Chapter 15: Sickening Beauty! Rarity Belle and her 'Rebirth'.
Chapter 15: Sickening Beauty: Rarity Belle and her secret ‘Rebirth’.
Flying ship – Phantom Thieves’ Secret Base -
The flying ship had been recently parked on the ground as Royal Guards went through a throughout check of every corner of the flying vessel from top to bottom under the worried gaze of Thorax that felt his disguise suffer under his intense feeling of dread.
“So?” Shining Armour asked once the dozen soldiers he had bought with him finally stopped scanning every inch.
“Nothing seems out of place, Captain! This ship too is clean!” a mare soldier answered.
“Everything it’s even too clean, Sir!” a stallion added.
“M-My crew ismade up of a bunch germophobes, they spend more time cleaning than doing anything else, H-Hahahaha...Haha…” Thorax answered with a very nervous laugh.
“Relax, soldier! This is just a routine check, we have checked every ship at our disposal just in case we had some traitors in our ranks helping smuggling fugitives with our ships. If you see anything suspicious you have to ask for reinforcements and then keep them occupied until we arrive.” Shining said with a gentle, if a bit cold, tone of voice.
“T-They are using our ships?”
“We don’t actually have proof of that, but they must be using some method to avoid detection, so we are sparing no effort.”
“I-I see. I’ll keep my eyes open, Sir.” Thorax offered.
“That you do. We’ll take our leave, you stick to the patrol route-”
“About that, Sir.”
“Yes?” Shining said with narrowed eyes.
“I...W-We did not get an update on the routes, Sir. Why so?”
“You haven’t?”
“No, Sir.” Thorax answered.
“Goshdarnit! Okay, I’ll have you delivered one then. We’ll take our leave, AND FIND ME WHO IS SLACKING ON THE JOB!” Shining declared while marching away.
“S-Sir, YESSIR!” the other soldiers replied as one while leaving.
“Stick to your old route, tomorrow you’ll get the new one. Keep up the good work, soldier!” Shining said before he and his soldiers flew away at high speed.
“Yessir!” Thorax answered.
“…”
“…”
“...Gone?” he then asked.
“They left, Thorax!” a near Changeling answered, making the entire crew let-out a sigh of relief.
“Thank God Sunburst managed to alert us they were doing these rounds!” Thorax admitted, dropping his disguise and falling sitting on the floor.
“I’ll go alert Tempest and Lyra we are free to go, and with the new rounds we’ll know how to avoid other ships.” another Changeling offered.
“Be careful.” Thorax answered.
“What about the Phantom Thieves?”
“We’ll alert them too, as for now they are checking the Hideout of Rarity.”
“Oh! I hope they will be careful.”
“Me too…” Thorax admitted, mighty worried about his human friends.
With the Phantom Thieves -
The teens and the freed Elements of Harmony had just reached an abandoned apartment complex not too far from the landing point of the ship, and were scanning every corner of the abandoned apartment that had been transformed into a storage/fashion exhibition filled in mannequins dressed in some of the prettiest dresses the girls of the group had ever seen.
“It’s kind of creepy.” Ryuji admitted as he felt watched by those dozens of mannequins even if their faces were featureless.
“But Corruption or not, Rare did not lose her touch.” Pinkie admitted.
“She is damn good,” Ann confirmed.
“Several of these would fetch quite the sum, should we maintain an alliance between humans and ponies, I guess many fashion houses would go at war to have Miss Rarity join their ranks.” Yusuke added.
“There won’t be fashion wars if we don’t stop Celestia.” Haru answered.
“True, unfortunately.”
“Is this Rarity’s Palace?” Dash asked.
“Let me check.” Akira said while taking-out his phone.
“Fashion Store.” the Leader of the Phantom Thieves tried saying.
“Error, No Palace detected.” the App answered.
“Fashion Store?” Makoto asked.
“A password like any other.” he answered with a shrug.
“So I was wrong?” Dash asked, looking miserable.
“Hey! It’s okay! We’ll find it, don’t worry.” Makoto answered.
“It must be close though, there would be no sense in keeping two secret Hideouts in two different parts of town.” Ann said while looking around.
“I think it makes sense. Maybe she wants to open more stores and is already occupying the places she likes.” Ryuji countered, humming thoughtful.
“Rarity was about to open a third ‘Carousel Boutique’ in Cloudsdale, maybe Corruption is making her do that here?” Fluttershy guessed.
“There’s Ruin too with Corruption, maybe she’s going cuckoo and wants to be the only store around?” AJ added.
“If that was the case the App would have caught it.” Akira answered while looking outside the window to be sure nobody was around.
“Uh?”
“Meeeow.” Morgana answered.
“Translation, please?” Pinkie asked.
“Palaces are not limited by size, we have been cases where the Palace was the entire city, so if Rarity wants ‘Dominion’ over everything Fashion-related, it would have been more likely that the city, if not Japan as a whole, would have been considered for a Palace.” Makoto answered.
“He said all that with a meow?”
“Not exactly, Pinkie.” she replied with a sigh.
“Thank you, Queen.”
“All things considered, this was not exactly wasted time, we at least have a starting place for our researches. If we can monitor this area, we might be able to then follow Rarity back to other possible bases she may have.” Yusuke said while walking towards the door and spying outside.
“Coast is clear.”
“We’ll go first, you follow us and get ready to bolt if trouble pop-up.” Ryuji whispered as the humans in the group go in a low crouch.
