//------------------------------// // New Faces, Old Habits // Story: I'm Still Great and Powerful // by Cobalt Swirls //------------------------------// The aroma of cloth and scented candles covered Rarity’s boutique in a smell that she had become more than familiar with over the years she had spent in the dwelling. The outside world was transforming, and Rarity’s boutique walls had always provided her with a comfortable barrier between her and the rapid growth of the world around her. Ponyville was no longer the simple village that she had grown up in. She knew that with time, change was bound to occur, but that didn’t necessarily make it any easier. For now she had time to relax, collect her thoughts, and read up on a good book. “Eastern Provinces” had been the reading material of Rarity’s interest for the past couple of hours. The east, by far, had remained relatively untouched by whatever urbanization that had found its way into Canterlot, Ponyville, parts of Cloudsdale and several nearby griffon colonies. It wasn’t a matter of resistance so much as it was space. The few settlements that had been confirmed were hundreds of miles away, and provided no immediate resources that would aid the capital or any of its affiliates. Therefore, there had been no real effort to expand outside of the territory that was already available to them. In a way, Rarity envied those settlements. They emulated the simplicity that Ponyville once had. Small family owned businesses had flourished, but had now been replaced by the complex economics of big business. The everyday problems involving friends and family had molded into ones found only in a city that had used massive amounts of magic to encase itself in steel and corporate decisions. Being a high class mare however, she was able to adapt this drastic change rather quickly. Rarity shut her book and gazed longingly out of the window. Thankfully, despite urbanization, the town still took the environment and the space its inhabitants craved into consideration. The buildings had beautiful white coverings and spacious roads and walkways running between them. Several buildings spewed smoke from tall stacks, but it was quickly filtered by magical cleansing particles that had been spread above them, courtesy of the combined efforts of the unicorns and the pegasi. This helped the city remain relatively clean despite an increase in both urbanization and population. Rarity knew that this was liable to change at any time. The filtration systems and the maintenance of the environmental protection of the city were extremely expensive projects. The only reason they had been able to keep them up as long as they had was due to Ponyville’s close proximity to Canterlot, which, not surprisingly, had become more advanced than Ponyville. The Canterlot Funds and Banking Commission had, at first, been very much for the urbanization of the nearby town, and provided massive sums of money with which to do so. Over time, however, large chucks of the money that had been provided were withdrawn to help with the city’s mountainside expansion. Canterlot, which before only rested on a portion of the mountain, had become what could only be described as a fortress. Thick walls and imposing buildings encompassed the mountain in three tiers of rings. As expected, each ring was an indication of a separation of class; slums on the Base Ring, middle class on the Artisan Ring, and high society and royalty on the Summit Ring. Security checkpoints and flight patrols prevented anypony from sneaking into higher rings, although there had been reports of individuals accomplishing it in the slums. Rarity’s friends still, for the most part, resided in Ponyville. Applejack made frequent trips to Appleosa to help with the production and sales of her produce; however, her farm was still the center of her business. Twilight’s library had begun to receive slightly less activity since the electronic boom, but visitors still happened by on occasion. Under special permission from Celestia, Twilight had been allowed to keep the tree library as it was. The City Council had first objected to such a decision, but quickly withdrew this upon realizing that the tree would cost less to keep up with, a win-win situation for both parties. Pinkie Pie and the Cakes had started a party and catering company that frequently addressed the high society parties in Canterlot while Fluttershy’s home had expanded into a full blown pet and wildlife preservation center on the edge of the city. It received many guests each month; some simply came to enjoy the tranquility of the wildlife while others came for the purpose of adoption. Dividing her time between her friends and her job, Rainbow Dash spent time in Cloudsdale as a Junior Speedster flight trainer, although she did work in close association with the Wonderbolts from time to time. Rarity herself remained