"Rarity?" Diamond Tiara called as the head gear wearing filly gently pushed open the door to Carousel Boutique, the familiar jingling of the bell announcing her arrival.
There was no reply. The filly grew worried. Rarity hadn't been seen for several days and her friends were starting to grow worried. Diamond Tiara had volunteered to go check up on her, seeing as the filly had worked with the fashionista before. There were rumors that something had happened to her mane, but none could confirm it since the unicorn hadn't been seen in public.
Again the pink coated filly called out. "Rarity? It's me, Diamond Tiara. Twilight's part-time student?" But still there was no answer.
Reluctantly, Diamond made her way into the boutique, taking notice of the fact that the lights didn't seem to be on. That was not a good sign, Rarity wouldn't leave the lights off if she were home. But there were no signs of a break in and it wasn't like the fashionista to just leave her boutique unattended.
"Rarity? Are you there? Hello?" Tiara called out. "If you're hiding because your mane's messed up, it's okay. I'm not here to laugh at you. It can't be any worse than my bad mane days, and boy do I have bad mane day horror stories to tell."
Just then the lights flickered on as if by magic! The ground floor of the boutique was flooded with light and the filly had to adjust her cornflower blue eyes to the sudden change.
A familiar voice called out to the filly. "Diamond Tiara? My goodness, what a lovely surprise. I haven't seen you for ages. Twilight tells me your friendship studies are coming along nicely."
As Diamond's eyes finally adjusted to the light, they beheld a most unusual sight. One that made her blink and rub her eyes.
There stood the familiar figure of Rarity. But two noticeable things were different about her. One was the dark purple jacket with a spiky collar that she proudly wore. And the other was a mane that looked like more like seaweed than an actual mane, and sported odd punk like shades of green, yellow, and purple.
"Rarity, is that you?" Tiara questioned.
"Why yes it is," Rarity proudly declared. "Shocked?"
Diamond could barely believe her eyes and was rendered speechless. To see Rarity in such a state was not just surprising, it was earth shattering. Was this really the same pony or was she secretly a changeling doing a very poor job at imitating the pony she'd replaced?
Rarity just approached the speechless filly with a giggle. "I know my appearance right now must be a lot for you to take in, darling," She spoke in a gentle tone of voice. "I know what you must be thinking but I assure you that I am the real Rarity."
"How do I know for sure?" Tiara questioned. "And how do I know this isn't all some weird dream or something?"
"Why if it was a dream, would you be able to feel this?" Rarity inquired and lightly tapped the filly on the shoulder.
Diamond swished her tail in surprise, she'd most definitely felt that. "So maybe this isn't a dream, maybe this is all real. But why in the world are you dressed like that, and why is your mane all punk like? I thought a pony like you wouldn't be caught dead in such attire."
At that Rarity frowned and stumbled back, her confidence appeared to falter very briefly. Her lips quivered as she seemed to become unsure of herself. "I... don't exactly like to remember it. It was quite an unfortunate set of circumstances."
"Was it really that bad?" Tiara innocently inquired of the unicorn. "Nopony's seen you for almost a week now, some were beginning to think you'd dropped off the face of the world or something."
"Well as you can see, they were wrong," Rarity chuckled before her tone of voice became noticeably more somber. "But my mane... well I decided it best to spare everyone the misfortune of having to see my mane in its atrocious state, what was left of it anyway." And at that she began to recall the series of rather unfortunate events that had ultimately led to her current punk like appearance.
After a full day of going around town and helping other ponies sort out their problems, Rarity decided to stop by Sugarcube Corner for a well deserved sweet treat. She had another reason for being there though, a rather urgent one at that. Because normally she would've stopped back at her boutique to make sure there were no outstanding orders to fill, and that her help wasn't needed at either of her other shops.
"Pinkie!" Rarity had cheerfully called as she entered the shop. "I hope you're not busy, because I could most certainly use your assistance. Photo Finish will be here later this week to do a photo shoot for Vanity Magazine's 'Most Beautiful Manes' edition, naturally my mane's going to be in the pages. But since she's coming all this way to Ponyville, I was hoping you'd know what her favorite treat is. After all you've got files on just about everyone from what I hear."
