Once again it was a sunny day in Ponyville, and once again, somepony was about to be in some sort of trouble. That sort of shenanigans that makes you wonder what did they do to the gods to deserve such a destiny.
Like every first Wednesday of the month, the Carousel Boutique was closed early, the owner of the shop was on her way to the marketplace. Ponyville always came to life on these bustling busy days, when the local traders and, more importantly, the travelling salesponies open their stalls and booths.
Today, Rarity cursed that buzzing activity. More ponies out means that more ponies will see her going to that stall. That horrible, horrendous, compromising commerce.
If somepony would notice her going there, and more importantly, if somepony would recognize what she’ll buy, It’ll be,
The worst
Possible
Thing !
Sweetie Belle was following her sister, who was seemingly going to burst in anxiety each time somepony went and approached her. Sweetie Belle felt herself lucky that, in some way, her sister had not yet noticed her, or did not mind her being with her.
She moved closer to her sister, just behind her, looking around as they moved to the very edge of the marketplace, a really secluded area of the alley, with very few ponies, and all of them were walking like her big sister, eyeing suspiciously and jumping each time somepony moved past them.
She chuckled mentally at that, pondering about the reason for this odd behaviour of the grown ups.
Maybe they were secret agents? Maybe they were in mission and they needed to be super duper suspicious and stuff to not get caught. This was pretty stupid, because angsty like they were, everypony could tell that they weren’t clean. And Sweetie Belle yawned.
Grown-ups are weird.
Rarity shook her head and and collected herself.
“Courage Rarity!” she thought to herself. “You did this over and over, each month, it’ll be time to stop getting nervous around that outrageous but handy commerce!”
She then took a firm trot to the tent and walked inside.
Sometime, when you walk in a market place, there is a special zone where there is nopony but weirds ones, wearing too much clothes or impermeable, whistling at the other ponies, sometimes, Sometimes, when you walk in a market, all of the stuff sold here are probably stolen or something, much, much worse.
Like black market products. And this place must be the emporium of the black market, every single stuff seemed or dangerous or preposterous.
Even sweetie belle, not knowing where she put her hoof in, felt a shiver down her spine as she looked at the content of this place.
Rarity stormed in and moved quickly to the shopkeeper, A grey stallion with a messy blonde mane, looking really tired and dishonest.
"Do you have it ?" she asked, nervous.
the seller looked at her, like if he tried to remember who she was
"Oh, it’s you !" he grinned, moving under his stall and grabbing a vial full of a purple sparkling liquid. "I’ll be 2500 bits , as usual, miss."
"After all this time, I though you’ll be a little more, generous with one of your best customers..." she smiled and leaned a little to the Stallion, making her most seductive face
"... nah, It’ll be 2500 bits". he answered, seeming not impressed by the little trick Rarity tried on him.
She snorted
"Fine, but you’ll finish to ruin me !" She complained, handing the bits out of her saddle bag, then grabing the potion in her telekinetic grip, she turned away and bumped into something at the level of her ankle.
"Augh ! Hey, watchout sis ! I’m here !" Sweetie belle shouted as she tried to stand up face a totally astonished Rarity. "What’s the potion for ?" she asked, really curious, her nose practically touching the vial.
"Sweetie Belle ! Are you spying on me ?!" Accused her sister, pointing her with an hoof melodramatically.
"What ? no ! I was right next to you all along Sis ! What’s that potion do ?"
"It’s none of your business, little filly !" She answered, quickly trotting out the tent and leading back to the boutique, the potion into her saddlebag, forcing her sister to practically run to keep the pace with her tiny legs.
"But I waaaaant to knoooow ! Sis, please !"
"No ! it’s personal !" she shouted at Sweetie belle, slamming the door shut behind her.
"Ow !" Sweetie said, touching her nose, a little hurt by the door.
"Sis ! I want to know, please tell me what’s that potion do ! "She yelled at the closed door, waiting for an answer, but no one came. But she waited
And waited
And again.
After exactly twenty six seconds, she finally gave up and shrugged it off.
"You don’t want to tell me ! Fine ! I don’t need to know what that thing do ! Dumb potion !" She pouted and trotted away.
"... And she didn’t wanted to tell me !"
"Pff let it go , Sweetie belle ! you know how grown up can be so mysterious about silly things! It’s probably nothing!" Scootallo said, trying to use her front hooves to carefully put a pail into her milkshake.
Sugarcube Corner was pretty empty this day, only the crusader were occuping a table, and the rare customers took their good home.
