Chapter 7: The Dark Side of Society
Chapter 7: The Dark Side of Society
With the last Baron and his wife finally over the castle’s threshold and properly greeted, Luna allowed herself a long sigh. After such an ordeal, she wanted nothing more than to go take a nap in the moonlight, or maybe an evening stroll through some peaceful dreams. Of course, these things were both luxuries that she could ill afford tonight. After nearly an hour, there had still been no word from Celestia, either good or bad. For the moment, the guests didn’t seem to have noticed the duration of her absence, but that didn’t make Luna feel any better.
Not knowing was the worst part of it. Even if her sister was duelling Discord with a cutlass in an alternate dimension, at least if she knew about it then Luna would be able to act appropriately. All that she could do now was wait and pretend that everything was okay. It would have been uncomfortable enough even at any normal Gala, never mind the complication King Gilderoy had forced upon her.
Luna came slowly down the stairs and took a look into the now-crowded ballroom. Even through the hubbub, the bright splash of pink that marked Cadance was easily seen, and beside her was Gilderoy, no doubt by now rather impatient to get on with his business. Cadance and Shining had probably already put in a herculean effort to keep him happy; at least now that she was no longer greeting guests, Luna could offer them a hoof with that.
Getting across the floor to them wasn’t difficult, as even those few nobles who did turn to offer a greeting quickly noticed the storm upon her brow and hurriedly swallowed their words with a respectful bow. Luna had never been all that great at hiding her emotions, and right now there was enough anxiety boiling inside her stomach to cook spaghetti. It really was unsurprising nopony wanted to stop her for a chat. Even if that hadn’t been the case, as soon as she got within twenty feet of Cadance and Gilderoy, she began to see a nervous tension on the faces of the guests too. Clearly the King was no longer so patient with the delay.
Gilderoy saw her coming before Cadance did. “Ah, Your Royal Highness!” he exclaimed gruffly as Luna emerged from the crowd around them. Cadance turned at his words, and in her eyes Luna saw relief, though to her credit, the younger alicorn was much better at hiding it than Luna ever could be. There was no sign of Shining Armour anywhere. “You have come to finally take me to my audience with your sister, I presume? I have had quite enough of a wait already.”
Luna merely shook her head. “I am afraid that Celestia is still unavailable. As you are well aware, only a matter of grave importance would keep her away from you. I regret that you’ve had to wait.”
Gilderoy snorted. “While I appreciate the gesture, Princess Luna, regrets do not get me any closer to seeing my business with your sister done. Will you at least do me the courtesy of letting me know what has her attention?”
In a quick glance, Luna saw a note of warning from Cadance. Likely the King had already asked this question a few times, and of course the other princess had been unable to give him a straight answer. “It is an internal matter, I am afraid, and not something with which you should concern yourself. Rest assured that Celestia is making every effort to see it put to rest so that she can welcome you properly.” Luna did her best to sound conciliatory, even though she knew that Gilderoy wasn’t going to like the answer no matter how she couched it.
The griffon drew himself up to his full height, which put his eyes just a few inches above Luna’s. “That is absolutely unacceptable,” he declared. “I have exercised my own patience for a solid hour, trusting in your assurances, all the while receiving nothing but nonsense like this whenever I asked for details. I know when I am being stone-walled.”
“Excuse me?” Luna took a step in closer to him, and let just a little bit of her trademark commanding tone enter her voice. Not enough to attract attention, but enough to make up for the height difference between them. “We are doing everything in our power to rectify the situation, Your Majesty. Such insinuations are completely uncalled-for, especially between friends.”
The fire in Gilderoy’s eyes did not diminish, and indeed he could not have been more intently locking eyes with Luna had they been physically attached to each other. Cadance spoke up, her voice a flutter of anxiety. “Perhaps we could all take a deep breath and resume a peaceable conversation? Gilderoy, you had mentioned earlier that you were intrigued by the musical auction?”
“Perhaps you ought to remind Celestia of that fact, then, Princess,” Gilderoy said, as if he had not heard Cadance’s question. “For I daresay that if this is the way that Equestria treats its friends, then it may not be the case that we are friends for much longer.”
