Chapters Chapter 1: Here It Goes Again
It was around midday in Ponyville. Celestia's sun was high in the sky and all of the ponies were busy with their day-to-day life. One white unicorn with a beautifully styled purple mane was busy in her shop, the Carousel Boutique. Rarity was using her magic to construct a dress for one of her many clients. She would often stop in her work and imagine how she could improve the seafoam-colored dress. However, her work was interrupted by a knock at the door. Using her magic to place her red glasses down, she quickly trotted to the door.
"Coming!" Rarity called out as she descended the staircase.
Opening the door, the unicorn saw a grey pegasus pony with a blonde mane. It was the local mailmare. With one eye looking at Rarity and the other eye staring off to another side, she held what looked like an important letter in her mouth.
"Ah brought yu a letter," the pegasus said with the letter still in her mouth.
Rarity kept her politeness about her, trying to be disgusted from taking the letter from the mailmare, "Oh, thank you dear."
The pegasus saluted to Rarity before she turned around and started to fly off to deliver the rest of her mail. However, she promptly crashed into Applejack's apple cart. "What in tarnation?!"
Rarity, who had closed the door before hearing the commotion outside, was using her magic to open the very regal looking letter. "From Canterlot?" she asked herself as she sat upon her couch to read, "I honestly wonder who it could be from."
Opening the letter with no return address, Rarity began to read quietly to herself.
Dearest Rarity,
This is Prince Blueblood writing to you. I am aware of your opinion of me may not have changed since the incident at the Grand Galloping Gala. However, I wish to rectify what I have done in the past. So, I was hoping you would do the honor of allowing me to take you out for dinner. I completely understand if you do not wish to, but please allow me this one chance to correct my wrong. Thank you for your time.
Awaiting your reply, The Noble Prince Blueblood
Rarity was frozen as she finished reading the short letter. A number of different feelings flowed through her veins. While she was happy that he wanted to at least right his wrong, Rarity still found it unforgiveable for what had happened at the Gala. Also inside her, there was a small filly who was extremely joyful that her childhood crush was actually asking her out for a date. Snapping back into reality, Rarity took a deep breath in and then exhaled.
"Well," she calmly spoke aloud to herself, "it seems I might need some help on this discussion."
Another knock at the door interrupted Rarity. She went to open the door to find Applejack, "Howdy, Rarity. It seems somepony crashed into my applecart an' ah could use some help cleanin' up. Can ya lend a hoof?"
Chapter 2: Why Worry?
Later that evening, Rarity trotted to Sugarcube Corner. She felt that her mind was cluttered and taking some down time to relax to enjoy some sweets would help her unwind. She was still surprised that Prince Blueblood actually apologized for his previous behavior and even more so that he asked her out for dinner. Taking a deep breath of the night air, she continued to trot to the shop. As she entered the busy bakery, the aroma of baked goods and sweets filling her lungs. She saw her five friends sitting down at the table. Smiling, she walked up to the table.
"Hello, girls," Rarity spoke.
"Hey ya, Rarity! Pull up a seat!" Rainbow Dash offered as she moved the stool out a bit for the white unicorn take the seat.
"Thank you, dahling," Rarity took the seat.
"So, Rarity, how was your day?" Twilight Sparkle asked, using her magic to take a sip of her apple juice.
Rarity paused for a second before answering, "Well, it was….complicated, to be honest."
"Complicated? You didn't have a pegasus pony who crashed into yer applecart, now don't ya tell me what complicated is!" Applejack said before taking a bite of her golden delicious apple.
"Oh, come on, I did that one time! And it was over a month ago! Will you just let it go?" Rainbow Dash seemed to be very defensive about Applejack's statement.
"It wasn't you, Rainbow Dash! It was that grey mailmare we see time an' time again," Applejack explained.
Rainbow Dash thought for a second before replying, "Oh, it's her! Yeah, I remember her from school. She was quite the pony back then. Never actually got her name though," Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on her chin as she tried to think of what the mailmare's name was.
"Um….could we go back to Rarity's story….um, if you don't mind…." the meek voice of Fluttershy said as she sat on her stool, holding her bunny, Angel, in her lap.
"Oh, heh, sorry about that Rarity," Dash apologized.
