature, but...”

“It was easier to go along with the lie to get Ivory Lace,” he responded as he glanced over the paperwork. “No, I understand.”

“Yes, but I haven't even found a trace of her yet,” Rarity replied, before quietly adding, “it's beginning to feel hopeless. I just want this whole nightmare to end.”

“I know, me too,” he said as he pulled the unwilling mare closer to him. “But, Rarity, there's something I have to confess.”

“Pardon?”

“It's just that... in all my time here, I've gotten a few snippets here and there about what's going on and it isn't looking good for us.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that this situation is us or them and they are the ones with the upper hoof. I understand you want to take her home. So do I. More than anything, but if we get out of here, it won't be over. I know who some of them are and they know where to find us. What will you do if this happens again? Because it probably will. You have a job to do. You have customers, family, friends; you can't just disappear again.”

“Your time in here has made you negative,” Rarity said, desperately trying to stay positive. “I'm sure there is something we could do to prevent this from happening.”

“There are hundreds of precautions we can put into place, but it won't stop them. Even if I end up having an official royal heir in the future or if it turns out I have other...”

He trailed off. Rarity shook her head as if begging him not to say it.

“Ivory Lace is the one they already know they have the best bet in getting back.”

“No, I don't believe that.” She took a step away from him and took a step towards the door. “There's so much we could do. I know there is.”

“Like what? We don't have that many options. In all the time I've been here the only options I was ever able to come up with were that we could disappear, which is difficult when I'm sure we are being watched constantly, and I am the Prince of Equestria; ponies know what I look like.” Rarity rolled her eyes. “Or we could get married, which neither of us wants for obvious reasons and it is, of course, far too soon to put together a proper elaborate wedding. Oh, and of course, my favorite option - we could go back in time and stay away from each other at the airship party so we don't end up with a foal.”

“Oh, be serious for once in your life!”

“I am serious! That's the problem with our options; not only are they horrible, but considering we've been inside enemy lines, even if one of them was a possibility, it still wouldn't be over for us.”

“So what do you want to do then? Would you prefer to just stay here in this locked room until they decide it's time to kill you off? You could just leave our daughter, the one that you have told me over and over again that you want more time with, in the hooves of the ponies who snuck into your home in the middle of the night, took her out of her crib, and burned the remains of her nursery?”

“Rarity, just let it go. Please,” he pleaded. “You know that they would let you see her and spend time with her, but this could be for the best. Ivory Lace could be a Princess and isn't that better than letting her grow up in Ponyville?”

“So you would prefer to die than watch your daughter grow up?”

“Of course not, but it's more complicated than that! I just believe that she would be better off without me. I have been a horrible pony and my antics would just rub off on her. She could be so much better than me if I didn't raise her.”

“...You do realize you aren't her only parent, right? I would never let her grow up to be just like you,” she snapped.

“I...”

“I don't know what they said or did to you in here,” she interrupted, “and maybe I'm not the best pony to give you a pep talk—Celestia knows the amount of times I've cursed you out in my mind—but the Prince Blueblood I've come to know, the one who tried to find his daughter instead of hiding, wouldn't just give up.”

“It's not giving up, it's giving her a life we can't give her. A life without us arguing about who gets her when, a life where she's a princess. I thought you would be more open to the idea since the only reason you spoke to me in the first place was because you wanted to be a princess.”

Rarity stepped back towards the door, shaking her head.

“You know I love her. If I didn't think she deserved better...” he said, his voice drifting off mid-sentence as he waited for Rarity to interrupt him. For a few pregnant seconds, neither of them said anything, but the glare she gave him was an answer enough.

“You can stay here if you want,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don't care anymore, but I honestly thought you were better than this.”

Rarity walked away from the door and back into the main hallways of the building. Despite his reservations, Prince Blueblood followed not far behind her, cautiously looking around with every step he took.

“Where do you think you're going?” he demanded.

“It's no longer any of your business, but since you've asked, I plan on going out there, getting my daughter, and bringing her home.”

“Our daughter,” he reminded her.

“She isn't yours if you plan on staying here for the rest of your life,” she replied innocently without breaking her stride.

“Rarity!” Blueblood whispered harshly. “Stop! You have to get out of here or somepony will catch us. Every minute we've spent together here feels fishy. Think about it; my door was open, you were given the directions to this building, and nopony came to check on us the entire time you were in my cell. This is why I want you to stop; they've planned everything and we can't do anything about it.”

“I'm not afraid of them and I will not leave until I get what I came here for.”

“They are probably far more capable than you think they are, and believe it or not, I actually care about the safety of you and our daughter, not just my own.”

She opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of hoofsteps growing increasingly louder stopped her short. Her eyes grew wide as she started to look around the hallway for places they could duck in to.

“Do you still believe that it's safe for you to be here?” he whispered.

She rolled her eyes, but as the hoofsteps got closer they both looked at each other, visibly worried. Blueblood grabbed her hoof and pulled her along as he started to sprint in the opposite direction.

The hallway they ran through seemed endless, but they assumed with doors on each side that at least one of them would offer them sanctuary, but every door they tried was locked. They tried to increase their pace, running faster between the doors, trying the handles with all the strength they could muster as they looked over their shoulders, but luck didn't seem to be on their side.

Finally the prince was able to jiggle open one of the doors and motioned for Rarity to follow behind him. She glanced over her shoulder where a few shadows at the other end of the hallway were beginning to become visible and quickly followed him into the room.

He quickly but silently closed the door behind them and locked it immediately. The hoofsteps echoed throughout the hallway, each step louder than the last until it sounded like the pony was right in front of their door. From the sliver of light underneath the doorway, they could see the shadows of their pursuers' hooves and waited with bated breath until those shadows and the echoing hoofsteps disappeared. Both unicorns sighed in relief that they had been able to evade the Silver Guard, and slumped to the floor on either side of the door, trying to catch their breath.

“Where are we?” Rarity whispered.

“I don't know,” Blueblood said, “but it shouldn't be too difficult to find out.”

The tip of his horn illuminated with a bright silver light and Rarity followed suit with a bright blue glow emanating from her horn. The pale glow lit up the room around them and it became clearer that the room that they had stumbled into was the very room they had been looking for: Ivory Lace's temporary nursery.

Author's Note

Believe it or not, I had a goal at the beginning of this year to be better about this story, especially considering I've been working on it for so long and it's so close to being done. Then I let this chapter sit, almost entirely completed, all summer because I was too busy. Oops.
Anyway, as always, huge shout out to Nyerguds for proofreading this for me and offering helpful auggestions!

Chapter 1

It was the wedding of the year; quite possibly even the wedding of the century.

