Once Upon a December

by FlimFlamBros.


The City of Isis


The strange sensation of a journey’s end, something that seemed so far was now just a few hoof steps away. For Rarity it seemed like a weight had been lifted from her shoulder, only for several new ones to take its place. Not even the large blue walls of her final destination were enough to calm her shaky nerves.

It was only a short walk from the frozen shoreline of the lake to the massive gates of the city. But it was still a path of dread. The open wound in her mind of Rainbow’s sacrifice still lingered freshly, and scenarios of how it could have been different rummaged her conscious. Maybe there was a way she could have saved her. If she had been a little faster, a little braver, but it all happened so fast, and Rarity knew that there was little that could be done about it now.

She would just have to press forward into the heart of the city. She needed to find Spike.

The question was, where? “Dear Frostbite, you wouldn’t happen to know where Spike is being held in the city?” She asked.

“Afraid not,” Frostbite replied. “However, as far as cities go, it is rather vacant with very few occupants. I’m positive that if we ask around, somepony will be able to point us in the right direction.”

“I hope you’re right, I really do,” Rarity said, walking towards the barred city gates. Like everything else, it was made of ice, like icicles on the rim of a house. Cold to the touch, they slowly creaked open as they approached. Rather strange, considering that there was no pony in sight. It gave the white mare a very uneasy feeling as she started walking into the city.

And a strange city it was, if it could be called such a thing. Rickety buildings, large unkempt snow banks and a veil of misery washed all over the frail ponies that lay in the streets. These sickly looking ponies…barely a ghost of what they once were in their tattered formal attire, frostbitten lips and faded and soaking manes.

“These are the lucky ones?” Rarity found herself asking. “They look just as miserable as everypony else in this hellhole. I thought you said this place was some sort of paradise.”

“I said that in comparison to the rest of this world, it is like a paradise,” Frostbite said. “Here there trials are over, they have nothing else to fight but the endless bounds of time. Here they have food, shelter, and even I heard a sense of entertainment, although I hear the actors are quite grim with their themes.”

“I don’t care about plays, I just want my Spike back,” Rarity huffed. She walked over to a mopey looking stallion. “Excuse me sir.”

“Hmm?” The downtrodden horse mumbled, not even meeting her gaze. “I don’t have any food or firewood to spare, so leave me alone.”

“Oh, I have no need for that,” Rarity smiled, trying to warm up to him. “All I desire is a little information. You see, I’m looking for somepony very special to me, and I’d very much appreciate it if you could help me on his little quest of mine.”

“Depends on what you’re looking for…and if you’re able to pay the price for said information.”

“I’m afraid I have nothing to offer you,” said Rarity.

The stallion looked at the levitating torch. “That is a very strange fire there…perhaps I could warm myself next to it?”

Rarity was a little cautious about this, her trust with ponies couldn’t be lowered too much, not now when she was so close to her goal, but she did get another idea. “How about my cloak? She bartered. “If you can show me where my friend is I’ll give you my cloak.”

“…Fair trade,” the stallion said. “Who’s this friend of yours anyways? He must be real special if you’re willing to give something up like a cloak for him.”

“More than you can imagine,” Rarity nodded. “So tell me, have you ever seen a dragon in this world?”

“You mean besides the one floating next to you? Just the purple one that’s in the old theatre.”

Purple dragon, it must be her Spike! “Please, could you take me to this theatre?”

“Yeah…sure. Not like I had anything better going on today,” the stallion sighed as he struggled to his feet, shaking the snow off his back. “It’s not that far away.”

“Thank you,” Rarity smiled, following the pony down the snowy streets. Her heart was beating rapidly in excitement, a feeling that she had almost forgotten about since the old days. It was a warm, fluffy feeling that she missed so dearly, but never as dearly as her Spike. The pace they were traveling at was far too slow for her, and she found herself having to restrain from going out into a full sprint.

When they finally got to an old, worn looking theatre hall, Rarity knew they had finally arrived. She walked up to the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.

“You need a ticket, ma’am.”

Rarity turned around the oval ticket booth that had been unnoticed by her light up. Inside was a thinly looking mare with large spectacles. She adjusted them as she gave a loud yawn.

