Black lights and glitter filled the air just outside of Canterlot. If the city itself shone like a jewel, then the collection of swirling tents were its glimmering carbuncle counterpart. Ruddy hues bleeding through the burlap and satin gave off a far more infernal glow than that of the celestial city. Despite this, the tents were thronged with as many personages of repute as the downtown entertainment district, out to see the grotesqueries that the Circe de Celestia had to offer.
Established several years ago as a tribute to the Princess during one of the Summer Sun Festival’s, the popular troupe of performers had gone on to much fame and glory. Like most circuses, they were traveling performers, but they considered Canterlot to be their home and had many shows just outside of the city over the course of a season. Indeed it had become something of a fixture to the city, as attested by the well worn festival grounds where the tents blossomed like glistening toadstools.
From the looks of the crowd, the real show was about to begin. The side show tents and concession stands slowly drained of their customers. A spirit of mischief seemed to dance about in the crowd. All was laughter and delight, rendered somewhat strange and mocking by the lateness of the hour. Though the mood was one of festival, there was a sinister edge that was both thrilling and a little frightening.
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“You have to understand Monsieur, there’s absolutely no way Rarity can perform tonight.” Monsieur Loyal paced angrily in front of Twilight Sparkle, rattling off his complaints in a staccato language that managed to sound beautiful even as he swore colorfully. “I understand that this is a problem for you, but there’s just nothing that can be done. You should have thought of that before you took advantage of a desperate pony.” A glint of anger entered Twilight’s eye as a spark of magic licked the length of her horn. The ringmaster cleaned up his language significantly, but continued his complaints. “Look, come back in ten minutes. I have a friend that needs seeing to, and you need to find a replacement for her.”
Throwing his hooves into the air, Monsieur Loyal marched out of the tent, muttering to himself and turning the air blue. “I kind of feel sorry for the guy. Can’t understand a word he’s saying, but its clear he’s in a tough spot. What exactly was Rarity supposed to be doing tonight?” Asked Spike, pulling the tent flap closed behind the irate ring master.
“From the sound of it,” said Twilight, turning to Rarity, still passed out on her ottoman, “She was supposed to play the lead role in tonight's, well, performance? It’s hard to explain. Basically she was supposed to sing throughout the majority of the show because the regular pony who does that came down with a bad case of laryngitis.” She used her magic to dab her friends forehead with a damp cloth. “So they were already in trouble. Rarity was kind of a last resort already, they had actually gone so far as to hide the lyrics for the performance in various props. All she had to do was go out and stumble her way through the words.”
A fluttering of her eyelashes let Twilight know Rarity was coming back around. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking as though she were rising from a deep sleep rather than a swoon. She seemed lost for a moment, but as soon as Rarity took in her surroundings she burst into tears. “Whatever am I to do Twilight? Even if I had the resources, there’s not enough time to sell enough dresses to cover my debt to Filthy Rich! I’ve spent the last month doing nothing but giving and now I’m going to have my shop, my beautiful shop, taken away!” Her tears had already washed away most of her makeup, but Twilight dabbed away the remnants along with Rarity’s tears.
“You could ask Mr. Fancy Pants to loan you the money.” she suggested. “Fleur explained to me that you’ve been helping him with his charity work. I’m sure he’d be willing to give you an advance on some of your more fantastic designs if you gave him permission to sell them in his own shops in Canterlot.”
Rarity shook her head. “I couldn’t possibly do something as selfish as that to him. You just don’t understand Twilight, this is a mess I have put myself in and I must find a way to get myself out. Even if it’s hopeless now.”
“Rarity, this is no time to stand on such needless principles! You’re in a tight spot. you need to swallow your pride and ask for help!” Twilight didn’t mean for that to sound as harsh as it did. It was way past her usual bed time and the day had left her fairly cranky.
A look of barely contained rage flashed across Rarity’s mascara streaked face. “Oh sure, that’s easy for you to say Twilight. Life’s been easy for you! Anytime you needed help there was always somepony right there just waiting to be asked!”
