//------------------------------// // Day 1 // Story: 30 Days of Temptation // by LuminoZero //------------------------------// Rarity found that the train ride was much more obnoxious than usual. She was having trouble sitting still, just like a little filly. She constantly needed to remind herself to act like an appropriate lady, as if she were a mother speaking to a foal. Going to Canterlot to work on her designs was one thing, but being called by Fancy Pants on a personal family favor. The idea made her a bit more giddy then she was willing to admit to. The most powerful and famous unicorn in Canterlot, maybe in all of Equestria! Well, barring the royalty, but they didn't count! She looked out the window as they came out of the mountain cave, winding up the path that would take them right into Canterlot station. She took a longing glance out the window, her eyes absorbing the majesty of the cultural capital of Equestria. Celestia had to have designed her capital city because of its location. The way her sun beamed off of the pristine white buildings was dazzling. Only the Crystal Empire could possibly compare in the category of pure, breathtaking beauty. Rarity had to struggle to contain a delighted squeal. And then the train slowed, causing the white unicorn to mentally remind herself to stay in her seat. 'Don't be too excited. Carry yourself with confidence and poise.' She sat quietly, nearly biting her lip in her excitement. Until finally the car gave its last jerk, the whistle blowing loud to allow everypony to know they had arrived. She calmly stood from her seat, moving outside to get her first look at the spectacular city. As her hoof touched the platform, she took in the skyline with a bright smile. As tall as the buildings were, they did not seem invasive. They looked as if they belonged there, like they were some masterful design against the perfect backdrop. Her thoughts went to her job here for a moment. If there was an artist in here who could not be inspired by all the natural beauty in this place, what hope did she have? She was left to her thoughts as a few stallions got her bags out of the train car, setting them on a dolly as they looked towards her. Another of the benefits of Canterlot over Ponyville, ponies hired with the purpose of waiting on your every whim. This, however, was not quite what she thought it was. "We'll drop your things off at your penthouse, Ms. Rarity," one of the stallions spoke with a small bow, surprising her. These stallions were meticulously dressed, even more so then the others here. The one speaking to her had a well groomed mane of white, looking the very definition of prim and proper. A familiar embroidery on his breast answered her question though. Fancy Pants' cutie mark, so he'd sent his servants to take her things? But she hadn't even told him she was coming! Well, the passenger lists for the trains were open to the public if you knew enough ponies. She couldn't imagine he'd have trouble finding out when she was arriving if he really tried. "Oh, thank you very much, darlings! Please be careful with the blue one," she said as she pointed out a smaller blue traveling case. That one was important. Well, everything she brought was important, but that one more so. The stallions finished stacking the cart and looked back to her. "Will you be heading straight to the estate, Ms. Rarity?" the white maned stallion asked her. To her own surprise, it was not Rarity's voice that answered that question. "No, she will not," came a very familiar, feminine voice. Rarity turned in surprise, as did most of the ponies there. The voice was strong and with conviction, someone who was exerting power just by her very words. She had gathered a large amount of attention just by nature of her voice, but the sight of the purple alicorn was more than enough to stun the crowd to silence as they all began lowering themselves to the newest Princess. Rarity felt her mouth dry for a moment, stuck in shock at the sight of Twilight here, fully set in her royal regalia. She snapped out of it quickly, going into a bow herself. She thought it silly, but it would be seen as terribly rude to not bow to a princess, even if she did know her personally. Twilight just rolled her eyes, but nodded politely. "You may all rise," she spoke, loud enough to be heard. And then she walked up to Rarity and placed her hooves around her friend in a totally unbecoming and indecent display of affection and favoritism. "Oh Rarity! How have you been? It feels like forever since I last saw you!" she spoke, letting all of the weight and poise that her voice had a moment ago slip away. Now she was back to old Twilight, no sign of the princess in there beyond the very familiar dress she now wore. Rarity took note of it, recalling