Storm Of Secrets

by Beware The Carpenter


2 - Canterlot Society

Rainbow flew over a bustling street and into the gaping mouth, on the ground floor, of an eight story tower. The first floor was a store, where colorful ponies roamed through endless racks of even more colorful clothing. The high arched ceilings were painted with beautiful ponies enjoying themselves at a variety of indoor and outdoor parties, each wearing the clothes that were sold directly beneath them. The paintings had two purposes: so visiting ponies could see what clothes were in an aisle without needing to be there, and to make customers feel self-conscious about not buying the clothes of the illustrious party-goers above them. As a result, business was brisk, no matter how high prices shot up.

Passing the fox-walk, (where the newest dresses were displayed every night by young filly models, which would be kept for a few months at the time before being replaced,) Rainbow came to the stairs. Down she knew would bring her into a subterranean world of manicures, massages, mud baths and hot swim spas, heated by an incinerator fed by the dresses that either weren’t made properly, hadn't sold or gotten negative reviews by the Canterlot fashion magazines.

Instead Rainbow went up, into a lower roofed, densely packed room, filled with rows of dozens of ponies, racing sewing machines to finish their day's quota. One small unicorn walked around the room, continually casting a cold spell, nevertheless the room was uncomfortably hot and reeked with stale sweat. Rainbow Dash hadn’t realized how crowded things had gotten here recently; sure she was happy that Rarity’s business was succeeding; but somehow felt that things were moving a little too fast for Rarity’s own good, and her workers.

Rainbow hurried through the second and third floors, where she was immediately recognized by the watch pony and admitted to the fourth floor which began Rarity's mansion which occupied the top five floors of the tower. (Technically Rarity only occupied the top three floors, one floor was for servants and another was specially dedicated to Rarity's cat, Opal, whose domain was now larger than the entire house that she and Rarity used to share and included two servants).

By the time Rainbow had reached Rarity's personal workshop on the sixth floor, the sound of sewing machines had faded and had been replaced by harmonious water fountains. Rainbow weaved her way between about twenty pony manikins in various stages of being dressed, which orbited a small but luxurious lounge in the center of the room. Gentle light flowed freely through silver paneled windows and open double doors leading to the balcony encompassing the tower with a three hundred and sixty degree view of Canterlot and the surrounding countryside.

“Rarity,” she called, “It’s me, Rainbow Dash.” There was no immediate response after about eight or nine seconds, Rainbow got bored. She helped herself to a cup of apple cider and was thinking of walking onto the balcony when something caught her eye. Half buried in a bin full of fabric scraps, was a medal for bravery from the Canterlot Royal Guard. Rainbow was about to pull it out and get a better look, when she heard Rarity's voice descending down the stairs.

“Hellooo, Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow stepped away from the bin as Rarity came into view; that last few times she had visited; Rarity had been wearing one of her dresses with more feathers and tassels to clothe a family. But today, Rarity came down simply looking like plain old Rarity from Ponyville, “Rainbow Dash! Darling! How are you?”

“I'm OK Rarity, it's good to see you.”

“You too Rainbow Dash. Have you come to see the new suits I'm making for the Wonderbolts? They won't be ready until your next visit, but when they are, they will be simply magnificent!”

“Sound's good for later, but right now I just wanted to talk.”

“Is this about the shield disappearing?” Rarity said anxiously, “I've been asking all the Canterlot Guards I know, but none of them have given me a straight answer.”

After Luna came back she apparently wasn’t happy with Canterlot’s defenses, so convinced Celestia to commission a shield over the whole city. At first people were ruffled about only being able to leave the city at certain points, but most of them got over it fairly quickly. Rainbow Dash hated it, and sometimes wondered if it had begun a month earlier, if it would have deterred her from joining the Wonderbolts in the first place.

Four days ago, the shield had disappeared. Officially it was because Celestia had convinced Luna the world wasn’t as hostile as it had been a millennium ago, and that the shield wasn’t needed, but given that the shield broke virtually unannounced had caused an deluge of gossip; and where there was gossip, there was always Rarity.

“To be honest I'm not too worried about it. The Wonderbolts and I fly a patrol all around Canterlot each morning as a warm up and we haven't seen any invading army. Really; I just came to see an old friend.”

“Oh course, it’s been so long since we've simply chatted like we use to back in Ponyville. Oh how those days seem so long ago now, before we both hit the jackpot. Now we’re both living the dream; queens of Canterlot so to speak! Could life get any better?”

“I dunno,” mumbled Rainbow, “Sometimes I miss the way things were back in Ponyville; when we knew fewer ponies, but the ponies we did know were our friends.”

“Of course those times were good, but ponies like us can't just go on being noponies forever. Sooner or later we had to move on, move up in the world, and after we've made it this far there's no going back down, only upwards, forever!”

