//------------------------------// // Raritunzel // Story: Fairy Tales of Equestria // by VioletRose13 //------------------------------// Once upon a time in a charming house in the big city, there lived a happy, loving married couple. Their names were Cadance and Shining Armor and they wanted children for many years. One day, they realized that their wish was going to come true; they were going to have a child. The couple lived right next door to an enormous garden, but nopony dared to go near it because it belonged to a mare named Tempest Shadow. She was a unicorn who possessed a broken horn, but also great magical powers far beyond anyone’s control. Because of these powers, she was often called a witch by the locals. Almost every day when she finished her daily chores, Cadance would sit at the window in her bedroom and gaze at the beautiful plants and flowers that grew in the witch’s garden next door. She desperately wanted to have a taste of at least some of the luscious greenery and vegetables but because of her neighbor’s rude and selfish behavior, she was never able to. One night, Cadance had grown ill. Shining Armor stayed close at his wife’s side every waking moment, caring for her as best as he could but no matter what he tried, Cadance was never getting any better. In fact, it seemed like she was getting worse every day. “Please, Cadance. What is it I can do to make you feel better?” Shining Armor asked, desperately concerned for his wife’s well-being. “Shining Armor. Listen to me, please. I need you to do something very, very important for me.” Cadance said weakly. “Anything, dear. Name it and it’s done.” Shining Armor said. "If… if I don't have even a taste of some of the radishes from our neighbor’s garden soon, I’ll die." Cadance said as she weakly stroked her husband’s mane with her hoof. Shining Armor looked at his wife; she looked so weak and pale, she had to be serious. “Alright, darling. If it’s radishes you want, radishes you’ll have.” He said as he kissed his wife’s forehead. That night, Shining Armor went outside towards his neighbor’s property to get his wife the radishes she craved. He climbed over the high stone wall that surrounded the piece of land and he entered the garden as quietly as he could. As soon as he entered, he was overtaken by the wondrous sight. There was a manner of all plants including fruits, vegetables, and herbs of all kinds. And soon enough, he spotted the special radishes near a wall of purple grape vines. But just as he was just about to grab some and run, in a green flash, the Witch appeared right in front of him with an enraged expression on her face. He let out a cry in fright as he backed away from her. "Hold it right there! How dare you steal from my garden!" The mare shrieked in anger. “Unless you have a very good excuse, you will pay for your crimes!” Shining Armor stood tall in front of the mare before him. "Please don’t harm me, madam," He calmly pleaded. "These radishes are for my wife, Cadance. She’s with child and she told me that she needs to eat some of the radishes from your garden or she’ll die. So, can I please—?" "Alright, alright! I get it!" The Witch yelled in an annoyed tone, then composed herself and spoke to him in a calm tone. Then she thought of something before continuing her statement. "You know what, Mr. Armor? I’ll give you a deal. As of right now, you can take as many of my radishes as you like, but on one condition." “Really? What is it?” Shining Armor slowly asked. “In exchange, you must give me something precious to you.” “What do you want?” “I want the child.” “What?!” “You heard me. Either you give me the baby after it’s born or else.” Shining Armor was shocked; he would never stoop so low as to make a deal like that and give away his only child. But he was so desperate to save his wife that he agreed to the mare’s demands and he left the garden with his saddlebag full of radishes. He returned home and he brought the radishes to his wife; when they were brought to her, Cadance ate them all with great pleasure. To her, they tasted so sweet with the slightest hint of spice, probably the best thing she ever tasted. “Darling, I have terrible news. The Witch just caught me in her garden.” Shining Armor said. “That’s horrible! What did she do to you?” Cadance asked, finishing off the radishes. “She let me have the radishes, but she wants our foal in return.” He admitted. “I’m so sorry, but there was nothing else I could do.” The two ponies shared a hug before weeping onto each other’s shoulders. However, they were determined to keep their unborn child safe from the Witch at all costs. After several months, their baby was finally born. The foal was a beautiful white unicorn filly with purple curled hair and deep blue eyes. But shortly after the child was born, Tempest stormed into