Drums of Love

Walking out to the carriage, the white mare watched everything aroudn her feet, making sure to step on every stepping stone till she got to the carriage, and noticingthe bit of dirt on the hoof step, she just jumped into the carriage altogether. Once inside, she moved into the center, and they took off, soon to be in Ponyville.

"Ok, there are only dirt roads there, right?"

"Don't worry about it, Princess Blueblood. You can get a hoofacure at the local spa."

"Oh, thank heavens. I would have had the local ponies bring a carriage for me, should there not have been a spa."

The guards did not object as the pulled the carriage along.

Arriving int he small town, Blueblood looked over the edge at the large, laid out area. Not a single paved road. She wondered if the housing even had doormats or even floors made of dirt."

As they landed outside of townhall, Blueblood stepped down slowly, not liking that fact that dirt was getting on her freshly polished hooves. carefully, and slowly walking to teh wooden porch of the town hall, she stopped to wipe her hooves before entering.

"Ah! Princess Blueblood.", the stallion behind the desk began, "I am Ivory scroll, the mayor. Welcome to Ponyville."

"Why are there no paved roads? My hoofacure is ruined!", Blueblood complained.

"I assure you, if we had a fortune like Canterlot did, we'd be able to get the roads paved. But, I assure you, it's not loose dirt like in the country. Be grateful for that atleast."

"Why would I be grateful for dirt?"

"Nevermind, it's quality, not quantity, you want. Well, unfortunately for you, the opening ceremony is not for another two hours. So, you will have to roam aroudn Ponyville for a while to pass the time. Why not meet Twilight and his baby dragon at the library, Applejack at the farm he runs with his little brother and big sister? They are both-"

"On a road of filth!"

"Well...uh."

Blueblood sighed, "Nevermind. I'll just deal with it for now. I mean, I can get a hoofacure at the spa before I elave back for Canterlot."

"Well then, I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like a map?"

Walking out, a pink coated stallion nearly appeared in front of Blueblood. He looked her up and down, gasped, shuffled on his hooves then nearly lost his balance, falling to his stomach as he bounded off the porch. After the pink Stalion galloped away, Blueblood only looked on in disbelief.

Had she driven him away?

Dismissing the thought, Blueblood began walking down the road. She didn't like the fact that her hooves were getting gritty from dirt. Trying to ignore it, she came upon a large tree which seemed to be a house built into it. Approaching it, she looked in the window, spotting the many books. She half smiled, entering the tree. The bristly feeling against her hooves gave ehr knowledge of a door mat and she wiped off her dirty hooves, continuing in further to look at the books.

"Hey there!"

Blueblood jumped, spinning around to view the pony that jsut spoke. Seeing as it was just a dragon, she was even mroe alarmed.

"Dragon!!! Dragon!!!!"

Teh guards burst in the door, ready for battle, but instead found nothing.

"Get it! Take it away! Kill it! Help me!"

"Whoa, whoa, I'm only a harmless baby dragon, how could I hurt you?", the dragon asked.

"Y-y-y-you're a dragon!"

"Yes, she's a dragon.", a dark pruple stallion walked downstairs, "She's also my pet dragon, given to me by none other than The Prince himself!"

"Oh, Prince Celestial gave you this dragon?", Blueblood asked.

"Yes. You're new here, aren't you?"

"This is my first time, yes."

"Then brace yourself before Pinkie Pie comes after you."

"What?"

"Pink stallion, big as I, spaztic."

"Uhm, I met soemone liek that earlier, he just gasped, then ran away, tripped, then continued on."

"that's Pinkie Pie. The world would be endign, and Pinkie Pie would still be Pinkie Pie, or atleast thats what I've been told."

"Is he...ya know? Cause he's pink and has-"

"What? No! He was jsut born that way. As for the name, I dunno."

"You seem ok with that, should I be concerned?"

"You don't really seem like you're very comfortable."

"Touche, stallion. Guards, dismissed."

Teh guards stood bolt upright, exiting the library one after the other.

"So, what brings oyu to Ponyville?"

"I'm supposed to be here for a royal event or something. I wasn't given too many details."

"I noticed that you are nto really speaking as a royal stuck up like most mares and stallions of Canterlot.

