I Didn't Want This

“Think fast!”

Rarity screeched in pain as a bright red rubber ball slammed into her horn. She collapsed on the ground, wailing and clutching her horn. Through the pain she could hear her classmates muttering amongst themselves and Cheerilee shouting in anger at somepony. Rarity didn’t need to look to see who it was. The pain in her horn slowly started ebbing, and she rolled onto her back with a whimper. She groaned and looked over to where Cheerilee was yelling at three of their classmates.

“—deliberately hit her!” Cheerilee snarled. “What in Equestria is wrong with you?!”

One of them scoffed and waved his hoof. “Lighten up, Cheers. It just clipped her.”

“I won’t lighten up, Kicker!” Cheerilee snapped back. “Look how much you hurt her!”

“You’re being dramatic,” the second colt said. “She’s fine.”

“She’s not fine, Dug!” Cheerilee snapped her hoof down to point to Rarity. “It hurt a lot!” Cheerilee turned her glare to the filly in the trio. “You’re a unicorn too, Annie! You know how much it hurts to get hit in the horn!”

Annie rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but, we didn’t even really hit her. It’s not our fault she’s being a foal about it.”

Cheerilee began grinding her teeth, and she stomped up to Annie to go forehead-to-forehead with her. “That’s not true and you know it! You hurt her on purpose!”

“What in Equestria is going on here?” an adult voice said. Rarity weakly looked over in the direction of the new voice and saw their teacher rushing up to the commotion. “What happened to Rarity?”

“They threw a ball at her head and hit her on the horn!” Cheerilee said, pointing to the trio.

Dug’s eyes widened, and he shook his head. “What? No! We didn’t do that! It was an accident! We were just playing catch with each other and the ball got away from us.” He gave Rarity a sympathetic look and extended his hoof to her. “I’m sorry, Rarity. I didn’t mean to.”

“You literally shouted ‘think fast’ before you threw it!” Cheerilee said. “She wasn’t even playing!”

“That’s not true!” Kicker insisted. “He wasn’t saying it to her, he was saying it to me, and that’s when the ball got away from him.”

“Okay, enough of this,” the teacher growled. “You three in my office now.” She turned to Rarity with a sympathetic smile. “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the nurse?”

“No,” Rarity muttered, slowly getting up to a sitting position. “I’m fine.”

“See? She’s fine,” Annie said. “No harm no foul, right?”

“Office,” the teacher snapped.

The three foals all grumbled to themselves, but trudged into the schoolhouse with the teacher following close behind. Dug shot Rarity and Cheerilee one last dirty look before following his friends inside.

Cheerilee glared at them until they disappeared, but once they were gone, she sat down next to Rarity and put her hoof on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Rarity muttered. “It doesn’t hurt so much anymore.”

“That’s good.” Cheerilee sighed and glared at the schoolhouse door. “When is Ms. Day going to actually punish them? I’ll bet they’re just getting a talking to.”

“It’s okay,” Rarity said as she slowly, shakily got back to her hooves. “Maybe this time she’ll really punish them.”

Cheerilee scoffed and got to her own hooves. “I don’t believe that, Rarity. She never really punishes them! They’re gonna just keep doing stuff like this if she doesn’t do something. They’ve been mean to you like this for months!”

“I know,” Rarity said. “Maybe if I don’t react, they’ll just get bored and leave me alone.”

“Rarity—”

“It’s okay.” Rarity turned to Cheerilee and forced a smile on her face. “Wanna go play on the swings?”

* * * *

The peaceful sound running water caused Rarity’s stress to wash away as she reached her usual spot at the creek that had become her one sanctuary since school had begun and she’d been tortured by her bullies for the first time. She leaned her saddlebag against one of the trees and collapsed next to it.

Rarity idly rubbed the base of her horn where she had felt most of the pain, and leaned back against the tree. Tears began welling up in her eyes as she realized that in twelve short hours she would have to go to school again. She would have to endure a whole other day of Dug, Kicker, and Annie poking her with metaphorical needles. Then it would be another short twelve hours before it happened again.

At least here she was safe.

Rarity walked over to her creek and fixed it in her gaze. Her eyes were puffy and her usually well-groomed mane was disheveled, making the pony in the water look quite unlike herself. A pair of tears rolled down her eyes and dripped into the water, sending ripples through the creek.

"Why doesn't Ms. Day do anything?" she whimpered. "She suspended them the first day, so why doesn't she just kick them out of school for good to make them leave me alone?"

Rarity sat on her haunches and closed her eyes, but the second she did the image of the three of them laughing at her flashed into her vision. A feeling of rage coursed through her body, and she slammed her hoof down in the creek, splashing both herself and the surrounding area with water. "I HATE THEM!" she screamed. "I WISH THEY WERE DEAD!"

Rarity opened her mouth to let out another anguished scream, but it died in her throat when the full weight of her words hit her. "What did I just...?" she whispered to herself. She turned her attention back to the creek. The ripples combined with how wet she was distorted her appearance even more. Her mane clung to her neck, giving the impression that she was wearing seaweed.

Rarity blinked once and then looked around the clearing. "Do I really?"

Rarity tried to push the taunts of the bullies that echoed through her mind out of it, but the more she tried, the louder they became, and the more appealing their deaths were to her. She grabbed her head in her hooves and moaned.

'Stupid little rat. You gonna be a chicken and tell teacher?'

"Shut up!" she screeched.

'Look at the poor little rat. What's it like living with your kind in the slums?'

Rarity screamed and pounded the ground with her hoof. "Just leave me alone!"

"Bet that hurt when you got hit. Is the poor foal gonna cry now?'

"I SAID SHUT UP!"

With one final scream she grabbed a nearby rock and slammed it into a tree. The adrenaline mixed with her rage and fear increased her drive, and the blow took a chunk out of the base. Had she done something like that before she met the three of them, she would have likely found herself horrified by her actions, but now it felt amazing to hurt something, even if it was just some silly tree.

As she continued to pound away at the base of the tree the question flickered in her mind for the briefest of moments of what it would be like to do it to hurt them for real.

* * * *

Later that week was more of the same for Rarity. She went to school in utter silence and did her best to ignore the torment that the bullies inflicted. None of it mattered. Nothing she or anypony else said did any good. Her teacher had suspended the three of them on more than one occasion, but the last suspension was a month ago, as Rarity had stopped telling her about it.

After the five hours of torture that was school, Rarity once again found herself back at her creek. She dejectedly leaned her saddlebag against a tree, stopping only to run her hoof over several large gash marks that she had inflicted on the trunk. She looked around the clearing where many of the other trees had similar marks on them.

Rarity sighed and laid down in the cool grass next to the trickling stream. She wanted to pick another tree to attack, but for whatever reason today of all days had left her feeling blank, and she didn't feel that it was worth the effort today.

"So, this is where the poor kid comes to hide like a chicken. Good job finding her, Annie," cackled an all too familiar voice. Rarity's heart sank as she heard the malicious laughter of the three bullies. She bolted up and any hopes that she was just being paranoid ended there. Dug, Kicker, and Annie all stood in front of her, laughing at the cornered filly.

Rarity whimpered and took a small step backwards. No, they can't be here! I'm safe here! They couldn't be here! "No, please, just go away!" she pleaded.

An evil smile spread across Dug’s face. “What’s the matter, Rat? We just wanna talk to you.”

"Yeah,” Kicker added as he flanked Rarity on the right. “We never did thank you for all of those times where you tattled and got us kicked out of school.”

"No, just go away! I don't want you here! Just leave!" Rarity begged.

Annie circled to Rarity’s left. “We just wanna talk, kid.” Her hoof tapped on the ground, and Rarity imagined Annie pouncing for an attack.

Rarity cowered at the sound of Dug slowly popping the joints in his neck. “Let’s show her what happens to rats in this school!”

They all took a step forward, closing in on Rarity. “Keep away from me!” Rarity squealed, backing away further. Her eyes flickered around the clearing looking for something, anything to defend herself with. Her eyes landed on a large rock a few hooves from where she was standing. It would have to do if they came closer.

"Or what?" Dug said with a scoff as he advanced closer with each retreating step that Rarity took. "It's just you and us out here. Nopony can save you now! If you try to tell anyone about us beating you up… well, let's just say that nopony cares too much about the poor kids. Not when our parents actually have money!" Rarity jerked backwards when she noticed Kicker and Annie had advanced right up to her sides. "We're not in school; Ms. Day can't suspend us for this!"

Rarity's eyes darted around looking for a way out, yet always ended up on the rock. It was as if something was telling her that there was no other option. Still, there was another part of her that didn’t want to do it. She continued to plead with them to leave her alone.

As Rarity tried to get away, she felt a new emotion bubble up in her. It was like what she felt when she hit the trees with the rock, but it was more potent. Beneath the unadulterated fear, something else was creeping up. It rose with her heartbeat. It was like anger, but still different. She whimpered and tried to push back the new feeling for fear of doing something foolish.

She saw Dug’s hind legs uncoil as he lunged forward. “Get her!”

“I said leave me alone!” Rarity yelled. The fear drove her to protect herself; the suppressed rage instantly overtaking her. She used her magic to pick up the rock, slamming it as hard as she could into the side of Dug's head. He collapsed without uttering a sound, almost as if strings holding him up had just been severed.

In that instant, time seemed to stop for all three. Dug was lying on the ground motionless, his eyes wide open. A large pool of blood was forming around his head, flowing from the large gash that the rock had made when it smashed into his skull. Kicker and Rarity simply stared silently at the corpse while Annie instantly burst into tears.

The clearing was silent for a few minutes. Rarity was trying to register what she had done and what to do about it now. She was surprised to find that she didn't feel upset with herself or even horrified with her actions. In fact, she had gotten quite the rush when the rock had collided with Dug's head. It was one of the greatest feelings she had ever experienced. It was as if raw power had coursed through her veins in the moment that she had attacked Dug. Her fear had vanished instantly; the months of torment instantly forgotten. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. "That was..." She blinked once and looked down at the rock. "Amazing."

She saw the blood starting to trickle into the stream, tainting the clear water. Tainting. His blood was tainting the pure water, just as the three of them had tainted her spot. Rarity had never really liked filth, and avoided it when she could, but growing up in poor conditions meant that she was surrounded by uncleanliness, so she had trained herself to tolerate it to the best of her abilities. With what had just happened, she realized just how horrible it was when filth was allowed to taint something so innocent and pure.

She looked up at the two remaining ponies who were still staring in shock at the lifeless body of their leader. Annie was shaking and crying. Her head was turned so that she had to look sideways to see the body. Her eyes occasionally flickered away as if she was trying to tear her eyes away completely, but her gaze remained fixed on Dug. "Is... is he dead?" she whispered.

Rarity didn't even try to suppress the all-consuming rage this time. This time she enjoyed it bubbling up inside of her. She had no sympathy for the creature in front of her. Annie wasn't a pony; she was filth. Filth needed to be cleansed, or else it would destroy her world.

Kicker uneasily bit his lip and shakily got to his hooves. He slowly trotted up to Dug's body and uneasily poked it. His friend didn't move, and Kicker’s legs shook as he put his ear next to Dug's chest to check for a heartbeat. Finding none, his head snapped back up and he looked at Annie with fear in his eyes. "He's dead! The rat killed him! She─"

His words were cut short when the rock smashed into the side of his head, sending a resounding crack echoing throughout the clearing. Kicker fell to the ground and the second he hit it, Rarity smashed his head with the rock again, and again, and again. She was getting splashed by specks of blood, and her pristine coat was becoming dirty, but for once in her life, she didn't care about that. The only thing that mattered to her was cleansing the filth.

Rarity put the rock down and looked up towards Annie. She was filth too. She had made her life horrible too, and she needed to pay for that.

But Annie wasn't there.

Rarity's eyes widened as the sound of screams coming from the direction of the town faded away into the distance. Rarity shot to her hooves with a terrified squeal and ran after Annie, but even now she knew that it was too late. Annie's screams faded away completely, causing silence to reign in the forest once again. Rarity let out a small whine as she stopped running and leaned against a tree. Tears began welling up in her eyes and she collapsed onto the ground, softly sobbing as she did.

"I didn't mean to!" she whimpered. "I... I j-just wanted them to leave me alone."

Rarity stood up and began running into the forest. Maybe she could get away and nopony would find her. She could go back to her parents, and pretend that she hadn't been in the forest. Somepony else had killed Dug and Kicker. Not her, though.

She ran for a few minutes until the adrenaline of what she had done faded away, and she looked at her surroundings. It was true that she hadn't gone far into the forest, but the trees around her were unrecognizable. She turned back around, hoping that she could see light coming in the direction of her clearing, but nothing was there. A quiet whine escaped her throat, and she began running in circles, hoping to see something familiar that would lead her out of the forest.

"Oh no," she whimpered. She leaned against a tree and curled up at the base. "M-Mommy. Please come get me, Mommy." Rarity wiped her eyes. "I j-just want to go home."

Rarity laid at the base of the tree and cried. She didn't know how much time was passing, nor did she care. She could see the sky growing darker, and that only increased her fear. She was lost, afraid, and covered in blood. Her fear was made worse when she heard the sound of a twig snap. She raised her head, and saw something large coming right for her. With a squeal, she shot to her hooves and bolted in the opposite direction.

"There you are," said a voice from behind her.

Rarity let out another wail and tried to run deeper into the forest. She only made it a few hooves into one of the denser areas before she felt one of her hind legs encased in a magical aura, preventing her from moving forwards. She tried to struggle out of it, but she soon felt herself in the powerful forelegs of a stallion. She attempted to wiggle out of his grasp, but he held on tight.

"Just leave me alone!" Rarity cried. "I d-didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't mean to kill them!"

"Hey, calm down, kid," said the voice of the stallion holding her. "We're not going to hurt you, okay? Just calm down. I don't want to put hoofcuffs on you, but if you don't stop struggling, I might have to."

Rarity whimpered, but stopped struggling. She went limp in the police officer's forelegs, but she was surprised when he started stroking her mane. "That's it. You're okay."

"I want my mommy," Rarity moaned. "I don't wanna be here anymore."

The police officer sighed and squeezed Rarity tighter. It wasn't to keep her there, but a little stress washed away as he held her. "Shh. I know, kid. We'll get you your mom soon, okay? We're going to have to take you down to the station to ask you a few questions first. I promise that we aren't going to hurt you."

Rarity sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "Am... am I going to go to jail forever?"

The police officer was silent for a moment, something that caused a tightness to well up inside Rarity's chest. The officer sighed and gave her another squeeze. "Let's just wait until we've figured out what happened, okay?"

Rarity sniffled and nodded as the officer put her down. She felt herself being encased in his telekinesis, and she was lifted into the air. The sight in front of her brought forth a fresh wave of tears as she saw a large group of police officers around the bodies of Dug and Kicker. They were taking pictures and putting objects into evidence bags, her rock included. A pair of officers were chatting with each other as they watched Dug and Kicker being placed into body bags. They stopped talking and looked at Rarity when they approached.

"You found her," said one of the officers. "Where was she?"

The officer holding Rarity motioned to the forest. "She wasn't hurt or anything. She's just scared."

The other officer sighed. "Yeah." He gently placed a hoof on Rarity's head. "Don't worry just yet, okay?"

"Wait... is that blood?" The first officer frowned. "I know the other kid said it was her, but I didn't really believe her."

"I didn't mean to," Rarity whimpered. "Th-they made me so scared."

Rarity sniffled and tried her best to curl up into a ball. She looked over at the officer holding her, and he noticed her looking at him and gave her his best attempt at a comforting smile.

Rarity's ears swiveled when she heard the sound of more ponies coming towards them. She turned her head and squealed when she saw three more stone-faced officers coming towards them; two flanking one in the middle. The one in the middle had a large badge pinned to his uniform that read 'Captain Formation.' The three officers saluted the captain.

"Captain Formation," said the officer holding Rarity, "we've got things pretty much under control here. We've got a team looking at the crime scene, and the victims have been readied for transport to the coroner."

The captain nodded and looked over at Rarity. "And she is the killer?"

"Uh..." The officer hesitated for a brief moment before nodding. "Yeah. She has their blood on her, and she was running from the crime scene. The witness confirms her as the perpetrator. She says that she didn't mean to do it, so I'm thinking that this may be an accident that got out of hoof."

"Very well." The captain motioned over to Rarity. "I want her hoofcuffed, muzzled, and her horn blocked. We have a wagon prepared to take her to the station."

Rarity squealed and began thrashing about as the two officers flanking the captain took hoofcuffs off of their belts.

The officer holding Rarity took a step backwards, and raised her a little higher in the air. "With all due respect, sir, she's just a filly. She's not a monster, and we don't need to treat her like one!"

The two officers walking towards Rarity stopped and looked towards the captain who had raised an eyebrow. "She's not a monster, you say?" The captain scoffed and walked over to the pair of body bags lying on the ground. He unzipped one with his magic, revealing what was barely recognizable as Dug's face. The captain lingered on the image of the slain foal, and there seemed to almost be a hint of sadness in his eyes. He reached a hoof towards Dug, almost as if he was going to pat him on the head. He leaned down and whispered something into his ear. Rarity couldn't hear exactly what he was saying, but it sounded something like 'we got her for you, sport.'

The captain straightened back up and turned his head back to Rarity. Any sadness behind his eyes was replaced with a subtle glare. "She's not a monster? You could have fooled me." He shook his head and zipped the bag up. "Hoofcuffs, horn blocker, muzzle, station. Unless, of course, you wish to just let her go."

The officer holding Rarity tightened his jaw, but didn't say anything. The two officers with hoofcuffs out walked up to Rarity and secured her fore and hind legs. Rarity began sobbing as the muzzle was placed over her mouth, and the officer holding her began stroking her mane again. "It's okay," he soothed as a nullifier ring was slipped over Rarity's horn and locked into place, "we're not going to hurt you. Just try to relax, okay?"

The captain scoffed. "One would think that you sympathize with her, Storm Chaser. You seem to forget that she's the first murderer Equestria has seen in three hundred years."

Storm Chaser deeply exhaled and continued stroking Rarity's mane. "That she may be, sir, but she's also, what, seven? Eight? She's just a scared filly."

"Killer first, scared filly second," Captain Formation snapped. "Get her out of here."

Storm Chaser saluted, but there was a hint of a glare in his eyes. "Yes sir." He moved Rarity a little closer to himself and walked towards the edge of the forest, flanked by the two officers who had come in with the captain. Rarity was shivering as if the air around her was freezing, despite the fact that it was a warm day. A large police wagon was parked at the edge, and one of the guards next to Rarity used his magic to open up the doors. To make matters worse, a large crowd had gathered around the edge of the forest, and they were being held at bay by a line of police officers. Rarity flinched back when she saw flashbulbs going off, and heard the chattering of reporter ponies.

Even in her frightened, tired, blood-stained, and mentally drained state, Rarity knew that life as she knew it would never be the same. Things could never go back to the way they were before the event of the past hour. On one hoof, those bullies wouldn't ever bother her again. She wouldn't have to be afraid of them anymore. On the other, she was scared that she would have to spend the rest of her life in a cell barely large enough for her to live in. She reasoned that that's what they did to foal murderers.

Storm Chaser hopped into the wagon and gently placed her on the floor. The double doors slammed shut, causing Rarity to flinch back. She crawled under one of the benches as best as she could with her hoofcuffs, and curled into a small ball on the ground. She moaned when she felt the feeling of being encased in magic again, and she slid towards Storm Chaser who wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

"I know, kid. I know this has got to be hard." Storm Chaser wrapped Rarity in a comforting hug. "I don't think you're a monster, kid, and I don't think that most of the other cops do either. Nopony does something like that without a reason."

Rarity began shivering again as the wagon lurched forwards, but she calmed down slightly when Storm Chaser gave her a comforting nuzzle. "I'll make sure you're okay, kid. I'll make sure nopony hurts you. You're going to be okay. I can even take your muzzle off for a little bit. I'm gonna have to put it back on when we get to the station, but I can take it off until then, alright?"

Rarity weakly nodded, and relaxed slightly when Storm Chaser slipped her muzzle off. He squeezed her tight again, and she leaned her head into his shoulder.

"There. That's better, isn't it?" Rarity sniffled and nodded. "Good. What's your name?"

"R... Rarity," she whispered. "My name is Rarity."

"Rarity, huh? Pretty name for a pretty filly. I'm not going to let them hurt you, okay? I promise."

Rarity subtly nodded and tried to wipe her eyes with a foreleg, but her hoofcuffs went taut, and she had to raise her other foreleg to wipe her eyes.

"What's going to happen to me?" Rarity whimpered.

Storm Chaser sighed and shook his head. "To be honest, Rarity, I don't really know. We're going to take you back to the station to ask you a few questions about what happened, but from there I can't say. It all depends on exactly what happened."

Rarity looked up at Storm Chaser with wide, watery eyes. "Am I... am I a bad pony?"

"No," Storm Chaser said sharply, "I don't think that you're a bad pony. I think that something bad happened to you, that's all. I mean, think about it: if you could go back right now, would you kill them again?"

"NO!" Rarity burst into tears again and wrapped her forelegs around one of Storm Chaser's "Th-they were going to hurt me, but I didn't mean to kill him! He t-told them to beat me up, and I hit him with a rock! I didn't mean to kill him! I d-didn't mean to!"

"Hey, it's okay," Storm Chaser soothed. "Shh." He began gently rubbing her back. "You're not a bad pony, Rarity. Like I said, you just had something bad happen to you. I don't think that you're going to go to jail for the rest of your life, okay? I don't think that you're going to be executed either."

Rarity's eyes widened, and she looked back up at Storm Chaser. "I-is that what they do to ponies who kill other ponies?"

"It's..." Storm Chaser bit his lip. "It's what they have done, but they're not going to do it to you, so don't worry about that."

Rarity was about to respond, but she felt the wagon stop. She squeezed Storm Chaser's foreleg tighter. With a burst of his magic, Storm Chaser smoothed out a few loose hairs in Rarity's mane before levitating the muzzle. "Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to put this back on you. I'm not going to make it too tight, alright?"

Rarity tearfully nodded, and did her best to hold back a whimper as Storm Chaser put her muzzle back on. The doors of the wagon opened up, and Storm Chaser lifted Rarity into the air with his magic again. He gently carried Rarity out of the wagon and into a big gray building with the words 'Ponyville Police Department' emblazoned on the front. The doors were opened, and Rarity was carried inside. She was greeted with the sight of dozens of police officers, all chatting with each other and sitting at desks. Most of them stopped what they what they were doing and stared at Rarity as she came in. Most of them gave sympathetic glances, but some glared at her.

Rarity was carried to a large desk where another police officer with a big badge was sitting. She looked up as they approached, and her eyes landed on Rarity. "This the murderer?"

"Yeah," said one of the officers.

The mare behind the desk nodded and began filling out paperwork. "Put her in a solitary holding cell. Princess Celestia will probably want to deal with this personally. She's already been contacted about it." The mare hoofed a key ring over to one of the officers. "Keep the hoofcuffs and the muzzle on. Captain thinks she could still be dangerous."

"With all due respect, Lieutenant, I have to disagree with that,” Storm Chaser said. He scoffed and inclined his head in Rarity's direction. "I mean look at her: does she look dangerous to you?"

The lieutenant glared at Storm Chaser. "I've seen the pictures of the murdered foals, Storm. I don't exactly like the idea, but I think that captain may have a point. Just get her to a holding cell for now until Princess Celestia gives further orders, okay?"

Rarity flattened her ears and squeezed her eyes shut as she felt herself being carried through the police station. She couldn't bear to see all of the stares, and she wished that she didn't have to hear the whispers in her direction. A pony said something to Storm Chaser about pictures for evidence, and Rarity heard the sound of a camera clicking before Storm Chaser continued. She heard a door open in front of her, and she felt the air become heavier around her. Even though her eyes were closed, she knew that they had entered a place that was darker than the rest of the station. The police officer's hoofsteps echoed throughout the hall, and Rarity knew that she would be alone in this place. She cracked an eye open, but squeezed them shut again when she saw row upon row of jail cells. One or two of them even had ponies in them, just sitting around.

The hoofsteps stopped, and Rarity heard the jingling of keys. A cell door slid open, and she felt herself being carried inside and gently placed on the floor.

"Do we seriously have to keep her like this?" Storm Chaser grumbled. "She's locked in a jail cell. We can at least take the muzzle off."

"No can do, dude." The voice of another officer scoffed. "You saw the captain. He's not going to tolerate anybody disobeying orders regarding the foal."

"Doesn't mean you have to like it," Storm Chaser grumbled.

"Who said I liked doing this?" said the other voice. "This whole thing sucks, dude. It's going to suck worse if we piss the captain off."

The cell was silent for a brief moment before Storm Chaser deeply exhaled. Rarity felt him pat her on the shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Rarity. Just try to calm down, and we'll get somepony to come talk to you."

He walked out of the cell, and Rarity flinched when she heard the cell door slam shut. It wasn't until the voices and hoofsteps of the guards faded away that Rarity allowed herself to open her eyes. The first thing she saw was the bars that kept her inside the cell. The spaces between them looked wide enough that Rarity could slip through, but she dared not try. They'd probably break her legs for that.

The cell itself was quite small. Her room back at home was larger than this, though only by a little. Rarity spotted a sink in the corner, and shuffled over to it, using it to wash off the blood covering her. The cold, concrete floor beneath her made her start shivering again, but her eyes landed on a small cot against the wall with a pillow and a thin blanket on top. She shakily pushed herself up to her hooves and took small steps toward it. Only as far as her chained forelegs would allow.

She reached the cot and, after a few tries, she managed to push the pillow and blanket off of the cot. She nudged the pillow underneath the cot, and clasped the edge of the blanket in her hooves and did her best to pull it over herself. The blanket provided little warmth, but it was better than nothing. She curled up into a ball and laid her head on the pillow, turning her back on the cell door.

* * * *

Rarity was awoken some time later by somebody banging on her cell door. She quickly sat up and saw the police captain tapping a nightstick on the bars.

"Up and at 'em, missy. You have a special guest who wants to talk to you."

Rarity whimpered and scooted into a corner of the cell, curling up into a ball and flattening her ears against her head. The captain scoffed and opened the cell door. Rarity was encased in a magical aura and lifted into the air by the captain.

"Now I know you're a murderer and all, but try to be on your best behavior," the captain growled. "We aren't going to tolerate you trying anything funny."

Rarity covered her head with her forelegs as best as she could, and squeezed her eyes shut again. The thought went through her brain that this was all a terrible nightmare, and she would wake up in her mother's forelegs. She would comfort her, telling Rarity that she was safe now, and that she wouldn't let anypony hurt her. Maybe she would tell those bullies to go away, or they'd be expelled. It had to be a dream. Surely police officers wouldn't really do this to a filly, even if she had committed murder.

No. It wasn't a dream. Even as Rarity tried to wish that it was, the reality of her situation forced itself into her brain. This was really happening to her. She was probably going to go to jail forever, if they didn't kill her in retribution for what she had done. Maybe that's who her 'special visitor' was: the hangmare.

Another door opened, and Rarity was set down on a hard metal chair in a slightly warmer room. She opened her eyes, and saw that the room was plain white with only a large mirror on the wall, and a metal table with matching chairs as distinguishing features.

Two of the police officers saluted the captain, and went outside of the room to stand guard by the door while the captain himself sat on the chair in front of Rarity. He lifted a manila folder out of a saddlebag he had strapped to his side, and he opened it up. He scanned the contents for a brief moment before clicking his tongue and setting it down.

"Normally in situations like this, I ask the perp if he or she knows why they're here." The captain rotated the folder and pushed it in front of Rarity. "In your case, I think it's pretty obvious."

Rarity only gave the contents a brief glance before she squeezed her eyes shut. The damage was done, and the images of Dug and Kicker's bloody bodies burned themselves into the forefront of her mind.

"Hmm." The officer slid the folder back over to him and shut it. "You don't take pride in your work. I guess that says something about you. Do you regret what you've done?" Rarity vigorously nodded. "I see. That may help you, but you saw the pictures. Regret isn't going to change something like that."

Rarity opened her eyes, but flinched away under the captain's piercing gaze. She tried to make herself as small as possible, but she couldn't escape his sight.

"Did you know that the colts you killed have families? Those families are devastated right now." The captain scoffed. "You didn't think about that while you were beating them to death, did you? You didn't care about anything but satisfying your twisted urges. Did you know that I had to tell Dug's parents about it? I've never seen my sister cry so hard in all her life as when I had to tell her face-to-face that her son, my nephew, had been beaten to death for pretty much no reason."

Rarity wanted to yell back that Dug and his friends had tried to beat her up. She had only defended herself when she killed him, but the captain had refused to take her muzzle off. She could only sit in silence.

The captain tapped the folder with his hoof. "No reason." He clicked his tongue. "Yeah. My nephew and his best friend died for no reason. It was a senseless slaughter, really, and you were the one who brought it about. Kicker's mother just collapsed onto the floor and laid there in a near-catatonic state. Can't imagine that she's any better now." Captain Formation sighed and crossed his forelegs. "You really don't care about anything other than yourself, do you? You probably enjoyed it. I saw the look on my nephew's face. He looked really scared, did you know that?" He sighed and shook his head. "Well, I'm sure his in Paradise now; away from evil little fillies like you. You'll probably join him in death soon, but I'm thinkin' you'll be going the other way."

"CAPTAIN FORMATION!"

Thecaptain shot to his hooves, and Rarity slid off of her chair as a tall, white alicorn stepped into the room, glaring daggers at Rarity's tormentor. He bowed low to the ground, his ears folding against his head as he did. "P-Princess Celestia."

Rarity huddled into the corner, whimpering when Princess Celestia's gaze landed upon her. A frown was still on her face, but her eyes were softer than when she looked at the captain.

"When I was told that a double murder had occurred in Ponyville and that a filly was involved, this was not what I was expecting." Celestia turned her attention back to Captain Formation. "Captain, would you mind explaining to me why the filly huddling in the corner is muzzled, has both her fore and hind legs hoofcuffed, and a magical nullifier ring on her horn?"

"Princess Celestia, she is a murderer!" Captain Formation bowed lower until his muzzle touched the ground. "We had to be sure that she would neither escape, nor cause harm to others. Who's to say she wouldn't try something like that again?"

"I see." Princess Celestia walked up to Rarity, who was curled up in the corner. "Answer me this, Captain, does she look like she's willing or able to escape and kill again? I am aware that a horn blocker is policy, but she is in a police station. Unless she has mastered the art of stealth at the age of eight, or knows powerful martial arts attacks that would defeat your officers, or even can pick the locks of her hoofcuffs and turn invisible, I don't see why anything other than the horn blocker is necessary."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Princess Celestia ignited her horn, and Rarity's hoofcuffs and muzzle fell away from her. Rarity rubbed her forelegs to try to get some feeling back into them while Celestia turned her attention back to Captain Formation. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put you on leave for this behavior. Yes, what she has done is inexcusable, but you seem to forget that she is a mere foal. Besides that, your actions have clearly been influenced by the death of your nephew." Celestia put a hoof on his shoulder and gave him a small, sad smile. "I am sorry that it happened, Captain Formation..." Celestia's smile fell away, "but your words to her were not warranted. Take the rest of the week off. That's a royal order." Celestia sighed and shook her head. "I know this hurts, Captain. I can't imagine what you are going through. Your paid leave isn't a disciplinary action, it's for you to clear your head. Go be with your family. Comfort your sister. They need you, Captain."

Captain Formation tightened his jaw, but slowly nodded. He took a deep breath and trudged out of the interrogation room, shutting the door behind him. Princess Celestia stared at the door for a brief moment before turning to Rarity and giving her a comforting smile. Rarity covered her head with her forelegs. Princess Celestia was here to put her in jail forever; she was sure of it.

The door to the room closed, and for the umpteenth time that day, Rarity felt herself encased in a magical aura and lifted into the air. She felt a pair of powerful wings wrap around her, providing her with a warmth that was far more comforting than the thin blanket in her prison cell.

"I've been told that your name is Rarity. Is that correct?" Rarity sniffled and gave a subtle nod. "Good. Now Rarity, this is very important, so I need you to be truthful with me. What happened today?"

Rarity took a deep breath and dove into her story. She told Princess Celestia how excited she was to go to school, and how happy she was when she met Cheerilee. She told her about how Dug, Kicker, and Annie had made her life miserable for no reason, and how she dreaded going to school every day. She told her of the creek that was her sanctuary, and how they had come there to hurt her.

"And then... Dug said that they were going to beat me up, and because my parents were poor nopony would care. They didn't think that they'd get in trouble because we weren't in school." Rarity leaned her head into Princess Celestia's chest. "I hit him with the rock when he went up to beat me up. I didn't... I didn't mean to kill him, but I did!"

"I believe you." Princess Celestia began stroking Rarity's mane. "It was self-defense. You acted to preserve your well-being, and his death was a regrettable consequence, but I am not angry at you for it. If you could go back, would you stop yourself from killing him?"

Rarity vigorously nodded. "Yes! Yes, I would! I... I would probably still hit him with the rock because he was going to hurt me, but not in the head."

"As I said before: I believe you." Princess Celestia folded her wings back at her sides, and gently set Rarity down on the floor. "But now is the time to be very truthful with me, no matter how bad you feel about it. Was Kicker going to attack you?"

Rarity looked down at the floor and drooped her ears. "N... no," she whispered.

"Then why did you kill him?"

"Because... because." Rarity whimpered and covered her head with her forelegs. "Because w-when I hit Dug in the head... it felt really good to me. I d-didn't h-have to be afraid of him anymore. Now he was scared of me, and I liked that. I had a good feeling in me when I hit Dug, and I wanted that again."

"I see."

Princess Celestia sighed and stared down at Rarity for a moment. Rarity closed her eyes and repeatedly wiped the tears away with a foreleg. "Am I a bad pony?" she whimpered.

"I do not believe so." Princess Celestia put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "But you need to understand something, Rarity. You did a bad thing. A very bad thing. There will be consequences for that. I do not think that you are an evil pony, but I need you to understand that what you did was bad, even though you didn't wish for it to happen."

"They keep saying that I'm a murderer." Rarity looked up at Princess Celestia with wide, watery eyes. "Am I a murderer?"

"I'm sorry, Rarity, but I'm afraid so."

"What's going to happen to me? Are you going to put me in jail forever?" Rarity flinched back. "Are you going to kill me?"

Princess Celestia took a deep breath, but shook her head. "Given the nature of this case, and the fact that they threatened to hurt you, I will not imprison you, nor will you be executed."

A small smile crossed Rarity's face, and for the first time since her arrest, she felt a small feeling of hope inside of her. "Does that mean that I can go home to my mommy and daddy?"

"Rarity..." Princess Celestia sighed and shook her head. "I'm afraid not. It is as I said, you did a bad thing, and there are consequences for that. I have decided that we are going to take you to a hospital where we'll make that feeling that made you like doing what you did go away."

Rarity squealed and grabbed one of Celestia's forelegs in her own. "But it is gone! I-I told you that I would go back and not kill them! I didn't mean for it to feel good when I hurt them!"

"I'm sorry, Rarity." Princess Celestia scooped Rarity up again and gave her another wing hug. "I'm so sorry that this all had to happen to you. I'm sorry that you were bullied by them, I'm sorry that you had to protect yourself, I'm sorry for the way these police officers treated you, and I'm sorry that this must be done. I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you today." Princess Celestia rubbed Rarity's back. "You will not be harmed. I will make sure that you are respected and treated very well. If anypony treats you like these police officers treated you today, I will make sure that they are severely punished. You will still be able to see your mother and father, as well as your friends. You won't be alone."

"I just want to go home," Rarity whined. "I wanna go back to my mommy."

"I know, Rarity." Celestia leaned her head down and nuzzled Rarity. "I know you're scared, and believe me when I say that makes me sad." Celestia nuzzled Rarity again and began humming a gentle lullaby as Rarity sobbed into her shoulder.

And so the two stayed like that; one comforting, the other crying. Each wishing that the events of that day could be erased, and that everything would be okay again. Reality was not as kind as that. Eventually the lullaby ended, and Princess Celestia materialized a hoofkerchief and wiped Rarity's eyes.

"Do know that this hurts me, Rarity. You have to go back to your cell while I make the arrangements for you to go to the hospital. Your mother and father should be here soon. If they don't know, I will make sure that they do."

"I don't know if I want that," Rarity mumbled. "I don't want them to know."

"Rarity, they are your parents. They will love you all the same; I'm sure of it."

Rarity took the hoofkerchief from Celestia and dabbed at her eyes. "It's not that. I know Mommy and Daddy love me, and I love them, but I don't think I want them to see me in jail or in the hospital. I don't want to make any more ponies sad. Mommy would cry, and I don't want that."

"Rarity, I assure you that if you have your mother and father to support you, then it will be easier to get through this." Celestia nudged Rarity to her hooves. "They'll be happy to know that you are safe."

Rarity slowly nodded, and allowed herself to be herded out of the room by Celestia. She whimpered and nuzzled up next to Celestia as they passed the two officers, who both began following Celestia. They walked back to the row of cells, and the officer on Celestia's left opened up the cell Rarity had been in. Rarity walked inside, not even trying to resist. Princess Celestia had assured her that it was temporary, so maybe she would be out of there soon.

The cell door closed behind her, and Rarity jumped slightly when she heard the lock click.

"I'll have food and drink brought to you, Rarity," Celestia said. "Maybe I can find some books for you while everything is put in order. Would you like that?"

Rarity subtly nodded and sat down on the floor with her back to the bars. She heard the sound of three sets of hoofsteps fade away. She didn't move until she heard the door at the end of the hall close and lock. She might have begun crying again, but she had no more tears to shed. She moved back over to her makeshift bed under the cot, and laid down on the pillow. Her now free hooves allowed her to wrap the blanket tighter over her. She reached up a hoof to feel the magic blocker attached to her horn, and her hoof flinched back when she felt the cold metal.

Rarity curled up into a ball and nuzzled deeper into the pillow. She tried to force the reality of that day out of her mind, but the images of her attacking them, along with the pictures of their bodies, had burned themselves into the forefront of her mind. She whimpered softly and closed her eyes. Maybe sleep would make them go away.

The Big White Building

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Rarity awoke some time later to the sound of her cell door opening. She heard something being placed on the floor, and she wiggled out of her blanket. The door closed again just as Rarity turned around to see a metal tray with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some orange juice on it. Seeing the food made Rarity realize just how hungry she was, and she eagerly began eating the food. Her first instinct was to use her levitation skills to pick it up, but the second she tried, a sharp pain went through her horn. She clutched at her head as she remembered the nullifying ring secured to her horn. She made sure to not try something like that again.

The pain in her head faded away, and she turned her attention back to the sandwich. She picked it up with her hooves and took a bite. Even that single bite dulled the hunger pains inside of her, and she made short work of her food. The orange juice soon followed, and Rarity found herself slightly more comfortable and relaxed than she had been. The hunger wasn't completely gone, but the worst of it had subsided.

When she put her cup of orange juice back down on the tray, she noticed that a book had been placed next to it. She pulled it over to her and saw that it seemed to be a book on sewing techniques and basic styles of clothing. For the first time in a while, Rarity smiled a smile of genuine happiness. Princess Celestia had clearly made an effort to make Rarity comfortable by asking around about her interests.

Rarity moved the book over to her makeshift bed underneath the cot, and laid down on her pillow. She opened up the first page, and settled in to read it.

The book and its contents did wonders for Rarity, and she felt the terror of that day slowly fade away. It helped her forget what she had done, it helped her forget how she was treated by the captain. It even helped her forget that there was a magic blocker on her horn.

Time flew by quickly for Rarity as she engrossed herself in the book. She was delighted at the amount of sewing techniques and little tricks that she had picked up. Part of her wanted to ask Princess Celestia if she could keep the book. She didn't seem to want Rarity to feel bad at any rate.

Her immersion in the book was broken when she heard the door at the far end of the hall open. She shot to her hooves and closed the book. She considered that it was possibly Princess Celestia coming to tell her that she was going to be taken away now. Taken away forever to try to fix the bad feeling inside of her.

However, the hoofsteps coming down the hall weren't calm, reserved ones. Instead, it sounded like somepony running as fast as they could. Rarity walked over to the bars and tried her best to look down the hall. What she saw made a happy smile appear on her face.

"Mommy!"

Rarity's mother screeched to a halt in front of Rarity's cell and shoved a foreleg in between the bars. Rarity grabbed it in one of her own and nuzzled it. "Rarity, baby, are you okay?" Rarity's mother put her other foreleg through the bars and hugged her daughter.

"Nopony hurt me, Mommy." Rarity's simile fell, and she drooped her ears. "B-but I hurt them. I hurt Dug and Kicker so bad that they died."

Rarity's mother whimpered and she began stroking Rarity's mane. "You're okay, Rarity. Mommy's here; Mommy's got you. You didn't do a bad thing."

Rarity watched as her father walked up to the bars, followed by Princess Celestia. His expression was blank and his eyes were hollow, but he gave Rarity his best attempt at a smile. He reached through the bars and patted her head. "Hey, Rarity. You doing okay?"

Rarity leaned her head on one of the bars. "I don't know. Princess Celestia told me that they're going to take me to a hospital where they're going to make the bad feeling that made me do this go away."

Rarity's mother squeaked and turned her head towards Celestia, glaring at her. "You are not going to take my child away from me! Get that demeaning thing off of her horn, and let us take her home!"

Celestia shook her head sadly. "Miss Pearl, I am afraid that I cannot do that. Rarity has a magic blocker on her horn merely as a precaution, and we must take her to an institution to help her heal from what she did. She will not be harmed, I swear to you."

"You are not taking my baby away from me!" Pearl snarled. "Let me take my child home!"

"Miss Pearl, I cannot do that." Celestia quietly sighed and looked down at Rarity. "I wish I could. I wish more than anything that I could, but Rarity did a very bad thing, and there are consequences for what she did."

"I'm a murderer, Mommy," Rarity whimpered. "I d-didn't mean to kill Dug, but I did want to kill Kicker."

Pearl whimpered and hugged Rarity tighter. "Don't say things like that, Rarity. I'm sure that you didn't mean to do it at all. You're not a bad filly."

"I am, Mommy!" Tears began falling down Rarity's face again. "I killed Kicker on purpose because it felt really good to kill Dug! I w-wanted to kill Annie too, but she got away!"

"Rarity don't talk like that!" Pearl screeched. "It was an accident, Rarity! It was all just an accident!" Pearl turned her furious glare back to Celestia. "She's coming home with us right now! Don't you dare try to take my baby away!"

"Pearl, you forget yourself," said Celestia, her tone turning darker. "I swear to you on the sun I raise every day that your daughter will not be harmed. Anypony who even considers treating her poorly will have to answer to me personally." Celestia's subtle glare faded away, and she took a deep breath. "I can't imagine what this must be like for you. I have seen many ponies commit murder, but your daughter is not as evil as they were. I know that she was just scared and made a very bad choice, and that is why she will not be executed or spend the rest of her life in prison." Celestia gently put her hoof on Pearl's shoulder. "I swear to you that she will not spend the rest of her life in an institution. One day she will come home to you."

Pearl whimpered and rubbed Rarity's back. "When?" she squeaked. "When can my baby come home?"

"I cannot say," Celestia admitted. "That is for the doctors to decide. I'm sure that they will see that she is not a bad pony, so she will not spend most of her life there. I cannot say for sure when she will be released."

Rarity sniffled and wiped her eyes with her foreleg. She looked over at her father who was just staring blankly at her. He tried another attempt at a smile, but it held no warmth in it. He looked as though his brain hadn't fully processed what had all just happened. Rarity reached through the bars towards him, and he met her hoof with his own. "You're goin' to be okay, Rarity."

* * * *

A few hours later, Rarity was taken out of her cell and led to a wagon not unlike the police wagon that had brought her to the police station. It was more comfortable, though, as Princess Celestia had given her a cleaner pillow and blanket for the trip over. She had even been allowed to keep the book that had been given to her. Her parents hadn't been able to go into the wagon with her, and as such, they followed behind the cart in a taxi. Rarity was glad to see that there were no bars on the windows in the cart, and when the door was closed, she was able to stand on her hind legs to see her parents behind her. Her mother was leaning against her father's shoulder, while her father himself merely stared ahead, unblinking, at nothing in particular. Rarity flattened her ears and sat back down on the floor.

With nothing more to do, Rarity went back to her book. She could forget for a little while. She could forget that she had done a very bad thing and made her mommy and daddy very sad. They were always such happy ponies, and it was her fault that she had killed Dug and Kicker and made them sad. She could forget all of that when she read her book, if only for a little while.

The ride to the hospital came to an end just before Rarity finished the fourth section of the book. The moment the wagon stopped, the tight feeling welled up in Rarity's chest again, and she shakily got to her hooves. She walked back over to the window and stood on her hind legs to see that her parents had gotten out of the taxi. Her father attempted to give the driver some bits for the ride, but he waved them away. The driver gave her parents a sympathetic smile and said something that Rarity couldn't hear before going back into town.

As Rarity continued to watch her parents, she saw two ponies dressed in white, one stallion and one mare, the mare wearing a nurse's cap, come towards her parents. Her mother seemed very sad to see them, and she couldn't meet them in the eye. Her father exchanged a few words with them. The two nodded and walked towards the wagon. Rarity got down on her hooves just as the doors to the wagon opened. Rarity flinched back at the sight of the two ponies in white in front of her, but the duo gave her warm smiles.

"Hello," said the mare. "Your name is Rarity, isn't it?"

Rarity weakly nodded. "Yeah."

"Pretty name for a pretty filly," said the stallion. He motioned his head over to the mare. "This is Dr. Redheart, and I'm Dr. Sharp Mind. We're going to take care of you, okay? We take care of foals from all over Equestria here. We'll do our best to help you."

"Okay," Rarity squeaked. She slowly walked towards them and allowed Dr. Mind to levitate her out of the wagon.

"That's it." Dr. Mind patted her on the head. "You're going to be okay, Rarity. Nopony is going to hurt you."

Rarity looked back at her parents, who were walking towards the wagon. Rarity reached out a hoof to them, and Rarity's mother ran up to her daughter and pulled her in a crushing hug that Rarity returned.

