//------------------------------// // Chapter XXIII – A Fashionable Enounter // Story: To Devour a God // by the7Saviors //------------------------------// I'd been a bit skeptical of Nurse Redheart's request to stay and rest a bit longer, but admittedly the extra bit of rest ended up doing me a world of good. After asking for directions to the Director's office I left the infirmary and headed down the hall feeling better than I had in a while. Part of me wondered if it was okay for me to be visiting the Director in her office this late in the day, but she and Doctor Whooves were the ones calling me in the first place so I had to assume it was fine. There were still some ponies wandering the halls and going about their business, but I ignored them for the most part as I ruminated on the events that led to me waking up in the infirmary. All things considered, I thought I'd handled myself fairly well right up until the Cannibal had shown up. I did wonder what had happened with everypony else, but I figured I could find them and ask about it tomorrow. As I made my way to the elevator leading to the top floor where the Director's office was, my ears perked up at the whispered sound of my own name somewhere a little ways behind me. Confused, I turned just in time to catch a mare and stallion walking the other way as they glanced back at me. The moment our eyes met the stallion chuckled awkwardly and the mare gave a friendly smile and wave before the two of them continued on their way. I couldn't help but raise a bemused eyebrow at the weird exchange. What... was that about? I looked around and noticed that a few others walking by were casting strange looks or glances my way. It wasn't everypony, but it was just enough that it was starting to weird me out. Suddenly feeling horribly awkward and uncomfortable, I ignored the stares and murmuring and sped up my pace, wanting nothing more than to get to the elevator and away from the unwanted attention. What the hay is going on here?! Sure I could've stopped to ask somepony, but the anxiety was beginning to cloud my thoughts about what was being said about me. I turned the corner and breathed a huge sigh of relief as I finally spotted the elevator that would take me to my destination. It wasn't all that long a trip in reality, but the looks I was getting made the walk feel so much longer. I mashed the button to take me up to the top floor and quickly slipped inside the elevator once the doors slid open. Thankfully there was nopony else coming in or out so I had the transport all to myself. I used the solitude to take a deep breath and collect my thoughts. The elevator was silent save for the muted hum of the machinery propelling me upward. Now that I wasn't being surrounded by prying eyes my thoughts were a bit clearer and I was able to piece together some ideas of why I might've been garnering so much attention. "Maybe it was because of what happened back then?" I muttered to myself, "I mean, it's not like I did anything particularly special or heroic, and how would that have spread so fast anyway?" I continued to wonder about the issue as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened once again. I stepped out into a small singular corridor. Looking down the hall, I could see it was a straight shot to the doors leading to the office, just as Nurse Redheart had mentioned. There weren't any other doors or pathways to be found, though I guess there didn't really need to be. Relieved and oddly intimidated by the sight, I made my way to the office. I was about halfway to the entrance of the office when the door slid open on its own. Caught by surprise, I paused and it wasn't long before the mare that emerged spotted me and we locked eyes. I wasn't a mare that normally gave much thought as to whether or not a stallion was handsome or a mare was beautiful. That said, exceptions did exist—most notably where the President and Chief Commander of Wendigo were concerned. Those two mares just seemed to radiate an ethereal sort of beauty that could hardly be defined with words. While the mare before me paled in comparison to the two demigoddesses that were Celestia and Luna, it was still clear to me that she'd put enough work into her appearance to make ponies stand up and notice. This mare was only the second pony I'd seen who'd chosen to completely throw uniformity to the wind as far as military uniforms went, the only other being Captain Applejack. Instead of the standard Wendigo issued jacket and blouse, the mare had opted for a black cheongsam with violet trim and knee-high boots. I wasn't exactly an expert when it came to fashion, but even I could see that the dress—traditionally worn by the kirin if memory served correctly—seemed to be made with both form and function in mind. Completing the look was an open dark violet half jacket with the Wendigo symbol stitched right into the left breast pocket in the form of a light grey patch. It all contrasted rather well with the mare's snow-white coat and a violet mane that fell over one side of her face in one big luxurious curl. The mare, a unicorn judging by the horn poking just past her mane, had put just as much effort into her makeup as she had her outfit. It all came together to make a pony that