"It's quite alright," Rarity said with a smile, "well, it actually as to do with that mailmare. She stopped by today and gave me a letter from Canterlot. And from all the people in Equestria it could be from, it was from Prince Blueblood."
Each pony around the table gasped at the news.
"It was from that jerk?" Rainbow Dash shouted in disgust.
"The very same Blueblood who insulted mah fritters? Allow me ta buck is teeth in!" Applejack seemed just as mad as Dash.
"Now, now, girls, we don't know the whole story," Twilight said as she turned her attention back to Rarity, "What did he write?"
"Well, he stated that he wished to right his wrong. He did admit he was wrong with his actions of that night and he would like to treat me to a dinner to apologize."
"A date?" Twilight Sparkle raised an eyebrow.
"Well, that seems a bit odd, don't ya think?" Applejack asked before finishing her apple.
"Now that's just plain kooky!" Pinkie Pie commented as her pet alligator, Gummy, popped his green head out of his owner's messy pink mane.
"Oh my…." Fluttershy held Angel closer to her, who was trying to escape from her grasp.
"Don't do it, Rarity! You don't owe that bum nothing!" Rainbow Dash was getting more and more wiled up, standing up out of her chair with her front hooves on the table.
"Ah have to agree with Dash on this one, he's more mule than majestic if ya ask me. An' ah'm not just sayin' that because of the fritters." Applejack trotted over to Rainbow Dash and pushed her back down in her seat.
"Um….well, maybe you should give him a chance? I mean, he seems to be wanting to say he's sorry and all," the yellow peagsus spoke softly, ease up on her grip on Angel.
"Well, I think you should go with it Rarity! He might have changed, and even if not, you get free food! Fancy food! So why worry?" Pinkie Pie joyfully blurted out as she placed her pet alligator on the table. Gummy stared at Rainbow Dash, who was a bit unnerved by the staring reptile.
Rarity chuckled at Pinkie Pie's response, "Well, I guess you do have a point their Pinkie. But I still just don't know. I mean, he is a bit of a mule from my interactions with him and all. And yet, he does seem sincere about this."
Twilight finished sipping her juice before speaking, "I think you should give it a shot. I remember he was a bit snobbish when we were young. I remember he would tease me and what not, but that was just mostly for me being a bookwork filly. He did seem to be very well mannered as a young colt, so I would say give it a shot. I think Pinkie said it best with it. Worst case scenario, you get free food." She laughed at what she said, with the rest of the girls joining in as well.
"Well, I guess you all do have a point," Rarity said as she slumped herself on the table, her purple made spreading out on the surface, "I should really think it over."
"But now, how about we get you to relax with some hot cocoa?" Pinkie Pie cheerfully exclaimed as she bounced to get hot chocolate for her friends.
Rarity gave a small smile, "That does sound heavenly on a brisk night like this."
For the rest of the night, the six ponies enjoyed themselves at the bakery. They went around the table, telling stories of when they were younger, laughing at their own silliness and enjoying each other's company. Afterwards, Rarity walked home to the Carousel Boutique. As she entered, she went to her desk and magically got parchment and a quill to begin writing a letter. When she finished, she set the letter down and retreated to her room for a bath.
The letter on her desk read:
Dear Prince Blueblood,
After giving it much thought, I would be honored to take up your offer for a dinner. Thank you for your gracious offer, and I await our evening together.
Sincerely, Rarity
As Rarity soaked in the tub, sinking herself into the water slowly and allowing her body to float, she spoke to herself, "Pinkie is right, I really should learn to not worry and just relax."
Chapter 3: To Forgive
After sending her letter to Prince Blueblood, Rarity quickly received a letter back from him a few days later, thanking her and informing her of a few details about the dinner. She was admittedly nervous about the date. Taking a deep breath after reading the letter, she felt something inside her. It was something she felt when she was a little filly, admiring the prince from a far. It was a warm feeling that caused her to smile without her knowledge. However, as she snapped back into the present real world, she remembered of how she was treated by the colt in person at the gala.
Setting the letter down with her magic, she spoke aloud to herself as she walked up to her workroom, "I really shouldn't let that bother me. I mean, for all I know he could have changed completely. He could be quite the gentlecolt."
