"Date 1": The Grand Galloping Gala
Prince Blueblood, one of the few living ponies to have legitimate claims of blood ties to the Princesses, was annoyed. Every year at the Grand Galloping Gala, without fail, he would be pestered by some gold digger for his hoof in marriage, and frankly, he was quite sick of it. Of course, he had ways to get them to quit bothering him for most of it, but they never seemed to quite get the message.
It’s not that he wasn’t interested in mares- far from it, really. It’s just that he looked more than skin deep for love. He even said as much at last year’s Gala, but nopony had seemed to pick up on that. Nopony seemed to get that he wanted more than most others looked for in a relationship. He resigned himself to the fact that he’d probably never meet somepony that met his high standards. He’d even let slip in an interview last month that if he met a single non-shallow mare, he’d be surprised. Not that he would, considering virtually nopony paid attention to the Equestria Headliner Magazine. After all, it was notorious for putting on airs, and spreading slander. His interview might’ve been the only honest piece in the most recent edition.
No matter. Tonight was the Gala. He’d been prepared for this day for quite some time. He would test the night’s hangers on, and come out alone once again. Maybe after this one, he’d take a break and go to a more down-to-earth place. Get some desperately needed fresh air. He adjusted his white suit coat one last time, smiling confidently. Time to crush some dreams, handsome. He thought to himself. After all, a stallion of my caliber deserves better than a hollow dreamer for riches alone. He put on some cologne, and exited his washroom. Tonight, yet another hoofful of hopefuls would be crushed, and that would be all. He would not be won, he was above that. It was time to get to the gates, so he could arrive inside with purpose. Tonight’s Gala would be the same as all the others, he felt quite certain of that.
The night had barely started when he came into contact with his hangers on for the night, among them one of the Bearers of Harmony, Rarity, Bearer of Generosity. She looked beautiful, that was for certain, but was that all to her? He adjusted his pose as they all drew near. The other mares acted like the many shallow mares he’d met over the years, but Rarity did not. She curtsied as she approached, and addressed him with respect. “Prince Blueblood, It is an honor to be in your presence tonight. I, a humble commoner, am overjoyed to just meet you in person.”
The other mares whispered behind her back, saying vile and cruel things. Blueblood, however, was impressed at Rarity. It took guts for her to not put on airs like that, and especially difficult to keep a brave face under judgement of others. He smirked. If nothing else, she was more honest than those other mares. She was open about her status- though why a hero of the realm had not been ennobled concerned him. He bowed to her in kind, and replied. “The honor is mine, Rarity, Bearer of Generosity.” As the two rose, the crowd gasped and murmured at the fact that one, Blueblood was actually being nice for once, and two, that he’d addressed a commoner with respect! She may have been a hero of the realm, but she was still common-folk! Shouldn’t he be ashamed to be even near her!? Blueblood paid their judgmental gaze no mind as they wound up in the ballroom. A tune started up, gentle and slow. Blueblood put a hoof towards Rarity. “Would you like to dance?”
A mite surprised at the question, Rarity put a hoof to her chest. “Me? Well, if you’re certain that you want to dance with me, instead of a proper noble…” She then put her hoof in his, and smiled. “I’d love to.”
The onlookers gawked as Blueblood and Rarity started to dance. The nobles were livid. How dare he snub the noble ladies like that! And to add insult to injury, he was dancing with a commoner! A commoner! Some of the noble hangers-on tried cutting in, but Blueblood would not allow it. Rarity’s face showed with nervousness, but Blueblood regained her attention. “Pay them no mind. Bunch of close-minded idiots. I’ll dance with whomever I please.”
Rarity looked somewhat flattered, but looked away. They danced in silence until Rarity could muster the courage to look Blueblood in the eye again. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity to dance with you. It has been wonderful, but… Would you mind terribly if we took a break to eat after the song is over? I’m a tad famished.”
