Dawn of the First Day
-72 hours remain-
Rarity groaned in frustration. She’d searched the entire town, and found no signs of Sweetie Belle and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The town wasn’t that big, there were four areas surrounding the clock tower in the middle. She’d asked ponies if they’d seen anything, but no…
She sighed, and plopped down on the grass. Quite unladylike, but there really wasn’t anywhere else to sit right now. She looked around; she was in the north side of town. Pretty much the whole thing was a sort of playground. She could see a young orange-coated colt wearing a red bandanna around his neck using some sort of tube to shoot darts at a large blue balloon. It didn’t pop, those must be some weak darts, Rarity figured. Why is he doing that anyway?
Rarity sighed, and trotted up to him. “You know, you’re never going to pop it that way,” she said. He gave her a weird look,
“Yes I can.”
“No, I’ve been watching you. You can’t do it.”
“I’ll show you,” he retorted and grabbed another dart, putting it in his mouth and then the shoot. He shot it, than when it failed again he growled in annoyance.
“I don’t have time for this,” Rarity sighed. “Look, have you seen a white-coated filly about my age, with a pink and purple mane and an ugly mask?”
“I might have,” he said.
Rarity frowned. “Are you going to tell me?”
“I don’t know. Can you pop that balloon?”
Rarity turned at the big blue balloon floating above. She once again focused all her energy into her horn. Once again, a few sparks but nothing more. She sighed, and noticed the colt was staring at her. “You… you’re a unicorn…”
Rarity cocked her head, “Yes. Yes I am.”
He stared. “Wow… a real live unicorn! I thought they were extinct!”
“Extinct? Why of course not,” Rarity huffed. Suddenly, he leaped towards her, with no time to react he shoved himself underneath her and jumped up, sending her flying up and hitting the balloon with her horn, popping it. She shrieked, and fell back down the short distance onto her back. She just laid there, eye twitching. “You popped the balloon,” the colt stated with a mischievous grin. Rarity got to her hooves, her face reddened in anger, but she swallowed it back. If this colt knew where Sweetie was, she needed to know. “So… you’ll tell me where they are?”
“Hey, I ain’t tellin’ you THAT easy.” He remarked, and reached under his bandanna pulling out a whistle. He blew hard; and four colts galloped over from different areas and took his side. “Listen unicorn, if you can find and tag all five of us before sundown, I’ll tell you.”
Rarity scoffed, she was in no mood for these childish games! But… what was she to expect?
“…Fine.”
“Excellent! The rules are no going inside of buildings, and no cheating with magic or something. Spread out!” he shouted, and he along with the other colts ran off.
Rarity didn’t like the way he called her unicorn. And why did he think they were extinct? Huh. With a sigh Rarity galloped off in search of them.
~~~
It didn’t take Rarity as long as she thought it would to find them; the town was small but still she expected to get lost. She found the leader behind the playground, and another nearby. The other two were in the east part of town, one of them was by the exit of the town; and the other was on the roof of an Inn.
Finally the last one was found in the west part of town; she’d caught him just as the guard was keeping him from leaving the town-limits.
Finally they all assembled back by the playground. “I found you all; now tell me where my sister is!” Rarity said, she was tired and just wanted to find her sister. No more games!
“I dunno.” The ‘leader’ of the group shrugged.
Rarity’s eyelid twitched. “….What?”
“I said I don’t know,”
“You… you… you…” Rarity was shaking. “You said you knew!”
“Did I? I don’t remember, anyway. I know who you’re talking about, but I don’t know where she is now. I might know somepony who does, though.”
Rarity calmed down just a bit; “Okay then. Who? Tell me! No more games, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me!”
“Woah, chill out!” he exclaimed, “Listen, we have a hideout and there’s an old stallion who lives up there. C’mere, I’ll tell you the password, just calm down!”
He motioned for her to lean in close and she did, eager to finally get to somepony who could tell her where Sweetie Belle was. “Listen, the password is one, three, five, two, four. The entrance to the hideout is in east Clock Town.”
Clock town! Is that what this place is called? “Excellent! Thank you!” she said with a smile. What? A lady never holds a grudge.
Rarity galloped as fast as her little legs would carry her; before skidding to a stop. Surely enough there was another colt in front of the entrance, THIS one wearing an orange thing around his neck. He stood in front of a small gap in the buildings. Rarity stepped up to him and he stood up straight. “What’s the password,” he asked. He had a quiet voice that reminded Rarity of Fluttershy. “One, three, five, two and four.” Rarity said.
