‘308…’
One after another, Aria’s boots struck along the aging Main Street sidewalk.
With each storefront window that passed by on her left, she caught a glimpse of her reflection behind the etched numbers on the glass. The same girl stared back every time—arms crossed, eyes narrowed, wondering just what in the hell she was really doing out here.
Since parking her bike, she’d walked past a confectioner, a tacky hat shop, and an assortment of antique and handmade-collectible ‘emporiums.’ With a scowl, she redoubled the cross of her arms. This part of town… Seriously. The artificial cheeriness was enough to make anyone with a shred of realist sensibility puke.
‘314…’
Another stupid antique shop. She rolled her eyes and kept on walking. Mainstreet tourism at its finest. Sonata, of course, would love all this shit, but thankfully a sharp growl on top of a firm ‘no’ had been enough to curb her into staying at home this morning.
Aria winced at the recollection. It hadn’t been easy… opening up to Sonata over breakfast about her encounter with Rarity last night, but since she figured Sonata was her only hope of finding the girl, it had to come out. Which led her back to her present state—trucking under a stormy cloud down an otherwise cheery Saturday-morning sidewalk.
‘322…’
What had been even harder for her, though, was admitting to Sonata that she was—just maybe, actually—regretting how she’d treated Rarity. Oh, Bubble-Brain just ate that one up. Like frosted pancakes, and all with her stupid, ‘I-was-right-about-something’ grin. Aria’s shoulders twitched with another scowl.
She felt guilty about last night, but the thought of accepting any kind of help from these Rainbooms left an abrasive lump in her chest. She tried to imagine what sort of person with any self-respect would crawl back to someone who had destroyed them, humbled them, and ask to be picked up off the ground. And while the change in Adagio last night had shown that this emotional crap wasn’t always so black and white, it didn’t make what she was about to do any less of a kick to her pride.
‘330.’
This was it.
Aria halted and looked up at the frilly art-deco framing the door. A sardonic laugh rose at the thought of just how typical it was that someone like Rarity would work here. Though when she lifted her hand to the doorknob, she swallowed—hard—as an air of apprehension washed in to fill the storefront alcove. She shivered lightly as a wave of doubt prickled down her arms.
Straightening her posture, she shook off the feeling—emotionally and literally. She was Aria Blaze, damnit. Her forced bravado was fleeting, however, and her confidence fell as she let out the breath she’d been holding.
Do I really want to do this?
To look like an idiot? To admit that she might have been wrong? No. That wasn’t it. She stood up straight again. Adagio had said it earlier this morning: this wasn’t about being wrong or admitting defeat; it was about moving forward.
Aria tightened her jaw, turned the knob, and pushed.
A bell tinged above her as the door opened and then closed again. Stepping further inside, she found herself among a cocktail party of finely-dressed mannequins, all standing about in silent conversation. The room around them was filled with mirrors and garment-lined shelves.
And pink. Lots, and lots of pink.
A familiar bob of hair came around a corner with a cheery, sing-song voice. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where ev—” Rarity halted—both in stride and speech—when she met eyes with Aria. Her sunny demeanor fell. “Ah,” she said curtly, then turned away to straighten a lapel on one of the mannequins’ outfits. “What is it you want? Come to toss a soda on one of my designs?”
Aria winced and looked down at her folded arms. “No… I just…” Something Rarity had said then struck her. Her brow creased as she lifted her eyes again. Designs? She uncrossed her arms and took a few slow steps forward, looking all around at the outfits adorning the shelves and models. “Wait. You… made all of these?”
Rarity turned back toward her slowly and with some hesitation replied, “Why… yes…”
Aria scarcely heard her, having already assumed the answer. She was instead preoccupied by the works of art hanging all around her. One by one she walked past each—touching a collar here, lifting a hemline there—until her eyes came to rest on one particular mannequin wearing a dark violet stretch top with a darker, lace-trimmed neckline and sleeves.
She took another step closer and traced her hand down one sleeve, taking its end between her finger and thumb while marveling a bit at the texture. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity extend a worried hand, before pulling it back to her mouth with a quiet gasp.
