//------------------------------// // Optional Chapter 1-6: Rarity's story // Story: Minty Image // by mintgreenconspiracy //------------------------------// "Ahhh!" Rarity whined, being pulled away from the three crusaders, by Twilights's magic. "But I was having fun being a -- " "CUTIE MARK CRUSADER: TAXY DRIVER!!! YAY!!! " All three crusaders shouted, joined in by the little pink alicorn. Only to be obsconded by Twilight's magic. "But that was unicorn fun!" Rarity complained, as Twilight dragged the fledgling alicorn away, scowling slightly. "It's not my fault! The hospital was boring and they made me lay in bed for a week, even after I got these super fun wings." Rarity said, flapping her wings as hard as she could, before shooting off, out of Twilight's magical grasp, like a bullet, and almost crashing into the library -- before being captured in Twilight's magic again. Rarity really wanted to know how the older alicorn did it so easily, she could just imagine how fun it would be to light up her horn like that, and sling spells like a regular Merlin! But, alas, she could only cast spells with a wand -- or at the appointed time during the rainbow ceremony. "Oh Rarity!" Cheerilee said, shaking her head, all the while holding a playful smile. "Don't you want to learn to control your new magic?" Cheerilee said, cheerfully. "I mean I never even knew before today that I could use my horn for magic! Let alone how to do so!" She said, hoping the child would catch her enthusiasm. "I suppose." Rarity said, with a smile to her mentor. "But then we'd have to learn about boring stuff like where the first rainbow of the season comes from, or how to do the Princess Twirl." She said, pouting, despite the smile on her face. "Oh come on! It'll be fun! Twilight even decided to have me join in!" Cheerilee said, with enthusiastically. "Ok!" Rarity said, giggling. "But I want to see you try too!" After a few minutes Twilight had finished dragging her new protégé to the library. "Ok! To start with. Let's talk about the basics of unicorn magic." Twilight said, starting to drone on, much to the fascination of Rarity's mentor. However the little one seemed a little distracted (That silly Rarity. She just loves to play with caterpillars! Click on Rarity to make her blow… air to keep the caterpillar floating. See how many times you can float a caterpillar before the… time runs out. -- oh wait, sorry!) Twilight looked at the rainbow colored caterpillar with horror. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!" She said, doing a little dance. "Quick Spike! Get the net! We need to get this bug out of here!" "Aw!!!" Rarity exclaimed. "You're no fun at all!" She grumbled. "Sorry about that!" Cheerilee said, to Twilight, with a blush. "She's more of a hands on learner." "Ok!" Twilight said, looking through her notes -- throwing half of them over her shoulder. "Maybe we can try tailoring the lecture slightly? Maybe a song or..." "A rap!!!" Twilight's Pinkie said, materializing suddenly out of a clock, wearing a comically oversized pair of sunglasses and a crudely bedazzled giant novelty "S" attached to her neck by a oversized chain with torus shaped links. "It totally didn't work on Rainbow Dash but it's totally going to work this time and --!" Twilight just looked at her friend in confusion. "Pinkie? Why are you dressed like that? Where'd you even find that outfit?" "I have no idea!" She said innocently. "But it seemed to be the perfect outfit to do 'The Unicorn Magic Rap' in!" Pinkie responded, with enthusiasm. "Um Pinkie... Ok!" Twilight said, apprehensively. "Well, back in ancient times, there were Wonderbolts of old --" Pinkie started, bringing in a beat box, and a turntable. "Hold it Pinkie! We're talking about unicorn magic, not the Wonderbolts!" Twilight responded, starting to feel a migraine coming on. "Oh! I don't have a rap for that!" Pinkie said, innocently. "Would you like me to rap about them instead?" She said, with fully caffeinated enthusiasm. "No wait! What do the Wonderbolts have to do with Unicorn magic? You've got to learn to concentrate Twilight!" Pinkie said, at a mile per minute. Twilight just about exploded into flames, only to hear cheering from the small alicorn in the room. "Yeah! That's unicorn fun!" Rarity responded. "That was fun! Let's do that again!" "Ok!" Twilight responded, her face contorted in horror. "She's like