Chapter Six
Chapter Six
Pinkie Pie sat in her super-secret party cave beneath the Cake’s bakery, which only she and Gummy and the Cakes and her all of her friends knew about. Here, Pinkie Pie planned her parties. And such parties as hers required much planning! The cave was floor to ceiling in filing cabinets, bursting with records of every citizen in Ponyville. Notes on every food, drink, and sweet a particular pony liked were meticulously recorded. There were notes on the games each pony liked, which of their friends to invite, which ones liked sprinkles, and if to include a piñata.
A playful pony Pinkie Pie might be, but parties were serious business!
She tapped her chin with the end of her pink flamingo quill, deep in thought. A large folder labeled “Thanks for Saving Us and Congrats on Becoming Good Guys!” lay beside her. That party was planned, its invitations completed and ready for submission. Easy-peasy!
But Pinkie Pie’s attention was focused on something else. On the desk before her lay a single sheet of parchment, titled “Welcome Party for Nyx”. This title, written in comic sans, had been underlined twice. Pinkie Pie had been staring at it for the last ten minutes.
Her brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Gummy. This should be the easiest party to plan, but instead it’s super-duper hard! What do you think?”
Gummy gave no indication he had heard. The baby alligator lay under the lamp on Pinkie’s desk, basking in the warm yellow light and staring at nothing. But Pinkie Pie spoke as though he had answered.
“Hmm, good point. But it’s super hard to find out anything from a filly who doesn’t talk to any-pony. She wouldn’t even tell me what kind of cake she likes! Wait!” she added, a new idea occurring to her. “Does she even know what cake is? That’s terrible! In that case, I should try laying out all the cakes! Then we can find out which one she likes!”
She dipped her pen into the ink well, tapped it, and made as if to write. Then she changed her mind and set the pen down again.
“No, that isn’t right either. I don’t get it, Gummy. I’ve never had problems planning a party before! Usually, I just meet a pony and I know exactly what they need, but with Nyx I keep drawing a blank!”
Gummy tilted his head and said nothing.
Pinkie Pie frowned. “Well, no, I don’t really know very much about her. I mean, I know she’s a filly Nightmare Moon with amnesia who’s lived with Queen Meanie for almost two years, but aside from that, nothing! She’s all spooky and mysterious! I don’t even know what her voice sounds like!”
Gummy blinked.
“Well, maybe it is better to wait…but it’s practically a tradition now! Not throwing her a welcome party would be, like, the worst possible thing!” She looked at the parchment, as though expecting it to give her some ideas. But all it did was roll up on the bottom.
Pinkie Pie sighed and flattened it out. “You know, I haven’t had this much trouble planning a party since that time we invited the Yaks to Equestria. I did all of that research into Yak culture, but they just kept smashing everything up because we kept offending them! Then it turned out they just wanted to feel at home in Equestria, instead of us making Equestria like their home.” She sighed and laid the pen down. “But at least we knew how Yaks lived. They told us how they felt about things. But we don’t know a whole lot about Nyx, except that a super scary Cult foal-napped Twilight and used her blood in a super evil necromantic ritual to revive Nightmare Moon, but made Nyx instead! And right after Winter Wrap-Up, too!”
She brightened. “O, but we do know one thing! Her birthday! Those mean old Cult ponies brought her to life on the Spring Equinox—the day after Winter Wrap-Up! Let’s see…that would make it the twentieth of March…” She scribbled “Birthday: March 20” in the space below the margin.
“Yup, that definitely feels right, yes-indeedy! March Twentieth…” She gasped. “Goodness, do you realize what this means, Gummy? It means Nyx will be having her next birthday in less than two months! And I missed all her other birthdays, so I’ll have to cover those too! Let’s see…that’ll make her…two?”
Her brow furrowed. “But she doesn’t look two, she looks like she’s about six. Or is she? I mean, those Cult ponies tried to bring back Nightmare Moon! So does that make her a thousand and two?”
She gasped as an idea overtook her. Not even Pinkie Pie understood how her “Pinkie Sense” worked, but she trusted it, and it never let her down. Slowly, as though some-pony else guided the quill, Pinkie Pie crossed out “Nyx”, and wrote “Nightmare Moon” in its place.
She stared at the name she had written. Better, but somehow wrong. Pinkie Pie tapped the quill several times on the parchment, and then scribbled “the Younger” next to the name she had already written. She frowned.
“Hm, that can’t be right. I mean, her name is Nyx now. But this feels right. Any ideas, Gummy?”
Gummy stared at the lightbulb.
“You do have a point, Gummy. We called her Nyx, but Nyx never said whether she liked being called that or not. O! Maybe that’s why she doesn’t answer when we talk to her! We keep asking “Nyx” questions, and Nyx won’t answer because she doesn’t know who that is!”
She glanced at the name she had written. “The Younger? I don’t know why I wrote that, but it feels right. I wonder what that’s about?” She pondered a moment. “She was supposed to be Nightmare Moon reborn… but she doesn’t remember being her at all. So, did Queen Meanie tell her she was named after Nightmare Moon? Wait a sec…”
A misconception some ponies had about Pinkie Pie was that she was a scatterbrain. But she was as capable of critical thinking as any other pony—it was the way she expressed her thoughts that made her seem kooky. But on occasion, she had moments of lucid clarity that took even her closest friends by surprise.
“Nyx lived in that room with Queen Meanie,” Pinkie Pie said slowly. “Queen Meanie really likes to talk. Really talk! She likes to talk about how brilliant and clever she is all the time. So, she probably talked to Nyx a bunch! What did she say to her? Did she talk to her the way I talk to you, Gummy? Or did she—”
“Pinkie!”
It was Mrs. Cake, standing above the trap door that formed the entrance to Pinkie Pie’s party cave. She was a plump Earth pony with a cerulean coat and a light-crimson mane styled like frosting on a cupcake.
Pinkie Pie beamed up at her. “Hiya Mrs. Cake! What’s up? Besides you, since you’re up there and I’m all the way down here!”
“We’re having a rush,” Mrs. Cake explained. “I hate to interrupt your party planning, but could you come up here and lend us a hoof, dearie?”
Pinkie Pie saluted. “Sure thing! Be right there!”
Mrs. Cake breathed a sigh of relief and stepped away from the entrance. Pinkie Pie switched off her lamp. “Well, Gummy, I guess I’ll have to think about Nyx…sorry, Nightmare’s party later. But I need to tell Twilight about this when I can, yes indeedy—”
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie froze up. Twitchy tail! Pinchy knees! And a doozy of a shudder! The shockwave from this burst of the Pinkie Sense threw Pinkie Pie to the floor.
After a long moment, she pulled herself up, shivering. “Wow, Gummy! That was a doozy of a doozy! Something huge is coming, I can feel it!” She saw the parchment, and frowned. “I hope it isn’t anything bad...”
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Rarity carefully pulled a needle through white satin. The embroidery of her latest creation was intensely intricate; it required a fastidious hoof. She sat at her bureau beneath the eastern window, working with direct sunlight. She wore a pair of magnifiers with cherry-red frames.
She had been up since daybreak. Twilight, punctual dear that she was, was certain to bring precious little Nyx along at ten o’clock sharp for their rendezvous. That gave Rarity several hours to work, and she was not one to waste time.
The only other occupant in the room was Rarity’s pet cat Opalescence, or Opal for short. Opal was a white long-haired cat with the fur on her head tied up with a purple bow, a matching collar fastened around her neck. She snoozed on Rarity’s red chaise lounge.
Rarity made several more passes with the needle, joining at last with the start of the decal line. She cast the thread off, and tied it into the tiniest of knots. Next, she reached for her red-handled scissors. Carefully, she lined the blades up, and—
BOOM.
Rarity winced, and drew the scissors back before she made a costly mistake. Opal looked up from her nap, glaring at the ceiling. Sweetie Belle must be awake. O dear.
Rarity laid the thread and scissors down, and made her way upstairs. Poking her head into the room Sweetie Belle stayed in, she found it in disarray. Clothes, toys, and other objects lay scattered about. The bed was undone, the armoire was pulled open, and the curtains were thrown aside. Sweetie Belle herself rummaged inside an open trunk, tossing random items out of it.
“What is going on in here?” Rarity demanded, taking in the state of the room with dismay. She hated messes.
Sweetie Belle peeked out from the trunk. She was a white-coated filly with a pink-and-violet mane, and a shield cutie mark adorned with a musical note. “O! Hi Rarity!”
““O, hi Rarity,” she says. What is all this?”
“I’m trying to find my bubble wand.”
“Your bubble wand?” Rarity asked. “In winter? Why in the world do you need that?”
“Dinky got her cutie mark, and the Crusaders and I are going to meet with her so we can figure out what it means.”
“So, it’s a Crusader mission then?” Sweetie Belle, along with her friends Applebloom and Scootaloo, formed a club called the “Cutie Mark Crusaders” in order to find their special talents. This led the trio into a number of misadventures, until several moons ago, when they finally found their cutie marks. As it turned out, they were adept at helping ponies find and understand their special talents.
