//------------------------------// // Twilight // Story: Rarity's Dilemma // by Twi-Guy //------------------------------// The sun was just beginning to clear the mountain Canterlot rested on by the time Rarity got home. She sighed and undid her harness with magic and packed the cart away. She took up the parcels she had meant to give to the Apple family and made her way to the front of Carousel Boutique. Her eyes glossed over when they caught sight of Fluttershy’s dress hanging in the front window. Rarity decided it would be best to put off work until Sweetie Belle was off to school for the day. She pushed open the front door and marveled at how quiet it was. Normally Sweetie would be bouncing around the kitchen trying to make herself some breakfast while attempting to do some last minute homework. Rarity began to wonder if perhaps Sweetie had slept in again. She trotted upstairs to Sweetie’s room and gently pounded on the door. “Sweetie Belle, it’s time to get ready for school. Wake up.” After several seconds and not one sound from inside Rarity started to get flustered. She rapped her hoofs on the door again, harder and more forceful this time, and put a hint of annoyance into her voice as well. “Sweetie Belle, I’m not going to knock again. Hurry up or you’ll be late.” Rarity walked away and headed downstairs to start her own breakfast. She decided to flip open the local paper and skimmed some of the bigger headlines while she waited for her coffee and toast. Something in the back of her mind wouldn’t relax and she couldn’t figure out what it was. After several minutes of browsing the column she realized what was wrong. She glanced up to the ceiling and wondered why there wasn’t any noise upstairs. She furrowed her brow and stared daggers at the spot where Sweetie Belle’s room was as if that would make a difference. Rarity could literally feel the blood rushing in her ears and waited for the tell tale thump that meant Sweetie was out of bed and moving. She looked at the clock and audibly gasped. “Alright, no more hoofing around the bush.” She worked her way up the stairs quickly but made sure to pound them unnecessarily loud. When she reached Sweetie’s room she threw open the door loudly and without ceremony.Her eyes quickly darted around the room looking for any trace of her sister. Rarity didn’t see her anywhere and she lost all control as she yelled out. “SWEETIE BELLE! YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE. IF YOU DON’T GET UP RIGHT NOW SO HELP ME-” She stopped herself when nothing happened. Her anger instantly turned into worry as she began to wonder what sorts of horrible and unspeakable things may or may not have happened to her dearest sister. She rushed downstairs hellbent on calling in the Equestrian Guard if necessary. Fueled by adrenaline and worried sick to her stomach she rushed passed her breakfast without giving it a glance. Only three things were on her mind, parchment, quill, and ink. Spike was in there somewhere, vaguely, like a blurry haze pushed to the very corners of her eyes. She scrambled around her house looking for the desired objects wishing she was more organised like Twilight. Seconds were wasted rummaging through drawers but at last she had what she needed. In a furious haste she dipped her quill and began scribbling a request to the Canterlot Royal Guard like a mad mare, obscuring her already rushed penmareship with blots of ink dripping across the page. Only half way through the frenzied scribblings did she happen to notice a rather noticeable piece of parchment placed in a noticeable, almost convenient place. She paused her efforts and picked up the paper with her magic and whipped it towards her with such force that it whipped the paper, despite the magic that held it. Rarity’s eyes focused on the neat, almost frilly writing that she immediately recognised as Sweetie’s. She paused and took a minute to re-read the note to make sure she fully understood the implications. Rarity’s heart rate gradually slowed as the note’s contents gradually filtered through her nerve wracked brain. Rarity, I went to school early today for a project we have to set up. See you when I get back. Like most notes written by children, it raised more questions than answers. What project was she talking about? Who is “we?” Get back from where? Rarity took several deep breaths and went back to her kitchen and blushed a bit as she righted her tipped over chair. She put some jam on her toast and took her coffee with her magic and headed toward the school house, trying to balance quick with casual. She approached the school house and decided to walk past it as if nothing was wrong. She paused ever so often, looking at the flowers and landscape, pretending to enjoy them as if she was on a pleasant stroll. As she passed by she could see Sweetie Belle playing with her friends in the school yard. Rarity heaved a dramatic sigh and let her heart rate slowly come back under control. Knowing that her sister was safe gave her all the freedom in the world to go back home and enjoy the rest of her day. Rarity stepped into Carousel Boutique and ignored the wreckage her panic induced frenzy left behind in favor of finishing her once crisp toast and only slightly stale cup of coffee. She savored the flavor as the liquid trickled down her throat and waited several minutes for the mind numbing energy that only caffeine can bring. Rarity could feel the second the drug hit her system and wasted no time in cleaning her house. In record time, order had been restored. Rarity grabbed another cup and turned her sights