"Please don't take her," Pearl whispered. "Sh-she's my only foal. Please don't take her away from me."

"Miss Pearl, we aren't taking her from you," Dr. Redheart assured her as she placed a hoof on her shoulder. "You will be allowed to see her every day."

"Only during visiting hours, I take it?" Pearl said bitterly.

Redheart slowly withdrew her hoof, and bit her lip. "W... well yes, but surely you understand--"

"You are taking my daughter from me. That's what I understand." Pearl's expression softened and she nuzzled her daughter. "She should be at home with us. She doesn't belong here. She's not a bad filly."

"We never said that she was," Dr. Mind insisted. "Our only aim is to help her, I promise, and if I may say so, you aren't making it any easier for us to do so."

"Don't be sad, Mommy," Rarity whispered as she nuzzled up to her mother's chest. "I-I'm sorry that I did what I did, but I don't want to make you sad because of it."

Rarity's father put a hoof on her mother's shoulder. "Pearl, she's going to be okay. She isn't going to be here for very long. They're going to just keep her here a little while until they find out that nothing is wrong with her, then she can come home."

Rarity chanced a glance at the two doctors, and as such didn't miss the look that they exchanged. Rarity flattened her ears and leaned into her mother's chest. "It'll be okay, Mommy. They'll fix me and I can come home."

"But you're not broken, Rarity!" Pearl stroked Rarity's mane. "You're a good filly."

"Miss Pearl... please don't make this harder on us." Dr. Redheart put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "We don't like doing this, but I'm afraid that we have to."

Pearl sat in silence, rubbing Rarity's back. Rarity felt tears drip on her shoulder, and she nuzzled her mother's chest again. It was a full two minutes before Pearl slowly nodded, and put Rarity down. "Don't hurt her," Pearl whispered. "Don't hurt her or I'll make things miserable for you."

"We won't hurt her, I swear," said Dr. Mind. "We want to help her."

"Right." Pearl stood up and allowed her husband to put his foreleg over her shoulder. "She's going to be okay, aren't you, Rarity?"

Rarity gave her mother a small smile, and the family followed the two doctors when they beckoned them onwards. They walked towards the big white building that said "Ponyville Youth Psychiatric Care" on the side. Rarity whimpered as it registered with her that this was where she would be living for quite some time. She knew that the doctors and Princess Celestia had said that she wouldn't live there for the rest of her life, but now that she was actually here, walking up the steps, she wasn't so sure that they were telling the truth.

Dr. Redheart opened the door for Rarity and her parents, and Rarity was greeted with the sight of a large white room with a desk against the far wall with glass over it, save for one small hole where the pony behind it could talk to the ponies coming in. The mare behind it was leaning back in the chair, filing her hooves, but straightened up when they approached. She pulled a manila folder towards her, and smiled down at Rarity when she approached.

"Well, you must be Rarity," said the mare.

"Yeah."

"Well, my name is Janice. I'll be taking care of you today."

Janice pushed a button and the door next to the desk buzzed and swung open. Dr. Redheart and Dr. Mind turned back to Rarity's parents with grim expressions. "I'm sorry, but you can't come back with Rarity. We have to take her into our custody now. Provided she behaves well you can start seeing her daily sometime next week, but for now..."

Pearl whimpered, and swept Rarity up into another tight hug which Rarity returned. Her father sat down next to them and wrapped his forelegs around his wife and daughter. And so the small family shared one last peaceful moment with each other. None of them said anything, for there wasn't anything that could possibly be said anymore. Rarity, for her part, didn't want a long, drawn-out goodbye. It would only make her parents sadder, which would in turn make her feel worse. It was her fault that all of this was happening, and she didn't want to make it hurt any more than it had to.

The hug came to an end, and Rarity's parents let her go. Dr. Mind beckoned Rarity onwards, and she followed him and Dr. Redheart through the door. Before it swung shut, Rarity turned her head back to her parents for one last look.

"Mommy, Daddy... I'm sorry. I love you."

I'll Be There For You

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Janice smiled at Rarity as her and the two doctors led her through the facility. "You're going to be okay, Rarity," Janice said. "We're going to do our best to make sure that you're very comfortable."

"Okay," Rarity whimpered. She hung her head and flattened her ears, doing her best to hide in her mane. She chanced glances around her, and saw large white rooms, many of them filled with foals talking to other doctors or playing with each other. She even saw one where a group of foals a few years older than she was were sitting in chairs in a circle in front of a doctor who was saying something that Rarity couldn't quite make out.

"We'll show you to your room then we're going to ask you some questions to get started, okay, Rarity?" said Dr. Mind. Rarity lightly nodded. "Good. I assure you that your room is comfortable."

Dr. Redheart opened up another door, and the four of them walked through, revealing a long row of white doors. The four walked up to one with the number seven on it, and Redheart opened it. When she saw what was inside, Rarity couldn't help but shudder. It reminded her a little of the cell she had been forced into after her arrest. However, there were some differences. The bed was an actual bed, and not just some cot hanging on the wall. The sink was her height, and there was even a bookshelf in the room. Dr. Mind led Rarity inside and placed her sewing book on the shelf.

"I know it isn't much, but it's comfortable. If you wish we can have some things brought from your home to here so this place can seem friendlier." He turned his head towards her with a smile. "Would you like that?"

Rarity weakly nodded, her eyes still scanning the room. Part of her wanted to run, to see if she couldn't make it out of the institution and back to her parents before they could catch her. They could move somewhere else if she managed to to do that. The thought that this would be her room for who knew how long was unsettling to her, but she didn't move. They'd catch her if she ran.

Dr. Mind took a deep breath and herded Rarity out of the room. "Okay, it's getting late, but Dr. Redheart and I would like to talk with you a little bit before you go to bed, is that okay?"

"Uh-huh," Rarity squeaked.

"Good." Dr. Mind looked over at Janice. "I think we're good here. You can contact her parents to say that she's settled. Ask if they want to bring some of her things over here too." Janice nodded and walked back through the door to the hallway. The two doctors led Rarity into a side room and directed her to a chair. Mr. Redheart shut the door behind them, and the two sat down across from Rarity. Dr. Mind opened up a folder and took out a pencil.

"Now, we just want to ask you a few questions, okay?" said Dr. Mind. "We've heard a few reports, but we'd like to know what your perspective is on what happened today, okay?"

Rarity wiped her eyes and took a deep breath before diving once more into her story, recounting the events of the entire school year before the goings on of that day. It was almost a routine after telling Celestia what had happened, and she was grateful that the doctors didn't say anything. It made the whole thing go much faster. She didn't want to tell it anymore. It would only have to make her think about what she had done, and why she was here.

When she finished, the two doctors took a minute to jot down a few notes before looking up at her. It was Dr. Mind who spoke up first. "So, Rarity, I know these are difficult questions, but I need you to answer them truthfully. When you said that it felt good to kill Dug and Kicker, what did that mean to you?"

Rarity whimpered and flattened her ears. "I..." Rarity sniffled and wiped a fresh round of tears from her eyes. "I'm not sure why it felt really good. When I hit them with the rock, I felt really strong. I felt a new feeling that I hadn't experienced before, and it was really nice for me."

The two doctors exchanged a look, but didn't say anything further on the subject. The both shut their folders and stood up. "Well, Rarity, it's late. We'll talk some more in the morning, but I think right now the best thing for you is to get a good night's sleep, okay?"

Rarity nodded and the two doctors led Rarity back to her room. The moonbeams were shining through the small window in Rarity's room, bathing it in an eerie glow until Dr. Mind turned the lights on. He took Rarity's horn blocker off, allowing her to use her magic to bush her teeth with a toothbrush that had been provided for her. Once Rarity was finished with that, she was directed to her bed. Dr. Redheart pulled the covers back, allowing Rarity to slide under them. She pulled them over Rarity and tucked her in, giving her a gentle kiss on the head and a warm smile.

"We'll talk to you some more tomorrow, okay, Rarity?" she said kindly. "Just try to get some rest, okay?"

"Okay," Rarity squeaked.

The two doctors smiled at her and exited the room, shutting the door behind them. Rarity flinched when she heard it lock, and her mind came to the realization that this was little different from the prison cell she had spent most of the day in. Sure the bed was more comfortable and the doctors were trying to make it so that it seemed less like a cell, but she was certain that she was still a prisoner here. Still, she figured that she might as well get some rest. If this was where she was going to spend a good portion of her life, she might as well try to get used to it now.

* * * *

"How are you doing, baby?"

Rarity smiled and leaned into her mother's chest. "I'm good, Mommy. They're all very nice to me here."

Rarity's mother nuzzled the top of Rarity's head. "That's wonderful."

Rarity's smile faded, and she returned her mother's nuzzle. "They... they don't let me play with other foals, though. They..." Rarity squealed and tensed up when the memory forced its way into her brain.

Murderer.

They called her a murderer.

And I thought I was nuts. We have a real life murderer right here.

Watch out girls, we'd better be careful around her. She might bash our brains in.

I heard she ate part of the newborn foal she murdered. What do ponies taste like, murderer?

She didn't play with the other foals anymore.

Rarity sniffled and relaxed as her mother hugged her tighter. She looked up at her father who was still staring blankly at her. She gave him a small smile, which he returned. "Rarity... I have a little errand to run, okay? I'll be back in twenty minutes." Rarity and her mother frowned, but they didn't stop her father from walking out of the private room the three of them had been directed towards.

Rarity's mother sighed and shook her head. "Magnum..."

Rarity flattened her ears and looked up at her mother. "Mommy... does Daddy hate me now?"

Pearl's eyes widened, and she vigorously shook her head. "No, Rarity! No! Your father and I talk every day about you, and believe me when I say that he misses you very much. He doesn't hate you at all." Pearl looked back at the door. "He's just... sad that those ponies had to take you away. That's all. He's sad because of them, not you."

"Okay." Rarity leaned back into her mother's chest, her heart admittedly warmed a little.

Only a little, though.

In truth, Rarity had been told that frequently by her parents when they had come to visit over the past week. Her father was just sad that she had been taken away. That's why he was blank like that. Still it had been a week since she had been institutionalized, so Rarity began to wonder if he was really just sad, or if he was beginning to hate her for what she had done. She had confided such fears in her doctors, but they assured her that he loved her all the same.

"Rarity..." Rarity looked back up to her mother. "I need you to be very, very honest with me." Rarity's mother set her down a few hooves away from her. "Are they treating you right here? Have they hurt you in any way? I know that those beastly foals have, but have your doctors?"

Rarity's eyes widened and she shook her head. "Mommy, I told you that they've been very kind to me."

"You could tell Mommy if they hadn't been, couldn't you?"

Rarity quickly nodded. "They're very nice to me, Mommy. E-even though I'm a murderer, they don't want me to feel sad. They want to help me."

"Rarity don't call yourself that!" Pearl snapped. She swept Rarity into another hug and squeezed her tight. "It was self-defense, okay? Both of them were self-defense! You don't have any bad feelings, you didn't enjoy it, and you're not a murderer, okay?!" Rarity whimpered when she felt tears drip onto her head. "You're a good filly. They were going to hurt you, so you stopped them. Even the second one who everypony thinks you murdered was going to beat you up after you hit the first one."

"Mommy--"

"They wrongfully imprisoned you, Rarity!" Pearl let out a sob and began rubbing Rarity's back. "Th-they just misunderstood what h-happened. That's all it is! Now they have you calling yourself a murderer when you're not! Y-you're a good filly!"

Rarity flattened her ears in an attempt to block out her mother's words. Every day this happened. Every single time her mother visited her she said the same things. All Rarity knew to do was wrap her forelegs around her mother's waist and nuzzle up to her. She could only sit there in her mother's forelegs and let her mother cry herself out. It was time for that now.

Her mother didn't finish crying for quite a while, and by the time she did, she had resumed merely stroking Rarity's mane. "You're not a bad pony, Rarity, and you're not a murderer. If anything those bad foals who were going to hurt you are the murderers here. They took everything from you!"

And I took everything from them, Rarity thought. She dared not say it out loud for fear of upsetting her mother even more, but deep down she knew it was true. She was the evil murderer here, not Dug or Kicker.

Rarity's ears perked up when she heard the door open up behind her. Her father was back from whatever errand he had to run. She turned her head to greet him, and saw that he brought somepony back. Rarity broke out into a wide grin when she saw who it was.

"Cheerilee!"

Rarity's mother let her go, and Rarity ran over to her friend. The two ran up to each other, and Cheerilee wrapped Rarity up in a crushing hug that Rarity eagerly returned. "I was so scared for you!" Cheerilee moaned. Rarity's eyes widened when she felt tears drip onto her shoulder. "Everypony is so sad at school, especially Teacher. Her boss thinks that he should fire her for what happened, and a lot of the parents think so too!"

"They can't do that!" Rarity insisted. "She didn't do anything bad." Rarity flattened her ears and leaned against Cheerilee's shoulder. "I'm the one who did everything bad. I should have told Teacher that they were being meaner."

"It isn't your fault, Rarity. It's all their fault. They were going to hurt you." Cheerilee nuzzled Rarity's cheek. "I miss you, Rarity. I miss playing with you at school. It's not been as fun without you for anypony."

"I'll try to come back soon." Rarity returned Cheerilee's nuzzle. "I'll try to come back so it can be like it was before. We can get together and play lots when I get out, okay?"

Cheerilee broke away from the hug, and looked into Rarity's eyes. "But when will you get out? They aren't keeping you here forever, are they?"

Rarity shook her head. "Princess Celestia promised that they wouldn't. She said that I can come home someday, but she didn't tell me when."

"I'll come see you every day that I can until then!" Cheerilee put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder and gave her a small, sad smile. "You didn't deserve this, Rarity. They were the mean ones. They deserved to be in here so they could have learned not to be so cruel to ponies." Cheerilee's lower jaw quivered. "This isn't fair. None of this is any fair at all!"

"I know." Rarity wrapped her forelegs around Cheerilee's shoulders. "Promise you'll come visit every day you can?" Cheerilee nodded and returned Rarity's hug. Rarity looked up at her father and smiled at him. "Thank you, Daddy. I missed her."

Magnum returned Rarity's smile, and Rarity was delighted to see a hint of genuine happiness behind it. He reached out and patted her on the head. "You're welcome, Rarity."

My Sister

View Online

Rarity sat in her chair in one of the patient therapy rooms and waited for Dr. Mind to arrive. She had been led into the plain white room by an orderly who was currently standing next to her. The thought briefly crossed Rarity's mind to talk to the orderly to pass the time, but she didn't want to risk him getting mad at her for something like that. Most of the orderlies were always so serious and intimidating. One wrong word to him might set him off, so Rarity settled for looking around the room... again. Just like every other day she had been led here. It was small and plain white with no decorations on the walls. The lone table and pair of chairs were also plain white, and the room had only a single door and two-way mirror.

It was boring, just like it had been every other time she had been here.

The door opened up and Dr. Mind walked in, giving Rarity a warm smile as he did. "Good afternoon, Rarity. So sorry to keep you waiting." He reached his chair and set Rarity's file on top of the table. He nodded to the orderly. "You can just wait outside." The orderly returned the nod and trotted out of the room. Dr. Mind sat down at his chair and opened up Rarity's folder.

"So, Rarity, how are you? I heard you had another visit from your friend Cheerilee the other day."

Rarity smiled and nodded. "Oh yes. We had lots of fun. She brought me some sewing stuff and I taught her how to do a few things." Rarity's smile slowly faded, and she flattened her ears. "I do wish that I could have kept the needles, though."

Dr. Mind gave Rarity a small smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "We wish we could have let you keep them too, Rarity, but given the nature of your case..."

Rarity subtly nodded and lowered her head. "I know. It's because I'm a murderer and you think I might hurt ponies with them."

"It's just a precaution, Rarity," Dr. Mind insisted. "I'm sure if your behavior is good enough in the future and we feel we've made some progress you can have some of those things in your room." Dr. Mind's small smile fell, and he sighed quietly. "Unfortunately you've only been here three months, so my supervisors don't feel that they can trust you yet."

"I know," Rarity mumbled. She looked back up at Dr. Mind with wide eyes. "How many months am I going to be here?"

Dr. Mind grimaced and looked down at Rarity's file. "Rarity, I hate to say this, but... it might not be months. It will probably be years."

Rarity's eyes widened further, and she flinched back with a squeal. "But I don't have that bad feeling that made me like killing them anymore, I promise!" Rarity reached a pleading hoof to Dr. Mind. "I w-won't ever hurt anypony ever again, I swear!"

"Rarity..." Dr. Mind quietly sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. "I'm afraid that we cannot know that just yet. I know you think that, and that really is a good sign, but you haven't been here long enough for us to know that for sure." He gave Rarity a small smile. "Believe me, this is for your benefit as well. If you did get out and for whatever reason... did it again, the punishment would be more severe. Imprisonment, maybe death. We don't want that to happen to you, so we want to make sure that you are better before we can release you."

Rarity wrapped her forelegs around herself and began sobbing. "B-but I am all better! I p-promise! I never want to hurt another pony again even a little bit."

Dr. Mind slid off of his chair and sat next to Rarity. He reached a hoof up to begin gently rubbing her back. "Rarity, I believe that, and so does Dr. Redheart. We do not believe that you are an evil filly, no matter what you did."

"I just want to go home," Rarity moaned. "I don't want to be here anymore. I... I don't like it here."

"Rarity, you won't be here forever. In fact, you won't even be here most of your life if you really don't want to hurt anypony ever again." Dr. Mind lifted Rarity off of her chair and wrapped her in a hug, allowing Rarity to lean against his chest. "You aren't a bad pony, Rarity. When you came here, I read up on some other ponies who killed ponies, and you are nothing like them."

Rarity sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "Then why am I here? Why did Princess Celestia make me come here for so long?" Rarity looked up to Dr. Mind with watery eyes. "I hate it here. I hate this thing I have to wear all the time..." Rarity rubbed her light green patient's gown, reminding herself once again of how uncomfortable it was. "It's ugly and uncomfortable, and I hate having to wear one every day."

A tight feeling welled up in Rarity's chest, and she suddenly felt as if she had difficulty breathing. She began quietly hyperventilating. She felt Dr. Mind's comforting hoof run through her mane, pushing a few loose strands out of her eyes. Somehow his touch only made things worse, and she began wiggling in his grasp, trying to escape from his embrace. "I... I hate this gown, I hate that I have to have a horn blocker w-whenever I go outside, I hate that I can only go outside for a few hours a day, I h-hate that none of the other foals here like me, I hate that you think I'm going to murder some if I have sewing needles in my room!"

Rarity's tears came faster, and she began pushing harder against Dr. Mind's chest. Dr. Mind released his grip on her, and Rarity ran away from him until she reached the wall. Her hyperventilating increased, and with a scream, she slammed her hoof on the wall. "I hate these walls! I hate that I'm going to be behind them forever! I hate myself for being a murderer, I hate that I can't see my mommy or daddy or Cheerilee more than once a day at best! I hate that the only ponies that I talk to around here are you and Dr. Redheart and some of the other ponies that work here! I hate that you all think that I'm going to be a murderer again if you let me go!"

"Rarity, I don't think that!" Dr. Mind insisted. He reached a hoof out to her and took a step towards her. "I need you to calm down, Rarity. Everything is going to be fine."

"No it's not!" Rarity screeched, batting his hoof away. "It's never going to be okay again! I'm a murderer! Everypony hates me for that!"

"Rarity, not everypony hates you!"

"Yes they do!" Rarity's tears dripped onto the floor, and her legs began shaking. "I hate it! I hate everything! I hate this place, I hate these walls, I hate how you watch me all the time in case I do something you already told me you don't think that I'm going to do! I hate the ponies who work here, I hate Dr. Redheart, and I hate you!" Rarity's eyes hardened into a glare, and a faint snarl played at her lips as she took a threatening step towards Dr. Mind. "You keep lying to me about everything! You keep telling me that I'm not a bad pony, but you keep me locked up like I am one!"

Dr. Mind lowered his hoof and took an uneasy step away from Rarity. "Rarity, please calm down. You're not helping anypony by reacting this way. We're just trying to help you."

"You're lying to me again!" Rarity screeched. "All you do is lie to me, and I'm sick of it! I'm sick of this place! I'm not as sick in the head as you think that I am!" Rarity's lips curled into a full blown snarl, and she slammed her hoof on the ground. "Get me out of here! I can't be here for years! I can't be around ponies who hate me for what I did for years and years!"

"Rarity, I need you to calm down!" Dr. Mind reached out his hoof to her again. "I know this hurts, believe me. I understand that you're upset right now, but if you calm down, we can talk about it, okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Rarity snarled. "I wanna get out of here! I can't be here forever; I can't do this anymore!" The tight feeling in Rarity's chest traveled up her body until it reached the base of her horn. Her horn was bathed in an increasingly bright blue light as pure magic surged through it. "I want you to let me out of here! I wanna go home!"

With one more yell, a bright beam of blue magic shot out of Rarity's horn, missing Dr. Mind by inches and colliding with the wall behind him. Dr. Mind quickly backed up until he reached the door, and pounded on it. Within seconds an orderly ran in and grunted in surprise when he saw Rarity's magical surge. He ignited his own horn, and a band of green magic wrapped itself around Rarity's horn, nullifying her magic. Rarity squealed in pain as the magic was negated, and she collapsed onto the ground, rubbing her forehead at the base of her horn. The orderly ran up to her and wrapped her in his forelegs, pinning Rarity's forelegs to her side. She squirmed in his powerful grasp, but she couldn't wiggle out.

"Don't hurt her!" Dr. Mind cried as the orderly took a horn blocker out of his pocket and slipped it over Rarity's horn. Rarity squealed again and began thrashing about more violently. Dr. Mind rushed over to the pair, and sat down in front of Rarity, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Rarity, Rarity I need you to calm down now, okay? You're not helping yourself if you act like this."

"I just wanna go home!" Rarity moaned. "Please don't keep me here for years! Th-these have been the most awful months of my whole life! Just l-let me out of here! I promise I won't hurt anypony! I promise!"

A second orderly ran in, and the one holding Rarity motioned to her with his head. "Get a straitjacket. She's hysterical."

"No!" Rarity stopped struggling, and lowered her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "I'll be good. I-I'll be a good pony. I'm sorry that I did that. I d-didn't mean to get so angry."

Dr. Mind rubbed Rarity's shoulder and brushed a few strands of her mane out of her face. "I know you didn't, Rarity. You've been under a lot of stress lately from everything that has been happening. I blame myself for that."

"I just wanna go home." Rarity sniffled and Dr. Mind levitated a nearby tissue box over to them and dried Rarity's eyes with one. "I can't be here anymore. I know I murdered ponies, but I can't do this for years." Rarity looked back up at Dr. Mind with wide eyes. "Can't you fix me faster?"

"We're trying to help you, Rarity. Please believe me when I say that."

Rarity subtly nodded, and relaxed slightly when she felt the orderly's grip on her loosen up a little. "I'm sorry I shot the magic at you," she muttered. "I didn't want to hurt you."

Dr. Mind gave Rarity a small smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Rarity, it was just a typical magical surge. Ponies your age frequently have them. I don't think you attacked me, I think that you just got a little too upset and your magic got a little out of your control, that's all."

The door behind Dr. Mind opened gain, and Dr. Redheart, another orderly, and another doctor that Rarity didn't recognize came in. Dr. Redheart had a slight glare on her face, and it took Rarity a moment to realize it wasn't directed at her, but the other doctor. The other doctor walked up to Rarity and peered down at her. "She surged and attacked you, is that correct, Dr. Mind?"

Rarity whimpered under the mare's piercing gaze, and Dr. Mind shook his head. "No, I wouldn't call it that. We were just talking about... the possible duration of her stay here, and she became agitated. She didn't intend to surge, of course, Dr. Merrin."

"Be that as it may, I feel that solitary confinement for the rest of the day is in order," said Dr. Merrin. "I don't like it, but she did technically attack you, and there are rules about that sort of thing. Also, I think the horn blocker may be necessary for each of your sessions if she's going to become agitated during them."

"No!" Rarity wailed. "I don't wanna go there, and I don't wanna have the horn blocker on all the time!" Rarity slid one of her forelegs out of the orderly's grasp, and she reached out a pleading hoof to Dr. Merrin. "I didn't mean to do it. I'm sorry that I did something bad. I'll do better, I promise!"

"I'm sorry, Rarity, but there are rules for patients attacking doctors." Dr. Merrin turned around and began walking out of the room. She stopped when she reached the door and turned her head back to the group. "Only for the day. She can come out at bedtime."

Rarity let out a wail and began sobbing as the orderly lifted her into the air with his magic. Dr. Mind shot to his hooves and followed right beside Rarity. "Rarity, it's okay! You're only going to be there for a few hours, that's all. It's really not that bad."

"I don't wanna go to solitary!" Rarity wailed. "I w-wanna go h-home! Please don't make me go to solitary!"

The trio reached a row of solitary confinement cells, and the orderly opened the nearest one up. Inside was a padded room with only a small cot and a toilet for contents. Rarity squealed and began violently thrashing about, trying to escape from his grasp, but she could not break free of the magic. "Rarity, please calm down. You're going to be okay, I promise. You can come out for bedtime. I promise that you're not going to be here forever."

The orderly set Rarity down on the padded floor and backed out of the room, still holding Rarity in his magical grasp. Rarity continued struggling, but couldn't move her body more than a few inches. "Please don't make me stay here!" Rarity moaned. "I'm sorry that I shot the magic at you! I didn't mean to."

Dr. Mind grimaced and looked sadly at Rarity. "I'm sorry, Rarity. I'm truly, truly sorry."

The orderly released Rarity from his magical glow, and pushed the door shut, trapping Rarity inside the room. Rarity let out a piercing wail when she heard the door lock, and curled up into a ball on the floor, sobbing her eyes out. "I'm sorry I'm a bad pony! I don't want to be, I promise!" Rarity covered her head with her forelegs and squeezed her eyes shut. "I promise that I don't want to be a bad pony."

After a good half hour, Rarity finally cried herself out. She sniffled and wiped her puffy red eyes with a foreleg before looking over to the small cot. Her legs shaking, she pushed herself to her hooves and trudged over to the cot. She pulled the blanked and pillow off of the cot with her mouth, grateful for the small mercy in that they were clean. As in the prison cell, she laid the pillow out on the ground underneath the cot and laid down, resting her head on it. She pulled the blanket over herself and curled up into a ball, hoping not for the first time that maybe, just maybe this time she'd disappear and be forgotten by the world.

* * * *

It had been two days since Rarity's stint in solitary confinement, and she was meeting with Dr. Mind for the first time since then. Dr. Merrin had come to talk to her once she was released from the cell, but Rarity had refused to say a single word to her. She had been given back to Dr. Mind the following day, and they were back in the patient interview room.

"How are you feeling, Rarity?" Dr. Mind asked. "I know that couldn't have been easy."

Rarity stared at the ground, her ears flattened and her head lowered. "I'm a bad pony."

"Now Rarity, don't talk like that. You're not a bad pony."

"Then why did you put me there?"

"Well..." Dr. Mind uneasily scratched the back of his neck. "Rarity, it wasn't my choice to put you there, it was Dr. Merrin's. She feels that protocol must be observed if an... incident like the one that happened a few days ago occurs."

Rarity reached her hoof up to her head and lightly tapped the horn blocker that was locked onto her horn. It had not come off since the incident. "Is Dr. Merrin ever going to let you take this off? Am I ever going to be allowed to use magic ever again?"

"Of course, Rarity!" said Dr. Mind. He reached a hoof out and gently put it on one of Rarity's forelegs. "Dr. Merrin thinks that it's just a prudent precaution. I assure you that I ask her every day if we can take it off when you're not meeting with me."

"And she says no because I'm a murderer." Rarity's lower jaw quivered, and a pair of tears streaked down her face. "She thinks I'm a bad pony."

"Rarity, nopony here thinks that!" Dr. Mind sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, I cannot deny that you did a very bad thing. It was a poor decision born of a horrible situation, but that doesn't make you a bad pony."

"Then why am I here for years?" Rarity sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "W-why can't I just go home? I promise that I don't have that bad feeling anymore!" Rarity's body was wracked with a powerful sob, and she put her head in her hooves, her voice coming out in a whimper. "I promise."

"Rarity, I believe you, but my supervisors and Princess Celestia just want to be sure." Dr. Mind scooted closer to Rarity and gave her a small smile. "I promise that I will work as hard as I can to make sure that you are out of here as soon as possible."

Rarity looked over to Dr. Mind with wide eyes. "When will that be?"

Dr. Mind's smile fell, and he sighed quietly. "I don't know, Rarity. I don't know."

* * * *

Five years later

Rarity smiled as she put the felt marker down on her desk, her eyes scanning her latest design. It was a simple dress for Dr. Redheart based on her doctor's outfit. Of course, Rarity would never have the means to actually create it, but it was fun to at least draw out her designs. It was something to pass the time in her room.

Finding no flaw in her creation, she levitated a piece of blue painter's tape and used it to tape the design onto the wall of her room next to the dozens of other designs she would never get to create. Still, dreaming and creating was the only thing that kept her going in this place.

Rarity leaned back in her seat and sipped from a small paper cup of water as she scanned her various drawings. She clicked her tongue when she found a few problems with a couple. Emeralds on the hem line? What was she thinking? That pattern shouldn't go on the shoulders. It fit more on the haunches. No, that hat wouldn't do with that dress at all. Rarity sighed and put the cup down. Oh well, it was a learning experience.

Rarity heard a buzz coming from her door and swiveled her right ear in that direction. She heard it open and three sets of hoofsteps enter her room.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Mind. You're here to take me to our daily session?"

Dr. Mind chuckled and walked up beside Rarity. "Well, it's something a little different today, Rarity."

Rarity raised an eyebrow and raised her cup again, gently swirling it around as if it was a fine wine that she was trying to air out. Her eyes were still fixed on the drawings in front of her. "Indeed?"

Dr. Mind nodded. "Indeed, indeed." He smiled as he scanned Rarity's wall of designs and took a deep breath. "It's a wonder to me that you don't have your cutie mark in design, Rarity. At the rate you churn these out on top of the quality of them all, I would have pegged you as having gotten your cutie mark a long time ago."

Rarity flattened her mouth in a subtle grimace, and her gaze flickered down to her flank. It was still as snow white and blank as the day she had been born. "Well, you know what Dr. Redheart keeps saying: it will come in time."

Rarity sighed and poked at her shoulder-length mane to make sure that it was still done up in its ponytail. Part of her still wished that she was allowed access to the sprays and gels that allowed her to keep it in the perfectly curled style she favored when she was a filly, but lack of access to those materials meant that she had settled for a shorter tail and mane done up in simple styles. "Having said that, I do wish it would come a little faster. I'm a young mare, and I don't know about you, but I don't know of any young mares my age that don't have their cutie marks."

"Yes, I can imagine that that would be a little frustrating, Rarity," Dr. Mind agreed. He shrugged. "Well, I'm sure it will come soon. Maybe when you get out of here?"

Rarity chuckled and smirked. "Oh doctor, let's not entertain any delusions about my release." Rarity rested her elbow on the table in front of her and leaned her head against her hoof as she continued scanning her designs. "I know that five years from now I'll be transferred to an adult facility where I'll spend the rest of my life drawing designs that will never come to be and wasting away doing nothing of consequence." Rarity shrugged her left shoulder. "Such is life, I suppose. Some of us don't get a good draw."

"Now Rarity, I don't think that's going to happen." Dr. Mind pulled up a small stool and sat down next to her. "You're going to get out of here one day."

"I know. Like I said, I'll be transferred to an adult facility when I turn eighteen." Rarity sighed and looked back down at her blank flank. "I do hope I get my cutie mark before then."

"Rarity..."

"Doctor, I've been here since I was eight years old. Five years two weeks ago." Rarity raised her head and glanced over at Dr. Mind for the first time since he had come in. "If talks about my release were going to have occurred, they would have done so already. I think we can all agree that I'm only here because of the nature of my crime as opposed to you attempting to fix any lingering negative feelings about what I did." Rarity shrugged again. "As I said before: such is life. I've accepted the fact that this just happens to be mine."

Dr. Mind grimaced, but said nothing further on the subject. Rarity spaced him another glance and noticed the grimace, so she gave another small smirk. "You said something about a new session today?"

Dr. Mind stood up from his seat and smiled. "Well, I wouldn't exactly call it a session, Rarity. More like... a surprise."

Rarity fully turned her head towards Dr. Mind her eyebrow raised curiously. "Indeed?"

Dr. Mind nodded, his smile growing a little wider. "Your mother and father arrived a few minutes ago. They brought somepony with them."

Rarity raised her other eye brow and turned her body towards Dr. Mind. "Is that right? I assume it isn't Cheerilee. She comes at least once a week."

Dr. Mind shook his head and beckoned Rarity to follow him. "No, it's not Cheerilee. I'll let them tell you who it is."

Rarity got to her hooves and followed Dr. Mind out of her room, stopping briefly so that one of the orderlies Dr. Mind came in with could put a magic blocker on her horn, and towards the visitor's room. Rarity noted with more than a little curiosity that Dr. Mind seemed to have a spring in his step that generally was not present, particularly where she was concerned. Yes he always tried to remain positive for her, but today he seemed downright giddy. Either the special visitor was that good, or he had some other part of his life that had taken a turn for the better recently.

The group reached the visitor's center and Dr. Mind swiped his key card. The door alarm buzzed, and the door itself swung open revealing an empty room save for Rarity's parents sitting at a table in the middle. Rarity smiled and trotted over to them. Rarity's mother and father both smiled at her when she walked in, but Rarity's mother's smile faltered slightly when she saw the magic blocker on Rarity's horn. She had never taken to the idea that Dr. Merrin required Rarity to have one on at all times when out of her room. The tantrum that she had thrown when Dr. Mind had informed her of the rule gave even the most experienced orderlies the shivers when they remembered it.

Rarity reached the table and sat down beside her mother, who wasted no time in wrapping her forelegs around her and giving her a friendly nuzzle. "Hey, Rarity. How are you doing?"

"Oh, same old, same old, Mother," Rarity replied. "Just the normal routine." Rarity raised her head and looked between her mother and father. "Though I will say that this is a bit of a break from said routine. You usually aren't here for another four hours. On top of that, Dr. Mind told me that a third party was participating in this visit?"

"There is," said Rarity's father. He leaned over and put a hoof around his wife's shoulders. "She's here right now."

Rarity straightened up and raised an eyebrow. "But it's just the three of us here. Who else is...?" Rarity's words were cut off when Rarity's mother gently held Rarity's hoof in one of her own and placed it on her stomach. "We just got back from the doctors for the results. The ultrasound showed us that it's a filly."

Rarity let out a quiet gasp and brought both of her hooves to her mouth. "M-Mother? Are you saying...?"

Rarity's mother broke out into a wide grin. "You're gonna have a little sister, Rarity."

Rarity's eyes widened, and for a few moment she could do nothing other than stare at her mother's stomach. Finally, it clicked in her mind completely and she jumped into the air with a squeal of joy. She rushed over to her mother and threw her forelegs around her shoulders. "Mother this is the most wonderful thing I've ever heard!" Rarity's eyes welled up with happy tears, and she gently placed her hoof on her mother's stomach again. "When is she due?"

"In about eight months," her father replied.

"There's more good news to that, Rarity," said Dr. Mind, who had just walked up to the trio. "Should you continue your streak of good behavior, I've convinced Dr. Merrin to let you out of the hospital on the day your mother gives birth so that you can be there with her when your new sister comes."

Rarity let out another quiet gasp, and she fixed Dr. Mind with a watery smile. "Thank you," she whispered. "I'll be the best patient you've ever had. You won't have to worry about a thing with me!" Rarity leaned into her mother's shoulder and nuzzled her. "I want to be there when my baby sister is born."

* * * *

Rarity groaned and tapped her hoof on the hoof rest of her chair. Her mother had been in labor for six hours, and still she received no new news about either her condition or the condition of her new sister. A messenger had been sent to the psychiatric hospital with the news that Rarity's mother was in labor, and Dr. Mind and Dr. Merrin had both signed off on a temporary leave from the hospital. Of course, she was still given a magic blocker and two orderlies at all times, but Rarity saw it as a necessary evil. She had a new sister on the way!

Rarity glanced back at the two orderlies, both of whom were sitting a few seats behind her in the waiting room. One was reading a newspaper and the other had his head tilted back as if he was asleep. Rarity smirked at them before turning her attention back to a table that held a small stack of magazines. She had already read through all of them, yes, even the cheesy tabloid magazine filled with nonsense stories, but she figured that as long as she had nothing else to do, she might as well read through some of the more interesting ones again.

As she grabbed a fashion magazine from Canterlot, she heard the doors to the waiting room slide open, and she looked to see an orange earth pony with a long blonde mane and tail and three apples for a cutie mark walk in. They made eye contact and exchanged a smile. The pony trotted over to Rarity and sat down in the seat next to her.

"Well howdy do there, miss. You here waitin' on someone?"

Rarity nodded and put the magazine back down on the table. "Oh yes. My mother is here giving birth to my new sister!"

The pony's eyes and smile widened, and she grasped Rarity's hoof in both of hers and began shaking it. "Well congratulations! You must be happier than a--"

"Hey!" Rarity and the pony both looked back to the orderlies, one of whom had stood up and was pointing at Rarity. "No contact, please."

The pony frowned, but released Rarity's hoof. She looked back over to Rarity and for the first time, she noticed Rarity's horn blocker. She flinched back a few inches. "Uh... what's that for?"

Rarity glanced up at her horn blocker and sighed. "Well, I'm a patient over at the Ponyville Youth Psychiatric Hospital." The pony leaned back another inch, but Rarity gave her a reassuring smile and held up a hoof. "Don't worry, darling, I'm not going to hurt you or anything like that." Rarity motioned up to her horn blocker. "This old thing is merely a precaution those gentlecolts over there take whenever I'm out and about. I'm hardly dangerous... uh..." Rarity frowned and tilted her head. "You know, I don't recall you telling me your name."

The pony blinked a few times, but hearing Rarity ask her name snapped her out of her staring. "Oh, uh... right." The pony blinked a few more times. "Mah name is Applejack. Ah work at Sweet Apple Acres at the edge of town."

"An apple farm?" Applejack nodded, and Rarity returned it. "That sounds interesting. My name is Rarity and I... well..." Rarity gave an amused scoff. "I've been in the care of the government for the past nearly six years."

Applejack slowly nodded. "Well, pleased ta meet ya, Rarity. Sorry if Ah seem a little nervous 'round you. Ah just wasn't expectin' that is all." Applejack waved her hoof and shrugged. "Well, Ah ain't gonna think less of ya. If there's one thing that mah ma and pa taught me..."

To Rarity's surprise, Applejack quietly gasped, and began blinking rapidly. "Ma and Pa," she whispered. "Please be okay."

"Applejack? What's wrong?" Rarity asked.

A tear streaked down Applejack's face, and she wiped it from her muzzle while blinking back more. "M-mah ma, pa, and Ah were comin' back from the market fer some supplies, and somepony forgot ta secure their cart right. I-it rolled down the hill it was on and came straight for us. Pa barely had enough time ta push me out of the way, but..." Applejack whimpered softly and wiped away more tears. "It hit 'em both."

Rarity gasped and put a hoof up to her mouth. "Applejack, that's horrible! I'm so sorry, darling." Rarity reached a hoof out to Applejack, but the warning of the orderly went through her mind, so she settled it on the back of Applejack's chair. "Is there anything that I can do for you, darling? Anything at all?"

Applejack sniffled and shrugged. "Ah don't know, Rarity. Thanks fer askin', though."

Before Rarity could respond further, the door to the inside of the hospital opened up, and a doctor levitating a clipboard in front of him walked into the waiting room. "Which one of you is Rarity?"

Rarity raised her hoof. "I am, sir."

The doctor nodded and beckoned Rarity. "Good. I just wanted to tell you that the delivery was completely successful." He lowered the clipboard and gave Rarity a wide smile. "Your mother and new baby sister are doing just fine."

Rarity's eyes widened, and her mouth split into a gigantic grin. "They're okay? I have my sister?!"

The doctor nodded and motioned to the door. "You can go see them now. They're resting in room twelve-A just down the hall."

Rarity shot to her hooves and bolted in the direction of the door. Her sister was here! However, just as she reached it, she screeched to a halt and turned her head back towards Applejack who was staring sullenly at the floor. She glanced over at the two orderlies who were both walking towards her before walking back to Applejack. She sat down in front of her and put a hoof on the foreleg rest of Applejack's chair. "I'm sorry, but I have to go see my mother and sister now. If you're still here when I come back, do you want to talk some more? I'd be glad to listen."

Applejack's gaze flickered up to Rarity and she slowly tilted her head in a nod. "Y..." Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. "Yeah. Yeah Ah'd like that, Rarity." Applejack gave Rarity her best smile and motioned to the door. "You go on ahead and see yer mother and sister. Maybe if Ah don't see ya tonight, Ah can come visit you at the hospital."

Rarity smiled comfortingly at Applejack and, despite knowing the orderlies were watching, put a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "I'd like that very much, Applejack."

Before either orderly could reprimand her for the contact, Rarity got to her hooves and walked through the door towards her mother's room. The doctor and two orderlies followed beside her, and when they reached the proper hallway, the doctor pointed to one of the nearby rooms. Rarity's mouth split into another grin, and before anypony could do anything, she ran inside the room.

What she saw took her breath away.

Her mother was lying on the bed in the room, her mane disheveled and sweat glistening on her forehead, and she was cradling a tiny bundle in her forelegs. Her father had his forelegs around her shoulders, and both were staring at the bundle with wide smiles of their own. Rarity rushed over to her mother's side and saw the tiny filly in her arms. She was the same shade of white that Rarity herself was, and she had a pink and purple striped mane, complete with a tiny horn on top of her head.

"She's... she's beautiful," Rarity whispered. Her mother extended her forelegs, allowing Rarity to take her sister in her own forelegs. She sat down on the floor and gently cradled her sister. She shifted slightly in her blankets during the move, but otherwise remained asleep. Rarity smiled at her and gently kissed her forehead above her horn. "What's her name?"

"Well, we actually haven't thought of a name yet," said her father. "We were hoping for a little bit of input from you."

"Well, she's just a little sweetie, isn't she?" Rarity cooed. "I think that should be a part of her name, don't you think?" At that exact moment, a bell began to ring in the distance from the Ponyville Tower signifying that it was eleven o'clock at night. "Bell... Belle. Belle with an 'e' at the end means beauty, doesn't it? How about Sweetie Belle?" She looked expectantly up at her parents, both of whom smiled back at her.

"I think that's a wonderful name," said her mother. A doctor beside them nodded and went off to go make the birth certificate.

"Yes, Sweetie Belle," said Rarity softly. "My baby sister Sweetie Belle." Rarity relished this perfect moment in time and she almost wished it could go on forever. The doctor did trot back into the room after a few minutes, putting Sweetie Belle's birth certificate in a manila folder. Once he did, one of the orderlies stepped forwards.

"It's time, Rarity. Sorry, but Dr. Merrin said she wanted you back at the hospital before midnight."

Rarity nodded and nuzzled Sweetie Belle again. "I understand. I'll be along in a moment." Rarity extended her forelegs and gently passed Sweetie Belle back to her mother. She got to her hooves and smiled at her parents. "You'll have to bring her by every time you visit me. I want to get to know my sister."

"Of course, Rarity," said her father. "We wouldn't want you to miss a moment with your sister. You'll have lots of time to get to know each other when you get out soon too."

Rarity's smile flickered, but she nodded and looked back down at Sweetie Belle. She leaned in close to her and gave her a final kiss on the forehead. "Big sister is going to love getting to know you, Sweetie Belle. I'm going to be the best big sister that I possibly can to you. I promise you that."

With that, and a round of goodbyes to her parents, Rarity followed the orderlies out of her mother's room. One of them smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Rarity. I know that's gotta feel really good, seeing your baby sister."

Rarity returned his smile and nodded. "Oh it's the best thing that's ever happened to me!" Rarity giggled and bounced into the air a few times. "I have a sister! I have a sister!"

Rarity's mirth was cut off when she heard what sounded like a pony sobbing nearby. Her grin faded into a frown, but she couldn't tell where the crying was coming from. Still, it sounded vaguely familiar.

Rarity's stomach clenched and she let out a gasp when the three turned a corner and saw who was crying. Applejack was curled up on the floor and clutching a worn brown Stetson close to her body. "Oh Applejack," Rarity whispered. She walked up to Applejack and sat down on the floor behind her. "Applejack?"

Applejack flinched, but turned her head to see Rarity behind her. Her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were puffy and red. "R-Rarity?"

Rarity nodded and put a hoof on Applejack's back. "I'm here, Applejack. I'm here for you."

"Rarity, no contact please," one of the orderlies said. "You know the rules."

"Yes, yes, in a moment," said Rarity with a wave of her hoof. "Just let me help her, okay?"

Rarity nudged Applejack to get her to sit up, and when she had, Applejack threw her forelegs around Rarity and buried her head in her shoulders. "Th-they died! Mah ma and pa died! The doctors said that th-they tried ta save 'em, but they were too banged up from the accident!"

Rarity wrapped her forelegs around Applejack's waist and gently nuzzled the top of her head as one of the orderlies took a step towards Rarity. "Rarity, you know the rules! No contact!"

"Yes, I know the rules," Rarity said coolly. "Might it occur to you that I don't give a flying feather about the rules right now?"

"Rarity, you were allowed out because of your good behavior," said the other orderly. "Don't throw that away. Do you understand that Dr. Merrin might order you to go to solitary for this?"

Rarity turned her head back to the orderlies and glared at them. "Yes! Yes I do understand that I am breaking every rule and condition set by Dr. Merrin by not going with you back to the hospital and hugging this mare! I understand that Dr. Merrin may very well wish to punish me for it, but do you understand that this mare is now without parents and need somepony to be there for her right now?!"

"Yeah, we do, Rarity," said the first orderly. "We do, but it isn't your responsibility to do that, okay? If you want we'll get one of the doctors to come talk to her, okay?"

