Challenge accepted
“… and you should have seen the look in her eyes, she was so happy! Anyway, that was how I came to make a dress out of vegetables and I dare to call it a success and a new masterpiece.”
Rarity stopped speaking, and enjoyed Twilight’s and Rainbow Dash’s congratulations. Were those honest congratulations? That’s a point that could be debated. They were, in the sense that all of Rarity’s friends were very supportive and always happy to see somepony accomplish something. But it wasn’t in the way that they had no real idea if the vegetable’s dress was a real masterpiece or not, not having the required fashion knowledge.
Rarity knew of that slight difference, but was just alright being congratulated and actually very grateful. Suddenly, she saw the little grin on Applejack’s face.
“What is it now Applejack, what do you find so funny about my dress. You should be the first to appreciate though.” said Rarity, a little upset.
The four of them had decided to have that Sunday picnic together and had been speaking about things and whatnot. So nothing had been taken too seriously until then. But that little grin on Applejack’s face had reminded Rarity about a subject that had always tore her and the farming pony apart.
“Well” carefully began Applejack, not wanting to ruin the mood and the picnic, “I surely appreciate that you were happy, as well as the mare…”
“But?” insisted Rarity, not ready to let it go.
“But… But you know exactly what I want to say and what I think, so why bring it on? I respect what you do, let’s stay at that.” replied Applejack, really wanting for the matter to stay where it was and avoid any conflict.
Rarity thought about it for a moment, under the looks from both Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who were expecting her to let it go so that they could laugh again without having to care about what they were saying. In other words, keep on relaxing.
“I understand.” finally said Rarity, “It’s just such a shame that you can’t see what art really is. I always hope that one day, you’ll be able to open to its magic.”
“Oh come on! Now art is magic?” couldn’t hold Applejack in a laugh. “I mean, you sure do miracles with your dresses and all, but those are just outfits, there is nothing magic. That’s taking it a little bit far.”
Rarity set face. Too bad, the relaxing picnic was over.
“Taking it too far?” she complained, or whined, whatever, “I’ll let you know, my dear, that art is way more powerful that you could even imagine. Granted it may not be capable of growing food, but it also feeds pony and, I dare say, is capable of way much more!”
Twilight thought it was her duty to intervene and help those two simmer down a little.
“Rarity, you know that I completely respect your art. Applejack does too. We are all friends here.” she told the white unicorn. “I know she didn’t mean to insult you in any way” and Applejack nodded “as well as you did exaggerate a little yourself.”
“Exaggerate?” asked Rarity, shocked. “I didn’t exaggerate. You really think that I exaggerated?”
Rainbow Dash entered the discussion because she saw no reason not to give her opinion too.
“Come on Rarity.” said the pegasus, “Art isn’t magic. I mean, it makes things pretty, that’s granted, but it doesn’t allow you to do what magic allows you to do. Heck, Twilight does magic. She was able to give you wings. Can art allow you to fly?”
“Well…” began to reply Rarity, not really expecting so much resistance from her friends. “Yes, actually, it can.”
Her three friends stood still for a few seconds to try and compute the information they just heard. They made the connections, saw now errors and still couldn’t accept how absurd it was.
“That’s the best one!” laughed Rainbow Dash. “Why don’t you fly right now then? I dare you to. Or even better, if art can make you fly, why not enter a race with me. No, even better, why not try and join the wonderbolts!”
“Rainbow Dash!” shouted both Twilight and Applejack.
“That was very mean.” said Applejack. You should apologize.
But to her surprise, Rarity replied with a very confident tone:
“You know what Rainbow Dash? I accept your challenge. I’ll use art and make you join the wonderbolts. I’ll even make you become the captain of the wonderbolts!”
The pegasus was left speechless. That was unexpected. Twilight thought about coming to Rarity’s rescue, as she knew art alone wasn’t capable of such an accomplishment.
“Come on Rarity” said the purple unicorn, “You don’t have to do that. We are just saying things because we are a little angry and not really thinking straight. It’s all but a misunderstanding.”
“Oh Twilight” replied Rarity, with pride, “you think because your special talent is magic, that nopony else can accomplish magical things?”
Twilight didn’t know how to reply, as it was a little bit true.
“Well” kept on saying Rarity, “I’ll prove you wrong. I’ll prove you that art is magic, just as much as the one you’re using everyday and showing off so much.”
Now she was beginning to be insulting, as even Rarity knew Twilight wasn’t a show off. But sometimes, a pony has the right to get angry when her values are under attack.
“I’m sorry Rarity” tried to reply Twilight, “But art cannot perform spells. If it can’t perform spells, it isn’t magic.”
