As during the previous week the train from the capital came, carrying its unusual passengers on their way from Celestia's private hedge maze garden to their new home in the Everfree Forest. Guards clad in their metal armor carefully unloaded each cage onto a rolling cart and guided it towards the edge of the wild woods, the monstrous inhabitants within the steel bars all surprisingly calm and well behaved. Though the entire situation was less enthusiastic than previous as the creature's hostess was missing, with only one woman to greet them this time.

"I welcome you now to the forest of Everfree. A home that you shall be sharing with many others, including me. Your release was approved by the human's Crown, and all that is asked is to stay away from their towns. Now I bid you exit from your cage, and in this direction please leave off the stage." The mysterious forest dwelling woman Zecora recited to the monster, who like all the others before it heeded her words and left into the forest per her direction. While her words and actions were much more formal and direct than the timid Fluttershy who took her time to speak to each creature, the guard Spearhead had to admit it was a much faster process with Zecora taking the lead.

"Thank you for taking on this project by yourself, Ms. Zecora." Spearhead said as he watched a multi-headed creature stomp its way into the forest past them all. "I don't think Iron Guard and I could have handled a job like this without someone to guide us."

"There is no trouble for me to help you set these beasts free to roam. After all they shall all become neighbors in my own home." Zecora replied to him. She was dressed in loose fitting fabrics around her body that added to her appearance as a woman of the wilds. Along with a staff in hand that had several charms tied to it that Spearhead couldn't even begin to recognize.

"Still it's a shame Ms. Fluttershy couldn't join us." Iron Guard said as he closed the cage up again to prepare to push it all the way back to the train. "You said she ended up in the hospital right? Horrible to think that sweet girl got injured. Did anyone say what happened?" To his question Zecora seemed to hesitate and think. Spearhead wondered if she did that because there was something she was being careful about saying or if it had to do with her unusual way of speaking.

"Unfortunately I have no information for you that I can share. Though you can rest assured she is receiving the utmost care." Zecora informed him. "I do regret that she will not be here for her mission's end. Perhaps you will not mind if I am the only maiden whose time with you'll share and spend?" Zecora asked of them, Iron Guard ready to reply on that.

"Not at all. Sure we've seen a lot of pretty ladies ever since we came to this village but I'm happy we got to see you before we had to call this quits." Iron Guard said with a smile, earning one back from Zecora.

"It's kind of a shame really." Spearhead added. "I got so used to getting to come here every day that going back to my normal routine will be a drag." While it had been fun getting away from the normal day to day in the castle he always knew it wouldn't last forever. Still he never suspected there would be so many enjoyable perks to carting monsters back and forth while doing manual labor.

"There's no need for things to end in melancholy, there is still much fun to be had with just us three." Zecora suggested, that smile growing on her face. "Once our work is done may I offer you both a guided tour? If you follow me back to my hut it will be well rewarded I'm sure." The offer, even phrased in her unique way, still seemed clear as day.

"I'm... not really sure we can afford free time like that-" Spearhead began but was cut off by his partner.

"What he means to say is that we would be more than willing to escort you back to your hut!" Iron Guard interjected. "After all we just released all of these creatures into the forest. It's only right that as the ones who brought them here we walk with you back to your home."

"You display on my behalf such chivalry, then I shall be happy to be your last delivery." Zecora said with a wink as the two guards began to push back the cage to the train where the other monsters were awaiting their turns to be released. Iron Guard seemed to have an extra pep to his step but Spearhead was more reluctant.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Spearhead asked.

"Exactly what I said, we're going to escort her back to her home." Iron Guard replied. "When you think about it we should have been doing that this whole time. What kind of knight lets a woman just wander off on her own into a dangerous place like that?"

"I... can't argue with that." Spearhead grumbled. "But I think you're after something more than just the feeling of accomplishment by defending a woman."

"Hey, whatever happens between consenting adults in that forest is fair game. Besides you could do with loosening up yourself a little, I saw you chatting up that girl with the pink hair before."

"I never meant anything untoward with her in the slightest."

