//------------------------------// // The Royal Guidance Counsellor // Story: Imperial Revision // by The Sound of Loneliness //------------------------------// “Okay...” Rarity took a deep breath. “Let’s try again. Darling, please, speak to me,” Rarity prepared to sense some else’s will to move her body, as Her Majesty described. A minute passed. Rarity could only sense the methodical clicking of the clock on the wall of her room and a distant chattering of the staff and guests of the palace. “Why don’t you speak back?!” Rarity cried in frustration. Her attempts to contact the creature inside her head already made hours fly. But frustration was hardly the larger part of the emotion she felt. If the prospect of someone waiting for an opportunity to steal her body away from her was frightening, then having to willingly let it do so was almost more than Rarity could comprehend without giving into a panic. The unicorn struggled valiantly to ensure her fear would not sway her intention, but she was impossibly far from Nightmare Moon’s coldbloodedness. Oh, how much she’d appreciated the tiniest grain of it now. Rarity tried time and time again to compel her unwilling new “friend” to cooperate with her, but the creature seemingly refused to respond, in fact, Rarity did not even feel it try once. Rarity took another breath and lowered herself onto a chair next to a tiny table for a rest, “What is it I am doing wrong?” she asked aloud, hoping for an answer. Still, there was silence, “Just give me a sign that you are there. That I am not a victim of a sick prank,” Rarity pleaded. “Please,” Rarity whispered. And yet still, Rarity’s pleas were answered with silence. Rarity didn’t know what to think. Did her Majesty just find another way to make her life miserable for what the poor unicorn did to her? Rarity refused to believe that, for she knew better. But what is she doing wrong then? Perhaps… she simply did not want to talk? “Dear, I only want to be friends with you! You know that I do!” Rarity spoke to herself again. “Her Majesty, your sister, wants to know you! Don’t you want to be treated the same as Luna?” Rarity tried the carrot approach. “No reason to be shy, Darling. Just say a word.” Silence. “Well, alright, Darling,” Rarity gave up. “Think a little bit.” Rarity sighed in disappointment and stood up from her table, then approached her tiny workshop. Quickly forgetting about her recent failure, Rarity’s face bloomed in a joyful smile. ‘Soon you will be in use again!’ Rarity thought happily while loving stroking her trusty stitching machine. But for now, Rarity had other tasks. Unexpectedly, Her Majesty’s request opened Rarity’s eyes to the brighter side of her situation. She now had much more time to pursue her other interests. Cloudy, poor darling, waited months for their morning together in the royal gallery! And when was the last time she could have a cup of tea with dear Fluttershy? Or Spikey-Wikey... Oh, so much to do and Rarity now had time to do all of it! And she could do even more as soon as her new friend accepts her offer! Someone knocked on Rarity’s door, “It’s open!” she sang. "Are you busy?" Luna asked propping her head inside. "Luna!" Rarity joyfully exclaimed, forgetting conspiracy for the moment. "For you, Darling, I am always available!" Luna gladly smiled and stepped inside, "I am glad to see you retaining your good spirits." "Oh, Luna, dear, let me just tell you! I and Her Majesty will be sewing together!" Rarity cried. "Nightmare let you talk her into finding a hobby?" Luna matched Rarity's excitement. "Actually, she came to me herself! This is why it is so wonderful!" "Oh, I can't wait to see her fiddling with strings!" Luna dreamed aloud. "And how she knits her first fabric!" Rarity added. "And how she fails to put a string in a needle for the first whole hour!" "You think she is going to swear?" Rarity suddenly asked. "Oh," Luna toothily smiled in anticipation. "Like a sailor! You haven't seen her getting really frustrated yet!" "Can she even feel that way?" Rarity doubted. "Ask her about the time when I made her draw! That was the most precious moment, ever!" Luna squealed in delight. "I never heard anyone swearing so hard before! By the time it was done, we were covered in paint and made every servant passing us red as a pomegranate! Celestia almost went ahead with her threat to wash my mouth with soap! I swear to you, Rarity, she almost did that!" "What stopped her?" Rarity asked, wanting to hear the ending of the story. "She dropped the soap and slipped on it!" Luna burst. "She told everypony she slipped on the iced-over stairs and spent the whole day in her chambers! Even Nightmare thinks to this very night that it really was ice!" "How? Didn't you both see Princess Celestia slipping?" Rarity asked, visibly confused. "Well, Celestia sat us in the tub and then went to get the soap while Nightmare was telling me everything she thought about my ideas, so when Celestia fell over, like an undersized tree, she didn't connect the dots! I'd swear to you on my deathbed, Rarity, Nightmare has the worst pottymouth of anypony I ever knew!" Luna finished barely restraining herself enough to speak. "I missed our time together, Luna," Rarity softly said, having, at last, contained her laughter. "Likewise, Rarity. I missed us getting together. These hectic weeks didn't allow me to catch you