Waking Night

by CrowMagnon

Part 5 - Ponyville Mares in Canterlot

Waking Night
by Crowmagnon

if what I see is only truth

and truth is only what I see

then what is hope but a phantom

that has never appeared before me?

--From the private notebook of Pinkamena Diane Pie

---

Rarity sighed softly and fidgeted in her seat for the thousandth time, her breath fogging the window as she looked out upon the passing scenery. The Friendship Express was almost to the mountain on which Canterlot was built, but it would take a while longer for it to wind its way around the mountainside and reach the city proper.

Butterflies began to awaken and stretch their wings inside her stomach at the thought of her destination. Canterlot wasn't just the political capital of Equestria, but the epicenter of high-class culture for the entire nation. She could only imagine, as she had in her fillyhood, what it would be like to be surrounded by such opulence and refinement.

The difference from those dreams of her youth and the reality of the present was that, rather than serving as an ideal to aspire to, her imagination only reminded her of how far away she was from the damsel who would charm the elites of high society with her grace and poise that she had once imagined herself to be.

She tried to calm her nerves as she shifted in her seat again, but couldn't help but look down at her working clothes. As tempted as she had been to go without them, the Autumn chill had been provided entirely too good an argument against doing so, no matter how out-of-place it would surely make her look.

As if reading her thoughts, a disturbingly familiar voice said, "That's not a good place for you."

Letting out a short shriek of surprise, Rarity jumped in her seat and whipped her head around to see Pinkamena staring in her direction from the seat next to her. "Pinkamena?! Where did you come from?!"

"I was sitting a few rows back," Pinkamena replied, pointing back over her shoulder to a bench where a family decked out in Waking Night costumes were holding each other. "I tried to start a conversation. Then they asked me to move, and this was the only other open seat on this car."

Rarity looked over and saw the children clinging to their parents with tears running down their little faces.

Turning back to Pinkamena, she whispered, "Celestia's mane, Pinkamena, what did you say to them?!"

Rather than answer, Pinkamena found a spot on the floor to focus her attention on.

Rarity shifted in her seat again and frowned slightly. When the other mare continued to keep her silence, she tried to turn her attention back to the scenery. As she looked up at the shining city on the mountain, though, Pinkamena once again said, "That's not a good place for you."

With an exasperated grunt, Rarity turned back and snapped, "Do you think that I don't know that?! I'm not some starry-eyed little filly who's going to Canterlot for the first time, thinking she's going to be swept away by a handsome prince! I'm going up there because there's something I have to do, and it's not any of your business what I do with my life!"

She glared straight into Pinkamena's eyes, and the barrista shrank back, her ears flattening meekly as she immediately looked downward. "... I meant the seat..." she murmured, pointing a hoof at the bench. "... The boards... they're warped a bit on the window end. That's why you can't get comfortable sitting there."

Rarity blinked a few times and shifted her weight, feeling the bench beneath her. When she confirmed that Pinkamena was correct, she raised a hoof to her face and sighed. "Of course. Ugh... I'm sorry, Pinkamena. I've been on edge since yesterday."

Pinkamena nodded slightly. After a quiet pause, she asked, "Rarity? Do you want to switch seats?"

Raising a quizzical eyebrow at that, Rarity asked, "You want to sit in the uncomfortable spot?"

"No. But I would be willing to," Pinkamena flatly replied. "I upset you, and I didn't want to."

Rarity studied Pinkamena's expressionless face for a bit, then asked, "Is this about yesterday?"

Pinkamena nodded once. "I'm sorry. I usually choose my words better. I just don't understand you, and it makes me nervous."

"Clearly," Rarity replied with a roll of her eyes. "How in Harmonia do I make you nervous? Is this about a unicorn trying to horn in on an earth pony profession?"

"'Horn in'. That's kind of funny," Pinkamena replied without a trace of amusement. "Wait, no. I mean... sort of. I've heard of unicorns trying to manage rock farms before, but they always fail without earth ponies to nurture the soil. So when I hear that you want to start your own farm all by yourself... I just don't understand."

Rarity frowned and turned back to look out the window. "I get it. You don't think that I can do it, either."

"That's... I'm sorry. I'll stop talking," Pinkamena replied. She pursed her lips and kept them closed for the remainder of the trip.

