I took the paintbrush up in my magic again, being ever so careful not to spill a drop on my exotic – and expensive! – imported Zebrican hoof-woven rug. Ready for the next stripe. I carefully, ever so carefully, slid the brush from the top of my diamond cutie mark around the front of my thigh and down the inside in a pleasing curved pattern. The thick black paint chilled me wherever it touched, making me shiver, though that might have been more in anticipation.
I was almost done, and soon I'd be able to see myself in the mirror, see myself as only I could see me, free from the pretensions and rigidities of class and propriety.
It was my darkest secret, the one I didn't dare let anypony find out about: I loved the fashion scene and high society, truly ... and yet ... Something was missing. Where was the spontaneity – real spontaneity, not the feigned conceits of the avant garde? Where was the freedom, the creativity, the wildness? There was only one place I could find those, and that was here, in my most private, most secure of places, and then only very rarely. After all, what would ponies think if they knew I liked to play dress-up as a zebra mare? That I enjoyed the wild primitivism, the noble savagery? Nopony would ever understand, especially not with it coming from somepony as outwardly sophisticated as me.
So I did it alone, locked away in the highest room of Carousel Boutique, long after closing time ... and I looked in the mirror and saw myself as I so often longed to be.
A couple more carefully drawn stripes, and I was ready. I walked to my special room's mirror, careful to not let my legs brush against one another – lest I smear the ink – and admired the fruits of my painstaking labor.
I was lucky to be white-coated. The black stripes looked perfect – absolutely perfect – in the reflection. There was nothing I could do about the mane, of course. Any dye would be far too long-lasting, and I'd end up having to explain it to customers tomorrow. It would be my undoing. My mane could, at least, cover my horn after a few expert brush strokes.
There. A zebra mare. A zebra mare who had dyed her mane purple, but a zebra nonetheless. Wild, free, totally uninhibited.
Hooves pounded on the boutique's front door, loud enough for me to hear them all the way up here. All my inhibitions were back, seven-fold! I glanced at the mirror – not a zebra mare anymore. Now a very scared and very frightened unicorn filly looked back at me, terrified that her silly game would be discovered.
My heart thudded in my chest like it was trying to escape. I wished it could. Maybe if I ignored them, they'd go away?
The banging came again, along with shouted voices. They sounded familiar; I couldn't make out the actual words, but the tone sounded a lot like Rainbow Dash. If I didn't answer the door soon, she'd be sure to ... Oh no!
I rushed over to the window and flung the curtains closed – just in time: a moment after I did, Rainbow's silhouette outlined itself against the gauzy fabric. An impatient hoof beat on my window, sending horribly loud rattling bangs through the room.
“Come on, Rarity, we know you're in there – I can see the lights!” Rainbow shouted, muffled through the window but still easily understood. “We need your help, right now!”
“I am indisposed!” I shouted back.
Somepony's voice filtered up from down below. I couldn't hear it very well, but it sounded like Twilight's.
“Rarity says that she's in his hose,” Rainbow shouted back down in response to something.
The abrupt “What?” that came back up was perfectly understood, despite the distance and the window separating us. It was followed by some more indistinct mumblings I couldn't make out.
“Come on, Rarity, this is important...”
I let silence hang, hoping Rainbow would give up. She was known for her short attention span, right?
It was a vain hope. “Rarity, augh! If you don't come down and open the door, I'm gonna break this window!”
Well, that was it. I didn't have any choice, did I? As bad as this was going to be, it would only be worse if they broke in and found me like this. Still ... the nerve of these ponies! This was my private room, in my private house, in my private home! They had no right!
The silhouette flitted back from my window. She was getting ready to ram it!
“Rainbow, stop! I'm coming down.”
The pegasus' shape skidded to a halt just in front of my windowsill, hovered there for a moment, and then dropped down out of my view, in response to more mumblings from below.
I groaned. Time to face my fear. I'd known, somewhere deep inside, that this would happen sooner or later. Maybe I wanted it to? But what did that mean about me, then?