Sweetie Belle brightened. “Yes! Miss Muffins invited us to talk about Dinky’s new mark!”
“Miss Muffins?”
“You know, the post-mare? The one with the googly eyes?”
“O, her.” Rarity scrunched up her nose. “I never can keep that mare’s name straight. I didn’t know she had a daughter.”
“Yeah, she goes to school with us. She’s that little purple unicorn with the yellow mane.”
Rarity smiled. “Ah, yes, I know the filly you mean. Little dear! I didn’t realize Muffins was her mother.”
“Dinky’s a little shy. And,” Sweetie Belle added, kicking her hooves furtively. “A lot of other foals tease her.”
“Tease her? Why, whatever for?”
“Because Miss Muffins has those googly eyes. Some of the foals at school make fun of Dinky for it and call her mom “Derpy”.”
“Why, I never! Some-pony should have a word with those foals about respecting other pony’s feelings! I certainly hope you aren’t among those bullies?”
“Not us!” Sweetie Belle protested. “We tell those mean foals to stop, but they don’t listen to us!”
“Hmm, some-pony should have a talk with your school,” Rarity mused. “Perhaps I should ask Twilight to deliver a speech.” She shook her head, and then smiled warmly at Sweetie Bell. “Regardless, I think it’s absolutely wonderful that you’re helping ponies find their place in life. In fact,” she added, “I know a very special little filly who’s looking for her own cutie mark!”
“Really? Who is it?”
Rarity’s eyes glittered mysteriously. “O, you’ll find out soon enough.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “What time is your little rendezvous with your friends supposed to occur?”
“Ten!”
“Ten?” It was nine twenty-four.
“Yeah! My friends are coming to pick me up at nine-thirty.” Sweetie Belle cocked her head, watching Rarity carefully. “Is that a problem?”
“Of course not! It isn’t a problem at all.” Rarity felt relieved. When she had arranged the appointment with Twilight, she had forgotten that Sweetie Belle was staying for the weekend. Nyx was supposed to be a secret; if Sweetie Belle caught sight of her, how would they explain? She doubted Sweetie Belle could keep it a secret for any length of time.
“Are you expecting some-pony?” Sweetie Belle asked. “You have your measuring tape on.”
Rarity glanced at the measuring tape hanging off her withers, at the ready for when she took Nyx’s measurements later. Celestia’s sake, why did foals have to be such brilliant little sleuths when it came to some other pony’s business?
“Well, yes. I’m expecting a client later this morning. It’s a…private appointment.”
“Wow, you don’t do those very often!” Sweetie Belle said. “Who’s it for?”
“It’s a new client, you wouldn’t know her,” Rarity said quickly.
“Really? Is she new in town? Does Pinkie Pie know her? Will we get to go to her “Welcome to Ponyville” party?” She bounced up and down. “O, I know! Is it that filly you said was looking for her Cutie Mark?”
Rarity wanted to face-hoof. “Yes, Sweetie. My client is the new filly I mentioned.”
“O boy!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, bouncing even higher (seriously, were foals made out of rubber?). “Can we meet her?”
“Not quite yet,” Rarity replied. “She’s…actually rather shy, so we don’t want to overwhelm her with too many ponies yet.” She paused. It occurred to her that introducing Nyx to the Cutie Mark Crusaders might be a bad call. Those three got into enough trouble by themselves—she shuddered to think what sort of havoc they could wreak with an alicorn filly in tow.
But then again, they might be good for Nyx. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were some of the friendliest little fillies Rarity knew. They might be just the thing to draw Nyx out of her shell. “I’ll be happy to introduce you to her a little later. But for right now, this room needs to be cleaned up at once! It’s an absolute disaster! Let’s have all this picked up before your friends arrive, alright?”
“But—”
“No buts!”
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and huffed, but did as she was told. She returned her toys to the toy chest while Rarity made the bed. Rarity smiled, pleased with herself for deflecting attention away from Nyx. For the time being.
The bed finished and toys put away, the unicorns turned their attention to the clothes strewn about the floor. They just finished folding them when a knock came on the door downstairs.
“That’s them!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.
Rarity glanced at the clock. They were a few minutes late.
“We’re coming!” Rarity called. She and Sweetie Belle made their way downstairs to the front double-hung door of the shop. Rarity opened the top, the bells above it chiming. She winced as her eyes stung in the winter chill; her breath condensed into clouds. She smiled at the two fillies on her doorstep. “Good morning, you two!”
“Hiya Rarity!” Scootaloo said, in a small scratchy voice. She was an orange pegasus with a messy magenta mane and small wings. She wore a rather ugly brown coat and worn boots—gifts from her adventurer parents, no doubt. “Can Sweetie Belle come out?”
“Sweetie Belle will be out in just a moment,” Rarity replied. “Give her a moment to get her coat on, would you please?”
“Okay Rarity,” the other filly, Applebloom, said. She spoke in the same rural accent as her big sister, Applejack. Applebloom’s coat was pale-yellow, with a red mane and a pink bow. She was wearing warm-green snow boots with a matching scarf. “Tell ‘er to hurry on up! Dinky and her mama are waitin’ for us!”
“I’ll be sure to let her know,” Rarity said. She closed the door and turned to Sweetie Belle. “Alright then, time to put your coat on.”
She pulled Sweetie Belle’s coat off a nearby rack. This particular garment was a creation of Rarity’s, a warm blend of cashmere and wool, dyed cream, with lavender lining and mother-of-pearl buttons. She helped Sweetie Belle into it, and then helped her pull on her lavender snow boots.
Sweetie Belle put on her fuzzy, deep-periwinkle earmuffs with her magic. This simple feat would have been impossible for Sweetie Belle a few short years ago. She was growing up so fast!
Rarity opened the door, standing just behind it to block the chill. “You go and have fun with your friends. Try to stay out of trouble this time, will you please?”
“Okay Rarity. I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Sweetie Belle trotted outside, the Boutique’s bells chiming behind her. She snuggled into her scarf as the morning winter chill blew against her face.
“Hey guys!” Sweetie Belle said. “Do you have everything?”
“Yup!” Applebloom replied. She patted a saddlebag by her side. “I got everything we’ll need. Ya ready to come see ‘bout Dinky’s new cutie mark?”
“Yup!” Sweetie Belle said. “Where are we going to meet her at?”
“That café by the railroad tracks,” Scootaloo said. “Miss Muffins is treating us to hot chocolate!”
Sweetie Belle brightened. “Hot chocolate? What are we waiting for, let’s go!”
The Crusaders set off. Despite being the middle of winter, Ponyville was as active as any other season, and many ponies could be seen trotting about the town. Every-pony was bundled up in their winter best. Few traveled alone; most opted to trot together, a strategy the CMC were quick to adopt for themselves. The cafés were filled with patrons sipping hot drinks such as tea, chocolate, and cider, merrily chatting with their friends about this and that. Sugarcube Corner was packed; Sweetie Belle could see the Cakes and Pinkie Pie scrambling to take all the orders for hot cocoa and warm baked goods.
She and her friends darted down Market Street. Being children, they were unable to resist the urge to look at the goods on display. Ponyville’s markets never shut down, staying open well into winter. Merchants and local farmers stood in their stalls, bundled up, with small fires or enchanted heat crystals glowing close at hoof. Few vendors sold produce; those that did displayed their goods nestled under sheets of brown burlap, in order to stave off the cold. Quite a number of farmers sold jams and preserves instead. Sweetie Belle could see Applebloom’s older brother, Big Macintosh, selling apple preserves from one such stall.
Applebloom waved at him. “Howdy, Big Mac!”
Big Mac acknowledged them with a nod and gentle smile. He was taller and stronger than most stallions, with a barn red coat, blonde mane, and a cutie mark displaying a half-cut green apple. He had replaced his usual yoke with a thick, green scarf. “Ya’ll stay outta trouble now, ya hear?” he said, in his deep, rural-accented voice.
“We will!” the Crusaders said together.
Big Mac nodded, and turned to face an approaching mare adorned in a thick grey cloak. This mare was as tall as Big Mac, the end of a gray muzzle visible under the hood. Applebloom recognized her at once. “Howdy, Zecora!”
The zebra smiled at them. “Hello to you, my little friends! On any new cutie mark errands?” Zecora spoke in a low, vibrant voice, her words carrying a distinct Zebrican accent. She had a strange habit of speaking in rhyme.
“We’re gonna go down and have hot cocoa with Dinky and her momma,” Applebloom answered readily. Applebloom had the closest relationship with Zecora, even helping mix potions in her Everfree Forest cottage; Sweetie Belle still felt a little awkward around her. “We’re gonna help her figure out what her cutie mark means!”
Zecora nodded. “I bid you all well on your quest.” She turned back to Big Mac’s stall, her eyes wandering along the different flavors on offer. “Now allow me to make some requests…”
The Crusaders giggled at each other and turned to walk away, only to nearly collide with a stone-gray pegasus colt with a pepper-gray mane and a silver woolen overcoat. They recognized him at once.
