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// Chapter 2: Rarity 
// Story: Alteration 
// by MaximumBurn117 
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Alteration: A My Little Pony/s-CRY-ed Crossover
Chapter 2: Rarity Based on the episode ‘Ryuho’
“They’re even patrolling here?” “They think they can do whatever…” “Freakin’ HOLD bastards…” She heard them all over the years. Criminal scum never changed. Always vile, never thinking about civilians. She called out over the loudspeaker, “This district has been designated a restricted area. All Inners must leave immediately.” One of them stepped forward, “You think you’re so superior with that ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude. People like you piss me off.” The shimmering air confirmed he was an Alter User. There was no way to mistake it. “I repeat, all Inners leave at once.” The Alter User readied a flame from his Alter, “I’m tellin’ you: you can just die.” The flame shot forth, but was blocked by two long purple ribbons. “That guy’s with HOLY!” “The Alter Hunters?” a second voice called from the HOLD patrol, “We’re trying to preserve them. Why are you so stupid?” The first voice spoke as the white pony it belonged walked out from the shadows, “Power with no restraint is simply violence. Native Alters can’t see that, so we’re here to teach them.” The Native Alter yelled, “YOU’RE JUST THE MAINLAND’S PET DOG!” He was met with two blows to the gut from the doll Alter behind the HOLD patrol. He stumbled back, knocking over a few of his comrades. The ribbons slashed his Alter in half, leaving a diagonal scar on the Native Alter’s face. “I have to take you into custody. The rest of you are advised against interfering.” The white pony said as she walked towards the Native Alter. Soon the night was filled with angry shouts and brandishing of weapons, followed by cries of pain as the two purple ribbons lashed out, separating the Native Alter from his comrades and sending them flying. Pinkie turned away, rolling her eyes, “Jeez. How subtle.” There was nothing in the white pony’s eyes but hatred…

The previous day…
Twilight sat at her computer desk, reading the data on the Lost Ground. She had determined that the region was once known as the Ponyville region, and the city there was where the town of Ponyville once was. But what caused the Great Uprising? Why had the land just suddenly broken apart like that? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. “So even the young genius who went through Graduate School six years early can’t figure out the mystery of the Lost Ground.” Twilight turned back to her computer, “No. So you can’t offer me the Nobel Prize, then.” The colt she was talking to grinned and made an apologetic bow, “Well then, how ‘bout some fresh air?” “That’s such a roundabout way of asking me out.” She was sharp. “Then, how about a cup of tea?” He said. Twilight giggled, “Thank you. I’d like that.”
“Field research? You’re not serious, are you?” The colt said, a worried look on his face. He’d heard the rumours of the Native Alters and how they acted. Twilight nodded, “Yes.” “Why there?” Twilight turned to face him, “I never told you, did I? I used to live there, seven years ago. It was a fascinating place.” “I don’t get it. Why would you want to go there? I doubt I need to remind you why the Old Ponyville Region is called the Lost Ground. Because of the Native Alters. They’re little more than monsters. Guided by their selfish, destructive actions, rather than conscience or morality.” Twilight sipped her tea, and said, “I’m disappointed that you believe those rumours, Mr. Kurusu. Alter is simply using magic to deconstruct matter from one to reconstruct another. They’re much closer to true pony nature, and that defines their existence. You’ve been very kind to a young, immature pony like myself, and I thank you for taking care of me til now. I’ll be sure to report to my father the kindness I’ve been shown. Goodbye.” She got up and began walking back to the lab to get her belongings. Kurusu slumped on the bench. She had a very unnatural talent with words. “She sees through everything. For a mare, she should be a little more naïve…”

Present day: Plane landing
“The airplane has landed safely. All passengers and crew have evacuated the plane and authorities are investigating…” Twilight hadn’t been listening to the announcer. She gripped her necklace as she looked up the city that was once her home many years ago. I’ve come back…Rarity.

Seven years ago…
This fancy party was full of important dignitaries and nobles. People with large amounts of money, but loathe to share their wealth. Twilight walked through the crowd, looking for her father. She didn’t have to look far, since he saw her first. “Twilight, would you come over here, please?” “Yes, Father.” She obediently approached her father and the pony he was talking to. “This is Colonel Carlnen from the ex-Appleloosa district.” Col. Carlnen bowed, “A pleasure to meet you, young filly. How does it feel to see the Lost Ground for the first time?” Twilight smiled, “It’s very interesting. I’m also interested in the Alter Users here, and I’d like to learn more if you ever have the time.” She spoke in a respectful, but curious manner. Col. Carlnen nodded, “It would be my pleasure.” Everyone looked up as their host walked towards the balcony, accompanied by his daughter. “That’s Robert Treasure, and I would guess that’s his daughter. Why not greet them and make friends?” Twilight nodded, “Of course.” “Good girl. Remember to show respect.” She nodded politely and walked towards the stairs. Col. Carlnen grinned slyly, “Friends in high places?” “Whatever gave you that idea?” “Wasn’t it because of your power this place was designated a special economic district?” “Of course not.”
