A Nightmare to Remember

by Cereal Velocity

Abdication

A nightmare to remember-
I’ll never be the same.
What began as laughter
So soon would turn to pain.

The sky was clear and frigid.
The air was thick and still.
Now I’m not one to soon forget,
And I bet I never will.

James LaBrie for Dream Theater, “A Nightmare to Remember”
Black Clouds and Silver Linings

There was a small, awkward pause as Rarity regained her composure and the adrenaline began to dissipate from her body. Twilight hadn’t moved; almost as if she didn’t know how to respond. Rarity let go of her neck and sank back down to the floor with a nervous laugh.

“Heh, hello,” she said lightly. Twilight gave her a look that was half confusion and half concern.

“Are you alright?” the lilac mare asked slowly. “Sweetie Belle came to get me when she couldn’t wake you up.” Rarity turned over and got to her hooves, dusting herself off and regaining her usual air of confidence. She looked around, discretely, for the scroll. Relieved to find it was still sitting on her desk she turned to Twilight, hoping her teacher wouldn’t see it.

“I’m just fine, dear,” she said through the gritted teeth of a, hopefully, convincing smile.

Twilight frowned. “Rarity, what happened?” Her tone was decidedly more serious.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you mean,” Rarity responded, nonchalantly.

“Rarity, if there’s something you need to tell me…” Twilight began, before being cut off by her student.

“Twilight, darling...” Rarity’s gaze drifted around the room as she attempted to mollify the purple mare. As her focus wandered she came upon Sweetie Belle; the small unicorn looked just as unconvinced as the older pony. “I assure you there is nothing to worry about. I…” She paused for a moment, choosing her next words carefully. “...I had a small accident. I was working a little too hard and probably just fell asleep and hit my head,” she lied through her teeth. “I feel all right now, honest.” She gave Twilight her most disarming smile; the mare kept her frown.

“Where’s the scroll?” Twilight remarked flatly.

“Scroll?” Rarity asked innocently, glancing away from her teacher.

Twilight didn’t respond, looking past Rarity for the piece of parchment. It took no time at all for her to find it splayed open on the table behind the fidgeting white mare. Her mixed expression now shifted to one of shock.

“Rarity, this is dangerous magic!” she exclaimed, rolling the parchment up as she lifted it with her telekinesis. “You didn’t read this, did you?” The white unicorn, unsure of what else to say, swallowed nervously.

Her head hung slightly, “Twilight, I only-“

“What were you thinking?!” Twilight shouted, preparing for a tirade. “Actually, you weren’t thinking, were you?! You don’t know how these things work! You could have hurt yourself, or worse! What if-“

“Stop yelling at her!” Sweetie Belle interjected angrily. She glared at Twilight with the most damning expression she could muster. “She needs to see the nurse pony- you can lecture her later.”

Rarity made a mental note to thank her little sister. She made a show of putting a hoof to her forehead. “Yes, I think that would be best,” she said in a weary voice.

Twilight, her expression now a mix of anger and concern, pursed her lips and said nothing. Rarity was afraid she would continue her rant; however, after a momentary pause, she nodded slightly and sighed.

“She’s right. Let’s get you checked out,” she said under her breath. “This can wait.”

With that, the purple mare stuffed the scroll into her saddlebag and led the two white unicorns out of the workshop. Rarity followed her, genuinely grateful for a chance to at least be examined by a professional. Her skin still crawled as she recalled the images she had seen. She was still nervous and uneasy, but it had just been a dream. She could handle a dream; nevertheless…

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, her eyes fell over Twilight’s retreating shadow, cast by the afternoon sun. It could have been her state of mind, or a trick of the light, but the shadow seemed to twist unnaturally. It, for no more than an instant, resembled the spectre she had seen just minutes ago under the apple tree. She blinked her eyes, focusing once more on Twilight’s, now normal, shadow. Yeah, she thought to herself, I definitely need to see the nurse.

***

The rest of the day was a blur for Rarity.

The nurse pony had given her a clean bill of health, much to Twilight’s apparent relief. Truth be told, though, she didn’t really feel all that well. Every little thing around her seemed to remind her of the things she had seen in her nightmare. A lone apple bumped into her hoof as she made her way down Ponyville’s curiously empty streets. A cursory glance around did not reveal any possible owner for the offending fruit. All of the ponies that would normally have been crowding the midday streets were inside their homes and shops, silhouetted over their windows and doors. Off in the distance a dark storm cloud roiled and heaved. An oddity, as there was no scheduled storm for today, but the thunderhead loomed on. It unnerved her more than she wanted to admit, but she tried to put it out of her mind.

Turning her attention to more immediate concerns, Rarity had been fully expecting some kind of lecture or lesson from Twilight after she had left the hospital. However, to her surprise, the purple unicorn simply gave her a knowing look and departed for her library home after bidding her farewell.

The designer had mulled it over for the rest of the day. She didn’t remember sleeping that night, or even going to bed. She still had not reached a conclusion as she walked with her sister back to the workshop from the bakery the next afternoon, specifically avoiding Twilight’s library. Maybe Twilight thought she had learned her lesson proper and didn’t need it rubbed in anymore. But that was certainly out of character for her, she reasoned. This was, after all, the pony who gave impromptu lectures on anything to anypony who would pretend to listen.