“Why?” Dash asked, clearly not liking the thing.
“You are too important, whoever Corrupted you may decide to fully remove you instead of brainwashing you again.” Makoto answered as the group silently made their way down, back to street level.
“R-Remove us?” Shy asked in dread.
“Killing us, Shy. The Big Tailhole behind all this doesn’t seem to care about anypony enough to play nice.” AJ answered.
“C-Cursing is unneeded, AJ.”
“Whatevs.”
“Ssh! We are out, we need to take you all to the extraction point and-”
“AAAAAAAAAAAAH! HELP! HELP! HEEEEELP!” a new scream echoed everywhere as an Earth Pony Mare wearing soldier armor ran through the streets with what could only be described as soul-wrecking horror frozen on her face.
“Y-Y-YOU! HELP ME! HELP ME!” having caught a glimpse of Akira, the Mare immediately latched to his leg to start sobbing uncontrollably.
“AH!” Akira gasped in surprise.
“Let go, now!” Dash roared, immediately kicking the mare away.
“Please help me! S-She wants my skin! Please Help me! PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlease!” the mare yelled in tears, hysterically repeating please over and over while latching to Akira once again.
“H-Hoy! Calm down!” Ryuji, shocked by the mad ramblings, managed to pry the mare off once again with some difficulty.
“NO! NO! NO! Don’t let her get me! S-She wants my skin! She wants everypony’s skin! HELP ME! HELP ME!” the mare shrieked, hiccuping and crying nonstop.
“Who wants your skin?” Yusuke asked, trying to calm her down and talking with a slow, gentle voice.
“Ooooh, Darliiing! You should not run away!” a new voice echoed everywhere in answer, and that caused the mare’s eyes to almost fall from her orbits with how much they widened.
“No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!” the poor pony shrieked while running away.
“You should not run. Your skin would get wrinkles if you get that nervous, and we don’t want that to happen!”
“R-Rarity?” Fluttershy whispered.
“LEAVE ME ALOOONE!” the mare in the meantime had curled into a ball not too far away from the Phantom Thieves and was already wetting herself.
“Nonono! What have you done? All that snot and pee will ruin that amazing skin and fur! I am very disappointed.” Rarity said as she appeared in front of the mare, making her shriek and back-away while babbling incoherently.
“Since when Rare knows how to Teleport?” Dash asked with a low whisper.
“Dunno, now be quiet or she’ll catch us.” AJ hissed back in answer.
“Darling, Darling, Darling. You and my other Guests have a vital role in my Ultimate Masterpiece! I can’t let you run away. You have the best skin I need for my Rebirth, I simply can’t do this without you. I MUST have you.” Rarity answered as a green glow surrounded the soldier’s head and put her to sleep.
“Now we’ll get back home, and once washed and groomed you properly, I’ll make you a new cocoon, and this one will be just a tad more tight, just to make sure you won’t get silly ideas about running away again...If only you did not have such a sensible skin. But since I can’t get Dash’ skin, yours will have to do. I shall become DIVINE.” Rarity said with a sigh of dismay before teleporting herself and the sleeping mare away.
“…”
“…”
“...She is gone.” Yusuke said with a sigh of elation, making the others sigh just as loudly in relief.
“WHAT DOES SHE MEAN WITH WANTING MY SKIN?!” it was then that Dash shrieked in Horror.
“Whatever that means, it does sound ominous.” Akira said.
“No fluff, Sherlock!” the cyan Pegasus answered.
“Whatever Corruption is controlling Rarity, is very evil sounding.” Pinkie muttered.
“Do you think…?” Fluttershy muttered, looking scared.
“Ah hope that’s not tha case.” AJ answered.
“Guys...S-She is a dress-maker.” Ann whispered with a VERY pale face.
“Yes? So what?” Makoto asked, confused.
“What if she wants to use pony skin to make dresses? That poor pony said Rarity wants ‘Everypony’ Skin’.” the blond woman explained, gagging in revulsion.
“Then what was that thing about her Rebirth?” Haru asked.
“Don’t know and don’t care. Wishing to use people and pony to make dresses is enough for me to want to stop her.” Ann answered.
“We need to discover where she brought that poor girl.” Makoto said.
“Can you track down a Teleport?” Akira asked.
“I don’t know, Twilight could have answered that,” Fluttershy answered.
“Too bad she is still on Celestia’s side!” Dash said.
“STARLIGHT!” Pinkie yelled all of a sudden.
“Who?” Akira asked.
“Or what?” Ann added.
“Who, she is the friend we talked you about, she and Sunburst are close, he can contact her for us.” Dash explained.
“Oh! Her! I forgot about her.” Ryuji admitted with a sheepish smile.
“And both she and Sunburst are good at magic stuff, they’ll know somethin’, Ah’m sure.” AJ said.
“For now let’s retreat into the ship, from there we will plan our next move.” Yusuke answered while already walking back towards the parked flying ship.
The next day – Floating Island number 2 – Crystal Empire – Cadence’s Palace -
“What a beautiful nose! It’s so pretty! Yes its is! Yes it is!” Cadence cooed happily as she took back her little daughter from the playpen she was in.
“She really missed her mommy.” Sunburst said with a small smile while adjusting his glasses.
“Aaaw! I’m so sowwy, Flurry!” the Alicorn of Love said with a pout and nuzzling her daughter, making her giggle and return the action.
“I will leave you alone, then.” Sunburst said while using the adorable distraction offered by the small filly to leave Cadence alone and trot to his personal chambers.