a mini alicorn pinkie -- Celestia help us all!" Twilight thought to herself, using her hoof for a second to think. "Maybe we need a different tact!" She thought to herself, a mischievous smile forming below her twitching ear. Twilight gestured for the pink alicorn's mentor to come over. "Cheerilee, why don't we have you perform a basic levitation spell for Rarity. Once she learns that we can try more advanced unicorn spells, and then segue into her alicorn magic!" "Ok! Sure!" Cheerilee responded, with a smile, pulling her rod out of her saddlebag. "Actually Cheerilee, I was talking about with your horn, not your wand." Twilight responded, feeling the migraine again. "Twilight! I know what you're saying, but I only know how to use my horn to call the first rainbow of the season. But can only do so under the crystal dome, and only after the four shooting stars have fallen -- on the day of the first rainbow of the season." Cheerilee responded, blushing slightly. "It's involuntary." Twilight looked puzzled back. "Just levitate an object over using your magic." "Ok!" Cheerilee responded. "But how can I do that without my wand?" Twilight stood there befuddled. "A unicorn of her age doesn't know how to use her horn? Do Brights Brightly, Whistle Wishes, and Lily Lightly also not know how to use their magic?" "Ok!" Twilight thought to herself. "Maybe we need to have her and Cheerilee join the crusaders for Twilight time. Maybe a unicorn her age will be more instructive!" She thought, a sneaky smile reappearing on her face. ******** "Ah you sure we's sup'post to do it like this?" Apple Bloom asked, desperately trying to keep reared up while wearing roller skates on only her back hooves. Eventually falling down on her plot. "Yeah! It's unicorn fun!" She started effortlessly rearing into an unnatural angle, with her barrel sitting at a 180 degree angle to her legs. "Hah! You guys are lightweights!" Scootaloo lied, not wanting to be out shown by the young (girly) pink alicorn. "Easy peeeaassssyyyy!!!!!" She said, skating violently, her wings buzzing like a bumble bee to keep her steady. "One... WOAH!! Two.... WHOA!!!! Threesiee.... AHH!!!!!" She said, skating down a hill and into a building. "I'm ok!" "Wow! This is easy!" Sweetie said, roller skating on her back two legs, like a natural. "I think this could work! We'll finally get our cutie marks in --" She said, right before Scootaloo slammed into her, and sent both of them careening into a building. "Wow! Let's do that again!" Rarity said, with glee, splashing around in a mud puddle she had falling into a moment before, while the other crusaders were busy dating the dirt, or the sides of buildings. "Rarity." Cheerilee said, trying to get the young alicorn's attention as she walked up. "We're supposed to be joining the girls today for Twilight Time, and we still need to catch up on your lessons before the Princess Rainbow Ceremony, and the first rainbow of the season!" "Ok!" The pink child responded, with an innocent smile. "Ok! Let all go together." Cheerilee said to the crusaders, picking Apple Bloom off the ground. "Maybe if Rarity's been paying attention she can do the princess twirl and summon the Crystal Carriage!" Cheerilee said with a smile. "Our Crystal Carriage is nice and wide! If you were here we all could wide!" She started singing a strangely familiar ditty, smiling to the crusaders, before turning to Rarity. "Rarity, do you remember yesterday's lesson?" She said, enthusiastically. "Nope!" She said, innocently, with a smile. "Don't remember a thing!" She said, with an innocent smile. "Ok..." Cheerilee said to herself, her smile dropping faster than a rock. "I'll need to go back over that again, and we still need to get into the crystal dome and the shooting stars." She said to herself, with a sigh. She almost forgot she was behind this year, and time was growing ever shorter. ******** "Ok girls!" Twilight said, with a smile. "Let's see what you learned this week." She said, glancing at the newest member of Twilight Time, with Celestia's smirk. "But first, do you have any questions?" Sweetie shot up her hoof. "Why's Rarity here? She's already got her cutie mark, and she's a princess!" Sweetie asked. "Shouldn't she be in her own kingdom making laws or something?" "Well I'm glad you asked that question Sweetie Belle. You see even princesses need to learn a thing or two. Rarity's