Aeternitas Book I: Lunar Shadow

by Shadowlight Wanderer

Not Good Enough

Chapter 6

"Pinkie Pie ?" Rarity raised her head as she heard familiar sound of bouncing on the corridor nearby. Sound faded in the distance before Rarity managed to get to the door.

" Oh for Celestia's sake. Who would be so very unkind to get us into this dreadful situation. All this gloomy and spooky dark castle, I mean really, what happened to those curtains?" Rarity stopped by the window and looked at the drapes closely. She sniffed the curtains and started coughing. "Oh dear, it is really dusty in here. This is really strange. Everything looks so old and dark and du-du..." monologue was cut shortly by a sudden, quiet sneeze.

Rarity tried to focus and ignore tickling in her nostrils "It is like it is a totally..." Another sneeze "different place. But how can it be? A second ago we were having a lunch in a beautiful, clean ca-a-achoooooiee!!!!!" Third sneeze echoed loudly in an empty castle. Rarity quickly moved away from dusty curtains and, still sniffing and coughing, stared at them with disbelief

" Well, I guess lighting really makes a difference. Now Rarity, you must focus yourself on much more important things. Where are the girls ? I wouldn't mind some company right here ?" monologued fashionista, trotting in the direction of the door.

"Oh, if you need company, I can make your wish come true" whispered the voice in the darkness. Rarity made a very unlady- like scream and hide behind the nearby pillar.

"Who are you ? Where are my friends? And what have you done to those curtains ?" she shouted before realizing the last question was not entirely necessary in her current situation.

The voice from the shadows laughed " Oh, my sweetest gem is not feeling too well? Do not worry,comparing too your friends your time is passing pretty well".

The darkness in front of Rarity's eyes lightened as she saw images of her friends facing various horrors and nightmares. Rarity covered her muzzle with a hoof as she took the terrifying view.

"I do not know who you are, but please, don't do this to them. Take me instead." Rarity begged unknown foe.

The tendril of shadow lifted Rarity in the air.

"No little filly, you will not take their pain away and leave me without any pleasure. You are the last who should take their nightmares. After all, you are the Element of Generosity. Believe me, betraying your element by taking, not sharing, would be very, very unwise under those circumstances." echoed the shadows " besides, it is not your destiny. You are just a puppet in a very old plan. It was said very long ago :

"Nine will come in the shadow cage

to suffer through the fury of immortal rage

One will rise and beaten by the hearth

One will endure the true destiny of her demise

One will be gone in a trip when she began

One with her shadow will become one

One will be alive but gone forever

One will be killed by the one who she trust"

Rarity rolled her eyes " Darling, could you say it more clearly? I think one prophecy for one evening is enough"

Suddenly, Rarity was raised in the air even higher, to met pair of eyes glowing with dark light

"It is an honour for you that I'm involved into your nightmare personally. I can turn you into a shadow of yourself if I wished to.And I am going to do this because of your ignorance. You are very intuitive one Rarity. You are a soul trapped in soooooo beautiful body" roared the voice. Rarity shivered when she saw a toothy smile under the pair of eyes " You may be seemed as beautiful, distinguished, refined... but behind that, you are worry about not being good enough for others. Fear of rejection is sooooo...delicious"

A shadowy tongue licked lips still stretched with toothy grin

"Before I will leave you to play, I want you to be my messenger. You don't need to understand what and to who you need to deliver the message. It will reveal itself in time. That messenger must be you, Rarity. You and your friends triggered a mechanism that is going to change the world. You should be proud of that. On this moment you can choose your fate... yet. If somehow you will be alive in the end... we can have some delight... later.. Sweet dreams" the foe in the darkness laughed deeply once again.

Rarity fell to the ground. She was only able to raise her hoof in shadow's direction and whisper "no" before the darkness consumed her.

Rarity woke up. She was in an entry hall of the Canterlot Castle. She smiled weakly, remembering two Grand Galloping Galas that she attended and both started in this hall when Princess Celestia always greeted guests.

Rarity slowly arose, cursing evil shadows and dark castles.

"This is quite a riddle. I really have to find girls and check on the princesses. I hope that what that shadow brute said wasn't true. I wouldn't stand my friends suffering such a horrible fate."

Rarity sighed, desperate, and turn around to face an empty hallway. She started galloping at full speed. Before she realized it, she found herself in front of a stained glass, showing the scene of Nightmare Moon's defeat. Rarity stopped. Unicorn felt... bizarre stream of sentiment. She slowly lower her head and her horn touched the glass.

"But what if this is all true? Oh, do not fool yourself, Rarity. You know it is..." Rarity whispered as memories took control of her mind...

******************************

In the blink of an eye, Rarity was standing in a kitchen in her parents' house as a little filly. She was standing there and waiting for parents to acknowledge one of the very first dress she made. Filly Rarity was trotting in place from the joy she felt.

"Mom, Dad, look what I just finished. Isn't it just gorgeous ?" filly Rarity proudly demonstrated her creation. The dress wasin a colour of purple with white patterns on her.

Hondo and Cookie Crumbles didn't notice their daughter at first. They were completely focused reading their usual breakfast magazines: Cookie's was some mare-gossip and Hondo's was the latest hoofball statistics. Rarity cleared her throat and looked at two ponies with an irritated glare

"Mom, Dad, can you please just look here"

Finally, Cookie Crumbles turned her head and noticed Rarity and her dress.