“Hiya Rumble!” Scootaloo said.
Rumble jumped back, as though he had been given an electric shock. “H-Hi,” he replied. His eyes darted between the Crusaders and the street, as though he were guessing how fast he could charge down it.
“Good to see you,” Applebloom said, smiling. “We’ve been meanin’ to talk with you about your cutie mark!”
Rumble shrank further, folding his wings over his flank. “My cutie mark? Wha-What about it?”
“Well, it ain’t come in just yet! We was wantin’ to arrange a meetin’ with you so we could help you find it! Whad’ya say?”
“No way!” Rumble yelled.
Applebloom was taken aback. “How come?”
“Because you’re girls!”
“What’s that got to do with anything?” Scootaloo demanded.
“Because girls have cooties!” Rumble cried. “And if I hang around with girls, I’ll get cooties too!”
“What?” Scootaloo yelled. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of!”
“Yeah!” Applebloom said. “You’ve hung out with us before, and you weren’t afraid of no “cooties” then!”
“Well, now I know better!” Rumble snapped.
Sweetie Belle was confused. “Wait, isn’t your mom a girl?”
Rumble froze. “Wha-What?”
“Sweetie Belle’s right, your mom’s a girl too!” Scootaloo said. “You live with her! I bet you already have cooties!”
Rumble gasped and stepped back from them. His eyes darted desperately between the Crusaders, before finally letting out a yell and charging down the street. The Crusaders, startled, leaped aside as Rumble barreled past them, crying for his mom.
Scootaloo scowled after him. “What a jerk!”
“Don’t be too hard on him. It’s just a phase he’s going through.”
The Crusaders turned to see Rumble’s brother, Thunderlane, standing behind them. He was a pepper-gray pegasus stallion with an icy-blue mane and a lightning bolt cutie mark. He wore a silver-and-gray scarf.
“Hi, Thunderlane!” Scootaloo greeted eagerly, her former irritation gone.
“A phase?” Applebloom asked. “What does that mean?”
“It means Rumble’s decided he doesn’t like fillies right now, but he’ll grow out of it soon enough. I know I did!” Thunderlane added, grinning.
“You thought fillies had cooties?” Scootaloo asked, amazed. “But you’re a Wonderbolt! You work with Rainbow Dash!”
“Right. Obviously, I changed my mind.” His grin became goofier. “I decided I really liked mares after all!”
“If you say so,” Scootaloo harumphed. “I still say he’s a jerk.”
“Who’s being a jerk?” a gentle voice asked. It was Miss Fluttershy. She was wearing a green turtleneck sweater with matching earmuffs. Her pet rabbit, Angel Bunny, ran about her hooves.
“Rumble,” Thunderlane answered, amused. “He’s entered that “fillies have cooties” phase.”
“O,” Miss Fluttershy said, smiling softly. She turned to the Crusaders. “Don’t worry too much about Rumble. Give him a little space, and he’ll want to be friends again.”
“Are you sure?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“I’m sure,” Miss Fluttershy said confidently. Sweetie Belle felt better. If Miss Fluttershy said Rumble would grow out of it, he would.
“It’s very nice to see you girls,” Miss Fluttershy continued. “I hope you three are behaving yourselves today. I wouldn’t want to see you get into any trouble—yes, Angel, what is it?”
Angel was tugging on Fluttershy’s mane, pointing urgently at a nearby produce vender. The rabbit seemed particularly interested in a large basket of carrots.
“O, I see. Those look very yummy, Angel.” Miss Fluttershy turned back to the Crusaders, smiling apologetically. “I’m sorry to leave in such a hurry, but I need to take care of something. Excuse me…” She followed after Angel, who bounded eagerly toward the carrot display. The Crusaders shook their heads at them. Angel Bunny was spoiled and capricious, hopping from one fleeting desire to the next, while expecting Fluttershy to meet every one of them. Sweetie Belle thought Angel was cute, but Applebloom and Scootaloo disliked him.
Thunderlane chuckled at this. “That rabbit of hers cracks me up! Anyway, I should probably go after Rumble. I’ll catch you kids later.”
He spread his wings and took off. Sweetie Belle noticed Scootaloo longingly stare after Thunderlane. Despite being a pegasus, Scootaloo had never been able to fly. This always rankled her, though she did her best not to show it.
“Are you all right, Scoots?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Who, me? O, I’m great! Never better!” Scootaloo said quickly. She grinned at them, but it failed to reach her eyes.
“Ya sure?” Applebloom pressed.
“Of course! C’mon,” she added, taking a few steps down the street. “Let’s go see Dinky.”
The Crusaders continued their trek through the market. They saw several more of their classmates, such as Twist, a filly with a frizzy red mane and wide, rectangular glasses. She stood in her own booth, selling candies. The Crusaders also saw Button Mash, a brown colt with a propeller beanie, wandering around the stalls while his mother followed close behind. They saw Snips and Snails, two slow-witted colts, engaged in a fierce snowball fight. The two colts invited the Crusaders to join in, but they graciously declined, and kept on their way. They were almost at the end of Market Street when two fillies appeared from around the corner.
“Howdy, Diamond!” Applebloom greeted. “Howdy, Silver!”
Diamond Tiara greeted them in return, albeit awkwardly. Silver Spoon smiled, but as usual said little. Pleasantries were exchanged; their talk was friendly but formal. The Crusaders still felt awkward around Diamond Tiara, who used to bully them relentlessly before they found their Cutie Marks. Diamond Tiara came up with all sorts of insults, tricks, and mind games to humiliate the Crusaders, but it all backfired when she finally alienated all of her classmates. Even Silver Spoon left her.
Any-pony else would have left Diamond Tiara alone. But the Crusaders were kind-hearted fillies. They helped Diamond Tiara by teaching her what her mark really meant and, in so doing, finally earned their own. Things between Diamond Tiara and themselves were more cordial now, though none of them could say they were close friends.
Diamond Tiara asked where they were going.
“We’re going to that café on down by the railroad station,” Applebloom explained. “Dinky just got her Cutie Mark, and we’re gonna help her figure out what it means.”
“Dinky got her Cutie Mark? That’s wonderful! Do you know what it is?”
“It’s a bubble pattern, like her mama. But neither of ‘em know what it means. They reckoned we might be able to tell ‘em.”
“With your help, I’m sure they’ll figure it out in no time,” Silver Spoon said.
“Say, why don’t we come along?” Diamond Tiara suggested. “We could come up with some ideas.”
“I don’t know about that,” Sweetie Belle said. “Miss Muffins was only expecting the three of us—”
“That’s alright, we can cover ourselves,” Diamond Tiara interrupted, waving a hoof.
The Crusaders exchanged glances. Until very recently, Diamond Tiara had been one of the ponies mocking Dinky. That was in the past now, but how would Dinky react if she saw two of her former tormentors coming in with the fillies who were supposed to help her?
Diamond Tiara seemed to read their minds. “And we can also apologize to Dinky and her mom for being so mean to them.” Her ears wilted. “We haven’t had a chance to say we’re sorry.”
The Crusaders relaxed.
“Well, gosh, Diamond,” Applebloom said. “I reckon you can come along then!”
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon brightened. “That’s great!” Diamond Tiara exclaimed. “You won’t regret this, I promise! I bet we can come up with some great suggestions for—"
“Diamond Tiara!”
They turned to see Diamond Tiara’s mother, Spoiled Rich, approaching. She was a pale pink Earth-pony with a deep-magenta mane and an upturned nose, as if she were constantly smelling something foul (Sweetie Belle suspected it was because of the strong perfumes she used). She wore an expensive-looking plum overcoat.
Spoiled Rich glared at Diamond Tiara. “There you are, silly girl. I’ve searched all over town for you.”
Diamond Tiara glared back. “Have you now.”
Spoiled Rich’s mouth tightened. “Yes, I have. And where should I find you, but down this lowly village market! Associating with…poor fillies.” She scowled at the Crusaders. “I expect better from you than to associate with ponies beneath your station. And that goes for you as well, Silver Spoon!” she added. “What your parents will say about this, I can’t imagine!”
Silver Spoon’s ears drooped, and she tried to make herself look smaller. But Diamond Tiara held firm, and returned her mother’s haughty contempt in equal measure. “They’ll be delighted, I’m sure. Making new friends is very important, after all.”
The tension was palpable. The Crusaders looked between Diamond Tiara and her mother, unsure what they were supposed to do. Spoiled Rich was an elitist, condescending nag, convinced she was better than every-pony else on account of her life of wealth and luxury. She expected Diamond Tiara to behave as snootily as herself, and Diamond Tiara did so…until she realized how miserable it was making her. After the Crusaders helped Diamond realize how much better her life was when she had friendship, Diamond finally stood up to her mother.
Spoiled Rich had not taken this change in her daughter’s attitude well at all.
