//------------------------------// // Night Visitor // Story: The Breaking of the Storm // by moguera //------------------------------// Chapter 9: Night Visitor "Have a lovely evening, Coco," said Rarity with a fond smile as she watched her apprentice head for the door. "Thank you, Miss Rarity," said Coco, waving over her shoulder as she made her exit. Winter Wrap-Up had been an exhilarating experience for Coco, particularly because she had never experienced anything like it. Though the majority of her contribution had been helping Rarity prepare the nests for the returning birds, it had still been amazing to see the seasons shift as ponies worked, drawing winter back with the kind of care and efficiency she'd seen stagehooves move about props and change the scenery at Bridleway productions. ....Except...there had been something more to Winter Wrap-Up. Coco could feel it in her hooves, thrumming waves of power spreading throughout the town and the surrounding countryside like the ripples caused by countless stones being thrown into a pond. She'd felt that power moving through the earth, coaxing it back to life beneath her very hooves. The feeling was amazing and beautiful. Perhaps it was just her sensibilities as an earth pony speaking, but Coco had never felt anything so spectacular in the large cities she'd used to live in, like Canterlot and Manehattan, where unicorns used a showy blaze of magic to draw winter back like the curtain on a play. If I don't end up staying in Ponyville, thought Coco, I think I want to settle in a place that has a tradition like this one. I could be a part of that every year and never get tired of it. She figured that the beauty of the occasion was probably not noticeable to unicorns like Rarity, who regarded her own part of the affair as something akin to another of her commissions that she wasn't personally invested in; a job to be completed, granted, with her usual standard of perfection, but without the passion and artistry she displayed for projects she was more personally invested in. Coco, on the other hoof, had been inspired by the experience. A whirl of potential designs danced in her head and she was having difficulty just trying to get them all down on paper. As designs went, Coco noticed that they were more subdued and lacked the degree of panache that Rarity often integrated in her own designs, but Coco felt truly driven to try her hoof at them herself. Transferring to Ponyville is the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me! Approaching Caramel's house, Coco noted that most of the lights were off and the house had an empty, almost forlorn feeling to it as she approached. A slight depression settled on Coco as she remembered why. That's right, Dawn and Fluttershy are moving back out... Now that spring had arrived and Fluttershy had to once again attend to the needs of her animal friends, she was moving back to her cottage and taking Dawn with her. It was clear that Dawn, Fluttershy, and Caramel were unhappy to part, but were resigned to the course of action they had decided well before winter had even come to Equestria. It was obvious that they had grown very close over the season, becoming a true family in most senses. Now that family was splitting up. Granted, they would still be living in the same town. But until Caramel figured out what to do with his own house, they wouldn't be able to spend as much time together as they'd grown accustomed to during the winter. Numerous plans had been discussed. Caramel's initial intention had been to put his house on the market, find a buyer, and then move in with Fluttershy and Dawn. However, the more he'd discussed it with his friends and loved ones, the more Caramel's original intentions for the house had wavered. One thing was clear, even though Caramel and Fluttershy had more than enough between them to maintain ownership of both properties, the thought of letting his original home simply sit unused for almost three-quarters of the year didn't exactly sit well with Caramel. There had been a whirlwind of suggestions and ideas. Applejack, ever the entrepreneur, had suggested Caramel turn his home into a Bed & Breakfast, catering to ponies who were just passing through town on business or other assorted travelers who wanted to spend a day (and a night) in Ponyville. Caramel had considered the idea, but thought that he was too likely to be closed out by competition from the local inn, save for times where it was crowded beyond capacity (like it had been during the Running of the Leaves). Applejack had suggested that he simply compete by providing a homier, more personal touch, but Caramel pointed out that he would be living at Fluttershy's, which would mean hiring somepony to manage the place, which, depending on various factors, could bankrupt Caramel even more quickly than simply trying to hold onto the property as-is. There had been a great many other suggestions offered, but Caramel had yet to decide either way. There had been other issues as well. Twilight Sparkle had astutely pointed out that, while Caramel's little "experiment" to see if he, Fluttershy, and Dawn could function as a family had been a rousing success by all accounts, he had yet to truly appreciate the experience that would be living in Fluttershy's cottage, especially while it was fully occupied. There were more challenges to living with Fluttershy than the extended commute to work. Caramel would have to get used to the experience of having