//------------------------------//
// The Seven Promises 
// Story: Between Needles and Knives 
// by Dancewithknives 
//------------------------------//


"I had fondly imagined what most pacifists contended, that wars were forced upon a reluctant population by despotic and Machiavellian governments... "Patriots" in all countries acclaim this brutal orgy as a noble determination to vindicate the right: Dim abstraction of unimaginable wickedness conceal the simple fact that the enemy are men, like ourselves, who love their homes, the sunshine, and all the simple pleasures of common lives." -Bertrand Russell 




The hall before Rarity was somewhat dark, which came off as an anomaly because of the fact that it was only midafternoon, especially with the high number of windows that were designed to allow the largest amount of sunlight in, or the abundance of empty candleholders and chandeliers which lined every hall. But, because of the slight decrease in sunlight in this one particular section of the castle, Rarity was able to see something amazing that may have gone unnoticed if not for the dark. The guards of Canterlot Castle and its residents were a common sight around the city when they wore their golden –or now rather silver- armor. But as Rarity turned the corner, she began to notice that the armor on the six guards, two earth ponies, two pegasi, and two unicorns, almost seemed to give off a light of its own. The suits of metal were polished and looked to be in perfect condition, so the fact that they may have been reflecting light would be a natural conclusion, but at the same time the low luminesce of the room made her think otherwise. Like the armor had a candle in it, the walls behind the guards as well as their shadows beneath them seemed to be gone as the mysterious light lit the area around them.

“Maybe all of the armor glowed as such? Maybe an enchantment was involved? Maybe the glowing armor was a way to distinguish between a normal guard and a special one?” Rarity had many questions, but would probably not find an answer. But, based on who had requested her presence at the castle, along with their situation around a door that she was lead to, made her final conclusion all the more possible. 

Upon entering the castle, Rarity was met by a porter who had been reserved and awaiting her arrival. Without saying many words, the employee led Rarity through the castle and to her current destination. Without a care in the world, the civilian approached the two pegasi standing akimbo in front of the double doors and addressed them, “Ms. Rarity Belle is here upon Her Royal Majesty’s request.”

The two before the door, with long, glinting razors strapped to the outsides of their wings, stepped aside and allowed the Ponyvillian to enter as the port opened with the assistance of the unicorn guard’s magic.

Standing before the opening doors, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and readjusted the grip of her utility bag across her shoulder. Soon after, a voice beckoned her in.

Rarity stepped through the door and entered into what looked to be a personal office. The room was not lit by natural light, but by several candles that were placed around the room as well as a fireplace by a large couch. The Princess, smiling as one of her subjects entered, was seated behind a large desk which was stationed before a stained glass reconstruction of her cutie mark. Besides curtains and other draperies that covered windows in the private room a wardrobe, large couches, a door to what could be assumed was a washroom, and a bureau were stationed neatly in the office.

For a normal pony, this could have been a home away from home, but Rarity would expect no less for Her Majesty.

Out of instinct, Rarity bowed before the Princess as she stood and approached her guest. “Rise, please,” she said, prompting Rarity to stand once more. The Alicorn sat, saving Rarity from having to crane her neck all the way up to look her in the eye. “I am so glad to see that you’ve decided to come.”

“The pleasure is mine, your Majesty.”

“It’s the least I could do, especially after what happened at the theatre. I just wanted to find a distraction to keep my mind off of the tragedy. How are the rest of your friends coping with the shock?”

Rarity shifted the weight on her hooves at the Princess’ comment. In a way, it felt sincere, but should she believe it? 

“We were all a tad bit shaken up… some of us more than others.”

“I understand, it was terrible.” The two sat in silence for a moment, the crackling fire was the only thing that made a sound in the private chamber. The Princess, perking up again and smiling once more, returned to life from the somber silence and said, “Anyhow, let’s return to the matter at present. Follow me, please.”

The infectious change of mood lifted Rarity’s spirits as well. Almost as if she had her hoof held and chaperoned to wherever the Princess was leading her, Rarity was right at the tall alicorn’s side as she approached a door and opened it. 

The heavy black oak door was not enchanted, nor was it locked. All it took was the Princess to turn the knob with her magic to open it, but when the contents on the opposite side were finally revealed, it left Rarity in a state of disbelief. Nothing could properly describe the feeling that had been stricken with upon seeing the insides of the room. 

