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// A Vision Number Zero Point Five 
// Story: The Enchanted Library: Amethyst Dreams 
// by makise-homura 
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Rarity slowly descended the stairs. Because of her age, her legs could hardly support her. Not that she noticed: she once again allowed herself to run away into her thoughts. She recalled her younger years, specifically that year. The year when she first met Twilight, and the year when she cut off the very way to her. It was the grand finale of her precious love story, the love story she never experienced again, and never would.

Despite the tragedy, these events had had little effect on the life of Ponyville. With the same old ponies doing the same old business. Ponyville had been famous over the country for its agricultural products, and it remained the same, even if carrots took place of apples now: Golden Harvest’s family had bought the former Sweet Apple Acres, when Apple family left Ponyville, once they realized they could no longer run the farm without Applejack and Apple Bloom. Soon then, apple orchards were replaced by vegetable fields, and that was nearly the only noticeable change.

Despite the tragedy, tradition remained as well. Tonight, as every year before, foals of a new generation were gathering to search for three lost princesses. It was the same celebration as usual, and nopony seriously believed Princess Booky ever existed, no different from any other Seeking Night. Everypony participating in today’s event treated Rarity’s stories just like fantasies of an old mare who has read too many romance novels.

And the old mare thought it was a fine way for things to be.





Rarity left the boutique, and bumped into Amethyst Star, who was also walking slowly towards the central square, where Sweetie Belle, dressed as the legendary Princess Cadance, had already managed to go on stage, check the microphone, and was preparing to make her speech in front of a crowd of foals assembled there to show their skills in finding the princesses.

“I see your little sister is the star of the show tonight?” asked Amethyst Star.

“Why, of course she is!” Rarity replied proudly. “What about your daughter? Haven’t seen her for a long time. Does she participate at all?”

“Windy, you mean? Certainly!” Amethyst smiled. “She’s watching after the foals near the forest. You know, almost every year some of these scamps try to sneak into it…”

“Oh, I know it very well, darling,” Rarity nodded. “By the way, let’s hurry up, I want to listen to my sister’s speech.”

“Right. I see it’s starting already,” Amethyst agreed.

Mares had barely made it to the central square as Sweetie Belle began her speech. Along with many others,being the newly elected mayor of Ponyville comes with the duty of playing the role of Princess Cadance for Seeking Night, and Sweetie tried her best to meet the foals’ expectations, so she would not wait even for her sister.





 …Of course, this Seeking Night, like every Seeking Night before it, did not go without some foals sneaking to the Everfree Forest. Rarity didn’t even say a word once she heard the news from Amethyst Star. No matter how many generations of foals pass through Ponyville, there will always be some of them fearless enough, like Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo decades ago, and despite all efforts of grown up ponies, they will run away into the forest. Sort of a foals’ tradition, you could say. As usual, a search team of young and responsible ponies was assembled, and together, Amethyst Wind, Dinky Hooves, Scootaloo, and everyone brave enough to help them, brought back the runaway foals. No doubt each one of them would be punished by their parents or relatives, but everypony knew: This will happen again next year, and the one after that.

Rarity didn’t think too much about this. How many Seeking Nights had she already seen living here in Ponyville? She had no reason to worry: Sweetie was an adult mare now, she had married a few years ago, and even had a daughter, so Rarity had no reason to fear she would sneak anywhere. The wind inside Scootaloo’s head had given up to the wind under her wings, when she took charge of the Ponyville weather team. Everypony who Rarity could have worried about were adult ponies now, more likely to fix problems than to cause them. So Rarity didn’t pay much attention when Amethyst Star told her that Windy hadn’t come back yet from the forest for some reason, or when the search team arrived late in the evening with the furtive foals. Yes, Amethyst Wind, daughter of Amethyst Star, had things to do in the forest.

Well, what could one possibly do in the Everfree?

Rarity would have forgotten about it, had it not been for a most remarkable event the next day.

