//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: Sombra: The Shadow Over Ponyville // by Blaster Master //------------------------------// Chapter 13 Twilight still wasn’t quite used to opening her eyes in a different place every time she jumped and this time was no easier. When she opened her eyes she was in an extravagant hallway. She thought for a moment she was in the Canterlot Castle, but the architecture was different. Dotting the hallway were huge white marble statues of a Unicorn… But not just any Unicorn. “Rarity…” Twilight breathed. “Twilight!” Twilight jumped in fright and spun around. Behind her was the white mare she was looking for. Rarity was sporting an amazing dress, along with a fancy tiara and diamond necklace. She positively sparkled in the light. “Darling! It’s so good to see you! It’s…” She faltered, momentarily but noticeably, “Been so long…” But then her front was back and she smiled broadly. “Don’t just stand in the entrance hall! Come in!” On guard, Twilight followed her fellow Unicorn, trying to figure out what her nightmare was. But she assumed that much like Rainbow Dash, it would become evident soon. *** The pair went on a short tour of Rarity’s home, where Twilight got the full scope of the place. It was a massive mansion, on par with anything in Canterlot, white marble glistened everywhere. Statues and fountains dotted the manor and everything was pristine. The two finally retired to an outdoor patio, where the adjacent garden was visible, and had afternoon tea. Rarity began to talk Twilight’s ear off, going on about her successes in fashion, all the money she’s been making, and all the famous people she’s met and designed for, but Twilight only paid it half a mind. Her keen instincts were at work, trying to figure out the subtext of Rarity’s nightmare. And then it struck her. There had been a stillness to the mansion as they’d toured it. But it wasn’t one of calm or orderliness, it felt more like… “Rarity” Twilight said, interrupting her friend “Where is everypony?” “What?” “This is a big house. You can’t be taking care of it all by yourself. Who else is here?” “There’s a cleaning staff that come by once a week. They keep everything tidy.” “And…?” “And what, darling?” “What about anypony else?” Twilight pressed, “Like Sweetie Belle?” “Well… Sweetie doesn’t visit anymore. She’s with Mother and Father more often now, so...” “What about our friends?” “Ah, yes… Well… You know how it is…” Rarity began to avoid eye contact, looking down at her teacup “With my schedule being what it is, I just… Don’t have time to pencil anypony in… Because I’m just so… Busy…” “If you’re so busy, then why have we spent the last thirty minutes on a tour of your house?” Twilight questioned “Don’t you have a lot of work to do?” Silence. “Or could it be that nopony has answered your calls?” Twilight asked. “Well, you know how it is…” Rarity was giving Fluttershy a run for her money in terms of quietness, “I’m sure they’re all just busy…” “And they haven’t been in contact with you ever since your career really took off, have they?” Rarity lowered her head. “You’re all alone in this house, aren’t you?” Rarity nodded, her façade beginning to completely fall apart. Her crushing depression, hidden behind walls of class and a lively attitude, began to radiate out of her. “It feels like it’s been years since I’ve seen anyone I truly care about. My clients, their assistants, my fans, the journalists… None of them really care about me. They just love me for my status and my money,” Rarity confessed, getting chocked up “My friends… My family… No one I love comes near me anymore. Scared off by what I’ve become! A monster! A greedy, greedy monster!” Rarity pounded her hoof on the table, knocking her tea aside. “I pushed away everypony I love for this!” She swept her hoof around, “And I hate it! I’d trade it all back in an instant! But who would take me back now!? NOPONY!!” Rarity officially lost all control at that point, howling in sorrow and covering her face with her forehooves. Twilight was nonplussed, completely taken aback by this sudden release of emotions. Twilight got ahold of herself though, she needed to help Rarity through her fear, and she thought she had a good idea how to do it. “Rarity…” She said in a consoling voice as she put a forehoof on her friend’s shoulder “You’re not like that.” “Oh, Twilight!” Rarity cried “Don’t try to make me feel better! I deserve this! I’ve always been greedy, self-centered, shallow…” “And you’ve also been kind, loyal, and generous!” Twilight interjected “You made us all dressed for the Gala out of your own pocket, you got us to go cheer for Rainbow Dash at the Young Flier’s Competition, and you stood by us against the rich snobs at the Canterlot Garden party! You’ve made mistakes Rarity, just like all of