"No, that is unacceptable!" Rarity retorted. "The doctors have a lot on their plate, and Applejack needs all of the attention and care that a pony can give, and I want to give it!" Rarity's eyes narrowed, and her mouth twisted into a snarl. "If you want to stop me, then you're going to have to tear her out of my forelegs, take that muzzle and those hoofcuffs off of your belts and put them on me and drag me back to the hospital to throw me head over hooves into solitary! I am not leaving this mare until I know she's at least a little bit okay."

The orderly was about to retort, but he was cut off when Applejack's quiet voice broke through. "R-Rarity? You don't need ta do that fer me," she whispered. "Ah don't want you ta halfta go through solitary because of me."

Rarity turned her head back to Applejack and gave her a small, sad smile. "Oh, solitary isn't really all that bad. It's just a little dull, that's all. Don't you want somepony here with you?"

Applejack sniffled and slowly nodded. "Yeah."

"Well then I'm here for you, Applejack. You don't have to be alone." Rarity nuzzled the top of Applejack's head again. "I'm here for you. It's going to be okay."

Rarity flinched when she felt a hoof on her shoulder, but she didn't let go of Applejack. "Rarity, I know you want to help this mare, and that's noble, but Dr. Merrin will get you in trouble if you keep doing this. You know we have to tell her about it."

Rarity turned her head back to the orderly and glared at him. "I think I made my position on that quite clear. Dr. Merrin can wait. Dr. Merrin doesn't need me back at the institution. Applejack needs me here."

"Dr. Merrin can revoke visitation rights, Rarity," the orderly shot back. "I know you want to see your sister some more after tonight, right? If you don't come back with us, you won't be able to."

Rarity's ear twitched at the threat but her glare did not falter. She hugged Applejack tighter and began rubbing her back. "Can I at least walk her home?" Rarity looked back down to Applejack. "Do you have anypony to be there with you at your house?"

Applejack nodded and wiped her eyes with a hoof. "Yeah. Mah granny, brother, and sister are back at the farm."

"Well they can come get her." The orderly poked Rarity's shoulder. "Rarity, I don't want to have to secure you and drag you back to the institution, but I will if I feel that I have to. You wouldn't want Applejack to see that, would you?"

Rarity shook her head, but did not look back at the orderly. "No. I wouldn't. Would you want her to see that? All I'm asking is a half hour to walk Applejack home to make sure that she's okay. You can either grant me my request and ensure that I come quietly, or you can drag me away and I'll see if I can't overload a horn blocker."

The orderlies exchanged a brief glance with each other, with one shrugging to the other. The one closest to Rarity sighed and rubbed one of his temples. "Fine. She'll have to ride in the wagon we brought you in, though, and we're going straight back to the hospital after we drop her off."

"Thank you," said Rarity stiffly. "That's very kind of you."

Rarity ran a hoof down Applejack's mane and gently kissed the top of her head. "We're going to take you home to be with your family now, Applejack. You just talk to me about whatever you need to, and I'll listen. I want to help however I can."

"Th-thank you, Rarity," Applejack whispered. "Thank you."

Rarity stood up and helped Applejack to her hooves, letting Applejack lean on her for support. Applejack took a moment to put the Stetson on her head, and the orderlies led the two of them out of the hospital. They went out a side door towards the wagon that Rarity had been brought to the hospital in, and the orderlies opened the door so the two could get inside. Once they were in, Applejack threw her forelegs around Rarity's waist and began sobbing hysterically. Rarity held Applejack and let her cry until she had no more tears to shed.

When she had finished, the ride was still going on, so Applejack moved to talking about her parents. She talked about her favorite memories with them, how she hoped they were in a better place, and how she hoped they were proud of her. Rarity chimed in with a comforting word every now and again, but mostly she just let Applejack talk.

Finally the wagon stopped, and Rarity stood up to see where they were. She looked out the window and saw a farmhouse near rows and rows of apple trees bearing ripe red apples. "We're here Applejack. I see a lot of apple trees." She looked down at Applejack who was getting to her hooves and smiled at her. "Your home is very beautiful. Maybe I can come visit sometime."

Applejack returned Rarity's smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Rarity, we Apples pride ourselves on our hospitality, but believe me when Ah say that y'all are welcome whenever you like. Yer family too. You've done somethin' fer me that Ah can never repay."

Rarity scoffed and waved a hoof. "Repay. Such a silly word for a situation like this. I was glad to help you, Applejack. There is no punishment that I may receive for this that would make me go back and do it any other way." Rarity put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "I'm here for you whenever you need me, Applejack. You know where I am."

The doors behind Rarity unlocked and swung open revealing the two orderlies. Rarity nodded at Applejack, and the two hopped out of the wagon. After one final goodbye, Applejack trudged towards the farmhouse and walked inside. Rarity sighed when the door closed behind Applejack and turned to the orderlies. "Well, I said that I'd come quietly."

The orderly to Rarity's left clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Dr. Merrin will not be happy about this, Rarity. It'll be half-past midnight by the time we come back. Expect to be in solitary for a while."

"Was it worth it, Rarity?" the other orderly chimed in. "Was it worth whatever punishment Dr. Merrin is gonna give you? We could have just had a doctor help her out."

A small smile crossed Rarity's face, and she turned her head towards the farmhouse. "It most certainly was. You should have seen that girl when we arrived. What I did meant the world to her."

"Yeah, well..." Rarity heard a horn ignite and the sound of hoofcuffs being taken off a belt. "You know we gotta..."

Rarity nodded. "I know."

Rarity hopped back into the wagon and allowed the orderly to hoofcuff and muzzle her. She laid down on the floor of the cart and tried to get comfortable as the wagon began moving to take her back to the institution. As the sight of Sweet Apple Acres faded away in the distance, Rarity smiled. I'm glad I could be there for you, Applejack. I hope I can see you again.

Patient Difficulty

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Half an hour later, the wagon pulled up to the institution. Rarity cracked open one eye, unaware that she had fallen asleep. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before sitting up as the door behind her opened. Without even waiting for a command, Rarity slowly pushed herself to her hooves and hobbled out of the wagon. They had arrived at the hospital, and Rarity fully expected Dr. Mind and Dr. Merrin to be waiting for her, the latter to scold her and sentence her to however long she felt Rarity deserved was necessary in solitary.

The orderlies flanked her and led her back towards the hospital. She walked straight forwards with her head held high and her eyes straight forwards, fully aware that the orderlies were shooting her glances. She was certain that they would have struck up some small conversation about her behavior were it not for the fact that her muzzle prevented her from reciprocating any comments that they made. Dr. Merrin would certainly have her fair share of remarks about her tardiness, so Rarity wasn't even really missing out there anyway.

The trio reached the entrance of the hospital and the orderly to Rarity's left opened up the door and held it open for his charge. Rarity inclined her head in a small bow, acknowledging him for the first time since she had come out of the wagon, and entered the hospital.

As Rarity suspected, Dr. Merrin and Dr. Mind were both standing in the front entrance waiting for her. Dr. Mind was sitting on one of the plastic chairs that lined the front entrance, and he was staring at the ground without an expression that Rarity could pinpoint. Dr. Merrin, on the other hoof, was easier to read. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Rarity walk into the door, and her mouth went thin. She too was sitting on one of the plastic seats, but she stood up when Rarity hobbled through the front entrance of the hospital and stood unmoving in front of Rarity. Rarity, for her part, took a few shaky steps forwards before stopping in front of Dr. Merrin and looking her directly in the eye. Despite her resolve, the way Dr. Merrin was looking at her gave Rarity some pause. There was no kindness or understanding behind her eyes. Instead there was only anger.

Dr. Merrin pushed her glasses a few centimeters further up the bridge of her nose and set the manila folder she had in her magical aura down on the chair she had been occupying. She motioned to Rarity's head.

"Muzzle."

The orderly to Rarity's right nodded and ignited his horn, and within a few seconds, the muzzle was slipped off of Rarity's face. Rarity barely moved, or made any effort to acknowledge the fact that speech had been returned to her. She simply continued locking eyes with Dr. Merrin. Dr. Merrin closed her eyes and quietly sighed. "Rarity..." She shook her head and lowered her head. "What did we do? What did we do to warrant such behavior from you when previously you showed no signs of being prone to such behavior?"

Dr. Merrin turned around and, instead of the anger that she had thought she had spotted, she was surprised to see something that looked a little like helplessness in her expression. "I thought that I could trust you! There were five solid months of immaculate behavior from you, then you go and do something like this?" Dr. Merrin frowned and took a step towards Rarity. "I gave you a specific time to be back here, and instead you come back through that door a full hour and a half late! If the orderlies had said something to the effect that the wagon had lost a wheel then that's fine, but you came back through that door muzzled and hoofcuffed! Why, Rarity?!"

Dr. Merrin stopped talking, and Rarity took the opportunity to quietly clear her throat. "I understand that given my... circumstances, you not only took a big risk, but gave me a great privilege by allowing me to leave the institution. I did not leave intending to stay out so late. The reason that I was..." Rarity motioned to one of the orderlies, "and these gentlecolts can verify my claim, was that I met somepony who had just lost her parents to a carriage accident while at the hospital. I was late because I wished to stay and comfort her in her hour of need. We escorted her back to her home with the wagon, after which I was secured and brought back to the institution." Rarity's eyes narrowed slightly. "That is the only reason. I did not attempt to escape, I did not attempt to abuse the privileges granted to me beyond giving that recently orphaned young mare a hug moments after she found out that her parents had passed away. That is all."

Dr. Merrin stared at Rarity, unblinking for a few moments as she processed the information. Rarity could practically see her brain working to try to understand everything as she just stared at her young charge. Dr. Mind had looked up from the floor and was staring at Rarity as well, though his expression was one of thoughtfulness as opposed to whatever Dr. Merrin was feeling.

"You just met a young mare whose parents died and you gave her a ride home?" said Dr. Merrin finally.

Rarity nodded. "That is all. I felt she needed some comfort. She had nopony there with her."

"She had nopony there with..." Dr. Merrin slowly exhaled and put a hoof up to her temple. "Right... Right." She shook her head and quietly scoffed. "Of course that's what it was. Right."

Rarity gave a quiet scoff of her own and grimaced. "I take it I'm going straight to solitary for the night?"

Dr. Merrin's gaze flickered over to Rarity. "Solitary? S-Sol..." Dr. Merrin groaned and quickly shook her head. "Rarity, I just..." She snapped her head to one of the orderlies and pointed at Rarity's hoofcuffs. "Get those stupid things off of her and get her to her room."

The orderly raised his eyebrow. "Her room? Like, her normal room?"

"Yes, like her normal room!" Dr. Merrin snapped. "I thought I made myself clear! Get Rarity's hoofcuffs off and get her to her room for the night, please and thank you."

Before anypony else could say anything, Dr. Merrin turned tail and stomped back into the interior of the institution, her hoofsteps echoing through the empty hallways. Dr. Mind watched her go, staring at her retreating figure until she turned a corner and her hoofsteps faded away. He sat still for a few moments before sighing and shaking his head. He muttered something to himself that Rarity couldn't hear and stood up, taking the manila folder that Dr. Merrin had left in his magical aura.

"Do as she says. Get Rarity to her room." He took a few steps towards Rarity and gave her a small smile. "I'm glad you made a friend, Rarity, even if it was under unfortunate circumstances. I..." Dr. Mind's smile faded and he turned his head back to the hallway where Dr. Merrin had gone through.

"Dr. Mind?"

Dr. Mind turned his head back to Rarity and raised an eyebrow when he saw her lowered head and ears. He had not failed to see her confident poise when she had come in, so her new demeanor intrigued him. "Yes, Rarity?"

"I... I'm sorry." Rarity tilted her head and scratched at one of her forelegs. "I was just trying to help Applejack. I didn't mean to drastically upset Dr. Merrin."

Dr. Mind's small smile returned, and he put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "It's not that exactly, Rarity, it's just..." His smile fell as no placating words came to him, and he sighed again and shook his head. "It's not anything that you should really concern yourself with right now, Rarity. You just go on to bed and let me worry about Dr. Merrin, okay?"

* * * *

Dr. Mind trotted through the institution, a grimace on his face. He had a pretty good idea of what was bothering Dr. Merrin and where she was and what she'd be doing. She'd probably be in her office, moping away with her light brown mane out of its normal bun and her hooves rubbing the dull yellow fur on her face. It was a habit she had picked up when Rarity had been committed to the institution, but lately she had avoided it.

Now, though...

Dr. Mind reached the solid oak door of Dr. Merrin's office. He considered knocking, but only for a moment. She'd probably just tell him to go away anyway. He clicked his tongue and pushed his way into her office. Sure enough, his colleague was sitting at her desk, her head in her hooves and her mane down. To top the image off, a crystal glass was resting beside her, filled three-quarters of the way to the top with a dark, amber liquid that Dr. Mind could guess she had been nursing.

"Go away, Sharp. We'll talk tomorrow."

Dr. Merrin's voice was clear and concise, as per usual. She could still give orders even in this state. Dr. Mind quietly scoffed and stepped into the office, shutting the door behind him. "I can't do that. You're in no state to be alone right now."

Dr. Merrin grunted and waved her hoof at him. "I don't see why you care."

"I care because we've been working together for fifteen years." Dr. Mind walked up to the desk and gently pulled the glass away from Dr. Merrin. "I know you were scared when she didn't report back and the hospital stated that she had already left, but she's back now. Heck, I'd say that there's really something interesting behind why she didn't come back when she was supposed to. She wanted to comfort a grieving mare who had just lost her parents! I know that I'm going to be discussing that with her quite frequently in the coming days. It's a side of her I wasn't aware of. It could mean a real breakth--"

"Sharp, go over to my bookcase."

Dr. Mind frowned and tilted his head. "I beg your pardon?"

Dr. Merrin motioned behind her to a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, packed with books of all sizes. "My bookcase. Go over to it and examine the books please."

Dr. Mind looked over at the bookcase, then back at Dr. Merrin, but the back of his mind told him to humor her so he stood up and walked over to it. "Yes, there are definitely books on this bookshelf. A lot of quality ones including the three that you wrote and the one that I did on foal psychology." He turned his head back to Dr. Merrin who still had not moved. "What's your point?"

"Don't you notice something missing?"

"Missing?" Dr. Mind turned his head back to the bookcase and scanned the rows of books for any gap. "Well, I'm not intricately familiar with every book that you own, so I don't--"

"Because there is one missing. In fact, there are arguably several books missing." Dr. Merrin pulled the glass back over to her and raised it to her lips, taking a small sip. "How to Treat a Foal Murderer."

Dr. Mind's heart sank, and he flattened his ears. "Oh dear," he muttered. He turned back to Dr. Merrin. "Now look, I know that Rarity is your most challenging case, but--"

"How to Treat a Foal Murderer." Dr. Merrin took another sip before putting the glass back down on the desk. "How to Fix a Foal Who Has Killed is another one that is missing from my collection. What to do When Dealing with a Killer is another one that I didn't manage to pick up either."

"Now look--"

"So imagine my surprise, given that I have such gaps in both my library and expertise, when one day almost six years ago I come into work to find that Princess freaking Celestia herself is waiting for me. She has a little white filly that she wants me to treat." Dr. Merrin put her hooves down on the desk and stared straight at the door. "'Cornflower,' she says to me, 'I want you to treat this little white filly. Her name is Rarity. She just murdered two of her classmates.'" Dr. Merrin ignited her horn and one of the drawers of her desk opened up, and she levitated a manila folder out of it. "I say 'oh, that's terrible,' thinking that it's just a simple schoolyard accident or that the little white filly that's going to be in my care from now on just didn't really understand what she was doing." She put the folder on her desk and opened is up. She scooted aside some papers and pulled out two photographs that she levitated into the air. Dr. Mind averted his eyes to the floor. He had seen the photographs of the murdered foals before and had no desire to repeat the experience.

"But no. Not only do I find out that this little white filly understood what she was doing, she enjoyed doing it and would have done it a third time if the third classmate hadn't gotten away! The last pony that did something like that ended up missing his head. This pony is eight years old, and now I am the one that everypony is looking at to fix her." Dr. Merrin flickered her eyes towards Dr. Mind and she tilted her head in a half shrug. "Okay, us. Everypony is looking to us to fix her. Regardless, my point stands. Rarity is literally the first pony to have committed flat-out murder in three hundred years. She beat Kicker with that rock so badly that the coroner had to take little flecks of stone out when he prepared the body, the body that his own mother had difficulty recognizing at first."

"Cornflower, I know all of this. Can you..." Dr. Mind turned his head even further and extended a hoof towards Dr. Merrin. "Can you please put those photographs away?"

Dr. Merrin blinked once and looked back at the photographs. She examined them for a moment before shrugging and putting them back in the folder. "Right. Sorry."

Dr. Mind lowered his hoof and raised his head. "Think nothing of it."

"But I have to, don't I?" Dr. Merrin scoffed and put her hoof on top of the contents of the folder. "I have to think about everything that Rarity does and has been doing. She's our most prominent patient, even if she has no idea. That's why I'm glad her mother gave birth later in the day." Dr. Merrin groaned and reached for the glass again, but Dr. Mind ignited his horn and levitated it out of her reach. Dr. Merrin shot him a glare, but did not attempt to further attain the glass. She merely looked back to the folder and flattened her ears. "One of my greatest fears is that Rarity will somehow get out of her room and find this folder. Then she'd find out how public her story really is."

Dr. Mind frowned and set the glass down next to a tall bottle filled with a similar amber liquid. "Well then why do you keep the silly thing around? Do yourself a favor and burn the silly hate mail she's received that you've kept from her and the dozens of newspaper articles written about her and what she did."

Dr Merrin shook her head and, with another burst of her horn, she shut the folder. "I can't do that. I have to keep this thing around to remind myself of what's at stake with her. I keep the hate mail around so that I can prove them wrong, so that I have a goal to strive towards, so that I can prove to the world that Rarity's not a..." Dr. Merrin opened up the folder and scanned one of the random pieces of paper. "'Cold-hearted spawn of Nightmare Moon that deserves to burn in Tartarus for eternity while the souls of the unfortunate foals you murdered rest easy in Paradise knowing their murderer is getting justice.' I keep the newspaper articles around to keep that first-hoof account of what it was like to be going through the murders during a time when the entire nation was talking about literally nothing else. You know how many reporters we had to turn away those first few months. Prince Blueblood could have gotten married the day after Rarity was committed and nopony would have cared." Dr. Merrin pushed a few letters and newspaper articles aside and stared at a random article. "Whenever I finish a talk with Rarity, I come back and look at this folder and remind myself that it's real. That she really did murder two of her classmates in cold blood like that."

"Technically she only murdered one. The first classmate was self-defense."

Dr. Merrin waved a hoof at Dr. Mind. "Whatever. You know what I mean. She beat two foals to death with a rock, which really just makes things even harder for me."

Dr. Mind cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

Dr. Merrin glanced over at Dr. Mind. "Do you want to know what Rarity makes me feel?"

Dr. Mind raised an eyebrow and looked down at the alcohol Dr. Merrin had been drinking. "Is this a session now? How much of this stuff did you have?"

Dr. Merrin sighed and put her head in her hooves. "It's a serious question! She makes me feel hopeless sometimes, and do you want to know why? I looked at Rarity for the first time when she came into my institution and I expected some bad seed. Some bully who spent the time when her magic was developing tearing wings off of flies, but do you know what I got? A scared filly who just wanted her mommy. As I got to know her, she seemed perfectly normal in every single way... except for what she had done. Murdered and enjoyed it."

Dr. Mind frowned and looked back over to Dr. Merrin. He walked over to one of the armchairs across from her desk and sat down in it. "And how does that make you feel hopeless?"

Dr. Merrin looked up at Dr. Mind and stared him straight in the eye. "Isn't it obvious? If a perfectly normal filly can commit the single most heinous act that anypony can ever think of and enjoy it enough that she wants to keep doing it again... what's to stop that kind of feeling from happening in anypony? I guess if you wanted to be more casual about it, you could call the feeling that Rarity attributes to the murders a monster of sorts. If Rarity is a completely normal pony, and was a completely normal filly up to that day in the woods, what's to stop the monster from appearing in any other normal pony like you or me? Is all it takes to kill somepony one moment of pure distress? To commit the single worst sin I can think of, do you just have to be pushed far enough? It seems like a distressingly simple formula to me."

Dr. Merrin slowly looked down to the folder and deeply exhaled out her mouth. "Of course the alternative is somehow just as bad: Rarity is a monster in of herself. Well then what? As I stated before, there are no books or guides to that kind of thing. She attacks you with a magical surge so I put her in solitary because I have no idea what the heck else to do with her. I can't ignore it. She attacked you and is in our care for murder."

"In the five years she's been here she's never indicated a desire to hurt anypony ever again, Cornflower," Dr. Mind pointed out. "And now this new business with the young mare tonight leads me to wonder something: have we kept her here too long?" Dr. Merrin's gaze snapped up to Dr. Mind, who raised a hoof defensively. "It's just a thought I've had. I haven't talked to Rarity about what happened tonight, but I most certainly will. As I said, she has never indicated a desire to hurt anypony ever again. She's been here for six years and doesn't even have her cutie mark."

"Do you think I had notes to compare to?" Dr. Merrin snapped. Her eyes twisted into a glare and she slammed her hoof on the desk. "You think I have some sort of timetable or symptoms list? I've already stated that there doesn't appear to need to be much to cause a pony to commit murder. If Rarity for whatever reason relapses, then what? Whose head does the fallout come down on other than hers which will literally roll when she's executed if not ours?!"

"Princess Celestia will not have Rarity beheaded if she relapses." Dr. Mind grimaced and leaned his head against his foreleg. "Given Rarity's case, I'd suspect that if Rarity did relapse and murder again, and Princess Celestia felt she had to execute her, she'd use lethal injection. That's what I understand is the more compassionate method."

"I don't care about method, just that you see my point!" Dr. Merrin pushed the folder towards Dr. Mind who visibly flinched back. "If we give Rarity a clean bill of mental health and say that she's ready to be re-integrated back into pony society and she murders again then the nation endures this all over again and we will have utterly failed in every way! We'll have failed Rarity, Princess Celestia, whomever she kills... heck, we'll have failed the entire Equestrian nation!" Dr. Merrin leaned back in her chair and slumped her shoulders, seeming to visibly deflate. "That's what had me so worried about tonight. I was worried that she was just behaving so we'd let her out so she could try something. She hates it here more than anything; even a blind pony could see that, but..." Dr. Merrin shook her head and pulled the folder back over to her with her magic. "I don't know what else to do. She's a murderess."

Dr. Mind crossed his forelegs and looked Dr. Merrin in the eye. "I'll talk to her about tonight. From what she said escape never crossed her mind. She comforted a grieving pony in her hour of need even though she knew that it might mean revoking of precious privileges, even those regarding her newborn sister. I think that shows that not only can she survive in pony society, she can flourish."

Dr. Mind shook his head and stood up. "It's late, and I know you're still getting over the shock of not knowing where Rarity was. She's fine, she's still behaving as far as I'm concerned, and I don't think she's going to murder anymore."

"But how can you be sure?" Dr. Merrin whispered. "How can you know that Rarity isn't going to be our greatest failure? She could kill again."

"I can't be totally sure right now, but I do not think that she will be a killer again in her life." Dr. Mind took a deep breath and began walking towards the door. "I'm going to get some sleep now. I suggest you do the same. I will talk with Rarity about tonight, but for now, I think that we all just need to reflect on what happened and what it means going forwards."

Sweet Beauty

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The door to Rarity's room shut behind her, and Rarity trotted over to her bed, making sure to take slightly longer strides to stretch out her legs from the hoofcuffs. She walked over to her bed and sat down on top of it, staring straight ahead at the designs she had taped on the wall. She had been working on one of them when she had received the message that Sweetie Belle was on the way.

Sweetie Belle.

A small smile played at Rarity's lips, and she ran her hoof down her shoulder length mane. "Sweetie Belle." The name of her new sister rolled off her tongue perfectly, and her smile widened slightly. She slowly got to her hooves and walked over to her desk. "Sweetie Belle. My baby sister Sweetie Belle."

Rarity sat at her desk and pushed aside the design she had been working on. It was unimportant. Everything was unimportant now that Sweetie Belle was here. She took out a fresh sheet of parchment and uncapped her felt tip pen and brought it to the parchment. The pen flew across the surface as Rarity drew the outline of a young filly, designs for outfits for her sister swirling in her brain, waiting to be brought to life.

"These, Sweetie Belle, these I will create for you." Rarity capped the pen she was using and picked up another of a different color. "These are for you. These will be created. I promise you, Sweetie Belle. These will not be mere dreams and hopeless ambitions. These will be real, Sweetie Belle. These will be very, very real."

Rarity finished one outfit and levitated it into the air. Her eyes scanned it, looking for some flaw in her design, but there was none. Nodding to herself, she gently took down one of the more elaborate dress designs from her wall and replaced it with the design for Sweetie Belle.

"These will be real, Sweetie Belle, and they'll all be for you." Rarity took another piece of parchment and brought the pen down to it to draw another design. "It's all for you, Sweetie Belle." The image flashed in Rarity's mind of her new baby sister wrapped up in blankets, snuggled close next to her mother who had her forelegs wrapped tightly around her as if using her body as a shield to protect her youngest child from the world, and Rarity's smile grew wider still. She went back to the paper with even more vigor and drive, and within another ten minutes she had completed another design.

"In fact, I'm getting out soon because of you, did you know that, Sweetie Belle? I... I can't spend another minute in this wretched place, knowing that I have a sister waiting for me. I know that I wouldn't want to grow up knowing that I had a sister who was locked away." Tears began dripping down Rarity's muzzle, staining the parchment and smudging the ink on the designs, but still Rarity drew on, merely re-marking the sections that were smudged by her tears. "I have to get out of here. I can't do this anymore. Six years is too long! It's too long! I need to be out there with my sister! I need to be out there with my sister!"

The pen clattered on the desk as the magic in Rarity's horn fizzled out. Rarity let out a loud wail and buried her head in her forelegs. Her sobs wracked her whole body, and she didn't even care that the ink on her parchment had not dried and was staining her coat and the sleeves of her hospital gown. "I can't do this anymore," Rarity whispered. "I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here. I promise I'm a good pony. I wish I could take it back."

Rarity took a deep breath and slowly raised her head. She locked her eyes on the first design she had done for Sweetie Belle. Yes, it was still as immaculate as ever. She reached out a foreleg to touch the parchment, but drew her hoof back when she noticed that her foreleg was stained with tears and ink. She lowered her gaze to her leg. "No..." Rarity blinked twice and shook her head. "No, I can't have anything spoiling what I'll make for her." Rarity retracted her hoof completely and rested it on the desk. She contented herself with staring at the drawing she had made. It would do for only a little while until she could make it for real.

"I'm getting out of here for you, Sweetie Belle." Rarity wiped her eyes with her hoof and stared unblinking at her picture. "This place won't hold me for long. We'll be a real family soon. You'll see. I promise you we'll be a real family."

* * * *

Two weeks later

Rarity smiled and nuzzled Sweetie Belle as she hugged her sister close to her. Sweetie Belle squirmed in her blankets, but didn't seem adverse to the affection. She slipped one of her tiny forelegs out of the blanket and poked Rarity's nose, eliciting a small giggle from her older sister.

"It's wonderful to see you all again," Rarity said, looking up at her smiling parents. "I missed you all."

"We've missed you too, Rarity," said Rarity's mother. "I know we've been looking forward to having you see Sweetie Belle again. She's a very happy filly."

"Yes, she does seem so, doesn't she?" Rarity cooed. She looked back down at Sweetie Belle and gave her a wide smile. "I'm glad you're here, Sweetie Belle. Big sister wants to see you as often as possible, so Mother and Father are going to have to come see me as often as possible, okay?"

"Every day we can, Rarity," said Rarity's father.

"And I will make sure that you can see each other as frequently as possible," said Dr. Mind, who was sitting on a chair in one of the corners of the room. "I think that interacting with her sister is something that will be very good for Rarity."

Rarity was about to respond, but she was stopped when the door opened and an orderly walked in, walking straight towards Dr. Mind. He stopped in front of him and leaned in next to Dr. Mind's ear and began whispering to him. Dr. Mind frowned and glanced over to the door. "Really?" The orderly nodded, and Dr. Mind returned it. "Well, I think it's fine. In fact, I'd encourage it." The orderly nodded and walked out of the room.

"What was that all about?" Rarity asked.

Dr. Mind smiled at Rarity and tilted his head towards the door. Rarity looked towards it, and after a few seconds, it opened up revealing one familiar face, and two that were new to her. Seeing the familiar face made Rarity squeal in excitement.

"Applejack!"

Sure enough, Applejack walked into the room, followed by a large red stallion who was staring blankly ahead at nothing in particular. A yellow filly with a bright red mane tied with a bow who was babbling happily away was perched on Applejack's back. Applejack smiled when she saw Rarity, and walked up and gave Rarity a pat on the shoulder.

"Ah'd hug ya, but after the hospital, Ah figured it was against the rules."

Dr. Mind scoffed and waved his hoof at her. "Oh, go on. She's not dangerous, I assure you."

Applejack tilted her head in a nod in Dr. Mind's direction. "Thank ya, Doc." With that, Applejack threw a hoof around Rarity's shoulder and squeezed her into a hug. Rarity shifted Sweetie Belle to one of her forelegs and returned it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the stallion staring straight at her. She thought she might have seen a hint of a glare in his eyes, but it passed quickly enough that she wasn't sure if she had imagined it or not.

When Applejack broke away from the hug, she sat down at a chair that Dr. Mind scooted over to the table for her after transferring the filly from her back to the table. Applejack gently patted the filly on the head and smiled fondly at her. "This here's Apple Bloom. She was born a few months ago."

Rarity ruffled Apple Bloom's mane as the filly stared up at her with wide, curious eyes. "Hello, Apple Bloom. My name is Rarity, and this is my baby sister Sweetie Belle."

Rarity shifted Sweetie Belle in her grasp so that Apple Bloom could get a better look at her. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle stared at each other, Apple Bloom cocking her head. After a few seconds of silence, Apple Bloom giggled loudly and looked back at Applejack, pointing a tiny hoof at Sweetie Belle.

"Ba."

Applejack chuckled and ruffled her baby sister's mane. "Yes, Apple Bloom. That's Sweetie Belle. Ah bet you two are gonna get ta know each other real well pretty soon."

Apple Bloom giggled again and crawled over to Sweetie Belle, who continued staring at her with wide eyes. Apple Bloom poked Sweetie Belle's free hoof with her nose. Sweetie Belle reached out her hoof and touched Apple Bloom's muzzle, eliciting yet another giggle from the filly.

Applejack chuckled and crossed her forelegs. "Well, Ah know who Ah'm bringin' every time Ah come, especially if Sweetie Belle's here. The two of 'em seem ta really like each other."

Rarity smiled and was just about to voice her affirmation of the idea when she heard the stallion grumble something she couldn't quite make out. She frowned and looked in his direction. "Is something the matter?"

The stallion's expression betrayed nothing as he shook his head, but Applejack seemed to pick up on something anyway. She frowned at him. "Big Mac, yer a a terrible liar. What's got yer saddle all shriveled up?"

"Nothin'," Big Mac replied. "We can talk about it later."

Despite the stallion's denial, Rarity had a pretty good idea of just what was wrong. She looked away uncomfortably and flattened her ears. "It's the nature of my crime, isn't it? You're not comfortable with me around Apple Bloom, I take it?"

"Nothin' against ya personally, just gotta be careful." Big Mac's gaze flickered over to Applejack who was glaring at him. He shrank away slightly. "Read a lot. Not sure what ta believe. Ah've just met ya."

Rarity's eyes widened and she snapped her head up. "Read a lot? What do you mean you've read a lot? I assume it made the local paper, obviously, but..."

Big Mac frowned and tilted his head. "Local paper? You mean ya don't know that--?"

"Big Mac, stop talkin' right now." Applejack's glare would have melted boulders, and her brother flattened his ears and took a step backwards.

"Sorry. Tactless."

"You had better believe that was tactless!" Applejack made a noise of disgust and looked back over to the group across from her. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were looking at her curiously while Rarity's eyes were beginning to brim with tears. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof.

"Forgive me. I just... I wasn't aware that my story had gone beyond Ponyville."

Dr. Mind stood up from his seat and cleared his throat. "Maybe you had all best be going right now. Rarity has a session soon and we'd best be getting to that."

Applejack stiffly nodded and scooped up Apple Bloom who started squirming and reaching out towards Sweetie Belle. Applejack gently nuzzled her sister and stroked her mane. "It's fine. Yer gonna get ta see her again real soon, okay? We gotta go now. Big brother is bein' stupid."

"Sorry," Big Mac mumbled.

"Sorry don't fix nothin' right now." Applejack stood up and gently transferred Apple Bloom to her back. She looked over to Rarity's parents who were also glaring at Big Mac. She sighed and shook her head. "Ah can't apologize fer him, but Ah feel bad."

"You didn't do anything," said Rarity's mother. "You've been a great friend to Rarity, and we cannot thank you enough."

Applejack nodded and walked over to Rarity. She gave her a small, sad smile and wrapped her up in a hug. "It's gonna be alright, sugarcube. Don't you worry none about what everypony else thinks. Ah know you ain't a bad pony."

Rarity looked up to Applejack and gave her a small smile. She returned the hug. "Thank you, Applejack. I look forward to seeing you and little Apple Bloom again." Despite every wish to the contrary, Rarity felt a small feeling of anger and resentment towards Big Mac. To reveal a detail like that without a single regard for her feelings? It disgusted Rarity. She glanced up at Applejack. "Big Mac isn't welcome."

Applejack's small smile fell, but she slowly nodded. "Ah understand."

The two broke away from the hug and Applejack slowly trotted towards the door of the visitor's room. Once they had left, Rarity's parents walked over to Rarity. She extended her forelegs and hoofed Sweetie Belle over to her mother. "I had a wonderful time today with Sweetie Belle. I look forward to getting to know her some more."

Rarity's mother smiled and put a foreleg around Rarity's shoulder. "You're gonna be okay, Rarity. Don't worry about Big Mac or what he was saying."

"I know," Rarity whispered. "It's just... surprising to hear that my story spread beyond Ponyville."

Rarity's mother gently nuzzled Rarity's mane before moving aside to allow her father to hug Rarity. After that, the two of them left, allowing Rarity to follow Dr. Mind to their normal meeting place. The walk over was silent, despite Dr. Mind's attempts to strike up a conversation. Once they reached the room, Rarity walked inside, followed by Dr. Mind, who shut the door behind her.

Dr. Mind cleared his throat and walked over to his desk. "Well, aside from the end, I think that your time with Applejack and Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle went rather well, don't you--?"

"Shut up."

Dr. Mind's eyes widened, and he looked up at Rarity who was glaring at him contemptuously. She took began walking towards Dr. Mind, and despite himself, Dr. Mind began retreating, wondering if he shouldn't call an orderly.

"R-Rarity, what's gotten into--?"

"I said SHUT UP!" Rarity screeched. She slammed her hoof on the ground. "How far did my story spread?! How many ponies throughout Equestria know who I am and what I did?! I know reporter ponies were there when I was arrested, but how many papers plastered that I'm a foal murderer on their front pages?!"

Dr. Mind's mouth flopped up and down like a fish out of water. Rarity had stopped moving forwards, but her glare had not faded. Dr. Mind managed to take a deep breath after a few seconds. "W-well, Rarity, I don't think that it's a good idea to talk about it. Do you really want to--?"

"Dr. Mind, I want you to tell me everything that you know about how far my story has spread!" Rarity walked over to her usual chair and sat down on it, crossing her forelegs as she did. "I absolutely refuse to cooperate until then. I won't say a single word until you tell me what I want to hear."

Dr. Mind's stomach clenched and he bit his lip. Rarity clearly wasn't going to budge on the issue, but he was not sure how she would react to hearing just how big of an impact her actions had had. "Rarity, I..." Rarity's glare hardened and Dr. Mind realized then that she would not be satisfied with anything less than the truth. He slowly walked over to his desk and sat down. He looked sadly up at Rarity. "Your story made national headlines. I daresay that there wasn't a paper that didn't carry the story for weeks. For months after you came here for help, we had to turn away reporters begging for interviews with Equestria's first murderer in three hundred years."

The fire in Rarity's eyes drained away, and her bottom lip began quivering. "Oh no," she whispered. She brought a hoof up to her mouth and a pair of tears streaked down her face. "No, that... that can't be..." Rarity sniffled and a sob escaped her lips. "I... d-didn't think that..." The floodgates opened and Rarity let out a loud wail of pure sorrow. She buried her head in her forelegs and began loudly sobbing. Dr. Mind quickly stood up off of his chair and rushed over to her to begin gently rubbing her back.

"Rarity, it's okay. It's been five years. Ponies aren't talking about it anymore."

"My life is over!" Rarity wailed. "Everypony in Equestria h-hates me!"

"Rarity, that's not even remotely true!" Dr. Mind insisted. "Princess Celestia explained your situation and many, many ponies were sympathetic to your situation. I'd even say a majority of them are!"

Rarity lifted her head and looked at Dr. Mind. "I-is that why you've kept me here for so long? You're scared that everypony who hates me might do something bad to me if I got out too soon?"

Dr. Mind grimaced. "Well, it didn't help, I suppose, but Rarity, you're going to get out soon, I promise! This thing with Applejack has me believing that you can flourish in pony society. I already told you that most do not hate you, and even your few detractors will come around once they see that you're a good pony, I promise."

"But when?" Rarity whimpered. "When can I get out? When can I see my sister every day without an orderly watching me?"

"Soon, Rarity. You won't be here for more years. I know that hearing that Equestria knows about you is a shock, but don't let it affect you. You're a good pony. It doesn't matter what the rest of them think. As long as you know that you are a good pony who would never hurt anypony, that's all that matters."

* * * *

Three months later

Rarity took a deep breath and glanced over at Applejack who gave her a comforting smile. The two of them had their respective sisters on their backs, both of whom were babbling animatedly with each other. Today was the first day that Rarity was set to re-integrate herself into pony society under the supervision of a plainclothes orderly and Applejack.

"Now you two have a good time and Ah don't wanna see ya until it's time fer supper, ya hear?" Applejack's grandmother, Granny Smith, slowly walked up to the four of them with a warm smile on her face. "Make sure you get everythin' AJ. Ah wanna make this supper good."

Applejack chuckled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Ah won't forget nothin'. Rarity and Ah'll be on our way now."

"Before we go..." Rarity smiled at Granny Smith. "I want to thank you for your hospitality and that delicious apple pie, Ms. Smith. I know there are a lot of ponies that don't look kindly upon my situation."

"Shucks, girl, you don't need ta thank me fer that," Granny Smith said with a wave of her hoof. "Ah know you've been through some hard times and made some mistakes, but the way ya helped mah granddaughter, well, it shows me yer a good pony, and no mistake is gonna take that away."

Rarity was about to respond, but Granny Smith lightly slapped her shoulder. "Now git, you two. The day ain't gettin' any younger."

"Will do, Granny." Applejack inclined her head. "Come on, Rarity. Ah don't know about you, but Ah'm thinkin' there's gonna be some good stuff at the market today."

"Oh I hope so." Applejack began walking out of the farmhouse and Rarity followed, being careful to not dislodge Sweetie Belle from her perch. "I... well, I haven't been to the market since I was a filly. It's been just over six years now."

"Too long if'n ya ask me." Applejack led Rarity out past the gates of Sweet Apple Acres and in the direction of town. "Hearin' everythin' you've been tellin' me 'bout yer time that that hospital, Ah'd say that you've definitely been there too long. Eight to fourteen?" Applejack shook her head. "Ah'd be real sore if Ah lost mah foalhood like that."

Rarity sighed and nodded. "Yes, I do suppose that there are some days where I feel disappointed that I didn't get a real foalhood like most ponies do, but they really were trying to help. They had to make sure that I wasn't going to murder somepony again."

"Ah wouldn't even call what ya did the first time murder, Rarity," Applejack said with a slight growl in her voice as they entered town. "Ah'd say that it was..." Applejack frowned and scratched her head. "Uh... what's the word? Extenuatin' circumstances?"

"Well Princess Celestia did rule that my first kill was self-defense, but--"

"Naw, Ah'm talkin' the other one too." Applejack grimaced. "Ah ain't gonna pretend it was a good thing, mind you, but ta me murder is a strong word that ponies who didn't even halfta go through what you did tacked onto you because it shifts blame off of some other ponies who knew you were bein' bullied like that and didn't do nothin' about it. Made 'em feel better ta label you as a murderer, shove you in a mental institution and move on without thinkin' about what coulda made you do it in the first place or what steps they coulda taken ta avoid it." Applejack sighed and shrugged. "Ah dunno. That's just how Ah've always seen it. From what you've been tellin' me 'bout that day, you were scared and not thinkin' straight. Ah ain't glad that they're dead, but they were just askin' fer trouble."

Rarity didn't respond, instead choosing to look silently ahead as the market drew nearer. The idea that somepony didn't think of her as a murderer... it was foreign to her. Everypony in Equestria, herself included, had always thought of her as a murderer. Not of Dug, who was going to attack her, but Kicker for sure everypony thought was murdered. Princess Celestia herself said that she was. Hearing Applejack say that she wasn't, though? It was a new idea, and she wasn't sure how she thought about it.

Rarity pushed it out of her mind as she entered the market with Applejack. It wasn't a concept that she was going to sway Applejack on, so she might as well not bother. The two had some shopping to do at any rate.

Rarity froze as the reality of that hit her and let out a quiet squeak.

There were quite a few ponies here, ponies who would undoubtedly know who she was and what she had done. She whimpered and took a small step backwards, but her orderly nudged her onwards. "Come on, Rarity. I'm here to make sure nothing happens. I know these ponies. They're not going to do anything, okay?"

Rarity slowly nodded and looked over to Applejack, who by this point had noticed that Rarity had stopped walking with her and was coming back to her. "What's the holdup?"

"Er... it's not a big deal," Rarity whispered. "It's just that there... are a lot of ponies here."

Applejack gave Rarity a comforting smile. "Come on, Rares, it ain't so bad. Nothin's gonna happen, Ah promise. Ya have just gotta put one hoof in front of the other like this." Applejack turned and made a show of putting her left forehoof in front of her right. "Just like this. Nothin' to it."

Rarity gulped, but slowly took a step forwards, acutely aware that ponies were beginning to notice her now. Some of them were even whispering amongst each other. Yes, they definitely recognized her. She began to wish for a hat and a coat to cover up her distinctive appearance. Still, despite her nervousness, she followed Applejack to the tomato cart run by a white, brown maned earth pony mare who seemed to be about Rarity's age with a single tomato as a cutie mark. She smirked when she saw the group come up to her cart, but Applejack tilted her Stetson in a greeting.

"Afternoon to ya, Scarlet Tomato. You runnin' the show today?"

Scarlet Tomato's smirk widened and she nodded. "Sure am. My mom's sick, so I've got the place to myself right now. What can I get for you?"

"Well, we're makin' a stew tonight and mah granny wanted three tomatoes."

Scarlet Tomato nodded and reached into a bucket for the produce. "Can do." She placed them on the counter and Applejack put them in her saddlebag. "Eight bits, please."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "S'cuse me?"

"Eight bits for the tomatoes."

Applejack frowned and tilted her head. "Uh, Ah was buyin' tomatoes last week and it one bit fer three tomatoes." Applejack's eyes narrowed "You ain't tryin ta cheat me, are you?"

Scarlet Tomato let out a mock gasp of indignation. "Perish the thought, dearest Applejack. We've just raised our prices since then!"

Applejack gave Scarlet Tomato a flat look. "Uh-huh. You wanna know what Ah think is goin' on? Ah think yer tryin' ta cheat me."

"Oh come now. I'm just--"

"And Ah don't deal with cheaters." Applejack reached into the bag and produced the tomatoes which she put back on the counter. "Guess we'll do without tomatoes in the stew tonight."

Scarlet Tomato blushed and flattened her ears. "Now look, Applejack. You don't need to do that. I-f you paid one bit then one bit it is."

Applejack snorted and shook her head. "Nope. Too late." She turned around and began walking away. Before she got more than four paces, she turned her head back. "Ya might wanna quit that habit, Scarlet. It could get ya into trouble someday."

With that, the group walked away from the tomato cart, leaving a thoroughly shocked Scarlet Tomato standing still, her jaw nearly on the ground. Applejack scoffed quietly and shook her head. "Foolish girl. Doesn't have half of the brains of even Apple Bloom here." Apple Bloom let out a noise as she recognized her name, eliciting a smile from Applejack. "Well, don't worry none about that. Ah never really liked tomatoes too much anyway." Applejack shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Granny'll understand and probably wanna talk with her ma about it. Anyway, we gotta get some potatoes."

Rarity followed Applejack towards the potato stand where a large earth pony stallion was peddling his wares. He smiled when he saw Applejack and Apple Bloom approach, but his smile flickered when his gaze landed on Rarity. Applejack seemed not to notice as she stopped in front of his cart. "Howdy. Ah'd like a half dozen potatoes."

The stallion continued staring at Rarity, completely unblinking. Rarity flattened her ears and looked down at the ground, wishing that the stallion would break his gaze.

"Sir? Can Ah buy some potatoes?"

That stallion continued his silence. His greeting smile had completely disappated. After a few more moments he shakily raised a hoof. "Y-you're that mare, aren't you? The one who ki--"

"SIR, AH'D LIKE TA BUY SOME POTATOES!!!"

The stallion snapped out of his stupor and turned his attention to Applejack. He blinked twice and shook his head as if to clear it. "Oh... yes. Right. My apologies. How many?"

"Six," said Applejack with a hint of venom.

"Six. Right. That'll be six bits."

Applejack's eyes narrowed, and she leaned forward a few inches. The stallion flattened his ears. "Er... did I say six? I meant four. Yes, four bits for six potatoes seems fair."

Applejack tilted her head in a curt nod. "Kind of ya." She scooped the six potatoes into her bag and placed four bits on the table. "Have a good day."

With that, the group walked away from the potato stand.