the couple’s home, took the child in her hooves, gave the baby the name Raritunzel, and took the little infant filly away with her. Over the years, Tempest had treated Raritunzel very kindly and loved her as if she were her own daughter. She gave the unicorn every luxury and comfort she desired. Raritunzel enjoyed spending time with Tempest thinking she was her true mother and she loved designing and sewing new clothes for them both. When Raritunzel was twelve years old, the Witch brought her to the top of a high stone tower in the middle of the Everfree Forest. The room at the top didn’t have any doors or any stairs; only one window. The years passed and during that time, Tempest never cut Raritunzel's mane or tail. They both grew longer and longer and longer, long enough to reach the ground outside. And every day, the Witch would go to the tower to visit Raritunzel. And every time Tempest came to the tower, she would shout: "Raritunzel! Raritunzel! Let down your hair!" And Raritunzel would lower her mane or her tail out the window and the Witch would climb up and up all the way to the window. In her tower room, Raritunzel would usually make clothes for herself or Tempest or sadly sing to herself. She wanted to go out into the world beyond the tower and the forest, explore the land, and make friends, but the Witch had always said no to this one desire; she wanted to keep the young mare all to herself. Poor Raritunzel; she couldn’t escape from her tower prison and she was as lonely as a pony could be. That is until one fateful day, all of that would change. A young unicorn prince named Trend was out for a calm walk in the forest when he came upon the tower. He heard Raritunzel singing from the tower, it sounded so clear and beautiful that he had to find out who was singing. He hid behind a large tree to see what would happen; then, he caught sight of the Witch. "Raritunzel! Raritunzel! Let down your hair!" She shouted. Prince Trend then saw Raritunzel’s mane fall to the ground in front of the Witch and he saw her climb up the wall and to the top. As he watched her climb, his jaw dropped in wonder; he almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He waited patiently for the Witch to leave and after thirty minutes or so, she did. The moment she was out of sight and ear shot, Prince Trend quietly walked over to the tower and looked up. "Raritunzel! Raritunzel! Let down your hair!" He shouted. And like a purple waterfall, Raritunzel’s tail fell down to the ground at Prince Trend’s hooves. Quick as a wink, he climbed up the tower until he reached the window at the top. And when he did, he made his way into the room and he saw Raritunzel standing in front of him. He thought she was the most beautiful unicorn mare he had ever seen. Raritunzel was surprised; she had never seen a real stallion before and she didn’t know what to do. "Oh, good heavens! Who are you?" Raritunzel asked, quickly backing away from him in fear. “What are you doing here?” "I’m terribly sorry, miss. My name is Prince Trend. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I just heard you singing while I was on a walk in the forest and… I had to see you for myself." Prince Trend said before bowing his head in a chivalrous manner. "A prince, you say? Oh my! Well… it’s a pleasure to meet you, Prince Trend." Raritunzel replied, smiling and blushing. Afterwards, Raritunzel and the Prince began to talk with each other; they talked and laughed for hours, realizing how much they had in common with each other. And they immediately began to grow feelings of affection towards each other. And soon after, they gave their vows to each other, and from that day on, they considered themselves each other’s very special somepony. When it was time for the Prince to leave, Raritunzel let down her tail and he safely slid down to the ground without being seen. “Promise me you’ll come back tomorrow when mother isn’t around!” Raritunzel called, blowing a kiss to the stallion. “Of course, my dear!” The Prince called back from below before disappearing into the trees. After that, the Prince came to visit Raritunzel every day while Tempest was gone. The more the two ponies saw each other, the more they loved each other. Prince Trend felt more and more determined to rescue Raritunzel from the tower every time he came to visit, but he and Raritunzel both knew the Witch would never allow it. So he knew he had to come up with a plan to rescue his love and bring her into the world. One day, when the Witch returned to the tower, Raritunzel rubbed her flank and, without thinking, said to her, "Oh, mother. Please don’t take offense, but why are you so heavy? My Prince certainly weighs less." Suddenly, the realization of her foolish comment dawned over the young mare in horror immediately after she said it; she gasped