Mr Treasure sat in his chair, overseeing the party, half-thinking that he’d rather be down with them, but alas he had to sit in this chair all night. As his daughter was about to take her seat, a purple pony with natural magenta highlights came up the stairs. She bowed politely and introduced herself, “Good evening. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I’m the daughter of Jonathon Sparkle.” He nodded and smiled, “Very nice to meet you, Twilight. My name is Robert Treasure, and this is my daughter.” The younger pony introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Rarity.” “I’m sorry to interrupt, but there’s no one else my own age here, and I thought we could keep each other company.” Rarity looked to her father for guidance. He nodded once more. Rarity turned back to Twilight, “That sounds great.” She smiled weakly; she wasn’t used to making friends.
“Wow! The stars seem so close!” Twilight said with glee. “It’s because of the elevation. At this height, it’s natural.” “It’s beautiful here.” “It’s not that pretty.” Rarity said. Twilight seemed puzzled at her words. Rarity continued, “On the other side of that wall are people struggling for their lives. If the Great Uprising hadn’t happened…” She trailed off. Twilight tried to raise her new friends spirits, “But then, ponies wouldn’t have discovered the Alter.” Twilight continued, “Alter. A special ability only 1% of foals in the Lost Ground are lucky enough to be born with. Isn’t it great?” The air started shimmering around Rarity, and she cried out, “Please stop it!” A piece of the pillar beside Twilight disintegrated, turning into a rougher, but beautiful crystal. “You have Alter power…” Rarity looked worried and apologetic, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t control it. I keep causing trouble for those around me.” Twilight tried to reassure her, “I thought Alter Users were blessed with an incredible gift.” Rarity looked down, “It keeps you from having a normal life.” She turned and walked back towards the door, “If you’re ever invited to my home, please don’t come. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Twilight bent down and picked up the crystal, which would one day become the necklace she now wears, whispering to herself, “The sky…This place is so very close to the stars…” A cold breeze blew, sending shivers down Twilights body, “It’s so cold tonight.”
Several days later, she had been invited to Rarity’s home. A tall and beautiful silver pony walked up to Twilight, “You must be one of his guests.” Twilight turned to face her; she had been watching Rarity playing with her dog, Zetsuei. “Yes. I’m so glad he invited me,” She bowed politely, “I’m Twilight Sparkle.” The silver pony smiled at her, “I’m Keika. You’re the nice girl she met at the party. She told me about you. I hope you two can become good friends. She so afraid of her special power.” Twilight smiled and responded, “She’s not that special. She’s a pony just like me.” Keika was impressed. Twilight clearly wasn’t afraid of Rarity’s power. “She’s a bit sensitive, though.” “I prefer to think of her as ‘gentle’.” Keika chuckled. Rarity ran towards her mother, stopping short when she spotted Twilight.
Rarity leaned on the rail, as she and Twilight watched the fountain, and she finally asked, “So, why did you come?” “I received an invitation. I guess it was your parents who sent it. They seem to think we’re good friends already.” Rarity turned to Twilight, “Really?” Twilight smiled back at Rarity, “So why not give them what they want?” “Are you…sure?” Twilight held out the crystal from the party, “Would you like to give this to me as a gift?” She smiled at Rarity. Rarity smiled back, “Of course. If you want it, it’s yours.” “Thanks, Rarity.”
That’s how Rarity and I became friends. We were together constantly for the next six months until my father retired and we moved back to the mainland. And now seven years have passed…

Present day: approximately 30 mins. – 1 Hr. after landing
A black car pulled up beside Twilight. The window rolled down to reveal a blue pony with rainbow coloured hair and pink sunglasses, “Are you Ms Sparkle?” She nodded, “Yes.” The blue pony took off her glasses, “HOLD sent me. My name’s Rainbow Dash.”