just here to learn magic, like you are, Sweetie Belle!" Twilight said, with a smile, hoping that her speech inspired the pink alicorn to join in with the other three students. She was, sadly mistaken. Rarity was instead crawling on the ground, her bones bent at a funny angle, crawling on the ground like a baby bi-ped, mimicking the motions of a rainbow worm with a hat on its head. "AAAHHHH!!!!" Twilight screamed. "It's back again! Spike! Get the net!" After a few minutes, and half of a library destroyed (and spike captured twice or thrice.) They managed to round up the tiny critter. "AW!" Rarity whined, frowning slightly. But only for a second or two. "Ok!" Twilight thought. "Avoid lectures at all cost!" Twilight's face dropped. "This is going to be a LONG Twilight Time!" "Ok Sweetie! Maybe you can start by showing off some of the magic I've taught you!" "Ok!" The small white unicorn beamed. "I've been really practicing, and I think I can lift something a little heavier now!" Sweetie said. "Like this book!" She said, hoping to impress the other ponies in the room. She took a few seconds to look at one of Twilight's heavier resource materials, with apprehension, before trying to lift it. The filly struggled for a minute, her horn glowing a dull green aura. And for a second the book did rise, only to fall down with a crash. "Ahhh!" She whined. Twilight smirked, apparently the crash got the attention of a certain distractible unicorn, who was previously sitting in the corner watching a leaf fall from a nearby tree. "Don't worry about it Sweetie, try again!" Twilight said, trying to encourage Sweetie. "Ok!" She squeaked, smiling ear to ear. "Here we go again." "Remember Sweetie, concentrate on the book. Magic responds to intent!" The book once again started to lift again, as the young white filly struggled to keep it aloft. Until a shout could be heard coming from the other side of the room, causing the book to crash against the floor again. "Wa hey! That looks like fun!" Rarity shouted, smiling ear to ear. "Let me try!" She said, pulling the wand back out again. "Where did you get that!" Cheerilee chastised. "You aren't allowed to touch it until I've -- " She started, before being interrupted by Twilight, who was ready for the little alicorn -- this time. "That's ok Rarity, but how about we try without a wand, like Sweetie, ok?" Twilight said, stealing her Cheerilee's signature smile, for a second. "But how can I do magic without a wand?" Rarity asked, sitting down confused, the bones in her front hoof bent at odd angles allowing her to firmly plant her hoof against her chin. "Well, maybe I can give you a few pointers, if Sweetie won't mind." Twilight said, looking over at the small white unicorn. "I don't mind." The sweet white unicorn said, stumbling around, with her eyes bouncing around like a pair of joke glasses . "I need a break anyway!" "Ok Rarity! Try concentrating on the broom! Remember focus! Determination!" Rarity nodded, and began to put all of her concentration into... "Isn't something supposed to happen Twilight?" "You sure you ready to give up already Rarity? Your horn hasn't even lighted up yet!" Twilight said, with a reassuring smile. "Lighting up. You mean like Lily?" Rarity said, breaking out into the giggles. "Sometimes I just get the giggles!" She said, remembering something funny from seemingly forever ago. Twilight stared at Cheerilee, who motioned back, shaking her head, apparently  answering that question would take a longer explanation. "Similar, but different." Twilight said, dodging the question. "Here, maybe let's try something different." She said, looking at the wand, idea's popping into her head. "Are you sure this is safe Twilight?" Cheerilee asked, with apprehension, getting an uneasy idea what Twilight was thinking. "Yeah. Don't worry." Twilight said into the purple unicorn's eyes with conviction. "I think I know what I'm doing." Twilight said, smiling reassuringly at Rarity's mentor. "Ok Rarity! Let's try out something new!" Twilight said with a pleasant smile. "The wand draws magic out of its user and directs it... Maybe I can..." Twilight thought to herself, the plan beginning to come together. "Ok!" Rarity said, with a smile. "That sounds like fun!" Rarity said, at the thought of 'something new'. Twilight looked at the wand, and grabbed some tape, that spike had carelessly left out in the open -- she would have to talk to him later about that; but for now she was thankful he left it out. "That tickles!" The young alicorn in the room said, filled with the giggles. "But Cheerilee said I shouldn't use the wand until I've learned the princess twist." She said, with apprehension. "Well then. Go ahead and try the twist for me!" Twilight said with a smile. "Why don't you show it to me then!" "Ok!" Rarity said, waving the wand in the strange and mysterious motions of the infamous ritual. First in figure eights, then finally circles before pointing the wand (currently duct-taped to her horn) into the air. Cheerilee just frowned. "I couldn't teach it to her without nearly ending all rainbows for a year!" She thought, remembering something long forgotten. "And Twilight teaches it to her in an afternoon!." She thought to herself, with a frown. "What good am I at all?" Meanwhile across town. It had been a bad year for Suri "Buttonbelle" Polomare. First, 'her' best line ever had been resoundingly undressed by "hotel chic", and then her assistant had abandoned her -- leaving her all alone, and without even a trophy to show for it. From there her career had circled the tanks. Apparently ponies were now more interested in her assistant then her. And, on top of it all, nopony worth talking to wanted to give her the time of day calling her a "petty thief" and a "fraud". She had even been forced to return to a hick town like Ponyville, and take a demeaning job selling insurance But not to worry. She just needed a little capital to kick start her business again, maybe, with some sweet talking and a sob story, she could "borrow" some more fabric from Rarity; she considered that idea with a luxurious smile. Ok, first pony on the list: "Rich, Filthy." Great! She'd rob him blind! Then she'd have enough money to buy the Carousel Boutique, or maybe she could just retire stinking rich. Ringing the doorbell, she expected one of the hired help to answer, but instead the stallion himself did. "Excellent!" She thought to herself, rubbing her hooves together mischievously. "This must be an off day for him! Why else would he answer himself?" She had to hit while the iron was hot. "Why hello Mr. Rich! My name is Suri Polomare!" "Why hello Suri! I remember you from my wife's sowing circle." Filthy said, with a pleasant smile that quickly dissipated upon the mentioning of his wife. "Why yes, I believe I did!" Suri responded. "How is the dear?" She asked, hoping that his earlier response would be doubled. "She left us a few years back. Poor Diamond never really recovered." He frowned. "And has become a little bit of a troubled foal." He said, looking like he was racked with guilt. "Why that's horrible." Suri said, crying crocodile tears. "Then it's good I dropped by! You see I'm with Flim-Flam insurance! And as you can see you never know what's ahead! And that is why --" Rich's face dropped like a stone, and he looked like he was about to throw her off his property personally. "Look dear, I understand what you're trying to do and I don't need insurance!" He fumed. "I know you need to eat, but I don't need that junk. Almost nothing ever--" Out of nowhere, a white and diamond coated monstrosity came flying out of the sky, and landed right on Suri, before traveling on towards the library. "Was it just me or was that carriage driven by two ducks? Weird!" He said, looking at the carriage pass by. "How did they even move it, their feet don't even touch the ground!" He said, looking confused. "Maybe you have a point dear! You never do know what kind of horrors await us! Suri? Suri?" He asked the former fashion champion, now KOed on the ground (Don't worry, she was back to her normal horrible self -- to quote Willy Wonka -- in time for lunch.) Meanwhile back at the library.. "Good! So that's what a 'crystal carriage' looks like!" Twilight said, with a half-hearted smile, as the carriage drove up, and through a wall. "Now Rarity? Did you feel something in your horn when you did the princess twirl?" "Sure did!" Rarity said, enthusiastically. "It made me want to giggle!" "Ok!" Twilight said, so can you try to make your horn feel the same way?" "I can try!" Rarity said, concentrating on her horn. Which, after a few minutes of trying slowly started to glow a light pink aura (but not before burning out a couple of times first.) "Great!" Twilight said. "Now try to