“I will not have you take that impertinent tone with me, Diamond Tiara!” she snapped. “You’ve been acting saucy ever since you started associating with these troublemakers.” She glared at the Crusaders. “I suspect they’ve been a bad influence on you.”
“Yeah,” Diamond Tiara growled. “I was such a perfect angel when I followed your advice.”
Spoiled Rich’s face flushed. She leaned forward until she and her daughter were practically nose to nose. “I will not hear you speak that way to me again! I don’t know where you learned to speak in such an insolent tone—”
“From you.”
“—But I will not be having it!” Spoiled Rich finished. She spun on the Crusaders. “And as for you three, stay away from my daughter! She’s a delicate flower! She doesn’t need to be influenced by ponies of your class!”
“Our class?” Applebloom repeated, outraged. “Now hang on just a minute. Where do ya get off—”
“Daddy!” Diamond Tiara cried suddenly. Every-pony turned to see Filthy Rich trotting up the street. He was a brown Earth pony with a slicked-back mane and a cutie mark depicting a money bag filled with gold coins. He wore a heavy wool coat in addition to his usual tie and collar. He acknowledged his daughter with a nod and soft smile.
“Hello there, Diamond. You doing alright?”
“She’s doing splendid,” Spoiled Rich interjected, before Diamond Tiara could answer. “I was teaching her to be careful about who she associates with.”
Filthy Rich nodded gravely. “That’s an important lesson to learn.”
“Excellent! Just the point I was trying to make! I—”
“Which is why I’m glad to see Diamond getting along with Applebloom now,” Filthy Rich continued. “Her gran and my pappy go way back, I tell you what.” He gave the Crusaders a gentle smile.
“Well, thanks a whole lot for sayin’ that, Mister Rich,” Applebloom said, glancing smugly at Spoiled. She seemed at a loss for words. “I’ll be sure Granny and them up at the farm know you said hi.”
Filthy Rich’s smile broadened. But Sweetie Belle noticed he appeared gaunt, with dark, heavy bags under his eyes. His natural brown coat looked a little faded as well.
“Are you feeling okay?” she asked him. “You look tired.”
Filthy Rich’s face blanched. He shuffled nervously. “O, not me, I’m fine. Never better. Just lost a little sleep is all…” He looked down Market Street and spotted Big Mac. “Ah, there’s Big Macintosh! I reckon I’ll have a word with him. ‘Bout business, of course…Take care, girls.” He turned and quickly trotted toward Big Mac’s stall, Spoiled Rich following close at hoof. He glanced back over his withers. “Come along there, Diamond. You too, Silver.”
“Yes, Daddy.” Diamond Tiara gave the Crusaders a sad smile and followed after her parents, with Silver Spoon close behind.
“Can you believe her?” Scootaloo thundered, when the Richs were out of earshot. “Why does that Spoiled Rich have to be so mean to every-pony?”
“I can’t believe any-pony could be so mean to her own daughter,” Applebloom moaned, shaking her head. “It ain’t fair!”
“But what can we do?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Spoiled Rich is a grown-up! We can’t tell her how she should parent, she’d just get mad and yell at our parents!”
“And Granny Smith,” Applebloom added. “Maybe we should tell an adult? I reckon Applejack could talk to Princess Twilight or somethin’. I betcha she’d know what to do!”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. She glanced at the clock over the rail station and gave a start. “Look, it’s almost ten! We need to hurry!”
The Crusaders started running. They darted out from Market Street, turned a corner, and ran past the train station before finally arriving at the café. It had similar architecture to the other Ponyville houses, timber-framed with an overhanging thatched roof, but with very large windows. A number of small tables were arranged on the portico, brushed down of snow. They stood empty; all the customers sat inside the café proper. The Crusaders saw a gray pegasus mare and a little unicorn filly sitting by a window.
“There’s Dinky and her mama!” Applebloom cried. “Let’s hope we ain’t too late.”
They made their way to the café. They had just gotten the door open, when Sweetie Bell caught sight of the Boutique across town. She gazed at it, for just a moment, when suddenly there came a flash of lavender light near its entrance, and a familiar alicorn appeared.
“There’s Princess Twilight!” Sweetie Bell exclaimed.
Scootaloo squinted. Like most pegasi, her long-range vision was excellent. “She has company with her. There’s Spike—but there’s some-pony else with them. Is that a filly?”
Sweetie Bell strained to see. Sure enough, a small dark shape stood between Spike and Twilight. It was hard to distinguish them clearly, since the Boutique was nearly on the other side of town, and the sun shone brightly from that direction. The CMC had little time to process what they were seeing; the door of the Boutique opened, and Twilight hurried Spike and their companion inside, the door slamming shut behind them.
Applebloom frowned. “That was odd. Did you see who that new kid was?”
Scootaloo looked puzzled. “I couldn’t get a good look. But I could swear she looked like…” She trailed off, staring at the Boutique as though unsure whether to believe her own eyes.
“Somethin’ wrong?”
Scootaloo shook her head, and grinned sheepishly. “It’s nothing. I guess I’m seeing things.”
Applebloom patted her on the withers. “Come on, I reckon some hot chocolate will set you right.”
Scootaloo smiled. The three fillies made their way inside the café.
Rarity closed the door, smirking at Twilight. She pointed at the clock. “Running a little late, are we?”
Twilight chuckled nervously. “Yeah. Some-pony did not want to get up this morning.”
Rarity glanced at Nyx. Her large eyes were bleary, and she looked as though she were trying to stifle a yawn. “Ah, poor dear. Were we feeling extra sleepy this morning?” Nyx glanced at Rarity, but as usual said nothing. “Well, I have some tea on the stove. I’m sure that will perk you right up! Have you ever had tea before?”
Nyx nodded and looked away.
“Good to hear! Now, do you take one lump or two?” Nyx gave no reply. Privately, Rarity wondered when Nyx would have had a chance to sample tea, but decided against pressing the matter for now.
“Thanks for the offer, but perhaps it would be better to get everything done up front,” Twilight said.
“Yeah,” Spike said, arching a brow at Nyx. “At this rate, she’ll fall asleep in the saucer.”
Rarity could see their point. Nyx was eyeing Rarity’s chaise lounge longingly.
Opal yawned and stretched. She glanced at Spike and Twilight with polite disinterest, a little irritated to see these noisy interlopers stomping around during her fourth nap of the day. Then she noticed Nyx. Opal’s fur stood on end, and she darted beneath the lounge, staring at Nyx with wide, frightened eyes.
“What’s this you’re working on?” Twilight asked, coming around to the bureau. “Is this a new dress?”
“Of course, Darling! It’s for a distinguished client!”
“It’s beautiful.”
Rarity waved a hoof dismissively. “You should see it when it’s complete. The embroidery shall be intricate, subtle…but the full effect will be simply sublime!”
“Embroidery?” Spike asked, surprised. “I don’t see your sewing machine over here. Are you doing this by hoof?”
“Yes! Do you see how gracefully these lines curve? I should never dream of creating such intricate linework with a sewing machine! It has to be done stitch by stitch.”
“Wow!” Twilight exclaimed. “That sounds like a lot of work!”
Rarity nodded. “It is. It may be a little too thorough, but you know me—once I get started on a project, I can’t stop until it’s finished!”
“I can’t wait to see it!” Spike gushed. “How many thread colors—”
The door burst open. Every-pony jumped; Nyx darted under the lounge. Rarity turned and saw Rainbow Dash hovering above them, grinning ear to ear.
“Hey guys!” she yelled. “Is she here, is she here?”
“Rainbow Dash, have you no sense of decorum?” Rarity snapped. “It simply does not do to burst in like this!”
“She?” Twilight asked. “Whom do you mean?”
“Nyx!” Dash said eagerly. “You said I could teach her to fly, remember?”
Twilight smiled and rolled her eyes. “O, that.” She lit her horn and shut the door, locking it. “Not quite yet, Rainbow. Nyx is still settling in.” She glanced at the door for a split second before saying, “And we’re still keeping her under wraps for right now, remember?”
Under the lounge, Nyx’s face scrunched up in bewilderment. Her gaze darted between the ponies and the locked door.
“And as you can see, we’re clearly in the middle of something,” Rarity huffed.
Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Say, where is the kid? I don’t see her anywhere.”
“She ran under the lounge.”
“O yeah, that’s your fainting couch, right?”
“It’s not a fainting couch, it’s a chaise lounge,” Rarity sniffed.
Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.” She crouched down and peered under the lounge. Nyx stared back, eyeing Dash carefully. Opal had fled; Rarity spotted her trembling on top of an armoire.
“Hiya kiddo! What’cha doing down there?”
“She’s hiding from you!” Rarity said. “That’s what happens when you go barging in like this!”
Dash wilted. “Sorry.”
“Tell Nyx that!”
“Sorry, kid. Are you gonna come out from under there or what?”
Nyx slunk out from under the lounge, eyes locked on Dash. She appeared more alert; Dash’s abrupt entrance had chased the sleep from her eyes.