-----

Eventually, the train rolled in to a stop at Canterlot Station, and Rarity joined the massive herd of ponies flowing out into the streets of Lower Canterlot. Despite herself, as soon as she saw the extravagant decorations down on her level and the majestic marble towers above shining in the noontime sun, her body locked up and her eyes widened in a stunned attempt to take everything in.

As a result, her moment of sensory overload was quickly interrupted by a trio of stallions dressed as Neighponese schoolfillies bumping her out of the way. After ricocheting off of a rather big-boned and fake-winged Princess Luna and very narrowly avoiding a sextet of foal-sized Power Ponies, she barely managed to get her hooves back under her and stumble along in the tide of ponies until the herd began to disperse.

As soon as she could, Rarity moved off to the side so that other ponies could pass by without her getting in the way. This gave her a chance to breathe and to take in the sights.

One could have easily mistaken Lower Canterlot for a newly-opened theme park, as gaudy and busy as it was, yet the austere beauty of the upper levels still captivated Rarity's attention. As she looked up at the elegant towers from so far below, she felt the yearnings of her fillyhood rising up to the surface.

"Ugh... there's no time for that, Rarity," she muttered to herself with a sigh. "I have a job to do, and I can't afford to waste time on foalish daydreaming."

"Well, it is beautiful," Pinkamena's dull voice replied from right next to her, causing her to jump. "If your schedule is flexible enough, you should enjoy it while you can."

Once she landed, Rarity gasped and thumped her chest a few times. "Gah! Pinkamena, are you following me?!"

"Yes."

"Why?!"

Pinkamena stepped back, pushing herself up against the wall of the nearest building in order to make room for passers-by. "... Crowds intimidate me, and you're the only pony I know here."

"So, in order to avoid being in a situation that makes you nervous, you decided to stay close to me, after saying to my face that I make you nervous."

"... Pretty much."

Rarity let out a tired laugh and shook her head before turning her attention back to the streets. "Well, then I guess we have something in common, because I don't understand you either." As she looked over the crowd, her gaze swept across what she could see of the city, tracing the roads which would lead her to her destination.

"So, where are we going?"

"Well, I'm going to find the Canterlot Orange Hotel. I intend to have some words with Ms. Applejack, and since she's related to the owners, if she is staying anywhere in this city, it would almost certainly be there. What about you? Don't you have your own business to attend to?"

"Yes," Pinkamena replied. "But I can't yet. Can I stay with you until then?"

No, just let me do this myself, were the first words that came to mind, but as she turned back toward Pinkamena to voice them, she saw the pink mare quickly tilt her head down to avoid eye contact. At the same time, though, Rarity saw her glancing up furtively from behind her mane before looking away again.

After a few awkardly quiet seconds, Pinkamena muttered, "... Never mind. I'm sorry, that was too much to ask. I'll just leave you alone."

Pinkamena started to turn and walk away, but a tug at her tail stopped her before she could go more than a step. She glanced back to see a pale blue aura gripping her tail, matching the glow around Rarity's horn as the rock farmer said, "Now hold on, I didn't say that."

"Isn't that what you were thinking, though?"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Pinkamena. Or in my brain," Rarity replied. She mulled over her words for a moment, then said, "Honestly, I don't know this city either, so having somepony from Ponyville by my side wouldn't be the worst thing in Harmonia if you don't mind tagging along."

When Pinkamena nodded in agreement, Rarity smiled a bit and released her tail. "Alright, I think the Orange is this way," she mused as she stepped back into the herd. Pinkamena followed right behind her and pushed through the tide of ponies until she caught up to walk side-by-side with the unicorn.

-----

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's nopony by that name in the registry, and even if she were here, it's against hotel policy to divulge guests' room information."

"No... no, she has to be here," Rarity protested. "Please check it again. She might be in the penthouse suite?"

With the patience of a saint, the clerk replied, "I did check, ma'am. Twice. Miss Applejack doesn't have a room or a reservation here at this time. And since all our rooms are taken for the holiday, I wouldn't expect her to have one in the next few days at least."

"I see... well... thank you for your time," Rarity said as she turned away and left the reception desk. Pinkamena, who had been waiting off to the side, walked up to join her.

"What did she say?"

"The same thing they told me at the Orange," Rarity dully replied as her hooves carried her out the front door and into the afternoon sunshine. "And all of the hotels after that. Applejack isn't staying here, or they aren't admitting it."

"I see. Well, we've already skipped lunch. Maybe we should get something to eat?"

