Just how long had it been anyway? Hard to say, but she’d spent the better part of the day being dragged along by her own horn. She had no idea what to make of that. She had assumed unicorn magic would be a bit easier to understand, perhaps more clear cut on at least an instinctive level? But no, this was mystifying.
At least it was over, it had gotten not only irritating but mildly uncomfortable.
A boulder, though? What was the point in being dragged out all this way for a large, terribly drab, boulder? Was her horn defective? She supposed it might be prudent to approach a doctor on the matter, but first she’d have to find her way back home.
She was startled by an explosion of sound, and colors in the sky, then a sudden all encompassing silence.
“Well, isn’t that something?” she heard a familiar voice say. It seemed to be coming from the other side of the unfabulous boulder.
“Hello?” she called out softly.
“I’m here, dear, just admiring the beauty of this magnificent stone…,” the voice softly cooed as a snow white filly with a curling purple mane trotted around the boulder, settling in next to her.
“Y-You... B-But… How?!” she yelped.
“I haven’t the slightest idea just how this has come to happen, darling, but so be it. I’m here and I have something to tell you,” the other filly said with a small smile, without ever turning to look at Rarity.
“You do?”
“Oh yes, certainly. I imagine you are looking at this magnificent stone," she indicated with a foreleg, "and thinking to yourself ‘What an atrocity!’ yes?”
Rarity could only nod in response.
“Perhaps that it what looking only at the surface will have you thinking, but honestly? Don’t you know there is more to things than what you see on the outside?” the other said as she began to circle the boulder again.
Rarity blinked. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I imagine other ponies may look at you and see somepony very shallow, but they’re missing such a tremendous part of the picture if they never look inside… And, well, that is just a touch your fault, dear… But no matter, because that just means that ponies who are worth your time will be the only ones to truly appreciate you,” the ivory filly stated.
“Sh-shallow?”
“You are very concerned with the appearance of those costumes, yes? You have created fabulous designs, they will stun the audience without question, and yet… Not enough? What is it about them that you do not like?”
Rarity stomped a hoof, her face taking on a red tone as frustration built up, “They don’t dazzle! They don’t shine! The players on stage won’t stand out as they deserve to if I cannot properly adorn those costumes!”
The other filly stopped beside the boulder, head tilted and a meaningful look in her eyes as she spoke. “Is that actually for the actors? Is there nothing in there for yourself?”
Rarity looked away, the red in her face less from frustration now. “M-Maybe, a little? I have dreams! I’m going to be a trendsetting fashionista someday!”
The other filly smiled, and nodded.
“But how will you take the first step? How will you make your costumes dazzle and shine?”
Rarity released a heavy sigh, deflating and looking down, then closing her eyes. “Oh I don’t know… What can I do? I have exhausted my options! I am at the end of my line!” She declared dramatically while throwing a foreleg over her forehead.
“What have we been discussing?” the other filly asked patiently.
Rarity placed a hoof on her chin, deep in thought. “Looking inside?”
The other filly nodded in approval.
“And you shall, and don’t ever forget it, darling. It will be a very important virtue of yours, do you understand? When you can look inside of a pony, see what makes them beautiful, and find ways to bring that to the surface for all to see?”
Rarity blinked, a bit dumbfounded. She stared at the other filly, who had begun to move around the boulder in the opposite direction at that moment.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be waiting for you Rarity. We’ll have good times together, you and I. You’ll see,” the other filly said as she came around the other side of the boulder.
“What’s going to happen? Why is everything so quiet?”
“A marvelous thing has happened, and you’ll understand that one day. It isn’t for me to say, but when you and I finally meet again? You’ll just know. If you wait a moment… Well, something fabulous is about to happen.”
Rarity could only nod as the other filly reached out a foreleg and placed it on her shoulder.
“It’s been lovely talking with you, ta ta!” she reached forward and nuzzled Rarity’s nose, and then she was gone.
All noise returned in force, the explosion resuming from where it had left off. In that moment, the colors washed over the area and the light was too much, she’d had to squint to alleviate the stress on her eyes. After that moment, after she was able to look again, she found the boulder had split in two, filled with marvelously shiny gems.
Brilliant! These were perfect!
This is a commemorating moment for your stories, for this is the first comment to be posted on them. May they be the first of many.
As of this moment, I read up to Rarity, starting from Fluttershy. Based on the names of the chapters, it wasn't difficult to realize whom each one was focusing on, and I quickly adapted to the fact that it was the day they got their cutie marks. The parts that confused me, and anyone who hasn't read the story yet should avoid the rest of this paragraph if they wish to avoid spoilers, is this: Are the Main 6 talking to their future selves? It took until reading the end of Rarity to realize that time was also paused during the conversation. I tried to visualize what their other selves look like, and I'm still struggling on that point. They seem to possess future knowledge, as if to suggest it is their adult selves we're all most familiar with in the show, yet it said in Fluttershy's story, "Her Clone". In this context, it imply's their other selves look like their younger selves, because that is the appearance that would be identical at that age.
A couple of theories comes to mind about this scenario. One; they are talking to themselves and their own higher ego, albeit in paused time. I'm not sure if they remember this conversation after time resumes, though, or two; they are talking to their future selves . . . somehow. In a world filled with magical talking horses, probably not worth questioning the logic too much. Three; they are talking to the Tree of Harmony in this case. I wouldn't put it past such a force to be able to communicate to them in paused time, and likely the point is to get them to realize they have a special destiny in Equestia, and that moment was to help them sort through it.
In any case, I think the point of the author, in this case, is to express internal dialog for each of the characters during a pivotal moment for them which extends beyond the cannon of the show. This is a paused moment of self reflection where the writer can explore the idea, "What was going through their heads at that very moment?" By getting into their mindset, the writer is trying to show a deeper psychological perspective of each member of the Mane 6.
This next paragraph is spoiler free.
Just an observation that somewhat relates to this chapter. Have you ever noticed that Rarity was the only filly literally forced to be where she was meant to be in order to help her discover her cutie mark destiny? She didn't know where she was going which indicates she wasn't doing it on purpose. I have never seen another pony forced into a situation like this in order to help them discover their cutie mark destiny, which indicates to me that this situation is a Rarity in Equestira. She wasn't too shocked or confused, thus indicating such things have happened before. She wasn't freaking out during the journey, she seemed merely annoyed and, perhaps deep down, curious and excited. Also, one has to wonder if she was dragged out so far that she might have trouble making her way back home during that time. Plenty of opportunities for stranger danger for a young filly at that age. For the moment I'll assume that, even if she was dragged very far, she still knew her way home with no problem. That didn't seem the point of the story, but still . . . one has to wonder if the situation was examined more closely. I suspect that she was dragged out near the Pie family rock farm, which I always suspected was near Ponyville. Far enough to need to take a train there, but adjacent to Ponyville nonetheless.
On a related note, what if Holders Boulder also has a bunch of geode gems inside? Or perhaps it really is a petrified dragon egg. Nopony knows!