Rarity walked away with her head still low and her ears still folded against her head. The eyes. She could feel the eyes all over her. Applejack's outburst had certainly done nothing to help matters. Once again she cursed having such a distinctive appearance. A white pony with a purple mane like hers stuck out, even if her mane was only shoulder length. She was also acutely aware that the market was quieter now. Even Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom were not as noisy as they had been.

Applejack seemed to notice Rarity's demeanor, because she tapped her on the shoulder. Rarity glanced up at her friend, who beckoned her onwards towards a back alley. Rarity slowly nodded and followed. When they reached it, Rarity ignited her horn and lifted Sweetie Belle off of her back. She sat down on her haunches and wrapped Sweetie Belle up in a gentle hug while her orderly stood guard at the entrance of the alley. Applejack carefully slid Apple Bloom off of her back and allowed her to crawl over to Rarity.

"Rarity, are you doin' okay?"

Rarity slowly shook her head and hugged Sweetie Belle closer. "They were all staring at me," she whispered. "Th-that stallion recognized me. He knew who I was."

"Rarity, you already know that yer story is known by pretty much every pony in Equestria. It ain't so bad. They're not starin' because they're judgin' you. They're just... surprised is all."

Rarity sniffled, but smiled softly when she felt Sweetie Belle, sensing that her sister was down, nuzzle her neck. "If I wasn't with you and the orderly I don't know what I'd do, Applejack. It's one thing to hear that everypony knows you've killed foals, but it's another thing entirely to see it." Rarity squeezed her eyes shut. "It was so scary."

Rarity felt Applejack's comforting hoof on her shoulder. "Rarity, that's what this is all for. It won't be scary next time. The next time the ponies will see ya and they won't care that yer around. They'll go about their business like normal and you'll find out that you can go through town and make friends with these ponies just like me."

Rarity wiped her eyes with a foreleg and looked up at Applejack. "I-if you're sure..."

"Ah know so." Applejack extended her hoof. "Get on up, Rarity. We've got some more shoppin' ta do."

For the first time since the Acres, a smile appeared on Rarity's face. She ignited her horn and lifted Sweetie Belle into the air, something that elicited squeals of excitement from the filly, and allowed Applejack to help her up. She placed Sweetie Belle on her back. "I'm ready, Applejack."

* * * *

The rest of the time passed without incident. Applejack's outburst seemed to tell everypony that Rarity was not to be bothered, and they gathered the ingredients with ease. After a dinner at the Apple family residence, including some of the best food that Rarity had ever had the pleasure of eating, Rarity was taken back to the institution with the promise of more visits.

And more visits she gave.

Over the next few weeks Rarity found that she spent most of her day at the apple farm or in Ponyville itself. True to Applejack's assumption, most of the townsfolk left her alone and didn't stare after the first few days. Within a week Rarity found that she was able to almost completely relax in the town.

After a month of this therapy, Rarity was in her room sketching out some designs for Applejack. Her friend had insisted that she did not wear dresses, but that just made the challenge all the more interesting for Rarity. She sighed contentedly and smiled. She put the felt tip marker down and scanned her design. It was coming along quite nicely.

Rarity leaned back in her seat and rubbed the base of her horn. She had not been subjected to a horn blocker in several months. Not since she had met Applejack.

Rarity reached forward to move her design closer to her when she heard the door to her room open. She turned her head and saw not only Dr. Mind, but Dr. Redheart and Dr. Merrin standing in her doorway as well. Dr. Mind and Dr. Redheart were positively beaming while Rarity sensed a hint of falseness behind Dr. Merrin's smile.

Rarity inclined her head in a greeting nod. "Doctors. How are you this fine evening. You seem quite happy. Is there any particular reason?"

"Oh there is, Rarity. There most certainly is." Dr. Mind ignited his horn and a stack of papers slid out of a manila folder that Dr. Redheart was carrying in her own magical grasp. "I have a surprise for you. One that I think you'll like."

Rarity gave Dr. Mind a small smirk and turned her chair to face him. "Well it must be good. The last time that you had a surprise like this I received news that Sweetie Belle was going to be born. What is it this time? I assume it has something to do with those papers."

"Indeed they do." Dr. Mind levitated the papers of to Rarity so that she could see them. "Rarity, Dr. Merrin, Dr. Redheart and myself are in agreement that you are of sound mind and fit to return to pony society. These are your discharge papers. You're going home."

Free

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Rarity blinked slowly and tilted her head, her expression carefully neutral as she regarded her beaming doctors. She looked down at the papers floating in Dr. Mind's magical glow, then back at Dr. Mind.

"Er... so sorry, I'm afraid that I misheard you." Rarity gently cleared her throat. "I thought I heard you say that those were my discharge papers and... that I'm going home today."

Dr. Mind chuckled and put the papers down on Rarity's desk. "In fact, you didn't mishear me, Rarity. These are your discharge papers, and you are going home today. As a matter of fact, your parents and Sweetie Belle are on their way to the institution to pick you up right now. They should be here any minute. You just sign these papers, and you can go home with them."

"Go... home," Rarity whispered breathlessly. She gently laid a hoof on the discharge papers and stared down at them. "I'm sorry, it's just that... I never thought this day would come."

"I know, but it has, Rarity." Dr. Mind levitated a pen out of the front pocket of his coat and laid it down next to the papers. "We just need you to sign on the line at the bottom of the first page, initial the lines on the second page, and sign and date the third page. Once you do that, you're free to go."

"Free to..." Rarity shakily pulled the pen over to her as her lower jaw began quivering. A pair of tears streaked down her face, and she slowly pushed the pen away.

"Rarity?" Dr. Mind frowned and took a step towards her. "What's wrong? We just need a few signatures. Don't you want to be released?"

"Yes," Rarity said in a small voice. "I want to be released more than anything. I want to wake up in my own house with Sweetie Belle just down the hallway in her own room where I can see her as much as I want instead of during visiting hours. I want to go downstairs and see my mother cooking b-breakfast and father reading the newspaper." A single sob escaped Rarity's throat and she wiped her eyes with her forelegs. "But I know that this isn't real. I'm just having a lucid dream, one that I've had countless times over the nearly six years that I've been here. I can't suffer that disappointment again. I just... can't."

Dr. Mind sighed and gave Rarity a quiet smile. He sat down next to her and put a hoof on her back. "But it isn't a dream, Rarity. This is completely real, I assure you. Your family is probably already here." Dr. Mind pushed the pen back to Rarity. "Just sign and you're out of here forever. No offense to you, Rarity, but we don't want you back. I am of the opinion, and the rest of us agree, that you won't ever hurt anypony ever again." Dr. Mind tapped the papers and gave Rarity a warm smile. "This isn't a dream, Rarity. Sign the papers and you're free."

Rarity took a deep breath and slowly began nodding. She illuminated her horn and lifted the pen in the air, scrawling her name on the necessary pages. When she was finished, Dr. Mind nodded and put the papers in a folder that Dr. Merrin was carrying. Dr. Mind got to his hooves and motioned for Rarity to do the same. "You're free, Rarity. I have a few boxes waiting outside the door. Let's get your stuff packed.

* * * *

The next twenty minutes were spent packing all of Rarity's meager possessions. The doctors gently took her designs off of the wall, took her few books off of the bookshelf and put them in two small boxes outside of her room. The entire time Rarity had a blank expression on her face, part of her still believing that this was just a dream; that any moment she would wake up and be disappointed just as she had been for the past six years.

But it wasn't a dream. She was going home, never to return to the institution. They believed that she would never murder again.

Dr. Mind helped her carry the boxes out of her room and to the front entrance of the institution where, sure enough, her parents were waiting with Sweetie Belle. All of them had wide smiles on their faces, and when Rarity came through the door to the front room, they rushed over to her and wrapped her in a group hug. Sweetie Belle giggled and crawled onto Rarity's head.

"You're comin' home, Rarity," her father said. "How does it feel?"

"It feels..." Rarity blinked once and slowly shook her head. "We'll talk about it later. Right now I just want to get out of here. I've spent six years in this place and I can't spend another moment." Rarity glanced back at the doctors who were watching her. "No offense to you, of course."

Dr. Redheart chuckled and waved her hoof. "None taken, Rarity. We don't want you spending another moment here either. You go on home."

"Home." The word felt foreign in Rarity's mouth, but at the same time she felt a wave of comfort wash over her. "Yes. Home. Let's go home."

Rarity's parents broke away from the hug, and Rarity stood up, lifting Sweetie Belle onto her back, much to the delight of the filly. Her father illuminated his horn and lifted the two boxes of Rarity's possessions into the air. Rarity turned to the doctors behind her and beckoned them. "Follow us outside. I have something to say to you and I'd rather not say it in here."

The doctors nodded, and the seven ponies filed out of the institution. When the front door opened, Rarity felt a cool breeze of clean air wash over her, and a smile crossed her face. Somehow it felt purer now that she was free; more so even than when she had her trips with Applejack. She turned back to the doctors, her smile still on her face.

"I want to thank all of you for helping me these past six years. I couldn't have gotten through everything without your help. I know that I might have been a difficult patient at times, but do know that I never wanted to be."

Dr. Mind widened his smile slightly and put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "You were never a bother to us, Rarity. We were happy to help you." He gave a single chuckle and motioned out towards Ponyville. "Now go on. Go home and rest. I don't know anypony that's deserved it more than you."

With one final goodbye from all of the doctors, the three went back into the institution. Rarity turned back to her parents who were loading her possessions into the back of a taxi. Rarity slowly walked towards the taxi, being careful to not dislodge Sweetie Belle from her perch. When she reached it, she lifted Sweetie Belle into the air and entered the taxi. She scooted over to the farthest seat and put Sweetie Belle on her lap.

"Big sister promised that she would be out soon the day you were born, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said quietly. She gently nuzzled her sister, who giggled and poked Rarity's nose. "Now I... I'm out."

"You sure are, Rarity," said her father with a smile. He and Rarity's mother entered the taxi, and the burly earth pony stallion pulling it began moving towards Ponyville. "You're home for good. No more of this mental institution nonsense. You're coming back to where you belong."

The twenty minute ride back to their home was spent in relative silence. Sweetie Belle would occasionally babble something to amuse herself, but Rarity merely stared blankly ahead. Soon enough her home came into view, and the driver stopped just outside of her doorway. Her parents exited the taxi first, her father hoofing fifteen bits to the driver. Rarity then lifted Sweetie Belle into the air with her magic and walked out of the taxi, getting a look at her home for the first time in almost six years. It was just how she had remembered it. A little run down, perhaps, but it was her home.

The driver took off again after Rarity's mother took her belongings out of the back, and the family walked up to their house. Rarity's father trotted ahead of the family to the door, and opened it up for the rest of the family to walk in. When Rarity passed him, he bowed low to her.

"Your palace awaits, madam. I trust you will find it satisfactory."

Rarity gave him a smile and tilted her head back to him. "I'm sure that I will, good sir. More than satisfactory, no doubt."

Rarity crossed the threshold of the doorway and into her home. Every inch of the house was completely spotless, and a large banner had been hung from the ceiling.

Welcome Home Rarity.

Rarity's parents entered behind her, and her father shut the door. Rarity's mother walked up beside her and nuzzled her daughter. "Welcome home, baby. We've missed you here."

"I've missed being here," Rarity said breathlessly. She took a deep breath and alternated looks between her parents. "So, what now? I'm home. Do you have anything planned?"

"Not at all, Rarity," said her father. "Today is yours. You get to decide what to do. It's your special day, after all."

"Yes. I suppose it is." Rarity sighed and lowered her head. "I know that this is probably a touch rude, given how I've spent much of my time away from you, but... I think I would like to go to my room now. I'm quite... overwhelmed at the moment."

"It's not rude at all, Rarity." Rarity's mother nudged her forwards and Rarity followed her down the closest hallway. "Like we said, it's your day. If you want to rest for a little while, that's perfectly okay with us. We don't see it as being separated from you, anymore." The group reached a doorway and Rarity's mother opened it up. "You're just down the hall. You're not in some evil institution anymore. You're here with us where you should have been all along."

Rarity nodded and nuzzled her mother's neck. "I'm glad, mother. I can't imagine a place I'd rather be right now. I'll see you later, okay? At worst I'll sleep in until tomorrow."

"Sleep in as long as you want, Rarity," her father said. "We'll be waiting for you when you wake up."

Rarity's mother took Sweetie Belle off of Rarity's back and transferred her to her own. Sweetie Belle let out a noise of displeasure, and reached a hoof out to Rarity. Rarity gave her a comforting smile and gently nuzzled her sister. "Don't worry, Sweetie Belle. Big sister is just going to rest for a little while. I'll come see you when I wake up."

With that, Rarity slowly walked into her room and closed the door behind her. As with the rest of the house, her room was immaculate, but Rarity hardly noticed. She vaguely registered that everything was still there from that fateful day in the woods. All of her old toys and designs were still around. Her room hadn't changed at all. Rarity walked over to her bed and laid down on it, relishing how much more comfortable it was than the one she had laid on for the past six years at the institution. No longer would she endure therapy sessions, talks about what she had done and where she was going to go from here. She wouldn't constantly be under the watchful eye of ponies who were worried that she would murder again.

"Free." Rarity blinked twice and took a deep breath. "I... I'm free."

All at once the emotions that she had been unable to feel since hearing the news rushed over her, and, not knowing what else to do, Rarity wept.

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Rarity wept well into the night until she collapsed onto her bed from sheer exhaustion, drained of any emotions. She was free, and she knew that she should be beyond overjoyed. And yet, she barely registered the fact that she was, for the first time in six years, lying down on her own bed. Not the bed in the institution. Her bed. The sheets and the mattress felt alien to her, almost as if they belonged to some other pony and she was intruding, but at the same time the thick comforter was welcoming. When she snuggled underneath it after drying her tears it felt almost like she was being hugged by her mother when she was a filly before the white walls of Ponyville Youth Psychiatric Care ensnared her.

But she was free now. There would be no more walls designed to keep her trapped. No more locked doors. No more ugly hospital gowns. No more horn blockers, or mandatory therapy sessions, or doctors, or visiting hours, or hoofcuffs or muzzles.

No more institution.

Just life.

A small smile crossed Rarity's face as her eyelids became heavier, and the sweet embrace of sleep came over her. Life was about to begin again for her. With that wonderful thought in her mind, she allowed herself to fall asleep.

* * * *

Rarity awoke the next morning to the sound of hay bacon sizzling on the stove. She deeply inhaled and let the delectable smell wash over her. She had not been given such things in the institution, and even if she had, they would have certainly not made it as well as her father did.

Rarity hopped out of bed and stretched. Yes she had spent all of last night crying until she had gone to sleep, but the time for tears was over. She felt cleansed, like all of the negative emotions that had built up inside of her over the past six years had been released in one long crying session, and now was the time to try to restart her life. Taking a deep breath, Rarity opened the door with her magic and walked out into the main room. Her mother was at the table feeding Sweetie Belle, who was positioned on a high chair, and her father was standing at the stove and flipping pancakes. All of them smiled at her when she came in.

"Well, good mornin', Rarity!" Her father turned down the stove and walked over to her to give her a hug. "You sleep well?"

"Indeed I did, Father." Rarity broke off from the hug and walked over to Sweetie Belle, who giggled and clapped her hooves together. "I must say that I haven't felt quite so refreshed in a long time."

"We're glad, Rarity," said her mother with a wide smile.

Rarity at down at the table next to Sweetie Belle's seat and smiled at the scene before her. It was exactly as she remembered it, though Sweetie Belle was a welcome addition to the picture. Her father would serve whatever he had cooked then sit down with his paper, which was always folded neatly at his usual spot at the table. Today it was strangely absent, but that was a minor detail.

After another few minutes, Rarity's father served the food and the family dug in. Rarity eagerly began cutting up her pancakes after drizzling them in maple syrup. She took a large bite and let the heavenly taste wash over her. She didn't even finish chewing before shoving the next bite into her mouth. Her father chuckled after finishing a bite of his own.

"My my, Rarity, it's like they didn't even feed you there."

Rarity rolled her eyes and swallowed her mouthful. "Well, they did, but it was sub-par at its best. Your birthday and Hearths Warming treats were the only real food I ate in the past six years until I met Applejack and had dinner at her home, I daresay."

"Well feel free to have as much as you'd like, Rarity." Her father motioned to the large stack of pancakes at the center of the table. "I made plenty."

"Well I'll be certain to do that, Father." Rarity dabbled her lips with a napkin. "I must say, this is exactly how I remembered family breakfasts, save for Sweetie Belle being here, of course. I do remember that you tended to have the morning paper while you ate, Father."

Rarity's father shrugged as he finished a bite. "Yeah, I skimmed it already. Nothin' good in it today."

"Some days are slow, I suppose," Rarity said, returning her father's shrug.

Rarity's mother gave Sweetie Belle another spoonful of foal food while cutting up her own pancakes into manageable pieces. "So, what are you going to do today, Rarity?" she asked. "We've still got a little while until we figure out what you're going to do from here on out, but what do you think you would like to do today?"

Rarity grinned and put her hooves on the table, a wild look appearing in her eyes. She pushed her empty plate aside and stood on her hind legs. "I want to run! I want to go outside to the park or to the market or through Applejack's orchards. I want to go somewhere with wide open spaces and just run until I positively drop from exhaustion! And then? Well... I don't know, really." Rarity giggled, something that triggered a mirroring laugh from Sweetie Belle. "That's the whole point. I don't want to plan anything right now. I don't want to dictate anything! I want to be able to completely improvise my day like I haven't been able to do for as long as I can remember! I may decide to do something and then for the... er..."

Rarity's smile fell slightly, and she shifted her gaze left then right as if worried that somepony was watching her. She moved away from her place at the table and walked over to Sweetie Belle before standing on her hind legs and putting her hooves over Sweetie Belle's ears.

"Then for the hell of it I may decide right in the middle of it to say fu... er... screw it, I'm doing something else; anything else!" Rarity put all four hooves back on the floor and began bouncing around the dining room and giggling like a madpony. "And nopony is going to stop me! Nopony is going to stop me from running around the park or laying in the grass! No. Pony."

"Well then, madam, I think it's time that somebody went outside to do whatever the heck she wanted." Rarity's father stood up from his seat and stacked the empty plates. He bowed low to Rarity and extended a hoof towards the door. "Go run. Go play. Go do whatever the heck you want to do. We'll be here when you get back."

"Though..." Rarity's mother extended a hoof to her daughter and flattened her ears. "If you could... find some way to check in with us every few hours or so, okay? We want to make sure you're okay, Rarity."

Rarity gave her mother a reassuring smile and walked over to her for a brief hug. "I'll be okay, Mother. The townsponies know me now. Applejack told me that her family helped found this town and, well, the reassurances from the entire Apple family that I'm a perfectly good mare means a lot to these ponies. I'll be okay."

"All it takes is one, Rarity," her mother whispered. "All it takes is one jerk to come along and ruin your day."

"Mother..." Rarity nuzzled her mother's neck and gently rubbed her back. "I won't relapse. Even in the very, very small chance it does happen I'll find some way to get away. I won't hurt anypony ever again, I promise."

"I know you won't, Rarity." Rarity's mother took a deep breath and gave her daughter one last squeeze before letting her go. She managed a small smile as Rarity walked towards Sweetie Belle to give her a goodbye hug. "Be safe, Rarity. Go enjoy your day. You're happy now. Don't let anypony take that away from you."

"I won't Mother. Nopony is ever going to take anything from me ever again."

With that, Rarity was off. She skipped towards the door and walked out of her home, relishing the warm sunlight washing over her. She sighed contentedly and let the feeling that the whole day was before her and completely her own fill her. This was her day. Nothing was going to change that. Rarity took a moment to stretch out her legs then bolted in the direction of town.

Freedom. This was pure freedom like she hadn't felt since her arrest and incarceration. Rarity squealed in delighted and leaped into the air, focusing on the feeling of the cool morning breeze flowing through her mane before her hooves touched the earth again and she continued running. She was vaguely aware that there were ponies around her, doubtlessly watching her run down the street but Rarity didn't care in the slightest. Let them watch. Let them wonder. Let them realize that she was free.

After a few minutes of running the town came into view and Rarity slowed down in her tracks. Despite her mood, it wouldn't do to go barreling through the busy streets of the main square as fast as she could. She could run into somepony. She dialed her speed back to a quick trot and walked through town, her mind going through her various options.

I could go see Applejack, though she's likely working. The park would be nice, but the market could be fun to do some stall shopping. I do wish that I had some money, but that will come in time. Rarity shrugged as she walked past the newspaper stand. Whatever it is, I'll do it because I want to. Not because some doctor says so.

Rarity took a deep breath in and widened her smile, turning her head to give a greeting nod to the pony working the newspaper stand. He smiled back at her and returned her nod with a mumble of "good mornin'." As Rarity passed the stand, the headlines of the papers caught her eye as they were designed to do, she supposed. The Ponyville Press had something about rising corn prices on the front of its paper. No wonder her father had tossed it aside if that was the best they could do for the morning.

Though, now that she thought about it, he did read the National Equestrian to get a broader range of news. Shrugging to herself, Rarity walked around the stand out of mere curiosity to see what was going on around Equestria. She was, she admitted to herself, woefully out of the loop when it came to national news.

When she saw the headline on the National Equestrian printed in bold black letters across the top of the paper, Rarity's smile evaporated, and she gasped.

"No," she whimpered quietly. "N-no, please not that..."

PONYVILLE FOAL MURDERER RELEASED FROM MENTAL INSTITUTION

Despite all of her internal alarm bells going off, Rarity ignited her horn and slid a copy of the paper off of the stack and opened it up to the correct page. The picture at the top made her whimper, and her eyes began brimming with tears. It was her, hoofcuffed, her horn blocked, muzzled, and covered in the blood of her attackers on the day of her greatest shame.

We've all by now heard the story of what some are calling the most tragic event in centuries when a young filly named Rarity violently murdered two of her classmates in the woods with a rock. Rarity's actions were the first murders that Equestria had seen in three hundred years, and she was rightfully arrested and incarcerated in a mental institution for her heinous crimes. There were those amongst the Equestrian nation who were content to simply keep Rarity in the institution forever and forget about her, but it seems that it was not meant to be.

Yesterday evening, Rarity was deemed fit to return to society and she was sent home to her parents and her infant sister. Her doctors in the institution famously wouldn't allow anypony to speak with Rarity about the fateful day in the woods, so it is unknown if Rarity is willing to give her side of the story to the nation. Though how much the horror of the crimes would be diminished if we understood Rarity's side on the matter is up for debate, and indeed, it may even amplify the horror.

Our top reporters interviewed the arresting officer, Tactical Formation, who was in charge of dealing with the fallout of Rarity's actions. When asked about his feelings of Rarity's release, he said he longed to "return to a time when murderers were beheaded by Princess Celestia herself. [Rarity] deserves to be in Tartarus for eternity, suffering for everything that she did."

Reporters tried to reach Annie, the only survivor of the trio of foals that Rarity attacked, but she could not be reached for comment.

The event that has come to be known as the Ponyville Massacre is one that is mired in controversy, most prominently because the four involved were foals no older than nine. Whatever your perspective on the matter, one thing is undeniable: a foal murderer walks among us again.

Rarity's magic sputtered out and the paper floated to the ground, landing open on the same article Rarity had just been reading.

They knew. They all knew about everything.

The Ponyville Massacre.

Foal murderer, they called her.

Deserves to burn in Tartarus for eternity.

"I..." A pair of thick tears streaked down Rarity's face and splashed on the paper, smudging the ink on the photograph of her arrest. "I didn't mean it."

"Hmm?" The newspaper stand pony turned towards Rarity. "Did you say...?" He noticed that Rarity had a paper in front of her and frowned. He stepped out from behind his stand. "Hey, you can't read the papers until you buy them! These aren't free, you know, I run a business here."

"I'm sorry," Rarity whimpered. "I didn't want to h-hurt anypony."

The newspaper pony's frown faded and was replaced by a confused look. "Hurt?" What are you talking about?" He looked down at the paper and saw the article. A look of comprehension dawned on his face, and he quietly grunted. "Oh... uh..." He cleared his throat and scooped up the paper. He crumpled it up and tossed it in a trash can behind the counter. "Don't worry about it. Sorry if I got a little mad."

"Don't be," Rarity mumbled, wiping her eyes with the back of her hoof. "It is your newspaper. I'm sorry I stole it." Rarity took a deep breath and looked over at the stack of National Equestrians and shuttered. "It's just... they're all going to read it." Rarity's voice dropped to a whisper and she flattened her ears. "They're all going to read about what I've done and know and judge and... they're going to be reminded that that's all that I am to society: a foal murderer."

"Yeah, annoying thing about that." Rarity looked up at the newspaper stand pony who was grimacing and looking out into the distance at nothing in particular. "It seems that the delivery pony forgot to give me my morning's supply of the National Equestrian." He ignited his horn and, to Rarity's complete surprise, he levitated the entire stack and put it behind his stand. "Oh well. I'll make do with the local paper today, I guess."

Rarity got to her hooves, her eyes wide. "Sir, you don't need to do that for me."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The newspaper pony shrugged. "Nice weather we're having today, isn't it?"

"Er..." Rarity blinked twice before slowly raising her eyes to the sky. Indeed there wasn't a single cloud there. "Yes, I suppose that it is."

Rarity stood in an awkward silence for a few more moments before deciding that she might as well get on with her day if there was nothing else. She tilted her head in a nod. "Good day to you, sir."

He returned the nod. "Good day."

Rarity slowly turned and trotted away from the newspaper stand. That had been most odd, to be sure, but hardly unwelcome. The fact that the nation was reading about what she had done today was... Rarity didn't want to even think about it. She shuddered and shook her head, resolute in the idea that she would do what she wanted today, regardless of whether or not the newspapers had her face plastered all over them. Rarity decided that given the flawless weather, she would go running in the park. A trace of the smile she once had appeared on her face, and she picked up her pace. Yes, the park sounded lovely at the moment. Let them talk. She knew that she wasn't an evil pony.

"Oh my Celestia, there she is! That's her!"

Rarity turned her head towards the voice and gasped when she saw two reporter ponies staring straight at her, their eyes wide. One of them ignited his horn and pulled a notebook out of a saddlebag strapped to his side, and the two began running towards her.

"Rarity! Rarity can we talk to you for a few minutes?!" one of them called out.

Rarity froze, her mind trying to process the sight of the two reporters running at her. They'd be begging to hear her whole life's story soon, she figured. Then more would come. More would come anyway, but if she gave into them then that would open the floodgates. Rarity blinked and slowly took a step backwards.

"N-no, just leave me alone," she whispered, but they still came at her. She backed up a few more steps. "Go away. Leave me alone. L-leave me alone!"

With a scream Rarity turned tail and ran in the opposite direction as fast as she could. She heard the two of them call out after her, but she didn't care what they said. Nothing they could possibly say mattered to her. She just needed to get away. This attempt to get out and do what she wanted was a mistake, she saw that now. She belonged holed up in her house where her father would turn away reporters and her mother would hold her when things became too scary. Sweetie Belle was at home too. Why didn't she just spend the day with her?

Rarity chanced a glance behind her and squealed when she saw that the reporters were still right behind her. Without thinking she ducked into the nearest shop that she saw. Instantly her senses were assaulted with the pure sugar scent that was filling the air, and for a moment Rarity's terror turned to bewilderment as she tried to regain her bearings from the sugary overload. Just as she was about to re-gain her mental capacities, her field of vision was completely overtaken with a pink earth pony who was grinning an impossibly wide smile.

"Hi! I've never seen you here before!"

Rarity squeaked and flinched back, startled at the sudden appearance of this new pony. She stumbled backwards and crashed into a nearby chair, sending her tumbling to the floor. Before either pony could do anything about it, the door to the shop opened again, and to Rarity's horror, the two reporters walked inside, their notebooks at the ready and eager smiles on their faces.

"There you are," said the first one.

Rarity whimpered and curled into a ball on the floor, her hears flat on her head. "No, I don't want to do any interviews! J-just leave me alone!"

"But don't you want your side of the story told to the public?" asked the second. "We just want to ask you a few questions about what happened in the woods that day. Heck, we can even pay you a pretty nice chunk of change for the interview. How does... five thousand bits sound?"

"I said no!" Rarity covered her head with her forelegs a tears began dripping out of her eyes. "I don't want to do any interview! I just want to be left alone! That's all I've ever wanted!"

"That's all you've ever wanted. Okay, that's a good start." The first reporter jotted that down on his notebook. "I assume that applies to the bullies you killed. Is that why you killed them? They wouldn't leave you alone?"

"Hey, would you two like some cupcakes?"

The shop became dead silent at the question, and all three ponies looked over at the pink pony who was still smiling that wide smile, though now she was balancing a tray on her head with two cupcakes on it. "I made them myself. They're very good."

"Er..." The two reporters glanced at each other then shrugged. "Sure."

The reporters ignited their horns and took the cupcakes off of the tray. They popped them into their mouths and grinned when they tasted the treats that the pony had given them.

"These are really good," said the first reporter, swallowing his treat.

"Yes, thank you very much," said the second.

"You're very, very welcome!" Without missing a beat, the pink pony pointed a hoof towards the door. "Now get out."

The stunned silence returned, as the reporters let the pony's words sink in. They once again exchanged a confused glance before turning their heads back to the pony.

"Er... pardon me, but did you say... 'get out'?"

The pony giggled and nodded. "Yes indeedy do! You see, I was seeing that you wanted to interview this pony because you're reporters and all and that's your job, but I also saw that she didn't really want to do an interview with you, so to make up for that, I gave you both a cupcake because nopony wants to not get something that they want." The pony took a step towards the reporters, her smile never wavering. "Now you've had your cupcake. Get out."

"Well... look, kid, this isn't really your business," said the first reporter. "It's our job to get this interview from her."

"Okay, maybe it is, but you're not going to do it here!" The pony took another step towards the reporters until she was almost face-to-face with them. "Get. Out. She doesn't want to do an interview with you. She told you to leave her alone. Leave her alone, and get out."

"Seriously, kid, this isn't really your business."

Rather than be deterred, the pony giggled. "Ya know something? I met the nicest, most awesomest pony the other day! He came by with his family for some milkshakes. He was a police officer! Can you believe that? What a cool job! He said that if I ever needed anything that I should just let him know and he'd help in any way he could. Well, under the Equestrian law, if I tell you to leave my establishment then you have to get out. If you refuse then I'll just ask good old Officer Storm Chaser to come on over and he can talk to you about it!"

The eyes of both ponies widened, and they began backing up towards the door. "Whoa, kid, let's not get the cops involved, alright? We were just doing our jobs."

"I know you were. We don't have to get the cops involved if you don't break the law. You're not breaking the law if you get out when I tell you to so..." Pinkie bowed her head towards the door. "You know where the door is gentlecolts, and you know how to use one. Do not come back."

The two reporters slowly nodded and turned around. They gave one last glance towards Rarity before walking out of the shop. Rarity slowly sat up and wiped her eyes. They were gone, and this smiling pink pony had gotten rid of them. They pony walked over to Rarity and sat down next to her to her and wrapped her forelegs around her shoulders.

"You look like you need a hug."

Rarity gave a half laugh/half sob and nodded. "I've needed several hugs over the past long while."

"Yeah, I can guess that. Do you want a cupcake?"

Rarity gave a small smile and stared longingly at the display case. "Well, they do look delicious, but I don't have any money."

"I didn't ask if you had any money, silly, I asked if you wanted a cupcake."

"Oh..." Rarity's smile widened and she looked up at the pony. "Well then yes, I'd like one very much."

"Awesome! They're the bestest cupcakes ever!" The pony broke away from the hug and bounced over to the display case. "The only price is that you have to tell me your name."

"Rarity. My name is Rarity."

"Pleased to meet you, Rarity." the pony bounced back over to Rarity with the tray balanced on her head again. "My name is Pinkie Pie."

Run Free

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Rarity gave a contented sigh, and leaned back in her chair, as she swallowed the last bite of cupcake. Pinkie Pie grinned, and put her foreleg around Rarity's shoulders.

"What did I tell ya? Were those good or what?"

"Simply wonderful, Pinkie," Rarity agreed with a nod. "Did you make them yourself?"

"Mhm. I'm an apprentice baker here. I moved here a few years ago from the rock farm I grew up on, and the Cakes took me in." Pinkie Pie sighed contentedly and leaned back in her own chair. "It's been really nice."

"Better than my foalhood, I daresay," Rarity muttered. "Reporters running after me all the time just because I--"

Rarity was cut off when Pinkie Pie put her hoof on her mouth. She looked over at Pinkie, who smiled warmly at her and shook her head. "I don't need to know. I don't need to know what those reporters wanted, or what you did."

Rarity frowned and pushed Pinkie's hoof away. "I don't understand. Don't you already know? I thought that all of Equestria knew what I did."

Pinkie shrugged. "Maybe I do know, maybe I don't know, but I don't think it matters either way. You're Rarity, not your actions, silly filly. I mean, do you want your whole life to be defined by what you did?"

Rarity's eyes widened, and she vigorously shook her head. "No! No I don't! I want ponies to forget, and I just want to go on living my life as if it never happened!"

"So then why would you want to talk to me about it?" Pinkie tilted her head, a slight frown on her face. "Don't you wanna talk about other things? Forget those nasty reporters. Before they came to talk to you, was running in here to hide from them what you wanted to do?"

"Absolutely not!" Rarity closed her eyes, and her smile returned. "I wanted to run. I wanted to go to the park and run free, unrestricted from any walls or ponies telling me what to do. Then maybe if I wanted to do something else, I'd just up and do that. Why? Because I'm free now. I'm my own mare, and I get to make my own decisions. Nopony has the right to stop me ever again."

"Hmm..." Pinkie frowned and tapped her lower jaw. "Interesting, because Sugarcube Corner has a lot of walls in it. I guess we'll have to fix that particular problem." Pinkie stood up and extended her hoof to help Rarity up. "The park, you said? Well, then, to the park we will go!"

"Er..." Rarity frowned and tilted her head. "Don't you have work?"

Pinkie giggled and waved her hoof. "I've saved up a lot of vacation days. The Cakes keep telling me to take one or two, and I think that this is as good a time as any!"

Pinkie hopped over to a nearby staircase and looked up it. "Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Is it okay if I take a day off?" she shouted.

Rarity heard the sound of ponies moving on a floor above them, and within a few seconds, she heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs and ponies talking.

"Oh, yes, Pinkie, I think that would be okay," said the voice of a mare. "It's been a slow day, after all, and you do need one."

"Just be back before closing time to help us close up, okay," said a stallion. "Before that, have a great day!"

"I will!" Pinkie chirped. She bounced back over to Rarity and put a hoof over her shoulders, just as the two ponies reached the bottom of the stairs. "I'm hanging out with my new friend Rarity today!"

The smiles that had previously been on the faces of the two ponies evaporated, and their eyes widened. They exchanged a brief glance before looking back to Rarity. Rarity flattened her ears and looked down to the floor, unable to meet the stares. The silence was broken when Pinkie cleared her throat.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake, this is my new friend Rarity. Have you ever met her?"

"Uh..." Mr. Cake cleared his throat. "N-no, I can't say that I have."

"Well, I have, and I can tell you without a doubt that she is a very, very nice pony, no matter what she's done, or what happened to her in the past." Rarity slowly raised her head, not missing the bizarre mix of cheerfulness and sharpness in Pinkie's voice. "I know that she's a good pony, so you don't need to worry about me or her, okay?"

"Uh..." The two exchanged another uneasy look, but after a few moments, the two nodded. "Yes, you're right, Pinkie," said Mrs. Cake. "You two have fun then, okay?"

"We will!" Pinkie chirped. "You too have a good day too!" With that, Pinkie turned to Rarity and began nudging her towards the door. "Okay, Rarity, it's time to go run! It's time to go do whatever you want to do, because ponies have been telling you what to do for far too long!"

Rarity's smile returned, and she followed Pinkie out of Sugarcube Corner, where she was pleased to see that the reporters were not lying in wait for her. "Indeed, Pinkie. I think that the park would be a great place to start. I want to run!"

"Then run we shall, madame!"

Rarity and Pinkie trotted towards the park, Pinkie chatting animatedly about how her day had been going at Rarity's behest. Rarity found that she rather liked this bubbly, excitable pony. She clearly made the right choice in going out today, if for no other reason than meeting Pinkie Pie, and adding her to her growing collection of good friends.

Within five minutes, the pair reached the park. Given that it was a beautiful day, many ponies were playing, or laying in the grass, or having picnics. Rarity smiled at the scene and took a deep, refreshing breath. "So lovely," she whispered. "I can't recall the last time I did something like this."

"Mhm, well, I only have one word to say to that."

"Oh? What?"

Pinkie's grin widened to a width Rarity previously thought impossible, and she snapped her hoof out and touched Rarity's shoulder. "Tag!" Before Rarity could register what Pinkie said, Pinkie zoomed off so fast that Rarity swore she left a trail of fire behind her.

Pinkie's word clicked in Rarity's mind, and her eyes narrowed as Pinkie ran farther away. Rarity pawed at the ground and cracked her neck. "Well, we'll just have to see about that, won't we?"

With that, Rarity took off after Pinkie Pie, going as fast as her legs could carry her. When she got close, Pinkie looked behind her and giggled before putting on an extra burst of speed and increasing the distance between the two.

"You'll never catch me!" Pinkie crowed turning around so that she could bounce backwards.

"On the contrary, Pinkie, you will never escape!" Rarity cried. "You might as well surrender now!"

Pinkie giggled and bounced in the air higher than Rarity thought possible. "You gotta catch me before I'll believe you, silly filly!"

Rarity leaped towards Pinkie Pie, swiping forward with her hoof. She missed Pinkie Pie by inches when Pinkie screeched to a halt in midair and bounced backwards. Rarity tried to twist her body in midair to account for this, but Pinkie had already landed and begun running away. Rarity growled, landed herself, and gave chase.

"You'll never escape me, Pinkie!" she cried in her most over-the-top voice. "I will catch you, and when I do, I shall... er... tickle you!"

"Tickle?" Pinkie gave an exaggerated gasp. "No! Not tickle! Anything but that!"

"You have nopony to blame bit yourself, Pinkie!" Rarity leaped towards Pinkie again, but completely missed when Pinkie juked to the right. "I'll tickle you until you turn pi... er... blue!"

"No, I can't be Bluey Pie!" Pinkie wailed. "Say it ain't so!"

"It's so!"

"Now what in the hay are you two doin'?"

Rarity and Pinkie both screeched to a halt, and turned to the source of the voice, where they saw Applejack standing nearby. She looked at them with a bewildered expression on her face. "Ah see you've met Pinkie Pie, Rarity."

Rarity grinned and nodded. "Indeed I have. We were enjoying the day."

Rarity glanced over at Pinkie Pie, who gave her a mischievous grin and inclined her head to Applejack. Rarity copied Pinkie's grin, and turned her head back to Applejack. "Oh Applejack, darling, could you not move from that spot?"

"Uh..." Applejack frowned and tilted her head. "What?"

Rarity and Pinkie Pie simultaneously bolted towards Applejack, and before she could do anything, the two ponies poked her on each shoulder with a cry of "tag!" Applejack flinched back when the two tagged her, but a look of comprehension dawned on her face, followed by one of determination.

"Oh, so that's the way it's gonna be, is it?" Applejack licked her lips and adjusted her hat on her head. "You'd best be the fastest runners in all of Equestria, then!"

And so the race continued, Pinkie and Rarity running from Applejack. Given that Pinkie turned out to be so difficult to catch, Applejack focused most of her attention on Rarity, and, since Rarity found herself a little tired out from chasing Pinkie, she caught her rather easily. Rarity refused to go down so lightly, and put all of her energy into chasing after her two friends.

It continued on like that for a few hours, the burden of being "it" changing from pony-to-pony several times. The laughter of the three friends echoed throughout the park, and many ponies stopped for a moment and watched the three and smiled. Finally, Rarity started running out of energy, and she slowed down and sat on her haunches, holding a hoof out to stop the other two.

"O-okay, girls, I th-think that's enough for right now."

Applejack and Pinkie Pie grinned and trotted up to Rarity. "You have fun, then, sugarcube?"

Rarity returned their grins and vigorously nodded. "More than I've had in years. I can't remember the last time that I ran like that. So free, so unrestricted, so..." Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep, refreshing breath. "Pure. There are no walls for me here. No locked doors keeping me inside. No orderlies telling me to come inside. Nothing. I'm really free, aren't I?"

"Free as a free bird!" Pinkie chirped. "Nopony is ever gonna lock you up again."

"Never again," Rarity whispered. She laid down, and relished the feeling of the cool grass on her coat. "I cannot thank you girls enough for today. We'll have to come back with Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, won't we?"

"We sure will," Applejack agreed. "For right now, Ah'd say some lunch is in order, what do y'all think? Mah treat."

Rarity sat up, and her stomach growled. She hadn't realized how hungry she felt. She nodded as she got to her hooves. "Yes, I think that lunch sounds positively delightful. Do you know of any good--?"

Rarity was cut off when she her horn ignited, and with a yelp, it began pulling her away from the two. Rarity squealed, and began thrashing about, but she continued being dragged backwards. Applejack and Pinkie both gasped and ran after her, their speed meaning that they kept pace with her.

"Hold on, Rarity! Try draggin' yer hooves in the ground!"

"Help me, Applejack!" Rarity cried. "I think it's a magical surge!"

"Just try to uh... focus, or something!" Pinkie bit her lip and somehow tapped her lower jaw and continued running at the same time. "Uh, does your horn have an off switch, or something?"

"An off switch?!" Rarity shrieked. "No it does not have an off switch, Pinkie! I don't know what it's doing! I've never had this happen before!"

"Well, you just hold on tight, Rarity!" Applejack looked in the direction of town, and grimaced when she saw that they were going away from it. "Ah may be able ta get mah rope from mah house and back to ya before somethin' bad happens to ya!"

"We could be a long ways away before you get it, Applejack!" Pinkie responded. "If something happens, I think I'll need you here!"

Applejack sighed, but nodded and kept running beside Rarity. "Yer right. Okay, we'll see where yer horn is takin' ya. If it's somewhere bad, we'll try ta stop ya."

"We could both try to grab on to her at the same time!" Pinkie suggested. "Maybe that could slow her down!"

"It could also really, really hurt!" Rarity retorted. "My horn is pulling my entire body, Pinkie! If you pulled the other way hard enough, it could cause some serious damage!"

"So what do we do?" Applejack cried. "Who knows how long this is gonna last?"

"Just don't let me go off of a cliff, or anything like that!" Rarity gulped, and did her best to turn her head to look in the direction her horn pulled her. "Make sure that I don't hurt myself!"

Applejack and Pinkie Pie exchanged a brief, uneasy glance, but they both nodded, and kept running beside Rarity. The three moved without speaking, each continuously exchanging worried glances. Applejack and Pinkie Pie kept glancing behind Rarity to make sure that she didn't run into anything, but the terrain in front of her remained clear. After twenty minutes of Rarity being dragged along, Applejack spotted something in the distance.

"Rarity, Ah see a gigantic rock in yer way! Ah think we gotta try ta move you out of the way before you run into it!"

"No, there's a cliff behind the rock!" Pinkie pointed out. "If we move her and she keeps going, she could go right off the cliff!"

Rarity squealed, and began thrashing about, digging her hooves into the ground to slow her journey. "I just want to stop!" she wailed. "Don't let me hit the rock, and don't let me go over the cliff!"

"We won't!" Applejack put on another burst of speed, and got behind Rarity. She pressed herself against Rarity and dug her own hooves into the ground. "Ah'll make sure you don't hit that rock."

"It's a really, really big rock, girls!" Pinkie bounced between Applejack and the rock, and pushed against Applejack. "This is gonna be close! Rarity, is your horn turned off yet?"

"No, it's still going strong!" Rarity wailed. "It's actually pulling harder now that we're getting closer to the rock! I think that the rock is what my horn is drawn to!"

"A rock? What in tarnation would yer horn want with a big rock?"

"I don't know, but I'd really rather not hit it, if it's all the same to you!" Rarity dug her hooves in deeper to the ground, but she still did not slow. "Come on, horn! Stop it already!"

"We're about to make impact!" Pinkie closed her eyes and flattened her ears. "Brace yourselves!"

Rarity squeezed her eyes shut, and yelped when she felt Applejack and Pinkie collide with the rock. To make matters worse, her horn did not stop pulling her towards it. Instead, she found herself slithering over Applejack towards the rock. Her eyes snapped open, and she began thrashing about once more.

"Applejack, help me!"

Applejack, still dazed from colliding with Pinkie when Pinkie collided with the rock, couldn't regain her senses in time to stop Rarity from sliding over her, and before she knew what was happening, Rarity was already moving over Pinkie, her horn pointed at the rock like an arrow. Rarity squealed again, and put her hooves over her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable painful impact with the rock.

And then she felt the tip of her horn gently touch the rock, and the magic that had been pulling her fizzled out, allowing her to drop to the ground. Rarity groaned and rubbed the base of her horn, certain that it, among other things, would be quite sore in the morning. Applejack and Pinkie shot up, and rushed to Rarity's side instantly.

"Rarity, are you okay?" Applejack poked her shoulder. "Did it hurt when ya hit the rock?"

Rarity groaned and slowly raised her head to look up at the two. "Er... yes, I think that I'm alright. I'm... not quite sure what happened, though, or why, but I'm not hurt."

Rarity took Applejack's extended hoof, and allowed Applejack to help her to her hooves. When she was back up, she rubbed her eyes and looked over at the rock with a frown. "Yes, quite curious. My horn seemed rather drawn to it. I mean, it... looks like it's just a rock."

"Maybe there's something really cool inside of it!" Pinkie's trademark grin returned, and she bounced over to the rock and began banging on it. "Wouldn't that be cool?"

Rarity smirked and walked over to the rock. "Yes, I suppose that it would be. I mean, it would explain my horn's fascination with it." Rarity clicked her tongue and shrugged, raising a hoof to the rock as she did. "Well, it's a possibility. I would hate for it to just be a rock."

