Not A Prince Charming

    Rarity sat quietly, staring out the window, as the chatter filled carriage lightly rocked on it's journey from Canterlot to Ponyville.

      The Grand Galloping Gala had been a complete disaster. All her dreams of attending, dressed beautifully in her custom gown, and finding true love and her own Prince Charming had been crushed.

    Sure, she lived the first two. Thanks two her good friend Twilight, and a kind gift  from the Princess, she was finally able to actually attend the Gala when she herself fills many dress orders for this one night. The castle was gorgeous, everyone who was anyone was there. She spotted a few of her own designs, not including her own and her friends' dresses, and even over-heard a few exchanges of compliments and referrals to her shop. Her dress was even better than she originally imagined! Ruffles, gems, a tiara, and just the perfect hue of pink, she looked ravishing.

      And she had met Prince Blue Blood.

  And he turned out to be an awful brute!

   Not only had he forced her to pay for food, open doors, and even place her cloak on a spill, he had the audacity to use her as a shield against a barrage of cake and frosting. Her face and hair were covered and she would be very lucky if she was able to remove all the mess on her gown.

    She would admit that at that precise moment, she had not reacted in a very lady-like fashion, but she could stand him no longer! Unfortunately, when she shook some of the mess towards Blue Blood he stumbled back and tripped, causing the large golden statue of the princess to fall. Rainbow Dash saved it from crashing to the ground just in time, but had struggled with the weight of it, in turn destroying some of the nearby pillars. After the stampede of crazed animals, courtesy of one enraged Fluttershy, Rarity and her friends barely managed a quick escape to a close shop owned by their friend Joe.

   There, with stories to tell, the seven friends had a wonderful time together. The Princess herself joined them, and thankfully she wasn't cross over the damage they had caused.

    But she couldn't help but feel disappointed that she hadn't found her royal true love.

   At long last, the carriage halted at Twilight's library tree home.

    Rarity stepped out of the carriage, "I think I will walk the rest of the way home. It was a wonderful evening everypony, you all look fabulous," she looked around the front of the carriage, "If you boys wouldn't mind taking my friends to their homes I would very much appreciate it. You can stop by my boutique in the morning for compensation, I simply must pay you for your kindness."

"Are you sure you don't want us to take you home Miss Rarity?" One of the stallions asked.

         "No, thank you, but I really would enjoy a small walk. It's a beautiful night and I could use a stretch." She replied with a smile. "You're both very kind and it's greatly appreciated. Goodnight everypony."

     Her farewell was a small chorus of goodnights and thanks as the carriage pulled away and Twilight and Spike disappeared through their door.

    She sighed, letting her halfhearted smile fall, and began her gloomy walk home. In her wild escape from the castle, she completely smashed one of the exquisite glass slippers she wore with her gown, and she completely gave up on the other, giving it to Twilight to use as a prop for one of her story tellings at the school. The rhythmic clopping sound of her hooves on the cobblestones kept her mind at ease. She focused on the ground, not expecting anypony to be out and about at this hour.

     But rounding the corner of the clock tower, that assumption was immediately disproved, as she ran completely into what felt like a solid wall.

Since when was there a wall here? she wondered as she regained herself Wait.... That can't be a wall it felt far too.... soft? She looked up and saw that the wall she had hit was actually the strong mass of a stallion known as Big Macintosh, Applejack's older brother.

   "Oh! Pardon me Big Macintosh, I'm so sorry. It was so late I didn't expect anyone to be out and I didn't bother to watch where I was going! But I imagine you didn't expect to see me either." She babbled blushing slightly.

   Big Macintosh shook his head silently. Rarity noticed as his eyes grew wide as he examined the white mare in front of him.

She blushed deeper, "Oh, I still have cake on me don't I? Long story, I...... I'd rather not explain." she mumbled smiling up at him sheepishly.

   Once again he shook his head. Now she was confused, if it wasn't the cake, what had surprised him so?

       "Oh....." she said her bewilderment coloring her voice, "Then..... What's the matter?" she was curious to know.

  "I...... um..... I......" he whispered quietly, Rarity remembered Macintosh was about as timid as her friend Fluttershy. It was sort of.... Cute. "I just thought, uh......." he said looking at the ground.

           "What is it?" she asked softly.

"I wanted to tell you, you look..... Amazing." he said, now blushing himself making his red coat flush a deep maroon on his cheeks and stealing only a few, quick glances up as he dared not look her in the eye. His hoof scraped the ground nervously.

    "Oh, w-why thank you Macintosh, that's.... Very kind of you to say...." They both sat there quietly, their faces flushed pink and maroon.

  "S-Sorry. For bumping into you." he said quietly, Rarity was surprised that he had broken the silence. She had never heard him really speak more than a few words when necessary. But she found she did enjoy the sound of his voice......

    "No, that was my fault, and I apologize. I was just on my way home." she said, now feeling very tired, "Which I should make my way there now, as it is very late and I have had quite a long night."