could not and would not be ignored by stallions or even other mares. At least, that's the impression I got anyway. The other thing that stood out to me was the familiar black and white armlet attached to her right arm, making her another Daeus Hunter like myself. "Oh!" the mare exclaimed, evidently just as surprised as I was to meet somepony else here in the hallway. Her surprise faded quickly and before I could get out any sort of response she furrowed her brows and took a step forward, "by chance, could you be...?" She continued forward at an oddly quick pace and before I knew it, my personal space was being casually and thoroughly invaded. Feeling uncomfortable, I took a step back and was thankful when the mare didn't follow. The mare backed off a bit, but her bright azure eyes remained focused on me with an eerie sort of intensity—like she was sizing me up for... something. "Um—" "Apapap, just a moment, darling," she interjected before I could say anything. She straightened up and folded her arms, never once taking her eyes off me, "let me get a good look at you..." "E-Excuse me," I tried again, unable to take the intense scrutiny, "but I kind of... have a meeting with the Director so... so if I could just—" I tried to move past the mare but she waved a hand as if to dismiss the very notion of moving aside. "Oh, she can wait a moment or two I think," she replied airily, her oddly serious frown twisting into an amiable smile, "surely you have a bit of time for introductions? You're Twilight Sparkle, right?" "Ah, yes... yeah, that's right," I said, taking another wary step back, "how did you... wait," now it was my turn to furrow my brow as something suddenly clicked in the back of my mind, "are you... Rarity?" I had no concrete reason to suspect what I did other than the fact that this mare stood out in my mind in much the same way as one of the letters I'd received while I was indisposed. Violet, elegant, flowery, beautiful; these were all words I would've used to describe what I'd read in that letter, and funnily enough, those were more or less the same words I thought of when I looked at this pony. It was just a hunch, but a strong one—and a correct one if the mare's brightening smile and deep azure eyes lighting up was anything to go by. "Oh? So you've already heard of me, then," she answered, "well I suppose that makes introductions a little easier then, doesn't it?" "Well, yeah I guess... kind of. I heard a bit about you from Nurse Redheart, but it's mostly the letter you brought me that tipped me off," I frowned slightly, "speaking of which, if you did visit in the infirmary, shouldn't you already know what I look like?" "Ah, my apologies, dear," Rarity replied, her smile turning a bit awkward, "you see, I never actually delivered the letter myself, too busy I'm afraid. I had Pinkie deliver it in my place so this is actually the first time we've seen each other I believe." "Then how did you know who I was?" I asked. "Oh come now, there's almost nopony who doesn't know who you are at this point," she said with a small chuckle. She leaned forward slightly and put on a playful smirk, "word around the Branch is that you drove away the big bad Cannibal all on your own." "What?! No! I—" I sputtered indignantly. I thought back to what Applejack had said and in that moment, my uncomfortable walk here suddenly made a whole lot more sense, "it ran off on its own, I didn't do anything! Is that why everypony's talking about me and giving me weird looks? How does everypony already know about that anyway?" "Rumors are quick to spread here in Ponyville, and the Branch is no different," Rarity shrugged, "and as with all rumors, the truth tends to get a bit twisted." "No kidding," I muttered sourly, "things weren't much different in Canterlot when I was growing up and I don't imagine that's changed a lot," I sighed, "back then I was able to ignore stuff like that because it wasn't my problem, but now..." "That's right! You're originally from Canterlot, aren't you?" Rarity suddenly gushed, her eyes practically sparkling at the mention of my hometown, "ah, to live in such a glamorous and—more importantly—well-fortified place must be like a dream!" "What, Canterlot? Well, I'm not really sure about 'glamorous'," I replied uncertainly, "but I suppose its walls are the strongest and most well-defended of all the cities in Equestria, but that's to be expected given Canterlot is not only Equestria's capital, but also where HQ is located," I eyed the mare curiously, "have you not been to Canterlot? You seem like you'd fit right in." I wasn't exaggerating either. From her outfit to the care and attention she put into her figure to the way she spoke, everything about the mare just screamed 'Canterlot elite'. Living just outside the inner walls near the center of Canterlot, I'd seen more than a few ponies like her wandering about. In fact, I half expected Rarity had been transferred here from Canterlot at some point in the past, but to my surprise that evidently wasn't the case. "Oh no, my parents were originally from Manehattan, but they moved to Ponyville a few years before I was born," Rarity explained with a somewhat wistful sigh, "I may give off a... different impression than what you'd expect from a