And once closed the doors he erected a mild privacy seal on every wall, weak enough to not be noticed but still powerful enough to alert him should somebody try to spy on him.
“Coast is clear.” he muttered once checked the small collection of trinkets Zecora gave him once opened the small secret cabinet containing them.
Grabbing a small pouch from a side container in his magical grasp, the male unicorn lifted a pinch of greenish powder and burned it on a small flame, turning the flame bright green and hovering a crystal ball over the magical flames.
“Starlight?” Sunburst asked aloud.
“...I am here.” the lavender mare unicorn answered with a whisper after a short wait.
“Were you contacted as well by Thorax?”
“Yeah, you think he can really put us in contact with the Phantom Thieves?” Starlight asked back.
“I really hope so, everything I try to exorcise Cadence’s Corruption fails miserably, there is Something Else in there that rejects the traps and potions I sneak in her food or inside her bedroom. Whatever it is, it needs a lot of power to break and that would mean being discovered. I can’t risk using the powerful ones”
“Same here. I tried some screening on Luna while she was mid-dream-walking, whatever it is it’s too alien for my spells to read. The results are literal gibberish, random numbers and symbols with no meaning.” Starlight confirmed, sighing in dismay.
“Same results on my side. But whatever those Phantom Thieves are doing, it’s working.”
“Then why making a spectacle of it? Why sending a Calling Card first? I get it showing the results AFTER the targets return to normal, so people gain Hope this nightmare will end soon, but why alert the victims that they are coming?” Starlight asked.
“Listening to Thorax, that calling card is a fundamental part of the thing…”
“It’s a strange Ritual, that’s for sure. But whatever works, I am all for it.”
“And that is the reason why we both have been contacted.” Sunburst said.
“They need our help directly. Any idea for what?”
“None whatsoever. But it must be important if they need to tell us personally, especially if they don’t trust anypony, not even Zecora’s Herb of Whispers we normally use to communicate in secret.”
“This stuff is useful, but I can understand some paranoia in this case. Where are they waiting us?”
“They will collect us personally, you should soon receive the secret password for the extraction.”
“They are VERY Paranoid.” Starlight answered with a very impressed tone.
“Very.”
Tock Tock! Tock!
“I must go, somepony is knocking.” Sunburst said before closing communication and hiding everything, before opening the door to see a nondescript guard waiting for him.
“Yes?” the stallion asked, confused.
“Sunburst?” the guard asked.
“Yes? Cadence needs me?” he answered, unsure.
Last thing he saw was a flash of light, then it was darkness.
One Hour later -
“Aaah!” Sunburst shrieked as soon as he regained consciousness, he also felt something covering his head and somehow blocking his magic.
“Relax, you are safe.”
“I’LL GIVE YOU SAFE! I’LL BUCKING DESTROY YOU!”
“Starlight?”
“Sunburst?!”
“As I said, relax.” Tempest said, unfazed by Starlights’ threat and simply removing the sacks covering both ponies’ heads.
“TEMPEST SHADOW!” Starlight yelled with wide eyes.
“And Lyra!” Lyra added, smirking amused.
“L-Lyra? I thought you were dead!” Sunburst said, shocked.
“Yeah, I heard that rumor too, for the time being though I won’t get out and denounce it as fake.” the mare answered.
“Where are we?” Starlight asked, relieved to see the rope tying her and Sunburst being undone and whatever thing blocking their Magic be removed.
“A secret base, a temporary one.” Thorax answered as he and many more Changeling appeared in the abandoned storehouse they were using for the meeting.
“Was this really necessary?” Sunburst asked, sighing.
“We must apology, but we insisted on a more subtle approach, just in case somebody did listen on your conversation.” Yusuke said as the Phantom Thieves too joined the scene, still in hoodies and Thieves Masks covering most of their heads.
“Just in case there were peeping toms, we kidnapped you before the appointment.” Ryuji said, smirking.
“Humans? Are we outside the Barrier?” Starlight asked.
“No, we are still inside!” Ann answered, smiling cheekily.
“HOW?! The thing and what’s inside is supposed to be lethal for humans!” Sunburst asked immediately.
“Only the barrier is lethal, once passed it, nothing happens. Unfortunately the method they use to bypass it works only for them,” Tempest answered.
“Who are they?” Starlight asked.
“They are Joker, Panther, Skull, Fox, Noir, Queen, Mona and Navi, The Phantom Thieves.” Lyra answered.
“And we need your help.” Akira added.
“O-Okay.” Sunburst answered with a tense tone.
Later that Night – Rarity’s showroom -
The place was the same they had seen Rarity kidnap the guard from, once checked the mare was not around, Akira, Ryuji and Yusuke had accompanied both Starlight and Sunburst to scan the area once explained what they needed.
“So Rarity is planning something horrible?” Starlight asked while her horn lighted-up in Magic and projected a cone of light she then directed everywhere around her.
“I would love that remark about using somebody’s skin to be just mad ramblings due to fear, but considering what we saw before and now that we are back on business, I don’t believe we should ignore any possibility.” Yusuke answered.
“Incredible, you can actually enter somepony’s subconscious and exorcise Corruption from within. That must be so fascinating to see in person!” Sunburst admitted in slight envy as he too scanned the area with his Magic.
“I too saw those pictures, Sun, I saw nothing ‘Fascinating’ in that.” Starlight commented, shivering.