hold that feeling for a couple minutes. Then I'll show you something... fun... you can do with your magic!" "Cheerilee, would you or Sweetie like to try again?" Twilight asked, looking to the two unicorns in the room. "Nah! Let Cheerilee try first." Sweetie said, messaging her head. "I'm still a little dizzy from earlier." She said, her pupils being on opposite sides of her eyes, giving her a very odd -- muffin loving pegasus like -- expression. Twilight blushed. "Sorry about that Sweetie, sometimes I get a little eager." She said, with a smile, putting a reassuring hoof on the filly's shoulder. "Ok Cheerilee, try concentrating." Twilight said, to the adult unicorn. "Remember unicorn magic is brought out by concentration and dedication! You need to visualize what you want!" "But Twilight, I don't know how to cast unicorn magic without a wand, except when under the Crystal Dome, and only after the fourth shooting star!" Cheerilee rebuffed, feeling unsure of herself. "Maybe, or maybe you have it in you! See Rarity and I can use our horns just fine, and the first rainbow of the season isn't for another three or four months!" Twilight said, levitating an object over to Cheerilee to demonstrate. Cheerilee stood there befuddled. "Yeah, I've been studying the books you brought with you." Twilight said, holding a book Rarity had managed to bring with her when Rarity cast the teleportation spell the first time. "And I've learned a lot about your customs in Unicornia, and your job Cheerilee." Cheerilee just frowned. Could Twilight have already learned as much about the job of Crystal Rainbow Princess as her? What was she needed for? Twilight's countenance dropped. "Oh Cheerilee, cheer up! I didn't mean to upset you! You should be proud of the work you've done!" She put on a reassuring smile. "Just give it a try! Concentrate, and imagine that the object in front of you is moving! Concentrate your magic through your horn!" Cheerilee stood for a few minutes, motionless, before just frowning. "Let's try the same trick that worked on Rarity!" Twilight said with a smile, watching Rarity amuse herself by causing her horn to spark on demand. Taping the wand to the mentor's fully grown horn was a lot easier then the young filly's undeveloped horn. And after a couple of minutes she smiled. "Ok! Do the princess twirl!" Cheerilee nodded, attempting to smile. She started to do the odd motions of the ritual, tapping the wand against a table to abort the spell at the end. "Interesting!" Twilight said, smiling. "That's very interesting. Now did you feel something in your horn?" "Not really!" Cheerilee frowned. "Let me try again though." Cheerilee changed her stance, and furled her brow. After a few minutes, it looked like she was going to have an aneurysm, before she frowned, and just started walking away. "Come on Cheerilee! You can do it!" Rarity said, smiling at her mentor. "Just concentrate, just let your magic flow!" She said, getting more and more eager. Her horn started to change its glow color from pink to white. "You can do it Cheerilee! You just have to!" She said, before freezing, unable to control the terrifying beam of white magic, that was being emitted from her horn. "Girls stay behind me!" Twilight cautioned, as she ripped all three crusaders from their corners of the room, placing them behind her. "Let's hope this works!" She said, her own horn glowing. After a few minutes, the dust started clearing. "Good thing! That was a dud huh Twi'!" Apple Bloom said, with a smile. "Actually." Twilight said, blushing. "It wasn't a dud." "So you blocked it with one of your radical shield spells then!?" Scootaloo asked, getting eager. Making an explosion noise. Twilight shook her head no. "I didn't block it with a shield either." Sweetie just frowned contemplatively. "If it wasn't a dud, and you didn't block Then what happened to it then?" Sweetie Belle asked, starting to feel anxious. "It was too powerful to block so I simply sent it somewhere else. Doing so took a heck of a lot of magic though." She said, looking away. "I'll be ok though! It's a good thing alicorns have so much magic to work with!" "Sorry Twilight!" Rarity said. "I don't know what happened, I just wanted to cheer Cheerilee up!" She said, frowning slightly. "No worries Rarity!" Twilight said, with an honest smile. "I'm here to teach you, and it proves that your alicorn magic is still