//------------------------------// // Act 2 chapter 7 // Story: Diamonds are a girl's worst enemy // by Rarity Belle //------------------------------// While the heavy rain continued to pour down from the heavens above Ponyville, Rarity looked through the window of her shop. She could see that there was literally nothing that would make the storm come to an end. As far as the eye could reach it was covered in nothing but the black clouds. The unicorn knew more than enough about them. She knew that the storm would at least hold on for perhaps a day or two without a stop whatsoever. The moaning and groaning that she could be doing wouldn't have been something that would be helping her through the day whatsoever.         So the unicorn of both grace and fashion had to find a new manner of spending the time through the storm. The eyes of the mare slowly continued to look through the clouds, all in the vague hope to find any sign of the pegasi that were high up in there and unleashing the storm. Though the clouds themselves were so thick and so dark of color that it was impossible to glance through. She doubted that even with one of the most powerful illuminating spells that were known to the unicorn race wouldn't have been enough to make it through the pack.         “They are up there, I can guarantee you that much, but where remains to be the question left to be answered,” muttered Rarity to herself. The eyes made their way down to the ground in the hope to see some form of life down upon the streets. She didn't gave herself much of the chance though. The sapphire blue rimmed eyes fell down upon the street that she lived in. A street that was literally deserted from life itself.         Nopony played out on the street, nopony walked through it, nopony even showed itself before the very windows of the houses. Everything that could have made the street a ghost street had been checked in the mind of Rarity. Everything was just deserted. “Now there’s a sight you don’t see often,” the mare chuckled to herself before she tore her attention away from the sight. The eyes made their round through her shop.         Hours had already gone by without any pony having gone into it. Most of them were just galloping through the storm to get to their destination. The famous Carousel Boutique didn't happen to be on that spot sadly enough. Of course found the mare it a major shame that they rushed by like that yet she still could understand the situation.         Not that it did help her situation much though. Another deep sigh was released through her mouth as the mare moved slowly back towards the counter of the shop and the thoughts continued to grind themselves. Thoughts about all sorts of events which then got suppressed just as quickly again because she didn't wanted to remember herself on it. One of those things happened to be both the song and tome from the spell.         What followed was a near growling tone towards herself. Everything just went so slow for her liking in the moment and that was never a good thing. That was until she came to a little realization of a fact that happened to be lying around the counter. Her eyes fell upon a golden ticket.         A golden ticket of which she was just so familiar with yet at the same time just as alien to her. All of the sudden there was this massive shock of realization that went through the mare. She knew exactly what she had to be doing to kill the time. ---                      Not much later could the unicorn be found tinkering within the workshop of the boutique. In front of her stood six mannequins and behind those a picture of one of her friends in a previously worn gala dress. “The Grand Galloping Gala is only a month away from now and I still haven’t gotten around doing these for them,” mumbled Rarity just before she looked vividly to each of the pictures.         “Each of them represents them yes, but just rehashing the idea isn't my style and surely they won’t appreciate that. …Not even going to ask what they want for those things this year.” The events of a previous gala were still stick deep in Rarity´s mind. Such an event wouldn't be quickly or easily forgotten by anypony actually. All of the stress rushed through her mind for one mere second before the eyes closed themselves off from the world.         Only to imagine what works of beauty would fit best for each of the mares during the gala. Imagines sparked up right inside of the mind of the mare as slowly the six mannequins were filled to the brim with the most beautiful of dresses. Dresses of which she thought that they were the best for each of them. Where they that year not only represented their personality, the mare had taken the dangerous step to also incorporate the very element they represented. There was a fine line between making it elegant and just bragging about it. That very line was one the unicorn didn’t wanted to cross at all yet wished to stay upon as close as possible.         It was a new challenge and she loved it. No magic happened just yet as each dress first needed to be fully thought out by her mind before they were being drawn. Speaking of the next step in the process, that was pretty much what Rarity went to do. With a nod given to herself were the eyes opened again and the horn charged itself up within the magical aura.         What happened next was the fact that she levitated both a sheet of paper and a piece of charcoal in the air. And then she just began to draw. Lines were made, erased and retraced in order to make the near perfect dress for that year's gala.         Rarity was completely back in her element. She did what she loved doing most and nothing could be stopping her. Almost, nothing. ---                       For as the hours passed by slowly, her stomach began to rumble more constantly. The signs were pretty obvious. Even though she didn't wanted to take a break, Rarity had to take one. The magical aura gently disappeared from her horn. The sheet of paper was laid upon a desk to rest. With a gentle hum in her tone did the unicorn travel back to the living room where she took place in a chair together with the book.         Why she had taken that cursed book with her again was unknown to her. Perhaps she wanted to learn some of the tomes that were inside of it, perhaps she just needed something to get her mind off. Nopony could be knowing it for certain and as her eyes traveled over the pages while the lunch was being consumed, few even wanted to know it.         Outside did the rumbling of the thunder continue though it didn't scare the mare anymore. She had grown quite accustomed to the sounds through time itself. Only the really quick bursts of lightning and thunder managed to get her out of her concentration. Outside of those, there was almost nothing. And perhaps did that happen to be the greatest danger of all.