“In a very deranged way, it actually is. It is the manifestation of somepony’s darkest side, an abstract concept given actual shape and identity, there would be no mistakes in diagnoses if psychologists could do that with everypony.”
“Yeah, Yeah. Whatever. Keep scanning, we need SOMETHING if we want to track-down Rarity.” Starlight answered, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
“Sorry, we didn’t know there was a time limit for this.” Ryuji muttered.
“It’s okay, we understand.” Sunburst answered, giving the young man an encouraging smile.
“Teleportation leaves behind faint traces that can be used to guess, with some degrees of error, the starting/arrival point if one knows how to do it, but the longer you wait, the more those traces degrade until they fade away. Unless the arrival place is one the target visits often, then the traces overlap and your ‘Time Limit’, as you call it, actually elongates a little.” the stallion explained.
“Why I feel like this is utterly illegal?” Akira asked.
“Because it is. Only guards are supposed to know how to track-down teleporting spells, and only a selected few of them. Usually Celestia and Luna’s personal guards.” Starlight answered.
“Then how did you know this?” Yusuke asked.
“Sunset Shimmer. She was Celestia’s student before Twilight, long story short: she was caught perusing Celestia’s personal library and that was the last straw before the Princess banished her...There were other reasonsbesides that behind her banishment, but what we need is knowing that she still remembers few ‘illegal’ spells she stole that day and that she is on our side, she is secretly shipping New-Foals away to a secret location. That’s why Shining was checking every flying ship.” Starlight answered.
“Good to know we have another Mole in Celestia’s court.” Yusuke said with an elated sigh.
“Found nothing?” Akira asked.
“Few dying sparks, not enough to track Rarity down, but enough to guess she does come here quite often, if we set a runic trap we could try pinging her.” Sunburst answered, unsure.
“For the guys that don’t do Magic?” Ryuji asked.
“Basically setting a magical trap that will put on Rarity a temporary ‘Ping!’ that will tell us from where she teleported and where she went. It will be a one-time-use-only thing to not arose suspicion, but it should be enough to give us a location. As soon as she gets here, the trap will activate and put the signal on her, the thing will fade away once she teleports away and that will produce the Ping we’ll use to see where she went.” Starlight answered.
“Hopefully where her secret base is.” Akira said.
“Fingers crossed, as you humans say.” Sunburst admitted with a weak smile.
“Can you set it up now?” Yusuke asked.
“Of course, hopefully we won’t have to wait long.” Starlight answered.
- A WEEK LATER -
Flying Ship -
The Phantom Thieves had just returned from another trip to Mementoes, other two minor Targets had popped-up for them to visit,to see Lyra, Tempest and Thorax go through a rather intense game of Risk.
“Ah-ha! You lose!” Lyra said in triumph.
“NO! I lost Kamchatka! HOW!?” Thorax answered with a long whine.
“Simple, you suck at strategy.” Tempest, at the head of a truly MASSIVE army of plastic tanks, answered haughtily.
“I take that our Magic Experts still have not contacted us.” Yusuke said with a dry tone.
“Not really, we just got another round of Sunburst apologizing for taking this long and Starlight reporting that the other ponies that went missing still have not returned, two of which that had been sent to find Rarity, only to disappear without a trace,” Thorax answered, groaning as yet another wave of his tanks went mercilessly slaughtered by Lyra.
“So Celestia knows where she is?”
“She and she alone, even the Elements have not been told, apparently.” Tempest answered.
“So we are back to square one, with no idea where to look for Rar-”
RIIIIIIIING!
A near crystal ball ringing interrupted Makoto’s words, almost causing her to bite her tongue.
“Since when those things ring?” Ryuji asked.
“Magic.” Akira answered.
“Yeah, right.”
“Yes?” Tempest in the meantime had answered the call by lifting the crystal ball in the chaotic mess of sparks that was her uncontrolled magic.
“She finally moved! Thank Goodness!” Starlight was heard scream in relief from the other side.
“You know where she is?” Akira asked.
“Yes! I am going to wait for you others in that same storehouse we met the first time, I will take you to where Rarity is.” the mare answered.
“We’ll be there, be careful.”
“You too.” Starlight answered before closing the call.
“You heard the mare, let’s go!” Ann declared.
“We’ll go there through Mementoes.” Akira answered while fishing-out his phone.
“Yes!” the others replied, doing the same and soon disappearing from the ship with him.
“Well, I think this mean the game is over.” Thorax said while trying to leave the table.
“Sit back down.” Tempest hissed with a dark tone.
“I still see lots of lands that are resisting my regimen, and yours will be the gateway for my conquest of Lyra’s lands!” she then said with a wicked smile.
“NO! Leave my soldiers alone, you brute!” Thorax shrieked in fear while hugging his toy tanks close to his chest in a protective manner.
“BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
“Navi was right, this was the worst human game to introduce to Tempest…” Lyra muttered, shivering in dread.
With the Phantom Thieves – Shibuya -
In a flash of violet light Starlight and Akira appeared at the entrance of the famous shopping district of Shibuya, by now completely silent and devoid of life, turning that once noisy and cheerful street into a deserted land of absolute stillness.
“Is this the place?” he asked.
“Sort of, in order to not be traceable, the signal we put on Rarity had to be purposely weak, meaning that we would not have a precise location, but I can assure you she is at least in a three-hundred meters radius from here.” Starlight answered.
“Good enough, thank you.” Akira answered with a grateful tone.