The white unicorn entered her workroom and resumed working on her client's dresses. As she worked, her mind began to wander quite a bit. She continuously thought of the incident at the gala and how the prince used her as a shield, ruining her dress that she had put so much effort in.
"Then again," Rarity said bitterly, "he could be just as bad as he was before. Even worse for that matter!"
Stopping in her work, she placed her tools down and trotted to the closet in the room. Using her magic, she opened the doors to reveal a damaged pink, yellow, and purple dress on a ponyquin that had not seen the light of day for quite some time. It was the dress Rarity had worn to the Grand Galloping Gala. She looked at the dress and sighed. She had put in quite a lot of effort into that dress and often would regard it as her finest work.
The purple maned pony used her magic to bring out the ponyquin into the center of her room. Moving her items for her client's order aside, Rarity began frantically working on repairing her dress, feeling that if she could repair the dress that caused her to loath the prince, maybe they could repair their relationship.
Two days later, Rarity was prepping herself for the date. At the Carousel Boutique to help her was her yellow pegasus friend, Fluttershy. The two of them prepped the unicorn for the date. It was just like one of their spa days, as they chatted and enjoyed each other's company.
"So Rarity, what dress will you be wearing for the date?" Fluttershy asked as she was stylizing the unicorn's mane into the curls Rarity's hair is often known for.
"Well," Rarity seemed a little nervous about the question, "I actually repaired a dress for this occasion."
"Repair a dress? Was something wrong with it?" the pegasus was concerned.
Rarity was hesitant, but it was Fluttershy she was talking to, and she was her best friend, "It's actually the dress I wore the gala."
"Your gala dress, but wasn't that the dress that he ruined?"
"Yes, it is true. But I did quite a lot of work on it. I felt that if I could repair for this date, maybe we could start on a fresh slate and start over," Rarity paused to hear what she just said, "Heh, that sounds so dumb when I say it."
Fluttershy shook her head, "Oh no no! I think that's quite a sweet gesture. And I really do hope that the two of you can be on good terms."
The unicorn sighed and then smiled, "I hope so, too."
After Rarity's hair was put into its proper place, the two ponies trotted to the workroom. In the middle of the room on the ponyquin was a pink and yellow dress with streaks of bold purple strands running down the dress from the top to the bottom. There were a few jewels placed strategically upon the dress to draw attention to anypony near by to be able to focus on the pony wearing the dress.
"Oh my…." Fluttershy muttered as she looked at the dress dumbfounded.
"Oh dear, is it too much? I was worried that it might be," Rarity was nervous and frantic, "I didn't want it to be as much as my previous dress and then I thought it might actually be to much. And then I started to do something more simplistic, you know? So I went with only a few jewels and then I-"
"It's beautiful," Fluttershy stared at the dress.
"Really?"
"Yes. The simplicity of the dress along with the reusing of the gala dress is great. And the fact that you limited the number jewels is very good, drawing the pony's eyes to the wearer of the dress." Rarity was stunned as Fluttershy knew exactly what she was aiming for in the remaking of her dress, "Um, that's just my opinion though."
"Well, thank you very much, dahling," Rarity thanked her friend, feeling very happy about Fluttershy's reaction, "Could you help me get it on?"
"Of course," Fluttershy said, assisting her unicorn friend. After a bit of silence, Fluttershy asked a question as she was helping Rarity, "Um, Rarity? I hope I'm not bothering you by asking this, but are you going to forgive Blueblood if he asks for forgiveness?"
Rarity thought about the question before responding, "Well, to be honest Fluttershy, I don't know. I know that he wishes me to forgive him since that's the purpose of this date, but I really don't know. I just feel that….well, can I be honest with you for a second, dear?"
Fluttershy shook her head, "Of course, Rarity."
"Well, I still feel enraged of what he did to me last time with the cake and all, but I must say that him owning up to his mistake is a step in the right direction in my opinion. But also since he actually sent the letter to me, it was like something right out of my school-filly fantasy of a prince coming to sweep me off my hooves. I guess I have a hope about that somewhere inside of me, despite knowing it's highly impractical," the unicorn sighed as she finished getting the dress on her body, adjusting it as needed in front of the mirror, "Some parts of us refuse to grow up, I would assume."