Aria had never been one to care about the clothes she was wearing. That had always been Adagio's thing. She just couldn’t ever be bothered with the trouble. So long as it covered her figure and was comfortable, then ‘whatever.’ But this... She again brushed a palm along the soft material of the shirt as she imagined herself wearing it, with her hair freshly brushed and flowing free. Her other hand rose involuntarily to her bare neck, and she took a deep, slow breath. All together the sensation felt foreign, but at the same time… warm—as if a hard shell somewhere inside of her was beginning to crack. She could feel that warmth trying to get out and shine, to speak out and be heard.
A good minute of silence passed, and then Rarity took a cautious step closer. In a quiet but still-wary tone, she asked, “You… like that one?”
Aria just nodded slowly while letting out another long exhale. But then she blinked with a startle when a white hand rested atop her own on the mannequin.
“Darling…” Rarity said softly. “Why are you here?”
Aria broke the contact and turned away. She crossed her arms with a frustrated sigh.
Damn… I guess it’s time to just own up and say it.
“Look, I’m… sorry,” she began. “About all that shit last night. I know you were just trying to help. It’s just…” She felt her frustration rising again, and tightened both fists up in front of her. “Gah!” She flung her arms down. “How can I? You took everything away from us! But now, it’s like… Gruhhhh!” She ran tense fingers through her hair, then turned halfway back to Rarity.
“I guess I just want someone to talk to, alright? Whatever they did to Adagio last night, it… helped her.”
The two made eye contact briefly but then looked away again. An uncomfortable silence passed before Rarity spoke up in a soft voice.
“I forgive you.”
Aria perked up and turned back to face her.
Rarity’s face wore a gentle expression to match her tone. “And the offer does still stand.”
Aria narrowed one eye. “Offer?”
“Oh. Right.” Rarity laughed quietly. “I suppose we never quite made it that far. I was going to say, last night, that… if you ever would like someone to talk to…”
An eager reply rose in Aria’s chest, but she caught herself before it could slip out. Then with a grunt, she crossed her arms and looked off to the side—wondering why in the hell that, of all things, would give her such a momentary rush of excitement… because it meant letting someone else in; past her wall. She had spent the last month hating every one of these girls for what they had done to her. So to now allow one of them to be the first inside was a cruel cut of irony. Still though… she wanted it. Any chance for relief was worth the small dent to her pride.
“Yeah,” she said quietly. “I’d… like that.”
Rarity smiled at her but then appeared unsure of what to say next.
Aria understood the feeling. She looked off and feigned interest in a nearby display shelf. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Rarity step up to the shirt she had been admiring earlier.
“Hmm.” Rarity ran a hand down its sleeve just as Aria had done before. “You say this one… spoke to you?”
Aria kept her arms crossed and her expression flat as she weighed the question. To place such emotional stock into a shirt, of all things, struck her as more than a little odd.
Rarity remained for a moment with her fingers on the cuff. She glanced up at Aria briefly, then back down to the shirt. “I don’t suppose you would… like to try it on?”
The question struck Aria by surprise. She was drawn again to the sensation of imagining herself wearing it. It had felt warm, and a little exhilarating, but at the same time… uncomfortable, and too awkward to seriously consider. “Nah…” she said, and looked off toward a cold, shadowed corner of the room. “It’s… not me.”
Rarity mused another, “Hmm…” The wooden floor creaked as she took a few steps closer. “I have found there is… often more to each of us than we sometimes think.”
Aria tightened her arms and pressed her eyes closed. Maybe there could have been… A long time ago.
“Each of my friends has found a little something more within herself as of late. Perhaps if you were to… give it a chance, you might—”
Aria growled and spun back at her. “Can we just drop it?!”
Rarity bit her lip and stepped back, bringing a hand over her chest. Her bright aura fell, and she lowered her eyes. “Yes, I… apologize. I shouldn't push you. After all, we've only just met.” She folded her arms and looked away.