Despite it's rough beginning and subsequent rescheduling to defeat the Changeling army that invaded Equestria at the same time, hundreds of ponies were in attendance for the second chance at the wedding of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor that took place the following day.

Everypony who was anypony was in attendance for this event.

So, say, if a single pony wanted to hide from somepony else at this event, in theory, it would be a simple feat.

That was what Prince Blueblood was counting on.

Princess Cadance's distant cousin specifically attended his cousin's wedding for the sole reason of meeting new mares from all over Equestria. A feat that had become much simpler for him once he had achieved the rating of “Most Eligible Bachelor in Canterlot” once again.

He had always enjoyed his pick of the litter due to his social status, but having well renowned magazines also praise his looks, talents, and charitable endeavors multiple years in a row was highly appreciated.

Especially at events like this one where there were hundreds of mares in attendance that he had never met yet and they were all vying for his attention.

This should have been a marvelous party, he had been looking forward to this event since the day Princess Cadance and Shining Armor announced their engagement. If the changeling attack had been the absolute worst thing that happened to this event, then it still would have been able to redeem itself, but unfortunately, there was a far worse entity that seemed to be lurking at the wedding.

Her.

He hadn't been privy to all of the details of the wedding plan, but he did live in the same castle as the happy couple who were more than likely to tell ponies details at the drop of a hat and he had seen enough ponies come in and out that he thought he had a good idea of who was involved and what their job was. Prince Blueblood even believed that he was on good terms with the bride and groom since he had practically grown up with them, but Shining Armor had made no mention of the one thing Blueblood dreaded most and since they spent time together at Shining Armor's bachelor party the other day, he had plenty of opportunities to at least make a mention of her invite.

Even worse, the groom had not even mentioned to the prince that she was going to be part of the wedding party as Princess Cadance's right hoof mare for the entire ceremony. He felt like that was something Cadance and Shining Armor should have told him, seeing as they knew more about his shaky relationship with her than most ponies knew.

He was able to avoid her line of sight through the whole wedding by stationing himself in the back corner of the room during the ceremony. By the time the reception started, he had tried to perfect the practice of keeping an eye out for her while keeping a keen focus on all the interested mares in the room. It was difficult, but by moving around often and by speaking to mares in large groups, it felt like a viable plan. It wasn't prime for making connections, but in this case it was the best choice to keep him out of trouble.

“Prince Blueblood?”

Or not.

Her voice was melodic and soft like velvet; if they didn't have such a sordid history together, he would have been intrigued, but instead he just felt his heart sink at the very sound of her voice. He hadn't seen her or heard from her in months. It was a record that he was hoping would keep up for a much longer period of time.

The stallion turned away from his captive audience to face his fears. She was a young mare with a slightly off white coat and violet tresses that never seemed to lose their bouncy curls. She was just an average mare from a tiny little town; she was nothing compared to so many of the other gorgeous and interesting ponies he had met in his lifetime, but she was still a lovely mare.

Lovely, but absolutely insufferable.

He glared at her, making his annoyance at her interruption clear; a glare that she quickly returned for a brief second before remembering that they were in a public place and he was part of a much higher station than she was.

He was going to have to talk to her, she still made that absolutely clear.

He made his apologies to the mares he had been talking to and began walking towards her. He desperately wanted to explain to his audience that he didn't want to leave them just yet, but he was obligated to speak to the interloper. Of course that would just open up the floor for a barrage of questions.

Questions that he certainly wasn't ready to answer.

Questions that would lead to admitting a mistake he wasn't ready to talk about just yet.

“Miss Rarity, you look well. How are you?” Blueblood asked cordially.

“Prince Blueblood,” she replied coldly. “I was hoping you and I could chat… in private of course.” She raced straight to the point, ignoring any of the pleasantries the prince was hoping they would start with, if only because it would stave off the conversation that he didn't want to have. He realized long ago that their next interaction would go just as well as their last one and that it would probably include phrases that she used often like “you ruined my life” or “you're despicable” or any other variation of those phrases that made him out to be some sort of villain that tormented her life.

When, in fact, the opposite was true.

“About what?” Blueblood decided to ask, holding on the very rare hope that she wanted to talk about something else.

That tiny sliver of hope was shot down when Rarity's cold and intense glare hit him. He shivered. The last time he had seen that look was right before she splattered him with cake at the Grand Galloping Gala. Thankfully, this time the cake was on the other side of the garden.

That didn't mean that he wasn't still paralyzed with fear. Something that she eagerly picked up on as she used her light blue aura of magic to grab the stallion's bow tie and pulled him into the castle ballroom. The wedding reception had migrated out into the garden and since the clean up crew had already swept through the room immediately after the ceremony ended, the ballroom was completely empty.

He was both relieved and worried about being left alone in an empty room with her. On one hoof, if anypony heard their conversation, the information was heavy enough to ruin both his steadily maintained reputation and any hope at a reputation she could ever wish to have among the Canterlot elite. Not to mention, Bluebood doubted her goody-goody little friends knew anything about this and they probably wouldn't take too kindly to this new information. On the other hoof, nopony was around to see if she hurt him, which had a distinct possibility of happening considering how their last meeting ended.

She let go of his bow tie as soon as she was sure they were alone and even straightened it for him, but the silence hung in the air like fog. Despite her insistence on them talking, she didn't seem to be keen on starting the conversation.

“So what do you want? Are you in need of more money?” Blueblood asked breaking the silence. “If so, that isn't a problem, just tell me how much you need and I will adjourn to my suite to get the bits together for you.”

“I don't need your money, nor do I want it. She and I are doing just fine on our own.” Rarity replied holding her head up high.

“Of course you are,” he replied as he patted her on the back. “I am quite sure that a single mare such as yourself in that backwards little town of yours, does well. I can only imagine the things that you do there and the stallions you do them with. After all, I have seen it all firsthoof.”

“I am not a slut and I do not appreciate your continued efforts to paint me as one!” She paused and took a quick glance around the ballroom, it was still empty. Nevertheless, she made an effort to lower her tone when she added, “I was just hoping you and I could talk about our daughter. I was wondering if you would like to come visit us in Ponyville for a few hours so you could meet her.”

He rolled his eyes. Rarity had always tried to make it seem like visiting her hometown was such a simple task. He was the Prince of Canterlot, he had duties to the ponies in his city and duties to the crown; free time in a tiny little town would raise some eyebrows and the questions would come flooding in. It wouldn't take much detective work for ponies to uncover Prince Blueblood's biggest mistake yet.

He shook his head no, Rarity's head drooped a bit.

“She's starting to look a lot like you...”

