Queen of Equestria

by Ponyman14

Chapter 5

Rarity knocked on the door of the Ponyville Spa. It was usually open today, but for some reason it didn't seem like anypony was there. Rarity noticed a note on the door.

"Ponyville Spa closed on royal orders," read Rarity.

Rarity didn't understand. How and why did this happen? The dismayed unicorn returned to her boutique. Sweetie Belle was supposed to be here. Rarity called for her sister and looked around for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. Rarity suddenly heard a knock on the door, and went to answer.

"Yes? Can I help you?" said Rarity to the pegasus wearing a public uniform.

"Yes you can. Your weekly taxes are due," said the pegasus mare coldly.

"Weekly taxes? When did this start happening? Are you being serious?" demanded Rarity.

"Royal decree to raise tax revenue, just this week," said the pegasus.

"Well I don't believe it. I pay too much tax as it is," complained Rarity.

"It's the bits, ma'am… or the stockades," said the pegasus in annoyance.

"Fine. No need to be rude. Here you go," said Rarity as she dropped the bits into the pegasus' saddle bag.

Rarity closed the door without saying goodbye.

"The government's really been overstepping it's bounds," said Rarity to herself.

Another knock came at her door just as she was turning around.

"Yes? Hello?" said Rarity to the three unicorn police at her door. There was a demeanor about them that made Rarity feel uncomfortable.

"Good day. You are Miss Rarity I presume? Mind if we step inside?" said one of them.

"Yes, I do mind. Whatever is the reason?" said Rarity, closing the door a little bit.

"We have reason to believe you're in possession of illegal contraband. Failure to comply will mean arrest. Please open the door ma'am," he said.

"What?!" snapped Rarity. "You're not coming in without a warrant. I have a right to my privacy."

The unicorn nodded to the others and they forced the door open with their magic, which Rarity had been trying to hold back. Rarity was knocked to the side as the unicorns came in.

"Get out of here, you ruffians! This is my boutique!" ordered Rarity.

The police ponies ignored Rarity and began searching the house.

"Hey look at this," said one of them, as he pulled back the changing room curtain, exposing a set of dresses Rarity had made.

"Yep, looks like we've got the right place," said the lead police pony.

Before Rarity could protest, she was ensnared in a magical field that the police pony was casting on her. She was forced onto her side on the floor, and the magical field kept her pinned down. Her front and rear legs were cuffed together so she couldn't walk.

"When I get out of here I'll… I'll…" threatened Rarity.

One of the police hurried down the stairs levitating Rarity's sewing machine with him.

"What the hay are you doing with my things?!" demanded Rarity.

"Alright, that's pretty convincing evidence," said the lead police pony.

He then said to Rarity, "Miss Rarity, you are under arrest for production of illegal materials."

"What are you talking about!" yelled Rarity. "It's just sewing equipment, you buffoon!"

"Oh, we have a confession I see. Surely you know, Miss Rarity, that dress sewing is against the law?" said the police pony.

"What?! You've got to be joking me!" protested Rarity.

The head police pony levitated her into the air and they walked out the front door of the Carousel Boutique. Rarity struggled and squirmed, but to no avail. Her temper was making her feel hot. The floating, shackled unicorn turned her head to see where her kidnapers were taking her. Ponyville Town Hall was gone and there was a stunning castle in it's place. Rarity stopped squirming as she gazed in awe at the building looming above Ponyville. The police ponies carried her through the main entrance and Rarity suddenly found herself in a large room with high ceilings. The police set her down and trotted away.

"What's going on? Come back here you…!" Rarity tripped as she tried to move and fell on her face. At least the red carpet made a soft landing.

"Rarity," said a familiar voice.

Rarity flopped around to face the voice. Twilight Sparkle sat in a raised throne in front of her. She was wearing her crown and a luxurious gown. Her wings were spread out wide on either side of her.

"Twilight!" said Rarity, "What's happening? They said dress making was illegal and they arrested me!"

