//------------------------------// // Rarity // Story: Obligations // by ArgonMatrix //------------------------------// By the time Twilight made it back into Ponyville, the Sun was just barely still visible on the horizon. The whole village was cast into a gloomy twilight as it prepared to be inundated with the darkness of night. The lavender unicorn payed no attention to the rapidly changing sky, however, as she still had two friends to talk to. Despite how broken and confused she felt from her first three encounters, Twilight knew that she had to talk to everypony involved if she wanted to understand the situation. An ornate sign marked “Closed” hung on the door of the Carousel Boutique, but Twilight paid it no mind. She saw that there was still a light on in Rarity’s second floor bedroom and that gave her enough reason to knock steadily on the door. Collecting her thoughts, Twilight did her best to maintain her composure in preparation for the upcoming confrontation. A friendly smile even managed to work itself across her mouth. Maybe Rarity would be different. A charmingly melodic voice called out “Just a moment!” as Twilight’s knock came to an end. Some abrupt sounds of clanging and cluttering later, the door opened to reveal a majestic white unicorn with a perfectly style purple coif. She has a warm and calm expression about her until her eyes fell upon who stood across the threshold. “Hi Rarity,” Twilight said with a jubilance that even surprised herself, “I need to—” *SLAM* A very stunned purple unicorn suddenly found herself in a stare-off with a door. Not knowing how to react, Twilight just stood with her mouth agape for several moments trying to process what had just happened as darkness continued to shroud her. Her lower lip quivered ever so slightly before she sighed deeply and began to walk away, her muzzle almost scraping the ground. As she began to make her way towards Sweet Apple Acres, however, a golden rectangle of light suddenly overtook the shadows she trudged through. Craning her head backwards to see the source, Twilight saw the silhouette of one of her best friends in the entryway which had been slammed not thirty seconds prior. Raising her head back to an appropriate level, Twilight wheeled around and trotted cautiously towards the building. Rarity stared down at her with an unmistakably deadpan expression. “I apologize, Twilight. I got caught up in the heat of the moment and... regardless, that was very unladylike of me. Please, do come in.” Her previous sense of optimism all but gone, Twilight entered the building and mindlessly made her way to a nearby velvet couch where she collapsed on her haunches and cast her helpless eyes towards the ground. Rarity soon took a seat next to her, assuming a similar posture. Tense was the only word that could describe the atmosphere of the room as the two friends sat silently by each other, very different thoughts racing through both of their minds. The abrupt clang of a pin colliding with the floor somewhere in the house caused Twilight to finally remember her sense of obligation. “I don’t know what’s going on, Rarity. Everypony’s upset with me and no one wants to tell me why. If I knew what I did wrong then maybe we could work together to fix it. Being shunned by all my closest friends... it makes me feel so lonely. Please, talk to me.” The regal unicorn seemed to be deep in thought. Another era of silence veiled the scene before she finally replied. “Where were you today, Twilight?” Her voice seemed frail, but managed to maintain a warm tone. “I went to Canterlot first thing in the morning. I got a letter from Canterlot University and had to go up there to... finalize something.” “I see.” The tension of the room seemed to ease a bit, but it still felt like an overbearing smog. “Was it absolutely necessary that you made your trip to the university today?” Twilight thought back to the letter she had been so giddy about for most of the day. “...at your earliest convenience...” she recalled. “No, I suppose it wasn’t.” Rarity fidgeted in place, but retained her calm aura. “And so you thought that this trip to Canterlot was more important than...” Her voice trailed off into a slight whimper. Twilight didn’t notice as her friend bit her lip. “More important than what, Rarity? I keep getting the sense that something important happened today, but I can’t figure out what could be so important as to warrant this treatment from my best friends.” Puzzlement suddenly plagued Rarity’s face and she finally turned her head up to look Twilight in the eyes. The lavender unicorn recalled having seen the same feelings of shock and confusion in the eyes of a yellow pegasus not too long ago. She found the look unbearable and returned her gaze to her hooves. “Twilight, you truly mean to tell me that you’ve forgotten what day this is?” Hesitating to think for a moment, Twilight replied, “I guess so.” A sudden flare worked itself into Rarity’s voice as it increased in volume and force. “You mean to tell me that you were so enraptured by some silly little academic pursuit that you failed to remember such a significant milestone as this?! For goodness sake Twilight Sparkle, I would expect you of all ponies to remember this day for what it is! Today was more important for you than for almost anyone else, for more reasons that just one! How could you be so narrow minded as to lose sight of such a significant celebration over your... your studies?! I know your studies are to you as my dresses are to me, but this is positively absurd! Haven’t you learned by now that the obligations of friendship should always have a monopoly on your time?! Never should it come as an afterthought! Never!” Twilight was cowering against the armrest of the couch as her friend’s words pounded into her like daggers. She felt like a filly being scolded by her mother, completely alone and helpless. Normally she would have retorted against such a slander of insults and accusations, but she felt like the whole world was against her and nothing she could say would prevent the penance she was receiving. Unwillingly she shivered in place, making no attempt to hide her sudden influx of silent tears. Rarity suddenly realized that she had been gesticulating violently during her entire tirade and was now frozen in place, leaning over one of her best friends with a merciless scowl. She quickly reassumed her initial posture and allowed some time to pass before she spoke again. Twilight calmed down slightly and went back to a sitting pose in the allotted silence. “I can’t help you realize your fault, Twilight. That’s not my place. After all, it’s not truly me that you need to apologize to. Just know that I’m rather disappointed by your choice of actions today, and I’m sure you’ll understand why soon enough. All will be forgiven in time, of course, but for now I think it would be best for us to go our separate ways. I still have quite a lot of work to do and this drama isn’t going to help either of us. I appreciate your coming by, but I believe it’s time for you to go.” Without a word, Twilight nodded and followed her friend to the door. As she made her way out into the black of night, however, she thought to say something. “Rarity?” “Yes?” “I’m no less confused that I was when I got here. In fact, I’m only more confused, and I can’t think straight right now. But, whatever it is that I did to make you feel this awful, I’ll find a way to make it better... I promise.” “I know you will darling, you always were one for problem solving.” For a fleeting moment, Twilight and Rarity genuinely smiled at one another, their eyes brimming with hope. The door to the boutique slowly shut with a soft thud, and the night air enveloped Twilight as she trotted on to her final destination.