Dungeons and Deserts: Part 2
It was a typical mid-morning in Canterlot as ponies strolled about enjoying the sun and the goings on of the capitol city. Rarity was practically skipping as she held her basket of gems and a cup of coffee in her magic. She sipped her black elixir. “Ahh, nothing quite like espresso to give you that extra pep in your step. I hope I haven’t kept Spiky waiting too long; I should probably pick up the pace.”
“Oh there you are Rarity! I’m so happy I found you!”
Rarity stopped dead in her tracks as the voice calling her sent a shiver down her spine and a twisting feeling inside. She slowly turned to address the last pony she wanted to see today or any other day.
“Pish Posh…” Rarity said dryly. “How… nice it is to see you.”
Pish Posh strutted up to Rarity from her group of stuffy looking ponies as if she owned the entire street and wanted everypony to know about it. “I was just telling my friends here about the wonderful entertainment you and that dragon performed at my little party. But then I thought, how great would it be to have none other than you yourself show them. Why don’t you give me an encore performance of what you said about that dragon?”
“I’d sooner dye my coat in polka-dots!” Rarity snapped. “I don’t have time for this, I have places to be!” Rarity spun on her hooves and trotted away.
“Excusez moi!?” Pish Posh sneered. “I said, ‘give me an encore’! So do it this instant!”
“I will do no such thing! And if you think for even a second I’d-!”
Just then Rarity realized something. She wasn’t moving. She was moving her legs, but her body was not. She looked down at her hooves, she was floating! But that wasn’t what shocked Rarity the most. Her legs were jointed like a doll and there were strings going from her hooves to the sky.
“What in Celestia’s name is-?!” Rarity shut her eyes as a blinding light assaulted her. As she adjusted to the brightness, she noticed that she was no longer on the streets of Canterlot, she was on a stage. The lime lights focused solely on her. She looked out at the audience and saw numerous, faceless, unmoving ponies and at the center of them all, on a very cushy looking throne, sat Pish Posh. She raised a megaphone to her mouth.
“That’s more like it!” She announced. “Now, as I was saying, I demand an encore!”
The scenery changed as the curtain behind Rarity rose to reveal a ballroom set. Painted guests and windows in the background, plastic food sat on silver trays carried by more faceless ponies. And most notably, was the large chandelier that hung above the stage. In an instant, Rarity felt her breath leave her body. She tried to run, but she was merely flailing her strings. Pish Posh began to clap, the sound of clapping followed shortly after from the still unmoving faceless audience.
“Now!” Pish Posh said. “Let’s start the scene!”
The lights now focused on two spots. At stage right was Rarity, now wearing the same dress she wore to Pish Posh’s party and at stage left, stood a tall statue of glass. It was purple and green and…Spike?
Rarity’s lips quivered as tears welled up in her eyes. “No… no… please don’t do this! I’m begging you!”
“Action!” Pish Posh called out.
“No! I don’t want this! Please I- can’t stand that worthless dragon!” Rarity clasped her wooden hooves over her mouth. She didn’t say that… did she? A loud crack could be heard from the statue. Rarity looked up and saw a gigantic pony. She was holding a puppet control in her light blue magic and she had the most vile, sadistic, and unpleasant smile stretched across her alabaster face. As if she craved the anguish playing out before her.
“What in the world- is wrong with him?!” Rarity clasped her mouth again, but her hooves felt heavy all of a sudden. “How can anypony be so annoying and simple minded?! Honestly, I can’t believe I thought he’d make it in high society, he was doomed from the start and I’ve never been so embarrassed. But I suppose that’s the price I pay for being associated with some incompetent, filthy, uncultured beast!” More cracks could be seen and heard from the statue. Rarity’s eyes screamed in horror; tears fell freely from her face as her own voice continued to tear her heart and soul to shreds.
“It’s bad enough he has those ridiculous hobbies,” the snow-white marionette continued. “has the sheer audacity to think I’m his friend and has more in common with dirt, but he’s also a foolish, barbaric monster who thinks he could- please stop it!- ever be loved by anypony!” And with one final crack, the statue shattered into countless pieces that rained onto the stage. Rarity sobbed as the effigy scattered glass across the floor and off the stage. The crowd roared in applause and laughs, with Pish Posh’s being the loudest.
“Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha! Oh my goodness, this is too rich!” the pompous pony cried as she held her stomach. “Now that’s what I call entertainment! Did you see the look on her face?! It was priceless! Ha, ha, ha!”
Rarity tried to reach out for one of the shards, but her hooves remained where they were. “Spike…” she said through a strangled sob. “I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…”
Pish Posh’s laughter died down and was seamlessly replaced with a yawn. “Well that was fun and all, but I’m bored now. Show’s over everypony!”
On cue, a huge pair of scissors appeared, enveloped in the same light blue aura that held the puppet control and with a few snips, Rarity’s strings were cut and she collapsed onto the stage. She tried to get up, tried to run, but she couldn’t move a single inch. Her eyes fixed to the ceiling, as the scissors slowly opened, the sliding metal was as ominous and foreboding as a requiem. The blades poised on either side of the chain of the enormous chandelier hanging overhead like a guillotine.
“Strike the set!” Posh called out.
In one fluid motion, the scissor blades cut through the metal chain as easily as they cut string, and the chandelier plummeted towards Rarity, a loud cackling boomed from the rafters as a pair of eyes with diamond irises looked down on the helpless mare, who could only watch as her doom came crashing down on top of her.
Rarity screamed as she was ripped out of her nightmare and shot up in bed. Her heart was moving so fast she felt each beat in her ears, her breathing was short and uneven, and she could feel sweat from her head to her hooves. She quickly looked around her hotel room; no, not her hotel room. That’s right, Rarity remembered now. She checked out of the hotel yesterday, this was her spare apartment above Canterlot Carousel. The one she used for her long overnights. Rarity’s breath was calmer now. She was awake. She was safe. The mare breathed one last sigh of relief as the familiarity of her surroundings sank in. The morning sun outlined her shades and with the slightest tug of magic, the shade sprung open and chased away the rest of the shadows in the room.
Needless to say the first thing Rarity had to take care of was the sweat she was practically swimming in, so a shower was in order and a change of sheets. Rarity entered her bathroom and after a few seconds of fiddling with the knobs, a steady stream of hot water burst from the showerhead and Rarity reveled in the warming embrace. With her shower finished, Rarity moved to the bathroom mirror, wiped away the steam from the glass and was greeted by an all too familiar sight. Her eyes were red and puffy with dark bags underneath. Her face was lacking her natural beauty and was replaced by droopiness and fatigue. Rarity sighed before brushing her teeth. Afterwards came the most important part of her new routine. She levitated various creams, serums and eye drops before her and set about to mask her various blemishes. And after a few minutes her skin was tight, fur softened, dark bags gone and her eyes sparkled with her long lashes complementing them perfectly. She threw a few containers into the trash and made a mental note to buy more product while she was out.
All she needed now was the strongest espresso in Canterlot and the illusion would be complete. She grabbed her saddlebag and her basket of rainbow quartz for Spike before giving herself one last look over before departing for the café.
Even in the early morning hours, Appleloosa was abuzz with activity as the various vendors and coordinators prepared themselves for the main event. Yes, it was finally the day of the Appleloosa rodeo. And at the Apple family orchard one competitor was taking every moment she could to psych herself up.
“148, 149, 150!” Applejack grunted as she thrusted herself up and down.
“AJ, don’t go too hard,” Autumn said. “You don’t want to tire yourself out before the rodeo.”
“Don’t you worry none sugarcube, push-ups ain’t nothin’ but a warm up! 178, 179, 180!”
The door to Applejack and Autumn’s room swung open and not a moment later did Applebloom trot in. “Gooooood mornin’ everypony! Who’s ready fer- Oh! Ah’m sorry Ah didn’t know you were warmin’ up.”
“No harm done Applebloom, Ah’m jus’ about done ‘ere! 198, 199, 200!” Applejack sprung up from the floor and rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. “Hoowee! Nothin’ like push-ups te start yer day out right! Bit’ o’ stretchin’ and Ah’ll be ready fer anythin’!”
Autumn chuckled, “Honestly, I still have no idea where you get your energy from.”
Applejack smirked. “Ah could ask you the same thing.”