Twilight was shocked and it showed on her face, “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said!” Rarity got unsteadily to her hooves and marched right up to Twilight Sparkle. “Scholarship girl, growing up in Canterlot, no, growing up under Princess Celestia’s very wing! When did you ever have to work for anything? When did you ever have to struggle to get where you are today!?” Her eyes were wild as she went on. “I spent the better part of my life trying to make the most fabulous dresses in Equestria! Do you think my parents helped me!? Do you think that they even understood what I was trying to do? They thought it was a game! An arts and crafts project! While they were out spending money on their stupid vacations, money that could have gotten me into magic school just as easily as you, I was slaving away in my mothers sewing room trying to create art out of scraps of wool! I didn’t have a classroom full of teachers or a patron princess to turn to, I taught myself how to make dresses!”
“I don’t see what that..”
“Don’t interrupt me!” the usually genteel unicorn roared, “And as far as my special talent? I can find rocks...rocks Twilight! Oh yes a few pretty gemstones do help in my work from time to time, but I don’t always find gems.” she paused, letting the word drip with venom, reminding Twilight of the occasion where Rarity had been kidnapped while out looking for gem stones. Twilight thought it had been a one time occurrence, but Rarity's implication was that it had not been. “Where as you, you have a talent that perfectly suits what you wanted to do with your life. You’re good at magic, not just good, but so magnificent that even Celestia herself bows to your abilities! Practically everypony in Canterlot knows Celestia’s favorite student. Do you know how they came to know me!? I got out and I helped ponies! I raised money for the poor, I campaigned for their fair treatment, I even shook hooves with the filthy little bastards! And do you know what I get in return? A few minutes of fame and then I’m yesterday's trash!” She stopped, huffing, the enormity of her own pent up rage seeming to shock even herself.
There were tears in Twilight’s eyes, but her voice was calm as she spoke. “You’re wrong Rarity. If you think for one moment I’ve had everything handed to me, you are absolutely wrong. I worked hard at my studies! So hard, in fact, that I alienated everypony I ever knew from my fillyhood. Do you honestly think that my parents helped me anymore than yours? After Celestia took me on as her apprentice, they never treated me the same. I couldn’t talk to them about anything. They just... They couldn’t understand.” She wiped a tear off her muzzle with her hoof. “You’re not the only pony who’s had it rough Rarity. I’m not angry at you for what you’ve said though. I know how hard you worked to have your own shop in Ponyville. As hard as I worked to amass my knowledge of magic. If somepony were threatening to take all that away from me, well, I’d probably say some pretty mean things too.”
Twilight’s words left Rarity speechless for a moment. She looked down, seeing the esoteric clown costume she still wore. Suddenly the outfit seemed rather fitting. “I’m...I’m so sorry Twilight. I don’t know what came over me. You’re right, I’m just so upset about my shop. I didn’t mean what I said. I know you’ve had to work hard to be Celestia’s number one student. Anypony who would say otherwise is a foal.” Even saying that, Rarity still couldn’t calm herself down. She was still so full of misplaced anger. “That rotten Fleur! This is her fault! I would’ve had plenty of time to make the money if she hadn’t... Oh, who am I kidding? It’s my fault if she misunderstood. I was so ashamed of this stupid position I’m in, why didn’t I just come out and say I needed help!?”
“Why indeed.” Came a melodious voice. “I know we have not know each other very long, but I would like to think that we were friends.” Fleur entered the tent, her head held down, an expression of sadness on her face. “I’m so sorry for what I’ve done, but you have to understand Rarity, if I’d known the kind of trouble you were in I would’ve gladly done everything in my power to help you. It is...what a friend would do, non?” Her voice wasn’t quiet as musical as usual, and her accent was much more subdued. This was a side of Fleur de Lis that Rarity hadn’t seen yet.
The two pale unicorns just looked at each other for a moment, neither moving nor speaking. There was a strange tension between the two that stretched the moment out far longer than it really lasted. Then, like a fragile glass figurine, the tension broke and Fleur and Rarity embraced. “I’m so sorry for not trusting you! I shouldn’t have neglected to ask my friends for help!” said Rarity, choking back tears.
Fleur smiled, hugging Rarity back tightly before the two separated. “Surely it is not too late. I know that Monsieur Fancy Pants has much of his wealth tied up in our current endeavor, but there must be a way that we can raise the money for you to keep your Boutique!”
