The Alley Outside of 7/11: An Anthology

by The Red Parade

Some Violent Form of Love

“Rarity!”

Rarity flinched, dropping the needle she was holding in her magic. “What, Sweetie?” she shouted back, rubbing her head and glancing at her empty cup of tea. She could have sworn it was full a minute ago.

“Phone call for you!” Sweetie Belle shouted back. “Did you not hear it ringing?”

“No, dear, I was absorbed in my work,” Rarity answered, moving away from her work station while rubbing her forehead, trying to wish away her headache. “What I wouldn’t give for a cup of chamomile…” she muttered.

Rarity trotted into the living room, where Sweetie was holding the telephone for her. “It’s Twilight.”

“Twilight?” Rarity took the phone in her magic and held it up to her ear. “Rarity speaking.”

“Hi Rarity!” came Twilight’s voice. “Sorry for not calling you sooner. How are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m quite overwhelmed at the minute, darling. I’ve so much to do,” Rarity said, collapsing on a nearby couch. “But nevermind me, how are you? Is the royal lifestyle treating you alright?”

Twilight chuckled from the other end of the phone. “Well, it has it’s up and downs. I certainly miss not having to deal with the royals, especially Blueblood.”

Rarity gasped. “Oh, that scoundrel! Is he still giving you problems?”

“Fancy Pants does a good job of keeping him in line,” Twilight answered.

“That’s good to hear, darling,” Rarity said, before a yawn escaped her.

“Are you alright, Rarity? You sound exhausted.”

A small smile found its way to Rarity’s lips. “Ah, you always were the observant one. Yes, Twilight, I believe I am. Managing my stores and trying to front my new line has been no easy task, to say the least.”

There was a shuffling from the other end of the line. “Oh. Maybe you should take a break, Rarity? I don’t want you to burn yourself out again.”

Rarity yawned again, sinking deeper into her plus sofa and feeling drowsy. “I won’t, dear. You have my word on that.”

Twilight sighed into the phone. “Are you sure, Rarity? Because… because I know you, and that worries me.”

Rarity furrowed her brow. “How so, darling?”

“Well… you move fast, Rarity,” Twilight began, speaking in slow breaths. “And I’ve always admired that about you. But… sometimes I worry you move too fast, to the point where you can’t even keep up with yourself.”

Rarity glanced at the coffee table, which was covered in magazines and newspapers, along with several cups of different drinks that she had neglected to wash.

“Sometimes it feels like you’re taking life head on, moving faster than Rainbow, even,” Twilight continued. “And I just…” she trailed off, as if something had just dawned on her.

Rarity felt an anxious pang in her heart as she waited for Twilight to continue.

“I think… I think you should slow down for a bit, Rarity,” Twilight said. “Take a bit to yourself. Figure it out. I’m certain that you will.”

Lining her walls were framed photographs of herself and her friends. Twilight was in them, along with the others, but Rarity couldn’t remember the last time she had really stopped to look at them.

She sat up, glancing around the living room. She noticed how much of it sat in disarray, with stray pieces of fabric scattered on the table and pieces of garments draped over the chairs and sofas. She remembered how when Sweetie had shown up to visit, she practically had to carve a little hole in the guest room, sleeping between stacks of boxes and crates.

“I think… I think you may have a point, darling,” Rarity said.

“I think I do, darling,” Twilight teased into the phone.

Rarity smiled. “Well you always did know best.”

She sat there for a moment in silence before continuing. “My love… I know that we may not be together anymore, but I do miss you dearly.”

There was a pause from Twilight before she spoke. “I miss you too, Rarity. I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way we wanted them to.”

Rarity glanced at her framed memories on the wall before nodding. “As am I, but I suppose that’s in the past now. We can’t change it. I hope you’ll come home soon, dear.”

“I’ll try, Pinkie Promise,” Twilight answered. “I hope you can figure out how to slow down and figure it out, Rarity. And I’m sorry I’m not there to help you through it.”

“No worries, my dear,” Rarity said as she stood up. “I believe this is something I’ll have to work through myself.” She seized a makeup mirror in her magic and held it to her face, noting the bags under her eyes and her unkempt mane.

Rarity laughed as she saw her reflection.

“I’m certain we’ll get through this, Rarity,” Twilight said. “This is nothing we can’t do… right?”

Rarity set her mirror down slowly. “Of course, my dear. Of course.” She found her eyes lingering on the last photo she had taken before Twilight had left for Canterlot.

A strange feeling fluttered through her chest, sending chills aching through her spine and tingling in her horn. It wasn’t quite strong enough to make her cry, but instead it was gentle, like a running river rather than a crashing wave.

It moved something inside of her, and brought back a bittersweet sense of nostalgia that Rarity couldn’t quite place. She looked at the phone in her magic, wondering if it was appropriate to say ‘I love you.’

From the guest room, Rarity could hear Sweetie singing, her voice drifting through the walls in a silent whisper, crystal clear to her weary ears.