"Riiiight." Iron said in disbelief. "So you weren't looking down her shirt at every opportunity she practically offered you?" To the question the guard just remained silent. "Listen, you don't wanna come, you don't have to come. But I'm taking that tour she's offering."

"...fine. Knowing you if I don't follow along you'll end up dead in the woods after getting so lost a monster won't even be able to find you."

"That's the spirit! Now let's get these guys unloaded and off to their new home!" Iron Guard said, moving even faster knowing there was a prize at the end of the job. Spearhead wondered if this would have happened if Fluttershy had still been here to oversee everything. But he just hoped she was recovering safely.

**********

In the town hospital where the soft spoken pink haired girl was recovering from her previously near fatal wounds on her neck, was now sitting up in her bed going through a checklist on a clipboard that had been brought for her by her guest. "So feeding the outside animals is the most important, you can go a little extra if you want to feel safe. There's injured ones I'm treating that will come for a meal but there might be some healthy ones too looking to get some easy food. You don't have to worry about telling them apart though. All the bird feeders should be checked just in case they've run out. Angel's food is in the fridge and you can leave some crackers out on a plate for the imp since I don't really know what he likes to eat yet on his own. Were there any questions?" She asked, handing the clipboard back to her rainbow haired friend.

"You do all of this every day?" Rainbow Dash asked in astonishment.

"Well that's just the start of the day, usually I'm helping check on the local animals and people's pets if they need my help. Oh, I didn't think about that. If anyone comes asking about their pets please let them know I'll be out as soon as I can to help with them."

"Fluttershy, I think people will understand if you're not available for a few days." Rainbow assured her. "But if anyone shows up I'll let them know you'll need to rest for a while."

"Okay... I just hate to think there might be any animals out there who need me while I'm in here just laying around." Fluttershy said, feeling downtrodden. Rainbow Dash sighed and sat in the chair next to her bed.

"Even Twilight needs to rest now and then, y'know? And she's practically a super magical girl. You should really take the time you need to get better."

"Thank you Dash. You um... don't know how much it means to me that you've been visiting." Fluttershy said with a slight blush, Rainbow looking away when she said it not wanting to meet her eyes. Though her attention was brought back when Fluttershy reached out and took her hand into her own. "I just don't want to think about... anything else. Be alone with my thoughts. I'd rather be busy doing work instead of being here. It's all just a reminder of... 'it'. And I just don't want to give 'it' any thought right now." Her fingers tightened around Rainbow's hand as she stared forward. Seeing where she was headed Dash set down the clipboard on the bed and used both her hands to hold onto her friend's.

"Fluttershy, it's okay. You don't have to think about all of that, alright?" Rainbow said softly but the distant look in Fluttershy's eyes didn't fade as she went quiet. "Fluttershy!" She repeated louder this time, the other girl's face seeming to snap out of the trance she was in.

"Sorry... I just... sometimes I get lost… trying to remember the details."

"It's okay." Rainbow leaned forward and hugged her friend who accepted it gratefully. This wasn't the first time she'd reacted like this since she woke up in the hospital and Rainbow Dash feared it wouldn't be the last. Every time she seemed to become quiet with her thoughts she drifted away into them and Rainbow would have to try and pull her back. She didn't understand what was happening with Fluttershy but knew enough that suggesting she just try to forget it or not think about what happened to her wasn't helpful. So she stayed in the embrace, not letting go when a soft kiss was placed on her cheek.

"Thank you... sorry... I'll try to be positive." Fluttershy said as she leaned back onto her bed. "When I'm out of here maybe we can talk more about that night we missed together? The dinner I wanted to make you?"

"Yeah... yeah, I think that's a good idea. But definitely after you recover. That's the only thing you should really be thinking of right now." Dash assured her, Fluttershy nodding in agreement as Rainbow took the clipboard and excused herself for the day. She put on a smile for her friend but once she was out of the room it quickly dropped off her face. "Why do I have to be such a coward about all of this?"