Applebloom rolled her eyes. “Well, y’all ain’t goin’ nowhere without eatin’, now come on, auntie Orchard made flapjacks and Braeburn said he ain’t waitin’ up fer any latecomers.”
The mid-morning sun shone brightly on the citizens of Canterlot, as Ponies made their way from shop to shop, gossip was exchanged between parents as their foals played, workers pruning the tops of the trees that lined the streets like well disciplined guards. Rarity trotted along the sidewalk as she bid good morning to any and all familiar faces she crossed as she sipped her morning coffee.
“Mmmm, best and strongest in the city,” she hummed. “I must remember to give an extra word of thanks to the owner for such a marvelous recipe. Oh dear, I hope I haven’t kept Spike waiting. I’m eager to see what he has planned for me, or rather for Clarity the Radiant,” Rarity giggled as the thought of her other persona as she began to wonder what exactly was waiting in store for her at the hospital. She decided to pick up the pace to satisfy her own excitement and curiosity.
“Oh, there you are Rarity! I was hoping to run into you again!”
Rarity stopped in her tracks as a familiar voice sent her stomach into knots and made her skin crawl. She turned to see the last pony she wanted to encounter today. Or any other day for that matter.
“Posh…” Rarity said dryly. “How nice…”
Pish Posh strutted up to Rarity from her small group of unicorns with their noses pressed to the sky with a kind of energy that shouted to everypony that she owned the street, with her Yes Pony not far behind her. “Thank goodness I found you! I was starting to worry I wouldn’t have another chance to see you, what with that unsavory business at my little soiree. I had no idea that dragon belonged to Princess Twilight.”
“Spike,” Rarity corrected. “Doesn’t belong to Twilight, he's her little brother.”
“Brother?” the Yes Pony asked.
Pish Posh cocked her brow before smirking and letting out a small chuckle. “How cute. She sees the dragon as family. That’s the same way I saw my puppy when I was a foal. It’s rather adorable that Princess Twilight still has that sense of wonderment and naiveite. Ridiculous, but adorable. Anyway, I do hope you could do me one small favor? Please tell the princess or anypony for that matter that the little incident at my soiree was completely out of my control.”
“Out of your control?” Rarity was in disbelief. “But it was in your control! You said that-“
“I said,” Posh cut in. “that was a very expensive chandelier and that I took every and all precautions that it was installed safely and the fact that it fell was a one in a million chance of it ever happening.”
“I heard that too, word for word,” the Yes Pony chimed in.
“So,” Posh continued. “if anypony asks, particularly any police, insurance agents or princesses, that is the whole story.”
Rarity’s body began to vibrate like an unsupervised pressure cooker.
“Thank you so much in advance, Rarity. I hope to see you around Canterlot more often. Perhaps we could even do a collaboration toget-“
“That! Is! It!” Rarity’s voice shook the entire street as Pish Posh and everypony in the area seemed to freeze in the presence of the mare’s ire. “You, Pish Posh are without a doubt, the most selfish, rude, insensitive, self-centered, egotistical and down right callous pony I’ve ever met! Spike’s lying in the hospital because of your negligence! You were told that chandelier was too heavy and you just used your bits to shut everypony up and now you’re more concerned for your self-image than the well-being of another? Is it because he’s not a unicorn? And while we’re on the subject, you talk down to any pony who isn’t a unicorn! Why? Because you think that unicorns are so much better than earth ponies or pegasai? I’ll have you know some of my best friends are earth ponies and pegasai and they’re not as dim witted and clumsy as you believe they are, in fact they’re infinitely better than you!
“One of the biggest mistakes of my life was ever wanting to be accepted by some nopony like you! I wish for nothing more than for all of Equestria to see who you really are, just a low life social climber without even a shred of decency!” Rarity spun on her hooves and trotted off with her nose in the air. “Oh, and Posh? Just one more thing.” Rarity looked over her shoulder. “That coat you premiered in Trottingham was one of the ugliest pieces of clothing I’ve ever seen! Who in their right mind would ever want to look like a giant yellow highlighter?” and with one last “humph!” Rarity left a stunned Pish Posh in a sea of murmuring ponies.
“She said what about earth ponies?”