Ponyville native, but rest assured I'm a Ponyville mare born and raised." "Huh," was the only thing I could think to say in response. Still curious, I decided to ask, "and the interest in Canterlot? Where did that come from?" "It's a far more common interest here than you think, darling," Rarity replied, pushing her mane out of her face, "being from Canterlot I don't suppose you'd understand, but every filly and colt born in the slums dreams of what it would be like to live in Canterlot at some point—what it would be like to live in safety behind those sturdy well-maintained walls without fear of a nasty Avidaeos attack every other day and I'm no different in that regard." "Oh... I guess that makes sense," my face fell a bit at that, mostly because she was right. I'd seen the Outer District of Ponyville for myself and her words only served to drive the point home about how hard ponies like her must've had it, "so... you lived in the slums then?" "Many of us here did, yes, but there's no need to make a face like that, dear," Rarity said with an encouraging and partially apologetic smile, "it wasn't my intention to sour your mood, just to give you a bit of insight into the mare that is Rarity." "No, it's fine," I quickly replied, "It's just... you're right. I'm just realizing again how different things are here compared to Canterlot. Although now that I think about it, the city's layout isn't actually all that different from Ponyville's believe it or not," I explained, "the most important facilities and most influential ponies are all focused near the center of Canterlot and separated from the rest of the city by an inner wall with the poorest district sitting just behind the outer wall." "Not surprising," Rarity huffed, "I'm fairly certain most towns and cities are that way. Still, I'm sure that even the poorest district in Canterlot has nothing on Ponyville." "Well... you're not wrong about that," I admitted, "it's not like Canterlot's never been attacked, but Avidaeos attacks are so scarce that most of Canterlot lives in relative comfort even near the outer wall," I paused as a thought came to mind, "y'know, if you made Captain you could request a transfer to Canterlot if that's really what you wanted." I didn't mention it aloud then, but my brother actually did have some pull with the higher-ups. If I was able to get in touch with him, I could probably put in a good word, but— "Perish the thought, darling," came Rarity's immediate reply, "living in Canterlot would be lovely I'm sure, but there's far more left for me to do here in Ponyville." "O-Oh, really?" "Indeed," she nodded seriously, "after all, somepony needs to be here to make sure those poor souls still living in the Outer District are well protected, well-fed, and most importantly well dressed." "Well... well dressed?" I asked, completely caught off guard by her last statement, "what do you mean?" My first thought was that she might've been talking about making sure the ponies in the slums had warm clothes for the winter. Winter in many parts of Equestria had become extremely harsh and unforgiving over the last few hundred years. There was a time when that kind of weather was regulated by thousands of pegasi all over the country, but the drastic rise in Avidaeos attacks from both land and sky made the task almost impossible. There were still a few remaining teams spread throughout Equestria that were dedicated to clearing the skies when needed, but not many. There weren't enough pegasi left that were able or willing to get the job done to make any kind of difference. It wasn't like the pegasi who became Daeus Hunters could really help protect their non-Daeus Hunter counterparts either given the drastic decrease in flight capability. Due to a lack of time and available resources, we also didn't have enough aircraft to spare to support a widespread effort either. In short, if a team of pegasi wanted to clear the skies in most towns or cities, they were effectively on their own. There was a team in Canterlot as well as all the other major Equestrian cities that were backed and protected by Wendigo, but they could only mitigate the problem so much even with Wendigo's help. I didn't imagine there was any such team in Ponyville, so making sure the ponies had proper clothing for the winter months would make sense, but apparently that's not really what Rarity was talking about—not entirely anyway. "Back when my family and I lived in the slums, most ponies would wander around in nothing more than rags—quite literally in some cases," Rarity explained with a small shudder, "there was a much wider gap between the well off and the impoverished then. Winters were dreadful, ponies were miserable, Avidaeos attacks were just as constant as they are now, and unless you or somepony else in your family was compatible with a Daeus Arm, there wasn't really much you could do about any of it." "Rarity..." I replied, not really knowing what else to say. "I won't go too deep into my personal history, it's all in the past now," Rarity continued in a slightly lighter tone, "but yes, suffice it to say life was a struggle and still is for those living in the Outer District," her expression turned distant and reflective, "I didn't have much as a filly, but I