the fashion oriented pony she always was. Her clothing empire had skyrocketed amongst big names, particularly in cities like Las Pegasus and Manehatten. The clothing lines had also found their way into the Summit Ring, which accounted for a considerable sum of Rarity’s profits. The popularity hadn’t been without its drawbacks. She was often exhausted and had little time to breathe, much less interact with her friends. She would have been busy at the moment if it weren’t for a cancelation of a large order from Canterlot. It irritated her to no end when customers were fickle with their orders, but the proposition of a break from work was one that could not be overlooked. She would make the absolute best of the time allotted to her before she was once again knee-deep in orders. Rarity glanced down at the picture of her and her sister from over a year ago. She was an adult now and her talent for singing had molded into a fine career for her. She and Spike had bought a house and lived in the Summit Ring of Canterlot due to Spike’s close connection with the princess. Every once in a while, when time permitted, Sweetie Belle would visit her sister’s shop in Ponyville, much to the fashionista’s delight. Spike on the other hand had the privilege of working in the Castle. His ability to send important documents without the use of a complex mail system was of great use to those who needed to send off sensitive information that had the possibility of being intercepted. With his skill, the letter was sent directly to the individual without the trouble of a middlepony. The curls in Rarity’s mane bounced lively as she shifted her weight on the couch. The boutique hadn’t changed much over the years and neither had she. She couldn’t be happier about this; she was glad to have her independence in her own workspace, free of hustle and bustle. She hadn’t been entirely resistant to change however. The eloquence of the city had provided her with a grand amount of inspiration with which to continue the fabrication of her artwork. Of course, she never forgot about the diversity of nature that had once danced across Ponyville. This, above all else, gave her the advantage on the fashion market. High society ponies have always been high society ponies, rarely ever stepping outside of their comfort zone to see the naturalistic beauty of the world around them. A shame for them, but it wasn’t any matter to be dwelled upon. After all, she was getting the better end of the deal, was she not? She turned back to the window and sighed. It’s a gorgeous day outside. I really shouldn’t spend all day in here and waste this opportunity. I think I fancy a walk. Perhaps I’ll stop by the café as well, cup of coffee sounds heavenly. Rarity lifted herself off of the couch and stretched out her back. She walked ever to her stand and grabbed a light blue scarf as well as her saddlebag. A cup of good coffee was only a few bits, so she was sure she had plenty. She exited the boutique and gave the door a light kick behind her to shut it. The mare made her way down the street which, thankfully, wasn’t as crowded as she expected it to be. She continued along the walkway until she came to a rather large building with a small café and exterior seating area jetting out from the side. She had always loved this outside area. Looking straight ahead, two large buildings sat resting on either side. Centered between the two was a gorgeous view of the Ponyville Reservoir, which gave the illusion that she was looking out to a vast sparkling blue ocean. Bordering some areas near the reservoir were sections where grass and several trees had been allowed to be grown and maintained, a phenomenal sight. A waiter quickly addressed Rarity to which she told him of her desire for the “Tall Oaks Special”, a favorite of hers. He quickly returned with the coffee and departed to tend to other patrons, leaving Rarity to enjoy the drink. She levitated the cup to her lips and took slow, calculating sips. She savored the piping hot taste and let it release some of her built up tension. It felt nice to remove the clouded thoughts in her head and relax. She pondered where her next influx of orders would be from. Canterlot was a highly probable candidate. She had been receiving quite a few orders from there recently. The clothing that they wanted tailored was rather, unorthodox, but she didn’t complain. Surprisingly, she had received a bouquet of flowers in the mail, a kind gesture for all her hard work. “Come one, come all, to see the magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” Rarity froze in place. Had she just heard correctly? Had the winds of Ponyville picked up the sound of arrogance that had mischievously made itself known? No, she had heard it clear as day. Even after all the years that had passed that voice, that name was all too familiar. Oh no… It had been years since the