Now here was something novel. Most of his hangers on would pester him endlessly and annoyingly about things they wanted, never once considering if he minded- but Rarity had asked if he would mind stopping for a small bite to eat. He had to give credit where it was due, either Rarity was the genuine article, or she was an exquisite actress. Shrugging, Blueblood decided to find out which. “I wouldn’t mind one bit, fair lady.” After their dance together came to a close, Blueblood followed Rarity’s lead.
She led him to a food stand run by a country mare. Rarity spoke gently to the keeper of the stand, who was looking glum. “They’re not selling, are they?” at the other mare’s nod, Rarity sighed. “I warned you that this might happen, Applejack. I told you that the Gala would probably have caterers of its own.” She levitated out her purse. “I wish you to have at least some business tonight, so I will buy something for myself, and Prince Blueblood.”
Raising an eyebrow at that selfless act, Blueblood regarded Rarity with more respect than he had before as she gave him an apple strudel. She didn’t mind helping out a friend, on a night that was meant to be about the dream Gala experience she probably had? This was certainly something else. Most actresses he knew would have some kind of tell that it was a ploy, but not her. He then took a bite of strudel, and his eyes widened. He savored the taste, and swallowed. He turned to Rarity, a smile on his face. “My word, your friend really knows her stuff! All the Gala food is so tiny, bland, and unfilling! But this! Such flavor! I really don’t see why it’s being shunned! Good food is worth paying for, I say!” He restrained himself from wolfing the rest of it down right then and there, electing to only take another bite and savor it.
Murmuring at this, the nobles were astonished. What was so good about that food, anyway? Some of them became curious, and decided to try it. The ones that did were so impacted by the flavor that they couldn’t help but sing its praises, and even more piled in to taste it. Astonished at their change of tune, Rarity turned to Blueblood. “What’s gotten into them?”
Smiling gently, Blueblood explained. “I spoke from my heart about your friend’s cooking, but they just had to try it for themselves. They’re nobles, most of them are like that.”
Tears in her eyes, Rarity smiled. “Thank you for accepting that strudel. Your review of it has most likely made Applejack’s night!” They then heard the music change in the dance hall. Rarity looked worried. “Oh, that Pinkie…” She then ran back to the ballroom, her apple pie slice only half eaten. Blueblood saved it from falling to the floor with his magic, and followed her, excited. He’d never felt quite this way before, but he put away the feeling for now.
Once they reached the ballroom again, they saw an awfully pink pony hijacking the dance number, making it have more… pop. “Hiya Rarity! Now this party might actually have some energy in it!”
Rarity looked nervously around the ballroom. “Pinkie, I don’t think many of the patrons here appreciate your… ehem. Taste in music. They’re not… used to it.”
Looking around, Blueblood saw several nobles there panicking a bit because the music wasn’t what they were accustomed to. The sight of them trying to do a fancy dance to it caused him to burst out laughing. “I’ll say! Though it is pretty funny, seeing them like this…” He turned to face Rarity with an amused look on his face. “You’ve got a pretty energetic friend there. Certainly beats the dullness of the usual Gala.”
Surprise lit on her face. “You… don’t mind her taste in music?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. Come on. The night’s still young.” He stretched out a hoof. “How about one more dance before the end of the night?
Rarity chuckled. “If you insist.” The two of them started to dance to Pinkie’s arrangement, and this caused some to look on with surprise. They’d never seen Blueblood enjoy himself at a Gala before, yet here he was laughing as if he was having the time of his life. Some whispers ran rampant through the crowd as opinions were exchanged.
Their dance drew to a close as the music did, and Pinkie jumped up and down at the sight. “Wow! Your energy was off the charts! That was amazing!”
Blueblood scratched his head for a bit in embarrassment before gasping. “Crap! I forgot!” He turned to face Rarity, a sad look on his face. “I’ll have to cut this short. I have to meet with Celestia about something important.”
He tried to leave, only to find his hoof hostage to Rarity’s own. He turned to see that she had a sad look on her face. “When will I see you again? Please, give me an answer.”
