A Real Heartbreaker

by Aduro

Rating: teen
Tags: Sad, Romance, Slice of Life
Length: 6399

Vanity. Rarity's biggest issue, especailly when it comes to finding a mate. But, will this Hearts and Hooves day be different?

Alone, was it because of her vanity? Was she so nit-picky that it drove every stallion or mare away? Rarity didn't know. But with Hearts and Hooves day just a few days away, will she be able to find that special somepony? Will her much needed vacation in Canterlot actually pay off? She hopes so.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-22 19:12:49 UTC

A Long-Awaited Vacation

Chapter 1

A wreck, both emotionally and physically. Why did she feel this way? Was it because of the ensemble she had just finished? Even with its simplicity, it had truly been one of her better works, one she could take great pride in, yet, for some reason as the thought of it remained in her. It was truly a magnificent white dress, hoof stitched. It was so simple, yet, so elegant. Why did she feel like this though? Why was she filled with such frustration, such sadness? Normally, this wouldn't bother her, but the dress itself seemed to stir something from within. Was it because it was a wedding dress that it made her feel like this? No, that couldn't be it, could it? She had designed many wedding dresses, especially in the last year, none of which made her feel this way. This one however just seemed, different. She couldn't quite place her hoof on it, but, it just felt different than the other dresses she had designed.

The marshmallow colored unicorn mare finally let go a sigh of defeat as she turned away from the dress, not wanting to think about it further. Instead, she trotted off, making a bee-line for the washroom. As she flicked on the lights, she saw something she wished she hadn't, something she hadn't even realized. It was in utter shambles, her once glorious indigo colored mane, was a complete train wreck. On top of that, she took notice of the dark circles beneath her eyes, this wasn't the surprising part though, what really caught her off guard was the fact that, her eyes were fairly puffy and bloodshot, indicating that she had been crying. When had she though? How was it she hadn't noticed her own tears? Then again, she had been up half the night finishing the dress and with her focus solely on the dress, she probably wouldn't of noticed.

This wasn't of vital importance however, as she simply wanted to get some rest. With a damp washcloth in hoof, she began to wipe off her face, letting the lower temperature soothe a bit of her weariness, at least a little bit, before she set it aside. This seemed to help as a bit of the puffiness vanished from beneath her eyes. Yet, she knew it wouldn't cure her of her bloodshot eyes, that would be something she'd need a bit of rest for, as not only was it caused by her crying, but it was also caused from her lack of sleep and overtaxation of her vision.

With her final task done for the time being and after cleaning her face, she trotted from the washroom. It was at this time where her exhaustion finally began to catch up with her, which resulted in a soft yawn coming from her as she proceeded into the other room, her bedroom. The hallway felt unusually long today, but she could attribute it to just simple exhaustion. Once she had finally reached her room, it became sweet relief, not even bothering with anything else, she quietly climbed onto her bed and collapsed face first into a pillow. The sheets themselves were very cool from not having been touched in around a day and it felt simply blissful for her.

Before long though, she found herself now facing upward at the canopy of the bed, which in itself was a soft shade of pink, the shade itself seemed to stir something within her as she felt even more tears beginning to well up. What only seemed to make it worse was the simple fact that her blankets were a dark red color. This resulted in her mind being flooded with questions, the first and most important of which, why was she crying? Why did she have this pain in her chest? One that seemed to travel to every inch of her being? It was only when she turned her head, to take notice of the date circled on the calendar. February Fourteenth.

It was only then did she realize why she felt like this. Hearts and Hooves day was just a week away and she had nopony to spend it with! How could she have been so careless? Then again, she hadn't done it intentionally, it was more of the fact that she had been busy the entire time to really take note of the date, or even how it effected her, at least though, she was now beginning to understand why these tears had begun to fall. With another sigh, she slowly closed her eyes to think. Why, of all ponies was she still alone? Was it the fact that she was too picky? Or was it something else? Compared to the rest of her friends, she was the only one that seemed to be without anypony special. Then again, there was always Pinkie Pie, but when she recalled the conversation with her on the subject, the white mare only frowned in her own displeasure.

'Pinkie said she's not interested in relationships.' she thought, which came before another sigh. What about her other friends though? Fluttershy had that mysterious stallion that she had been caring for, for about a month so far. Although the sad part was, the poor stallion couldn't even remember his own name, in fact, she was sure he still didn't recall it. Then again, she hadn't asked about him.

Next came Applejack and Rainbow Dash, they had found something a bit deeper than they previously had, mostly through one of their competitions, ones the mare often found silly. What had they seen in each other anyhow? That was the wonder for her. Not that she minded, she had in fact been happy for them when they finally revealed their relationship to the town.