“Your Majesty!” Luna gave it quite a bit more of the Royal Canterlot Voice this time, enough to create a faint ripple in Cadance’s punch. “Might I remind you that it was you who dropped in on us unannounced, demanding an audience as an afterthought on what you must surely realize is one of our busiest nights of the year? Perhaps you ought to consider that Celestia might have a full schedule already, and that though she values your company, sometimes plans cannot be altered. Besides, if this is the way that the griffons treat their friends, then perhaps it would be best if we went our own ways.”
It was a bit of a shame that the King’s plumage hid the colour of his skin, or else Luna was sure that his face would have taken on a glowing crimson by now. As it stood, she forestalled his retort when she saw Shining Armour materialize out of the crowd just over the King’s shoulder. “Ah, Your Majesty, some of that important business extends to us as well. Might I trust you to behave yourself if we left you alone for a little while?” She didn’t wait for an answer, instead waving Cadance over. The pink alicorn was by her side in seconds, and let out her own sigh of relief as soon as they had been swallowed by the crowd.
“How could you be so direct with him?” Cadance asked incredulously. “You practically ordered him out of the door. Surely he won’t stay after an affront like that.”
Luna placed a hoof on Cadance’s shoulder. “You forget that I have been practically living with a group of angry griffons for the last four months. Sometimes a strong will can only be matched by a stronger one, and Gilderoy surely will respect that. Someday perhaps I shall put on an inservice on the subject for the diplomatic corps.” She allowed herself a single self-satisfied smile as she saw the understanding come to Cadance’s face. Then, it was back to business. “Now, Shining, I trust that you have discovered something in your inquiries with the Guard.”
Shining Armour nodded in silence, and continued to lead them briskly on through the crowd. Something in his eyes told Luna that whatever he had discovered wasn’t good. A real crisis now would be the the perfect cherry on the evening’s cake, as if dealing with Gilderoy on top of the rest of the party wasn’t already enough. She gave the floor a quick scan, and picked out Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie in the immediate vicinity, Pinkie with a towering plate of hors d’oeuvres, and Rainbow just on the edge of the crowd around the Wonderbolts, a dreamy-eyed look on her face. Doubtless, the remainder of that group could be located quickly if the situation demanded it. She sincerely hoped that it didn’t have to come to that.
Shining ushered them into one of the castle’s many broad corridors, and very quickly from there through a concealed side door and onto a narrow staircase that wound down into the castle’s depths, lit only by glowing lanterns set into its walls. It opened at the bottom into a cramped room, with a ceiling so low that Luna had to duck a little to avoid scratching her horn. Several hammocks were stretched out along the walls down here, and a preserve-filled cupboard in the corner was the room’s only other furnishing. A pair of stone-faced guards who had been standing at the bottom of the staircase snapped quick salutes as soon as they saw Shining.
“One of the castle’s boltholes,” the former captain explained as he led the group down. “Perfect for staying discreet. Now, Lieutenant, I assume that the corporal is still willing to talk?” The last sentence had been addressed to one of the armoured ponies that had been standing guard on the entrance, and with a curt nod the lieutenant stepped aside to reveal a tan pegasus sitting with his back against the wall. It was a little tricky to tell with his armour off, but Luna had the sense that she had seen him already tonight. In a flash, the realization hit home: he had been the one that had warned Celestia just as the party had gotten underway.
The corporal stood up hurriedly as soon as he saw them, snapping a perfect salute to Shining while simultaneously doing to his best to bow respectfully to the Princesses. There was something of a wildness about his eyes, not quite what Luna would call suspicious, but it was clear that he had had an interesting night as well.
“Corporal Irons,” Shining began, “I’ve brought the Princesses to hear what you have to say.”
Irons took a nervous swallow before starting, an undeniable tremor in his voice. “Well, as I said to Captain Armour, Your Highnesses, Her Majesty the Princess approached me just this afternoon. She said that she needed a special favour, and that all I would have to do is give her a warning just as the Gala was getting started. That’s what I did, as Your Highness is aware.” He gave Luna a nod, though he avoided her eyes. Luna realized suddenly that she was staring at him intently, all of the stress of the evening no doubt plain upon her features. It was no wonder that Irons was scared half to death.