Dash grinned at her. “Hey, Twilight says I’ll get to teach you to fly! What d’you say about that?”
Nyx cocked her head, without blinking or breaking eye contact. Dash stepped back, unnerved.
“Okay, that’s a little creepy,” she said. “Do you ever blink, kid?”
“Dash!” Rarity scolded, though she had to admit Dash had a point. This child did have a rather piercing stare. Rather like a hawk…
There came a knock on the door. Every-pony tensed, but then relaxed when they heard Applejack’s voice on the other side:
“Rarity? Twi in there with ya?”
“Yes, I’m here,” Twilight answered, opening the door’s top. Applejack stood on the porch wrapped in a brown overcoat, flushed and out of breath.
Twilight took in Applejack’s haggard appearance in alarm. “Is something wrong?”
“Frost weevils!” Applejack spat. “Them varmints done gone and burrowed into our zap apple seedlin’s! If we don’t get rid of em’ soon, our trees ain’t gonna make it to spring!” She noticed every-pony gathered in the Boutique, and sheepishly added, “Uh…this ain’t a bad time, is it?”
Rarity was on her in a flash. “Of course not, Darling! Come inside out of the cold, this is important! Just remember to wipe your boots on the rug.”
“Thank you, Rarity,” Applejack said. She noticed Nyx. “Howdy, there! Feelin’ alright this mornin’?” The little filly looked at her without a word. Applejack glanced at Twilight. “Still ain’t talkin’?”
Twilight shook her head. “Not a word. Don’t worry, we’ll get her to talk eventually.” She closed the door again. “But for right now, let’s focus on those frost weevils. Spike, don’t we have a book on them?”
Spike nodded. “Yeah. “Elemental Insects of Equestria.” There’s a whole bunch of weird insects in there. Frost weevils, lightning bugs…even fire ants.”
“Fire ants?” Rarity asked. “I know their bites sting terribly, but I should think they would be considered mundane compared to frost weevils?”
“No, they’re actually made of fire.”
“O!” Rarity gasped, her eyes widening. “O, my!”
“Awesome!” Dash exclaimed.
Applejack leaned toward Spike. “Does that book say how to repel them varmints?”
“I think so,” Spike answered. “I don’t remember the specifics…do you, Twilight?”
“Vaguely. We’re going to have to get it.”
“Now?” Dash asked. “Are those weevils really that big a deal?
“They are,” Twilight replied grimly. “Frost weevils can freeze a whole crop if they’re left untreated. And they can spread to other orchards…they aren’t specialized to any particular plant type.”
Applejack’s eyes shrunk to tiny pinpricks. “Sweet Celestia, they’re worse than I thought! We gotta do somethin’ about ‘em!” She made for the door, but came to a halt when she remembered where she was. She gave Rarity an apologetic look. “I mean, if it ain’t too much trouble…don’t wanna mess nothin’ up.”
“Don’t worry about a thing, Applejack!” Rarity said, waving a hoof. “Your orchards are very important! We can always do this another time.”
“Well, if it throws you off…”
“Nonsense, Darling! Your farm is far more important! In fact, why don’t you and Twilight run along and find that book? I’ll keep Nyx here and get straight to work whilst you conduct your research.”
Twilight looked uncertain. “Are you sure, Rarity? It might be a better idea to reschedule—”
“Nonsense! I can handle Nyx, I’m sure she’ll be just fine with me!” She beamed at Nyx, but Nyx declined to meet her gaze. Rarity wilted a bit, but continued. “This won’t take too long.”
Twilight considered. “I guess that would be alright. But we’ll come back as quickly as possible. I mean, I don’t think treating those frost weevils will take too long to sort out…”
“Now, don’t go gettin’ your mane up in a twist,” Applejack said. “All I really need is that there book…I reckon I can handle them frost weevils from there.”
“Okay.” Twilight looked down at Nyx and smiled kindly. “I’m going to help Applejack solve a problem on her farm. Rarity’s going to take care of you while we’re gone. We’ll be back soon, okay?”
Nyx stared at her but said nothing. Twilight shook her head and stepped back.
“All right. Spike? Applejack? Could you come closer?” Twilight charged her horn. There was a flash of light, and then they were gone.
Rarity shook her head. “Honestly, that pony takes her job far too seriously sometimes. A pity she doesn’t dress for it.” She turned. Dash was still there, airborne, noisily beating her wings. “O, Dashie. You’re still here.”
Dash grinned eagerly. “Yeah! You do your thing, and then I can take her flying!”
“How kind of you,” Rarity said, wincing a little. “But I’m sure you have other things to do while I’m working.”
“Nope!” Dash said brightly. “My whole schedule’s clear! You won’t have to worry about a thing, you totally won’t even know I’m here!” She stayed airborne; the breeze generated by her wings blew pieces of fabric off the bureau.
Rarity grimaced. She was fond of Dash, but her loud and boisterous personality rankled her sometimes. To concentrate, Rarity needed quiet—the last word any-pony would use to describe Dash. That, and Dash seemed to make Nyx uncomfortable. The last thing Rarity needed during a fitting was a tense, anxious filly.
Thankfully, Rarity had a plan for this. She batted her eyelashes.
“Dashie, dear. Would you like to do me a favor?”
Dash froze. “Me? A favor?”
“Of course! Since you’re free all day, you can stay and help me with Nyx.”
“You mean, like, holding her still and stuff?” Dash asked, suddenly anxious.
“Certainly! Perhaps you could…hold the pins for me?” That was the coup de grâce. If there was one thing Dash hated, it was pinning.
Nyx looked up anxiously at the mention of the word “pins.”
Dash shuddered and backed away. “No way! This stuff is, like, torture!”
Nyx’s eyes widened.
Rarity huffed. “Really, Rainbow, you can be so over-dramatic at times.”
Dash faltered. “I’m not being dramatic! It’s just that I, like, can’t handle being kept still for so long while you pin me—never mind watching! It’s such a pain!” Nyx’s pupils shrank to thin slivers; she started trembling.
“Well, fine,” Rarity huffed. “If you’re going to be like that, have off with you then! I work better alone anyway…I’m sure we’ll have a marvelous time without you!”
Dash rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. I’ll catch you later.” She flew out the door. Rarity shook her head, closing and locking it back.
“Honestly, I don’t know why I try with her sometimes. She has all the sophistication of sackcloth.” She turned to Nyx, smiling. “Now, shall we get started then?”
Nyx backed away from her, eyes darting between the door and the windows. Rarity stared at her, confused. “Is anything the matter, dear?”
Nyx eyed Rarity warily, as if to ascertain her threat level. Rarity felt a pang of sympathy for the filly. What kind of life had she led, to be so guarded against others?
“It’s alright, Darling—everything is going to be just fine. We’ll get this all done, and then we can have some tea. How does that sound?”
Nyx looked puzzled, as though an offer of tea was a trick of some kind. Poor dear. Rarity decided to give the child three lumps instead of two when they took tea.
But that was for later; now was the time for working. Rarity cleared away her previous project, to give herself more space. Nyx watched, tensing whenever Rarity made any sudden movements. At length Rarity finished her preparations, pulled out quill and parchment, and turned to Nyx.
“Now, let’s have off with that coat, my dear. That’s it.”
Nyx hesitated, maintaining a wary eye on Rarity.
“I’m not going to do anything with it, I promise.”
Nyx complied, albeit very reluctantly. Rarity took the coat into her magic, wrinkling her nose at it. Such a tasteless looking thing. “How about I hang…this up for you?” She trotted over to a nearby coatrack. But before hanging it, she held it up to the light for inspection.
It was crude, but now that she looked at it, she realized its construction was far from shoddy. Its stitching held together well, the mysterious material strong and durable. The lining was made of a fluffy, off-white material. If Rarity didn’t know better, she could swear it was fur—but that was just ridiculous.
She frowned. Applejack’s comments on the coat from yesterday played in her mind: It seemed like a good fit. Rarity had waved that comment off, assuming Chrysalis to have stolen the coat off some-pony. But as she inspected the coat more carefully, she realized it had been made with Nyx in mind. Even the vents in the back had been cut to suit her distinctive wings. It was highly unlikely Chrysalis had forced some tailor pony to create this coat. The only viable explanation was that it was of Changeling make.
Rarity felt guilty all of a sudden. She must have insulted some hapless drone Chrysalis forced into making a coat for Nyx. Perhaps she should ask after the tailor at the ceremony. The hoof work was not meritless; the color an excellent choice. Whomever had been tasked with making this coat had talent—a little guidance, and the Changelings might have an amazing tailor among their ranks!
Wait a moment. Nyx had been held prisoner by Chrysalis. Yet Chrysalis had adorned the filly in a warm coat and an expensive-looking silver peytral. For a pony who was supposed to have been a prisoner, Nyx had been taken care of to the point of ostentatiousness. Something was not adding up here; if Nyx had been a captive, why had Chrysalis invested such resources into her upkeep?