Fluttershy nodded, "Well, no pony is excepting you to do anything tonight, Rarity. Just enjoy yourself, I guess is what I could say….I honestly don't really know what to say…." the pegasus admitted.
Rarity smiled and gave a small hug to Fluttershy, "Fret not, dear. I'm sure things will go fine. And I do thank you very much for watching over Sweetie Belle tonight."
"Oh, it's not a problem at all, I do just hope your date will go well," Fluttershy smiled.
"It will be fine, dear. Just got to keep a level head about this night, is all," Rarity said with a bit of nervousness in her voice.
As the unicorn finished her statement, there was a knock at the door.
Ch. 4 Date With The Night
Chapter 4: Date With The Night
Rarity and Fluttershy descended the staircase to the door quickly yet carefully to not trip and fall down the steps. Arriving at the door, the white unicorn opened the door to grey pegasus pony in golden armor. It was one of the royal guard ponies. He looked down with an almost intimidating glare. Fluttershy hid behind Rarity nervously, shaking greatly in her fear.
"Would a Miss Rarity be at this residence?" the guard asked in a bold tone.
"That would be I," Rarity said with reassurance in her voice. However, she was a bit nervous of the guard as well, though not as much as her pegasus friend.
"Excellent. Prince Blueblood is waiting for you in the carriage, madam," the guard stated, moving to one side to reveal a luxurious carriage far fancier than the one that the girls took to the Grand Galloping Gala. "Allow me to escort you."
"Thank you," Rarity said to him before turning her attention to Fluttershy quickly, "alright Fluttershy, I'm off. Thank you again so much for all of your help, dahling."
"Oh, of course, Rarity," the yellow pegasus smiled to her friend.
As Rarity walked next to the guard, she turned to wave good-bye to her friend, "Buh-bye, dear! I'll be back later!"
Fluttershy waved back to her friend who was helped into the carriage by the guards who stood next to the door.
As the carriage began to move, Blueblood spoke, "Well, hello Miss Rarity," the prince greeted her as Rarity took a seat across from him.
Rarity almost tripped over her words as she replied, yet she managed to speak smoothly, "Hello there, Prince Blueblood. Thank you for your generous offer for tonight."
"But of course! It's the absolute least I could do for what I did at the gala," Blueblood spoke in a pleasing tone to Rarity's ears.
The mare felt her heart lift slightly at his words, 'Well, he is apologetic. I guess there maybe is a change,' she said to herself.
"I would also like to say that is a very lovely gown you have chosen to wear for tonight. In fact, it looks quite similar to the dress you wore to the gala," Blueblood examined Rarity's outfit for the evening.
"Well, it actually is. Or rather it was," Rarity corrected herself, "I kept the dress after the gala and I guess I just decided to rework it for tonight. I guess even good work came come from something completely ruined."
Blueblood blushed in embarrassment, "Ah, yes. I do apologize very much for ruining the dress. I was quite a foal for doing something so horrible to any mare, much less a mare like you, Miss Rarity." He lowered his head in a bowing fashion that most commoners do to royalty such as him.
Rarity blushed a very light pink tint at his apology and his bow, 'Maybe I was wrong. Perhaps I had caught him at a bad time or something at the gala? He just seems so chivalrous and like a gentlecolt should be.'
For the rest of the carriage ride through Ponyville, the two continued to make small talk and enjoy each other's company. Quite suddenly, the carriage stopped outside of a very fancy and regal looking restaurant.
"Ah, we seem to have arrived. Wonderful," Prince Blueblood spoke as he peered out the far window.
Before Rarity could ask where they were going to be having dinner, the royal guards were already at the carriage door, opening it for the two inside.
"After you," Prince Blueblood offered, raising a hoof. Rarity stepped out of the carriage to see that the regal looking restaurant was just that. It was one of the most fancy places to dine in all of Equestria. The restaurant was called Desservir , and quite easily the most expensive and most delicious food for anywhere. While Rarity had to admit she had always dreamed to eat at a luxurious place, she was a bit worried about Blueblood's intentions.
'I know he wants to say sorry and all for what had happened, but this is more of a date-type of scenario. Well, in his defense, it's not like going to Sugarcube Corner is on his lists of fine foods,' Rarity thought to herself as she looked at the fancy building.