She didn't mind seeing Fluttershy every day in the hospital. There wasn't any problem with helping out with taking care of the animals either. It was just that she couldn't be honest with her right now about her feelings. Not yet, not with everything her friend was going through. Those moments where Fluttershy dwelt on her attack and seemed to get lost in the dread of her memories happened too often for her to feel comfortable, but she wasn't smart like Twilight or Rarity. Fixing whatever harm Fluttershy had suffered was too much for her to handle on her own, so being there as a support for her friend seemed like the best solution.

But was that true if she was still letting Fluttershy continue to believe that she wanted to be in a romantic relationship with her?

Maybe this was wrong letting it carry on but she couldn't deal with it by herself and all of her friends were busy with... well all of the other emergencies that sprang up from what happened that night. Until they could help her Rainbow had to hold down Fort Fluttershy by herself and she'd do whatever it took to keep her friend safe.

**********

Sugarcube corner was a place that was often a focus of merriment, joy and parties of all kinds. In fact there was no place better if you wished to have some sort of celebration in town that the bakery couldn't accommodate. Though at times it worked just as well for those who were in need of a refuge to let the pain of the outside world wash away through a combination of sweet desserts and sweet company. Which was the very reason Sweetie Belle and her sister Rarity came in today. The two were looking less than enthusiastic and while not many knew the reason why these sisters had come under a cloud of dreariness, the girl behind the counter could spot it instantly.

"Welcome to Sugarcube CornerrrRarity! And Sweetie Belle." Pinkie Pie said in surprise, seeing the two girls walk through the front door. "Did you come in for an order?"

"Actually Pinkie, I was wondering if you could make us that Special Sundae dessert you've whipped up for me before?"

"But it's only Monday, you're a day late." Pinkie joked but no smiles appeared on the faces before her. "Oh boy, it's that serious, huh?"

"We're here to talk about... you-know-who." Rarity shared, Pinkie nodding her head in understanding as she led the girls to a table that was at a distance from the normal guests. Setting her friends down with some cups of water. Sweetie looked around at the section of the restaurant that seemed separated from everyone else.

"Isn't this for private parties?" She asked curiously.

"Indeed it is." Pinkie explained. "And this is a private party. Well... I mean, it's not the kind of party I normally like to throw, but it is a special private party that needs some private time to talk. This way you can say whatever you want without having to worry about who's listening."

"Thank you so much, darling. We needed this more than you could imagine." Rarity said, Pinkie letting them both know it would take some time for her to finish their order as she returned to her post and then to the back of the bakery. "I know it doesn't seem like much right now but believe me, this ice cream will leave you feeling better walking out of here than when you walked in."

"Okay..." Sweetie Belle said with a sigh. "You've gotten it before?"

"Well, yes. As you know I've had a few boys in my life that have come and gone. So whenever one left in an especially bad breakup I'd come here to help get over all the drama."

"I see." Sweetie Belle said, looking down at the table and taking a spoon in hand, tapping the end lightly against her napkin. "Is it really okay I didn't go to school today?"

"Darling, we've both endured more than most ladies have to when dealing with a boy that's left you behind. I'd say we're owed a day off, you don't have to feel guilty about it in the least."

"Alright, thank you Rarity." Sweetie said, Rarity having pulled some leverage with their mother to get her to come out today on their sisterly outing over going to classes. She'd kept the reason for it to herself of course, not wanting to hide things from their parents but this was a matter that should stay between only those that need to know it. "Has this kinda thing happened to you before?"

"Well... nothing quite like this, no. Though I've been rejected by boys before. They've even cheated on me."

"Boys are the worst." Sweetie replied bitterly.

"They can be... but they can also be very kind and caring. It's deciphering which is which where the difficulty lies."

"I don't know if I can do that." Sweetie admitted, setting her spoon down. "I thought that Spike really liked me and... I dunno... I believed it. Maybe I shouldn't have? Maybe it's all my fault for falling for a lie so easily. He even tried to not be with me a few times..." Sweetie said, looking up when she felt Rarity slide up against her with her chair and put an arm protectively around her shoulders. Sweetie Belle leaned into the hug for the comfort it provided.