“If you want to go inside, you need to have a ticket,” she said again. “Otherwise the doors won’t open.”

“Very well then” the white mare huffed, frustrated that of all things a door and a ticket taker would be her downfall. “One ticket please.”

“We’re sold out,” she mumbled. “Either that or we never got any in, I can’t really recall. Regardless, I can’t sell you a ticket so bugger off and let me get back to my nap.”

“No, please! You don’t understand, I need to get in there! My fiancé’s in there! You can’t do this to me!”

“There’s nothing I can do,” the ticket taker said. “Come back with a ticket or don’t come back at all.” The booth went dark.

Rarity fell to her knees in a fit of tears. Denied when she was so close… she couldn’t take it and started screaming, “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” She continued to sulk. “This isn’t fair…I was so close!” She got back up from the ground and charged at the door, trying her best to break it down. But it was to no avail. It refused to budge and she slunk down, defeated. “It’s not fair…it’s not fair…”

“Umm, excuse me, ma’am,” the stallion that had escorted her here said. “I don’t mean to kick a poor girl when she’s down, but there is still your end of the bargain to hold up. So if I could just…”

“Just take the damn thing,” Rarity hissed, taking the cloak off and throwing it at the stallion. “Just leave me alone to freeze to death.”

He said nothing, greedily taking the slightly damp cloak and throwing it over his other wears. He seemed quite happy with their transaction as he trotted off. Rarity watched him with a scowl and a shiver. How could she have been so stupid? She was going to be trapped here with the rest of these cursed souls…and she didn’t even have a cloak anymore. At least that stallion would be a little warmer in her cloak.

A gust of wind started to pick up, whirling around the stallion that had taken her coat. He shivered a little, clutching the jacket closer to his body. But something strange happened. Unaware to its wearer, a small slip of paper managed to wiggle out of the clock’s pocket, and fall into the snow. The stallion continued down the path, but the winter breeze didn’t let up on the paper. It picked it up and whirled it in the air, like a child dancing until the wind blew it to Rarity’s hooves.

“What’s this…?” she whimpered, picking up the piece of paper. It was a ticket, to a play called ‘Once Upon a December’, the same ticket that pony had given her on the train ride to Canterlot…curious.

Surely it was a long shot, but she had nothing left to lose. Rarity walked back to the ticket taker’s booth, knocking on the dark glass as the lights went back on and the mare appeared once again. “You again…listen, I’d say I’m sorry we’re out of tickets but then I’d be lying to you. So please just leave me alone and go harass somepony else?”

“I have a ticket now,” Rarity said, sliding her ticket into the little hole under the glass. Hooves were crossed that she would accept it.

The mare with spectacles examined the ticket, eyeing it and even giving it a few nibbles before finally hitting a small button on her desk. “Enjoy the show or whatever.”

The door of the theatre swung open. Rarity wasted no time entering the building and into the much warmer theatre’s lobby. She gave a little sigh of delight as the warm air washed over her freezing body. She felt so cozy standing in the heat after such a long time outside, but she didn’t have the luxury to loiter. Snapping out of her daze she started searching around the lobby. “Spike! Spike! Spike, where are you?!”

There was no answer.

“Spike! Please! Can you hear me?” She called out again. “Please, somepony answer me!”

“Maybe we should try the actual theatre, mistress,” Frostbite said, pointing to the large doors labelled ‘Theatre Three’. “What we’re looking for may be there.”

Rarity immediately dashed into the theatre. It looked like any standard theatre, with rows and rows of seats all faced towards the stage. However, it was still barren from any signs of life. The white mare turned around to leave but the doors slammed shut behind her. “What’s going on?” She asked.

Frostbite said nothing, his head aimed to the ground as he floated to one of the seats in the center of the house. “Please take a seat, Miss Rarity.”

“Frostbite? Is everything alright?” Rarity wondered.

“Please take a seat, Miss Rarity,” Frostbite repeated, a ghostly tear falling from his face. “The show is about to start.”

“What’s going on, here?” she asked. “Why are you acting so strange?”

“My…my part in this play is done,” Frostbite whispered, his form becoming more and more transparent. “Goodbye, my friend. I pray that we never meet again.”