"Shall we enter, Miss Rarity?" Blueblood's voice snapped Rarity out of her thinking.
"Oh, yes, of course. Sorry about that Prince Blueblood," Rarity nervously laughed.
"It's no trouble. And please, call me Blueblood."
Rarity smiled at his comment. She knew that such informality was reserved only among the royalty themselves in private. "Very well, Blueblood."
The two entered and were quickly shown to their seats. Rarity was still stunned to actually be at Desservir and her eyes were beginning to wander. While she did feel out of place amongst the patrons, she still was very happy and honored to be there. The purple maned Rarity saw two orange ponies sitting and enjoying their meal, almost looking like her friend Applejack. Then she saw what looked like a grey pegasus sitting with a brown earth pony that both seemed to be very much in love. Rarity's eyes were darting everywhere, still in shock of being at such a noble restaurant. The server finally stopped at an empty table that had the card "reserved" placed on it. Blueblood physically pulled a chair out for Rarity.
"Thank you, Blueblood," she thanked the prince for his chivalrous act.
"Of course."
The two ordered and continued to chitchat among themselves, mostly about how Rarity felt alien in such a fancy eatery. Before they knew it, the waiter returned with their food. Rarity had ordered an exotic grass salad (she admitted she was uncertain of what to order and Blueblood recommended it to her) and Blueblood ordered hors d'oeuvre to share between the two of them and a foie gras for himself.
As they ate, Blueblood paused from his food and spoke, "Miss Rarity, I must formally apologize for my previous behavior. I know there is no excuse for my behavior in the least, but I just want you to know how sorry I am." Blueblood looked down at his foie gras as he spoke, not making eye contact to Rarity.
Rarity swallowed the food she had in her mouth before replied, "It's quite alright, Blueblood. I'm actually very happy that you wanted to correct the wrong, it means quite a lot to me." Rarity smiled to the prince whose sorrowful face gave a small smile.
"Thank you, Miss Rarity."
"Oh please, Rarity is perfectly fine, dear."
Blueblood nodded, "Thank you, Rarity."
Blueblood and Rarity continued to talk for the reminder of their meal, enjoying each other's company greatly. Rarity admitted to the prince that she was very nervous about that date because of what happened at the gala. In return, Blueblood stated that he was fearful that Rarity would not have accepted his apology, which is why he choose to have the dinner at Desservir . His logic was that if she would at least go on the date, she would be able to listen if she was at one of the most fancy restaurants in Equestria. The two laughed at each other's previous thoughts.
The two unicorns left Desservir and entered the awaiting carriage for them. On the ride back, Blueblood was visibly nervous for some reason. Rarity noticed this and while she asked if something was the matter, he would say it was nothing. The silence persisted, making the carriage ride have a bit of an uneasy atmosphere. As the carriage stopped outside of the Carousel Boutique, Blueblood finally spoke.
"Um, Rarity. I know this might sound odd and a bit unorthodox to ask now, but do you think we could do something like this again? As in….a date?" Blueblood's face was a rosy red as he asked.
Rarity thought quickly before replying, "Alright, I believe we can. But how about I choose what we do?"
The colt was a bit surprised about what she had said, however he got the answer he was hoping for, "A-Alright!" His face was still a bit red from his blushing.
"How about the day after tomorrow around four in the afternoon?"
"That sounds great!"
Rarity smiled, "Very well, just don't dress too fancy. Just be in something casual. This won't be the Grand Galloping Gala, you know."
Blueblood nodded just before Rarity turned to get out of the carriage, "Alright then, Rarity! I shall see you then!"
Rarity turned to the carriage to see Blueblood in the window, giving him a warm smile before trotting to the door of her home. Upon entering, she found Fluttershy with Sweetie Belle curled up next to her, asleep.
"Oh, hello Rarity. How was your evening?" the yellow pegasus asked, "Did everything go okay?"
"It was a simply wonderful evening," Rarity said as she sat upon one of the couches.
"What was it like?"
"To be honest, Fluttershy," the unicorn stated, "I felt just like a little filly with a prince, and he was just like a little colt with a not-so-secret crush."
Chapter 5: Is This It?