working. We just need to learn how to use and control your natural unicorn magic first, then we can try controlling the strong stuff!" Twilight said, encouraging the filly to keep going. "Why did her horn go all wonky like that then?" Sweetie Belle asked, worried it would happen again. "It's her alicorn magic, it reacts to emotions, and is extremely strong!" Twilight said, her smiling remaining. "Sometimes, even I have trouble controlling it. And it doesn't help that I'm not 100% sure what her connection is yet." Twilight said, blushing. "Celestia speculates that all of us alicorns represent and control a primal force of Equestria." "Sorry about that Cheerilee!" Rarity said, with a frown. "Cheerilee?" She asked looking around. Where had her mentor gone? ******** What happened to that burst of white magic? Well let me give you a hint! The other Rainbow Dash fluttered her eyes. That must have been some party Pinkie had thrown. The last thing she remembered was eating one of her pastries. Oh that's right! It had been laced with something, and then Pinkie had hit with a frying pan! Ok no problemo all she had to do was... Loosen the ropes that tied her to this blasted slab... Ok! This was not going to be a good day! Walking in from upstairs, not Pinkie gazed on with a sadistic smile, and empty eyes. "I'm just missing a few pieces for my new wardrobe." She said, her ear twitching. "Maybe you'd like to donate!" She said, taking out a scalpel. "It'll be fun!" She said, her voice almost turning demonic. "Ummm.... Pinkie, maybe I should go! You know practice and all that!" Rainbow said nervously, trying fruitlessly to struggle out of something. She looked around nervously! She needed a distraction, or it was about to get very, very painful! "Hey Pinkie! Did you hear that? The cakes must be back! So I'd better be on my way, so if you'll just LET ME GO!" She shrieked, hoping Pinkie's usual brand of stupidity would take over. However, not Pinkie, was not impressed. "And end this fun party?" She asked, walking to the center of the basement and turning away from the Rainbow color pony to grab something sharp, and probably quite painful. Rainbow looked on, sadly. Was this the end of the cool? Was this the end of Rainbow Dash? She asked herself, starting to hear a loud whining sound from somewhere. "Hey Pinkie what's that sound?" She asked, once again hoping for a miracle. Pinkie just smiled, turning back to the rainbow pony, trotting closer and closer, before raising her scalpel and then... She was gone! In a flash of white light, replaced by a crater, sitting at the bottom of a hole that extended all the way through Sugar Cube Corner. "So..." Rainbow said, talking to the crater, trying to check her watch (it's tough to check your watch when you're tied to a slab!) "How much longer before the cakes return?" She asked herself, with a frown. "I hope it's a short delivery!" She said, with a sigh. "Maybe I could start shouting? Yeah, but that would make me sound like a dweeb!" She sighed to herself. Now back to the story! ******** "It's best, if I leave." Said Cheerilee to herself, sobbing violently. "She's better off with Princess Twilight, then with me. Twilight will teach her how to use her new magic, and will keep her safe -- all I would do would be to hold her back." She said, leaving the library behind. "Going somewhere?" Asked a cerulean pegasus, with a very long rainbow mane, and a pair of oversized rainbow wings." "I'm sorry, ..." Cheerilee asked the strange hornless, winged, unicorn. "Rainbow Dash!" The pegasus responded back, looking very agitated. "But I should be leaving." Said, Cheerilee, trying to get away before anyone noticed she was missing. "Yeah... Not going to happen!" Said a cheesed Rainbow Dash. "I have no idea what this is about, but it seems my rainbow powers are acting up today, and apparently they want somepony to speak with you!" She said, taking a fighting pose. "So, seeing as it's a loyalty issue. I feel obliged to do what they ask!" "Well, tell them I'm terribly sorry, but I really should be going and..." Cheerilee started, trying to hurry past the colorful pegasus (feeling extra colorful at that moment.) "Darling! Since when did the Cheerilee we all know, and love become a coward?" Asked Rainbow Dash, her voice suddenly changing. "Didn't you promise her you would be there for her? Didn't you promise her you would protect