//------------------------------// // A Familiar Peace // Story: Dark Souls 2: Rarity's Trials // by Blackdrag-rose //------------------------------// Rarity yawned as she pushed herself back in her chair and rubbed her eyes for a few seconds, before looking down at the clothing she had been making for the last few hours and smiled once more. It had been a few days since she and Rainbow went toe to toe in a battle to see what their powers did when they engaged each other, though while both of them had been holding back the entire time she had to admit that it was nice to have someone that she couldn't easily beat be her opponent from time to time. She had quickly discovered that her new body allowed her to fly through the air, without needing wings, gave her the ability to sense the energy of others, where she had been surprised by the sheer power that both Rainbow and Applejack possessed on their own, and a number of other things that put her on a level that was above what she had been on before she headed through the mirror. Sure, her reason for heading through the mirror wasn't to gain power or anything, but she still gained power while she was in Drangelic and had used it to the benefit of the world, to which she pushed the memory of Edric away and looked down at her work again. Since ponies had been jumping at the chance to go through the ascension process, what Discord put on the mirror, the demand for more normal clothing had increased and Rarity was already considering expanding her small shop into a true workshop... or at least build one nearby, so she could access it whenever she desired and wouldn't have to annoy Sweetie Belle about strangers in their home. Finding out that Sweetie Belle had the power to control fire, and had seen her demonstrate her new abilities in a light training match with one of her friends, had been an interesting experience, though she could already tell that her little sister was well on her way to mastering her new skills and powers. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were the same way, showing that they possessed the talent to master their own abilities, and Gale was helping all three of them master certain techniques that happened to come from the world that Rainbow and Applejack had been sent to. Or, if she wanted to be accurate with what she was thinking about, the universe they had landed in, as they had been sent to Universe 7 according to their story and her head hurt a little when she considered that there were apparently twelve other universes out there, with theirs being called Universe 13. The fact that there were twelve beings like Sunset Shimmer out there, twelve more Gods of Destruction, had been a nasty surprise she wasn't expecting, but she had handled it with grace and didn't show that such a thing worried her, as it appeared that they were relatively safe since the others didn't want to mess with Sunset at all. "I disappear for a few weeks and everything has changed on me," Rarity commented, though at the same time she picked up her needle, string, and the other tools she had pulled out when she was starting work on the clothing she had been making and stored them all away, before levitating the pair of clothing, modeled after Rainbow's gi as she called it, and set it down in a small package that she sealed up, "Still, I've got clients coming to me for new clothing and the occasional dress, so I guess that, despite all these changes, some things still remain the same." One would have thought that something that didn't change was Sweetie's skill in cooking, but apparently gaining an affinity for fire, and getting some practice from a few of the chiefs around Ponyville, had allowed her sister to actually improve on her terrible skill and not burn anything she made. Sweetie had been overjoyed when that happened, and Rarity was sure that her friends were thankful for that as well, though that didn't stop Sweetie from revealing that fact for a day or two before she stopped pestering everyone about it. One of the other changes that had been interesting was that the crusaders, including Gale as a supervisor of sorts, would occasionally go into the Everfree Forest, revealing that they weren't afraid of it anymore, leaving Rarity a little stunned by the news, but at the same time she chuckled and figured that it was more of Discord's influence. The Spirit of Disharmony, of the God of Chaos as Twilight had started calling him, chose to ignore Rarity for some time, likely because he was annoyed that she never told him that she was planning on heading through the mirror, but she knew that he would come back to her in time. She sighed for a few seconds as she felt around her house with her energy sensing ability, one that she knew that she still needed some work on before she actually mastered it, though when she found that her sister was not in the building, confirming that she was out practicing with the others based on the fact that she felt Scootaloo's energy as well, she packed up her bundle and headed outside. As she walked outside she still found it strange to see so many others walking around in her new form, like they had been born like this, and yet everyone seemed to be benefiting from the ascension process, as ponies who had next to no power had grown stronger than they ever thought possible, while those that had some power found their strength even greater. Another reason why she had put some thought into starting her own store, that she oversaw, was because Twilight asked her if she would be willing to help teach at the new school of power that was set up between Ponyville, Canterlot, and the Crystal Empire... and it was already receiving students from all over Equestria, even from the cities and towns that hadn't ascended yet. She considered that thought for a moment, because while ponies seemed willing to embrace change, and take on a new form, the other species that shared their world hadn't even tried it yet, though she knew that they had to be getting worried about Equestria's growing power. Not only did Celestia and Luna raise and lower the sun and the moon every single day, but their own powers had been boosted by the ascension process, making them literal gods that could live up to the wildest tales that ponies told about them. That was in addition to the fact that ponies were starting to better understand the elements that were around them, becoming more in touch with nature, while also using their new powers to better do their own jobs. Rainbow, on her own, was able to create a lance made out of pure lightning that could devastate a whole city and Applejack could move the earth to swallow the same thing, and that was only the tip of the iceberg that they had discovered. If a war broke out between