> Chasing Eternity.
>  by the frank
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------



Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria... 

Three hundred and twentyfour years ago, after princess Sunset Shimmers glorious return to Equestria and the final defeat of Queen Chrysalis, her royal highness Princess Celestia decided it was time to move on, and abdicated. She named Sunset Shimmer her heir and new princess of the Sun, and the year 1023 AB became Year 0 ANR in the new timeline. Three years later, her royal highness Princess Luna also decided it was time to step down, and transferred her connection to the moon and her duties to Princess Twilight Sparkle. 

As new ruler, Princess Twilight decided it was time to settle down, and married the Unicorn Dame Rarity Belle, Fashionista Grandeur. Their love saga has been sung by many maws and have with some right been called "The greatest love story in Equestria". However, it ended in much bitterness as Dame Rarity died abruptly, although at the respectable age of 94, nevertheless leaving her people in shock and her wife in tears. A national week of grief was proclaimed, but it still took another year for Princess Twilight to appear in public. It is not strange, as Dame Rarity was the last of the Elements of harmony to pass, and also as her longtime companion Spike the Brave and Glorious went into hibernation, that it took considerable time for Princess Twilight to overcome her feelings of sorrow and grief.

Or at least, that's what everypony thought. 

Canterlot Castle
Year 324 Anno Novus Regno
15 June,  Saturday evening. 

It had not been a particularly rough day, as Saturdays seldom were. Daycourt was only in session weekdays, but there were still numerous ponies requesting audiences, and there was as always the occational “spontaneous but friendly visit” from some of Equestrias neighbours. Today it had only been two audiences from Baltimare and a small delegation from Zebrica who only wanted to bring her tea, but princess Sunset Shimmer still had decided to excuse herself early. In the solitude of her facility, Sunset looked at herself in the mirror. Not youthful and smooth like a baby’s bottom, but not bad. She thought about her options for the evening. There WAS this new club… but no. Tea, and a glass of brandy. And then bed. Back in Sunset Shimmer's youth, Saturdays meant parties, time with friends and the occasional shindig. But youth is youth and middle age is middle age, especially when that youth is some hundred years back. She would choose the calm afternoon tea over a bar brawl anytime. Her friends nowadays felt the same anyway and the older she grew, the more comfortable was her bed. For once she was rather happy her consort was out to sea. Auntie needs some shut-eye, and naps are underrated anyway.

She had lowered the sun just half an hour earlier, giving way to a beautiful moon. However, she hadn’t seen her fellow ruler all day. She hadn’t payed it much attention, but now it stroke her as odd. Therefore she took the detour passing the Nightcourt on her way to her quarters. Princess Twilight held court almost every day of the week, at least for a couple of hours. Sunset stepped through the door that led into the courtroom, but to her surprise, there was no sign of Princess Twilight. There was the usual crowd, odd and as small as it usually was. There were also a couple of Night guards, and of course Twilight’s faithful secretary Parsnip in his usual place next to the throne with a scroll in front of him. But the throne was severely lacking an Alicorn. Sunset only stood there and stared, and it took a while until she realised that ponies were actually looking at her, murmuring. And then Parsnip noticed her, and began to trot towards her, greeting her in his usual manner.

“Oy, yer ‘ighness! Yer ‘ighness!”

Parsnip’s butchering of the Equestrian language in his hayrish dialect was something Sunset never would understand how TWILIGHT, the most pernickety pony of all, could stand. Nevertheless, she smiled with her best Celestial impercination.

“Good evening, Parsnip, guards, citizens. What seems to be the matter?”

“It’s a bogging nightmare! Ye see, we can’t seem to foind Princess Twilight anywere! And Nightcourt is bound to open now!”

Sunset raised her eyebrows slightly. “You can’t find her either? That’s strange…”

“Well, me greatest apologies, yer ‘ighness! But we’ve searched evryweer! ‘Er chambers, the garden, the observatory, the doughnut shop… she’s nowhere to be found!”

Sunset was silent, frowning. It was not at all like Twilight to play hookey, and even if she was ill, she dragged herself down to Nightcourt anyway and usually had to be locked up to relax. And Parsnip was probably right, they had searched everywhere.  Except perhaps for… she thought. Suddenly remembering what day it was, she sighed. “No, Parsnip… not everywhere. I know where we can find her.” She sighed again. “However, I highly doubt that she will be of any particular use tonight. I will fill in for her, but court will have to be adjourned early. Then I will go and look for her. And do not worry, Parsnip. She will be back by dawn.

The middle aged thestral unicorn sighed with relief. “Why, that would be the dog's bollocks, yer ‘ighness! Really a marvelous luck that yer ‘appened to pass ’ere! There ain’t that many cases, the first is ‘bout a stallion who want’s to marry a haycart and the second is…”

Princess Sunset sighed and faked her most royal smile. Whiskey. Forget the tea. 

***

Despite the unorthodox wedding plans, court had been quick and efficient, and had been adjourned after only one and a half hour, including tea break. She had politely refused Parsnip’s wish to join her, and so she found herself alone, trotting through the corridors of Canterlot Castle. She was heading for the southwest wing, the castle's most secluded area. Here was the royal treasury, Sunset's personal library of dark literature and… one more thing. Very few ponies came here, and only a small squadron of guards were allowed to work here. She turned around a corner and found herself facing a pair of large wooden gates, protected by three guards. One thestral, one pegasus and one unicorn. They had probably heard her hoofsteps, because they were all standing ready with their spears.