“Hey, my grandma’s a Pegasus!”
“You know, she’s right. That coat was ugly.”
“Wait, I think I remember that dragon getting hurt. That was Pish Posh’s fault?”
And among the chattering ponies, a pair of gold clad royal guards were talking amongst themselves.
“Did you hear that?” asked the unicorn guard.
“Aye,” replied the earth pony. “Cannae believe it meself. Me woife’s a big fan o’ ‘ers too. Neve’ knew Pish Posh ‘ad a side like that. Ye think Princess Celestia would like te ‘ear ‘bout this?”
“You know she would. C’mon, we got a lot to report.”
The multitude of ponies seemed to grow and grow as the sun rose higher in the Appleloosen sky as the final preparations began for the rodeo. Vendors selling drinks and snacks, bookies taking bets, and the talking about their favorite to win was heard from every nook and cranny.
“I got my bits on Applejack,” said one stallion. “That mare’s got a heck of a lotta spunk, and spunk nets you ribbons.”
“If ya want spunk, than Filly the Kid gots my bet,” said another. “She’s feisty and ain’t ‘fraid o’ nothin’.”
“Oh please,” said a mare. “anypony with eyes can see that Sarsaparilla Slim will be the winner this year. Tall, strong, and handsome? How could he not be best in show?” she swooned.
The attendees were filling the stands as the competitors waited on anxious breath for the rodeo to officially begin. Applejack was staring down the other contenders as Autumn massaged her shoulders. Specifically, the country mare was eyeing the two ponies she felt would give her the biggest issue. Filly the Kid was busy punching and kicking a big bag of sand as she seemed to glide across the ground whenever she moved. Sarsaparilla Slim was sitting on a bench, drinking coffee from a tin cup. Applejack knew it was coffee because she could smell it from across the ring over the fried foods and the many patrons around her. For all she knew, Slim’s brew could power the Ponyville express for moons.
“AJ?”
Autumn’s voice broke through Applejack’s concentration, though she still didn’t take her eyes off of the two ponies. “Hm? What’s up sugarcube?”
“Are you alright? You seem really tense.” Autumn applied a bit more pressure to Applejack’s shoulders to emphasize her point.
“Ah’m fine, jus’ a little antsy is all. Can’t say Ah’ve had competition like this before. That Filly gal might be as ornery as a whole hornet’s nest, but Ah can tell she’ll be a tough opponent. And Slim? Ah’ve never seen anypony so calm before the rodeo, like he ain’t got nothin’ te fear. Even mah pop got the ‘jitters’ as he called it before each event, but Slim? He don’t look like he got a care in the world.”
Autumn left Applejack’s shoulders and circled around till she was looking the farm girl in the face. “You’ve got nothing to worry about AJ! The way I saw you practicing back in Ponyville, all those hours you spent bucking hay bales, running obstacles, and tying up pigs, if anypony should be antsy it’s them,”- Autumn pointed over to Filly and Slim. “- cause they don’t know what they’re getting themselves into.”
Applejack realized that the excitable Kirin had a point. This year Applejack put in extra hours into her training and Autumn was there for most of it. Actually, she was there for all of it. Keeping time, cheering Applejack on, coming up with new training methods and untying hogs. Autumn had complete and total faith in Applejack’s abilities to win, it was time that a certain farmer put some faith in herself. Just then, Applejack’s cheeks flushed a red that matched her cutie mark as she noticed just how close her friend was to her face.
“Uh, um, Autumn?”
“Hm?” Autumn blinked, realized what Applejack was flustered over and took a quick step back. “O-oh right! Personal space, um, sorry AJ! I just got a little excited is all,” she said with a pink lady blush of her own.
“Th-that’s ok!” Applejack said quickly. “No harm done! But, um, it’s ‘bout time fer the openin’ c ceremony. So, uh, ya might wanna take yer seat… in the stands.”
“Right! The stands! I’ll see you later AJ! Good luck, I’ll be rootin’ for you!” Autumn said as she and Applejack exchanged a goodbye wave before she disappeared in the crowd.