Daring Do finally saying “Open Sesame!” to discover the Holy Grain? No. 

Al Trombone breaking into Fort Knocks to rob the biggest Reserve of gold in Equestria? Not quite.

Pinkie Pie’s first time in a candy store as a small filly? Almost.

She was glued to the floor with her eyes trying to eat up every detail, trying to taste all the colors, and to smell all of the designs that were before her. Dresses, dresses everywhere. Ball Gowns, Bouffants, Debutantes, Evening Gowns, Jumpers, Maxis, Midis, Nightdresses, Sundresses, Tea gowns, Wraps, and some styles that the fashionista would have to go back to design school to name correctly.

The door slowly closed, and Rarity realized that in the time that she was hypnotized by the royal garment collection, her host had entered the closet and returned with the reason why Rarity was summoned.

“It seems that I -or any pony for the matter- may have accidentally stepped on it during the commotion at the theatre,” said the Princess.

Even though it looked much nicer on its owner, the dress from several nights before still held a majestic air to it even though it wore itself on a mannequin. While the Princess stood beside her, Rarity took the opportunity to take a closer look at the possibly priceless garment. The absence of an actual pony wearing the masterpiece made inspecting it as closely as she desired when she first laid eyes upon it much less awkward and intrusive, but it was not long until she found the blemish that she had heard about.

Near the back of the piece, where the cloud cotton became so thin that it seemingly disappeared, a clean and straight tear separated the cloth clean down the seam. Rarity frowned, even for as good as she was, this tear was detrimental to the piece. Even if she could repair it, the damage was permanent.

Rarity set her satchel on the ground and opened it, taking out a bobbin of white thread and a small metal needle. While she threaded the tiny loop, she said, “I’ll do my very best to fix it, but I cannot promise that it will be nearly as immaculate as it was before.”

“Take as much time as you need,” Princess Celestia said as she seemingly produced a box from nowhere, “There’s no need to use any of your own supplies. Please take as much as you would like.”

Rarity, like it was a gift on Hearth’s Warming Day, opened the box up and could not believe her eyes. Inside the wooden container were a dozen bobbins of thread, each one was so white that it seemingly gave off a light of its own. Rarity gently set the box down, careful not to somehow damage its contents. Rarity ventured to say that she would have to liquefy all of her assets to match the value of the bobbins that had just been given to her. If she didn’t know any better, she would have said that she had just been bribed…

“We both know how this is going to end.”

Rarity took a deep breath. The Theatre again, what… P34C3 had said. She could use the mentality that this was nothing, just another job for another client. The same ignorance which brought her bliss when she was making outfits for a murderer. She could fix the Princess’ dress and walk out with Her Majesty’s gift and just cross her hooves and pray that it was all over…
But that wasn’t going to work. There comes a time when the oasis of procrastination dries up. The luxury of a temporary solution does not work anymore and it is time to deal with the consequences. She had dreaded the sound of the bell above her shop’s door for too long. She had counted Sweetie Belle’s safety throughout the night as a blessing too many times. The fear of what happened to lurk behind her shoulder had imprisoned her for the last time. If she truly wanted freedom, she would need to fight for it.

Rarity released her breath and opened up her utility bag, “Excuse me, Princess?”

Princess Celestia, behind her desk with her head pointed down reading a document, replied, “Yes dear?”

From the bag full of thread, makeup, and needles, a string rose from the opening with the assistance of glowing magic. Like a snake charmer and its pet, Rarity pulled the accessory up until the container of sunflower petals at the bottom was in clear view. “Would you happen to recognize this?”

The monarch looked up from her papers and inspected what her guest had asked. Whatever Princess Celestia thought the mysterious item was that Rarity asked was familiar, she did not expect what she saw. For all she knew, the tailor could have been asking her about something trivial, like a missing trinket, a misplaced piece of jewelry, or a recently found wallet. But what she was holding was not as common as she had assumed.

When she looked up from whatever she was reading, she looked kind, warm, and open, the way that Rarity had always assumed she was. But, upon focusing on the “gift” that was given to Rarity, things had changed. Her body froze, her eyes widened, and for a split second, her mane stopped flowing. But then she blinked, and her expressions were steel, her eyes focused, and her compassion lost.

She stood up from her desk and walked around it. With every step, Rarity tiptoed back and lost an inch in her height. The Princess stopped right before the mare and said, “Where did you find that?”

Rarity swallowed. She had done it now. 