“Halt! Who’s the… Oh. I’m Sorry, your highness. Good evening.”

She smiled. “At ease, gentleponies. You’re only doing your job. I’m looking for Princess Twilight. Have you seen her?”

Immediately the guards eyes fell, looking in every direction but to Sunset. Once again she smiled, and put a reassuring hoof on the closets soldiers shoulder, which happened to be the unicorn. “She probably asked you to tell everypony asking that you hadn’t see her, am I right?” They nodded. “Well, no worries. I’ll make sure there won’t be any consequences for you. She’s in there, right?”

The stallion kept looking down, and finally said, with a low voice, “...yes. And if you permit me saying… she looked really, really sad.”

“I assumed as much, and I permit. I will talk to her. As you were, gentleponies. We will return soon.”

Sunset went through the gate and closed it behind her. The long corridor in front of her was decorated with leadlights in the richest colours. Here, the siege of canterlot. There, the sonic rainboom. Another depicted the defeat of Tirek, and another the definitive death of King Sombra. 

The epitaphs that paved the way to a mausoleum. The memories of the Elements of harmony.

At the end of the corridor was a round and light room, with five marble coffins placed in a circular form in the middle. One space was open, and there, lying where her coffin might have been was Princess Twilight. She had been crying, Sunset could see, but now she lay as if she was sleeping. Sunset took a step, and spoke.

“I was surprised to not find you at night court, but then I remembered the date. How many years has it been?”

“319 years, five months, three days, ten hours and fifteen minutes since our wedding. And 263 years, two months, three days and two hours since she... left. Not that I’ve been counting.” Twilight spoke with a dull, tired voice. “I still remember the huff she made about her dress, and that I didn’t want to wear my crown at the wedding.”

Sunset sat down next to her.

“You.... I’m sorry. I always tend to forget how much you loved her.”

“She was my life, Sunset. I hate every day I have to spend without her.”

Sunset was going to say something, but found no words. She knew that Twilight was somewhat jealous of her. She had Adagio as her companion, with her long lifespan of a siren. Sure, Adagio spent most of her time in the sea… but she was there. Twilight had no one, and had never tried to replace Rarity. She always said she didn’t have time, but Sunset was convinced that she didn’t want to replace her. 

The silence grew heavier on Sunset. She felt that the best she could do was to just be there, but... Twilight was so very low that... that seemed to little for her. So Sunset cleared her throat and spoke.

“I suppose it feels better here, with the remains of your friends. At least you have that part of her, that must be worth something.” Twilight muttered something. "And they were embalmed, so... if you want to, you can always just look at her."

Twilight muttered again. Sunset felt like a complete idiot now, she should stop talking, right now and leave her friend alone. But her mouth operated separately from the brain now. "Coming to think of it, I havent looked for a while. Want to join me?" Sunsets horn began to glow, and the lids opened all at once. Only now did Twilight react. "Sunset, no!"

But it was to late. She had seen. Five coffins. There should therefor be five bodies. But one casket was severly devoid of any corpse, and that was the one belonging to the former element of generosity.

“She isn’t here.”  Sunsets mouth fell open. "She isn't... where is she?" She turned around to find Twilight staring at her, but not in anger. She was crying, and the tears filled her eyes almost completely.

“I don't know!"

"What?" Sunset stared at Twilight, then at the coffin, then at Twilight again. The latter once again screamed "I don't know!"and then she was gone. She had teleported, Celestia knew where. Sunset stared at the empy spot, then she closed the caskets and ran. She shouted "dismissed"to the surpriced guards, but she didn't find Twilight for the whole night. In the end, she fell asleep crying. But her tears were in shame.





When Sunset awoke, the sun was shining right in her eyes. She jumped out of bed, since she knew that meant it was past noon. She instantly froze. At her teatable next to her bed sat Twilight. Her eyes were red, but she smiled. Sunset felt a cold lump in her stomach. "Twilight, I'm so, SO sorry... It was all my fault. I shouldn't..." She was silenced by a hoof. "It's ok, Sunset. It's... more my fault than yours."

"Twilight, I was..."

"Sunset." Once again Twilights hoof were at her mouth. "Even if it was clumsy of you, it was I that kept a secret from my fellow ruler. I kept it from the only one who could understand, who deserved to know." Sunset opened her mouth again, but Twiligth continued. "Trust me. It's ok. I have been wanting to tell you for many years and always chickened out. I'm glad it's out, even if it hurts."

Sunset swallowed a few times, and spoke. "So... She is gone." Twilight nodded. "Not only is the casket empty... she has never been inside it?" Twilight nodded again. "But... but I was there! I saw it!" Twilight shook her head.

"Just an illusion. "

"But...why?"

"She died at the royal hospital. I was there when she died... then I went to arrange the funeral and when I came back... she was gone! The guards hadn't seen anything, and the undertaker had simply assumed she had been moved to the castle. She had vanished from the earth! I searched we searched, but… In the end, I decided to go through with everything to avoid a scandal and to get time to search. For over a year, I combed Equestria. Nothing. In the end... I gave up. The empty tomb was there as a remainder of my failure."

"But why didn't you tell me? Or the staff? We could have helped..."