blue mare had shown her face in Ponyville, but the last time she had she nearly brought destruction to the peaceful little town with her bragging and false sense of superiority. Two foolish colts had believed that she was capable of handling an Ursa Major, something she had claimed to be able to do. Not surprisingly, it was a lie fabricated for the sole purpose of a direct lift to her ego. When the colts lead the living, breathing celestial form of an Ursa Minor back to Ponyville, she admitted to her inability to deal with the threat, which was left for Twilight to deal with. She ran off shortly after, and never returned. Until now… Rarity still wasn’t mentally on the best of terms with the mare, but at the same time she found it difficult to hold a grudge for an incident that occurred years ago. Everypony deserves a second chance, right? Right? A small stage was constructed on one of the bordering grassy areas. It looked withered and weak from years of prancing and magic tricks. Parts of the wood and sections of the curtains were scorched black or tattered altogether. The metal on some of her mechanisms showed signs of rust and corrosion. And yet, the mare on the stage? That mare hadn’t changed at all. “That’s it everypony, gather around now. You won’t want to miss this!” Ugh, that voice. Like rusty nails on a chalkboard. Rarity took a final sip of her tea before hoisting herself up and making her way across the street, careful to avoid the trams that ran throughout the city. Her hooves made contact with the soft, authentic grass, and the smell of clean water flooded her body. It made her feel rejuvenated and lighter than the thinnest cloud. That is, until, the stage mare’s chants brought her back to the earth. “I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, have traveled all across Equestria with my daring and bold feats of magic!” More like feats of failure, you hazard. She stood on her back legs and released a barrage of flashy pyrotechnics. Rarity could hear the stage whining as she pranced back and forth, displaying herself like a valuable work of art. “Believe Trixie when she says that not even the ferociousness and might of an Ursa Major can stand up to her,” she remarked with a sly grin. How dare her! That- that WENCH! Has she no shame or guilt? Has she no HEART?! “Lies and deceits!” The small crowd that had gathered outside of Trixie’s stage swiveled around to the peeving fashionista. She could feel the rising heat burning in her cheeks. Did she really have no heart for those she nearly hurt years ago? Did this not spark some sort of revelation within her to change her deceiving ways? Of course not, her ego was far too large to be affected by matters as trivial as others’ feelings. “Who dares question The Great and Powerful Trixie’s wondrous talents?” “Me!” Rarity quickly stepped through the crowd, which slightly parted to make way for her. As she passed by she could see the various faces of confusion printed on the ponies. Some of them made unsure comments about her outburst; others made sly comments about her body. “How dare you continue to brag after what you nearly did to this town?” Trixie scanned Rarity’s seemingly unfamiliar face. It wasn’t until a few moments afterwards that her face changed to one of anger, shock, and fear. This was one of the mares present from her last show. But the small town was now a city; what were the odds that they would run into each other again? Good enough, apparently. “Answer me!” “That was but a fluke many years ago,” she started, “A fluke in what would have been a glorious show had the purple mare not intervened and ruined everything!” “You lying coward! Twilight saved your life and the lives of everyone in Ponyville! The very least you owe her is some sense of respect. And yet here you are spreading the same lie to new faces.” “It was a fluke! Trixie was unprepared when those idiot children had brought the Ursa to the village in the middle of the night! Why not reprimand them for their actions?” “Because you’re an adult and they were but children!” Rarity felt the urge to deck this mare in the face. Most unladylike. “So that clears their names, all things considered?” Trixie whirled her head and swooped her hair over one shoulder and chuckled. “Can you answer this question for Trixie? What is it exactly that YOU know about children?” “I know that they make mistakes.” Rarity seethed. “Wrong!” Trixie removed her large hat from her head and looked back down at the curly maned mare. “Trixie asked about children, not everypony in existence. Children are fools. The whole lot of them, only they would possess such lacking sense as to bring an Ursa Minor to a rather tired Great and Powerful Trixie. Had Trixie set up the act and had it planned out, the town would have been in no danger. It’s quite simple really.” “They would have never gone after it had you not been spreading