The walk down the back stairs of the boutique seemed to take ages, longer than it ever had before. Maybe that was because I was plodding slower than I would walk to my own funeral. I couldn't stop thinking about what they would think, how they would react. There was no way I was going to get through this with my dignity intact. There was no way I was going to get through this with my life intact. I was a ruined mare. The long trod down the stairs was my last time to enjoy being the toast of high society ... and I wasn't enjoying it at all. A shame, that.
Still, even an eternity has to end sometime, and sooner than I would ever have thought possible, sooner than I would ever have wished, I was standing behind my front door and listening to the voices outside. I only heard Twilight and Rainbow, which meant it was probably only those two – with the possible addition of Fluttershy, who wouldn't be speaking if she was there – and the fact that it would be limited to just them was a kindness. Not much of a consolation, though: word would spread.
I took a deep breath ... and then another ... and then another. Finally, I reached for the doorknob, aware that any further 'preparatory' breaths would do little more than hyperventilate me.
I opened the door.
Rainbow and Twilight burst in – thank the Goddess it was only those two, not all five of them. “Rarity! We need your help right away,” Rainbow shouted as she barreled in.
Twilight trotted in behind her. “Right. The delegation's banner is totally—”
Both of them froze when they really saw me. And they stayed frozen for much too long.
I hissed a quick intake of breath. After this long of a pause, there could be no playing it off as unnoticed or no big deal ... this much of a pause meant it was a very big deal.
They stood and blinked at me. “Rarity?” Twilight asked.
I nodded and stared at the floor. “Yes.”
Twilight glanced over at Rainbow before continuing, “Um, Rarity ... can I ask what you're...? Oh, ah, never mind. I shouldn't ask.”
“What's up with the stripes?” Rainbow blurted out.
I sighed. Classic Rainbow. So tactless. “Do we really need to go into that, girls?”
They glanced at each other, then nodded, staring at me with wide eyes.
“Very well.” I shook my head slowly. “It's just something I like to do sometimes, it makes me feel free.”
They just stared.
“Oh!” I moaned. “This is the end of me! Now that you know, nothing will ever be the same again! No more society, no more friendship, no more—”
“Woah woah woah, hold it right there, Prissy Pants.” Rainbow took wing and hovered in front of me. “It's not the end of anything.”
I waved a hoof at her dismissively. “Surely you must be joking. How can you ever look at me the same way after seeing me in such an unladylike state?”
Rainbow winced.
Clearing her throat, Twilight cut in, “We might not ever look at you in exactly the same way ... but that doesn't mean half of what you seem to think it means. We're more open-minded and accepting of differences than you give us credit for, right Rainbow?”
We both glanced at Rainbow, who merely stared at my striped flanks.
“Right, Rainbow?” Twilight repeated.
Rainbow shook herself free of the daze she'd fallen into. “Oh yeah, right!”
I didn't entirely buy it, but what choice did I have? The remainder of my life would no doubt be damage control and spin from this incident, if I chose to even attempt to salvage anything at all. What a miserable existence. I should start by removing all traces of my paint supplies. If there was no evidence, perhaps I could pass it off as a wild fancy from these two, a vicious rumor. Perhaps if I could get Applejack to back me up ... nopony would ever distrust her.
It saddened me to think that I'd never get my guilty pleasure again, but destroying my supplies was a necessary precaution – I'd been far too indiscreet already. I'd need to—
“Rarity, are you okay?” Rainbow peered into my face.
I shook myself. “Quite all right. Of course.”
“No, you're not.” Twilight gave me a look that cut right through my pretenses. “Rarity, this doesn't mean anything. We can still be friends, just like before. Nothing's changed.”
Nothing's changed? Ha! Everything's changed!
Twilight was still looking at me. “Okay. The delegation can wait. It's not as if it's our problem to make sure they have a banner. We need to deal with this first.”
“What?” I rolled my eyes theatrically. “Heavens, no! What did they need? A banner repaired, a whole banner fabricated? Maybe an entire dozen of my best—”
“Rarity.” One word from Twilight was enough to stop me cold.