"The truth is darling that being able to tell when someone is completely honest is always going to be hard. You'll never know completely what someone is thinking so you just have to take people at their word if you feel you can trust them. Even if that means sometimes you'll wind up in a place where you might be vulnerable."

"Maybe I just won't date a boy ever again." Sweetie offered instead to Rarity's wisdom.

"Well that would certainly be a loss for boys everywhere with how wonderful a lady you are." Rarity reassured her and got a little giggle out of her sister. She sighed afterwards.

"Do you think Spike is coming back?"

"I certainly hope so. For however angry I am at him for what he did I wouldn't want Twilight to suffer losing her family."

"Yeah... I feel weird about it. Like... I'm mad at him but at the same time I just want him to be here and... say he's sorry I guess? I don't know..."

"So that you can be boyfriend and girlfriend again?" Rarity asked and Sweetie nodded her head, finding it too shameful to have to admit out loud.

"That's a bad thing, right? I shouldn't want that if he lied to me? But I still kind of do and I don't like it but I want it to happen. But I shouldn't want that at all, right?" Sweetie Belle asked and it was Rarity's turn to sigh.

"Oh dear, you really know how to hit me with the difficult ones, little sister." Rarity began, collecting her thoughts. "It's not unnatural to feel that way. You were happy and now you're sad and you want to be happy again. That's the way people feel after a breakup and why, sometimes, they'll stay with someone who's bad for them. Even if it's obvious. Because they don't want to feel that sadness of being alone."

"But... I think I might feel sad even if I was his girlfriend again."

"That's true too. The thing is Sweetie it's not a simple answer. There's no good way to solve it for you. Sometimes people that hurt you will only ever hurt you if they get the chance, and you have to separate yourself from them. Sometimes they just... made a mistake. And you have to forgive them if you want to have that magic back again, with the hopes that it will be stronger. Only you can choose."

"...what did you choose, Rarity?" Sweetie asked, but there were so many other questions under that one. Rarity knew what she was really asking; should she even bother trying. Because if Rarity herself wanted Spike she could have him. Her sister knew this, even Rarity knew it to a degree.

"I think whatever might have been there with Spike and myself may be gone now." Rarity answered. "It's a fresh wound for me too but... he hurt someone very dear to me. I can't forgive that lightly." Her arm hugged Sweetie tighter to herself. "Truthfully I should have known this sort of thing would never work, it was foolish of me to even try. Maybe I was just being a dumb romantic idiot."

"I don't think you're dumb." Sweetie said to Rarity and her sister looked down on her with a smile.

"You're right, I'm not. And neither are you. We just listened to our hearts before our heads and it got us in a little trouble. Seems you share that trait with me unfortunately."

"Well if I'm sharing it with you then I'm okay with it." Sweetie Belle answered.

"That's good because it looks like you'll be sharing even more with me." Rarity replied as Sweetie scooted back to where she was sitting before and watched as Pinkie Pie brought out a large ice cream Sundae on a tray and set it between the girls. It towered above the base of ice cream with various red, white and black decorations around it. On the top rested two halves of a cookie that was broken down the middle.

"One Heart Break Special, served up fresh!" Pinkie said to the girls as she set it on the table. "I hope you enjoy it. It's loaded with chocolate." Sweetie Belle looked over the towering dessert then back at her sister, wondering how she could eat something like this and still look the way she did.

"Thank you so much Pinkie, it's just the thing we need to help us through this little rough patch." Rarity said as she picked up her spoon to begin the private feast. Sweetie Belle joined in as the contents were going to melt if they didn't get their fill beforehand. While enjoying the food she noted the cookies at the top slipping down the side of the dessert. Using her spoon she pushed the heart half on her side back into place, Rarity doing the same to meet the two cookies together in the middle and put back together the broken heart.