“Nothing too outrageous. Twilight and the others helped me when I was in a dark moment of my life, and you guys saved me from falling back into that void. I owe enough to you all that I fear this will barely cover for it.” she admitted with a sigh.
“You are a good girl.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know,” Starlight answered, smirking.
“Just call your friends and tell them where we are, I need to go back to Canterlot before they notice my absence and start asking questions.”
“Be careful,” Akira asked.
“Oh, I will! You others too, eyes open and on guard, we believe in you.” the mare answered before disappearing in another flash of light.
“...It’s me.” once hidden in a safe-enough empty store, Akira dialed Ryuji’s number.
“Yo! Did it work? Where are you?”
“Shibuya, the shopping district.”
“Of course! A fashion-obsessed mare would of course hide there!” Ann was heard say in the background.
“We’ll be there in a minute, Joker. Please stay hidden and don’t do anything rash.” Yusuke begged.
“Have no fear.”
“We’ll be there immediately, dude.” Ryuji said before closing the call.
And as promised, barely two minutes later Akira saw his friends exit from the underground train station nearby and stealthily making their way towards him once seen him signaling them his position.
“Joker!” Ann said in elation.
“I was hidden, as promised.” he answered, smiling.
“Nice to see you not pulling-off macho stunts.” Haru commented.
“That’s Skull’s job.” Makoto added, smirking.
“Yeah, I-HEY!” Ryuji said, offended.
“Let’s focus, please. Now that we are here, we need to find where Rarity’s Palace is located.” Yusuke asked while studying the street ahead.
“Navi? Can you connect to the cameras here and help us?” Haru asked to her phone.
“What question is that?! I can connect to everything I want, for I AM THE HACKER!” Futaba answered with immeasurable pride, and barely a minute later they heard her satisfied ‘Woop!’ of joy.
“You in?” Akira asked, already knowing the answer.
“Of course! I’ll be your eyes there, I’ll call you should I spot Rarity.”
“Thank you, Navi.”
“No probs! Bye!” the call was thus abruptly closed as the young computer genius focused on the cameras feed in the area.
“We have another pair of eyes looking for our Target, we can start our search.” Makoto said as she walked forward, deeper into the empty streets.
“Wait for us, Queen!” Ann hissed.
“Then hurry up!” she answered.
Every street and store was empty, hurriedly abandoned by who knows how many people running away in fear of the rapidly-encroaching Barrier of Light consuming everything in its way, leaving behind doors hanging open, abandoned cars that had crashed against each other and even bags full of clothes by now covered by a thick layer of dust; everywhere one looked, there were proofs of the absolute chaos that had been the sudden evacuation of the whole area.
“I had planned to come here for Sale Season, you know? I had put aside some money to get something nice.” Ann muttered with a sigh as she and Makoto stopped to look at the deserted H&M store in front of them.
“Equestria popped-up without warning, Panther. Everybody had their plans interrupted.” Makoto answered.
“So you did not ask Skull if he wanted to come live with you?” she asked.
“He is getting really serious about becoming a Sports Doctor, it’s actually amazing how convinced he is to become one, so I wanted to use it as an excuse to try suggest it.”
“Same for me. Joker will go to a Law School, so I hoped to tie the knot before both our Careers start getting in the way.”
“We’ll get our life back, don’t worry.” Makoto answered, patting he friend’s back and showing her an encouraging smile.
“Found anything?” Akira asked once called Ann.
“Nope, this store too is just abandoned, nothing suggest Rarity uses this.” she answered.
“Try few code-words all the same, better safe than sorry.”
“Okay, how are things on your side?”
“I guess the same as you: everything is abandoned.”
“As always…” Ann said with a long sigh.
With Akira -
“Call us if you find anything.” the Leader of the Phantom Thieves asked while closing the call.
“Lady Ann found nothing?” Morgana asked once jumped down from a window and right in Akira’s arms.
“Still nothing. What about you?” he answered while moving the cat back down on the floor.
“The place was abandoned and empty, nothing suggests a Palace is here, or even just a Pony passed by.” the cat answered.
“Next store?”
“Yes. But there WAS something strange, all things considered.” Morgana answered as the two moved to the next store.
“Huh?”
“This store was untouched, but the previous two instead had been visited by a horse, judging by the hoof-prints left behind, and the one before that had been stripped clean...Why?”
“Let me ask the others.”
“Yes?” Yusuke asked, picking-up right after the first ring of his phone.
“Joker here. Quick question, did you notice something missing in the stores you checked?”
“I am no fashion expert, let me ask Noir…”
“…” some undistinguished muttering was heard for a while.
“...It seems like several dresses have gone missing, or even just parts of them. Mostly silk I am told.” the Artist finally answered.
“Hoy! Here too! Everything made of silk has been stolen. Or so the labels on the pieces left behind say.” Ryuji added once Futaba made sure others joined the call.
“Why Silk only, though?” Ann asked.
“…”
“Joker?” Haru asked as their friend and Leader remained silent for several seconds.
“Do you remember the slogan they used to commemorate the renovations they did in Shibuya?” he asked.
“The slogan? What the Eff’ are ya talking about?” Ryuji asked back, confused.
“Something about rebirth?” Ann said, unsure.
“Found it: ‘Come to the new Shibuya, the Fashion Paradise of Japan has been reborn, prettier than ever!’.” Futaba read aloud once found online the promotional slogan for the event.