The Royal Physician had lately taken to reminding Luna that she ought not to frown so much, with some nonsense about stress and blood pressure added on to that. It almost required an effort for her to drag her eyebrows up out of the fiery glare that they seemed to naturally drop into. “Did my sister seem… strange at all when you spoke to her this afternoon?”
“No, of course not,” Irons replied. “The request was a bit odd, I suppose, but I swear that I don’t know where she is now. I would never do anything to harm her, you understand.”
“Nopony is accusing you of anything, Corporal,” Shining said reassuringly. “We appreciate your honesty.” He gave Luna and Cadance a look. “Do either of you have any additional questions?”
Luna shook her head, though she was doing her best to reconcile what Irons had said against everything else that had happened this evening. The good news was that if Celestia had orchestrated this situation, then she probably wasn’t in any danger. The bad news, of course, was that they still had no idea where she was, and not an inkling of where they should be looking either.
As Luna thought about it, she felt a rising frustration. Why, just this once, could Celestia not have told somepony about her plans before vanishing without a trace? Luna knew that her sister delighted in the dramatic reveals that always accompanied the end of her schemes, but it was never comfortable to be the pony left in the lurch, and that was a position that Luna knew all too well. Whenever Celestia did turn up, the two of them were definitely going to have words about this.
“Well?” Shining asked as soon as Irons had been escorted out. “By the look of things, I would guess that once again we are the collective butt of one of your sister’s beloved practical jokes.”
“Be that as it may,” Luna replied, “it still does not change the fundamentals of our situation. We need to find her, and hopefully do it without alerting either Gilderoy or the rest of the guests that there is anything to be worried about.”
“With respect, Your Royal Highness, that is a practical impossibility.” Shining shook his head sincerely. “Even without the distinct possibility that she will be actively avoiding detection, we have the whole castle to search, and frankly, that is if we assume that she is even still here.”
Even knowing that Shining’s deference was a force of habit, Luna couldn’t help but find it irritating. Protocol was perhaps the furthest thing from her mind right now. “Well, we have to do something! Do you think that we should just wait here while every minute that time bomb upstairs ticks closer to a major diplomatic incident?” she roared, stomping her hoof on the floor for emphasis. “We need to find her. I want the whole Guard combing the grounds: every bush, every crawlspace, every bloody magical mirror! And under no circumstances raising any eyebrows by their presence!”
Shining’s right eyebrow cranked up as if answering her summons. “I’m afraid that meeting both of those requirements will be difficult, but rest assured that I will see it done as well as I can.” He offered the two Princesses a quick bow, then vanished up the staircase at a quick trot, the rest of the Guards in tow.
Luna waved away Cadance’s objection before her niece could speak. “I know, I shouldn’t have been so curt. It’s been a long enough night already. Celestia should count herself lucky that Shining will be the one to find her instead of me, or else I might wring her neck even before Gilderoy has a chance to lay into her.”
“You know how much she appreciates her time off,” Cadance said as they began making their own way back up the stairs. “Perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to judge without hearing her side of the story.”
In answer, Luna gave her niece a pointed glare. Cadance’s ability to find the good in others at even the worst of times was one of her greatest strengths as both a diplomat and a leader, but this time Celestia had definitely gone too far, and no amount of explaining was going to rectify the situation in her mind. Time enough for that encounter later, though. Right now, they had a griffon to satisfy. At least she wouldn’t have any problems shouting him down as much as she needed to.
Blissfully unaware of all of the tension and drama that was eclipsing the royal family, the rest of the party was carrying on, abuzz with its own rumours and whispers. Now that Rarity had taken Twilight into the heart of the crowd, a good number of those whispers were following her around directly. At the moment, she was standing in a knot of conversation with four other ponies: Rarity, of course, as well as the Duke of Baltimare, the Earl of Southoofton, and the Countess of Vanhoover. All of them wore outfits decked in glowing jewels, the Earl with a particularly ostentatious monocle studded with a couple of diamonds. Notwithstanding the impressive value of their costumes, though, all of their attention was fixed upon the new Princess.
“Congratulations on your appointment, Your Royal Highness,” the Duke said, his voice an imperious basso rumble. “It is indeed a welcome sight to see one of our nation’s heroes rewarded as they properly deserve.”
“Indeed,” the Countess chipped in from beside him, the tight curls of her pearl-white mane bouncing in her enthusiasm. “Surely your new subjects will think themselves far more safe with your capable hooves to protect them.”