“I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but I could probably have a word with the Princess," Offered Twilight, a little hesitantly, "If there’s any pony that can help, it’s her.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly bother the Princess over this!” said Rarity, “I can't imagine her taking time from her busy schedule to help me...”
Spike waded in amongst the plotting ponies. “Hey, I’m glad we’ve all made friends again and everything, but does anypony know where Sweetie Belle has gotten off to?” Rarity and Twilight looked around the tent. It wasn’t very large so it didn’t take long. Rarity’s little sister was nowhere to be found.
“Sweet Celestia, Spike! You were supposed to be watching her!” Shrieked Twilight.
“I was, I was!” said Spike, “But I got so interested in the conversation, she must have slipped away while I was listening to you three!”
“Who is this you speak of?” Asked Fleur.
“My little sister. A filly with a pink and purple mane.”
“Oh, she is your petite sœur!? I thought she might be Twilight’s fillé!” She giggled covering her face. (“That’s the second time today!” Grumbled Twilight, not quite under her breath.) “I saw her earlier, but...you are sure she was here with you just now? She was not in here when I arrived.”
“Oh no, she must have left when we were arguing!” Wailed Rarity, “We have to find her! there’s no telling what dangers there are for a little filly alone at the circus in the middle of the night!”
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The press of ponies all around them made it almost impossible to search. Though there weren’t many fillies Sweetie Belle’s age out this late at night, a few family’s had still brought their children to the show. Over and over again Twilight thought she had found Rarity’s sister, only for it to turn out to be some other excited, yet sleepy eyed little unicorn. Neither Rarity nor Fleur seemed to be fairing much better. The brightly colored lights sweeping back and forth over the crowd didn’t help, the passing of each technicolor beam shifting and changing the colors of the crowd. A white unicorn could be green one moment, bright pink the next, and an indistinguishable grey when he glare of the lights had finally passed.
A deep thrum of music filled the air, indicating the start of the show. What was left of the crowd surged towards the main tent, sweeping Twilight and her friends along with them. The big top was larger inside than it had appeared on the outside. Rows upon rows of ponies spread before, around, and above the trio. How were they ever supposed to find one little pony in all of this? The music exploded again, a joyous overture that must have been amplified by magic to flood the entire structure as it did. All the lights went down save those in the center of the ring. The performance began with much dancing and fanfare, pyrotechnic displays of magic painting colors in the air with smoke and sparks that rendered the colorful lights but pale imitation of something far more spectacular. Streamers laced from the sleeves of several clowns to trail over a crowd who squealed in delighted surprise. Pinkie Pie would have loved this.
Just as suddenly as it had swelled, the music subsided into hushed tones, a haunting dirge that managed to send shivers up the spine as the tent lights subsided into green and blue hues. A single voice rose up, timid at first, but growing richer as the performer found her confidence. It was clear she sang in a language that was unfamiliar to her, but as she stumbled over a few syllables, she quickly built up an understanding of the ebb and flow of the words. Soon all were entranced by her sheer exuberance. On a dais, not far from where Rarity, Twilight, Fleur, and Spike finally took their seats, stood Sweetie Belle in a sparkling sequined costume, singing her heart out. It was clear she was nervous, how could she not be performing before so many? Even so, the crowd seemed to find her performance all the more endearing for it, and many shouted encouragement even as their friends told them to hush so they could listen.
The story unfolded slowly at first, but there was no need to understand the words that Sweetie Belle sang to follow the story. An old hermit, or more precisely an actor playing one, leaned over a bubbling cauldron sat atop paper craft flames, the bubbles within sweeping up and out over an enchanted crowd with the hermit's every gesture. He wore blue robes strewn with moons and stars and a long grey beard. It was with a start that Twilight recognized the performer as Star Swirl the Bearded! It was then that Twilight grasped what tonight’s performance must be about. Though there were many stories about the legendary father of the amniomorphic spell, only one had ever truly captured the minds of those uninitiated in the learning of higher magics. His temptation.
