Elements

by herpyderpy

Chapter 2: Sacrifices

Elements

Chapter 2: Sacrifices

By herpyderpy

Equinetropolis.

The city that never sleeps.

Even at night, gem-powered lanterns resting atop metal poles illuminated the municipality with its artificial lighting. And despite the city center’s reputation for being a run-down, hazardous slum, many thrill-seekers still came from far and wide just to immerse themselves in the food, retail and wide range of entertainment, all found only in this aptly named metropolis.

Almost every single shop here had signs hanging from the side of their buildings, each flashing flamboyantly, desperate to attract somepony's attention. Most of them never closed, and for good reason: there were always ponies wandering about at any given time. In fact, after dark was when the streets were busiest, for that was when business was most freely conducted.

However, it was now early morning – the quietest time of the day.

The lanterns were now off, passing on their duties to the ever-vigilant sun. Most of the neon signs had followed suit, their owners obviously not keen on throwing away their hard-earned bits to GemTech, the monopoly responsible for providing the city with its revolutionary energy and technology.

The GemTech headquarters was located a few miles away from the heart of the city. It consisted of a massive dome-shaped reactor attached to a fifty-story office building. A five-meter-high electric fence surrounded the two structures, and guards could be seen patrolling the area at all times, walking in pairs with their highly starched uniforms and gemstone-powered stun rods at the ready.

Across from the offices was another large building. It was ten stories high and stretched for several hundred meters down the road. This was the residence of high-level GemTech employees, and never did a pony walk by without a held breath or a whisper of its beauty.

The cobblestone path that led up to it from the main road was bordered by two strips of perfectly maintained grass, with rows of assorted flora painting them in a plethora of colors. Large bushes stood tall behind them, trimmed into shapes that brought to life the forms of ponies, dragons, and other mythical creatures, as they engaged in a frozen battle for supremacy of the garden.

The entire façade of the building itself was a curtain wall of frosted glass, and its frame was made from some kind of shiny metal alloy that reflected the morning sun, dazzling anypony who passed by. Inside, a mosaic of marble tiles covered the entire lobby floor, forming elegant patterns of white, orange, and dark red that spiraled out from the center in the shape of a shell. Countless miniature lanterns hung from the walls and ceiling, illuminating the long, curving glass counter that sat prominently in the middle of the ground floor.

Services offered here were more like what one would expect from a luxury hotel than an apartment complex: fitness and leisure facilities of all kinds were available for its residents. There were even dedicated maids and babysitters for the busy parents who had to handle early morning jobs.

In the bedroom of apartment 737, a clock radio stood on an ornate wooden nightstand next to a double bed. It read 5:59am.

The door next to the nightstand led to an en suite washroom complete with a shower–bathtub combo, washbasin, and toilet. On the other end of this bedroom was a large sliding glass door, and beyond that a balcony, which held a suntanning chair and a small wooden table.

In the corner of the room was a desk carrying a sewing machine and a pair of scissors. A couple of mannequins stood nearby, one of which was wearing a rather elegant-looking dress. There were random pieces of fabric scattered all over the floor, accompanied by an unwound measuring tape that stretched across the whole room.

Up in the sky, the sun finally broke past the horizon, spilling light across the city and into the seventh floor apartment as the clock radio hit six.

Just a small town foal, livin' in a lonely world.
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere.
Just a city colt, born and raised in south Detrot.
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere.

A white hoof reached towards the radio but stopped just as it was about to hit the off button. With a yawn, the hoof’s owner rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Oh... what a lovely song to wake up to. She rolled herself off the bed, dragging most of the covers to the ground as she did so, and walked straight into the washroom.

The first thing she did was splash some water over her face, before taking a good, long look at her reflection in the mirror. “Ah, Rarity. You look beautiful today, as always,” she said to herself matter-of-factly.

She returned the bedroom and looked towards the clock radio: the time was now 6:03am. The radio continued to play, and she sang along with the music.

Don't stop, believin'! Hold on!
Streetlights, ponies ohhh!
Don't stop, believin'! Hold on to that feelin'!
Streetlights, ponies ohhh!

The song started to fade as a stallion's voice took over.