her? Or were you just lying to her, darling?" Asked Rainbow Dash? "R... Rainbow...?" The purple unicorn said, shaking violently. But Rainbow is still in the hospital. Who's this pony who's talking to her? "Shush... I'm speaking, darling!" Said Dash, not speaking for herself. "The, darling child needs you, and you are just going to walk away? You should be ashamed of yourself!" "I'm the reason our world ended in the first place! I remember it from the nightmare that assassin showed me! She would be much safer without me!" "Pishaw, darling, are you listening to yourself? You sound daft!" Cheerilee's Rainbow said, through the other pony. "And, I believe, she met her end separately of you, despite your noble sacrifice. Wouldn't she prefer it if you met it together?" "But she has Twilight now, she's a true princess! And she can teach her to use her magic. And I can't!" "And didn't you teach her the Princess Twirl? Just in time to get the first rainbow of the season out -- despite her running away? And you think that a princess, no matter how regal can replace you, darling?" "Maybe not..." Said Cheerilee, looking down. "But it'll be better for her! And she'll..." "Hate you for it for as long as she lives! I'm certain of this, darling!" The other pony proclaimed. "Have you considered what would happen to her, if she were still just a regular unicorn, darling?" "I don't know..." Cheerilee said, thinking for a second. "They'd give her a place to live?" "No Darling, she'd be adopted, probably by someone far away from Ponyville -- either one! Certainly far away from Unicornia!" "But that'll be fine right?" Cheerilee said, still steeped in self doubt. "Hard to say, darling. I certainly know who'd she'd prefer. Maybe I can adopt her to keep her here in Ponyville." Rainbow said, for the other voice. "Hey! Don't speak for me!" Rainbow said, for herself, chastising the voice. "Oh you'd love her, darling. You're both firebrands, and you've been looking to adopt -- 'the squirt', I think." Said the voice arguing with the one speaking for it. "Hey! That's my secret! Don't go spilling it to her! It's supposed to be a surprise for the Squirt! You know for her birthday or something!" "I suppose, she's right." Rainbow said, making a point. "I bet I'd know who she'd prefer be her mother." The other Rainbow resumed. "Maybe someone that already thinks of her as a daughter?" She said, pointing her words at Cheerilee. "And do you know what she's doing right now, darling?" The voice asked, inquisitively. "Let me show you." The voice said, levitating Dash, and the purple unicorn up to a window. As they approached, they heard sobbing. "Cheerilee, you going to leave me again? Did I mess up again, just like back at the Princess Festival? Did the darkness take you away again?" She said, as she began to sing a strange song about from the unicorn. "I'm lost,... Nowhere,... It hurts.." The new alicorn sang to herself, as if expecting someone to join in. "To know, We're so apart!" Cheerilee responded, speaking to herself. "That song..." Said Cheerilee, remembering something long forgotten. "I remember that song..." "As do we all, darling." Not Rainbow said. "Do you think I could sleep through her singing it?" Not Rainbow said, looking at Cheerilee with rebuke in her eyes. "Do you want to know the Cheerilee I remember, darling?" Not Dash said, using Dash's mouth. "The darling that went all the way down a dangerous mountain, in the middle of the night; and slept on pine needles and rocks!" Not Dash continued. "She went outside, and helped her young ward, and friend with her case of 'the giggles', even though she preferred to be inside planning for the night's festivities." Cheerilee began to cry, she remembered all this, and yet she wasn't sure why. And even other memories came seeping back, born from parts of her memory long gone. "Ahh yes, darling, you do remember!" Not Rainbow said, with a smile. "Now I guess, by the looks of things, my time is up. But Darling, you've been given a second chance, and I want you to think about what you are going to do with it?" She said, looking serious. "Are you going to run away, afraid of how things ended, or are you going to make things as good as they were, and better, then in the good old days?" She said, Dash's transformation slowly wearing off. "So Cheerilee, apparently whoever it is had a mouthful for you. So you going to