Maybe, said the nasty little voice in the back of her head, she’s reveling in the fact that she was right. Maybe she loves the fact that she taught you something without even trying.

Rarity blinked. What a morbid thought, but what if it was true? Surely Twilight wouldn’t act like that, but who knew? Maybe that little episode was what she had been waiting for? Maybe Twilight had purposefully left the scroll where she knew she could find it. It wouldn’t be hard to guess that curiosity could get the better of her student. Maybe she had known exactly what would happen, and was waiting for Rarity to come crawling back to her with her tail between her legs because she knew she didn’t know how to deal with such a simple nightmare; if indeed that was all this was.

Rarity tried to swallow the growing lump in her throat. What if that was all there was to it? What if Twilight had found some horrible spell in a book somewhere and written it down just to show her exactly how incapable she was?

The words of the creature in her dream echoed through her head. What has she done for you besides humiliate you?

A loud thunk drew Rarity back to her senses. She was so lost in her musings that she hadn't paid attention to where she was going; the sound was her hoof hitting the door frame of her workshop forcefully. Sweetie Belle gave her an odd look, concern still evident on her face.

Rarity smiled at her quickly, “Lead hooves,” she said.

“You don’t look so good,” the diminutive unicorn responded. Rarity ignored her for a moment and walked the rest of the way into her workshop. She needed something familiar to clear her head, and she knew just the thing: Twilight herself had commissioned a dress from her about a week ago, and she had been meaning to work on it between her magic lessons. This was the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. She turned back to her sister, trying to avoid thinking about the dream segment that had featured her, and forced a smile.

“Just a little worn out,” she said soothingly. She levitated out a sketched design of a dress and some needles from the drawer next to her. “Do you want to help me with the new dress order?”

The unicorn kept her skeptical look. “Now I know you’re not okay. You never ask me to help.”

“I could use an extra hoof,” Rarity lied.

“I don’t remember any dress orders,” Sweetie Belle persisted.

“I’ve had it lying around for a while,” Rarity answered. The white unicorn looked at the sketched design; it had stars on the hem, and an ornate headpiece that ended with several graceful curves. The color guide suggested generous amounts of purple and dark blue fabric; it was obviously meant for a unicorn.

“It’s not for Twilight, is it?” the foal queried.

Rarity looked at the paper. “Is it too obvious?” she asked, worried. The paper suddenly seemed very unfamiliar to her, as if she drawn it while half asleep. “I could cut down on the stars…”

“Twilight doesn’t usually go around wearing dresses,” Sweetie Belle said slowly. “Actually, she’s never commissioned anything from you before.”

Rarity’s face fell and some of the enthusiasm left her voice as she put the design back on the table. “Sweetie, why does all this matter?”

“It’s just weird, is all,” the diminutive unicorn said neutrally. “Don’t you think?”

“No?” Rarity answered. A small nagging voice seemed to be just on the edge of her mind. Shaking her head, Rarity motioned Sweetie Belle toward one of the nearby tables. “Now, be a dear and grab me some of the lavender velvet and some white thread,” she asked, blinking her eyes in what she hoped was a pleading gesture. The filly complied after a moment, crossing the room to gather the supplies. Rarity turned back around and began to set up a mare mannequin. From across the room, Sweetie Belle spoke up.

“Are you going to kill her for this?” she asked.

Rarity’s blood turned to ice as her heart skipped a beat. Her head whipped around to face her sister. “What was that?” she squeaked.

The filly turned around, wearing a confused look. “I said, are you going to bill her for this? She did help me wake you; it might be nice if you didn’t.”

Rarity’s heart sat in her throat and her hooves felt numb. She swallowed hard, “Oh; oh, of course. I hadn’t thought of that.” She said, almost breathlessly. Her sister waited a beat with expectant eyes.

“So, are you?” she asked again.

Rarity blinked, “Oh! Oh,” she said, realizing she had forgotten to answer the question. “I suppose not.” She forced another smile, suddenly feeling very lightheaded. “Thank you, Sweetie.” The small unicorn kept her confused look.

“If you’re going to pass out again, let me know in advance,” she said lightly, putting on a small smirk.

***

I am not going back to her. I can handle this myself.

That was the mantra Rarity repeated silently to herself as she and her sister worked diligently on the dress. Truth be told, she didn’t remember much of the process; only that it wasn’t going very well, and the two had abandoned the project after about an hour of work. They had promised to pick it back up later, but that was halfhearted at best.

As Sweetie Belle retired to her room for a nap, Rarity couldn’t help but wonder if she was going crazy. She felt physically ill; whatever was going on here was clearly out of her control, which in turn made her angry with herself. I can handle this! And, yet, it appeared that she was completely incapable of such a feat. Helplessness dutifully added itself to her cocktail of emotions.

And yet, if she crawled back to that insufferable purple unicorn, she would just prove to her, much less to herself, that she wasn’t competent enough to wield the magic she had been born with.

She sat down in a nearby chair with a huff and tried to clear her head, standing up again almost instantly. She needed some tea; tea was always good for calming the nerves.