“Um, thank you,” Twilight tipped her horn slightly to the Duke. “Much as trouble has seemed to follow me around after I came to Ponyville, I don’t really see defense as being the most important of my concerns.”
“Locally, at least,” Rarity cut in almost on top of Twilight’s last few words. “I’m sure we can all agree that the events of the last year require that we rethink some of our national defense priorities.”
The Duke cleared his throat and gave her a quick nod. “Precisely what I was thinking, Madam Rarity.”
“But what of the state of our colleges and libraries?” the Earl asked. He had removed his gem-encrusted monocle and hung it from one of his brown jacket’s front pockets. “While we can agree that our safety is important, surely we cannot forget the legacy of knowledge that we leave to our children.”
“Indeed,” the Countess chipped in once again. “It would be a shame if we focused so much on matters of military interest that we forgot about the next generation. Wouldn’t you agree, Princess?”
The other ponies in the group went silent, expectantly waiting for her answer. At least this was a question which Twilight felt that she could answer well. “Well, actually I think that they are both very important areas of policy, and we shouldn’t allow competition between ourselves to force us into choosing one over the other…”
Twilight stopped when she saw that the Earl’s features had fallen slightly, while the Duke was only barely hiding a triumphant grin. Once again she was just about to continue when Rarity stepped into the void. “Of course Her Royal Highness values the contributions which are made to the educational system. Why, one must remember that she wouldn’t have gotten her title if not for the grants that allowed her to study in Ponyville in the first place.” At that, the Earl relaxed visibly, his good-natured smile returning.
“Indeed,” the Countess retorted, this time earning herself a pointed glance from Twilight. The mare was starting to sound like a broken record player, yet even so she kept right on. “We should all hope to be so fortunate as to earn the wondrous opportunities that Princess Twilight has been able to have.”
What was even more surprising to Twilight was that Rarity turned and gave the Countess a broad smile. “Of course, Your Highness. I’m sure that the Princess would be happy to regale all of you with the details of these things, but of course you know that we have many other ponies to meet tonight. A good evening to all of you.” She stepped out of the group, and gave Twilight a meaningful look. This being the fourth such conversation tonight, Twilight was familiar by now with the signal to move along.
As the pair walked away from that group and presumably towards another one, Twilight reflected over what she had learned so far from her interactions with the other guests. All of them were immensely interested in what she had to say, or at least it seemed so by the way that they peppered her with questions. But every time that she answered, Twilight always got the distinct impression that she was saying something wrong, by the way that eyebrows rose and smiles receded. Yet somehow whenever Rarity opened her mouth, everypony else accepted it without question, even though most of the time she said the same thing that Twilight had, only in different words. Twilight shook her head in exasperation, and for not the first time, stole a glance back at the rear of the room, where the rest of her friends were probably still talking with Caesura.
“Rarity,” she asked in a low voice as they walked. “What exactly was that Countess up to? To me, she didn’t seem particularly, well…” Twilight hesitated, trying to think of a delicate way to phrase it, then decided just to say it outright. “Well, she didn’t seem particularly intelligent.”
Rarity chuckled lightly. “Yes, Pastel isn’t exactly the brightest gem in the drawer, but she puts on the most important soirées in Canterlot. Everypony falls over themselves to stay on her good side, which unfortunately means that we have to as well. Otherwise you could quickly end up like Caesura, and of course neither of us wants that.”
Mention of the Viscount’s name brought the questions that Twilight still had about the Viscount back to the front of her mind. Rarity had already given her the short version of why Caesura deserved his position on the outside of society, but Twilight had been turning it over in her mind ever since, and still couldn’t quite make it line up with her interactions with him. Unlike nearly every other noble in the room, who all seemed to working some sort of personal agenda on her, Caesura had been simply pleasant, apparently here for nothing more than to enjoy the party.
It was perhaps possible that the reason that she had been so out of it in her conversations tonight was that she still could not take her mind off of that stallion. There were not many things that Twilight detested more than a puzzle which she could not figure out, but suddenly she realized that all of the ponies around her surely had their own wealth of information to share on the subject. Rarity obviously did not have any first-hoof experience with the Viscount, but a corroborating story from somepony who did would surely put her mind at ease, and then she would be able to grasp everything else that was going on around her.
