//------------------------------// // Rarity's Worst Nightmare // Story: After The Song // by BioQuillFiction //------------------------------// I took a whole ten minutes to process what happened in Pinkie's mind. Glade that was a onetime thing. We opened another door and found Rarity, she was handcuffed to the bed frame at the wrists and ankles... If Rainbow was here she would make a sex joke right about now. I was thinking of a way to unlock the handcuffs but it was for nothing when Pinkie pulled out a Bobbi pin out of her hair and the cuffs came off with a click each. "Alright then once again." I said as I placed my hand Rarity's head and was about to fall into blackness. Was surprised Adagio didn't call to complain. A loud crack of static burst into my ear. Well speak of the devil. "Now there is no way just your friendship is what's breaking my spells there must be something else!" I covered Pinkie's mouth quickly before speak. "Nope just friendship and rainbows..." That sounded kind of wrong. "No there is something or someone helping you I will..." Adagio's rant was cut off by the sound of a door slamming. "What the!?" The audio cut after that and I quickly placed my hand on Rarity's head and fell into that void. * * * The darkness didn't last long. I could feel a bright light shining through my eyelids. I opened my eyes and I was in Rarity's boutique back in our home town except it's all rundown and dusty. These are two things I know Rarity can't stand but I don't think that is her worse nightmare. I walked around the store part of the boutique and even tried the front door but it wouldn't open and the windows were bricked up... literally classic red bricks from those old squash and stretch cartoons! So I'm guessing the boutique is all that the spell made to torture Rarity. As I walked up the stairs I to the upper floor of the boutique the sound of dramatic crying came into rang. Yup that's Rarity alright. I opened the first door and found Rarity in her pink pink sleeping robe curled up on her bed. Her makeup and eyeliner smeared down along her cheeks from the tears. "Rarity?" The crying changed into a slight sob. "Sunset Shimmer?" Rarity looked over to me still lying on the bed. "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to that Berry Berry's 'fashion show'." Who the hell is Berry Berry? "Rarity what's going on?" "Like you don't know. That Berry Berry fashionista stole all my clientele with those tacky outfits. Then she shows off and takes my spot in the band! And you all forgot about me!" The room started to shake and Rarity jumped out of the bed and up to my face. "None of you cared!" Rarity dispersed into mist in a blink of an eye then I heard the front door downstairs open. I walked downstairs and saw a women around my age dressed in purple dyed wool dress with green Afro hair... Well then I'm never complaining about Pinkie's sense of fashion again. She spotted me and smiled. "You must be the real Sunset Shimmer." Her voice sounded a cat choked on a hairball. "And you must be this Berry Berry?" "Yes I am. I bet you're wondering what I am." "Don't you mean who you are?" "Well that too. I am the spell, my official name would be Misfortune." "But luck isn't real!" "And you aren't a unicorn pony come from an alternate dimension." "Touché. So your grieving Rarity with bad luck?" "Yes silly. I'm undoing all of her moments of good fortune and making her life a living hell. I'm glad you came when you did, I'm about to change her memory of her dads heart surgery into a botched operation." Dear Go.. Cel... That's satanic! "You're sick!" "Well what else would I be silly? I was taken from a suicidal young girl who has never known joy of good fortune of any sort and taken from her by a girl with some real issues and then was put here with the task of harming you friend emotionally scarring her for life." "I've already beat two of you spells. A third will put me on a roll." "Yes you have the same type of pendent as that girl with the major issues. But like her you have to sing to Rarity to free her so I still win." "You cocky little!" Breath Sunset breath think! She's cocky now how can I use that... Got it! "How confident are you that I will lose?" "Oh about one hundred percent." "Then how about a bet. If I win I get to sing the song to free Rarity and you can't interfere, but if you win you can torture me as well." Misfortune scratched her chin for a bit. "Alright then you're on." At a clap of her hand the boutique changed into a long hallway of doors each labeled with different events. One was labeled eighth birthday, another was labeled fourth grade English test. The list goes on. In a flash Berry Berry or Misfortune appeared several feet in front of me. "Here's the stakes, Rarity's conciseness is in a memory. The memories you see before you go from a week after birth to yesterday after noon find the memory with your Rarity and avoid the traps." "Traps?" "When you entered Rarity's mind I started going through your memories and I've taken a few good ones and twisted them into a shell of what they where, if you find three out of the five twisted memories I made before finding your Rarity I win." Damn it that little... "Fine you're on." Misfortune disappeared and left me to find the three parts of Rarity. I opened the doors only a crack to peer in and so far they all seemed like normal memories, guess Misfortune changed them back before this started. What exactly am I even looking for!? I looked into three memories with three Rarity's at different ages how do I know if that's my Rarity!? Come on Sunset Shimmer think if this spell is some kind of luck spell then what events in Rarity's life would have revolved around good and/or bad luck? I sat down on the 'floor' and started to think. Damn I've always known Rarity to have never really relied on luck just on her skill and planning, lot like Twilight... Come on think! While scratching my head at the situation I eventually pulled out Sonata's pendant. After taking what was left of Pinkie's negative emotions all it has now are a few scratches