“Yeah, that’s correct,” he said and moved out of the way. “Are you a new member of the club? I’ve never seen you before.”
“No,” Rarity said. “I just need to find somepony. Then I’ll be out of your mane.”
“Okay.” He shrugged and Rarity galloped down a ramp into the darkness below.
“Uh… hello?"
Rarity called. It was very dim down here. And smelled bad, too! The place was dimly lit by torches. She looked around; she could hear the sound of a clock, she took a few careful steps forward. The stone felt cold and damp under her hooves.
Disgusting!
If she had to guess, she’d say she was in a sewer.
Ew! Rarity was disgusted. What kind of hideout was in a sewer? Ugh, colts!
She took a few steps forward, and quickly back away when her hoof stepped into not stone, but water. “Gross!” she shook out her hoof furiously, trying to get rid of any germs that were on it.
She could see a few platforms ahead, in the water just a leap away leading to a longer hallway. Okay… she backed away, and took what felt like the millionth running leap that day. If the time she was in that cave after being transformed counted as today, at least. Oh, gross! The platform was slightly underwater!
Ew ew ew ew EW! She leaped onto the other as fast as she could, and with one more jump she landed on the dry ground of the other side.
“Ewwww!” she wiped her hooves furiously on the ground, “Disgusting! Foul! Vile!”
How much longer before I find him? She thought irritably. She trotted down the hallway, as it got darker she instinctively tried to use her horn to light the way, when it failed she sighed miserably.
She wasn’t sure whether feel angry at Sweetie or not, if what Zecora said was true then the filly was possessed… but she DID steal the mask, so…
Rarity decided it was just the masks fault. Still, once this was all over Sweetie was going to be grounded for life!!
Rarity came to the end of this hall, and continued on the right. She went on, and found herself trotting down some steps, across a large, filthy square room with water dripping from the ceiling. There were more steps in front of her, and another balloon like the one that colt had used her horn to pop.
Rarity trotted up and shoved the balloon out of the way, finding more darkness and a little further in another room. This didn’t look like the rest, though… quite the opposite actually.
The floor was brightly colored, as were the walls and ceiling. There were boxes and jars everywhere, some holding plants. Sad yet pretty music played from a phonograph on one of the boxes. “Now this is more like a hideout,” Rarity mused out loud. She walked up the colorful, shiny steps on the right side of the room; they circled around the room once before coming to a stop at the top.
Up there, she saw a telescope that would have made Twilight Sparkle jealous. An elderly blue stallion with a graying mane and tail was looking through it; and next to him was a little display case. When Rarity saw what was inside, her eyes grew big. Inside was the most beautiful gem Rarity had ever seen. It was large and tear-shaped, it shone a beautiful icy blue, and seemed to sparkle.
“Can I help you, missy?” came a voice, snapping Rarity out of her trance. She regretfully turned to face the old buck, “Yes! I- I was told you knew where my sister was? You know, the white filly with the purple and pink mane? And she’s wearing the ugliest mask to ever disgrace the planet. And her friends are with her, the orange and yellow fillies?”
He seemed thoughtful; “Why… yes, I did see the rascal not too long ago. She was in here, she wanted my moon’s tear” he pointed to the glass case with a wrinkly hoof. “She’s hanging around the clock tower now, who knows how she got up there. Would you like to take a look?”
“Yes!” Rarity exclaimed, and hopped up to look into the telescope. Her horn knocked it, and she grunted in frustration as she had to use her hoof to readjust it. She never realized how much she actually used her magic!
She closed an eye and looked through; the telescope was pointed at the top of the clock tower. From what she could tell she was looking at it from outside of town. Did the sewers really extend that far?
She carefully zoomed in to the top. She kept accidentally knocking it and zooming either too far in or too far out. Stupid lack of magic!
Finally she was able to get it in just the right position, and looked through.
She was looking at the top of the clock tower; and there on top, was Sweetie Belle. She was lying on her back, sunbathing, and had a pair of sunglasses on OVER the mask. The filly had her front hooves crossed under her head, and one leg over the other, swinging up and down. Rarity was briefly reminded of Rainbow Dash.
Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were sitting together next to her, though their backs were turned so Rarity couldn’t see their faces.