Her defeated posture softened Aria’s frustration. After all, she was the one who came here in the first place looking for… whatever it was. She turned away as well and closed her eyes.
Why does everything have to turn into a friggin' battle?
Well, maybe because that’s what ‘everything’ had always required: to get what she needed to survive or to jam any sort of fucking sense through Adagio’s hair and into that thick skull. But now? The last month had changed so many things, and last night even more.
Aria took a long, slow breath while remaining focused away on the floor. “Look. It’s… complicated.”
She turned back and met eyes with Rarity again. “I get that you’re trying to help. But really… this—” she motioned around the shop “—just isn’t me. I mean, Adagio and Sonata? Sure.” Aria frowned as she went on. “But everyone always notices them anyway, even without all this. And whatever ‘it’ is, I just never had it.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “So what’s the point?”
When she glanced up again, she found Rarity focused on the floor with an index finger against her lips.
After a few more moments of quiet thought, Rarity lifted her eyes again. “Would you… allow me to take you somewhere?”
Aria let out a hesitant, “Ehh…” That’d be pushing it. The two of them here inside the shop was one thing, but… walking around out in public with one of these girls?
“Depends, I guess. Like… where?”
Rarity pressed her fingers together with a hesitant look. “Uhm. It’s a bit of a… surprise?”
Aria raised one eyebrow, with a half-frown that said, ‘Seriously?’
Rarity rolled her eyes and turned away with a groan. “Because if I told you, I’m sure you’d say ‘no.’”
“Yeah…” Aria gave a sarcastic laugh. “Don’t pick up a career in sales.” Her grin fell flat, though, when she recalled just where they were standing. “But I guess you—nevermind.”
Rarity sighed, then turned back to face Aria. Her expression carried a measure of calm, serious determination. “Can you trust me?” she asked genuinely. “That I have your best in mind?”
Aria held her gaze for another few moments, but then lifted her hands with an surrendering sigh. “Whatever. What’s the worst that could happen?”
The two walked down the street for a good five or six blocks before Rarity slowed her pace and turned to the door of a shop. Its front window proudly sported the stylized logo of a lotus blossom resting on the backdrop of an aloe leaf. On a low shelf inside the window stood a small army of colored plastic ‘product’ bottles.
Aria pressed her lips in a grim line.
Nope.
She halted abruptly and spun on one heel, but halfway through the motion she was jerked back as Rarity grabbed her on the wrist.
“Oh, no,” Rarity said sternly.
Aria struggled against the grip. Fuck, she’s… stronger than she looks.
Rarity gave her a hard, matter-of-fact look. “Now you said you trusted me. You’re not getting out of this so easily.” She released Aria’s wrist and smoothed out her dress with a proud smirk. “And I advise you not to try. I’ve been through this before with Rainbow Dash.” The smirk edged to a sly smile. “Victory was mine.”
“Who…?” Aria asked, right as the realization struck her. “Ah. One guess which one that is.”
“Yes.” Rarity reached to open the door. “Honestly, the two of you would probably get along.”
When they at last arrived inside, Rarity struck a confident pose. A hush fell over the room as all eyes within turned to look at the two of them, or rather… at Rarity, Aria noted. Not a single one of them appeared to have noticed her. She crossed her arms and slunk back with a frown. Not even next to Adagio had she ever felt like more of a shadow.
The patrons’ looks toward Rarity varied from cheerful smiles to side-glances of jealousy. All present staff, however, perked up with an eager spark of delight. Those not already helping a customer were immediately on their feet and rushing to attend her, each greeting her by name in their varied accents.
Aria took in the whole scene with a sense of disturbed awe.
It’s like she’s some hive queen returning to her mothership.
Her first thought was to laugh at how ridiculous the situation was, but then she felt herself struck with an unexpected pang of envy. Here was this girl being fawned over like a goddess—and without even a trace of magic or manipulation. She lowered her gaze to the side and scowled. Though I bet those deep pockets sure help.
“—and for my friend as well, yes!” Rarity’s cheerful excitement jolted Aria out of her funk.
