//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: The Legend of Rarity: Zecora's Mask // by LittleAngelStocking //------------------------------// Rarity groaned. She’d NEVER find the flower! She stepped carefully over a mossy log, and continued her search. Celestia’s sunlight barely seeped in through the thick canopy of leaves above. Rarity sighed in aggravation. She was looking for an extremely rare flower, known as Moonflowers. Rarity had only ever seen pictures of such flowers, but never actually seen one in person. The white unicorn sighed yet again. She probably shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up, but she was working on a dress for Princess Luna, the Moon Princess wanted to attend the Gala this year and the color scheme of the flowers would have gone perfectly. Plus, how many could honestly say they had seen one? Rarity told herself not to get excited, she knew it would probably lead to disappointment, but there was still no harm in trying. Rarity yawned; she’d been out here a few hours. Not that it really mattered; it was Saturday so the Boutique was closed. She looked around. Trees, strange plants, trees, vines, trees, mud, and trees. Bothersome. She sighed, she should have worn boots, to keep her hooves from getting dirty, but all her boots were fancy and she didn’t want them getting dirty. And she absolutely refused to wear those bulky work boots, the kind that Applejack would wear. She used her magic to open her saddlebags and pulled out a picture, she admired it. It was a drawing of a moonflower. It was a beautiful violet color, with a dark blue center. Its petals swirled out in kind of a pinwheel shape, she sighed. She rolled it up and stuffed it back in her bag. It was getting dark; she should probably be heading home soon. Rarity turned around – and was immediately greeted by the sight of two rather large eyes staring right at her. She let out a startled shriek, leaping backwards, she fell back, and hit her head on a rock, knocking her out. “Woah!” Scootaloo said, “Rarity, are you okay?” the filly ran next to the fashionista, and shook her gently. “Sorry! Rarity?” “Don’t worry about her, she’s fine!” a high pitched voice behind her said. “I don’t think she looks fine, Sweetie” said Apple Bloom appearing beside Scootaloo. “She’s fine, you guys!” Sweetie Belle said, trotting up to her unconscious sister. “She always overreacts.” “Are... are you sure?” Apple Bloom nudged Rarity’s side. She was on her back, her hooves in the air. “I didn’t mean to knock her out,” Scootaloo said quietly. “You should’ve been more careful,” Apple Bloom said. “How was I supposed to know she’d do that?!” “You shouldn’t have done that,” “Done what? Pranking her was your idea!” “No it wasn’t, it was Sweetie Belle’s!” “Both of you, quiet!” Sweetie Belle shouted, silencing them both. “Fine,” Apple Bloom said, “But Sweetie Belle, can you take that mask off? It’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.” Sweetie Belle, looked at her, (If anypony could tell,) she wore a heart-shaped purple mask with strange designs, orange eyes and spikes on the sides and top. “What? No way! This mask is great!” “I agree, I think it looks awesome!” Scootaloo said, momentarily forgetting the unconscious unicorn on the forest floor. Sweetie Belle went back to whatever it was she was doing – which happened to be rummaging around in Rarity’s saddlebags. “What’re ya doin’?” Apple Bloom asked, as Sweetie Belle pulled out a beautiful, shiny blue instrument. “I’ve never seen this before,” Sweetie stared at the instrument. How could she see through that mask? “Hey, that’s a pretty instrument!” Apple Bloom pointed with a hoof. “Hey, I just got an idea!” Scootaloo piped up, “Maybe our special talents are playing funny lookin’ instruments!” “CUTE MARK CRUSADERS FUNNY LOOKING INSTRUMENT PLAYERS YAY!” The three shouted together, and Scootaloo snatched the instrument from Sweetie Belle. She closed her lips around the mouthpiece, and tried to play. As soon as she started, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom covered their ears, “Ow! Hey, cut it out!” Apple Bloom snatched it, “Lemme show how a real talented musician does it!” She tried to play, and spit it out. “I sound as bad as Scootaloo,” she sighed sadly. “I didn’t sound that bad," “Yes you did,” Apple Bloom laughed. Sweetie Belle took back the instrument. She lifted the mask a bit so she could get to the mouth-piece, and tried to play. “Ugh, it’s got holes! We can’t play it with hooves!” “Maybe it was made by dragons,” Apple Bloom scratched her head with the tip of her hoof, “Doesn’t spike have fingers?” “Wicked cool!