//------------------------------// // 40 Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake // Story: Blood Curse Boutique // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// While Rarity kept sewing on something unknown and mysterious in the depth of night, on the other side of town was Twilight laying down in her bed. The raspberry color of her magic held a book before her eyes as she was reading through it under the light from the candle on her nightstand. “You shall not pass,” she read out loud as her eyes looked up to the ceiling with a smile. “Never gets old.” Then her eyes went down to the page and she continued to read as if nothing happened. The more she read, the more a set of tears built themselves up before they made their way down her cheeks the further she went into it. “No,” she whispered to herself while her left forehoof wiped her tears away. She set the book aside for a moment in order to collect her mind over that what she had just read. On the cover of the book it could be seen, the very title it carried. The lords of the Hoof Shoe was a massive fantasy trilogy that was written by an amazing author. One who knew how to play with the emotions of the reader more than any other author she had read. A fact that was proved when the study hungry unicorn was tearing up. “Might be just enough for tonight,” she spoke to herself under a deep sigh. She wiped away the last remains of her tears before a smile got formed. Her magic picked up another book as a warm smile formed on her face. “With all the knowledge I have gotten, I have, and will get. Some things can’t be learned, only be felt by the heart and remembered by the brain,” said Twilight while she held the book before her. The mare opened the book and it was revealed that content within it was something even more precious to her then then any other. Because the book that she was holding, was in fact a photo album. An album which went back all the way from the day she first opened her eyes to the present day she lived in. Twilight could be considered a little too old to be doing such a thing but it gave her peace in her mind and the pleasant memories it brought it with were more than enough. It was something that the bit currency could not match in value to her. The more she stared over at the pictures and drawings, the more she went on a trip down memory lane. Twilight didn't only remember the big events she and her friends had done over time, but also the little things. It were those little things that made it worthwhile for the lavender mare. A peaceful sigh of pure comfort left through her nose as she laid her head a bit more comfortable in the pillow and closed her eyes. “Get well soon, Rarity,” she spoke as her final words. The book fell into the blanket as the magical aura disappeared due to the fact that the mare had fallen asleep and it laid open on a rather unusual picture of herself and the other unicorn. A picture that showed the two of them sharing a glass of wine with each other under the company of a what appeared to be pleasant fire from the Carousel Boutique’s fireplace. “Finally...” Spike spoke in a slightly annoyed tone as he was kept awake all the time by Twilight’s mumbling and giggling. The baby dragon turned himself back over again in his basket and let his very own eyes fell shut. Soon enough the quiet room got filled with two peaceful sounds. The sounds of two being peacefully asleep while the night crawled by. Spike never forgave the white unicorn for that what she had done against him. She had broken his little heart and he had fallen in a great depression. One which he tried to keep hidden from any other pony. He didn't wanted to be an even bigger burden to Twilight. But nothing goes unnoticed to her and even Spike’s condition was seen almost right away. Yet despite his daily growing disliking towards Rarity could the baby dragon still bring up the respect for the friendship between his ‘mother’ and her. At one end she was right after all, Spike and her were two completely different races and never in history such relations held together for a long time. Even through his depression, the little dragon was still dreaming about her from time to time. Remembering the unicorn of grace as he knew her. Her wonderful mane, the amazing ivory coat, all of that were just unforgettable for him. And whether he liked it or not, deep in the hole that was his heart, there was still a shimmer of hope to be found. A tiny spark which soothed his thoughts. ~~~~   Away from Ponyville and in the always busy metropolis that was Canterlot went everything as normal as it could. The normal routines of the night came by and went away. Though what was just ‘normal’ for the citizens of the city, for its higher officials within the castle, it was everything but. For on the highest tower of the castle she stood in a graceful pose as her right foreleg lifted above the ground. Her cyan colored eyes glazed over the nightly skies while they watched any activity that could be found. Her wings spread themselves gently and majestically before she took off into the night skies themselves. The mighty alicorn soared through the clouds and passed the moon. “The night must take place for the sun. Soon enough my sister will sit on the throne again. One thousand years of exile has been suffered thanks to you.” The last part was spoken when she had a good look upon the moon itself and she mare shook her head deeply at her own spoken words. She gave another powerful flap with her wings and was sent off to a distant cloud. The mare landed down upon the fluffy thing not