wanted to do what I could for the others out there like me." "So what did you do?" I asked, starting to get some idea based on what she'd mentioned earlier, "I'm assuming you found a way?" "I did," Rarity confirmed with a small nod and smile, "before I was old enough to work for Wendigo as a Daeus Hunter, I found my talent in the form of a needle and thread. Partly out of necessity—and with a little help from a family friend—I started learning how to sew my own clothing. I quickly discovered I had a knack for it and that necessity eventually became a passion." "And I'm guessing you started helping ponies by making clothes for them," I surmised, "is that right?" "Just so, darling," Rarity replied, "I've been making outfits for the ponies in the slums ever since I was a filly, and my passion for fashion has only grown over the years. I've even designed outfits for other Daeus Hunters on occasion, including most of what your soon-to-be Captain is wearing." "Wow, that's... really something, Rarity." I said those words with no small amount of awe and respect. What Rarity was doing for these ponies, it made me think about what I'd been doing to help my fellow equines. I also got into Hive Cell research to help others, but that was only in a broader, more general sense and the effects weren't readily apparent to the common pony. What Rarity was doing was something that felt tangible; it was something I could see in an instant. It was something I had actually noticed when I first entered Ponyville. I had thought that the ponies living in the Outer District were oddly well dressed. It likely wasn't the only factor in the smiles I could see on more than a few of their faces—the surprisingly well-maintained homes were probably another reason for that—but I imagined it certainly played a big part. "And you yourself made what you're wearing now?" I asked, "if it weren't for the Wendigo patch I would've thought that whole outfit was part of a line from some famous designer brand." "Oh? I'm flattered you think so," Rarity tittered. She gave a sort of half turn to show off her attire as she spoke, "this isn't exactly a recent ensemble but I feel it is one of my finer works if I do say so myself." She paused and her pleasant smile turned a shade more melancholy and even a bit bitter. "...All this said, there are quite a few ponies living in the slums and whether we're talking about the risk or the bits involved in getting them, materials aren't exactly cheap either way," she sighed, "far more often than not, the quality of what I'm able to make for those out in the slums isn't exactly..." her face twisted into a dissatisfied scowl, "...up to my standards." "Ah, yeah I can see that," I replied with a nod, "the clothing I saw back in the slums looked really good, but a lot of what I saw was... kind of worn looking. But I just assumed most of that came from just... y'know, living in the slums." "True, that is a large part of it," Rarity conceded, "but I'd still like to be able to do more than what I'm currently capable of," she gestured to her outfit, "this is actually one of my many attempts to create something fashionable, functional, sturdy, and above all, economical in terms of price and risk," she sighed again, "though I am rather fond of the design, it doesn't quite hit the mark sadly and I still have yet to find that perfect balance." "It sounds like you have your work cut out for you," I said, then gave my own hopefully encouraging smile, "but I'm sure you'll find a way to make it work eventually." "One can only hope, dear," Rarity replied with a shrug and a shake of her head, "but all that aside, I believe I've taken up enough of both your time and the Director's so I'll be on my way." "Oh, okay," I said as she started to move past me and towards the elevator, "um... oh! Thanks for the card by the way!" "Think nothing of it, darling," Rarity called back. She suddenly stopped and turned back to me with a playful smile just as she reached the doors to the elevator, "now that I've gotten a good look at both you and Fluttershy, I think I can make something even better than a simple get-well card." "Wait what?" I asked in complete bewilderment, "what are you... you're not talking about—" "Consider it a gift for when you two pass training and join our merry little squad," she interjected, waving over her shoulder as she entered the elevator whose doors had just opened, "tata for now~!" And with that not-so-cryptic statement, the doors slid shut, leaving me alone with my thoughts in the hallway leading to the Director's Office. I stood there for a moment, eyes still locked on the elevator and wondering, among many other things about the mare, just when she'd had a chance to meet Fluttershy and how that conversation went. "If it was anything like mine," I muttered to myself, "I bet it was an interesting one..." Shaking my head, I turned and continued the other way towards the door the Director's Office. I know Applejack had wanted me to meet the rest of the 1st Unit, but between her, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and myself, I was fairly sure I'd met most of the team already at one point or another. It looks like I'm going to have a very colorful assortment of teammates in the near future.