Finally, came Twilight. Not more than a year ago she had become a princess, which had been a major life change, but upon that life change, she had also found a new teacher. The new teacher had been quite the handsome stallion too. With his very deep blue coat, one she struggled with finding the right word to describe and his luxurious silver mane. One that she found herself envious of on countless occasions. On countless occasions she had indeed tried flirting with the stallion, but it was to no avail. Eventually she learned why, he and Twilight had started seeing each other as well! This proved to be a bit heartbreaking for her, even though she was happy for her friend. Especially for bagging quite the stallion.

The more she thought about it, the worse she felt, with each passing second the emptiness in her heart grew. Then she was reminded of possibly one of the biggest upsets of her life, something she probably wouldn't of seen coming. The one who had held out for her for so long, had moved on! The precious young dragon that had such a large crush on her, had found somepony else! Not only that, but it was somepony she was actually close to as well! It wasn't a surprise though, considering the significant age difference between her and the dragon. Perhaps it had been for the best that he had fallen for her little sister instead? No matter how heartbreaking it felt. Why had she though? Why had she rejected his feelings? Even after he had given her such an extravagant gift. One she cherished to this day. As all of these thoughts continued to race through her mind and heart however, it became increasingly obvious as to what her problem was. This only upset her further, to the point where the tears began to flow and she began to sob uncontrollably into her pillow. This ended abruptly however, as she heard the bell on the door ring, one she put in place to alert her to a customer.

Downstairs, a certain deep blue alicorn had trotted inside. His silvery-golden orbs shifting across the room. Already he could see that she had indeed been busy, having made several suits and dresses. Most of which he figured were for Hearts and Hooves day. He flicked aside his silvery mane, which seemed to glisten as the light hit it, and before long he could hear the hoof steps of his friend. They seemed panicked however, as he listened closely to each and every movement she made, he was even sure she stumbled over something before finally being able to trot down the stairs. What his eyes saw about her though was absolutely appalling, in the time he had known the unicorn, he had never seen her in such a dreadful state.

'What's happening to you, Rarity?' he asked himself, as he gazed over her entire form. The first thing he took notice of, was the fact her mane was a bit unkempt, messy. Which was unusual for her, she was usually very careful as to keep it tidy and while her coat was still overall fine, what seemed to strike him as even more unusual was, her eyes were just a bit on the puffy side. On top of that, she had very dark circles beneath them, which indicated to him, a distinct lack of sleep. Had she been overworking herself? Not only that, had she been crying? Why? Thankfully though, he quickly picked up on it as she entered the room as he took notice of a dress in particular before turning his attention back to her. 'Is she...really that lonely?'

“Good morning, Silver!” Rarity greeted, hiding her real emotions behind a clearly obvious fake smile. It broke the stallion's heart to see her in such a state. Not only was she overworking herself, but the reason she was doing it only seemed to make it worse. With a sigh, he brought himself back to focus, instead of observing.

“Morning Rarity...I came to pick up my tuxedo...have you finished it?” His voice was calm, but behind that and because of an empathy spell he had been put under, courtesy of his student, on top of his abilities as an alicorn, he couldn't help but feel everything the mare was feeling at this time. Every. Single. Detail. It was almost as if he could read her mind right now, but instead, he found himself reading her very heart. Which was only working to break his own. Never in his life had he felt such anguish and loneliness, which only seemed to frustrate him a tiny bit, making him shift uncomfortably as he faced her. Thankfully it didn't take her more than a few minutes to find the tuxedo he had been asked about.

While she had been searching though, an idea came to mind. As the tuxedo levitated over to him, a grin appeared on his face. This grin was one of his signature expressions too, often signifying something. It was one Rarity had seen quite often around him, usually it meant something devious, yet very helpful. What he said however, caught her completely off guard. “You should take a vacation.” he simply said, which caught her completely off guard. Almost immediately she wanted to object to it, raising her hoof to speak, but she was quickly cut off. “You look like you need it...so don't argue...and don't worry, I'm sure Twilight and I can keep an eye on everything here, to make sure everything goes where it needs to go.”

“But...where would I take a vacation to?” she asked, not arguing against the idea of actually taking one now. This was a good sign for Silver too, as he tapped his chin in thought. Where indeed could she take a vacation? Manehatten? No, that was out of the question. Phillydelpia? Possible, but the more he thought about it, the less likely it would be, given a previous experience in that city for him. His last thought involved Canterlot, just then, inspiration hit home with him and the gears began to turn full blast in his mind. Thus resulting in the second smirk.

“Canterlot.” Silver finally replied, after nearly a minute of silence. This seemed to perk the mare right up, the idea of going to Canterlot again would be incredible, especially for a vacation. Then she was reminded of the fact that it was nearing Hearts and Hooves day, which seemed to dampen her spirits a bit.

“I'd hate to burst your bubble, dear, but...Canterlot is going to be packed this week...there won't be a place for me to stay.” Even with this news, his smirk never seemed to vanish, in fact it only seemed to grow with the words.