Pinkie was indeed in the shop, but not behind the counter like she normally was. No, today was a special occasion and her skills as a party pony had been needed. So she was currently on the floor with the twins, Pound and Pumpkin Cake, the both of them smiling up at her as she had placed two cupcakes on matching plates in front of them. Both of which had a candle in the shape of the number one.
Rarity put her hooves to her mouth in realization. "Oh, am I interrupting something important? I can probably come back later." She apologized to her friend. She prepared to leave when Pinkie pulled her close to the twins.
"Oh no no, silly filly," Pinkie said with a giggle. "In fact you're just in time for the celebration!"
"And just what are we celebrating today?" Rarity questioned her party planning friend.
Pinkie beamed with pride and proudly declared. "Why, the first anniversary of the twins' first major sneeze of course. And goodness, what a sneeze was." She cooed as she lightly ruffled both Pound and Pumpkin's manes and the twins happily gurgled back at her.
"Really? I thought it was for something else." The fashionista pondered in confusion. The one downside to having a party planning friend is that when she held celebrations and parties every day or every other day, they had a tendency to start blending together.
"Oh, you're thinking of the anniversary of them starting potty training," The pink party pony realized and then giggled anew. "Silly Rarity, that's not for another week. Mr. and Mrs. Cake are already planning something big for that. Trust me."
"So, if we're not celebrating that then why exactly are we celebrating the sneeze?" Rarity inquired.
"Because no milestone is too insignificant to be celebrated, no matter how small! That's what it means to be a party pony!" Pinkie declared. Then she grabbed an accordion and a harmonica, and began to sing a little song. And went it something like this:
Just about a year ago,
There was a great big tickle in your nose.
You snorted it throughout the nursery,
Happy Sneeze-iversary!
Achoo! Achoo! Aaaaa-choo!
At that Pinkie proceeded to squirt out an entire can worth of party string. It squirted all over the place and unfortunately some of it got onto Rarity's mane, much to the unicorn's horror. Still, she tried her best not to let it show. "Congratulations, Pinkie. You've really outdone yourself." She remarked in a noticeable deadpan tone.
"Woopsie, sorry!" Pinkie apologized. "I forgot that wasn't party string. It's super-sticky celebration string!" When Rarity growled at her (the twins meanwhile blew out the candles on their cupcakes) she added with a shrug. "I guess my sneeze-versary was a little too sneeze-abratory."
"Oh well," Rarity sighed as she looked around at the mess the string had caused. "I'm sure we can find a way to clean this up, and get this string out of my mane."
"If only we had some kind of super-sudsy mane conditioning shampoo for you and a magical cleaning remover potion for me." Pinkie suggested.
And at that the unicorn's eyes lit up as an idea came to her! "Of course, that's it! You're a genius, Pinkie!" She proceeded to happily explain. "We'll pay a visit to Zecora! She's a wonder with that cauldron of hers. I'm sure she can mix up a fix for both of us. Provided we make it through the Everfree Forest in one piece that is."
"That's why we'll go together," The pink coated earth pony declared. "It'll be just like our world saving adventures! Besides, I need to get this string out of the baked goods and at this rate I don't think my usual methods will work."
" I... think you may still have some baking to do," Rarity couldn't help but comment. "And keep that string away from the twins, or you'll have even more of a mess to clean up."
"It was all supposed to be a simple fix," Rarity explained to Diamond Tiara as she sat on the couch that usually doubled as her fainting couch. "Just a quick visit to Zecora's for something to wash the sticky string out of my mane. But..." She paused as her lips quivered and she trailed off.
Diamond tried not to gulp. "I'm guessing things didn't go so well?" She guessed.
"You are correct, Diamond," The fashionista replied. "Though in my defense Zecora really should label her potions better. Anyway, I took what I thought was the shampoo back home and rinsed with it. And you can probably guess what happened next." She then began to flash back to that fateful moment just days ago. Despite the passage of time she remembered it clear as day.
Rarity was enjoying a hot shower in the privacy of her bathroom, the bottle containing what she believed to be the mane shampoo rested near the faucet. "Ah," She spoke as she cheerfully hummed a little tune to herself. "Just what I need. A relaxing shower really gives you the chance to unwind after a long day, and focus on the fabulousity of your mane. Alright, my mane's nice and wet. Time for the shampoo," Taking up the bottle with her magic the fashionista caught a whiff of the scent contained within it. It certainly didn't smell like shampoo, but then again it wasn't a store or spa brand shampoo so who was she to judge? "Not the most pleasant scent I've ever inhaled, but if gets the job done I can't complain." She proceeded to squirt the bottle's contents into her mane and scrubbed with her hooves.