Two days had past since Rarity and Prince Blueblood went to dinner for Blueblood to apologize for his behavior. Fluttershy was given the details of the date by Rarity, who admitted that she actually had a pretty good time with the prince. She never thought that the same prince that used Rarity as a shield against flying cake would be quite the genltecolt as she imagined as a filly.
While she spent most of her free time working on the dresses for her client, Rarity gave some thought to what the two would do for their next meeting. She had a few ideas in store and was admittedly eager for Blueblood to arrive.
A few minutes before four in the afternoon, Rarity heard a knock at the door. Quickly making her way to the door, she opened it to find two royal guards at the door with Prince Blueblood behind them.
"Miss Rarity? Prince Blueblood is here for the scheduled date," one of the guards, a unicorn, stated. Blueblood's cheeks blushed a slight pink at his guard's words.
"Oh, wonderful," Rarity said happily. She peered between the guards and saw that Blueblood was dressed formally, just slightly less than the last time she saw him, "Oh, now this will not do. Good heavens, we aren't attending the gala tonight."
"I beg your pardon, madam?" the other guard asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, the prince shouldn't look like he's going to do something formal when he's not. It's just not how things are done! Come, come. I'll fix you up quickly, dear." Rarity walked outside and pushed Blueblood inside of the Carousel Boutique.
"W-Wait!" Blueblood was visibly shaken at what was going on. The guards stood outside, puzzled and not sure what to make of what just happened.
Inside, Rarity pushed Blueblood to the center pedestal where all of her clients would stand to be fitted. Rarity examined him from a far before taking his formal attire quickly.
"Now, I believe you are about the same size as Applejack's brother, so I should be able to get something done quite quickly for you, dahling." Rarity used her magic, moving fabric, needles, threads, and scissors to Blueblood's location and she worked swiftly. "Just a little more….and done!"
Blueblood turned to look at himself in the mirror. Gasping, he couldn't believe that the reflection was his own. "I….don't believe it. It looks wonderful, Miss Rarity!" Blueblood said joyfully. He admired his new wardrobe, a blue collared shirt with thin yellow stripes to accent his mane.
"I do know it's not what you are used to wearing, but formal attire is not something you should wear for today," Rarity spoke.
Blueblood continued to admire his new shirt, "It's so simple, yet so lovely, Rarity. Thank you so very much. It just feels so natural and relaxed."
"It was nothing. Now, shall we away?" Rarity asked.
"Of course, lead the way."
Rarity and Blueblood exited the shop, the royal guards still waiting. As they started to trot toward the town, the guards followed behind closely.
"Oh, dears, you don't need to come with us tonight," Rarity informed them.
"But our orders are to protect Prince Blueblood from any hazard whatsoever," the pegasus spoke.
"Hazard? Dear, this is Ponyville. I'm sure everything will be just fine,"
"But-" The other began to speak.
"No buts! I would actually prefer it if both of you would relax tonight as well. Why don't the two of you take a spa day?"
The guards looked at each other before looking toward the prince for their orders, "Sir?"
Blueblood was a bit hesitant, "Well, you guys have been working quite hard lately, and I think it will be good if you took a break. I'll be fine."
The guards nodded, also a bit nervous of having the unusual order.
"Excellent. Now then, let us away, shall we?" Rarity led the way again, Blueblood following right next to her.
The unicorn guard looked to his comrade, "So, shall we try that spa thing Miss Rarity recommended?"
The pegasus shrugged, "Sure, I'll try anything once."
The white mare led the prince through Ponyville square, among the merchants and the commoners. It was an alien place for the prince, causing him to be a bit on edge. Rarity turned to see that the unicorn colt was shaken in the crowded place, quickly looking around at everything.
"Oh dear, are you alright? Would you like to have a seat?" Rarity offered, placing a hoof on his back.
"No, no. It's okay. I guess I'm just not used to being in such a place with so many ponies before," Blueblood admitted to Rarity.
"If you say so. Well, just remember you can tell me if there is something wrong," the mare reassured him.
"Thank you," Blueblood gave a small smile before he got the smell of something, "What is that wonderful aroma?"
"Aroma?" Rarity took a sniff of the air. A smile came across her face as she knew what it was that had caught the prince's attention, "Ah, yes, I know what that is."
Rarity led Prince Blueblood to a merchant cart surrounded by buckets of apples. Before Blueblood could question about what exactly the aroma was, an orange mare's head popped up behind the stall.