us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love you!” Rarity looked up at her friend, her tears causing her make-up to run. “Oh, Twilight… I just… I’m so scared sometimes… That I’ll act on my base instincts and drive you all away…” “You won’t… You’re better than that. You’re not perfect, but you’re still a ‘Rarity’!” Twilight said, borrowing the pun from Applejack. “You’re right. Twilight!” Rarity said, standing tall and using her magic to rip her dress away “I need to believe in my own strength, that I’ll make the right decision. And that even if I don’t, my friends will be there to help…” As the world began to fade into white, Twilight prepared herself. Just one more to go *** Twilight opened her eyes. She had half-expected to be on Pinkie’s family rock farm. But she was very surprised to see herself in Ponyville, looking better than the real Ponyville had in days. Looking around, she couldn’t seem to find anything amiss. Wondering for a brief second if she had somehow been mentally displaced somehow, her fears were dispelled when she heard Pinkie Pie’s familiar polka song. She looked around to see Pinkie Pie playing her ten instrument ensemble, jumping wildly and dancing for all to see. But nopony paid any mind to her. In fact, now that she paid some mind to them, Twilight realized that the ponies of this Ponyville weren’t normal. No one seemed to be in a good mood. Everypony went about their business, but they were oddly quiet about it; no happy chatter, no laughing, not a smile to be seen. And no one seemed to even notice Pinkie Pie’s desperate attempts to cheer everypony up. Before Twilight could open her mouth to signal Pinkie, the pink mare had abandoned her instruments and zipped off. Twilight took off in hot pursuit. As Twilight rounded a corner, she saw Pinkie following Cheerilee. “Hey Cheerilee!” “Pinkie…” Was the teacher’s only greeting. “It’ll be exactly three years in forty two days that you first started teaching in Ponyville! Can I sing you a song?” “No.” It was flat, definite, and immutable. “But, you’ve-” “I am very busy Pinkie Pie, and I don’t have time for one of your songs!” Cheerilee said as if she were a scolding one of her misbehaving students. With that she trotted off, leaving Pinkie behind. With Cheerilee an obvious miss, Pinkie changed course and made a beeline for Rose’s flower stall. “Hey Rose!” Pinkie greeted, sounding more than a little desperate, her friendly smile starting to falter into a grimace, “Your dahlias are looking good!” “Three bits for the dahlias, two bits for everything else,” Rose said flatly. “Oh, I’m not buying. I just wanted to-” But at that, Rose broke eye contact and looked annoyed. Pinkie tried to move back into her eyesight, but Rose kept shifting her eyes. As Twilight watched from a distance, she noticed that Pinkie’s hair lacked its usual fluff and was long and straight. This was usually indicative of extreme sadness. Pinkie tried desperately to interact with half a dozen other ponies, but the result was always the same: “Go away” “I’m busy” “Move it!” “Do you mind?” And Twilight realized Pinkie’s fear: she was trapped in a world that was without smiles and didn’t want them. She pondered how to help for a moment, and then approached Pinkie Pie. “Hey, Pinkie.” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” The Earth Pony replied glumly, “I’m disturbing the peace and need to be quieter…” “Actually, I wanted to talk to you for a bit” Pinkie Pie looked up, a little hopeful because Twilight wasn’t outright rejecting her. “Yeah? What about?” “Well, Pinkie, about you making people smile like you do,” Twilight sat next to Pinkie, “I know it makes you happy to make others happy, but sometimes ponies have other things to do. Sometimes smiles aren’t the answer to everything.” Pinkie Pie gasped as if Twilight had blasphemed. “Hear me out!” Twilight said, calming her friend down, “It’s like… Sweets!” Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. “Things that are sweet are yummy, but aren’t they yummier when you haven’t had them for a while? Too much of a good thing dilutes the joy of it.” “Yeah,” Pinkie Pie said aloud, putting her hoof on her chin, “And it would really water the experience down too.” “That’s… Yeah, it would,” Twilight said, giving up before she lost her momentum, “Or think about how nice the sunshine is. Isn’t the sunshine only really good because there’s cloudy days?” “I suppose,” Pinkie Pie said, a little more assured. “So it’s OK if you can’t make everyone smile all the time Pinkie, because you’ll get plenty of chances for smiles!” Pinkie’s mane re-inflated to its usual cotton candy proportions. “I hadn’t really thought of it like that! Thanks Twilight!” And as the light engulfed them both, Twilight amped herself up for the final battle Last stop, King Sombra…