"I beg your pardon! None of us are stuck up! And if you must know, Prince Celestial helped me with a few speech habits to further enjoy conversation and so forth, helping me to win favor of subjects."

"Fair enough."

A loud crash sounded at the door as soemthing fast hit the door hard, splintering it and sending the pony tumbling.

"Rainbow Dash?! What the hay!", tha stallion said offesnively.

"Calm down, Twilight, It's jsut the door this time. You fixed the wall in no time flat when I crashed into it last time.", the rainbow maned pegasus said casually while pickign himself up.

"Well, still, we do have a guest you know."

"This town is full of nutcases! Baby dragons, spaztic stallions, dirt roads, could this get any worse?!"

Another lound thump at the front door unveiled a new problem. But one easily dismissed, as it was a mailpony.

"I guess thats Ditzy."

The mailmare entered as her name was called, saluting before throwing out a bunch of mail with a smile.

"Special delivery from France's best toy management facilities! Stop wasting our money!"

"Oh yeah, I'm leaving. I will find that spa, get a hoofacure, and then jsut stay in my carriage till the unveiling of the new building!"

"What new building?", Twilight asked.

"Oh, did I say building? I meant to say statue. It's something in the honor of Prince Celestial. Don't ask why, I don't know. Now, if you'd excuse me, I take my leave."

With a humph, she turned her nose at the bunch, leaving to the carriage waiting outside.

"Take me to the spa, I don't want to waste any more time here than I have to, and I won't spend the rest of my tiem here on dirty hooves."

The carriage jerked forward as the guards pulled the carriage at a gallop, hurrying to the destination. Looking down at her own hooves, Blueblood hadn't seen that much dirt in them since he had been in a school that taught you how to be proper mare. It was a few weeks they took from her to teach her how to fit in with everypony else. Soon, she was following perfectly, and loved it.

Nothing caught her attention as the carriage zoomed through Ponyville. Nothing. Not until she caught something clean in her sights. A boutique, noticeable more for it's size, but she noticed three things of it. Paved walkway, by smooth stones, a clean decor ont eh outside, and grass all around it, lush and perfectly trimmed, not a single blade lying out of place. It was almost perfect.

"Wait, stop."

the guards slowed to a stop and Blueblood stepped down, feeling the cool grass against her gritty hooves. Smiling, she continued on, following the paved stones to the door, though, it was the opposite inside. A mess of colors, fabrics of all types, even silk. There were gems scattered across the ground from a recently spilled chest of them, and three ponnequins stood on their pedestals in a corner, each clothed heavily by beautiful suits and gowns.

Opening the door, a bell rung above her head, signaling her entry. There was a doormat, and after wiping ehr feet, continued on through, looking at each scattered bit of fabric.

"I'll be there in a moment!", a stallion called down.

A few seconds later, a charming stallion hurried down, covered in several pieces of equipment used to craft pony wear.

"I'm busy, and the sign says closed! Can't you read?"

He was handsome, the most handsome stallion she had ever scene. Even through the glasses, measuring tape, and pin cushion attached to his foreleg.

"Oh, uh, sorry. It's just, wow. Out of the many ponies here, the living conditions, I didn't expect anyone to be any different."

"Oh, really? How so?"

"Well, your shop, atleast on the outside, is a lot different than most here, it's actually somethign which would be fit for royalty.

"Royalty you say? So, are you here to place an order for one of the princesses?"

"Uh, no, I came in here because it's different from teh other buildings here. Thats it."

"Well then, if you're not ordering a dress, then you have not much business in here."

"Well, I didn't before, but now that you're here, I do.", she smiled.

"If you're trying to flirt with me, can I atleast get a name first?"

"Mmm, Blueblood. Princess Blueblood."

"Oh? A princess, in my boutique, what a delight!"

"Well, I have nothing to do for the next couple of hours, why don't we go do something together?"

"Oh, even better! Well, I just finished one dress, and the other can wait till tomorrow. So what did you have in mind?"

She was cornered. She didn't know what to say, not knowing any of the places in Ponyville at all.

"Uhm, I've only been here for twenty minutes at most, I don't know any fo the places?"