"Howdy ya'll! This here is the Sweet Apple Acre's apple cart! What will it be?" Applejack quoted her sales pitch from memory before seeing it was a familiar face in front of her. "Well, hello there Rarity! An' evening to ya t- you!" Her expression completely changed from a welcoming merchant to that of a prosecutor in a courtroom, pointing a hoof at Blueblood.
"Me?" Blueblood was frozen in terror of what he might have done.
"You were the pony that called mah apple fritters garbage at the gala! What the hay are ya doin' here now?" Applejack was vengeful and on the offensive, almost looking like she was ready to jump on Blueblood and beat him to a pulp.
"Applejack! Please calm down! Yes, it is the prince, but please, don't be angry with him," Rarity tried her best to calm her friend.
"Angry? Oh-ho, that doesn't even begin to describe it, Rarity," Applejack glared to the colt who was still fearful for his life.
"Please! He's just curious of what the smell was, and if I'm correct, that smell is a fresh batch of apple fritters."
Applejack, who took pride her cooking, brought them out from within the cart, "Well, you are quite correct there, Rarity. A fresh batch of my famous apple fritters. I was just about to get them out to display."
Blueblood snapped out of his frozen state and saw the source of the wonderful aroma, "Apple fritters? I've never seen such a type of food before."
"Yes, ya have. You insulted them at the gala!" the orange mare's voice was bitter.
"By Celestia, this is a marvelous treat! So sweet and tangy. Madam, I apologize for my previous behavior and insulting your wonderful delicacy," Blueblood bowed to Applejack.
Applejack was feeling a bit awkward, "Eh, thanks there, Prince. But ah'm still not completely happy with ya, got it?"
Rarity giggled to herself at Applejack's reaction. She paid for their fresh fritters (which she insisted that she would do since the previous date was his treat) and the two sat on a bench in the town's square, watching the Celestia's sun descend in the distance. The two talked aimlessly and told each other stories about when they were little. Blueblood even asked about how Rarity and Applejack met, a story which made Rarity laugh the entire way though.
As Luna's moon rose to give a light in the darkened world, Rarity and Blueblood slowly made their way back toward her home.
"Thank you for the wonderful evening, Rarity," the prince spoke, "I never thought that I would have such a magnificent time doing something so…."
"Common?" Rarity asked, laughing a bit, "Just because we are commoners doesn't mean we don't have superb ways to spend our time."
Blueblood smiled, "Well, nevertheless, thank you again."
"Of course, dahling."
The two saw the guards awaiting the prince's return outside Rarity's home. As they drew near, Blueblood stopped in his steps and took a deep breath.
Rarity turned to see the colt had stopped, "Blueblood, is everything alright?"
The prince was shaking as he spoke, "Rarity, I know this is sudden and all, but I really would just like to know. You don't have to answer right this second but….would you possibly like to….be my marefriend?"
Rarity was quite surprised at the question the prince had asked. However, she was also astonished at the fact that while Prince Blueblood seemed to be like a noble prince on the outside, he seemed very much like a young school colt who was admitting his feelings to a pony he had a crush on. This was a side of the prince that Rarity would not think existed.
"I'm flattered, Prince Blueblood, but I'm not sure what to say," the mare confessed her uncertainty.
"I am aware that you would be as such. I didn't except a response right away," Blueblood looked away for a moment before turning his attention back to the mare, "I just want you to know that these last two dates have been wonderful for me and that I really am quite fond of you."
Rarity felt she should speak, yet she no idea what to say to the prince.
Blueblood spoke one last time, "I shall not hold it against you if you refuse. If you could write back to me after you think about it, I would very much appreciate it," he quickly hugged Rarity before heading to his guards, "thank you for a wonderful time."
As she saw the prince walk away, Rarity felt a great amount confusion building up inside of her head. Most of all, she felt her younger self wanting her prince.
Chapter 6: All Apologies
That night, Rarity was deep in thought. Lying on her bed, waiting to fall asleep, her mind replayed the event of Prince Blueblood asking her the question if she would do him the honor of being his marefriend. Letting out a loud sigh, Rarity closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
But her mind had other plans. She thought about her younger self, wanting to be the bride of royalty and to become a princess. It was her dream, just like every filly's dream (except for maybe Rainbow Dash and Applejack, Rarity thought). The mare knew for a fact that there was a filly inside of her that refused to grow up; a filly that refused to give up hope that her prince will come. This little filly earnestly believed that Blueblood was the prince she was waiting for.