After a bit of deliberation, Blueblood approached and leaned over to one side of her face. He whispered in her ear. “I can’t say for sure, but… I enjoyed tonight more than I thought I would. I’ll visit you in Ponyville sometime relatively soon. Stay patient for me, okay?” He pecked her on the cheek and pulled back to see her flushed. He smiled. “I’ll be seeing you.” He then ran off, thoughts going millions of miles an hour inside of his head.
Tonight had gone so very different than what he had expected from the start. He had expected for it to be just the same as every other Gala, for it to be full of liars and have a generally uncomfortable atmosphere. But nothing could be further from the truth. He had never felt so alive, and all because of a single mare. He still had a slight bit of hesitation around the edges of his judgement, but otherwise he felt pretty good. He tried to put these thoughts on the backburner of his mind as he finally reached where Celestia was.
He succeeded for the most part, and addressed her. “Aunt Celestia, you wanted to see me?”
Celestia smiled that knowing smile of hers, nodding. “I did. I see that you’ve enjoyed this Gala. Personally, I was wondering when I would see the day…” She shook her head. “That’s not important right now. Come, we need to discuss something in private.”
Confusion was evident upon his face, but he didn’t bring that up as he followed Celestia. They went through the empty halls of the castle, until they reached the empty throne room. She had the doors close behind them.
Celestia sighed as she looked at him. “Blueblood… Something has come up. Your father has informed me that… He’s tired of your indecisiveness. He has found a wife for you.”
Backing away, Blueblood felt his blood drain from his face. “What? But, that can’t be! I need to talk to him immediately!” He stormed off.
To Be Continued...
Author's Note
And here we are! A love story that I don't think that anyone's done before (Correct me if I'm wrong)! As you can tell, this is an alternate take on the Grand Galloping Gala. It focuses on Rarity and Blueblood's budding relationship. Anyway, I hope you comment down below if you liked/disliked/faved. I hope you stick around for the next chapter!
Challenge 1: The Arranged Marriage $ The Worried Friend
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Challenge 1: The Arranged Marriage $ The Worried Friend
The door slammed behind Blueblood as he arrived home in a fluster, calling out to see if his father was around. “Father? Are you home?” He looked around the mansion for a few minutes until he came upon the master bedroom. He opened the door and saw that his father was talking with a dark blue mare. She was a slender unicorn and she was tall, too. Her indigo eyes were full of unease, but Blueblood’s father shoved aside her concerns with nary a thought.
He then noticed Blueblood at the door to his room. “Ah, there you are, my boy! Let me introduce you to your future wife, Lilac Echoes.” The mare attempted to hide her face behind her long white mane, clearly uncomfortable and unsettled about this whole deal. She did not want this any more than Blueblood did, he could see it plastered clearly all over her face. Blueblood’s father Did not seem to care about that fact, however. “Now you two will give me grandchildren! Ah, this will be-!”
Blueblood had had enough, and decided to interrupt his father. He normally wouldn’t do this, in fear of repercussions, but… he felt that had to. “Father!” His father was caught off-guard and his dark blue mane stood on end temporarily as he turned his attention back to Blueblood. “I cannot go through with this arranged marriage. I have… found somepony.”
Surprise lit upon his father’s gray face, and relief came upon Lilac’s. His father couldn’t believe what he had heard, but soon a grimace appeared on his face. He shook his head and spoke with a serious tone. "That doesn’t matter, son. You have an obligation to this family, Blueblood. I am your father, and this arranged marriage will fix relations with the Echoes family. I cannot condone you waiting so long to find somebody on your own. Honestly, I feel slighted because you brought this up now. Our family’s tradition will be followed, whether you like it or not. I will not hear any more arguments on the matter.” Blueblood’s father turned away from his son’s angry face. He glanced back briefly to speak once more. His purple eyes locked with his son’s. “Listen here, my son. This is too important for your choice to be even considered. Whether you like it or not, this arrangement will continue. Tradition will be upheld, and you will pass it down, as I have to you. It will continue for generations to come. This conversation is over, Blueblood.”