"Because I was ASHAMED OF MYSELF, SUNSET!"  Once again she began to cry. “Don't you see, Iwas the worst wife in the world! I couldn’t keep her alive, and even dead, I couldn’t even secure her body! I suck as a wife! I miss her so much and I don’t even know where she is buried, if she is buried and not eaten be timberwolves or diamond dogs or… And the only reason I go here is to remind myself what a stupid pony I am, and that I never must forgive myself and...”

The words ended in a stream of tears. Sunset’s mouth finally began to work again. “Oh, Poor Twilight… I’m so sorry... I didn't know…”

“How could you? Nopony knows. Nopony but me. I don’t want Equestria to know what a failure I am.” She lowered her head.

“Twilight…”  Sunset took a step closer, and put her wings around Twilight. They stood that way for some minutes, and the Sunset whispered.

“What...happened? If you’re okay talking about it, that is.”

Twilight sighed. “Not much to say, that's the worst part. Even if I knew how bad her health was, it still came so sudden... You were with me in Griffonia that day, you remember my reactions I think." Sunset nodded. "Well, I went home as soon as I heard the news.  I saw her only once. She looked so...peaceful, like she was only sleeping. I... I don't remember what I did, or how long I stayed. I do remember my guard tapping me on the shoulder to raise the moon... I left shortly after that. I wanted to stay, but I had my duties... and a funeral to attend. But they were so kind to me and then... "

"And then?"

"I turned around in the doorway. You know what? I was hoping it all had been a joke and that she would sit up and look at me. Stupid, I know. I had one final look at her. And then… she was gone.”

“Gone?”

“Gone. Not a trace. I had guards posted outside, and they had orders only to let the doctors and the undertaker to pass. Dr. Hospis was the last one to see her, at 23.45 that night. I read his journal, " She quickly added, "probably more than a hundred times. 'body checked at 23.45. Early signs of Rigor Mortis. Everything is well.' And that was the last time. No traces. No open windows, nothing. It was as she had turned into smoke. I searched, my guard searched but… nothing. Oh, Celestia, t was so embarrassing. I had my guard to swear secrecy, and the undertaker... he made a nice retirement fund from that one fake funeral."

Sunset looked at her. "To buy time. "

"Yes. And to avoid questions. And when these ones-” Twilight pointed at the stone coffins “-were made, I personally moved the empty coffin so that nopony would notice.”

Sunset was crying with Twilight now. “Oh, Twilight…”

“All I want, Sunset… is to know. To know what happened so I... . And then... if I know, I wouldn't feel so ashamed. And then, perhaps I could get some peace.”

Sunset stayed with Twilight and stroke her mane. If only there was something to do. But this was close to require a miracle, and even alicorns had trouble with those.
> 1. Resurgat.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Year 324 Anno Novus Regno
15 June,  Saturday night.
The outskirts of Manehattan. 

Tee Enntee was a surprisingly discreet pony. She didn't look like it, but she was. As she sat with her coffee in one of the late-night cafés in Tartaros Kitchen, one or two ponies glanced an extra second on her before they left. But it was not that kind of discreet. She was rather young, barely 28, but had been in the business for eight years. She was a Manehattan unicorn, with chocolate brown fur and an auburn mane and tail, which she usually had tied up in a bun. Her tail also had a streak of dark red. She was not discretely coulored, but it was not a problem. In the dark, everypony was grey. And the dark was very associated with her line of work. She was discreet in the meaning, "Silent in the night, blending with the shadows and fast when it mattered." 

When asked, Tee Enntee officially introduced herself as an “demi-proffessional excavator”. It was a good title, because it sounded solid enough for some to simple nod in approval, and it was obscure enough for the ones who had no idea what that meant to nod knowligly as well. If somepony kept asking her about it, she sometimes explained it as "amateur archeologist", but she didn't like that. Partly because it sounded silly, and partly because it sounded a bit to much like "grave robber". Which ironicly would have been a much more truthful description, since that was, in reality, what she did. 

She had no degree on the subject, but she wasn't uneducated either. She had begun her archological studies at the Trottingham University at the age of 22, with the outspoken goal of being a fullfledged archeologist. A field trip to a digging site, where she got her cutie mark changed that goal however. Her cutie mark was two bones covered by grass, which could mean pretty much anything from trashprocurator to Osteologist, but in fact, her special talent was to find hidden or forgotten graves...

At first, it was just a way to get ahead some in her studies, but as she kept going, she discovered that some ponies were buried with a surprising amout of valuable items. And at the very least, something a pawn shop could be interested in, or the less careful second hand shops. Slowly, but surely her 'hobby' grew and in the end she decided to leave the university and start her own "business". It had been a rough start, but now, after three years, it was starting to pay big time! This year for example, she had been the source of over seventeen re-used wedding dresses. She was considering sending one or two greeting cards, especially in that case the groom had bought it from her directly. 