alone." "Oh, Sweety, don't even say it!" Rarity pouted. "It was horrendous! Luna, I never felt so lost, scared and broken in my life!" Rarity threatened to wash her makeup away. "Oh, Rarity," Luna stepped closer to embrace her old friend. "Nightmare can be very harsh went it concerns the matters of security." "Luna, I feel so stupid!" Rarity lamented. "What happened?" Luna asked as softly as she could. "I tried to help Twilight to find out what that potion meant to do, the poor filly barely had enough time to sleep with how much work she had. I wrote a letter to a friend who could have known something and I got a letter back at short notice detailing the effects and the exact tome at the library I could refer to. I was the only one who knew what it was, Luna, and I panicked!" Rarity hid her face in shame. "Rarity, don't be harsh on yourself," Luna reassuringly stroked the other mare's mane. "Everyone makes mistakes, even Nightmare does." "I should've told Twilight everything before I acted!" "Who did you write to?" Luna tried to get Rarity off her morbid thoughts. "I... I don't know, the letter must've been intercepted. Miss Yearling could not have known so much. I don't know anyone who would know so much about changeling alchemy. Not even Shadow knows anyone who could help." Ancient, forgotten alchemy potion, intercepted letter, making Rarity panic... and her waking in a moist cave. In Luna's head it suddenly clicked, "Sombra," she grunted. "What?" Rarity asked, lifting her eyes again. "It's him! Sombra was the one who wronged you, Rarity!" "But why would he? He has nothing to gain from my misfortune," Rarity questioned. "He used you as a distraction!" Luna spat her contempt. "He wanted to make sure he could get me away from Nightmare before she could know what the potion does. I'd wager he was the one who found the recipe too. Treacherous asp!" Luna angrily chided. "But... why? He did not do anything to you... did he?" Rarity attempted to recoil, but Luna didn't let her. "No, no, Rarity. I wouldn't hurt you, or anypony else, I swear," Luna promptly assured. "Sombra did not trust Nightmare to go through with his plan if he told her." "He wanted to help you so badly?" Rarity cautiously asked. "Yes," Luna sighed. "Rarity, I have a secret. There's more to his tale than simply an evil sorcerer, who enslaved his own people, Celestia suppressed the rest. Rarity, the reason why Sombra was left to wander the waste instead of simply executed or sent to Tartarus forever is that I begged Celestia to not do so. Rarity, I used to love him," Luna explained sadly. "Oh... Luna, Sweety, I am so sorry for making you brush through this again. It must had been terrible, to lose a dear one like that!" "It was, Rarity. It was, and it is my fault! Sombra could not stomach the idea of losing me one day, the curse of alicorn immortality!" Luna stomped with her hoof. "To be a Princess means to forever remain alone, Rarity. Either that or watch the ponies you care for die, over and over, and over again! Celestia tried to tell me how it will be, but I didn't listen and only made it worse! Sombra overheard us talking and went mad trying to find a way to trick fate. It eventually drove him to pursue forbidden arts. When I saw him next time, he already was someone different! All because of me!" Luna wept. "Luna, I am so sorry!" Rarity quickly joined her in tears. "I couldn't even imagine!" "Rarity, It hurt so much I wanted to die! I wanted to die more than I wanted anything else! Nightmare used the opportunity to take it from there. She saved me!" Luna buried her face in Rarity's pristine fur. "Why does it always have to be this way with me? What did I do to earn this curse?" "Luna, dear, don't say that," Rarity managed to keep some semblance of control of herself. "Everyone loves you here! We'll always be here for you! All of us would be glad to help you with anything!" "The only thing I caused was ponies to die! It would've been better for everypony if I never returned! Sombra killed ponies to save me, Rarity! He uses them as if they were a resource! I feel so ashamed of myself!" "Luna, don't blame yourself. You never asked him to do these things," Rarity continued to soothe the larger mare, even if there was little hope. "I need to do something, Rarity! I am staining those ponies' sacrifice with these tears! But I don't know how to do anything else! Rarity, I am so- so useless! And now I can't even step into daylight without it burning my flesh! I cannot even guard the Dreamrealm - the dead don't sleep!" "Sweety, perhaps you just need someone who could show you the way?" Rarity offered. "Who? Nightmare won't let me close to statecraft and would be right to do so. I cannot lead her warriors, for I cannot let other ponies know of me. There's nothing I can do for her!" Luna despaired. "Well, perhaps you could do something for someone else?" Rarity's mind suddenly glowed with an idea. "Luna, you had so much experience with the things nopony even knew of! You don't need to suffer over your woes, dear, turn them towards doing good instead!" "To... give advice?" Luna unsurely asked. "Why, yes, Luna!" Rarity confirmed. "Call it unofficial guidance counsellor, like those we have at schools. I even know someone who could use your help first of all." "Trully?" Luna hopefully asked. "Yes, dear. Promise me one thing though." "Of course, Rarity!" "Be brave."