As Blueblood’s father was about to leave, Blueblood stopped him with a blocking spell. Irritation could clearly be seen upon his face. For the first time in his life, Blueblood gathered the guts to yell at his father. “No! This tration has only caused misery! Mother always suffered through it, unbeknownst to you! It ends with me! I have finally found somebody that I fancy, and I will NOT be swayed from my decision! You want one of our family to marry her so much? Why not my little brother, Argetblood? He’s only a year younger, so it’ll work out quite well!”
For a moment, Blueblood’s father stood rooted to the spot in stunned silence. He turned to yell at his son, but Lilac spoke up for the first time that night. “Please, listen to him. Blueblood feels quite strongly about this issue, Sir Ichorblood. Bedsides… I’m glad he mentioned Argent.” A blush rose on her face. “He’s the one I want. I’m closer to his age, plus we get along really well. I’m tired of my father’s insistence of ‘Oldest child must marry oldest child’.” She sighed. “Please, let Blueblood go for the girl he’s chosen, and I’ll go for the one that I want. You won’t end up losing anything, really.”
Sir Ichorblood shifted his gaze from Blueblood to Lilac and back again a few times. After the situation had sunk in, he let out a defeated sigh.. “I see. So you both don’t want this. Well, I was going to stubbornly insist before Lilac spoke up. But hearing that both of you have somebody else…” He shook his head with a somber look on his face. “Unfortunately, I can’t call off the arranged marriage without Magnus Echoes’ approval. I’m sorry for being so obstinate earlier son, but that’s the caveat- I can not call this off on my own, even if I wish I could.”
Blueblood seemed a bit irritated, but calmed down soon enough. It was unfortunate, to say the least. If only there was something he could do to sway the decision… He then had an idea. “Could we all meet with him tomorrow? Dad could bring Argent, and I’d bring Rarity. Maybe if he saw that both of us have prospective partners he might be more willing to change his mind.”
At the mention of that name, Sir Ichorblood raised his eyebrow. “Rarity? As in, the Bearer of Generosity?” His face turned into a wide grin. “Well, if that’s who you’ve met, then I think He’ll understand.” He turned to face Lilac. “Alright, I think that’s a plan, then. I’ll get in contact with him and ask him to meet us tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, it won’t take much convincing for him to reconsider.” he then looked at his watch. “Oh my! Is it already this late? Don’t want you to stay up too late.” He turned to Lilac. “Go on home, and tell your father to meet with us tomorrow afternoon. I’ll bring Argent up to speed.”
Lilac smiled and thanked him, then gave a small bow before leaving. Blueblood sighed. “Well, that has been decided, then… I still feel a bit antsy about showing her to him…”
Placing a hoof on his son’s shoulder, Sir Ichorblood gave a consoling look. “My son, you should Try and calm yourself down a bit. It might seem intimidating, but you just have to put your best hoof forward. And after he relents, take it slow! I know that I seemed a bit… over-eager earlier, but you must understand where I’m coming from. This kind of thing hasn’t happened in our family since before the tradition was implemented. I might have been against it at first, but now… I couldn't be more proud of you, Blueblood. I just wish that I hadn’t been acting so pig-headed. But I’m happy for you now, and that’s what matters the most.”
Surprise lit upon Blueblood’s face at his father’s spiel. Had his dad started to be reasonable? At first glance, Sir Ichorblood was not much different from the previous heads of the house. He had raised Blueblood somewhat like his predecessor had raised their children, but he was kinder to his children than their ancestors were to their sons for generations. Blueblood gave a smile with a slight nod. “Thanks, dad. I think I’ll go to bed now.”
But as Blueblood was about to ascend the stairs, Sir Ichorblood called out. “Have a good rest, my son. You’ll be needing it for the future that’s ahead of you.”