Applejack took a deep breath and steadied her heartbeat. Not much longer till show time and she needed to get her head in the game. She looked over her competition, the announcers taking their seats in the booth, the patrons lining the bleachers with Autumn taking her seat next to Applebloom. Applejack smiled and rolled her shoulders. “This is the year…” she murmured. “Ah’m breaking pop’s record fer sure.”
“Aaaaaand that’s the last of ‘em,” Dr. Hawkeye said as his forceps placed the last of the staples into a shallow silver tray filled with iodine. “Now you won’t set off any metal detectors if you go to a buckball game.”
“Feels good to have those staples out,” Spike said as a nurse covered his wounds with fresh bandages. “means I’m getting closer to getting out of here, right?”
Dr, Hawkeye wore a grin. “That’s right! Soon you’ll be outta here and be back enjoying the finer things in life. Like walking on the beach, flying through the skies and eating food that hasn’t committed any war crimes.”
Spike shrugged. “Eh, the food’s not so bad. Once you get used to it.”
The smile Hawkeye was sporting faltered. “Sweet Celestia he’s liking the food. I think that’s a clear sign of Stockholm syndrome.”
There was a light knocking on the door after a second or two, Rarity peeked in. “Good morning Spike, how are-? Oh, I’m sorry, is this a bad time?”
Hawkeye waved Rarity over. “Not at all, just finished giving our pal Spike a little touch up. And since we’re done here, we’ll leave you kids be.” Hawkeye nodded at the nurse and after a quick clean-up of her hooves, followed suite. Leaving Spike and Rarity amongst themselves.
Rarity walked closer and took her usual seat next to Spike’s bed. “How are you feeling today Spike?”
“Uh, pretty good I guess. The doc just took my staples out and-“
Rarity nearly choked on her espresso. “Staples? W-what staples?”
Spike paused for a moment to try and think of a more gingerly way of saying it to the mare. “Oh, um, well… some of my injuries were a bit too severe for regular stiches so they needed to uh… close some parts up with staples.”
That lump was back and doing somersaults in Rarity’s stomach. She thought she’d be used to the extent of Spike’s injuries by now, but hearing this, that he needed to be held together with metal like some kind of pulp fiction horror character was a new burden for her mind to bare. Rarity felt her coffee coming back up, but she forced it back down and took another sip of her drink, making sure above all else that Spike doesn’t notice her discomfort. After all, it wasn’t her lying in a hospital bed.
“Is… is that right? My, that’s… rather interesting. I had no idea that staples could be used in that manner.”
Spike nodded. “Yeah, it was pretty new to me too. But the good news is, I’m getting closer to a full recovery. Dr. Hawkeye even said that my bandages and cast can come off soon.”
“Oh, speaking of ‘recovery’,-“ Rarity levitated her basket onto the small table by Spike and removed the cloth cover, revealing the rainbow quartz. “it’s time to take your medicine! Eat up Spike.”
Spike grimaced as he grabbed his first clawfull of gems. “Ugh. Hospital food is better than this…”
“Come, come now,” Rarity encouraged. “The sooner you finish your gems, the sooner we can start playing your game.”
Spike’s normally disgusted expressions while eating his medicinal gems gave way to bafflement. “You… still want to play?”
“Of course I do! Are you not ready yet? Do you need more time to prepare?”
Spike swallowed his next helping of gems. “N-no, I have everything ready, it’s just… I didn’t think you wanted to keep playing after yesterday is all,” he said those last few words with an air that seemed to be both optimistic and relieving, but wasn’t brave enough to get their hopes up, since Rarity seemed to have had some… difficulties with making her character and getting immersed.
“I do Spike, really. And after all the work that went into making ‘Clarity the Radiant,’ I’d like to be able to play her. If it’s all the same to you. Besides, it’d be a shame if she went to waste.”
Spike dusted off the last of the gems and washed it down with a water pitcher. “Sure thing! We can start whenever you’re ready.”
“I’m ready now.”
Spike smiled. “Then let’s get started! I’ll just set up a few things and we can play!”
