//------------------------------//
// 11. The Ruby City of Ep 
// Story: The Delightful Dragon of Ep 
// by Laichonious the Grey 
//------------------------------//






The gatekeeper made good his escape, though he was already the farthest pony from Rarity’s mind. Smartypants slid from her back to wobble forward a sceptre or two and gape at the grand, gemmed palace. Rarity felt about as wobbly as the scarecrow. Never in her life had she seen so many gems, or gems of this prodigious size. Her whole body tingled with the radiance of them all, pulse quickening from their sheer weight. Fashion may be her passion, but gems were in her soul. Rarity’s rapture occupied the whole of her attention. Consequently, she jumped at Argie's startled squawk.
“Oh, no yah don't!” Lumberjack mumbled.
“What...?” Rarity tore her eyes from the palace to behold a sight that inexplicably made her throat clench.
“Ow! Hey! Lemme go! You can't make me go in there!” Argie struggled to free her tail from Lumberjack's mouth, rasping her claws on the cobblestones. “I'm not gonna be dragon food!”
“Nopo--Nobody is getting eaten, dear.” Rarity managed to say after swallowing the sudden lump.
“How do you know?!” Argie squawked as Lumberjack began to walk forward.
Rarity frowned in thought for a few steps. “I don’t, necessarily,” she said lightly. “But I do know that it is definitely not lunchtime.”
“Oh, great. Do me a favor, Rarity?” The cowardly gryphon gave up on trying to catch a cobble stone and instead fixed a withering gaze on the unicorn. “Keep your jokes to yourself. Those will get us eaten for sure.”
“Eaten?” asked a soft voice. “Who would eat anypony around here?”
Rarity turned back to the palace to find the likely owner of the soft voice alighting on the yellow cobbles. A pale blue Steeple pony carefully folded her wings with barely a whisper. Her coat reminded Rarity of a clear winter sky. Behind long and supple locks of gold, she hid a pair of piercing dark eyes. Those striking eyes regarded the little party kindly but severely. Rarity wouldn't describe the gaze as intimidating, but she most definitely would not offend its owner under any circumstances.
“You are here to see the Dragon,” she declared quietly. “Have you come far? I must say that you are a most peculiar group.” She did not raise her voice, there was no need. The noise of a living city seemed subdued by the weight of the magnificent palace, or perhaps its occupant.
“Ah... Yes, we are here to speak to the Dragon, if we may,” Rarity ventured, stepping forward.
The Steeple nodded. “Of course, but first may I know your names? The Dragon likes to know with whom he speaks.” She paused and, though it seemed impossible, spoke even softer. “Very few come to see him these days...”
“Oh, I am Rarity.” She replied with a gracious nod. “And these are my friends, Smartypants, Lumberjack and Argent.” She gestured to each in turn. 
Smartypants smiled and quivered with excitement. Lumberjack nodded with a slight squeak of hinges and a few extra wurrs of her wheels. Argent sniffed but avoided the other pony’s gaze.
“Very nice to meet you,” the blue Steeple seemed to whisper. “My name is Quiet Glide, Matron of the Palace of Ep. Please, follow me.” With that she soundlessly turned to the massive emerald doors.
Rarity shared a quick glance with her companions before following Quiet Glide. The others fell in behind her. Argie did so reluctantly but Lumberjack was right behind her, for moral support, of course. As they approached the palace of faceted gold, Rarity was taken aback by the lack of guards, then again, considering who lived in the palace it did not seem too out of place. 
“You must have traveled far to see the Dragon.” The words drifted over to Rarity on a favorable breeze.
“Ah, yes, I am from... rather far away, but I didn't come just to speak with him.” She paused as the doors of the palace swung open ponderously on whispering hinges. “To be honest, I don't know how far I've come.”
Quiet Glide turned to smile at her as they walked under the shadow of the crystalline monument. “Distance traveled isn't always as important as how far you go.”
Rarity tilted her head at the phrase, but before she could inquire further, the palace doors finished swinging shut and she found herself plunged momentarily into an inky, yellowish darkness. 