“It was given to me at the Theatre. Right before the accident… by the pony who caused the accident.”

“Do you know what this is?” She gently tugged the necklace of string with its pendant filled with Sunflower petals out of Rarity’s magic with her own. Rarity released and the Princess hid the ceremonial piece away. 

Rarity shook her head, “No, your Majesty. I do not.”

“That was a Rosary used by the Knights of the Solari. I only know of a few ponies who still carry these.”

“I…see,” Rarity mumbled, not sure how to respond to that information, but regardless mentally declared that some parts of the story were true.

The Princess looked down at her guest like a hawk positioned at its perch, studying the white unicorn. The friendly and warm atmosphere was all but gone from the once happy place. Although there was no external force preventing her from doing so, the newfound tension engulfing the two made Rarity feel as if she was suffocating under the pressure. The Princess’ towering height, often used as a means to humble her presence to her subjects, was not making her seem as intimidating as possible. Rarity could have retreated, but she had brought this upon herself, it was time to see how far the rabbit hole went.

“Hmm,” The Princess eventually said, her tone a stiff deadpan, “I had a feeling that this would occur eventually.” 

Rarity swallowed, not familiar on whether to use formal or informal language when accusing a matriarch of being affiliated with a murderer, but postponed the accusations and instead said, “So you don’t deny that you know who he is?”

“No,” the Princess answered, slowly lowering herself down into a sitting position. “There is no use lying to you because I doubt it would work. You are frightened and concerned, your courage is admirable.”

Rarity slowly began to move one of her hooves backwards, “Wh- why are you telling me this?”

“Because you are a lady, Rarity. You’ve carried this burden for however long you have been visited by Mr. Peace, I have faith that you would have this remained buried after you’ve found the answer you have been searching for. Otherwise you would have shared your fear with your friends, and asked for an answer earlier rather than waiting to bring up the opportunity in seclusion like you’ve done now.”

Rarity swallowed, the sentiment, while sounding genuine, was too similar to what her customer had said a few days earlier right before he caused a pony to fall to its demise. Was an “accident” in order for her?

The Princess sighed again, “I know what you are thinking, and no matter what you may believe, I assure you that you, your family, and friends, are free from danger.”

A wave of relief washed over Rarity upon hearing those words, but then her nerves tightened once more. How did she know the Princess was not just telling her what she wanted to hear? After all, she had just admitted to having an assassin in her employ, so how well did she really know the Princess?

“Not… Saying that I don’t… trust you, Your Majesty… But how do I know you are not trying to –I don’t mean any offence- trick me?”

“Because as a subject of my kingdom, your livelihood is my responsibility. Even if I may do things that some may disagree with, I aim to uphold legitimacy by the fact that I always act with the best intentions of Equestria in mind. With that being said, a secret involving how I perform my duty is not worth ending one of my little ponies’ lives over.”

“I believe you, but-“

“Rarity,” The Princess interrupted, standing up once more, “do you remember ‘The Promises’?”

The unicorn stopped mid thought and studied the Princess, “The Promises? As in the Six Promises?”

“Yes, please recite them for me.”

Rarity stood still for a moment at thought. “The first is the Promise of Mind, that every individual has the right to their own opinion, correct?”

“Yes, go on.”

“Okay…” she mumbled, trying to think of something that she learned in middle school but had since forgotten. “The second is… The Promise of Life, that everypony that lives has- ”

“Every creature that lives and speaks upon the land, unless in the act to deny this to another, has the right to life as well as any other. Next.”

“The Promise of Heart, that everything has the right to live and love freely unless infringing on another.”

“Next,” The Princess said, stepping back so that she was not looking straight down on Rarity.

“The fourth is the Promise of Commons, that none shall be hindered based on their species.”

“Be it Equine or all others,” Celestia finished.

“The fifth... I’m sorry, what is the meaning of this?” Rarity asked.

“Were almost there, continue.”

“The fifth… the fifth… The Promise of Coin, in which one’s life shall not be placed in jeopardy due to money. And the sixth is the greatest, that all will be absolved of fear, and that all have the inalienable right to live without undue worry from unnecessary danger.”