“Of all ponies” told her Rarity, “you should know that it’s false. My art is a magic just as powerful as yours!”
Twilight began to feel the anger burning in her chest as it was now her special talent that was being assaulted.
“Oh yeah?” asked Twilight with confidence “You think you could stand a chance against my magical powers? I would like to see that.”
“I very well could.” replied Rarity.
“I would like to see that. Just dare come in front of me in a magic duel, if you think you have that much powerful spells!” answered Twilight, not really thinking the words she was saying.
“I accept your challenge too.” told her Rarity. “I’ll face you in a magic duel, and I’ll beat you! Just you wait.”
And she turned down to Applejack, looking her deep in the eyes:
“As for you, you’ll be the last one I’ll have to deal with, as you were the first one to challenge me. I’ll feed you so well, none of your food will ever taste the same thereafter.”
Rarity stopped there, letting an awkward silence take place, then summed it up:
“That’s decided. I’ll first make Rainbow Dash become captain of the wonderbolts, then beat Twilight in a magic duel and finally I’ll prove to Applejack that she was starving without even knowing it! I’ll do all that next Sunday, all in one day, and Pinkie Pie will be our judge.”
She looked at the three other ponies who quite frankly didn’t know how to react, and then left them there to go and prepare herself for the big day.
And in the mind of her three friends, only two questions were occupying their whole attention:
Had their friend gone completely mad?
And if not, how was she going to accomplish such miracles?
The beat of the wind
The next Sunday came and Twilight, Rainbow Dash as well as Applejack had come on the same field that they had had their picnic with Rarity, as it was going to be, as she called it, her battleground.
Rarity had come too. But she wasn’t alone.
Her sister, as well as Applebloom and Scootaloo, were there too, to assist of what had been the subject of some serious debates between them. It seems useless to point out that Applebloom was supporting her big sister, Scootaloo couldn’t even consider that Rainbow Dash could come even close to lose a competition and Sweetie Belle…
Well, Sweetie Belle had had a rough week. Of course, she was behind her sister and would support her in any circumstances. But she seriously would have preferred if none of this had ever happened, as she couldn’t find any argument on how her sister was going to have the slightest chance in the competition. In the end, she had just kept repeating to her friends that “they were going to see”. She was just hoping she wouldn’t have to regret the faith she had put into her sister.
But the cutie mark crusaders weren’t the only one who had come. Of course, Pinkie Pie was present of course – Fluttershy had no time due to Angel being slightly sick – but to Rarity’s friends surprise, two other ponies were present that they knew from afar, but had no idea what they were doing here.
Octavia and Vynil Scratch both welcomed the three ponies very politely, but didn’t explain what role they were going to play in the whole thing.
“Shall we begin?” asked Rarity with confidence and challenge in her voice.
“I’m ready!” told her Rainbow Dash, flying right in front of her. “Bring it on. You said you were going to begin with me, let’s see what you’ve got.”
The pegasus could brag all she wanted. After all, she was certain Rarity wouldn’t be able to do anything and that she would have to comfort her right away. She had thought about it all week and had come to the conclusion that it was going to be an epic fail.
“Alright.” began Rarity. “May our judge come here to take act of the terms of the challenge?”
Pinkie Pie came and smiled at both her friends. She was laughing. It was all a big game for her. Even more than a big game. There was something in her eyes that was saying “It’s going to be so much fun.”
“I have to use art and make Rainbow Dash become captain of the wonderbolts. Is that correct Rainbow Dash?” asked Rarity.
“Yeah, sure, whatever. Just so you know, you can drop the act whenever you want, we won’t be mad.” answered the pegasus, slightly nervous because of Rarity’s confidence.
“Okay.” said Pinkie Pie, “You’ll win the challenge if you can make Rainbow Dash become the captain of the wonderbolts using art.”
Rarity grinned. That challenge was the easiest for her.
“So, let’s begin.” she said, and then turned to Octavia and Vynil Scratch: “Ladies, if you may.”
Both musicians came forward. Octavia tuned her bass and Vynil plugged her equipment.
“Shall we Tavi?” asked Vynil with a knowing air.
Octavia didn’t respond, but began playing. Her instrument let a beautiful and quiet sound escape that slowly enveloped all the ponies present on the field. The melody took off and began flying around them with strange notes and chords.
Twilight tried to understand what was going on, but couldn’t figure it out. The music was great, for sure, but it wasn’t anything special. She turned to Applejack to see if the mare had figured it out, but she saw that the orange earth pony was looking at Rainbow Dash with an amazed face. Twilight instantly followed her look and couldn’t believe what she saw.