With a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head, Blueblood called back. “Love you too, dad. Have a good night.”
For some time, Rarity had been lying awake in her room, mind buzzing at millions of miles an hour. What happened at the Gala still felt so surreal, like a dream. How had she wound up like this? The Gala had ended up being just as magical as she had hoped that it would be with Blueblood, even if it had been cut short. She sighed deeply.
She had always admired Blueblood, as many others had. But was it starting to shift into something more? She was somewhat surprised that they had clicked so well at the ball. After all, Twilight had told her in no uncertain terms that Blueblood was a boor- but Rarity just had to find the truth for herself. Thanks to her not being a money grubber like the rest of the menagerie that had tried to woo him, she had found that Blueblood was just looking for something more than what his hangers on could offer him.
Sure, her friends had been a bit surprised with how well things had gone for her- aside from Pinkie and Applejack, who had seen for themselves how Rarity and Blueblood got along. Fluttershy was by far the easiest to convince, enthusiastically supporting her choice to see where things went. Rainbow Dash had been skeptical about it, and took some effort to convince her. But she too ended up relenting. She then started to recall how Twilight had reacted to it.
After the Gala, Rarity spoke to Twilight privately. Apprehension hung in the air as she braced herself for what Twilight would say. “Twilight, why did you call me aside? Does this have something to do with what I told the others about my time with Blueblood?”
At the sound of that name, Twilight flew into Rage Mode and burst into flames. She was absolutely seething, but she tried to calm down, for Rarity’s sake. She took a few deep breaths, and the fire died down. Even after the flames had abated, she still looked somewhat livid as she spoke her mind on the matter. “He constantly pestered me when I lived back in Canterlot. He just could not or would not take a hint! It took hitting him with the largest book that I could find to finally get him to back off!” She shook her head with irritation and disbelief. “I honestly do not know what you could possibly see in that pest!”
Rarity had expected this reaction, sure. But she still sighed at Twilight’s reaction, and shook her head at that. “Look, Twilight. You may have had a bad experience with him, but can’t you put that aside and be happy for me? I will ask him to apologize to you if it makes you feel any better. So, will you consider it? Could you please give him a chance? For me?”
After debating with herself for a while, Twilight sighed. With heavy reluctance in her voice, she finally relented. “Alright, alright. I’ll try for your sake, Rarity. But if he ends up breaking your heart-”
Rarity chuckled dismissively at that. “He will not do that, Twilight. I’ve got a good feeling about this. But if he ends up doing so…” She lit her horn and it was sparking with electricity. She had a serious look on her face as she continued. “He will live to regret it for the rest of his days.” She calmed herself and let the magic subside, and smiled. “But I do not expect to have to use that. I trust that he will not do something as stupid as that. Call it a gut feeling.”
Hesitation was clear upon Twilight’s face for a moment, but she decided that she should support Rarity’s choice. “Very well. If you feel that way, then… Let’s just hope that you’re right about him. I would hate to see you hurt, Rarity.”
Rarity chuckled at that and batted her hoof. “It’ll be alright, Twi. Now, it’s getting late. I should get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.” After that, Rarity went home. Sweetie Belle was asleep, thankfully. Rarity smiled at that. Her little sister always wore herself out before the end of the day, but Rarity had worried that Sweetie would try and stay up to ask her questions about the Gala. She shook her head. What she needed now was a good night’s rest.
Even after reminiscing about how Twilight reacted hadn’t gotten her any closer to falling asleep. She got up to take some sleeping medicine. It always helped her fall asleep whether mind was unsettled. After taking it, She went back up to her room. She got in bed, and she could feel the medicine working already. She soon drifted off to sleep..
To Be Continued In Challenge 2: The Echoes Family
Author's Note
Here is the second chapter! Sorry that it took a while. The naming convention for this story is a bit different as you might notice. It breaks down to two types: The "Date" chapters, and the Challenge chapters. I feel that it's more interesting this way. I hope you look forward to the next chapter!