//------------------------------// // The Lovely Pair // Story: Revenant // by Muramasa //------------------------------// Of everything I had to really adjust to upon my return to Equestria, it was certainly the weather. During my time in the human world, I had almost completely forgotten that ponies could control it, leaving me completely astonished when I saw it for the first time upon my arrival. I remembered then that the Everfree Forest did not adhere to those rules, as the weather had it's own free will; after spending so much time in the human world, it amused me to think that tons of ponies found that deeply unsettling. Twilight had told me it was going to be cold, so I grabbed my scarf as well as my sunglasses and applied both via magic, which was unbelievably fantastic; there would be not another day where I'd have to spend an hour getting ready in the morning. I called out a "goodbye!" to let Twilight know I was leaving, but I didn't stick around to hear a reply; I quickly opened the large double doors of the castle and began on my way to the town square. I didn't particularly have a plan to go to a specific place, but I reasoned that I would find something cool to do, which in turn would allow me to get to know the town a bit better. When I opened the doors in question, I was immediately greeted with the sight of another pony, much to my surprise. She was a unicorn, her fur an extremely light shade of purple that couldn't quite be considered pink. Her mane was two different colors, much like mine, although hers was dominantly dark purple with streaks of teal; it was done up like a middle aged mom's, and although I would never say it to her face, it looked stupidly out of style. Her eyes were just lighter than the purple in her mane, and her cutie mark appeared to be some sort of eight pointed star with two teal wisps of light trailing from the top. I didn't know who she was, but at the same time, I knew exactly who she was. "You must be Twilight's student," I said. She raised a singular eyebrow at me. In response, I gave a very exaggerated medieval bow in her direction. "Sunset Shimmer. Proud to meet your acquaintance," I said. I saw a wave of understanding wash across her face, followed by a short chuckle. "So this is the mare I've been hearing so much about? I'm sure Twilight has told you she's been using you as an example of redemption during our lessons?" she said with a smile. I recoiled in mock surprise before looking back towards the door I had just exited. "Using me as an example? Not without paying me royalties," I said, which caused the mystery mare to laugh out loud. I laughed with her, and once that died down, she finally introduced herself. "Starlight Glimmer," she said, holding out a hoof. "I took over a small village and stole their cutie marks in the name of total equality, as well as creating numerous time rifts through an ancient spell. And you, if I remember correctly, turned into a massive, flaming demon of rage and attempted to enslave an entire high school. Do I have that right?" She asked. I chuckled again whilst nodding my head to confirm. "Yes, you have that right. Aren't we just a lovely pair?" I stated, and after breaking out in laughter for the third time, I knew I'd take a liking to this Starlight Glimmer. "Well, I'm gonna take a look around town so I can't talk for long, but it was certainly nice meeting you, Starlight. Are you coming to that dinner tonight? At Sweet Apple Acres?" I asked her. Starlight nodded her head. "I will. I suppose we'll further acquaint ourselves there." Starlight looked down to my neck to see my scarf. "That thing looks a little worn out, don't you think? I'm sure Twilight mentioned the Carousel Boutique. You can grab a brand new one for a nice price," said Starlight. I looked down at the scarf and raised in to eye level via magic, and I could make out Starlight's form through the various holes that had long ago found themselves across the scarf. "Yeah, I think I will do that," I said, putting the scarf down again. "Thanks for the tip! I suppose I'll see you tonight, then?" I asked her. Starlight nodded once more. "It's a date. I'll see ya," said Starlight. She waved and began to head towards the door, not stopping to see if I had returned the gesture; I shrugged and began making my way towards the center of town. Numerous time rifts? Taking over an entire village? Mare's as crazy as her mane. Good luck with that one, Twilight, I thought to myself as the quaint town of Ponyville entered my field of view. I stopped for a second and took a nice look at it; it was a beautiful day, and to see the sun shining brightly over all of the ponies moving about really reminded me what was great about Equestria. It was during my observation of the scenic view that I quickly had another thought. I have absolutely no idea where this Carousel Boutique is. I would have to ask ponies for directions, which I would normally be adverse to, but I quickly realized that this would be a great time to get to know the ponies of Ponyville. I pressed forward, this time with a smile on my face. * * * * * * I had expected the Carousel Boutique to be a small, quiet little place connected to other stores through the same building, kind of like a strip mall. As I found out, I was never more incorrect in my entire life. I was given the directions to the place by a mare who introduced herself as Bon-Bon. She made candy, she had told me, and even pulled one out of her bag she had been carrying for me to try; it was rather delicious. We talked for a while; she was a