“Frostbite? Frostbite! Where are you going?!” Rarity called, trying to catch the shade, but it was no use. Her ice drake friend had vanished into thin air. What was going on here?

The lights in the theatre began to dim. Rarity looked around, expecting an ambush but nothing happened until the curtains began to rise. Still on her guard the mare took a seat and started to watch what was happening on stage. A little brown colt waddled onto the center, looking confused and perhaps lost. Then there was a little screech as somepony unseen began to narrate.

“This is the story of a little colt that had no name. He wasn’t very special, and he wasn’t very popular. It seemed like no pony in the world knew that he existed. However, our nameless little hero did his best not to let those things get to him, for he had a passion. He had a passion to make those around him happy, to entertain and to amaze, despite not being remarkable in any way imaginable.”

There was a flicker on stage as a book burst onto the set.

“Then one day, the little colt found a very mysterious book. A book of dark tales and wonders, forbidden magic, and shadowy secrets. What little colt could resist? He took the book home and began to read it, and read it he did. Every single page over and over again until the book was so well read it had to be held together with paste and scotch tape. Soon the colt had memorized every single word of its wonderful tales and formulas. But there was one part of the book that captivated him more than any other…the spell of self-transfiguration.”

The colt on stage began to make a small circle in the ground.

“The boy thought ‘how wonderful! How entertaining! I could make everypony like me if I could change my form!’” the narrator gave a chuckle. “Such a naïve little lad, isn’t he? He began making preparations for the spell, and since he lacked magic, he had to create a magic circle. Thankfully, one such circle had been described in the book; it was a circled known as ‘The Hellfire Circle’.

On stage, the colt had finished the circle he had made, and was now standing in a red glowing sphere. Dark ambers started to fly around the boy, and soon he was pelted with flames and shadows. The little colt didn’t even have a chance to scream as he was incinerated into ash.

“But something went terribly wrong, or terribly right, depending on your point of view, and the little colt died…burnt to a crisp in his own desire to make others happy. But when one life ends…”

From the pile on stage began to tremble, as a large fiery hoof poked out of it.

“… Another life begins.”

From the ashes grew a dark and terrible being, one that Rarity had prayed she’d never had to see again. Red, crimson body, mane of a wildfire, glowing yellow eyes of magma, Hellfire rose from the ashes.

“Yes, what had been somepony so unremarkable,” the narrator continued. “Birthed the most unique of beings. The little colt relished in both awe and fear of his new complexion, but soon realized that he now possessed the powers necessary to cast the self-transfiguration spell. And when he mastered that, he thought, ‘Well, why stop here?’ there’s plenty of spells and tricks that he could learn now that he had this unholy power. He found ways to create and to destroy, to help and to toy, to stop and make go, to wither and to grow. Years went by as he hid himself among us, the mundane pony not able to tell him from anypony else in his disguise. Then one day, perhaps out of sheer boredom, he decided to audition for a play. He had long since forgotten his old goals to make others happy, and thought that perhaps he’d give it another whirl.”

There was a scene change as the lights went dark onstage, only to turn back on and for Hellfire to disappear. In his place was a large, black alicorn with glowing red eyes, misty grey mane and a killer’s smile.

“He was given the great role of Dark Conquest in a little play called…‘Once Upon a December.’ A play that was held highly by the nobles of Canterlot. He felt honoured to step on stage and act his bit, and it would have been a perfect performance…if he had not been distracted.”

“By you,” the dark alicorn smiled, pointing a hoof at Rarity. “For it was this fair beauty’s beauty that melted my cold heart, I fell in love the second I laid my glowing red eyes on you. I wanted you all for myself, but alas even with all my powers, I was still unable to control free will. So I ran after you, my precious. But you had disappeared…” the dark skin of the alicorn began to shed, falling off by the ribbons as a chocolate brown pony waltzed out of the shredded mess, brushing off the scrapes of skin out of his dirty blonde mane. He smiled, saying, “I know what you’re thinking…that’s Plot Twist, right?”

“You’re the pony from the train…” Rarity whispered.

“That I am,” Plot Twist said. “I applaud you for making it this far. Very few ever do make it to my city. Now I bet you’re wondering where your dragon is, is that correct?”