your lies! You don’t know the first thing about children! You don’t know the first thing about kindness!” Trixie's face twisted and contorted. Rarity had hit a nerve. “I know more than you’ll ever will about them!” The stage was illuminated in a bright blue glow as Trixie’s magic came to life. In a quick flash she released the bolt of magic at the lady unicorn. Unprepared for the blast, it struck the ground directly in front of her. The heat scorched the grass and sent the mare it had been intended for, tumbling back. Upon landing on the ground, her own horn discharged a beam of magic, which singed the support beams on the left side of the stage. Before the show mare could react, the delicate framework came crashing down. Large chunks of wood were completely engulfed in behind a smokescreen of dust. The crowd panicked, and put as much distance between them and the stage as they possibly could. Rarity shielded her eyes from the debris and the little clusters of dust that infiltrated her lungs. She wheezed and coughed violently before bringing up a shield around herself. The remaining debris flew harmlessly around her as tiny slivers of wood sprinkled down to the earth. It took a full minute before the air was filtered enough to lower the barrier. What remained of the stage was a giant pile of wood, metal and chaos. Hardly anything stood in its original form, and the light blue caretaker of it all was nowhere to be found. “Trixie?” No response. “Trixie?” she repeated. Again, no response. She quickly took off toward the pile and began to pick the mess apart piece by piece with her magic. “Trixie? Trixie?! Where are you?” Had she killed her? Was she responsible for her death? She despised the mare but she never wanted her dead. The further she continued to dig without finding her, the more erratic she became. “Trixie! Answer me!” “Please…help…me.” Rarity spun in circles, attempting to locate the source of the voice. The anger that she had been feeling not moments ago had all but disappeared entirely, replaced with the feeling of great concern and sympathy, like a mother looking after her injured child. “Trixie, I need you to keep talking for me sweetheart.” Rarity mentally cringed at her use of the word ‘sweetheart’. Her motherly instinct had clouded her previous disposition to the mare. At the moment, her safety was all that mattered. “I’m- I’m over-” Rarity could hear the voice being drowned out by what sounded like small gurgles. She lifted pile after pile until she spotted Trixie’s abdomen. She began to clear off the debris, only to almost wish moments later that she hadn’t. Trixie was going to die. There was no question about it. A broken plank of wood was dug into her body, surrounded by smaller slivers that had gone past her fur and into the skin. Her face and mouth were badly bloodied and every time she opened her mouth to breath, a small river of blood would fall down the side of her face. Tears matted her fur down as they slowly meandered back and forth. “Trixie, listen to me. I need you to stay calm and keep your eyes on me, okay? Can you do that for me?” she asked as she began carefully uncovering the rest of Trixie’s body. “Help…me.” Tears were streaming down her scared and bloody face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t want to die.” Blood once again filled her mouth, causing her to gurgle and silencing her pleas. Rarity wasn’t a nurse or a doctor; she was a fashion designer with next to no medical experience. So she did the only thing that made sense at the time. She lied. “You’re going to be fine.” More silent tears made their way down Trixie’s face. She was giving up. Her body was becoming limper by the second. With as much grace as she could possibly muster, Rarity levitated Trixie, plank and all, off of the ground and into the air. The blue mare’s eyes shut, and the panicked gurgling had ceased altogether. The bystanders, who had now deemed the area somewhat safe, began to make their way back to the remains. Gasps and horrified screams erupted when Trixie’s body came into sight. Rarity turned to them, angered that no one had run off to get help yet. “Why are you all still here? Go! Go get help!” A few complied with her orders, but many stayed and watched the two mares, scared yet sickeningly curious to get a better look at Trixie’s body. Enraged and judgment clouded, she took off, carrying Trixie with her. She had been silent for almost three minutes, and Rarity was beginning to fear the worse. “Just stay with me sweetheart. I’m going to get you somewhere safe, I promise, just stay with me!” There was no mental cringed this time at the use of the word ‘sweetheart’. There was only the mental panic that Trixie was going to slip away from life at any second. Cast into the unknown with Rarity at the helm of her demise. Don’t you dare die on me. Do you understand? Don’t you dare die on me!