"That was ‘Journeigh’ with Don't Stop Believin'. What a classic! The time is four past six and it's shaping up to be a fine day. It's a little chilly outside, but it'll start to warm up in a couple of hours. The weather should be sunny throughout the day, with light showers starting in the evening. Expect to see the rai–"

The weather stallion's voice ended abruptly as Rarity finally decided to silence the radio.

She exited her bedroom through a set of double doors. In front of her was a large, open-spaced area, which served as a combination living room, dining room, and kitchen. The red velvet curtain to her right was thrust open as she tugged on the rope-like cord with her magic, revealing the glass wall that faced the streets below. The morning sun flooded in and blinded her for a second, causing her to squint as she turned around.

She slowly trod across the plush carpet covering the entire apartment – dark violet, much like the color of her mane. To her right was the living area, which consisted of a glass coffee table surrounded by several sofas of different shapes and sizes. There was a fireplace lodged into the wall behind them, but not the type that was regularly found in a normal home. It was really just a glass-covered concave inside the wall, and in the concave was something that looked suspiciously like a wooden log, but was actually a carefully-made replica. Illusionary flames would light up around the fake log when the fireplace was switched on, but it was the gemstone energy released from the vents below that provided the heat.

Just across the room was the kitchen and the dining area. A large, oval table stood near the center, and beside it was a polished granite kitchen counter – completely spotless – which reflected the sun’s rays onto the cupboards lining the wall. A bowl of assorted fruits and a set of knives sat on top of the counter, and various packs of cereals and snacks could be seen through one of the half-open cupboards above the refrigerator.

As Rarity made her way across the room, she almost tripped over something lying on the middle of the floor that turned out to be her sister’s backpack. That filly really needs to be more organized, she thought, forgetting that the messiest part of the apartment was usually her own room. Her eyes trailed up towards the door in front of her, behind which slept the owner of the offending object. She rolled her eyes and picked it up with her teeth before making her way inside.

"Sweetie Belle, time to get up!" Rarity said in a singsong voice after dropping the backpack. She started poking at her sister, who was sleeping on a bed in the middle of the room, the stain on her pillow getting ever larger as drool continued to flow from the filly’s open mouth.

Sweetie Belle buried her head deeper. "Ugh.... Five more minutes," she grumbled.

Rarity stopped her prodding and walked towards the door. "Alright, but you better be up before I come back. Eggs and toast?"

"Mmmph,” was the reply. Sweetie Belle was obviously in no mood to make any decisions regarding food at that moment.

Rarity made her way back to the kitchen area and hummed to herself as she started making breakfast. And before long, there were two picture-perfect plates of eggs and toast ready on the kitchen countertop.

"Breakfast is ready!" she shouted.

After a little while, Sweetie Belle emerged from her room, eyes still heavy with sleep, and slowly stumbled towards the dining table. Rarity floated the plates over, gently placing one of them in front of her sister before sitting down with her own plate.

As Rarity was about to take a bite into her toast, Sweetie Belle suddenly called out. “Sis?”

“Yes, dear?” the mare replied, her toast still floating in front of her.

“Can I go to Scootaloo’s place after school?”

“And who is going to look after you two?”

“Scoots said Mr. Soarin’ will be home.”

The floating toast slowly descended and rested itself on top of a poached egg. Rarity didn’t like this Mr. Soarin’. In fact, she didn’t like any of those Wonderbolts at all. While their public persona was that of performing – doing air shows and providing entertainment to wide-eyed fillies and colts, who admired them and considered them heroes – most ponies at GemTech knew the pegasus squad's main purpose was to do the company’s dirty work. Rumors of kidnapping, extortion, and even murder had been whispered throughout the office, but nopony was foolish enough to publicly raise such concerns.

Then again, all her sister wanted was to play with her friend. And although Soarin' was an enforcer, he did seem somewhat different from the other Wonderbolts she had come across. Just like herself, Soarin’ was caring for a filly on his own. And he had always been polite and respectful whenever they exchanged pleasantries in passing. Surely he wasn't going to do anything bad to Sweetie Belle, considering she was one of his niece's best friends.

"Uh... Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked after a few seconds, curious as to why her sister hadn't answered her.