very nice mare, but there was something odd about her. She had this air of paranoia around her; she would occasionally scan the environment mid conversation, as if she were some sort of secret agent monster hunter waiting for an Ursa Major to jump out of the bushes. I shrugged it off as nothing. She gave me the directions and told me I'd be very happy with the service, and once I'd actually gotten to the location, I was stunned. The place was absolutely massive. It looked exactly like a historical building in Canterlot; it was two stories, and had cone-like shape to it; whoever ran this place had to live there full time, because I couldn't possible imagine a clothing store needing that much space. I could easily see where the "Carousel" part came in, as extremely well crafted pony statues adorned the center of the building as well as both sides of the spire at the top. It was the most extravagant building I had seen in Ponyville besides maybe Town Hall, and that's a pretty big maybe. It also happened to be in the middle of nowhere; it was on the very edge of town, only surrounded by a few tents that didn't really look like they were occupied and an oak tree that actually managed to be smaller than the actual building itself. I stood in front of the door, marveling at it for a bit longer, before finally moving to open it. Even the door was amazing, the window being diamond shaped, and the paint a pleasant shade of purple. I twisted the handle and walked in, and upon seeing the two ponies that were in the center of the room, became immediately petrified. There was a pony on what appeared to be an elevated platform whom I did not recognize. She had pink fur and a blond mane and tail, with bright purple eyes. She was currently trying on a blue dress that was absurdly stunning, crafted expertly, though it looked a bit too small, and upon inspecting the rest of her, it was easy to tell why. She was in the best shape I had ever seen as far as ponies went, subtly muscular and powerful, and her wings were larger than the ordinary Pegasus. The last thing I noticed about her was probably the strangest; she had a necklace with the number 84 dangling from the end, made completely of diamond. I looked to her flank for an explanation, but her cutie mark was completely blocked by the dress. She had been looking at the other pony, but she had turned to me when I opened the door. The other pony was Rarity Belle. As soon as I saw her, I wanted to punch myself in the face; I was a fool for not recognizing that this had Rarity written all over it. The door, the building, even the location. I was absolutely not ready to talk to her, as Twilight and I had planned this whole thing out where we would have me introduced to everyone at the dinner. Thankfully, she was turned around doing something on a desk, and had yet to see me. "Hold on just a minute, Darling, I'll be right with you!" she called out, not turning around. In a moment of shock, I yelled out a word, and once I had done so, immediately bolted out the door as fast as I could manage. * * * * * * Having worked with many of Canterlot's elite, along with countless high profile fashion designers, I had learned to expect absolutely everything, as I quickly discovered that a large percentile of my wealthy clientele were a rather odd bunch. Despite this, I was still surprised at the one word answer I was given in response to my greeting I had extended to the pony who had just opened the door. "Shit!" I turned around in alarm, but there was no one there; the door was wide open, swinging back and forth in the wind. Extremely confused, I turned to my client, who I found was looking at the door with an astonished expression as well. "Um...who was that?" I asked. My client leaned forwards a bit to get a better look out the door. "I have absolutely no idea. Red and Yellow hair, tannish fur, was wearing sunglasses and a very old scarf. I couldn't catch her cutie mark, but as soon as she saw you, she freaked out and ran." She turned to me with a smile. "Come on, that can't be the weirdest client you've ever had," she said, beginning to chuckle; she quickly cut herself off with a wince. "Okay, this is still a little bit too tight," she proclaimed. At that remark, I gave a sigh. "Well, I never even saw her, let alone do business with her, so I'd hardly call her a client. And it's supposed to be worn tight, Darling. I swear, if you weren't the only pony in town that could possibly afford this..." I said, walking over to her and studying where it was constricting too tight. My client gave me a smug look in return. "Oh, come on, Rares, I've known you forever. Don't look at me as a wealthy client, look at me as your dear friend! Besides, I'm even coming to that dinner tonight to meet the elements!" she replied. When she said the word "elements", her face lit up, letting me know that the prospect was very exciting to her. I chuckled a little bit at the notion, knowing that the rest of the elements would be just as excited, maybe even more, to meet her, considering she was a household name throughout the entirety of Equestria. "I suppose I can loosen it up just a bit more. Hold still," I said. My client rolled her eyes, having been doing that already for about an hour, though that was understandable; her entire job description relied on her speed, so I had already known she hated staying still for prolonged periods of time. As I went back to my desk to get out the measuring tape, there was one thought in my mind I just couldn't shake off. Why do I feel like I've heard that voice before?