She did have standards, though. She never dug up coffins, she just excavated old mausoleums or grave chambers. Surprisingly many wealthy ponies had those, and since they were already dead... Mostly, it was pretty boring work. Find a door, look for things, leave. Occationally there were other stuff, though. Clues hidden in plain text showing the way to a sack of gold inside a concrete badger, or a hidden chest under the last pelar on the right... It gave her work a little more value. This night promised to be something in that 'extra special' way. She looked at the moon, and then her watch. 23.30. Time to act. She left her table, gave a nod to the owner, and walked out into the darkness. It was a seven minute trot to her target for the night. The old burial ground of Dusty Hill in west Manehattan had been the subject of many expeditions for her and was more or less her “home base”. And yet, her latest target was something she found completely by mistake. Ironically, it had been by day, as well. In the far east end, there was a small hill, covered in grass and moss and surrounded by small spruces. She had checked it out thoroughly, and it was indeed just a hill. She sometimes came there to sit and watch. The grave yard was one of the more peaceful places in the busy metropol and she enjoyed bringing some coffee and a sandwich and just enjoy the silence. However, the last time, she was caught in a brief rain shower, and as she tried to run for shelter, she slipped on the wet moss and rolled down the hill and right into a big shrubbery right under the main wall. She lay there for a bit, cursing her bad luck and the pain in her legs as she noticed something white protrude under the moss. She carefully began to shove the moss and the bush aside, only to discover pure marble. Old and cracked, yes, but still marble. She had immedeately left, only to return that night. It had taken almost the whole night to remove the bushes enough to get at clear path, but it had been worth it. A mausoleum in pure chalk stone and marble. She didn't have to look for other signs, there WAS money in this, she was sure. However, she didn't have time to go inside that night, and she returned after a days rest to investigate more. But that night hadn't given any answers, rather the opposite. The mausoleum was located so that it was not to be seen from the main walkway or any paths. It had no ornaments or decorations or even any text that gave away the inhabitant. It was almost completely in ruins, and only one of the walls bare signs of it to actually be a building and not some kind of cellar. The pathway was visible, but the stairway down to the crypt itself had been blocked with stones. It was so random, almost as if... somepony had tried to blow the place up. It was a sloppy job, since she without troubles could climb down to the door, but still.

No name, no signs, and signs of sabotage. The warning signs were clear, and Tee did hesitate to enter. Perhaps it would be better just to leave it alone? But two more days passed, and she couldn't get it out of her mind. And today she had made up her mind. It was time. And here she was, standing in front of the staircase. She lit her flashlight, and begun. 

The door was locked, but that was no problem. Inside was pitch black, but the flashlight showed her another staircase, much slimmer, that went down. Just a few meters, but still. She proceeded, and when the staircase ended... she could hardly believe her eyes.

The room was big. Three times bigger than the usual crypt. And it was stuffed with objects you never found in any tomb at all. Wardrobes after wardrobes, dresses at display… almost all of them covered in dust. Tee touched some of them. There was some kind of magic was at work, because except from the dust, they were in perfect condition. They had to be more than hundreds of years old though. Tee was no fashion expert, but she knew outdated when she saw it. There was also mirrors, a couch, a small teatable with chairs and an ancient sewing machine standing on a single table. She recognized the manufacturer and interestingly enough, the model. It was a Singer Magic master 21. She always kept an eye on the lastest Antique Roadshows, and she had seen on of theese being sold for over 10.000 bits! And that one had been rather scruffy, but this... this was in mint condition! This was no tomb, it was a fashion salon!

And then she noticed the coffin and the writing on the wall.

She stared at the writing, then the coffin, back and fourth for a couple of minutes. How could she miss THAT when she entered? The writing was done by a hoof dippen in brown paint and read TWILIGHT SPARKLE. The coffin was made of stone, black granite to be precise, and, placed on a base in the centre of the room. A glass lid, apparantly once placed on top of it, lay shattered on the floor. Alright. This is weird. I mean... princess Twilight is not seen much, but she isn't DEAD... No. Screw that. It's nothing. Perhaps it was done for good luck.  She thought to herself and shook her head,  So what if this guy was some rich, royalfanatic and egoistic fahionista. I've seen worse. That lid... Well, at times animals like foxes or frogs could find their way in and make some muddle. Nothing strange at what the HAY is THAT?...
She had finally noticed something that was completely out of the picture. The large wooden stake that stood straight out from it. Tee wanted to run, but curiosity won. She slowly trotted up to the coffin and looked. Inside, with the stake drawn in between the ribs, was a skeleton of a unicorn.  Presumably a mare, judging from the shape of the skull. Old and dusty, yes, but other than that, intact. Tee could do nothing but stare. A crypt that looked like a dress shop, a staked corpse, remains of an explosion? In that moment, Tee decided to run. Forget everything about this place and get as far away from Manehattan as she could. And yet, there she stood. Staring. Staring at the two big holes where the eyes once had been. Had the skeleton moved slightly? No, it was just her imagination. The head had always been facing her. Yes. 

"I shall leave. Now. Though that door. And never return. Yes."

But she didn't move. 

"No. There is nothing spooky about this. Stakes through bodies was sometimes used to keep bad spirits at bay. Only superstition. Only superstition," she murmured under her breath. And then, with determination, her magic reached for the stake... and pulled it out from the body. She closed her eyes. Nothing happened. Everything was silent. Tee noticd she had been holding her breath. She smiled an uneasy smile. Such a filly she had been, letting her imagination run wild with her. It was nothing, a bit weird, but hey. Weird was not the same as dangerous. Just superstition!