where the chips and cracks used to be. What type of spell or emotion would help you find something or someone? After a while I started feeling lost. What can I do to get you out of this Rarity? Maybe if music activates the magic in the pendants then what song should I sing? Something from the heart seems right. Every day since I met you I've felt shame You were everything I wanted to be and so much more That shame was for myself and I let it show Then one day you came to me and said let’s make it right. I never knew your friendship would be this kind Then again I never really took the time At the request of a friend you help me out Despite our past you treated me nice and I Never deserved to be treated so kind. You had the chance to let me rot and die But you pulled me up till I held my head high Rarity you helped to keep me in line So what can I do now that you need me this time? Sonata's pendent started to glow, rather than a crimson red it glowed a sky blue and a little ball of that light flew out. What the!? It floated for a while in front of me before it flew off down the hall and stopped in front of a door. When I got to the door it was labeled 'Beat Rainbow Dash'. Rarity beat Rainbow at something!? Must have been before I came to this world. I opened the door and was met with the high school cafeteria crowded and smelling of old cheese like always. Everyone I knew was way younger than when I arrived to this is a relatively old memory. I walked around but nobody paid me attention, like I wasn't here... I face-palmed. I wasn't here and this is Rarity's memory so of course I have no effect on anything. I didn't have to walk long when I found Rarity, and Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy all sitting next to one another eating their lunches. I walked up to them but before I ever dared to interfere I have to know what Rarity beat Rainbow Dash at. I basically became a shadow as I watched the young versions of my friends talk amongst themselves. "I can win any challenge and any bet because I'm awesome!" Rainbow Dash was the first speaking. "Oh come on Dash you can't really win everything. It's impossible." Applejack replied. "Watch me; I will beat any of you at a challenge right now." "I might have a challenge you can't win Rainbow." Rarity spoke with a rather joyful tone of voice. "Like what?" "A staring contest." Rainbow burst into laughter. "Seriously Rare's I thought you knew me better. I run in track and already beat the records for fastest time and fastest speed, the wind blowing against my face as I run has given me some resistance to dry eyes." "True as that may be I spend my time at home keeping my eyes open to check on designs and to make sure every little detail is perfect. By the time I realize I need to blink it's been close to five minutes." "Alright then you're on Rare's." The two opened their eyes staring dead lock on each other’s faces. I kept track of time from when they started and it had been three minutes and Rainbow was looked rather teary eyed. Finally almost to the five minute mark Rainbow caved and blinked. Rarity didn't even look like she had her eyes open for a long time, they looked normal! Not that is a gift, or rather an acquired talent. Rainbow wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at Rarity. "I hate losing. You wouldn't mind keeping this a secret right?" Rarity just smiled. "Fine by me but you need to stop by my house after school." "Why?" "The school drama teacher asked me to make some costumes for the next school play and you are the exact size as one of the girls in the play." "Fine I'll play doll. It's just the one right?" "Yes, the drama teacher said she was a late year transfer student and managed to get a part but they didn't have a costume." "Alright then." So the mighty Rainbow Dash can't beat Rarity in a staring contest, I'm going to keep that under my sleeve for now. I walked over to Rarity but the whole room diapered. it was just Rarity and I in a white void and Rarity was still talking like the memory was still going. I heard clapping behind me and when I turned Berry Berry/Misfortune was there. "Well done Sunset Shimmer. I honestly didn't think you had a chance in hell of pulling this off but here you are as the victor." "And you're keeping the agreement. You can't interfere while I wake Rarity up right?" "Yes that was the agreement and therefore is kept. But I do have one favor to ask." "A favor?" "Like I said I came from a young girl who has lived a horrible life since birth. I guess I'm asking you to check up on her." "... Say what now?" "Without me inside her head she'll be feeling other emotions after that mind control spell is broken. That or she won't be feeling any emotions at all. I want you to make sure she lives a life that is meant for a five year old girl to have." She's freaking Five and in an insane asylum!? "Sure, I'll add that to the list." Right under free friends from evil spells. "Thank you. Now hurry up with that song before I change my mind." I touched Rarity's shoulder and she changed into the crying mess that I first saw. Only this time when she saw me she looked sorry? Why is she looking sorry? "Oh Sunset Shimmer I kept thinking all these horrid thoughts about you and the others. I thought you all had abandoned me." "We would never do that Rarity. Even when you and the others had the chance to leave me behind you didn't and I'm repaying that act of kindness." I started singing a new song, from the heart. In this world we live, life is often unkind There are few good guy's and many of the bad But when I met you I realized This world holds beauty and more You became my friend despite our horrid past You stayed by me to get me on my feet And when you had the chance to leave me dead and beat You stayed by me to get me on my feet Now here we are ten whole years later Still friends and even better we stayed together You got me on my feet and now I can finally walk Now I will help you up when you need help as well. I gave Rarity a hug and we both started to disappear as we awoke out of this dream.