Rarity shook her head. "I just need to keep going. I'm not even hun--" she started to say, only to be interrupted by what sounded like the growl of an irate hydra. She stopped in her tracks and looked down at her stomach, then blushed and bashfully told Pinkamena, "Well... maybe we can grab a little snack. As long as it isn't too expensive..."

She reached into her saddlebags with her magic and counted up the small number of bits that she had brought with her. There were many outdoor cafes in this part of Canterlot, and while the amount that she had brought with her could have gotten her a full-course meal with enough left over to nibble on for at least two days afterward back in Ponyville, the prices she saw posted on the menus told her that she barely had enough for an appetizer.

"Let's head down there," Pinkamena suggested, pointing a hoof toward the markets of Lower Canterlot where the celebrations were already in full swing. The narrow metropolitan streets were filled to capacity with costumed ponies and street vendors. "I'm sure we'll find something we can both afford that way."

"I suppose you're right," Rarity replied. Turning to Pinkamena, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Will you be alright with the crowds, though?"

"..."

-----

Rarity had to wonder how her situation had come to this, with Pinkamena, a mare with whom she was used to communicating solely through beverage orders, clinging to her side as if their clothes were stitched together. A necessary measure, apparently, as Pinkamena stubbornly refused to lift her head up while they pushed their way through the herd.

So, paving the way for both of them, Rarity ordered a pair of pirogi from a vendor with a thick Stalliongrad accent, then found a table where they could sit down and eat. Despite her earlier determination to seek her target out without rest, Rarity's hooves and stomach were both grateful for the chance to relax and refuel.

While they ate, Pinkamena watched Rarity, quickly looking away whenever the unicorn glanced in her direction. Not quickly enough to avoid being caught at it, however, which annoyed Rarity more and more until she set her food down and bluntly asked, "Alright, Pinkamena, will you please tell me what this is all about?"

"What is what about?" Pinkamena asked, barely audible over the ambient chatter surrounding them.

"The way you've been acting this whole time! Back in Ponyville, we've never even really talked to each other, but you've been following me around on this whole mad quest. Now you're staring at me when I'm not looking like a schoolfilly with a crush or... oh. Wait... do you...?"

"No!" Pinkamena's cheeks reddened at the unfinished question, and Rarity saw her look up, eyes widen in genuine surprise. She then looked down at the tabletop and traced her hoof along the loops and whorls in the wood grain. "Sorry. You are pretty, but I'm not attracted to you like that. I just don't understand how you can expect things to go your way. You're a unicorn who wants to work a rock farm all by yourself. Even if you find Applejack and convince her to give you the loan, there's every reason to believe that it'll fail, so why...?"

Rarity leaned back a bit in her seat. "Ah. Well." She looked across the table at Pinkamena and saw the way that she would furtively glance up at her from behind her mane before looking away in shame, never letting herself make eye contact for more than an instant. She thought over her words for a moment, then asked, "Did you know that before I discovered my special talent, I wanted to be a fashion designer?"

Pinkamena again looked mildly surprised and shook her head, so Rarity continued. "It's true. I dreamed of being a pony who could create clothing that would transform other ponies into their most beautiful selves. But as time passed, I came to realize that what I really wanted, more than anything, was to find that inner beauty and bring it to the surface. When I'm working in the fields, nurturing the rocks and placing them where the minerals inside can best feed off of the magic in the earth, I feel this sense of connection to everything around me. Like... what I used to want to do for ponies is something that I can do for Equestria itself."

Pinkamena's hoof stopped fussing over the tabletop as she listened, and while her expression was perfectly neutral, she said softly, "... Go on..."

Rarity smiled a little. "Well, you might think it's grandiose of me, but I truly believe that Harmonia is a beautiful realm, and that maybe, if I work hard, I can make it a little moreso. You're an artist yourself, so I'm sure you can understand the feeling, right?"

Rarity's smile widened hopefully, thinking that she had finally found a point which would help her understand the strange mare. Instead, her smile faded quickly when Pinkamena slowly shook her head. "Not really, no. I use poetry as a way to describe the world as I see it... not to change it. I've never been able to make myself believe that what I do actually matters. But Mrs. Joe found the notebook I'd been writing my poems in a few years ago and talked me into reciting some of them, so..." She trailed off and shrugged her shoulders.

Then she blinked and started rubbing her chin in thought. "Wait... doesn't Applejack have friends who live here in Canterlot? I just remembered seeing a story about that from one of Mrs. Joe's gossip magazines."

