A Monument to Fashion
Part 5
The mood was sombre as the five friends assembled back at the Library, growing darker still as AJ revealed what Sweetie Belle had told them.
“So what’re we actually saying here?” Dash growled, her ears pinned back as she dragged one forehoof along the floor, glaring at each of her friends in turn, “Are we really saying that Rarity killed herself?”
Finally, the real fear had been uttered, the thought that every one of them had been afraid to contemplate. Had Rarity really done this? Surely not. Surely the element of generosity would have confided in one of them before it had got to that point. One of them, any of them. Wouldn’t she?
Fluttershy had been silent since they’d returned from Trixie’s caravan, staring at the floor as tears glistened in her eyes, feeling as if she was somehow to blame for this. Rarity had been quiet the last couple of times they’d visited the spa, the usual flow of chatter and gossip absent but she, apparently the same as everyone else, had simply assumed that Rarity was distracted by her latest big project and, well, she was Fluttershy. It’s not like she would really have pressed the issue but just for once, she found herself wishing that she could be a little bit more like New Fluttershy had been, brave and confident enough to speak up about what was really on her mind.
“No.” AJ said bluntly. “Rarity mighta been a mite high strung, but ah can’t believe she’d go do a thing like that without a word to us, without leaving us a note, something... That just ain’t like her. She was never one t’just leave quietly out the back, she wanted t’be the one with all eyes on her and somethin’ like this... No. Ah just can’t believe it.” She repeated.
“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie was sitting on her haunches, one foreleg extended in the air, waving it frantically about.
“We’re not in class, Pinkie. You don’t need to ask for permission to speak.” Twilight gave a weary sigh.
“Why not ask the Princess? She’d know right away if something had happened to one of the Elements, right?” Her head tilted to one side like an eager puppy. “I mean, as long as we’re all just standing around guessing and stuff!”
The other four mares all looked at each, Twilight took a moment to push her jaw shut again after it dropped open. “Now why didn’t I think of that?” She groaned, rubbing at her forehead. “Don’t answer that, Pinkie.” She hastily added as the pink pony’s foreleg again shot into the air, ignoring her disappointed “Awww.”
“Spike! Take a-Ponyfeathers. He’s at the Boutique.” Twilight grumbled. “Okay girls, we’ll need to head down there. I’ll grab my quills and parchment and see you there in a minute.” She barely paid attention to them leaving as she reached out with her magic to quickly stuff what she needed into her saddlebags. Dropping them on her back she turned to leave, and nearly ran straight into Fluttershy who hadn’t moved an inch and was, instead, still staring at the library floor.
“It’s my fault.” She whispered, barely loud enough for Twilight to make out. “I-If I’d been braver. I-If I’d a-asked her what was wrong and p-pushed when she tried to tell me e-everything was alright, R-Rarity would still be here!” As she blurted out her friend’s name, the tears began their slow, steady stream down her face to splash around her hooves.
“Oh no, Fluttershy. No, it wasn’t your fault.” She quickly wrapped the sobbing yellow pegasus up in a hug, pressing her close. “We all saw she’d been a bit distracted but none of us did anything. We just thought that… If she needed help, then she’d come to us. We should have known by now, Rarity’s always quick to offer help to people but not the quickest to admit when she needs some herself.” Of course Applejack was definitely the worst for that and she’d likely not be allowed to forget that infamous Applebucking season for quite a while.
For now, though, Twilight just nestled her neck over Fluttershy’s, pressing the sobbing mare’s head down to her chest, murmuring soft, wordless encouragement until the flood of tears began to ebb. “We still don’t know for sure what’s happened, Fluttershy.” She whispered. “But I know Rarity wouldn’t blame you, and she wouldn’t want you to sit here tearing your heart out over it. You know, this might still be one big misunderstanding!” She surprised herself by mustering up enough enthusiasm to actually sound like she believed it, “The Princess will be able to sort this all out for us, I’m sure of it. Come on now, let’s catch up with the others and get Spike to send that letter.”
Fluttershy sniffed one more time and nodded, rising to follow Twilight without another word. She had to believe that things would turn out alright in the end. They always did! They were the Elements of Harmony, after all, they always came out on top… Didn’t they?
When they arrived at the Boutique, they found Pinkie sitting on one side of Spike, Applejack on the other with Dash fluttering over head, the three friends talking quietly to the little dragon who was staring fixedly at the floating mausoleum. Twilight sighed, taking a deep breath before she trotted over to join them.
“C’mon now, Spike.” Applejack was saying as Twilight got within earshot. “It’ll be okay. You know Twilight an’the rest of us won’t give up on Rarity till we know what’s really goin’ on here.”
Twilight had nothing more to add, stepping in to offer her own nuzzle to Spike’s cheek, feeling the little dragon’s scales wet with his tears she had to fight to keep her own in check. No. No point in being maudlin now, not yet. Not till they knew for sure.
“Spike.” She whispered, “We need you to send a letter to the Princess. She’ll know for sure what, if anything, has happened to Rarity.”
“But... If we ask her,” Spike’s reply was broken, his voice trembling, “Then we’ll know for sure. “
Twilight’s head tilted to one side, the unicorn’s brow furrowing in confusion as Spike all but repeated what she’d just said. “Well, yes. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Not if she’s DEAD Twilight!” Spike burst out before turning and burying his head down against Applejack’s shoulder while the farm pony made awkward shushing sounds as she tried to comfort the little dragon.
“Oh, well I, uh, that is...” Twilight stammered, momentarily lost for words. The answer she was seeking came from an unlikely place.