“Excuse me, sir?” Twilight tapped the shoulder of the nearest stallion, in this case a short, eggshell-white earth pony with a close-clipped brown mane.
“Your Royal Highness,” he returned, giving her a stately bow. “And Madam Rarity as well. Thank you for the kindness of gracing my evening.”
“Yes, of course, Marquess Silver,” Rarity replied, giving Twilight a surreptitious look that was filled with irritation, which the new Princess didn’t understand at all. Surely one noble was as good as another when it came to socialization, after all.
“Marquess,” Twilight said. “I have a few questions about Viscount Caesura. Do you know him?”
The stallion looked taken aback for a second, and then recovered well enough to offer Twilight a knowing smirk. “Ah, of course! The villain of Fillydelphia, as he is called. Surely half of my conversation tonight has been about him already. What would Your Royal Highness wish to know?”
“Well, I’ve heard a few of the stories about him, and an awful lot about the poorness of his character already, but I was hoping that maybe somepony who knew him personally could tell me exactly what he had done to deserve such a sordid reputation.” Twilight gave Rarity a look of her own as she made the statement, certain that she had delivered it with all of the right subtlety and enunciation. For once, though, the white unicorn seemed completely disinterested in the conversation.
“What, exactly?” Marquess Silver chuckled. “Hmm. I can’t say that I really was ever well-acquainted with the details. I believe that I had originally heard the tale from the Duchess of Las Pegasus. She had a few dealings with him back when he was still running his company here. But any foal of course could see what he was up to. It was only a matter of time before it all came to light.”
“Well, thank you for your time, then,” Twilight said, offering the Marquess her own gentle bow. Then she turned around and made her way back into the crowd. “Rarity, would you happen to know which one of these mares is the Duchess of Las Pegasus?”
Beside her, Rarity rolled her eyes in exasperation. “She will be in the far corner, but I really don’t see why you’re so interested in Caesura, Twilight. It’s such an unseemly topic to occupy your mind with, especially during a party.”
“Something just doesn’t feel right about this to me, Rarity. If Caesura’s reputation is so well-deserved, then somepony here should know exactly how he earned it. All I want to do is get to the bottom of this. Then we can get right back to all of your friends.” Twilight offered her friend a consoling smile. Surely Rarity could understand that this was something she had to do, or else she would be up all night still thinking on it.
Surprisingly, though, something about the unicorn’s expression was still reluctant. “Of course, darling,” she did eventually say, even though there was none of her usual charm in the words.
“Did I ever have personal dealings with him?” the Duchess of Las Pegasus asked, the shimmering waves of her green mane flowing down from her neck as she shook her head. “Maybe a few some years ago, but the details are all rather fuzzy to me now. If it’s a story that you really want, I remember hearing a particularly nasty one from the Earl of the Canterlot Foothills a while back.”
“A nasty tale?” the Earl replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully with a dark burgundy hoof. “Er, once upon a time, I think I may have said something of the sort to the Duchess, but it was never my story to start with. The Count of Haliflanks was the one who originally told it to me, and I don’t think that there is a pony in this room who could tell it better than him.”
When faced with the question, the Count of Haliflanks was momentarily flummoxed. “The Earl of the Canterlot Foothills told you that I was the progenitor of that story? Nay, he is surely mistaken. I would never involve myself with the affairs of that villain, surely not if I was lost in the desert and he was selling water!” The crowd of younger mares standing around him all giggled merrily at that. “The Marquess of Whinnypeg is probably the stallion that you should really ask. He was involved in a lumber deal that went south, if I recall correctly.”
And so to and fro the pair traipsed across the ballroom, always in search of the next noble who would surely have the answer to their question, if only the last one was to be believed.
“Really, darling, we’ve been at this for almost an hour now,” Rarity sighed by her side. “Can we perhaps just accept that all of Caesura’s business happened a long time ago, and get on with the rest of our evening?”