The white unicorn walked to the edge of the hallway, heading to the smallish kitchen directly adjacent to her workshop. She pulled the teabags out from a nearby cupboard and levitated her favorite tea kettle and cup from another. After filling the kettle with water, she set it up to boil on the stove. She took one of the tea bags out of the container and tore it open. Her comforting routine stopped for a moment as she looked at the tea bag still suspended in the air. She never usually thought about how she used her magic from day to day, and yet, here she was, doing something that any earth pony and any pegasus would give their left hoof to try, much less be able to do.

Maybe I don’t need to be the best.

As the thought settled, she calmed down for what seemed like the first time in a very long while. Perhaps it was the very novelty of such a thought that soothed her. She had within her a gift, and maybe, she thought to herself, I forget that sometimes.

The kettle let out a hiss, hot steam letting Rarity know the water was ready. She levitated the kettle, and poured a measured amount of the boiling water into her cup. With that she turned around to set the kettle aside. A gasp caught in her throat when she turned back to put the tea bag in the cup; the previously scolding water had turned to solid ice.

Out of instinct and shock more than anything else, Rarity lashed out with her magic, sending the teacup flying across the room and into the wall with a sharp telekinetic discharge. The porcelain shattered, splashing still steaming water along that side of the room.

Rarity stood motionless for many minutes. Her breathing was erratic and the calm feeling she had so briefly savored just a moment ago was but a fleeting memory. She stared at the remains of her favorite cup, desperately trying to convince herself that what she had seen was real. And yet, across the floor, the steam still rose from the water she herself had poured.

With a grim realization, Rarity knew what she had to do. She knew who she had to see, and it was a pony far more powerful than Twilight.

***

It wasn’t every day you got to see a monarch in person. Under normal circumstances such a thing would be impossible on such short notice, but these were not normal circumstances.

Upon her arrival at Canterlot’s royal court an hour later, Rarity had asked the gate guards for an audience with Luna. Maybe they recognized her as one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony? Maybe Luna was more lenient with her visitors than Celestia. Whatever the case may have been, in under fifteen minutes she was waiting for the god queen in the royal library. Strangely, it was devoid of any other pony. The depository smelled faintly of dust and paper. The towering stacks of volumes around her were slightly intimidating; it had the air of a crypt, it was so quiet and still. Rarity much preferred the friendly atmosphere of Twilight’s library, but it was a little late to turn back now.

In what seemed like no time at all, Luna had entered the library and shut the door behind her. Rarity had expected to see guards outside the door before it closed, but there were none. The princess was wearing naught but her crown, but she was still an intimidating sight, even scaled down from Nightmare Moon as she was. She seemed even more daunting in the comparative darkness of the library than she ever did in Celestia’s daylight. Rarity swallowed, remembering the night she had helped redeem her. Maybe she could do the same for her.

The alicorn sat down next to Rarity quietly and fluffed her wings. “You said it was urgent,” she said in a neutral tone, inviting her to speak. Rarity did so, recounting everything that had happened after she had woken up from her spell-induced nightmare, including, somewhat to her embarrassment, her feelings of jealousy about Twilight. She had no idea what might be relevant, so she left nothing out. Luna listened quietly throughout her tale. At the end of her story, Luna sat for a moment, considering her words. She levitated a pitcher of pure water and poured a small goblet, offering it to Rarity. She took it gladly as Luna poured one for herself.

“Let me ask you something,” Luna began.

Rarity nodded. “Yes, princess?”

“How do you think you got here so easily?”

Rarity was confused by the question at first, and was about to respond in kind, but after thinking it over for a minute, she realized that her journey here had indeed been rather uneventful. Actually, now that she was trying to recall it, it slipped away from her.

Luna continued without letting her respond. “Twilight would never have let you leave that house in the first place. She would have felt too guilty about her scroll and what it might have done to you. Your sister would have been far more illogical than she was. She would have never thought to bring to you a nurse. She would have been driven to help you herself.”

Rarity was still trying to absorb Luna’s strange wording. “Her scroll?”

Luna put her own goblet down. “Think about it. Twilight’s most prized possessions are her books. All of her spells are in her books. She doesn’t keep scrolls, she keeps books. When was the last time you saw her use a scroll for a spell?”

Rarity tried to remember a single time in their lessons. She couldn’t.

“Was the scroll written in her hoofmanship?” Luna asked, with a hint of finality in her voice.

“Yes,” Rarity admitted slowly; it had been.

“She wrote that scroll herself,” Luna said, her tone keeping its certainty. She took a sip from her goblet before continuing her thought. “Does Twilight strike you as a competent enough magician to compose a scroll-long incantation by herself?”

Rarity hesitated, biting her lip.

“Don’t be afraid to answer honestly. Remember your time in Canterlot and Twilight’s lessons. Incantations are extensive and complicated affairs only done by classically trained arcane scholars. They are not things to be left lying around on library tables.”

Rarity sat stoic, unsure how to respond.

“Did Twilight write that spell herself?” Luna prodded.

“Probably not,” Rarity said, caving to Luna’s logic.