Rarity giggled as Spike enthusiastically reached for all the tools he needed to guide Rarity through the world of Ogres and Oubliettes. For a brief moment, Rarity could feel a small spark coming from Spike when he smiled. It was a smile similar to the one he’d wear while helping her around the shop. Happy simply because he was spending time with her. Rarity missed that smile. She never realized until recently just how special that particular smile was to her, it reminded Rarity that she always had Spike’s support. Just another thing that Rarity took for granted…
Thank Celestia… she thought. I got to see that smile again…
Geez, how long has it been? About two years apparently. I really didn't want to be away from this story for that long, but let's just say I was going through some rough patches and I just couldn't bring myself to work on this story, but I'm back and hopefully I can give you more regular updates. I know not too many people were thrilled with the Apple storyline, but I can't exactly leave it be. This chapter was going to be longer, but I wanted to get this chapter out, so expect a part 3 and after that I hope I can "wow" you all with what I have planned next.
Not to toot my own horn, but I'm really glad with how the nightmare scene came out. I really love the concept of a nightmare, a fear that's custom made for you and is one of the scariest things you can experience because you're being haunted by something only you can see. And I had fun blasting Pish Posh, but that's because she had it coming.
And fun fact, the coat that Rarity brought up when she was yelling at Posh was based on an actual coat I saw. I was strolling through the mall with my best friend and I was absolutely gobsmacked at how ugly this particular coat was. I suppose it was made with the fashion forward road worker in mind, but that's a very niche cliental at best.
Let me know what you guys think of this chapter, I love reading the comments.
As always, thanks for reading. See you next time 
Silver Wit
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Love the chapter. not sure why there are segments with AJ but hey. not complaining. and don't feel bad about the wait between chapters. my main story hasn't' had an update in almost as long.
11144571
Yeah, the AJ stuff started last chapter.
Hey welcome back, glad that we finally gonna address that Posh piece of slime regarding Spike's injuries! She's been way overdue in terms of suffering consequences for her actions!
Thanks for the update
Got to say it was worth the wait 
I really liked the nightmare part myself as well very well done. The Pish Posh bit I think you are right she had it coming & I think she got off lightly 
But I won't lie I liked that bit alot it was Great to see Rarity put her in her place lol
I don't mind the Apple story line & am enjoying it, so you just keep doing what you want to do with your story, I'll happily read it
& I must say im looking forward to what's to come next, its great to see Rarity & Spike getting on a bit better again & I have no doubt that you will "WOW" us with what's to come 
Keep up the great work & thanks again for the update
11144713 I'm fairly certain Posh's suffering has only just begun.
When the Princesses find out it was her skimping on bits that caused Spike's injuries, I suspect her precious social status is going to go straight through the floor.
I'm not sure what having one of the absolute rulers of your country mad at you would result in, not to mention the newest princess and multiple times world saving hero, who consider the dragon you injured their son and little brother respectively. Considering they control the armed forces and the tax code, it won't be anything good.
And that's not counting the rulers of three other kingdoms, the Crystal Empire, who's rulers also consider Spike their little brother, and who's subjects consider him a hero, and the Dragonlands and Changeling Hive, who's rulers consider him a close friend.
Ember, for one is likely to be... direct in expressing her displeasure. Thorax may be a little more subtle, because having a race of shapeshifting magic users who can imitate someone perfectly being ordered to comprehensively humiliate said someone can't possibly go well for that pony.
11144826
And you’d be right
I hope you finish this soon and end it with them making up and getting together.
Glad to see this back again man, still loving it!
I understand how much time and energy it takes to make a story so you keep doing what you’re doing here and keep on doing what you do best! So take all the time you need, you can’t rush art!
PS that Pish had it coming and I hope we’ll get to see the hammer get laid down on her
11145157
Oh trust me, Posh's downward spiral has only just begun.
11144713
And trust me when I say that this is only the beginning of her retribution
Wow the development for the 2nd part is awesome. Ur not losing ur streak of creativity even amidst all the other life stuff thats dragging you. Quite admirable if id say so myself.
11176353
I'm very flattered that you feel this way. Hopefully I continue to impress
11176753
Brother silver. If ur updating this fic anytime soon. Please give an update.
11285260
Don’t worry, I’m working on it every day. And I have more chapters waiting in the wings. Just wait a tiny bit longer.
I've fianlly gotten back to reading this. This chapter took so long that it completely passed me by and only when another was published did I make the decision to start reading it again.
11298357
Well welcome back