//------------------------------// // 22. Tired // Story: Azure Edge // by Leaf Blade //------------------------------// Rarity had indeed stayed in her bed for nearly two straight weeks. Not because she wanted to, but simply because she couldn’t find a reason not to. Even with periodic visits from Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie to check on her, she couldn’t bring herself to leave her bed for any extended length of time, much less leave her house. Her empty little cottage, big enough for a small family and it felt so large and threatening to Rarity, a constant reminder of what she was missing. Of course she dearly appreciated her friends; both in Canterlot’s Moon District, and in the Slayer’s Guild. But she couldn’t pretend that the wall she placed between them and her— the wall that protected the ‘real’ Rarity from the fear of mockery and judgment, that took the form of this over the top, fabulous persona— she couldn’t simply pretend it didn’t exist. But time waits for nopony, and after two weeks the simple matter of ‘I’ve been in bed for two weeks’ was enough reason for Rarity to get back on her hooves, and take an express train to Canterlot’s Sun District, where a meeting had long been overdue. The Moon District where Rarity lived was somewhat quaint—or, if Rarity was being entirely honest, completely depressing—with small houses of stone built into the side of a grand mountain, the snow nearly burying the tiny village every winter. The Sun District could not have been more different. Why, Rarity would even say they were like night and day, and then feel that she was mildly clever. Beautiful houses made from polished marble, ornate white spires that towered over the city and offered protection with their powerful enchantments, paved roads kept spotless by routine cleanings, and of course the city’s crown jewel; Hunter’s Haven, the home of the Celestial Slayers. Built into the very face of the mountain was the four-story lavender building, decorated with brilliant rainbow-colored lights and soothing waterfalls pouring from its balconies, the building’s face decorated with the blazing sun that acted as Equestria’s symbol of peace. Simply seeing the building in the distance from the Sun District’s train station was enough for Rarity to breathe a sigh of contentment. After all, that place was more home to her than her own house was, and certainly more so than her actual destination. While Rarity would have loved to go to the Hunter’s Haven, and she would after her detour was complete, the building she searched for was much more homely. A small cottage, much like her own in the Moon District, but painted a much livelier shade of violet. Snow dripped from the rooftop onto the red brick pathway in front of the house which was already a snowy mess because of course it would be. That girl never could focus enough to do her chores properly, Rarity thought with a giggle as she took in the familiar sight. This was her family’s house, where her parents and sister lived, and Rarity had long since owed them a visit. Most of the lights were off even during the early evening, but Rarity presumed this was because the three occupants were in the game room at this hour. Rarity’s parents enjoyed nothing more than spending their retirement as leisurely as possible—which they more than deserved after spending their entire lives protecting Equestria from foul beasts, much like Rarity was now doing— and whenever they could convince little hyperactive Sweetie Belle to spend time with them instead of in her daydreams of adventure and romance, they jumped on the opportunity. Rarity’s hand hovered over the doorknob, but she wondered if it would be better to knock first. While the door was most certainly locked, it was never locked for Rarity, who only needed to use a spark of her magic for the door to swing open. That was her father’s idea, to make sure she never felt unwelcomed in the family home. Still though, it was rude to simply walk into another’s home without knocking first. But another thought occurred to Rarity as her hand, now balled into a fist as she hesitantly prepared to knock, hovered over the door. Perhaps she simply didn’t want to go in. Perhaps she didn’t want to tell her family, who worried for her constantly, that she had almost died. Perhaps she didn’t want them to know that she had practically thrown herself into the open jaws of a timberwolf pack because she was just so tired. Tired of everything. Tired of the hunt, tired of projecting this mockish notion of goodness to the world, tired of pretending that she wasn’t lonely, or that she wasn’t completely and utterly miserable. As Rarity’s rant concluded in her mind, her hand fell away from the door. Even with two weeks of nothing to occupy her but her own thoughts, not once did she spend any time dwelling on the timberwolf mission. It never occurred to her before this moment why she had let herself get so badly injured, why her performance in her latest hunts had been so consistently and uncharacteristically reckless and mediocre, or even why she had spent the two weeks in bed! She was tired. Simply tired of life. Well that’s a spirit breaker, Rarity thought with a sigh, turning away from her family’s home. Why hadn’t she noticed before? Why had it taken her so long to realize how miserable she truly was? But more than any of that, one question lingered on Rarity’s mind. What could she actually do about it? The answer, of course, was nothing. With that bitter thought occupying her mind, Rarity didn’t even notice the pony watching her from the road until Rarity collided with her, bumping into the taller woman with a thud. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” Rarity said, shaking herself out her thoughts. “I wasn’t watching where I was—” Rarity’s sentence stopped abruptly, her mouth hanging open, as she realized just who she had bumped into. “It’s no trouble,” the woman said with a disarming smile. The woman was a tall white pony—no, calling her ‘tall’ simply did not do her justice. She was a mountain of a pony, taller by at least a head than Rarity and possibly twice as broad, even without her armor. She was dressed in a casual winter coat, which was an utterly stellar choice of soft pink that complimented not only her white fur, but also her shimmering mane that flowed behind and around her like an aurora. The woman was the leader of the Celestial Slayers. She was the Queen of Equestria, and Rarity’s personal mentor since as long as Rarity cared to remember. She was Celestia.