them and the other species of the world... well, Rarity was sure that the war would be over before it actually even started, with smoldering craters where the cities and towns of their enemies used to exist being the only thing left. Rarity sighed as she pushed those thoughts away, as she had reached her destination, to which she put a smile on her face and knocked on the door, though a few seconds later Fluttershy, possessing the same body as everyone else in Ponyville, appeared on the other side. "Rarity! I wasn't expecting you until later!" Fluttershy said, though while she was still shy, and tended to hide behind her hair every now and then, Rarity had noticed that her friend had become bolder since she took on her new form. "Well, I just finished your order and thought that I would personally deliver it to you," Rarity replied, to which she presented the bundle to Fluttershy, who happily accepted the clothing and dived back into the house, closing the door behind her as Rarity smiled. A few moments later Fluttershy emerged wearing what Rarity had made for her, though the gi that she was wearing was colored after the trees of the Everfree Forest, which seemed to make Fluttershy smile and Rarity decided not to ask questions about that. If her friend was happy about the clothing, despite the fact that she had a few pairs of everyday attire that most ponies wore, then she figured she could let a few things go and let her friend enjoy her order. Besides, Rarity knew that both Rainbow and Discord must have talked her into going through with the transformation, though she had the feeling that Discord was the deciding factor in that decision, as he likely made it painless and got it over quickly. They hadn't discovered what sort of power Fluttershy had developed since her ascension, but she was sure that they would figure it out in time, especially since nothing was happening at the moment. "Oh Rarity, it is everything I could have asked for." Fluttershy said, to which she spun around and marveled at how the gi moved with her body, before she stopped and looked off into the distance, where both of them saw Rainbow moving through the air as she completed her job for the day, before she went off to train Scootaloo, "I wonder if Rainbow will teach me how to fight, now that I've got the same clothing she does." "Fluttershy, you don't strike me as the type of pony that would want to hurt people," Rarity commented, causing her friend to turn towards her, where she remembered some of the spells that she had picked up back in Drangelic and knew a few that her friend could make her own, "maybe you should focus your efforts on healing spells? That way if someone gets hurt in one of these practice sessions you can take care of it and ensure nothing happens to anyone." "Huh... I never thought of that." Fluttershy replied, to which she thought about it for a few seconds before nodding her head, quickly coming to a decision on the matter, before she turned towards the door and locked it, "I think I'll head to the library and see if Twilight's got anything on healing spells... and then you can show me how you healed that nasty looking cut Sweetie got when Scootaloo put too much power into her attack." Despite Rainbow training Scootaloo, along with Gale assisting her, there had been a few accidents since they started going that and Rarity had fixed the problem, only so they could set up the same ground rules that were being put into the new school. Healers were uncommon in Equestria at the moment, the magical type and not the type like Nurse Redheart, who dealt with diseases and other things that couldn't be solved with magic, but with Rarity's contribution to the new library ponies were learning more than they did before her adventure in Drangelic. Rarity had, of course, told Twilight that some of the spells in her spellbook weren't to be shared with the public unless they knew that the power wouldn't go to their heads or hurt them beyond repair, and the citizens of Ponyville understood her warnings and followed what they said. Even those that were visiting from other areas of Equestria understood and did the same thing, revealing that most weren't power hungry and only wanted to learn new things. "Rarity, are you worried?" Fluttershy asked, though at the same time she snapped Rarity out of her mind, where she focused on the fact that they were heading towards Twilight's new library, located where the old one had been located and built from the roots of the old structure. Rarity was still surprised by the fact that Applejack had been able to tap into the powers of the earth and create a whole new tree out of nothing, even when she explained that some of the roots had survived and she simply recreated what had been there before hand. "About what darling?" Rarity asked, because there were many things that worried her, like she had no idea what the future held since there were multiple universes and whatnot, but there was no telling what Fluttershy was going to ask her or what she was going to say. "About what the griffins, minotaurs, and other races of Equus will do." Fluttershy replied, echoing Rarity's earlier thoughts about the potential war the other races could try and initiate if they got worried about Equestria's ever increasing power, "Aren't you worried that they might come seeking war against our home?" "No, because war would be a foolish thing to do." Rarity said, to which she waved a hand towards some of the people they were walking by, where the transformed ponies waved their hands at her in return, "Besides, even if such a thing were to happen Celestia and Luna, maybe even Twilight herself, would be able to negotiate something with the other species of our world. Sure, they might be worried about the power Equestria has been gathering lately, but something tells me that they'll see that they can benefit from such a thing and that the planet as a whole will benefit from a unification of those that share Equus." "Oh, well that's good to hear." Fluttershy said, to which she continued walking towards the library that was in the middle of Ponyville, while at the same time not noticing that Rarity had stopped for a few seconds. Rarity looked up at the sky for a moment and watched as Sunset, Celestia, and Twilight surged off into the atmosphere, all on their own, which meant that something had to be happening in the universe that demanded their attention, but she sighed and followed after Fluttershy. She would worry about the business of the gods later, when it was relevant to her and her home, but for now she was going to enjoy her time with her friends and family... and that meant looking forward to the next party that Pinkie had planned, and the reunion with the ponies that returned home next.