A young, purple-toned girl in a black apron grabbed her by the hand with a bright smile. “Ahh, yez. Come, come!”
As she was yanked away, Aria looked back at Rarity, wide-eyed. “Wait, what… just happened?”
Rarity tittered a finger-wave and a knowing grin. “See you in a few minutes!”
While being led down the hallway, Aria found herself with a moment to take in just how lavish the spa’s interior really was. Warm lighting, live plants, polished hardwood floors, and even a faint hint of incense wafting on the air. It seemed no expense was spared toward setting an atmosphere of calm, clean serenity.
When they turned the final corner and arrived at a wall of dark wooden lockers, her attendee, with a name tag reading ‘Lavender,’ slipped a key bracelet over Aria’s wrist. “Here we are. Number fivteen. Your clothes and—” she touched a cautious fingertip to one of Aria’s hair-stars “—accessories… will be safe inside.” She lifted something off a nearby shelf. “And, here iz your towel.”
Aria took the white folded cloth from her. “Uhhm… What’s this for?”
Lavender blinked and cocked her head slightly. Her eyes and mouth then widened with a look of realization. “Ahh.” She gave Aria a soft smile and motioned wrapping a towel around herself.
Aria looked again at the towel and then glanced up at the ‘15’ on her locker. A heavy realization sunk into her stomach. “Wait, you said… clothes?” She felt her cheeks flush.
“Take whatever time you need. You may then join uz further down the hall when you are ready.” With another smile, Lavender bowed slightly and walked out.
Red-faced and standing alone holding her towel, Aria grumbled, “Damn it.”
With a slight flush still in her cheeks and long, loose hair draping her back, Aria stepped apprehensively down the hallway. Her pair of straw sandals she’d found inside the locker brushed to a stop when she reached the end. Securing her towel with one hand, she peeked around the corner to find Lavender with another employee standing at the head of a pair of massage tables.
On the right table, Rarity lounged face-down with her hair bound up and her towel undone beneath her. The heavy sheet covering her lower half left her back completely exposed.
“Oh, god…” Averting her gaze, Aria noticed a pair of robes hanging on one wall. She looked down at herself and then glanced over to Rarity, who had now lifted her head with a smile. Aria pointed a finger toward the robes. “Uhm… Can I trade?”
“Those come after, dear. But for now…” Rarity patted a hand on the other massage table. “I have booked the two of us for, The Usual.”
Aria stared down at the empty table. Her hand pinning the towel clenched a bit tighter as the flush deepend in her cheeks. After a moment, though, her brow furrowed. Wait a damned minute. Why am acting like this? Was the ancient temptress actually afraid to show a little skin? What was even going on here? She grumbled to herself. She wasn’t about to let Rarity upstage her on this.
“Alright. You’re on.” With a bold stride forward, she shifted her towel and laid down to match Rarity’s pose.
Lavender offered a smile. She situated the cover sheet, bound up Aria’s hair, and got to work.
Warm oil spread across her back, and experienced hands began digging.
Aria was a bit surprised that she had to will herself to relax. Despite all of her hardened confidence, she just couldn’t help feeling out of place here. She’d always been the one laughing at these prissy girly types, but now? Here she was, getting all sissy’d up in the middle of them. Her brow creased. Another frustrated grumble rose in her chest. But then as Lavender hit a spot between her shoulders, the sound came out instead as a deep groan of release.
Oh, my damn. Aria closed her eyes with a long exhale. This actually feels… good.
A similar sigh of relief drifted over from Rarity’s table.
Even in the midst of feeling so relaxed, Aria struggled to accept that it could be this easy. Reflexively, she retreated into a dark, familiar part of her mind. It scolded her for falling into complacence, all the while taunting her with the memory of what Rarity and the others had done to the three of them. Don’t fall into the trap, it said. Don’t forget that they were the ones who had—
Another groan of release jolted Aria from that thought as the massage worked its way down her back. The pleasant feeling of relief began to settle over her again. As much as she hated to admit it, this did feel so much better than stewing in that darkness. But why was any of this kindness being given to her in the first place? What was there for Rarity to gain? Why even care about how Aria was feeling? Their group had already won. It was over. Why not just move on?