She began to look around the room and saw a couple of torches on the wall. They seemed to be working still and she lit a few. A warm, orange light filled the room. Now she could get a much better wiev of all the clothes, and perhaps get an estimated value of them! It would take a few nights to get all of it out, but it would be worth it! Perhaps she could keep this as a storage! She could sell a few of these dresses a month, and still earn a good living! So what if this was weird, it was good weird! A bright future was before her.

Tee was so deep in her own thoughts that she didn't notice the faint green light coming from the coffin. It was just a moment, and then gone, but it had been there. For Tee, it was probably for the best that she didn’t see. She didn't see how the nerve fibres, the veins and the lymphatic system begin to crawl over the skeleton and cling to it like fat, slimy worms. She didn't see muscles beginning to grow, merging with tendons and attatiching themselves to bones and soft tissues. Then the heart grew in place, and began to immideately pump blood, filling the empty veins. Then came the other inner organs and finally, flesh, skin and fur. 

The resurrected pony blinked a couple of times, then she opened up her eyes. It was an alabaster unicorn, pretty young, barely thirty. She had purple mane and tail, both arranged in a delicate wave. She sat up in her coffin and streched. She had vague memories of what had happened, screaming, a loud bang, a fight and a tremendous pain in her chest. Chest.... She saw the stake on the floor. Then she noticed the room was lit and then... She saw a pony looking through her wardrobes! Such frivolity! Such insolence! She climbed out, and walked over to the pony, who didn't notice anything. She cleared her throath.

“Ehrm. Pardon me, Darling, but it’s not polite to search through private property.”

Tee spun around with a loud scream, her eyes almost popping out of her head. “You- you…”

"Yes?"

"You... You..."

Rarity frowned. "I hope you can use more than that word, darling. It won't be much of a conversation otherwise."

Tee's legs shook, she swallowed loudly, and spoke. "Where... who are you?"

“Yes, perhaps an introduction is at hoof, darling. Rarity Belle is the name. Or more accurate... Belle-Sparkle, unless something extraordinary has occured in my absence... But how rude of me! Your name, darling?”

“T-tee. Tee Enntee, ma’am.”

“Ah well, miss Enntee. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. Now, I have a lot of questions that need answers… What year is it?”

“Year … -year 324!”

The unicorn named Rarity made huge eyes and began to shout. “324... Oh no! Oh no no no! Oh, poor Twilight! My poor darling Twilight! How lonely she must have been! I was not... I expected a few years but not this long... Oh my love, how it must have hurt... But not to worry, darling! I’m coming for you! Your own Rarity will come to the rescue!" She made a dramatic pause, dragging a hoof through her mane. "But first things first! I need a mirror! I need a brush! I need a visit to a Spa! And I need to… Now, excuse me, you there!”

Tee had slowly been making her way to the entrance as Rarity turned her attention to her.

“Me? ”

“Yes, you darling. There is nopony else here. It's rude to leave someone in the middle of conversation. We were NOT done. What were you doing here?” Tee tried to back towards the stairs, but there was something in the unicorn’s eyes that made her freeze.

“Eh...hehehe, nothing! Nothing at all! I was just... passing by.”

“Passing by? I. Don't. Think. So. " 
She walked over to Tee and looked her straight in her eyes. "Considering the year you told me, I have apparently been resting here for... over 200 years. That is a long time, but I DO recall an attempt to destroy my crypt. Ruffians... Anyway, since all my designs are still here, and their EXCELLENT condition, really Rarity that spell was a MASTERPIECE, where was I... Oh yes! I can tell it has not been open since. SO that leaves me with two options. Either you tell the truth, that came here by chance… Or, which is more likely, you came here to STEAL!”

In that instant, Rarity’s eyes flashed red, and she opened her mouth to reveal a set of sharp fangs.

“I HATE petty little thieves... small, unimportant creatures without any imagination of their own, trying to claim MY work to gain wealth to themselves... I am a firm believer in the Equestrian system of justice, but in this case I think I will make an exception and be my own judge. You see, two hundred years as a skeleton makes one awfully hungry…” She licked her lips, and walked closer to Tee, who couldn’t move a muscle, her legs locked up and her muscles tensed, stuck in the threatening glare of the monster before her. She didn't even dare to close her eyes, as the monster came closer and closed her maw around her neck.

But the pain never came. Instead, Rarity or whatever this was, drew back her head and looked at her more calmly. Her eyes was still red, but it was an improvement.

“However… As delicious it would be to decanter a dirty little thief… Are you any good?”

Tee raised her eyebrows in confusion, but nodded. “How much do you make a year?”

“Uhm… 34500 bits last year.” The truth will set me free, the truth will set me free...

Rarity let out a low whistle. “That is not bad. That's actually rather impressive! For somepony on the wrong side of the law. As I said… Normally, I would not hesitate a minute to eat you, darling. But I could use a servant. And who is better at the task than a thief! A thief who knows her way around the dark streets and the black markets. Who has "Discretion" painted on her forehead... Besides, it would be more than foolish to make the same damn mistake again..." The last part she murmured mostly to herself. "Are you discreet? Do you have connections?" Tee nodded. "Splendid! Then we have an agreement! I will not kill you.” Tee sighed with relief, only to find Rarity next to her in the next moment, maw uncomfortably close to her neck. “I do, however, need to mark you.”