“I will go speak to the Dragon and tell him your names. Please, rest here. I will return shortly.” Her voice echoed around the party, so soft that it was nigh impossible to tell from where it came. 
By the time Rarity’s eyes adjusted from the glare of the city to the soft light of the palace, the blue steeple was nowhere to be found. Under the pretence of looking for the softspoken pony, Rarity walked a small circle, taking in the grandeur of the palace foyer. All around them, the crystalline walls glowed with transfused light and shimmered as her perspective changed. The walls were cut in a hexagonal pattern, with angular etchings that seemed to suggest dancing flames. Though the walls glowed with inner light, bright white flames burned in iron bowls that hung from the ceiling or rested on mounts in the walls, forcing the shadows to gather in the far corners and little recesses of the room. Her diamond shoes rang against a floor of sapphire and pearl, the colors chasing each other around the room like the waters of a playful brook.
“As impressive on the inside as it is on the outside,” Lumberjack remarked with a full vibrato. “I wonder if the Dragon has ever seen it all.”
“How could he not?” Smartypants asked, her head turned upward at an impossible angle. “He lives here, doesn’t he?”
“Well, sure, but they say he’s never left his throne room. After he vanquished the Ice Queen he just sort of stayed here in the center of the city as it melted. They built the palace around him, and then the city after that. Not sure where they found all these gems though...” She tapped the floor with a metal hoof. “Seems crazy t’think it’s all real, y’know?”
“You’re telling me...” Rarity mumbled to the ceiling.
“He doesn’t have to leave,” Argie muttered darkly. “He’s got the life; a palace, gold and a free, willing food supply... practically walks into his mouth. That’s what we’re doing.”
“Don’t worry, Argie dear,” Rarity said. “Something tells me that the Dragon isn’t the ravenous type.”
Argie sniffed. “Like what?”
“Oh, well...” Rarity paused her study of the impossible gems aloft to look at the griping gryphon. “Quiet Glide seems very sweet.”
“I... don’t follow.” She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes.
“If the dragon were the hungry sort, don’t you think she would have gotten eaten by now?” The unicorn lifted a delicate eyebrow at Argie, who snorted.
“What if he’s just saving her for dessert?”
Rarity chuckled and shouldered the gryphon. “Gotcha!”
“Got me what?”
“I got you to make a joke! Isn’t that lovely?” she said with a wink.
Argie stared at her severely for as long as she possibly could, but the urge to laugh far outstripped her ability to scold and soon dissolved into a fit of giggles along with Rarity, the scarecrow and the clockwork mare.
“It is good to hear you laugh. There hasn't been nearly enough laughter here for a long time.” The soft words effortlessly cut through the lingering whispers of the little party's mirth. Quiet Glide stood in an archway of severely cut sapphires, nearly blending in with their azure tones. She smiled at them pleasantly when they turned to focus on her. “The Dragon will meet with each of you tomorrow after sunrise. Until then, he asks that you be at your leisure as his guests. I am sure you are weary from your travels and would like to rest. There are several wonderful places in the city where you can do this. I can show you to my favorite spas, if you wish.”
At the mention of warm baths, Rarity's entire being seemed to come to attention. “Did you say you have a favorite spa? I would love to go!” She pranced in place for a few moments, earning her a disgruntled mewl from the imprisoned cat on her back. “Oh, terribly sorry, Opal. Oh dear... ahh, is there somewhere I can put my things and Opal, my cat? She's been cooped up in this basket all day and would probably like to stretch.”
“Of course. We can look after her for you.” Quiet Glide dipped her head as two other Steeple ponies emerged from the hallway to their left.