"But….how do I know that he really is?" the unicorn asked aloud in a hushed tone.
Rarity then reflected on her new view of Blueblood. She had to admit he was much more of a gentlecolt than he was at the gala, and for that matter, he owned up to his rudeness. The mare acknowledged that she found him very handsome and attractive, just as she did when she was young. What stuck out the most, however, was the fact that he was shy and nervous toward Rarity. Not only did she find this a bit funny, she actually found it quite cute. A smile came across her lips as she remembered how bashful the prince was as he tried to ask Rarity the question. It was a side of the prince she was sure almost nopony knew of.
Sighing one last time, Rarity spoke to herself in the darkness again, "I think I know my answer, I just hope I'm right about this choice." As she finished her statement, the white unicorn feel asleep.
The next morning, Rarity woke up and prepped herself for the day. After her morning ritual of bathing, styling her hair, and enjoying a small breakfast, Rarity went to her desk and began to write a letter. While writing, she seemed to have quite some issues of exactly how to write it. She would re-read what she wrote and use her magic to crumble up the parchment into a ball and place it in the wastebasket. She repeated this about four times before her younger sister, Sweetie Belle popped her head up onto to the desk.
"What'cha doing, Rarity?" the filly would ask, peering onto the desk.
Rarity was actually not bothered by the presence of her sibling, "Oh, good morning Sweetie Belle. I'm writing a letter to a friend, but I fear I don't know how to write what I want to say."
"Why don't you just be honest about everything?"
"Huh?" Rarity was slightly confused at what her sister said.
"You know, just be honest about everything as you write, that way there is no clutter and no way it could be taken the wrong way. The good thing about it is that no one can blame you for being honest," Sweetie Belle gave an innocent smile up to her sister.
Rarity gave the idea some thought, "You know, I think you are on to something, my dear," she praised her younger sibling, "Oh, I almost forgot. Could you possible go get Spike? I do need some extra help today on finishing the order on time."
Sweetie Belle saluted to her older sister, "Yes, ma'am!" She quickly bolted off to the library to get the dragon.
Smiling as she saw her sister leave, Rarity focused back onto the blank sheet of parchment in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she used her magic to take the quill and began to write. The letter read:
Dearest Prince Blueblood,
This is Rarity writing to you. After giving the matter much thought, I regret to inform you that I will be declining the offer of becoming your marefriend. However, before any conclusions are drawn, I would like to know that I shall not stop being your friend. The past few days have been simply wonderful with you. I am extremely happy that we were able to patch things up after the mishap at the Grand Galloping Gala. You truly are a great colt and I am quite lucky to have you as a friend. Perhaps we may continue our various rendezvous. Who knows, maybe Applejack will learn to do more than just tolerate you. But in all seriousness, I do apologize for refusing your offer, but please do know that you still are a valuable friend to me.
Your friend, Rarity
Looking at her letter, satisfied with how it turned, she folded it up and placed it in the envelope she had set aside, "I guess Sweetie Belle was quite right about writing like that. I guess I'll have to wait a little longer for my prince," she said to herself.
The white unicorn heard hoofsteps on her porch, those of her sister Sweetie Belle, who entered with a purple and green dragon.
"I'm back! And I brought Spike!" Sweetie Belle spoke, giving her words a bit of a musical touch.
"Oh, thank you dears for helping me today," Rarity said as she walked up to the two youngsters.
"Not a problem, Rarity! Always glad to help," Spike said in a cheerful tone.
"And I'm very happy to see you are doing better than last time, as well. Now, I need the two of you to help me by applying gems to the dresses, similar to last time. It should be the last time I will need your help for these gowns," Rarity walked over the ponquins in the center of the room.
"Alright, I shall get to work!" Spike said energetically as he made his way over to the chest of gems to get to work.
Rarity smiled as she saw Spike make his way over to the gems and get started working. Silently laughing to herself, she thought, 'Who knows, maybe I already found my prince.'
END