much later after its discovery and allowed herself to embrace her in its coolness and comfort. With her belly resting on the surface, were the wings tucked themselves back against her body. Her head laid itself down on it. The eyes got closed off from the world. “Stop thinking like Nightmare, you foal. You are both better and over that wretched creature. Maybe, some sleep will do me good for once as well...” she muttered to herself. The mare emptied her thoughts from almost everything in the hope to get form of rest and before even she knew it, she was drifting away. Not only on the cloud, but also in her mind. She gave herself peace over everything that happened for such a long time. It were the little moments in her life which she praised the most of them all. Simple moments of peace and quiet. It could be seen flying through the air. A little black creature went zooming passed the stars themselves. It was minding its own business as it appeared to be looking for something or somepony for the matter. The little creature happened to have been a single bat. It moved itself silent through the skies of the night while it used its echolocation to navigate in its surrounding. Were most bats were just a little bit blind, this particular little fella couldn't see anything at all. It kept turning and twisting its ears while letting out screeches to find what or who he was looking for. Many of them just returned and had hit a cloud or something the like, others just never returned as they were sent off into the void of space. Yet the returning of one particular echo made its blind eyes open up widely and both of the ears were perked right in front of it as the body turned itself around. The bat let out another screech to confirm the thoughts and then just rocked towards the location it returned from. It head forward for one particular cloud among the many the nightly skies were rich. It flew forward and right to the same cloud where the princess of the night had found her rest on. After it made a gentle landing on the cloud, the bat used its hindlegs and the hands on its wings to crawl its way up to the sleeping mare and even on top of her. It moved up to her face where it gave her a lick of love. A soft chuckle left the princess who ever so gently returned from the realm of the dreams. Her eyes opened themselves slowly and she spoke her words in her sweetest voice. “Goodnight to you as well, Archimedes. Couldn't you sleep either?” The bat replied with some happy chirps and purrs while it continued to nuzzle her cheek. “I take that as no then, or did sister threw you out again?” The bat its eyes opened themselves in shock before it quickly shook its little head at the remark of the word ‘sister’. Then it took rest by its master and allowed a soft yawn to leave its mouth. “I know, we need our sleep, might as well take it, no?” And with that said, the both of them fell into their deeply desired slumber, only to wake up at the lowering of the sun, when time would call for the night again to emerge. ~~~~   Time progressed and the sun did once again its raise over the tips of the hills. In the attic of the sweet-shop named SugarCube Corner, Pinkie Pie rose up from her bed and stretched herself a little bit under a yawn of tiredness. She then smacked her mouth a couple times and it released a unique and soft gobbling sound. It was when her eyes opened themselves, she noticed her friend Rainbow in the bed with to her and knew she had to be quiet for the time being. Gummy revealed himself as well as he bursted through the puffy mane of the mare. He let out a yawn as well and wanted to sleep further. The alligator stomped a bit on the spot where the mane had laid before and he then lowered himself on it. His pink eyes closed themselves again and soon enough he was back into the realm of the dreams. Yet every single exhale he did, ended with a light snore. A snore that also appeared to be coming from nopony else but Rainbow. “Hihi, who would have thought that Dashie snored like that?” Pinkie giggled to herself. It was hard not to hear the sounds that went through the attic of the sweet-shop. But the mare always had been a rather hyperactive one. Something what resulted in the fact that she didn't want to lay in bed anymore and just left it. No more sleep was granted to the toothless alligator. She bounced down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen to do her many jobs for the day. But as she set a hoof in the kitchen, a shock went through her what caused her to run back upstairs and into the bathroom. Her eyes stared lightly at herself under a giggle. “Silly Pinkie, forgetting to refresh yourself.” It wasn't anything new for her, it was quite known around the town that Pinkie always forgot something to do. Most of those things were the minor ones. ~~~~                 The hours went by and the sun kept raising above the skies. The clock tower chimed ten in the morning before the sleeping Rainbow Dash woke up from her own slumber. Her eyes opened themselves and as they adjusted themselves, she took notice of a green and pinkish spot. And before she knew it she had received a long lick from the little alligator. Rainbow looked at the creature with her pair of fresh awoken eyes and didn't scream in agony or anything the like. Instead she chuckled softly as her eyes turned sharp again. She gave the little Gummy a pet over his head before she spoke some words against him under a yawn. “Pinks given you the order to watch over me, eh? Can’t say there is much wrong with that.” In response, the alligator just blinked with his eyes separately