Rarity, Twilight and Rainbow were all sitting at the table, conversing with one another over their day. Well, Rainbow and Twilight were conversing in Rarity's presence, as she was too busy examining the stain on the ceiling.
It loomed over everyone's heads like some kind of silent death knell, the moment that anyone else but Rarity noticing it marking the end of any pleasantness that once was. It also didn't help that the shape of it seemed familiar, but she couldn't place it. The basic rounded shape, the jaggedness of certain edges. It almost looked like...
"Rare?" Rainbow had gotten her attention, looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "You a million miles away over there?" She asked her, a smirk on her face.
Rarity blushed at the accusation, but smiled to hide any embarrassment. "Sorry dear, but I've been so distracted today." She made an excuse, waving her hoof.
"Yeah, I noticed the stain on the roof too." She said, chuckling slightly. Twilight furrowed her brow, looking up and widening her eyes in surprise. "Hey, there is a stain on the ceiling!" She said, looking back down to Rarity, silently waiting for an explanation.
Rarity sighed, a deeper sigh than she had realized. "It... it's a long story, girls." She said, hoping that would be enough to dissuade them for the moment. Rainbow shrugged, popping a few joints in her neck.
"Whatevs. So, what did you invite us over for, anyway?" Asked Rainbow, curious about this meeting in the first place. Twilight smiled patiently, waiting for her to continue what she started before Rainbow had arrived.
"Aah, yes. That." She began, a slight sadness in her tone of voice. "Well, today is the anniversary of something. Something that I had done a very long time ago, when I was just a filly. Something... that I deeply regret, every single day of my life."
Rarity and Twilight both watched her with interest, Twilight taking the moment to assure her friend. "Rarity, you can trust us." She said, placing her hoof on Rarity's in a show of friendship. "Whatever you did, we're here for you." Rarity looked over at Rainbow, who was smiling in confidence, relaying the same message.
Rarity nodded, her voice shaking but continuing on. "Thank you, dear. Well, it all starts during my first day of school..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rarity was happy. Rarity was beaming. Rarity was the most carefree filly in the world!
That was, until she had met those three.
Dug, Kicker, and Annie.
They had made her school life a living hell. Even with her good friend Cheerilee at her side, there was nothing that the three of them had done to her that didn't make her cringe at the memory.
However, it was Annie that was the worst, in terms of verbal abuse. Boys know where to hit to cause the most damage. Girls know what to say.
One day, Rarity had had enough of her abuse. During recess, when Dug and Kicker were either home sick or during one of their numerous suspensions, Rarity didn't remember which, she had gotten up, trotted her way over to her, just out of her line of sight, and cold cocked her across the jaw.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rarity had to stop her story for a moment, as Rainbow Dash was laughing too hard to focus on it.
"You? Just going up to another filly and punching her!?" Rainbow tried to confirm what she had heard through fits of laughter. Twilight herself couldn't stop from letting out a giggle or two, even though she desperately tried too.
Rarity cleared her throat, nodding. "Yes, that's correct Rainbow. I went up to Annie and knocked her out like a light."
It was a solid minute before Rainbow began to calm down, almost falling out of her chair as she took deep breaths. The threat of bursting into another fit was prevalent before she had relaxed. "Phew... I almost wouldn't believe it if you didn't sound so serious about it earlier." She said, smiling warmly.
Twilight lowered her cup of tea that she was using to hide her giggle fits. "It's okay Rarity. We all lose our temper." She said, blushing at the memory of the time she had gotten so angry. "I remember when my brother had stolen Smarty Pants away from me in some sort of stupid game. I got so mad at him that I called him a 'big plothead'" She explained, blushing and taking a sip of tea. "We both got in trouble that day." She said, giggling.
"Jeez, that's the worst you've done?" Rainbow asked her, smirking. "I did what Rarity had done. Anyone give me grief 'POW' right in the kisser!" She said, mimicking the motion of punching someone. "I think that's why only boys ever tried to bully me."
Rarity smiled, before shaking her head slightly. "That's all well and good, but that's not the thing that I regret. Mainly because I never regretted it." She said with a smirk, taking a drink of her own tea. "Yes, I had gotten a scolding from the principal, a scolding from my parents, and a suspension to wrap things up. But I never regretted it for a moment. After she was back in school, she never said another word to me, or anything hurtful to any other student." She said, before cocking her head slightly. "I wonder where she is now..."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Somewhere, in a graveyard not too far from Ponyville, there was a mare, dressed in black. She was slowly trotting through the rows of gravestones, making her way to the graves of two dear friends that she had made, when she was just a filly.
"Hey Dug. Hey Kicker." She greeted, a melancholy smile on her face.
She stood there silently for a few moments, nothing needed to be said. If no one else were going to visit them, she would make the effort, no matter the weather.
"Goodbye Dug. Goodbye Kicker." She said, quickly making her way out of the graveyard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rarity shrugged, before sitting up straight. "So, like I said, that's not the end of the story." She said, but before she could continue on, there was a knock on the door.
"Oh, could that be the rest of the girls?" She wondered, quickly standing up and trotting towards the door, opening it with her magic. Her smile widened when her suspicions were proven correct. "Girls! Lovely to see you here at last!" She greeted, smiling widely.
"Hey Rarity!" Greeted Pinkie, smiling as she squeezed Rarity in a tight hug. "Sorry I was so late, we had this huge order that needed to be done today and we all worked our butts off making sure it was finished!" Pinkie Pie explained, hopping in the room. Applejack followed her, Applebloom on her back. "Hey Rare. A few sheep had wandered off durin' the storm, so we had to wrangle em' down before they went and hurt themselves." Applejack explained, before motioning up to her little sister, who had hopped off. "And Applebloom wanted to talk to her friends about something or other, so she came along" She said, trotting inside.
Fluttershy was the last one in, who was followed closely by Scootaloo. "Um, I was making sure all my little animal friends were nice and safe before I left." She explained shortly, giving Rarity a soft hug of her own. "I'm sorry if I made you wait too long..."
Rarity was internally screaming, but made no sign of any distress as she smiled, nodding with their stories. With a quick explanation that Sweetie Belle was up in her room, watching the two of them trot up the stairs, she sighed as she made her way back to the table.
Just as she closed the door however, there was another lightning strike. This time, it seemed to hit something important, as all of the power in the boutique suddenly went out, plunging the store into darkness.
A couple girls let out a shriek, Fluttershy's being the softest as she hid under the table. "Don't worry girls, I have candles!" Rarity stated, quickly making her way into the kitchen to grab them. Placing one on the table, she lit the wick, illuminating the faces of everyone present, save for Fluttershy.
She scowled at Rainbow Dash again.
"Listen, if it makes you feel any better, he was fired on the spot."