Sweetie then stood on her hooves, stretched, and turned around. Rarity’s heart caught in her throat when the filly turned to look right at her. Could she see her?
No, of course not. But it was still an eerie feeling. Sweetie Belle’s masked face then turned to look up at the sky. Rarity slowly moved the telescope to follow where Sweetie was looking.
Rarity had never been so startled in her entire life. It was… the moon? During the day?
Rarity’s jaw dropped. It was a lot bigger, then she remembered too. It’s small craters could clearly be seen – it was a lot darker then Luna’s moon. And strangest of all, it had… carvings? Or were those naturally formed?
It had a face. A face!
Rarity wasn’t sure whether to be scared or not, and she couldn’t help but wonder how she hadn’t even noticed this. Rarity saw something move – wait… something was falling from it!
It came down fast, Rarity tried to follow with the telescope, but it was too quick. It hit the ground outside, and the whole room trembled. Rarity was dazed – then regaining her senses she used the telescope to look down. There, sitting in a small crater, was another blue gem like the one in the display case. Rarity’s eyes got big.
She then turned to look back at the clock tower – Sweetie Belle waved at her. Rarity leaped backwards – Sweetie COULD see her!
Rarity blinked several times, she jumped when the old pony behind her said; “I think the moon just dropped a Moon’s tear. I’ve already got one, so feel free to take it. Are you done with the telescope?”
Slowly, Rarity nodded. “I... I need to get to the top of the clock tower!”
“Today?”
“Yes, today”
“That’s impossible, you have to wait till’ the day after tomorrow at midnight.”
“WHAT?! Why?”
“The clock tower door doesn’t open till’ then. Sorry.”
“Then how did…”
The stallion seemed at a loss as well. Rarity thanked him for letting her use his telescope, and was about to leave when she remembered the Moon’s tear. She quickly turned around – there was a door behind the telescope. She quickly galloped over and went out – it was sitting right outside. “YES!” she exclaimed, happily. Once she was done staring luridly at it, she looked around. She could see the walls of the town a little far off – she had come out of a large, blue, circular building. It had a large fence. Around it stars spun around, twinkling on the poles that held it. Realizing the gate had no door, and she had to go back through the sewers to get back to clock town, she gasped in horror. She picked up the moons tear and held it greedily as galloped back in and through the sewers as fast as she could.
~~~
Rarity was pretty tired. She hadn’t had a decent rest all day. She had been around the clock tower several times trying to find a way to the top, but there was no way in. The door to the top only opened at midnight on the third day. Rarity seriously hoped she’d have time.
She wandered by the inn, and wondered if she had enough to stay a night or two. She’d be here for another two days, and she had money with her. She pushed the door open and stepped in.
A desk stood in the corner, with an earth pony standing behind it. There was a fancy green couch, and some chairs to the right.
Rarity stepped up to the counter, the light blue earth pony with a dark red mane looked up; “Oh! Welcome to the Stock Pot Inn, what can I do for you?” she had to lean forward a bit to see Rarity over the edge of the desk.
“I’d like to rent a room, please.” Rarity said politely,
“Of course! What’s your name?”
“Rarity.”
The inn-keeper looked up. “Rarity?”
“Yes.” Rarity confirmed. “Oh, you already have a reservation booked in your name. You’re a little late, though. No matter”
Rarity blinked. She hadn’t made any reservations… strange. Rarity decided not to question it for now. Besides, at least she’d get a free room.
The inn-keeper gave her the key and her room number, and Rarity headed up the steps. They were big! She had a bit of trouble, but finally she managed to get to the top and find her room down the hall.
She found her room and opened the door. She could hear music drifting in through the wall.
After finally managing to get up onto the bed she collapsed on her back in exhaustion. A nap couldn’t hurt, she still had two days left. She eyed the clock; it was 2 in the afternoon. Really? It felt like it should be much later then that… Ah well.
With a yawn, the filly slipped under the covers and drifting off into sleep.
~~~
Rarity hopped gracefully down the steps; she felt much better. Beauty sleep could heal anything!
Well, except filthiness but this inn had no bathtubs.
She figured she’d go and poke through the shops; she’d slept all afternoon and there was till time. She had bits on her; the only question was whether or not the bits were valid here… wherever ‘here’ was.
As she headed for the door she passed a griffon standing in front of the desk; a fretful look on her face. “But I made a reservation! My name is Rarity!”