Once done the young fashionista turned off the shower head and wrapped herself in a towel as she stepped out of her tub. Steam covered her bathroom mirror so she couldn't see the condition of her mane just yet. But something felt off to her, something that the unicorn couldn't quite put her hoof on. "How very strange, my mane feels lighter alread-" She spoke as she cleared away the steam from her mirror. When she did she finally got a good look at herself, and screamed at what she saw! Her beautiful curly mane had been reduced to a small stub! It didn't take a genius to figure out what must've happened.
A short time later, with a hat to cover what remained of her mane, Rarity approached Sugarcube Corner and was nearly overwhelmed by a massive wave of suds and soap bubbles. Pinkie had definitely used the shampoo. "Hey, Rarity!" Pinkie greeted in her usual chipper tone. "That's the strangest remover potion I've ever taken, our manes are all so bouncy and soft. Not to mention they smell like they just came out of a washing machine."
"That's because you accidentally took the shampoo meant for me," Rarity answered. At that she noticed Pinkie adopt a rather guilty expression and the unicorn was quick to reassure her friend. "It's alright, I don't blame you. The bottles looked incredibly similar, we really should've asked Zecora for a label."
"Yeah, but just look all the sticky string that's still stuck to everything," Pinkie glumly replied. "That shampoo didn't do anything to it."
Rarity gave her best smile. "Not to worry, I'll simply fetch the rest of that remover potion and help you clean up. It'll be easier with four hooves instead of two," And then she cooed as she looked down at the twins. "Besides, I think these little ones are overdue for a visit from their Auntie Rarity." The twins cooed back at her in response.
"Great!" Pinkie beamed and then she added. "Say, is there something different about you, Rarity?"
"Huh? Oh no no no, darling!" Rarity dismissively waved a hoof. "You must be imaging things. Now I've got to go and fetch that remover potion, see you soon!"
"I wasn't about to let Pinkie see my mane in such a sorry state," Rarity explained to Diamond Tiara as her story ended. "It took longer than I thought to get rid of all the sticky string, by the time it was all over I decided it was best to just move the shoot to Canterlot. I recommended that Photo Finish took some pictures of Sassy's mane instead, and I'd imagine that's what they're doing right now."
Tiara looked across to the fashionista, her cornflower blue eyes still reflecting a clear look of confusion. "O-kay, but that still doesn't explain why you've done your mane up in that really out there style, or why you're wearing those punk like clothes. Unless they're part of some secret fashion trend I was not aware of."
At that the unicorn with a coat of pristine white shook her head. "The inspiration for my current attire was a spur of the moment thing, I decided to make the most of a bad situation and it just came to me," She then answered. "Though I was also partially motivated by the story of Mistmane, and how she gave up her own beauty to restore it to her native land. Have you heard the story?"
"I... think Miss. Cheerilee briefly talked about it last week when we started learning about ancient pony legends," Tiara answered as she massaged the back of her neck with a hoof to try and remember more details. "But maybe you could tell me more about it on the way to Twilight's castle. Your friends are all starting to worry about you, they were afraid something awful had happened to you."
Rarity seemed to nod in agreement with her young guest's suggestion. "I suppose there's no harm in going out like this. Today is far too nice a day to stay cooped up indoors. Besides, there are some orders I need to check up on."
A short time later mare and filly were out in Ponyville, and it did not take long for ponies to notice Rarity. Not just the fact that it was the first time they had seen her in almost a week, but also because they were seeing her in a state that they never expected to see her in. Her punk like appearance was unexpected and a little unsettling. If not for the cutie mark most ponies would've never believed that it was actually Rarity.
Rarity, for her part, did her best to ignore the stares and the hushed whispers that were being directed at her. "Now I know how Mistmane must've felt when she returned to her old village after years of studying abroad." She thought to herself.
Hoping to take Rarity's mind off her troubles, Diamond decided to ask. "So, about Mistmane? Exactly what does she have to do with all of this?"
"Why, Mistmane is one of my biggest inspirations of all time! She has everything to do with things like this!" Rarity firmly declared in response. "Mistmane was always a believer that true beauty can be found in everything. Even in the village in Eastern Equestria in which she grew up. In fact some were heard to say that she was not unlike a lone flower in the desert, a shining beacon of beauty."