In song and magic, glittering light and billowing smoke, the story was told to the rapt audience, but Twilight already knew it by heart. Long ago, before the rule of the Princesses, the peace of Equestria’s founding was shattered by the coming of Discord. He appeared to many, at first, as a charming being full of wisdom and power. For whatever reason, Discord wasn’t happy with simply ruling the ponies of Equestria, nor even in merely tormenting them, but instead he seemed obsessed with warping their personalities and destroying the harmony of their lives. Many were corrupted by him, entire families turning against one another, descending into madness and conflict. It seemed he fed off the spreading chaos, his powers growing in strength as he further warped reality, reshaping the land itself to mirror his own jumbled mind and body.
All was not lost, however, for even before the arrival of those who would ultimately defeat him, there were those in Equestria who opposed Discord. Though few in number at first, as Discord’s true nature became more and more apparent the magi of that era came together and forged a pact to use their considerable power and knowledge to halt the spread of Discord’s madness. They would come to forge the mystical artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony, distilling the principals that were the antithesis to the draconequus own powers into a crystalline form that could be used to negate his dark power. It would be this power that the Princesses would harness to ultimately seal him away, but in the beginning the elements served only as a beacon of sanity in a world given over to madness. The unicorn magi devoted all their considerable power in re-enforcing the protective barrier of magic, and a small semblance of order returned to the lives of those Equestrians under their protection.
However, the Elements were only a temporary solution. Though the unicorns of that age were powerful, they were merely stewards for the elements, unable to unlock their true power. As time passed, the influence of the elements grew weaker and weaker as Discord’s chaos spread outside the fragile dome of magic. Cracks began to appear in the protective spells, cracks through which the tendrils of his dread influence could begin to seep. Most of this history was unknown to the audience at large. You had to be a true scholar of magic, like Twilight, to know the origins of the Elements. Even then, you had to do a lot of research to uncover it. As it was, the story of Star Swirl's temptation dealt only with the events that occurred after the Elements began to weaken.
Star Swirl was already old. One of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria’s history, he had been famous even before the founding of Equestria. As such, he was considered to be the chief custodian of the Elements of Harmony. One dark night as he cast powerful enchantments designed to strengthen their power, a tendril of Discord’s power crept into his heart. Star Swirl had devoted his life to the study of magic, though respect and fame were his, he had no time for friends or any deep personal relationships. Now in his old age, he came to realize that for all his vaunted wisdom and knowledge, he was powerless before the being known as Discord. What the unicorns had accomplished was amazing, but he could see the power of harmony deteriorating before the draconequus constant onslaught. In the lonesome night, he despaired, and Discords power wrapped tighter around his heart.
In a moment of weakness, Star Swirl the Bearded began to pine for his youth, for a simpler time without all of this madness when he and his friends would go on many adventures. It had been a time of peace in his life, but also a time when he had felt the most alive. While he mused over his memories, it was then that the fiend himself appeared before the old wizard. Not in the flesh, but worse, in his mind. In the play Discord was a grotesque mockery of his true form, motley monster that he was. Magic animated what was clearly a beast of paper-mache and fireworks, even so the audience gasped at his sudden appearance. It must have been much worse for Star Swirl, for by all accounts the wizard unleashed his most powerful spells on the fiend, only to discover they had no effect. In the stories that Twilight had read, Discord laughed at the wizards impotence, but in the same breath began to subtly work on the desires he already knew rested in the unicorns heart. How much more of a threat Star Swirl would be to Discord, he thought out loud, if he had been a younger pony, still in the prime of his power. How much happier Star Swirl would surely be if he could go back and correct all those mistakes he had made in his youth. Why, Discord pondered aloud, anypony would surely desire to have the chance to rekindle old loves lost, a chance to relive glories long passed.
Despite himself, and despite the knowledge that Discord could not be trusted, Star Swirl found himself swayed by Discords words. Perhaps it had been the weakening of the Elements of Harmony, or maybe Star Swirl was simply old and a little foolish, but he found himself tempted to explore what Discord meant. No pony could relive the past, he had protested feebly, but Discord merely chuckled. The earth ponies could manipulate the land, the pegasi could manipulate the sky, the unicorns could manipulate the very sun and moon. What was time but another force to be manipulated? It might be beyond most ponies, but not a mage as powerful as Star Swirl. Not with a teacher as wise as Discord. The old wizard tried in vain to resist, but who in their winter years can truly resist the call of their long lost spring? Yet Star Swirl was no fool, he knew their must be a catch.