He nodded, saying no more.

    "Um.... I hate to be bothersome but would you...... Walk me home?" she asked once again smiling sheepishly.

He nodded and smiled slightly. He was quite handsome. "But.... Do you mind if I ask... What happened?" he asked as they began their walk side by side.

   She sighed,  "Well, as I said before, it's sort of a long story." she replied with a shrug.

But he just looked at her expectantly. The walk from here to her boutique was a bit of a walk, so she guessed he figured they had time.

    "Well, as you probably know since Applejack was there, I was at the Grand Galloping Gala......." She began.

    They had reached the bridge not far from the boutique when she finally finished the story.

   "And, as foolish as I was for thinking he would be anything more than a shallow royal pain, I was still sort of disappointed about the whole thing." she said shrugging sadly.

    Having been contemplative and silent the entire walk, Mac finally spoke up, "Well, he certainly isn't much of a gentlecolt."

She laughed just a little, "No, he most certainly is not." she heard him quietly chuckle, "But I guess it's for the better. I could never stand someone with such disregard for all around him."

    "You deserve someone better." Mac said gently.

     Rarity smiled, "That's very kind of you." she said blushing slightly, "He even had the nerve to insult your sister's desserts!"

     "And then cover you in them." he added.

She really laughed this time, "Yes, I suppose he did!" she replied with a giggle.

  He chuckled louder this time, and she found a strange delight in the sound as they lingered on the bridge.

           "You're a very good listener Big Macintosh." she said looking at  him with a small smile.

He shrugged, "I don't talk much, and I like to listen."

        Now she nodded quietly. "It was very kind of you to see me home...." she trailed realizing the distance he went out of his own way home, "Oh! I can't believe I dragged you all the way out here, at such a late hour, when you yourself were likely on your way home! How foolish of me, I am so sorry." She said frowning at herself.

     Now he shook his head side to side, "I don't mind at all." he said softly. And she felt as if there was more to that small comment than she thought.

                "Well, I'm very grateful for that. It was very nice to have your company." She looked up. "Wow...."

   "What?" Mac asked curiously looking up as well.

              "It's very beautiful tonight." She spoke in almost a whisper.

    "Yeah it's amazing," he said as they gazed at the endless stars and bright crescent moon, "Just like you."

  Their gazes now locked on each other. They both smiled, as they realized how close they had been standing, their noses mere inches apart as the stared at each other.

     Rarity melted under the red stallion's emerald gaze, yet at the same time resisted the urge to smack her hoof to her face.

                  "By Celestia.....!" she muttered rolling her eyes.

  Big Macintosh's strong brow furrowed in confusion.

              "Sorry, I just can't believe how ridiculously foolish I've been!" she said smiling.

    "What do you mean?" he asked still very confused.

              She smiled, "You're not a Prince! You're not even a noble, you're a farmpony!"

      Macintosh wasn't sure at all what she was getting at. Was she insulting him? No, she seemed to be happy about something. But....

        "Sorry, but I'm not understanding what you're sayin'......."

               "I mean this entire time, I've been dreaming about gems, dances, and some snobby nobles, when right here, in simple old Ponyville of all places! There has been the perfect Prince Charming, and I didn't see it for one second! I was too busy thinking Canterlot would be so much more.....!" shaking her head, with a big smile glued to her face she looked a little past Mac not focusing on anything.

        Summoning up all the courage he had in his body, Big Macintosh, the timid red farmpony leaned down and kissed the unsuspecting unicorn mare. When he broke the kiss, he saw that Rarity's sapphire blue eyes were wide with shock. He cowered a little, embarrassed, and her eyes softened with her smile. Taking a small step forward, Rarity now swooped up to meet Mac's lips with a gentle kiss of her own. As their lips parted, they both smiled, once again gazing deeply into each other's eyes before snuggling close on the bridge under the starlit sky of simple old Ponyville.

And in that moment something happened between the two that Rarity would never be able to explain. Everything just seemed to fall into place. This was never what she daydreamed on slow days at the boutique, it was the complete opposite.

She imagined herself with a royal, noble, or at least a Canterlot pony. Someone as sophisticated as she was herself.

But she had gone and maybe fallen for a simple, and unsophisticated stallion.

She laughed, And he was far more a gentleman than any Canterlot regal I have met!

    Rarity still couldn't believe herself. The one thing she tried hardest to prove to other ponies, was though she was raised in regular little Ponyville, she was still a gem, just as noble and sophisticated as those born in the prestigious cities and regal families. The idea that anything, even from Ponyville, could be better than anything you had imagined.

     And it was there staring at her straight in the face. A red earthpony stallion, with emerald green eyes, was her Prince Charming. The one thing she had dreamed for her entire life, had been right in front of her.

    Right in regular old Ponyville.

And it wasn't at all what she had imagined.

                                                                      Yet, it was so much more.