“Oh leave me be, Twilight!” I whined. “Can't you see that my life is over now? Nothing will ever be the same now that you know! And once everypony else finds out...!”
Wisely, Twilight didn't even bother arguing that it would be kept a secret. Rainbow was there, after all, and could there ever be anypony worse at keeping secrets? Twilight did giggle, though. “I sort of already suspected it. Well, not the body painting part, but you do check out quite a lot of zebra-related books from the library.”
I covered my mouth with a hoof. “Oh.”
Another silence passed, but this time it was an awkward gap; nopony knew what to say. Me least of all.
“So let's help her!” Rainbow finally blurted out.
Twilight glanced over at her. “Help her? How?”
“This Neighpon delegation junk is boring, anyway. Let's help Rarity be a zebra!”
Both me and Twilight stared at the impetuous pegasus. “And how exactly,” Twilight asked, “would we do that?”
Rainbow returned our stares blankly for a moment, but then her face lit up in unholy joy. I cringed to think what might have occurred to her.
The result was even worse than I expected. “Let's go get Zecora!” she shouted.
“Rainbow Dash!” I huffed. “This is an outrage! Do you have no common decency? We simply cannot barge in on her and demand her help in...” I blanched “...whatever it is you think she will help us do.”
Twilight tapped a hoof to her chin. “Zecora would know more about being a zebra than anypony else around here.” Oh no, not her too!
“Girls!” I stomped a hoof down, dangerously unladylike, but maybe it was the painted-on stripes affecting me? “It is embarrassing enough just having you two see me like this. Can you imagine if Zecora – a real live zebra – saw me doing this? I would simply perish in shame! Have you no heart?”
“Whatever. So take a bath first. Then we'll go!”
“Rainbow, I will not! There is no way I could fathom it. Name one pony in Equestria whom it would be more shameful to show this secret to!”
“It's only shameful because you're hiding it.” Twilight took a step closer, looking me uncomfortably in the eyes. “Do you really want it hidden away in the dark for the rest of your life?”
That was stirring very uncomfortable feelings in my chest, but a lady does not allow herself to be thought of in such ways. “I want to be left to do what I like in peace.”
“I don't think so.” Why did that alicorn have to be so cutting? “I think you want the freedom to express yourself, but it's been repressed for too long.”
“Only because it must,” I insisted.
“But it doesn't, not really.” She shook her head. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life in a cage made of gilded expectations, or will you spread your wings and fly?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Isn't that from the new Sapphire Shores album?”
Twilight sighed. “Well, yes ... but it's still true!”
“Come on, Rarity, live a little!” Rainbow did a little loop in the confines of the room. “You know your friends have got your back, and what else really matters? Follow your dreams, wherever they lead!”
And that was from the latest Daring Do book, no doubt. It would be impolite and useless to point that out, though. There was a more important problem to be dealt with. “Still, I will not have any part in it. Can you even imagine how offensive it would be to Zecora's sensibilities?”
I glanced between the two of them, an un-ladylike sweat beginning to bead on my brow. “Oh, very well. I haven't anything left to lose, after all. But on one condition.”
The two of them were all smiles.
“We tell Zecora that we're asking for the sake of a friend.”
“Deal!”
Twilight nodded in time with Rainbow's outburst. “I guess you'll want to get cleaned up first?”
“Of course.”
“Do you mind if we find some fabric for the delegation's banner while we're here?”
“Not at all, darling. Help yourselves to anything in the back room's cabinets. I'll only be a moment.”
* * *
It was, of course, far longer than a moment before I returned down the stairs. Or rather, it was a lady's dressing room moment, which can be stretched as far as it needs to be, any source will tell you.
By the time I returned to the foyer, clean and pure white again, the two of them had managed to lay out a wide white banner of wholly inappropriate cashmere and were clumsily stitching a rough-cut red circle of corduroy in the middle of it. Since they had been treating me with every possible kindness so far this evening, I refrained from commenting on their work. At least the Neighpon banner was simple. I would have hated to see them butcher something more complex.