“YEAH! Now I remember! After that mess with the backed-up sewers they had to strip the street clean and rebuild everything from the ground-up, along renovating every store’s front. They did it in record time and had a one-night-only super sale event! I could not go there because my last English Test was a mess!” Ann admitted.
“I remember that too, but what does it have to do with this?” Makoto asked.
“This is basically a Land of Rebirth...A Place were beauty was born again, better than before.” Akira said, his voice still sounding eerily foreboding.
“Yes? And?” Yusuke asked.
“...What are insects’ cocoons made of?…” the Leader of the Phantom Thieves asked while watching the small brownish cocoon dangling from an abandoned window.
“...Silk…” Futaba answered with a strained voice.
“My Rebirth...I will make you a new cocoon...I will need your skin...You are not suggesting…”
“What if the skin of that mare is not needed for a dress, but as literal Spare Parts?”
“Other ponies disappeared, both Mare and Stallions, is she hoping to use their skin for something?” Makoto asked.
“LADY BATHORY!” Haru suddenly exclaimed.
“Who?” Ryuji asked.
“Lady Bathory, a ruthless Serial Killer. Legends say she used to kidnap and kill young women to bath in their blood with the belief that doing that could keep her young and beautiful, many consider her the true inspiration (Beside Vlad Tepes) for the creation of Dracula.” Futaba supplied.
“She is a seamstress, and by her friends’ tales, extremely cautious of her appearances and ‘Beauty’, maybe Corruption and Ruin not only exacerbated her fixation for beauty as Fashion but her own personal fears...Like growing old.” Makoto guessed.
“So she is probably using the silk to create the cocoons with which she trapped that mare and probably many others for some plans requiring their skin for some Rebirth. It may be just wild guesses, but we cannot risk even just some similar horror to happen.” Yusuke declared.
“Let’s split, we have to find Rarity.” Akira ordered.
“Keep your phones on, I’ll use them to keep track of your position, as soon as you find something, I will make sure the others will join you.” Futaba added.
“Yes!” the others answered as one, and each one of them moved in a different directions.
It was when Ryuji found himself in front of a colossal building that he noticed something different compared to the others, namely the crude doors that had been added to its front and the thick barricades obscuring every possible window to the inside.
“Huh! That’s curious.” the blond muttered, before shrieking and diving for cover behind an abandoned taxi as soon as he saw the doors open.
And Celestia walk out accompanied by Rarity.
“I take it that you will do your best in killing those pesky Phantom Thieves should they come for you.” the Sun Alicorn said, only with a voice not hers, or even Natural at all.
“J-Jeez.” Ryuji hissed, feeling a cold sense of dread climb up his spine at hearing that voice.
“Ufufufufufu! Have no fear, Darling! The other Elements failed due to incompetence, but that word does not exist in my Vocabulary!” Rarity answered, voice mellifluous and sensual, in he worst possible way, even her eyes were golden in color.
“I will trust you, do not disappoint me. Your part in this Project is of vital importance!” Celestia hissed with a tone that made it clear failure would be punished harshly.
“Do not fret! I will give you what you asked for: Perfection! What else can possibly come from me, after all? Wahahahahaha!” ‘Rarity’ Answered with a chilling laugh devoid of soul.
“Considering how selective you have been in finding candidates, and the trouble it caused me to hide everything from both Celestia and Luna, the results better surpass my expectations.”
“Oh! They will, they will! Once used those fools to give me the perfect Beauty I deserve as this world’s Queen, I will move to the last step: your Wish.” the mare answered.
“Then hurry up with your foolish make-up, Time is of essence.” ‘Celestia’ growled in contempt.
“Just be patient. In three days there will be a Full Moon, and I will start building my new body.”
“Tch! Useless theatrics.” the Alicorn grunted with a frown, and teleporting away without further words.
“Everything will be perfect!...Huh? W-Why I am outside?” as soon as Celestia left, Rarity seemed to snap-out of some sort of Trance to look around herself in confusion.
“Oh, Dear me. I forgot what I was about to do...Old Age must really be getting to me! Needing glasses should have been a glaring warning. I really need to hurry up.” the mare, now speaking normally, muttered to herself while returning inside and bolting the door closed, going by the noise coming from inside.
“…”
“SHIT! Shit, Shit, Shit!” Ryuji yelled with wide eyes while immediately taking-out his phone.
“Guys! I found Rarity, and things are effin’ wrong! Super wrong! Insane wrong!”
“Breath! Where are you!?” Ann asked, cutting Ryuji off before he could start cursing for real.
“In front of Shibuya 109! Hurry the Eff-up!” he answered, near histerics, as if he was about to storm Rarity’s Palace alone.
“Calm down, me and Mona are close. You start calling Passwords.” Akira answered, and by the sound of running coming through, he and the cat were really hurrying-up to join him.
“Okay...Okay…” Ryuji said while looking at the shopping center looming above him.
“Cocoon...Cocoon...Nest?”
“No match Found.”
“Queen?..A Queen...Kingdom?”
“No Match Found.”
“Goddamnit!” Ryuji roared in anger.
“Error. Error. Error.”
“Eh?”
“Partial Match Found...Error...Overlapping Destinations!” Ryuji’s phone said through statics.
“Overlapping what now?”
“It means that there are two possible destinations overlapping, that coexist in the same place causing a ‘Glitch’.Kingdom is correct for only one, but it’s wrong for the other, try finding the second.” Futaba answered.
“Coexisting? What the hell does that mean?!”
“That Rarity’s Palace will be utterly unstable.” Morgana answered as he and the others finally joined Ryuji.
