A Real Heartbreaker

Chapter 2

Right away, the unicorn mare's eyes were filled with quite a bit of desire. Of which, Emerald could see clearly. Seeing this caused him to grow nervous, it wasn't too common of an occurrence for him to get looks like this, but never in his life had he seen another pony's eyes filled with such powerful lust...such desire. She wasn't desperate, no. This look wasn't the cause of loneliness or desperation, this gaze was the cause of something else. Granted, he had seen such looks before, most of which from Princess Luna, but, this one seemed....different. Even he could see it clearly, that this gaze held something different in it. Behind the lustful desires his own eyes caught a glimpse of it, what was fueling the desire.

In Rarity's eyes, he saw not only respect for him, but further beyond that, he could even see the emptiness in her life. It broke his heart to see such a thing in such a kind pony too. How was it she hadn't found somepony special? A unicorn as beautiful as her, could've easily found a significant other by now easily. It was a curious question for him as he thought about it for several moments. As he was, his mind seemed to go off into a tangent, before a grin began to spread across his face. One that seemed like he had an idea as to what to do. The grin in question was hardly visible, only appearing on the corner of his mouth before he finally spoke up to her again.

“Yep...but please...just call me Emerald, I simply detest formal titles.” he finally said. In truth, Rarity still found herself in awe at seeing him. Was this what the alicorn stallion had in mind for her vacation? Because if so, she knew right away that this vacation was going to be a good one, especially if she had met this unicorn first thing.

'Too bad he's taken...' Her thoughts wandered, gazing over his still-glorious body. Every detail was just right too, so...well...chiseled...she could ride that stallion all night long. She couldn't help but blush slightly as the thought crossed her mind. The instant it did however, she quickly shook it off. 'No! Bad! Its not lady-like to fantasize about another mare's stallion....' it was here she had a bit of a slip-up, as words she thought actually came from her mouth. “No matter...how attractive he is...” she muttered, this only caused the stallion himself to blush. Not knowing whether to take it as a compliment or simply ignore it. In the end, he sighed, almost as if it was in defeat.

A green aura soon began to appear around not only Emerald's horn, but the suitcase that the mare had brought with her. Here, he bowed slightly, showing that he was quite a gentlecolt. “Allow me to take your bag.” he requested, to which, Rarity complied, having absolutely no objections as she began to follow him off the platform.

“You're not like...” She froze instantly as his head turned back to her, this is where she received possibly one of the most unnerving gazes she had ever received in her life. It was almost as if Emerald had read her mind before she was going to speak. His brown eyes seemed to reflect a bit of annoyance, thankfully it wasn't directed at her, it seemed to reflect how he felt toward what she was about to say.

“Believe it or not...not all princes are like him.”  he stated. How did he do that? How had this pony figured out who she had been talking about before she even said his name? Whatever the case though, he was good. It wasn't a wonder why a princess had fallen for him. Minus that occasional limp he had, he was a real catch, one she wished she had caught first. “A few of the princes I've met, are actually quite kind...even from the Griffon Kingdom. Blueblood is just a royal brat.”

Rarity giggled at this remark, finding it to be the truest statement of the day so far. “I could've told you that.” she added, joking along with him, which caused both of them to laugh softly.

“I take it you had a bad experience with him then?” Emerald asked.

“I did...” Rarity acknowledged, recalling the very experience as clear as day in her mind. “It was at the Gala, a few years ago.” This caused the stallion's ears to perk up rather quickly when he realized what she said. He had heard of that incident, that night in particular. It was the talk of the castle for a good three months at the very least, some were saying that it had been the best Gala ever, while others disagreed, that it had been the worst ever, yet, some claim that, even though it had been the worst, that the best part of it had been when Blueblood had been humiliated before everyone. Legend claimed that he didn't show his face in the castle for a good month afterward. It was here though where everything clicked into place, which made him once again turn to the mare.

“You mean....you and your friends were the ones that...?” he didn't even need to finish the question, only earning a simple nod from her. “Then...I must thank you, because, after that, Blueblood didn't show his face in the castle for a good month....and it was a month of blissful silence.” Rarity almost broke out into a fit of laughter when she heard this, she restrained herself however, stopping in her tracks to place her hoof over her mouth. This seemed to lift her spirits a bit further than they already had. By this time, she was beginning to unwind from everything and with the prospect of Hearts and Hooves day just around the corner, she could feel deep down that this vacation was going to be the best one of her life.