on her creative room. She effortlessly whisked paper and chalk from their respective places and sat down at her drawing board. The chalk seemed to move of its own accord and followed the familiar lines and patterns over the dotted pony figure. Several hours later the waste basket was overflowing with rejected ideas, the chalk and paper lay to the side of the desk and showed considerable wear. Rarity rested her head on the table, her eyes slightly bloodshot from mild panic and possibly caffeine withdrawal. There was a loud knock on the front door, which surprised Rarity because normally ponies would just let themselves in. She rushed to meet the potential customer, mentally kicking herself for forgetting to flip the closed sign to open. She was met with a young mare trying raise bits for the local charity drive. Rarity instantly went for her bits without thinking but stopped short when she realized how low they were getting. So low that she could almost see the bottom of the barrel, as it were. She made her way back to the front door slowly, trying to fight her natural generosity and politely explained that she simply couldn’t spare any bits at the moment. The young mare said that she understood completely and moved on to the next house. Rarity shut the door and felt terrible about the whole thing but there really wasn’t anything to be done. She watched as the mare made her way down to the next few houses, a similar scene repeating itself every time. Rarity’s heart ached as she watched the chance to be generous and do some good for somepony else slip by her. She then glanced at her dresses and decided to fluff them up a bit and rearrange them a little. After she was satisfied with her efforts Rarity checked the closed/open sign and mentally kicked herself for leaving it on closed. Letting out a sigh, Rarity left the sign alone as she passed through the doorway, not really believing that a customer would come by in the few minutes it would take her to get her mail. Her nerves were a little on edge as they always were when she checked her mail. It was a nice to know what is going on in the world of fashion, for sure, but there was always the danger of being left behind and forgotten in the ever changing tastes of the Canterlot elite. The highest point of emotion was always when her hoof hovered over the door, and she let out a slight breath when she noticed nothing was in her mailbox. Several seconds passed before it dawned on her that that was a very bad thing. Rarity specifically remembered putting an advertisement out to her usual buyers a couple of days ago. She knew that in the pit of her stomach she was in trouble and rushed back inside to prepare the focus spell. However, it quickly became apparent that no matter how hard she tried nothing came out right. It seemed as if the only useful thing she accomplished was create job security for the garbage ponies. Rarity checked the angle of the sun and knew she had plenty of time to visit Twilight. “After all,” Rarity reasoned “she is the one who gave me the spell in the first place. I bet she can tell me what’s wrong.” With that single goal in mind, Rarity freshened herself up and made her way over to Twilight’s for some much needed advice. The trot to Twilight’s passed quickly and uneventfully. Rarity approached the library door with equal parts determination and desperation. She knocked on the door in her usual ladylike way and let herself in when there wasn’t an answer. She passed through the threshold and shut the door behind her, letting the door fully click into place. She scanned the main lobby and didn’t see Twilight or Spike anywhere. She searched the surrounding rooms, her steps growing more frantic as time passed, her eyes passing through rows of shelves. She called out to Twilight, but when no response was evident, she raised her voice almost to the point of yelling. Still nothing, so Rarity made her way back to the main lobby. As she was making her way down the steps, her ears perked at the sound of the doorbell, which resonated a cheery ring. Rarity quickened her hoof steps down the stairs and was rewarded to see Twilight Sparkle. “Oh, hey Rarity. What brings you here?” Twilight said in her usual tone of voice, curious as to the unexpected visit of her friend. “Oh, well... I just happen to be passing by, and I thought I would drop in and pay you a visit.” Rarity balked at the lameness of her excuse, but judging by Twilight’s expression, it was a safe bet to assume she hadn’t picked up on her real reason for dropping by. “Aww, thanks Rarity... I’m flattered. Well, we are just coming home from the market and was about to make lunch, would you care to join?” Rarity let her heart beat slow down and took a deep breath. While she was slightly taken aback by Twilight’s generosity, she decided it would simply be uncouth to refuse such an offer and she reasoned it wouldn’t be too hard to bring up her dilemma over a quick brunch. It took Rarity a moment to realise that Twilight had referred to herself as “we.” It quickly became apparent that Twilight also lacked any groceries, and come to think of it, she didn’t even have her saddle bags. Rarity was about to point these things out to Twilight, when she turned towards the door and shot an impatient look outside. “Spike, what’s taking so long? I thought you were right behind me a block ago.” Spike looked up from his pile of groceries and gave an equally dissatisfied look. “Yeah yeah, I’m coming.” Spike shouted to Twilight, though under his breath he muttered “sure would go a lot faster if you helped.” He hoped