Chapter 55: Far North
Chapter 55
Far North
Cold was the land of the north. But far from lifeless.
Through the bushes that nearly hid the well-worn trail, many steps were heard approaching, as though from a great distance.
Birds chirped in hushed trills among the snow-covered pines of the forest. The gentle whispering of the wind swishing their nettles ever so slightly, instigating a tiny rush of movement by the animals that dwelt there.
A stream ran through the icy forest, moving too fast to be slowed by the cold. It’s constant gurgling was joined by the sounds of the steps, which had grown closer.
There was a splash, as one of the creatures of the river hopped in to escape what was approaching.
“Oh, so very, very lost…” said a female voice.
The pristine snow was indented by many feet impressing into it, leaving behind enough tracks to make another creature think a whole group of something had passed by.
After them, the four purple hooves of a pony made their own tracks in the snow.
Shivering and with her teeth chattering, Twilight Sparkle followed her new companion through the frozen trail.
She didn’t know where they were going. Or for why. Some part of her regretted following the creature to the frozen lands. But if she hadn’t, she would have returned to Ponyville a failure. Everypony she had ever known would have looked down on her the moment she set hoof back home. They would all know how terribly she had failed as an Equestrian princess. Worse, what if she had to tell them that she had given up?
The only thing for her to do then would be to lock herself in her home for the rest of her days, while the world around her fell to Yen Sid’s design. And without her magic, all she would be able to do was watch.
Clouds of breath erupted from Twilight’s mouth as she loosed a shudder that made her knees shake.
“Are you alright?” said a voice that sounded somehow very distant.
Twilight looked up, and gasped when she saw the fanged, many-eyed face of her companion looking directly at her.
“I...I’m alright. I’m just a little...I’m cold is all,” Twilight answered.
“You need a coat of hair like mine, then,” her friend said. “I know it looks a little coarse, but it’s very warm. Perhaps the next time I molt, I’ll lend my coat to you.”
“That’s alright. I’m happy with my own coat.”
“Oh. Alright then.”
And she turned around to walk forward.
Twilight thought she could hear just a faint note of curtness in her company’s voice. She thought that somehow, she had offended the creature.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to--I mean--It’s just not me,” Twilight hastily explained.
Her ears drooped when she realized who she sounded like.
In the swirling snow, Twilight thought she could see the pure white coat with three diamonds on its flank. However, it was only snow. And the diamonds were no more than hanging icicles.
She shook her head clear of the delusion and hurried after the other creature.
“Please, don’t be mad at me. I didn’t mean...I appreciate the gesture. But--” Twilight tried to explain.
“Don’t worry. I know that my bristly, black coat is not to the liking of most. And that it certainly wouldn’t complement those lovely shades of purple and pink you sport. I just thought I would demonstrate a little generosity,” came the answer.
The word ‘generosity’ set off another pang of guilt in Twilight’s chest.
“No. She’s fine without me. She’s probably further along than she’d ever be if I was there,” Twilight thought, trying her best to swallow her remorse.
They walked onward through the snow, and the trail led alongside the banks of the running river.
At the bank ahead of them, there were three of the oddest creatures Twilight had ever seen. They looked like timber wolves, but had none of the sylvan features she was familiar with. One was sleek, blue, and had very little hair. What stood out the most was the large, cartilage fin on its back. The next was all black and had glowing red eyes. Its body was covered in scales like a lizard, and had a long tail with a pointed sting at the end. The third was the most terrifying of all. It was three times the size of a pony, and had fur so white that it could have blended in perfectly with the snow around it. The only thing that kept it from doing so were its black claws, black lips and pitch black eyes.
All three were drinking peacefully from the water, their long tongues lapping up their fill. But, at the sound of approaching steps, all of their ears twitched to alertness.
As one, they all looked up from their drink and saw the strange newcomers.
Twilight hid behind the many legs of her companion, and felt relief wash over her when each one of the creatures ran from the bank and into the trees.
The largest of the three turned around, and stopped a moment to see if they were being followed. After it was sure they were safe, it followed after its smaller companions.
“What were those?” Twilight asked.
“Wolves. Though, probably different from the ones you’ve seen in your home. The one with the fins was an akhlut. The black one with the stinger was an aziwugum. And the giant was an amarok. They look scary, I know. But, they are all quite harmless. I find that to be true about most things,” answered the creature, with a hearty chuckle before she started walking again.