Rarity's eyes widened, followed by a gasp of realization. "My goodness... you're right! I read the same magazine, why didn't I think of that?" She quickly finished off the last of her pirogi in two bites, then got up out of her seat and looked upward toward the Noble Quarter. "Alright, let's see... if I remember that article properly, Applejack has a tight-knit friendship with a philanthropic venture capitalist by the name of... oh, what was it?"

"Fancypants."

"Right, Fancypants! Now, he'll be up in the Noble Quarter, so it's a matter of finding out which mansion is his. Even then, I doubt that we'll be able to simply go in and ask him..."

"He won't be there anyway," Pinkamena replied.

"What? How do you know that?"

"Because he's buying a fritter."

Rarity's head whipped toward the food court so quickly that a bit of food caught in the back of her throat, forcing her into a coughing fit. After dislodging the errant bite from her windpipe, she wheezed, "Pinkamena, don't try to trick me like that! As if Canterlot's most eligible bacherlor would be down here buying fritters like a... a..."

While she attempted to chastise the poet, Pinkamena simply reached out and placed a hoof against her cheek, then turned Rarity's head in the proper direction to see a tall, impeccably-attired unicorn stallion with a white coat and blue mane. A monocle over his left eye further added to the air of refinement that seemed to surround him. While she watched, he left a stack of bits on the vendor's counter that was easily worth twice the cost of the actual donut, which he carried with him in a navy blue aura.

Somehow, despite the distance, she could see a coltish twinkle in his eyes as he took a deep sniff of the warm pastry. Time seemed to slow for her as he leaned in to take a bite, and the deliciousness of the treat caused his face to melt into an expression of nearly sinful bliss.

"... Like an Adonis..." Rarity eventually concluded in a dreamy voice as the last small piece of her own food slipped out of her aura and fell to the ground. Then she started fussing with her braid as she mused out loud, "Okay... okay, how do we approach him? He's so... regal. We can't just go up and start a conversation, a couple of poor mares from Ponyville. He'd think we were a couple of gold-digging hicks, Pinkamena! Do you have any ideas? ... Pinkamena?"

Rarity glanced over to her side, only to find an empty seat where Pinkamena had been sitting a moment ago. Then she looked back and let out a yelp of surprise as she nearly fell out of her seat when, in the mere moment that she had been facing away, Pinkamena and Fancypants both seemed to teleport right next to her.

"Good afternoon," the stallion said in a smooth, pleasant voice, completely disregarding Rarity's shocked reaction. "Miss Rarity, was it? Your friend here said that you were both from Ponyville, and needed to discuss something important about Applejack?"

"We're not actually friends," Pinkamena replied while Rarity struggled to pull her jaw back up into place.

"You... you're... you're really... real?" Rarity stammered, looking Fancypants over. It had to be a hoax, after all. An ordinary pony dressed up as a member of high society. The stallion simply smiled in understanding at her doubt.

"Well, I certainly strive to be, even when Canterlot society is not always the best venue to be so," he joked. Holding the fritter out in his magic, he mused, "My peers would probably have a good joke at my expense if they saw me coming down here to buy one of these, for instance. Truth be told, though, ever since Applejack introduced me to them, it's been a struggle to avoid glutting myself. Or perhaps you were asking if I am really me?" He turned his body to present his flank to Rarity. "Does this help?"

If Rarity had felt too cold before, that was swiftly remedied when her cheeks started burning like the sun on a summer day. "It certainly does..." she breathily replied before her eyes focused on the actual point of interest; his cutie mark of three golden crowns.

"Well, now that we've established that, how do you charming young ladies know Applejack?" He took a bite out of his fritter, then levitated a kerchief out of an inner pocket in his suit to wipe the crumbs from his neatly-trimmed mustache.

Rarity's eyes widened, and she immediately reached out to pull Pinkamena close. In a voice approaching a pitch that was just shy of only being audible to dogs, she whisper-squealed, "He said I'm charming! What do I do?!"

Pinkamena, by contrast, seemed less enthusiastic as she bluntly replied, "You should probably start by answering his question."

"Right! Question!" With more force than she probably intended, Rarity shoved Pinkamena back to foreleg's length and started nervously fidgeting with her braid. "Well, you see, I don't really know Applejack personally, but my sister is best friends with her sister, Apple Bloom."