“Exactly,” the princess said. “She was, in all probability, experimenting with an existing spell. Your fears about any deception on her part are unwarranted; you were never meant to see that scroll. Therefore, whatever she wrote is almost certainly not having its desired effect on you. Whatever that effect might have been, I cannot say for certain.”

Rarity had finally connected the dots, but almost wished she hadn’t. Her heart jumped into her throat as her head whipped towards the princess. “I’m still asleep?”

Luna looked her calmly in the eyes for the first time. “It is a possibility.”

Rarity opened and shut her mouth several times, unable to think of anything to say. She looked around herself and realized that the library had shifted slightly from just moments ago, the minor changes now painfully obvious before this new realization. Some of the stacks had been shuffled slightly, leaving several of the books’ spine lettering changed. Though she couldn’t remember what they had originally said, she innately knew they were different. Tentatively, she gazed into her goblet; it was empty.

“Is it such a surprise?” Luna asked, her eyes not leaving her cup as she took a sip.

Rarity’s head swam as the world around her seemed to distort with her hyperventilation. “But… I…”

Luna looked up from her goblet. Her face did not belie any hint of emotion. “Calm yourself, Rarity, and think. I have given you no new information. Everything I told you just now you already know, had you been able to see it. Accept the thought that everything you’ve experienced in the last day or so was all in your head. It is quite probable that you are simply occupying a new layer of the spell now; loosened from it’s grasp, but still tethered. Your rebellion against the rogue magic in your system caused your ascension. There is nothing more going on here.”

Rarity could scarcely believe what she was hearing, and yet, beneath her panic, she realized Luna was making sense. She had been more lucid in the past twenty four hours than she had been since she cast the rogue spell, whatever lucidity counted for in this realm. The more she considered Luna’s words the more she realized the princess’s conclusion was the only correct one. She turned back to the god queen, trying to calm herself with more questions.

“So, if you’re not Luna, who are you?” Rarity queried.

“You,” Luna responded plainly. “Or, rather, your magic. Your subconscious is still mostly trapped beneath the layers of the rogue spell, despite the impressive damage you did to it.”

Rarity swallowed, accepting the vague compliment. She knew the answer to the next question, but had to ask it anyway. “So, can I wake up?”

“No. Not without my help,” Luna said. “That’s why I drew you to me.”

“But I came to you,” Rarity protested weakly.

“Remember that you’re still asleep,” Luna reminded her, looking away to take another sip from her goblet. “Your thoughts at this moment are only fragments that were able to free themselves from the lower layers of the spell; they have little basis in reality. I was able to connect them into something resembling consciousness so I could speak with you here. Hence, your increased lucidity within the past day or so; though in reality, much less time has passed. Twilight will surely be trying to wake you, as well. Whether she will be successful, I do not know.”

Rarity nudged her goblet with a hoof- a sweet smelling purple liquid sloshed inside the container. She should have been able to draw that conclusion. Perhaps she wasn’t as self-aware as she thought she was, whatever that meant. She took a long moment to mull over the situation. “How were you able to do all this?” she asked, finally.

“Magic works in mysterious ways,” Luna said simply. “Even your own, though you think it less powerful than you’d like it to be. Remember that.” At those words, the world around both of them shifted dramatically into a sunny beachfront. Rarity looked down in shock at the pillow she had been sitting on, now nothing more than a pile of sand. In the background she heard crashing waves, and seagull cries pierced the air in the distance. A beach ball now sat between them instead of a table.

Luna hummed as she took in the scene. “This layer is destabilizing,” she said in her unwavering tone. She turned towards the white unicorn. “Listen to me carefully, because I won’t be able to speak to you after this.”

Rarity nodded, trying to keep her breathing under control. “I’m listening.”

Luna pushed the beach ball away, deflating it in the process. “When you descend back into the lower layers, I’ll be with you. You need to find and confront the shadow again. The darkness is the source and the symptom of this invasion. No doubt you have already figured this out. What you don’t know, and therefore I do not know, is what the shade is a manifestation of; what it represents.”

Rarity rubbed a hoof on her face to make sure she was still there, still trying to take all this in. Her grip on the world seemed to be slipping away with each passing second. Parts of her body were becoming numb and it was growing more and more difficult to think. “How do you know it’s supposed to symbolize something?”

“Magic knows magic,” Luna said. Her crown was now a seagull. “It’s up to you to figure out what the purpose of the darkness is. I think that when you do, you’ll find your way out. With my help this time, of course,” she added. “I’m with you every step of the way. Okay?”

The world around Rarity buckled and heaved. “Okay!” she said with as much force as she could muster.

“Good,” Luna said, her voice seemed to resonate from all directions as the world faded. “Good luck.”

***

Rarity found herself on a cloud, and one that was pretty high up, by the looks of it. Her purple mane rippled in a gentle wind, and the sun shone vibrantly, but not terribly warmly, upon her. The town below her resembled a caricature of Ponyville more than real buildings. She couldn’t see any ponies in the streets, the roads seemed abandoned. The orange filly beside her sipped something from a delicately sculpted glass.

“You were saying?” Scootaloo asked.

Rarity looked back at the small pegasus. “Pardon?”

“About Celestia,” the foal clarified. “What were you saying?”