animals around him constantly, both overhead and underhoof. Though they might have backed off and given the couple some distance for the occasional private evening, Fluttershy's cottage was as much their home as it was hers. All of this barely registered to Coco's mind. She was slightly saddened by Fluttershy and Dawn's departure. Like Caramel, the two of them had welcomed her like family. She'd even felt the stirrings of sisterly affection for Dawn. Granted, there were plenty of occasions where Dawn seemed the elder, rather than the younger sibling, often looking after Coco's well-being rather than her looking after his. But Coco had grown used to their relationship and missed him already. The fact that the reassuring warmth of his presence always seemed to stave off the shuddering fear conjured by the specters of Baron Elderflower and Perlin Bluestreak that loomed in the back of her mind was also a factor. She still didn't dare tell anypony just what had her tossing and turning at night, but Dawn's presence afforded a minor comfort at least. A chill went down Coco’s spine, a chill that had nothing to do with the brisk spring evening. It was a chill that she’d become all too familiar with during her time in Canterlot. Oh no, she whimpered silently to herself, No no no nononononononono! She could scarcely bring herself to turn around at the sound of hooves thudding onto the ground and the metallic rattle of mithril feathers as Perlin Bluestreak came in for a landing right behind her. “Good evening,” said the young stallion, his tone polite and friendly, as though he were a passerby tossing off a simple greeting to a minor acquaintance. Coco faced him, feeling sick to her stomach. This is it, she thought, It’s over. Perlin was obviously here to relate instructions from Baron Elderflower and to ensure that those instructions were carried out…or to see to her punishment if they weren’t. Depending on what she was being ordered to do, Coco’s apprenticeship under Rarity was likely to come to an untimely end. No doubt Rarity would refuse to allow somepony who would betray her to somepony else to continue working under her. But if Coco refused…then she was dead. She couldn’t hide the tears as she looked hopelessly at Perlin. The young stallion’s cheery smile slowly began to fade as he took in the tableau of absolute despair painted across Coco’s face. “What is it?” asked Coco, barely able to raise her voice beyond a whisper. Perlin sighed. “The Baron desires a sample of Miss Rarity’s new fabric. From what he has told me, he has no intention of sharing it with her competitors, so I can’t rightly say what he intends to do with it.” Coco had a few ideas about what Baron Elderflower might want with a sample of Rarity’s shimmersilk. Though she was uncertain about the particulars, Coco knew that the fabric had to be treated with a special formula of alchemical reagents in order to gain its properties. Apparently, Twilight and Rarity had gotten some assistance from a zebra living in the Everfree Forest for that. Even if Elderflower had no intention of giving the fabric to Rarity’s competitors, she could easily see him trying to corner the market on one or more of the required reagents, possibly dangling them like a carrot in front of Rarity’s nose. Perlin chewed his lip as he watched Coco, uncertain of what to say. Elderflower's instructions had been clear and Perlin was still beholden to his employer, unless he wanted to violate his contract. That had been important to him before. But now... Coco squeezed her eyes shut. "Follow me," she said, her voice emerging in a strangled whimper. She led Perlin back to the Carousel Boutique. From there, they watched until the lights that still burned in the windows went out. They had already been working late when Coco had first left, so she knew that Rarity wasn't intending on staying up much longer. I can't do this, she thought. It would be a complete betrayal of everything Rarity had done for her. Behind her, Perlin had gone silent. At first, Coco thought he'd simply been trying to keep himself concealed. But, as she looked over her shoulder, she noticed an uncharacteristic look of concentration, the furrowed brow and pensive frown looking almost comical on Perlin's face. What is he thinking about? Reluctantly, Coco went up to the door and unlocked it with the spare key Rarity had given her. From there, she made her way into the backroom and to the supply closet where Rarity kept her most important materials, including the single roll of shimmersilk that Rarity and Twilight had made so far. Even though they had already obtained spectacular results with it, Rarity and Twilight were still modifying the formula in order to find even more improvements for the fabric. This particular roll was the latest version. Coco carefully slid it out of its cubbyhole and showed it to Perlin. Perlin unrolled a little and used his wing to cut away a single, long strip of the fabric, which he then wound carelessly around his hoof as Coco put the rest of the roll away. Perlin examined the fabric carefully with his eyes as he tested the feel of it against his coat. "My...this is rather interesting," he observed, "I'd almost like to ask Miss Rarity to make me a new cloak if I thought she might use this material for it." Coco shut the closet and turned to face Perlin. Her fear was still there, churning in the center of her gut. But now, there was a simmering anger layered atop it. She'd just betrayed the mare