The bite hurt terribly, and the sound of the vampire feeding from her was disgusting AND scary. But as quick as the pain had come, it was over, and Rarity was once again a few feet away from her. She was licking her lips in a rather unladylike way. “Aaaah… I needed that. Now then. That wound will never heal, as a sign of our bond. From now on and ‘til time’s end you’re MINE, thrall." 
She began to walk around tee, looking at her from every angle and eyeing her critically. "You have difficult colors, but I will make your wardrobe work, darling. I will dress you as a proper servant to me! But Tee… tsk tsk… such a boring name. Not vampiric at all. I will name you… Sneaky. That is much better.”

Rarity turned away from T -Sneaky, and made a dramatic pose. She didn't even miss to place herself in a position that put half her face in the dark. “And now, Sneaky, your first mission. Feed your mistress... You shall bring me two... no, three... No, just two. That will be enough. Two young ponies here. I am quite famished, so please be quick.” Sneaky was staring at her, frozen in place. The only movement was her hoof feeling the wound on her neck. It stung a little, but was wearing off. Rarity looked annoyingly at her. “ Well, what are you waiting for? GET OUT!”

Sneaky turned, and stumbled up the stairs. Rarity followed her out of the crypt. She saw her thrall running in panic, but she was calm. Her thrall would return, if she knew what was best for her. She stepped out of the door. She looked at the stones, and with her magic, she cleared the path and stepped out in the moonlight. There, she took a deep sniff of the cool, fresh air.

“Too long… way too long. But do not worry, princess… Your Rarity is back. And this time, she WILL never leave you…”
> 2. Make sure the right one gets in.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The major difference between working as a semi-professional grave robber and the thrall of a overdramatic vampire was… Was... Sneaky/Tee frowned. She wasn't sure there even was one. After a month, she knew pretty much how the land lay, and it had not changed much. She still did most of her work at night at the cemetery, she still had to watch out for guards, and she still made a stinking amount of money. She had been right, there WAS money in this. Rarity had been rather wealthy in her days. Rarity... Alright, there was one difference. Having a boss was new, but a boss like Mistress Rarity that  threatened to kill her if she misbehaved? Definitley a downer. 

However, she couldn’t blame anypony for lack of variety. One day she was drugging pegasi so the mistress could have a snack on the fly, another day she had to scrub the whole crypt because ‘a vampire deserved glamour’, and the next day she was negotiating with a broker over the price of a house in Canterlot. He was very reluctant, and in the end the mistress had to pay him a personal visit to make him accept their offer. The mistress was very silent about her plans, and even when Sneaky straight out asked if they were moving to Canterlot, all she got was a “perhaps.”

But ‘perhaps’ had turned into reality just a few days back, and now she was walking towards Canterlot, with a heavy wagon behind her. The train was not an option since the mistress demanded her stone coffin be brought along, and that would have meant to many questions from the staff. After her first attempt to lift it, Sneaky had asked if it really was necessary to bring it, and the Mistress had stared at her, growled and shown her teeth. That was her most convincing argument, and Sneaky had just to put the yoke on and load up the freshly stolen wagon. That was three days ago, and now she could finally see the Gates of Canterlot not so far ahead. But she had considered bailing out more than once during those days. Yesterday she had decided that she had enough, and got a room at a hotel leaving the cart by the road. But the wound had began to hurt the moment she walked away and that night, she awoke with something heavy pushing her down in the bed. When she opened her eyes, she looked straight into the mistress red eyes. The room was pitch black, everything was the Mistress’ eyes and voice.

“In case you have forgotten thrall, you are mine in flesh, blood and mind. Wherever you go, wherever you hide, I will find you. Try to escape, and death will be your only reward. But you are a good thrall, and not planning on running away, are you? This was just a moment of confusion, just the urge for a nice bed and nothing else, hmm? Tomorrow you will resume your work, won't you?” Just like a cat’s purr, soft and deadly, her voice was. Sneaky shook her head in panic. “Good thrall.” Rarity patted her on her head. “Oh, and darling. You look so rugged, and we both know I can’t have my personal thrall be looking… like that. You will find a new outfit for you on the cart tomorrow. And now, sleep. I need you in Canterlot in two days, or else. “

Sneaky couldn't get out of the hotel fast enough the next day. The clothes had been there, a new red shirt with a dark green vest. Making sweating and hard work look good. She had resumed her pulling the heavy cart. It was loaded with the coffin, all Rarity’s dresses, and the sewing machine. She didn't ask why anymore.

In the late afternoon, she passed the gates of canterlot. Finding the right house turned out to be a slight problem since the only thing she knew well was the cemeterys and burial grounds everywhere from Ponyville to the Crystal Empire. But the landmarks and streets of the living ponies she had only vague ideas of, other than pawn shops and cheap diners of cource. She had to ask her way through Canterlot; from the main gates and all the way up to the hill district. Up, up and up. It took her a good two hours, and she wished more than once for 62 Carfax avenue to be around the next corner. Worse was, she had no idea what the house looked like. But in the end, the final corner was turned, and she strangley enough knew she was at the right spot. She knew them best as monuments and graves of cource, but  how money looked like when turned into building material? She was an expert. This house was a prime example, although one of the better ones. Every weird angle and strange window screamed “expensively hoof drawn” and yet it looked perfectly reasonable, even good. She was a bit surprised that this was Rarity's choice of house, since her opinion of vampires was that they either lived in crypts or old castles. But she assumed that Rarity was an excecutive vampire. The house was painted a warm, creamy white, had two floors, and a large patio with a swimming pool. The inside contained a fully equipped Ponypohl kitchen, two bathrooms (both with jacuzzi) and even a music room with a grand piano. And of cource, a whole lot of wardrobes. The only thing that felt typically vampiric was the basement. Fittingly enough it was dark and a bit moist, although that could be blamed on the tumble dryer in the corner. The first thing she did was to make a cup of coffee, and then she began with the biggest task: arranging the Mistress’ wardrobe. That would take up the remainders of the day, but she had time. 