Rarity brought her hoof down on the rock, and before she knew what was happening, she heard a loud cracking noise. With a yelp the three ponies leaped back as a great crack appeared in the stone that grew larger by the second. It traveled up the length of the stone until it reached the top, and then, with one more final cracking sound, the gigantic boulder split in two, revealing...

"Gems." Rarity's eyes went almost as wide as her head, and her jaw nearly hit the ground. She slowly walked up to the boulder and looked inside, where, sure enough, dozens upon dozens of gems of all shapes and sizes lay. "My goodness," she whispered breathlessly. "I... I've never seen gems like this before!"

"Me neither," Applejack said, coming up beside Rarity with Pinkie in tow. "This is amazin'."

"And it's yours too!" Pinkie chimed in with a nod. "Every last one of these is for Rarity!"

"Uh..." Rarity blinked once and looked over at Pinkie. "Come again?"

Pinkie giggled and pointed to Rarity's horn. "Think about it, silly. Your horn led us here, and your knock even split the rock open. I'd say that these gems belong to you. Your horn seems to think so, anyway."

"Hmm..." Applejack frowned in thought for a moment before nodding. "Yep. Ah'd have to agree with Pinkie Pie here. These are yer gems, Rarity." She put her hoof around Rarity's shoulders. "Though, uh, I'd be willin' ta help you get them back to yer house if ya want."

"Uh..." Rarity blinked once again, then looked back down to the massive stockpile of gems that her friends insisted belonged to her. "W-well, yes. Yes, I think that I would like some help in that regard."

* * * *

That evening saw Rarity in her room, the large gem pile secured safely in her closet. Applejack had run back to her home and collected one of her apple carts and a large blanket, which the three of them used to move the gems to Rarity's home. Her parents were surprised to see not just a new pony they had never met before, but who was more than happy to meet them, but a massive pile of gems that Rarity promised belonged to her.

Rarity assured them that her ownership of the gems came as much of a surprise to her as to them.

When the gems were put securely in Rarity's closet, Pinkie and Applejack joined Rarity's family for lunch, where the all got to know Pinkie better. Sweetie Belle especially seemed to like the antics of the pink pony, and when Pinkie left, she promised to come back to see Sweetie Belle again.

With the day over, Rarity now found herself in her room sewing a small dress for Sweetie Belle; one of the ones she had designed on the day of her birth. The fabric itself came together perfectly, but now that she had the gems... Those would make a perfect addition to the dress.

"I told you that I would make these for you, Sweetie Belle," Rarity whispered, sewing a ruby onto the dress. "Big sister promised, didn't she? Yes, and she's about to do it." Another gem, more of the dress completed. She had never designed with this much efficiency before. Sure some of her foalhood designs turned out well, but this, this was something else entirely. Her sewing machine, her magic, her needle, her thread, all moved like a dancer to create this dress for her filly sister. Her masterpiece. "You're going to love this, Sweetie Belle, just as much as big sister loves making it for you." Rarity sewed on another sapphire. It was almost complete. "I promised that this would be real, and now it will be! It will be real now, Sweetie Belle, it will be real now!"

Rarity snipped the final stitch, and looked over her dress. A wide smile split her face. She was finished. She took a deep breath, and gently levitated the dress off of the small dress form. Absolutely perfect in every way. Rarity slowly walked out of her room towards the main room of the house, where her mother and father were playing with Sweetie Belle.

"Sweetie Belle, I have something for you," Rarity said as she approached. The three looked up and smiled at Rarity when she approached them. Rarity sat down next to her sister, who giggled when she saw the dress. "This is for you, Sweetie Belle. I designed it for you the day you were born, and now I finally was able to make it."

Sweetie Belle cooed, and put a hoof on the dress. She leaned her head in and gently nuzzled the fabric, something that made Rarity chuckle.

"I think she likes it," Rarity's mother observed.

"She seems to, doesn't she?" Rarity said quietly, a wide smile on her face. "I'll make more for you, Sweetie Belle. This is only the first."

"But I think that this will be the most special one, Rarity, and not because it's the first one," her father said. He shakily raised a hoof and pointed at Rarity's flank. "I think you'll remember this dress forever."

Rarity frowned, and followed her father's pointing. She looked down at her flank, and gasped when she saw it. Her cutie mark. After thirteen years, she now had her cutie mark. Three blue gemstones. Rarity gasped, and put a hoof up to her mouth, tears filling her eyes. "It's... it's beautiful," she whispered. "My cutie mark. I finally got my cutie mark."

Rarity's parents scooted closer to Rarity, and they both wrapped her in a tight hug. Rarity's mother ignited her horn, and lifted Sweetie Belle onto Rarity's back, so that Sweetie Belle could hug the back of Rarity's neck, allowing the four of them to enjoy the happy moment.

The Creek

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Five Years Later

"And there you go, Ms. Heartstrings. I've stitched up your comforter, as per your instructions."

"Thank you, Rarity, and please, just call me Lyra."

"Very well. Have a good day, Lyra."

Rarity levitated the folded blanket over to the mint green unicorn across from her, and received a small bag of bits in return. The two nodded at each other, and Lyra left with her blanket floating over her head.

"Ugh, now are you done, Rarity?"

Rarity smiled, and turned to the young filly who was sitting in a basket of cloth scraps, and batting one of the loose threads of fabric. "Yes, I'm done for right now, Sweetie Belle. You've been very patient. Thank you. I just needed to finish up that last job for Lyra. We can go see Apple Bloom now."

Sweetie Belle brightened and hopped out of the basket. "Yay! Apple Bloom!"

Rarity walked over to a nearby chair, where her saddlebag rested, and put the bag of bits Lyra had given her inside, before slinging it over her shoulder, and leading her out of her home.

Normally Rarity smiled when the warm spring air washed over her, but not today. Today was not a day to be happy; not truly, anyway. She could, and would, pretend for Sweetie Belle's sake, but there were other days to be happy. Not today. Still, watching Sweetie Belle bounce up and down as they made their way to Sweet Apple Acres brought a small, genuine smile to Rarity's face. Nothing brought that filly down.

Within a few minutes, the familiar sight of Sweet Apple Acres came into view, and Sweetie Belle's already wide smile increased in size. She bounded a few steps ahead of her sister, then turned and pointed at the farm. "It's Sweet Apple Acres, Rarity! Apple Bloom is there!"

Rarity chuckled and nodded. "Yes indeed, Sweetie Belle. I'm sure she'll be very excited to see you too. Don't go running too far ahead though, okay?"

Sweetie Belle paused for a moment, and let Rarity catch up to her, but once her sister was by her side again, Sweetie Belle took off for the Acres. The two entered the farmlands, and Rarity smirked when she saw Applejack standing on the porch of her home, a grinning and bouncing Apple Bloom next to her. When Apple Bloom saw Sweetie Belle, Rarity heard her squeal, and saw her point at her sister, and Applejack nodded. Apple Bloom rushed towards Sweetie Belle, and by that point, not even her big sister's commands could have stopped Sweetie Belle from taking off. The two reached each other, and Apple Bloom wrapped Sweetie Belle in a tackle-hug.

Rarity shook her head, still smirking, and walked over to Applejack, who had her own smirk on her face.

"Good afternoon, Applejack, how are you?"

Applejack tipped her hat before throwing a foreleg around Rarity's shoulders. "Ah'm doin' mighty fine, Rarity. Been doin' a lot more of the work 'round here, which is nice fer Big Mac." Rarity nodded, and returned Applejack's hug.

"That sounds nice." The two heard a squeal of delight come from their sisters, and they turned their heads to see the two giggling and doing some hoofshake or other. Rarity chuckled. "Inseparable."

"Have been since they laid eyes on each other, if ya remember." Applejack snorted. "AB didn't wanna leave once she saw Sweetie Belle."

The two fillies finished with their hoofshake and shot to their hooves to run up to their big sisters. "Can we go play in mah room, sis?" Apple Bloom asked. "Ah wanna show her mah new doll that Ah'm makin'!"

Applejack chuckled and nodded. "You sure can, Apple Bloom. Just don't make too much noise, ya hear?"

"We won't!" Apple Bloom promised before the two rushed inside the house faster than Applejack and Rarity could register what had just happened.

Applejack rolled her eyes and opened the door to the house. "You wanna come inside and have a drink fer a few minutes?"

Rarity smiled and nodded. "Yes, I think that sounds lovely."

Applejack motioned for Rarity to go in first and followed once Rarity entered the house. Rarity gave a contented sigh when she looked around the farmhouse, relishing the fond memories she had of the place. She followed Applejack to the dining room, where she sat down as Applejack went to go get some refreshments. Within a few moments, Applejack returned with two bottles of apple cider, which she put on the table. Rarity thanked her and pulled hers closer to take a sip.

"So, how's the clothing repair and tailorin' business goin'?"

Rarity shrugged. "It goes. I still sometimes wish that I could design and sell fancy dresses to Canterlot big-shots, but, well, we both know why that's never going to happen. I just fixed up a comforter for Lyra Heartstrings, and I have a small order of foal's clothes to make for next week. I'm still making most of my income from finding and selling gems. I'm thinking of taking a few classes on how to polish and cut them properly so that they have a higher value when I sell them."

"Good." Applejack took a sip from her drink. "Your new house workin' out okay? Settlin' in alright?"

"Yes, I think so." Rarity poked at her mane and clicked her tongue when she noticed that a few strands of it had come out of the band keeping it in its ponytail. She ignited her horn and took out the rubber band, letting it fall to her shoulders. "Sweetie Belle was sad to see me move out, but I have more room for things now. I have a nice basement to store the gems I find instead of my room, which is nice, and a workroom for my projects. I still have a few more repairs to do on the place, though."

"Well, just let me know, and Ah'll help ya out with anything that Ah can."

Rarity smiled, and began using her magic to put her mane back in its ponytail. "I might do that. I have a few loose odds and ends that you could be able to fix."

"Be happy to." Applejack took a deep breath, and her smile feel. A grimace took its place. "But Rarity, enough of the chit-chat, Ah think. How are ya holdin' up with... that?"

Rarity's own smile faded, and she put her foreleg on the table to rest her head on her hoof. "It's... still difficult, Applejack. Even eleven years later, the pain hasn't gone away."

"Probably because you keep goin' back, Rarity!" Applejack put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder. "You don't halfta do this, sugarcube. You do it every year, and every time Ah see ya again, yer a wreck."

"Yes, Applejack, yes I do have to do it." Rarity pushed Applejack's hoof off of her shoulder and closed her eyes. "I... I want to--"

"Yeah, Ah know, you want ta make it right, or honor them, or whatever, but Ah don't know if you really get what yer doin' to yerself, sugarcube." Applejack sighed. "You haven't forgiven yerself, have you? Eleven years later and you still hate yerself for it?"

Rarity opened her eyes and looked over to Applejack. She sighed and straightened up. "No, I wouldn't quite say that I hate myself. I wouldn't say that at all. I did something terrible, and because of that, I have to do this."

Applejack pursed her lips, but refrained from responding. After a few seconds of staring at Rarity, she clicked her tongue and looked towards the stairs. "Fine. Do it. Yer a grown mare who can make her own choices. Just... think about it is all. Ah'm worried about you every year."

Rarity gave Applejack a small smile, and leaned forward and wrapped her hooves around her shoulders. "I know, Applejack. Do know that I don't do this lightly. If I truly believed this was a bad idea, I wouldn't do that. Please believe me."

"Ah do, sugarcube." Rarity broke off the hug, and the two of them stood up. Applejack walked Rarity over to her door and opened it up for her. "You doin' the Sisterhooves Social with Sweetie Belle again this year?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world. She'll be old enough to do the race with me soon."

"Yeah." Applejack took a quiet breath and scratched the back of her neck. "Yeah she will, Ah guess."

"Take care, Applejack."

Applejack nodded. "You too."

With that, Rarity left Applejack's home in the direction of town, flinching slightly when she heard the door close shut behind her. She sighed and shook her head as she walked off of the farm's property. Applejack didn't understand. Applejack couldn't understand. It wasn't her burden to bear. She didn't carry the weight of the most horrific of sins with her. Rarity pushed Applejack out of her mind and went towards the vendor's area of town.

The market bustled with ponies buying and selling goods, just like always, but Rarity had one stall in mind. She came to it every year, and would likely continue coming to it every year she could. She went halfway into the market until she found the stall she searched for. The proprietor looked up when she saw Rarity coming, and her smile faltered for a moment.

"Good afternoon, Roseluck," Rarity said as she stopped in front of the stall. "How are you?"

Roseluck tilted her head in a nod. "I'm good, Rarity. But... how are you?"

Rarity grimaced and flattened her ears. "Er..." She gently cleared her throat and motioned to the baskets of flowers. "Four white roses, please."

"Yeah," Roseluck muttered. "Coming up."

Roseluck gathered the flowers, and bunched them up with a rubber band. Rarity took them in her magic, and left them floating at her side. "How much?"

"No charge."

Rarity sighed. Just like last year.

"Come now, Roseluck, darling, you run a business. I have to pay you something."

Roseluck held out her hoof and shook her head. "No, Rarity, that's okay. You do what you need to do. No charge for the roses."

"Roseluck, please." Rarity levitated the bit bag that Lyra had given her out of her saddlebag. "Please let me give you something."

"Two bits, then."

"Two bits." Rarity opened up the bit bag, and slid two bits from the bag onto the counter. Roseluck scooped the bits from the counter, and put them in her cash register. "Thank you very much, darling."

"Thank you." Roseluck's gaze trailed to the ground. "You have a good day, okay?"

"And to you as well."

With that finished, it was time. Rarity's stomach twisted itself into a knot, and she took a deep breath as she walked towards it. The one place that started it all. Rarity ignored all others as she neared it. Today was a day for nopony else. Applejack watched Sweetie Belle, so nopony else mattered. Today was a day for her. Rarity whimpered when she passed the schoolhouse, but forced herself to continue. She had to do this. Every year she had to do this.

Somehow the journey went slowly, but was over in the blink of an eye. Before Rarity could register it completely, she found herself standing in her little clearing. The creek where she had spent so many afternoons and evenings hiding from the world, feeling safe. Now a place of taint and sorrow. The ground was littered with white roses, many of them laid out in lines of four where she had left them. Other bunches of flowers, not left by her, peppered the clearing, but they remained as unimportant to Rarity now as they had been in the past.

Rarity took her saddlebag off of her back and put it at the foot of a nearby tree. Her lower jaw began quivering, but she took a deep breath and steadied herself. She had to hold it in. She couldn't break down now. She broke the rubber band around the four white roses, putting the broken band in her saddlebag, and spread the four roses out in mid-air. She looked over to the one on the far right, and gently touched the stem before speaking, her voice coming out as barely a whisper.

"Dug." She placed the rose on the ground next to the creek. "I... I'm s-sorry."

Rarity took another deep breath, and looked up to the roses. She touched the next one in line.

"Kicker." She placed it next to the other one. "I'm sorry."

Looking back up, she touched the stem of the third rose. This time, despite her efforts, she could not prevent the two tears that streaked down her face, and when she spoke next, her voice was marred with a sob.

"A-Annie." She placed it next to the other two. "I'm s-so-sorry."

She looked back up to the final rose, and a sob coursed through her body as two more tears streaked down her face. She shakily touched the stem of the fourth rose before opening her mouth to speak, but her voice came out as only a whimper, and she needed to take several deep breaths to steady herself.

"Rarity." Rarity placed the rose next to the other three. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Unable to hold it in any longer, Rarity's legs gave out, and she collapsed on the ground, her cries echoing through the creek. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I wish I could take it back! I was just... I was just..." Rarity slammed her hoof on the ground. No, there were no excuses for what she had done.

Before Rarity could say anything else, she felt a hoof gently touch her back. With a yip, Rarity shot to her haunches, and looked around the clearing to see who had touched her. Her eyes widened when they landed on the culprit.

Sweetie Belle sat before her, her shoulders slumped, her ears flat, her head low, and her eyes sad. Rarity blinked once and brought a hoof up to her mouth, completely unable to formulate anything resembling worlds.

"Don't be mad, Rarity," Sweetie Belle said quietly. "Me and Apple Bloom just heard Applejack and you talking, and I was curious. Apple Bloom helped me sneak out, and I followed you here." Sweetie Belle's head lowered even more. "Please don't be mad."

Rarity continued staring down at her sister, her mind unable to process what she saw. After a few more moments, it clicked that her sister sat in front of her, and she managed a few deep breaths. "How..." Rarity's voice cracked, and she had to take a deep breath. "How much did you see, Sweetie Belle?"

"I just got here," Sweetie Belle mumbled. "I just saw you when you fell down. You were saying you were sorry, but I don't know what for."

Rarity subtly nodded and managed a weak smile. She extended her forelegs, and Sweetie Belle leaned forward, allowing Rarity to scoop her up and hold her tightly. "Sweetie Belle," Rarity whispered. "My dearest sister."

Sweetie Belle nuzzled Rarity's chest, and wrapped her forelegs around her. "If you're sad, I can help. You always want to make me feel better when I'm sad."

Rarity gave a half laugh/half sob and returned Sweetie Belle's nuzzle. "Very sweet of you, Sweetie Belle. Very sweet." Rarity began stroking Sweetie Belle's mane, and squeezed her tighter. "Sweetie Belle... what's... what's your first memory of me? What's your earliest memory... of big sister?"

Sweetie Belle frowned and looked up at Rarity. "My first memory of you?" Rarity nodded, and Sweetie Belle's frown turned thoughtful. "Uh... I..." Sweetie Belle leaned her head against Rarity's chest. "I remember... I remember a big white building. Yeah, a big white building. Mommy, Daddy, and me would always go there, and wait in an empty room for a little bit, and then you'd come out. You always had this green gown on, and this thingie on your horn. You never came home with us. There were always bigger ponies who would take you away." Sweetie Belle looked back up at Rarity, her eyes wide. "But you're home. Until you moved to your house a few months ago, you lived with me and Mommy and Daddy. I thought I might have dreamed that."

Rarity grimaced and shook her head. "No, Sweetie Belle. No, you didn't dream that. The big white building was called Ponyville Youth Psychiatric Care. It was a mental institution. When I was eight years old, I did something very, very bad here at this creek, and they took me there for six years until they told me that I was better and could go home with you and Mother and Father."

"What..." Sweetie Belle lowered her head slightly. "What did you do?"

Rarity grimaced, and pulled Sweetie Belle in for a tight hug, and began stroking her mane. "Someday you may know, Sweetie Belle. For right now, I'd rather you not. Once you do know, you'll understand why. Just trust big sister on this."

"Okay." Sweetie Belle looked over to where the roses were, and pointed at them. "What are they?"

Rarity took a shaky breath, and another pair of tears streaked down her face. "W-well, when I come here, on the anniversary of the thing that I did, I lay four roses for the ponies who were affected most by what I did, as a way of.. apologizing to them. I know it's not much, it's not anything, really, but it's what I can do."

Sweetie Belle nodded, but didn't respond. She merely leaned her head into Rarity's chest, and let Rarity stroke her mane. The two sat in silence, Rarity, for the first time, finding comfort in the creek now that Sweetie Belle was with her. She nuzzled her sister again, and looked over to the roses. Innocence lost. But there was still innocence left in the world. Sweetie Belle remained so, even if she discovered part of Rarity's past. Rarity sighed and squeezed Sweetie Belle again. Maybe it was time to go home.

All of a sudden, Rarity heard a tree branch snap, and she flinched back. Sweetie Belle stirred when she felt the violent movement, and she looked up at Rarity, a curious expression on her face. Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off when a single word cut through the clearing.

"You!"

Rarity snapped her head to look at the source of the voice, and she gasped when she saw who it was. There, mere feet away from her, a fallen bouquet of flowers beside her, stood...

Annie.

Confrontation

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Rarity's breath caught in her throat, and her grip tightened on Sweetie Belle. She felt Sweetie Belle moving in her grasp, trying to see who had come into the clearing, but Rarity's grip meant that she could not move. Annie and Rarity's eyes were locked on each other, and Rarity's mind worked furiously to think of what to do or say. After a few minutes of silence, the expression of shock on Annie's face twisted into a snarl, and she took a couple of steps forwards.

"How dare you?" she growled. "How dare you come back here? How dare you desecrate this place by being here?"

Rarity blinked away the first traces of tears, and her jaw began quivering. "Annie, I--"

"Shut up, you evil little bitch!" Annie stomped a few steps closer to Rarity and swept aside a previous line of white roses. "You don't get to talk to me! You don't get to be here! You don't get to say anything! If Princess Celestia was fair, you would be dead by now!"

Rarity's ear flicked when she heard Sweetie Belle whimper, and she began gently stroking her mane. "It's okay, Sweetie Belle," Rarity whispered. "Just hold on to big--"

"I said shut up!" Annie screeched. "You should be grateful that you're even breathing! I wrote to her, you know, I looked up every single law on what you did that I could find, and every single one of them said that you had to be executed, so I wrote to Princess Celestia probably a dozen times begging her to put you down like the animal you are!"

"I... I'm sorry," Rarity whimpered as two tears streaked down her face. "I didn't mean for it to go so far."

"You forfeited the right to be sorry once Dug stopped moving!" Annie spat. "You are worthless! You do not deserve to be alive after what you did to me, after what you did to them, you rotten cu--"

Annie's words were cut off when Sweetie Belle whimpered again, and a little of the fire in her eyes died down. Her gaze flickered to Sweetie Belle, and her eyes narrowed. She pointed at Sweetie Belle and looked back up at Rarity. "Who is that? What's she doing here?"

Rarity turned her body to shield Sweetie Belle from Annie's gaze, and returned it with a slight glare of her own. "She's my sister."

"Sister." Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, of course it's your sister. What, did you bring it here to gloat over what you did? To tell it what its big sister did, so the two of you could have a big laugh about it?"

Rarity's eyes widened, but once Annie's words fully clicked, they narrowed, and her mouth twisted into a snarl. She gently set Sweetie Belle down behind her, then shot to her hooves and stomped forward until she stood mere inches away from her tormentor.

"How dare you speak of my sister like that? How dare you speak to me like that?" Rarity stomped her hoof on the ground, and felt a slight bit of satisfaction when Annie flinched back. "Do you think that I have not been suffering for what I did? I have been suffering almost every single day for the past eleven years because of what I did!"

"Well then Celestia lopping off your head would have been the best thing for the both of us, wouldn't it?" Annie retorted. "Do you have any idea what I've gone through in the past eleven years? I woke up screaming almost every night for nearly two years! We had to move out of town a month after it happened because reporters kept coming to me to ask about what you had done! Even after we moved to Baltimare, everypony knew who I was because of everything that had happened! I had nopony growing up! Everything was about what you had done! Every new teacher I had gave me condescending special attention, every new school I went to, I had mandatory counseling sessions from day one, and all of my classmates stared at me! They stared at me like I was some kind of freak because I survived! I survived what you did! Every single day I was forced to be reminded of what happened, and every single night I replayed what you did to Kicker over and over in my mind because I didn't know what else to do!"

"Oh, is that all?" Rarity snarled. "Oh how positively awful for you to have that happen to you! To have to see a school counselor every once in a while! Why don't you try being locked up every night for six years? Oh, and do you think that I never get chased by reporters either? Eleven years later and one will still come by every once in a while to try to get the whole story because they know that if I ever decide to spill, the newspaper that got the story would be sold out in seconds! When you left the forest, you got to go home to sympathetic ears and your parents! I was dragged out hoofcuffed, gagged, covered in blood and with my horn blocked, all the while wondering what was going to happen to me, knowing that my life was never going to be the same! I sat in a jail cell like that before being psychologically tormented by Dug's uncle! You got to go outside whenever you wanted! I got to go outside with a horn blocker and escorted by orderlies for an hour or two a day!"

"The law said that you should have been executed for what you did!" Annie snapped. "You should be appreciative for what you got! You were lucky for it! It was a mercy for you! Meanwhile I did nothing, and I became just a victim for eleven years!"

"N-nothing?" Rarity's furious expression faded, and her left eye twitched. "Nothing? Did you really...?" Rarity's fiery glare returned full force, and she leaned forward until she touched foreheads with Annie. "Did you say that you did nothing? How can you be so deluded? How can you be so blind? Do you think that I did what I did to Dug and Kicker because I decided it might be interesting? Because I was bored? You tormented me every day in school! I came to this creek to get away from you, and you followed me here! Dug told the three of you to beat me within an inch of my life! How can you say that you did nothing?"

"I was eight! Do you think that an eight year old deserves what the three of us got? Do you think that anypony deserves what the three of us got?"

"Of course not!" Once again, the fire in Rarity faded away, and she let out a single sob, flattening her ears and collapsing on her haunches. When she spoke next, her voice came out as a whimper. "I wish I could take it all back. I want to take it all back. I want to go back in time and stop everything from happening; to erase that awful day. I wish that it had never happened."

"Rarity."

The word came out as a whimper from behind Rarity, and Rarity's eyes widened, she shot to her hooves and wheeled around to see Sweetie Belle behind her, curled up in a ball and shivering like it was ten below in the creek. Tears streamed down her face, and even when she reached up a hoof to wipe her eyes, more came, staining her face.

"Sweetie Belle." Rarity rushed over to her sister and scooped her up, holding her tight and rubbing her back. "Shh," she soothed. "It's okay, big sister has you. Don't be afraid."

Sweetie Belle's sobs became more audible, and she leaned into her sister's shoulder. "R-Rarity, I d-don't understand!"

"I know, Sweetie Belle. We're going home now, okay?"

"She doesn't understand?" Rarity's gaze flickered over to Annie, who stared contemplatively at the pair. "She... she doesn't know, does she?"

Rarity glowered at Annie and shook her head. "No, she doesn't."

"Well, then..." Annie took a step toward the two. "Tell her. Right here and now. Tell her what you did. Tell her who I am and why I wish more than anything to see Celestia standing over a chopping block, holding your severed head."

"Absolutely not!" Rarity snarled. "I'm taking her home this instant!" Rarity stood up and gently levitated Sweetie Belle onto her back. "You stay away from her. She does not belong in this. This is not her burden to bear, and you know it."

Annie stared blankly at Rarity for a few moments before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. And I'm sorry to Sweetie Belle too. Sorry that she had to see this. I'm also sorry that her big sister is a murderer, and eleven years ago today she purposefully beat my two best friends to death with a rock and enjoyed doing it, and would have killed me if I hadn't gotten away!"

Rarity gasped, as Sweetie Belle squeaked on her back, and stomped on the ground, her anger rising with Annie's smug, satisfied smile. "You heinous bitch!" she screeched. "This was between you and me, and you involved my five year old sister just to hurt me?"

Annie snorted and began walking towards her fallen flowers. "Yes, I did, because it's no less than you deserve. You're a murderer, and you deserve every little bit of pain and misery you get, because we both know that no matter how much you get, it will never match up to the pain and misery you inflicted."

"I have been trying to atone! I want forgiveness for what I did!" Rarity's hoof snapped out to the four white roses. "Those are for us! One for each of us! I'm trying to atone for what I did to all of us, not just them!" Annie grunted and walked over to the flowers, gently laying hers down next to the one for Dug. "I just want forgiveness, Annie! From somepony!"

Annie quietly sighed and picked up the rose Rarity had laid down to represent herself. With one swift motion, she snapped it in half and tossed the pieces aside. "No. Not now, not in the future, not ever, do you understand me? You don't deserve it. You never did."

Rarity glared at Annie as she laid down in front of the roses. "Well, then, I'll leave you to wallow in your hate."

"Please do."

Rarity gave a grunt of disgust, and turned around, walking out of the creek and away from Annie. Just as she reached the edge of the woods, she heard the sounds of her tormentor's hysterical sobbing coming from inside. Rarity sighed and flattened her ears, but shook her head and made her way towards home, being careful not to dislodge Sweetie Belle from her back.

The walk back to her home went quickly, and Rarity found herself grateful for how uneventful it was. She opened the door and went straight up to her room, where she pulled back the covers on her bed and gently laid Sweetie Belle down before tucking her in. She kissed her forehead and made to exit her room, but she stopped when she heard her sister call out her name. She turned back and put a hoof on Sweetie Belle's head.

"Rarity... she was lying, right?" Sweetie Belle rolled over and stared at Rarity with wide, watery eyes. "You never hurt anypony. You didn't kill anypony. You did something else, right?"

Rarity took a deep breath and lowered her head before shaking her head. "Sweetie Belle... no, she was not lying. I... I did kill two of my classmates eleven years ago today."

Rarity heard Sweetie Belle whimper again, and she felt Sweetie Belle move out from under her hoof. She looked up to see her sister curled up in a ball once more. "She said that if she didn't get away, you were gonna kill her too. Was she lying about that?"

Once again Rarity shook her head. "No, Sweetie Belle, I'm sorry, but she wasn't lying about that either."

"Why?" Sweetie Belle sniffled and wiped her eyes with her forelegs. "Why would you ever wanna hurt ponies so bad that they died on purpose?"

Rarity exhaled and ran a hoof through her mane. "I... I know it excuses nothing, but when I was eight years old, that mare and two other classmates were extremely cruel to me. That creek we were just at was the only place where I felt that I could be safe. One day they followed me there and told me that they were going to hurt me. So, I hit one of them with a rock to prevent that. I didn't mean to kill him, but I did. In a rush, I killed the second classmate, but before I could do anything else, that mare had already run away."

"Have... have you ever killed anypony else?"

Rarity's eyes widened, and she grasped one of Sweetie Belle's hooves in her own. "No! Absolutely not! That feeling is gone forever, Sweetie Belle, I promise! Even when that mare was being mean to the both of us, I never even considered hurting her! I don't hurt ponies anymore, Sweetie Belle, that's not who I am! I would especially never hurt you! That is a promise I shall never break!"

Sweetie Belle sniffled again. "Okay. I don't want you to hurt anymore ponies either."

"And I won't, Sweetie Belle. I don't hurt ponies, I promise you." Rarity took a deep breath and straightened up. "But for now, I think we both need some time to relax, yes?" Sweetie Belle nodded, and Rarity returned it. "Good. You try to get some sleep, Sweetie Belle, and I'll try to do the same."

Rarity kissed Sweetie Belle's forehead once more, then left the room, shutting the door behind her. With nothing else to do for the moment, she trotted down to her basement, where she had a small mattress and blanket set up in case she needed to work long nights, and sat down on her bed. All at once the rush of emotion from everything that the day had brought hit her, and before she could stop herself, Rarity began weeping.

I Want it to be Done

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Rarity sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. She took a deep breath and raised her head, looking around at her gem filled basement. She'd have to start cutting these ones soon.

But that didn't really matter.

Sweetie Belle knew. Sweetie Belle knew everything. Annie had told Sweetie Belle what she had done all those years ago. Rarity got to her hooves and slowly walked up the basement stairs to the main floor. Sweetie Belle wasn't on the main floor, so she was probably still in her bed. Hopefully she was sleeping, dreaming of a world where she didn't have a murderer for a big sister. Hopefully she would rest through the night. She didn't need reality right then.

Rarity went towards the kitchen, but she was stopped when she heard her doorbell go off. She grimaced, but trotted over to her door. Igniting her horn, she opened it, revealing Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie on the other side. She gave them a weak smile and stepped aside to let them in.

"Good evening," Rarity whispered, a sob in her voice.

Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie both smiled sadly and each wrapped a hoof around one of Rarity's shoulders in a hug.

"How are you doing, Rarity?" Cheerilee asked. "I know that today is hard for you."

"Yes," Rarity said quietly. "It's been difficult to deal with, especially today..." Rarity leaned in against Pinkie Pie's shoulder. "Annie. Annie came to the forest as I was laying out my roses. She told Sweetie Belle everything."

Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie both gasped and tightened their hugs on Rarity.

"Rarity, I'm so sorry!" Cheerilee cried. "She shouldn't have had to go through that; not at her age!"

"She shouldn't have ever had to go through that." Rarity whimpered. "I-if you think about it, this is all my fault."

"Nuh-uh!" Pinkie insisted. "I can't say that what you did was any good, but they hurt you, Rarity! You didn't know what else you were supposed to do, and now you're really sorry! You wanna take it back! It's Annie's fault that she told Sweetie Belle just to hurt you!"

"But there would have been nothing to tell if I hadn't done what I did!" Rarity flattened her ears and lowered her gaze to the floor. "I hurt Sweetie Belle just as much as Annie did, if not more! She lost so much trust in me when she found out. If she found out that I'm hiding this, then she can't trust that I'm not hiding other things!"

"I know it's going to be hard for her, Rarity," Cheerilee said, "but you love her dearly and would do anything for her. She'll come to regain all of that trust. You know that you have no more secrets to hide. You've never hurt another pony in your life, and you've never wanted to do it again. Sweetie Belle will come to understand that very soon. I have no doubt about that."

Rarity sniffled and began walking towards the kitchen, followed by her friends. The three of them sat down at the kitchen table, and Rarity laid her head down, allowing Cheerilee and Pinkie to put a hoof on her back.

"It's..." Rarity took a deep breath. "I just..." Rarity began blinking back more tears. "I just want it to be done. I don't want to live under the shadow of what I've done anymore. Eleven years and almost every day since has dealt with what I've done. Ponies stare at me on the streets, I'll go to sell some gems and the buyer's friendly smile isn't quite as wide as it normally is, ponies come into my shop f-for something and they whisper about me, or sometimes they come in to see me like I'm some kind of freak. One horrendous choice in my life, and I'm not Rarity anymore. I'm that filly who murdered two of her classmates!" Rarity sniffled as her tears dripped onto her table. She wiped her eyes, but they kept running down her cheeks. "I just want it all to be over. I just want to be Rarity again. I don't even want my friends to come over and have reasons to talk to me about how I slaughtered two of my classmates! I want to erase that day from the minds of everypony in Equestria!"

"I know," Pinkie said, giving Rarity a small nuzzle, "and we're both sorry if we came in here and upset you more by talking about it, but you seemed really upset and, well, I know it's not a good thing to be alone when you're upset. You've been alone today for every day since you've gotten out, right? Well, maybe it's a good idea to talk to somepony about it."

"I've been talking to ponies about it for almost as long as I can remember!" Rarity snapped. "I was locked away in a place where I did nothing but talk about what I had done for six years! I can't have another day to have that day in the woods rule my life!" Rarity looked up at her friends who had started exchanging nervous glances. "I want nothing else to do with that wretched day!"

"So does that mean that you don't want to lay any more roses next year?" Cheerilee asked. "You're done with that?"

"Applejack was right. It only hurts me when I go back to that place. It only hurts me, and today it hurt Sweetie Belle, and that I cannot accept. I... I can deal with being hurt by what I've done. I've been hurt for eleven years, but she cannot be hurt by my actions! Today I saw firsthoof how me not letting go only hurts her. I can't hurt her anymore. I never will again! I don't matter as much as she does. Even now, after finding out about me, she's still relatively innocent. She's only heard about the horrors of life, but she's never experienced them. She was too young to fully comprehend what it meant to see me in that place; what it meant for me to be in there." Rarity gave Cheerilee a small smile. "You're right, Cheerilee. She can learn to trust me again. I know she can. But I don't think that she can until I move on. Until I learn to... forgive myself. Until that happens it can never really be done, can it?"

"No, it can't," Cheerilee muttered. "And I think it's really, really good that you've decided that you need to move on. I know it's not going to happen overnight, but now that you've decided not to let it rule your life, well, I think you're going to be a lot happier, especially with Sweetie Belle here to help you. Speaking of Sweetie Belle..." Cheerilee motioned in the direction of the stairs. "I think she needs you right now. I think she needs her big sister to explain things to her; to really have a heart-to-heart with her. She needs to understand."

"Yes," Rarity said with a sigh. "Yes, you are right, of course. Sweetie Belle will probably be up soon, if she isn't up already." Rarity got to her hooves, an action that Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie followed. "I need to talk to Sweetie Belle. She needs me. I'll speak to your girls later, okay?"

Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie nodded. "Of course, Rarity," Cheerilee said. "You know that we're always here for you whatever happens. You're our friend. Whatever you need, just let us know."

Rarity smiled as she walked the two to the door, giving them both tight hugs when they reached it. "I don't really know what I'd do without you girls, I really don't. You two and Applejack have helped me more than I could possibly say."

"What are friends for, Rarity?" Pinkie said with a grin. "We'd do it the same way all over again. We know you're not a bad pony. You never were."

"It's taken me a long time to believe that, Pinkie. A fair portion of Equestria has told me differently." Rarity looked over to the stairs leading up to her room. "But I need to make sure that Sweetie Belle isn't one of them."

"Well then we'll leave you to that," Cheerilee said. "You let us know how it goes, if you need to, alright? You know where to find us."

Rarity nodded and gave the two a small smile before opening the door and letting her friends out. She watched the two of them walk away from her home for a few moments before taking a deep breath and shutting the door. She lowered her head and turned to the stairs. Hopefully Sweetie Belle had calmed down a little. Otherwise the talk could go very poorly. But she had to come to trust her sister again. If she didn't trust her sister, the pony who loved her more than anything... Rarity shook her head and began walking up the stairs. No, Sweetie Belle would come to trust her again, even if it took more than this talk, and it undoubtedly would.

Rarity reached the top of the stairs and slowly walked over to her room. She pressed her ear to the door, listening for any indication that her sister had awoken, but the room was silent. She straightened up and ignited her horn, slowly pushing the door open and walking into the room.

Sweetie Belle laid on her bed with her back to the door, just where she had left her several hours ago. Rarity flattened her ears and approached the bed as quietly as she could, but even so, the noise of her hooves caused one of her sister's ears to flick, and Sweetie Belle turned around to face her sister. Rarity held back a whimper when she saw that her eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"H-hi, sis," Sweetie Belle croaked.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said quietly, walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge. She reached out a hoof to pat Sweetie Belle's head, but she flinched back, causing Rarity's hoof to place it on one of the pillows instead. "How are you? Did you get a good nap in?" Sweetie's gaze traveled down to the bedsheets, and she subtly shook her head. Rarity gave a barely perceptible sigh and ran a hoof through her mane. "I'm sorry for that."

"'S okay."

"No, Sweetie, it isn't. Nothing about it is okay. I hurt you, and that is completely unacceptable. I never wanted you to be hurt by what I'd done. I knew that one day you'd find out, but... well, obviously I did not intend for you to learn about it that way." Sweetie Belle gave another tiny nod. "So... what are you thinking right now?"

"Dunno," Sweetie Belle muttered.

"Did... did learning about what I did scare you? I know it can't have been easy."

"I guess." Sweetie Belle curled up under the blankets a little more. "That mare was really scary too, Rarity. She said she wanted Princess Celestia to chop your head off."

"Yes, but that didn't happen, nor will it. Princess Celestia would only put me in jail again if I hurt another pony, and I have no desire to do so! I will never hurt another being, and that's a promise!"

"I'm scared that mare is gonna hurt you," Sweetie whimpered. "She was really angry at you. What if she hurts me to hurt you?"

"Darling, I assure you that you are safe with me, and safe from that mare. Nopony in Ponyville would let her hurt you. If she so much as gave you a scraped knee, she'd be in big trouble."

"Would you hurt her if she hurt me? Would you... k-kill her?"

"I..." Rarity's response died in her throat, and her ear flicked. "I... I don't know, Sweetie Belle. I wouldn't kill her, I know that, but I would do what I needed to to protect you. I would primarily try to get us away and find help. That way I wouldn't have to hurt her."

"But what if you couldn't?"

"Sweetie Belle, I don't want you to have to worry about that. She is not going to hurt us, I promise. She'll leave us alone."

"Okay."

"But that aside..." Rarity moved her hoof down and gently placed it on her sister's head. Sweetie Belle flinched, but made no effort to move it. "I want you to know that I will do whatever I need to to fix what happened today. Big sister isn't going to go into the woods anymore. I've let my past control me for too long, and it hurt you today. Big sister never wants to hurt you. Ever. I need you to understand that. I know things can never go back to the way they were before. I know that you can never unlearn what that mare told you any more than I can undo what I did, but I don't want it to damage our relationship beyond repair. Do you?"

Sweetie Belle paused for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "You're my big sister, and I love you. I don't want that mare to hurt you, but I'm scared that you did something like that."

"So am I, darling. It's ruled my life for eleven years, but I don't want it to rule it for a moment more." Rarity scooted an inch closer to her sister and gave her a small smile. "Did you know that before you were born, when I was in the institution, I had accepted my fate? I had come to terms with the fact that I'd spend the rest of my life in one of those places. But then Mother and Father came in one day, about five years after I was committed, and told me that Mother was pregnant with you." Rarity's smile widened a little more. "And from that moment on I resolved to get out of there any way that I could. I realized that I couldn't spend another moment more than I had to in that dreadful place. You gave me a purpose. You gave me a drive to get out so that I could be a big sister to you. Less than a year later it happened. I got to come home with you."

Rarity gingerly reached forward and scooped her sister up. Her heart soared when she didn't push away, but instead leaned against Rarity's chest. "If it weren't for you I don't know where I'd be. I know that I wouldn't be in as good of a position. I love Mother and Father, of course, and they have supported me every step of the way through this ordeal, but you got me out of the rut I was in. Do you remember that dress? The first one that I made for you when you were a newborn foal?" Sweetie Belle nodded. "The very first thing that I did when I found out that you were coming was design that dress for you. I promised you that I was going to get out of that place and make it for you, and I did. I had motivation for the first time in five years, and you did that for me just by being you."

Sweetie Belle whimpered, but slowly reached out and wrapped her forelegs around Rarity's chest. Rarity smiled and leaned down to nuzzle the top of her sister's head.

"Oh Sweetie Belle," she said softly, "I promise that I will never, ever hurt you. Do you hear me? Big sister will never, ever hurt you."

Setting Sun, Rising Moon

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One year later

Rarity's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she pushed her sleep mask off of her head. She groaned and nuzzled into her pillow, keeping her eyes open as she waited for the last remnants of sleep to fade away. She yawned and sat up before hearing the doorbell go off and registering that it might be the cause for her earlier awakening. She slid out of bed and slicked down a few loose strands of her mane as best as she could before trotting downstairs and opening the door, revealing the town mayor on the other side. Rarity smiled at her and stepped aside.

"Good morning Mayor. Have you come to order something? I hope my work on your last tie was satisfactory."

Mayor Mare gave Rarity a slight smile, and tilted her head in a nod as she stepped into her home. "Yes, Rarity, it was. Thank you. I'm not here for that, though. I'm here because Princess Celestia has chosen our town as the one to host the Summer Sun Celebration this year."

Rarity tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? Well, that is a great honor, then!" Rarity chuckled and shut her door. "And I was planning on having a little sister night with Sweetie Belle for the celebration. Seems we'll be changing our plans, then."

"Indeed, but that's not what I wished to speak to you about exactly." Mayor Mare opened up her saddlebag and pulled out a scroll, which she passed to Rarity. "I would like it if you were the one to decorate Town Hall for the Celebration. I've seen your past work and have decided that you are the pony in the town best suited for the job. I know you will do very well."

Rarity's eyes widened, and she put a hoof up to her mouth. "M-me? You want to have... me decorating Town Hall for the Celebration?!"

Mayor Mare gave an amused smirk and nodded. "Indeed, Rarity. I am certain that you will do a wonderful job. You have a blank check for whatever you need. Just bill it to my office."

"Oh thank you, Mayor Mare! This is..." Rarity started scanning the parchment, a large grin on her face. "This is an amazing opportunity! I don't know how what to say!"

Mayor Mare chuckled and waved her hoof. "Think nothing of it, Rarity. I should be the one thanking you for this. You will, of course, be paid for your work. Standard freelancing fees."

"Of course, of course," Rarity said, her eyes narrowed in thought. "Yes, I think the colors of the sun would be nice. Maybe the sky as well in keeping with the theme. Hmm..."

"Well I can see I've made the right choice, then." Mayor Mare turned to the door and began walking towards it before she stopped and looked back at Rarity with a small smile. "I'm happy to see how far you've come, Rarity. I asked the council if any of them objected to me giving you this job because of your past, and not a single one did. This town has really welcomed you back."

Rarity smiled and put the scroll down on a pile of fabric. "Yes, it has been nice. We've all moved on, I think, myself included. I didn't even go to the creek this year to lay flowers. I'm putting the past where it belongs. I'm not Rarity the murderer. I'm just Rarity."

"I'm more than pleased to hear it. I think the town is in the same camp." Mayor Mare tilted her head in another nod. "You're going to do a wonderful job with decorating, Rarity, I'm sure of it. Everypony is going to love it."

Rarity chuckled, and her mind began flashing with more design ideas. "Yes, I'll be sure to make sure they do."

* * * *

Rarity smiled and stepped back from her boxes of supplies, looking around at the freshly decorated Town Hall. She scanned each of the decorations with her discerning eye, looking for any fault in the designs. The sun and sky color palate seemed to be meshing well. The banners were all hung perfectly from the ceiling, and every pillar had a nice ribbon tied neatly on. In short, Town Hall seemed to be ready for the Summer Sun Celebration.

"Beautiful indeed, Spike," said a mare's voice from her left.

"Not the decor," said what sounded like the voice of a young male, "her!"

Rarity frowned and turned her head to see who had arrived. Maybe it was the supervisor Mayor Mare had told her would be around to check up on her work. When she looked she saw a lavender unicorn mare standing next to a green and purple lizard thing standing on two legs. She gave a slight frown at the lizard, who grinned widely at her, before looking to the mare.

The eyes of both her and the mare widened at the same time.

"Holy Celestia!" they cried in unison.

"Your mane!" Rarity screeched, staring at the poofy, giant curled up mess.

"You!" the mare replied at the same time.

"Darling, I..." Rarity's reply died in her throat when it registered with her what the mare had said. She grimaced and flattened her ears. "Ah. Yes. I see. I take it you're familiar with my... actions, then."

"Uh..." The mare bit her lip and uneasily scratched her foreleg while the lizard alternated between looking at the two with confusion. "Well, I've read a bit about you, yes."

Rarity sighed and rubbed one of her temples. "Of course. Read a few newspaper articles twelve years ago, then? I know you're not from here, so my story must have reached wherever you're from."

"Well, not exactly." The mare looked down and flattened her ears. "I was in a library and found a few books."

