//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Rarity The Spy // by The Infinity Doctor //------------------------------// "Rarity? What are you doing here?" a scratchy voice asked, prompting me to groan "I thought you were up in Canterlot for some big shindig with Spike." That should've tipped him off that something was wrong, right off the bat. "Who the hell is Rarity?" he spat, sitting himself up, then realized that his voice was way too high. "What the hell happened to my voice?!" he shrieked, a hand shooting to his throat. "Wow Rares, never heard you swear twice in one day." the cyan woman standing over him chuckled. 'God, that voice is going to annoy the hell out of me...' "So, what are you doing here? You didn't forget a dress or something, did you?" "What in the blue hell are you talking about?" he/she said, standing up, then looked down "Why the hell do I have hooves?!" "Did you...hit your head or something, Rarity?" Rainbow-hair asked, apparently concerned. "Why the hell should you care?" he/she snarled. The colorful girl's jaw dropped, then clenched as she took hold of his shoulders, squeezing them painfully as he was held in place by the woman. "Rarity, are you sure you're alright? You're acting funny, and since when have you ever worn a suit?" He shook her off, heading for the front door of the library, not wanting to deal with the reality around him. It was too real, it didn't exist, he was just dreaming, he was just dreaming, he was just- "Hiya Rarity!" a short, alabaster unicorn cried, approaching him. He shrieked, running down the street at a breakneck pace, leaving the smaller unicorn in the dust. "Wow...she must be really stressed..." Sweetie said to herself, watching her sister run towards the mayor's office "I'll have to ask her where she got that ski-mask though, I bet Scootaloo would like it." Mayor Mare sat at her desk, blowing a lock of her grayed mane out of her face as the quill in her hand scribbled furiously on one of the many pieces of parchment. Oh how she wished there were some easier way to file paperwork, she'd most assuredly get carpal tunnel before she'd hit 200. Her office was empty and quiet, just the way she liked it. Several members of the town council were out today, and her secretary was quietly sifting through letters in the front office. She didn't know what she'd do without Crisp Quill, the amount of chain letters and junkmail he went the extra mile to go through helped greatly, which in turn, helped her to run Ponyville as efficiently as she could. Calm and quiet, just the way she liked it. ... Too bad it didn't last. Her office suddenly became home to a tornado, ripping through her office as one of the Elements of Harmony, Rarity she believed, shouting to Crisp. The shouting match between the two of them went on for a few minutes, before she stood up, hands firmly spread on her desk. "Both of you sit down, right this minute!" she screamed, out-screaming the other two. They both immediately shut themselves up, and stared wide-eyed at the grey-haired mayor, and obediently sat in the two chairs placed before her cluttered desk. "Now," she said calmly, idly straightening a stack of documents "let's discuss this calmly, shall we?" She pointed an ink-stained finger at Crisp, whom stared fearfully at it, as if it were the hand of Celestia herself. "I know I asked you to keep visitors out of the office today, but I believe I can make an exception for the Elements of Harmony." She waved Crisp off, bidding him to go back to the front of the building, to continue sorting through the mail. "Now, Miss Rarity-" she began. "First off, my name isn't this 'Rarity' everyone keeps saying that I am." he huffed, crossing his arms. He quickly uncrossed them, however, as he realized that he was now a female, and the placement of his hands needed some work In the future. "Alright then," the mayor said, humoring the alabaster mare "what is your name, then?" He/she looked down at him/herself, actually wondering whether he should give the freakishly-human, grey-haired alien his actual name. "Spy." he/she replied, after giving it some thought. "I beg your pardon?" the mayor asked, clearly confused at his answer. "That is my name, and I wish to be called by it." he said firmly, hoping to high heaven that she'd buy it. The tan-coated mayor nodded after a short pause, wondering to herself if she should send Crisp off to call for a doctor to come and give the Element of Generosity a check-up. 'It could just be stress...' a rational portion of her reasoned '...Celestia knows I know what that's like.' "Is that it?" 'Spy' asked smoothly, motioning to the door. The mare nodded hesitantly, seeing no point to keeping the masked-mare in the office any longer. "That's absolutely ridiculous, Dash," Twilight stated, idly leafing through a tome on dragon migration "you know as well as I do that Rarity and Spike left for Canterlot yesterday." "I'm telling you Twilight, I know what I saw!" Rainbow replied vehemently, her wings flapping in frustration "I know I saw Rarity sitting right here on the floor!" "And I know that I saw Rarity and Spike board the train." Twilight replied, looking up from her book. Snapping it shut, she placed it neatly back in its proper place in one of the many shelves that lined the walls of the library. "Well...what if she teleported back and forth?" Rainbow asked. "No offense to Rarity, Rainbow, but we both know that the only ones who have the magical capability of teleportation to somewhere as far as here from Canterlot are the Princesses." "But...there's got to be an answer!" Rainbow replied, scratching at her multi-colored mane. "I'm sure there is, Dash," Twilight reassured "we'll just wait until she comes back, and then ask her." The front door to the library suddenly opened, and Rarity herself, clad in a blue two-piece double-breasted suit entered the room, a ski mask matching the suit covering most of her alabaster-furred muzzle. She then cleared her throat, snapping Twilight and Rainbow out of their daze. "Gentlemares." she said, acknowledging them.