“Miss Rarity I am sorry...” He wasn't. “But it is very difficult for me to make it over there... I mean after all we did say that we would keep this a secret. How would it look for me to just walk up to your little home? I mean it's not like you and I are considered to be on good terms so why should we give ponies a reason to wonder? Besides, I know for a fact that your parents have no interest in seeing me anywhere near you ever again. Why would I give your father another chance to ruin my pretty face?”

“I'm sure that...”

“Not to mention, what would your friends say? I know for a fact that you haven't told them the full story yet. There's no way your friends would be able to keep that a secret. Twilight Sparkle likely would have blathered everything to Princess Celestia as soon as she found out and then where would we be?”

“Twilight would never do that!” Rarity argued. “My friends understand that some things are supposed to be kept secret. They are the best friends anypony could ever ask for.”

Blueblood raised an eyebrow. “So you told them everything?”

“Well, no,” she admitted. “They know that she exists, of course, but as per our agreement, I never said a word about your involvement.” She straightened out the creases in her bridesmaid dress before looking back up at him. “Look, I know that you and I don't get along with each other, but I just don't want her to grow up without a father in her life.”

“Well I made it most of my life without a father and I have turned out just fine,” Blueblood said as he straightened his posture to appear more princely, but his companion didn't look convinced.

“I'm serious,” Rarity mumbled.

“So am I.”

Rarity rolled her eyes in response and Blueblood smirked. “Of course you are at a wedding, I'm sure you could shop around for a new father for her.”

Rarity's eyes narrowed. After the periods of time they had spent together over the last few months, she had gotten used to their constant bickering, it was a given every time they had to spend time together, but even months later, it still hurt that he wanted to just brush the whole situation off as if he were denying that he had ever been a part of the act to begin with.

“Why are you so ashamed of this?”

“Why aren't you more ashamed of this? We got drunk at a party and you got pregnant. What is the upside to this story?” He briefly paused to look around them to make sure nopony had heard him. As soon as he was sure they were still safe, he added in a voice hardly above a whisper, “besides, I'm sure this is exactly what all of your new friends here in Canterlot are going to want to hear all about.”

She looked down at the ground, ashamed at herself to even show him that he had hit a nerve with that statement. The whole reason they were able to reconnect at a party was because she had begun to worm her way into the Canterlot elite; a difficult task to begin with because they didn't let just anypony join their parties and fundraisers. Rarity had caught the attention of a wealthy and influential pony who served as her stepping stool into a world of privilege, but she still stood tall on her own four hooves and became a pony that everypony wanted to know.

Of course, the tides could easily change should the information about her daughter become common knowledge. The ponies who once looked up to her fashion sense could just as easily put her out of business with that tidbit of information. A foal out of wedlock? To the elite, it would just be the proof that some of them needed to show that she wasn't sophisticated or high class, she was just another country mare. It didn't matter if the foal's father was the Prince of Canterlot; a foal out of wedlock negatively affected the image she strove for years to perfect. It was the whole reason that her daughter was a bit of an open secret back in Ponyville.

“I know it seems harsh now.” Blueblood continued, patting her on the back once again, “but I think that we can both agree this is for the best.”

“I don't believe that you of all ponies is thinking about my future with the Canterlot elite,” she spat out.

“It's not just that,” he reminded her. “We couldn't even stand to be in the same room together while the foal was born, your family dislikes me and if my mother ever found out about this, we would be forced into a wedding neither of us wants; anything other than our current deal would be more trouble than it's worth.”

“I'm not asking you to tell ponies. All I ask is that instead of just sending bits every month, you stop by and say hello. You could even just say you're stopping by to get designs by Carousel Boutique or...”

Blueblood let out an un-gentlemanly guffaw. “Are you suggesting I give you free publicity as a cover for seeing your illegitimate child? No. Not in this lifetime. Besides, I think I did enough for you and it. You were well cared for before it was born, I go out of my way to send you a rather large stipend every month, and I was there for the birth. We had a contract drawn up and I have stuck to the terms that applied to me.”

“You never saw her after she was born! As soon as the cord was cut, you made a beeline for the door!”

“I stuck by your side through hours of labor while you tried to pull my hooves off and while your father yelled at me for ruining your life. Why should I have stuck around for anything longer? So you and your backwards family can rope me into doing more? That wasn't part of our agreement.”

“Bu...”

“Rarity! Prince Blueblood!”

The pair was quickly silenced by a familiar voice ringing out through the empty ballroom. Fancypants sauntered over to the duo and Rarity instantly began to make every effort to inconspicuously distance herself from the prince.

“I must say, I was surprised to hear your friends tell me that you had come inside, Miss Rarity, but I think I am doubly surprised to see you're here with the prince. Is everything okay?”

Not even Rarity's meteoric ascension into the Canterlot elite could fully erase the first time the two unicorns had met at the Grand Galloping Gala. They had attempted to patch things up after Fancypants had deemed her his new favorite party guest, but their evening at Fancypants' airship launch party quickly turned publicly sour before ultimately ending with the two of them privately clearing out several bottles during the open bar before scampering off to be together.

It was, without a doubt, a party that they would not soon forget.

“Prince Blueblood caught me as I was coming back from helping Princess Cadance with a dress malfunction. We were just discussing the recent art gallery exhibit we both attended and we must have lost track of time.”

Neither of them were sure if the monocled unicorn believed them, he didn't look convinced, but he didn't press the issue further aside from a raised eyebrow.

“Yes, of course. I hope you two don't mind, but I was hoping that I may speak with Miss Rarity.” He paused for a moment as the other two unicorns in the room stared at him warily without moving. He cleared his throat before adding with a bit more force, “alone.”

“Actually, Fancypants, I do mind. Miss Rarity and I are having a very important conversation. Why don't you come back and find her when she isn't busy?”

She ignored him before turning to face Fancypants.

“Of course, this conversation isn't all that important. Prince Blueblood has already made that quite clear, so I don't mind being pulled away.”

The prince didn't move as he watched Fancypants put his hoof out for her and she took it happily. It took every bit of his will power to not make known how annoyed he was that she had pulled him away from his crowd only to ditch him in the middle of their conversation for her own little flirtation. Even worse, she would wander off with Fancypants of all ponies, he was probably the most insufferable pony that he ever met.

As Fancypants led her back out to the courtyard for the reception, Rarity turned back to face the prince and shot him a look behind Fancypants back. Blueblood didn't waste the opportunity to roll his eyes at her and her obvious social climbing under the guise of flirtation.