Located at the top of the tower, was her suite, which wasn't that far away now. With just a few steps before them they'd be at the door and she'd be able to finally lie down and take a short, but much needed nap. Emerald had been polite the entire time, not only guiding her through the city, but, adding in a nice conversation to go along with it. While the subject had changed countless times though, he had remained possibly one of the most polite ponies she had ever met. This is something that made her feel a bit jealous toward Princess Luna though. Thankfully she was able to ignore it, especially as they finally reached the door to the room. As the door opened, everything changed the instant her eyes locked onto the only pony in the room.

Rarity's heart began to race when her eyes locked onto the one single pony in the room aside from her and Emerald. He was different, very different. She had never seen a pony like him before...then again, there's a first for everything. What drew her attention right off the bat about him, was his white-as-snow mane. It wasn't that rare of a color to see on a pony, either on their mane or in their coat...but one that white? No. It was as bright as freshly fallen snow, but as wild as a blizzard, was the best way she could describe it...and she liked it too. That wasn't the end of it though, not only did he have an incredible mane, at least to her, but he had this contrasting coat to go with his mane. A dark grey, one that almost seemed black, yet wasn't dark enough to be as such. It worked very well for the stallion too, about the only thing that seemed to stand out on him aside from the mane, was the simple fact that his eyes, oh his eyes, they were possibly the most beautiful shade of blue she had ever seen.

Slowly, Rarity brought her hoof up to her heart, feeling it pounding in her chest as she continued to gaze at him. She heard nothing around herself as he began to approach, causing her heart rate to jump greatly. Who was this stallion? Why did she feel like this? Was he making her feel like this? She didn't know, nor did she have time to figure it out, because as he continued his approach, her breathing became a bit labored. This reaction would gradually become apparent to Emerald, who could be seen with a smirk gradually appearing on his face as he watched the events unfold. It was almost as if, a plan he had brewing was working just how he had hoped.

As Rarity watched him cross the room, his muscles coming into better view. Where did he work? What was he doing in her suite? How was he in such good shape if he was a simple butler for the room? Not a single butler or servant she had ever seen had a body like his, so it was befuddling. What really seemed to get her though was what she saw on top of his head. Clearly, she figured he was a unicorn, but she was shocked at what she saw. His horn! It had bandages around it!

“Darling! What happened to your horn!?” was the first thing that came from Rarity's mouth as he stopped before her.

'Darling? Did she just claim me as hers?' he asked himself, his cheeks gaining a bit of a mild red hue to them. This broke his concentration right away, never had he been called by that name in his life, it caused his ears to lower a tiny bit, making him nervous as he faced the mare. One he found absolutely gorgeous.

Five minutes earlier...

The unicorn stallion continued the job that he had been tasked with by none other than Prince Emerald. It was a relatively simple task, make the suite presentable. One he was thankful to get in his present state, having recently damaged his horn during training, causing just a small crack in it from putting too much into a shield spell he had been practicing on. Now, it hurt like hell, even with painkillers. He could still feel a very dull headache coursing through his skull. This pain, coupled with the very small crack in his horn (and the bandages he now wore on it to allow mending.) prevented him from even casting the simplest of spells. Even a telekinesis spell was out of the question, according to what the doctor had told him. This resulted in him being thrown on R&R for a couple weeks while it mended. It wasn't a bad thing either, necessarily, at least it gave him a break from the boring paperwork.

Yet, boredom seemed the thing that ate at him even more. He couldn't do much aside from just sit around his apartment. This was something he absolutely hated, boredom. He didn't like just sitting around, staring at the wall. He needed something to do, so in response, he actually went to a very good friend last night. The friend he thought of, had been none other than Prince Emerald and he was glad he had done as such too, because now he found himself busy. While it wasn't an ideal job, he could still provide a service to a guest and make her room absolutely spotless.

So for the past hour he had been dusting, wondering to himself who this guest could possibly be. He knew she was a mare, but not much else. Emerald had been vague on the details, saying that she was simply here for a week, on vacation more or less. What he was met with however, was an entirely different story. As he had just finished dusting the last of the nicknacks in the room, ensuring everything was tidy for the guest, he heard the door open. Right away he figured it must be Emerald and the guest, but what he saw caught his eye.

One of the Elements of Harmony! He didn't say that it would be one of them! He had never met one of them in person and he found himself lucky, because the mare that entered the room made his jaw drop. At first, her head was tilted toward Emerald, as if they had been in a conversation, but in the most elegant of manners, her head turned in his direction. The beautiful locks of her mane, he couldn't describe. He had never seen such a beautiful mane in his life, it even topped the glorious silver mane of Ivy Charmer! How was that possible? He wondered. It wasn't JUST her mane though that got his attention. It was every detail of her, the wondrous azure eyes, her beautiful alabaster coat, and those three little jewels she had for a cutie mark. He could debate on the number itself as she was a gem. A true beauty.