Rarity loosed a quiet sigh of relief as she transferred her saddlebags to one of the attendants, and a concerned squeak relinquishing Opal to the care of the other. “If you can, Opal prefers soft foods, especially something salty, but make sure she  has some water nearby, she forgets sometimes that the food is salty and gets a little wild when she’s thirsty. Oh, and if we haven’t returned by sundown, she enjoys a little play time, anything on the end of a string, and well, sometimes just a string, will do. Also, she likes to try to sneak off when she thinks you aren’t looking. You don’t have many mice in the palace I assume? She likes to chase them, scares the poor things to death. But she is a nice cat.” She finished her rushed instructions with a bite of her lip.
The second attendant eyed the cat, whose baleful face protruded from the lid like a fuzzy white mushroom, then nodded to Rarity. “Do not worry, Miss Rarity, we will look after her.”
As they disappeared down the hall to the right, Quiet Glide stepped forward spreading her wings as if to herd them along like a mother hen does her chicks. “Please, follow me.”
Out they went again, through the massive doors that seemed to open of their own volition, into the bright light of the city basking in the noonday sun. Rarity blinked away the little stars in her eyes to make way for the glare from the buildings. Traversing the courtyard a second time did not seem to take as long as the first time, though to be fair, she had not been looking forward to meeting the Dragon immediately. 
“Um, Miss Glide, if I might call you that,” Lumberjack asked awkwardly.
“Yes, Lumberjack?” she replied.
“Well, I was wonderin’, since water and I don’t play nice, if you knew of any clockworkshops around. The Autonosmith Guild still keeps offices here, right?”
“Yes they do, and I know of a wonderful certified shop just down the street from the spa.”
“That’s good,” Lumberjack said, if half-heartedly. “Are they master smiths? I don’t think I could trust any greenie with replacin’ my springs.”
“Hmm, I am not sure, but we can stop by the Guild’s headquarters on the way there.”
“Thank you kindly,” the metal mare replied, though her neutral tone felt forced.
Rarity studied her ticking friend, wishing for all the world for something she could say to cheer her up. She did not get the chance to test a lucky star, for Smartypants stumbled into a question.
“Quiet Glide, do you know where the Dragon keeps his books?” 
Their guide released an infinitely gentle laugh. “Of course, Smartypants. The Ruby City has a marvelous library. I can take you there right after showing Lumberjack to the Guild offices.”
The scarecrow giggled gleefully. “Thank you very much!”
“No problem at all,” she replied with a smile.
Quiet Glide took them down the grand causeway to a smaller street lifted from one of Rarity’s fondest dreams. To the right and left, shops of all shapes and sizes lined the road, but largest and most important of all were the spas and boutiques. Radiant signs adorned their fronts depicting in relief the services rendered within. She spied the shears and comb of a barber, the nail and hammer of a ferier, the needle and rule of a seamstress, and finally the sponge and pail of the spa. Wonderful scents drifted through the air from restaurants mixed in with the shops. Her stomach protested her early breakfast just as they came abreast of a lovely little café, cut to suggest the curling forms of steam rising from freshly-made food.
“Hm, it seems some other needs have been neglected. Please, Miss Rarity, order whatever you like. I’ll be back around in a short while.” She turned to Lumberjack and Smartypants. “Please follow me, and we will have you all set up.”
In the wake of their departure, Rarity felt oddly empty, and not just for the lack of lunch. “Argie, I suppose you are hungry as well?” she asked as cheerfully as she could manage.
The gryphon eyed the café skeptically. “Not my usual fare, pony food,” she mumbled. “But I guess a little variety can't hurt.”
Together they entered the little shop, to the surprise of the few ponies inside, most of which turned yellow in varying shades upon seeing Argie's severe visage. Rarity suppressed a gasp at their ability to change color and instead, cleared her throat with a dainty cough. A quick glance at the gryphon showed her a deeper frown than even the predatory beak could account for. Rarity took it all in stride, though, and confidently strode to the front counter where a young, currently yellow, mare stared at Argie.
“Hello,” Rarity said with a smile she barely felt. “May I see  your menu?”
“Uh...” the mare replied, tearing her eyes from the gryphon. “Oh! Yes, yes of course.” She dipped under the counter to pluck a thick paper menu from a shelf in the translucent counter. As soon as she reappeared, her eyes snapped back to Argie. “We are... uh, having a special on funnel cakes today,” the waitress said absently. “Sorry... still no strawberries...”