“Yes…please, I just want to see my Spikey again and be done with all this.”

“I see…” sighed Plot Twist. “Very disappointing, this whole day really, I’d have hoped you’d change your mind. I really do find you riveting.”

“You’re disgusting,” Rarity spat with a frown. “You’re nothing but a heartless monster. Now stop stalling and show me Spike!”

With an eye roll, Plot Twist fluttered his left hoof, and a large cage fell from the ceiling. Cowering inside was a sparsely and frail looking dragon curled up in a ball. He had faded purple scales and pale green spines, and was wearing what remained of a ballroom suit. Spike eyes widened as he saw Rarity, rubbing them to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things. But this wasn’t an illusion.

“R-Rarity?” He squeaked, crawling up from the steel floor of his cage and pressed up against its bars. “Rarity!”

“Spike!” She cried, running down the steps of the theatre, almost tripping on the last few steps but still embracing her dragon through the bars of his cage. Even a few bars of metal couldn’t stop them from finally being together after all this time. She was hysterical, crying into his chest, feeling the warmth of his heart and the steady beating against her ear. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too,” Spike moped, squeezing her tightly against him. “I’m so sorry that this all happened to you.”

“I…I…I…”

“Shh… hey it’s going to be okay, Rarity,” Spike whispered into her ear. “It’s all over now; you don’t have to fight anymore. It’s all over Rare…”

Rarity nodded weakly, doing her best to smile, but happiness seemed like a foreign emotion to her, even though she was feeling all the things she forgot she could feel. Gladness, happiness, excitement, and a warm sense that everything was going to be okay.

But of course, nothing was ever that simple. And the slow, monotonous clap of Plot Twist would prove to show that happiness could never exist in this world. “Well, isn’t that wonderful? The long lost lovers finally finding one another in my little hellhole? It’d bring a tear to my eye if it wasn’t so revolting. I do despise happy endings they’re not…dramatic enough.” A large smile stretched across his face. “I do have one last twist to throw you, Miss Rarity…one final deal that I don’t think you can refuse.”

“YOU SHUT UP!” Roared Spike, turning to Rarity. “Don’t listen to anything he says. Just tell him you want to go home and we’ll be done with all this!”

“Yes, you could do that,” Plot Twist chuckled. “Or…well, you are the generous type, aren’t you Rarity?”

“Stop talking!” Rarity cried. “Please just leave us alone!”

“Not until I finish!” The stallion snapped, his mane sparking into flames for a brief moment. “Hear my offer and then see if you can decide…Rarity.”

“Stop—“

“Your friends…you dear, dear friends…”

“Stop talking you monster!”

“And all those poor souls taken that night…what would you give to perhaps…undo all that tragedy?” Plot Twist asked with a grin. “A girl of your generous nature should know the meaning of sacrifice, and the value of quid pro quo. What if I told you I could do all of that? Omit every death in that ballroom that night in December? Wouldn’t that be nice? Payment for this act of charity however…would require you to take all of their places. You would have to live here with me and never leave. You and I would be married and I would make you my lovely queen. Now I will give you a few seconds to think about it, as I imagine this is a big decision for you. All I will say is this, what is one life compared to hundreds? I trust you’ll make the right decision.”

Rarity gulped at the offer. The idea of saving everypony that night was far too appealing for its own good, and it was just one in the needs of the many as the old expression goes. But one look at this…thing, and the idea of spending the rest of her life here with Plot Twist made her want to puke, not out of fear of torture; he did after all…love her. No it was a fear of never seeing her friends again…or her Spike again, her love that she fought so hard to save. Plus, she could save her friends from their torments.

On the other hoof, the idea of just throwing it all away frightened her. To render all this sweat and effort useless, and to never see any of her friends again… All she ever wanted to do for the last year was finally be able to crawl into bed with her dragon, to get married, to start their life together. Was it selfish to want happiness? Then there was the promises she had to keep. Rainbow wanted her to forget about them and move on, and she had to forgive Mrs Cakes for Pinkie’s sake. She would never be able to do that if she took their places, and would they ever forgive her if she did?

The choice was impossible.

Should she keep her promise and live?

Or stay and let other live in her place?