Right away, he felt a sudden boost to his confidence. He simply HAD to ask her out now. Was she single though? He didn't care, he had to try at the very least! He wasn't about to let such a stunningly beautiful mare pass by him. With his best friend Emerald here, he had a chance at the very least, so he puffed out his chest with confidence and proceeded over to them. It wasn't the first time he had been this focused in his life, but at the same time, he was brimming with confidence, something she could hopefully see in him. That was, until he heard that one word, that one word simply broke his focus, causing him to exhale his held breath.

Present time...

The stallion was sweating bullets now, how was it he had gone from confident, to cold hooves in a matter of five seconds? It was astonishing to see such a thing. With his nerves frayed a tiny bit, his gaze shifted slightly to Emerald in hopes for a little bit of help in his situation.

“Rarity, this is Lieutenant Shield Breaker.” Emerald said, breaking the ice between them, “He's on R&R for a couple weeks after a training mishap, to allow his horn to heal.” It was a relief to Shield Breaker right away as he sighed. Once again Emerald had bailed him out of a tough situation. Not only that, but he had broken the ice almost instantly.

“Yeah...A shield spell I had been working with...I put a little too much into it...and that backfired pretty badly on me.” he added, Rarity turning her head back from Emerald with a frown.

“I'm so sorry, dear...I hope it heals up soon.” This reassured him, she was kind, very kind. Very sweet and gentle. Not only that, but to him, her voice was like a chorus of angels, soothing the headache he had, as well as the bit of heartache he now had for her. He inhaled deeply, as if to ask a question, but was quickly cut off when he heard her voice. This was something he wouldn't of ever seen coming. “How's about we talk more about it over lunch? You can stop by about noon? That way we both have time to prepare.”

Even Emerald was stunned by the sudden turn of events. His eyes went very wide when he heard Rarity ask that question. In all the time he had known Shield Breaker, he had never seen a mare actually ask him! The prince nearly fainted as the turn of events caused his mind to shut down instantly. Usually it was this stallion who always asked the mare, yet...this time the situation was reversed. Never in his dreams had he expected this! Not only that, but they hadn't even known each other for more than five minutes!

'Damn...they work fast...' he thought as he regained his composure. Shield Breaker seemed as equally stunned as Emerald had been, his jaw would've dropped had he not thought it impolite to have his mouth agape in front of such a lovely mare. It would take him another minute to actually register the question before his mind came up with the answer.

“I'd...love to.”

'...Really fast...' Emerald remarked in thought.

Rarity almost seemed giddy when she heard the response. Inwardly she was having possibly the most intense Pinkie Pie moment of her life, she was cheering and partying in her mind, barely able to contain her own excitement. 'He said yes!' she repeated over and over in her mind, trying her best not to bounce around. As she remained frozen in place, Emerald carefully sat down the suitcase while the two were distracted, their gazes now locked on one another. Once he had done as such, he trotted over to Shield Breaker, giving him a small tap on the shoulder. This worked to briefly break his focus on Rarity.

“I think we should leave her to unwind a little bit...so she and you can get ready for your...date.” Emerald smirked in a manner similar to his brother, giving the other stallion a small nudge. In truth he was right too, the realization quickly dawned on Shield Breaker that he too needed to get ready. This only made him blush, before politely bowing to Rarity.

“I-I'll come by a little before noon!” he announced before galloping from the room. Not from fear or nerves, but from pure joy. Which became clear as he cheered on his way down the stairs. The remaining stallion only chuckled softly as he heard it, never having seen his friend that happy before. Then again though, he knew more about the stallion than Rarity did. Should he really tell her? Was it his place to tell the mare that had just asked his friend out, about the past? That was quickly answered as she let out a lovestruck sigh.

“I shall take my leave now.” Emerald announced, “Hope you have a nice vacation...and that you enjoy your date with Shield Breaker.” He left quietly, leaving her to prepare for said date. Yet, without a premise for it, she was left with many thoughts and wonders.

“How'd it go?” a voice asked the forest green unicorn as he trotted down the stairs.

“Better than we had expected.” came the reply from the unicorn. “Honestly, Silver, it looked like it was love at first sight.”

“You know love at first sight doesn't exist!” Silver laughed.

“Then...explain Rarity asking Shield Breaker on the date.” He stopped dead in his tracks, landing carefully on the stairs. His face was one of confusion and simple shock. He hadn't expected something like that, much like Emerald, but unlike his brother, he was able to keep his composure.

“Say...what?!”