“We need different passwords then?” Haru asked.
“Probably.” Morgana answered, unsure.
“One was Kingdom. So, Castle?” Ann tried saying.
“Match Found!...ERROR! ERROR! Overlapping Destinations!” the App answered.
“Okay, we found one set. But what about the other then?” Yusuke wondered.
“Should we say random things?” Akira suggested.
“Not really random. Centered on Beauty, mostly, since she seems to be doing this for some nebulous plan.”
“Not secret at all! That Eff’ing mare said she wants to use her prisoners to create herself a new body! A ‘Perfect One’. She even has Celestia’s backing...Only she did not sound like Celestia at all. More like something using her as a puppet.” Ryuji said.
“Must be what is influencing her.” Akira said.
“Maybe that Thing took over long enough to check on Rarity. But for what?” Haru asked.
“She talked about Celestia’s Wish. Or the wish of that piece of shit, they need something from Rarity, and are helping her getting a better body in exchange.”
“A better body built with the pieces of her victims.” Yusuke muttered, gagging in disgust.
“How long do we have?”
“Three days…Then she said she will start.” Ryuji whispered, tone full of horror.
“Passwords! Now!” Futaba bellowed with wide eyes.
“Okay! Okay! S-Something about Beauty…” Ann said, fidgeting nervously.
“B-Beauty Parlor!” Haru tried.
“No Match Found.”
“SPA!” Ann said.
“No Match Found.”
“Damnit!”
“Beauty Clinic!” Ryuji said.
“No Match Found.”
“Clinic?” Akira asked, confused.
“Ya know? Where you go doing lifting and shit.”
“That’s not the correct name. Carousel Boutique.” Yusuke said.
“No Match Found.”
“Her Store?”
“It was worth a try.”
“Fashion Store.” Akira tried saying.
“No Match Found.”
“Catwalk!” Ann tried again.
“No Match Found.”
“Model Agency.”
“No Match Found.”
“Fashion Gala!”
“No Match Found.”
“FUCK!”
“Fashion Gala is not a thing, Skull! At best it would be a ‘Fashion Show’. But I don’t think-”
“Match Found! Overlapping Destinations...Searching for compatible Entrance Point...Entrance Point located, Beginning Navigation!” Haru’s phone declared, blocking her rebutting and opening a path towards Rarity’s Palace for the Phantom Thieves.
“I am the one that found it if they ask.” Ryuji said, smugly.
“You did not! You used the wrong term!” Haru countered, almost whining in a childish way.
“Why you think Rarity’s password was Fashion Show?” Akira wondered aloud while waiting for Reality to twist itself to form the mare’s Palace.
“We were told she was about to open a third store somewhere in her original world, literally starting a Franchise, a Fashion Empire, so to speak. Her Corruption must be playing on her desire to show-off her creations on one side, so her Vanity, and on creating her Fashion Empire on the other, only in the literal sense of the word.” Yusuke answered with an uncertain tone.
“Yeah, I can see that…” Ryuji muttered with bith eyebrows raising to the point of almost disappearing in his hairline.
The area around them had become a stereotypical medieval village, wooden houses with wheat roof and all...Only interspersed by luxurious and modern villas one would expect Hollywood stars to live in.
“It’s me of this place is a mess?” Makoto asked, watching how the street they were in randomly switched from elegant marble to cobblestone and then marble again with no apparent order.
“It looks like somebody tried gluing together two palaces.” Haru admitted, and the group watched shades both human and pony fill the street dressed either in super-modern ensembles out of a fashion show of the 21st century or in rags like medieval peasants, and nobody of them seemed to notice any discrepancy.
“The sky as well,” Akira added, pointing upward.
The sky was indeed a patchwork or angry red and deep purple, each square of sky literally attached to the other with white thread, as if the sky had been manually sewn in place, although the white thread seemed to form a pattern similar to a spiderweb covering the entire sky and in many areas it even looked loose, ready to collapse. The moon itself was half pale-white and half black and rusty.
“Now I see why the App said there were two destinations overlapping! This looks like two different Palaces badly mixing together.” Futaba said in wonder.
“I don’t like this.” Akira admitted.
“Me neither, Joker. An Unstable Palace is a nightmare to navigate, and this looks ready to collapse on itself at any moment, whatever caused this, it tried to artificially control the Palace’s birth and growth, and of course they failed. We better hurry and find the Treasure, because if this thing collapses, Rarity herself will risk a lethal mental shutdown.” Morgana answered, looking all around them in dread.
“Indeed, and that looks like the best place to start from.” Yusuke answered while pointing towards the lone, bare mountain surveying the entire town.
It was a decrepit, somber looking castle straight out of a Horror Tale, black and rotten walls surmounted by giant towers surveying the entire small world that was Rarity’s Palace and jutting out of the ground like claws of some devilish beast.
“Look, I guess something remained from the old Version of Rarity’s Palace.” Ann said while pointing towards an old poster pinned to a wall written in sharp antique font and style, most of the colors and text had faded away, but the most important parts were still readable.
“The Grand Gala of Fashion, hosted in Castle Rarity will be hosted under the moonlight to commemorate Queen Rarity’s Rebirth, the town is ordered to take part and celebrate the Ascension of their benevolent Ruler into Divine Beauty.” Haru read aloud, looking transfixed at the faded imagine of Shadow Rarity: a version of the real one with pitch black fur, long pale pink mane resembling Celestia’s and dressed in a Gothic dress themed after spiders, the Shadow’s golden eyes were awfully soul-piercing even in that ruined picture.