The Mistress was not due to arrive until tomorrow. The Mistress had been surprisingly sharp when she gave her orders, she didn’t have four days to move her stuff and get everything organized, she was not permitted to be done before the said date. That was however not a problem. She had worked almost all evening, and still she was only half way. The next morning, she had her breakfast at a nearby café and began working some time after ten. The wardrobe sorting was done at 14, then she had lunch and begun the next big project. The Mistress wanted a ledge for her coffin to stand on, just as in her crypt. They had argued a bit over the choice of material, but in the end the mistress realized that marble was not a discreet material.  So, cement it was. While she waited for it to dry, she tried to unload the coffin. After five foul attempts, she gave up. killed by stone coffin of killed by vampire made no difference. She decided to take a nap instead. The house had been fully furnished, and Sneaky’s room was nice and cosy. It was placed on the ground floor, next to the basement door. That made her walk to the bed short, but she assumed the real reason was the Mistress wanting her close. She was just going to lay down for a bit, but she fell asleep the moment she lay down on the bed.

When she awoke, two hours later, she noticed that the sun was moving down. She panicked, and ran through the streets. After a good nap, Sneaky wanted nothing more than to relax and have dinner, but the Mistress had ordered her to be at their rendezvous point EXACTLY at sunset, and that was now. Or at least, close to now. Luckily, she knew exactly the place for their rendez-vouz, as it was one of her old hunting grounds, The St. Megan cemetery. It was fairly close to the house, but she still had to run to get there on time and she ran through the east gate almost exactly as the sun was under the horizon. She was sweaty and rather hungry but on time. She sat down, panting, next to a tree. She sat there for a while, watching the sun go down and catching her breath.  Nice sunset. But I should have eaten a bigger lunch. If I had but known... Oh well.  Maybe I can get an oatburger later… or a carrot sausage, that would work too. But I guess the mistress has work for me again. Where is she by the way? It’s not like her to be late. And…

“AAAHHHH!!!” 

She screamed from the top of her lungs, as a horrifying sight happened before her. The earth began to move in front of an old gravestone to her left. It almost looked as the earth was boiling, gravel and sand shot up from small holes and then! 

A white, dirty hoof shoot up! And then one more, and then a whole pony was rising up straight from the ground! Sneaky’s heart was halfway up her throat, but she soon recognized her Mistress growing up from the ground like a bad seed. And soon Rarity stood there, all four hooves on the ground, and the dirt as unmoved as before.

“What… how…?”

“Oh, my dear Sneaky… a vampire can rest in any kind of casket. Today I borrowed the spot from miss…” she paused to read from the tombstone, “Ah yes, Blind Spot. Pretty nice. Oak coffin, I think it was.”

“But… so you could sleep… anywhere?” Sneaky tried to grasp this, and Rarity smiled.

“Yes, basically. That’s one of the rather nice perks of being undead, don’t you think?

“Yes, but… If you can do that, why was it so important that I had have to move your coffin here then?”

Rarity rolled her eyes, and laid a hoof on Sneakys shoulder. “Darling… as charming as sharing a coffin is, black marble looks EXCELLENT in contrast to my fur. Now, come with me. You look exhausted, dear. There is this lovely little Bistro two blocks away. It has been ages since I had a good Equestrian WINE.”

Sneaky just followed, silently.

At the Bistro, Sneaky ordered grilled eggplant with hay fries and a cider. Rarity ordered a bottle of red wine. After the meal, and the lion’s part of the wine was consumed, Rarity spoke. "Well, thrall. I will assume that my orders have been carried out, at least if your way of eating is anything to go by. And now, it’s time to reveal…-” The Mistress took a long dramatic pause, waiting for just the right moment. “-my plan. My grand plan to win back the heart of my darling. In one month, Twilight Sparkle will, once again, be MINE!”

Rarity lay her head backwards and laughed. The whole diner turned and look at her. Sneaky noticed how the mistress actually blushed as she got silent. When the patrons had turned their attention back to their meals and drinks, Sneaky broke the silence.

“Alright. So, how will you do it?” This was another sensitive subject, since the mistress often talked about Princess Twilight and that she longed for her, but had yet to give any proper evidence about actually been close to the princess. Sneaky was not a well-read pony in that matter, and to her, the Mistress might as well been an obsessive stalker. 

“Ah, well. It’s quite simple. I need one week to get updated on the latest in fashion. Then, I need one week to make a dress. Then I will ask for an audience, and then I will reveal that I am alive, she will say ‘oh Rarity, is it really you?’ And I will say ‘yes’ and she will say ‘I don’t believe it’ and I will say ‘it is really me’, and then I will… kiss her and we will be so happy!”