The trip thus far was quiet, but still pleasant. “Thank you for the ride.” Twilight said. Rainbow Dash kept her eyes focused on the road, “Since you’re the daughter of HOLD’s major investor, we can’t tolerate rudeness towards you.” Twilight decided to inquire about her escort, “Forgive me if I’m being rude, but aren’t you awfully young?” Rainbow Dash didn’t flinch at all, keeping perfectly still, “Every member of HOLY is around the same age as me.” “HOLY? Then you’re a…” Rainbow finished her sentence for her, “Yup, I’m an Alter User.” She put on her sunglasses, and brushed her hair out from behind them, “The Alter name I was given is…” The familiar shimmering air that surrounded Alter power returned, and the car began changing. Rainbow Dash gave an ecstatic shout, “RADICAL GOOD SPEED!” The car, now a pink, oddly-shaped machine that clearly violated the speed limit, leapt into the air at the touch of a button. Rainbow Dash began speaking really fast, contrasting her earlier still and quiet mannerism. “With my Alter ability, I can make anything run faster! The answers to all of life’s problems lie in speed. If you can do something fast, you have that much more time to finish your next task. Anyone can do it slowly. In 20 years, even a fool can write a best-selling novel. The weekly cartoon artist is smarter than the monthly one, and the daily is even smarter than the weekly. So the cultural law of nature indicates that speed means talent, and that’s my philosophy! YEEEEEEEEAH HA!” The pink…thing came to a skidding stop just short of HOLD headquarters. Rainbow Dash walked triumphantly into HOLD, “1 hour, 2 minutes and 28 seconds. I love it! Two more seconds to live.” Twilight staggered in behind her. The extreme speed had made her very carsick. She exclaimed as a loud boom sounded from outside the doors. A pink pony ran out to the balcony above, a worried look on her face, “What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash struck a dynamic pose, “Saving time. Only cost us a car.” She had a wide grin on her face, but her enthusiasm was not shared by the pink one, “Not again…” Twilight interjected, “Excuse me. I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’ve just been assigned duty at HOLY.” The pink pony seemed to change her whole personality with those words, “Oh, sorry. I’m Pinkie Pie. Welcome to HOLY.” A white pony walked out from one of the doorways. Twilight recognized her immediately. The white pony spoke, “I apologize for having to greet you from up here. I’m Rarity of HOLY. We hope that your abilities will be of great contribution to the mission of HOLD. Orientation with the Commander will begin in 30 minutes. I’ll see you then.” Rarity left as quickly as she appeared, leaving Twilight confused. Pinkie joined her soon after, “Did you know her?” Rarity curtly answered, “No. The incident this morning…” “I’ll check the scene, but it was probably a Native Alter.” “I see.”
“I’d like to welcome you to HOLY. While here, you shall be under my command. My name is Big Macintosh.” Twilight half-bowed, acknowledging the Commander, “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’ve been assigned here to conduct research for HOLY’s Strategic Information Technology and Alter Research Departments.” Commander Macintosh tapped on his desk, a habit he’d never broken, “This placement is an extremely exceptional case.” “Sir, I’m confident that I will of great benefit to HOLY.” “I have no doubts there. However, you will need to know this. A large majority of Alter Users were born here in the Lost Ground. Therefore, our members’ average ages are relatively young. This foundation is not yet established as an organization. We’re still very unstable.” “I’m not sure I understand, sir.” Commander Macintosh chose his words more carefully, “Alter Users are objects of prejudice and hatred. Then suddenly, the daughter of a major investor for HOLY was transferred into the middle of it all. Do you understand?” Twilight seemed outraged, “So, you’re saying I should behave myself?” “HOLY can only survive when we work together for the best results. You may go.” Rarity showed Twilight to the door, “The administration will handle the rest. You will be able to tour the headquarters and our staff will help you acclimatize to life here at HOLY.” Twilight tried to speak, but Rarity cut her off quickly, “Please excuse me, I have duties to attend to. Good day.” Twilight seemed puzzled at her old friend’s behaviour. She seemed so unlike the Rarity she once knew.