"I'm sorry Rarity, but dress making is illegal," said Twilight frankly.

"But… But you're wearing a dress right now. In fact, that's the dress I made for you for the promenade!" said Rarity.

"So?" snapped Twilight.

"Twilight? What's gotten into you? Tell me what's wrong," said Rarity, concernedly.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything's how it's supposed to be. I outlawed dress making and dress wearing," said Twilight haughtily.

"But why?" asked the confused unicorn, "Why would you do something like that?"

"Fashion is simply impractical. Nopony needs it. It consumes time which could otherwise be used studying and reading books," said Twilight coldly.

"Besides, it means more attention for me!" giggled Twilight creepily.

"No, Twilight. You'd never say something like that. This isn't like you," protested Rarity.

Suddenly a white unicorn filly walked up beside Twilight.

"Sweetie Belle?!" said Rarity, "what are you doing here?"

"Twilight adopted me as her new little sister," said Sweetie Belle. "She doesn't spend much time with me either, but she does give me lots of candy! All the candy I can eat!"

Sweetie Belle joyfully popped a handful of sweets into her mouth. Rarity felt her temper rising again. The fact that she couldn't stand up made the matter worse.

"Twilight, I demand to know the meaning of this! And Sweetie Belle, shame on you!" said the powerless unicorn. "Sweetie Belle? Sweetie Belle, what are you doing? Don't walk away from your sister when she's talking to you!"

"Hehe," giggle Twilight.

"Stop laughing!" yelled Rarity.

"Sweetie Belle, take your candy and go play in your room," said Twilight.

Sweetie Belle obeyed. Rarity was fuming.

"Only I have authority over my sister!" yelled Rarity. "Sweetie Belle! Come back here at once!"

"Apparently you don't," said Twilight snidely.

"Give me my life back, Twilight Sparkle! I've always been in control of my life, let me go back home!" yelled Rarity.

"Only a princess truly has control," said Twilight. "You can't have control if you're not a princess."

"That's ridiculous!" said Rarity as she continued struggling in her shackles.

"Is it? As princess, I can do anything I want; like seize your livelihood, your home, or your sister," continued Twilight.

"Give me my life back!" yelled Rarity, kicking her legs. "Wait, what about my home?"

"Oh, I've had the police possess your boutique, and all your belongings. It's part of the royal treasury now. It's just a drop, but drops are what make up an ocean!"

Rarity attempted to stand once again, but fell over.

"I have so much wealth Rarity, you wouldn't believe it! And the power, it's euphoric!" Twilight giggled with glee and clopped her hooves together.

Was this really Twilight Sparkle? Rarity didn't think Twilight was capable of acting like this, but as the old saying goes, power corrupts. It didn't matter how or why Twilight was doing this; when Rarity got out of these shackles, she was going to show Twilight how tough she could really be.

"You're going to show me how tough you are?" said Twilight.

Now Twilight was reading he thoughts too? Rarity bucked her legs in the air in desperation. She realized how pathetic she must look, kicking and squirming on the floor at her friend's feet. Rarity started crying. Her legs strained against her metal shackles. The situation was utterly hopeless. Tears ran down Rarity's cheeks and soaked into the red carpet below. She looked at Twilight pitifully. Twilight said nothing.

"Twilight," sobbed Rarity, "please… give me… back…"

The unicorn was sobbing so hard she couldn't speak. Between gasps and sobs, she could see Twilight sitting on her throne, although it was blurred by tears. Rarity wanted revenge. She wanted to make her oppressor pay. Rarity tossed her head back and neighed loudly. Her helplessness was unbearable. Rarity had always been a strong, independent mare, and this was just too much to handle. She gave in after another minute of struggle, and lay motionless on the carpet, crying.

Suddenly whispers surrounded Rarity. Reverence, they said. Power and wealth, whispered others. They sounded like the whispers from her previous nightmare.

"Yes," said Rarity aloud, "give them back to me. Give me back my sister. Give me back everything, Twilight Sparkle."