Rarity raised her eyebrow and tilted her eyebrow. "Books? They've written books on me?"

The mare nodded. "Yeah. A few about you, and there was one or two where you're in a collection of killers."

"I see." Rarity studied the mare for a moment before shrugging. "Well, I suppose that's to be expected, then. There's nothing I can really do about it, is there?"

The mare raised her head and gave Rarity a questioning look. "You don't care that there are whole books written about what you did?"

Rarity chuckled and waved her hoof. "Darling, I will forever regret my actions, of course, but after twelve years I decided to not let it rule my life. I've known for years that it created a huge media storm throughout Equestria, but the country has largely moved on, wouldn't you say? I've kept out of the spotlight these days, and I'm perfectly content with that." Rarity took a step towards the mare, who flinched back, causing Rarity to grimace. "Darling, I assure you that I'm perfectly safe to be around. I haven't so much as given other ponies a paper cut in over a decade. Mayor Mare wouldn't have given me this job if she wasn't absolutely positive that I'm a good mare who wouldn't hurt anypony." Rarity's smile returned, and she walked up to the mare. "Now, I find it completely unacceptable that I don't have any idea who you two are, so I feel that introductions are in order." Rarity extended her hoof. "My name is Rarity. I own a small shop in town where I collect gems to polish, cut, and sell, on top of using my knowledge of sewing to act as the town tailor."

The mare nodded uneasily and slowly raised her hoof to shake Rarity's. "Hello, Rarity. My name is Twilight Sparkle, but most ponies just call me Twilight. I'm Princess Celestia's personal protégé. She sent me to Ponyville to supervise preparations for the Summer Sun Celebrations."

"Princess Celestia's personal protégé?" Twilight nodded, and Rarity gave an impressed grunt. "Well, that is something! I'll bet that must be quite exciting." Rarity turned down to the lizard with a smile. "And you are?"

The lizard returned her smile. "My name is Spike. I'm a baby dragon, and Twilight's number one assistant."

"A dragon? Well, I must say that I've never met a dragon before! It's a pleasure to meet you, Spike. However..." Rarity looked back at Twilight and pointed to her mane. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I must say that something must be done about your mane! It is a disaster!"

Twilight groaned and draped a foreleg over her muzzle. "You can thank the weathermare for that one. This pony named Rainbow Dash tackled me into mud, washed me off with a raincloud, then dried me off with this 'rainblow dry' thing."

"Ah..." Rarity sighed and massaged one of her temples. "Yes, I'm familiar with her. She means well most of the time, but between you and me, sometimes she has an ego the size of Canterlot." Rarity shrugged. "I'd still say she's a good pony. Now, then..." Rarity fired up her horn and took out a few brushes and combs. "As a mare of culture and taste, I'm afraid that I simply cannot allow you to go out into Ponyville looking like that." Rarity engulfed Twilight's legs in her magical aura and sat her down. "Just relax, this will only take a moment."

Twilight bit her lip and glanced at the door as if she was considering running, but she seemed to realize that Rarity had already made up her mind, so she quietly sighed and settled in.

"My usual mane style is straight with it curving around my neck at the end," she muttered.

Rarity nodded and began running her brush through Twilight's mane as gently as she could. She smiled when the brush went through the hair with little effort. The Rainblow Dry had only poofed it up, not knotted her mane, it seemed.

"So, you're here to supervise the Summer Sun Celebration, then?" Rarity questioned as she worked. "What does that entail exactly?"

Twilight sighed and looked down at her saddlebag, out of which a rolled up scroll was sticking. "Oh, just the basics, I guess. You know that I met Rainbow Dash, so I guess the weather's all ready to go for tonight. I also went up to that farm at the edge of town. Sweet Apple Acres? Met this pony named Applejack and her family." Twilight stuck her tongue out. "I guess they were nice ponies, but they fed me way too much."

Rarity chuckled and began curling Twilight's mane around her neck. "Yes, they're a family that shows their love through food. You never feel more at home with the Apples then when they've invited you over for a hot meal." Rarity grimaced and sat down to begin work on Twilight's tail. "You'd be harder pressed to find better ponies in all of Equestria, darling. Goodness knows I can't imagine how I would have made it through the past decade without dear Applejack."

Twilight flattened her ears and bit her lip as she uneasily rubbed her foreleg with her hoof. Rarity quietly sighed and began spraying Twilight's mane with some mane product to ensure that it wouldn't poof up again. After a moment of silence, Rarity clicked her tongue and put the cap back on the bottle.

"Darling, just ask."

Twilight turned her head to face Rarity, a frown on her face. "Ask what?"

"One of the dozens of questions I've received since I was released." Rarity got to her hooves and began putting her brushes back in her bag. "'Why did I do it?' 'Do I regret it?' 'Would I change it?' 'What was it like being in that place for six years?' 'What was it like doing that?'" Rarity closed her eyes and lowered her head with a sigh. "Did I miss one?"

"Uh..." Rarity heard both Twilight's hoofsteps and the sounds of Spike's claws clacking on the hardwood floors. They were walking closer. She cracked one eye open and glanced to the side to see Twilight looking at her, her head ducked and her ears flat. "I'm sorry. I guess I was just kind of curious, that's all. Like I said, I read about you."

"And those books painted me as an evil, psychotic little filly, correct?" Rarity laughed bitterly and snapped her bag shut. "Somepony who deserved to be executed or imprisoned forever for what she did?"

"Well, I mean..." Twilight exchanged a look with Spike, whom Rarity could see just looked confused. "Nopony ever really got any interviews with you. So they just had to go off of what they knew."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense," Rarity said with a sigh. "Though I'm certain that you can understand why I'd prefer to keep my privacy in this matter. Suffice to say, it was a mistake. A horrendous, life-altering mistake that I will regret forever, but simply a mistake. A truly psychotic pony wouldn't regret it, but I regret it every time I think on it."

Before Twilight could respond, Rarity smiled at her and wrapped her foreleg around her shoulders. Twilight flinched back, something that Rarity ignored. "Now, then, you came all this way from Canterlot to check on the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I have done my best to make Town Hall presentable, but do let me know if you have any critiques. I'm open to suggestions."

Twilight blinked owlishly, then looked around the room before shaking her head. "Uh, no, I think everything looks rather good. I think that Princess Celestia will be rather happy with it." Twilight ducked her head and backed out of Rarity's shoulder hug. "But I really do need to get going now, though. I have to check on a few more things before the Celebration actually starts. I'll... see you later, I guess?"

Rarity gave Twilight a strained smile and nodded. "Of course. I'll suppose I'll see you at the celebration itself, yes? If not, I wish you the best."

"Right. Yes, you too." Twilight pressed her hoof against Spike's back, herding him out of the room. "Come on, Spike. We have a few more stops to make."

"Okay," Spike muttered, a disappointed frown crossing his face.

"I will talk to you later, dear Spike," Rarity said. "We'll see each other at the celebration."

Spike brightened at the idea, and quickly ran to catch up to Twilight. Rarity watched them go for a few moments with a small smile before turning back to her work. So they knew. So everypony knew. There were books. She didn't care, and that's the way she liked it.

Rarity trotted over to one of her boxes to set up the finishing touches on Town Hall, but before she could, the top of the box exploded outward, and a certain pink earth pony leaped out of it with her usual grin.

"Oh, hello, Pinkie," Rarity said, unfazed by the sudden appearance of her friend. "How are you today?"

"Superrrrific!" Pinkie squeed. "There's a new pony in town, and you know what that means!"

"A party," the two said at the same time, Pinkie in glee and Rarity in amusement.

"Yes, I've met her. Twilight Sparkle, if I recall correctly. She had a baby dragon named Spike with her, too."

"Ooh, I didn't know the dragon's name!" Pinkie cried. "This is unacceptable!" Pinkie hopped over to Rarity and threw a foreleg around her shoulders. "I'm going to have to make the party even better now, since there's two of them. It's at the Golden Oaks library at seven."

"Consider me there," Rarity said, nuzzling Pinkie Pie. "If you need me to do anything for it, don't hesitate to ask."

"Will do, Rarity, but I think I've got everything well in hoof!" Pinkie began bouncing towards the front door of Town Hall, waving back at Rarity as she did. "See you soon!"

"Bye, darling!"

* * * *

When she thought on it, Rarity did have to consider the party a success, just like all of Pinkie's parties, despite the absence of the guest of honor. Well, one of them, anyway. Somehow hot sauce had been placed at the drink table, and Twilight had the misfortune of mistaking it for some of Applejack's apple juice. She had rushed to an upper level and hadn't been down since. Rarity hardly noticed, though, as she busied herself talking to Spike. When she discovered he ate gems, she gave him one from her saddlebag, much to his delight. He didn't ask about what had Twilight so bothered about her, something Rarity didn't mind at all.

As she talked with Spike, her mind wandered ever so slightly, and she realized that almost the entire town had shown up for Twilight's party. And none of them were giving her a second glance. Most had even smiled and greeted her when she came in. The realization triggered a great rush of affection in Rarity for the ponies of Ponyville. Life was good.

"Rarity?"

Rarity snapped out of her reverie and realized that she had drifted away from her conversation with Spike. She blushed and gave him an apologetic smile.

"So sorry, darling, I was just lost in thought for a moment there."

"Really?" Spike tilted his head a bit. "What were you thinking about?"

"I was thinking that..." Rarity's smile widened. "Today is a good day."

* * * *

A few hours later, the party, Twilight included this time, filed out of the library and towards Town Hall for the Summer Sun Celebration. The decorations hadn't been touched since she had left them, and ponies kept coming up to her to compliment her on her work once they found out she had gotten Town Hall ready. Rarity thanked them all with a genuine smile as she walked next to Twilight and Spike, still conversing with the latter. A few minutes later, Mayor Mare approached Rarity.

"Rarity, we need somepony to pull the curtain back when I announce Princess Celestia to the audience. Would you be willing to do that?"

Rarity's eyes lit up, and she vigorously nodded. "Absolutely! Has she arrived already?"

"As far as I'm aware," Mayor Mare replied. "Her guards have taken their positions around Town Hall, so we should be ready any moment now."

"Excellent. I'll take my place, then." Rarity turned to Spike and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I shall see you after the Celebration, Spike?"

"If you want to, Rarity!" Spike Said, his grin nearly taking up his whole face.

Rarity's gaze flicked over to Twilight, who alternated her gaze between Rarity and Spike with a look of unease. Rarity decided to ignore it. Twilight would come to understand about her. If nothing else, Spike would tell Twilight about their time together at the party. She'd see then.

Pushing thoughts of Twilight's bias out of her mind, Rarity trotted up to her place on the balcony next to the curtain to wait for Mayor Mare's command.

As she watched the crowd of ponies beneath her, a small grimace crossed Rarity's face, and her stomach twisted into a knot. Last time she had seen Princess Celestia, she had sent her to that Tartarus-damned place for six years for what she had done. To be moments away from standing close to her again...

Maybe she could slip away after she pulled the curtain back.

"And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land," Mayor Mare said, snapping Rarity out of her thoughts. "The very pony who gives us the sun and moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony throughout Equestria: Princess Celestia!"

Steeling herself, Rarity grasped the cord in her teeth and pulled, opening the purple curtains in front of her to reveal...

Nothing.

Rarity's jaw dropped open, causing the cord to fall out. She became vaguely aware of uneasy chatter from the ponies beneath her, but she paid them no heed, instead choosing to stare blankly at the vacant spot where Princess Celestia was supposed to be.

Though it didn't remain vacant for long.

Before Rarity's eyes, a dark mass of what looked like an ethereal cloak of stars appeared before her, spinning around for a few moments before it expanded rapidly, revealing a black alicorn dressed in harsh, silver armor. Rarity whimpered and began backing away. Even knowing nothing about this pony, Rarity could sense her ill intent.

"Ah, my beloved subjects. It has been so long since I have seen your precious little sun-loving faces!"

The alicorn's words flowed out of her like silk, but Rarity felt a shiver run down her spine. Rarity backed away further, hoping to get out of Town Hall before this pony noticed her.

The alicorn glided across the balcony, and Rarity saw, to her horror, that the mare had spotted her. She fell to the ground and let out a half scream. The alicorn grinned at Rarity, revealing razor sharp teeth. She expanded her ethereal mane and lifted Rarity's head up with it to look her in the eye.

"Did you not recall the legends?" Her grin widened. "Did you not see the--"

The alicorn's grin suddenly evaporated, being quickly replaced with an "o" of surprise. She stared into Rarity's eyes as if x-raying her.

"There's something..."

The alicorn let Rarity's head go and walked over to the edge of the balcony, scanning the group of cowering ponies below.

"I haven't felt..."

After a minute or so, the alicorn turned back to Rarity, and her blank expression turned back into a malicious grin. A trio of royal guards landed on the balcony, but the alicorn merely encased the two of them in a large shield.

"You're not like the rest of them, are you?" She shot her mane out and wrapped it around Rarity's neck, lifting her up so the two were face-to-face. "I can feel the darkness in you."

Rarity whimpered and tried to free her neck from the mane, but her hooves merely phased through it. A pair of thick tears dripped from her face as she looked at the alicorn.

"Please," she groaned.

"I haven't sensed somepony like you in a long time. You will be valuable to my new world." The mane tightened around Rarity's neck, slowly cutting off her air supply. She continued struggling uselessly against the other mare's powers.

"Please," she repeated.

"It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it?" the alicorn crooned. "Do you miss it?"

"No," Rarity growled. "I... w-want to t-take it back!"

"Perhaps," the mare said, tapping her jaw. "Or perhaps the right opportunity hasn't arisen yet." The alicorn slowly pointed to the ground about two feet from the pair. Rarity moaned when she saw what had appeared.

"What do you see?" The alicorn hissed.

"A... a r-rock," Rarity groaned.

"Indeed? And what do you want to do with that rock?"

"N-nothing! I h-hate it!"

"Come now, child," the alicorn said, tightening her grip even further. "You know what you felt. What do you want to do with that rock? Think about what would happen if you gave in. You could save Equestria from an evil, evil mare, couldn't you? You'd be a hero. Everypony would love you, and no one would remember what you had done. You'd be beloved by all as the savior of Equestria." The alicorn slowly began lowering Rarity in the direction of the rock. "So, what do you want to do with the rock?"

"I... I..." Rarity ground her forehooves against the side of her head, trying to quiet the million thoughts racing through it. "I'm n-not that... pony!"

"That isn't what I asked, foal. The rock is yours. Take it. Do what you wish."

The alicorn released Rarity next to the rock, allowing Rarity to gasp for breath and rub her sore neck.

"The rock, child. Take it."

Rarity froze and glanced down at the rock. It was just like she remembered it. Every detail. Slowly she reached towards it and grasped it in her hooves. A jolt coursed through her forelegs when she touched it, but the feeling wasn't unpleasant. Rarity gripped the rock tighter and began breathing heavier.

"What do you want to do with it?"

"I... I want..."

"Yes?"

"I want to hurt you."

The alicorn's vicious smile widened, and she took a half-step towards Rarity, lowering her head so that she was in range of Rarity's swing.

"Then do it. Save Equestria. Be the hero. And enjoy that nice feeling again."

Rarity stared at the alicorn for a few moments, acutely aware of the feeling of the rock in her hooves. Slowly she raised the rock, and, when it was mere inches from the alicorn's face, she tipped her hooves forward, letting to rock fall to the floor.

"I told you," Rarity said, forcing a glare on her face. "I'm not that pony."

"Oh but you are," the alicorn said, straightening up. "How many did you kill, hmm? What was the petty reason? The blood of your victims will never be washed away, foal. It is a permanent stain. The monster inside you that made you kill your victims, it was no monster. It was simply... you. Nothing more. You can't be rid of a darkness that is an inherent part of your being. It's as much a part of you as your cutie mark."

"You're wrong," Rarity growled. "I-it was a simple bad decision!"

"If you say so," the alicorn sneered. "We have a lot of time to discuss it, don't we? I am your new queen after all. The sun shall never rise again!"

With that, the shield broke, and the alicorn wrapped her mane around her body, flying through the open doors of town hall into the night.

Rarity took a deep breath and collapsed onto the floor. She became vaguely aware of ponies surrounding her, including ones that sounded like Pinkie Pie and Twilight. They all wanted to know what was said, no doubt.

Rarity merely grasped her head in her hooves and screamed.

Redemption

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"Rarity! Rarity, she's gone! She's gone. Ya don't halfta worry about her no more."

Rarity's screams ceased, instead being replaced by heavy sobs. She felt herself being pulled up to her haunches and a pair of forelegs being wrapped around her.

"Shh," Applejack soothed, gently stroking her mane. "It's okay, sugarcube. Ah know. Ah know she scared ya. She scared me too, alright?"

"I w-wanted to h-hurt her!" Rarity said through her sobs. "I'm j-just as bad as she is!"

"Consarnit, Rarity!" Applejack grabbed Rarity's head in her hooves, forcing her to look her in the eye. "Ah don't ever wanna hear you say somethin' like that again. Ever."

Rarity's mouth flopped up and down for a moment before words came. "B-but I--"

"Ah don't wanna hear it," Applejack growled. "Do you try ta hurt ponies emotionally? Do ya try to take sad feelings and twist them against ponies? Are ya tryin' ta kill everythin' in Equestria?" Applejack released Rarity's head. "No? Then Ah don't wanna hear nothin' about you bein' even close to as bad as she is."

"I wish I could believe that," Rarity whispered, shivering at the memory of Nightmare Moon's mane tendrils wrapping around her throat. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with her hoof. "I don't want to be that pony anymore, b-but she said that when she became queen again, she'd make me become that! Some court assassin, murdering the ponies she didn't like." Rarity flattened her ears and covered her head. "She thinks I'd like it. Applejack, I'm scared that if she makes me do that, then she won't need to brainwash me. Th-that I'll do it just because I secretly liked what I did to Dug and Kicker!"

"Rarity..." Applejack sighed and facehooved. "You really ain't been payin' attention to yourself over the past ten years, have ya? If yer this scared of becomin' that mare, even when she was tryin' ta get ya to attack her, then why do ya think you'd willingly go along with whatever she told ya ta do?"

Rarity felt a pair of hooves wrap around her shoulder, and looked to see Pinkie Pie wrapping her in a hug. She leaned into Pinkie's chest, nuzzling against the pink fur.

"You're a good pony, Rarity," Pinkie said. "I know what a good pony looks like, and I've never thought that you could hurt anypony on purpose like that again."

"But if I did it once, I can do it again," Rarity whispered.

"Nuh-uh," Pinkie said with a shake of her head. "I know you, Rarity: you tell me a lot that you don't care about what ponies who say nasty things about you in the paper think. So why is this mare different? Sure she has some magic and she's dangerous, but the Rarity I know wouldn't believe that ol' meanie for a second!"

"Yer not that mare, Rarity," Applejack said. "Ah don't know what it's gonna take to convince ya of that, but Pinkie and Ah will do everything to get it through that thick skull of yours."

Rarity let out a quiet chuckle and wiped her eyes again. "Just having you two here to, er, get it through my thick skull, as it were, does a lot for me, darlings. Celestia, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Well, you never have to think about that, because we're here to help." Pinkie stood up and offered Rarity a helping hoof up. She giggled as Rarity got to her hooves. "Silly."

"Darn straight," Applejack said with a nod. "Right now, though, we gotta see what Twilight is up to. She ran out not long after that mare did. Ah aim ta find out what's goin' through her mind. You don't halfta come with us if ya don't want to. You've been through enough tonight."

For a moment, the idea tempted Rarity. Sweetie Belle would certainly need somepony there to comfort her. Applejack, Pinkie and Twilight could handle the mare well enough. And if not, they'd figure out something. She didn't need to be involved.

Or...

Rarity blinked once and took a deep breath before shaking her head. "I could do that, Applejack. I have every right to, I think. But... it's time for me to stop hiding when I get scared. This mare, if she does take over Equestria, will try to make me into the pony I can't be again. Worse, if you think about it. I can't hide in my basement while she attempts such a thing. I-if it's alright with you, I think I'll come talk to Twilight as well."

Applejack smiled at Rarity and put a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "That sounds pretty good ta me, Rarity. Come on: let's go find Twilight."

* * * *

As luck would have it, they found Twilight in the first place they looked: the library. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash arrived at the same time. The small group entered and saw Twilight running frantically around the room, tearing books off of shelves and flipping through the contents at lightning speeds.

"Elements, Elements, Elements!" Twilight cried, tossing another book aside while taking two more off of the shelves. "Why can't I find anything about the Elements?!"

"Er... Elements, Twi?" Applejack said.

Twilight yipped in surprise, causing her magic to peter out and the books she was holding to drop to the floor. She whirled around to see Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie behind her, followed closely by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Rarity quirked an eyebrow at the sight of the latter two. Rainbow bore a rather impressive scowl, while Fluttershy was hiding behind her mane.

"Yeah, what Elements are you talking about?" Rainbow asked, her scowl not budging. "Are they some kinda weapon for this mare that just popped up and took Princess Celestia away? Are you working for her?!"

Applejack let out a long-suffering sigh and put a hoof on Rainbow's side. "Now hold on there, sugarcube, let's just ask Twilight what she means. Ah don't think she's a spy, but she does know what's goin' on." She tilted her head. "Right?"

Rarity could see the gears moving in Twilight's head as she scanned the group in front of her. After a moment, she sighed and lowered her head.

"Yes. I've been doing research on this for some time now. That pony's name is Nightmare Moon. A thousand years ago, she tried to do this, but Princess Celestia stopped her with something called the 'Elements of Harmony'. I don't know what they are or even how they're supposed to stop her, but it's my best shot right now."

"Have you looked through this book?" Pinkie asked, tossing one at Twilight's hooves. "It's called 'The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide."

Twilight's eyes widened, and she immediately took the book in her magic and opened it up. "Where did you get that?!" Twilight cried.

"Uh, duh, we're in a library," Pinkie said with a grin.

"No, I mean..." Twilight groaned and shook her head. "Never mind. It's not important."

Twilight spent a few moments looking through the book while everypony else watched her intently. She gave no indication that the other ponies staring at her was a bother. Though it went on long enough that Rarity began to wonder when Twilight would find what she was looking for, if she did at all.

"I think I have something," Twilight said after a few minutes. "Yes, I think I definitely have something. The book says that there are six total Elements of Harmony, but only five are known. Laughter, kindness, generosity, loyalty and honesty."

"What does that even mean?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know for sure, but I think if we managed to find the Elements we'd find out."

"Where are the Elements?" Applejack asked. "Does the book say anythin' about where they might be?"

"Yes, I think that's this part here." Twilight read further down the page. "If the book is right, then the last known location of the Elements of Harmony is in..." Twilight's eyes widened. "The Everfree Forest!"

* * * *

"Er... now Twilight, darling, are you certain that the Elements are here?" Rarity stared into the black abyss that masqueraded as a forest bordering Ponyville and shuddered. "I mean, isn't it possible that in the thousand years since Princess Celestia last used them that they've been moved? Maybe Princess Celestia herself has them!"

"It's possible, of course, but I doubt it," Twilight said with a shake of her head. "Even if that's the case, it's still our best bet."

Rarity and the other four exchanged an uneasy glance, but followed Twilight into the gaping maw of the forest. Rarity shivered when she felt her hoof touching the soft ground of the forest. It felt like it might give way underneath her at any moment.

"I don't like this, Applejack," Rarity said, alternating looks between the rest of the group. "Something isn't right here."

"Ah know how you feel," Applejack said. "Somethin's watchin' us. Don't know what it is, but it's somethin'."

Rarity looked back and moved a step closer to Applejack when she noticed that she could no longer see the entrance to the forest. There was no turning back, not without the rest of them. She gulped and trotted up next to Twilight.

"So... how will you know what these Elements look like once you find them?" she asked.

"I don't know for sure, but I think we'll be able to tell." A wry smile crossed Twilight's face. "I mean, they are powerful magical artifacts, and there are six of them. How many things in the Everfree Forest are like that? Besides, they're supposedly in Princess Celestia's old castle. They shouldn't be too hard to--"

"Ah, what an interesting sight. Looking for something, are you?"

The sound of the voice sent a shiver down Rarity's spine, and despite herself, she latched on to Twilight.

"It's her," Rarity whispered.

"Indeed," the voice replied. "I must say that I commend you all for your tolerance. It's not every mare that would trust somepony as evil as the one who stands next to you. I doubt you even know what she did, do you?"

"Stop it," Rarity whimpered, trying not to think about the eyes of the other five fixed on her. "I'm not that pony anymore!"

"Maybe not," the voice mused. "But do the mares you travel with even know of the kind of pony you were? Let's ask them, shall we?"

"Don't listen to her, girls!" Twilight said. "Just keep moving! She's trying to stop us!"

"Maybe it's not me who will stop you. Maybe it's the foal murderer walking with you. Why don't you tell them what it felt like, child? I saw your memories. You cannot hide anything from me. It was a... euphoric experience, was it not?"

"Oh yeah?" Applejack stopped and looked around at their surroundings, glaring at nothing in particular. "You said you've read her mind and can sense her feelin's. Well, then you know that yer spoutin' lies! Ah've talked to this mare almost every day for the past decade, and Ah know how she feels!" Applejack turned to Rarity with a warm smile. "You regret what you did. Ah know that, and you know that. Nothin' can change that. But Ah know you, Rarity. Ah know you've made a lot of progress since it happened. Yer not lettin' it rule your life like it used to. When Ah look at you, Ah don't see some mare that's bein' tortured by a mistake she made, not anymore. Ah see a mare who goes through life with her head high. When Ah see you, Ah see a pony who's doin' pretty well for herself. Ain't no silly fable gonna make that anythin' less than the truth."

Rarity's eyes began watering, and she wrapped Applejack in a tight hug. "Thank you. I know I can be silly sometimes, but I needed to hear that."

Fluttershy moved to Rarity's other side and nuzzled her. "I'm here for you too, Rarity," she said. "Like everypony says: you're not that mare anymore. I'm not sure you ever truly were."

"We're close to the castle, girls!" Twilight cried. "Just a little bit further!"

"And why do you think such a thing would work?" the voice snarled. "The Elements don't choose mortals to wield them. Their power would destroy you before it ever reached me. You don't even have all six of them!"

"Oh yeah?" Rainbow Dash snarled, flying higher in the air and looking around wildly as if Nightmare Moon would appear if she just looked hard enough. "What makes you think we'd believe your kind of lies? We're gonna go get those Elements and kick your sorry flank and then--"

Before she could finish her thought, Rainbow froze in midair. Her wings snapped to her side, sending her plummeting like a stone to the ground. Twilight acted fast and caught her in her magic, gently setting Rainbow down.

"Rainbow!" Fluttershy cried, rushing to her side. "What did you do to her?!"

"I didn't do anything," Nightmare Moon responded coolly. "I merely showed her the truth, that's all."

"Stop it," Rainbow whimpered, shutting and rubbing her eyes. "I don't wanna look anymore!"

"If you continue traveling with this mare, then you'll have forgiven this. Is that what you want? To forgive a mare capable of this?"

"Rainbow, whatever she's showing you isn't me!" Rarity cried, running to Rainbow's other side. "I doubt it's even a real image! It's all in your mind, Rainbow! She's using you to--"

The Everfree Forest faded away, leaving Rarity standing in a different forest altogether. Police ponies surrounded her, while a small group stood over the bodies of two slain foals. Rarity collapsed onto her haunches and screamed at the sight of Dug and Kicker lying on the ground with their heads bashed open.

"Is this a fake image? I pulled it from your mind. Did I exaggerate anything about it, or are you beginning to realize that you might be everything I say you are?"

Before Rarity could respond, she snapped back to the Everfree Forest, and noticed that Fluttershy had a wing draped over her shoulder. At the same time, she held a shivering Rainbow in her hooves.

"That is what this mare is, Rainbow Dash. You'd stand beside her in this time of crisis? She'd stab you in the back the moment you became an annoyance."

Rainbow continued shivering for a few moments before taking a deep breath and looking at the sky.

"No." Rainbow's glare returned full force, and got to her hooves defiantly. "I don't believe you!" she shouted. "Rarity made a mistake. She's not that kind of pony! All you are is some dumb jerk who thinks that I'm going to throw Rarity aside because of something she did when she was a filly! Well I'm not that kind of pony. Rarity's here, isn't she? You scared her, but she still came into this forest to fight you!" Rainbow walked over to Rarity and extended a hoof. "There's nopony I'd rather have at my side."

Rarity took Rainbow's hoof, and when Rainbow helped her up, she pulled her into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. "I couldn't have made it without the help of ponies like you."

Rarity turned back to Twilight, who was staring at her with a tilted head. "We have to hurry," she said. "We're very close now."

The group began moving faster in the direction of the castle, not even paying attention to the surrounding forest. All that mattered was the castle that drew ever closer. Just as they saw the ruined spire of the castle ahead of them, the ground began rumbling, causing them to stop in their tracks. Twilight began looking around wildly, hoping to discover the source of the quake as they rest drew closer to each other.

"Something's coming, girls. I think we have to run for it!"

Before they could the trees around them began tearing out of the ground. Before any of them could begin running, the trees were hurled directly at the ponies. Rarity ducked a massive tree branch, while Rainbow and Fluttershy took to the sky, doing their best to avoid the tree trunks being swung at them like baseball bats. Twilight began blasting the tree trunks into splinters as Pinkie and Applejack dodged the assault.

Rarity's eyes widened when she saw that a tree trunk was falling dangerously close to Pinkie. Without thinking, she rushed forward and tackled Pinkie out of the way, just seconds before the tree trunk hit her. The blow knocked Rarity back into another tree, knocking the wind out of her. She grimaced as pain shot through her back. She'd have some rather spectacular bruises in the morning. She tried to stand up, but the pain shot through her back, causing her to collapse again. She tried to pull herself forward, but pain in her left foreleg put a stop to that. She began to suspect that she'd broken it.

"Rarity, come on!" Applejack cried, rushing to her side. "We've gotta get to that castle before things get outta control!"

"Can't," Rarity whispered. "C-can't move."

Applejack immediately slid herself under Rarity and stood up, balancing Rarity on her back. "Ain't gonna leave you here," she said through gritted teeth. "Let's get outta this stupid forest!"

Using strength that could only come from being an earth pony, Applejack carried Rarity down the path, dodging tree trunks as she did. Twilight blasted more out of the way, but Rarity could see the strain forming on her face. She didn't have enough magic to keep this up forever.

"Twilight, move!" Applejack shouted, dodging another trunk. "You can't keep this up forever!"

"You're right," Twilight said through gritted teeth. "Girls, get ready to run on my mark! Ready? Go!"

Twilight used what little magic she could to blast any tree trunks that looked like they might get in their way. The trees began thinning as they reached a broken rope bridge leading to the ruined castle before them. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy both flew over to the other side and secured the bridge, allowing the rest to cross over. As they reached the castle, Rarity noticed that the trees had stopped following them and breathed a sigh of relief.

The group ran into the castle, and Twilight shut the doors behind them. A symbolic gesture, Rarity figured, as the large hole in the ceiling wouldn't deter any further assaults.

"Are..." Twilight took a few deep breaths and leaned against a nearby wall for support. "Are you all... alright?"

"Rarity's a bit banged up here," Applejack said, gently setting her down. "Not sure what happened, but Ah think one of the trees got her."

"She pushed me out of the way!" Pinkie said, hopping over to the two of them. "I think that Nightmare Moon was about to get me!"

"I saw... that Pinkie was in danger and acted," Rarity said, trying her best to ignore the pain in her back and leg. She groaned and laid her head on the cool stone floor. "This does kind of hurt, though."

"Let me see," Fluttershy said, flying over to her. "I have a little experience with injuries from taking care of animals."

"Whatever help you can give, Fluttershy," Rarity said.

"What about me?" Pinkie said, still sporting her grin. "You saved me, Rarity! I think that deserves a get-well cupcake! It'll make you feel better!"

"I'd be happy to take you up on that once we're back in Ponyville," Rarity said, giving Pinkie a weak smile.

"Why wait?" Pinkie replied, taking a cupcake out of her mane. Before Rarity could ask about it, Pinkie had shoved it in her mouth. Rarity smiled as she chewed the cupcake. Pinkie was right. She did feel a little better. "There's the awesome smile I know!" Pinkie said, taking Rarity's hoof. "It's all gonna be okay, Rarity. You're going to be as right as rain in no time!"

"Um... I'm not so sure," Fluttershy mumbled. "She's hurt pretty bad. She definitely broke her leg, and I think she might have cracked a vertebrae."

Applejack sucked in air through her teeth and sat down next to Rarity. "That can't be any good. She's already bruisin' quite a bit."

"I'll be fine," Rarity said, waving her other hoof. "I won't bog you all down. You can leave me here while you go find the Elements. I'll just have to find a safe space to hide is all."

Rainbow scoffed and shook her head. "No way! That Nightmare Moon jerk is totally gonna hurt you if we just leave you here. What kind of ponies would we be if we did that? Nope. You're stuck with us, Rarity."

"I don't want to slow you down."

"Slow us down nothin'," Applejack said. "Yer comin' with us and we're gonna find these Elements and stop Nightmare Moon! Then yer gonna get all better, and nothin's gonna stop ya!"

"And when we stop Nightmare Moon, we can have a party!" Pinkie said, her trademark grin widening. "I think we need some fun after all of this. We can invite Princess Celestia!"

"I look forward to it, Pinkie," Rarity said, smiling despite the pain she felt as Applejack lifted her onto her back. She turned her head to Twilight and nodded. "You're coming too, of course."

Twilight's strained expression turned into a small, but tired, smile. "You know, I think that actually sounds kind of nice. I think we need it."

"Of course you're coming," Pinkie said, throwing a hoof over Twilight's shoulders. "I'd never not invite my friend to one of my parties!"

"Friend?" Twilight frowned and tilted her head. "We're friends?"

"Well duh!" Pinkie said as the group moved further into the castle. "What else would you call a pony who went with you to stop eternal night? You've known what to do since that mean old mare got here!"

"No way we can't be friends after this," Rainbow said with a nod. "You're too awesome."

"RD and Pinkie are right," Applejack said. "Yer a mare Ah'm proud ta know."

"I don't..." Twilight's frown deepened and she stared ahead. "I've never really had friends before. Certainly not like you mares."

"Well you have five of them, Twilight," Rarity said, putting a hoof on Twilight's back. "You've gone to Tartarus with us, and if I know you, you'll come back with us. You're a great mare."

"I... thank you. I've never--" Twilight's eyes widened when they entered another room and saw the sight before her. She gasped and ran up to a pedestal where five round stones, each engraved with a design of some kind, rested in the middle of the room. "The Elements," Twilight whispered breathlessly. "I can't believe we found them!"

"So how do they work?" Applejack asked, setting Rarity down. "How can we stop this mare with them?"

"I don't know, but I have an idea. Step back, girls..." Twilight ignited her horn and focused her energy on the Elements. "I don't know what's going to happen."

"Nothing, that's what."

A chill went down Rarity's spine at the words, and before anypony could react, the Elements disappeared off of the pedestal. Twilight gasped and began looking wildly around the room for them. The rest of them shouted in terror when they saw Nightmare Moon standing on the other end of the room, the Elements floating around her.

"You insignificant foals!" Nightmare Moon growled. "Did you really think that you could defeat me with these? You'll never see your precious sun again, nor my pathetic whelp of a sister." Nightmare Moon let out a bark of a laugh, and, to the horror of the mares in front of her, began grinding the Element stones into powder. "In fact, I don't think that any of you shall see anything ever again. Mares like you will just cause unnecessary trouble, don't you think? The only one I could find any use for is..." She grinned evilly at Rarity. "The one who's already proven that she can be an asset."

Rarity did her best to wrap her forelegs around Applejack and buried her head in her chest.

"You can have everything you desire," Nightmare Moon crooned. "All of the power you felt that day. Imagine feeling that omnipotent every waking moment. All you need--"

"No."

Nightmare Moon quirked an eyebrow. "What did you say, child?"

"I said no!" Rarity screeched. She pulled away from Applejack and got to her hooves, leaning against the pedestal for support. "I'm sick and tired of listening to your lies about who I am! I'm sick and tired of running from that day! I was moving on before you showed up, and I was foolish to allow you to affect me like that!" Rarity's eyes narrowed. "If you're going to rule Equestria, I'd rather die then see myself become some kind of... assassin for you! Nothing you can ever say will change that!"

"Indeed?" Nightmare Moon said contemplatively. "Well, I think you underestimate the situation, my dear. You may not serve me on your own, but what about to, say, protect your sister?"

Rarity let out an involuntary squeak and slipped, only not falling because Fluttershy helped her back up.

"You wouldn't want me to hurt her, would you? I could make her endure more suffering than either of you thought possible. Or you could give that suffering to others in exchange for her living a life free of worries."

"You're a liar!" Rarity snarled. "Even if I did agree to help you, you'd never leave her alone!"

"Of course I wouldn't," Nightmare Moon said. "She'd live here with you. She'd enjoy the protection and love of her smart, talented, caring murderous sister. She'd never want for anything, provided you stay in line." Nightmare Moon spread her wings and, with one powerful flap, scattered the dust of the Elements of Harmony around the room. "Those rocks were your last hope, and now you have nothing. This is your world now. If you refuse me here, I will personally hunt your sister down and submit her to unimaginable suffering. You will be able to do nothing but watch for the rest of your days." Nightmare Moon took another step forward. "Unless you abandon this foalish crusade now. You have no hope. These mares won't help you."

"That's where you're wrong," Rarity growled.

Rarity leaned on Fluttershy completely, allowing her to place a free hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "When I'm in the company of these mares, there is nothing, not even you, that is hopeless. All you've done tonight is show that to me."

"You're stalling for time," Nightmare Moon said with a smug smile. "You won't have anything left when I destroy these 'friends' of yours."

"But you won't!" Twilight said, moving closer to Nightmare Moon and striking a pose. "Rarity's right: all you did tonight is ensure your own downfall! I realized it when we were in the forest and you were attacking us. Your actions haven't destroyed the Elements of Harmony, they've created them!"

"Oh I'm sure," Nightmare Moon said with a grin. "You may not have noticed, but I destroyed your precious Elements."

"You destroyed the physical manifestation of them, but the spirits of the Elements of Harmony are within these mares!" Twilight's glare hardened, and she pawed at the ground as if she were about to charge. "When you tried to convince Rarity that she was like you, Applejack saw through your lies and helped Rarity do it too! She represents the Element of Honesty!"

The dust around the room began to stir, and a small portion of it began swirling around Applejack.

"When you tried to get Rainbow to abandon us by showing her what happened all those years ago, you instead proved that she's a mare that will stick with us through anything! She represents the Element of Loyalty!"

Dust began swirling around Rainbow now. Nightmare Moon's smile faltered ever so slightly.

"When you attacked us and some of us were hurt, Fluttershy didn't hesitate to help! She wanted to be there when you tried to split us up, always willing to be a shoulder to lean on. She represents the Element of Kindness!"

"What are you doing?" Nightmare Moon growled as she watched the dust begin swirling around Fluttershy. "Stop this at once!"

"Even when things looked hopeless, Pinkie Pie was there to put a smile on our faces, giving us the motivation to see this through. She represents the Element of Laughter!"

"This is a futile gesture, you little foal!" Nightmare Moon took a step backward and glanced uneasily at the dust swirling around the four mares. "Y-you are stalling for time!"

"When you attacked us, Rarity saw that Pinkie was in danger. She didn't hesitate to risk her life to save Pinkie's. I can't think of any evil ponies who would so selflessly risk themselves for others. She's without a doubt the Element of Generosity!"

"Enough of this!" Nightmare Moon cried, taking another step back as dust began swirling around Rarity. "Nothing you do here will work!"

"You seem scared, Nightmare Moon," Rarity said coolly. "Are you starting to realize that you've lost?"

"I have not lost!" Nightmare Moon insisted. "You cannot stop me!" Rarity didn't miss the fear and desperation in her voice.

"When all five of these Elements come together, they create a bond that cannot be broken, not even by the likes of you! Nothing you can do will shatter the friendship that the six of us have. The power of our friendship creates the final Element. The Element of Magic!"

A bright ball of light appeared above Twilight's head as the dust swirling around the other five began solidifying into what appeared to be necklaces. The light faded slightly, revealing an ornate tiara with a jewel in the center that resembled Twilight's cutie mark. The necklaces finished forming, and secured themselves around the necks of their respective owners. Nightmare Moon's eyes widened, and she crouched down as though she was going to take to the sky. Before she could make another move, the six ponies began levitating, and bright rainbow beams shot out of each of the necklaces, meeting in the middle of the room just in front of Nightmare Moon. She froze in fear as the rainbow energy began growing before shooting straight at her. Nightmare Moon screamed in horror as the rainbow energy completely surrounded her. The screams slowly faded away, leaving only a ball of pure white light where Nightmare Moon once stood.

As soon as the energy appeared, it faded, and the six mares were set gently on the ground.

Rarity groaned and collapsed onto the ground, causing the other five to rush over to her.

"Rarity, are you okay?" Rainbow cried.

"Yes, Rainbow Dash, I think I'm fine." Rarity rubbed her broken leg with her other hoof and winced in pain again. "In fact, I think I feel a lot better. Not perfect, mind you. I think this leg is still broken, but it hurts a lot less than before."

"The bruisin's gone, too," Applejack observed. "Ain't ever seen nothin' like it."

"I think that's the magic of the Elements," Twilight said, levitating her tiara off of her head and staring at it. "I've never felt anything like that before, have you girls? I have to admit, even as I was saying all of that to Nightmare Moon, I thought it was a long shot that it would work. But... I guess we really do represent the Elements of Harmony."

"Indeed you do," a warm, magical voice said, filling the room.

Rarity looked out a nearby window, and smiled when she saw the sun rising on the horizon. She gently sat up and basked in the warm rays of the sun, letting them wash over her. Another bright ball of energy appeared in the room, and when it faded away, Princess Celestia herself stood before them.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried, rushing over to her for an embrace as the others bowed.

"My most faithful student, I knew you could do it," Celestia said, leaning down to nuzzle Twilight.

"But you said all of this was an old pony's tale!" Twilight said.

"I said that you needed to make some friends. Nothing more." Celestia raised her head and smiled at the other five mares. "And if I may say so myself, you couldn't have chosen finer ponies to be friends with."

A warm feeling coursed through Rarity that had nothing to do with the sunlight. The last time she'd seen Princess Celestia, she'd sentenced her to half a decade in a mental institution. And now...

"But there is one more thing to take care of before we get to the celebrations," Celestia said, a faint grimace crossing her face. "Princess Luna..."

Rarity looked back at the spot where Nightmare Moon once stood, and her jaw dropped when she saw a small blue alicorn lying in scraps of armor. The alicorn's eyes snapped open, and she flinched back and whimpered when she saw Celestia approaching her. Celestia sat down in front of the alicorn and softly said the name "Luna." Before Luna could respond, Celestia reached out and wrapped her in a tight embrace, nuzzling the top of her head. Luna froze for a moment, but slowly leaned her head into Celestia's chest.

"I'm sorry, sister," Luna whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I... I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"I know, Luna, I know. You are forgiven. I am to blame, not you. If you can forgive me, we can rule together again. As equals."

"Equals," Luna whispered, wiping her eyes with her hoof. "I'd... I'd like nothing more. I'm sorry, Celestia. I'm so, so sorry."

* * * *

The eight mares returned to Ponyville soon after. Rarity smiled at the sight of all of the ponies cheering and celebrating now that the sun had risen again. They bowed to Princess Celestia as she walked by, and at some subtle prompting from her, some even bowed to Luna.

Still, even though the Elements had gone a long way to healing Rarity, she still found herself in a hospital bed after an hour or so. The Elements had sped up the healing process, but her leg was still broken, and one of her vertebrae still had a small crack in it.

Rarity smiled contentedly as she laid back in her hospital bed. The sound of celebrating ponies, led by Pinkie Pie, of course, relaxed her, oddly enough. Her friends had offered to stay with her, but she refused, telling them to go enjoy the party while she got some much needed rest.

Just as she was about to doze off, she heard the door to her room open. She cracked open an eye and a wide grin nearly split her face when she saw who it was.

"Rarity!"

"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity cried as her little sister ran up to her, hopped onto her bed and wrapped her in a hug. "I'm so happy to see you. Are you alright?"

"Uh-huh," Sweetie Belle said, nuzzling into Rarity chest. "Princess Celestia came and got me. She said you'd been hurt!"

"I'm alright, Sweetie Belle, I promise," Rarity said, noticing Princess Celestia smiling at the two of them for the first time. "I'll just have to take it easy for a bit and wear some silly boot on my leg. No real harm done."

"I don't like it when you get hurt," Sweetie Belle mumbled. "It's scary."

"But I'm fine now, Sweetie." Rarity tilted her head at Princess Celestia. "Aren't I?"

"Your sister speaks the truth, little one," Princess Celestia said, shutting the door behind her. "The Elements of Harmony sped up the healing process. I think she'll be right as rain in even as little as a week." Celestia turned her warm smile to Rarity and put a hoof on her bed. "And I want you to know how proud I am of you, dear Rarity. You've come a long way. You are not the same filly I met that day. You've blossomed into the mare that I always knew you'd be. Equestria thanks you, and I thank you. You've done more than you know for me."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia," Rarity said, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Until tonight I didn't realize that I still had some lingering issues, but I think I've gotten past them. After all, if Nightmare Moon can't force me to become that pony again, then nothing will."

"And you were never in danger of being turned by Nightmare Moon," Celestia replied. "Twilight told me what she did to you. You exceeded even my expectations as to your resilience, and I assure you they were quite high to begin with." Celestia removed her hoof from the bed. "But for now, get some rest. Relax. I don't know of any mare who's earned it more than you. You truly are a wonderful pony, Rarity."

* * * *

A few days later found Rarity relaxing in her home. As she suspected, the newspapers had plastered her face on every paper they printed since Nightmare Moon's defeat. Ponyville Foal Murderer now National Hero. Rarity had declined all interviews, instead allowing Princess Celestia and her friends to speak on her behalf. From what she'd heard, the newspapers were treating her very well.

