“Why do I have to do this again, Rarity?” Sunset asked, wishing for about the fiftieth time in the last hour that she had her sight back already so she could glare at her friend. Somewhere to her left, Rarity scoffed, followed shortly by the sounds of her rustling through something.
“Sunset, dearest, I am doing this for you. Is it truly such a hardship?” Sunset fought the urge to roll her eyes, useless as the gesture would be, and sighed.
“No, I suppose not.” She admitted grudgingly. “But a new outfit? Really?”
“I’m afraid I must insist, Sunset,” Rarity half-scolded her. The rustling sounds stopped, and Rarity drew in a deep breath. “It is a new school year now, our senior year, in fact, and I want you to look your absolute best for it.”
“My old outfit looked fine,” Sunset protested, although her resistance was growing weaker by the moment. Sure, the leather jacket and long skirt were originally picked simply for what she could afford those long years ago when Sunset first came to the human world, but they had grown on her. Alas, Rarity had insisted on having none of it, and so here they were in the young fashionista’s bedroom, designing a new look.
“Oh, certainly, it was-is--quite an attractive look, and I must commend you on your fashion sense. But it’s not really you, anymore, is it?” Gently, Rarity’s hands settled on her shoulder--not quite touching skin and thus leaving Sunset in the dark--and she could almost imagine her friends’ scowl just from the tone of her voice. Think about it Sunset. You first bought that outfit almost immediately after coming from your world, right? Back then you were a very different person, as I recall. The exiled rebel with an axe to grind and no clear targets for your wrath.” Rarity’s voice was soft as she spoke, but so heavy with emotion that Sunset had to suppress a wince. Rarity, better than most, knew exactly where that unfocused anger and pain had spilled over to.
“And now?” Sunset asked, refusing to let her voice shake but unable to keep it entirely flat. A beat passed, and Rarity’s grip tightened just a little.
“Now you’re the complete opposite. Redeemed, a Leader, a Hero, a Mentor… You are so much more than you once were, Sunset. Kind, wise, humble, courageous, and compassionate, and you deserve to look like it.” Another beat passed. Sunset smiled.
“Wow. You, uh, really feel strongly about this, huh?” She asked with a chuckle, which Rarity returned. The other girl’s grip loosened, and she felt the wind move as if Rarity were stepping back.
“Well, I had quite a shock, when your… incident, happened. We’ve never been very close, you and I. There was always something else going on, and our interests never aligned the way yours did with the other girls. When I thought… I thought…” Sunset blinked as she heard Rarity start to choke up, whatever words she was trying to speak lodging in the back of her throat. Carefully, she reached out, catching Rarity’s hands by chance more than anything, even as she forced back the mental connection that started to form. Instead, she looked vaguely where she thought Rarity’s head was, and smiled.
“It’s okay, Rares, I’m fine.” Sunset soothed her friend gently. Rarity’s hand shook for a moment, before she seemed to take a sharp, deep breath, and they stilled. Sunset heard sniffling, before Rarity spoke up once again in a watery voice.
“R-right, well. As I was saying. It struck me that we should get to know each other better, and as you know, I express myself best through fashion.” As she spoke, her voice got stronger and stronger, until it sounded almost normal. Sunset smiled, releasing her friend’s hand now that it was no longer needed.
“I suppose it’s not too much hassle.” She relented, with just a touch of humour. Rarity, for all that she put on such airs of dramatics at times, could actually be somewhat fragile it seemed. The best course of action was probably just to give her silent support and withdraw for now.
“Great!” Rarity said after the barest fraction of a pause, voice forcibly bright. “Here, turn around and let me show you what I’ve got so far.” At this, Sunset blinked, but complied easily enough, spinning in her seat and staring off into space until she felt the cool touch of Rarity’s fingers on her neck, and this time, allowed the mental connection to blossom. She still slipped past the deluge of thoughts and emotions without looking too hard at them, but that was practically habit by this point, followed by focusing solely upon the sights pouring in through Rarity’s eyes.
What Sunset saw then was not quite what she expected, to be honest. Most of her friend’s designs were entirely eye-catching, flamboyant and colorful. She had assumed from her blind sensations that Rarity was dressing her in some form of gown or dress, likely covered in sparkling gems or some such. Instead, she was wearing plain but formal robes of soft white trimmed in a pale blue, with nothing else to accentuate or make it stand out. There was a loose hood, but that was about it.