“That’s just it, Rarity. There’s no way that I could get on with the evening now. Every one of these ponies has been absolutely certain that the rumours are true, but none of them have been able to point to a shred of evidence so far. Instead all that any of them have done is point across the floor to somepony else.” It was just possible that they were all telling the truth, but as the night had passed, Twilight had become increasingly certain that it would only be a matter of time before one of them slipped and she could catch them in their lie. “The Marquess of Maredrid is our next quarry. You said that he should be right around—”
Twilight stopped as the Marquess came into her vision. It was the same eggshell-white stallion who had first started them on this wild-goose chase. She saw the surprise enter into his eyes as soon as he noticed her. For a second, the two held each other’s gazes in silence.
Rarity performed their introduction in a flat monotone, by now probably having forgotten how many times she had said the words. “Good evening, Your Highness, may I present Princess Twilight Sparkle of Ponyville. Your Royal Highness, Your Highness.”
“Thank you, Rarity,” Twilight said, taking a step in towards the earth pony. “Though I believe that the two of us have met before.”
“Why, yes, we have,” Marquess Silver replied, clutching his snifter of brandy tightly. “I trust that my fellows were able to satiate your curiosity where regards the Viscount?”
Twilight did not let her stare waver. “Not quite, Marquess. In fact, if they are to believed, then the only thing that I have learned is that you did not tell us everything that you knew the first time around.”
He chuckled. “Ha, that’s ridiculous. Surely whoever told you that is mistaken. Why if I recall correctly, if it’s the real story that you want, you’ll have to look for the Baron of… er.” The words died on his tongue when he realized that Twilight still wasn’t smiling.
“Try a name, Marquess,” she said, pouring all of her irritation over the wasted hour into her voice. “I doubt that there is another pony in this room whom we haven’t talked to already. At least one of them is lying about not knowing more than they let on, and I’m beginning to think that it’s all of them, in fact. But that would include you. What do you know about Caesura?”
He held her stare defiantly for an instant, and then, with a sigh, looked back down at his punch. “It was all fifteen years ago,” he said, his voice now as empty as the dejected look in his eyes. “Nopony wants to know about it anymore. Why do you care?”
“I care because I would never condemn somepony else without knowing why,” Twilight answered, taking a deep breath of her own. “So go ahead and tell me everything.”
Silver gave her a probing look, as if wondering how she might react to the news. When he did speak, it was in a low whisper, such that only Twilight and Rarity could hear. “We made it all up. So far as I’m aware, Caesura is an upstanding businesspony, a hard worker and a fair stallion by all accounts.”
“We?” Twilight asked. “Who else was involved? And why do it in the first place?”
“It was fifteen years ago. I was a much younger pony.” In her head, Twilight tried to rewind the years on Marquess Silver’s visage. Fifteen years ago, he probably would have been somewhere in his twenties. “A few of my friends from Canterlot University started it. Caesura had dropped out in our first year, and yet still somehow he had succeeded. It wasn’t fair, that he got to work outside the established norms, without the connections that we had spent so much time developing, without the influence that we had received from attending all of those luncheons and soirées, and yet still get everything that he wanted. We invented the story of his impropriety as a way to normalize our envy, I guess. It was only supposed to be a joke between us, but every time that we told the story at a party, it would spread. I think that we weren’t the only ponies who were jealous of his success. Soon enough, it was an established truth among the nobility.”
“But why didn’t you speak out then?” Twilight asked. “While there was still time to set things right? You surely could see what effect your words were having.”
Silver swirled his punch in its snifter. “Seeing him fall, well, it made us happy. It validated everything we had done which he had skipped out on. It confirmed to us that the only way to succeed was by sticking with the established order.”
“You destroyed the reputation of an innocent pony,” Twilight stated darkly. Silver flinched when he heard the words. “I hope that you understand how much harm you’ve caused. In any event, though, I can appreciate your honesty. Have a good evening, Marquess.” She left him standing alone with his punch. Normally, Twilight wouldn’t have left him without trying to make sure that the lesson had properly hit home, but it had required a titanic effort just to stay civil with the noble after what she had heard. A little jealousy was an understandable thing, but to let it run free like that, and then not stop it when it was clear that things had gotten out of hoof? Twilight shuddered just thinking about it. Suddenly she felt a deep-seated desire to be away from this horrid place, and more importantly, away from these horrid ponies who inhabited it.
“So, Twilight,” Rarity spoke up nervously, doing her best to keep up with the alicorn’s purposeful strides back to the rear of the room. “What do you suppose that we shall do now?”