"Oh honey, I'm sorry, I didn't heard you. What was that you wanted ?" she said in apologizing tone

"Look mommy, look at my dress. It is simply divine. It perfectly matches my coat and mane"

Cookie slowly lowered her gaze

"Yes Sweetie, I think it is lovely. Why don't you go and make some another one so we can admire it ?"

Cookiegot up and gently pushed Rarity in the door's direction.

" Rarity,me and daddy need to talk. Go on! We will call you back"

Rarity slowly trotted to her room. "But my dress... why she didn't even looked at it closely ? They both don't even want to talk about my passion. What is wrong with me ?" little white unicorn sniffed quietly and small tear flow through her face

Present Rarity suddenly found herself in a different location. Her younger version was watching herself in a mirror. In that time, Rarity first noticed that she is maturing. With everything connected with it. Her body was turning itself into a body of a full grown mare.Rarity often heard of her stunning beauty. Many stallions in town wanted to go out with her. When she was walking down the street, the male population of Ponyville just went crazy. One pegasus who saw her from above, lost control over his flight and crushed into a nearby tree.

And with all of that admiration from the world, there was still something missing from Rarity's hearth. She was looking at the mirror and it was still the same.

"I do not deserve them. Even if diamonds are on my flank, there is still some flaw that I do not see. I am not what they are expecting. I just try to share and make everypony beautiful as I wish to be. I am not beautiful. I am just trying to be" younger Rarity sighed deeply, her sapphire eyes looking tired form the mirror " By making everypony achieving their dreams, I just wish to find a missing piece of myself. I need to be original... 'cause my life must mean something".

Suddenly, there was a knocking at the door and Rarity's parents went to the room.

Rarity rolled her eyes " Let me guess, another trip ?" she asked.

Hondo moved forward and look sadly at Rarity

"We have to, sweetie. We don't have much to say in this. We are needed at this ceremony"

Rarity screamed in fury "And you are leaving me again ? Even if you are both a celebrities in a world of interior design and hoofball, I won't let treat myself like this. It is a difficult time for me... it is such a horrible manner to leave me when I need you"

Pearl shook her head " You said before that we have to treat you like an adult mare. So be it . It is time to deal with your problems and have a strength to face them like an adult pony. Come on Magnum" She grabbed her husband and pulled him through the door, shutting them behind her.

Rarity was still looking at shutten door. She lowered her head and screamed loudly

And the scene changed once again

"Rarity meet your new sister. Isn't she sweet ? Me and your father are still thinking about the name for her. Now, we leave you two for a minute" Pearl, freshly back from the hospital, presented newborn pony to Rarity. Then she backed away closing the door.

Rarity looked at her new sister with a tears of joy in her eyes

" At last I won't be alone. I already love you. I always dreamed of a sister. Ooooh!!!!" Rarity hugged little unicorn a little tighter. She looked at the first patch- like resemblances of future mane. They were in a mixed shade of purple and pink.

" You know little sis, I think we will have a rough time with our parents on their... trips. So I will be a better mother than my own. I will be there for you. I will make you confident, compassionate and sure that you are worth the world. When I say I am beautiful, I only believe in a part of it. You are such a sweet beauty. Oh my Celestia... idea!!!!! I was recently studying some Prench and it gives me some idea. Sweetie Belle. Yes, that fits very well and I think mom and dad will buy it too. Sweetie Belle-Sweet Beauty. What do you think ?" she asked a foal.

Sweetie Belle burped loudly and let out a small giggle.

Rarity smiled "I love you too, Sweetie Belle".

The scene faded and changed once again

Rarity was preparing city hall for oncoming Summer Sun Celebration. She was just checking the decorative ribbons when she heard a opening door. When she was done with the décor, she turned to the strange pair: purple unicorn with mane in a dreadful style and some... dragon ? Rarity had never seen any dragons before but what worried her was a certain gaze he was giving her. Gaze she knew too well. Rarity quickly turned her attention on purple unicorn and offered her help with fixing her mane. But inside she was still thinking of that hearth-melting glare the little dragon gave her. He looked nice and sweet but she was worried. And over the years she was both amazed by strength of Spike's feeling and devastated that she couldn't make herself to properly talk to him...Even if she was slowly beginning to be unsure of what she was really feeling.

*******************************************

"What Element of Generosity? I am just a reflection of a mare I want to be" whispered Rarity, slowly re-emerging from the well of her memories "And Spike. Oh my dear Spikey-Wikey, where I went wrong ? The way I treated you... is unacceptable. I try so hard. But the more I try, the more I have to fix"

Rarity collapsed on the floor under the stain glass. She tried to rise up but she couldn't.

"Fight it, Rarity, you always were strong. This is not the end" hissed Rarity to herself.

Then she felt a wings wrapping around her and her body was pressed against another, shaking one.

"Rainbow Dash ? Is that you, darling ?" Rarity asked with a broken, quiet voice.

"If you are real, Rarity, just stay with me. Stay with me before we move on. Just be with me" said Rainbow fearfully.

Rarity pressed herself to blue pegasus and they both lied on the floor together