Discord, it was said, had frowned at the old unicorns canniness, but then quickly smiled. The draconequus said he would be more than willing to grant Star Swirl's desires, but he would be unable to accomplish this so long as the Elements of Harmony protected him. For Discord to grant his desires in truth, he must disable the spells the held his power at bay. Of course Star Swirl had balked at this, knowing full well the chaos that would sweep over the land if he were to undo its protection. Yet before he could turn away from the shade of Discord, the lord of disharmony took on the form of a certain pony Star Swirl had known in his youth. Emotions warred in his heart, coaxed by the dark magic festering within. Love, hate, jealousy, pain, and an overbearing sense of violation flooded his mind. He went to strike the shade, only to find himself transformed as he struck the ghost from his past. It was as if the years had suddenly melted away. He was young, strong, and his beard was much, much shorter. A sense of vigor he had not known for centuries flooded his being.
This transformation was accomplished by the actor simply removing his...or rather her, beard and voluminous robes. She was beautiful, graceful, and a deep cerulean shade under the spot lights. Her mane was a swirl of pink and purple, and the cutie mark of a star in the center of a swirling pool of magic was upon her flank. The story unfolded further, as Discord took the youthened Star Swirl exploring through the endless expanse of Equestria’s enchanted past. The tempter showed the unicorn the distant lands where the Zebra roamed, the ancient fiefdoms of the first earth ponies, as well as the pegasi and unicorns that would come to be their lords. Yes, he also revealed the primordial Everfree Forest where even Discord's own magics were somewhat weakened by its mysterious power. The performers handled this by having several troupes of dancers representing each of the ancient and exotic civilizations of the world. To Star Swirl, it must have been even more grand, as to his perception he was really there, despite never having truly left the Elements' resting place. All this Discord promised to allow him to explore at his leisure, if he would only consider his offer and agree to destroy the Elements of Harmony after he had lived a second lifetime in this manner.
The story differed somewhat here. Some scholars went on to say that Star Swirl accepted Discord’s offer and chose to live as a prince for a time in the ancient homelands of the unicorns. Others claim that he used the powers granted to him by Discord to manipulate the phantasmal lives of his loved ones, to try and save those long lost to him, only to find that changing the world in such a way rendered it a worse place than it had been otherwise, often leading to even worse partings. Regardless of which version the Circe De Celestia went with, Twilight already knew the ending. When all was said and done, Star Swirl was even deeper in despair and, some said, perhaps a bit insane. He refused to keep up his end of the bargain with Discord. The draconequus raged, showering the wizard in visions of horror, making him watch his loved ones die over and over and his own flesh rot away on his bones till he was nothing but a thin and skeletal mockery of himself. Even so he stood fast and when Discord found he could not break him, he had no choice but to look for another way to have what he wanted. The end of the story had Star Swirl himself leading a team of ponies through the chaos beyond to build a fortress that would one day become the castle of the royal pony sisters.
Twitching slightly as she thought the story through in her head,Twilight didn’t know if she could handle watching the sequence where Discord tortured Star Swirl with his myriad of morbid visions. Even though it would likely be toned down for the public at large, there was something about the performance that disturbed her immensely. It didn’t help that the pony sitting next to her kept stealing looks at her with a strange smile on her face. It set Twilight's teeth on edge and made her pulse quicken. The stranger's coloring was a mix of shades of purple in the darkness. There was something uncomfortably familiar about her eyes. She felt like she had seen those eyes before, staring back at her from across a gulf she couldn't quiet remember. The stranger's smile only brightened in the darkness, as if she could read Twilight's thoughts and was relishing her discomfiture. Excusing herself, Twilight left the performance early. It was such a pity...she missed the big finale.
An earth pony, clearly suspended by magic, descended and offered the female Star Swirl redemption for the wrongs she felt she had wrought on her fellows by entertaining Discord's offer. She seemed to be an avatar of the Elements of Harmony herself. Limed in a golden light, the ponies purple and white mane swirled about her features as though they were made of water, or a puff of cloud. Her arresting eyes swept over the audience as she spoke, letting them know that they were all absolved of their past wrong doing, for that was the nature of grace and harmony, the magic of friendship. It was a beautiful, if somewhat corny message.