“We are going back to Caesura,” Twilight replied, the iron in her voice still holding itself together over top of the fire raging in her gut. “And we are going to make sure that everypony is made aware of just how wrong they are about him.”
“Hah, ha ha,” Rarity’s laugh was a nervous tinkle. “Uh, Twilight, could I perhaps take you aside privately for just a moment?”
Twilight fixed her friend with a glare. Rarity was kneading her forehooves together in front of her chest, with a flitting look in her eyes and more than one drop of sweat visible on her forehead, in spite of the coolness of the room. It was the most dishevelled that Twilight had seen her all night. In spite of her frustration, she couldn’t help but feel a note of concern for her friend. “Are you alright, Rarity? Perhaps we could take a breath of fresh air.”
The unicorn breathed a big sigh of relief before gliding over to another one of the hallways that led off into the castle. After a few corners had taken them safely away from the hubbub of the ballroom floor, Rarity seemed to recover herself a little bit.
“Twilight,” she said, the delicacy of her voice having returned, though it was still lacking most of her usual confidence, and she was still fidgeting with her hooves. That nervous flitting look was still there in her eyes, too. “I know that what we’ve just discovered is quite distressing, and surely I do understand why you’re so upset about it, but might we perhaps consider not letting the rest of the party know about it right away?”
She smiled entreatingly, for all the world once again just a friend trying to help, but all Twilight could do was stare. They were the last words that she had ever expected to hear. “WHAT? Rarity, did a changeling replace you while I wasn’t looking? What are you talking about?”
“Well,” Rarity went on, the pleading smile on her face still not wavering. “Caesura’s name has been mud for fifteen years now, and the whole country believes it. None of that is going to change in one night. Speaking to the contrary would only be, well, damaging, to your standing.”
“But it’s all a lie, Rarity! Do you think that my reputation is more important than Caesura’s innocence? You know that I would never let somepony else take the fall so that I could get ahead!”
“Well, you have to, Twilight!” The desperate smile on Rarity’s face broke, now replaced by an indignant scowl. “The rules and expectations of society are not something which can be changed. I learned that long ago. Can’t you see that I’m only trying to help you succeed?”
“This is completely different! I would never want that kind of success! If this is how the game is played, then I want no part of it! Is this how you got ahead? By playing this game to the detriment of the innocent?” The words came out before Twilight could think about them, and for an instant she regretted the accusation. But then she looked up into Rarity’s eyes once more, those fearful, indignant azure eyes, and there she saw the truth, and everything that she thought she had known was torn asunder.
“You knew?” The thought was wretched, cancerous, something that she wanted to throw as far from herself as she could, so that she could forget it forever. But it was the truth, made all the more damning as Rarity nodded gently, not saying a word. Twilight was left looking at her friend as if she had never seen the mare before. She took a deep breath. “Rarity, I think that I shall be enjoying the rest of the Gala alone.”
“Please, Twilight, you must understand,” Rarity wailed, tears now flowing freely down from her eyes.
“ALONE, Rarity!” she growled back, before turning on her hooves and leaving the unicorn there in the hallway, her makeup running down her cheeks as the tears flowed in torrents. But even as she sniffed in a vain attempt to hold back her own, right now, Twilight couldn’t have cared less.
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Oh dear...
But Best Pony (Rarity) couldn't be as wicked as some of the nobles and high status ponies here tonight, right? I mean, it's RARITY!
Friendship breached! Will the breach be repaired?
Best pony (Twilight) cares more for honesty and truth than for fame and for playing the uptight society's game. But restablishing the truth won't be quick nor easy.
7957425
Oh, I'm sure that they'll patch things up, but likely only after Twilight manages to roast the collected nobility for their complicity in destroying Caesura's reputation and publicly declaring her contempt for High Society and its rules, and after a tearful explanation and apology from Rares.
Aside from that, I eagerly await Celestia realizing just how badly Luna wants to find her, and more so the conversation they'll have once they're together outside of the main party.
Interesting to see the politics of the Equestria and how exactly a nation is governed when your monarchs are nigh immortal.
Sadly Rarity is right and after 15yrs correcting it will be hard and some ponies will NEVER accept it.