As soon as the two were out of sight, he shook his head and composed himself before walking back to the celebration, glad to finally be rid of Rarity for what he hoped was forever, but at this point, he would even settle for being rid of her for the rest of the night. Now he was free to do whatever he wanted. Still, he found it absurd that she would even want him to visit her place, he recalled that at the foal's birth they had created the arrangement to be in everypony's best interest.

Specifically his best interest and between the two of them, his best interest was a bit more important.

The cool breeze of the Spring air hit Rarity head on as they entered the courtyard. She tried to keep her composure, but she couldn't help, but feel a bit rattled by her conversation the prince. Not that she would ever admit that to anypony, especially Fancypants. She couldn't imagine telling anypony that when she talked to Prince Blueblood, it was usually never about social niceties and events anymore.

Even her friends, who she loved dearly, hadn't reacted well when she told them the very basic overview of the situation; it involved more questions from nosy neighbors and a Pinkie Pie party that she definitely wasn't prepared for, so she knew that if her well meaning friends and neighbors could cause so much distress, so she couldn't imagine letting anypony know that Prince Blueblood was involved in any way, shape, or form. If her own friends and neighbors didn't takek it well, that meant that telling anypony in Canterlot would be social suicide. It wasn't a ruse that she would be able to keep up forever, but she didn't need forever, she just needed now.

That had practically been her mantra for the past year or so and it had proved its worth so far. It was part of the reason why she would always make excuses whenever one of her Canterlot acquaintances asked to visit her in Ponyville. Especially Fancypants. She had him to thank for her rise among the elite and since the day they had met their relationship had been filled with flirtatious conversations, sweet letters, and well thought out excursions together. She reasoned that it wasn't far off that there might be a potential relationship between the two of them and she had yet to hear about a stallion, especially one of his pedigree, who was interested in dating a mare with a foal.

“Is everything okay, my dear?”

“Yes of course.” She smiled as she brushed one of her violet curls out of her line of vision.

“Is there something wrong between yourself and the prince? He isn't terrorizing you, is he? He has a tendency to be a monumental pain.” For a moment, Rarity panicked. She was worried that he was waiting for a legitimate explanation and wouldn't rest until she told him absolutely everything.

“Oh, it was nothing, really, not quite as nice as a conversation about an art gallery, it was just a rehashing of an old grievance,” she responded. “We wanted to be out of the way as to not ruin the reception for the other guests.”

He seemed to buy that more than their last excuse, and in reality that was already a brief overview of the conversation; the devil was in the details, after all.

To her relief, he didn't press her for details. His attention was quickly diverted when they found an empty table near the dance floor in the middle of the reception area. She smiled widely, sighing inwardly with relief that he didn't question her further on the subject and sat down in the stool that he had specifically pulled out just for her. Once she sat down, he took the seat across from her and for a brief moment they just watched the wedding around them.

It was hard to believe that less than 24 hours ago, Canterlot was being invaded when the entire castle garden had been done up in the most extravagant manner and ponies were really enjoying it. Most importantly, the bride and groom looked exquisitely happy as they danced.

“That certainly was a show of a wedding wasn't it?” Fancypants asked.

“Yes,” Rarity giggled. “I don't think it's a wedding I will ever forget.”

He chuckled and made light of his own experience from the crowd during the initial ceremony and Rarity half-listened. While she and her friends had done a lot of work to make sure the wedding ran smoothly, especially after the Changeling invasion, she couldn't help, but silently plead that he didn't want to spend most of their evening talking about the wedding and invasion. She didn't want to have a series of short conversations that basically amounted only amounted to small talk.

Not tonight and certainly not with him.

“And that experience only solidified my reasoning for our little tete-a-tete, today,” Fancy said, interrupting her thoughts. “I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Yes?” She asked leaning toward him in anticipation.

“Would you be interested in joining me on an airship cruise in a few weeks? After all of this, I think I need a vacation and I would be flattered if you would join me. It would be a week long excursion around Southern Equestria and I would pay for all the expenses; you would be my special guest, after all.”

“Yes, of course!” Rarity beamed. Fancypants was the most important pony in Canterlot and he was asking for her to spend a week on a ship alone with him as his special guest. Although, she couldn't help, but wonder what he meant by 'special.' Exactly how special of a guest would she be? Marefriend worthy special? Or just business cohorts special?

Fancypants interrupted her thoughts.

“Splendid! Happy to have you aboard, Rarity.”

She paused for a moment as Fancypants prattled on and on about some of the amenities of the airship and some events that were scheduled on board. At first, she listened with rapt attention, giddy at the thought of spending so much time alone with the stallion of her dreams on a cruise through picture perfect scenery. The attention began to wane though when she realized that her parents likely wouldn't be able to watch Ivory Lace for a full week; they couldn't even watch Sweetie Belle for a whole week sometimes.

She briefly considered her friends, but quickly decided against them. It was far too much work and it would get in the way of all the other things that the girls had to do. Besides a few of her friends could not always trusted to be the most responsible... or watchful for that matter.

She watched Fancypants become more animated about their trip and brushed the worries away. She had time to figure it out, it was a few weeks away and right now she just wanted to bask in the company of Fancypants and the sublime conversation under the starlight. Yes, right now she wanted to be just Rarity, the mare on the foreleg of Fancypants. The one and only mare who would be accompanying him on a cruise for an entire week.

That had to be the most wonderful feeling of all.

* * *

The following morning, Blueblood awoke in a room that was not his own, with a mare he did not recognize. He smiled widely, even after he thought his chances to bed a mare that night were ruined, he still spent the night with one. Score another one for the prince.

As he always did in this situation, he quietly slipped out of the bed being careful not to wake the sleeping mare. After he had rolled out of the bed, he looked at the blue unicorn who was still sleeping quietly, completely ignorant that her companion had left her side. Blueblood smiled, he loved when things happened in his favor.

With that thought in mind, he quickly and quietly slipped out of the room into the cool hallway, being careful not to slam the door. It was still early, too early for most ponies to be up and gallivanting around this wing of the castle, especially after an event with that much alcohol flowing. This worked perfectly for the prince. It meant that nopony could say they could see him come out of... whatever her name's... room that morning.

Most of the guests from the wedding who were either staying in Canterlot for several days or were elevated enough in society, were staying in this wing of the castle. So getting out at this time was perfect for keeping his reputation, and the mare's reputation as well, tidy. After all, what would the press say if they found out?

As he walked back towards his wing of the castle he saw a familiar looking shape walking in the direction opposite of him with shoes dangling in the air, shrouded in shimmering blue magic.

Rarity.

Unfortunately, at this point he could pick her out in a crowd easily. It was a skill he wished that he hadn't gained.