In the morning, Rarity went to the marketplace for some shopping, and by a coincidence, met the Amethyst family again. And Windy, oblivious to the ponies around her, chatted loudly with her mother. Her voice was filled with admiration and excitement, she talked just like a filly that has witnessed something exceptional:

“…I’m telling you, Mom, she’s real! I always wished her to be not just a fairy tale, even though I did not believe–until I saw her! And you know, Mom, she is, she is… Oh Denza–”

Rarity felt her heart skip a beat. Having only heard a fragment of a phrase, by some certain tone in Windy’s voice, by hearing how much she was inspired, she realized that she knew–oh sweet Denza, she knew!–who the enamored unicorn is talking about. And Rarity was sure what Windy was going to say next.

Walking a few steps more, so it wouldn’t look so strange, Rarity whispered under her breath the end of the phrase at the same time Windy did:

“Oh Denza, she’s just adorable!”





…Rarity seemed to be reliving her younger years. She had long ago accepted the fact that she would never see princess Twilight again. But the fate had ruthlessly thrown her back into the thunderstorm of emotions that she experienced when she was young and romantic, and no less important, loving and beloved unicorn. She felt like she was watching her younger self from the outside when looking at Amethyst Wind. The young mare was just as inspired by Twilight as Rarity had been. The new friend of the princess was so young, so refined, so beautiful and smart… No wonder that she had every chance to find what Rarity had once found at her age.

What Rarity missed so dearly.

Now, this young beautiful mare stood in front of her in her boutique and was eager to learn more about the magical princess she had found weeks before.

“So Granny Rarity, you’re saying you knew the princess…?”

“Oh darling,” the elder mare laughed, “If you want me reminiscing my younger days, don’t call me that! And since we both share this secret, let’s be less formal.” Rarity gave Amethyst Wind a sly wink, and she smiled back at Rarity, embarrassed.

“Fine, Gra… I mean, fine, Rarity,” she said.

It was a long conversation. Too long for Rarity’s age, if it had been about anything but Twilight. But for her, she was ready to talk for eternity. Amethyst told Rarity everything about her first meeting with the princess, and Rarity immediately envied her. How dare Twilight not throw Amethyst into bookcases! She had even managed not to forget how to smile, the scoundrel! How many visits did it take for Rarity to develop that trust with the ancient alicorn, and Amethyst did this in a single one! And the younger mare also had seen the box with library cards for books yet to be found. Amethyst did even have time to promise to find them to save the princess from her curse, as Rarity once did.

And of course, she had borrowed a book from Twilight.

Amethyst took a book from her saddlebag and showed it to Rarity, and the elder unicorn could scarcely believe it. Her heart seemed to be pierced again with a long-forgotten pain.

How dare Twilight give her this book?

The Complete Encyclopedia of Precious Rocks. The book which began Rarity’s relationship with Twilight. The one Twilight gave Rarity in the desperate hope that she would come back again, not yet daring to hope Rarity would return to the library not for the books, but for the princess herself. It had been so many years ago, and now, the exact same book was floating in Amethyst Wind’s magic aura...

Well, there was no reason to think this was an evil joke of fate or a spiteful act from the princess. Amethyst Wind was a skilled jeweler, as it was her family business. No wonder she would be interested in this book.

But looking at this tome, along with Amethyst’s innocent smile, Rarity still could not resist the obsessive feeling. No matter how she tried to drive it away, she still felt this young and beautiful unicorn had replaced her, Rarity, in Twilight’s heart. Ridiculously simple: a new guest of Twilight’s library appeared in the alicorn’s life, and the princess merely let go the one who would never come again, and took in her new guest.

“I’ve read this book,” blurted Rarity.

“Really?” Amethyst looked a bit surprised. “She told me this book had been lent recently… But she didn’t say it was to you, Rarity.”

So this is how it is.

Rarity realized she was right. She was not important to Twilight anymore. She hadn’t even bothered to mention her. Like Rarity never stepped into the library. Like she was not a unicorn Twilight had loved so much, but a stranger without any name or face, just like the mannequins in Rarity’s boutique. Just like an irrelevant detail of the past. Like Fritter Cobbler, she realized. Twilight didn’t talk much about him either, did she?

And wasn’t this right?

Twilight now has a new life. A life with Amethyst Wind. And there is indeed no place for Rarity there.

Just like Rarity never existed.



This chapter's story is meant to be followed by the events of ~ Interlude VI ~ A Vision I ~ of The Enchanted Library.