The bell above her door sounded off, breaking Rarity's attention away from the book she was currently engrossed in. She smiled when she saw that Rainbow Dash had come in, but it faltered when she saw the look of discomfort on her face.

"Hello, Rainbow Dash," Rarity said, slowly getting to her hooves.

"Uh... hey, Rarity," Rainbow said, uneasily scratching the back of her neck. "How's it going?"

"Oh, you know, I feel better every day. The doctor said I'll be getting out of this boot tomorrow, but..." Rarity tilted her head. "That's not why you came to see me, is it?"

"No," Rainbow mumbled. "I came over... well... I came over because of this."

Rainbow unfurled one of her wings, revealing a newspaper tucked between the feathers. Rarity sighed, but took the newspaper in her magic.

"Really, Rainbow, if this is some negative story about me, I assure you it's not that big a deal." Rarity flipped the paper over to look at the headline. "I mean, I've been dealing with that for over ten--"

Rarity gasped and her pupils shrunk down to pinpricks. She collapsed onto her haunches, and her jaw began wobbling.

"Oh no," she whispered.

"I saw that a few minutes ago," Rainbow said uncomfortably. "I thought you'd rather hear about it from a friend than... I dunno, some reporter asking about it."

Rarity barely paid attention. She merely stared at the headline in front of her.

Silence Broken: The Lone Survivor of the Ponyville Massacre Finally Speaks.

Breaking Silence

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In a shocking turn of events, the famously silent lone survivor of the Ponyville Massacre has chosen to break that silence and give an interview. When asked why, she merely responded that she "wanted to set the record straight."

"Thank you for having me. I know I've been pretty quiet these past ten years about what happened in the woods there, but it was, as I'm sure you can guess, a very traumatic experience. I wished to keep my privacy on the matter, and didn't want to re-live the memories of seeing my best friends brutally slaughtered in front of me. But ever since I saw the news stories that Rarity is now considered a national hero because she helped free Princess Luna, I felt I needed to set the record straight.

That mare is no hero. I find it shameful that she's managed to fool so many ponies, especially those other five mares, who I think are absolutely heroes. They deserve better than to believe that Rarity is on their side. A mare like her cannot be a hero.

As you all know, I attended Ponyville Elementary with Rarity when we were fillies. I am ashamed to admit that my friends and I weren't as kind to her as we could have been, and I am truly sorry for that. She might tell you that we spent all day torturing her, and that is absolutely untrue. My friends and I largely left her alone, save for a few snide remarks now and again. Nothing unusual of schoolfoals. Could we be a little mean? Yes, and like I said I regret that every day. But we didn't say anything too hurtful.

I guess she didn't really see it that way. I think that she has some kind of mental problem that makes her fixate on small, harmless things. When my friends and I snarked at her, I think she fixated on that until, in her mind, it became a bigger deal than it actually was. At some point she must have snapped, I guess.

On that day, I don't think my friends and I had even looked at Rarity. We went through school like we normally did with no real conflicts from her. Still, school was pretty boring, so we decided to go exploring in the woods when it was over. We found this really beautiful creek, and I think we were about to start looking for frogs when we saw her there. She had this... look in her eyes. I've never seen it before. It looked almost inequine. I've never seen a smile like that before or since. She didn't say anything, though. She just stared at us. My friends Dug and Kicker moved in front of me in case she tried anything. They always were pretty protective of me. Dug asked her what she wanted while Kicker said that I should run in case Rarity became dangerous. I didn't want to, they were my friends and I wanted to make sure they were okay, but Kicker insisted that I should go get an adult if Rarity did anything.

As you know, she did do something. Dug didn't see that she had a rock with her, and when he tried to ask her what she wanted again, she... she hit him with the rock. Right on the head. Then just kept hitting him, even though he was already down. Kicker went to go fight her, telling me to run. She stopped hitting Dug, and the two of them began fighting. I think Kicker knew that he probably couldn't win, but he had to try. Anything to make sure I could get away. I... I was a coward. I ran, just like he told me to. I didn't make it more than a few hooves into the trees before I heard her hitting him with the rock too. I think it's a miracle that she didn't find me. I know she would have killed me too if she had. I made it into town and got the attention of the nearest adults. They called the police, and they locked her up.

I'm... I'm sorry if I seem a little emotional. It's hard to think about, you know? And she's gotten no better! Every year I go to Ponyville where... where it happened, and I lay down white roses for my friends. Last year, I found her in the creek. She was snapping them, and tearing the petals out. She looked really pleased with herself. I wanted to confront her, but I think if I had... I don't think I'd be able to give this interview. She'd have jumped at the opportunity to finish the job.

A mare like that is no hero. She's a sick, twisted mare who will kill again, I'm sure of it. If she hasn't already, that is. She'd be a lot more careful if she did. I urge Princess Celestia to look into that. If she does, she might prevent more ponies from dying horribly at the hooves of that evil, evil mare. So she put on a necklace with a few other mares. So what? Does she think that excuses what she did, and what she might still be doing? If I have one message for you all today it's this: don't trust her. She's a wolf in sheep's clothing, and she will do something to reveal that. We have to be vigilant to ensure that when that day does come, she doesn't spill any more blood. Were we as nice to Rarity as we could have been? No, and I will forever regret that. But no matter what we said or did, my friends didn't deserve to die like that.

Rarity put the paper down and quietly sighed. She looked up at her five friends, all of whom gave her looks of worry.

"It's all lies," Rarity said through gritted teeth. "She lays down the roses? I went into that creek to hunt them?!" Rarity crumpled up the paper and tossed it onto the floor of her boutique. "I can't believe she thought she could say these things."

"She's not gonna get away with this," Applejack said, fury in her voice. "This here is libel, and that's illegal!"

"But who will believe that?" Rarity muttered. "I'm the only other pony who knows what truly happened that day. I mean, yes, I've given the story to other ponies, of course, but her and I are the only ones who went through it. Lies or not, the citizens of Equestria will trust her word."

"Well then what do you need us to do, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash asked. "You just say the word and we'll give this mare a piece of our mind!"

"Kind of you to offer, Rainbow, but you're not dealing with a well pony." Rarity laid her head on the table she sat at and closed her eyes. "I don't know what her game is. I don't know if she's trying to force my hoof, or if she truly believes what she's saying. She can't cope with what really happened, so she's created a version in her own mind where I'm absolute evil and she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"So what do you want to do about this, Rarity?" Twilight asked. "I mean, I could be wrong, but I don't think that you can just let this be. Like you said: she's the only other pony who was there. A lot of ponies are going to believe her, and that can make life very difficult for you."

"I know," Rarity mumbled. "I don't want to have to do anything, but if she was trying to force my hoof in something, she might have succeeded."

"I can talk to Princess Celestia about this," Twilight said. "I know she'd never censor the news, but her word would mean just as much as yours. You did tell me that she spoke in your defense when... all of it happened."

"True, but..." Rarity opened her eyes and raised her head. "I can't have Princess Celestia fighting my battles for me. Not all of the time. If she can help in some way, then I will gladly accept that help, but I can't hide behind her every time something like this happens. If this is truly going to end, if Equestria is truly going to move on from this, I have to be the one to lead that."

"So what do you want to do?" Fluttershy asked.

* * * *

"Thank you for your help, Princess Celestia. I hope today goes well."

Celestia smiled fondly at Rarity and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Of course, Rarity. It's the least I can do after everything that has transpired. Should you require anything else, do not hesitate to let me know."

"You're too kind, Princess Celestia, but I have my friends here." Rarity turned her head back and smiled the five ponies around her. "After that, what else do I need?"

"I think that is a wise perspective, Rarity," Celestia said with a nod. "For now, they are waiting for you."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia. I think it's best if I make this quick."

"If you think that is best," Celestia replied.

"I do. I don't want to answer any questions. I merely want to say it how it happened."

"Good." A slight grimace crossed Princess Celestia's face. "And Annie. What she said was libel, and therefore illegal. What do you wish done about that?"

Rarity stared a Celestia for a few moments, trying her best to ignore the piercing gazes of her friends. After a moment, she sighed and shook her head.

"Nothing. I don't want to pursue any legal action or press any charges against that sad, scared mare. I will not validate her, nor will I rise to any bait. She's made her choices, and I've made mine. She's not worth it."

"As you wish."

"It is." Rarity took a deep breath and turned to the large door that led to the courtyard of Canterlot Castle. She gave her friends a warm smile before opening the doors and stepping out. A wave of flashbulbs temporarily blinded her, and she could even hear reporters shouting different questions. She had no interest in any of them. She heard Twilight's horn ignite, and after a moment, the bright flashbulbs didn't seem so overwhelming. She shot Twilight a grateful look before continuing on to the podium that Celestia set up for her. She raised her hoof, signaling to the crowd before her that she wished to begin. The questions died down, leaving the courtyard silent, save for a few random murmurs.

"Thank you, mares and gentlecolts. I know it must be exciting for ponies of your profession that I've broken my silence on the matter of what happened all those years ago, just as the only other witness did, but I will say now that I am not here to answer questions. I am not here to humor anything in that mare's story. I am merely here to tell you the truth. Nothing more, and nothing less." Rarity took a breath to steady herself before continuing on.

"I imagine that the details are well-known to most of you. When I was eight years old, I killed two of my classmates by attacking them with a rock. Many ponies say that I did so because they bullied me, and that is partially true. They subjected me to torment the likes of which I never thought possible at that age. I'd never been bullied before, so to suddenly come across three ponies who only seemed to take joy in my misery was something I did not know how to handle. When it first happened, I became quite distraught. My teacher sent me to a creek not far from the school where I could relax and calm down. It became my safe place. My sanctuary. My parents both worked full-time jobs, so I was a latchkey foal. I spent what time I could in the creek, just recovering from the verbal or sometimes even physical abuse those foals subjected me to.

"It was there it happened, as you know. One day after school, they hunted me down and cornered me there. They intended to beat me up, and made those intentions quite plain to me. Not knowing what to do, I hit one in the head with a rock just as he began charging me. I didn't intend to hit him in the head, and I certainly didn't intend to kill him, but... that's what happened."

Rarity felt her eyes begin to water, so she took another deep, steadying breath.

"It was an accident, I promise, but... they looked scared of me. After months of having to fear them, they were suddenly scared of me. To my eternal shame, it... it felt rather nice. I felt powerful. But I know now it wasn't real power. Merely a sickly, shallow imitation of it. I let that feeling overtake me, and I turned the rock onto my second classmate.

"I could argue that my attack on the first was self-defense. I still believe so, even given what happened as a result. But the second classmate... that was murder. Nothing I have done since, or will ever do, will change that. I will never feel that what I did was justified. I will never feel that taking his life was my right after what he had done to me. Nopony deserves what I did to happen to them."

The crowd began murmuring, and she even saw one or two nearby reporters raise their hooves for a question, but she pointedly ignored them.

"I spent six years in a mental institution as a result of my crimes. I wouldn't call it atonement. Nothing I can do will ever atone for my deed. The best I can hope for is to move on with my life and try to be happy. To help ponies, and to be the best friend, daughter, and sister that I can possibly be. I'm not angry at Annie for her words about what happened that day. I think we've had enough anger and resentment come from that day. I don't know if she can ever forgive me, and I know we can never be friends, but I can only wish that she'd find peace. I haven't fully found it myself either, but I strive for that every day. I hope you understand that I never meant for any of this to happen, but it did, and now I have to find a way to keep moving on." Rarity inclined her head at the audience. "Thank you."

As soon as she stepped off of the podium, the cascade of questions began again, but she ignored all of it, choosing instead to focus on her smiling friends. Without a word, the six of them stepped back into Canterlot Castle.

All Out

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"That was really brave of you, Rarity," Twilight said, smiling at her. "I don't know if I could have done it."

"I truth, I'm not sure how I managed it myself," Rarity replied, leaning her head on Pinkie's shoulder. "I thought for sure that something would happen. I was scared that I'd get onto that podium and they'd attack me. To those who agree with Annie, I'm a murderess who got away with it. That can't make them happy."

"Yeah, speaking of Annie, what are you going to do about her?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, if she did something like that to you before, what's to stop her from doing it again?"

"If it comes down to that, then I'll react to whatever she does, but nothing else. She's not worth going after." Rarity shook her head sadly and stood up to begin walking out of the palace. "She's a sad mare. I know I played a large part in that, and I do, of course, wonder what she would have become if I hadn't done what I did that day, but at the same time, she made her own choices. One of those choices is hanging on to the pain of that day. I will forever regret what I did, but I cannot control how she deals with it. I can only control how I handle it." A wry smile crossed Rarity's face. "Even if that took me roughly ten years to figure out."

"So you don't want to make sure she can't hurt you again?" Rainbow said.

"If anything I feel sorry for her," Rarity said. "It may sound cheesy, but she needs ponies to lean on when times get hard. I don't know how I would have gotten through this without Pinkie and Applejack. If she's still stewing like this, then she either doesn't have ponies to help her, or she's shut out all of the ones that would. I can hardly be angry at something like that."

"Mighty big of ya, Rarity," Applejack said. "Ah think yer gonna be okay."

"I should hope so. I've been working rather hard at it," Rarity said with a wink. "But for now, let's not talk about this, shall we? You said there's a marvelous doughnut place around here, Twilight? I think it would be a tragedy for us to come all the way out here and not sample some fine Canterlot cuisine."

* * * *

"And that will be twelve bits. Would you like for me to bag these up for you?"

Rarity smiled at Carrot Top and nodded. "That would be lovely, darling, thank you."

"No problem." Carrot Top put the two dozen carrots into a paper bag which she then slid over to Rarity. "I hope you enjoy."

"Oh don't be so modest, darling," Rarity said, taking the carrots and putting them in her bag. "I've never been disappointed with anything that comes from your farm."

"You're too kind, Rarity." Carrot Top's smile turned sympathetic, and she put a hoof on Rarity's leg. "And... I've been meaning to say this to you, but that was a very brave thing you did last week. Talking to the reporters like that after she said all of those things is something I'm not sure I could have done."

Rarity pulled Carrot Top into a hug. "Thank you ever so much, darling. It means a lot for a dear friend to say that."

"And most of Equestria agrees with me, too," Carrot Top said, pulling away from the hug. "I know you don't read the newspapers, but all of the ones I've looked at are on your side." She smirked and rolled her eyes. "It doesn't hurt that Princess Celestia herself backed you up, nor that you're an Element Bearer."

Rarity's smile morphed into a slight grimace, but she changed it back to a smile before Carrot Top could notice. "Yes, but I don't want any accomplishment or connections that I have to influence ponies' decisions about me. I want them to accept me as Rarity. Not because Princess Celestia said so."

"Makes sense to me."

"I suppose Princess Celestia felt the need to speak up, if for no other reason than to ensure the nation isn't divided by our two stories." Rarity shrugged. "Regardless, it is as you said: I don't read the papers, and I have no reason to now. Thank you for the carrots, my dear. I'm positive that they'll be most delightful."

"You're very welcome, Rarity," Carrot Top said, pulling Rarity into one last quick hug. "Come back anytime!"

"I certainly will."

After checking to see that the carrots were secure in her bag, Rarity walked away from the stand, looking down at her shopping list to see what else she needed. A quick perusal revealed that she had everything she went out for. Time to return home. Her parents would have likely dropped Sweetie Belle off at her house by that point. Best to not leave her alone for too long.

Rarity stuffed the list back in a small pocket of her bag and made the trip back to her house. Everypony she passed along the way smiled and waved at her. One or two even complimented her on her bravery. She returned those compliments with a friendly simile and nod. The novelty of her actions would wear off soon enough. No need to make a big fuss over it.

Rarity reached her home and went in, setting her bag down next to the door. She'd deal with the groceries in a moment.

"Sweetie Belle? Are you here?" she called out, poking her head into her sewing room to see if her sister had decided to do some exploring. "I brought groceries, so I can make whatever you want for dinner, okay?"

Hearing no response, Rarity shrugged and went back to her bag. Sweetie Belle must not have been dropped off yet, or she'd been roped into playing with Apple Bloom. No harm either way. She walked into the kitchen intending to begin putting her groceries away.

Just as she entered the kitchen, her magic fizzled out from the shock of the scene before her, causing her bag to fall to the floor. Rarity screamed as she saw Sweetie Belle. Tears were running down her face, and Rarity could already see a hoof-shaped bruise on the side of her head, at the top of which was a small cut. Holding her by the neck with a knife to her throat was none other than Annie.

"Rarity," Sweetie Belle whimpered, blood running down the side of her head from the cut.

"Shh little one," Annie said, pressing the tip of the knife to Sweetie Belle's throat. "This is between your sister and me."

"Yes it is," Rarity said, taking a shaky step forward. "You don't need to do this, Annie. I'll give you whatever you want; just let Sweetie Belle go!"

"Oh, I will, I will, as soon as I got what I came for," Annie said, running the flat of the knife through Sweetie Belle's mane.

"Fine, then do what you came here to do and let her go!" Rarity snarled. "You're here to kill me, isn't that right? Go on, then. Let her go and we'll settle all accounts today." Rarity's face hardened into a glare. "She was not there in the woods with me that day. She has nothing to do with this!"

"Maybe," Annie said softly. "Maybe it would be poetic justice to take something you care about away, just like you did to me. Poetic justice is the only kind you'll be getting, it seems, since Princess Celestia refuses to pass down actual justice."

"Is this really what you want? To become everything you accuse me of being?" Rarity took a small step back. "Well then you've gotten what you want, haven't you? I'm scared, Annie! I'm scared of you, worse than I was when we were classmates! Sweetie Belle is scared of you! You have all of the power in this scenario! Every bit of power that you imagined that you'd have when you dreamt this plan up is yours!" Rarity took a deep breath to calm herself. "And how does it feel? Does it feel good?"

Annie's smile faltered slightly. "It..." She flicked an ear and slowly began moving the knife away from Sweetie Belle. "I don't..." Annie growled and pressed the knife back against Sweetie Belle's throat. "This isn't the kind of power that you thought you had! I'm doling out justice that's over ten years overdue! How I'm feeling now is irrelevant! You did what you did specifically for the power feeling!"

"Do you really believe that?" Rarity said quietly. "Do you really believe that I've been lying all these years about my feelings of regret?"

"Everything that as come out of your mouth since it happened has been a lie," Annie growled. "Regret? You just regret that you got caught! Then you hold that stupid press conference and everypony in the nation, somehow Princess Celestia included, believes it! Well I don't believe it! I've read about other ponies like you, you know. The Canterlot Killer? He was so charismatic he could charm the gems away from a dragon if he wanted to. The Butcher of Baltimare? Family mare. Beloved by everypony in her community. And you. You're so good at this repentance thing you've got Princess Celestia herself fooled. Princess Celestia..." Annie tapped Sweetie Belle with the knife. "And this little runt right here."

"Annie, I will let this all go if you drop her right now, I swear it!" Rarity said, stomping a hoof on the floor. "I'll let you hit me on the head with a rock! I'll recommit myself to an institution! Just don't hurt my sister!"

"Do you know what happened that day? I mean the details?" Annie said, whispering in Sweetie Belle's ear. "She hit my friend Kicker with the rock over and over again. You should have seen the inequine look on your sister's face. She knew what she was doing, and she loved it."

"Kill me, Annie!" Rarity wailed, angry, frustrated tears falling from her eyes as Sweetie Belle began sobbing harder. "If you let her go I won't fight back!"

"Do you know what it was like to see that?" Annie's smile faded another inch, and she shuddered imperceptively. "I just... do you even...?" Annie groaned and violently shook her head. "You sister is evil, do you know that? If you don't believe me, then let's ask her." Annie looked back up to Rarity and placed the blade of the knife right on Sweetie Belle's throat. "Tell her all about it, Rarity."

"I..." Rarity let out a sob. "Annie for Celestia's sake, don't hurt her!"

"I won't if you tell the truth. The first step is admitting it to your sister here." Annie gave Rarity a condescending smile. "In fact, I've just realized something: you actually believe what you're saying. I'm not sure how or why, but you do. It kind of makes me pity you a little. But if you realize the truth, we can start to work with that." She pressed the knife deeper into Sweetie Belle's throat, drawing a thin line of blood. "What is the truth, Rarity?"

"I... I..." Rarity sobbed again and bowed her head. "I-it's all true. Everything this mare has said about me is true. I am an evil pony. I did enjoy murdering my classmates."

"Be honest, Rarity. Neither of them were self-defense, were they?"

"N-no, they weren't," Rarity said through gritted teeth. "I've been lying this entire time. I j-just don't want to be punished anymore."

Sweetie Belle's sobs increased in volume as a triumphant smile crossed Annie's face. "Good. You've admitted it to yourself and her. Maybe admitting it to the public would be a good next step? I'd hate to see what happens if you fall back into this delusion." Annie brought the knife away from Sweetie Belle's throat and began running the tip of the knife over Sweetie Belle's cheek, drawing more blood. "Otherwise somepony could get--"

Before Annie could finish her thought, Rarity ignited her horn and tore Sweetie Belle out of Annie's forelegs and moved her outside of the kitchen before tackling Annie. Annie flew back into the lower kitchen cabinets, slamming her head against one of the doors and dropping the knife.

"Run, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity shouted, pinning Annie to the floor. "Run and get help!"

Rarity heard the sound of Sweetie Belle running out of the boutique, and pinned Annie's foreleg down as she tried to reach for the knife again.

"Is this what you wanted?" Rarity snarled, glaring at her tormentor with a fiery intensity. "You can do whatever you want to me. You can say whatever you want about me, but you will not hurt my sister!"

"And now we're here," Annie said, her face split into a grin. Despite that, Rarity could see traces of fear in her eyes. "You can finish it."

"I can. We're alone, and I've overpowered you. I can do whatever I want to you and I won't see a moment of jail time because of what you did to my sister. There are no cameras, no witnesses, and nopony to hold me accountable. As I said, I could slit your throat right here and stab you a dozen times, but everypony would see it as self-defense." Rarity slowly eased up pressure on Annie's head and leg. "But I'm not the pony you think I am. I'm not going to hurt a hair on your head. Not today, not tomorrow, not any day from now until the end of all things. You have nothing to fear from me. Nopony does." Rarity moved off of Annie completely and sat beside her, resting her head on one of the cabinets. She felt rather drained all of a sudden.

"Just go, Annie. Get out of my life. I have made every effort to exclude myself from yours because I know that you want that and it's the best thing for bo--"

Rarity's world exploded into pain, and she fell to the floor with a scream. She grasped at her side where most of the pain came from, and her eyes widened when she saw Annie's knife stuck there up to the hilt. Rarity began hyperventilating and pressed down on the wound to try to stop the bleeding.

"Annie..." Rarity whimpered, looking over to her attacker. Annie sat beside her, tears pouring from her eyes.

"I... I..." Annie brought her hooves up to her mouth and began breathing rapidly.

"Does it feel how you thought it would?" Rarity whispered, too woozy to even glare at her. "Has justice been served?"

Annie slowly got to her hooves and began backing out of the kitchen, her eyes never leaving Rarity.

"H-help," Annie squeaked. "Help. Help." Annie ran out of the room towards the front door. "Help! Help! She's hurt! Help me!"

Rarity tried to move, but hissed in pain as she felt the knife move. She just kept putting pressure on the wound. She knew it was only a matter of time unless help arrived quickly.

The door to her boutique burst open, and two paramedics rushed to Rarity's side. They were followed by two police officers, one of whom had Sweetie Belle on her back, and the other of whom was with Annie, who was pointing at Rarity and sobbing hard enough that all she could do was repeat the word "help".

"Just hang on, Rarity, you're going to be fine. It doesn't look like it hit anything vital," one of the paramedics said. "We're gonna get you to the hospital, okay?"

Two more paramedics came in, levitating a stretcher between them. A fifth took possession of Sweetie Belle and began seeing to her cuts as the paramedics lifted Rarity onto the stretcher, one using her magic to hold Rarity's wound closed. As Rarity was taken by Sweetie Belle, she weakly reached a hoof out to her sister, briefly touching Sweetie Belle's outstretched hoof before losing consciousness.

Final Talk

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Rarity awoke to the feeling of somepony holding her hoof. She tried to move, but the sharp pain in her side put a stop to those thoughts. She slowly opened her eyes and saw her mother beside her, both of her hooves grabbing Rarity's own. Her face was red and puffy from crying. Rarity gently nuzzled her mother's leg.

"Momma," she whimpered.

"Rarity?" Her mother's eyes widened and she looked to the opposite end of the bed. "Magnum, Rarity's awake!"

Rarity felt somepony grab her other hoof, and she turned her head to see her father on her other side. She smiled weakly at him. "How bad do I look?"

"Not too bad, Rarity," her father said, giving her his best attempt at a smile. "She didn't hurt you as bad as she could. They got the knife out and gave ya a blood transfusion. Thirty six stitches."

"And Sweetie Belle?"

"She's resting. Doctors put her under a sleep spell. She was kind of hysterical once you passed out when they were taking you out of your home. She needed six stitches for her cheek."

"Oh," Rarity said quietly. "But she'll be okay?"

Rarity's father gave her a comforting smile. "Of course she will. She'll get the stitches out and see that you're gonna be fine, and she'll be okay."

"Let me know the instant she wakes up," Rarity said, nuzzling her mother's leg again. "I think we both need to see that the other is okay."

"Of course, Rarity!" her mother said. "She should be up soon. They just wanted to help her calm down."

Rarity nodded and chose to continue nuzzling her mother's leg. Her mother adjusted herself so that she could wrap her forelegs around Rarity, being careful to avoid her side. Rarity's father put a hoof on her back and began rubbing it. The two stayed like that for a few minutes before the door to her room opened and Princess Celestia walked in. Her parents didn't make a move to bow, but Rarity managed a smile.

"Hello, your majesty. Sorry I can't bow but," Rarity chuckled humorlessly. "I can't exactly get up right now."

"No need, Rarity," Celestia said, moving closer to her bed. "I am merely here to discuss what has occurred. As I'm sure you expect, Annie has been arrested. She's currently sitting in a holding cell in the Ponyville police station. She's awaiting transfer to a Canterlot prison..." Celestia sighed and flattened her ears. "Where she will spend the rest of her life."

Rarity's stomach twisted into knots in a way that had nothing to do with her stab wound. She sniffled and tears began falling from her eyes.

"I see." Rarity cleared her throat. "She won't be institutionalized? I was."

"What you did was different," Celestia said. "You took self-defense a step too far under duress. This was pre-meditated. She told me everything. You weren't attacking her once you had gotten Sweetie Belle away from her. She went into your home and foalnapped Sweetie Belle with the intention of hurting you both, which she did. She will, of course, receive whatever help we can give her while she's in prison, but based on what she did and why, that's where she needs to be."

"Oh," Rarity mumbled. "Is it possible to talk to her?"

"I suppose so. As her accuser, it is your right to talk to her." Celestia tilted her head. "Are you angry with her?"

Rarity closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Of course I am," she said quietly. "I've been trying to leave her alone for a long time, and even when she said those things to me in the papers, I was content to leave her be. I wanted nothing more than for the two of us to go our separate ways."

"And now she's gone too far," Celestia said sadly. "I do not believe there is anything we can legally do for her. We will, of course, do everything that we can to help her emotionally and mentally recover from the past decade. I feel that I am remiss in that I did not do it before now."

"I wouldn't blame yourself, Princess Celestia. I doubt she would have accepted your help anyway." Rarity closed her eyes and sighed. "When I have talked to her, she's revealed that she didn't really care for how you handled my case. She thinks you should have executed me that very day."

"I'm glad I didn't." Celestia smiled at Rarity and put a hoof on her bed. "You've gone on to do great things, Rarity. You deserved more than what you received."

"But she does too!" Rarity insisted. "Don't you think that she could have had a better life if it weren't for what happened that day? Or today, for that matter? I hate her, Princess Celestia. Hurting Sweetie Belle brought that about, but I don't want to hate her. I just wanted her to leave me alone."

"And now she will," Celestia muttered. "As I said, though: we will do whatever we can to help her through this."

"Of course." Rarity opened her eyes and stared directly at Celestia. "If you can help her in a way that will make keeping her in prison for the rest of her life unnecessary, please do. She deserved better than what happened to her."

"I will try," Celestia responded. "Who knows? After seeing how far you've come, she could do the same. I do not like doing things like this to my subjects, but she brought it upon herself."

"I don't suppose I can disagree, even if I wanted to," Rarity mumbled. "But I do wish that we didn't even have to come to this point."

"As do I, Rarity. As do I."

* * * *

"Now stay off your hooves as much as you can for at least another week. Beyond the exercises I've prescribed, only move around when you must. I would suggest being around other ponies as much as you can, so if it would be easier to stay at your parents' house until you recover, then that would be a good idea. Change the bandages once a day, and come back at once if the wound re-opens or starts to get infected."

Rarity smiled at Dr. Stable and shifted in the wheelchair that the hospital had lent her. "I'll be sure to do all of that, Doctor," she said. "After the week we've had, I think spending time together as a family would do us good."

"I agree," Dr. Stable said. "Go spend some time as a family to recover together. Just don't tear your stitches open, okay?"

"I would rather avoid that if at all possible," Rarity agreed. "Celestia knows that I'd rather avoid being back here, if it's all the same to you."

"Well, we don't want you back here either," Dr. Stable said. "So you go on and get some rest. I personally think you'll do just fine."

Dr. Stable went back into the hospital, leaving Rarity and her family to head on home. Rarity's mother pushed the wheelchair forward, while Sweetie Belle and her father walked on either side of Rarity. Sweetie Belle's face was bandaged to hide the stitches, though she would likely get them out in a week or two.

The family walked back to their home in silence, none quite sure of what to say. It had been determined that Rarity would stay with her parents and sister until she recovered. Rarity's father had arranged for some of her projects to be moved to his house until Rarity was capable of leaving.

On the whole, the family didn't talk much. Merely what they felt they needed to say. Nopony spoke a word about what had happened with Annie, something Rarity appreciated. She didn't want it to burden Sweetie Belle anymore.

That night found Rarity lying on her bed, doing her best to not move so as to not aggravate her wound. She opened one eye when she heard the door open. Sweetie Belle walked in, her ears flat and her head low. Rarity slowly reached a hoof out to her and gave her a comforting smile.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle. How are you?"

Sweetie Belle shrugged and sat down next to Rarity's bed, nuzzling her outstretched hoof. "Okay, I guess."

"I'm glad. I know that couldn't have been an easy thing to see." Sweetie Belle shook her head and allowed Rarity to stroke her mane. "Do know that I only said those things to keep her from hurting you. I didn't know what else to say. I just wanted to get you out of there."

"I know," Sweetie Belle whispered. "I don't think you're a bad pony like that mare said, but it still scared me when you said those things. It hurt when she cut me."

"Of course," Rarity said. "But you were very brave, Sweetie Belle. When I got you away from her, you ran and got help immediately. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks." Sweetie Belle leaned her head against Rarity's bed and sniffled. "When I was going to get help, I didn't make it too far before she came running after me. I thought she'd killed you and was gonna kill me next. I didn't know she was crying for help until she got closer to me. I guess somepony saw me bleeding and got the nearest police officer. One got over to me before Annie got too close. I grabbed his leg and got blood all over it, but he didn't seem to care that much. He picked me up and put me on his back to keep me safe, I guess."

"I'm glad he did. I want you to feel safe."

Sweetie Belle looked back over to Rarity, her eyes wide and watering. "Princess Celestia said that mare isn't going to ever be let out of prison. She's not gonna come back for us?"

"Of course not, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity said, drawing Sweetie Belle as close as she could. "Even if she wasn't going to spend the rest of her life in jail, I truly believe that she wouldn't come after us again. She regrets what she did to both of us. She'd make it right if she could. She's very sorry."

"I guess." Sweetie Belle paused for a moment before continuing. "You don't have to go see her, do you? You can just forget all about her."

"I'm sorry, Sweetie Belle, but I'm afraid that I do, just for one conversation. I need to put that part of my life behind me completely. I need to talk to her one last time. Things have been bad between us for too long. I want one last chance for the two of us to part ways without too much resentment."

"But you said she was sorry. Why would she feel angry with you?"

"No, not her, Sweetie Belle." Rarity took a deep breath. "Me. I want to talk to her to see if I can make it so that I don't resent her anymore. Or at the very least so that I can start down that path. You saw what holding on to anger can do to a pony. I don't want to have that hanging over my head anymore. What happened that day when we were fillies can never be taken back, but it can be put behind us."

"What if she yells at you?" Sweetie Belle asked. "What if she gets angry with you again?"

"I doubt that will happen, but if it does, it's her choice. I can't control how she feels about what happened, but I can control how I feel." Rarity's comforting smile returned. "But don't worry, Sweetie Belle. She can't hurt you or me anymore, physically or emotionally. I'll make sure of that."

* * * *

"Now, as Annie's accuser, you have as much time as you desire to talk to her. Two guards will be in the room at all times for the safety and security of you both. She'll be hoofcuffed, so I doubt she'll try to attack you. No physical contact is allowed."

"Thank you officer," Rarity said. "I don't think you need to worry about either of us breaking any rules. I think we're both too tired of this for that."

"I agree. Once this is over, I think Equestria as a whole can completely move on. We need that."

"I agree as well."

Rarity slowly walked next to the prison guard of the Canterlot Correctional Facility, doing her best to not put any weight on the side where Annie had stabbed her. The guard had offered to let Rarity lean on him, but she declined.

The guard opened up a door with a magical lock and stepped aside, allowing Rarity to enter first. Rarity walked into a rather plain room, with the only contents being a table and a pair of chairs. A guard stood watch by the door opposite Rarity.

"Just let us know when you want to end the meeting," the guard next to Rarity said as she gingerly sat down on one of the chairs. "You can end it at any time."

"Thank you, officer. I don't know how long I'll be here, but... I likely won't come back."

The guard nodded. "I understand. She's on her way and should be here any moment. I'll leave you to it."

"One more thing, officer," Rarity said, stopping the guard just as he began turning around to leave the room. "Her sentence... is she still getting life in prison, or has Princess Celestia reduced that?"

"She's still in for life, as far as I'm aware," the guard said. "Maybe Princess Celestia will pardon her or reduce her sentence at some point, but I find it rather unlikely based on what she did. First degree attempted murder charge on an Element of Harmony plus assault and kidnapping of a minor. I can't see her getting pardoned for that."

"Very well," Rarity muttered. "I'm not entirely surprised."

"Are you upset with her sentence?" the guard asked with a frown. "Did you want her executed for what she did or something?"

"No, not at all!" Rarity said, her eyes widening. "If I had my way, she'd spend time in an institution like I did. I'm the one who hurt her in the first place. If I hadn't..." Rarity sighed and flattened her ears. "I don't suppose it matters now. I'm here to talk with her one last time. What ifs aren't going to change anything about the situation."

The door on the opposite end of the room opened, allowing the guard escorting Rarity to take his leave. Rarity turned back to the door just in time to see Annie being escorted in. Rarity mused that Annie had looked better. She wore an orange prison jumpsuit with the number 042505 sewn on the front. Hoofcuffs secured her fore and hind legs. Her eyes were bloodshot, as though she'd spent a long time crying. When she saw Rarity, she whimpered and stopped in her tracks, but the guard behind her nudged her forward. Annie reluctantly shuffled towards her chair and sat down on it, allowing her escort to take a position on the other side of the door.

Annie and Rarity sat in silence for a few minutes. Rarity stared at Annie as though studying her, while Annie looked down at the table. Rarity opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Annie spoke first.

"I take it you're here to yell at me. To tell me that I deserve this. Heck, maybe you wanted to see Princess Celestia chop my head off. Maybe that's what you think I deserve. You--"

"Annie, stop it." Annie's gaze flicked up to Rarity, but she didn't raise her head to make eye contact. "I'm not here to yell at you. I'm not here to tell you that I'm going to talk to Princess Celestia to see if she'll execute you."

"But you do hate me," Annie muttered.

"I..." Rarity sighed and ran a hoof through her mane. "Yes, Annie. I'm sorry, but I do."

"It's okay." Tears began dripping onto the table. "I hate myself, too. I'm sure all of Equestria does. I mean, why wouldn't they? You're a big hero who saved Princess Luna. Without you, we wouldn't be having this conversation because we'd all be dead from eternal night stuff. I'm just a bitter pony who couldn't leave well enough alone and hurt an innocent filly." Annie raised her head slightly. "That is what the papers are saying about me, isn't it?"

Rarity shrugged. "Honestly, Annie, all of the years since my mistake happened, I've probably picked up a newspaper three times, if that. I certainly haven't seen one since what happened the other day. For all I know, there hasn't been a single story about it."

"Doubtful," Annie muttered. "They're probably doing nothing but talking about it."

"I can't say, but I will say this for you: of all of the ponies in Equestria, how many of them do you think truly understand what you're going through right now? I daresay that the only other pony who has the slightest idea is sitting in front of you now." Annie raised her head a little more, enough so that she could make eye contact with Rarity. "I emotionally damaged you and I killed Dug and Kicker. I spent six years in a mental institution while the press ripped me apart. Books were written, I was analyzed from every angle by the public, and every day I had to talk about it with doctors and psychiatrists. I know what it is like to hate yourself for hurting other ponies, Annie. I know that nothing that I can say will really help all that much."

"Why would you say anything to try to help me?" Annie whispered. "You already said that you hate me."

"Yes, I do at the moment. I'm angry with you, Annie. What you did to my sister was absolutely inexcusable." Despite herself, Rarity felt her anger rising. "First you hurt her by telling her what I did that day just to spite me, then you hurt her by breaking into my home and cutting her with a knife! I was never going to just let you go, Annie. I would have contacted the police the moment I had an opportunity!" Annie flinched back and let out a single sob. Rarity forced the glare off of her face and took a few deep, calming breaths. "I know I have every right to hate you, and I cannot forgive you right now, Annie. Do know this: I will try. I can't find it in myself to forgive you today. I can't find it in myself to forgive you tomorrow. I may not even find it in myself to forgive you in five years. However, if that is the case, I will spend those five years trying as hard as I can to do so."

"Why?" Annie sniffled and wiped her eyes with a foreleg. "Why would you forgive me? I didn't forgive you."

"And look where it got you," Rarity said simply. "Look where you've ended up. But even if I never forgave you and it never led me to do anything against you, why would I let my anger rule my life? I want to move on from this, Annie. I've been trying to escape that day for almost thirteen years. It's draining to be this scared and angry. If I hang onto these feelings, it's not just going to affect me. It's going to affect my sister and parents and friends. I can't do that to them.

"Beyond even that, is one last thing: you didn't deserve what I did to you. It's my fault that you even had those feelings to begin with. Yes, you tormented me, yes, you chose to hang onto those feelings yourself, but at the end of the day, I killed Dug and Kicker. Your actions were a reaction to that. I can't pretend that you're blameless, but I also won't pretend that I am either. We've both been wrong." Rarity slowly got to her hooves. "I hope you can forgive me for what I did. I will work as hard as I can to forgive you. It will take time, but I truly believe that I can get there."

With that, Rarity nodded at the guards behind Annie. One nudged Annie up, and the other opened the opposite door for Rarity. She walked out the door, doing her best to hide her tears. Just as she reached the door, she spared one last glance at Annie, then turned her head to walk out. She would never see Annie again.

Must Come Down

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A knock on the door interrupted a fairly lazy Saturday evening for Rarity. She yawned and put a bookmark in the cheesy romance novel she'd been reading before setting it down and going to open the door. She smiled when she saw Applejack on the other side.

"Oh, good evening, Applejack. How are you today?"

Applejack returned Rarity's smile and tipped her hat. "Doin' just fine, Rarity. Just poppin' on by ta see if y'all wanted ta come to some magic show that's happenin' in Town Square in about twenty minutes. You've been cooped up in yer house all day, so Ah figured you might wanna get out for the evenin' and see what this is all about."

Rarity shot Applejack a grateful smile. "As a matter of fact, I was thinking about doing something around town this evening. I was considering going somewhere for dinner, but this works just as well."

"Well, then, let's go!" Applejack said.

Rarity followed her out of her house and out into the cool evening. She took a deep breath and stretched a little bit, ignoring the slight twinge on her side from the stab wound that hadn't fully healed yet. She cracked her neck a little and followed Applejack to Town Square. As she walked, she noticed many other ponies from around town walking in the same direction, many of them muttering about the upcoming show. Rarity smiled when she saw Twilight and Spike in the crowd as well. She'd have to get Twilight's opinion on the show, given Twilight's own talent for magic. If this pony had her own show, she must be good.

Rarity and Applejack stopped in front of a large stage setup lined with blue curtains with star patterns on them. After a few minutes of chatting, a disembodied voice echoed from all around them as the lights on the stage began dimming.

"Come one, come all! Come and witness the incredible magical talent of the Great and Powerful Trrrrixie!"

Fireworks shot out of the stage as the audience began politely clapping. In a flash of smoke a blue unicorn pony appeared on the stage, standing on her hind legs with her forehooves spread in the air. With a burst of her horn, a few more fireworks appeared as she went back to all four legs, her cape flapping in the wind. Rarity raised an eyebrow at the pony's idea of fashion sense. Her magic might be good, but she could use a fashionista to give her some costume ideas.

Trixie fired off a few more fireworks, and the sparks formed into the shape of a big blue bear. "Gaze in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie relays the awe-inspiring tale of how she defeated the terrible Ursa Major!"

Rarity glanced over at Twilight, who was giving Trixie a look of disbelief. While Rarity wasn't fully clear on what an Ursa Major was exactly, it was clear from Twilight's expression that this Trixie pony might be one who told a few tall tales. She sighed and looked back at Trixie, who was shooting more sparks at the Ursa Minor.

"Is this the entire show, then?" she whispered to Applejack, who was frowning at Trixie.

"Looks like it might be," Applejack muttered. "Pity. Ah was lookin' forward to a nice, entertainin' show."

"As was I," Rarity replied.

"Booo!" Rainbow Dash called out, taking Rarity and Applejack out of their conversation. "Come on, get to the magic stuff already!"

Trixie glared at Rainbow Dash and turned to face her. "Well, it looks like we have some ponies who doubt that the Great and Powerful Trrrixie is the most amazing unicorn who ever lived!" Trixie shot Rainbow a smug smile. "Anything you can do, Trixie can do twice as well. She was once in Celestia's school for Gifted Unicorns!"

Rainbow Dash scoffed and jerked a hoof in Twilight's direction. "Yeah? So was she! She was Princess Celestia's personal student." Twilight blushed and looked away.

"Reeeally? Trixie said, turning her venomous grin to Twilight. "Well, then, how about a contest of skill? Your hick town's best unicorn versus Trixie in a unicorn to unicorn duel?"

Rarity clicked her tongue and turned back to Applejack. "You know, darling, I really don't care to see this. I'd rather get some work done in my shop than watch some egomaniac boast for a few hours."

"Trixie heard that!" Trixie roared, turning to face Rarity. "Will you--" Trixie paused when she made eye contact with Rarity. She blinked once before shakily lifting a hoof to point at her. "Y-you're that mare, aren't you? The foal mur--"

Before she could finish her sentence, the entire crowd began booing Trixie, with some throwing garbage onto the stage. Trixie yelped and began blocking the trash with her magic.

"She's a good pony!" Roseluck yelled, triggering affirming noises from the audience.

"Ten times the pony you are!" Daisy agreed. "She's more than paid for what she did!"

"Yeah, leave her alone!" Sea Swirl said.

Rarity sighed and shook her head. "I'll see you later, Applejack. I'm going to go get some work done."

'Okay," Applejack said sadly. "Ah'll come by at some point tomorrow."

"Delightful." Rarity began pushing through the crowd, ignoring the angry shouts about her in Trixie's direction. As nice as it was to have the whole town defend her, she didn't need any more reminders of her past. Let the mare have her own opinions on her. It didn't affect her in the slightest.

She grimaced when she felt the twinge of pain from her stab wound again.

* * * *

Rarity set down her sewing needles and stepped back from her latest design with a smile. On a whim she had begun making a cape and hat much like the one Trixie wore, but not quite so... garish. She ran a hoof down the back of the cape and nodded in approval. It wasn't something that she would ever personally wear, but at the same time it was a fun little side project to while away the hours.

Rarity ignited her horn and lifted the hat and cape off of the dress form, but before she could move them to her laundry room for a cleaning, the ground shook beneath her, and a mighty roar pierced the previously tranquil night. She yipped and her magic gave out, causing her to drop the cape and hat. She blinked in surprise just as she heard the roar once again. A part of her wanted to see what was going on, but it was a sufficiently small part that she quickly suppressed. Rarity rushed up to her room and turned out the lights before crawling underneath her covers. She flinched back when she heard the roar again.

"Applejack will be around once it's over," she whispered to herself. "It's all going to be okay." She thanked Celestia that Sweetie Belle was with their parents.

As she listened for another roar, she could hear the voices of a few of her friends talking to Twilight. Yes, Twilight! She would know how to stop whatever was attacking Ponyville. Or what if she didn't? What if this was a job for the Elements of Harmony? Rarity groaned as she poked her head out from under her covers. If the Elements of Harmony were needed, that meant she was needed. She sighed and slid out from under her covers. If her friends needed her, she would be there.

She ran out of her house and followed the noises until she reached Town Square. She saw the beast before she arrived at her destination. It was the largest bear she had ever seen, but its body was like the night sky. She guessed this was an Ursa Major. She stopped in her tracks for a moment, wondering if she was really needed.

"Oh, get ahold of yourself, Rarity!" she groaned to herself as she spotted Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie. "It's going to be okay!"

She resumed running and made it to her friends in a few short moments. "What's going on?" she asked. "How can I help?"

"Snips and Snails lured an Ursa Major here for Trixie to beat," Applejack said with a glare. "Right now Twilight's fixin' ta send it back to the Everfree Forest."

"Trixie couldn't do it?" Rarity asked. "But I thought she had already done it."

"Guess not," Applejack grumbled. "Lot of tall tales, Ah guess."

"Of course," Rarity muttered. "But what can Twilight do about it?"