“I have lived by those sentiments ever since I stood on the rubble that Discord had made of Equestria and made those Promises to all that had gathered to hear me. But you have never heard, but there was a seventh Promise, Rarity. I ended my proclamation with the Promise that, under all circumstances, the previous six freedoms would be protected and upheld by any and all means necessary. That is why you can trust me right now. This is why I have Mr. Peace do the things he does. And this is why I will never deny the things that I have done in the service of Equestria. I only allow Twilight and your friends be the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony for there is no other option. I am not always proud with the things I have done, but I never would ever allow my country or subjects come in harm’s way. ”

Rarity stammered, “B- Bu- But, I just saw him-”

The Princess set her hoof out and placed it on her shoulder, “I know, I was there as well. Please understand that the only reason why I would call upon my Black Knight is when it is the lesser of two evils.”

“But how can taking a life be any less evil that taking another.”

The Alicorn gave a huff, and then slowly blinked. “Bloodshed has never brought me joy, please believe me when I say that. Regardless, there is no such thing as a utopia. I wish that there was an ultimate solution, a deus ex machina that I could call upon to fix the world’s problems, but that is a delusion. I’ve done everything that I can, to the best of my abilities, to keep my subjects safe and happy. But that is never enough. From the soldiers who pledge their lives to the tailors in the shops, everypony has their part to play. So between your needle sewing clothes for the homeless to his knife doing what cannot be done otherwise, what choice do we all have? If the things I task him to do in order to protect the sleeping ponies of my land are better kept secret, then why should they not be?”

Rarity took a long breath and closed her eyes. She did not think it was possible, but she had just heard the act of murder being justified.

“I just…” She began, but stopped. “I just don’t see this as right! It just feels wrong. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Princess Celestia frowned and bowed her head, looking almost as if she had sprung a leak and deflated somehow. But, before Rarity could regurgitate a thousand apologies for potentially frustrating her, she returned.

“Come with me, please,” she said. 

Rarity complied, not because she was filling the role of what a ruled individual would do when given an order from its ruler, but because of how she said it. The Princess’ brow was furrowed, her eyes determined, and her voice was speaking in a mood which no longer sounded like it was intent to simply try to convince the young tailor what was right and what was wrong.

The Princess lead Rarity across the office and up to a curtain beside the window. With her magic, she pulled a rope, and revealed a large mirror hiding behind the velvet sheet. On the bottom of the glass’ frame were the words, “desirE fO rorriM.”

The Princess’ horn lit up once more and she said, “Mirror, Mirror behind the curtain, show me the one I love, for certain.”

Rarity watched as her reflection began to change, like a ripple in a pond, the glass seemingly began to flow and change. 

Rarity watched, and as the surface settled, a strange picture was featured. The mirror no longer reflected an image at the mare, but instead a vision was present. For only a few seconds, Rarity looked through the frame and saw two ponies, a fully grown black unicorn stallion, and right beside him was a small red pegasus filly with a blue mane. For as strange as it was, it looked as if they were playing a game of Jax on the floor. The two were lying side by side, the black unicorn, who was obviously the older of the two, was using magic. The pegasus’ coat was a very dark, royal red, and her regal blue mane, like her tail, was tied up in a large, tight, braid.

But, that must not have been what the Princess was anticipating when she had asked the mirror to show her the ones she loved, because before Rarity could get a clearer look, the picture faded, and a new one began to develop.

When the resolution cleared, this pony was easily recognized. Princess Luna, with her mane the same way it was when she was purged from Nightmare moon several years ago, was lying on the floor. By whatever magic this mirror was, it must not have understood the concept of privacy, because the ruler did not look as refined as she normally was. 

Her mane was looking rather plain and not like the flowing magic that it should have, she was also lying on the floor with head up. In her hooves was a large tome which, judging by the size, could only be a history book. Beyond that, her body was covered in a sheet, almost as if she was a college student studying for class.

“I love my sister,” Celestia said, “I am not one to weep easily, but I assure you, when she was finally returned to me upon the night of the thousandth year, my tears were genuine.”

Rarity stepped forward, approaching the mirror, and causing the image to swirl again.

“It pained me to be forced to do my duty, and I hope that I never have to do anything like that again. But with that being said,”

The image solidified, and for some odd reason, Rarity was looking into the eyes of Sweetie Belle. The little filly had eyeliner, makeup, lipstick, and one of her big sister’s dresses on while she posed and checked herself in the mirror.

“I would rather send my sister away one hundred times over before she harmed one of my ponies.” Celestia looked down at her guest and Sweetie Belle through the enchanted mirror.  “Could you?” 





"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."-
Bertrand Russell