that Twilight had not heard what he said, but by the looks of it she was about to ask him something else. He reminded himself to think his comments to himself next time, or at least not to move his lips as much. Spike sucked a gut and remembered that Twilight was having a rough week and hoped to himself that it was because of some assignment from the Princess or something. Spike braced himself for the next wave, hoping that it wasn’t a doozy. Twilight replied by shouting back, “And when you finish putting the groceries away, could you make Rarity and I some lunch?” Spike paused at the thought of Rarity, and with the strength of ten drakes, carried the saddlebags inside and began planning a delicious meal fit for a lady. Rarity watched this transpire over the course of several seconds and was impressed with Twilight’s uncanny ability to motivate the young dragon. It seemed like she was learning the fine art of how to play off of ponies feelings, a useful skill for a Princess in training to master and Rarity made a mental note to ask her for tips in dealing with Sweetie Belle. Twilight’s voice shook her out of her train of thought. “So, Rarity. How have things been going for you? Have you tried the focus spell yet? I heard Fluttershy talking about a dress you designed based off of her.” The enthusiasm that radiated from Twilight when talking about magic was not matched by Rarity. While it was understandable that they shared a common bond, what being unicorns and all, Rarity was bound to the more unforgiving world than she would care to admit and was a bit jealous and annoyed when Twilight pulled out a quill and ink with the intentions of writing a dissertation on Rarity’s experience with the focus spell. Rarity took a quick moment to remind herself that Twilight probably had never had to worry about something as trivial and arcane as money being raised in Canterlot as the personal student of Princess Celestia herself. Rarity couldn’t stay mad at her however. Twilight sat down in one of her chairs, levitated some parchment and a desk nearby, and donned her reading glasses. “Now, we’ll start with some simple questions. I just want you to tell me the first thing that comes to mind, ok? Alright, let’s see... well, how did the spell work for you? Did it enhance your natural abilities? Also, how much would you say your abilities were enhanced?” The barrage of questions was too much for Rarity to take in so she decided to stick with the truth and began describing the enhancements in glossed over detail. She talked about how it fueled her passion to create and how at first the ideas seemed to flow easily but gradually began to slow and then stopped altogether. She took the opportunity to guide the conversation towards her concerns with the spell, specifically, that while it enhanced her ability ten fold it seemed that she couldn’t make a dress that anypony wanted to look at, let alone buy. When Twilight tried to ask her more questions about the spell and its effects, Rarity ignored her and continued to explain how she only had enough bits for one, maybe two more attempts before she found herself in hot water. Rarity tried rubbing her hoofs on her forehead to massage away the mild headache she got for thinking about what would happen if she failed in her next dress. Twilight could see her friend was stressed and lead her through one of Princess Cadence’s advanced breathing exercises, which calmed Rarity down enough for her to recover her lady like composure. Just in time too, as Rarity could see Spike putting the finishing touches on the dish he prepared. Spike came out of the kitchen to deliver the claw made appetizers, mostly involving tulips wrapped in fancy shapes and filled with a kind of hummus. He set the dishes before the two ponies and offered to pour some tea. The two politely thanked him and quickly returned to their conversation. Taking the hint, Spike returned to the kitchen to prepare the main meal, barely getting the faintest whispers of the conversation as he left. Of course, his curiosity to Rarity’s sudden visit caused him to drag his feet on the way back but all he could make out was something about a spell. He thought nothing of it as Twilight talked about spells all the time, and let the thought fall to the back of his mind. A few seconds later, his nose picked up the smell of something burning and his fears were confirmed when Twilight announced “umm... Spike? I think you’re burning something.” The young drake let all thoughts of the conversation fall from his mind as he rushed to the kitchen to hopefully save his culinary creation yelling with urgency “MY SPINACH PUFFS.” The sounds of pots and pans being rapidly shifted could be heard from the table. They paid it no mind however as Twilight began to pick Rarity’s brain in an attempt to figure out what had gone wrong, determined to help her friend. Rarity tried to explain to Twilight how each time she used the spell it felt like the first, yet something was different, and her ideas simply wouldn’t flow. “Ok, so you said that the first time you tried it was when you were inspired to make something for Fluttershy, right?” “Yes, that’s what I remember.” “Then you used it again to make a set of work clothes for the apple family?” “Well, yes... I did feel rather guilty using magic after they explained why that was such a bad idea. I thought it would be nice to make it up to them.” “Hmm... I see. And the last time. That was after Sweetie Belle left for school early and you panicked because you couldn’t find her, then panicked again when your advertisements failed