“We have a lead, she will hold a Fashion Show where she will appear in public before starting her Rebirth even here.” Akira said.
“Yeah, but she is waiting for us, Celestia reminded her to make sure we’ll die if we come here.” Ryuji said.
“Just as she will be ready for us, we’ll be ready for her. Let’s go!” Morgana answered while pointing towards the giant castle.
“We have no time to be afraid.” Akira answered, and as one, the Phantom Thieves hurried forward, ignoring the far-away screams of the few Shadows patrolling the area that tried to stop them.
Inside the Castle – Throne Room -
The gigantic room was completely covered in drapes of the finest black silk, creating patterns that thanks to the faint wind coming from the opened windows moved in a way that give the illusion the room itself was alive and breathing.
Sitting on the regal throne at the opposite side of the room from the entrance, stood Shadow Rarity, basking in the suffuse groans and cries for help coming from all around her; taking a deep breath to savour the feeling of fear permeating the room, the mare gave a satisfied sigh and addressed her Guests.
“Soon. Soon I will be reborn, and my beauty will know no limits! And after that, my greatest achievement will take shape! Wahahahahahaha!” the Corrupted Form of Rarity said while watching the projections of her captives in the real world squirm from inside the thick cocoons imprisoning them and slowly oscillating back and forth thanks to the wind…
And yet, a spark of something could be seen from behind the mare’s merciless golden eyes.
Something scared and begging for mercy.
Whoever this woman is, I apologize for borrowing the picture, but her dress, other than being amazing, it's what gave me the inspiration for Shadow Rarity. THIS is what the mare is wearing inside the Palace
End of the chapter!
It took WAAY too long, and I apologize for this, I blame my Account on AO3.
Next Chapter will have the Palace exploration proper and some fights to spice things up! AND Ryuji himself having his personal “Crowning Moment of Funny/Awesome” to enter the innermost areas of the Castle! What is it? I am not telling, it will be a surprise!
Stats
Page generated in 0.023 seconds
Total duration
1,055 users online
26,776 hits today, 1,960,719 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
so rarity could have two shadows?
10527116
Bit more sinister than that 😏
ah, the nightmare incident and this new corruption are warring in her head i see
10400157
What's a YALDABAOTH?
Rarity’s Palace now makes AJ’s seem tame. Also, RD’s Palace is admittedly NOT scary.
If I may, you referred to Haru's codename as "Milady" throughout this chapter. This is incorrect, as that is the name of her Persona. Her codename is "Noir".
With all the silk and bloody plans, I almost feel like Rarity's shadow's monster form is some manner of vampiric-spider-moth... First in caterpillar form, then an actual moth, with a corpse-made cocoon in between. Would also go well with her "rebirth"-plan... Feel free to use that vision if ya like.
Keep up the good writing on ya own pace.
10527116
I think more like two forms
Well time to see if a treasure demon is in the palace(s?) Or not. Thank God your still posting I missed this story but nice idea of two palaces mixing into one that has not been seen in the games so far
10527597
Saw that, mixed it up. This evening I will fix it thank you 🙂
Your “last surprise”
10527262
P5 Spoiler. Final Boss of P5
Well then... I expected her to be bad, but not THIS BAD. If Rarity is already this bad off, how worse off is Twilight, who has likely had a Palace longer?
10527847
I have been planning Twilight Palace since I started writing this story.
Hers is THE WORST of them all, second only to the one of the Bad Guy behind the entire Barrier Incident.
You mean to say read?
10527861
Ooh, this is going to be good.
10527949
fixed. Thank you for warning me
10527597
Fixed. Sorry, I got them mixed up and didn't notice.
Shadow Rarity or Corrupted Rarity? I ask because there’s quite a difference.
10529743
Shadow Rarity, the "Ruler" of the Palace and Boss Fight.
10529754
I note ruler’s in quotes..................
10529761
My Lips are sealed...
😏😏😏😏😏
Welp, as the old quote goes: "Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly." Except instead of flies, she's going to have to deal with a swarm of hornets.
Also I feel the spider quote is rather accurate give the appearance of her dress.
10530670
Very classy, well done.🙂👍
10531183
KO awesome chapter, I didn’t think Rarity would get crazy from here with her fashion being corrupted of using other ponies’ skin. The Phantom Thieves will have to work fast on finding her treasure and stop this fashion show of madness!
Getting REAL Majora's Mask vibes from this.
oh boy, a Patchwork Palace. This is definitely not good, considering that those things indicade something about the psyche of the owner...
The group better hurry, I fear that Rarity might not last the entire three days, looking at the level of corruption in there.
New chapter almost ready! 5k words out of 10k!
Been inspired lately XD
Hopefully it will be up to standards 🙂
10542246
My, that was quick!
10545264
Thank you 🙂
10542246
Even if it's not the way your going it's awesome
Nah, that dubious honor goes to Mario Party. Imagine them playing it.
Random Question!
this has Nothing to do with the story Itself!
Just asking: if you had to describe the Palace of Each Phantom Thief...What do you think they would be about?
For example: Akira/Ren would be about him feeling forced to wear too many "Masks" to be accepted by society, to the point he feels crushed under them, his Palace would then be a Giant Theater where he is the only actor playing EVERY ROLE with the audience demanding more and more characters to be added. (The Treasure would be his glasses, his very first Mask).
What about the others?