"Bahsides, Ah dunt Think yer sister will keep her potion without drinking it !"
"Puh-lease ! I need to know ! Why all that secret about that ? is she sick ? what’s wrong with her ? I got to know ! Pleaded" Sweetie belle, poking her slice of chocolate cake as a weird green bubble wobbled out of it.
What the hay ?
"Oopsie ! Looks like I confounded frosting and bubble soap Again !" Sing songed Pinkie pie, giggling a little as she replaced the cake by another slice.
Sweetie belle blinked and used a spoon to open the cake, checking it carefully.
"Y...Yeah ! Well, anyway, I’m sure we can get our cutie mark this way !"
It’s like being Private investigators !
" You mean, like Miss Harpple ?"
"Ah’ll have a tweed hat ?" Applebloom asked.
"Totally ! And we will be …"
"CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS FREELANCE POLICE !" Sweetie belle shouted
"CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS INVESTIGATORS !" Scootaoo honked
"CUTIEMARK CRUSADERS GUESSING SPIES !" Applebloom Guessed
" What ? no ! I wanna be a freelance policemare !"
"No way !investigators are way cooler !"
"Yer all wrong ! Wer gotta be Spaes !
"We’re not you doo doe !"
"…"
Rarity put the potion on her drawer, sitting on the sofa next to it, sighting. it has been a close call this time. She were practically found out. A chance her sister lacks of maturity and yet enough intellect to just ask to the shopkeeper the name of the potion.
She took the bottle in her hooves and looked at the purple, pearly liquid in, already feeling the sour taste it always have, how horrid it tasted, but how much she needed to drink it to the last drop in one time, or suffer the consequences. her horn glowed as she opened it, sitting more comfortably and opening wide her mouth, pouring the potion inside it in one go, wincing at the taste.
" Uugh !" She yelped as she convulsed on her seat, whimpering and wincing in pain as her body went cold , then fievrous.
Shattering glass sound echoed the room as she Yelled, a ear-piercing shriek escaping her lips as she fell on the ground, her whole body popping and crackling, some weird move seeming to move her insides.
After two more minutes, the room went silent. It was over, all over.
Meanwhile, a very familiar unicorn was walking forward the boutique, a purple baby dragon on her back, who’s holding a good sized box in his hands.
"Oh gosh I hope Rarity will love her present !" Spike said excitedly, looking to the boutique in anticipation, his feet smacking the sides of his mouny).
"Ouch ! Calm down Spike ! we are almost here !" Twilight Sparkle said , a little annoyed.
"Besides, I don’t think Rarity will not appreciate your gift. After all, dragonscale fabric are quite rare and expensive !"
"I’ve spent so much time gathering my fallen scales and all for so much longer I can’t wait to see her face ! Thank you so much Twilight for using magic to make them in one piece !
I hope she’ll have enough for making an outfit at least !"
"It’s okay, It’s always a pleasure to help my number one assistant ! Besides, it has been a real challenge to work on a so magically resilient material ."
"Aww, Twilight, you use your spells on me each time you need to test them ! Of course it worked !"
As they peacefully continued to walk and talk, they heard somepony yelling in the boutique. they both blinked and Twilight suddenly ran to the entry door of the Boutique and slammed her hooves on it, trying to push it open, but it was closed.
" Rarity ?! Something wrong ?" Twilight shouted , knocking at the door, Spike jumping out her back and trying to look at the windows, trying to shield his eyes from the light and use his infra-vision.
"I don't See anything, Twi !" Spike said nervously," But I heard something Broke !"
"I’m gonna enter Rarity !" She said, Stepping back and charging her horn, when suddenly the door shoot open, revealing a panting and messed maned Rarity.
"Can I help you with something, darling ?" Rarity asked between two sharp breath, using an hoof to arrange her mane.
"We heard you screaming ! What happened ?" asked Twilight, taking a close look at Rarity.
Are you alright ?
"Why, of course I'm alright, I... just make my sewing machine fell and I broke the pedal , nothing too serious, dear ! Sorry to make you worry, you and Spikey wikey !" She smiled nervously and rubbed the forehead of Spike, who instantly melted, tending the box absently to Rarity.
"Fffsflkzfnei!" He mumbled to his favorite mare.
"What Spike is trying to say is that he has a gift for you ! " Twilight explained, nudging her assistant/somewhatlittlebrother/slave/postmailer.
"Ooh, that’s lovely Spikey wikey ! you shouldn’t have, though." She said, her horn lit up as broken glass noises rang into the boutique, opening the door a little wider.
