Severed Ties

by Carol Heart


Chapter 17

After being dragged into the fitting room by the store associate, Cadance found herself ensnared by a whirlwind of fabulosity.  Rarity was a girl possessed as she ushered the older woman onto the staging platform.  Adorning red horn-rimmed glasses, the fashionista quickly whipped a measuring tape around the necessary locations with an obviously practiced hand.  

“So I know you said you’re just planning ahead,” Rarity began nonchalantly before shooting the dean a knowing look, “but don’t tell me you haven’t given some thought to what you want your wedding dress to look like.”

“Well, maybe a little…”

“Perfect let’s start with this, imagine the big day.  Is the ceremony indoors or out?”

“In.”

 “Alright, that gives us more options,” said the fashionista with a smile.  “As lovely as an outdoor wedding is, the unpredictability of the weather needs to be accounted for when choosing a dress.  So would this be a more formal affair then, a grand gala, as it were, to celebrate the momentous occasion?”  

Cadance blushed a bit, “I have always wanted a fairy tale wedding.  You know when I finally get to marry my prince charming.”

“Then that is exactly what you shall have.  Now, do you see yourself in white, ivory, or something more daring?”

“Hmm…white I think, though maybe with a pop of color.”  Rarity nodded as she jotted down some notes on her sketch pad.”

“Any preference on silhouette?”  Rarity continued with more rapid-fire questions knowing that would help the customer in making decisions.  Finally, she turned to a workstation and accessed a store tablet.  “Feel free to browse a bit while I record all this for our records.  See if anything strikes your fancy.  If you see something you like we can either work it into your design or I can direct you toward the designer and we can see if they can better assist you.”

Flipping through one of the racks Cadance was impressed by the designs and amount of detail that had been added to some of the dresses.  “You did all of these?”

“Well, not all of them.  I am still in high school so I have other responsibilities you know.  And I have been focusing a bit more on my own personal project as of late.”  Her eyes flicked over to a rack in the corner at that before returning to her notes.

Curious, the dean wandered over to the mystery rack and was puzzled by what she beheld.  Amongst the clothes, she found hockey goalie pads, a cowgirl outfit, welding gear, and a jai alai uniform.  Staring at the odd assortment of clothing, Cadance struggled to see what would possess the fashionista to design these things.  The only thing they seemed to have in common was a color scheme reminiscent of fire and even spotted some detailing on the various pieces of flames, phoenixes, and most often a two-toned sun.  While visually appealing, the dean couldn’t keep the confusion from her face.  Her attention was drawn from the mystery, by a polite cough.

“Ahem, yes, I don’t think those racks will have what you’re looking for,” Rarity said leading her customer toward some dresses she thought might suit the woman.

“No, you’re right,” said the woman a bit embarrassed at being caught snooping.  “Sorry about that, I was curious what drew you away from designing these marvelous dresses and gowns.”  Cadance sensed a change in the teen’s attitude.  Though most wouldn’t have noticed as Rarity seemed to be an expert at maintaining her business persona, Cadance made a living reading teenagers and getting in their heads.  Rarity began selecting a variety of gowns from amongst the racks, using it as an excuse not to make eye contact with her customer.  

“Those are for an upcoming event at my school, the Friendship Games, and the thing is we don’t know exactly what we’ll be competing in, so I had to cover all the bases and make a few options for our uniforms.”

Cadance laughed a little, a light sound reminiscent of a tinkling bell.  “I’m well aware of the Friendship Games, it’s been nearly all Vice Principal Luna and I have been working on since the start of the school year.”

Rarity’s eyes went wide behind her stylish red glasses, “You work for Crystal Prep?”

“I do.  Sorry,” Cadance said with a smile.  “And, though I’m not allowed to say anything about what the events will be, I can’t imagine any events that would necessitate dressing as a bobby.”  Rarity blushed a bit at that one. Bringing a few gown options, Rarity ushered her client away from her creations and towards a changing room.

“Yes, well, I may have gone a bit overboard with that one,” the fashionista admitted, closing the door behind her guest to give Cadance privacy to change.  “It’s just that putting effort into clothes is what I live for, and spending time with my friends fills me with energy…or it did until recently.”

“What happened?”  Recognizing the sullen tone, the dean’s instincts kicked in.

“Oh, there was a bit of a to-do at my school, a MyStable account posting people’s secrets.  It got so bad, one girl…left school.”

“I’m sorry.  Were you two close?”

Rarity fought to blink back tears.  “Not as close as we should have been, or she never would have left.  I hadn’t realized it at the time, but she and I had a lot in common.  We both shared a creative spark.  While hers was not for fashion, her artistic eye was a welcome help and inspiration, and in realizing my mistake too late, I’m afraid I lost my passion for design.  My muse, as it were, has left me.”

“Well, you seem to have found it again,” said Cadance entering the fitting room.

“Yes, the Friendship Games has been a great motivation.  Just imagine a chance to foster better relationships with a new group of people that was once our bitter rivals.  The opportunity to show that we can make friends with those who had once been our hated rivals…eh, no offense.”

