//------------------------------// // Chapter thirty three, Unfamiliar Faces: Meeting Rarity. // Story: Airship Mauled // by Darkonshadows //------------------------------// -Present day, Celestia- “Are you okay Princess Celestia, you seem… tired?” At the question my star pupil, quite literally with that cutie mark, made me shake my head sending my mane whipping about. “I’m sorry Twilight, I just haven’t been getting enough sleep lately.” I wasn’t about to tell my student that I was having horrible nightmares about what happened to Jaded La Perm. “Caring for both the sun and moon is a very tiring thing to do day in and out, it’s something I’ve been doing for almost a thousand years. Don’t tell anyone, but I could probably use more naps.” “I won’t tell anyone princess!” Twilight nuzzled up against me and I nuzzled her back, her love for me was always so pure. It made me wonder where I went wrong with all the other unicorns that I have had as students previously. My friendship with Twilight was strong beyond words. She was always so eager to make me happy, unfortunately I don’t think she could do so at the moment unless she can somehow bring Jade back. I only had one idea for how to do that. The ‘wish’ spell could do it… but if Jade was actually dead, then it would be at too heavy a cost for me. I would be gone for more than five thousand years at least without the ability to interact with this realm, I’d also be completely incapable of traveling back in time up to the point I came back at. I was too important to the running of Equestria to do that to my ponies. I was never going to teach Twilight the wish spell. It was too dangerous a spell that can only be done once by any unicorn to achieve almost anything they could imagine within reason. A unicorn for instance could not make themselves more powerful magically, they could not force love to happen and they could not use the spell to kill, erase and or destroy anything considered living. Anything else beyond that was quite possible though, basically the same rules that the genies of myth followed with their three wishes. Depending on what the unicorn in question does with the spell, they could lose all their magic forever if the cost was too high to do what they wanted the spell to achieve. If the spell didn’t cost them their magic entirely, then they would always only be capable of functioning at anywhere from a half all the way to below a quarter of what magic they used to be capable of, never to recover. It was a spell best used when all hope is lost and losing one’s magic entirely wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen to you. Just thinking of that horrid spell reminded me of all the nightmares of something horrible happening to Sunset Shimmer, my night terrors were only getting worse the closer to Luna’s return. I could almost feel Nightmare Moon wiggling around in her seal on the moon, she was probably taking great pleasure in my failures as a leader. She was haunting my dreams with my sister’s body as a hostage that I could never free from her grasp myself, some of those dreams could even be prophetic. I could see the future in snatches, but it was hard to tell the difference between a vision and what happens to be just a nightmare about the world ending. I even had nightmares where two stallions polluted our world horribly, where changelings disguised themselves as ponies and turned the world into a jungle of distrust and survival where they would eventually starve themselves to death eating all the love they could find and then there was an endless war with Sombra and his mind controlled minions of the crystal empire where mares had to give up their beauty to go to war and had to fight alongside stallions to the death to keep the world free. There was also a world where Nightmare Moon was victorious and as the world slowly froze, where Timber Wolves constantly hunted those who survived the cold. Finally the worst nightmare I could ever have came to pass recently… it was a world of complete and total desolation where even the gods could barely survive. I didn’t seriously think any of those would ever come to pass… I would definitely fight that last vision to my dying breath! If I was to succeed, I had keep any pony from noticing how tired I was. Constant fake smiling all day, forced as it was, with very few real ones for the moments where I can truly find pockets of joy to breath in as the world tried to drown me in sorrow. While trying not to show weakness, I was feeling the stress of what I may eventually ask Twilight to do. For it was her cutie mark and not Sunset Shimmer’s on the tree of harmony. I had to hold myself together, many ponies depended on me every day to make good and just decisions. Being a benevolent ruler wasn’t easy. I was looking towards one of the many threats to my ponies, one of which was GODLESS. I already had the moon priests searching for them now. S.M.I.L.E was also operating in secret to root GODLESS out. After the Alicorn Amulet incident in Manehatten, I didn’t want to leave things to chance unless I absolutely had to. Jade was a friend, not a good one, not the best one, but one that had been loveable in the chicanery she got away with. She will be missed greatly and her loss will be devastating in these coming years. -The future that refused to change, Fluttershy- The fighting started as our friends burst from the cake. I tried to stay out of the way and completely out of trouble while everyone else fought, only to run into a Storm Creature slamming his spear down in front of me. “You seem tense, do you want to talk about it?” Giving him my brightest smile and a look of innocence, because I really was innocent and I didn’t want to fight him. There was a pause and the large Storm Creature tilted his head ever so slightly while making a slightly confused noise. He reminded me of Harry. “Can I tell you about how I met my friend Rarity?” Before I knew it we were both sitting off to the side and I was telling him about the time I first met Rarity, completely ignoring all the fighting going on around us for a moment of peaceful recollection. I knew these Storm Creatures weren’t bad beings, it was just bad circumstances that led them to this. -Present day, Fluttershy- I was establishing myself pretty well, my home was kind of like an animal daycare service and it was so fun meeting so many pets of the various ponies that lived here in Ponyville. I just had a slight problem today, one that left me covered in various bumps, scrapes and bruises. Even my mane was a mess, I might have some minor claw marks on my body and I felt dead on my hooves. It was hard work caring for all the animals at the shelter, they were all so very playful and energetic. I was just one mare and I was already running out of energy even after I just ate lunch. I was definitely happy with my job though, it was safe to say that animals would always be a part of my life. Huffing and puffing, I felt like I needed to