in fright, covered her mouth with her hooves, and she shut her eyes in terror. Tempest’s eyes widened before she winced, a glint of rage in her eyes; her broken horn sparking with magic as she started to glare daggers at her daughter. “What!?” She screamed. “You little snitch! You betrayed me! Just for that, I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t soon forget.” “What? Mother? W-w-w-what are you doing?” Raritunzel asked, backing away from the Witch in terror. “Mother, no! Leave me alone!” In a fit of jealous rage, the Witch grabbed a pair of scissors and cut Raritunzel's mane and tail with them, Raritunzel screaming and crying at her to stop. And then, she banished her to a swamp in the farthest part of the Everfree Forest. Just like that, Raritunzel was gone. The next day, Prince Trend came back to the tower and shouted: "Raritunzel! Raritunzel! Let down your hair!" The Witch lowered Raritunzel's cut mane and tail down to the clueless Prince and he climbed up, unaware of the impending danger. When he finally reached the window, he was shocked to see Tempest Shadow herself standing there instead of the mare he loved. “Surprised?” The Witch asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling wickedly. “You!? What did you do with Raritunzel?!” The Prince angrily demanded. "It doesn’t matter what I did with her, you’ll probably find out sooner or later. And by the way, those glasses won’t help you anymore." The Witch chuckled, letting go of Raritunzel's hair. At that moment, the poor stallion fell from the high window. He crash landed face first in some bushes at the bottom of the tower, but its sharp branches, barbs, and thorns severely scratched his face and eyes, which tragically left him blind. “My eyes… I-I-I can’t see.” He muttered as he shakily rose, rubbing his face with his hoof. “Ha! That’ll teach you not to mess with me! Now you’ll never see Raritunzel ever again!” The Witch cackled triumphantly from the top of the tower. After his love and sight were taken away, the Prince was lost in his own misery. After a while, he gathered himself up and went searching for Raritunzel. He wandered the forest on hoof aimlessly searching for his lost love, but was never able to find her. Finally, after several weeks, Prince Trend came upon a swamp somewhere in the forest and he heard something he thought would never hear again. He heard Raritunzel’s sorrowful singing. “Raritunzel? Raritunzel! Where are you?” He called out. "What? Trend? Trend! Is that you?" Raritunzel asked, looking for the familiar voice. “Raritunzel! I hear you! Where are you?” The Prince called out again. Raritunzel whipped her head around and she saw her beloved prince stumbling towards her. She gasped, an overjoyed smile plastered on her face. “Trend! It is you! My prince! I’m over here!” She cried happily, tears of joy running down her dirty face. “Don’t worry, darling, I’m coming!” Raritunzel galloped over to her dear Prince Trend and she held him in her forelegs tightly once she made her way to him. Raritunzel was so happy to see her love again that she covered his face with kisses and cradled his head in her hooves. But when she saw his scratched face and his bandaged eyes, she gasped. “What has happened to you?” She asked. “Your mother happened to me… she’s a witch. She blinded me back at the tower. I can’t see because of her. But that doesn’t matter now; I found you and that’s all that matters.” The Prince said, stroking Raritunzel’s messy cut mane with his hoof. “Oh, Trend. I can’t believe it. How could she do this to you? I’m so sorry.” “It’s not your fault, my love. Please don’t cry.” “I can’t help it.” Raritunzel was so sad about what happened to Trend that she started to weep, holding his head close to her chest. As she cried, her tears fell down her face and dropped onto the Prince's face. And like magic, his vision was restored. He looked up at her. “Raritunzel? …I can see you again. I don’t believe it, but it’s true!” Prince Trend exclaimed, embracing the mare tightly. “Oh, Trend! My sweet, darling Prince! It’s a miracle! I’m so happy you’re okay!” Raritunzel cried, hugging him back and sobbing onto his shoulder. “I’m just so glad I’ve finally found you again! Never, ever leave my side.” “Never, ever again.” The prince was so ecstatic to see his love again that he pulled her in close and passionately kissed her full on the lips. Prince Trend then took Raritunzel back to his home in the grand city of Canterlot. There, Raritunzel was reunited with her birth parents, which missed her terribly since the fateful day she left. Soon, she was wed to her precious Prince and was crowned princess. And as for the Witch, she was never seen or heard from since and nopony knows where she is today. And from that day on, Raritunzel and her Prince lived happily ever after.