"But didn't she also give it up and turn all wrinkly and old?" Tiara questioned. "I seem to remember that being how her story ended."
With a nod the fashionista answered. "It is true that Mistmane gave up her own beauty, but that is not even half of the whole story. There is so much more to it than that. It all started when Mistmane returned to her village after having spent years studying at the finest school abroad. Her beauty was matched only by her magical display. But when she returned, she found her village had fallen into disarray and decay."
Mistmane could hardly believe her eyes as she set hoof on the grounds of her village. Everything looked dried up and drab, as though all the beauty had been drained away. "What has become of my home land? How could it have ended up like this?" The young unicorn thought to herself. "Something horrible must've happened. But what? And why?"
Trotting through the village Mistmane looked through house after house, but no one in the village seemed willing to talk to her. A few could be heard whispering. "Is that Mistmane? But I thought they said she'd disappeared. She must be a ghost."
At that the unicorn stepped back in surprise. "A ghost? Me?" She said aloud. "Have I truly been gone that long? Have all records and knowledge of my existence vanished? No, it can't be so! Whoever or whatever is responsible for all of this must've tried to erase the fact that I was ever around. But why? Who or what would do such a thing? I've never intentionally wronged anyone."
The village itself offered no clues, no hints as to the source of Mistmane's questions and concerns. But luckily she did not have to look very far to find the answers she was seeking. As luck would have it she passed by a random villager, a stallion with a coat the same color as sand and worn blue eyes that looked like they had experienced much sorrow. "Excuse me, sir," Mistmane called to the stallion. "Would you happen to know why everything in this village is so bleak and unhappy? I believe it wasn't always like this."
The stallion let out a sigh and told Mistmane. "I do not know who you are, stranger. But you look vaguely familiar somehow," Then he added. "Still if it's information you seek, it is my duty to inform you. This village is under the control of her highness, Empress Sable Spirit I. Per her order, all things beautiful have been removed."
At that Mistmane stumbled back in shock and let out a gasp "Sable Spirit?! No, it cannot be!" The young mare could remember that she and Sable Spirit had been close friends as fillies, and Sable Spirit had been there to see her off when Mistmane left to study abroad. Sure she'd offhoofedly mentioned that she was planning to become a ruler, but the Sable Spirit Mistmane had known would never become a cold hearted empress. Especially not one that would take away the beauty of the land around her.
There had to be some kind of mistake, it couldn't be the same Sable Spirit. But there was only one way to find out for sure. "How do I go about getting a meeting with the empress?" Mistmane questioned the villager. "Please, I must know."
"You cannot simply see the empress, she is far too busy to be bothered with common tourists." The stallion protested.
And that was when Mistmane decided. "Then I don't need an appointment, I'll confront her myself. One way or another, I'll make her see what she's done to this land!"
"Ah, we're here!" Rarity called out, interrupting her story. She stopped right in her tracks as her eyes fell upon the familiar humble building of Sofas and Quills (which as Spike would attest, also stocked a fine selection of beds).
"Wait, why are we stopping here exactly?" Tiara questioned. "And what about the story? Who was the empress that Mistmane met with?"
Rarity patted Diamond on the forehead with a hoof. "Patience, Diamond Tiara, patience. All in good time. For now though I need to check up on a delivery of a certain sofa that was supposed to be delivered to me three days ago."
The two made their way inside the shop, a wide variety of sofas and quill sets rested on the many isles and were there to greet them. Towards the very back of the shop near a window rested a display of various beds in all sorts of sizes, from little baskets to princess sized mattresses.
An earth pony clerk clad in a dark blue uniform that matched his tan brown coat suddenly stepped forward. "Ah, Miss. Rarity, Diamond Tiara. To what do I owe the pleasure? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Yes, there most certainly is," Rarity spoke as she cleared her throat. "If you'll remember, about a week ago I was in here suggesting a fine yellow sofa. And I announced my intention to purchase it and to have it delivered to my boutique. But here I am almost a week later, and that sofa hasn't arrived."
At that the clerk stepped back and gulped a little. "Ah yes, about that. Terribly sorry, Miss. Rarity, but when you didn't show up to purchase it on the designated day we here at Sofas and Quills all assumed you'd changed your mind. Nopony knew where you'd disappeared to or how to get in touch with you. So we..."