“But this way you’ll know.” Dash’s voice was gentler than any of them were used to hearing, the multicoloured pony leaning in close to brush her nose to Spike’s. “And if it’s bad news, it’ll hurt, and we’ll be there to go through it all with you. But if it’s GOOD news, then you can stop tormenting yourself, Spike, and you’ll really know there’s a chance to get Rarity back again. But this, just sitting around and wondering, you aren’t doing yourself any good. Please, Spike. C’mon now, be brave for us. Be brave for her.”
While the other girls exchanged astonished glances Spike wiped his eyes, sniffled one last time and stood up, reaching out to Twilight for the quill and parchment. “So what’re we waiting for?” He defiantly growled. “Let’s find out what’s really going on?”
Twilight resisted the urge to snatch him up and into a hug and just nodded as she levitated the items over to him and cleared her throat.
Dear Princess,
We need to ask for you your help. There’s something strange going on in Ponyville. Rarity is missing and no-one can find her. We need you to tell us if something has happened to the Element of Generosity.
Awaiting your prompt reply I remain as always,
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.
She rolled the letter up, passed it over, and in a gout of green flame it was on its way to Canterlot. Twilight gathered Spike up in her forelegs, holding him close as the others settled down around them, holding close and waiting for the Princess’ reply.
The minutes ticked by in silence, none of them wanting to be the first to speak, the only sounds the soft rustle of leaves, the lapping of the water in the river and the slow breathing of five ponies and one dragon, all of them waiting, hoping, lost in their own contemplations, their own fears.
“Uh, Twilight? Does she normally take this long t’answer?” Applejack was the first to break the silence.
“Sometimes. it depends if she’s holding court at the time. She might not have had a chance to read the scroll.”
“Oh.”
Another long silence fell. Even Pinkie Pie was surprisingly still, though that perhaps had more to do with the visions of hang-gliding ponies dancing in intricate harmony in her head.
“D’you think it got delivered to the wrong address?” Dash was next to try and start a conversation going, anything to break this morose brooding that was so definitely NOT awesome in her book. She should be out looking for Rarity, anything but just sitting here on her haunches like this.
“I don’t think that’s even possible.” Twilight said sceptically.
“Ooh! What if it went to Princess Cadence? Or to Queen Chrysalis! She must be really confused about why we were asking her... Or maybe because now she knows we don’t have the Elements anymore, maybe she’s going to invade us! Oh no, have we just doomed Equestria? I don’t want all my love sucked ouMMPH!”
“Thank ya, Fluttershy.” Applejack sighed in relief as this time it was the butter yellow pegasus who covered Pinkie’s mouth with her hooves before the party pony could really work herself up into a panic.
“No problem.” Squeaked the pegasus, giving Pinkie an apologetic look before she removed her hooves.
“Out! And then what if they put us in one of those cocoon things? They’re so icky and yucky and gross and sticky and not fun or superific at MPH!”
This time Pinkie was silenced by hooves from Applejack, Pinkie and Dash all at once, the party pony staring at them before finally snorting and pulling back, drooping her head down. “Oh fine. But don’t blame me when we’re all loveless zombies.”
“Zombies! Twilight, you said it wasn’t likely last time and I told you noooo, not likely but still possible!”
“Spike!” Twilight sighed loudly. “I told you there’s no such thing as zombies. Pinkie was just being… Melodramatic.”
“But what if - Princess Celestia!”
“What if Princess Celestia what?” Twilight echoed before the sound of wings caught her ear and she looked up, eyes widening in surprise as the graceful white alicon swooped down to land with hardly a whisper of sound behind the group. “Princess!” She squealed as relief flooded through her, rushing over to embrace her mentor. “Oh thank goodness you’re here, I…!” She blushed as she remembered herself, stepping back quickly and clearing her throat. “I mean, it’s really kind of you to take the time to come out here rather than just sending me a letter.”
The Princess laughed fondly, dipping her head to nuzzle her faithful student’s mane in greeting. “Come now, Twilight. Your letter was far too important for me to not to come and see things in person for myself.” She lifted her head to gaze at the mausoleum, an eyebrow lifting a little as she took it in. “And I can see why you called for me. This is most curious indeed. Come, my little ponies. Let us see if we can find out what is truly going on here.”
“Uh, Princess…?” Applejack ventured. “What about the Elements? Has anythin’ happened to them?” The friends held their breath, waiting for the reply.
“No.”
This simple word was greeted with a loud, relieved sigh from the ponies as they finally breathed again. Spike, however, looked confused. “So if the Element of Generosity is okay, what does that mean for Rarity?”
“It means Rarity still lives.” Celestia said plainly. “It may be someone has taken her to try and ensure we cannot use the Elements of Harmony against them. This could be some elaborate trap or ruse.”
The arrival of the Princess in town had not gone unnoticed and a small crowd was again beginning to gather as the word spread that, once again, something odd was ahoof in the streets of Ponyville. In ones and twos, the ponies arrived to stare wide-eyed at the Princess and it didn’t take long for the questions to start.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
“What’s happened to Rarity?”
“Are they really going to kill us?”
“Is that tomb really for everypony?”
“Do you think humans really exist?”
Everyone stopped and stared at Lyra, who just blinked and shrugged, “What? Oh come on. When am I next going to get to actually ask the Princess a question!”
Celestia’s normally beatific smile was looking a little strained by this point but she was spared from trying to answer as Spike suddenly squeaked loudly and pointed over the river, “IT’S OPENING UP!”
All eyes turned to the tomb, the crowd suddenly silent in horror as, indeed, the great bronze door swung slowly open.