"Oh, yes. I suppose that would be fine." Rarity nodded. "I will inform Miss Cheerilee that you may leave after normal classes today."

"Cool, thanks!" Sweetie Belle beamed before digging into her breakfast with a new-found vigor.

Rarity finished first and floated her plate into the kitchen sink. "Please go and get ready after you finish eating. We are leaving in twenty minutes," she said as she trotted into her room. She would have to be quick if she wanted to be ready in twenty minutes.

And so she began her usual routine: brushing her purple mane and tail into perfect curls before starting on her makeup. If there were awards given for one's skill in applying makeup, Rarity would no doubt own a great number of them.

After she was happy with her reflection in the mirror, she looked again at the clock radio – it was now 6:47am. She levitated a few essential things off her desk and into her saddlebag: her keys, purse, glasses, and gem card.

The gem card was one of GemTech's first inventions, its gem-encrusted strip capable of storing an impressive amount of information. There wasn't a pony in Equestria without a gem card nowadays. This card not only served as a form of official identification, it was also connected to the National Equestria Bank's database. Swiping it at any designated machine in Equestria allowed direct access to bank funds, eliminating the need to carry around heavy metal bits. Of course, both GemTech and the NEB charged a service fee, but it sure was convenient, especially when making expensive purchases.

Rarity slid on her saddlebag and secured it with her teeth, calling out as she exited the bedroom. "Ready to go?"

Sweetie Belle was already standing in front of her room with her little backpack. "I'm ready!"

"Oh my stars, darling! Your coiffure!" Rarity exclaimed, quickly levitating a comb and brushing through her sister's curly mane. "It looks like a rat's nest!"

"It's not that bad!" Sweetie Belle protested.

"A lady must look her best when going out," Rarity said with a lecturing tone, now moving on to the filly's tail.

After teasing out all the knots, Rarity finally put the comb down. "There, much better,” she said with a smile, admiring her own work.

"Can we go now?"

"Certainly!"

Once her sister had followed her out into the hallway, Rarity kicked the door shut and locked up her apartment, while Sweetie Belle rushed ahead and planted a hoof on the down button next to the elevator.

Ding!

"Hey Scoots!" Sweetie Belle hopped in as the doors were still opening up.

"Sweetie Belle!" an orange-coated pegasus filly called out excitedly at the sight of her friend.

Rarity followed her sister into the elevator, who was now already chatting happily with Scootaloo. The third pony inside greeted her with a nod. "Miss Rarity."

"Good morning, Mr. Soarin'.”

Soarin' looked absolutely terrible. His navy blue mane and tail were messy and disheveled, and his eyes and ears drooped with tiredness; Rarity guessed that he hadn't got a wink of sleep last night. She also noticed that one of his forelegs was dressed in bandages, but she decided not to pry.

Ding!

The four ponies exited and started walking through the lobby. As they approached the glass doors, Soarin' quickly stepped forward and held one of them open. The two fillies went through first, followed by Rarity, who flashed a smile of courtesy at the stallion as she passed by.

Once outside, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle took the lead, continuing to babble and giggle among themselves. The older ponies lagged a few meters behind, but made sure to stay close enough in case the fillies decided to get themselves into some sort of trouble.

Rarity decided to break the ice. "Sweetie Belle tells me that Scootaloo has invited her to play at your place after school today."

After a few seconds of silence, Rarity turned to see Soarin’ staring idly into the sky. "Mr. Soarin'?" she asked, eyeing him with curiosity.

The stallion blinked a few times in rapid succession before turning his head; it seemed that he had heard her that time. "Yeah?"

"I said Sweetie Belle tells me that your niece has invited her to play at your place today," Rarity repeated, a little concerned with Soarin's vapidity. "Are you alright, Mr. Soarin'?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was thinking about something." Soarin' apologized. "Yeah, she told me earlier. I have the day off so I can keep an eye on them, no problem."

"It's quite alright." Rarity brushed the mane out of her face with a hoof. "And thank you for offering to look after them, Mr. Soarin'."

"Please, just call me Soarin'. Mr. Soarin' just doesn't sound... right.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. "Alright then, Soarin'."