her own handiwork with a satisfied smile. "I wasn't expecting to see you here Pri-" "Twilight," her friend spoke, cutting her off. "Always Twilight to my friends. Anywhere," she said with another smile. "And I learned a very nice little spell from Princess Celestia, one that is very handy for getting information from Ponyville," she said, her horn glowing as she waved a familiar looking scroll in between them. "Spike told me you were coming. Come, let's walk. It's too stuffy here," she announced, looking about at the crowd of slack jawed ponies. They seemed totally floored to see their princess speaking so... personally! And to a commoner no less! Rarity started to walk and then paused. Fancy Pants knew she was here. It would be incredibly rude to keep him waiting, especially after he had gone through all this trouble for her. "Please let your master know I will be delayed a bit. I have an old friend that I must confer with," she said to the stallions, looking back to the smiling purple mare. "Well, after you darling," she spoke with a grin, trotting down the streets with Twilight in what looked more like a strut with every block. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "And then she just looks at me and blinks, you should have seen the look on her face!" Twilight spoke with a giggle, recounting her introducing Princess Luna to her new attempts at formal speech. "I can still hear her now 'Have you become ill, Twilight Sparkle?' " she finished, descending into another fit of giggles with Rarity as they traversed the last bit of the royal castle. This path was leading to what Rarity would assume was Twilight's new room. Once they were safely in the castle walls, all pretenses had been dropped faster than a yellow on brown outfit. Brrrr, remembering that incident had sent a shiver down her spine. The uppity blue unicorn may have been forgiven by Twilight, but after something like that she'd need much more to make it up to the indignant fashionista. "Honestly now, Twilight darling, you make it sounds like learning to be a princess is boring and dull. You cannot tell me there is not some excitement in it," she questioned, still giggling slightly from Twilight's tales. The alicorn just groaned, rolling her eyes in memory. She put up a good act of adjusting to royal life, but Rarity was pretty good at seeing through feigned happiness. It was, after all, what the elite of Canterlot showed on a daily basis. "Hmmm, maybe not," she added. "Arrrrgh! It's so important but dull!" she complained. "All these diplomatic meetings where I have nothing to add, important ponies who want to meet me and put on all these pretentious airs. I'm used to my friends being friends and my enemies being enemies. It feels like the entire city is changelings!" she grumbled, using her magic to push the massive door open as they crossed the threshold into the massive room. Rarity, for her part, contained her enthusiasm for a moment to consult with her friend. "Now now Twilight, a lady does not whine," she reminded with a gentle hoof on her friend's back. "You'll grow into it in time I am sure. After all, I've known nopony more dedicated then you! Why, with the mere idea of failing you nearly gave yourself a panic attack," she added with a sly smile, hoping to knock the funk off of her friend. Twilight turned with an critical gaze as her magic pulled the tiara and brilliant gown off. The crown set aside on a pedestal, and the gown placed expertly upon a lone ponyquin. "Now what do you mean by that Rarity?" she questioned, a bit of suspicion and budding annoyance in her voice as the unicorn treaded on dangerous ground. Rarity raised her hoof to her forehead as she swooned, her horn glowing with magic. "Oh! I have no friendship report this week! Whatever shall I do? The princess will send me back to magic kindergarten!" she declared, before fainting on the small sofa she'd spied in the room, and called to her with her horn. Twilight got the last laugh. The sofa Rarity had spied and decided to pull was a similar shape to her own, but it had one difference. It had a railing on it, one that she bumped against during her swoon, causing the regal unicorn to rebound off and land unceremoniously on the floor. She groaned as she worked herself back onto her hooves. "Ow..." she whimpered meekly. Twilight was trying very hard to not laugh at her friend's incident. "Now now Rarity, a lady does not whine," she settled with saying, earning a reproachful glare from the fashionista. "Then again, I am pretty sure a lady does not fall flat on her face either," she added with a snicker, and in moments both mares were laughing loudly again. It was almost a full minute before the laughter died down again, and Rarity took the moment to ask a question that had occurred to