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“Sweetie Belle, you were absolutely marvelous!” Rarity exclaimed as she hugged her little sister. The two had found their way back to Rarity’s tent after the thunderous applause had finally died away. “But whatever possessed you to run off and do something like that?”
The little unicorn was beaming at her big sisters praise. It had been hard work and her voice had cracked a time or two, but the show had gone off without a hitch otherwise. “Well, I heard you and Twilight arguing. I knew you wouldn’t really be able to perform with all you’ve got on your shoulders, but then I got to thinking about all the people who had come to see the show. So I made a deal with Mr. Monsieur Loyal. They don’t usually pay performers, but he said if I did a good job he’d pass around his hat and anything he collected would go to you.”
“Oh no, you shouldn’t have done that Sweetie Belle! The Circe de Celestia is a charity organization, that money is meant for ponies who are down on their luck!”
“I do hate to point it out Mademoiselle Rareté, but I’m afraid you very much qualify as being down on your luck.” Fleur pushed aside the tent flap and entered, a large ringmasters hat clenched in her teeth, overflowing with money. It was more, far more, than Rarity really needed. The super model pony set the hat at the fashion pony’s hooves. “It’s the least that my cousin and I could do for you after this terrible misunderstanding. I only hope this will be enough for you to keep your shop.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Tears welled up in Rarity’s eyes once again and she hugged her little sister and her friend Fleur tight. “I....I have the most generous friends and family in the world!” As she blinked back the tears of joy and relief Rarity noticed that, once again, somepony was missing. “Has anypony seen Twilight since the show ended? I should really tell her the good news!” They looked, but in the end all they could find was Spike. He had followed Twilight until the pony had whirled on him, telling him to go back to the circus...that she needed to be alone. For the rest of her time in Canterlot, Rarity never saw her friend or was able to let her know things had turned out alright in the end.
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It was late afternoon and Rarity was just closing up her shop. It was amazing to think how close she’d come to losing it all, but her friends had really come through for her. It was nice to have something in the world that was hers and hers alone. She was just about to lock up when the bell that announced somepony entering her boutique jangled merrily. “I’m ever so sorry,” came Rarity’s cheerful voice from the store room, “but I’m afraid you’ll have to come back tomorrow. I was just about to-” The words died on her lips when she saw who was standing in her shop. Filthy Rich smiled like the cat who’d swallowed the canary at Rarity’s reaction.
“Good afternoon Miss Rarity. I didn’t mean to leave this little chore so late in the day, but you know how it is. Important ponies have so many ponies to meet and so many places to go.” Rarity very much doubted he wasn’t here at this inopportune time specifically because he meant to be. “I was just stopping by to see the progress on my order from last month.” The elegant unicorn quickly recovered from her shock and put on her most dazzling smile.
“Why of course. You had made an order for about fifty dresses for your... Department store, yes? Along with a personal order for a darling little dress for your darling little daughter. Right this way sir!” She led him to one of the side rooms where she did most of her bulk work. It wasn’t that she didn’t take pride in every dress she made, it was just that filling large orders of the same style of dress had always been somewhat uninspiring. She pushed opened the door and let Filthy Rich have a good look at all the progress she’d made.
“What!? Why, this is an outrage! Not a single dress is more than halfway done! I need those dresses for my spring line next week! If you don’t have those dresses finished and ready for delivery by then, I will sue your little shop into the ground!” For all his outrage, he said this last bit with a smile that let Rarity know this was his intention all along. She simply smiled back.
“I rather doubt that. You see, we never made a formal agreement on the time of delivery, only on the quality of the dresses. My creations are worth the wait Mr. Filthy, you should have them by the end of spring..." The fashionista paused to tap one hoof gently on her chin, "No later than mid-summer, I assure you. Oh, and they will be a bit more...ambitious than you originally requested, so expect the cost to go up just a teeny bit.” She leaned in close and the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees. “And if you even think about trying anything like that little stunt you pulled before, I can promise you that you will not find a single pony between here and Canterlot who will be willing to do business with you, let alone make your wretched dresses.” Filthy Rich took a step back, wincing as if each of Rarity’s icy words were more than a threat, more than a promise. He looked as if each word was stabbing him directly in the heart. This was because, with a little augmented unicorn magic and no small amount of rage, they literally were. “You think you’re so very important because you have money, Mr. Filthy, but money can’t get you everything you want. It won’t get you this shop and it won’t buy my silence. Everypony knows what you tried to do to me, dear. Good luck shifting your tacky merchandise, Mr. Filthy. Now, if you’d be so kind, GET OUT OF MY SHOP!”