to attract attention?” “Well, yes. But what was I supposed to do? I’m running lower on bits than I would like, and I can’t seem to come up with any ideas. I thought the focus spell would help, but all it did was waste fabric and my time.” “Well, there’s your problem.” “Huh?” “It’s a focus spell, not a create ideas spell. The whole idea behind the spell is to enhance what is already there and to me it sounds like there was less and less each time you used the spell, which would explain why your ideas weren't flowing like they did the first time.” “So what exactly are you saying, Twilight?” “Well, I would hypothesize that it worked the first time because you genuinely wanted it to. The second time was a little weaker because while you wanted to make the work clothes, you were doing it out of a sense of duty, rather than for the joy of creating. The third time was a disaster because, well, there just wasn’t ideas there to begin with. Or perhaps the spell is somehow tied into the users emotions. It might be possible that the increased stress you were feeling may have created a kind of negative magical feedback which would also explain why it progressed the way it did.” The rest of Twilights thoughts were lost on Rarity as she only had a basic understanding of magic. Even the most fundamental of magical equations that Twilight began to scribble down on her parchment were quite beyond her. Rarity stood behind Twilight and watched helplessly as she navigated the complex maze of equations and formulas she had created for herself. There were symbols and all kinds of squiggly lines, all of which meant absolutely nothing to Rarity, but Twilight shifted through them so quickly it almost seemed that the quickly expanding mass of ink had a life of it’s own; one that held a puzzle and was bound and determined to keep it, mind. Several minutes passed before Rarity gave up in trying to understand what all of it meant and went back to her seat and tried to eat the food that Spike prepared. After several bites she felt bad for not doing her best to help Twilight and asked if there was anything that she could do. Twilight told her the names of several books she might need and Rarity ran off into the heart of the library in search of them. Rarity paced up and down the aisles one at a time, quickly scanning the titles and gauging the subject matter. Nothing was really catching her eye, but she wanted to help and so she kept looking. There were so many different topics, from politics and government, sociology, psychology, magic, cooking, even things about... rocks? That stuck Rarity as odd as she thought to herself ‘who would want to read about rocks?’ The question lingered even as she walked away in search of the books whose titles had already started to become a blur but curiosity eventually compelled her to return and levitate the book off of the shelf. She opened it up in the middle and found picture after picture of rocks with their classifications, where they would most likely be found, and what they were used for. Rarity flipped the pages with all the patience of a five year old, only taking the time to briefly study each page before moving on. She stopped when she came to the section about geodes, which said something about crystals forming in rocks. She was naturally intrigued having once been to the Crystal Empire herself and was surprised to learn just how many different kinds of crystals there were and how many magical effects crystals could have. She closed the book and looked at the cover which read, Rocks and rock farming. A guide. She decided to hold on to it and look at it later, remembering fondly how rocks played an important role in getting her a cutie mark. Rarity’s flashback was interrupted by Twilight, who was curious about Rarity’s progress on finding the books she asked for. Rarity confessed she was having trouble finding them and went back to scanning the titles again. She felt like she was getting closer, as the titles started to resemble the kinds of things Twilight talked about. However, as she narrowed it down to a single shelf the amount of books still left to search was staggering, so she began to look at each book, reading its title to confirm it wasn’t what she was looking for. Several minutes in and Rarity still wasn’t having any luck and there were still so many books left to check. To Rarity’s relief, Spike appeared and effortlessly walked up to the shelf and picked out the books Twilight needed and gave them to Rarity, then went back to his work in the kitchen oblivious to Rarity’s mind bucked stare. (that last part won’t make it, but I’m going to call it a night so I thought why not :?). Rarity thanked Spike as he was leaving and took the books downstairs to Twilight who was on her fourth page of parchment. Before Rarity could speak Twilight grabbed the books with her magic and levitated them over to her table, where they quickly formed a neat semi-circle around her and began flipping to seemingly random pages all at once. Rarity took her seat across from Twilight and noticed that Spike had replaced the tulips with a fresh tray of spinach puffs, which remained untouched by Twilight despite the seductive aroma. Rarity helped herself to a few, which soon turned into a few more when Twilight announced that she may be on to something. So Rarity sat back and waited, helping occasionally by retrieving a new quill, or a few more rolls of parchment. In the mean time she kept herself busy by flipping through the rock book she found. Rarity found it rather amusing that there was a section called “rare