“None taken,” chuckled the dean, “and, though I appreciate the sentiment and getting behind the spirit of the Games, I’m afraid you’re in for a challenge, given the…atmosphere at Crystal Prep.”

“Oh, we are well aware, darling, but that is why it is so important that we succeed,” the fashionista replied, walking over to the rack containing the attire for the Friendship Games.  Picking up one of the pieces emblazoned with the familiar sun design that had inspired the entire line, she didn’t see it but an aura began to form over her taking on a royal purple hue.  “Even though she’s gone, she has inspired us to try harder, to work at making connections and seeing the good in everyone, giving them a real chance to become friends.”  Ethereal ears began to form atop her amethyst locks and they began to extend as she could feel herself begin to levitate.  

Rarity closed her eyes at the swell of joy filled her heart at the familiar sensation, one she had been without for so long.  Looking back down at the uniform in her hand she remembered why she had been without this feeling for so long.  Sunset had been the one to understand her passion for creating.  

While Fluttershy might have had better knowledge of sewing and clothing and could appreciate her work on a level her other friends could not, it had been Sunset who shared her eye for detail and her ability to see things in a new way.  They would often bounce ideas back and forth when they hung out, and would often inspire each other to create by sharing their artistic visions.  Though Sunset didn’t really get fashion outside of what she liked or didn’t like, she could understand and appreciate what it took to bring an idea from your imagination into the world.  

With Sunset gone, the world seemed dimmer somehow.  Everything Rarity created had just felt wrong.  They lacked originality and were little better than…ugh…buying of the rack.  But then came the Friendship Games and the decision to use it as a venue to honor Sunset.  The creative spark was once again alight, but the pain remained with the reality of the situation. If she had just given Sunset the benefit of the doubt all those months ago, none of this would be necessary, and Sunset would likely be preparing for the Games alongside them right now. Rarity felt the magic fading, just as it always did and knew it was her fault.

***

Rarity couldn’t know, but outside in the hallway, two sets of eyes watched as the lights on a specialized spectrometer sprang to life causing smiles to spread across their faces.  The two had been unable to make out most of the conversation from the hallway, and Sunset had had to duck back into the duffle a few times to avoid being spotted by the other store associates.  

“Finally,” Sunset whispered, “I would have thought a design frenzy for a wedding dress would have sparked one of her inspiration moments a lot faster.”

“Shhh,” the teen scientist chided keeping her eyes focused on her readings, “It’s working, isn’t it.  I mean I can’t believe it’s working, but it’s working.”

“How are the energy levels?”

“They’re ok,” Twilight said, “Nothing like the portal but better than…hang on.”  Twilight stood up and looked toward the door.

“What’s wrong?” asked Sunset, a little irritated that she could no longer see the device and cursing her current diminutive size.

“The magical output is fading.”

“Fading?”

“Yeah, just like last time at the animal shelter.  The readings looked good and then faded out when the ears and wings faded out.”

“Well, it would make sense, considering you are siphoning energy from them,” the unicorn thought aloud rubbing her chin with a forehoof.

“Maybe, but…” Twilight turned to peek into the design room but was nearly bowled over by someone coming the other way.

“Excuse me,” Rarity said, hurrying down the hall.

When she was out of sight Sunset poked her head out of the bag.  “Huh, that was rather unladylike for her.  You okay, Twilight.”

“What…oh, yeah I’m fine.”  Twilight was used to getting shoved at Crystal Prep, usually by Indigo and her friends.  This time, though was clearly an accident and though she couldn’t be sure, the teen was pretty sure she had seen tears in the designer’s sapphire eyes.

Grabbing her bag with a now rehidden unicorn, Twilight went into the design room just as Cadance was exiting the fitting room in an elegant wedding dress.  

“Wow, Cady, that’s beautiful.”

“I know,” Cadance squeed with a giddy dance, “I feel like a princess.  Now you have to convince your brother to get cracking on that ring, or I’m going to have to find some other excuse to wear this dress.  You think I could get away with wearing it to work?”

“I don’t think it quite conforms to the CPA dress code,” the teen giggled, “but I suppose you’re the one in charge of dress code infractions so you could let it slide.”

“True though I’m sure Principal Cinch would…hey what happened to the girl who was helping me.”

“Oh, uh, she had to step out, I guess.  She passed me in the hallway on my way in.”

Just then another girl entered the room, she was shorter than Twilight with two-toned cyan hair she wore a purple skirt and white blouse with a red tie done fashionably under a purple collar.

“Excuse me, Miss Rarity had to step out for a minute, she…wasn’t feeling well.  My name is Coco Pommel and I can assist you.”

“Oh dear,” said Cadance, “I think that may have been my fault.  I got into councilor mode and I think I pushed too much into something she clearly didn’t want to talk about.”

“It’s alright, ma’am,” Coco said, “Rarity’s told me to assure you it was not your fault and she looks forward to you seeing what she created when she sees you again at the Friendship Games.”