Stalling for a moment, Rarity looked at her own glass; an empty goblet stared back at her. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember,” she said after a moment.

Scootaloo swished the liquid in her glass. “That’s okay, I’ll pick it up; is Celestia a god?”

“Well, she’s a princess, and she can control the path of the sun…” Rarity trailed off.

“That’s not what I asked, though,” the filly said. “Is she a god?”

“I suppose so,” Rarity said slowly. “Her magic surpasses everypony else’s, and she was certainly powerful enough to banish Luna when the need arose.”

“Did she create Equestria?” Scootaloo prodded.

Rarity thought for a moment. “No.”

“Then who did?” the filly asked.

“Good question,” she hummed.

“So,” Scootaloo said, getting up from her sitting position and walking to the edge of the cloud, away from Rarity. She spread her wings and let the wind catch them, ruffling her feathers. “Who’s to say that she is a god?”

***

Rarity found herself amongst objects that reflected the light so violently that she had to shield her eyes for a moment. When she brought down her hooves, she saw around her a mountain of the most beautiful gems she had ever seen. Every color of the rainbow blanketed her in a wave of radiance that made her eyes sparkle with pure delight.

The ground beneath her rumbled. She heard a noise not unlike an earthquake behind her- whipping her head around, the last thing she saw was an enormous black and gold dragon, returning to protect his treasure.

***

The frenzied roar of the crowd could be heard through the thick red curtain separating Rarity from her destiny. She could feel the hot spotlights and the eyes of thousands of ponies anxiously awaiting her appearance. She looked down at herself; this was the most beautiful dress she had ever designed and it fit her curves perfectly. She had never looked more stunning in all her life, and now she was going to prove it. Brushing back her perfectly-groomed mane, she stepped out onto the runway.

Except there was no runway. There was no crowd. As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting of the theater, Rarity realized that there was absolutely nopony there. The sounds that had previously deafened her faded away, as the spotlights faded to black.

***

The space around her was filled with an absolute darkness, making discerning her location an impossibility. In front of her was a mare with slate blue fur, and a duo-tone mane to match. She wore a purple cloak and a pointed hat with decorative stars embroidered on the fabric. Levitating in front of the cloaked pony, in a magical purple haze, was a single flower, with purple pedals. She looked at it with a neutral expression.

“It’s just a trick, you know; the flower,” the blue mare said softly. She levitated it towards Rarity. “Would you like it?”

Rarity gently plucked the flower out of the air with her mouth, unsure of what to say. The mare continued.

“It’s life that I’ve created,” she said. “Isn’t it? The flower is alive. And yet…” she trailed off, looking forlornly at her cloak. “… and yet, it’s still a trick.” The blue unicorn looked back up at Rarity. “Is it still life, if it’s all a trick?”

Rarity, still unsure of how to respond, gave the mare a comforting look. In response, she gave a small smile.

“I guess… if the ponies like it, what’s the difference?” she asked gently.

***

“You’re useless!” Twilight yelled, pushing the metal puzzle box and everything around it off the table. The mass hit the floor with a loud clatter, a heap of scrolls, books, and the remains of a teacup. Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a glare from the purple unicorn.

“Useless!” Twilight repeated, louder than before. “A foal could do that spell! You’ve been at this for an hour and you can’t do a simple levitation spell!“ She got up in a huff, and walked several paces away from the table, breathing heavily in frustration.

Rarity swallowed deeply. “I only…” she began.

Twilight twirled around, fire in her eyes. “You only what?! You’re an embarrassment!” she shouted. “It’s no wonder you left Canterlot! Obviously you weren’t good enough to stay there. That was pitiful!”

Rarity felt her composure slipping away from her. “If you-“

“And you call yourself a unicorn!” Twilight yelled. “You might as well get your horn removed. There’s nothing I can do with you. Get out of my house!” At that, Twilight turned back around, and began to pick up the items that she had prepared for that day’s lecture, the majority of which were now scattered on the floor.

Rarity watched her for a few moments before gathering the strength to speak again. She felt like she was at the edge of tears. “Please…” she said softly, trying to control her voice. “Give me another chance. I’ll do better. I promise.” Twilight turned around, an incredulous look on her face. Rarity cringed, expecting her to yell at her again.

“Another chance?” she said, with barely contained frustration. “Another chance? Okay, here’s your chance.” Twilight’s horn glowed a brilliant lavender, and Rarity felt her throat magically constrict. Her eyes opened wide as she gasped for breath around the crushing force.

Twilight’s face became impassive. “What are you waiting for?” she asked. “Stop me. Surely you can do that!”

Rarity brought her hooves to her throat and fell backwards off of her pillow in pure panic, all magical ability forgotten. Her heart raced in her chest as her view of the ceiling began to blur at the edges. Her back hooves kicked uselessly against the air and scuffed the floor of the library as she fought for even a single gasp of air. She heard Twilight’s tirade continue to echo across the room.

“Even when your life depends on it, you can’t save yourself!” she shouted. “You don’t deserve your magic! You don’t deserve your gift!”