Rarity winced as she summoned the magic to whisk the menu from the countertop. “Thank you,” she said civilly. “We will see ourselves to a table. Come along, Argie.”
“Mmhmmm...” the waitress replied, never taking her eyes from the increasingly annoyed gryphon.
Rarity found a booth near the back of the cafe and waited for her winged companion to join her. “Don’t pay them any mind, dear,” she said soothingly. “They aren’t used to you, is all.”
Argie responded with a noncommittal grunt as she sat on the bench that faced the door. “Well at least something is afraid of me for a change,” she grumbled.
Rarity sighed in relief as she released the spell holding the menu, and sat opposite of the gryphon. “Well, that’s one way to look at it, I suppose,” she commented with a strained smile. A migraine was already trying to bore its way through her horn.
Argie’s expression softened. “Are you okay?”
Rarity waved a hoof. “Oh yes, quite alright, darling. Just a little headache, probably from being so hungry. Now let’s see... Oh a fruit salad sounds wonderful...” She continued to peruse the menu with various exclamations to which Argie passively agreed, every single one. After a few minutes of this, Rarity looked up from the menu to peer at her friend. “You aren’t being terribly helpful, darling.”
Argie shrugged. “None of it sounds appealing, really. So anything you say is equally fine.”
“That is to say, it isn’t fine.”
“Well... yeah, but it’s alright.”
“Hm,” Rarity mused. “How about this; I’ll get a large salad, some fruits and nuts and other things, and you can help yourself to any of it if you feel the need. Oh, and two of those funnel cakes. Everyone likes funnel cakes.”
“If you say so.”
Rarity stood, then hesitated before picking up the menu in her teeth. She ignored Argie’s raised eyebrow and returned to the waitress at the front counter—who was now sky-blue—relayed her order, and set up a tab. The other mare seemed to have recovered from Argie’s appearance. She still shot a few nervous glances at their booth, turning slightly green each time she did. As Rarity walked back to her booth, she caught snippets of conversations from the other ponies. Most were whispered comments about a gryphon in the city, but others spoke in frightened tones about the Wicked Witches. She slowed as she passed one table with a Prism mare and two Tripling ponies, a couple it seemed.
“I heard from the Northern Watch that the East is back under the control of the Good Witch of the North,” said the prism mare in a low and breathy voice.
The Tripling mare, with a coat of pastel green so pale it was nearly white, frowned at the other mare. “Sounds like the sort of propaganda Steeples would blather.”
“Now, now dear,” said the Tripling stallion. “That’s no way to talk about our northern kin. I’ve heard much the same from both the city guard and the Palace scribes. The Dragon, may he be honored, has seen fit to take control from the Pink One at last. Things are indeed looking to be improving.”
“Improving,” mumbled the Tripling mare. “And what of the rumors of a new Witch? One with no allegiance? What if she comes here? I’ve heard that she has incredible power and resides in a floating castle.”
“A floating castle? Phaw!” scoffed the Prism mare. “That’s ridiculous. I happen to know for a fact that she commands an army of fearless scarecrows and rides on the back of a terrible beast; a white demon from the underworld called a Kirt.”
The Tripling mare pursed her lips at that. “I think you need to check your sources, Pené, there is absolutely no way she could be riding a demon. They are all extinct, even since before the reign of the Ice Queen.”
The Prism mare, apparently Pené, flushed a full pink at the other’s remark, but before she could reply, the Tripling stallion hastily butted in.
“Ladies, ladies! It doesn’t matter where she lives or how she gets about, alright? There’s no proof of another Witch wicked or otherwise. Can we just enjoy a meal together?”
“Depends on your definition of ‘enjoy’, darling,” the Tripling mare said with a huff.
The Prism mare sniffed.
The Tripling stallion sighed.