Twilight had been all around the HQ, well, the areas they permitted her to go into, anyway. Her thought raced around her head, each one making less sense than the last. “Hey, Pinkie.” “Taking a break, Derpy?” Twilight turned around, seeing Pinkie walk past and a grey pony with golden-yellow eyes offer her a muffin. “What’s it look like? Why not have one? I baked ‘em fresh today.” Pinkie scrutinized the muffins, tempted to take one, but resisted, “Nah, you just get mad.” Derpy grinned, “That’s smart. You’re catching on.” Derpy stuffed the muffin she was holding into her mouth, falling over backwards with two more in hoof. “Mind if I join you?” Pinkie asked, now looking at Twilight. “Of course. Is she…” “An Alter User? Yeah, uniform gives it away. And most of us are pretty eccentric. I’ve been called an ‘extreme party animal’ once or twice, myself. You’ll get used to it in time.” “You really think so?” Pinkie noticed Twilight’s necklace, “That’s a pretty necklace you’ve got.” She smiled and sipped her drink. Twilight looked from her necklace to Pinkie, “Thanks for saying. So, how many Alter Users are there in HOLY?” “Around 20, including Rarity.” Pinkie knew more than she let on, and Twilight failed to pick up on it. “That’s a little vague.” “Keep an ace up your sleeve. Commander’s policy.” Twilight tried changing the subject, “Mind if I ask a personal question?” Pinkie grinned, “Not too personal, I hope.” “I want to know why you joined HOLY.” Pinkie’s grin extended into a mischievous smile, “I needed to make a living. Y’see, it’s hard for an Alter User to get a normal job because of our powers. So we need to control our powers or…” Twilight finished the sentence, “Or you’ll be persecuted or exploited.” Pinkie leaned closer, grinning mischievously, “We all have our price. We’re being paid for our services, just like everyone else.” Twilight’s gaze drifted to her glass, “I guess there’s nothing unusual about being paid for your talents…” “Except Alter power is something you can’t learn. You’re born with it. An Alter User can only be an Alter User.” A guard came up, “Pinkie, there’s been a response.” Pinkie stood up, “Thank you. Notify Rarity right away.” “Yes, ma’am.” Twilight still had questions for Pinkie, “You’re leaving?” “Afraid so. Guess the welcome party will hafta wait.” “Don’t worry about it.” Pinkie turned very serious for a moment, “Rarity and you come from similar social backgrounds, but outside of that, you two are completely different. Make sure you remember that.” She then resumed her usual, happy-go-lucky personality, “See ya!” Twilight sat there, not sure what to think of anything she just heard. “Swing and miss, right, Ms…um?” She turned to her left, and saw her escort from earlier, the very eccentric Rainbow Dash. “It’s Twilight.” Rainbow Dash looked up from her book, “Sorry. I’m terrible with names.” “Aren’t you going as well?” Rainbow Dash turned back to her book, “Nah. Pinkie and Rarity are enough for this one. They’d just get in the way, anyway.” “If you say so. What can I do?” “Relax, and keep a low profile.” Twilight looked at her sceptically, “Are those my orders?” Rainbow Dash burst out laughing and forcefully put her hoof on the table, leaning close to Twilight, “Ms Twinight…” “I-it’s Twilight…” “Yeah. To be honest, I do things differently from the others. So, you wanna go? Aren’t you interested?” Upon seeing Twilight’s startled and puzzled look, she added, “It’s a fight between two Alter Users, whaddaya say?” “Is it ok?” “Of course. Besides, it’s a wonderful day for a drive.” Twilight had barely recovered from the last time Rainbow Dash drove, “So, you’re driving?” “Do you wanna go or not?” Twilight stood up, interested to see this sight, “Y-yes, I want to go.”
She regretted letting Rainbow Dash drive. The car was once again a pink hot rod that travelled so fast, having one’s lunch stay down was a miracle. She held a hoof over her mouth as the pink…death trap, for lack of a better term, hurtled down the road at 400 MPH. “The speed…” Amid her gleeful, if slightly insane, laughter, Rainbow Dash spoke so fast that her jaw must be very powerful to handle the speed of her voice “Yeah, sorry. You know, Ms Twinight, I’ve been thinking. Travel truly is a wonderful thing. It’s got everything: the people, historic ruins. And each new experience becomes a life experience, so it really becomes knowledge, which is hard to get. But the time spent travelling is always the boring part that no one enjoys, but I can cut that time amazingly. No, DESTRUCTIVELY! And that’s why I love travelling. Are you listening, Ms Twinight?” She broke into gleeful laughter again, as they skidded to a stop. Rainbow Dash kicked open her door, and flipped out of the car, landing perfectly on her back hooves, and throwing her arms up in the air. She checked the time on her stopwatch, “1 hour, 50 minutes and 38 seconds. Once again I’ve shortened the world…” She said, in a state of ecstasy. Twilight almost fell out of the car, and struggled to resist the urge to throw up. Rainbow Dash looked back, concerned