Just when Rarity thought she might lose consciousness, the magical hold on her neck loosened and dissipated. She took a few choking, shuddering breaths, and her vision gradually returned to normal. In her thrashings, she had ended up looking at the door to the library. She thought she saw a face behind the frosted glass. She thought she heard knocking. She didn’t care. Getting to her hooves, she turned to face her teacher, who had a smug, satisfied look on her insufferable face.

“Go ahead,” Twilight said softly. “Do what you wish; I welcome it.”

Rarity’s face twisted into a snarl; she intended to. Lighting her horn with magic, she leveled it directly at the purple mare. She knew exactly what spell she was going to use. Before she could, though, she heard the door behind her open.

“Rarity, stop!” a familiar voice shouted from behind her.

She didn’t know what it was about the voice that caused her to pause, but she did. She kept her gaze on Twilight, who kept her arrogant expression, but otherwise made no move to challenge whoever had entered the library. A moment passed, then two. No pony in the room moved. The silence around them was stifling.

“Rarity, look at me,” the voice said.

Every fiber in her being was telling her to use her magic against her former friend. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she shook with the rage that she felt. Despite all that, despite what had happened just a moment ago, the voice behind her was like a crystal tone in her ears, lending clarity to her chaotic, strained thoughts. She still desperately wanted to tear the smirk from Twilight’s face, but…

Against her better judgment, Rarity turned around and leveled her horn at the newcomer instead. She recoiled instantly, the flare of magic dissipating from her horn before a blue pegasus. Standing before her, proudly displaying her feathers, was Rainbow Dash. Beyond the multicolored pony, through the door, was only pitch blackness. Where Ponyville should have proudly stood was naught but a void. The rainbow-maned pony’s expression shifted to one of determination as she levied her gaze on Twilight.

“Rarity, you’re going to do exactly what she wants you to do,” Rainbow Dash said. “Don’t! Just trust me. She learned from last time, and it’s what she’s counting on.”

Rarity wanted dreadfully to tell the mare exactly what had just happened; what Twilight had done, but as she was about to, she was cut off, as if Dash had read her thoughts.

“Look, that’s not Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said quickly, “It never was. Twilight would never do these things to you. Think! I can’t do this for you!”

Rarity furrowed her brow as she listened to the pegasus; she was saying absolute nonsense. This was clearly Twilight in front of her now; and yet, now that Dash had said it, Rarity started to notice that this situation wasn’t exactly normal- but not in so many words. It was strange in a way she couldn’t put her hoof on. She was still angry, but a new emotion was settling over her; one that she couldn’t identify. She was torn; she didn’t know what to think, and it frightened her.

Twilight spoke up from the opposite corner of the room. “Clearly, you are confused,” she said in a low, hauntingly familiar voice.

“You shut your mouth!” Dash snarled. “Rarity, listen to me-“

“Why should you?!” Twilight yelled, louder. “You know what you want to do. It’s what you’ve wanted to do for a very long time. So seize your chance! Do it!”

“Rarity, don’t!” Dash yelled.

If she had been torn before, Rarity had no idea what to think now. Would Twilight have done those things to her? Maybe she deserved it; maybe she deserved to be ridiculed. But what had she done? Maybe she hadn’t done anything? So why was Twilight so angry with her? All she wanted, all she ever wanted, was to impress her. As the questions fought for supremacy in her mind, her thoughts became a morass of emotion and helplessness that she couldn’t control, much less fight. She slowly sunk to her knees in defeat, and tears filled her eyes.

Rarity choked back a sob. “I give up,” she said, softly. “I can’t do this. I’m… I’m useless.”

“You are not useless!” Dash said. “I can’t name one other pony in Equestria who has stood by her friends like you have! Stood by me! Stood by everypony, even when things were at their worst!”

The words resonated in Rarity’s head the same way that Dash’s earlier ones had. As suddenly as they had come, the tears in her eyes dried. She turned her head towards the sky blue mare. On her face was nothing but admiration; she was telling the truth.

“Of course I’m telling the truth, feather-brain!” Dash spouted.

“She’s just telling you that to make you doubt yourself later,” Twilight shouted from across the room. Rarity whipped her head around to look at her once again. The fire in her eyes had returned. Twilight redoubled her efforts. “She’s manipulating you!”

Another voice came from behind Rarity. “You held your ground against the diamond dogs. I’m not sure I could have done that,” it said. Rarity turned once again. Standing behind Rainbow Dash were three other ponies; Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. She recognized the voice as Applejack’s, who gave her a gleaming smile.

“They’re lying to you!” Twilight’s voice took on a grave quality, becoming louder. Her exclamation seemed to fill the room.

Fluttershy spread her wings with pride. “You helped us redeem Nightmare Moon!”

Pinkie Pie beamed her widest smile. “You helped me realize that I hadn’t actually lost something that I held dear to my heart.”

Twilight snarled behind her. “Do you think all of that redeems you?!” Again, Rarity turned towards her teacher. The purple mare pawed angrily at the ground, “Do you think any of those things matter?!”

“They matter to me,” came a soft voice said from behind her. When Rarity turned round to face this new voice, she saw a second Twilight; standing in the center of the group of ponies. Not an angry, vengeful Twilight, but one with the most tender of expressions and the most sincere of smiles.