"-So you did what, exactly?" The fashionista questioned.
"I think it was Berry Punch who offered to buy it from us for the same price," The clerk explained. "So we decided to sell it to her. I'm terribly sorry, ma'am. If it's any consolation, you're free to take home any of the finest sofas we stock here at no cost."
But the unicorn shook her head and sighed. "No no, darling, that's quite alright. It's really my fault. I was too busy feeling sorry about my mane to realize I had other obligations to take care of. I wasn't there to pick it up, so naturally it went to the customer who was there and could afford it. I'm sure Berry Punch will put it to good use. I'll be on my way now, thank you."
"Well, that took less time than I anticipated. I suppose I should've realized that was the answer though," Rarity frowned. "It is what it is though."
Diamond couldn't help but notice the odd glances Rarity was still getting as she trotted through Ponyville in her current punk like appearance. More than a few ponies still seemed unsure just what to make of her in this state. "Well one thing's for sure, your new punk look is gonna be the talk of the town for quite a while." The filly commented.
"I would expect nothing less. It isn't everyday a pony like yours truly changes her appearance so radically," Rarity commented in reply. "But ponies can change in more ways than one."
Tiara nodded. "I know that all too well. It's actually surprising ponies were willing to believe my change of heart after all the horrible things I'd say and did," A sigh of longing escaped her lips as she added. "Now if only my mother could be the same."
Rarity reached out a hoof to her troubled companion. "You were quite young, and you had friends willing to help you see the error of your ways before it was too late. Your mother, I'm afraid, isn't as lucky. I'm not sure what exactly could prompt a pony like her to be such a... well I guess 'witch' will suffice, even if it's nowhere near Nightmare Night yet."
At that Tiara let out a giggle. "That's my mom for you," But then her happy mood faded. "It's just... I want to believe she wasn't always so mean and heartless. I really want a mother who cares for me and loves me for who I am, not a pony who only sees me as a way to further her own social standing. I suspect that if it weren't for my father's money, she wouldn't hang around anymore or even pretend to tolerate my change in behavior."
"Mistmane felt the same way you feel now, when a pony very near and dear to her heart changed for the worse," Rarity explained. "I think it's time you heard the next part of Mistmane's story, the part where things truly take a turn."
It took a great deal of running around and talking to various villagers, but at last Mistmane was able to get an appointment with Empress Sable Spirit the I. As she made her way up the palace steps and into the throne room the young unicorn was thinking to herself. "Please let it be somepony else. Please! I need it to be somepony else!"
But when Mistmane entered the throne room and her eyes fell upon the pony resting atop the throne, her heart sank. There was no mistaking the mare who rose to greet her. It was indeed the same Sable Spirit that Mistmane had called a friend in her childhood.
"Well well, if it isn't Mistmane," Sable Spirit coldly greeted as she rose from her throne, a hiss working its way into her tone of voice. "I didn't expect to see you back here so soon, old friend. I thought you'd forgotten all about me and this little village."
Mistmane shook her head firmly in protest. "You know that's not true. This village is my home."
"Yet you gladly left it for Canterlot so you could live the greater life," Sable Spirit retorted. "And you left me to pick up the pieces."
"Sable Spirit, please!" Mistmane pleaded with her old friend. "I don't know what's gotten into you or why you're so mad with me, but this isn't the time. Look around you. Surely you've noticed that this village has been robbed of its beauty and natural grace."
Sable Spirit coldly laughed. "Oh it's no coincidence, Mistmane. I know full well the true cause of this village's drabness. A small price to pay to ensure my subjects learn their lesson," And she proceeded to explain. "There's no such thing as true beauty, anything beautiful cannot long survive in this cruel and heartless world. Surely you've seen it for yourself, how ponies will trample on nature and beauty in the name of progress. How to them looks are all that matters. It's what those hoity toity folks in Canterlot believe."
"No, Sable Spirit, you have it all wrong!" Mistmane retorted. "In all the time we spent together, I thought you understood that true beauty comes from within."
Sable Spirit simply replied. "You say that and yet look at what happened to me when I tried to bring said inner beauty forward," Lifting up her veil the unicorn revealed a noticeably aged face that was wrinkly and ragged. "Everypony always said you were the prettier one, they never stopped gushing about you. So I thought if I could give them a real beauty, they'd finally know their place and be content with my rule! But that spell did nothing except take away my youth, take away my inner beauty."