from one another. Rainbow just gave a slight nod towards them. “As I thought...” The pegasus rose herself up on the bed and stretched herself under - what possibly was - the loudest yawn she had given in the past months. The sound of her bones being snapped back into place caused a soft moan to leave her mouth and to do something considered impossible. For it made Gummy cringe on the spot. She gave the gator another pet as a silent sorry over his head before she left her bed as a whole. But it was when she was making her way down the stairs a realization hit her. “No nightmares, no screaming in the middle of the night... Am I... cured?” A sense of the purest glee went through the pegasus just before she rushed down the stairs. She was hoping to both find Pinkie Pie and tell her the news. “Pinkie! I am cured!” she shouted just after she entered the kitchen. “Shh! Think about the foals, Dashie! And cured of what?” Pinkie whispered after her ears first rose up from the sudden shouting and then she turned her body around. The eyes of Rainbow shot open before her voice lowered itself in the same tone. “S-Sorry. But I am cured, cured from my fears that haunted me for Celestia knows how long.” There was a huge smile to be found on the face of the pegasus as she had the greatest of troubles keeping her wings under control. The pink mare snickered softly as she softly sung a song from a long time ago. “~But granny Pie said that wasn't the way to deal with fears at all, she said ‘Pinkie you gotta stand up tall, learn to face your fears. Laugh and you’ll see, that makes them disappear!~’” “Hey, I remember that song from when we entered the Everfree, I gotta admit Pinkie. Your grandmother was a wise mare.” Rainbow replied as she remembered the song and even the time it was sung all too well. Pinkie allowed a deep sigh of nostalgia to leave through her nose as a smile appeared on her face. “She was Dash, she was.” There was a small tear that was forming itself up below the left eye of Pinkie and before she knew it, it could be felt going doing her cheek. “Don’t cry because it is over, smile because it happened.” Rainbow simply cocked her head a little bit at the words spoken before she embraced her friend in the warmest hug she had ever given to anypony. “Hey, you, wanna talk about it?” Rainbow spoke in a careful voice. Being a daredevil and acrobatic, the pegasus didn't had an idea of what she had to do in such a situation. A fact that was well known by everypony. ~~~~   “It is fine Dashie, she is somewhere better now. Somewhere, one day I will see her again,” replied Pinkie with a small sniffle. “I am sorry Pinks, I didn't know.” “As I said, it is fine. Besides, you can’t know everything right?” the other mare said in the hope to cheer both herself and her friend up. Which worked rather well. The two broke the hug with each other and Pinkie spoke once again in her happy tone. “Go Dashie, go make the weather ponies in Cloudsdale proud. Ponyville needs a clear sky right?” “Ha, you bet ya, but I can clear that in ten seconds flat with all of this energy being stored, maybe even nine seconds! But I probably should head out now. Are you sure you are going to be alright, Pinkie?” the pegasus asked at the end. She just couldn't turn herself around and just leave without any form of confirmation from Pinkie. Leaving a friend down in misery was something she hated to do and it wouldn't change anytime soon. “Dashie, I am going to be alright, now go,” replied Pinkie with a confident tone in her voice and gave a nod to her. Rainbow gave her a small salute before she spoke her last words. “Oh and Pinks, thanks you for letting me stay here overnight, I really do appreciate that.” “It is nothing Rainbow, anything for a friend. Now off to the skies with you,” replied Pinkie before Rainbow nodded to her words. Within seconds Rainbow had left the sweet shop for what it was and found herself soaring through the skies with the greatest of joy and not a single bit of tiredness in her. Rainbow Dash was back in action and in full force. But back in the kitchen of SugarCube Corner, Pinkie didn't feel like making her famous cupcakes anymore. She just left everything in it as it was. She cut off all the gas supplies of the stoves of course and set what she had made in the fridge to continue on later in time. Pinkie left the kitchen all together and just dropped herself back down on her bed again. She would have opened the drawer of her nightstand with a trembling hoof. She let her hoof search for something hidden within it. After a little bit of time she found what she was looking for and closed the drawer again. In her hoof there was a picture to be found. A picture of her and her grandmother. A picture of a just born Pinkie Pie which laid peaceful in the hooves of her grandmother. A little foal that was deep asleep while she sucked on the hoof of a proud grandmother. That little image alone brought back so many memories in her and so many more tears to her eyes that she simply couldn't hold herself anymore and just erupted out into tears. “I miss you so, so, so much, Granny,” she spoke through her deep sobbing. Many hours would pass by while she simply laid there with her eyes never stopped staring at the picture. All the while tears streamed down her face and memories rushed through her little mind. Memories of the times granted with her beloved grandmother. ~~~~                 Back in her own parental house had the young Sweetie Belle gotten home just before the storm had been unleashed over the land. With her memories being reawakened of the unfortunate