Please, do enter ! She asked, taking the box with her magic. I’m so sorry for the mess !
The Carousel boutique was in fact, as ordered as usual, only thing out of the ordinary was the sofa in the middle of the room, the leather ripped out and obvious bite marks on it, the inside of the device poking out the holes.
" Be at home, my dears ! And Spike, help yourself and take a gem into my chest if you want." she smiled and sat on a armchair, motioning Twilight to sit on the Sofa in front of her, What she did hesitantly, trying to not sit on a spring.
"Spike wanted to give you his self your gift, Rarity, he spent so much time gathering it ! He got all his scales and asked me to Make you this fabric" She said, opening the box and showing to the white unicorn the Glowing leather. Rarity’s eyes sparkled and she shakily touched it, feeling how soft it was in one sense, and rough on the other, how tense and resistant it was, as she used an hoof to wipe a tear out her eye.
"Aww, Spikey Wikey !" She said in a Whisper, already thinking about what she can do with that kind of fabric, from resistant and magic proof saddle bags, vanity cases, to swimsuits and justaucorps, and even to the parts of dresses and diverse accessories she can thing of.
"That is such a priceless gift ! dragon scales are so rare ! And above all, dragon scale fabric are so expensive ! I can’t thank you both enough for such a generous gift !"
"Spike really wanted to give it to you ! after all, there’s no use we can have of it, I already have plenty of this in my lab for my alchemy stock.
But I’m not here for that, Rarity."
"Oh ? what can bring you here a Wednesday then ? did I forgot a pique nique ? Or maybe a rendez vous at the Spa with you ?" She gasped." That must be that ! I’m so sorry Twilight !"
"What? No ! No, it’s nothing like that ! Remember when you invited me to see your parents, Well, when you were out, I saw with them the family albums, and strangely, there was no photo of you as a foal !"
Rarity froze and looked suddenly very, very nervous
"-Really ? Oh, I’m sure they just got lost somewhere else, that’s all ! I probably used them in beauty contests when I was young and got them somewhere else when I got them back!"
She shifted on her seat uncomfortably.
Twilight has a nervous laugh
"Yeah, sure ! I’m sorry, it worried me a little bit that I didn't saw them, do have them here ?"
"NO !... I mean, no, sadly , no, I maybe lost them, or they are at my parents place, in my old room, or even somewhere else, I’m not sure if I lost them or not !"
"But, Rarity! It’s your childhood! you should still have them, no? It’s your life and your memory!"
At this moment, Spike came back with a very huge diamond, licking his lips
" Hm, Spikey, are you sure this come from my gem chest ?"
"Uu, I...I don’t know Rarity ?"
"It’s not one of theses you can eat, put it back on the desk and go grab a tinier one please, I need this one for a personal project."
" Okay, Rarity ." he said, looking down ad went for a minute, coming back with a medium sized ruby.
"Good boy" , said the white mare, patting Spike head". Now I’m sorry but I really need to take care of something, I’ll see you later, okay ?"
"B..but Rarity...!" Twilight begun, being carried out of the Boutique.
"I’m really sorry, my dears, but I need to be alone now! I’ll see you later ! "she said, slamming the door shut.
".. Wow …" Twilight said, looking at the door
She’s really sensitive about her childhood.
"Scootaloo ! you’re gonna make us Caught ! "Sweetie belle Muttered to her.
"I’m not !" Said the filly, trying to hide the broken glass under a drawer.
"Salence ya two "! Said Applebloom, crouched as she looked around the suspicious tent Rarity
and Sweetie Belle went earlier.
They moved, no one else here, the shopkeeper smoking outside, potions and weird contraptions fixed to the fabric of the walls, searching for others vials of that potion.
"Grown ups are weird !" Said Scootaloo, taking in her mouth a red ball with a leather strap around it. "Who want to wear a plastic ball as a collar ?"
"Let that out ! I saw Big Macintosh having that in his room !"
"Aha ! her they are !" Sweetie Belle cheered, taking one potion and trying to read the sign on it.
"What’s that stuff say ?" asked Scootaloo, putting down the item in her mouth
"It says … Gender bending poti-Augh !" She yelped as Applebloom rushed on her to see better, making her wince and fall over the potion’s stash sending them flying and crashing on the ground, all of them shattering and sending their content over the place.
"Uh oh …."
And the three fillies ran away after destroying an year worth of potion, chased by the shopkeeper, yelling at them.