AUTHOR'S NOTE; new chapter, piping hot! Kudos to the Truth's Lie and her amazing beta work!

Prince Blueblood smiled serenely, not seeming to notice how out of place his dress wear looked amongst all the informally dressed ponies and hay. "Thank you, thank you," he said. "Thank you. It's so wonderful to be here. Thank you."

Say thanks again, idiot, she rolled her eyes.

Once more, she didn't particularly hate Blueblood, he was just a bit too...Canterlot for her tastes. Rarity would love him though, she was sure. He trotted around the room for a bit. The other ponies were looking at him weird but she understood.

It was something all young, eligible ponies did. You'd trot around the room to show off your outfit, scope out the place and see if you could catch a pretty thing's eye. She had always hated doing that, always feeling like a particularly prized piece of cattle. Prince Blueblood came to a stop at the punch bowl and waited for someone to serve him.

Nobody did.

He reddened, shifted and gave a small cough. Nobody looked up from their respective food or conversations.

Feeling a bit bad for the poor thing, she slid over. "You're going to have to serve yourself."

He turned and gaped. "Pri-!"

Rainbow Dash shoved a cookie into his mouth and leaned in close.

"Say nothing!" she hissed.

He chewed and swallowed. "What in Equestria are you doing here?" he whispered.

"Shut up and listen. You cannot tell my mother I'm here. Or anybody for that matter."

"The castle, it has been in an upheave since you left, my lady!"

"Shhhh! Just call me Bright, okay? Bright. Not princess, or Rainbow Dash, or my lady, just Bright."

He looked confused. "But-"

"No buts! Listen, if I go back to the castle we both know what's going to happen."

"What's going to happen?"

"We're going to get married, you-urgghh!" she bit her tongue hard to keep from cursing or name calling.

"Married?" he looked aghast. "I am only 19! My parents, they would not-"

"They would and were going to. Now, I don't want to marry you and you don't want to marry me so let's just keep my whereabouts hush hush, yeah?"

"Whereabouts?"

She groaned and face palmed. "Don't tell anyone I'm here or who I am!"

"Oh...oh! Do not fear, Princ-Bright your secret is safe with me!"

"Oh, joy," she deadpanned as his gaze trailed off to some of the mares at the party. He winked and blew kisses. Rarity looked ready to fall at his feet, blushing as Applejack rolled her eyes.

"Bet he's never done a hard day's work in his life," she had whispered to Rainbow Dash earlier.

If only her friend knew that Bright herself had never actually lifted so much as a hoof before a month ago. She'd surely have heart palpitations.

"What are you even doing here?" she asked bitterly.

He pouted. "It seems Mother does not approve of my, ah, 'lifestyle' and thought it best that I should come and learn responsibility and integrity by mingling with and assisting the commoners with their Rising of the Sun festival."

She couldn't help but role her eyes. "Princey got into some mischief, eh?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it mischief per say..."

"Bright, darling, who is your friend?" Rarity crooned, sliding over to the pair. "Rarity," she introduced herself, "charmed to meet you, sir."

He winked. "Ah, mademoiselle you honor me with your company," he purred in response, "I am Prince Blueblood."

"Oh, nobility!"

"Oui."

"And you speak French!"

"Just one of my many charms," he said and together they laughed. Rainbow Dash cringed. She really didn't want to stay here and listen to this drivel but on the other hand she didn't trust the prince to keep his mouth shut.

"I'll be over there," she said finally and shot him a cold calculating look. He gulped. She hoped he was remembering their playdates as foals, where she would oftentimes crush him into the ground for being too slow or too weak in their games.

She hadn't meant it, really she hadn't but her only other playmate had been strong, gangly Shining Armor who had always encouraged rough play.

"I'll need to be tough when I join the guard," he had said, sitting down on her as she struggled. "Come on, Bow, you're gonna need to be stronger than that!"

Good times.

Good times.

She took a cup of punch and wondered if Shining Armor missed her any or if he was still mad she had run off without him.

He had been her personal guard for the night...she hoped she hadn't gotten him in trouble. She couldn't bare it if he had lost his position just because...well, there was no need for thoughts like those. Surely Twilight Sparkle would have told her if anything like that happened.

Unless Twilight didn't trust her...

Unless Twilight hated her for what she did to her brother...

Unless Twilight was secretly telling her Mother where she was right this second...

I NEED AIR.

She quickly left the barn, taking off into the sky and filling her lungs with clean, sharp Ponyville air, so unlike the polluted breeze of Canterlot, where the streets were crowded and filled to bursting with ponies.

Two weeks until the festival, she thought to herself, pulling a lazy loop-de-loop over a group of foals. They laughed and cheered and she was certain she saw Scootaloo amongst the group.

Squirt hasn't even learned to fly!

She wasn't ready to go yet.

And she didn't think she ever would be.