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “We have an instrument crafted by dragons!” “We don’t know that, you dodo,” Sweetie Belle laughed, not noticing a drowsy Rarity slowly standing up behind her. “Wha- wha…. What?” Rarity mumbled, Sweetie Belle whirled around, “WOAH!” She quickly stuffed the instrument into Scootaloo’s mouth, and looking at her sister innocently. (Not that anypony could tell, what with the mask) Rarity blinked, “Oh Sweetie Belle! Where did you get that simply DREADFUL mask?!” “It’s not dreadful!” Sweetie shouted, “It’s awesome!” Rarity huffed, and noticed Scootaloo with her instrument. “Scootaloo! My ocarina! Were you looking through my saddlebags?” “Mmph!” Scootaloo spat out the strange blue instrument, “Blegh! No! It was Sweetie Belle,” She pointed at the masked unicorn filly. Suddenly, without any warning, Sweetie snatched the ocarina off the ground, and leaped up onto Rarity’s back. “Cutie mark crusaders rider, yay!” Rarity reared back on two legs with a startled cry, and ran forward, not expecting this at all. “Wait for us!” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo shouted. “Sweetie!” Rarity shrieked, galloping as fast as her legs would carry her. She tripped over a branch, sending her flying forward onto her face. Sweetie Belle fell off of her sisters back, and still grasping the ocarina in her teeth she ran forward. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom ran past, “Sweetie Belle!” they called, “Wait up!” Rarity lay there for a moment, dazed. Then she got to her hooves, and shaking the filth from her coat she galloped full speed ahead. “SWEETIE BELLE!” Rarity galloped through the forest, leaping over logs and finding herself in an open space. A cave stood ahead, and Sweetie Belle rushed in followed by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. Rarity almost froze with terror – that cave could belong to a manticore or pack of timber wolves for all they knew! “GIRLS!” she shouted, and ran into the cave. It wasn’t as, well, ‘cavey’ as she had thought. The floor was grassy, moss and vines seemed to dance across the ceiling, a crack let a little bit of sunlight through… not that there was much sunlight; the sky had grown much darker. In front of her were several upright logs, the trees had been cut in such a way that it seemed to form steps. Rarity leaped gracefully up each step, and galloped into another entrance – only to skid to a halting stop. She shrieked as she almost fell into a black, seemingly bottomless pit. She teetered, trying to regain her balance. A bit of the ledge broke away, and she fell. Rarity screamed. And screamed, and screamed and screamed. Colorful shapes seemed to dance around her, but she couldn’t really make out the shapes. Finally, she hit the ground. The very soft ground, the wind was knocked out of her. She lay there; stunned. Slowly, she rose to her very shaky hooves. She stood in a dark room, on a pink flower surrounded by a puddle of water. The ceiling was dark, and there was a hole above from where she had fallen. A hole in the ceiling let some light in, and lit up the center of the room like a spotlight. Strange, Rarity thought, she must be several hundred feet underground, how was sunlight getting in? And there in the middle of the room stood Sweetie Belle, still wearing that awful mask. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stood on either side of her, looking at Rarity with wide eyes. “Are you... okay?” Apple Bloom took a hesitant step forward, but Sweetie Belle held out a hoof stopping her. “Why, hello dear sister.” The filly cocked her head, Rarity could hear the grin in her voice. “Sweetie Belle! Oh, thank Celestia you’re safe!” “I am.” Sweetie Belle said. “You should have seen the look on your face when you fell! Ha!” Rarity frowned; “Sweetie! I could have… I could have died! And you three as well, I’m so glad you’re safe…” she sighed. Was it just her, or was Sweetie Belle acting strangely. “Sweetie belle, it’s hard to speak to you when you’re wearing that hideous thing. Please take it off? For your sister?” “Pfft, no way!” Sweetie cried, “This thing is amazing! Zecora was so nice to just give it away like she did!” Rarity arched an eyebrow, “Zecora gave you that? Well, I suppose that explains it’s… interesting look…” Rarity bit her lip. The mask was hideous! “Actually,” Apple Bloom said, “Sweetie Belle took it when-“ She was interrupted by Sweetie’s marshmellow colored hoof stuffing itself in her mouth “Shh!!” Rarity gasped dramatically; “You stole it?! Sweetie! Didn’t you three learn your lesson with the Cutie-Pox incident?!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom lowered their heads. “We didn’t steal it;” Sweetie insisted. “Zecora gave to us as... a gift! She said that…. That… that we were so helpful, she’d give us a reward!” Rarity glared. Sweetie turned her head, adjusting the mask with a hoof. “The mask is mine! Anyway,” She said, slowly turning back to face her older sister. “I’m bored, and I think you should play with us. Right, girls?” She turned to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who just stared, unsure. “Whatever,” again she turned to Rarity. “Sweetie Belle, I’ve had enough of your nonsense! We’ll talk about this later. Right now we need to figure a way out of here.” She craned her neck, trying to see some form of escape. Wait a moment, there was a door on the other end of the room. “No!” Sweetie said, “You stay right where you are!” Rarity sighed. “Sweetie Belle…” “No! You’re not the boss of me!” “Well, actually…” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo started at the same time, but Sweetie Belle interrupted them; “Rarity, play with me!” “Sweetie Belle, maybe later, but right now we need to get out of here!” “No we don’t. We have all the time in the world…” “C’mon, Sweetie,” Apple Bloom said quietly,” The sun was sett’n when we got here… Applejack’s gonna be mighty worried…” “Yeah,” Scootaloo said, “We should go.” “NO!” Sweetie’s voice cracked, “I’m not done yet! I haven’t started yet!” Rarity wasn’t paying to Sweetie Belle’s nonsense attention anymore. She looked at the puddle surrounding the flower she stood on, wondering if she could get off without getting her hooves wet. “Stay right where you are,” Sweetie belle said. She focused her energy, and Rarity prepared to jump over the puddle. “I said stay!” Sweetie growled again, and suddenly something happened. The other two fillies gasped, and jumped back. Rarity felt something envelope her. “Sweetie BELLE!” She shouted, what was happening? She felt herself changing. She wasn’t sure how, but she was. She was surrounded by a bright light. The colors seemed to swirl around her, pink, then green, then purple. She screamed, “SWEETIE BELLE!” Sweetie Belle’s laugh could be heard, although Rarity couldn’t tell if it was joyful or just plain maniacal. Maybe both? Rarity was lying on her stomach. She groaned, she heard two fillies gasp. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, no doubt. But… what were they gasping about? Rarity heard Sweetie Belle shout with glee; “Haha! That’s hilarious! That’s such a good look for you, sis! You can stay here lookin’ like that forever!” Sweetie Belle turned on her hooves and galloped towards the door. “Wait up!” “Slow down!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom cried, chasing after Sweetie Belle. The massive door opened, then as the Cutie-Mark-Crusaders ran through it slammed shut with a force that made the whole room tremble. Rarity groaned – and got to her hooves. Something didn’t feel right. Had everything gotten bigger? She frowned, and took a few steps forward. She looked down, peering at her reflection in the water. Her eyes widened in shock, she gasped, moving backwards until her rump hit the wall, yet her front hooves still pawed at the flower trying to move back. She was a little filly. “SWEEETIE BEEEEEEELLE!!”