she idolized and who had shown her an incredible degree of warmth and generosity. Rarity was everything that Coco had ever aspired to be and had been happily showing Coco exactly what she needed to do to reach that point for herself. And now, here she was betraying Rarity, handing over Rarity's greatest creation to a sick, bloodthirsty mercenary working for swindling baron. She was furious. "You have what you came for," said Coco, her voice almost a snarl as hot tears ran from her eyes, "Shouldn't you be going?" Perlin was silent for an uncomfortably long time. Then his eyes widened and he blinked for a second before finally returning her gaze. "I suppose I should," he said, "However..." The hem of his cloak pulled back as he extended a single, silvery wing. "...I still require one last thing from you." Coco's anger vanished as she watched Perlin's wing slide out, her pupils contracting as she tried desperately to back away from him. However, her hind legs gave out and her haunches smacked into the floor with a low thud. "W-w-wha-what...?" she stammered, still trying to scoot away from Perlin. It was obvious what he wanted now. After all, she had served her purpose to Baron Elderflower. Now she was a liability, a loose end to be cleaned up. No! Perlin's wing extended inexorably towards her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I need you...to scream." A loud, terrified shriek cut through the night's silence, startling Rarity and prompting her to fall out of her bed, releasing an unladylike grunt as she hit the floor hard, the impact driving the wind from her lungs. From down the hall, she heard Sweetie Belle let out a startled yell of her own. From the guest room, Rarity heard a much more troubling noise, the rumbling and grinding of something large and heavy being shifted about. She quickly forced herself onto her hooves and dashed for the door to the hallway. As she threw the door open, several things happened at once. From Flaxseed's door, just across the hall from her own, came a loud slamming noise and an impact that made the door shudder against its hinges. At the same time, her ears picked up the sound of breaking glass from down below as the scream that had started everything was unexpectedly cut off. Rarity's mind, still addled at being jolted from her slumber so suddenly, finally recognized the source of that scream. After all, she'd heard it before when she'd shredded the dress she'd made for Camellia. "Coco!" Sweetie's door swung open, sending another slam echoing down the hallway. "Wha-what's going on?" asked Sweetie, her voice panicky as she frantically looked up and down the hallway. "I..." Rarity was torn between what to do. She'd heard Coco scream from down below, a scream that was now frighteningly silent. But it was also clear that something had happened with Flaxseed as well. Gritting her teeth, Rarity made her decision. "Sweetie, I'm going downstairs to check what's going on. Stay here." "But what about...?" Sweetie gave Flaxseed's door a worried look. Rarity glared at Sweetie, putting every ounce of authority that she could into her voice. "Stay! Here!" The last thing she wanted was for Sweetie to inadvertently walk into one of Flaxseed's panic attacks. Rarity dashed down the stairs, nearly tripping on the hem of her nightgown as she reached the bottom floor. From the bottom of the stairs, she looked across her workroom to see moonlight spilling in through a broken window, illuminating a still figure on the floor. "Coco!" Rarity was at the younger mare's side in an instant, desperately checking for any injury, but already fearing the worst. Please! Please no! She jumped when Coco's body shuddered at the touch of her hoof. There was no sign of any bleeding...so far and she couldn't see any bruises. But the moonlight was only of so much use in this scenario. Rarity quickly used her magic to switch on the lights in the workroom in order to get a better assessment of Coco's status. Coco was laying on the floor, her entire body shuddering with tremors as she hid her head beneath her forehooves, whimpering and crying, her tears forming puddles that spread across the floor. "Coco!" said Rarity, struggling to keep from shouting, "Coco! Are you alright?" Already, she could hear sounds from outside, the voices of other ponies. The sound of her window breaking had probably woken up half the ponies in the neighborhood. Still, she couldn't afford to be distracted. "Coco! Are you hurt? Please speak to me!" Coco's eyelids flickered and slowly opened. She looked up at Rarity lowering her hooves. However, as her eyes met Rarity, fresh tears exploded outwards and Coco collapsed back to the floor, sobbing openly. "I'm sorry!" she cried, "I'm so sorry!" What in Celestia's name happened? Rarity wanted to ask that question out loud. From outside, her ears picked up a new sound, this one the roar of wind. Is that...Dawn? Perlin shook his head vigorously as he beat his wings furiously to gain altitude, the town of Ponyville falling away below his hooves. His head ached from where he had slammed it into, and subsequently through, the window, while his ears were still ringing from Coco's scream, which had been much louder than he'd been counting on. It had actually thrown him off his game enough that he'd used his head to break the window, rather than a safer part of his body. But it should be convincing enough, he thought, After a scream like that, nopony would think that she'd helped me willingly. That's