Maud soon found herself trotting hastily towards Ponyville. There was a chill in the air, and things were foggier than ever, but nevertheless, the mare entered town. Her goal was simply to visit Rarity, but she knew there was more to this journey than just that. She also knew by now that all this must’ve been nothing more than a dream, because she hadn’t arrived by train. She didn’t even remember getting the letter from Rarity saying that she could come on by. All this added up in her mind, but it didn’t change anything.
Maud had arrived there for a purpose. She doesn’t dream much, so when she does, it’s because her mind is trying to tell her something. This was just daunting, though. To see the town utterly deserted scared Maud. It even terrified her, but nopony would have ever known by looking at her face. The only thing there that Maud could honestly make out was the Carousel Boutique, so not wanting to be in the outside any longer, Maud hurried herself along. She couldn’t stop this feeling from building up inside her, either. It was as if all throughout her visit to Ponyville thus far, she was being followed by something.
It wasn’t much better in the boutique. Darkness prevailed over any fragile source of light. The only thing Maud could make out besides the four walls around her, the floor and the roof was a flight of curving stairs. She chose to follow them, and in little time at all, she found her in Rarity’s room. On the far side of where Maud stood was Rarity. As usual, she was hard at work with her designs, so much that she hadn’t even heard Maud intrude. Maud figured it was either that, or she was choosing not to.
“Rarity?” Maud asked, but got no answer. “I came to visit… Rarity?”
“Humph!”
That’s all that left Rarity’s lips. A strong, rude gruff, as if Maud had done something unspeakable. “Is… everything alright?” Maud asked, lost in the experience.
“Fine.” Rarity stepped away from her work to finally face her guest. “Just fine.”
She scowled at Maud, making it more than just difficult for the earth pony to keep herself together. “Just fine?” She looked at Rarity blankly, but she could feel her forehooves tapping out of nervousness. “How can that be when your looking at me like that? Has something happened?”
Rarity refused to answer that question just yet. Instead, she brought forth the diamond she had gotten from the very friend she was currently facing, and smirked devilishly. Maud watched it floating inside Rarity’s magic, and then felt her jaw drop as it was thrown away in the trash. She even made a slight sigh of anguish. Nopony had ever seen her look like that before.
With squinted eyes, and a smile formed from the displeasure of others, Rarity spoke just loud enough for Maud to listen, even when she tried not to. “Your note said it all. How you wanted to show me how much I mean to you… You have an adorable little crush on me, don’t you, Maud Pie?”
Maud had been making eye contact up until Rarity asked this. She looked away, showing way too much emotion now to think clearly. All she could say before finally collapsing was, “This must be a dream.”
“Hmm?” Rarity asked. “A dream? Don’t be absurd.” Rarity just kept talking while Maud concentrated on the words she'd just spoken. "What makes you think I'd have anything to do with you?"
"I just... thought..."
Rarity laughed, cutting off what Maud had to say. "Oh, please! You thought wrong. I'd never, ever be with you."
All Maud could hear after that was the cackling of Rarity’s spiteful laughter. Even that, though, went away once she began telling herself this truth. Then, all she could hear was hoof steps. They were familiar, but distanced. It wasn’t Rarity, because she was gone now; Maud just knew it. This was somepony else, but with Maud's head covered by her hooves, she could barely anything except the wooden floor beneath her. Finally, the hoof steps ended right in front of her, and Maud looked up.
Just as she suspected, it was Princess Luna. This wasn’t the first time Maud had the pleasure of basking in her lunar glory, so she greeted the princess the same way she always did. She bowed, and then stood up straight to look at her. Luna kept her eyes fixed on Maud, and then asked, “You’re actually in love with Rarity?”
Maud didn’t mean to gulp just then, but the inquiry from her highness caught her off guard. “Err… I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just sort of did.”
Luna nodded, and said, “I see… There’s nothing wrong with it, but I thought I’d just see if you wanted my help. You might just need it, though, considering the dream you just endured.”
Maud shook her head. “I’ve got this under control. Just…”
“What is it, my little pony? I will answer your question as best I can.”
Maud took a leap of faith, and asked, “I think you probably don't even know, but does Rarity feel the same way as I do towards her?”
Luna blushed, knowing all too well that she couldn’t answer that directly. Instead, she teased, “Let’s just say that because of events in her life, she doesn’t seem to be looking for a relationship with a stallion right now.”
Following that was nothing but more fog. Maud had awoken, and never had her room felt stranger after that. Regardless of her dream, Maud got out of bed with a slight headache only to get started on her work for the day. As one might expect, the answer she had received from the princess just before her awakening would linger in her mind.