7957484 I have to agree, in many ways the expectations of high society have beaten Rarity down. She despises the phoney aspects of high society, but sees no way to avoid them. But the elements bring out the best in oneanother, Twilight is pragmatic, hounest, and doesn't care what night society types think. She's been suppressing herself(which she tends to do), and she's about to explod(another thing she does), despite how mortafied she'll be Rarity will realize she should have followed her heart and done what she felt was right just like Twilight does.
7957894 I'm just worried about the friendship between Twilight and Rarity...
7957919
It sure has taken a hit. But I am sure Rarity will follow her friend, and their bond will regrow.
7957856 I'm not saying Twilight isn't going to try and fix this, she wouldn't be Twilight if she didn't. I'm saying sadly she won't be able fix it right now as much as she wants to.
7957894 in Rarity's defense and hopefully Twilight will realize it there is a good chance beyond the inner circle no one else realized what was going on. They were told someone was a horrible person by people they trusted. Twilight just didn't take it on face value
7140692 Depends on the culture there is a saying about the power of the ruler coming from the ruled. The power of the nobility has varied depending on what royalty has agreed to such as the Magna Carta
7958434
I tend to think the rest of the nobles didn't care about valid proofs and just believed what they wanted to believe.
Rarity's choice to let the lie fester to keep herself in the good side of the society can also be seen as betraying her reputation of generosity. It could seriously damage the trust Twilight has put in her.
Geez... this is the most unsympathetic I've seen Celestia and Rarity in a while... but then, I suppose "high society" is just like that sometimes, and reinforces those qualities as it beats them into every new member. Hopefully Twilight, bless her, will end up putting enough of a crack in that facade to start a change- but Rarity's right too, it won't happen overnight.
But I can only hope it's not too many more months until they can start mending their bond.
I found this story earlier today and was totally charmed by it, stealing back to it whenever I found the free time throughout the day and thoroughly enjoying it... but then this latest chapter happened, with its portrayal of Rarity, and it was such a poisoned pill that it drained all my affection for what I had read so far.
Having Rarity not challenge the bad behavior of others would have been a disappointing portrayal of her, but one I could buy into with the right circumstances. But having her personally deceive Twilight with a malicious rumor about an innocent pony that she knows to be false? That just feels like an attack on her that sours what was otherwise a story I was truly enjoying.
Whew boy, this dirty is just hitting all sorts of emotional sour notes....I LOVE IT
I cannot wait to see how this unfolds! Hopefully a happier ending is acheived, but in the meantime *rolls around in piles of righteous indignation *
7959517
Well, I'm sorry that you feel that way. All that I can really say is thank you for your honesty, and I hope that you will consider still reading the final few chapters when I post them.
Rarity is one of my favourite characters (which is something that I think I share with many of the people here), and while I think that this potential for malevolence exists within her, I also know that really, she is much better than all of this. I would never attack her character so without also giving her a chance to redeem herself later.
That's all that I can really say, but once again I appreciate your honesty, and that you took the time to offer your opinion.
Have an excellent day,
cursedchords
7959650 I truly enjoyed the story immensely up until that reveal, so it was really sad to hit that moment and have that reaction. I haven't unfollowed or downvoted the story and was always likely to at least check out the next chapter to see how I felt about things then. But hours after reading the latest I was still thinking about it and needed to vent and share that reaction.
I appreciate you taking the time to address my response, and regardless of where things go in the story or with my own reaction to it, I wish you the best of luck with it!
media.tenor.co/images/8f5c5ce859c1c0fb02ede6a4e9d75b84/raw
I love this drama and tension between Twilight and Rarity. I also feel like Luna is considering letting Nightmare Moon make a guest appearance.
FUCK! Just when I thought that this wouldn't get any worse.
I have a feeling that Rarity had to throw him under the bus, or was somehow bribed/threatened, considering she herself got to be quite powerful all on her own as well through hard work.
This story had a slower start for me, but now? Now I am HOOKED!! <3
Kind of throwing Rarity under the bus there so far. Basically making her the story antagonist since the start.
Also, this is really buying into Twilight's EXTREMELY naive view of society and ponies in general taking center stage. This is less about the expectations of society as it is 'Twilight thinks things should be more idealistic, and in the end she'll probably be the right one and everyone else will have egg on their face'.