“Oh. It’s just that I’ve never read any books about the creatures of the north,” Twilight said, following after.
“Personally, I find that it’s much more enlightening to actually experience things than to read about them.”
Twilight said nothing, but nodded in agreement. Ever since Princess Celestia had forced her to get out and make friends, she had learned far more about the magic of harmony than if she had stayed holed up in her study reading about it. But, as she knew things were now, anything she ever learned about magic was worthless.
The creature stopped suddenly and looked around herself.
“Oh, dear. I’m not sure if this is the way. I’m so very sorry. But, I’m afraid I’ve gotten us more lost than we were before,” she said.
“I told you already. I’m not lost,” Twilight said.
“Are you sure? Because, I once heard that anything stated so earnestly in repetition is often a lie.”
Twilight wanted to rebuke the creature’s claim. To say that she truly was not lost. But, the words stopped in her throat, making her choke quietly on her own voice.
“Or, at least it means the speaker is misled,” the creature said. “I suppose it depends on who is being fooled.”
“I’m not fooling anypony. I’m really not lost. I...I just don’t have anywhere to be,” Twilight answered.
“That can’t possibly be true. Everyone has a place they belong. Have you simply lost your way to that place?” her friend answered.
“No. I know exactly where I belong,” Twilight answered.
“Then, why aren’t you there?”
It was a question that struck Twilight’s mind like a dagger. She knew that where she thought she needed to be was not it. Without her magic, she was no help to anypony anywhere. Wherever she went, she would be stymied by her own lack of the talent she had spent years developing and honing, until she was the very best among her peers. Everything had been for nothing.
“Where is it that you need to be?” Twilight asked, changing the subject.
“Me?” the creature asked. “My employer told me that I needed to find somebody. An alicorn.”
In that moment, Twilight wanted to open her mouth and ask if it was herself who the creature was looking for. But, there was something stopping her. A small, lingering sense of foreboding that reminded her of the last strange creature who she had wholly trusted.
“Uh...Wh-Who, exactly?” Twilight asked.
The many shoulders of the creature shrugged.
“He didn’t say. What he did tell me was that I’d know her when I found her, because she would be surrounded by her friends,” she answered.
Twilight’s mind was wiped blank by that last statement. She had thought it before, but now it was driven home hard. As she was now, Twilight Sparkle was hardly recognizable from the mare she once was. Even if she had returned home, nopony would know who she was anymore. No matter how she tried to muster the strength to call forth the mere phantasm of her former self, it wouldn’t come.
Out of nothing more than simple formality, or because she simply didn’t want to dwell on her thoughts, Twilight asked another question.
“What is it you want with the alicorn?” she asked.
“I’m supposed to kill her.”
The blank in Twilight’s mind was replaced by a surge of fear. With the filter between her brain and her mouth dislodged, she spoke her sudden discovery aloud.
“You’re an assassin,” Twilight said, trying not to shout or stutter.
“I am,” the creature answered.
Twilight jumped, when all of a sudden her companion stopped and turned to face her.
“Do I frighten you?”
Twilight hesitated to answer. Her mind was screaming ‘yes’ over and over, drowning out any rational thought she had left. And her body was trembling all over, though she could feel none of it. Not even her own cautious backward steps were felt.
The world seemed to move all on its own to Twilight, as the creature started walking toward her for every step the young alicorn took back.
“I know full well that I send shivers down the spine of everyone who sees me. Even yourself. But, no matter how scared you are, I’m even more so,” the creature said.
Mixing with Twilight’s fear was the sudden urge to know what the creature was talking about.
“You’re one of the few who has willingly accompanied me, and stayed by my side. It’s so very seldom that I meet a creature like you. And now that you know what I am, I’m afraid I may lose you,” the creature continued.
A quiet splash and a sudden chill snapped Twilight from her stupor, making her realize that her back hoof had just touched into the ice cold water of the river.
“Please, tell me that you won’t leave me. Please,” the creature pleaded, stopping before Twilight.
Weighing her will to live against her intense fears, Twilight analyzed her options. She could run away. But, the only places to go were the freezing cold river, or the wolf-infested woods. She could have confronted the creature and revealed her identity as the Princess of Friendship. But, she already knew that she was in no state to defend herself from any attacker. By process of elimination, there was only one logical way to answer and live.
“It’s alright. I won’t leave you,” Twilight said.