her. "By the way Twilight, darling. Why were you wearing my gown today? Such outfits are best reserved for rare occasions," Rarity questioned. Luna and Celestia did not dress up for their every day affairs, so it made no sense why Twilight would choose to. Twilight's answer was simple, but still surprising. "For you! You always wanted to be famous in Canterlot, well what could be better than being the princess' tailor?" she suggested, and Rarity brought her hoof to her mouth in surprise as her eyes teared up slightly. Everyone knew of Rarity's dreams in Canterlot, and in spite of everything she had to do, and how much she knew Twilight hated dressing up, she had gone out of her way to help her friend. "Why Twilight, I-I don't know what to say," she stalled for a moment, earning another hug from the purple mare. "You could say you won't be a stranger while you're here this month. I'd love to see more of you. Oooh, Idea!" she said, the last part imitating Rarity's tone perfectly. "You are a natural here! You can blend in with all the high class mares and stallions without a problem! If you have time between your work, do you think you could stop by and teach me a little?" she asked excitedly. And Rarity was torn. Twilight was certainly right, Rarity knew all the nuances to fitting in with the upper echelon of Canterlot elite. But doing that required a lot of lying, posturing, and doing things against ones better judgment. To turn Twilight into something like that, left a bad taste in her mouth. On the other hand, if she didn't learn from her, she would learn from someone else. Better her to learn the truth from a friend then from some strange pony who didn't care. "Of course, darling," she answered. "After all, what are friends for?" "Convincing you to do things you don't want to, among other things." Rarity was stunned for a moment. It took a few seconds for her mind to process that the voice she'd just heard did not belong to Twilight. The alicorn, however, just rolled her eyes. "Discord!" she called in annoyance, making the draconequus appear in the room with a flash of light. "Present, my little princess!" he called, pulling off his antler with a pop and bowing low, spinning his arm as if he were holding a hat. Rarity puffed herself indignantly. "How rude! Did nopony teach you that it is inappropriate to listen in on a lady's conversation?!" she chastised the chaos god. Discord looked deep in thought for a moment before sighing. "Oh I suppose you are right, very well," he conceded, Rarity giving a satisfied smirk at how declawed the once formidable foe had become since Fluttershy had tamed him. Her self-satisfied smile faded when he pulled his own ears off and tossed them out the window. "BETTER?" he shouted at the two of them with a delightful grin, Twilight just brought her hoof to her face. There was no point in even trying to carry on a conversation anymore, not with Discord standing in the background and doing what he did. Currently it was pulling the paint of the wall off as a long rope and trying to lasso a grass sculpture outside in the garden. Twilight shot an apologetic glance to Rarity, whom took that to mean it was time to go. It was just as well, Discord was trying to see if he could make the grass sculptures come to life and start bucking like bulls. He seemed to puff up in delight as the shouts of confusion rose up from outside of the window, turning to shout once again. "BYE RARITY, DARLING," before turning back to the window. "HEY! THOSE EARS ARE MINE, I DON'T GO AROUND TOUCHING YOUR THINGS!" he shouted, before pausing for a second. "OH WAIT, I DO. CARRY ON," and then an explosion of confetti as an unsuspecting pony was launched across the gardens. Twilight just groaned, this was going to be a long day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chatting with Twilight had done her good. It was always refreshing to know that she wasn't alone, even up here. She knew the Princess would be returning to Ponyville whenever she could, but as long as she could be in Canterlot, Rarity was happy for it. She'd done a lot of walking today, but she hadn't really noticed. For some reason, walking around an exquisite city like Canterlot always felt much more relaxing then doing something as mundane as camping. Her hooves had taken her to where she was destined to be that day, Fancy Pants' manor house. She looked up at the radiant building, taking caution to not let her jaw drop. This was his estate? She'd assumed it was a government building, you could see it from the approach to the city! But still, the three crowns emblazoned above the door made it obvious that this was indeed the right place. She knew he was powerful, but my word this was more than even she had expected! She walked right up to the door, raising