Rarity cleared these thoughts from her mind—there would be a time to consider them later. She glanced at the silver peytral Nyx wore. It was a simple piece, reminiscent of the one Princess Celestia wore. It too bore a jewel—a piece of polished, petrified black wood. Rarity could see that the wood had been black before it was petrified. She had never heard of a tree with black wood before…but then, there were many strange things outside of Equestria.
“I’m also going to need you to need you to remove your peytral.” Nyx pressed her hoof against it. Rarity noted the protective manner of that gesture. “You don’t have to worry; it will be perfectly safe.” But Nyx kept her hoof firmly in place.
Rarity considered. Leaving the peytral on would pose problems during measuring, and Rarity always wanted as many measurements as possible, to achieve the closest fit. But she also saw that Nyx was very reluctant to remove the peytral, as though she feared she should never see it again.
Rarity had been a seamstress long enough to respect the clients wishes over her own. “Well, that peytral does look rather nice on you,” she said. “Why don’t we leave it on for right now, and you can tell me all about it later?”
Nyx relaxed. Rarity smiled and pulled the measuring tape off her withers.
“Now, hold still a moment.” She brought the tape up to Nyx.
The filly’s eyes widened. She backed away from Rarity, eyes darting between her and the window.
Rarity was dumbfounded. “I’m not going to hurt you, dear! I’m measuring you. Won’t you please come back?”
Nyx approached, albeit cautiously. She eyed the measuring tape, and then she looked Rarity in the eyes. It was the first time she had looked her in the eye, and Rarity realized it made her feel uncomfortable. The way Nyx stared at her made her feel as though she were being studied, examined for every conceivable flaw.
Rarity took a deep breath. Focus on the work. “Come a little closer, dear. That’s it.” She took the filly’s height and length. She made to measure around the neck, but Nyx recoiled as soon as the tape touched her throat.
“Goodness, you’re a jumpy little one! I’m only taking your neck measurements.” Rarity wrapped the tape around her own throat to demonstrate. “See? I line the marks like so, and that tells me my neck circumference.”
The filly glared suspiciously at her. Rarity simpered; for one so small, Nyx certainly had a fearsome little glare.
“Now, let’s see about you,” Rarity continued, keeping her voice level. She wrapped the tape around Nyx’s neck, keeping her attention focused on the tape marks and not on the child’s eyes. The little filly tensed as she felt the tape wrap around her throat. Rarity wasted no time taking the measurement, quickly drawing the tape away afterward.
“See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” She gave Nyx what she hoped was a winning smile, but Nyx continued glaring at her. Rarity sensed the child did not like her very much—and if Rarity was honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she liked Nyx much either. There was something off about her, something that triggered Rarity’s pony instinct to flee.
She suddenly wished Dash had stayed.
“Well, that’s done,” Rarity said. She scribbled a note on the parchment, the quill trembling in her magic. “Let’s attend to the rest of you...”
She took further measurements. As she did so, she inspected Nyx’s physique more carefully. Nyx displayed a lot of muscle tone for a filly her age. Her hooves were strong and healthy; Rarity lifted one up and found the soles to be thick and smooth. Her black coat was glossy and clean; her feathers preened and healthful. And her mane, while messy with bedhead, was long and conditioned. In short, she was one of the healthiest foals Rarity had ever seen, despite her time with the Changelings. Perhaps it was her alicorn heritage.
At last Rarity was satisfied, and placed the measuring tape, parchment, and quill back on the bureau. Now it was time to determine Nyx’s season. This would allow Rarity to formulate the perfect palette to flatter Nyx’s distinctive colors. It made Rarity feel giddy with excitement to think of this little alicorn princess wearing her outfits!
“Would you be a dear and step over by the window please? Make sure you’re in the light.”
Nyx looked at her, curious, but did as she was instructed, standing in the dapple of sunlight on the floor. Her pupils thinned.
“Hmm,” Rarity said, stepping back. Now that she had Nyx in sunlight, she could see that her glossy black coat held an attractive blue iridescence, like the plumage of ravens. Her mane was violet (the same shade as Rarity’s own, in fact). Her eyes featured two tones of cyan, both the whites and the iris. And those slitted pupils were sharp and thin, like small black daggers, poised to stab…
Rarity shook her head. Stupid panicky pony brain. Why, it was hardly Nyx’s fault she had such oddly-shaped pupils! She was probably a very nice girl who happened to be shy around strangers.
She re-focused on her work, carefully considering her options. Nyx was definitely cool toned. Her season was either winter or summer; Rarity strongly suspected winter, given the contrast between the deep violet mane and those bright cyan eyes. But she would need to be sure.
Rarity turned to a nearby rack with long sheets draped over it. Each sheet was patterned with broad, vertical stripes of chromatically-ordered colors. These were Rarity’s palette sheets, which she used to check the seasons of her customers. Each sheet ran the full spectrum of color, but differed in hue and saturation.
Rarity chose two, and brought them over to Nyx. She draped the summer sheet around Nyx’s withers, sliding the colors around. It became clear almost at once that Nyx was not a summer; the colors appeared too dull against Nyx’s coat and mane. She laid that sheet aside and tried the winter one. She knew at once this was better; the bolder colors suited Nyx. Blue-reds, true yellows, navy, blue-greens, jewel tones and icy shades…they were all good choices for her.
Nyx stared. Rarity tried not to stare back; she hardly wanted Nyx to think she was afraid of her.
“You have very, um, exotic eyes,” she commented. “They go along very well with your coat.” But if Rarity was completely honest, Nyx eyes unnerved her; dragon eyes looked all wrong on a pony. They looked cold and predatory, like some beast in the jungle, crouching low, preparing to pounce…
Rarity brushed those thoughts aside. They were merely her primitive pony genes overreacting, and she was certainly more civilized than that. This was a filly, not a wild animal in the woods!
But still…
“Would you be a dear and take a step back? A few more, please…perfect.”
The filly assented without a word. As Rarity hoped, Nyx’s slit-pupils rounded as they adjusted to the dimmer lighting. Rarity took note of yet another of Nyx’s physical peculiarities—her shoulders. They rose and fell like levers on a dynamo whenever she took a step. Rarity did not know what to make of it. Should she design her coat to hide this trait, or flaunt it? Nyx would certainly raise eyebrows wherever she prowled.
Prowled. The word popped into Rarity’s head unbidden. And yet she kept thinking words just like it the more time she spent with Nyx. Her continued silence, her odd behavior…those eerie reptilian eyes that never seemed to blink, staring at her as though looking through her. Rarity suddenly remembered that she was in the presence of a being that was supposed to be Nightmare Moon reborn. She almost wished she would laugh and monologue at her…it was better than all this silence.
Movement above her caught her attention. Opal was still on the armoire.
“Opal! Get down from there at once!”
Opal complied, albeit with great reluctance. She prowled towards Rarity, giving Nyx a wide berth as she did so. Her shoulders rose and fell like levers on a dynamo, her pupils shrinking to slits as she passed through sunbeams from the other window. Rarity stared at Opal, then at Nyx, then back at Opal, realization dawning upon her.
“Why, Nyx! You’re a little kitty-pony, aren’t you?” Rarity said, giggling. “Isn’t that adorable? Can you say “meow”? “Meow meow?”” Nyx glared at Rarity, pouting slightly. Rarity giggled again. Nyx actually looked rather cute when she pouted like that!
She turned away from Nyx and allowed her mind to run over the sorts of designs she would like to try on her young client. She hummed merrily as she did so, no longer feeling unease about Nyx.
After all, what harm could a cat do?
Rarity laid out more parchment, her mind running over different ideas for Nyx’s new coat. Perhaps she should try burgundy? A delightful color—though perhaps with a pattern running through, to keep it from being too overpowering. She could consider working in some of Nyx’s natural colors…some violet might work wonders. But there were so many other colors she could try! Green perhaps? It would be a nice color on her, provided it had some blue undertones…
Green. A memory of green passed before her sight. She was drowning in green fluid but could not escape; she was wrapped too tightly. And she could hear a lubricious voice laughing as the green smothered her…
Rarity shuddered. She wondered if she would ever take to green again after…all that.
Her eyes fell on Nyx’s mane. It was a beautiful color, but rather messy, and hung about her like wavy curtains with lots of split ends, a long bang falling over the left eye. It was a very familiar mane-style, and Rarity could guess who the stylist had been. She tried not to think too hard about that. The idea of Chrysalis running her hooves through this child’s mane, styling and cutting it just to look like her own…it made Rarity feel very uncomfortable.
She needed to talk to Twilight about giving Nyx a different mane style. She doubted Twilight knew anything about styling, so Rarity would be more than happy to give her some suggestions. She already had an idea about a headband…at the very least, she could trim her coiffure of its split ends.
Rarity picked up her red-handled scissors and turned around. “All right my dear—hold still. I—” She stopped. Nyx’s eyes had become very wide again. She stared fearfully at the scissors in Rarity’s magic.