The pressure digging into her back gradually softened. Smooth palms began to caress gently where rough fists had kneaded moments ago. Her time spent in Rarity’s shop earlier—the clothes, the conversation, the smoothing of edged emotions—all began replaying again in her mind, spreading an odd warmth throughout her body. She felt bits of moisture forming at the corners of the eyes.
Was this was it felt like? To be given something… without any coercion or expectation in return?
Should I just let myself enjoy this?
‘Cause I actually… do.
But then that darkness rolled in around her again. Aria thought back to discovering that Rarity had been spying on her at the overlook and how it had made her feel naked and exposed. She recalled all of Adagio’s ridicule over the past month. She recalled all of the anger and conflict that had led her to storm out of their house that night. Most importantly, though, she thought back to just why she and Adagio and Sonata were even in this mess in the first place.
No. That dark voice had the right of it. I can’t just let myself forget. I won’t! She and those others took everything away from us!
Aria heard a sudden, quiet gasp above her.
It was only when Lavender’s hands broke their soft contact, that she realized just how much she’d tensed up again. In that moment she felt utterly… cold. She was struck by a sharp punch of sadness—of loss. Not for her power, or her voice, surprisingly, but for that unfamiliar, soft warmth. She wanted it back… more than she could have imagined.
But why can’t I, though? It’s just right there?
All she had to do was push away the darkness. Which of the two battling desires was more important to her? What had all the anger and resentment really gained for her? Just more of the same—day after day? Maybe it really was time to just let it all go. She forced another deep, slow breath.
Seeming to notice Aria’s stress fading to stillness again, Lavender returned her hands to work they had been performing. Almost immediately, the pent-up tension began to once again fall away.
Aria’s thoughts drifted back to that night of the battle. She recalled again her realization from the cafe, of imagining the panic and fear that everyone in the crowd must have felt upon seeing the three of them in their true, ancient forms. Her focus shifted to Rarity and the others up on the hill, as they took a stand to defend everyone below.
She tried to imagine what it would have felt like to stand among them, holding fast against the three enormous beings rippling with frightful power. From this point of view, she really could empathize with the depth of their fear, but it was a fear that was conquered in the end by bravery of purpose. Seeing the battle through their eyes brought her a new revelation. Did they really take everything away from us? Or were they just protecting what was important to them? Aria had certainly done her own share of damage to others in the name of protecting Sonata. Hell, even Adagio more than once, as little as she deserved it.
She sighed deeply. The last knot of tension loosened somewhere inside of her, and she took on a feeling of weightless tranquility. While in the midst of that stillness, she watched as Rarity and her friends joined their hands together and called down the magic’s final blow.
That was it, wasn’t it? We really did bring all of this on ourselves… At the end of everything, they had no one else to blame for their loss.
Fuck…
Aria’s eyes began to sting. She took another long and slightly ragged breath, and when she exhaled, the last of her emotional weight seemed to stagger out with it.
“Oh, my,” Lavender said above her, appearing to notice just how deeply Aria had relaxed.
It wasn’t long before a measure of guilt rolled in to fill the space where Aria’s anger had once swelled. The sting in her eyes deepend into a soft moisture that began to soak into the pillow ringing her face.
Damn it, she grumbled. Not now…
Following their massages, a sauna session, an odd green mud-mask, and a begrudged manicure and pedicure, Aria paused with Rarity as they arrived at the head of the locker room hallway. “You know…” she said while lowering her eyes. She crossed her arms, squeezed, and then let out a long exhale. “Thanks.” Without lifting her gaze, Aria turned down the hall, her thoughts still heavy from the revelation on the massage table earlier.
“Oh!” Rarity said, pulling Aria’s attention back. “A moment?” She walked around the corner with a swoosh of her robe and then returned with a off-white paper shopping bag. A hopeful spark hung in her eyes as she presented it.