He briefly considered turning around before she noticed him. He didn't need another rehash of last nights conversation this early in the morning. He was just about to turn around, but he realized that aside from carrying her shoes around via magic, she was also still wearing the bridesmaid dress she had worn the night before. The prince laughed quietly to himself and instead of turning around, he made a beeline straight for her.

“Ah, the walk of shame,” he said as soon as she was close enough to him, Rarity glared at him.

“I'll have you know, Fancypants and I shared a lovely breakfast in bed together and he asked me to join him on a vacation in a few weeks,” she retorted as she tried to trot past him. “It was the furthest thing from the one night stand you just came from. After all, I do have standards, unlike some ponies.”

“I see...” he responded flatly, his eyebrow arched in disbelief. “So you didn't just rope another high class stallion into a one night stand? That's nice, you've really grown and I am so glad that it only took an unexpected pregnancy for you to be more careful with your affections. Speaking of unexpected pregnancy, have you told him about your daughter yet? I'm sure that would go over well.”

Rarity stopped dead in her tracks, she was ready to say something to the prince, the words were at the tip of her tongue, but in the end she just decided ignored him.

“Of course you haven't.” A twisted smile grew on his face. “He wouldn't have invited you on a vacation with him if he knew. Unless he wants to do a family vacation with you and the foal, but something tells me that's probably not the kind of cruise either of you want.”

Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment and frustration, but she bit her tongue. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he got under her skin. She took a deep calming breath before she was able to look him in the eyes.

“If you are so concerned about it, then how about you watch Ivory Lace while I'm away? My parents are just too busy and I simply cannot ask my friends to watch her for a whole week.” She blinked in surprise at her own words. Did she really mean to say that? Was she really going to trust that lout with her filly?

“And yet you have the gall to ask me?” Blueblood scoffed.

“Well yes, you are her father,” she responded, ignoring his tone.

“I'm busy.”

“I haven't even told you when I'm going!”

“I'm a very busy stallion, Rarity.”

“Perhaps you can make some time for her or at the very least you could ask your servants to help you.”

“Perhaps they are busy as well, they do have to deal with the aftermath of a wedding and an invasion. They are busy ponies.”

“Blueblood, please,” Rarity huffed. “I have never asked you for anything. Besides you owe her, you've never been there for her.”

“I would think, if anypony owes anypony anything then it would be you who owes me. After all, the only thing I asked of you, was for her name to be Blue Belle. It is a family tradition for the first born in the Royal lineage to have that moniker, illegitimate or not. You named her Ivory Lace, what kind of a name is that?”

“You forfeited the right to have a say in that, you ig...” Rarity bit her lip, trying not to raise her voice and cause a scene in the hallway. It simply wasn't ladylike to be caught in an argument like this. Especially not at this hour. “I refuse to argue with you over this,” she finally said. “All I ask is that you spend one week with her while I go on an extended date with Fancypants. This is in your best interest, you know.”

“How so?” Blueblood asked raising an eyebrow.

“If this date goes well, Fancy and I could get married. At that point, I would no longer have any use for you in Lace's life. She would have a better father than you could ever be, and neither of us would need your money.”

“And when it doesn't go well?”

“Even ifit doesn't go well, I will forfeit any rights to your money and I will stop asking you for any help.” Blueblood went silent in contemplation, Rarity held out her hoof. “One week, that's all I ask. Do we have a deal?”

Blueblood nodded and took her hoof. “If this means that you will stop pestering me, then yes. Yes, we have a deal.”

The two unicorns shook on it and continued back to their respective suites before anypony ever noticed. Before they were completely out of each others sight, Blueblood stopped and turned back around.

“Oh, Miss Rarity!”

She turned around, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

“What now?”

“Oh nothing, I just wanted to say that I'm so glad to see you lost that baby weight. I was worried about you for a little while there.”

She shook her head and turned back around, quickly making her way out of his sight as the wry smile on the princes face blossomed since he was so glad to have had the final word this time around.

Author's Note

January 2018 Note:
I recently found my original notes for this fic after thinking I had lost the last 5 chapters. While going through it, I realized it had been a long time since I reread this story and I was struck by how much improvement it needed.
So, I'm slowly going through and updating some of the earlier chapters so that they read a little bit better and add more to the plot. I admit, back in 2012 when I started this, I was not the strongest writer and while I still don't think I'm great, I like to think I've improved so I am really proud of the changes I've made. If you disagree or if you just want to be reminded of how it used to go, feel free to message me and I'll send you the original. Thanks so much!

Chapter 8

Manehattan wasn't known for its charm or beauty. Canterlot far exceeded the big city in that respect. If anything, compared to other cities in Equestria, Manehattan was dirty and crowded. The swarms of tourists that flocked the city did not do so to see beautiful buildings or nicely swept walkways. They visited primarily because of Manehattan's many shopping opportunities.

Of the numerous storefronts, there was no other store in town that could draw a crowd quite like Hoity Toity's shop could. He always featured the best of the best from designers all over Equestria, and even a few from outside of the country. Rarity had meticulously chosen this store, out of all of the stores in Manehattan, because not only did it feature her designs, but she had hoped the idea of a crowd would sway Prince Blueblood from tagging along with her while she looked for a dress.

It did not.

“I told you, I do not feel comfortable being around you without some kind of facade, especially since that article came out today. Both of us are risking humiliation. Do you really want to risk death too?” she asked, looking nervously around the store to see if anypony was looking their way.

“It's okay, I have a mustache. According to your pink friend it should be a suitable disguise for the time being. Besides, I needed an opportunity to speak with you without any of your friends around.”

“A mustache? Really? You think that flimsy excuse for a disguise will work?”

“Absolutely. Besides, I would like to think that after two very close brushes with death, I could handle myself should I have to run for my life again.”

“Oh sure, I am positive you could,” Rarity responded, trying to ebb the sarcasm in her voice. “Now, what is it you wish to speak about?”

“Fancypants,” Blueblood responded quickly, and after a pause he added, “and I would also like to advise you about your outfit choices.”

“Pardon?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

“If I see you in another shade of red or yellow, I might hurl.” He looked around and grabbed the first dress that caught his eye and threw it over to her. “Here,” he said as Rarity levitated the glittering silver dress above her head, still reeling from the suddenness of the whole conversation. “Great. Now, let's talk about Fancypants.”

“Okay,” Rarity started slowly. “Then why don't you start by explaining to me why you are so worried about him. Unlike you, he is a true gentlecolt.”

“I wish to make it perfectly clear to you that I do not trust him. I know that you have an interest in spending your time with Fancypants, and I will try not pester you about it, but please be wary. He has always been a tricky stallion, and I know he has lied about things before.”