**********

After a filling and satisfying dessert Rarity paid for their meal and made her way back to the boutique, not looking to open the store today but she still wanted to be present in case anything came up with her friends who had gone missing or might need her help. Getting out of the spotlight for a little bit wouldn't hurt either. It helped that somehow her little secret with Spike managed to stay secretive somehow, even after confessing it to her friends. That could change once he returned but she'd deal with those problems when they appeared. Securing everyone's safety was more important than anything else. Which was why she felt exhausted seeing someone outside of her door as she approached from down the street. "The last thing I want today is to put on my business face for a customer." She grumbled, but made sure to spruce up her appearance and check for any specks of frosting or sprinkles on her lips before approaching what was clearly a man standing in front of her building. "Pardon me sir, are you picking up something for your wife?"

"Well I didn't have an order placed but I was invited for a fitting." A familiar male voice said that shook Rarity so hard she could barely contain the surprise.

"Prince Blueblood!?" She shouted at the sight of the blonde man before her. "How... why... you're here... in my town!"

"Yes, I am." Blueblood agreed.

"At my store!"

"...yes. I am." Blueblood repeated, looking a little uncomfortable from her repeated surprised outbursts.

"Why!?" Rarity finally muttered out in a confused huff.

"Well... I was going to say it was because of your invitation but in reality I wanted to make sure you got my apology." He went on to explain but Rarity just seemed to blink in confusion. "About that night in the garden?"

"Night... in the garden?" She asked herself, her mind trying to wrap itself around whatever he was bringing up right now and checking her mental notes to see how much he might know about her and the current situation all of her friends were in.

"When we kissed?" He offered.

"Oh! That! Right we... kissed in the garden. By Celestia that feels like it happened years ago." She said, catching her breath finally. "Sorry darling I was caught off guard is all. Yes I did get your... apology. It was quite hard to miss." She explained, remembering the diamond bracelet he'd bought for her and the note in the jewelry box.

"Maybe it was a little much but I felt it was appropriate." Blueblood explained.

"Your highness, really, I'm the one that should be apologizing. I shoved you off your feet and ran away. The whole thing must have left you completely bewildered."

"I'll admit at the time I was knocked off balance, so to speak. But seeing as how Aunt Celestia didn't feel the need to exert a punishment upon me I figured your conversation with her went well." He explained with a light chuckle. "That said I wanted to apologize in person, which was why I came to visit."

"Hmm... well that is very kind of you." Rarity said, bracing herself. Her relationship with Blueblood had been rocky at the best of times, with more bad than good in their past. However he seemed like he was trying to make a concerted effort to be better and being dismissive would have been rude. Especially after her little talk with Sweetie Belle earlier about trusting men. "Time to own up to your words, Rarity."

"Pardon?"

"I mean, come in, please. We shouldn't just chat out here like this." Rarity insisted, opening the door to her shop and letting him in. "Is it really just you traveling by yourself?"

"The capital isn't so far away that there's much need for concern. Truthfully not many know me outside of it, so there's little fear in a member of the royal court like myself walking about town unattended. If I had to be completely honest, I'm a much less likely target than Auntie's student Twilight Sparkle or Spike."

"Right... you're not in town to speak with them are you?" Rarity asked cautiously. Wanting to know what he knew after Twilight had vanished last night but careful not to leak too much information.

"No, actually. We rarely cross paths as it is. Though I wouldn't mind saying hello to your friend Fluttershy again. She was quite a lovely woman." She didn't know if he meant her attitude or appearance, but the most important clue there was he didn't know about her current condition either.

"Ah, I see. So you truly don't know." Rarity began, catching Blueblood's attention. "I'm afraid as of right now Fluttershy is... in the hospital."

"Oh, that's... terrible." Blueblood said as he was trying to understand the situation. "Is it serious?"

"The worst is over I'm happy to say, but she may need a few more days to recover." She was careful with her words. He didn't know about the changelings, if he did she doubted he would have come here. Not only that he didn't know Twilight had left or that Spike was missing. If those things were still being kept private she decided it must have been for a good reason. "So for now it looks like you'll be stuck with just my company."

"She won't be needing you? I'd hate to pull you away from your friend." Blueblood asked, Rarity admiring that he seemed to care about Fluttershy. Whether that was because he'd met her personally or not she didn't know. But still it was an improvement over the past.