Fancypants nodded and took a seat across from the mares. "Ah yes. It was so horribly disappointing when Applejack came and told me about how her plans had been changed. I couldn't even get her to join me on my trip down here, she was so upset."

Rarity blinked as the pieces started to fall into place. "Wait, you're saying she was upset? And she's at your house right now?"

"Oh, yes, she often stays with me when she is in Canterlot. She's only going to be there long enough to prepare for the ball, though." With a shake of his head, Fancypants sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what Prince Blueblood is doing, pushing so hard for her to be his escort. The stallion is prone to his flights of fancy, but it's rare for him to be that inconsiderate. If it were up to her, she would have taken the first train to Ponyville."

Rarity removed her hooves from her braid and planted them on the table with a heavy thump. She felt a brief wave of vertigo as her assumptions were so abruptly turned upside-down, but that wave of disorientation soon gave way to teeth-grinding anger. "So it's true... there really are no more real princes in Equestria. Well that... that... cad is not going to have his way if I have anything to say about it!"

"Rarity? What are you going to do?" Pinkamena asked.

"Go up there and make sure that Apple Bloom gets to see her sister before the night is out, that's what I'm going to do," Rarity replied with fierce determination. "And if this Prince Blueblood tries to stop me, I'll tie him up like a hog!"

Upon hearing her declaration, Fancypants's eyebrows shot up so high, they seemed to rise above his hairline. His monocle also fell out of place, but was quickly grabbed by his magic and returned to its position before it could hit the ground. "Miss Rarity, you are talking about Prince Blueblood, a descendant of the last queen of Equestria! And accosting him on my property? You must realize that I can not just let you go off on your own to do that."

Rarity's ears flattened, but she held firm and turned away as she got out of her seat. "I'm sorry, Fancypants... but a young filly is crying her little eyes out because she thinks that she's been abandoned. I can't be talked out of it!"

"Oh, I don't intend to," the stallion replied. He quickly ate the rest of his fritter in three large bites, then daintily wiped his face clean before getting up to join her. "What I meant to say is that it is almost time for the prince to come pick her up. If you want to get there in time, I will have to lead the way." With a wink, he added, "I also know where the rope is kept, if need be."

Rarity, momentarily stunned by the stallion's offer of assistance, felt the blush return to her cheeks as Fancypants took off up the road at a brisk jog.

"If you want to keep ogling him, you're going to have to keep up," Pinkamena's voice whispered into Rarity's ear. The young rock farmer stiffened up, her mouth babbling out some sort of incoherent denial before realizing that she did, in fact, need to take off running up the mountain to catch up.

-----

Soon, the trio of ponies had run their way up the mountain into the Noble Quarter. With Fancypants guiding them, they quickly found the street leading to his mansion. Rarity was close behind him while Pinkamena trotted along in the back of the line, watching Rarity with blank-faced curiosity.

As the tall house came into view, Fancypants looked back over his shoulder and assured the mares, "Here we are, and with time to spare."

Rarity, slightly distracted, replied, "Flanks... I mean 'thanks'! Thank you, Fancypants, you didn't need to go to all this trouble."

Fancypants grinned and replied, "Nonsense, Miss Rarity. To be honest, you simply said what I had been thinking back there, but was too indecisive to act upon. But Applejack is my friend, and she deserves whatever help I can give her to get out of this dreadful situation. Perhaps it wasn't coincidence that caused us to cross paths so that you could remind me of that?"

Rarity's eyes lit up, and she quickly looked down at the path in front of her to try in vain to mask the silly smile spreading across her face. "Oh, no... You're such a gentlecolt, taking the time to talk to a small-town mare, I'm sure that you would have come to that conclusion on your own."

From behind, Pinkamena added, "Yeah, you might not be a prince, but you seem like the next best thing."

"What was that?" Fancypants asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"She didn't say anything," a red-faced Rarity quickly blurted out in response as they set foot on the cobblestone walkway leading up to the manor.

When they arrived, a heavyset female donkey dressed as a maid was waiting for them on the front stoop. When she saw them coming, she walked up to them with a fretful expression. "Mr. Fancypants? I need to tell you something."

"Oh dear. Alright, I'll listen to whatever you have to say, Mildred, but can you fetch Applejack for me first? There are some ponies here that she'll want to talk to, and it won't be long before Prince Blueblood arrives."

