//------------------------------// // Scene 7 // Story: Erebus: Episode 1: Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! // by Honey Mead //------------------------------// “—the cake!” Twilight screamed, leaping into the air, throwing her forelegs above her head. Rarity tittered behind a hoof at the other unicorn's antics. The glass of wine in her magic grasp moved to her lips as she calmed down enough to try to take another sip. She felt like she was floating on a cloud and only half because she actually was. The pot of tea hadn’t lasted long and Twilight had immediately suggested that they dip into the stock of wine that she'd acquired since being appointed ‘Princess’, all gifts of course. The vintages were good at worst and astounding at best. Twilight had no clue, which was hardly a surprise, but Rarity did, and they were enjoying one of the finest Pinot Noirs that Neighpa Valley ever produced. Barely one glass into the bottle and Twilight had decided that they needed a change of venue. Rarity had not objected and was quickly escorted to the Princess’ private quarters. By the second glass, she had called for one of the pegasus guards to gather two bunches of clouds. Less than a minute later, the two unicorns were lounging comfortably atop cloud beds on the balcony. Twilight slumped back onto her cloud. “And that was the second time I got drunk.” “Truly an exciting event. I wish I could have been in attendance,” Rarity said, her eyes drifting to the empty wine bottle. A soft purple aura slipped off the bottle, causing it to fall to its side. Rarity watched with an odd fascination as it rolled across the balcony. The thought of reaching for it with her own magic came a second too late, and the bottle crested the edge, tumbling to the ground below. Both mares’ eyes were locked on the spot where the bottle had disappeared. A half second later, the soft crash of glass shattering reached their ears. Two pairs of eyes slowly turned to look at the other. Rarity fought a losing battle to control the muscles of her face, Twilight obviously doing the same by the way the corners of her lips twitched. The sight pushed her over the edge and Rarity let out a very unladylike snort, which in turn caused Twilight to begin giggling uncontrollably. In the next moment both unicorns had fallen off their clouds, shaking with laughter as they rolled on the cold, stone balcony. Twilight recovered first, managing to get her hooves under her in a semblance of stability. She stumbled back into the room, leaving Rarity still giggling softly on the balcony. Fighting through the haze of alcohol, she craned her neck to look past herself to find her friend. She found her seated before the fireplace, the glow of her horn flickering on and off as she tried to use her magic. The sight brought some measure of sobriety to the fashionista. Rolling to her hooves Rarity stumbled into the room to sit on the carpet next to her friend. Twilight’s magic continued to flicker around her horn and the wood stacked inside the brick fireplace. After her fifth or sixth try--Rarity was having trouble keeping track--Twilight scrunched her eyes and nearly yelled in frustration. The normally purple glow of her horn flared to almost pure white, the logs exploding in an inferno for a moment before quieting down into a warm, crackling fire. Twilight slumped to the floor, hiding her face under her forelegs. Still stunned by the violence of the sudden fire, it took Rarity a moment to realize that the unicorn beside her was sobbing. “Twilight, dear, whatever is the matter?” Rarity asked, the fog of inebriation slowly being beaten down by the oddity of her friend’s behavior. Rarity stroked the other unicorn’s mane. “Twilight, please talk to me. I can’t help if you won’t tell me what’s wrong.” Twilight mumbled something incomprehensible into her legs. When Rarity questioned her again, she finally pulled face out of her hooves. “I can’t! I can’t do this! I’m a failure! I shouldn’t be here. I’m not her! She was supposed to be here! To teach me how to help run a country. I don’t know what I’m doing, Rarity. I’m doing everything I can, but it all keeps falling apart in my hooves. “Why did she do it?!” she wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Why did she leave me? Why does everypony keep leaving me?” The unicorn’s head fell back to her hooves, crying unabashedly. Tears threatened to fall from Rarity’s eyes as she weathered Twilight’s barrage. Crouching next to her, Rarity nuzzled the side of her friend’s face, trying to comfort her. Words failed her completely. Nothing seemed appropriate. Twilight’s tears dried up after a while, and she pulled away from the other mare. Her eyes never moved from the fire. When she spoke her voice was tired and drained, lacking any emotion. “I could never figure out why you left. It was so sudden, your parents and Sweetie moving back to Baltimare, and you simply disappearing the next day. No note, not a word to any of us... your parents didn’t even seem to know where you went. I did my best to try to find out... but I had to put Equestria first. Every day I didn’t spend looking for clues... it began to hurt less and less until I just stopped thinking about it. “The only thing I was able to decide was that something had happened... something that you didn’t think you could come to us about. That’s what hurt the most, I think... that you didn’t trust us; that you thought we wouldn’t be there for you if you had only asked.” The words pierced Rarity’s heart like a dagger of ice. She’d expected them, or some variation of them. She had expected tears, angry shouts, accusations even, but not this—this disinterest. Twilight’s entire demeanor made Rarity feel like she held the last piece to an unfinished puzzle, and once she had it, she could finally put it back on the shelf, never to be seen—or thought of—again. “Fluttershy took it the hardest I think,” Twilight continued, with no more emotion than before. “Four months after you disappeared she was gone too. If it hadn’t been for Angel Bunny, we never would have known where to find her. As far as I know, she hasn’t left the Whitetail Woods since...”