Rarity stifled a sigh of her own as she picked up her pace, shaking her head. How was it that news of her arrival seemed to get to where she was going before she even got there? These ponies were absolutely terrified of the Witches, though, she could hardly blame them. The Wicked Witch of the West was quite bizarre and gave her a fright, that’s for sure, but why would they be so scared of Rarity? Unseating the Wicked Witch should have been a good thing, right? On second thought, Rarity had upset her as well, so things may not be as peachy as a pie. Her stomach growled in protest. “Alright,” she mumbled to herself. “No more thinking about food quips.”
She arrived at the booth and settled into the bench across from Argie, pushing annoying and half-formed thoughts about something very familiar about all of this from her mind. Doing so only made room for the migraine to reassert its magnitude. She almost put a hoof up to her head but she caught a look from Argie that gave her pause. 
“Is something the matter, dear?” she asked, doing her best not to give in to the headache and squint at her friend.
“You don’t have a floating castle, right?”
“A floating... Argie, that’s ridiculous, why would I have a floating castle?”
The gryphon shrugged. “There’s a lot I don’t know about... pony things, or you. For all I know, you could.” Her eyes darted away to study the wall of the booth. “Your cat definitely fits the description though,” she mumbled under her breath.
Rarity laughed behind her raised hoof. “No, Argie, I promise I don’t have a floating castle. Besides, if I did, do you think I would have walked all this way?”
“Hm, you have a point there.”
“Wait a moment...” Rarity said, furrowing her brow at Argie. “Did you overhear that whole conversation over there?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah. I’ve got great hearing, probably the best there ever was. I have to be able to hear what’s coming to get me before they know where I am, don’t I?”
Rarity chose not to nitpick the logic, or lack thereof.
“I could hear them from a mile away, I’d bet. They all talk pretty loud... well, at least it’s quieter in here than it is out there.” Argie gave herself a little shake before deciding to suddenly inspect her claws.
Rarity didn’t have long to dig into the implication of her feathered friend’s vague reference, whether or not she meant the forest or the city, for a timid cough successfully distracted her from the battle with her migraine, which of course allowed it to smash into her consciousness like a tsunami. As such, it took her a moment to locate the source of the timid cough. The mare from behind the counter hid to the side of the booth’s bench where Rarity sat, pointedly not looking at Argie, who was also pointedly ignoring the pony. 
“Oh, hello there,” Rarity managed to say.
“Uh, y-you didn’t mention if you wanted honey on your funnel cakes...” The mare mumbled to the plush red cushion on the seat, shooting furtive glances somewhere over the rainbow strata of the booth wall.
“Yes, of course, dear. I would like some honey, thank you for asking,” Rarity replied with a smile she hoped wasn’t a grimace. 
Whether reassuring or disconcerting, it didn’t seem to matter since the poor mare paled and hurried off. Rarity frowned, not just because of the mare’s behavior, but also because of what she saw in this city. Fear and mistrust stifled the city, choking it. Where had all the happiness gone? The generosity? The kindness? Why were these ponies so afraid? It pained her to think that she could be the source of any of it, but if the chatter she heard around the café was any indication, she very well could be. Dark thoughts and ponderous clouds filled her mind to the extent that Argie had to tap sharply on the table with one onyx claw to bring her back to the café.
“I think our friend here wants to tell you something,” she said, nodding to a shaking mare next to Rarity’s seat.
Rarity blinked, sitting up straighter in her chair. That didn’t take long at all. She turned to the mare and tried a second time for an encouraging smile. “Yes, dear?”
Oddly enough, upon hearing Argie speak, the young made stopped shaking, mostly. “Uh, y-your order is ready. Um, but th-the waitress... Is busy. I’m sorry about this but.. uh, could you come pick it up at the counter? I’m really sorry...” She offered an apologetic grin and a deep pink color for her troubles.