“Oh Blueblood,” Rarity interrupted as she inspected the dress she still held onto. “Am I to believe that you are jealous of him? That is what it sounds like, after all.”

“Jealous? Of him? Ha. Why in Equestria would I be jealous of him?”

She paused and looked up at the prince, smiling. “Hold on to that thought. I need to try this on.”

She made her way towards the back of the store, where the dressing rooms were. Blueblood followed behind her, checking every few moments to make sure his fake mustache was still in place.

“Get back here! We are not done talking about this!” He whispered from outside the dressing room. In response, he heard one of the doors slam.

He stood outside the dressing room tapping his forehoof in frustration while he waited for her to come out. He should have known she wouldn't have been as receptive to this conversation as he had hoped. Perhaps it was the subject matter? Or more likely, it was just that she didn't listen to anything he had to say.

From his interactions with her thus far, it seemed the latter was more likely to be true.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that this so-called truce that they had struck was not going as well as they had planned. It started out well; the day before, they had hardly argued with each other at all, and for a moment one would've believed that they actually tolerated each other's presence. By the time Celestia raised the sun in the morning, though, the truce was already on unsteady ground, thanks in part to the newspaper that Twilight had bought from the lobby of the hotel.

She was the first pony to see the article.

Theoretically, it could have been easy to hide the paper. She doubted any of them would read the paper if it wasn't right in front of them. Not to mention, there were plenty of places to hide it and even dozens of ways to destroy it.

Unfortunately, Twilight Sparkle didn't think of any of those options until after Blueblood slunk into the seat across from her with a coffee in hoof.

“Anything interesting?”

Twilight looked around uncomfortably. “Nope, nothing really. Just... you know... news.”

“Miss Sparkle, you are a terrible liar,” he retorted as he grabbed the paper from out in front of her and scanned over the page she had just been looking at. “Well, I guess they kept true to their word. It made the papers.”

From that moment on, their truce had dissolved back into the feud it had begun with. Neither of them had any doubts that this was the plan from the beginning. From the moment the threat of publishing had been made, they had both known that any such article would would purposely be written to make them wary of each other. Even so, they weren't prepared to be publicly scolded and torn down by the press based off the opinions of ponies who thought they knew their story.

So, by the time Rarity pranced out of the dressing room with her head held high and the silver dress folded in half floating beside her, her companion could only roll his eyes in annoyance over the display. She pretended not to notice.

“Very nice choice, Blueblood,” She announced. “Now what were we talking about again?”

“You said I was jealous of Fancypants. Which, for the record, I am not. Nor will I ever be.”

“Oh yes, Forgive me if I misinterpreted what I've noticed over time, but since you always seem to come in second to him, I assumed that it must peeve you at least a little bit. I assumed trying to look better than him was your reasoning for apologizing to me.” She paused in thought for a moment before adding, “Yet for the life of me I have yet to figure out why you would throw away the good publicity just to get the better of me.”

“Good publicity can mean big things for anypony in Canterlot, I was doing us both a favor by apologizing. If you hadn't turned a simple apology into an argument about something as petty as your ensemble, we could have parted on acceptable terms and we wouldn't be in this dilemma. None of this has anything to do with Fancypants.”

“Then why have you been trying to convince me since the day of the wedding that I shouldn't spend my time with him?”

“I never discouraged you from doing what you wanted. You went on that airship cruise, did you not? And did I ever say that you shouldn't? No. All I am saying is that you should be wary of him, because I get the feeling he is keeping something from us.”

“By 'keeping something' I assume you mean that he has a connection, somehow, to the Silver Guard, am I correct?” The prince nodded. “But, why would he bring us to Manehattan with him if he took her? And why would he willingly put himself in danger by taking the same carriage as you to Ponyville?”

“I have yet to figure that out. Perhaps he wants to lure us into a trap of some kind.”

“Darling, if you would like to talk about untrustworthy ponies, we should discuss your mother. Who had not only disappeared long before I even got to your suite to pick up Ivory Lace, but who also obviously did an interview with somepony while she was supposedly in hiding. Nopony who values their safety would do that.” She looked over at the dress she had been holding on to, and then back at the prince, “I'm going to purchase this dress. Perhaps we could continue this conversation at a later date.”

Rarity began to make her way towards the cash register at the front of the store, careful to put herself in plain sight. If only to keep the in-hiding Prince Blueblood from easily following her.

“You can't just make an accusation like that and walk away from me!” he hissed as he tried to follow her to the front without causing a scene.

“Watch me,” she responded as she sashayed out the door of the shop.

Blueblood stood in the middle of the shop, seething in silent rage. It took all his self-control not to buck the nearest rack of clothes out of frustration.

* * *

That evening, Blueblood paced back and forth around a small alleyway that Twilight had deemed their meeting spot for tonight. He and Twilight had arrived early to ensure that they would have plenty of time before the event to prepare, because according to Celestia's protégé, a mustache would not be enough of a disguise for tonight's festivities.

Instead of working out his disguise and his plan for the evening, Twilight Sparkle had been sitting against a wall with a book in front of her. She tried to listen to the prince while he complained about his earlier shopping trip with Rarity, but was getting increasingly frustrated at his habit of ignoring everyone else while doing that.

“Your friend is infuriating. She constantly ignores me, gives me Tartarus over the smallest things, and comes up with the dumbest plans.”

“Um... Prince Blueblood? I know you're mad, but do you mind standing still for a minute or two? It's kinda hard to cast a spell on you when you're moving around.”

“And another thing, she gave me crap for putting other things in front of our daughter, but the minute Fancypants pays her any attention, she does the same thi–”

His hoofsteps were stopped short by Twilight's magic enveloping him and restricting him from moving around. As a last minute decision, she tweaked the spell to also restrict him from speaking. A break from his complaining was most definitely deserved.

“I'm sorry I had to do that, but you can't be seen here. You already made the mistake of showing your face in Manehattan earlier and it was pure luck that nopony noticed you. Remember, if anypony notices you, you could die. You can complain all you want once you're safe. Got it?

“Mmhmm.”

“Good. Now uh... this might pinch a bit.”

The magenta magic hit him. He winced in pain as it spread throughout his body. Gone were the pure white coat and horn; replaced with a pale blue coat and wings. The prince looked down at himself in a mix of interest and disgust.

“I'm a pegasus,” he said dumbfoundedly.

“Visually, yes, but don't try to fly. Ponies who come across you will believe you are a pegasus, but it's just a visual effect, you're still a unicorn. On that note, be careful of ponies who get too close to you, they could throw off the illusion.”

“This plan is doomed, isn't it?”

“No, of course not. Just don't put yourself out there like you did at the store today, and whatever you do, don't draw attention to yourself.”