day within the boutique, she never spoke about it against her parents. She was afraid they would judge her as crazy or even worse. Her little eyes opened up after a night of sleep and she said the words to just herself. “Rarity with those wings... it is impossible that she is a vampony. Scootaloo is lying!” Her mind would never have stopped with defending Rarity for what she was. She was her big sister after all. She always had been a role model for the filly and she was digging through her mind for any excuse to make sure that image stayed of her sister. “That’s it!” she shouted all of the sudden with the cracked voice. “The butterfly wings!” In her mind she had connected the dots already and couldn't be happier about it. Sweetie accused the wings they saw that day to fall upon the fact they were created by magic. Much like the wings that Rarity had gained for the trip to Cloudsdale itself. She always loved to brag about it against everypony how she had wings, as a unicorn no less and to some it was a wonderful story. To others, they were sick of it. While that solution just solved one part of the problem she was faced with, there still was the other side. A side that was a bit more complicated. The illness that her sister was suffering and the sudden coming of Fleur in the boutique. She thought back to when the three first met the larger unicorn, they were surprised to say the very least. None of the three could possibly even think that such a thing was possible. Their meeting was just as one could have expected from the three Crusaders. It was odd, fast, unique and above all, sharp. Sweetie was delighted by the fact that her sister finally had listened to the advice that was given to take more employee’s into the store. Yet by Scootaloo and Apple Bloom did the thoughts lay different. It were them who continued to ask sharp questions and got even sharper answers in return. In the end, they gave it up and let it all being what it was before they went sightseeing. Yet it was the disease her sister was said to be suffering that happened to be a terrible one indeed. Not life threatening, but it did suck the life right out of a pony at a greater force than anything else. It was the only explanation that the little Sweetie could give herself to the situation she was in. The only one she would have believed. In the far end of her thinking, she would just shake her head a couple times from side to side and let out a deep sigh. A deep sigh of just wanting and be willing to forget it all. Sweetie was still a young filly and she had been thinking about things as if she was an aged mare. She didn't want to become an old mare on the inside for gold, not yet at least. So instead she snuggled up against the pillow a bit more and wanted to sleep just a bit longer before Apple Bloom and Scootaloo would be knocking upon her door for whatever reason. ~~~~   On the other side of town and in the infamous Carousel Boutique had Rarity finished on the design she was working on through the night. Her cold blue rims were looking over a maroon red dress that hung on a mannequin. It was shaped just for her. It matched her rather dark personality that was only  visible in her eyes. The dress itself had something going on in the style of steampunk and old Victorian. Two styles the unicorn enjoyed a lot in secret. She enjoyed both making and experimenting with the different styles. They were both so unique in her eyes. Which was the very thing where Rarity always aimed towards no matter what she did. “Finally done, now then. Who to pay a little visit before making myself known to the whole crowd again? Rainbow? No, too chaotic not mention she gave me a little gift... Twilight perhaps?” But at speaking the name to herself, the mare shook her head in a rather confused way. She continued her mumbling for the plan to come. “After what she did to me? Not very likely. Pinkie Pie then? Nah, too hyperactive. Guess that leave me what that...” A slight shiver went over her body just at the very thought of one mare in particular. “...That farmer. Or Fluttershy...” Her horn charged itself up and ever so carefully before the dress removed itself from the mannequin and made its way over to Rarity. “I do owe it Fluttershy though. Missing out on months of spa trips... I think I go to her first, if she is home that is.” The unicorn had agreed with herself. She watched her newly made dress while on the top of her horn there was an orb that began to create itself. The orb expanded more and more on itself until both the mare and the dress were absorbed and inside of it. The vampiric unicorn disappeared in the orb of white light for just a couple seconds while her body and the dress were literally being merged together to form one piece. It was the best way for her to fully get herself into the pieces of clothing she wore and it saved her embarrassing pictures of her messing up the procedure. The orb would have erupted into millions of little sparkles once it was done. There she was then revealed in her new attire. She seemed to have been more than ready to walk into the sunlight and the streets of the town. Her hindlegs were hidden under the material of the dress but her forelegs laid exposed. Though as per usual, Rarity had a little trick up her sleeve. Her horn charged itself up again and a small one-person parasol came floating into the working area. With a simple nod of her head did the thing unfold itself. It revealed to have been the same color as the dress, which she considered to be an added bonus. The shadow the thick fabric of it would create would be enough to