Aria peered inside to find the shirt she had been admiring earlier in the boutique, along with a new pair of pants, sandals, and some accessories to match.
“After all of this,” Rarity said quietly, “I thought that you might…”
Aria considered for a moment, holding the bag in one hand while looking down at the soft material of the shirt in her other. She choked out a small laugh. It had felt good, she thought—everything that had happened so far today. It even felt as if the harsh, gripping anger over the loss of her voice had nothing to hold onto any more. She lifted her eyes back to Rarity and shook her head with a faint grin.
“Alright. Fine.”
Rarity clasped her hands together and squealed slightly.
“No. Stop that.” With another shake of her head, Aria turned away and finished walking down the hall to her locker.
She hung her robe, put on the new set of clothes, and then placed her old ones into the bag. A quick glance at the mirror above the sink was all it took to bring a small grin of satisfaction. “Not bad,” she muttered, turning from side to side. “Girl knows her sizes.”
Aria took one last look inside the locker. All that remained were her sharp, silver hair ties. After a brief pause, she slowly picked them up and contemplated for a moment, but then with a regretful sigh, she placed them in the bag with her other clothes before heading back out toward the front of the spa. If she were honest—the feeling of long, loose hair flowing down her back again was just one more thing that felt good about the day.
When Aria rounded the corner into the lobby, she found Rarity chatting idly with the desk attendant and a rather flamboyant older gentleman holding a pair of scissors. She cleared her throat.
When Rarity’s eyes passed over Aria’s figure, they widened before she let out another squeal of delight. “I knew it!” She clapped her hands together with an ear-to-ear smile. “Oh, my dear. You look simply marvelous.”
Aria slowly traced both hands down her stomach and then to the sides of her hips. The material of the dark violet shirt felt snug and smooth as it hugged her figure down into the pair of jeans, which were accented by a dark, leather, silver-studded belt to match her sandals. She laughed with a faint grin. “I kinda do, huh?”
“And now,” Rarity announced proudly, directing Aria’s attention to the orange-haired gentleman, “for the final touche de grâce.”
The man glinted a broad smile and then bowed before Aria, flourishing one hand toward the styling chair while giving the scissors in his other a snip-snip.
“Uhm…” Aria took a defensive step back and brought both hands up to her hair.
“Oh, not to worry,” Rarity assured her. “Just a slight trim at the ends.” She then added, with a sideways grin, “It’s honestly more about the wash, if you ask me. If you’ve never had the pleasure of someone else shampooing, treating, and drying your hair, then, hmm-hmm-hmm.”
Aria eyed the two of them with a bit of suspicion. “Eh. Sounds kinda Adagio, but… alright. Just a trim at the ends.”
“This way, if you would,” motioned the gentleman, whose name tag was no more than a stylized, serpentine, orange and purple ‘S.’
Aria took a seat in the wash chair and leaned back. Her hair was lifted gracefully into the sink.
The sound of running water behind her head eventually turned into steam caressing her ears and neck. When the jet of warm water finally made contact with her scalp, it sent a shock of euphoria from head to toe, and an involuntary moan escaped her lips.
Rarity’s voice drifted in beside her. “Hmm. You see?”
It was all Aria could do to nod faintly as an experienced hand worked the water in and out of the length of her hair.
Following the long rinse, there was a ‘pop’ of a bottle top, and she felt a thick lather of shampoo being worked in, starting at her scalp and slowly continuing downward. A familiar, distinctive scent filled her consciousness.
“Wait,” she said. “What is that stuff?” She opened her eyes. “Smells like that thirty-dollar crap Adagio uses.” A quick view of Rarity’s smug grin confirmed her suspicion. “Oh, you didn’t.” She closed her eyes again with a guilty sigh.
“I mean… Thanks, I guess. But… Why are you doing all this?”
There was an unanticipated pause before Rarity finally answered. “I suppose I am asked that question rather often,” she said. “And in your case, as with many of the others, it… simply appeared as if you needed it. I hope it has helped you feel a bit better.”