method acting for you. Something else hurt. It was like a stinging piece of ice had lodged itself into Perlin's heart when he thought of the look of horror on Coco's face and played her scream over in his mind. He should have been proud of how well he'd accomplished what he set out to do. It had seemed like rather brilliant plan, especially for one he'd come up on the spur of the moment. But he didn't feel satisfied at all. He hadn't liked the sound of Coco's scream. He hadn't liked the idea of her screaming at all. He liked it even less that he had been the one to make her scream. He much preferred seeing the happy expression on her face and the animation in her voice on those few occasions where she'd forgotten her fear of him, however briefly, in the enthusiasm of being able to talk about her craft. Compared to that, her shriek and terrified expression were almost painful to think of. Perlin's flight faltered slightly as he tried to ponder what all of this meant. Why did that hurt so much? he wondered. His musings were cut short by a loud roar. The sound was the only warning he had. In the scant light of the moon and the stars, Perlin's eyes couldn't make out the faint rippling effect of the light refraction caused by the sudden change in air pressure as a column of compressed air hurtled at him like a cannonball. He only just barely managed to bring his wing around to intercept the attack. Even then, his angle wasn't completely correct and the mithril feathers only managed to blunt some of the blow. A portion of the strike slammed directly into his barrel and drove the breath from his lungs, sending the young stallion spinning off through the air. Even as he struggled to right himself and regain control over his flight, Perlin had already noticed something was off. He'd been taken completely off-guard and his defense had failed to stop the attack completely. But it was wrong that he had taken so little damage. Perlin knew from experience that Dawn Lightwing's attacks carried enough force to easily injure or even kill him, even if he blocked part of it. The force that had made it past his wing should have crushed his ribcage, or at least cracked it, not simply knocked the wind out of him. The blow hadn't been focused enough to do any real damage. Judging by the time difference between when Perlin's ears had picked up the sound and when the wind itself had arrived, the attack had been slightly slower than Dawn's usual as well. Finally managing to get himself righted, Perlin oriented to face the direction the attack had come from. However, his opponent was already out of his line of sight and was shifting to attack from a different angle. He caught a blur of orange, standing starkly out against the darkness of the night. He barely managed to catch sight of the orange filly as she came at him from overhead, twisting her entire body into a roll to put her full strength into her wing as she swept it downwards, aiming another blast of air straight down between his shoulder blades. This time, Perlin was ready. He rolled himself, interposing his wing directly between himself and Scootaloo, easily catching the full force of her strike with it this time. Using the same technique he'd developed against Dawn's own attacks, Perlin shifted the axis of his roll, allowing him to roll out of the way of the attack, rather than be driven down into the ground by it. Once again, he noticed that Scootaloo's attack had less focus and much of the force scattered as it came into contact with his wing. Even if he hadn't rolled to deflect it, the force of the blow wouldn't have driven him very far. She's still green, he realized. However long Scootaloo had been practicing the Gale King, she hadn't been at it nearly as long as Dawn. Perlin knew that Dawn had taken the filly as his student, so it had probably been less than a year at this point. While her attacks had plenty of power, she hadn't refined her control as much as Dawn had. During their first fight, Dawn had launched similar attacks from a point so distant that he'd nearly been a speck in Perlin's vision. And yet, Dawn's attacks hadn't lost an ounce of their power over that distance. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was much closer, but she wasn't making Perlin work near as much to block her strikes. At the moment, that fact actually worked out to Perlin's disadvantage. His roll, meant to deflect a much more powerful strike, was meant to use the incoming attack's power to speed his movement and allow him to move in and launch his own counterstrike. Had Dawn's power been behind the strike, Perlin would have already completed the roll and used the rest of his momentum to swing upwards in a swooping climb that would bring Dawn within reach of his wings. Even if Dawn could react quickly enough to counter his approach, Perlin could still strike with the wired feathers that he could launch at will. However, because Scootaloo's attack lacked the impact Dawn's had, Perlin was still upside down, his belly and legs facing upwards when the next attack came. This time, Scootaloo used both of her wings, swinging them downwards with a loud shout, driving another heavy column of air down at Perlin's exposed underbelly. Her aim was good. In this position, Perlin would be hard pressed to roll far enough to completely block this strike especially now that the momentum of his deflection had petered out. Instead, Perlin swung both his wings in front of him and extended them so