for her passenger, “Gee, are you not feeling well today, Ms Twinight?” Twilight weakly muttered back, “It’s…Twilight…” She looked around, but saw nothing aside from miles of emptiness, the pink death trap that Rainbow Dash called a car, and Rainbow Dash herself. “This is it?” Rainbow Dash stood perfectly still, a fact that worried Twilight. “Hmmm?” She said in an exaggerated tone. Twilight tried to ignore it, “I don’t see anyone else around.” Rainbow Dash repeated the exaggerated ‘Hmmm’. Twilight looked very worried now. Rainbow Dash had proven to be highly unpredictable. She gave an evil chuckle. Twilight took a step back, “You…you can’t be…?” Rainbow Dash turned around, an evil grin on her face, “Oh really? So what are you gonna do?” “But…I work for HOLY…” Rainbosh Dash took two steps forward, “HOLY? HOLY, eh? Is that so, Ms TWINIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT?” She spun in a circle, her arms flailing a little, and leapt forward, sailing over the car and landing right beside Twilight. She turned to the frightened scientist and laughed, “I’m just playing around.” Twilight didn’t know what to do. This blue pony had just scared at least ten years life out of her, and was now saying it was all a joke. “Relax. I was kidding. Y’know you’re really attractive when you’re not acting like some scientist.” Twilight responded angrily, “I don’t see what that’s got to do…” Rainbow Dash pulled out what looked like a card, but it turned out to be a set of collapsible binoculars, “Better to keep your distance. It gets dangerous.” A massive cloud of dust proved Rainbow Dash was right. “Inners don’t have family registers or any real culture, so things tend to get messy.” Twilight raised the binoculars to her eyes and peered through the lenses. A massive hammer was torn apart by some massive force. Rainbow Dash continued, “The police only have jurisdiction inside the wall, so they can’t handle everything. To help them cope, HOLD was created, and HOLY was formed to deal with Alter crimes.” Twilight took a step forward. “You might want to watch your step there.” She spotted Pinkie on one of the HOLD tanks that had shown up at the site. She was holding the loudspeaker receiver. Rainbow Dash explained further, “Pinkie and Rarity were assigned to deal with Alters on the Inner. We call them ‘Native Alters’ and our job is to take them into custody. Watch it.”
The chief expressed her displeasure and frustration, “You people are incompetent! HOLY was supposed to protect me, and I GET KIDNAPPED RIGHT FROM UNDER YOUR NOSE!” Commander Macintosh didn’t even flinch, calmly replying, “You’re right, ma’am. We accept full blame for the incident.” “I don’t think you realize that as the Chief Executor of the Lost Ground, I answer to the mainland and if something happened to me, HOLD would lose all its funding.” Commander Macintosh walked to the window, “I understand completely.” He drew back the curtain, “Haven’t you thought it careless to go out alone? Look at that wall, Chief. I realise you only transferred here recently, but it’s there for a reason. On the other side, there is a world full of robbery, assault and abduction. Development hasn’t started, and now more than ever, we need to strengthen the Alter fighting unit. HOLY.” The chief pulled her hospital covers up, “So complicated. I’ll think about it.” Commander Macintosh bowed respectfully, “Thank you, ma’am.”
Twilight saw Rarity in the binocular lenses, her gaze drifting towards the doll in front of her. “So that’s Rarity’s completed Alter…” Rainbow Dash looked up at her, “Oh, you see it, huh?” Twilight looked towards the pony Rarity was fighting. There was something familiar about her. She zoomed in on the pony’s face. It was the same one she saw that morning! The fighting going on was fierce, and not once did Rarity flinch nor break from her cold exterior. Rainbow Dash leaned against the car, “Do you get it now? The ultimate difference between Mainlanders and Alter Users in the Lost Ground… I don’t mean to judge, but you should leave tomorrow.” Rarity, my friend… What changed you like this? Rainbow Dash sat in the driver’s seat, reading a book, “Someone like you shouldn’t spend time dwelling on sentimental memories. That’s all there are in this place…”

Early the next morning…
Applebloom walked to the door and opened it, hoping to see Applejack on the doorstep, but she saw no one. She called out, “Apple-kun? Apple-kun, where are you?” Disappointed and worried, she closed the door. Where could Applejack be? Was she hurt?
A set of cells raced along a circular track, the speed keeping the inmates in check, and sapping their strength. Rarity watched from the control room as numbers and data streamed along each one. Her gaze drifted to the camera screens, where she saw each one with a look of pain on their face…except her. Number 32. Her eyes were closed, but she still refused to show sign of pain or weakness. Her eyes flashed open, and her voice was heard clearly over the monitors, “I’m gonna crush you…no matter what!”

End of Chapter 2