“Not a problem, darling,” Rarity replied as she slid from the bench. She followed the young mare over to the counter in a flurry of apologies that she tried to weather with more assurances that it really was no problem at all. She stood by her repeated assurances until she saw the tray of food waiting for her at the counter. Just one look told Rarity that he tray would be too heavy to pick up with her teeth. She sighed softly, disguising it with a toss of her  mane, as if to get some of it out of her face. How anypony without magic carried things around in their mouths she would never fathom. The other mare went behind the counter, smiling nervously at her, clearly avoiding looking at the rest of the café.
Rarity prepared herself mentally and braced for the sharp twinge of pain just behind her eyes as she summoned her magic to envelop the tray.
“...come around?”
“... could be a while...”
“...hopefully soon...”
“Rarity?” Her eyes snapped open. The counter of the café had some very intricate carvings near the bottom, such that it seemed to grow out of the bright floor. Why was she looking at the bottom of the counter? She turned her head a little to find a large pair of concerned rose eyes looking down at her from Argie’s upsidedown face.
“Am I on the floor?” Rarity asked conversationally.
The gryphon blinked at her. “Um... yes. Yes you are on the floor. Can you get up?”
Rarity sighed. “Yes I think so, just give me a moment... and a shoulder, if you’d be so kind, dear.”
Argie obliged as Rarity got to her hooves as gracefully as she could. Argie stepped to the side to look at her. “Are you alright, Rarity?”
Rarity could practically hear the unspoken elements of her friend’s question in the way she looked at her. She must have passed out and scared the poor gryphon to death. “I’m... fine. Just a worse migraine than I thought. I should hold off on using my magic until I get some rest.” She smiled both to her winged friend and the hostess, who was head-to-hoof stark yellow and staring at her. Rarity cleared her throat daintily. “Well, seeing as how I can’t carry the food to our table, Argie, could you please?”
The gryphon raised a doubtful eyebrow, but nonetheless picked up the tray in her beak and started back to their table. Rarity followed shortly after, ignoring as best she could the looks from the other café patrons. After a few moments, the other conversations picked up where they left off, though the café  was much quieter than it was. Rarity made small talk as she ate her salad. Argie nodded and grunted in the right places as she pecked at her food. As Rarity predicted, however, the funnel cakes were delicious. Argie ravenously consumed her cake, and even abashedly asked for another. The two left the café satisfied for the time being and headed for the spa next door.
They entered a nicely muggy foyer that gleamed with a subtle blue light that Rarity found incredibly soothing. The subtle gurgle of running water echoed around the space, along with the occasional hiss of steam or sigh of relaxation emitted from somepony in another room. Soft, nearly ethereal music floated through the bands of fog, coming from a steeple pony playing a harp-like instrument in the back of the room. The rhythm of the strumming skipped a beat as they entered, but the musician picked it up again rather quickly. 
Argie scrunched her beak at the sweet scents of soap and therapeutic oils. “I think I’ll sit this one out,” she muttered. “Don’t care for water much.”
“Oh, but you could have a massage, at least?” Rarity pleaded.
Argie flexed her wings. “Nah, I’ll just... sunbathe on the roof,’ she replied already turning to the door. “Have fun though.” She pushed through the door and before it closed, took to the sky with a powerful beat of her wings.
Rarity frowned at the door as it swung shut, but turned with a shake of her head back of the interior of the spa. Before she reached the front desk, she had a fresh smile on for the receptionist.
“Hello, miss, and welcome. How can we help you relax today?” Rarity was taken aback for a moment at the deep voice that emanated from the rather diminutive Prism stallion behind the counter. He addressed her with a toothy smile and a deep blue coat. 
She returned a wider smile to him. “That is a nice voice you have, dear.”
“Thank you,” he replied with a dip of his head. “I’m told it’s soothing. Anyway, we have warm mud baths, cold mud baths, mineral baths, both hot and cold and a number of treatments for coat and mane.” He listed off each service and pulled little brochures for each from piles on one side of the desk, showing her some examples of the inner chambers of the spa.
“Oh my,” Rarity breathed as she looked at each of the brochures in turn. “All of that sounds absolutely wonderful! I’ve been traveling, you see, and I, well, I don’t know where to start.” She confessed.