“Do you promise?” the creature asked, wholly in earnest.
“Yes. I promise that I’ll always be your friend.”
It was difficult to tell with her fangs in the way, but Twilight thought that the creature was smiling. And seeing it made her skin crawl as if a thousand spiders had washed over her.
“You’ve made me so very happy,” the creature said. “Come. There’s much that I have to do. And, perhaps on the way, we’ll find that place where you belong.”
Twilight’s fear kept her from answering. Deep within herself, she knew that she could never return to where she belonged.
Wordlessly, she followed the creature again, just as flakes of snow began to fall.
In another part of the frozen land, the snow swirled violently.
High in a tree, a snowy owl sat perched on a branch, braced against the howling winds.
One particularly strong gust of wind forced it to grip its branch harder, and hoot indignantly at the direction the gust came from. And as if in retaliation, the wind blew back harder than before, blowing the snow from the branches around the owl.
The owl ruffled its feathers, shaking the snow from its body. And with a huff, it flew off to find a place more sheltered from the wind.
It didn’t fly, so much as ride the breeze, steering through the many trunks and branches that made up its home. Until it found what it was looking for.
There was a very large tree. One where the branches and nettles were so thick that the owl had to burrow its way in.
It was the perfect place. The wind was mostly screened from entry, and the dark wood of the tree had retained much of its heat from the warmer seasons. And with a contented hoot, it started settling down to sleep.
The other creatures of the tree did the same. A family of squirrels lay nestled in a hollow. And countless insects laid within the many pine cones, out of the cold.
But, down at the bottom there was another creature, who was wide awake. Sitting at the base, leaning against the trunk was the silhouette of a hugely fat cat.
The end of his cigar burned brightly, dimly illuminating the cruel features of his face. He had been waiting so long, so patiently for who he knew was to come. And with a long, slow exhale, black smoke and white breath gently wafted along the breeze as it left his mouth.
He gently patted the blunt side of the axe he held into this palm, and stroked the blade with his thumb.
There was a gentle tinkering sound to his side, and the magical light that had guided him to where he was now drifted ahead of him short way, until it dispersed.
Nothing happened. But, the cat was not about to take his eyes from where the light disappeared, he waited. And after several seconds, another light appeared. One that he saw glinting between the trees that bordered the snowy path below.
Another puff on his cigar revealed the cat’s wicked grin.
He stood up and ruffled the snow from his jacket. And without further ado, he moved beside the tree he had been leaning against, revealing the spot where he had chopped through it.
The cat raised his axe up and watched as two dark shapes followed after the glittering light. In moments, he would swing one last time and put an end to those who would defy him and Yen Sid.
Down on the trail, Mickey and Rarity followed after the light, shivering with every step they took.
“G-G-Gosh! What I’d give for a shirt right n-now!” Mickey chattered, clutching his arms close to himself and rubbing furiously to warm up.
“A nice, f-f-fluffy c-c-cardigan! With a m-m-matching scarf! And mittens! Oh, what I’d g-g-give for mittens!” Rarity added.
It was hard going. The only thing that kept them from hypothermia was their ability to keep walking. And even that was becoming a trial in and of itself.
From the very moment they walked into the northern lands, they had hoped that they would find somewhere that had none too much snow. Unfortunately, it was no such place that their magical light had led them. And the whirlwind of snow showed no signs of letting up.
A faint scuffling noise caught Mickey’s attention. There in the nearby bushes was a hugely fat, pure white rabbit, which was barely visible against the snow. And a quick glance revealed that it was trying to burrow into the ground to escape the cold.
Reasoning that it would be warm enough underground, Mickey thought the rabbit wouldn’t miss its coat.
Reaching down, he took the fur off of the rabbit as if he were removing a jacket from its shoulders.
The rabbit felt a sudden chill when the wind hit its pink bare skin. Whipping around, it saw the mouse about to put on its own fur.
With an indignant squeak, the rabbit took its fur back and slipped it back on as easily as if it were an actual garment. And after unleashing a string of angry squeaks, it bounded off into the bushes.
“What a sorehead! C-C-Can’t even help out f-fellow rodent!” Mickey said.
“You sh-shouldn’t have s-s-s-simply taken its coat anyway,” Rarity said, wishing she had a nice, fluffy coat of her own. Then again, if her coat were so long, it would have been more difficult to groom.