Mildred glanced at the mares following Fancypants before replying, "Well, that's the thing, Mr. Fancypants. The prince came early... I'm afraid Miss Applejack's already gone."

Rarity gasped. "What?! But... no... We spent all day trying to find her. How long ago did they leave? Maybe we can catch up!"

The maid shook her head. "I'm sorry, miss, but they left fifteen minutes ago. Unless you can sprout wings or teleport there, they'll already be at the palace before you catch up to them."

Pinkamena watched as Rarity's ears flattened, and she stomped the cobblestones in frustration. She watched Fancypants bow his head slightly in thought for a moment before saying, "Well, it may be a bit more difficult, but perhaps not all hope is lost. I happen to have an invitation to the very same ball they will be attending. I would be happy to go see if there is a way to extricate her."

He then turned toward Rarity and asked, "Miss Rarity, the invitation is a 'plus one'. Would you be willing to assist me?"

Pinkamena watched Rarity gasp and perk up instantly, her eyes glittering like sapphires. "What? You... you would want to go with me?" she asked, obviously struggling not to squeal again. But then Pinkamena saw her look down at herself.

"If you're concerned about your attire, it's no trouble," Fancypants replied, seeing her reticence. "My cousin Fleur has a wide array of formal dresses that she leaves here when she is abroad. I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you borrowed one for a worthy cause."

Rarity bit her lip at that, her knees trembling unsteadily at the offer. "Oh... Fancypants, that would be a dream come true... I have to decline, though." She looked up at the sun, which slowly arcing its way down toward the horizon. "My own sister is waiting back home with her little friends... including Apple Bloom. I can't add to her woes by failing to show up."

With a weak smile, Rarity struggled to say, "I'll have to get to the train station soon if I'm going to make it back in time... Besides, you're her friend. You shouldn't need my help. Perhaps Pinkamena?"

Both unicorns looked toward Pinkamena, who shook her head. "Sorry... crowds intimidate me. Besides, I wouldn't be much help talking to ponies."

Pinkamena watched the subtle disappointment settle into Fancypants' face as he replied to Rarity, "Well... I'm sorry to hear that, but it does sound like that filly needs your support more than I do." Taking his hoof with his, he vowed, "I promise I will do whatever is in my power to help Applejack reach you before the night is out, so you and your friend should hurry to make that train."

"We aren't actually friends," Pinkamena quietly corrected again, only to be ignored while Fancypants bent his head down to kiss Rarity's hoof.

"Good night, Miss Rarity. Miss Pinkamena. I hope that we have a chance to meet again," he told them before heading inside with Mildred following behind to close the door.

After he was gone, Pinkamena tilted her head and asked the stunned and blushing Rarity, who was staring down at her hoof, "Are you sure you don't want to go with him? Even if you can't get Applejack to go with you, you can still talk to her about your loan."

Rarity grunted and re-focused on Pinkamena, then cast a longing look at the manor before forcing herself to turn away and start walking on three legs. "No... no, if I can't help those sisters re-unite, then I shouldn't try to manipulate the situation for my own benefit. Right now, the best thing for me to do is exactly what I said, and do my best to give those girls an enjoyable Waking Night."

Pinkamena watched her limp down the street a bit before following after her. "You're a good mare, Rarity," she said in her dull monotone.

After a few more steps, she asked, "Umm... why are you walking like--"

"After everything we went through, I am not letting this hoof touch dirt ever again," Rarity interjected before Pinkamena could finish her question.

"But you push rocks around all day for a living."

"I'll find a way!"

-----

The sun was considerably lower in the sky by the time they approached the train station, and the colors of sunset were beginning to spread out across the horizon. The two mares silently made their way to the building when Rarity suddenly realized...

"Oh no! Pinkamena, we were so wrapped up in what I was trying to do, we never got around to doing what you needed! I am so sorry that I wasted both our time... I--"

"It's okay," Pinkamena interrupted without looking Rarity's way. "I already took care of it."

"You did? When did you have the chance? This whole time, you've just been following me around."

Pinkamena shrugged. "It's okay. You were focused on your own goal. I was just supposed to find somepony. I think I have."

"You think you have? Who were you looking for, Pinkamena?"

The poet pursed her lips, hesitant to answer. She furtively glanced at Rarity from behind her bangs, but after a stretch of awkward silence, she opened her mouth to respond.