At that Mistmane snapped. "So you became a tyrant?!"
"Tyrant is such an ugly term, Mistmane. I simply felt that my subjects should share in my suffering is all," Sable Spirit answered. "I would've expected you of all ponies to understand what I suffer, to sympathize with me."
But Mistmane shook her head. "That spell did more than take away your beauty, Sable Spirit, it took away your compassion! The Sable Spirit I know would never do such a thing to anypony!"
"Well I've got news for you, Mistmane," Sable Spirit hissed anew. "The Sable Spirit that you knew is gone, and she's never coming back! So you can either stand with me, or you can get out of my sight! If these villagers care only about beauty on the outside, I'll see to it that they never again know anything beautiful! Then all will see it my way, see the world for what it truly is!"
"I can't let you do that, I'm afraid," Mistmane declared in reply. "I won't allow you to defile this village just so you can feel better about yourself."
Sable Spirit laughed and threw back her head. "Oh really? You think you can stop me? Your funeral, Mistmane. I will crush you, just as I will anyone who gets in my way!" Her horn started to ominously crackle as she used her magic to bring forth a gigantic dragon made entirely out of pure energy. Mistmane stepped back in shock! "You were a fool to challenge me, ex-friend of mine," The empress taunted. "I didn't become ruler of this village by being weak and defenseless. But if you're thinking of surrendering it's far too late for that, prepare to be pulverized into oblivion!"
But Mistmane countered with a magic spell from her own horn, creating a powerful and majestic phoenix. For a while the magical creatures clashed with neither side appearing to gain even an inch. Mistmane seemed to visibly strain herself just to maintain her phoenix, while Sable Spirit didn't appear to be breaking a sweat at all.
All of a sudden though, Mistmane's phoenix began to glow! It quickly wrapped itself around the dragon and in a blinding flash of white light both creatures vanished! "What?! But?! How?! There's no way you could've..." Sable Spirit growled.
"You left me no other choice, my old friend," Mistmane sadly declared. "My time in Canterlot allowed me to hone my magical skills. But my greatest teacher of all was nature itself, and the very same beauty you robbed from this village, shall now be what brings you down!"
As Mistmane spoke a series of vines suddenly sprouted up from the ground. Sable Spirit tried to blast them but to no avail, as they simply shrugged off her attacks and continued to encroach on her without hesitation. The vines grabbed ahold of the empress and held her aloft, preventing her from doing anything. Sable Spirit I had been dethroned.
"Now you shall atone for your crimes, empress," Mistmane replied to her former friend. "And I shall do what I can to undo your actions. This village shall again know beauty and peace."
"But Mistmane's story doesn't end there," Rarity cautioned to Diamond Tiara. "Not every tale ends splendidly for the hero I'm afraid."
"What do you mean, Rarity? Did Mistmane die?" Diamond asked with a gulp.
Rarity shook her head. "Oh no no no, of course not, darling. Like all the great legends of old Mistmane didn't die," The fashionista decided to leave out the part about Mistmane mysteriously disappearing without a trace and no clue as to her whereabouts. "But there was a price to pay to bring back the beauty that her village had lost."
Tiara gulped anew, Rarity's tone of voice filling her entire body with dread. "So what exactly happened to Mistmane, Rarity? If she didn't die, what did she do?"
Before the fashionista had a chance to explain and continue her story, a very frantic Filthy Rich came rushing up to the flower stand run by Lily, Daisy, and Roseluck, holding a huge bouquet of flowers in all sorts of different colors. He appeared to be out of breath if the heavy pants he was giving off were any indication. "Please," He pleaded with the trio of flower ponies. "Ya gotta take all these back. I should've known not to buy Spoiled flowers without askin' her what she likes. I thought I'd do somethin' nice and surprise her. Guess I should've known she doesn't like surprises."
"W-well we'd be glad to take back your flowers, Fil... er I mean Mr. Rich," Daisy nervously replied. "But uh... what kind of flowers does Spoiled want exactly?"
At that Filthy gulped. "That's the thing, I don't know. I didn't have time to ask. Spoiled just yelled at me and told me to take back the flowers."