The pair continued to make small talk on topics such as the weather and their jobs. They shared a laugh when Soarin' asked about one of Rarity’s colleagues, a stallion who had a strange compulsion of needing to sniff things before he ate or drank them.

"What do you like to do in your spare time?" Soarin' asked, changing the subject to Rarity herself.

"Oh, my greatest passion is creating dresses," Rarity said. "I’ve always loved fashion. I even took a few classes when I was studying at the University."

"So, what made you go into the gemstone industry?" Soarin' inquired further.

"Gems were always my forte." Rarity looked back at the three diamonds on her flank. "I am especially good at finding them: I can cast a spell that allows me to sense them when they are nearby. I can even identify any gem with just magic."

"That's an amazing talent. I didn’t even know that was possible!" Soarin' said enthusiastically.

"Well yes, it is a rather unique skill," Rarity said with a grin. "But enough about me; how did you end up being a Wonderbolt?"

The stallion paused, his eyes now fixed on the ground below. "It... it's a rather long story. I don’t think you would be interested."

Rarity gave him a warm smile. "Try me."

Soarin' sighed softly, tilting his head up towards the sky. "I used to be a courier for the Equinetropolis post office, and I'm sure you know they don't exactly make much money. That didn't bother me, though, I enjoyed the work and it was enough to pay the bills.”

He stopped and closed his eyes for a second, taking in a deep breath. “But everything changed that night... when I got the letter saying that my sister and her husband had both died in some freak accident.... I’m Scootaloo’s only family now.”

"I... I am so sorry," Rarity said softly. "I did not mean to pry."

Soarin' turned around and shook his head. "No... it's OK. That was a long time ago.”

They looked at each other for a moment before resuming their trot. Soarin' fixed his gaze towards the sky again and continued telling his story.

"We were barely getting by with the money I was making. And without savings, I wasn't going to be able to provide Scootaloo with the future she deserves. I've always been a strong flier and I’d had combat training when I served the Royal Guards. So when I heard the Wonderbolts were recruiting, I auditioned, and was accepted not long after. The rest... is history."

Soarin' looked back towards Rarity as he finished his tale. "Although there are certain... aspects of the job I do not particularly care for, we all need to make sacrifices for the ones we love. I suspect the reasons that made us choose our professions are not so different."

Rarity thought about what he had said. Sweetie Belle had undeniably played a large role in her decision to not pursue fashion and take the secure, high paying job at GemTech. She opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t quite find the words she was looking for, and instead gave Soarin’ a single nod before walking on in silence.

The sudden change from idle chit-chat into something this serious had caught Rarity off guard. And she didn’t quite know why, but something about that story made all the suspicion and doubt come rushing back. Is that so, Mr. Wonderbolt? I wonder how many times you have told that little story of yours....

She huffed as her mind went blank for just a moment, but caught sight of Soarin’s innocent, earnest face. He didn’t seem like he was lying, and for some reason, that made her not want to believe him even more. Well, you are sorely mistaken if you think I’m going to believe you that easily! I’m going to need proof! Not jus–

“Huh? Is there something on my face?” Soarin’ asked, raising a hoof and rubbing his cheek.

“Oh, n...no!” Rarity turned her burning stare away. “It... it’s nothing.... Do forgive me.”

After a little while, the four reached their destination. There was a large stone tablet sitting on a patch of grass in front of the building.

Hooves and Tails Primary School and Daycare Center

Hooves and Tails was one of the most prestigious private schools in the city: it was almost impossible for an average pony to enroll their children there. The only way to get a spot was to be an extremely important pony – or be prepared to donate a substantial amount of money.

Luckily for Soarin' and Rarity, the school was funded by Mr. Rich, the founder and C.E.O. of GemTech, and any ponies with connections to him could get their fillies and colts into this fine establishment without so much as an interview.

"You got your lunch and books?" Soarin' asked, walking up to his niece.

"Yes.... You made me check twice before we left, remember?" Scootaloo answered in an exasperated tone.

Soarin' chuckled. "Alright then, you have a good day now." He turned towards Rarity. "I really need to go home and get some sleep. I had a... restless night. I'll come pick up the girls at three. You can come get Sweetie Belle whenever you get home from work. My room is on the tenth floor, room 1013."