The earth pony all but ran in his haste to leave, shouting over his shoulder “You’ll be hearing from my lawyers!”
“Looking forward to it dear, do stop by again. Just not anytime soon!”
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Rarity managed to keep the lights on in Carousel Boutique. Petty revenge was beneath her, but for his attempt at such a hostile take over, Rarity charged Filthy Rich triple the usual rate for any orders he commissioned and made sure to give them the lowest possible priority. She kept in contact with Fleur De Lis and, through her, apologized to Mr. Fancy Pants for having to break off their agreement early. For his part, the wealthy pony seemed to understand that Rarity’s personal business had to take priority and he was very agreeable about the whole situation, even if he was a little disappointed.
Sweetie Belle had inexplicably gotten her cutie mark sometime during the performance at the Circe de Celestia, and the musical notes on her flank were the envy of her friends. She still maintained that she was a Cutie Mark Crusader, however, and vowed to remain one until her friends found their cutie marks too. Rarity’s parents had finally bumped into her shortly before she left Canterlot. It was nice to see them, but she was in a hurry, and they seemed far more interested in taking in the sights of the big city than in anything else, once they’d found out their daughter was going to be alright. The last she heard, they were going to go on a ghost tour of the palace dungeons. It all sounded rather droll, but she knew it was exactly the kind of thing her parents loved.
All seemed right with the world as everypony settled back into their usual routines. All except, it seemed, for Twilight Sparkle. She had long since left for Ponyville by the time the others were leaving Canterlot, taking a late night train that could really be considered an early morning express. Even Spike seemed unable to crack the wall that had suddenly sprung up from their dear friend, and he spent most of his time hanging out around Rarity’s shop now. Twilight just hadn’t had much to do with anypony since everything had happened in Canterlot, and Rarity felt she owed it to her to check in on her and make sure everything was alright. After her encounter with Filthy Rich, she finished closing up shop, and left to visit her friend.
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"Hello?” Rarity had knocked, but nopony had answered. The door to the library was unlocked, as usual, but all the lights seemed to be out as she let herself in. “Is anypony home?” She thought she heard someone whispering deeper inside the library, and noticed a flash of light coming from the cracks of a nearby door. A sense of apprehension stole over the elegant unicorn, but she steadied herself and marched into the darkness towards the door lined in golden light. She knocked on this door as well. “Twilight, darling, are you in there? It’s Rarity, I was just dropping by to see how you are doing.”
She opened the door and found...nothing on the other side. Nothingness stretched infinitely before her, a perfect void. There was no light, no sound. A feeling of a vast emptiness was all she knew, a questing hunger that reached out to her, threatening to swallow her in a suffocating embrace that would devour her body and soul. With dawning horror, she realized that what she was gazing into was an enormous eye. The abyss focused on her...and blinked.
She opened the door and found...nothing on the other side. Just a stack of old, tattered books and a few pots of glue for mending them. “Strange... I could have sworn I heard somepony.” She closed the door behind her and left the library. It was obvious that Twilight was out. She’d just have to catch her some other time. For now she’d go home and have dinner with her sister and, probably, Spike. That baby dragon was going to eat all her precious jewels if she were not careful. Twilight Sparkle was suddenly the furthest thing from her mind.
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Rarity left as swiftly as she had arrived. That was how it should be, the whispers that flooded the library said as much. As she sat alone in a dark corner of the library, Twilight’s horn glowed brightly painting strange shadows against the walls. Her eyes were wide in their sockets, crackling with power. If she could see them in a mirror, they would look very familiar, and more than a little disturbing. White streaks crept slowly through her purple mane as it moved and undulated as though it had a life and will of its own. Slowly, a smile spread across her face as she cradled a book tenderly in her hooves. The whispers rose and fell as Twilight opened the tome...and with a quill held firmly by her magic, began to write.