gems” and flipped to it just because she thought the play on words with her name was amusing. She was surprised to learn that a significant amount of the magical energy contained in the Alicorn Amulet was actually channeled through a gem. She flipped the page and learned that a similar gem was forged by Princess Luna herself to counter the dark magic of the Alicorn Amulet, but was lost after a decisive battle. There was a picture of the gem which radiated an inner fire of a blueish hue. Rarity paused for a moment when she thought she recognised the stone, the one that was outside of that restaurant she went to the other day. Rarity’s curiosity was aroused and just as she was about to continue reading, Twilight said she almost had an academic answer for Rarity. At least she thought it was an academic answer. So Twilight set up the equations again just to make sure, but just as she was about to write them down, a jolly little jingle could be heard from the main lobby which could only mean another pony wanted to check out a book. Twilight sighed, and abandoned her equations, putting on what she hoped to be a genuine smile and made her way to the front lobby. Rarity followed close behind, feeling that it would be rather awkward sitting alone in one of the side rooms while Spike made his way into said side room and began to gobble down the treats that were left behind smiling with glee. As Twilight approached the main lobby, her fake genuine smile turned into an actual genuine smile when she saw that the pony who walked through her doors was Fluttershy. The two exchanged the normal pleasantries with an added surprise hug from Rarity. When the three finally stopped laughing, Twilight moved the conversation to it’s next logical point. “So good to see you Fluttershy. I assume that you want to return that book on animal care you checked out last week?” “Ohh, yes. Thank you for letting me borrow it. My little woodland creatures were ever so thankful as well and wanted me to express their thanks for your kindness.”Twilight smiled and let the warmth she experienced when her books did something good for somepony grow in her chest. Naturally, a ridiculously cute smile graced her face as she took the book in her magic grasp and filled out the paperwork to check the book back into the library. While Twilight was busy with the paperwork, Rarity began catching up with Fluttershy. Twilight hurried through her work upon hearing her friends animated conversation, not wanting to miss out on a single detail. As she rejoined her friends she caught the tail end of a joke and only half heartedly laughed. “So Rarity,” Fluttershy began “what brings you to the library? I didn’t think you had that much of an interest in books.” “Well you see darling, Twilight here was just helping me with a little problem I’ve been having.” “Oh, what kind of problem?” asked Fluttershy with a newfound sense of curiosity. “It’s nothing serious, I’ve just been having some trouble coming up with new designs that will really wow the fashion world.” “Well, what about that dress that you designed from me? Didn’t that “wow” the crowd?” Fluttershy’s questions hit a little too close to the mark, and Rarity didn’t want to worry her friend needlessly. Not to mention hurt the poor pegasus's feelings, so she did what any lady in her circumstances would do... fudge the truth a bit. “No, of course not. Those Canterlot snobs simply wouldn’t know a good fashion show if it came up and-” Rarity paused and took a deep breath to gather her composure. “Just give it a few days more and they will realize that they are in the presence of a genius, Genius I Say.” Added Rarity for good measure. “Don’t worry about it Fluttershy,” assured Twilight “I’m sure Rarity will figure out something. She usually does.” “Thank you darling, you’re too kind.” “Umm... if it’s allright, I really have to get back to tending to my animals.” “Well, it was good seeing you again Fluttershy. Stop by again sometime and we’ll have some tea together.” “Oh, that sounds nice. Thank you Twilight.” "Take care darling, and a quick question before you go. Are we still all set for our spa date tomorrow.” “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll meet you there like usual?” “It’s a date. Have a lovely day Fluttershy.” “Goodbye everypony.” A mumbled grunt could be heard from the kitchen, something about always being left out of hello’s and goodbyes. To his surprise, Fluttershy popped her head above the kitchen window and made a point of saying goodbye to Spike in a more personable manner. Twilight and Rarity watched as Fluttershy showed herself out of the tree, and returned to the mess of papers that were scattered across the desk. Twilight quickly summoned her quill to her as well as lifting several pieces of parchment to eye level but paused just as she was about to write something down. She glanced between several papers with a confused look on her face and her shoulders soon slumped after that. She explained to Rarity that she didn’t remember which page came first and all of her calculations weren't making any sense. She told Rarity that she would work out what was going on with the focus spell and advised her not to attempt it again until she was sure what was happening. Rarity agreed with Twilight and started to leave when she suddenly remembered the book about rocks that she wanted to borrow. Rarity checked out the book and made her way back home to hopefully scratch out a successful design, wishing Twilight the best of luck in solving her equation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------