Rarity nodded in appreciation. "Thanks again, Soarin'."

Soarin' returned with a nod of his own and took off into the sky.

"Let's go see Miss Cheerilee, shall we?" Rarity said as she trotted behind the two fillies, who were now already making their way into the school building.

They walked down the main hallway and past a couple of classrooms. Although it was still early, there were already quite a few students around, busy loading up their lockers with books and lunches. A pair of colts came barreling down the corridor, barely missing Rarity as they disappeared around a corner. Ruffians! she thought. The two fillies took a right and entered one of the rooms, and Rarity followed them inside.

A mare sitting at the teacher's desk greeted them as they entered. "Good morning, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo. Oh, Miss Rarity! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Good morning, Miss Cheerilee. I just came in to let you know that Mr. Soarin' will be picking up Sweetie Belle after school today."

"Of course! Thank you for telling me."

"Behave yourself, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity called out. "I do not want to hear anything about you causing trouble for Miss Cheerilee or Mr. Soarin'."

"Uh huh," Sweetie Belle murmured, barely acknowledging her sister. She and Scootaloo were already busy chatting with the other ponies in the class.

Rarity bid farewell to the teacher and started making her way back. Her thoughts immediately turning towards Soarin’. I... had I been presumptuous? He seemed sincere, and has done a great job of raising Scootaloo. You of all ponies know how hard it is to take care of a filly on your own. Perhaps I shouldn’t be so quick to judge somepony... especially without getting to know them first.

And before she knew it, she had reached the front gates of GemTech.

"Miss Rarity." One of the guards greeted her and opened the gates. Rarity had been working there for over two years now. Most guards recognized her and let her in without asking to see her card.

She made her way to the tall office building. Another set of guards were standing in front the glass doors, greeting her much like the previous guards had.

The ground floor of the office building was a lot like the complex she lived in, except on a much larger scale. She trotted through the massive lobby full of ponies and pressed the up button on the wall next to the elevators.

One of the doors opened up behind her, and a pegasus rushed past frantically with something in her mouth, causing many ponies to cry out in shock and annoyance as she narrowly missed them. This was a sight that Rarity had gotten used to; pegasi messengers were always speeding around between the office building and the reactor, though she never knew what urgent messages those letters carried. She stepped into the elevator and swiped her gem card on the device embedded on the far side of the elevator before pressing the button that read 45.

Any floor above 40 in this building had restricted access. If anypony wanted to go to those levels, they would need a card with high enough clearance. Guards were also stationed outside the elevators at every floor to make sure ponies weren't just using a card belonging to somepony else.

Rarity exited the elevator as it slid open on the 45th floor. The guards outside gave her a quick glance and nodded with approval.

Before her was a rectangular lab that spanned two floors; a wide staircase just in front of her led down to a massive pit that took up the entirety of the lower floor. Branching out in either direction were the corridors of the upper levels that stretched across the room’s circumference and joined together on the opposite side. A simple metal rail was the only thing keeping ponies from falling off, and one always had a great view of the floor below from anywhere on these upper catwalks. Doors lined the walls up here equidistantly, each leading to individual offices belonging to somepony who worked there, but most of them remained empty as the real work was done one floor down.

The work pit had no individual rooms or sections, and was creatively dubbed ‘Lab 44’ by the scientists who worked there. Milling about in their lab coats and safety goggles, they sat at the edge of long metal tables, fiddling with gemstones using various high-tech equipment and curious gadgets. A few of them worked in pairs, attempting to unlock hidden secrets of the gems they were researching, while others found themselves busy just walking around and delivering equipment from one station to another.

Rarity took a left and made her way down the catwalk, entering an office at the very end. There was a small plaque on the door.

Geological Prospector and Topographer: Rarity

Her office wasn't very large, but it wasn't cramped either. Multiple corkboards hung from the walls with maps pinned to them, each marked with lines and crosses. A desk and chair occupied the far side of the room, and behind them was a large window with a stunning view of the city.

Rarity unstrapped her saddlebag and placed it on the floor next to her desk. She then slipped on the white lab coat hanging behind the door before putting on her glasses with a levitation spell.