“It’s… very understated.” Sunset said after a long moment, not quite sure how to feel. On the one hand, it was a very radical shift from her traditional outfit, but on the other… she kind of liked it, actually. There was something distinctly regal to the robes, despite their lack of flair. A quiet power that reminded her of how Princess Celestia would look in those long-gone days before her banishment. It was a painful thought, but that would had long healed, and it brought a sense of joy with it as well.
“Well of course.” Rarity said from where she was standing behind Sunset, looking in a mirror reflecting them both. “You’ve never been one for being in the spotlight, even back when you were in your bitchy phase. It was always more about having the power than flaunting it, and after the Fall Formal you were even more less aggressive. As such, I thought it would be better to let your own natural beauty do most of the work.” Sunset laughed at that, amused by the thought. When Rarity didn’t laugh as well, however, she paused. Instead, the white-skinned girl was giving her a very serious look.
“Rarity, I’m not that good looking.” Sunset said, confusion creeping into her mind. It only became worse when Rarity pursed her lips tightly.
“Sunset,” She began, and though the word may have been spoken quietly, it was by no means soft. “Sunset, you do realize you are one of the most attractive members of our group, right?” Sunset just stared, unable to understand what Rarity was saying. Sure, she knew she was attractive to a certain extent--had in fact used that attractiveness more than once as a weapon in the past--but it wasn’t anything special. At her silence, Rarity’s frown grew even deeper, and she looked away from the mirror to glare directly at Sunset.”You cannot be serious.” She growled out. Sunset, you are considered by more than a few people to be just below myself and Fluttershy in the looks department, and that is only because I put a great deal of effort into how I look.” She shook her head, disorienting Sunset for a moment from the wavering vision.
“I-I didn’t know.” Sunset said eventually, trying and failing to understand. That was ridiculous. Rarity could easily be a model if she tried, and Fluttershy… well, it was hard to notice with her shyness, but in the rare moments she stopped hiding her kindest friend was radiant. Sunset hardly matched up, but she did not need to see the look on Rarity’s face to realize arguing was useless. Instead she simply fell quiet and kept her thoughts to herself. Rarity, sensing the surrender, made a noise of victory
“Well now you do. Now stay here, there’s just one little thing left.” Sunset complied, descending once more into darkness as Rarity stepped away. Several moments passed, until she felt something--not skin, but cold and metallic--sliding across her throat, front to back as it encircled her entire neck. She heard a small click, and then once again Rarity touched her, bringing sight back. It took a moment for Sunset to reorient herself with her friend’s eyes--and then she gasped.
“It’s beautiful.” Sunset muttered, breathless. Around her neck was a simple chain, dangling from which was a small medallion of pure crystal like all those Rarity could summon with her powers, except this one was shaped to look just like the medallion Sunset lost in her accident. The necklace was perfectly humble, just like the rest of her outfit, and yet it looked perfect-- as if the entire thing had been designed around it.
“I thought it was a shame that your old one was destroyed.” Rarity said, smiling from her position behind Sunset. “It would be horrible if you were left out.” Sunset turned her head to look up at Rarity, despite her vision not moving to match, before suddenly jumping up and wrapping the other girl in a tight hug as emotion flooded her. She hadn’t even thought of it, herself, but the effort was even more touching than she might have believed.
“Thank you, so much.” Sunset muttered into Rarity’s long hair as she squeezed tight. Her friend did not reply, simply hugging back just as tightly and closing her eyes. The darkness was comforting, allowing Sunset to simply focus on her emotions and the arms wrapped around her.
They stayed that way for several long moments until finally Sunset released Rarity, stepping back and rubbing at the cloth around her eyes, feeling its wetness. Dammit, she hated crying. It always reminded her of the darkest times in her life, like just after leaving Equestria. She was about to let out a weak laugh to chase the memories away, but paused when a quiet fizzle and pop caught her attention.
“Rarity?” Sunset asked, cocking her head to the side. “What just happened?”
“I’m not sure, Darling.” Rarity replied, confusion in her voice. “I think the lights shorted out. That’s strange.” Sunset frowned. That was strange. Rarity had a pretty well-off family, so she should live in a well-maintained household. What could have caused a short circuit? Before she could get too far down that line of thought, however, her friend spoke up again. “Give me a moment, Sunset, I should go check the breaker box since there is nobody else home.” Sunset nodded. Right, he had forgotten about that. With Rarity’s parents out of town on business and her little sister still at band practice, it was just them two. There was a rustle of cloth and the creak of the door opening, then Sunset was alone, staring blankly in the darkness after moving to sit back where she vaguely remembered the stool she had been sitting on previously was.