“Don't you worry...I'll handle all of the arrangements, you just worry about packing.” Rarity's hope had been renewed with this, her ears perking up and a smile beginning to spread across her face. “But...you better pack quickly...because, you'll be on the first train out tomorrow.”

Here is where she laughed nervously....

One day. One single day was all she had. Well, actually less than a day, but that was irrelevant. How could she pack everything she felt like she needed to bring in such a short time? Why hadn't she smacked him when he said this? She had the perfect opportunity to do as such, which came right after he had dropped the news that she had better be prepared by morning. This left her frustrated beyond belief, groaning as she climbed back up the stairs to pack a few things. As she vanished up the stairs, she sent the alicorn stallion one final glare, which didn't even seem to phase him in the least.

It wasn't impossible for her to pack what she needed and wanted to bring in such a short timeframe. She had pulled off more startling things before, such as getting a dozen of each of her friends' gala dresses done in less than a week for Hoity Toity. Thankfully at the time she had quite a bit of help from her friends otherwise she may not of gotten it finished. So to the white mare, it wasn't really too great of an issue, even though she still had to decide what she should pack and what she shouldn't.

Rarity's first step was to pack the essentials first, most of which consisted of basic toiletries and a few beauty products, ones she often swore by. All of which she packed into a smaller carrying bag, which she placed into the first suitcase. After packing that neatly, she opened one of the drawers on her dresser. Here is where things became interesting, as she began to search through her various outfits to find the right ones to take with her. As she was, she began to ask herself one question. What exactly was she going to do in Canterlot for the next week? While she thought this, the mare took note of one of her older dresses, one she hadn't worn in quite a while. It was a formal red dress, very elegant, even shimmering when held up to the light. When she saw it, hope was renewed in her heart and she knew right then what she was going to do.

The vacation, which she so desperately needed, could serve more than one purpose. Not only did she need some rest, but given that Hearts and Hooves day was just a few short days away, she could use it to potentially find herself a stallion. Once this idea set in, she began to scour through the rest of the room searching for other outfits she could possibly wear on a date, or to attract the attention of a stallion. Some were more along the lines of sweet and tender, while others, others she had intended on being a surprise for the lucky stallion. Least, she hoped so anyhow.

It didn't take Rarity very much longer to actually pack up all that she wanted to bring with her. She had even scared herself how fast she had packed up everything and unlike before, she found herself only donning a single suitcase. As she gazed upon it, she could only smile, with the hopes that, come tomorrow, her deepest desire may finally be answered. With that in mind, she found herself unable to actually fall asleep that evening, excitement actually beaming in her.

It showed that following morning as she met Silver at the train station. He said little, he simply just offered her the ticket she needed, saying that all the arrangements had been made. He hadn't even gone into detail where she'd be staying. However, the one clue that provided a bit of help was, when he said that somepony would be waiting for her when she arrived. The alicorn didn't say who though, just that she'd find him relatively easily, especially considering the station shouldn't be too packed this early in the morning as it was the first train of the day. Onto the train she went too, with a look of displeasure in the direction of the stallion who had arranged the whole vacation for her. Even though it was just a week long.

Within a couple of hours, the mare had found herself clamoring off of the train, with a yawn, she set aside her suitcase to stretch her legs as she set foot upon the platform. It had been like Silver said, the platform was rather empty in the mornings, although she did see the occasional pony climbing off along with her. Not only that, but it seemed the train itself was rather empty even with Hearts and Hooves day coming up. She would've at least expected to see a few more, but she didn't mind. In this case she was rather happy to not have to deal with rather large crowds. After taking a moment to collect herself, her eyes began to wander, shifting around the platform for the pony she was supposed to meet, even though she had absolutely no idea who that was supposed to be. It wasn't until she felt a hoof on her shoulder that she jumped, virtually spiraling around to meet the gaze of the pony that had just made contact.

“Good Morning, Miss Rarity.” A deep, yet very polite voice called out before she actually met this pony's gaze. As her azure eyes met the pony though, her jaw simply dropped. The first thing she took notice of was the semi-unruly dark brown mane. Normally this would bother her, but, she didn't see a single tangle in the mane itself, it seemed virtually flawless and finely combed, just naturally unruly. Next, her eyes were met with his and it was enough to almost make her melt where she stood. The combination of the green and brown suited him exceptionally. It wasn't until her eyes trailed further down his form did she truly take notice. His luscious forest green coat, the shade was simply exquisite, ideas began to flow as they were met with it, but that was just the tip of the iceberg for Rarity as she took one final note of him. His muscles. Compared to most stallions, his muscles were even more finely toned, he could easily pass for a royal guard if she didn't already know better. She could make out very fine details in them, he was a stallion and a half. Was this the pony Silver had intended on meeting her? Because, not in a single moment had she actually expected to meet him. A real prince. At least in her eyes.

“P-Prince E-Emerald?!”

First Sight

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?!”