The fashionista’s eyes scanned the landscape for something to keep warm. For a long time, the only thing that either of them had seen was snow and trees. And from the look of things, that was all she had to work with.
With nothing else to use, Rarity decided it would be better than wearing nothing in the snow. If not by much.
“M-M-M-Mickey. I’ve an id-d-ea,” she said, as she walked over to a small, slender pine.
“Wh-Whatcha g-g-g-got?” Mickey asked, following Rarity.
The two arrived at the tiny tree, and the mouse watched as Rarity put her hooves on the thin trunk.
“Help me sh-sh-shake this,” she said.
Not knowing what she planned, but having no ideas of his own, Mickey went along with the ludicrous idea.
They both started shaking the little tree as hard as they could. Globs of snow fell to the ground around them, and single red bird flew from the branches. Aside from that, nothing came of Rarity’s plan after they stopped.
“So, n-now what?” Micky asked.
His question was answered when all of the needles fell off of the tree and dropped onto himself and Rarity. By their own magic, the pine needles arranged themselves into a jacket for each of them.
“Not b-b-bad. But, I d-don’t know how well it’s g-gonna work,” Mickey said, scratching his neck.
“I kn-kn-know. B-B-But, I didn’t want to s-spend more time than I needed in the cold d-d-designing g-g-garments for us,” Rarity answered.
“It’s not th-that. This sh-shirt itches like c-c-crazy!” Mickey said, still scratching.
“I’m af-f-fraid there’s no helping that.”
The needles they wore were only slightly better than bare skin. The little warmth that they offered was almost completely offset by how itchy it all was. And they hoped for their sake that they weren’t far from someplace that they could find proper winter clothing.
Suddenly, carried on the howling wind there came the sound of a single, loud chop.
“Hey! S-Someone’s ch-ch-choppin’ wood!” Mickey said, recognizing the sound.
“Oh, p-p-p-please be firewood! I desperately need...a...fire…” Rarity said, trailing off as a new sound followed the chop.
The unmistakable creak of solid wood breaking under its own weight thundered through the forest. And the sight of many birds flying over the canopy revealed the direction it was coming from.
Other trees bent out of the way, as a singular, gigantic tree fell toward Mickey and Rarity, ready to crush them both.
No thoughts were in their minds as they both shot to either side of the path they were on.
The tree landed between them, catching them in its thick branches.
Further up the slope, Pete nodded to himself and crushed the stub of his cigar on the ragged, gnarled tree stump. Having known his nemesis for so long, he knew that something so simple wouldn’t eliminate him. He was going to have to ensure the completion of his objective himself.
And with a huff, the heavy lurched down the slope to where the tree landed.
Though not seriously injured, Mickey and Rarity both found themselves tangled up in the many twigs and nettles that once housed many woodland creatures.
Inside the branches, Mickey was beset by a very irate owl, who pecked unendingly at his head.
“Ow--Stop--Knock it off!!” he shouted, trying to shoo the angry bird.
The owl never stopped pecking him, even as he climbed up and popped out from among the branches.
The mouse could take no more. Snapping off a small branch, he swung at the owl.
“Beat it, ya buzzard!” Mickey said, swatting the bird away.
Another rustling sounded from the branches near him, and Rarity clambered into the open.
“Oh my goodness!!!--Oh my--!!” Rarity gasped, not quite believing she was alive at all.
“It’s alright,” Mickey said, though quite shaken himself.
He waded through the branches to retrieve Rarity. And the moment that he moved, a large axe sliced through the branches precisely where Mickey had once been, leaving a cut as clean as a freshly trimmed hedge.
The axe hit a tree, nearly cracking it in two on impact.
Rarity yelped, grabbed Mickey and fell over backwards just as a hail of bullets was fired at them.
There was no mistaking the sound of those shots. Somebody was trying to kill them. Somebody who had been trying to do so since Ponyville.
The mouse and fashionista fought their way back out of the branches, and ran as fast as they could into the forest.
Pete quickly followed after and fired his tommy gun into the trees. Unfortunately for him, the trees were so thick that his quarry was too well protected from his bullets.
He wouldn’t give up. He would simply use some other means of hunting them down and destroying them.
Pete started rifling through his pockets, picking out the perfect instrument of destruction.
A truncheon? It didn’t have enough reach.
A crossbow? He needed something that could get through the trees.
A flamethrower? That could work. But, it would likely put him in danger, if his fire went wild.