"Well we can't help you if we don't know what your wife's looking for," Lily nervously protested. "Mare's Day is just around the corner, we have a very limited stock at the moment."
Having seen the whole display unfold before her cornflower blue eyes, Diamond rolled her eyes. "Well I can safely say nothing's changed between my parents," She commented to Rarity. "Somehow I don't think a talk about 'inner beauty' and things like that would get my mom to see sense. She's as self-centered as that Sable Spirit pony."
"Maybe so," Rarity nodded in agreement. "But that still doesn't mean we can just ignore a pony in need. Wait right here, Diamond, this won't take long," Then the fashionista trotted up to Filthy Rich with a smile on her face. "Excuse me, Mr. Rich," She politely greeted. "You seem to be having some relationship troubles. I don't suppose I could offer my suggestions?"
Filthy all but threw himself at Rarity's hooves. "Please, ya gotta help me! I didn't mean to make Spoiled all upset with me! I want her to be happy, to feel like she means somethin' to me!"
"Well never fear, darling," The fashionista declared. "Because lucky for you, I have the perfect solution in mind. I always find it helps to get flowers that match a pony's mane or eyes, and it helps if that's their favorite color. Instead of a whole rainbow of colors, just pick one matching set and go with it. You can do more with less."
"Oh, you're a lifesaver, Rarity!" Filthy proudly exclaimed. "Just name your price, 'cause I know I owe you big time for this!"
But Rarity waved a hoof. "Nonsense, Mr. Rich, this favor won't cost you a thing. I'm just happy to help."
"And help you have!" Filthy beamed! Then he rushed to go purchase flowers that matched Spoiled's mane (and just to be safe he bought a second set that matched her eyes).
"You think that'll work?" Diamond commented. "I mean this is my mom we're talking about here."
But Rarity smiled in response. "I've never met a pony yet who's said no to flowers that match their mane or their eyes. I'm sure even Spoiled can't say no to that. And if she does, well she can take it up with me."
"Yeah, well anyway," Tiara spoke up, eager to change the subject. "What exactly happened to Mistmane after she defeated that empress? You said she didn't die."
"And I was telling the truth," Rarity replied with a sigh. "But I was also right when I said that not all stories end splendidly. Mistmane's tale has a rather somber conclusion to it." And she proceeded to conclude her story as she and Diamond trotted back to Carousel Boutique together.
True to her word Mistmane set about trying to restore the natural beauty of the landscape, and make her village as beautiful as she had remembered it being.
But even with her incredible magical abilities, Mistmane found it next to impossible to get anything to grow in the soil. It seemed to be void of life entirely. Whatever Sable Spirit had done to the land it became clear to Mistmane that it would take decades for the soil to recover.
That didn't seem fair at all. Just because Sable Spirit had become obsessed with destroying beauty did not mean the village should have to continue to suffer. And so it was that she made a fateful decision, one that would forever come to define her and cement her status as a legend.
Mistmane, a pony with beauty that none could hope to rival, gave up her beauty in order to restore life to the world around her. As she did so her body noticeably aged, becoming saggy and wrinkly. Her overall appearance changed too, becoming more slouchy as her back seemed to curve and bend.
Even Sable Spirit was shocked when her friend visited her in jail a short time after the transformation. "You didn't have to do that, Mistmane," She protested. "Why must you give up your own good looks just to save a few plants?"
Mistmane shook her head, and as she spoke her voice sounded noticeably aged. "You still don't get it, do you, Sable Spirit? I always said that true beauty comes from within, but there is also a saying that goes 'Beauty is only fur deep'. There's more to life than looking pretty. It doesn't matter if you're the most beautiful pony in all of Equestria, without plants no village can long survive. For no plants means no food, and no food means no civilization. Maybe someday you'll come to understand, that if all you ever care about is looks you'll never make it far in this world."
Sable Spirit growled. "You're a fool! You could've had it all and you've foolishly thrown it all away!"
Mistmane only sighed and sadly turned away, leaving the jail. "It seems you are lost, my old friend. I don't know whether this all stems from your jealousy towards me at being accepted to study in Canterlot, or if something else has led you astray. Perhaps, one day, you'll see the error of your ways and make amends. Until then though, I'm afraid there isn't much I have to say to you other than goodbye."
From her jail cell Sable Spirit watched as her aged former friend trotted off, disappearing into the distance like a ghost. She would never go on to hear about all the wonderful things Mistmane would do for others. But Mistmane's status as a legend would only continue to grow, and before long ponies from far and near came flocking to the village she'd grown up in. All of them eager to hear the stories of how Mistmane had come to be, and of how she had sacrificed so much to bring beauty back to her own home land.
"Wow, that was... surprisingly unhappy for a story about a legendary pony." Diamond commented to Rarity as they entered Carousel Boutique and Rarity sat down to rest on her fainting couch.
"Indeed it is, but it serves as a reminder of the price we all pay if we focus too much on beauty and lose sight of other things that are just as important," Rarity cautioned. "It's why Mistmane remains my favorite legend, like Starswirl the Bearded for Twilight or Rockhoof for Applejack."
Tiara nodded. "I can see why ponies are so attracted to those old legends, and why Miss. Cheerilee wants us all to study them. Maybe if I'd learned about them sooner, I could've become a nicer pony a lot sooner than I did."
Rarity just replied. "Well you've certainly come a long way in such a short amount of time. I can hardly believe you're the same filly who used to give Sweetie Belle and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders so much grief back in the day. It's funny what a difference time can make."
"So, is your mane going to stay like that forever, Rarity?" The pink coated filly questioned.
At that the fashionista firmly shook her head. "No. I went to see Zecora after the mix-up, and she told me in her own way that in time my mane would grow back, although she didn't say when," She just sighed. "It's a shame I had to give up on my dream of being in Vanity Magazine's 'Most Beautiful Manes' edition because of that. But on the bright side it gave me a chance to dabble in this new punk attire, I hear it's all the rage with more than a few ponies these days."
Diamond couldn't help but giggle. "I know that if I ever showed up at home looking like that, Mother would faint right on the spot and Father would be wondering where he went wrong. Then I'd probably have the look scrubbed out of me."
"Speaking of home, it does seem to be getting quite late," Rarity observed. "You should probably run on home now, I wouldn't want you getting into trouble with your parents because of me. And be sure to let my friends know that I'm a-okay when you get a chance."
"Will do, Rarity," Tiara saluted and then ran off. "See you around! And thanks for everything!"
One week later, as Rarity was still waiting for her mane to return to its natural curly state, she was most surprised to receive a visitor. Said visitor quickly revealing itself as none other than Diamond Tiara.
"Rarity! Rarity! Guess what?!" The pink coated filly proudly declared! "The latest edition of Vanity Magazine's 'Most Beautiful Manes' just hit the stands today! And you're never going to believe who's on the front cover!"
Rarity just laughed. "I'm sure it's Sassy Saddles, Diamond Tiara. After all, I told you I was having her host Photo Finish instead of me. Sassy's mane is every bit as fashionable as mine, and Canterlot Carousel could use the free publicity. Besides, for me it doesn't really matter who's on the cover. My scheduled appearing on it was just a happy coincidence."
But Tiara just shoved the magazine into Rarity's face and told her. "You must read it!"
"Oh, alright, I'll play along with your little game," Rarity giggled as she ruffled Diamond's mane with a hoof. With her magic she picked up the magazine and held it in front of her eyes. But when she took one look at the cover she gasped, she could hardly believe her eyes! "I don't believe it! It's... me!" She exclaimed! "But how?! I cancelled the shoot and told Photo Finish to do one with Sassy instead."
Then the fashionista noticed a note sticking out of her copy of the magazine. Her curiosity attracted to the small slip of paper, she grabbed it with her magic and carefully unfolded it. The note read as follows:
Dear Rarity,
We heard about what happened with your mane and how you cancelled your dream shoot because of it.
We decided that you needed a little reminder of how beautiful you are both inside and out, so we pulled a few favors and arranged for Photo Finish to do a private shoot of you shining on the inside, doing what you do best.
By now copies of this magazine will be on every newsstand across Equestria, and your punk mane will surely be the newest fashion trend.
But we hope that you won't forget that you're beautiful no matter what you wear and no matter what you look like.
Sincerely,
Hondo "Magnum" Flanks and Cookie "Pearl" Crumbles
Rarity's lips started to quiver ever so slightly and she found herself at a loss for words. "This is... incredible!" She exclaimed! "Oh Mother, Father, thank you!" And she held the cover depicting her in her punk mane tightly. For her it had just become her newest prized possession.