“Rarity, finally!” Rainbow jumped away from the fabric as if it might nip at her legs. “Come on, Twilight, let's get out of here and go see Zecora!”
“I don't know, Rainbow...” Twilight looked down at their 'banner'. “This has to be done by tomorrow morning, or it's going to be a total disaster. We should really finish the stitching before we—”
“I'll finish it overnight and deliver it to you first thing in the morning, Twilight dear.”
Both of them looked at me, beaming with gratitude. “Are you sure you'll be able to finish it in time?” Twilight asked.
It was an insulting question, really, but I let it slide. “Oh, there are only a few stitches left to go. It will take me no time at all.” Really, I would start over from scratch using proper materials, but they didn't need to know that.
* * *
By the time we approached Zecora's hut, the evening was growing old and the night breezes were blowing. Nearly all evidence of the sun was gone ... or perhaps it was just the hideous trees in this part of the forest blocking it out.
We spent some time – far too long – standing in front of the zebra's door. Twilight didn't seem overly eager to give it a knock, and I sure as Celestia wasn't about to volunteer myself.
Rainbow, of course, quickly grew frustrated from the lack of action, and even though she was behind both of us, she wedged her way in and knocked heavily on the door.
It immediately swung open from the pressure of her knocks.
“Who are these ponies coming so late in the day, and what could they have come to say?” came from inside.
We filed in, all of us silent. Even Rainbow was subdued.
Zecora looked up from a small pot she was mixing on the counter. “Well, has someone struck you dumb, or will you tell me why you've come?”
Eventually, Twilight broke the still silence. “Well, we have this friend, you see, and she's really interested in zebras. She, um, even wishes she could become one.”
“Ah, the good Miss Rarity. I was wondering when you'd come to me.”
“What?” I sputtered. “I didn't – we're here to ask for the sake of a mutual friend of ours who is—”
“Take care not to tell me any lies, you who come for exotic supplies. Long I've known you for your curiosity. Now I'll give you my generosity.”
Rainbow peered at her. “So ... there is a way? You have a potion!”
“There is no brew for what you think; there is something, but it will take more than a blink.”
I finally found my voice. “Wh-What is it?”
“There are ponies in our land who join our tribe, but there is no potion they imbibe. Instead, it's a ceremonial rite, one that must be done on the darkest night.”
We all glanced at one another.
“Will you take our test and venture on our quest?”
Rainbow squinted at her. “What exactly is this 'quest' you're talking about?”
“The pony is painted in zebra stripes, to bring together ponies of all types. The stripes are a special tattoo, made from a special brew – one that can must be made ... by you.” She stared right at me.
I gulped.
“The herb you need grows only in one spot, and I think you'll find it very hot. On Mount Mukatu's volcanic rim, you'll find a flower tall and slim. It grows only in this one single spot, search elsewhere as much as you like – you'll find it not.”
“But isn't that in your home country of Zebrica?” Twilight asked.
Zecora nodded solemnly.
“But how could I ever do that?” It was all crashing down on me now. “It must be ever so far away!”
Again, Zecora nodded solemnly.
In the silence, we all soaked in the realization: we'd be heading out on a quest soon. I knew there was no way my friends would let me do it alone.
“You should not do this on a whim. Only the truly devoted seek the volcano's brim.”
It was my turn to nod solemnly. “What was that about following your dreams, wherever they lead, Rainbow?”
“Rarity, this is a huge decision,” Twilight said. “You can't just jump into it.”
Rainbow laid a hoof on my back. “I'm in!”
We'd set out as soon as the Neighpon delegation left. It was time for a quest ... one I should have done a long, long time ago. I smiled. “Where exactly is this mountain, Zecora?”
* * *
Once again, we stood in front of Zecora's door. This time it was early in the morning, and even this deep in the Everfree, birds still chirped cheerfully ... or maybe that was just Zecora's influence on the area around her hut.
The three of us were finally back, a little the worse for wear. I wasn't the only one to be bearing scorch marks and tufts of mane missing, so I resolved to treat all three of us to a luxury spa date later ... even if I had to drag Rainbow there kicking and screaming.