“Is something the matter, dear?” Rarity asked. She stepped towards Nyx.
And then Nyx snarled, a resonant sound that sat surprisingly low for such a small filly. But it was the teeth that shocked Rarity the most—sharp fangs, with incisors double the length of the others.
“What?” Rarity gasped. “What in the world?” And then she felt powerful magic wrap around the scissors and pull them from her grasp…
_____________________________________________________________________________________
“…And that’s when I looked down and saw I got my very own Cutie Mark!” Dinky Hooves finished. “So, then I ran to Mommy and I showed it to her.” She smiled at her mom. Miss Muffins smiled right back.
“I was so happy to see Dinky’s cutie mark had come in!” she told the Crusaders. “I’m so proud of her!”
Dinky beamed and took a long draught of hot chocolate, the mug wobbling in her shaky magic. When she lowered it back, her nose was covered in froth. Sweetie Belle giggled, and took a swig from her own mug in case Dinky thought she was laughing at her.
They sat near the café’s front window, drinking chocolate and nibbling on muffins. The fillies had requested chocolate chocolate-chip muffins, while Miss Muffins opted for banana nut. There were other patrons in the café, but only a single waiter.
Miss Muffins wiped the froth off her daughter’s muzzle before continuing: “We were so excited! But then we realized neither of us knew what it meant. Dinky couldn’t remember what had happened to trigger it. She just looked down, and there it was!”
Applebloom nodded. “Yup, that there happens a lot. Ponies get their marks, but they’re all so busy with things they don’t even know they came in!” She looked Miss Muffins in the eyes and smiled. The Crusaders were doing their level best not to stare too hard at Miss Muffin’s goggled eyes, hoping to avoid being seen as rude. Her eyes were the only part of her that seemed a little odd; otherwise, Miss Muffins was an ordinary pegasus mare with a blonde mane and a gray coat. Her daughter was a unicorn, with her mother’s blonde mane but a pale purple coat. Dinky’s new cutie mark consisted of three blue bubbles. It resembled her mother’s mark, though Miss Muffins’ bubbles were a faded gray-mauve in color, and numbered seven instead of three.
“I’m glad we’re not the only ones,” Miss Muffins answered, relieved. “Do you think you three can help us? I was going to have Pinkie Pie host our cute-ceañera, but we were hoping to find out what her mark meant before we threw it.”
“I can’t wait for my cute-ceañera!” Dinky squeaked. “Mommy says there will be lots of cake! And we’ll invite all of our relatives and friends over!” She beamed at the Crusaders. “And you can come too!”
“Awesome!” Scootaloo said. “We’ll be there!”
Dinky bounced in her seat. “Yay! Who else can I invite?”
“Well, have you thought about inviting Diamond Tiara?” Applebloom suggested.
Dinky’s eyes narrowed. “No! I don’t want to invite her! She is very mean! She is mean because she makes fun of Mommy and that’s bad!”
“She used to be mean, but she’s a lot nicer now,” Sweetie Belle said.
“In fact, we ran into her on the way over,” Applebloom added. “She was wantin’ to come with us so she could say sorry.”
Dinky looked puzzled. “Sorry? Does that mean she isn’t going to be mean anymore?”
“Nope! She’s turned over a new leaf.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Miss Muffins said, spreading warm whipped butter over her muffin. “Dinky, I know you don’t like Diamond Tiara, but why don’t we invite her and see if she’ll be nice now?”
“But Mommy! She made fun of you and called you mean names!”
Miss Muffins smiled gently. “I know, but I don’t need you to fight for me.” She leaned over and kissed Dinky in front of her horn. “When ponies who do bad try to make amends, the least you can do is hear them out. So why don’t we let Diamond Tiara come so she can say sorry? Then you can decide to forgive her or not.”
Dinky softened. “Okay, Mommy. I’ll invite her.” She gave Miss Muffins a hug. “I love you lots and lots!”
Sweetie Belle stifled another giggle. Dinky was so cute! The filly was several years younger than the Crusaders, and remained closely attached to her mother. The innocent, genuine love she had was so sweet! Sweetie Belle thought about her own mother, Cookie Crumbles, and decided to give her a big hug later. Just because.
“Would you like more cocoa, young miss?” It was the waiter, Horte Cuisine. He was a brown stallion with a neatly combed mane and pencil-thin moustache.
“Yes, please,” Sweetie Belle answered, remembering her manners. Horte Cuisine bowed and poured more steaming chocolate into her mug from a steel coffee decanter. As he leaned in, Sweetie Belle noticed heavy bags and crows’ feet around his eyes. He tried to suppress a yawn as he poured.
“Are you okay?” she asked him, concerned. “You look tired.”
Horte Cuisine blinked, surprised at the question. “I’m doing fine, young Miss. I merely…stayed up far too late into the night. I had much work to do.”
Sweetie Belle nodded. Rarity tended to stay up late as well, either to catch up with business or work on new designs. Sweetie Belle sometimes found her asleep at her workbench. She would get her up, and Rarity would blearily make them tea (Sweetie Belle was not to use the stove, ever).
“If nothing else, Miss, you will excuse me. I have other customers to attend to.” He turned away to address a different table. Sweetie Belle stared after him for a moment, but then shrugged and turned away. She dismissed him from her thoughts as she listened to the conversation. Applebloom had returned to the subject of cutie marks.
“So, like I was just sayin’, a bubble cutie mark could mean lots of things! But let’s start real simple and see if you’re really good at blowing bubbles first before we start gettin’ all ess-oh-tare-ic…you got the formula, Scootaloo?”
“Check!” Scootaloo held up a purple bottle of bubble formula. “I got the suds right here.”
“Great! And Sweetie Belle, you got the wand?”
Sweetie Belle gasped. “The wand? I forgot it!”
“You forgot? How could you forget about the bubble wand?”
“I was in a rush! Rarity really wanted to get me out of her shop, she had some client or whatever coming! It slipped my mind, okay?”
Applebloom facehooved. “Darn it, Sweetie Belle.” She turned to Dinky and Miss Muffins. “I’m awful sorry about this, but we need to go and grab somethin’ from Rarity’s place. We’ll be back in a jiffy.”
Sweetie Belle stood up and grabbed her coat. “No, I’ll get it. Why don’t you guys go on without me, I’ll be right back.”
“You sure?” Applebloom asked. “We can help you look for it.”
“No, that’s okay. Rarity’s busy, and she’ll probably get upset if all three of us show up.”
The other Crusaders nodded. Rarity always got upset when ponies interrupted her work. “We’ll save your seat,” Applebloom said.
“You’ll be back soon, right?” Dinky asked, a note of anxiety in her voice.
“Of course,” Sweetie Belle said, buttoning her coat. “I’ll be back in a flash.”
She darted out of the café and ran back down the way she came. She felt furious with herself. How could she have been so careless as to leave the bubble wand behind? She would probably have found it if Rarity had not interrupted her. Her sister was going to be very annoyed if Sweetie Belle showed up while Rarity’s new client was there. Hopefully, Rarity would just wave her off and let Sweetie Belle look for her wand. Then Sweetie Belle could get back to the café before all the chocolate was gone.
She hurried through the town, occasionally sliding on the icy streets. There were several close calls wherein she nearly collided with other citizens, costing her valuable time as she hurriedly shouted her apologies and resumed running. At last, huffing and puffing, she arrived at the Boutique. She paused for a minute to catch her breath.
She looked up at the Boutique. The door and windows were closed. It was very quiet; Sweetie Belle would have expected to hear Rarity’s muffled voice, discussing her design plans with her new client.
But she was in a hurry. She went up to the door and found it locked, so she knocked instead. “Hello, Rarity? It’s me, Sweetie Belle. Listen, I left that bubble wand behind. Could you open the door so I can run in and get it?”
There was a yelp on the other side of the door, and a sound like galloping hoof steps. A window burst open, and a small dark shape leaped out. Sweetie Belle only had enough time to process a black coat and wings before the figure took off, soaring swiftly toward the Everfree Forest. Sweetie Belle could make out that it was a foal, but could see no other details against the bright winter sun.
“I wonder who that was,” Sweetie Belle wondered. She supposed it was the new client Rarity had mentioned earlier. Her sister must have been a little too enthusiastic again.
Sweetie Belle stepped aside from the door, guessing that Rarity would charge out to yell after her escaped client. But the door stayed shut. Rarity did not even call after her.
Sweetie Belle suddenly felt that something was terribly wrong. She called again for Rarity, but received no reply. But she did hear sounds inside, a kind of hoarse, repeated wheezing.
Opal jumped onto the windowsill.
“O, hi Opal,” Sweetie Belle said to the cat. “Do you know where Rarity is? I need her to—”
Sweetie Belle froze, her young mind processing Opal’s appearance at last. The cat was shaking, the pupils of her eyes shrunken in fear. Her fur was disheveled, and there was a bruise across her nose. But it was Opal’s paws that caught Sweetie Belle’s attention—paws that were stained dark red.