One minute passed, and then another as Sunset waited for Rarity’s return. She wasn’t afraid of the darkness and quiet, having grown used to it after the last few days, but eventually she began to wonder where the other girl was at. It had been several minutes already since Rarity left, and Sunset could hear nothing of her friend, not the pad of her feet nor the quiet muttering she was prone to when thinking aloud. Instead, the house was deathly still, and as more and more time passed by, Sunset started to grow worried. What was Rarity doing? Just as Sunset started to stand, however, she froze as suddenly a new sensation pierced the darkness: she felt cold metal pressed against her throat, but this was no necklace. No, this metal was sharp, pressing into her flesh and splitting the surface with the barest weight against it.
“Well, well, well. Look what a tasty morsel I have found.” An unfamiliar male voice spoke, low and deep with soft velvet undertones. “Such a shame I cannot touch so exquisite a buffet.” fear, icy and sharp, slid down Sunset’s spine in an instant. What in Tartarus?
“W-who are you? What do you want?” Sunset asked, voice shaking She didn’t know what was happening. Where had this person come from? Why was there what she could only assume to be a blade at her neck? By Celestia, she hated being blind. Was this some sick prank, or was Sunset actually in trouble? And what had happened to Rarity? Even if it was a prank this didn’t seem like something she would pull--the thought cut off as Sunset felt the blade press closer, a spark of pain appearing before she felt wet warmth welling to the surface.
“Hush now, little Seer, I did not come here to answer questions. Stand.” Sunset did not want to, but the pain and feeling of blood on her neck silenced any protests she might have had. Sunset complied, the blade rising smoothly along with her, and once she was on her feet it moved away, only to be replaced an instant later by a tight grip around her throat. For a moment Sunset felt elated--perhaps she could learn more from her sudden kidnapper’s mind, or even try another power?--but the feeling died as soon as it was born. Whoever this was, they were wearing gloves. Without the touch of flesh, Sunset could do nothing.The next moment, Sunset felt warm breath against her ear, the stranger’s voice soft as it whispered to her. “I will be very clear, little girl. Do what I say, or I will snap your neck without hesitation. Do you understand?” Sunset nodded. “Good. Now walk. I will guide you.”
For a moment, Sunset contemplated refusing this order as well. A hand around her neck, while worrying, was not nearly so dangerous as the blade had been, and she might be able to struggle her way free. Only two things stopped her. One was her blindness; even if Sunset could successfully escape, she would have no way to know where she was going and even that was extraordinarily optimistic. The second, however, was Rarity. Had this person, whoever they were, harmed her? Had they taken her hostage as well? Sunset didn’t know. And if it might put Rarity in danger, she couldn’t fight back. Not yet.Grimacing, she took a step forward--but that was as far as she got before all hell seemed to break loose.
First, there was the unmistakable sound of an explosion, and Sunset was buffeted by the force enough to rock her back on her feet. As far as she could tell, the door to Rarity’s room must have quite literally burst open. Then, with a loud curse from her captor, the grip around her neck disappeared, followed shortly by a squelching sound. A few footsteps followed after--from in front of Sunset, not behind--before another voice spoke, sounding both confused and amused as it did.
“Hmm, how interesting. Usually when I do that there’s much more blood left over. Why would-- ah, never mind. He just forgot the Gore tag and is too stubborn to fix it.” Sunset, frozen where she was standing, could only stare blankly in the vague direction of this new man, and wonder what had just happened. Then a moment later she felt… weight settle upon her, as if she were suddenly carrying a mountain upon her shoulders. “And there you are, a touch worse for wear, but safe. Good.”
“I-how-what?” Sunset stumbled out after a moment, utterly confused. It was hard enough trying to keep up with the random kidnapper when she couldn’t even see them, but right now she had absolutely zero clue what was going on. She couldn’t even be properly confused without context.Where was the other guy? What exploded?
“Calm yourself, child.” The new man said, tone suggesting he was wearing a smirk. “You are safe for now, but there may be more of these foul beasts around. I will ward the room, but you must stay here. We will speak in a few minutes.” With that, Sunset felt… something, wash over her to encompass the room, a sharp, wild energy that made her blood both sing and boil at the same time. Then she heard the sound of the man turning around and stepping towards the door, the presence shifting to follow.
“Wait!” Sunset called out suddenly, by instinct. The footsteps paused, and she could almost feel him turning around, that extraordinary presence settling upon her once again. “Who are you?” a beat passed, then another, before finally he spoke, voice grim and pained.
“You may call me Discord, Sunset Shimmer. Discord of Anarch. See you in a bit, Seer.” And then he was gone, leaving Sunset standing there, lost and confused. It was starting to be a very familiar state, sadly.