Rainbow Dash was quietly listening to the music. That wasn’t even it, she was drinking the notes, living every chord. She was a pegasus, she knew that music. It reminded her of something in her life she enjoyed above everything else. The sound of the wind in her ears as she would fly freely in the sky. Rainbow Dash’s mind was fascinated by the melody, by how close it was to really flying. It was intoxicating. At her side, Scootaloo was also hearing in admiration as, exactly like Rainbow Dash, she had let the music take her away high in the sky where everything was possible.
Rainbow Dash heard a new sound. Something new was coming in her sky, something or somepony. The wubs began and it all accelerated quickly. She was racing. Fast, faster, always faster. It was a close race and she had to give everything she had and even so, it never seemed enough. Higher, faster, she had to react and not let anypony distance her.
But she could recognize that music. It wasn’t just anypony she was racing. The music had the same tone as Spitfire own introduction song. The one she had heard so many times before and learned to love so much.
It was on. And she let her imagination run wild. Her heart, following the beat, began to go berserk, bringing as much blood to the whole body as he physically could. To support the effort, Rainbow Dash’s body released a big dose of adrenaline that finished to push her to the top of her form and close the curtains of illusion around her. She was in a trance, following only the music and her dreams.
It was the highest point of the race, the moment of truth. When she would win everything or fall forever. The music stopped for a second, Rainbow Dash stopped breathing, and then plunged in an amazing finale where she was able to surpass her limits and, in an effort she didn’t know being able to, she won.
The music reflected the cheers of the crowd, the acclamations, the congratulations. She had done it. She had beaten Spitfire in a race. It was even better than that. She had been offered a place in the wonderbolts. But the music didn’t stop there. No, it was even better, she hadn’t only become a wonderbolt. She was there captain.
“I’m the captain of the wonderbolts.” said Rainbow Dash, still dreaming, sweating as she had had to fly the whole day in a violent storm.
And the pegasus lowered her eyes, crossing Scootaloo’s look that was fixed on her. She couldn’t know it, but the little filly, at that very moment, had become Rainbow Dash.
The music finally stopped, but Rainbow Dash still caught hold of the illusion.
“That’s one point for Rarity.” said Pinkie Pie, laughing. “Rainbow Dash has become captain of the wonderbolts, she said it herself.”
Twilight wanted to object, but the rainbow pegasus prevented her to.
“That’s alright Twilight. I’m still not sure how they did it, but they won this one.” told her Rainbow Dash. And she added: “Could I hear it again?”
Octavia and Vynil Scratch smiled. They wouldn’t admit it, but every praise, would they come from a huge crowd or from a single pony, was always the best reward they could receive. They began to speak with Rainbow Dash and the three ponies left the field, followed by Scootaloo who also would have wanted to fly again.
“So, Twilight…” began Rarity, “I guess now is your turn to learn a thing or two about magic.”
But Rarity wasn’t as confident about that one as she was about Rainbow Dash’s challenge. It was going to be a little harder and, that time, she could rely only on herself.
You, from all ponies, should know it…
“Alright” said Twilight, “I don’t know how you managed to trick Rainbow Dash like that, but you won’t get me so easily. I’m warning you, you’re going to see some real magic.”
Spike had made sure he wouldn’t be able to come just to avoid that moment. He wouldn’t have known for whom to cheer and couldn’t have hided from Rarity that he thought that she had no chance of winning a magic duel. After all, he was the one helping Twilight and he knew exactly how good she was.
And she wasn’t good, she was excellent.
“Pinkie Pie?” asked Rarity, “Care to hear the conditions of the challenge?”
Pinkie Pie came and accepted to hear them.
“It’s a magic duel, you either win or lose.” replied Twilight. “Not much to discuss there.”
“Well” began Rarity, “You may be satisfied with such crude rules, but I, for once, prefer to know exactly how the duel works. Is it true that somepony loses as soon as she isn’t able to do what the other can do?”
“Exactly!” answered Twilight, who was letting her competitive side take over, “If one pony cannot do what the other can, then that pony loses. You really think you can do what I can?”
Rarity smiled. Still, it was a little fake. She had a plan, for sure, but it could fail. At least, for the moment, she had been able to define the challenge in a way that was favorable to her.
“Well, let’s begin, shall we?” asked the white unicorn. “We should make this as fast as possible, let’s go for the big spell already. I guess if we are to fight like civilized ponies, the lady should begin.”
She was talking about her, but, too nervous about the aspect of her plan she couldn’t handle, she forgot she wasn’t challenging a stallion.
“I’m a lady too, thank you very much.” answered Twilight. “And I’ll begin. Can your art do that?”