It was a rather uneventful day at work – it usually was when she was at the office. Most of the time she would be traveling all over Equestria, using her unique ability to find worthy gemstone deposits for the company to mine. She had found a very promising site about a week ago. It was under an apple orchard owned by a family of farmer ponies.

She was quite disappointed when the family rejected the contract GemTech had couriered over, but that was nothing compared to her surprise when the company sent her back home without making a better offer. She detailed in her report that it was one of the richest deposits she had ever found, and that she felt something unique and incredibly powerful underneath that farm. It wasn't like GemTech to pass up lucrative opportunities like that.

After what seemed like an eternity, the day had finally come to an end after some map doodling, a few conversations, and a whole lot of sitting around. But just as she slipped off her lab coat, there was a knock on the door followed by an earth pony mare entering her office. She had a blonde mane and a dark brown coat. Rarity recognized her as one of Mr. Rich's secretaries.

"Miss Rarity, Mr. Rich would like to see you in his office," she said.

"Certainly." Rarity nodded. "Would you happen to know the purpose of this meeting?"

The mare shook her head. "No, Mr. Rich just said he wanted a quick word with you before you left," she explained, turning towards the door. "Now, if you would please follow me."

She escorted Rarity to the fiftieth floor. After exiting the elevators, they came across a large reception area. There were two sets of sofas and coffee tables on either side that served as the waiting area for ponies who wanted to meet with the high-level employees on this floor.

Right now, the area was almost empty. Four guards stood near the elevators, and a single receptionist sat behind the long, marble counter near the back wall, flipping through what looked like a lifestyle magazine.

"This way please." The earth pony led Rarity down a large hallway. They passed some offices, a few conference rooms, and a fancy-looking cafe that was now closed.

The corridor opened into a circular area, bordered by sofas and small glass tables holding stacks of magazines. An onyx counter in the shape of a semicircle occupied the center, and behind it were several empty chairs. Directly across from the two mares was a massive double door made of polished wood, adorned with large, gold lettering.

Mr. Rich
C.E.O.

"Looks like Mr. Rich is just finishing up a meeting, I'm sure it won't be long," the secretary said, gesturing towards the sofas before sitting down behind the counter.

Rarity nodded and sat down. Seeing that there was nothing to do but wait, she retrieved a fashion magazine from the stack and started flicking through the pages.

---

"So, you're saying one of your squad members saved the Apple family?" Mr. Rich was sitting in his chair, leaning forward with his forelegs cupped over the huge oak desk in front of him.

A pegasus mare with a golden coat lounged on a sofa across from him. Her wild orange mane had a lighter streak in the middle. "Yeah, my brother said Soarin' went back and pulled them out after the house was already on fire."

"And where is the family now?"

"My scouts tell me they have been moved to Equinetropolis General Hospital. Apparently one of them has recovered. Want us to finish the job?" The mare smirked.

Mr. Rich held a hoof out. "Wait, you said that the family and the ponies in Ponyville don't suspect a thing, right?"

"Yeah, those ignorant ponies are calling Soarin' a hero." The pegasus laughed. "Morons."

Mr. Rich leaned back and crossed his forelegs. "Leave them be."

"And Soarin'?" The mare sat up. "Want me to teach that idiot a lesson?" she asked, now hovering above the ground, pumping her wings eagerly.

"In due time, Captain Spitfire. We can work this towards our favor if we play our cards right," Mr. Rich said. "Keep me informed of the situation. And make sure this... Soarin' character doesn't do anything stupid."

Spitfire rolled her eyes and floated towards the door. "Whatever you say, boss."

---

Rarity looked over her magazine when she heard the door open. A Wonderbolt she recognized as Spitfire gave her a glance before hovering down the hallway.

"Miss Rarity? Mr. Rich will see you now," the secretary called out.

"Thank you." Rarity stood up, walking past the counter and into the large corner office.

"Ah, Miss Rarity! Thank you for coming up." The business tycoon greeted her as soon as she entered the office. "Please, take a seat."

"Of course." Rarity sat down on the edge of one of the sofas. "How can I help you, sir?"

"Straight to the point, I like that." Mr. Rich pulled out a folder from the desk in front of him. He scanned through the contents for a few seconds before speaking. "I’ve called you here to discuss your report on the Sweet Apple Acres acquisition."