that the tips of his primaries met in front of him, forming his wings into a wedge between him and the incoming attack. The blast of air was split by the mithril feathers, sending it rushing past Perlin on either side. As it did, Perlin noted that this strike, at least, was much more focused than the last two had been. This technique, at least, had clearly been one that Scootaloo had spent much more time and effort on refining. His mind idly filed those details away as he swept his wings outward, tearing the remainder of the attack apart. As he did so, he came face to face with Scootaloo, who had used the attack to come in close. Perlin's eyes widened. Is she mad? It was clear that Scootaloo hadn't yet fully mastered Dawn's technique for swiftly moving over short distances. She was still outside the reach of his wings, whereas Dawn would have already been within inches of Perlin by now. If she tried to close in the rest of the way at this point, he'd easily be able to slice her to ribbons. However, Scootaloo surprised him once again. Instead of charging in, she lashed out with a single hoof, thrusting it straight towards Perlin. For the second time that night, the young stallion had the breath driven from his lungs as a small, but very compact burst of air slammed directly into his unprotected stomach. Out of the corner of his eye, Perlin caught a flash of white and noted that the ribbon of fabric he'd cut from Rarity's roll, which had been wound carelessly about his foreleg without so much as a knot to keep it secure, had come loose and was now fluttering off into the open air. Oops! Even as the force of the blow drove him back, Perlin reflexively launched his secret weapon. A primary from his right wing detached itself and, with a flick of said wing, Perlin launched it straight for Scootaloo's neck like a silvery dart. The blade barely glittered in the starlight and Perlin knew from experience that the wind-sense employed by users of the Gale King couldn't detect the feathers, which barely disturbed the currents of air as they sliced cleanly through them. Scootaloo had no hope of seeing the attack coming. However, Perlin changed his mind even as he struck, twisting his wing slightly so that the feather's flight drifted off course to sail harmlessly by Scootaloo's neck. At most, it would give her a tiny scratch to remember him by. It proved a futile gesture anyway. However, the feather was less than an inch from her throat when something else impacted it with a loud ring of metal on metal, knocking the feather away. Perlin's eyes caught a fast-moving shape bouncing away from the impact and he heard the faint hissing sound that usually accompanied a small object moving at high speed through the air. A tug of his wing pulled the feather back to him by its wire tether, allowing Perlin to reattach it to his wing in less than a second. Already, he was maneuvering to face the new threat as it approached. Storm Front was whipping his meteor hammer through complex circles before a twist and a light tug sent the weapon's metal weight whipping towards Perlin's head in a sideways arc. Perlin barely managed to duck beneath the swipe. But, as it passed over his head, he felt a heavy buzz off the weapon that made his teeth rattle and his vision swim. Backwinging furiously, Perlin fought for distance as Storm began launching a rapid series of blows with the meteor hammer, which seemed to come from every conceivable direction. The weight clanged harshly against Perlin's feathers as he fell back from the onslaught. As he did so, Perlin spied the shimmering strip of fabric drifting in the wind. It was only getting further away from each passing second and trying to go for it would bring him dangerously close to Storm Front. As much as Perlin relished a challenge, he wasn't here to fight. Besides, he thought, this might work out for the best. As he deflected the last ringing blow from the meteor hammer, Perlin twisted and beat his wings hard, accelerating away and heading away from Ponyville, flying in the general direction of Canterlot as fast as he dared. Edlerflower would not be pleased with his failure. The shimmersilk sample that Perlin had come to collect was lost and he had nothing to show for his efforts. In spite of that, Perlin's heart felt much lighter as he continued his flight towards Canterlot. Perhaps the fact that the sample she'd betrayed Rarity to give to him would not be making it into the Baron's hooves would provide some comfort to Coco after all the distress he had caused. Furthermore, Perlin's heart was pounding...and not simply because of his recent exertions either. Even though it had been brief, his fight with Scootaloo had been exhilarating. Though her technique required a great deal of polish before she'd be ready for a more serious fight, he'd seen some signs that she was advancing very quickly. There had been no hesitation in her attack. She had pressed her advantage and held nothing back. Even more importantly, though her attack had struck home, Scootaloo hadn't hesitated in the slightest and had immediately pressed her advantage. It was clear that she had a basic understanding of just how dangerous Perlin was and that her best hope of beating him was to not give him a chance to recover, launching a fierce offensive and even daring to come in close in order to deliver what could have been a decisive blow. That kind of insight and initiative wouldn't have come from a filly who had only been passively