her hoof as if to knock when she spied something on the massive doors that made her pause. A knocker. Huge, clearly more than any pony would be able to lift without magic, even Applejack, but its purpose was clear. Unicorns would be the only ones able to life such a weight that high off the ground, and it would certainly make a much different sound. They were judging you before they even saw you. Rarity's disposition soured slightly, but she recovered and allowed her horn to glow, raising the large hunk of metal with a little difficulty. Once raised sufficiently, she let it drop. Its clanging against the base plate reverberated through the house. It seemed barely a breath had passed before the door flew open. An earth pony stood there, dressed in a fine black suit that clearly identified him as a servant. He looked at the unicorn before him. White coat, violet mane, impeccable style. He seemed to nod in acceptance. "Ah, Miss Rarity. He has been expecting you, please come in," he spoke, almost in a monotone. It was like he'd rehearsed the line over and over again, and it was free of all emotion or sincerity. "Thank you," she spoke to the servant. "I hope he received my message?" she questioned to him, hoping to gleam some insight into the state of their meeting. She had kept him waiting a while after all. "I cannot say Ma'am. The master is waiting is in the lounge, he instructed us to bring you to him as soon as you arrived," he explained, in the same soulless and apathetic voice. Rarity followed, not asking any further questions as they moved through the massive house. Rarity was no stranger to vanity, she practically lived it, and she had just come from the royal palace. But this seemed excessive. Everything in the royal palace was there as if by design. Thousands of years must have done that to the aesthetic. It didn't seem over the top, it seemed as if everything was where it belonged. Surely it was pampered, but even Rainbow had nothing poor to say about the palace, as she would certainly about the lavish surroundings that Rarity now occupied. Her thoughts were interrupted as the turned off of the main hall, into a massive room easily the size of the first floor of her house. Couches, bookcases, tables, what looked like a wine counter and a roaring fire in a fireplace easily the size of her front patio. She could see no wood, it must have been magically enchanted. "Sir, Miss Rarity has arrived," the droll pony next to her spoke, and she saw movement from the only occupied chair in the room. He'd had his back to the door, so she just now noticed Fancy Pants as he set a book on the table in front of him and stood to greet her. "Ah! She arrives at last! Welcome to my humble abode, Miss Rarity," he said with a pleasant greeting as the servant seemed to vanish into the massive house. Rarity smiled bashfully, taking a few steps into the lounge. He was still impeccably dressed, as always. She had to wonder if he always dressed like he was going to the Grand Galloping Gala. "I am terribly sorry for being late, I just got-" she started, before he held a hoof up to silence her. She was worried for a moment that she had offended him, and waited for him to speak on pins and needles. "You were speaking with your dear friend, who just so happens to be our newest princess! How could I possibly be upset that you thought such was more important?" he said with a smile, offering her a seat. "Come, I'll tell you everything you need to know for your stay here," he said, gesturing to a seat next to him. "It has been so quiet in the house with Fleur under the weather, I would very much enjoy having the company of a lovely mare such as yourself for a bit." His words worried Rarity a little bit, but for the moment it just seemed like harmless flirting. Right, that was all it was. Harmless. "Ah... yes of course. So then, your nephew," she began, and Fancy Pants sighed a bit. "The poor lad, he's almost beside himself. He has talent, everypony can see it, but he just cannot seem to find that spark of inspiration, and we've tried everything to support him. Fleur's family even sent him on a trip all around Equestria, but it did nothing for the boy. That side of the family is out of ideas, so now I suppose it is my turn to offer the boy help, and that was why I called for you," he spoke, watching the fire, but turning his eyes to her for a moment. Rarity knew most of this, but there had been some new information. "He is from Fleur's side of the family?" she confirmed, speaking of Fancy's wife. He nodded with no other response to the question. "I see. Well I will do all I can for the boy, but I am not sure what I can give him that he would not have seen if he had been all around Equestria," she spoke, looking self conscious for a moment. "There