Then, he found it. Pete beamed as he pulled a snow shovel from his pocket. That was how the mouse would meet his end. And his little pony friend too.
Pete took a new cigar from his pocket, and lit it with a short burst from his flamethrower. Once that was done, he placed the scoop end of his shovel to the ground and took off into the thick treeline.
Mickey and Rarity wove their way through the trees, keeping their best to stay within one another’s sight, and out of Pete’s.
For Pete, he didn’t need them to be in his sight to get them.
There came a rumbling sound from somewhere up the slope.
Mickey dared to glance over her shoulder, and saw a wall of white rumbling toward them.
At the back of the snowy wall, Pete grunted and heaved as he plowed the massive payload in his shovel. When he came to a tree, he simply pushed it aside. When he came to a rock or a bush, he simply plowed it into this handmade avalanche.
He was going to bury them himself. And the only drawback was that he wasn’t going to be able to savor it, for how quick it was going to be.
Rarity could feel the rumbling cold against the tip of her tail, and tried to run faster.
She was not a marathon runner, or a downhill winter sports enthusiast. She was a seamstress. An artist. A fashionista. However, there was one thing that she greatly enjoyed during the snowy season. Something she had seen Mickey himself do down a dirt slope toward the mine where they met Copper and that foul badger.
It was how she was going to escape. But, how to do it?
Ahead of her was a bush with broad fronds.
That was her key.
Back at the mine, when she attempted what she was about to do, she nearly lost her life. Now, she was going to save herself and Mickey.
The wall of snow was upon her, and Rarity jumped forth into the bush. No sooner did she burst out the other side was she wearing an ice dress and skates made from the fronds, and wore an elegant fur hat atop her head.
The hat turned out to be a raccoon, who bailed from Rarity’s head the moment it perceived the avalanche behind it, and quickly climbed up the nearest tree.
Rarity veered to the side and caught sight of Mickey running up a sloping stone.
“Mickey!!” she shouted.
The mouse heard her call, and leapt from the rock.
Snow burst upward when it hit the rocks, threatening to envelop them from above.
Mickey caught Rarity around her neck and sped away with her down the slope.
The escape was harrowing, dodging trees and keeping ahead of the avalanche Pete was pushing on. But, Rarity was on top of everything.
Every tree was effortlessly glided around as smoothly as a river flowing around a rock. And Mickey knew she was showing off when she spun and started skating backward down the slope.
Through the parts in the crest of the avalanche, they could see Pete chugging along like a snow plow, trying to keep up. And Rarity blew a kiss to him, wishing him the best of luck in his endeavor.
“Try to put one over me, eh, dollface?!” Pete thought to himself. “See how ya like dis!!”
He charged forward, blowing smoke out of his mouth with the sound of a steam whistle. His pace quickened, and he shoved his avalanche onward to overtake his quarry.
“Uh, Rarity! Heh...That snow’s gettin’ awful close!” Mickey nervously said, hanging from Rarity’s side.
“So it is,” Rarity said. “How are you at ice dancing?”
“What are you--”
Mickey had no chance to finish, when all of a sudden he was hoisted and thrown into the air.
He flipped twice, while Rarity jumped and executed a flawless triple axle and landed in an angel pose atop the rolling snow.
Mickey landed on her back, mirroring her pose. And the routine wasn’t over.
The mouse felt Rarity’s back slide from beneath his feet, before she caught him and carried him as she glided across the top of the avalanche.
From the back, Pete saw a bizarre sight. There was Mickey popping up into view, flipping and spinning around then dropping out of sight again, before reappearing.
Rarity skated to the very top of the crest and flaunted another angel pose, with Mickey balancing atop her horn by one single finger.
“Dag-blasted wiseguy!!” Pete shouted, before he heaved his snow shovel upward.
The entire avalanche he had created was scooped up and thrown into the sky, along with Mickey and Rarity.
High up, Rarity reached out her hoof, which Mickey readily grabbed onto.
Placing her hooves on an airborne mass of snow, Rarity started skating along its surface.
They spiraled around to the top of the giant mass of snow, until it resembled a scoop of ice cream.
The snow dropped from the sky, taking them with it.
If the snow was ice cream, they were the cherry on top when it landed.
“Hot dog!! Rarity, that was the best darn figure skatin’ I ever saw! Ten out o’ ten performance! Gold medals all around!” Mickey said.