“Yeah, it… honestly has.”
“Hmm. I’m glad.”
And while Aria couldn’t see it, she could hear the soft smile in Rarity’s reply.
The shampoo was rinsed and followed by conditioner, and then another rinse, then dry, and then finally, a move to the styling chair where an apron was draped over her clothing and bound at the neck.
Then came the brushing, and the combing, followed by more brushing, and still more combing. There was a snip here, and a snip there, leading to yet more combing. He picked up a different pair of scissors, for the purpose of additional snipping and combing, before switching again back to the first. Snip. Comb. Snip. Two minutes turned into ten. Ten turned into twenty.
Aria was utterly baffled at how such a simple task could demand so much ridiculous time and precision. She had always taken hair maintenance into her own hands—quite literally. Simply tie the length into a ponytail, cut, and done. She had even come to relish the predictable scoff from Adagio, followed by the, You’re hopeless… eye roll and head shake.
At long last, ‘Mr. S.’ appeared satisfied with his artistry. He undid the drape around her neck and removed it with a practiced sweep, then offered Aria a hand and helped her out of the chair.
“Uhm. Thanks…” Unsure of whether there was a proper response, she folded her arms across her chest. Why did all of this feel so out-of-place. Aria was no stranger to being treated like a empress in times past, but now, unbound by the influence of her magic, all of this genuine, positive attention felt so foreign.
Rarity folded a bill and slid it into his vest pocket. “Thank you, Steven.”
They exchanged smiles, and he bowed deeply. “My lady.”
On their way out of the styling area, Rarity directed Aria to a full-length mirror.
As she approached, the sight within jolted her to a stop. She had seen a quick glimpse of her new clothing in the locker-room mirror, of course, and had also looked downward at the outfit a few times since. But neither had prepared her for what now stood before her.
Gone were the spikes in her hair. Gone were the tattered and roughed-up clothes that typically greeted her in the reflection. This new girl in the mirror actually looked… beautiful. Her hair and skin seemed to almost glow. Aria couldn’t remember ever feeling this… refreshed. She breathed in and out a few times while simply taking in the sight. All of it. It was just… Wow.
After a few more moments of staring, though, a pit began to swell in her stomach. The edges darkened around her reflection, and all of her old doubts came flooding back in. What was she really looking at in the mirror? Under all of this fake dressing was still the same ancient monster. The loner. The bruiser. The fighter.
Her eyes fell to the small scar on her neck from where the gem had shattered. A monster that’s not even whole anymore. Broken. How could something like this ever be considered beautiful or worth all of this attention? The newly-familiar sting began to form once again at the corners of her eyes. Aria tightened her hands and walked quickly out the front door before anyone could see her break down.
A few long strides carried her to the end of the building. She turned a sharp corner into the alleyway and sat down on a low metal box, pulled her knees up to her chest and pressed her arms— and her eyes—closed. When she finally allowed herself to let out the breath she’d been holding, a good part of that pent-up tension, surprisingly, flowed out with it.
“There you are.” Rarity huffed to a stop and brought a hand over her chest to catch her breath. She moved to offer a gesture of comfort, but then appeared to hesitate and reconsider. “We were all worried about you when you left so suddenly.” She frowned while looking again at Aria’s outfit. “You… don’t like it?”
“No—it’s…” Aria let out a long breath. “I do.” Her eyes stung as she continued to stare down at the ground. “I can’t ever remember feeling this… good.” She folded her arms tightly with a hard frown. “But I won’t say happy. ’Cause then I know what comes next.” She turned her eyes up to Rarity and found a questioning look on her face. “It never lasts. Something always comes to take it away.”
The puzzlement on Rarity’s face persisted, as if she still didn’t understand.
Aria looked back down at the ground with a clench of her jaw. A simmering frustration rose up in her chest, and she kicked a piece of junk into the nearby wall. “It’s too easy!” she said. “Nothing is ever this easy.”
“Oh, pish-posh.” Rarity offered a hand and pulled Aria to her feet. “It could be, you know. Why not this time?”