cover the forelegs and the face of Rarity. The mare looked into the mirror of the room and of course only saw the dress and parasol floating in the air. Nonetheless she still got an even bigger grin on her face as she spoke one simple word to herself. “Perfect. Just, perfect.” ~~~~   Back upstairs, in the grand bedroom of the boutique found the larger unicorn herself in a bed without company. She growled at the sight presented to her. Nonetheless she still managed to get out of her bed and made her way over to the bathroom where she would refresh herself in order to tackle the day. “By the heavens high Fleur... you look like garbage!” she spoke up to herself when she noticed just how terrible she looked. It wasn't anything to be proud on indeed. Her mane stood in every possible direction and her face looked like a battle had been waged upon it. She was just disgusted by her looks and she didn't made any time go to waste in order to make herself pretty again. Not a single spot was being saved from her hooves and magic while the process began. Minutes crawled by while she did her mane, face, tail and even coat to look as perfect as she always did. In the far end of it all she looked upon herself in the mirror and smiled towards the image that was given to her. Her lips formed themselves in such a manner that they were ready for a kiss. Fleur then blew one over to the image of hers and discharged her horn. The loss of power caused sparks to fly around like lightning. Which then created a giggle from the mare. It was only then that she came downstairs. There where the biggest surprise yet would have hit her. For she saw something red in the working area and as she walked up closer, her eyebrows rose up at the sight before her. Rarity had in fact made up quite the show. She held the parasol in a teasing manner before her face under a light chuckle. Fleur had lost herself a little bit in the rather uniqueness of the whole combination that her mistress was wearing. And then went the parasol itself up, revealing the very face of the unicorn and her mistress to the world. “Dear goodness my lady, you look amazing. If I may be so rude to ask, what is the occasion?” Fleur asked in a polite manner while she stared ever so loving over to that what her eyes caught. “Well, you can say that the case is going to be of a little visit to somepony. I have been dwelling through the night for months, my slave. I need to get out from time to time right? Besides, that lie over the illness has to fall eventually. Nopony is sick forever,” replied Rarity under a small smile. The parasol was closed again and spun around its axis with a hoof and a little bit of magic before it was being set to the ground and the left foreleg of Rarity rested on it. Fleur managed to process the words that were spoken to her before she came to the one conclusion. “I suppose you are right on that though. But who would this friend of yours be then?” “That would be Fluttershy and you, you are coming with me on this trip. If things go wrong, I need somepony to back me up. Understood?” the vampiric unicorn spoke in a demanding tone before Fleur gave a simple nod to both cases. She still had to eat something to get her body working as it should though. She made her way over to the kitchen in order to make something for herself. Rarity wasn't all too happy about it but could be found waiting in the hallway with patience. All in order to leave for the sudden visit. In an attempt to kill time she just walked her new dress in a bit more. The mare tried to feel if she could get even more comfortable within the fabrics of that what she was wearing around her body. When Fleur was done with her breakfast, it was her who was the first to leave the boutique as a whole. But she was soon followed up by Rarity who hid herself under the parasol and dress. But just as extra protection had she crafted a set of gloves that would go over both of her forelegs and she wore them with the greatest of pride. The rays of the sun shone down upon her in their fullest of their glories but the unicorn remained in the shadows created by the fabrics she had used for the dress, gloves and parasol itself. ~~~~                 Being delighted at the outcome, had Rarity made the decision that they would be taking a bit of an unusual route towards the cottage near the edge of the forest. Where she normally would just walk down the main street, she took a more unknown road. She didn't wanted to be stopped by anypony. Her face was visible for the first time since ages and she didn't had to look through the hood of a cloak anymore. Of course was she still going to make full usage from it. Fleur walked next her mistress in silence. The other mare had lost herself a bit in thought and pure delight before they did reach the small home after a calm and peaceful walk. The sounds of the birds chirping their songs in the most beautiful of manners could be heard coming from inside the building and the vampiric mare closed her eyes before she began to listen for just a little bit. “By Celestia, how long has it been since I stood here last..?” Rarity questioned to herself. She found herself standing before the door that would be leading into the cottage of one of her dearest of friends. The unicorn rose a hoof up in order to gently knock on the door. Her signature, three timed knocking was done against the wood and then the two just waited. They waited for the pegasus of the house to open up. Not to forget what her reaction would be at the sight of them all of the sudden. Good or bad, Rarity had to prepare for anything to happen.