learning the lessons that Dawn had taught her directly. If I recall, thought Perlin, she was watching my last fight with Dawn. She had not merely been a passive observer, but had used the fight between Dawn and him as a learning opportunity and subsequently applied what she had learned in tonight's bout. She had taken the initiative to further her own understanding of how to fight, which was something quite distinct from simply learning the Gale King. The thought actually made Perlin's heart beat even faster as an eager grin spread across his face. What incredible potential, he thought, Before long, she'll become a pony that will truly be worth fighting. It was a good idea to not kill her tonight. Thus, it was with a much lighter heart that Perlin commenced his ascent towards Canterlot. The night had proven not to be such an unpleasant affair after all. Scootaloo caught the strip of windblown shimmersilk, letting the fabric fold across her arm as she eyed it curiously. Is this what all that noise was about? "That was reckless," said Storm Front, his voice making Scootaloo yelp as she spun about to face him. Already, her wind sense could pick up the air currents being produced by other approaching pegasi. It seemed that all the noise from the fight had drawn the attention of the entire town. "What?" asked Scootaloo. "You attacked him," Storm noted, "That was foolish. You aren't nearly ready for that kind of fight." "Are you kidding?" demanded Scootaloo, flaring her wings indignantly, "I had him on the ropes!" Storm shook his head. "Did you see his feather?" Scootaloo froze, blinking in shock. "N-no..." She remembered hearing a loud ring of metal on metal only inches away from her, but had only just barely seen Storm's Meteor hammer being retracted. Out of the corner of her eye, she had seen a flash of silver as something was pulled back to Perlin's wing. Reaching further into her memory, she remembered what she had seen of Perlin's fight with Dawn, right before the pair of them had left for Diamond Mountain. She remembered flashes of light glittering off feathers that had seemed to fly off Perlin's wings of their own accord. However, upon careful observation, Scootaloo had realized that they were still connected to his wing with thin, nearly invisible wires. Perlin had wielded those feathers with blinding speed. Then that means...that noise was... Storm's eyes narrowed. "That feather was barely an inch away from your throat. Had I not arrived, you would have been killed." "What was that?" Dawn's voice was heavy with both shock and horror. Scootaloo and Storm were taken a bit off-guard by his sudden arrival. Scootaloo had been so distracted by the conversation, she hadn't even noticed his approach. "Who nearly killed Scootaloo?" "Perlin Bluestreak," replied Storm Front. Dawn immediately whipped his head around to look at Scootaloo, his eyes narrowing fiercely. The intensity of his gaze caused Scootaloo to flinch back. "Explain!" Scootaloo suddenly felt uncharacteristically nervous. She remembered how nervous Dawn had looked whenever she'd been angry with him. Is this what that feels like? Storm looked around, noting that there was a crowd of curious pegasi gathering around them. "Perhaps we should take this elsewhere," he suggested. "There there dear," said Rarity as she held Coco close, gently rocking back and forth, doing her best to comfort the younger mare, "It's alright. Everything is alright." "I-it's not, Miss Rarity," whimpered Coco, "A-after everything you d-did for me...I-I..." Rarity levitated a tissue and used it to dab the tears away from Coco's eyes. "Come now," said Rarity, giving Coco an encouraging smile, "It's not as bad as that. Tell me what happened." Reluctantly, Coco explained what happened...or rather...explained events in the manner that Perlin had suggested she do. He had approached her on her way back to Caramel's house, threatened her to get her to let them into the boutique so that Perlin could steal a sample of Rarity's shimmersilk. Then, before leaving, Perlin had been about to kill her... "I-I screamed," she said, "It...it must have startled him, since he went straight out through the window." Rarity's eyes widened. "That brute was here...in my home!" While Sweetie was here no less. The realization horrified her. "I'm sorry," sobbed Coco, breaking down again. "Shh," hushed Rarity, hugging Coco tighter and stroking her mane, "It's alright. He didn't hurt you. You're safe now." "B-but your..." Rarity clicked her tongue. "Now really, darling. That's not what's important right now. I can't waste time worrying about a strip of fabric when there are more important issues at stake." The question of why Perlin had come to steal a sample of her newest creation...and at whose behest...would probably come back to gnaw at her mind later on. But Coco's wellbeing was much more important than that. "But...all the work you put in..." whispered Coco. Rarity smiled and used her hooves to cup Coco's cheeks. "Look at me," she said. She guided Coco's face up so that Coco could look her in the eyes. Rarity met Coco's fearful gaze with a warm, smiling one. "Coco, I'm going to share something very important with you, something that I've learned about this trade. It's knowledge I've arrived at after years of experience and after many mistakes. "If there's one thing I've truly learned about fashion, about tailoring and dressmaking, it's that the dresses themselves aren't what's truly important." Coco gasped, as