pace myself better next time. I laid down in the grass in the park nearby and rested, I would need some time before I could return to playing with all those animals. “Oh my goodness you poor dear, what happened to you?!” Cowering away from the voice and looking up at the white furred mare with the purple hair addressing me, I curled up. She seemed to be somewhat excitable over my current state of appearance. I certainly didn’t look my best right now. “I’m sorry to say this, but you look like an absolute mess darling. Your mane is filthy, you’re covered in bruises and you honestly look like you could use some help.” I tried to squeak out a reply. My shyness really came out on this one, especially because this mare was really quite beautiful and she seemed to have an upper crust lilt to her voice. I might even be a bit attracted to her. It was not because of all the stuff she does to look pretty, but because she had eyes like gems. Her eyes kind of reminded me somewhat of Fizzle’s eyes. Except they didn’t glow, but they certainly gleamed like gems. “I won’t take no for an answer… or whatever it was that you were doing there! I have to fix this degradation of beauty, no… I must simply fix this travesty!” This mare seemed a little flamboyant. “Come with me and I’ll help you get fixed right up! No mare as pretty as you look, even at your current worst, should stay like this any longer than you absolutely have to.” She thought I was pretty! My cheeks swelled with heat until my entire face was encompassed, I could see the redness of my nose. She helped me up and she started to drag me somewhere. “Um… excuse…” I started to mumble as I was being tugged along by this mare, she could have just left well enough alone. Also I could still walk as I wasn’t exactly an invalid, though my shyness was sometimes quite crippling. “Hmm… oh right, I forgot to introduce myself, where are my manners. I’m the fabulous Rarity!” Well at least I knew who she was now. “I know just the place that will help you get back into looking your best, it has a really nice seaweed wrap option and they’ll help clean you up right quick dear.” “Um… what?” Seaweed wrap? What in the world was she talking about? Who would clean me up? I’m a little confused about where this was all going. “Why I’m taking you to the Ponyville’s Spa of course! Its run by Aloe, Vera and Lotus, the Blossom triplets and they are all quite great at what they do. I’m going to pay for this treat you truly deserve, if you work about as hard as that farm pony Applejack. She’s always so unclean! My reward for helping you will simply be your currently hidden beauty being returned to its best shining state!” It sounded like Rarity had some distaste for Applejack, maybe I could get them to be friends if I played mediator? Also this conversation was really kind of one sided and she was being really kind of pushy, but maybe I could use some time at the spa. I opened my mouth to tell her she didn’t have to pay for me, only for her hoof to gently stop me and she batted her eyes while looking into mine. “Don’t worry about a thing darling… what was your name, I don’t think I ever quite got it.” “Fluttershy… look you really don’t have to…” I started to say, only for her to interrupt me. “But I insist, you look like you could love some good TLC, Tender, Love and Care! Now let’s go in.” She tugged me through the front door of the Ponyville Spa. “Hello miss Rarity, it is so nice to see you again and your patronage is always welcome!” The pony behind the counter stated, she looked quite squeaky clean. “Why thank you, but this is a bit of a spa emergency. I need two regulars Aloe!” Rarity then pointed out my rather disheveled form. “I’m paying for this mare here. I want to get her back to looking like she should, like the beautiful and exquisite mare that I know she can be!” “You’re always so generous Rarity.” The pony said, before placing some towels and robes on the counter. “Go on back, Lotus and Vera will see to you instantly.” The next few hours left me feeling a bit embarrassed about the moaning I did from the cleaning, brushing and the massage… oh the massage was definitely a memorable one. The smirk the massaging mare was sending me after she gave me a quick cuddle wasn’t any less embarrassing, though I was no longer sore afterwards. I quickly got up and made my way to the hot tub where Rarity waited for me. I would eventually need to learn how to give massages like that, because maybe Gilda would be less grouchy if I could give her a massage as good as that one felt. I’d work her wings over, nuzzle into her neck and then she’d use her beak to… “Fluttershy!” Squeaking as Rarity called out to me, I ducked into the hot tub slightly. “Did you want something Rarity?” I whispered out quietly as I came back up. “Just to know who you’re paramour is, you had such a lovely look in your eyes and you are absolutely precious now that you’re all cleaned up. Whoever you were thinking about is really quite lucky to have someone like you thinking of them!” Rarity put a hoof to her chest while raising her nose to the ceiling. “Aside from that, I can already tell that you and I will be the greatest of friends!” “I was just um… daydreaming?” I tried, I really did, but I couldn’t come up with anything without telling her that I was gay. I really wasn’t sure how she would take it, though I’m sure many ponies saw me dating Pinkie previously and didn’t think much of it. “Oh I know what that’s like, it’s about ‘HIM’ isn’t it? That special some pony with the way he smiles, the way he charms you with but a single glance and he’ll take care of you until you both perish together in a romantic manner when the both of you are old and grey surrounded by your many grand foals!” She stopped when she noticed I was giving her a completely flat look. “Too much?” “Just a bit, though I agree that I would like to be friends with you Rarity.” Oh I liked Rarity, but she was really very much wrong about my romantic leanings. I liked stallions well enough and would even give them stuff on hearts and hooves day out of friendship, but I was definitely attracted to mares or females of other species. Mostly ones with beaks for some reason. -The Future that refused to change, Fluttershy- “So when I was run ragged, somebody friendly came along to help pick me right back up.” I turned to the Storm Creature I was befriending. “So tell me about yourself and how you came to be part of that mean old Storm King’s army?” He did and I could surprisingly understand him, he was a pretty nice big guy all things considered. He even started crying about how his lot in life was quite horrible, being forced to hurt others had never felt right to him. “Let it all out.” I put my hoof on his leg gently. “Fluttershy!” Several voice called out to me. “Oh, sorry, our time is up. Bye-bye!” I leapt off to go follow my friends as he said goodbye to me as well. I guess I had started forgetting around that time, I had still remembered Fizzle.