Rarity now turned to face Twilight, who still sat on the throne. With another expulsion of strength, Rarity attempted to stand on all four legs, and succeeded this time. She felt as though some strange magic was possessing her, and trying to overtake her.

"Give it back to me!" yelled Rarity, facing Twilight. "I want to be in control!"

Twilight didn't respond. Rarity felt an overwhelming ecstasy come over her. Her hairs stood on end with this new feeling of power. She didn't know what this feeling was, but it was taking hold of her and nothing had ever felt so good. Rarity's eyes grew wide as she felt this strange ecstasy run through her body. She gasped as she felt her whole being engulfed by greed and anger.

Rarity's horn started to glow, but the magical aura was a dark, corrupt magic. With this magic, Rarity unlocked her shackles. She glared at Twilight vengefully. The dark magic seemed to be possessing her.

"Give me everything! I want your power! I want your wealth! I deserve to be the one in control! I'm want to be the princess!" screamed Rarity.

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Rarity suddenly sat up in bed, speechless. Her fur was standing on end, and her horn tingled. She lay a hoof on her chest. Her heart was beating quickly. Again, she was sweating like after the last nightmare, especially her hindquarters where ponies' sweat glands are. Rarity didn't get up, but lay back down with her eyes wide open. She couldn't grasp what had just happened. She wasn't panicky, like after the first dream, instead this dream had chilled her to the bone. She felt pale and lightheaded. What had come over her back there?

Rarity laid there until well into the morning, unable to sleep again. She silently got up and went downstairs. She didn't feel capable of doing her makeup this morning. Rarity groggily walked into the kitchen. She stood in the threshold of the room, swaying back and forth and staring off into space. The poor unicorn was in shock. She could not believe what she had said to Twilight. It was only a dream, but still.

"The whispers," thought Rarity. "The whispers were there again like in the first dream. That dragon created them. Could he be… controlling my dreams? Yes, that's the only way to explain it."

Rarity shivered at the thought.

"But, why in Equestria would he do that? And why me? I… I just can't take this anymore," said Rarity aloud. "Oh Celestia why? Why me? Just let it end!"

Rarity's breakdown was cut short by a knock on the door. The knock signaled that Sweetie Belle was here for breakfast before school. Rarity regained her composure the best she could, and made her way to the door. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Rarity! Are you there?!" yelled her little sister, knocking again at the door.

"Coming, Sweetie Belle!" said Rarity.

Rarity took a few deep breaths, as she tried to relax and look natural. She opened the door and Sweetie Belle trotted in. The filly trotted into the kitchen and stopped. Rarity walked after her.

"What's for breakfast today sis?" asked the filly.

"No breakfast today. I woke up late again, and didn't have time to..." rarity coughed, "… to make anything. But I have suppose I have some fruit."

Rarity could hear that her own voice sounded shaky. She smiled at Sweetie Belle, but knew all too well that she hadn't managed to hide the look of distress in her eyes.

"Rarity, what's wrong?" asked Sweetie Belle, as her little face took on a concerned expression.

"Nothing's the matter. Let's eat our breakfast now, shall we?" said Rarity unconvincingly.

Sweetie Belle watched as her sister prepared a plate of fruit. There was a look on Rarity's face that Sweetie Belle had seldom seen before. Her sister just didn't seem herself. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure what to say. She knew her sister could be real emotional, or more like over-dramatic, but this was different. Sweetie Belle sat down at the table and started eating. The two sisters said nothing and avoided eye contact. Rarity knew that her façade hadn't worked.

"Rarity?" asked Sweetie Belle, looking up at her sister.

"Yes, Sweetie?"

"Rarity, you're scaring me," she said plainly.

This evoked Rarity's eyes to tear up again. She sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a napkin.

"Rarity?!" said Sweetie Belle, as her eyes began to water too.

"Oh Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry," said Rarity. "It was only another bad dream."

The sisters embraced in a hug next to the kitchen table.

"I'm so sorry Sweetie Belle," said Rarity. "You should be off to school now. Don't worry about me, I'll feel better soon enough. I'll be as good as new by the time you get back from school."

"Isn't there any way I can help, Rarity?" asked the filly, as her sister nuzzled her neck.

"No, Sweetie Belle," Rarity smiled, "I'll be just fine. Now off you go."

The sisters broke their embrace and headed to the door. Rarity waved goodbye as Sweetie Belle walked away. Rarity closed the door and stepped back inside. A clock ticked ominously on the wall nearby. Now that Rarity had an idea of why she was having the nightmares, she was unsure what to do about it. It was something Rarity had no control over. Maybe Sweetie Belle was right, maybe Rarity did need help from somepony. But who, and what could they do?

Rarity retired to her room.

"Oh, I feel terrible that Sweetie Belle had to see me so down in the dumps, as it were. Big sisters are meant to act strong, and be good role models."

Rarity walked up to her work table and looked over her sewing tools. The tools and materials were all here, waiting for a creative mind to put them to good use. As the unicorn examined the dresses for the promenade, she felt that her mind was not at ease.

"I cannot believe what happened to me in that dream," she thought. "It was as if I had been corrupted by Discord again. It was that same overwhelming feeling of greed and envy. I really turned into a monster."

Rarity turned her back to her work, and chose to walk away. She couldn't sew for the time being, her distress was severely hampering her creativity. Rarity meandered around the Boutique for a few minutes, trying to find things to do to get her mind off the nightmare. It was no use, her mind was just too clouded. She found that she couldn't work on a single project.

"Aha! I know just the thing," thought Rarity as she made her way downstairs. "I'll go looking for gems. If it can help ease my mind, then why not? Maybe all I need is some fresh air."

Rarity grabbed her saddlebags, emblazoned with her cutie mark symbol, and went to the Boutique door. She grabbed a sun hat on the way out, and locked the door behind her.

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"Rarity!" yelled Sweetie Belle from outside the boutique.

Usually the boutique was open at this time of day. Sweetie Belle wondered why Rarity had locked it. Either she was out, busy working on dresses, or taking a bath. Sweetie Belle knocked her head on the door again.

"Rarity!" she yelled.

Sweetie Belle pouted and sat down in front of the door and waited. She watched ponies walking by on the street. A couple minutes passed before Sweetie Belle saw a familiar figure trotting towards her. It was Rarity, with two saddlebags full of gems.

"Sorry Sweetie Belle," panted Rarity, "I was collecting gems and I didn't realize how late it had gotten."

Sweetie Belled trotted through the doorway after her sister.

"You found a lot of gems! I wish I could have come," whined the filly.

"Sorry, Sweetie Belle. I just needed to get some fresh air and get my mind off things. Besides, mother and father are expecting you back soon. We simply wouldn't have had time anyways," explained Rarity.

Rarity knew that Sweetie Belle liked doing things with her big sister, and she felt sorry now that she hadn't thought about it.

"But, I'll tell you what," she continued, "You can help me to organize them into their respective categories."

As Rarity poured the gemstones into a pile on the floor, memories of her nightmare returned. As the small, sparkling gems cascaded from the bags, Rarity pictured a waterfall of jewels pouring into a pile of treasure in a tall room with white marble columns and decadent sculptures, what she had always imagined as the royal treasury.

"Such wealth an Equestrian princess has," she murmered as she stared blankly into the pile of small gems on the floor.

"What?" said Sweetie Belle. "Are you sure you're okay, sis?"

"Huh? Oh of course," said Rarity as she snapped out of the day dream. "I'm just fine. Now, remember that sapphires go in this box, the topaz and opals go here, and the emeralds go in the chest."

"Got it! You can count on Sweetie Belle, expert gem organizer! Do you think I'll get a gem cutie mark like yours Rarity?" said the filly.

"We'll just have to see now, won't we?"

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An hour later the two sisters parted ways once again. Tomorrow Sweetie Belle would be over for breakfast again. Rarity waved goodbye as Sweetie Belle trotted off to their parent's home on the other side of town.

The boutique suddenly seemed very lonely. She went upstairs and sat down on top of her bed, and was left alone with her thoughts. Now that she wasn't focused on a current task, her thoughts were free to wonder. And to her dismay, the nightmares flooded back into her mind.

"What if I had done as the dragon told me? What if I had not joined with my friends to defeat him?" though Rarity.

She ran through the scenario in her head.

"If I didn't use my element against him, there would have been nopony to stop him. He would have taken over Equestria. He tried to use me."

Rarity rested her head on a pillow, deep in contemplation. Her serious, solemn expression made her cat, Opalescence, curious. The cat thought about investigating, but instead continued playing with a ball of yarn apathetically.

"But what if he wasn't lying. What if I could have been a princess?"

Rarity's eyes grew wide as she considered the captivating idea. She imagined the look of disbelief on her friends' faces as she refused to join them in activating their elements.

"Then what?" she thought. "The dragon would laugh at my foolishness. He might fling me off the tower, having no further use for me. And my friends would flee for their lives, knowing all hope was lost, as the dragon continued to wreak havoc on Canterlot."

Rarity closed her eyes.

"Or… the other scenario. The dragon would banish the princesses and propped me up as the new monarch. And I would have everything that I've ever dreamed of. But my friends would be so disappointed. They would resent me. They would be so distraught. 'How unlike Rarity, how shallow and cold she really was inside,' they would say. No, I could not bear it. I wouldn't even be able to look my friends in the eyes again, after committing such a shameful act. Such negative attention would drive me mad. That would be the worst possible thing.

"If that's what being a princess would entail for me, I certainly don't want a part of it," thought Rarity. "It makes sense, I think. The dragon was playing upon my anti-element, just as Discord did. But I am too loyal to my friends to go down that path. It doesn't matter what he tries to tempt me with, because I won't fall for it.

"Every reasonable thought in my mind says that the dragon lied to me," she thought, "but even if he was telling the truth, and I accepted, I couldn't imagine living with myself after such a betrayal. But this fantasy of being a princess won't leave me! This is torment!

"Princess Luna can enter ponies' dreams, can she not? Is it the same magic that Salazar is using? Part of me regrets not throwing away my element, just to know for sure that he was lying.

"And dear Sweetie Belle... I'm acting so unlike myself, that it's frightening the poor filly. It's frightening me too!

"Why does the dragon persist? Besides, he's imprisoned, so what can he expect to happen anyways?" she thought.

"How can I overcome a battle such as this? It's just so frustrating. These dark thoughts just won't die.

"If we ever have to use the Elements of Harmony against Salazar again," Rarity reminded herself, "I will remain loyal to my friends and my princesses. If I remain strong and keep a clear mind, I'll beat the dragon. He's bound to give up when he realizes I'm not taking the bait. My will is stronger than that. I can fight this! I must do it for Sweetie Belle. I must do it for my friends."

She opened her eyes and hopped off the bed. She had some chores to do before turning in for the evening.

The Equestrian sun moved lower in the sky and slid behind a distant mountain range to the West. It cast a beautiful orange glow upon the scattered clouds in the sky. The floating city of Cloudsdale in the distance was illuminated a brilliant orange. Opposite the sun, the moon rose behind the closer mountain range to the East. Somewhere, Princess Luna was raising the moon. The colorful pallet of sunset colors also played across the Carousel Boutique.

Rarity might have been at her window, or with friends, watching the beautiful sunset, but tonight she was not. Instead Rarity tossed and turned in her bed. Having figured out that the dragon was forcefully controlling her dreams had not helped Rarity feel any better. She could be wrong, but Rarity had a gut feeling that she wasn't. The magnitude of it had not set in until now. As Rarity lay awake in bed, the severity of the situation was becoming more clear.

Comments

[Tough Luck]

Right now all I can think of while I read this is "Get some bloody help Rarity!" and "This is good story."