The receptionist smiled, turning a slightly lighter shade of blue. “Well, miss, we have an all inclusive procedure. I call it The Cart,” he said with a little wink. “Our attendants can take you through the whole brace of services, at a very competitive price, I might add.”
Rarity let out a little giggle. “Oh that sounds perfect, darling. Sign me up!”
The receptionist turned a vibrant shade of violet as he rang a bell on the counter. “Very good, miss. Please, step this way and follow your attendants,” he said, gesturing to the side of the desk where two other Prism ponies, a mare and a stallion appeared from behind a red curtain. “Enjoy your stay!”
“Oh I have no doubt that I will,” Rarity replied as she joined the other two ponies. They introduced her to a dream in a room. Everywhere she looked, ponies were relaxing in all sorts of lovely ways. The room was absolutely massive, and had several tiers supported by fluted columns of rosey crystals. She thanked her lucky stars as they made their way to the far end of the room to the heated mud baths. She gratefully sunk into one of the troughs of sweet-smelling mud after a quick rinse under a cool shower of mineral water. She sighed as she settled in, the mare combed though her mane as the stallion massaged her shoulders before she sank down into the trough to her chin. “Finally,” she muttered. “Things are starting to look better.”
The hours flew by in a blissful fog of being pampered and relaxed. That is until a loud squawk from the outer room interrupted her rather exquisite full coat brushing. She turned, along with everypony else in the room, to the curtain just as a clearly agitated gryphon burst through. She looked around wildly for a few moments before spotting Rarity.
“Ra--Uh, come quick!” She tried to whisper, and made a valiant effort, but it still came out as a frantic squawk. The gryphon practically danced in place, shooting nervous looks at the ceiling.
Rarity pursed her lips. “I guess I spoke too soon...” 
“Uh, miss...?” her stallion attendant gave her a confused look, his coat having flushed a pastel yellow, as did the other Prisms in the room.
“Oh nothing, darling,” she replied, shaking out her mane. You all have done a fabulous job, but I’m afraid I have to go see what the fuss is about.” She started for the door, being sure to throw a smile over her shoulder. “Please tell your boss that I would like to tip you all for your wonderful service.” Argie ducked from behind the curtain, back into the foyer as Rarity approached. She found the receptionist, yellow and looking distraught, behind the counter. “Another pony will be coming by to take care of the bill for me. I hope that isn’t a problem.”
“Uh, no, miss. That will be just fine,” he replied a little breathlessly.
“I do apologize for the disturbance. Please take a little tip for yourself when the other pony comes by. She will probably ask for my name, Rarity,” Argie let out a choked squawk as she said her name, making Rarity pause for half a beat. “Again, I am dreadfully sorry about all this.”
“Oh, it’s no problem miss Rarity. It was a pleasure.” He flashed her a quick smile and gave her a dip of his head, but his coat didn’t waver in its hue.
Argie paced in short steps by the door as Rarity spoke with the receptionist and was practically molting by the time she joined her. “Mmmm this isn’t good...” the gryphon muttered as they emerged out onto the street.
Ponies were quickly making their way to the center square of the city, where the Dragon’s palace crouched among the ruby spires. An excited walla grew ever louder as Rarity and Argie got closer to the center of the city. “What is it, Argie?”
The gryphon clicked her beak. “You just have to see it...” 
A sudden break in the skyline bathed them in afternoon sunshine, revealing a sparkling square full to the brim with all sorts of ponies from all over the land. At first, Rarity was unsure what the fuss was all about, she was distracted by watching the waves of colors rippling through the crowded Prism ponies. Brilliant hues of yellow, green and a few splashes of red, shifted through the crowd. “What’s all the trouble?” she asked Argie.
“Look up.”
Rarity did so and could not believe her eyes. High above the city, great clouds of inky black smoke bled across the blue. She watched as the last cloud seemed to draw itself out on that cerulean canvas, spelling out the last letter of a simple proclamation:


	SURRENDER RARITY