Rainbow tried to change the topic before it got any more depressing. “Soooo, it looks like business is still picking up for you; I’m guessing you’re going to open up another factory sometime soon to keep pace with things.”

Rarity sighed, “You know, I’ve been thinking that same thing myself, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. My franchise had always been in one location and I love just being able to inspect any part of it at a moment’s notice; to have to go to some dingy factory on the other side of Canterlot if there was a problem… no, I just couldn’t do it.”

“Yea well, your workshop is pretty packed; I had a hard time getting up here it was so crowded.”

“You did? Well that's no good, we can't have them obstructing my guests from visiting now can we? Don't worry; I'll have them move the tables to make the alley way a bit wider.”

“...Maybe you could think of giving them another floor.”

“But, the tower is already full? Where else could I put them?”

“Well, you've given your cat an entire floor to herself, maybe if you moved Opal up to-”

“Oh no, no, no, no; you know how hard Opal finds it to accept change. I mean, she just got settled in to her new bedroom. To yank her out and make her start over again, why, that would border on cruelty, and you know how I feel about animal cruelty!

But I'll tell you what I will do, lately I've been wanting to expand a bit anyways, so if business keeps improving, I was going to add four new floors to the top of my tower, maybe five. Construction wouldn't take more than a year and when I move up my servants shall move with me leaving the sewers a free floor. That should make them happy don't you think? Oh and you simply must come and visit me when my new floors are complete. We'll have the biggest housewarming party EVER!”

Rainbow Dash backed off, ‘accidentally’ bumping her leg against the waste bin and remembered the medal. “Hey what's this?” she asked, sounding a surprised voice as she scooped the medal out from on top of the cloth.

“Oh, THAT!” cried Rarity in revulsion, “That was left by a stallion who used to come by here until a few days ago, and whom I don't care to ever see again.”

Well that was another suitor rejected. Three dozen down, every eligible stallion in Canterlot to go until she found her 'perfect match'. She'd had less luck then Rainbow Dash, as well as less remorse and less will to change; “That's too bad Rarity, I'm sure you'll find somepony someday who will be everything you want in a stallion.”

Rarity's voice rang out with indifference, “Well whoever he is, he had better know better the last heart breaker. I thought I'd finally found the one. He was everything: charming, rich, handsome and then I found he'd spent the day with another mare.”

So she had a legitimate reason for dumping this guy. The last few times, Rainbow was thinking Rarity was holding her stallions to too high of standards, like breaking up with them for not holding a fork 'properly'. “I'm so sorry Rarity” she meant it.

“To think that he would spend his day wading around in sewer filth!”

“...You mean he cheated with one of your sewing mares?”

“What? Oh no, no, dear, I mean he was in the sewers; where they send all of the…well… you know. I know that the plumber was sick and that his daughter, while knowing how to fix the blockage, couldn't manage the big machines by herself, and I know that she had been his friend since foalhood. But how any stallion who called himself a gentlecolt could spend his day off bridal deep in that icky, icky sewage, and then think he could come to my fashion show, after spending barely ten minutes washing, is beyond me! After all the work I put into that show, the least he could have done would have been to take a mud bath at the spa to make sure the smell was truly off.”

“I... don't know what to say.”

“Oh why is it so hard to find a decent stallion?” Rarity whined as she collapsed onto a couch striking a dramatic hoof to her forehead. “Is there a stallion for me out there, or am I doomed to walk alone as the most regal pony in Canterlot?”

Probably, “Don't give up Rarity. Maybe you just need to look harder.”

“You’re right” Rarity said rising firmly from her couch, “After all it really is their loss; I doubt any of those ruffians know what it is they're missing!”

Obviously; if they did know, they wouldn't keep trying to court her. “I'm sure there's a stallion out there for you somewhere.” It was the only thing Rainbow could think of, not that she really thought or hoped that it was true.

“Yes there is!” agreed Rarity, rubbing her forehooves together menacingly, “And when I find him I'll grab him and never let him go! We'll be together forever!”

God help him.

“Our wedding will be the wedding of the century! Then we'll have lots and lots of little babies and name them after all my favorite gems. There will be Ruby and Turquoise and Sapphire and Jasper and Chrysolite and …

Maybe this perfect guy had a cabin out in the Everfree Forest where he could hide.

“-Topaz and little Pearl …”

Whoever this guy was, maybe Rainbow Dash could go join him there.

“… and they'll all take after their mother, and have perfect table manners, and we'll show Canterlot society all they're lacking in family graces, and I'll make them all fabulous little dresses and they will be the models in this new fashion show I'm planning, starring me, their mother, with a dress and matching jewelry that encompasses all of theirs, and we'll win first place, and the Princesses will-”

Rainbow Dash was gone. Leaping out the window and off the balcony, she watched the inviting pavement come within five yards before Dash changed her mind, spread her wings, and flew aimlessly around Canterlot.