“They matter to me, because you helped me realize you’re the best friend a pony could ever ask for,” she said.

Friend.

The word rang like a bell through Rarity’s muddled thoughts. She gazed upon this new Twilight’s face, searching for any hint of deceit. She found none. All she saw in her friend’s face was happiness; no judgment, no anger, no hate. She looked at the rest of her friends, gathered around her, lending her support. They all wore the same warm expressions, silently standing behind Twilight’s words. They didn’t have to say anything. They all felt the same way, and Rarity knew it.

She knew, now. She knew how to leave this place, this plane of misery.

Rarity stood up and turned, one last time, to face the Twilight Sparkle she now knew wasn’t real. However, what stood in her place was a smoky, black, amorphous shape, with a unicorn’s horn and a pegasus’ wings. The creature’s eye sockets were filled with fire, which gave off embers that floated lazily into the air. Though it had no face, Rarity could feel the rage it held; the rage that she could now put a feeling to.

It was her own; her own rage, her own envy, her own blind, stubborn, jealousy for Twilight and for herself. With this realization came an overwhelming sense of calm; she knew what she had to do.

She walked, slowly and deliberately, towards the shape. On her way to the pedestal on which it stood, Rarity magically picked up the fallen puzzle pieces. The creature didn’t move an inch as she approached. When she was a mere step away from it, she stopped, staring it straight in the eyes.

“I know what you are,” she said calmly.

“You have accomplished nothing. You can’t kill me. I am a part of you,” the shape said, in a twisted and grotesque masquerade of Twilight’s own voice.

“I’m not going to kill you,” Rarity said simply. Releasing her magical hold on the puzzle pieces, she dropped them on the floor directly in front of the shade. She never broke her gaze with the fiery eyes. “Solve it,” she said forcefully.

The shade hesitated for the smallest of instants. “What game are you playing?”

Recognizing the shape’s refusal, Rarity again picked up the puzzle with her magic. Holding it directly between her and the abomination, she began to rotate the pieces, looking for their overall pattern. She fitted piece to piece, section to section, slot to slot in an attempt to solve it, as she had done in the real world not hours ago. The minutes seemed to drag on forever, but she refused to look anywhere else but at the face of the alicorn in front of her. As she got closer to completing the puzzle, the pieces changed slightly, refusing to let her continue. Determined, she rearranged the offending portions, but they changed shape once again. Every time they would do so, she would back up and resolve that part.

After what seemed an eternity, she was left with the best solution she could possibly derive- yet despite her confidence in it, there was a piece missing. A hole, directly in the center. Rarity could have sworn she saw the alicorn grin.

“You fight against something than cannot be defeated,” it said in a low voice. “If you truly know what I represent, you would not try.”

And just like that, the final piece of the metaphorical riddle clicked into place for Rarity.

She stared directly through the hole at the shape, and closed her eyes. Reaching out with her magic, she enclosed the shade with it, delving deep into the center of the mass, looking for the energy she knew existed. When she found it, she resisted the urge to do what she so desperately had wanted to do just moments ago. Instead, she took what she found and brought it out gently, fitting the energy into the last section of the now completed puzzle.

When she opened her eyes, the shape was no longer present. In the puzzles place, there now floated a solitary apple. Rarity laughed. It was over.

***

“You did it,” Luna said from beside her. They were back on the beach. She heard the gentle sound of waves lapping the shore, and the familiar cry of the seagulls.

Rarity smiled at her. “With your help,” she responded.

“I am you, remember?” Luna said playfully, nudging her with a hoof. Rarity positively beamed. “Never doubt yourself. You are stronger than you could ever imagine.”

Rarity swallowed, her smile fading. “Thank you; for teaching me that.”

Luna only motioned at the sun above them. “It is something that few ever learn. Go on, your friends are waiting.”

Rarity looked up to the sun, and the world faded again.

***

When she awoke, she found herself on a cot. She recognized the nurse pony’s office immediately. As she blinked the lights out of her eyes, she saw a number of faces standing over her, all wearing concerned expressions. She recognized them as well. Her friends, every one of them.

She heard one of them ask if she was okay, though it came through somewhat muffled. She turned her head slowly to locate the source of the question. Her eyes drifted towards a purple mare, Twilight, her eyes looked red, as if she had been crying. Rarity could only smile.

“Am I home?” she asked wearily.

Twilight’s eyes were flooded with tears as she returned her smile. “You’re home.”

End

Comments

[littlerobotbird]

Really solid story in a genre I adore...but it has a few wonky bits. I supremely enjoyed the slow breakdowns of the dreamer reality and the more surreal bits of it (including the short pieces of incomplete scenes). The basic core of the story was really nice (I always like seeing people delve into Rarity's background/personality), but the devices that get in going are a little bit rough. I'm having a little bit of trouble figuring out Twilight's encounter with the shadow beast and its relationship to Rarity's. I have theories drawn out of the story (e.g. that the beast was held back by the scroll and somehow used Twilight to create a trap scroll in an effort to free itself), but they're not substantiated in any sort of denouement/concluding scene. I think a lot of these could be fixed with a bit of an afterwards, but, even without one, this is a really solid story.