though what Rarity had said was inconceivable. Rarity's smile widened and she giggled a little. "Remember this...Your dresses can be as spectacular as the stars in Luna's sky. You can use any number of advanced techniques in their creation and finish them off with all kinds of fancy embellishments, but that will all count for nothing if all they do is sit on a ponyquin or hang from a rack. A dress only shows its true value when its worn by a real pony. Our art only shines when they wear it, because it exists to make them shine. That's why, before you worry about my fabric, my creations, or anything else, you need to think about the ponies first. "The same goes for you." Rarity nuzzled against Coco, gently rubbing their cheeks together, not bothering to worry about the wetness of Coco's tears as it seeped into Rarity's own coat. "You are far more precious to me than any dress or fabric I make Coco. That's because you are a pony. You are my apprentice, my peer, my fellow artist, and my friend. If it's for your safety, I would trade away a whole roll of my shimmersilk without a second thought." "R-really?" gasped Coco, staring at Rarity with an open mouth, stunned by the idea. "Yes," said Rarity. She leaned in to plant a kiss on Coco's forehead. "So please, don't worry about my fabric right now. What's important is that you're unhurt. I can always make more shimmersilk." "Thank you," whispered Coco. Now that her fear had been mostly abated, her eyelids had begun to fall. Her entire body was sagging as the night's events took their toll. Coco faded away into sleep in Rarity's arms. With a sigh halfway between exasperation and amusement, Rarity lifted Coco in a glittering cloud of magic and deposited the young mare gently on her fainting couch. Rarity fetched a spare blanket from the closet and draped it over Coco's form. "Really," said Rarity, raising an eyebrow as she watched Coco with a wry smile, "Between you and Flaxseed, I'm going to have to get another couch for myself." Still, she supposed it wasn't all bad. Rarity couldn't recall the last time she'd had a major dramatic breakdown of her own in recent months. The last incident would have been the Cutie Mark Crusaders' sleepover in Dawn's quinzhee, which had triggered Rarity's dramatic tendencies when she'd learned that Rumble would be there. Being responsible for other ponies had forced her to check her more impulsive tendencies. It is quite harrying at times, she thought, It was so much simpler when it was just Sweetie Belle. But now I have three ponies to look after. I never imagined that my family would get so large this quickly. I wonder what mother and father will think the next time they visit. With a sigh, Rarity reminded herself that Coco wasn't the only pony who needed her attention at this time. She proceeded upstairs to deal with an infinitely more delicate issue. Sweetie was still there, waiting just outside the door to her own room. "Is everything okay, Rarity?" asked Sweetie. "For the most part," said Rarity, "Nopony was hurt. Poor Coco was given a very bad fright. She's sleeping it off right now." "Okay," said Sweetie, looking over at the door to Flaxseed's room, "Do you want me to help." "Let me try first," said Rarity, "But we may need your assistance yet." Walking up to the door, Rarity gently tapped her hoof against it. "Flaxseed...Flaxseed, dear, are you there?" Silence was the response. Taking a deep breath, Rarity leaned up against the door. "Flaxseed...it's me. I know you're still in there. I just need to know that you're alright. I won't try to open the door without your permission. But...please...answer me." "R-Rarity?" came Flaxseed's nervous voice from within, "Wha-what's going on?" Letting out a relieved breath, Rarity lowered her hoof from the door. "Thank goodness," she whispered. Returning her attention to the stallion on the other side of the portal, she said, "There was a thief. He forced Coco to let him into the Boutique and stole a sample of one of my fabrics. That scream you heard was Coco after he threatened her." "Is she okay?" asked Flaxseed. Rarity's smile widened. It comforted her to know that Flaxseed was thinking about somepony else in this situation. Given his history, she couldn't exactly blame him if his first concerns were whether or not the fabric had really been the intruder's target. "She's fine," said Rarity, "She's resting right now." "So...it wasn't..." "No darling. As far as I can tell, it had nothing to do with you. The thief is gone now. Are you alright with letting me in?" "Um..." There was a grunting noise, followed by a low rumble as something heavy shifted...slightly. "Uh..." Rarity couldn't keep the deadpan from her expression or her voice as she stared at the door. "You can't move the bed back, can you?" "Uh...sorry..." It made a certain amount of sense to Rarity. When he was in his panicked state, Flaxseed could unleash an impressive amount of brute force that allowed him to turn heavy objects that ordinary unicorns would struggle to move into deadly projectiles. Naturally, when he'd heard Coco's scream and the sound of glass breaking below, his first thought had been to block the door. With the panic fueling his magical reserves, he'd slid the bed up against the wall with enough force to make the door rattle. But now that he was more calm and relaxed, that bed wasn't going anywhere. I'm going to need Twilight's help with this, she thought. Twilight was probably the only pony in Ponyville with enough