"Rainbow Dash has been attending to her chores for her and I'm afraid there's not much I can offer at the moment until she recovers. Please, take a seat and I'll get us some tea." She offered, directing him to her kitchen table and then leaving him to prepare the kettle and cups. While the water heated up she steadied herself on the counter and took some deep breaths. Entertaining someone was the very last thing she needed to do right now but there was a sort of calm in having someone... anyone... here that could keep her mind off her troubles. Someone that wasn't related to these issues or who didn't even know about all those problems that weighed on her. A clean cut away from all the horrible drama she'd been enduring. After a moment the kettle began to whistle and Rarity used it to fill the tea pot, bringing it back to her guest and pouring a cup for each of them. Blueblood took his in hand and drank it, complimenting the flavor but Rarity was just happy to have the cup to hold in her hand so they weren't empty.

"I hope all the packages arrived safely when you got back."

"Yes, there was a lot to unpack. Frankly I think I went a little overboard with my shopping spree back then."

"Heh, well... it was quite a night. Easy to get caught up in the excitement of it all." He said, each of them gauging the reactions of the other carefully. Rarity didn't know why she had to feel so tense right now. The situation was simple, wasn't it? If he stays polite you can be polite back. If he's not you can toss him onto the street.

"So how many days do you plan to spend in town?"

"Truthfully I haven't given it much thought. I knew I wanted to visit of course and if you were willing to have me I was going to take you up on your offer."

"My... offer?" Rarity asked and felt her heart jump for a second. Did he mean the kiss?

"For the suit?" Blueblood corrected and her breathing started again.

"Oh, right, right, of course, silly me! I was just-" She caught herself before going into detail. "Never mind all that, I'd be more than willing to accept that for you. You'll be absolutely stunning when I'm done."

"Never was a doubt." Blueblood said. "I do make any look quite stunning if I say so myself, no matter what it is."

"Hmm... there's that old Blueblood 'confidence' I remember so fondly." Rarity said sarcastically, but with a smile on her face.

"Well, it's hard not to have such 'confidence' in myself after all this time." He retorted. "People like ourselves should carry 'confidence' openly for all to see."

"Everything in moderation, my dear prince." Rarity corrected with a motherly tone.

"Like the clothes you purchased last we met?" He asked.

"Well... going just a little bit overboard from time to time doesn't hurt." She admitted. Sitting up from her chair. "Wait here a moment, I'm going to go get a measuring tape to get some notes on you."

"Oh, right now? Well by all means, I'll be happy to get started." Blueblood said, Rarity walking into her sewing room with a little more bounce in her step than before. She searched around trying to find her measuring tape among all the fabric and materials, humming to herself as she did and floating her glasses onto her face with her magic. With the added assistance of detailed sight she walked over to her vanity desk to discover the tape sitting there, plain as day. Right next to an open jewelry box with a heart shaped ruby necklace inside.

"Right... I had taken this out to wear. For our date that night." Rarity whispered, reality coming back and crashing into her as she recalled the past few days' events. Reaching out with her hand she found it landed on the lid of the jewelry box that held the necklace and closed it, bending down to open a bottom drawer in her vanity. Interestingly there happened to be another jewelry box inside, and she lifted that one out, placing the other in and closing the drawer. Opening the second box the shining diamond bracelet caught her eyes again. Slowly she took it out and slipped it onto her wrist, catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror as she did.

"There's nothing special about this. Nothing symbolic. I'm just... wearing the gift that was given to me. For the company that is here now. That's all." Rarity said aloud as she picked up the measuring tape and turned away from herself in the mirror. Stopping for a moment to push down the feelings that had been threatening to come out, Rarity put on her business face again and headed back out to the showroom of her store and the nearby table where her guest was waiting. "Sorry about the delay! I lost track of it among all my materials."

