//------------------------------// // Not So Rare // Story: My Little Pony: Through Space and Time // by Magic Step //------------------------------// "So, is it true?" Rarity demanded. Twilight Sparkle turned away from the gemstones she'd been arranging. "Is what true?" "Are you really trying to make a portal to Canterlot? In your library?" Rarity seemed unable to contain her excitement at the possibility. Twilight Sparkle shrugged. "It probably won't work. Unicorns have been trying to set up permanent portals for generations. I'm simply adding another stone to the path." "But it would be so exciting!" Rarity cooed. "I could do shopping for supplies in Canterlot, produce the outfits in my own studio, and sell them to both markets! I could become an Equestrian-wide designer!" "I said, it probably won't work," Twilight said. "Spike! Don't eat that!" Spike set the emerald down. "S-sorry?" "That's for the portal! Your lunch is over there!" She pointed to another room. "Oh, I'm sorry, Twilight..." "Now I have to get another one," Twilight sighed. "Better take a book for the road." She began looking through the shelves. Rainbow Dash burst through the door. "Hi guys! I'm done with another Daring Do book!" "Oh-" Twilight turned aside. "Sorry, I moved those books to another room- we got a new shipment of books a while ago. Gosh, you finish these books fast!" "Fast? You bet! I'm the speed reader of Equestria!" Rainbow and Twilight moved to the next room. Alone, Rarity looked at the gemstones. She didn't see why so many were necessary... she'd heard they focused magic, though. Some were pulsing light, some were fading from color to color. Very exotic- she'd need to get one of the gemstones that shifted from lavender to rose. A dress design was churning in her mind. She levitated it to get a closer look- then thought maybe she shouldn't have done that, as it instantly changed to an icy blue and stayed there. So did some of the other gems. She put it back hastily, in the process tipping it over and sending it rolling into the center of the circle. It spun around like it was playing spin the bottle, and finally pointed at a bright red gem and shot a beam of pink light toward it. All the gems in the circle gleamed first red, the orange... Rarity backed off. The gems finally cycled through the whole rainbow and stopped on a brilliant white, white beams shooting from them to paint a picture on Twilight's wall of the streets of Canterlot, with the castle rising magnificently in the background. After staring for a moment, Rarity reached forward with her hoof. Careful not to touch the crystals, she lightly tapped the picture... ...except it was no picture. It was a window. A widow to the shining streets, the shining stores, the shining ponies in their shining dresses. Rarity shivered. She had somehow- somehow- managed to open a window through space. And this was Twilight's job. She looked toward the door the lavender unicorns had just gone through a minute ago. She really ought to tell Twilight. She really ought to... ...but it couldn't hurt to slip through the portal, just for a moment, right? After all, she could always slip back. And what if Twilight didn't want her going through for some reason? It really couldn't hurt anypony just to walk through that glowing city for a moment, could it? She tentatively stuck her leg through the portal, encountering no resistance, and set her hoof delicately on the paved streets of Canterlot. Then she brought in the other three. She looked over her shoulder. The portal home was still there, painted onto the side of somepony's house. She stepped through just to make sure she could, then began walking through the gorgeous city. She knew what she wanted to do first of all- she would visit that cute little boutique on the other side of town. She wanted to take a look at the stock and see what the prices were. Then she scooted back. What was she thinking? Maybe the uncouth Ponyville ponies could walk around without clothes and be socially acceptable, but not in Canterlot. It was just one of those social conventions that varied from place to place. She rushed home and changed her outfit- quickly- and then ventured through the portal once more. She was now wearing a chic dress and hat. She began to wander the streets. "Rarity!" Someone gasped behind her. She whirled around to see a little pegasus. "Guys! I found her!" Several more ponies stampeded to her. "Rarity!" "We found you, Rarity!" "Happy birthday, Rarity!" "We love you Rarity!" They all tackled her. "Oh! Hey!" she brushed them off. She had never seen any of these colts in her life, and it wasn't her birthday. "Foals! Foals!" Cheerilee ran up. "What have I told you? This is not the proper way to act! Haven't I told you already?" She looked panicked. "Oops, sorry," said some of them. They backed up and got on their knees. Rarity was confused. Were they- wait, they weren't bowing to her, were they? "Princess Rarity!" Cheerilee announced. "We are honored to speak with you." Rarity took a few steps backward. Princess? Princess! "We were going to visit you in the castle," Cheerilee said. "It seems we found you here instead." "Well, that's... fine..." Rarity said. "Uh, why don't we head back to the castle now?" She was convinced Cheerilee and these colts had gone nuts. Princess Celestia would be able to fix them! She whirled around and strutted toward the castle, and was disconcerted to see all the ponies lining up and following her in a nice neat line, marching like an army. There were guards at the door and she expected them to stop her, but they just continued staring straight ahead while she led her train of ponies into the castle. She was begininng to feel uneasy. She stepped into the throne room. The thrones were empty... she couldn't remember there being two thrones in the Canterlot throne room, but she had heard that Princess Luna would be getting a new throne at one point... and it was silver, which seemed appropriate to her. Someone had redecorated the room. Someone who had good taste; she must meet them later. "Princess?" She called, wondering where Celestia was. "Yes?" A door at the side of the throne room openeed, and Rarity fell to her knees. The pony who had entered the room was pure white with a flawlessly styled mane. She wore a dress that spoke of the professional work done on it. Her eyes were bright, blue, and beautiful. Her horn gleamed in the light. She wore silver crowns on her feet, fitted with amythist that matched the mane perfectly. But what Rarity stared at, more than anything else, was the irridescent pair of wings stretched behind what otherwise could be her mirror image. Rarity had a double- another pony who was almost, but not quite, like her. And she was an alicorn.