The instant her lips parted, however, another pony collided with her, knocking her off her hooves. The other pony, a mare covered head-to-tail in a Mare-Do-Well costume, also went sprawling. One of her props, a golden dagger, also went tumbling out onto the ground.

"My goodness! Don't run around if you can't see where you're going," Rarity exclaimed, chastising the 'superhero'. "Especially if you're carrying around something that could hurt somepony." She immediately went to help Pinkamena up, but also reached out with her magic to pick up the dagger.

"Don't touch that!" Mare-Do-Well snapped, rolling back up onto her hooves in an instant. Her voice distorted by the mask she wore, she nevertheless proved able to grab the knife with her mouth and yank it out of Rarity's aura with enough force that it felt like it had been smacked out of her hooves. Without another word, 'Mare-Do-Well' took off running up the road.

"You could at least apologize," Rarity shouted after the masked mare as she got Pinkamena standing again. "Honestly, can you believe some ponies?"

Whatever reply that Pinkamena might have given was interrupted by a piercing scream. One that quickly became a chorus as a shadow passed over them.

Rarity and Pinkamena both looked upward and felt the blood in their veins freeze into ice at the sight. A cloud hung overhead, but not an ordinary cloud. A mass of pitch blackness hovered above them like a lake of ink suspended in the sky as it flowed purposefully through the air toward the upper levels of Canterlot.

"What in Harmonia is that?!" Rarity shrieked. Already, armored pegasi were flying to ward off the black cloud, but even from such a distance, she could see the sinister mass flow around the flying contingent of the Royal Guard. This was soon followed by the horrifying sight of numerous golden armored bodies plummeting straight down out of the cloud.

"Never mind that... Why's that happening?" Pinkamena asked, and it shocked Rarity to hear that the poet's voice was uncharacteristically filled with emotion; terror. Rarity turned her head to see that Pinkamena was pointing off in the direction of the setting sun, revealing a sight that neither of them had seen in their entire lifetimes, or even heard about except in ancient horror stories.

Off in the distance, while the sun still hung in the sky, the moon was slowly, reluctantly rising above the horizon to meet it.

Pinkamena and Rarity clutched each other tightly at the sight of the two celestial bodies slowly drawing closer and closer together. In all of Equestrian history, there had only ever been one time when the sun and moon had met in the sky.

"Eclipse..." Pinkamena and Rarity both whimpered, unified in dread.

Author's Note:

You ever have a chapter that is giving you grief until that one element that ties everything together pops into your head? For me, Fancypants was that element for putting Rarity and Pinkamena on Applejack's trail. He was a last-minute addition, but as soon as I thought about bringing him in, I realized how much he should be there, given that I already established that he and Applejack have been long-time friends in The Cutie-Marky Tales. It also helps provide an "AU or not, Rarity is still Rarity" moment. She might say that she doesn't think of herself as a romance novel heroine, but that doesn't stop her from being attracted to classy, gentlemanly stallion.

So, once again, I apologize for the lateness in producing this chapter. I've pretty much been only writing one day a week for entirely too long now, and I need to put more effort into it.

Comments

[goldfencer]

As she looked up at the elegant towers from so far below, she the yearnings of her fillyhood rising up to the surface.

You left out a word here.

[Hopeful_Ink_Hoof]

Aww, socially awkward ponies being "not friends." How comically endearing. I kind of sympathize Rarity and Pinkamena in this, although Pinkamena more than Rarity.

Also, good timing for this considering the past episode.

[CrowMagnon]

7096962
Heh, thanks man.

I am so far behind with the show.

[RanmaChaos]

Another great chapter. Well done.

[Dramon Creator]

A Pinkamena who's intimidated by crowds....you must adore the taste of burning irony, Crow. Anyway, this chapter had great character focus, showing us the differences and similarities between Rarity, Pinkamena, and their Canon counterparts. The other highlights include, a famous bachelor accepting rejection with grace, a ‘superhero’ barely restraining herself from stabbing a pair of tourists, and a demonic spirit cloud dropping soldiers like bricks. I can safely say that this chapter earns 10/10.

[CrowMagnon]

7098971
7099016
Many thanks! And yeah, Fancypants really helped pull this chapter together. I'll admit, I was a little surprised that I never seriously considered him and Rarity interacting in any meaningful way before writing it out, but I like the opportunities it presents.

[Frankie2]

Five out of six are in Canterlot. They have no idea what fate and destiny has in store for them...yet.