As an answer, Twilight ignited her horn, pouring so much power into it that it began glowing brighter than Rarity had ever seen. Twilight's magical aura surrounded the Ursa, and, to Rarity's utter shock, she began lifting it. Twilight began rocking it in her magic as she emptied out Ponyville's water tower. She floated the water tower into Applejack's barn before floating it back to the Ursa, who took it in its claws and began sucking on it.

"My word," Rarity whispered as Twilight floated the Ursa back to the Everfree Forest. "I didn't know she was capable of such a feat."

"Me neither," Applejack said breathlessly. "That was plain amazin'!"

After a few more moments, Twilight's horn powered down, and she sat down, breathing heavily. Rarity, Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie all approached her with huge grins on their faces.

"That... that was amazing, Twilight!" Rarity said.

"I'm sorry!" Twilight turned her head to her friends, her ears flat and a guilty expression on her face. "Please don't hate me!"

"Hate you?" the others all said at once.

"Why in Equestria would we hate you?" Rarity replied.

"Because I showed off my magic and... I dunno, you all got so mad at Trixie for being a showoff, so I thought--"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, magical ability has nothing to do with it," Rainbow said. "We didn't like Trixie because she was a loudmouth. Way different."

"You used your magic to save the town from a super-scary star bear thing!" Pinkie said. "Why would we be mad at you for that?" Pinkie giggled and booped Twilight's nose. "Silly."

"We're all plum proud of you, sugarcube," Applejack said, triggering nods of agreement from the others. "You ain't got nothin' ta be ashamed of."

"Mhm," the other three said in unison.

Twilight's eyes began brimming with tears, and she got to her hooves, allowing her friends to all hug her. "Thank you, girls. You really are the best friends that I could ask for."

The friends broke away from the hug and began chatting animatedly among themselves about what had just transpired. However, their words were cut off when a familiar obnoxious voice cut through their chatter.

"You may have defeated the great Ursa Major this time, Twilight Sparkle, but you will never come close to beating the Great and Powerful--"

"Oh give it a rest!" Rainbow Dash said, glaring at Trixie. "Haven't you boasted enough for one evening?"

"Go back to yer wagon and leave us be," Applejack agreed. "There ain't no need for you ta keep goin' on with yer boastin'"

Trixie glared at Applejack, but even from where she stood, Rarity could see pain in her eyes. "Fine. Trixie will leave. She may not have her wagon home anymore, but that doesn't matter! She'll... she'll come back and be stronger than ever! She'll beat ten Ursa Majors!"

"Trixie..." Twilight stepped forward. "That wasn't an Ursa Major. That was a baby: an Ursa Minor."

Trixie froze where she stood for a few seconds, her jaw wobbling, before turning tail and running away without another word. Rarity stared at her retreating form, her head slightly tilted. Something didn't seem right about all that.

"If you'll excuse me, Applejack, I think I need to get going."

Applejack nodded. "'Course, Rarity. See ya later, okay?"

With a round of goodbyes, Rarity walked away in the direction Trixie had gone. She picked up the pace a little once she was out of sight of her friends, scanning the road for any signs of Trixie.

She didn't have to search too long. As she passed by a tree on the side of the road, she heard faint sobbing coming from behind it. She moved to the tree and, sure enough, Trixie lay behind it, her head in her forehooves, crying her eyes out. Her cape was askew, and her hat lay on the ground beside her. Rarity gently walked up to her.

"Are... are you okay, darling?"

Trixie gasped and shot up, looking around wildly until her eyes landed on Rarity. She stared at her in shock for a moment before glaring. "What are you doing here? Come to make fun of me? Come to demand that I leave town, never to return?"

"No, darling, not at all. The opposite, actually." Rarity gave Trixie and comforting smile and stepped closer. "You don't seem to be doing well. Do you have any place to stay for tonight?"

Trixie glared at Rarity suspiciously for a few moments before sighing and shaking her head. "No. I did have something, but my home was smashed in the Ursa attack."

"Well, you are more than welcome to stay at my house until you get back on your hooves. Nopony deserves to be out in the cold for the night." She extended her hoof to Trixie. "Is that something you'd like?" Trixie stared suspiciously at the outstretched hoof, making no effort to grab it. Rarity sighed, but didn't put it down. "Look, darling, I know what I did in the past. I know I can never erase it, but I can be a different pony than I was that day. I haven't hurt so much as a fly since then, and I'm certainly not going to hurt you. I obviously cannot force you to accept my help, but my help is there for you to accept, should you want it."

Trixie continued staring at Rarity's hoof for a few moments, but eventually she shakily reached up and took it, allowing Rarity to help her up. Rarity smiled fondly at her. "That's it, darling. My home isn't too far from here. Follow me."

Rarity began walking back to her house, turning back after a few steps to see that Trixie hadn't begun following her. Rarity beckoned her forward, and Trixie let out a quiet sigh. She finally nodded and began following Rarity.

The trip back to Rarity's house was short, but silent, despite Rarity's attempts at friendly conversation. She gave up after a few moments, and the two walked back to Carousel Boutique without even making eye contact. The town had wound down for the night, and the streets were silent, so the two were not disturbed. After a few minutes, Rarity and Trixie reached Rarity's home, and Rarity opened up her door, stepping aside so that Trixie could enter first.

"Here we are. Home sweet home," Rarity said, giving Trixie a warm smile. "I have a guest room in my basement, but if you don't like that, my sister's room is open for the night. She's with our parents at the moment."

"Whatever works for you," Trixie muttered, her gaze darting around the house.

Rarity shrugged. "Either one is fine with me, darling."

"I guess the basement is okay, then."

"Excellent." Rarity led Trixie down into her basement and into her guest room. "There's a bathroom upstairs if you need it. It's to your right."

Trixie sat down on the bed and fluffed the pillow a little bit in her magic. She didn't make any eye contact with Rarity. "Why are you helping me? Why are you being nice to me at all? I was mean to your friends."

Rarity gave Trixie a comforting smile and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Because I've been there, darling. I've been at rock bottom, and I wouldn't have gotten through it without help. You needed my help today, and I want to help you as others have helped me."

"I guess," Trixie muttered.

"Feel free to stay as long as you need, darling," Rarity said. "Just let me know what you need, and I'll do my best to help."

"I guess," Trixie repeated. "Thanks, I suppose."

"It's no trouble at all, darling. You just sleep as long as you need to, and I'll make us some breakfast when you get up, how does that sound?"

"It sounds like there's about to be some kind of catch," Trixie said.

Rarity shook her head. "No catch. Like I said: I've been where you are. You needn't worry about repaying me in any way. I just want to make sure you're okay, darling."

Trixie didn't respond. She merely laid down on the guest bed, not even bothering to go under the covers, and curled up into a ball. Rarity stared at her for a few moments before shaking her head and walking back upstairs to her own room.

* * * *

Rarity's eyes fluttered open and she let out a yawn as she sat up in her bed. A quick glance at her clock told her that it was just past nine. A perfect time to get some breakfast going, if the grumble in her stomach was any indication. She set her sleep mask down on its usual spot on her bedside table and went down to her kitchen. She opened up the cabinets and grimaced when she realized that she had forgotten to go shopping again. Toast and cereal it was. Hopefully Trixie wouldn't be too offended by that.

Rarity was about to get the milk out of her fridge when she heard her doorbell go off. She shut her fridge and went over to her door, opening it and smiling when she saw Rainbow Dash and Applejack on the other side.

"Good morning, you two. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Heya, Rares, we were just comin' over ta see if ya wanted ta get together with Twilight today. She's still kinda down after that whole Ursa business, so we thought we'd cheer her up a bit."

"Well that sounds lovely," Rarity said, stepping aside to let her friends in. "I was just about to get some breakfast going, if that's not too much bother for you."

"Well we were thinking about taking her to Sugarcube Corner for some breakfast, but if you want to watch your 'girlish figure'..." Rainbow jokingly made air quotes with her hooves, triggering a smirk from Rarity.

"Actually, I was just going to prepare some cereal and toast."

"See, what did I tell ya?" Rainbow Dash said, nudging Applejack's side. "She can't handle anything with more than... YOU!"

Rarity turned to see what Rainbow pointed at, and flattened her ears when she saw that Trixie had come up the stairs. Rainbow snarled at her and flared her wings out. "What the heck are you doing here?! Get out of here!"

Rarity scowled at Rainbow and put herself between the two. "On the contrary, Rainbow Dash, it is you who must leave my home!"

"But... but she--"

"She is a guest here, and I will not have you barging into my house to expel my guests, is that understood?!"

"Look, Rares," Applejack began. "You weren't there ta see how she treated us yesterday. She intentionally embarrassed us in front of the whole town!"

Rarity snorted. "Oh, is that all it takes now? Is that the unforgivable sin in Ponyville? Murder a few foals? Welcomed back with open hooves! Embarrass somepony in front of the town? Off with her head!"

"I can go," Trixie said quietly. "I don't want to cause a fuss."

"You needn't do that, darling," Rarity said, turning back to Trixie with a smile. "It's like I said: you are a guest in my home. You are welcome here as long as you need it."

"B-but Rarity, she tied Applejack up with her own rope!" Rainbow insisted. "She's--"

"And that's some unforgivable sin?" Rarity retorted. "Are you even listening to yourself? I just told you that she's a guest in my home! Her home was smashed during the Ursa attack, and now she has no place to go! I'd be a poor Element of Generosity if I left her out in the cold. In fact, I'd be a poor pony if I just left her out there." Rarity walked over to Trixie and put a hoof over her shoulders. "She's staying as long a she needs, and you have no say in that."

Rainbow and Applejack exchanged a helpless look, as if they felt they just needed to explain it the right way for Rarity to see their side of things. Rarity huffed and rolled her eyes.

"She embarrassed you. Fine. It hurt your feelings. Fine. And that's grounds for being run out of town?"

Rainbow growled and ran a hoof down her face. "It's... it's not like that! I mean, you..."

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Be very careful with how you finish that sentence, Rainbow Dash."

"We don't mean to offend no one, Rares," Applejack said. "We just..." Applejack sighed and bowed her head. "Ya know what, Rares? Yer right. We were inhospitable. We don't get ta kick out a guest in yer home."

"But AJ, she--" Rainbow stopped when Applejack shot her a look. She stared back at Applejack for a moment before sighing herself and nodding. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We're sorry, Rarity."

"It's not me who you should be apologizing to," Rarity replied, turning her head to look at Trixie. Trixie flinched back and flattened her ears.

"I-it's fine. I don't care."

"We're sorry anyway," Applejack muttered.

"Yeah, sorry," Rainbow agreed.

The room filled with awkward silence for a few moments before Applejack cleared her throat. "Well, we gotta go, then. We'll see ya later, okay?"

"Very well," Rarity replied stiffly.

Rainbow and Applejack silently filed out of Rarity's house, with Applejack shooting Rarity one last glance before turning her head and leaving. Rarity sighed and shook her head before turning back to Trixie.

"I am terribly sorry about that, darling. I don't know what came over them."

"Well, I didn't treat them as well as I could have," Trixie admitted.

"Regardless, they behaved inappropriately."

The two stood in silence for a minute, Trixie looking down at the ground while Rarity merely observed her. Finally Trixie broke the silence.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why would you stand up for me like that? I hurt your friends."

Rarity smiled kindly at Trixie and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Because I know what it's like to feel alone for a mistake. Even though I had friends during my time away, I still felt alone, like nopony could help me. I don't want anypony to ever feel that way. Speaking as the wretched of the earth, it's terrible."

"Okay." Trixie sniffled and wiped her eyes with her hoof. "It hurts. It really hurts. When I was on the stage, I felt nopony could touch me. Nopony could do anything to beat me. Then the Ursa happened, and my home was destroyed, on top of me being forced to confront the fact that Twilight was better at magic than me. Nothing I could do would ever compare to what she could achieve."

"And why does that matter?" Rarity asked. "Twilight will always be better at magic than me too. But magic is her special talent. It's what she's the best at, and that's okay. My cutie mark is about bringing inherent beauty forward. Yes my cutie mark is gems, and I'm good at digging them up, but they are merely the tools I use. They're not who I am as a pony. If you spend your life comparing yourself to others... you'll never be happy."

"I guess."

Does performing make you happy?" Trixie nodded. "Then be the best performer you can be, and don't worry about Twilight Sparkle and her talents. She can't perform like I'm sure you can." Rarity grinned conspiratorially and leaned in close to Trixie. "Between you and me, she's a good public speaker, but when it comes to performing, she can get very nervous. She doesn't have the natural talent that you have."

A small smile crossed Trixie's face. "I suppose." Before Rarity could respond, Trixie threw her hooves around her shoulders in a hug. Rarity chuckled and returned it. "Thank you, Rarity." Trixie sniffled. "I didn't know how much I needed to hear that."

"It's no trouble at all, darling."

"But it still means a lot." Trixie broke away from the hug and wiped her eyes again. "I thank you for your generosity, Rarity, but I feel I must go now. I have some sisters waiting for me at home." Trixie's smile flickered for a second, but it changed so quickly that Rarity began to wonder if she imagined it. "I need to spend some time with them. I haven't in a long time."

"Well then have fun with them," Rarity said. "Celestia knows that my sister kept me going through the hard times." Rarity put her hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "Never lose your family, Trixie. There are no better ponies in your life."

Trixie's smile faltered once more. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I need to help my sisters. We can't make it without each other." Trixie's smile turned back into the confident one she wore when Rarity first saw her. "And then I'll be back! The Great and Powerful Trixie will perform her show, and it will be better than ever!"

"I'm certain it will be. Just don't go telling stories about Ursas anymore. Just be Trixie as she is. If you do that, I don't think there will be a better show in all of Equestria."

"Of course not," Trixie replied. "The next time it will be bigger! The magic will be more impressive! And..." Trixie chuckled. "I won't compare myself to Twilight Sparkle."

"And you'll be happy."

"Someday," Trixie muttered wistfully, unheard by Rarity. "I'll give the greatest show ever, and my mother will see it and be proud."

"I'm certain, but don't do it just for her. Do it for you."

"I will, Rarity." Trixie hugged Rarity again. "I can't repay you for your kindness."

"And you will never have to."

After a short breakfast, Trixie left. Rarity smiled as she left, feeling in her gut that everything would be alright with her.

New Beginnings

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Fourteen Years Later

"Now you're sure you'll be alright, Sweetie Belle? I'm not entirely certain this is a good idea."

Sweetie Belle smiled at her sister and patted her shoulder. "Rarity, it's going to be fine. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom will be there with me. It's just a little birthday celebration with them. It's not like we're going to go wild."

A slight frown crossed Rarity's face. "I know. Call me the overprotective sister if you must, but I don't like the idea of you going out to a bar for drinks, especially if you're staying as late as you planned."

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Come on, Rarity, it's not like any of us are going to let anything happen to anypony else. It's going to be fine." Sweetie Belle smiled at Rarity and put a hoof on her shoulder. "I appreciate that you're being the protective older sister here, but it's going to be okay. We're just going to have a few drinks, catch a movie, then go back to one of our houses. We're thinking Scootaloo's apartment."

"Well you're more then welcome to come back here once you have ended the festivities for the night," Rarity said. "I could make you some snacks or something."

Sweetie Belle shrugged. "Maybe. We'll see how we feel afterwards."

A knock on the door interrupted Rarity's next thought. Sweetie Belle grinned, rushed over to the door and threw it open. "Hey, girls!" she said to Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. "Ready to party?"

"You know it!" Scootaloo said, throwing a foreleg around Sweetie Belle for a hug. "Remember, though: you're the birthday mare. We're not letting you buy anything."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Come on, Scoots, you were insistin' that you pay fer our dinners on your birthday."

"Yeah, and you stopped me. I saw the error of my ways. Besides... oh, hey, Rarity."

Rarity stopped alongside Sweetie Belle and waved to the other two Crusaders. "Good evening, you two. I trust you will keep my sister safe tonight."

"Oh yeah, don't worry about a thing," Scootaloo said, waving a hoof at Rarity. "We'll make sure nothing bad happens to her. We'll watch her like a hawk."

"And since she ain't allowed to bring her bit bag, we're gonna make sure she doesn't have too many drinks."

"Well if you say so." Rarity put her hoof on Sweetie Belle's shoulder. "Just be careful, alright? I know I'm being a silly mare, but I just want to know that you're safe."

Sweetie Belle pulled Rarity in for a hug and nuzzled her neck. "Of course I'll be safe, Rarity. I have Scoots and Apple Bloom with me. Like I said: we're just going out for a few drinks and a movie or something. No problems. We'll be perfectly safe."

"If you say so." Rarity broke off the hug and smiled lovingly at her sister. "I suppose I'm still getting used to the fact that you're a mare now. Perhaps I'm too much like Mother, but I remember when I held you the day you were born. To see you now..."

"I understand, Rarity," Sweetie Belle said, nuzzling her sister again. "But we'll be fine. I'm not gonna get wasted, or anything. We're probably not going to be out past midnight."

"Yeah, because once we hit midnight your birthday is over and you'll have to start paying for your own drinks and movie tickets," Scootaloo pointed out.

Sweetie Belle smirked and rolled her eyes. "If that's the way it's going to be, I'm going to milk your bit bags for all they're worth."

"Well then we best get goin'," Apple Bloom pointed out. "Movie theater closes at eleven, so we gotta have a little fun before then!"

"Very well, girls. Go have your fun. Just don't..." Rarity chuckled and shook her head. "You're a mare now. I won't play mother here."

"Don't worry, Rarity, we'll be fine," Scootaloo said. "On that note..." Scootaloo threw the door open and stepped aside to let Sweetie Belle go past her. "Time to hit the road!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders all cheered and filed out of Rarity's house, rushing down the road in the direction of the nearest bar. Rarity stood in the doorway, watching them go until they disappeared. She sighed and shook her head. They'd be fine. She just had to keep telling herself that.

Closing the door, Rarity trotted over to her workroom and sat down at her sewing machine. Sweetie Belle's absence meant that she had a little peace and quiet to catch up on her orders. A couple of foal blankets, a comforter, a simple, yet elegant dress for a formal function, the usual. Rarity looked at the half finished orders before deciding on the comforter. It would be the easiest to finish quickly.

Just as Rarity began work, the pleasant tune of her doorbell rang through the house. She turned off her sewing machine and walked over to her door. She opened it and smiled when she saw Twilight on the other side.

"Good evening, Twilight." She stepped aside so her friend could come in. "How are you this evening?"

"Oh, I'm doing great, Rarity," Twilight responded. "I'm just popping by to see if you wanted to do anything tonight. The rest of the girls are getting together in an hour or so, so I wanted to see if you'd like to join."

Rarity smiled wistfully. "I wish I could, but I have a few orders that I need to take care of. I'll see what I can get done, then maybe we could grab lunch tomorrow?"

"Sounds good," Twilight said. "Nothing too strenuous, I hope?"

Rarity shook her head. "Oh no, nothing complex at all, but I'd be a poor seamstress if I didn't finish my orders on time. I can still spare a few minutes to talk, if you'd like. Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to snack on?"

"Well we're all going out to dinner, but if you're offering a drink, I'll take you up on that."

"Excellent." Rarity and Twilight went to the kitchen, where Rarity poured Twilight a glass of lemonade from her fridge. She poured one for herself, then sat down at the table opposite Twilight.

"So, how are your studies? Princess Celestia isn't working you too hard, is she?"

Twilight scoffed and waved her hoof. "Not at all. I have a few projects that I'm working on for her right now, but they're enjoyably challenging. It's not too difficult to balance those with maintaining the library."

"Good to hear you have everything under control, then," Rarity said. "I'd hate for you to overwork yourself like poor Applejack did that one time."

"No, not at all. Things are staying fairly simple. Are things going well with you, Rarity? I see that Sweetie Belle is out for the night."

Rarity gave Twilight a small smile and took a sip of her lemonade before responding. "Yes, she just turned twenty-one today. As she is now of legal drinking age, her friends took her out for a night on the town." She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I know it's just Ponyville, and her friends are with her, but I can't shake the feeling that something will happen."

"They're just going out for a few drinks, right?"

Rarity nodded. "Yes, and then to a movie afterward. Probably some kind of food as well. I don't know, Twilight, it's just... maybe I can't wrap my mind around the fact that my sister is a mare now. I still remember holding her the night she was born." A wry smile crossed Rarity's face. "And not just because it was followed up with being hoofcuffed in the back of a wagon. She's always meant more to me than anything I've ever known. Now she's going to be all grown up and..." Rarity shook her head. "I know I'm being silly. If I'm like this with her, I can't imagine how I'll be if I ever have foals."

"It's not silly, Rarity," Twilight insisted. "Sweetie Belle was the best thing that happened to you when your life was bad. From what you've told me, she was the bright spot in the darkness."

"She was at that." Rarity sighed and looked out the nearby window. "She got to live the life that I never could. She got to have the foalhood that I never did. She had friends growing up. She didn't ever have walls. I suppose what I'm most worried about tonight is that she'll lose some of the innocence she still carries, and that it will affect her life in a negative way. I know she's just going out for a few drinks, but anything can happen."

Twilight gave Rarity a comforting smile and patted Rarity's hoof. "I know it's worrying, watching your sister become an adult, but trust her that she's going to make the right decisions. Even if something did go wrong, you're here to help her through anything. I don't think anything between the two of you is going to change just because you have to face that she's grown up. She'll have her own life, maybe even move out of here someday, but you two are still sisters, and nothing is ever going to change that."

Rarity smiled back and shook her head. "You are, of course, correct, Twilight. I know she has Scootaloo and Apple Bloom with her, so she can't get into too much trouble. She's growing up, but I'd hate for something to happen that made her grow up faster than she needs to. She's an adult now, but that does not mean that she's ready for everything."

"Of course not, but I think she's smart enough to know all of that," Twilight pointed out. "I'm sure that when she gets back, she'll tell you all about the fun time she had with her friends." Twilight chuckled and shook her head. "Then you can get ready for the Pinkie party."

"Yes, I'm almost surprised that Pinkie hasn't thrown her one already, but I think she knows that Sweetie Belle wanted a night with her friends for her birthday. Having said that, I think Pinkie might have snuck a line into the town charter about how every birthday must be celebrated with a party."

"It wouldn't surprise me," Twilight agreed. "Though on that note..." Twilight drained the last of her lemonade, then stood up. "I think it's time for me to head out. You have a good night with your orders, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"That sounds lovely, Twilight," Rarity said, following her to the door. "Thank you for your words about Sweetie Belle. I think I needed to hear that from a third party."

"No problem at all, Rarity." Twilight threw her foreleg around Rarity for a hug. "Let me know if you need anything else, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Twilight broke away from the hug and walked out the door. Rarity watched her go for a few moments, then shut the door and went back to her workroom. Twilight was right. Sweetie Belle would be fine.

* * * *

Rarity jolted awake when she heard her front door open. She lifted up her sleep mask and yawned. Sweetie Belle must be home. She glanced back over to her alarm clock, and her eyes widened. The clock read five-thirty. She tossed her sleep mask aside and rushed down the stairs. She saw the light on in the kitchen and heard the fridge door close.

"Sweetie Belle, are you al--"

Rarity stopped in her tracks when she saw her sister. Sweetie Belle was levitating the half empty jug of lemonade beside her as she leaned against the fridge. She glanced up to Rarity, then almost instantly turned her head away.

"Hello, sis," Sweetie Belle whispered.

"Sweetie Belle, are you okay?" Rarity walked up to her and gingerly put a hoof on her shoulder. "I thought you'd be home hours ago."

Instead of responding, Sweetie Belle took a direct swig from the jug of lemonade and shuffled over to the kitchen table. Rarity could smell the alcohol on her, but she was back, and that's what mattered. She scooted her chair next to Sweetie Belle's and sat down next to her. "Nothing happened, right? You just stayed over at Apple Bloom's in your clubhouse."

Sweetie Belle almost imperceptively shook her head. "No."

"Sweetie Belle, you can look at me. Whatever happened, I promise I won't be angry. I just want to make sure you're alright." She put her hoof around Sweetie Belle's shoulders and drew her in for a hug. "Did anything bad happen?"

"No. I mean... I don't think so. Maybe. I just... didn't think it would. It was loud and everypony was dancing and drinking and lots of ponies wanted to buy me drinks when they heard it was my twenty-first birthday and we all just kind of got... caught up in everything. After a bit I wasn't thinking about what I was doing. None of us were. We were just having fun, and there were stallions our age..."

Rarity's eyes widened. "Did... did you go home with one of them?"

"No, we..." Sweetie Belle sniffled and Rarity felt tears drip on her foreleg. "We went to his motel room."

"I see." Rarity took a deep breath and tightened her hold on her sister. "And where were Apple Bloom and Scootaloo?"

"Probably with the colts they left with." Sweetie Belle finally looked up at Rarity, her eyes red and puffy. "Don't be mad at them. We were all drunk. I wasn't thinking about it either. They're going to feel bad enough as it is."

"As they should," Rarity said through gritted teeth. "I can't believe--"

"I'm the one who made the choice. We snuck out when they weren't looking. I think they might have thought I was still there. It's my fault, Rarity. I..." Sweetie Belle sobbed and squeezed her sister's foreleg. "I did a bad thing."

"No, Sweetie, you mustn't think about it like that. He didn't force himself on you, did he?"

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "No. We both wanted it."

"Well there's that at least." Rarity began stroking her sister's mane. "I'm not going to give you any empty words of wisdom here. I'm just going to be here for you in whatever you need, okay?"

"But Rarity," Sweetie Belle whimpered. "What if I get pregnant?"

"Well then I'll be here for you there, too. I'll take care of you here, and I'm certain that Mother and Father will do their part to make sure everything is the best for you. Besides, ponies around here know you. I don't think anypony is going to look down on you if it comes to that."

"I guess," Sweetie Belle muttered. "But I'm not ready for a foal."

"Well, Mother and Father weren't quite ready for me yet," Rarity pointed out.

"Yeah, but they got married after Mom got pregnant with you and they had each other for support," Sweetie Belle said. "I don't even know his name."

"As I said: you have plenty of support if it comes to that, which it may not. There's no point in me making any foal clothes yet. " Rarity nuzzled her sister's mane. "I know it's scary right now. You're not quite sure what to do next. For the moment, I'd suggest you get a little sleep. You've had a long night."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good, then up you go." Rarity gently nudged Sweetie Belle to her hooves and walked with her up to Sweetie Belle's room. She opened the door for her sister, who instantly went over to her bed and collapsed on it. Rarity pulled the covers out and draped them over her.

"Good night, Sweetie Belle. Things will be better in the morning, I promise."

Sweetie Belle tilted her head in a small nod, and Rarity kissed her mane before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind her.

Once she was alone, Rarity leaned against the nearby wall and stared at nothing in particular.

* * * *

"How's she doing?"

Rarity sighed and poked at her food before responding to Twilight's question. "She's still upset, more with herself than anything. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom are beating themselves up, of course, although I imagine that Granny Smith has taken care of Apple Bloom."

"So..." Twilight hesitated. "Could they all have gotten pregnant?"

Rarity shrugged. "I don't know. I'm more focused on Sweetie Belle right now. The Apples and Scootaloo's parents will take care of the two of them if it comes to that."

"So has Sweetie Belle started... checking? It's been a few weeks now."

Rarity hesitated, rubbing the back of her neck and looking down at the table. "I found a few pregnancy tests in one of the drawers in the bathroom. They weren't open. I don't think she has the nerve right now."

Twilight nodded. "Yeah, I can understand that. Applejack was telling me that Apple Bloom feels the same way."

"I'm sure, though they're going to have to check eventually." Rarity took a sip of her water before continuing. "Maybe we're all being worrywarts here. They'll be fine and take this to heart and do better next time."

"Not that I think there's going to be a next time," Twilight pointed out. "If I know them, they're going to stick to bowling and the movies when they go out again next."

Rarity allowed herself a brief chuckle and nodded. "Yes, I think that might be true. They're young yet, so if they're going to engage in this behavior, it's better that they do it now. However, if Sweetie Belle is indeed pregnant, we must make her understand that what happened is not a mistake. Rather an unexpected but wonderful thing." Rarity smiled and shook her head. "If I know Sweetie Belle, she's going to love that foal more than anything, even if she will be frightened at first."

"If I know you, you're going to love that foal more than anything," Twilight pointed out. "You're the Element of Generosity. I can see you spoiling him or her rotten."

Rarity smirked and rolled her eyes. "Oh please, darling, I'm perfectly capable of showing restraint. Like I said, though, she might not even be pregnant. This could all just be a little scare. Sweetie Belle is upset, of course, but..." Rarity shrugged. "Whatever will be will be. I think she'll be okay regardless of what happens."

"Me too, Rarity."

Rarity took the last few bites of her food, then stood up and put enough bits on the table for both of their meals. "Well, I have some more work to do. Thank you for meeting with me for lunch. We should do this again soon."

"Of course, Rarity," Twilight said, standing up for a hug. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for either of you. Even if Sweetie Belle isn't pregnant, I'm sure she'll still need somepony to talk to."

"Yes, she has been rather reserved lately," Rarity said. "I figured that she needed some space, so I haven't been pressing the issue. I think if she finds out she isn't pregnant she'll open up a little more."

"And if she is?"

"If she is then I won't let her lock herself in her room for eleven months until she delivers the foal. She'll know that what happened wasn't a mistake, and we're here for her."

With one final hug, the two mares parted ways. Rarity's smile slowly fell as she ruminated on current events. She hadn't said anything she didn't believe, but she knew things would be hard for Sweetie Belle if it came down to pregnancy.

Rarity opened the door to her house and walked in. All of the lights were off, so it didn't seem that Sweetie Belle had come out of her room.

"Sweetie Belle, I'm home," Rarity called out. "Have you eaten yet? I can make you something for lunch if you want."

Sweetie Belle's response was an almost imperceptible moan from the direction of the bathroom.

"Rarity."

Rarity's eyes widened, and she bolted up the stairs, taking two or three at a time. She nearly shot straight past the bathroom, but regained her balance and threw the door open. Sweetie Belle was leaning against the wall next to the sink, a pregnancy test floating in her magic. Rarity lit her horn and she transferred the test to her own magic.

"Rarity," Sweetie Belle moaned again, tears streaking down her face. Rarity flipped the test over and instantly spotted the two red lines in the middle.

"Rarity, I'm sorry! I didn't..." Sweetie Belle's words were marred by her sobs until she couldn't even speak. Rarity threw the test aside and sat down next to Sweetie Belle, throwing her hooves around her shoulders and hugging her close.

"It's okay, Sweetie Belle, you don't have to worry about a thing. Big sister is here for you. For... for both of you." Sweetie Belle's only response was wrapping her forelegs around Rarity's waist and holding onto her like she was the only thing left in the world who could help her. Rarity glanced behind her and saw three more pregnancy tests on the ground, each with the double red lines that left no doubt of the results.

Rarity didn't say anything more. There was nothing more to say for the moment. All she could do was hold onto her sister and let her cry herself out.

Joy

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"Ooh, look at this one, Sweetie Belle! It matches perfectly with your mane!"

Sweetie Belle levitated the foal blanket she had just unwrapped and draped it over her stomach with a groan. "Yay. Another one," she grumbled, draping a foreleg over her eyes.

"Oh come now, Sweetie Belle, there's no need for that," Rarity said, putting a hoof on her sister's shoulder. "I know that your back hurts and you're tired and hormonal and you..." Rarity glanced down at the plate in front of Sweetie Belle and flinched. "Um... have a rather forceful requirement for pickle and vinegar sandwiches."

"Shut up, it's good." Sweetie Belle lit her horn and floated the plate over to her and took a bite out of the sandwich on it. Rarity backed up a few inches so as to not be in the direct line of the smell.

"If you say so, darling." Rarity cleared her throat and sat down next to her sister. "In any case, you're handling this whole pregnancy thing better than Mother did. How many times did Father say he had to buy new dishes because of her mood swings?"

Sweetie Belle managed a small smirk and leaned her head against Rarity. "Yeah, I remember those stories. She had an easier time with me, if I remember the stories right."

"Yes, and her cravings were a little more..." Rarity glanced back down at Sweetie Belle's plate and subtly nudged it farther away with her magic. "Erm... typical."

Sweetie Belle glared up at Rarity and crossed her forelegs. "It's not that bad if you just try it." Sweetie Belle straightened up and brought the plate back over to her for another bite. "'Ts gotta nice lillr kik to it." Sweetie Belle swallowed and wiped her mouth with the back of her hoof. "I mean, this one is mine." Sweetie Belle grabbed the plate in her forelegs and held it close as though Rarity would steal it at any moment. "But I can make you one if you like."

"How could you? You ate all of my pickles, and I'm not buying any more for the moment." Rarity sighed and rolled her eyes. "I appreciate the offer, Sweetie Belle, but I'm not quite sure it would... sit well with me."

"Whatever. Your loss." Sweetie Belle took the last few bites of her sandwich and tossed the empty plate onto the table. She opened her mouth to say something else, but her ears perked up and a small smile crossed her face. She grabbed Rarity's hoof and put it on her belly. "She's kicking."

Rarity held her hoof on Sweetie Belle for a few seconds before she felt a little kick. She smiled back at Sweetie Belle as she felt another kick. "She's getting rather active lately, isn't she?"

Sweetie Belle nodded and leaned further back in her chair. "She's probably going to want out soon."

"Hopefully not too soon," Rarity pointed out. "You still have another month and a half before your due date."

"Yeah, yeah," Sweetie Belle grumbled. "But that's such a long ways away!" She grunted and shifted in her seat to find a more comfortable spot. "I think one of the things I'm looking forward to the most is not feeling like I'm constantly carrying around a bowling ball in my barrel." She stuck out her tongue and draped a foreleg over her eyes. "I'm ready to have this foal!"

"Perhaps," Rarity said softly. "Although I imagine raising her will be quite the challenge. But..." Rarity put her hoof on Sweetie Belle's belly and smiled when she felt the foal kick again. "I'm glad that I'm here for you. I will help you through whatever life throws at you like a big sister should. I know that this is a difficult time for you, but you won't have to go through it alone."

"Thanks, sis," Sweetie Belle said, nuzzling Rarity's shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you." Sweetie Belle chuckled and poked Rarity's side. "But no spoiling the foal."

Rarity smirked and rolled her eyes. "I will do my best, but I cannot promise anything. I am the Element of Generosity, after all."

"Yeah, but I'm her mother, and I don't want to hear any 'but Aunt Rarity said it was okay!'"

"I will, of course, defer to your judgement on anything regarding raising her." Rarity's smile turned mischievous. "That is, when you're around. Who knows? Maybe sometimes you'll have something to do and I'm at home watching your darling little filly who is just as cute as a button and 'please, oh please, Aunt Rarity, may I have just one more glass of chocolate milk and two more cookies?'" Rarity shrugged. "What exactly am I supposed to do in that unwinnable scenario?"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." Sweetie Belle took a deep breath and Rarity saw her eyelids start to droop. "But that's a long way away."

"It certainly is." Rarity adjusted her spot on the couch, allowing more comfort when Sweetie Belle laid her head back on her shoulder. "But we'll be together when it all happens, just like it should be." Rarity heard Sweetie Belle's light snoring and her ears drooped. She looked down at Sweetie Belle's belly and sighed. "Just like it should have always been."

* * * *

Rarity put the last stitch into the blanket she was working on and breathed a sigh of relief. That was that for the day. She levitated it up and scanned it for any deficiencies, and when she found none, she nodded and folded it up to be washed before she gave it to the customer. She placed the blanket on a nearby table and was about to begin putting away her supplies when the door to her shop burst open. She heard the bell above the door being knocked off, clattering to the floor with a loud clang. She growled and stomped out of her work room.

"Rainbow Dash, how many times have I... Oh. Scootaloo?"

"No time! No time!" Scootaloo cried, grabbing Rarity's hoof and pulling her forward. "Gotta go! Sweetie Belle!"

Rarity's eyes widened and she pulled her hoof out of Scootaloo's grasp. "You mean...?"

"Yep! Foal! Now!"

Rarity paused for a second as her brain registered the information she had just been given, then shot through the door of her boutique in the direction of the hospital. Scootaloo quickly flew beside her.

"What happened?" Rarity cried.

"We were at the clubhouse playing a game!" Scootaloo said, flapping as hard as she could to keep up with Rarity. "Then her water broke! At first I didn't know what was going on, but Apple Bloom said we had to get Sweetie Belle to the hospital as soon as we could! Her and Applejack loaded Sweetie Belle up and rushed her over while I came and got you and then and got you and now we're running to the hospital and holycrapthisishappening!"

Rarity pushed all other distractions out of her mind as she ran, picking up speed when she saw the hospital in the distance. Scootaloo had long since fallen behind when Rarity finally burst through the double doors.

"Sister!" she cried as she ran up to the front desk. "Is my sister here yet?"

"She's in the delivery room right now," the receptionist said, pointing to the left. "Just go down the hall and it's the third door on the right!"

Rarity barely waited for the receptionist to finish her directions before rushing off. She expertly weaved around the hospital's staff, ignoring any shouts that were directed at her. She found the right room and charged in, nearly knocking the door down in the process. Sweetie Belle was there surrounded by two nurses and a doctor. She was crying out in pain.

"Sweetie Belle! I'm here!" Rarity rushed over to her and grabbed one of her hooves. "Big sister is here, Sweetie Belle. I'm here!"

"Rarity," Sweetie Belle moaned. "It hurts!"

"I know it does, I know it... um... Sweetie Belle? I think you're about to crack my hoof."

Sweetie Belle's grip tightened on Rarity's hoof causing her to grunt in pain. "Hurts. Really hurts!" Sweetie Belle glared at the nearby doctor. "And they won't give me any more drugs!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Belle, but that might be damaging to the foal. I can see that you're about to crown. You're almost done, just keep pushing!"

"You can do it, Sweetie Belle, I know you can," Rarity said. "Just, ow, keep, ow, pushing for a little... erm... can you maybe not squeeze my hoof so much?"

"It's this or more drugs," Sweetie Belle growled through gritted teeth. "If I ever find the bastard that did this to me I'm going to turn him into a gelding before I kill him!"

Rarity's ear flicked and she cleared her throat. "Um... that might not be the best, ow, course of action."

"Just a little more, Ms. Belle. Just a little more!"

Sweetie Belle cried out so loudly that everypony else in the room had to flatten their ears to block out the noise. Rarity switched hooves to give the one Sweetie Belle had been grabbing a rest, all the while giving her words of encouragement that were usually returned with irritation. No matter how much profanity Sweetie Belle spat out, and no matter how loudly she screamed, Rarity was there to hold her hoof, though she had to constantly switch hooves.

"Alright, you're almost there!" the doctor said. "Just one more push and you should have it! Come on, Ms. Belle, push!"

"Just one more push, Sweetie Belle, just like he said."

"I don' wanna," Sweetie Belle moaned. "Can't do it 'nymore. Don't make me."

"I'm afraid I must, Sweetie Belle." Rarity grabbed onto Sweetie Belle's hoof with both of her own. "Just one more!"

Sweetie Belle squeezed her eyes shut and let out one last ear-splitting shriek of pain before totally collapsing. Rarity opened her mouth to give more encouragement, but her words died in her throat when she heard a foal crying. She turned to the doctor and burst into a wide smile when she saw the doctor and a nurse wrapping a tiny foal in a blanket.

"Congratulations, Ms. Belle," the doctor said, walking over to Sweetie Belle with the foal. "It's a filly."

Sweetie Belle grunted and didn't move for a few seconds. "Give me a second, doc." She took a deep breath and, with some help from Rarity, managed to sit up in bed. The doctor gently placed the crying filly in Sweetie Belle's forelegs.

"She's beautiful," Rarity whispered. "She looks like you."

"Yeah, she looks like you, too," Sweetie Belle said, nuzzling her daughter. "Don't know what it is about our family and white fur, but there you go."

Rarity reached out and slowly stroked the soft mane, whose color was a cross between hers and Sweetie Belle's. "Did you finally decide on a name yet?"

"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said quietly, holding her filly closer and gently rocking her. "Joyous Blossom. I think I'm going to mostly call her Blossom, though."

"I think that's a beautiful name." Rarity leaned in closer to the foal. "Hello, Blossom. I'm your Aunt Rarity, and I'm going to help take care of you."

"Good, because I'm exhausted," Sweetie Belle groaned.

Rarity smirked and straightened up. "Do you still want to turn the father into a gelding?"

"No, I guess not." Sweetie Belle cracked one eye open and smirked back. "Maybe a little, though."

"Well, good riddance to him, at any rate. You two are going to be very happy living with me."

"Yeah." Sweetie Belle closed her eyes again and leaned back. "Think about that later. Right now I'm gonna..."

"You do that, Sweetie Belle. You've had a hard day."

Rarity heard Sweetie Belle's light breathing a few seconds later, and gently levitated the sleeping foal out of Sweetie Belle's forelegs. She sat down in a nearby chair and cradled her niece, holding her close and gently nuzzling her. "Joyous Blossom," she whispered. "I love you so much. I've loved you since I first heard about you. I will do my best to make sure that you are protected from what is bad in the world. Someday you will hear of my sins. I wish that wasn't the case, but I will be here to help you through that. It won't be easy, but you have more ponies around you who love you than you could comprehend."

Blossom shifted in her blanket and leaned her head against Rarity's chest. Rarity chuckled and gently held Blossom closer.

"I cannot wait to see what kind of mare you grow into, Joyous Blossom. One thing I do know is that you'll be a light to those around you. You'll bring more joy than even the joy I'm feeling just holding you. Life is a beautiful thing, and I can't wait to experience it with you."

* * * *

Seven years later

"Are you ready, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, walked over to the coat rack, and collected her small saddlebag. "Yeah, I think so."

Rarity smiled and nuzzled her sister. "There is no reason to worry, Sweetie Belle. I'm sure that Blossom had a wonderful time at school."

"I know, I know, it's just..." She shook her head as her and Rarity headed out the door. "She's growing up so fast. It's only been a few months since she's been born, right? She's still my little foal?"

Rarity chuckled and shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Sweetie Belle. Your little filly is going to be a grown mare before you know it."

Sweetie Belle groaned and rubbed her temple. "No, no, no, I don't want to think about that. Let's just get her from her first day of school before we think about what college she's going to go to, okay?"

"Fair enough. However, given her excitement from this morning, I don't imagine she'll want to leave."

"Yeah, maybe not," Sweetie Belle admitted. "I might as well enjoy that while it lasts before I have to constantly get on her about doing her homework, and no she can't go out with her friends until that essay is finished!"

"As horrible as my... predicament was growing up, at least I can say that I never did have to write any five page essays on the Post-Discord reconstruction period. It's the small mercies that get one through hardships."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in." The two mares looked out in the distance and saw Ponyville's schoolhouse coming up. They could already see the various families gathered around the schoolyard. Rarity frowned as the two of them got closer.

"Do you see her?" Rarity asked, scanning the various ponies for a hint of Blossom's distinctive white coat.

Sweetie Belle shook her head. "No, I don't. Maybe she's inside with some friends?"

"Perhaps." Rarity's stomach tightened as she continued to look for her niece. "Sh-she's around here somewhere, of course. It's foolish to assume otherwise."

Sweetie Belle's smile became a little more brittle and she nodded. "Of course. Nothing's..." She let out a big sigh of relief and pointed to the door of the schoolhouse "There she is."

Rarity's stomach unclenched and a wide smile crossed her face when she saw Blossom happily bouncing out of the schoolhouse with Cheerilee walking behind her. Her and Cheerilee exchanged waves as the two sides drew closer.

"Hey, Blossom!" Sweetie Belle said, sitting down so that she could hug her daughter. "Did you have fun today?"

"Oh lots!" Blossom chirped, nuzzling into Sweetie Belle's chest. We learned about math and reading and writing and even some stuff about Princess Celestia!"

"Sounds awesome. You're going to have to tell me all about it," Sweetie Belle replied.

"She was a joy to have today." Cheerilee winked at the two of them. "No pun intended, of course."

Rarity rolled her eyes and threw a foreleg around Cheerilee for a hug. "I'm glad that everything went well."

"Oh yeah, it was awesome!" Blossom said happily. "Hey Aunt Rarity, did you know that Miss Cheerilee was Mommy's teacher when Mommy was a filly?"

"I certainly did. She was also one of my classmates when I was your age."

Blossom turned her infectious smile to Cheerilee. "You were?!"

"Oh yes, your aunt and I got along quite well. We were best friends for a while."

"Did you make any friends today, Blossom?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Blossom nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah, lots! There's a filly who sits next to me named Ruby Shine and we both liked each other's pencils and so we, uh..." She frowned in fillyish ponderance. "What's the word?"

"Traded?" Sweetie Belle guessed.

"Yeah, that! Traded!" She looked back up at her mother and a pleading look crossed her face. "So when can I come back, Mommy?"

"Tomorrow morning at the same time, and then you can learn more and spend more time with Ruby Shine."

"Yay!" Blossom broke away from the hug and began bouncing up and down. "Can tomorrow come soon?"

"It will come in due time, Blossom," Rarity said. "For now we have to go home. We'll get some cookies and chocolate milk and you can tell us all about it."

Blossom's ears perked up. "Chocolate milk and cookies? Yum!" She turned to Cheerilee. "Um... Miss Cheerilee? I'm gonna go home now if that's okay."

"Of course it is, Blossom. I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, the three of them turned and made their way back to Carousel Boutique. "I'm so glad that you enjoyed school today, Blossom," Rarity said. "I know you'll do very well there."

"Oh yeah, it's all a lot of fun," Blossom replied. "I can't wait to go back tomorrow."

"I can imagine," Rarity said.

Rarity happily sighed as she watched her niece bounce up and down, happy from the first day of school. In a way, she felt like things had come full circle for her, but they were moving forward instead of repeating past mistakes. Seeing the joy from young Blossom made her realize one thing.

Everything was going to be okay.

A Shadow Hangs Overhead

by BronyWriter

I Didn't Want This

The Big White Building

I'll Be There For You

My Sister

Patient Difficulty

Sweet Beauty

Free

They All Know

Run Free

The Creek

Confrontation

I Want it to be Done

Setting Sun, Rising Moon

Redemption

Breaking Silence

All Out

Final Talk

Must Come Down

New Beginnings

Joy