Aria yanked her hand back and narrowed her eyes. Her rising frustration boiled over into a growl. “You don’t get it!” she shouted while facing Rarity head-on. “I mean… how could you?! Look at you!” She made a wide gesture.
“Have you ever had a single bad day in your pretty little life?!”
Rarity choked out a breath and blinked hard. She brought both hands to her mouth and stumbled back.
The sight of those pained, quivering eyes struck Aria like a brick. “No…” she pleaded quickly while lifting a hand. “I didn’t mean that. I just… Gah!” She clenched her fists and turned away as her own eyes started to water. “Every time!” she shouted. “Why do I keep doing this?!”
Rarity remained silent.
Aria couldn’t bear to look at her. After a number of steadying breaths, she sat down again, pulled her knees up close and pressed her eyes closed. “Thanks again for today,” she said quietly. “I mean it.”
She opened her eyes and stared down at a puddle in the broken pavement. “But you still don’t get it. I’ve always had to fight so hard for everything. You’d think the magic or the song would make it all easy. But with the things that really mattered… especially between the three of us…” She took a long breath and shook her head. “And now… Look at me. What am I anymore? Fancy hair and some new clothes won’t change all the terrible shit I’ve done.” She closed her eyes and turned inward. “How could something like this ever be loved?”
Her brow furrowed. The sound of that last word coming off her tongue made her want to cringe. She wrapped her arms around herself again. “I don’t know where that came from. Why is all this stupid shit even on my mind right now?”
She heard Rarity take a few steps closer. Her boots came to rest at the corner of Aria’s vision.
“Because,” Rarity said quietly, “somewhere down inside, there is a person who wants to live a good life and be loved.” She sat down beside Aria and folded her hands in her lap. “I’ve seen more and more of her as the day has gone on… And loath as you may be to admit it, I believe you have too.”
She was right, of course, but Aria remained silent and instead focused on her toes where they emerged from the sandals. She spread them, then curled them back in, and then repeated the motion a few more times.
She breathed in slowly and then out again. “So what now?”
“Well…” Rarity began. “There is a party of sorts tonight, in advance of the final week of classes before spring break. Would you perhaps be up for a bit of… ‘showing up and showing off,’ as I like to say? I dare say you look the part.” She nudged Aria with a smile. “Sonata and a few of my other friends expressed that they will be going. We could all arrive together.”
“I dunno. That’s never really been my thing.”
“I had a feeling, yes. However… There may be an opportunity here for others to begin to see the real you. Instead of… well…” Rarity lowered her eyes and swallowed hard.
“The witch?” Aria finished for her. “The monster?” She watched Rarity’s cheeks redden with a frown. The look of shame was plain on her face. “It is what it is. I got no trouble owning it.”
“Well, when you put it that way then… yes.” Rarity looked up at her with hopeful eyes.
“Hmph.” On the one hand, this felt like it had ‘bad idea’ written all over it, but if Sonata was going to be there too, then at least she wouldn’t feel totally out of place. Not to mention, being stuck at home as an angry recluse was starting to get real old, real fast.
“Alright,” she said at last. “Why not?”
Rarity placed a hand over one of hers. “Good then. Let’s pick up our things from inside and get back to the Boutique so you can be on your way. I should get a bit of work done, but I’ll see you tonight. Sonata knows where to go.”
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
Aria stood up first, and this time offered Rarity a hand. After retrieving their bags from inside, the two of them took their time walking back to the boutique underneath the lengthening shadows of the sidewalk’s decorative trees. Aria closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath. The act of simply walking beside another without any pressing urgency or cunning purpose was an unfamiliar feeling for her, but one that she was glad to have discovered.
When they arrived at last back at Rarity’s shop, the two said their goodbyes, and then Aria continued on to where she had parked her bike. She mounted up, snugged her helmet and took off slowly down the road toward home. The quiet drive had her feeling content but at the same time, a little apprehensive.
It was certain to be an interesting evening, for better or worse.