"What would you like to know, sir?"

Mr. Rich flipped through the pages. "I see you that you wrote here you found something... unique and incredibly powerful there. Could you elaborate on that?"

"Oh, yes. There was something under the farm I had never felt before. It was very powerful... like an extremely concentrated piece of gemstone," Rarity explained, her eyes now gleaming with interest. She had been wondering what it was that she felt under the farm that day, and she suspected that if anypony knew what it was, it would be Mr. Rich.

The mogul stood up and walked over to a large safe embedded in the side of the wall. He punched in a long series of numbers and opened it up, pulling something out with his hooves.

He presented the item to Rarity. "Was it something like this?"

Rarity stared at the gemstone dumbfounded. It was like nothing she had ever seen in all her years of studying and working in the industry.

The gem was large and perfectly spherical. The coloring and surface reminded her of a typical ruby, though she had never seen any ruby that large or of that shape. But the most interesting thing about it was that she could see an indistinct shape swirling inside the sphere, leaving behind trails of black that dissipated as quickly as they had formed.

"What in the world is that?" She gasped loudly, momentarily forgetting to keep up her professional demeanor.

"It's something the scientists are calling a quintessence," Mr. Rich said. "I'm sure you have many questions, but what I need to know now is if this is the same energy you felt at Ponyville."

Rarity nodded and composed herself. "Oh, of course!" She closed her eyes and concentrated. The light blue aura of the gem scanning spell pulsed from her body into her horn, then dispersed to the area surrounding her, like a ripple in perfectly still waters.

A few seconds later, she opened her eyes. "Yes! It is rather similar in terms of concentration," she said excitedly. "But the type of energy it contains feels... different. This one feels a lot like a ruby while the one at the farm felt more like a zircon."

"Ah... interesting," Mr Rich mused, returning the orb back to his safe. "The scientists also guessed there may be different kinds of these quintessences. Thank you, Miss Rarity. I'm sure they will be requiring your services in the near future."

Rarity beamed. "Oh, I would love to help. That quintessence is absolutely marvelous!"

Mr. Rich looked at the excited unicorn for a while, tapping his hooves in silent contemplation before finally speaking. “Well... Miss Rarity. If you would really like to help, I have a research team dedicated to studying these quintessences, and I believe you would make a great addition. It pays well, and I’m certain you will find the work to be very fascinating.”

“Oh, sir... I... I am no-”

Mr. Rich held a hoof out to interrupt the stuttering mare. “Don’t answer now. Take a few days to think it over. If you are interested, come back and we will discuss it further.”

He reached down and pulled out another folder from his desk. Rarity managed to catch a glimpse of the cover, noting the word ‘Apple’.

A sly smile appeared across Mr. Rich’s face. “Now, I do have one more thing I’d like you to do for me.”

-END OF CHAPTER 2-

Comments

[herpyderpy]

Sorry about the delayed update, assignments and Diablo 3 taking up all my time.

I hope to have the next chapter out in about two weeks, hope y'all enjoy this one!

[Rocket0007]

The devious vs the delusional: what a spooky AU you have created there.

[Veradon Chimera]

I'm really interested in the world you are building in this story; ponies in modern day metropolis is just a very intriguing concept. Can't wait to see how the other main characters slot into this world. The first couple of chapter are promising a thrilling experience (The first season of Heroes comes to mind, for some reason), so I'm definitely staying tuned for future chapter to see if you can deliver.
Keep up the good work.

[herpyderpy]

643889
Not quite sure if 'spooky' is the feel I am going for, but I hope you're enjoying it nonetheless.

646519
Always so great to hear from readers! Glad you're liking it so far.

[Timeless River]

This place sounds like America- Overly Capitalist and corrupt.
I mean, that sets a great background for a story, and I'm not complaining.

I wonder what Twilight's doing...

[Borg]

You know, I really don't like the name "Equinetropolis." I do not like the way it sounds at all.

Some context on Soarin'. That's nice to have.

So what I'm getting is that GemTech is quite vulnerable to changelings.

Well then. You've given us a small piece of a story about Dash's quintessence; will we be receiving a story about Dash's self in the next chapter?