//------------------------------// // Rarity // Story: The Presence // by Lunar Specter //------------------------------// Rarity wasn’t much of an early riser, but this particular morning she woke a few hours before the sun had even risen. She was stirred from her beauty sleep by a strong and sudden magical presence. Now Rarity may not be the strongest unicorn, that honor goes to her good friend Twilight Sparkle, but she was gifted with magic and could easily sense when there was a magical disturbance in the air. And this magical disturbance was unlike any she had ever felt in terms of power. Her plan was to investigate this disturbance…once her appearance was presentable, that is. It would be a crime against fabulosity if Rarity were to go out in public with bed-mane, and so Rarity began the (hours-long) process of washing and styling her mane. She had just finished washing her mane when an urgent knocking began at the entrance to the boutique. Letting out a groan of frustration, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped her mane up in a towel. “Can’t a pony have a little privacy…” She muttered to herself, “COMING!!” She made her way to the portion of her home reserved for her business, the Carousel Boutique, and began to unlock the door. It swung open to reveal a certain panicked young dragon…who immediately pushed his way past her and began digging through some of her desks, ignoring the surprised shriek of the house’s occupant. Confused, Rarity shut and locked the door and turned back toward the dragon. “Now Spike, it is rude to just barge in on somepony like this.” She scolded. “S-sorry…Rarity…but…Twilight…a-and…explosion…need…letter…” Out of breath from his sprint to Rarity’s house, this was all of Spike’s response that she was able to catch. Rarity walked over to where Spike was currently throwing designs around the room in his desperate search through a drawer and gently pulled him away. “Now Spike, just catch your breath for a minute, I couldn’t make out half of what you said.” Having apparently mostly recovered from being out of breath, he began to speak immediately. “Something’s happened to Twilight and I need to write a letter to the Princess!” He didn’t wait for a response. He turned around and continued digging through drawers. Noticing the dragon’s panicked and scared looked, Rarity began to wonder about the fate of her friend. “Spike, what happened to Twilight?” Another thought crossed her mind. “Why are you looking for something to write with here? Don’t you have plenty of quills and scrolls at the library?...Spike?” Rarity’s questions fell on deaf ears. Spike had found a quill and a piece of parchment and was furiously scribbling down something, too absorbed in his task to notice her questions. Almost as soon as he began writing, he was done and they both watched as the parchment incinerated under his magical flame. “Spike? What’s going…” An explosion rocked the boutique. The front door flew across the store, violently slamming against the wall. Works-in-progress and detailed designs flew around the room. Behind it all was a certain purple unicorn. “Hello, Rarity.” Rarity was disoriented by the sudden explosion, but that voice rang clear. She turned to see the silhouette of her friend in the center of a huge hole blown into the side of her home and business. “Twilight?” A dark chuckle filled the room. “Correct.” Twilight began to walk across the room. “Have you seen Spike? I’ve…seen to lost track of him.” Everything was all wrong about her friend. Her appearance…her voice…her demeanor…all so unlike her friend. “Dear, are you okay?” “Just fine….now, you didn’t answer my question.” “I’m sorry?” Rarity was thrown off by just how malicious her friend sounded. There was a flash and Twilight was instantly in front of her, glaring furiously down at her. “Spike! Where is he?!” she said in a dangerous growl. Rarity backed away from her, fear and concern evident in her eyes. “H-he…was just here.” “Well he isn’t now, is he? Where did he go?” Twilight demanded. “Huh?” Rarity quickly glanced around the room. Spike was nowhere to be seen, she figured he probably ran off after the explosion. “I-I don’t know! He was just here a minute ago.” Twilight backed off and seemed to contemplate these words. “No matter,” she dismissed the matter, a dark, twisted smile growing on her face. “I’ll get him another time. It is you, Element of Generosity, that I am really after.” Rarity was at a loss for words, instead choosing to slowly inch backwards. Something was definitely not right; could this really be her friend? Soon she felt something press against her back and she realized she had backed into a wall. Twilight had matched her movements and even now, continued to slowly advance on her, that same twisted smile on her face. Rarity had never been so afraid, that twisted smile and the dark glint in her friend’s eyes caused a bone-chilling fear to tear through her. Rarity didn’t know what her friend was talking about, what intentions she had, but they were malicious, she knew that. Twilight’s horn began to glow and the fear and anxiety overwhelmed her. She fainted.