was nopony on your side of the family that had insight into foreign customs and art?" she asked, more curious than anything else. Fancy Pants seemed like he was tripped up by this question, and Rarity was about to pull it back when he answered anyway. "Mmmm, no. My family was... never really invested in such things. They were practical ponies," he said, as if thinking on some bitter memory. Rarity shuffled her hooves, looking towards the fire. "I am sorry, I was out of place to ask something so personal." But Fancy Pants merely waved it off with a hoof. "My dear, you are involved with my family now. Such questions are part of the job. Now then, Penned Portrait will be returning from a fruitless trip to Manehattan later this evening. You can meet him in the studio first thing in the morning?" he asked, and Rarity nodded perhaps a bit too eagerly. "Of course! I came here to help, and I will do my best to try and inspire him," she promised. Fancy Pants smiled, looking over the fire place and then back to Rarity. "There is something...beautiful about the natural world, don't you agree?" he spoke, almost wistfully. Rarity's normal shell of quiet agreeing cracked for a moment, just a moment. "Hmph, hardly. Why my sister seems to love this concept of camping, camping," she said, emphasizing it. "In the woods, on the dirt. Yuck, it is nothing for a lady," she spoke calmly, forgetting for an instant where she was. Fancy Pants just chuckled. "Really now? It sounds delightful to me. Just to see what the world has to offer when it is not covered in satin sheets." "Oh no," Rarity responded. "If I want to see the natural world, I'd rather do it on a safari, maybe a shaded tour. Oh that would be simply divine." The idea of being carried aloft by a group of stallions on some litter made for a princess or goddess entered her day dreams. Leaning back under the parasol held above her, as she was fanned by a tiny purple dragon... And her daydream came to a screeching halt as her eyes shot open. Had she just... imagined Spike as a servant? What was wrong with her? Even in her most vain moments, she'd never do that. The image of a dragon pincushion rose into her mind, causing her to wince. "Well, I'd best head over to get my things unpacked, and the studio all set up," she said, rising from the chair. Fancy Pants looked over to her, disappointed. "Must you? I was so looking forward to having some company for dinner tonight," he extended the offer to her, and Rarity had to bite her lips to resist temptation. He was being a total gentlecolt, but she needed to get out of here. Her mind was getting the better of her, and she needed time to collect her thoughts. "You are kind to offer, but I feel it would not be appropriate without your wife to join us. Perhaps again when she has recovered?" she suggested to the stallion, who nodded in agreement to her objection. "Ah, you are right. Forgive this old pony, I forget my manners," he spoke, clapping his hooves once. Almost instantly, a new servant had appeared in the room. Rarity began to wonder if they took special training to appear and vanish like that. "Please escort Miss Rarity to her accommodations," he instructed, before turning to her one last time. "The studio is called the 'Triple Crown Finish', you will be able to see it from your penthouse. I hope you enjoy your time in Canterlot, Miss Rarity," he said with one last smile for her. "So do I," she responded as means of a farewell. 'So do I.’ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rarity barely even had a look around the penthouse when she arrived. The first thing she did was start to move her things over to the studio. Sure enough, it was plenty large to accommodate her own creation, and the artistry of her student. Student, that seemed like an odd word for it. She wasn't sure how she could possibly teach him inspiration, not that she wouldn't try! As this thought entered her head, she felt something, as a flash behind her illuminated the dark room. The sun had just finished setting, so the flash of magic had been even more obvious then it would have been normally. Rarity turned around in surprise to see a rather large, velvet, fainting sofa in the middle of her studio, with a small card atop it. She hoisted the message up with her magic, reading the simple words on it. Please don't hurt yourself this time.- Twilight And as much as she wanted to smack the alicorn princess, she felt a tear working its way down her cheek. She allowed herself a moment of sentiment, before standing up tall and looking about all the work to be done. Well, this would not do at all! She needed to have this place at least looking presentable when the artist showed up! Tomorrow would be a big day, she knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt.