Diamonds are a girl's worst enemy

by Rarity Belle

Act 3 chapter 14

Time came and time went after the gala. Days had turned into a near month and a half after the massive event had taken place. Twilight woke up pretty much as every other morning. With her mane being a complete and utter mess did she rose up from her bed. She opened the curtains with her magic. The massive beams of sunlight all of the sudden rushed themselves straight into her room and into her eyes.

It was a little mistake that she almost all of the time seemed to actually make, yet was one of the very few things in the wide world that actually caused her to wake up properly. The unicorn released a deep groan where even Spike was intimidated by. The dragon still laid in his basket. Only then did the mare leave her bed and the signature thud stomped itself unto the floor.

“Another day, another study,” the mare mumbled to herself. She also gave a deep yawn before she disappeared from the bedroom. Spike on the other end remained vast asleep and released a snore left and right before his wings acted like a secondary blanket to block out the light.

Twilight didn't mind him staying in bed that long, at least no anymore. She had so many troubles actually getting the teen aged dragon out of bed once, that she had lost more time doing that than anything else. It was perhaps a lot better just to let him be and wake up at his own time. He needed discipline for certain, but needed to teach it to himself. Even though a thing like that seemed to have been rather impossible.

The day itself crawled forwards at a literal snail’s pace before the unicorn had eaten her lunch and finished yet another book on the arcane arts. Yet something within her mind continued to chew upon her spirit for some reason. The talk with Celestia was something had fallen really heavy upon her. Not to mention that little miss Mystery she encountered during the party. She wanted to tell the world, her friends, her family even just who it was. Never could actually get herself to do it.

Did she found it disrespectful to do? Did she thought that she would be seen as a liar as she knew what happened to Rarity? Those were just two of the questions that raced through the mind of the mare before a deep sigh was released through her nose.

Yet despite everything, there was also something that caused her to have become more paranoid than she ever had been in her entire life. She knew that Rarity was out there, and that she was powerful. Perhaps even too powerful for her to handle. There wasn't much that she could be doing in order to actually survive an assault. Which resulted in her almost constantly looking over both of her shoulders.

It really was the last thing that she needed with everything combined. Yet in her library she felt safe from any harm that could come. Even though it was the place where the events happened, she felt just safe there. Why wouldn't she be? It was her home after all. It was supposed to be the safest place in the whole of Equestria for her. As safe as it could actually get around a mare like Twilight Sparkle to begin with.

The books were lowered and stored on their respectful places before a deep sigh left through her mouth. The unicorn was mentally tired of pretty much everything and the usual joy that she would have gotten out of her studies just wasn’t there anymore. “Maybe a walk will do me good.”

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So said, so done. A couple of minutes later did the mare found herself standing outside of her library. Twilight then took a deep inhale of the fresh air that hung over the town. It did calm her mind to a certain degree. She continued to take the steps towards a place she was all too familiar with.

Street and lane was being crossed by her legs before they finally came to a standstill and the eyes looked over the one place where she thought to never return to. The infamous Carousel Boutique was still as empty as it was in the times gone by. Only times when there was actual life within it was when Sweetie Belle wandered about. Judging the looks, that didn't happen to be the case when she came by. A shame perhaps, for the building always had charm to it.

All of the sudden there was a shock of pain that went straight through her leg. A shock that caused her to winch upon the spot. A deep hiss was being released by her mouth before the eyes looked down to her crystalline leg. It was truly unknown to her just how the thing managed to start acting like that, yet the only place she knew in order to get an answer, was the place she really didn't wanted to go.

Not even the doctors could have helped her with the thing as their knowledge was even too limited. “The castle in Everfree, might have an answer,” muttered Twilight to herself. After which she set her sights upon the treetops that stuck out above everything. “The only place that holds every answer in the universe. …Almost.”

Not even the unicorn herself knew just why she would be going to the ancient castle so often, perhaps it was because of the massive library that was still in one piece after all those years? Or perhaps it was just the atmosphere? Nopony could tell but it certainly did have a charm to it not many places had.

So with her leg nearly stomping on the ground with every step that she took, Twilight made her way calmly to the edge of the quiet little town. There she stood still. Her eyes looked over the massive line of trees that marked the border of the Everfree. Even though she had been to and in the place so many times already, every time it was always a question whether or not she would actually be able to come back.

Even though she knew the way inside of it, there were still things that not even she knew about the thing. What horrors and creatures did else lay within those green walls. And if she laid lurking around somewhere. It was the most obvious place for a pony on the run to hide and Twilight knew that fact better than anypony else. A clash with her, almost seemed to have become unavoidable from there on outward.

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Yet high in the skies and upon a white little cloud laid a pegasus. A pegasus who was actually lurking down unto Twilight herself. Without a word did the cerise eyes looked with suspicion towards the mare. Something told the pegasus that the unicorn was up to something. And whatever it was, it never could have been anything good.

Only then did the unicorn continue to walk forward and into the forest. Which meant that the pegasus had lost the contact with her. All while Twilight began to doubt her decision of entering the woods. Whatever would have laid there, whatever she would have discovered, nopony would be able to know whether or not it was for the better, or the worse.