Chapter Four
The wedding was tomorrow. Fluttershy's grandmother could hardly contain her excitement. She was fitting her old wedding gown to her granddaughter and crying as it was put onto her. It was lace with another lace overlay with a high neckline. A set of her mother's pearls would be upon her neck and matching earrings in her ears. A veil, also from her grandmother, would be upon her long hair. In truth she was the loveliest of brides, but not the happiest one. Her grandmother, of course, attributed it to nerves.
Trend, who should've also been preparing for the wedding, was nowhere to be found. In reality, he was at the Countess Rarity's apartment suite, a bouquet of roses in his hoof. She took them, and him, into her home graciously.
The apartment was small, but well decorated, clearly done by someone with a keen eye. Rarity, her violet curls down, was dressed in nothing more than a fur-lined robe. Her hooves donned darling slippers, embroidered by magic. Trend, not according not to social convention, sat next to her, within hoof's reach.
"Where did you trot off to all those years ago?" he asked her teasingly.
She did not take it as a joke of any kind.
"I married as my late mother wished, to a Count Blueblood overseas. He was...simply not for me. So here I am, without a proper allowance and still tied to that dreadful man."
Trenderhoof seemed taken aback. How could something so horrible happen to one so beautiful? It simply was not right. He smiled gently in an effort to comfort her. It seemed to work as she leaned closer to him. He did not move away.
"I came to invite you," he said suddenly.
She sat up a bit and blinked her big eyes. He noticed they were a deep blue and framed by the most marvelous lashes.
"To your wedding tomorrow?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly.
He nodded and replied:
"It would mean the world to me."
The mare did not response at first but levitated a tea cup into her hooves, taking a long sip. It was almost unladylike, her drinking. Trend said nothing about this but grinned a bit, she was a bit different. The unicorn put the cup down on a table at the other end of the room using her magic. She would not leave the couch it seemed. The Countess did not speak for a long time, but occupied herself with many other things in the room. She liked to be a challenge.
"I will go darling, of course."
Trend embraced her warmly. She returned the embrace, feeling no remorse whatsoever for hugging a soon-to-be married stallion. Still, what did it matter if he was not also remorseful? Rarity grinned and accepted the embrace with joy. It had been a long while since she was treated this way.
Trenderhoof left the house later that night, still unshamed, but perhaps having more reason to feel shame than he did before. Tomorrow was the day he married the wealthiest, most beautiful, girl in all of New Yearling. This, with the return of his dearest friend, was enough to put a smile on his face. As to how the smile appeared to the passerby, that is to say joyful or cunning, is truly difficult to say.