“Well, let her know that I look forward to it, and I really hope she’s successful in her own mission for the Friendship Games.”

“I will,” Coco said with a smile.  “Would you like to try on some more of the dresses?”

Taking a look at Twilight who was looking uncomfortable, with her large duffle and hood pulled up, Candance shook her head.  “No thank you, but if you could notate this style dress for Rarity’s file, I would love to talk over some ideas with her once I actually get the ring.”

“Of course, I’m sure she’d love to.”

After jotting down the necessary information, Coco assured them the information would be kept on file for Cadance.  The young associate then escorted them to the front.  As they passed by one of the doors marked “Employees Only” Twilight was almost sure she heard the muffled sounds of sniffles emanating from within.  Pulling out the pendant spectrometer from her hoodie, a nagging feeling began to grow in the back of her mind.  

Both times magic had been collected from Sunset’s former friends, the subjects had been left in tears. Sunset had assured her that siphoning their magic would not be detrimental to them as it was not something that was normally a part of humans as it was for ponies, but still, the coincidence gnawed at her.  Clearly needed more data to form a hypothesis, though it did make her wonder if there wasn’t more going on than what she or possibly even Sunset knew.

***

The rest of Sunday had been relatively unremarkable.  After leaving Prim Hemline’s, the Crystal Prep duo tried a few more stores Cadance felt were more Twilight’s style.  Sunset had convinced the nerdy teen to leave the duffle in the car, taking the opportunity to take in some much-needed air after her time in the stuffy bag.  After a pleasant lunch where Twilight successfully steered all conversations away from the Friendship Games and her experiments and back to wedding plans, the pair had returned to the Sparkle Household to find the teen’s parents had returned from their trip.  

Twilight and Cadance then had to fill them in on their day indicating it was a celebratory outing for Twilight making the CPA team.  The nerdy teen was then subjected to an obscene amount of parental gushing before she was finally allowed to retreat to her room, where she was able to free the tiny pony from her confines.

“Finally,” the unicorn gasped as she flopped out of the bag and splayed across Twilight’s bed as much as she could given her diminutive state.

“Sorry about that,” I didn’t think my folks would be home until later.

“It’s fine,” Sunset said as she stretched like an overgrown cat.  “They seem nice.”

“Yeah.  I mean it worked out well over the weekend seeing as what happened, but considering Shiny’s schedule, the house feels lonely when they’re gone.”  It took a beat then the teen’s amethyst eyes expanded to fill her thick frames.  “Oh.  Oh, Sunset, I am so sorry.”  The non-sequitur just drew a curious eyebrow raise from the sprawled equine.  “I didn’t mean to make light of your situation.  You must be missing your family too and they don’t even know what happened to you.”

“Twilight!” Sunset snapped, her tone firm but not angry.  Enough to gain the panicky girl’s attention before it could descend into a full-on attack.  “It’s fine,” the unicorn continued once she had gained the teen’s attention.  “I don’t have any family, so no offense taken.”

“You mean you’re an orphan?” Twilight asked in a sad whisper.

Sunset only rolled her eyes and sat up.  “Yeah, but I never knew my parents so it’s not like I’m missing anything.”  The unicorn tried to dismiss it with a lazy hoof but the brainy teen seemed to want to ask something else, though she was hesitant prompting the unicorn to continue.  “No, I wasn’t always alone.  I’ve been taken in before, but…It never works out.  Guess my so-called friends ditching me shouldn’t have come as such a shock.”

“Sunset…”

“Don’t worry,” said the little pony, her voice a bit sad but resigned.  “I learned a long time ago that you can’t depend on others.  The only one you can rely on in the end is yourself.  It’s the only way to survive. It worked in Equestria and kept me alive when I first got here.”  The unicorn gave a small smile, “I guess you've learned that lesson too.  You really have the right idea with that Independent Study Program.”  

Twilight moved to speak again but was preempted by the tiny unicorn hopping off the bed to land on Spike’s abandoned doggy bed that had been strategically placed on the far side of the bed out of view of the door.  After circling the bed, the tiny equine curled up in a cute ball.  “Being cooped up in that stuffy bag took a lot out of me.  I think I’m just going to take a nap if that’s okay.”

Surprised by the change in topic, the bespectacled girl just stammered out, “Uh, yeah, sure.”  Rising off the bed the teen headed for her door.  Twilight had been a relative social outcast for most of her life.  She’d been smart and found more interest in long-dead scientists and their theories than the up and coming boybands, and as such she had never had much in common with those her age.  As lonely as that could be, the nerdy girl had always felt loved and welcomed by her family.  Her parents were supportive and Shining Armor was her BBBFF and it was only a matter of time until Cadance was officially her family though she might as well be now.  Part of her hurt to think that Sunset had never had that feeling, or if she had, it had been taken away when she was abandoned.  

Turning back towards the pony’s hidden she said, “Sleep well, Sunset.  I’ll bring some food up later and we can plan our next move.”  “I’ll make sure we get you home,” she thought.  I won’t let you down.”