And she immediately began with the killer spell, the most difficult one she knew of, the aging spell. Of course, she couldn’t master it enough to make it last, but she used it on a flower and made it age very clearly before the flower went back to its natural state.
Rarity smiled. She had lost the first turn, but at least Twilight had used one of the spells she had an answer for. Twilight wasn’t going to like it, but she had to prove her point. And the purple unicorn was going to learn why Pinkie Pie had to be the judge of the competition…
“Alright. I’ll do it.” replied Rarity. “I’ll make the flower age.”
And she used her magic on the flower to Twilight’s surprise. But it was a levitation spell, that Rarity used very slightly, just to use magic, but not to move the flower. Still, the flower wasn’t aging.
“Ah!” shouted Twilight, “You can’t perform an aging spell. Well, that’s quite normal, but I had to do it to show you that it’s impossible to match magic if you don’t have some of your own.”
“Oh Twilight” replied Rarity, “Of all ponies, you should know that it does is possible. Pinkie Pie, is the flower aging?”
Pinkie Pie observed the flower, but couldn’t see it age.
“I don’t think so.” said the pink pony.
“Pinkie Pie” began Rarity, “aging means that you’re getting older, it means that you’ve lived for longer than you previously had. Each second that is passing, that flower is one second older, which means she is aging, correct?”
Pinkie Pie thought about it, as Twilight was trying to understand what was going on and, when she figured it out, trying to accept that it was really what she was thinking about.
“Hey, that’s right!” suddenly said Pinkie Pie, “The flower is aging, we all are. Wow, can you believe it Twilight, Rarity can do an aging spell.”
Twilight hit her face with her hoof. That was ridiculous. And she let it know.
“Oh come on!” she shouted, “That’s not magic, that’s not even art. That’s downright cheating.”
“I had to make it age and I did.” replied Rarity. “I’m not cheating.” she lied.
And before Twilight could replicate and threaten the plan even more, Rarity added:
“Maybe it would be easier if I was to challenge you to do something that you can’t but art can?”
The grin on Rarity’s face was too much for the purple unicorn to handle.
“Bring it on Rarity!” she told her with confidence, “What you can do, I can do better. There is none of your magic spells that I can’t perform.”
“Well then” began Rarity, “I challenge you to create an elephant on a monkey on a cardboard box that they wouldn’t smash with their weight…”
Twilight went pale. That was going to be difficult.
“… and all that in an half of infinity.” finished Rarity as she was asking the most normal of things.
“What?” asked Twilight.
“What’s the problem Twilight?” replied Rarity, “Can’t your magic do that? Mine sure can.”
“But that’s impossible!” shouted Twilight. “Nopony can do that. Create living creatures is already incredibly difficult, but a half of infinity! It doesn’t even exist, even as a concept. It’s plain impossible.”
“So you say that you can’t do it?” asked Rarity.
“An elephant on a monkey on a cardboard box that they wouldn’t smash with their weight in an half of infinity…” said Twilight.
Rarity bit her tongue. She quickly glared at Pinkie Pie who was, by chance, playing with a butterfly at the moment.
“… That’s impossible. I can’t do it and you can’t either.” finished Twilight.
“Alright, I take note that you can’t do it. So let me show you some magic.” replied Rarity with a triumphal tone. “Pinkie Pie, you noted too?”
“I sure did.” answered the pink pony who was back watching the duel.
“Then it’s my turn. Watch and learn.” said Rarity.
She took a piece of paper and a pencil. She drew the sign of infinity, the famous horizontal eight, and, in one of his halves, a very simple elephant, on a very simple monkey, on the picture of a cardboard box that wasn’t smashed.
“There. I’m finished.” commented Rarity.
“What? But you did nothing!” replied Twilight, near a breakdown.
“Nothing, really?” asked Rarity. “Pinkie Pie, could you please tell us what I just created?”
“Well” began Pinkie Pie with a detective tone, a detective hat and mustache, “That’s an elephant on a monkey on a cardboard box that they should smash but don’t, all in an half of infinity.”
And Pinkie Pie, saying it, just realized and shouted:
“I can’t believe it, you did it! Twilight, she created it and you couldn’t. I wouldn’t have imagined she would beat you in a magic duel.”
“But!” tried to reply Twilight, “But…”
“Yes, I know dear.” said Rarity, “It’s hard to lose. I told you art was magic, but you wouldn’t believe me.”
Twilight, for a moment, thought she should fight, reveal that it was all fake, just cheating all over. But she just couldn’t. Something in her was telling her she really had lost. And the words Rarity had told her resounded in her mind. “You of all ponies…”. A magic duel. She understood and she felt a little ashamed of how sure she was of her own abilities. She had forgotten a very important lesson and had it taught back the hard way.