Blueblood sighed. “It's doomed.”

“Prince Blueblood, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately what with Ivory Lace being taken, and Rarity being... well, Rarity...”

“Rarity I can handle.” The prince interrupted, “I dealt with her while she was pregnant, and trust me, that was worse. I just wish she would listen to me more often. Was I alone in wondering why Fancypants was acting so strange on the train ride to Manehattan yesterday? He seemed reluctant to answer any questions Rarity and I had about Gamesome Gallant.”

“Well–”

“And am I the only one that was wondering why once he heard about my daughter, he wanted no part in Rarity's life until our foal was taken? I find it to be rather strange, don't you?”

Just as Twilight opened her mouth to respond, Rarity and Fancypants trotted into the alleyway.

“We aren't interrupting anything, are we?” Rarity asked.

“Yes,” the prince mumbled under his breath.

“No, not at all.” Twilight responded quickly, trying to cover up the prince's grumblings. “Is everything okay? There weren't any problems on the way over here, right?”

“None at all,” Fancypants said before pointing to the pegasus. “Is that Prince Blueblood?”

“Yep, I placed an illusion spell on him. Pretty cool, isn't it?” Twilight beamed.

“No. Not really,” Blueblood responded. “I look terrible. Come on Twilight, would it have been that hard to just change my colors? Did you really have to make me a pegasus too?”

“Actually, by changing your race entirely, it's less likely that you'll be noticed. Trust me, I've thought this through,” Twilight announced triumphantly.

“But–”

“Twilight, how do I look?” Rarity asked, cutting off the prince's complaining. She turned around slowly to show off her sparkling silver dress. “It's been a while since I've worn a dress that wasn't of my own creation. I suppose it will do for the time being.”

“You look great, Rarity!”

“Yes, whoever picked it out for you has impeccable taste,” Blueblood remarked dryly.

“Well, Blueblood, since you have such great taste, how do you plan to dress tonight? Now that you are obviously different.” Rarity threw back.

“I am incognito, so nopony will know me nor will they care about my attire.”

Rarity rolled her eyes, and looked at her friend. “Twilight, thank you for your honest opinion. And Blueblood, it's nice to see that your coat matches your name for once.”

“Perhaps we should turn our focus to tonight. Don't you agree, Miss Sparkle?” Fancypants asked.

“Absolutely!” Twilight said. “Here's the plan. Fancypants will introduce Rarity to Gamesome Gallant. She will engage him in conversation without bringing up any of the events that occurred in the past few weeks in any way, shape, or form. Should anything go wrong, Fancypants will serve as a distraction.”

“And myself?” Blueblood asked.

“Your job is to mingle, talk to ponies and see if anypony else knows anything. I should make it perfectly clear that none of you are snooping through anything! Just go in there and try to memorize everything everypony says. After the party, we'll analyze everything.”

The three other ponies just stared at her incredulously.

“Why would you make a plan that keeps you outside all evening?” Rarity asked, looking concerned. “You'll catch cold.”

“Nevermind that, why do we have to memorize everything?!” The prince asked, taken aback by the sheer amount of work Twilight was asking of him.

“Miss Sparkle, please reconsider. I would hate for you to stay out here alone, all night,” Fancypants said, sounding somewhat concerned.

“No, no, it's fine. It wouldn't look right for me to go in with you guys since my brother is Captain of the Royal Guard. Besides, we need to analyze all the data you three pick up from the party before we do anything to incriminate somepony.”

“Are you sure, Twilight?”

“Absolutely. Trust me, I have a plan for myself too. The other day I learned this new spell—”

“Great, Twilight, congratulations. Now can we please get this night over with?” Blueblood interrupted.

“If you're sure then, Twilight,” Rarity replied, trying to ignore the stallion's outburst. “Well, I believe it is time to put this plan in action.”

Fancypants held out his hoof. “Allow me, my lady.”

Rarity smiled and took his foreleg as he led her into Gamesome Gallant's party. Blueblood and Twilight took a few tentative steps out of the alleyway and watched as the couple gave their tickets to the stallion at the door.

“Well, I guess I am going in to look for clues,” Blueblood said, taking a few steps towards the large entrance.

“To mingle,” Twilight reminded him. “I'll be holding your illusion for you, so don't worry. You're in good hooves. I learned from the best.”

Blueblood walked into the event and handed his ticket to the attendant at the door with little acknowledgement to anypony around him. He had attended multiple parties, and this one was no different. Of course, usually in the parties he attended, his purpose was to go around and schmooze with other ponies. This time, he had to blend into the background and raid Mr. Gallant's mansion... more or less.

He couldn't help but note that the interior of the mansion was nothing grand. The building may have been luxurious looking on the outside, but the inside was nothing to boast about. There was nothing on the walls that seemed original. There were a few scattered photos of Gamesome Gallant and his family, but that was about it. Nothing at all like the ornate decorations exhibited throughout Canterlot Castle.

The event didn't seem to take place in one designated room, either. There was a larger ballroom type room where most ponies were, and a few large archways that led to smaller rooms.

He caught a quick glimpse of Rarity and Fancypants, who were happily chatting with an earth pony that Blueblood assumed must have been Gamesome Gallant, and snuck through a door, out of the large ballroom.

If there was anything Blueblood thought he was good at, it was mingling with other ponies. After all, as a prince who had hosted and attended events, he had a bit of practice. Tonight, however, he felt uncomfortable and unwilling to initiate conversation, and very few ponies were willing to start up a conversation with a stranger.

He wasn't even sure how to introduce himself should somepony ask about him. Not to mention, he would just embarrass himself. How does one go about eating and drinking without using magic?

Wings? Can wings even hold things?

He walked over to the bar and tried to grab a drink with one of his wings for a good minute before remembering that he didn't actually have any wings on his sides. It was just part of the illusion. Damn it. He tried with his hoof this time, but instead of grabbing the glass he pushed it off the bar.

Everypony turned and looked at him for a moment, and then turned back to whatever they were doing. That was the last of trying to talk to the ponies here. It was time to try a different tactic, one that Blueblood believed would work better than Twilight's inane plan.

Sneaking around.

After all, what better time was there? Nopony was paying attention to him, and nopony knew who he was. It was perfect. And if he was the one to find out the truth about what happened to his daughter, everypony else would be sorry to have ever doubted him.

This was the chance Rarity's father had been talking about. The chance to prove to everypony that he was not as incompetent as they believed, and the chance to show Rarity that he wasn't as bad of a father as she claimed he was. He wasn't going to get many more chances like this, and besides, what would other ponies know about the foalnapping? If they did mention it, he doubted it would be information that didn't come out of the gossip columns from the daily papers.