This time, Zecora opened her door before we even knocked, as if she knew we were coming. Maybe she did ... or maybe she was just coming out to gather herbs or the like. “Aha, so you've finally ventured back to do the rite! Your timing is perfect – tonight's the darkest night. I take it you brought the plant? If you ask me to do this without it ... I can't.”
I used my magic to open my woefully travel-worn saddlebags, and I levitated a thick bunch of the slender flower stalks over to Zecora.
She nodded. “This is just the thing. You found just what to bring. Come inside, all of you. It's time for Rarity to mix her brew.”
The potion was surprisingly complicated, and it took all day – and a little into the night – to complete the whole brewing process ... though much of that was waiting for everything to come to a boil and cook down. Rainbow professed boredom within the first few minutes, of course, and she drug Twilight away within the first hour, but only after I extracted a promise that they would return in time for the ceremony at midnight.
They were true to their word, arriving well before the ceremony. I would expect no less from such wonderful friends.
I was arrayed in my colorfully exotic ceremonial garb. I wore an elaborate mask that blocked most of my vision and a dizzying array of feathers and bright-colored cloth strips. The fashionista in me – despite being somewhat repressed lately – couldn't help but delight in the exotic turnout. All four of us walked in single file out of Zecora's door.
Zecora led the way, followed by Rainbow and Twilight, and I brought up the rear, as customary for new initiates.
This truly was the darkest night. The moon was new, entirely black, but it had already fallen behind the horizon, leaving only the faint glimmer of stars to light our path through the treacherous forest. When we arrived at the firepit, I barely noticed in time to avoid running into Twilight's rump.
“Could you give us a little flame? Unicorn or zebra, it works the same.”
Twilight's horn glowed, lighting the area ghoulishly for a moment. The fire sprung to life instantly, roaring up high. The bright red flames brought the forest around us to life, reflecting in the eyes of hundreds of – presumably hungry – forest animals and showing the grasping limbs of trees in a stark, wavering light that made them seem to move all on their own.
“Come before us today is this unicorn pony. She brought the herb to prove she's no phony.” Zecora's stripes stood out starkly in the firelight, and she looked like something from another universe entirely. “Stand here and take your mark – it is permanent, and can be made only in the dark.”
I slowly walked up to her. My part in this ceremony was simple, which suited me, given the way my nerves were jittering. All I had to do was hold still.
“I give to you your stripes, a mark to join the many pony types.” She dipped a thin brush into the jar Rainbow had carried here for us, then moved in close.
This was it. She slid the brush in a wavering line down one side of my face – my first stripe, my first real stripe! One by one, Zecora laid more and more on me. No shifting patterns, these. They would be determined and inspired by the random way my ceremonial garb lay across my body, and this brew would stain my white fur all the way down to the roots, making all new hairs growing there take the same color. I would have these stripes forever. I was a zebra!
It was exhilarating. I could barely control my breath, barely hold still. My heart was beating like jungle drums.
Finally, Zecora laid out the last strokes, a carefully curved series of swipes down my tail. “Rise, Rarity, now of zebra kin. You are one with all the zebras there have ever been.”
* * *
I carefully brushed on her new temporary white coat dye, ordered at considerable expense from the only manufacturer in Equestria who made it: Feel Like a Princess, a specialty boutique in Manehattan. One could only guess that their usual business was in helping ponies of all colors imitate the pure white Princess Celestia ... for ends both savory and unsavory.
For me, though, it would temporarily cover up the permanent black stripes in my coat. A similar purple dye would cover the streaks in my mane and tail.
When I set out to meet the elite of Equestria's fashion industry, not a single one of them would ever guess what hid beneath all the dye. Oh, they would be so scandalized if they knew – if they knew that underneath this poise and perfection waited a wild, uninhibited zebra mare.
But that part of me would always be there now, even if I was the only one around who knew. Underneath, where it really mattered, I would be free. I would always be free.
The End