Still, something was bothering her, but she couldn’t put her hoof on it.
When Applejack thought of defending Twilight, the purple unicorn prevented her to.
“I’m sorry AJ, but Rarity is right. Even if there is still a little something I haven’t figured out, she has beaten me. In a magic duel…”
And Twilight went aside to think about what had happened and find out what was bothering her, still lending an ear and an eye to the last challenge that was going to take place.
Applejack went forward, not sure, after what had happened, if it was really wise.
The last(ing) challenge
“So, it’s you and me left…” said Applejack. “I guess your art is really way more powerful than I thought. Still, I’m ready to face you.”
But the heart wasn’t at it. Applejack liked Rarity. And she didn’t want to fight her or compete with her in any way. Rarity had told her she would feed her and prove her she had been starving. But when it came to food, Applejack and her family were at the top.
And even more, something, a little voice Applejack couldn’t hear deep in her mind, was telling her she wouldn’t want to know the last word of that story.
Rarity came just before Applejack and then told her:
“Applejack, I…” and she hesitated, before saying: “I forfeit.”
“What?” asked both Applejack and Applebloom.
“I know I’ve said that I would prove you that you were starving and I still think you are. I even prepared myself to prove it to you.” said Rarity. “But then, I thought about it. Rainbow Dash and Twilight were just games, it was, in the end, all in good fun. But your problem is a serious one and I don’t have the right to force you to recognize it. It could hurt you and I don’t want to… So I forfeit.”
“Is it one of your tricks?” asked Applejack, still not sure what was going on.
“No.” told her Rarity, “Pinkie Pie is the witness, I forfeit. I don’t say that it doesn’t hurt my pride and I know how stupid I must look right now after all I’ve said, but I just can’t hurt you.”
“You’re going to sacrifice your victory for my sake?” asked Applejack, still not completely catching on.
“It’s what friends do.” answered Rarity. “Let’s just forget all that and have fun like before.”
She was really willing to give up. And that touched Applejack as well as it caught her curiosity.
“Rarity…” began the earth pony, “What if… what if I wanted you to show me I’ve been starving, whatever it may mean?” and she added: “I won’t mind, I swear. If I have got a problem, I would prefer to know about it.”
And she smiled at her friend before she ended saying:
“Even more, if I am to learn about it, I would like to learn it from you.”
Rarity almost cried at those words and hugged Applejack in a manner that wasn’t as girly as she usually would behave.
“Alright” she told her friend, “I’m going to reveal to you the hunger that you never gave attention to. Just listen to me and trust me, it’s going to be fine.”
Then Rarity moved her mouth closer to Applejack’s ear and whispered in the words she had prepared.
When she was finished whispering, she turned to her friend to make sure she was okay. Applejack was shaken. Under her little sister’s eyes, tears began to run along her cheeks.
“Big sis’, are you okay?”
Applejack suddenly hugged Applebloom, letting the tears flow, but smiling.
“I’m alright little sis’, I’m fine.” She answered.
Rarity watched them with relief. The reaction was good. She had feared way worse.
“What did you do?” asked Twilight, that the strange scene had pulled.
“I woke the hunger in her mind.” answered Rarity, “I led her to accept her emotions and listen to herself for a moment instead of only listening to the others. But this is only the beginning of a very long process. I don’t know if I was wise to accept to trigger it…”
And she giggled.
“Still” kept on saying Rarity “The art will always amaze me. Such results and all it took was to tell her the right words…”
The right words. The right words…
“The right words!” suddenly shouted Twilight, “That’s it!”
And she turned to Rarity who, understanding what her friend was talking about, tried to smile to appease her.
“It’s right, isn’t it?” told her Twilight, “I said the right words, I haven’t lost the duel, I did it even if I thought it was impossible, I actually did it! I did create an elephant on a monkey on a cardboard box in an half of infinity!”
“Well, yes “ answered Rarity, “I confess, you shouldn’t have lost. I’m sorry, I wanted to win so badly and you didn’t seem to have noticed… can you excuse me?”
Twilight could excuse her. She was just relieved to think she hadn’t lost as she thought she had. A simple matter of pride.
“In fact, I should have thought you couldn’t lose.” said Rarity. “After all, your special talent is magic, all kind of magic, art included. That was just normal.”
And she smiled and asked:
“By the way Twi’, how is that fiction of yours going on?”
And as Twilight began to answer, a relieved and proud Sweetie Belle, Rarity and herself began to go back to Ponyville and have a relaxing afternoon that seemed well earned after so many emotions…
THE END