do the right thing, or are you going to run away again?" Rainbow asked, deciding to keep pressing her not selves questions. ******** "I'll be good I swear!" Rarity said, sitting on the floor sobbing. "It's just like my dreams! Except this time she just walked away!" "What makes you think that?" Twilight said, reassuringly. "She just probably walked out for a minute." She said, looking into the small alicorn's eyes. "She'll be right back! I'm sure of it!" "You are?" Rarity said, looking up, a faint smile on her face. "See!" Twilight said, with a smile, as the door started to rattle. "I knew she'd be right back!" She said, trying to hide any uncertainty that she, herself, had. A familiar purple unicorn, slowly walked through the doorway; looking very apologetic. Rarity just looked up, tears still flowing. "Where'd you go? I was so worried!" She said, rushing up for a hug from her mentor. "Sorry about that Rarity." Cheerilee said, with an apologetic smile. "I just had to go out and think a few things through." She said, looking down towards the floor. "Say, how would you feel if we made our mentoring relationship into something a little more long term?" "What do you mean?" The ADHD alicorn asked. "Well! I was thinking: since we can't find your mother. How would you feel if I became more than just your mentor? Of course, we would need some help from the princess over here -- if she wouldn't mind." Cheerilee asked with a smile. "We want to make it official after all!" ******** Solanaceae cowered. It would not be, at all, easy to explain what happened to the changeling monarch. That the second best, if not the best, assassin in the hive just got taken out by a unicorn, barely more than a foal. And worse still, not just the lady, but princess Larva, and even princess Amaryllis just slipped through his hooves. The changeling monarch still sat at their thrown. The room remained dark, except for the line of torches that led up to the throne. A large light, resembling a sun sat above the throne, illuminating the throne. "Explain something to me Solanaceae: how is it, that I am not just missing an assassin, but that the lady and that traitor Amaryllis still live?" The older changeling hissed. "I apologize, your majesty --" The young changeling started, quaking violently. "And, did we not have a plan for Amaryllis to be, finally, removed from my hair? Was not the spell supposed to finish her?" The monarch stated, with dissatisfaction. "And yet she lives! Not just through it, but also despite the valiant efforts of my second best assassin!" "There were... complications... Amaryllis' ascension we expected, but we didn't expect a nascent alicorn to be present." Solanaceae stammered. "Certainly not that a hyperactive pink foal was one!" "This sounds like excuses!! You know how I feel about excuses!!! 'Nascent alicorn'... I don't care if the child was Celestia herself! How could my assassin easily stop Celestia's prized pupil only to be defeated by a worthless foal?" The changeling at the throne hissed. "Maybe the problem wasn't the foal, or my assassin but you Solanaceae! You think I've forgotten how you were trained by the lady, before her leave of the hive! But, sadly for you, I have not!" "I apologize, your majesty. I have utilized all of my resources to find the lady and her spawn! They will not last long!" "For your sake, I would hope so! Otherwise I will find somepony who can! My plans are in motion, and my failed hunt for the lady has uncovered some objects that reek of Discord." The changeling lord hissed, starting to smile. "This will allow me to consolidate my hold over the hive, and perhaps Equestria as well! And you had best hope you are on the right side when that happens." "Of course your majesty! I will do anything it takes to h--" The young assassin started. "You'd better! apparently not just anypony can use these objects. Therefore I must find, and enlist, those who can! Let us hope that you can find those ponies that can wield these artifacts, before my agents find them all, or you are finished Solanaceae!" The changeling lord said, waving their hand. "Be gone with you!" "Things just got more difficult! I have not just a lady and two princess to depose! But I also need to locate ponies who's inner magic will resonate with Discord's! And worse still I have to convince them to join our cause!" Solanaceae sighed. He was finished!