raw power (at will at least), to move the bed. "Do you need to get out of there right now?" asked Rarity. She didn't really want to disturb Twilight at such a late hour. But then again, given that racket outside, she might have been disturbed anyway. If Flaxseed didn't mind being stuck in the room for the night, she could go get Twilight and secure her help first thing in the morning. "...I think I'll be fine," said Flaxseed. There was a certain apologetic quality to his tone. Rarity sighed. Her body began to shake. Finally, she began to giggle, sinking to the floor as her body quivered from her mirth and tears began to leak from her eyes. "Um...Rarity? Is everything okay?" asked Sweetie, eyeing Rarity nervously. "It's...It's fine," said Rarity, wiping her eyes, "There's just been a lot to deal with this evening." "...Sorry," said Flaxseed from behind the door. "It's fine dear," said Rarity, "We'll get Twilight to move the bed and help you out in the morning." "...'Kay." "Are you going to sleep alright?" asked Rarity, smiling at the door, "Do you need Sweetie to sing you to sleep again." "I think I'll be fine," said Flaxseed. "Alright then," said Rarity. She turned to regard Sweetie. "It's time for bed." Sweetie blinked. "But what about the window?" "I think we'll be fine," said Rarity, "I'll see to it in the morning." With that, silence descended on the boutique once more. Rarity wasn't overly worried about there being any other intruders that night as she'd glimpsed a familiar figure outside the broken window, the silhouette of a certain Knight she knew, diligently standing guard. I'll need to make sure he gets a proper breakfast in the morning. Dawn did not look happy. That fact alone made Scootaloo's heart thud alarmingly in her chest as her anxiety grew. She'd seen him angry, of course. She'd once seen him exhibit a precise, terrifying rage that had driven him to honestly consider mutilating another pony. Said pony had been her father, who had tried to attack Scootaloo and Dawn at the filly's First Flight party. Had Storm Front not intervened back then, Cirrus Stratus would have been down one set of wings and doomed to a life of perpetual grounding, a nightmare for any pegasus. Dawn's rage had been terrifying back then. It had been enough that Scootaloo had kept her distance from him for several days. So...to have even a fraction of that anger directed at her was a nerve-wracking experience. "How could you be so foolish?" demanded Dawn, "You saw for yourself just how dangerous Perlin is. What on earth were you thinking, attacking him like that?" "I..." Scootaloo looked down at the table. Melon Cream and Storm Front watched the pair of foals from the other sides of the kitchen table, the two adults staying out of the conversation for now. "What you did was reckless. You could have been killed! I told you you weren't ready for a real fight yet." Dawn's words made Scootaloo's ears stand on end, anger rising to push aside her nervousness. "Hey! Where do you get off calling me reckless?" She slammed her hooves down on the table, actually making it jump. "I'm not the one with a room on standby at the hospital!" Her words made Dawn flinch backwards. The ebony colt blinked in surprise, caught off-guard by Scootaloo's sudden outburst. "I..." "You don't have any right to talk when you keep landing yourself in the emergency room beat halfway to Tartarus." Scootaloo glared across the table at Dawn. "You're the one always sneaking off to do dangerous stuff and making me and Fluttershy worry. You don't get to talk to me about being reckless!" Recovering his composure, Dawn's eyes narrowed and he glared back at Scootaloo, his distinct eyes giving the angry stare an impressive degree of intensity. It was likely that, someday, he might even surpass his mother in the eventual future when it came to Staring. "I may court serious injury and even death with the things I've done. But I've always known the risks. I have experience to properly judge the situation. You don't." "And just where did you get that experience, huh?" demanded Scootaloo, leaning forward, refusing to be cowed by Dawn's gaze, "You got it because you went out there and did stuff. You fought ponies. You fought monsters. How am I gonna get any experience if you're gonna keep me under a hundred layers of bubblewrap? I'm starting to think you don't actually want me to learn anything. You just want a student to boss around so that you can feel superior." "Wha-?" gasped Melon, gaping at her daughter, "Scootaloo! That's-" "Well if you're going to do something as suicidally stupid as what you just did, then maybe you don't deserve any further instruction," Dawn retorted, cutting Melon off. "Now hold on-" began Storm, raising a hoof in an attempt at placation. "Well maybe I don't need your 'instruction,'" Scootaloo snarled back, using her feathers to form air quotes for the last word. "I'm probably better off on my own than being stuck with a self-righteous hypocrite like you!" "If that's what you want, then go ahead and do it!" growled Dawn, "But don't expect anymore help from me." "That's fine with me!" snapped Scootaloo, "Like I need your help anyway!" "Fine!" "Fine!" Dawn turned abruptly and stalked towards the door out, slamming it shut behind him. In the meantime, Scootaloo rushed upstairs and slammed her own door shut. Silence descended on the kitchen as Melon and Storm stared each other for a long moment. Finally, a blinking Storm spoke. "What just happened?"