All he had to do was try to be invisible. He had already made it through Manehattan during the earlier hours without being noticed, so snooping around a small event, in theory, should be a cakewalk.

* * *

There was nothing more terrifying than everypony stopping their conversation to stare. Had it been any other day, Rarity would not have minded the attention at all. In fact, she would have relished in it. She loved the idea of ponies looking up to her for information about what to eat, say, and wear, which was why she greatly enjoyed her time in Canterlot.

There is, however, a difference between somepony looking up to you, and somepony glaring at you. In this case, it was clearly the latter. Every step she took, she could see ponies shooting her disapproving looks, shaking their heads, and whispering to their companions. They had read the article.

These ponies believed they knew the whole story. They knew all about the fight between her and the prince at the airship launch, they knew about what went on afterward and they knew the result.

To his credit, despite this, Fancypants did not once leave her side, as he walked her through all of the different rooms that made up the event, making passing nods to the ponies he knew. The duo finally ended up exchanging pleasantries with a tall brown earth pony who introduced himself as Gamesome Gallant.

“This is it...”

As soon as the pleasantries had been pushed aside, the brown earth pony moved on to the topic she had been dreading for a very long time.

“Rarity, eh? So, you're the little lady who is the talk of the town tonight. I must, since you are here, ask if any of that information is actually true or if somepony is out to get you.” Gamesome Gallant chuckled.

“Don't deny it. Deny it and you could never see her again.”

“Yes, that's me, and yes, it's all true,” she said, then added in a voice barely above a whisper. “I have a daughter with Prince Blueblood.”

“She sells herself short.” Fancypants interjected. “The article focused solely on the more intimate subjects and why ponies they knew opposed the idea that either of them should raise the filly. Rarity and her daughter are lovely despite everything that was said against them in the article. The prince, of course, I cannot say the same for.”

“So where is your daughter now?” Gamesome Gallant asked. “I hope she isn't staying at the palace, after what his mother said about you and her own son as well. I wouldn't trust either of them to do anything.”

It became clear to Rarity, in that moment, that while the article in the papers this morning had defamed her and Blueblood thanks to a few interviews that painted a less than perfect image of their relationships with their daughter, the article had never mentioned that she had been taken.

Not that the publicity that they were getting from the article was good, but surprisingly, it never mentioned that neither of Ivory Lace's parents knew where she was. On the other hoof, it did mention over and over again why neither of them were fit to be parents.

“She's not at the castle,” Fancypants answered before maneuvering the topic away towards a work related topic.

For a few moments Rarity tried to follow along with their conversation. She was hoping that Mr. Gallant would say something that would give away what he did and did not know about Ivory Lace.

Unfortunately, after several minutes of this, she realized that it was a pointless effort. The conversation did not seem like it was going to drift back towards the topic it began with anytime soon.

* * *

Only half of the evening had passed by the time Rarity had decided she couldn't spend any more time at Gamesome Gallant's event. He seemed like a nice enough stallion, but at this point she had felt that she made a foal of herself, and any attempts to gather information were squashed by her companion before she could gather information from their host.

Just a room away from them, Blueblood was having similar feelings. It was hard to imagine that the night that they had put so much hope into, would end up being this bad. There was no filly safe in his hooves, and no redemption for him.

Worst of all, Fancypants was making his way up to the makeshift stage in the main ballroom. He doubted that was going to go well, but didn't think that whatever he had to say could make the night any worse than it was already shaping up to be.

Now, he assumed, Fancypants would go through some long drawn out speech about something nopony really cared about, but because he was one of the most important ponies, everypony would pretend to care.

During most high profile events, despite his disinterest, Blueblood would feign interest, if only for appearance's sake. Thankfully, now that he wasn't bound to royal obligation, he was free to ignore Fancypants all he wanted, without any backlash.

“Excuse me, everypony! I have an announcement to make,” The band stopped playing and every pony in the ballroom stopped and faced the stage, trying to make sense of what was going on. They hadn't expected Fancypants to stop the party; it wasn't on the agenda.

“Tonight I came to this event with a stunning lady, Miss Rarity.” Everypony turned around to face her, Rarity just stood there in surprise, unsure of where her date planned on going from there, but definitely enjoying the benefits of being put on display.

That was all the prince needed to hear. If it was just going to be a whole speech basically trying to repair the damage from the gossip column, then it wasn't worth listening to. Perhaps there was something in another one of the adjacent rooms that he had missed earlier.

So while Fancypants rambled on and on about nothing in particular, Blueblood made his way through the hallway, looking for something that could lead to incriminating evidence of some sort.

“That is why I am asking her right now if she would do me the honor of being my marefriend.”

“What?” Blueblood blurted out, making a few nearby ponies turn to face him.

He should have known Fancypants would pull something like this. All that had been asked of him was to be a distraction, just in case something were to happen. He could have just walked into a room and started talking to ponies, but no, Fancypants never did anything half way.

Not to mention, he deliberately went back on his promise not to go after her.

Not that he really cared about that, but for somepony well known for being a gentlecolt, one would think that lying was not exactly condoned.

Blueblood could feel his illusion begin to falter. He wasn't sure if Twilight was able to hear the announcement and was surprised by it, or if the whole thing was just in his imagination. Either way, it was probably best not to risk being caught.

Desperate to find a place to hide so nopony would see that he was here, Blueblood dodged up into a stairwell and into the closest room. The room itself was pitch black with only a small sliver of light coming in from underneath the door that he had just closed behind him. He fumbled around for a few moments before finally using an illumination spell to get a better look at the room he was hiding in.

In his first lucky break of the night, he found himself in what he assumed to be Gamesome Gallant's study. The room itself was nothing special, save for the important looking documents scattered everywhere, but because of the earth pony's apparent disorganization, it was tempting for Blueblood to snoop around and see what those important papers held.

After all, in a mess like this, what better place for a pony to hide potentially incriminating evidence than in plain sight? Nopony would expect it.

The prince started to look over the papers that had been carelessly strewn about. Most of them seemed to be business invoices and fun letters to friends and coworkers. Nothing truly out of the ordinary, except for one piece of paper that seemed to stick out from underneath the bottom of the wooden desk, as if it had been pushed under there and then forgotten.

Curious, Blueblood's silver magic took hold of it as he brought it up towards his eyes. At first glance, it didn't seem to be anything special. It looked as if it had been written on a scrap piece of stationary, and despite being dated mid-way the previous week, it seemed to have been folded and unfolded numerous times. It wasn't until he caught sight of the writing on the paper that he realized what he was looking at.

“This could all blow up in our faces.
-Fancypants”