“Actually, it was ice dancing. And it’s scored on a scale of one to six,” Rarity corrected. “Still, I thank you for your praise,” she continued, giving a dainty curtsy with her leafy skirt.
The moment she finished, her entire costume fell apart, and Mickey’s pine needle jacket blew away on the wind.
They were without any protection from the elements again. And Pete was sure to follow them, no matter how far they flew from him. The sheer thrill of the experience warmed them both from within. But, without proper shelter from the cold, they knew they would not last.
“Mickey. Look over there,” Rarity said.
Mickey looked, and saw what she did. There was a glimmering light moving through the woods toward them. The very same as the one they were following since Ponyville. Only, it wasn’t the one they had been following.
This light was larger. A deeper shade of blue. And bounced from tree to tree as if it were using the branches to navigate through the woods.
The closer it came, they saw how truly different it was. Instead of the simple, glittering mass, this light was in the distinct shape of a squirrel. Bushy tail, buck teeth and all. And it was being followed.
Through the nearby trees of the clearing they had landed in, a gigantic silhouette moved through the trees.
A sudden sense of foreboding shot through Mickey and Rarity in the moment when the glimmering squirrel stopped before them.
“Saa!” the figure in the trees shouted.
There came the loud crunching of hooves through the snow, and through the treeline came not Pete, and not a pony, but a moose. Twice as tall as Rarity, three times as broad from the tip of each antler, and wearing a heavy parka, the moose ran over to them.
Not hoping for another fight after the encounter with Pete, Mickey and Rarity prepared to run off into the forest. But, the moose instead slowed to a stop before them.
“Ai su liki-vich? Ilivaik rukiarn-git kakma annik,” the moose said.
A glance was exchanged between the two friends. Whatever the moose was saying, it didn’t seem like he was hostile toward them. In fact, he seemed surprised that he had met anyone at all in the snowstorm.
“Uh, hi there, fella,” Mickey said. “Any chance ya know where to find a fireplace?”
“And some snow boots?” Rarity added.
“Upaktugaa. Ilivaik paisiatuk-niirak,” said the moose, before turning away, followed by his glimmering companion.
Mickey and Rarity could only watch when the moose turned away from them. Not sure what he had said, they did not know what to do, or how to react.
The moose looked back over his shoulder and motioned for them to follow him.
“Upaktugaa! Kiikaa-git nayuutarik kamma a’annik!” he said, more emphatically.
There was no confusion about what he was saying.
With little recourse, Mickey and Rarity decided that it was best to follow after the moose and his squirrel friend. Wherever he was leading them, they hoped to find shelter, and the answers to why they were guided to such a place.
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Again, the difference in magical skill betwixt Rarity and Twilight is staggering. "tis a bitter irony that Twilight's isolation has so muddled her intended foe, in any other case that would have been an excellent description of her.
Also, I note with interest that Pete is far and away the most magically proficient of the various villains. The rest of them were slaves to their natures, but Pete has proven himself immensely flexible time and again. This in turn seems to have made him the only one really capable of wielding the magic of imagination.
Wow, this story looks like it can take a long LONG time to finish. Doesn't mean it's not good though.
9824493
Of course Pete's good at what he does. He's been doing it for almost a hundred years. The other villains have been doing it for...what, five to seven chapters?
9824576
You need to tell a story for as long as it takes to complete it.
Twilight, whilst undeniably a gifted protégé when it comes to "normal" equestrian magic, has one main failing: her mind, although brilliant, is very rigid and structured in its processes. It has been shown that if she is faced with something or anything that challenges what she believes to be true, she will not even consider the possibility, however remote, that it might be true until undeniable proof is staring her in the face (usually just after a slightly condescending laugh and telling the speaker point blank how it couldn't possibly be true because...). Such a rigid unbending mindset is unable to come to grips with "Disney" magic which relies on imagination at the core, something that Twilight sadly seems to lack and this lack is coming back to bite her on the flank with a vengeance. Rarity's job as a dressmaker and seamstress is a job that requires imagination and inspiration with every creation she makes, so her mind already has enough training to be able to grasp the "Disney" magic concept of letting go of rules and personal limits, something Twilight hasn't managed as (it appears to me at least), Twilight still seems to think of Disney magic as similar to Equestrian magic; something with rigid rules and guidelines that can be learnt from a book.
9829441
Very nice analysis. Let's see how much of it holds up in future chapters.