A cold chill ran down Sweetie Belle’s spine, one that had little to do with the weather. Cautiously, she approached the window, and looked inside. The place was a mess; the pony-kins, cloth sheets, and workbench lay on their sides.
And in the middle of it all lay Rarity, in a pool of red liquid, her hooves wrapped around the handle of the scissors stabbed into her throat. She gasped for breath, fresh blood oozing from the wound while bubbles frothed in her mouth. She caught sight of Sweetie Belle and moaned, her eyes pleading for help.
Sweetie Belle screamed.
Well, I promised to have this up by May, June at the latest. It's June! ...For a couple more days
I hadn't expected this chapter to take so long to write and edit. My initial draft was 12,800 words, but I was able to compress all that down to 11,800 words--I shaved off 10 percent!
Chapter Seven (when I finish it) will be from Nyx's viewpoint. We'll finally get to hear her viewpoint on the events of the last few chapters.
DOn't forget to leave a like and a comment!
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Happy that you updated and the ending of the chapter, brutal
Things seem to be finally kicking in for Nightmare, I reckon that with her mother’s loving teachings she would be quite alright if she stays in the Everfree.
Can I please get a link?
I think this has to be one of the best young NMM stories to date.
The Monk
“On her doorstep was Twilight Sparkle. While Derpy deeply respected the mare, like most in Ponyville, they wished she'd either switch to decaf, or start hitting the harder stuff.” -Dan_s Comments
Ahio qui la situazione degenera!
Pinkie Pie si fa domande, Dash, Twilith e compagnia bella fanno errori e alla fine Rarity paga lo scotto!
Adesso ho paura di scoprire che non c'è l'ha farà!
after chapter seven in the next nightmare or nyx he could learn teleportation and recover it in the room castle
Long awaited and finally here.
I didn't expect the bloody turn to hit so sudden, but it makes it even more interesting.
It might be only me, but I kind of had the feeling that the CMC's took a little bit "screen time" away from Nyx. I definitely don't mean it, as if it was bad or anything. I think I thought that because we know the other characters already too well, so when compared to Nyx (especially such a unique version of Nyx) she always looks more interesting. Again this is probably something only relevant to this chapter since here the CMCs are basically exactly as we know them and now with Rarity being (very certainly) dead, Sweetie Belle and her friends have potential for new development while coping and supporting S B.
I also wanted to ask, way back in chapter 2 there is mention of an occasion, where Chrysalis kidnaps the CMCs and then Twilight imprisons her & co in her fortress. Is it something from a comic, since I cannot remember an episode like that.
Anyways, thank you for a new chapter, this is one of my most favourite fanfics and I will always be waiting for the next Chapter. I guess I can return here in like 2 months?
10885292
if you allow me to answer some of your clarifications regarding chapter 2 on the CMC they are vicwnde of canon fumrtti of the narrative arc xi my little pony. and if i can say i don't think rarity is dead in this last and beautiful chapter at most she would have a deep wound but i don't think they will let her die but i think we will find out in the next chapters anyway i don't see anything useful in the plot if rarity dies. and finally I agree with you that the ni nyx character is more interesting in this story
10881270
I'm glad you wait for my updates! Yeah, I had to revise those last paragraphs a lot to make sure they landed right.
10881371
We'll be seeing some of Chryssy's teachings later.
10881405
https://www.fimfiction.net/story/341518/glimpses
Bear in mind this is a sequel to "Past Sins", which is considered a major work in this fandom. "Glimpses" examined possible AUs for the "Past Sins." My favorite is the one where Princess Celestia ends up finding Nyx, and takes her back to Canterlot. Part of the inspiration for my story was wondering what would have happened if a villain found her instead.
10881648
Thanks so much, glad you like it!
10882264
Grazie!
10885292
Glad to hear you like my story! I'm also glad to hear that I got the Crusaders mostly right. Looking back, I do think Sweetie Belle is a little too quiet, though. Other characters I think weren't quite right were Derpy (she's a lot less clumsy here, though I suppose we can write that off as being more careful around Dinky) and Rainbow Dash, who I feel was a little too obnoxious here. I think every-pony else were mostly right. And don't worry about Nyx's screen time, she'll get plenty later.
In response to your question: I believe I answered it in the Chapter Two comments, but I'll go ahead and repeat them here. I am indeed using a few of the comics as background for this story. They aren't necessary to read this story; as you may have noticed, I'm writing the story with the assumption that the reader doesn't know much about the show, so I will fill in as needed. But if you want to check the comics out, the issues I'm referencing are Friendship is Magic #1-4 (The Return of Queen Chrysalis arc, where she was officially named), and Fiendship is Magic #5, which provides the only details about Chrysalis' back story. Interestingly, I think Chrysalis is actually a lot nastier in the comics than she ever was on the show, which has informed some of my presentation of Chrysalis in this story.
I'll update when I can.
10886214
We'll just have to see, won't we? I don't know about "beautiful", bu thanks for the compliment!
10889528
I've been suffering all week to be honest. It's hard to find adult level stories here sometimes. And by adult, I don't mean porn. I mean well written stories where the character has adult responses to the experiences in the world. I'll even give you an example. As I type this, I'm listening to a story where a hero saves a mare from a military group of monsters who intended to rape her. What does he do? Knock the general out, and "I'm the bigger man'd" his way out of the camp with the victim. Then he takes her home... to her house...in the middle of the occupied territory...surrounded by those same troops.
So ridiculous, it's painful.
So when great stories like this one show up, your damn right I support them. This is a well written story with an intelligent character. I don't think you realize just how rare that is.
Monk
"Thirty minutes, Celestia. I was gone for thirty minutes," he said to her in an annoyed tone. "And in that time, Canterlot has been overrun with insect-like creatures, the groom is hypnotized and unable to perform his job, and you are being flung across your own throne room by...whatever that is. In thirty minutes." -Onomonopia
Good morning I hope I'm not disturbing you. I just wanted if you could hear these two songs. I think you might need them when you write about the time nyx was with queen chrysalis. I hope you can use them for the story. I look forward to your reply good Sunday.
Songs: -chrysalis lullaby/kolisanka chrysalis
-mother changeling lyric
This songs is in youtube
Good morning I hope not to disturb you I just wanted to tell you that I look forward to the next chapter of the six alicorns and I just have a small question to ask a curiosity that came to my mind. what happened in the period in which nyx was in the 'hive to make pharax change his mind about him as a princess and as a future knight who guitato avrebbbe the 'army of shapeshifters then conquest of Equestria ????
Why not simply tolerate her because queen chrysalis the costrotto I meanmdi must have been a moment perhaps in his training with weapons, with magic or hunting that made pharax change his mind to bring him respect or a kind of friendship camaratesca because celestia avevamdetto in history that the shifters were u a society strongly militarista
But the thing that raised this question for me were the last sentences pharax said about nyx before drinking the blood chalice that is "she's real royalty, sure enough: I've seen what she can do! Those ponies don't know what they've got! Heh heh heh!" ?????
10920097
I intend to examine this in later chapters. For now, I’ll just state that Nyx lived with the Changelings for nearly two years. And, unlike Twilight in the original Past Sins, Chrysalis was very interested in seeing what her young charge was capable of.
I’ll post a blog update in a couple of days.
I think we can file a law suit for child neglect at this point.
10921718
Ah! But against whom, I wonder?
10921897
Ponies. And Thorax.
Chapter 7 ??????
10966682
Still working on it.
ok I can't wait to read it 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Any news for us, the faithful cultists of the night?
10998289
I’m still working at it. Chapter 7 currently runs at 39 sheets of notebook paper right now, and I still have more to write. I shall post a more descriptive blog later this evening.
Chapter 7 is coming ???
11056449
I work on it when I can. I’ve had a bunch of stuff to deal with this month.
allow me a question. but the nyx of this story is more strategic like the code geass lelouch. you know I came up with this comparison due to the fact that he had hidden his xmgic abilities and that sand to fly silently. and finally compared to past sins he knows how to use many repologies of weapons ?????
11099092
. I’ll get into this more when I post the next chapter…before the turn of the next century, I hope!
I’m not sure I know what show you’re referencing, but yes. Nyx was strategic in Past Sins as well. This is the pony who conquered Equestria, by herself, with no fatalities. One of her defining traits is her intelligence. Here, she’s been brought up by an centuries-old warlord, who was naturally very interested in teaching the Alicorn Princess all about military arts
Chapter 7 ?????
11104076
Update ??????
Chapter 7 ??????
11236236
Almost. It just needs another read-through.
Wait a minute, did Nyx KILL Rarity? I know she can be bitchy at times but isnt that a bit much?
11238934
I know right? I said in my diatribe last chapter that I was almost looking forward for the other horseshoe to drop, but I was thinking the girls come across NM eating Angel Bunny or something, not this.
Then again,
NyxI mean NM, has been trained for most of her young life that pones are prey/enemies and she was quite adamant that the wicked brujas would pay...