[Cereal Velocity]

384

Hey, thanks for reading! The discontinuity between the first chapter and the later ones was both intentional and kind of a mistake on my part. The first chapter was written as a stand-alone story, and I was determined not to go back and change anything that happened in it, but the ponies wanted more of the story, so I added on Rarity's tale on top of that. As a result there is some stretching of facts! I'm glad you still enjoyed it, though.

[Wanderer D]

Loved this story! I'm a sucker for self-discovery, character-oriented stories, and this is an awesome example of it. Thank you for writing it!

[ChemIisan]

Where do I recognize you from? *Looks at your works*

Don't recognize any of them...

Cereal Velocity....

Cereal Velocity...

...EqD staff? I dunno.

[Cereal Velocity]

22292

You got it right!

[ChemIisan]

22389

Yay! I feel smart now.

[Exemter]

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

[Xantari]

Great (terrifying) story! I was certainly getting a Lovecraftian feel, though you managed to capture that feeling without obfuscating detail like Lovecraft did.

[Joural]

that's awesome! I love Luna as Rarity's magic in this, it just makes too much sense. Celestia taught Twilight magic, and the rage is Rarity's jealousy, so of course Rarity would want to view her magic as someone she imagined to be powerful, but Celestia isn't an option because Celestia is the source of Twilight's magic, so Rarity chooses her opposite- Luna.

... of course, in truth I just love anything I can analyze to death and understand better afterwords. Give me something with logic behind it and half an explanation and I am happy as a pig in slop.

[Inky Swirl]

Dude. That was good. Like, wow.

I have to commend you on doing something that's not really done around here. I honestly think that you, Cereal, may deserve the title, "Brony," more than most--because you didn't just write a 'fic.' No, you went into the minds of the characters and analyzed relationships that actually exist in the universe, picked up a lead, and followed it to a "what if?" point. There is not a trace of shipping, self-service, or whatever in here... this piece was legitimately made by a real fan who wanted to tell a real story about an event that, were it allowed, could have very well been a genuine episode. It is smart, it is real, it has meaning. I never thought about how Twilight's presence and status made Rarity feel--or could make Rarity feel--but now that it's been presented to me, it makes incredible sense. Knowing that such a seed of doubt in their friendship could exist in this way renders you a true thinker and believer in this thing.

FIMFiction is full of shit. I will tout that fact forever. But you have presented a gemstone of a story, an appreciation piece by a heart-and-mind fan, that makes Equestria just a little more real. It takes a really good writer and a person with conviction to earn my respect and, more so, my admiration on this site. And you did it, boy.

Note: One thing I thought was genius? The following:

And yet, if she crawled back to that insufferable purple unicorn, she would just prove to her, much less to herself, that she wasn’t competent enough to wield the magic she had been born with.

It was just a little thought that had been inserted--that "insufferable purple unicorn." In one glimpse, we get a real look at how Rarity actually feels, and it is so quick, so subtle, and so in-tune that it raises the story to another level. Bless you, Cereal Velocity.

You make me want to be a better writer.

[Cereal Velocity]

1257214

That was the nicest comment I've ever gotten, and you really made my morning. Thank you for taking the time to read the story!

[Inky Swirl]

1258673

Thank YOU for being legitimate! There may not be a dragon's hoard of good fics on this site, but damnit, every one counts! The minority faces an insurmountable challenge... but every soldier brave enough to show talent and practiced skill without doing service to peon desires is worth their weight in gold.

[The Princess Rarity]

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[dtlux1]

This is now a link in an episode followup on EqD! I MUST READ IT NOW!
dtlux1

[Dark Avenger]

Having seen your guides to writing pony fan fiction, I was really curious about what any of your own works were like. So, I looked up your page, and was at first kind of bemused when I noticed the relatively small number of stories that you actually had out there. ("Hah, look who's talking!" But then again, I also didn't write any fanfic guides for others along the way...)

Still, this story in particular caught my attention, mainly because of the title, not to mention the category. I love "dark" stories, and when it comes to pony, the good ones are few and far between (also: RARITY ). However, I never got around to actually reading it until just recently, after you've brought it up in an episode followup on EQD.

I have to admit, even though you pretty much gave away the "Luna is in your dreams" thing in that post, it still caught me completely by surprise. As for the story itself: it was one of the most interesting stories I've read for quite a while. The "dream sequence" in particular was pulled off in a superb fashion. It actually read, nay, felt like going through a dream, which other authors seem incapable of doing well these days. (A dream isn't supposed to look like you're just "watching a video", or something).

Friendship, mystery, dark magic, anger, insanity... everything we need for a good creepy story is right here, and in the right place. Sweetie Belle was freaking me out...

One complaint that I might have is that the story seems to wrap up just a little too quickly. Then again, with this kind length and structure, it could almost pass for an episode from the show, if not for the "near-grimdark" content. We get our friendship problem, the resulting conundrum, and finally: the lesson to have learned from it all. If that is what you were going for, then I guess that works just as well.

Overall, this is a really tight and well-written story. I was very pleasantly surprised, and am looking forward to reading more of your works, because apparently what you do write, you make sure to write well.

[Sarda]

This story needs far more views than it has.

[RaritySimper44]

Such a happy ending