"That's quite alright. So I guess we should begin?" Standing up from his chair, Blueblood took off the white jacket he'd been wearing that matched his trousers. Revealing the blue shirt beneath that was already tailored to fit his form perfectly. Rarity found herself hesitating as she took in the sight of the man before her, then snapped out of the trance she was threatening to fall into. Gathering a pen and paper from a nearby desk she got started on her work. Approaching him from behind Rarity began with the measurements of his back and then across his shoulders and down his sleeves. Working her way around to his chest and wrapping the measuring tape underneath his arms. Shortly after lowering it to his stomach to get the next measurement there, deftly writing down the numbers with one hand.

"I can see you're still keeping yourself fit with measurements like these." She complimented him.

"I'd hope it would show. Honestly no one really appreciates the amount of work you need to put in for an appearance like this."

"Oh, tell me about it, darling! Everyone just thinks I get up in the morning looking this good. Well... some mornings I do. But there's still some skill involved in brushing up the finer points." Taking her pad of paper off the nearby table she moved it to the ground and began to measure the outside of his pants.

"I'd say there's less work involved than some might expect if all you wanted to look was beautiful. After all, you have that quality in spades." Blueblood suggested, glancing down at Rarity who looked up at him over the top of her glasses.

"Beauty is hard work and pain. Especially if you want to craft it correctly. I certainly hope you're not trying to flirt with me while we're on the clock with you as my client?"

"I... well... I suppose that I'm just... noticing that which is... noticeable?" Blueblood stumbled through his excuse and Rarity couldn't keep the grin from showing on her face.

"Relax darling, I'm just teasing." She said and smirked when she heard him give an annoyed grunt. Taking the measurements around the cuff of his legs and then raising her hands and the tape up again to measure around his waist and the front of his pants. The nervous tension not leaving his body.

"Um... I do thank you for being so very thorough but I hope that... you don't take offense to anything that might seem 'off' during this measurement."

"I've made custom suits for a lot of men in the past and nearly every one of them got an erection while I was measuring them. It's not a first for me." Rarity said plainly as she took her numbers down and stood up. "If anything it's useful, lets me know how much room to leave in the front. Some need it more than others."

"So uh... will I need it?" Blueblood asked curiously, dropping his arms down into a more casual pose.

"Seamstress secrets, can't go sharing my client confidentiality. Even if the current one is a prince." She said with a little smile. "Well, that went quickly. You're an easy dress dummy to work with."

"I'm happy you added the word 'dress' in front of 'dummy'." Blueblood said with a slight chuckle, picking up his jacket and placing it on himself again. "Well, I have to thank you for letting me into your home when I'm sure you didn't expect to work today."

"After that night on the town you gave me in the capital I think having you over for a cup of tea is more than I can spare."

"Well if you happen to have time again tomorrow I wouldn't mind spending it with you, at the very least to make sure I give you the funds you need." As Blueblood spoke Rarity's hands came together and her fingers fell on the bracelet resting on her left wrist, turning it around in her hand as she listened to him speak. "I'm planning on staying at one of the local hotels while I'm here."

"Motel, actually." Rarity said. "We don't get a lot of visitors through our town so you may find the accommodations a little more 'rustic' than you're used to." There was a moment of realization that went across Blueblood's face as he was putting together that yes, the sort of rooms he expected back home would not be here and that was only logical to realize. Still to his credit he maintained composure.

"Well... I suppose I'll have to learn to appreciate being 'rustic' for a few nights. I'm certain Aunt Celestia would say it could do me some good. Thank you again, Rarity." As he turned for the door he barely made it a step before stopping, feeling the tug on his arm. Looking down he saw that Rarity had reached out to grip onto his wrist, keeping him in place. "Is something the matter?"

"Yes." Rarity said quietly, looking away from him.

"I... Rarity, did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't. It's not you at all. There's... there's a lot wrong right now." Rarity confessed. "I'm going to suggest something and... I don't know, maybe you'll look down on me for saying it? Or even think less of me as a person. It's hardly lady-like behavior but still... still I can't think of anything else, now that you're here in front of me." She raised her head to meet his eyes, tears already falling from her own. "Don't go. I don't want to be alone tonight."