Her Mistress got a dreamy look in her eyes. Sneaky swallowed her last piece. Vampire or not, Sneak was to much of a proffesional not to call out a bad plan. “Are you sure that is the way it will go, Mistress?” Rarity broke her lovestruck stare and frowned. 

“But of course.”

Sneaky swallowed. Oh well, have you said A...“Well, I don’t think that will happen.”

“Oh really." Raritys voice was lean as silk, and her eyes grew red. "Who knows the princess best, me or you?”

Sneaky looked back at her mistress. . “Well, I can only talk for myself, but… well, if my Brother, who died at the age of twelve, turned up here and said hi, I wouldn't hug him and kiss him. I would scream ‘aaaah, zombie!’ And try to beat him with a broom.

Another pause, and Rarity narrowed her eyes. “You talk back a lot for being a thrall.”

“Mistress, i am a demi-proffesional Excavator. I know some, and you need a better plan.”

"Mind your place, thrall!" Rarity glared at her. "But I admit... you might have a point. I permit you to think for yourself in this matter." She was deep in thought for a couple of minutes more. “Ah! Idea! If yours, and Twilight’s reactions are alike, I will just do what I did with you the first week. It will work perfectly!”

“Ehm... Mistress... What did you do to me? I didn't notice anything...” Sneaky began to sweat.

“No, darling. And that was the point, I was stalking you. All nights and even a slight part of the day. You should clean your refrigerator more often, dear.” Rarity paused, and noticed Sneaky staring at her. “Oh, of course that alone won’t make her love me. But it will give me information! And with information I can make a hoof-stitched attack plan, exactly suited to all her needs and wants and desires! And THEN she will love me! But first, I need an alter ego.”

Face-palming was probably to much, but Sneaky would have given her tail to be able to do that now. “Mistress, I don’t think… why would you need an alter ego anyway?”

“Darling, do you ever read books? Magazines? At least bad softcore pornography? I need an alter ego so that I can get close to her while giving her subtle hints of my existence and then reveal myself to have been close to her the whole time while she had NO IDEA it was me!” And then, all of a sudden, her eyes turned red and her fangs shot out. Her smile instantly changed her from pony to predator. “And then… She will give in to me… and give me all I want.”

In that moment, Sneaky definitely decided on the ‘obsessive stalker’ alternative.
> 3. More real than fiction.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter three
More real than fiction

It was rare for Princess Sunset to have a free afternoon. Her secretary, Blueprint, usually kept her on a tight schedule, but even he couldn't fabricate royal business on a whim. It was a beautiful summer day, and Sunset’s little ponies decided to spend their day in parks or at the beaches, meaning no cases in Daycourt. And most of the nobility had moved into their summer houses in Canterlittle, meaning no pre-booked audiences or angry requests from nobles demanding to see the princess ‘right this instant’. There had been one booked, The committee for the dismantling of popular music had an appointment at 11 o’clock, but in the end she got sick with hay fever. And to Blueprints annoyance and her own surprise, she found herself with absolutely nothing to do. No documents to read, no magic to practice. She had... a day off! That was over ten years since the last time! So what to do? She decided to not make such an important decision on an empty stomach, and so a lunch at that new hot place down at Plaza de Luna was first on the agenda. Then she would decide.

In the end, she decided that if she had nothing to do, then nothing was what she would do! She would spend the whole day slacking of in the castle garden. And there she was now. An ice cold cider within hooves reach, her favourite couch moved into the garden, and in front of her, a book. “The Queen and I” by Mare Laydown. Sunset never had it much for pure fiction, but even she had to admit that a nice days in the sun shouldn't be spent with “Starswirl the Bearded’s 87 least useful spells”, which had decorated her bedside since Mars. And to her dismay, she found herself deep in the book after just a few chapters.The protagonist was a young unicorn named Unique. At a party in the city of Townsville, she meets a strange mare, the most unsocial creature she ever met. And yet she can’t forget her through the years. And then they meet again, but now the strange mare is Queen of The United Pony Kingdom. Unique gains access to the queen's inner circle and goes on many adventures, as she is trying to repress her love for Queen Stardust. The story was pretty fantastic and completely unbelievable, but the author was an excellent storyteller with a slight snarky sense of humour, making the most cringeworthy moments bearable. Not to mention the more… parental advisory parts. Sunset found it fascinating that ‘teat’ could be used in that many ways. 

Sunset grabbed the glass in her magic and took a sip. She had just finished the suggestive chapter 16 with the title “Getting served by a Queen” when she heard discreet hoofsteps against the gravel, and a low voice next to her ear. “I am to inform you, your highness, that dinner will be ready in half an hour.” 

She abruptly looked up from her book, finding herself face to face with her valet, Bitworth. She was staring, but the griffon’s face was as calm and discreet as always. Finally she got control of her face and replied, “Thank you, Bitworth. I am sorry, but this book... Half an hour you said? Alright, I will have time to finish one more chapter until then, I hope.”

Bitworth responded with a small nod. “As you wish. However, I believe it is possible to delay dinner for at least a quarter, should that be necessary... Do you wish for some more refreshments, your highness?”

Sunset looked at her glass, almost empty. Oh, what the hay, it was summer. “Thank you Bitworth. I’d like another one of this, thank you.” The griffon left, and was soon back with another Cider, slightly colder than the last one. Sunset smiled, and took a long sip. And then she devoured chapter 17, “The Question”. That chapter however, gave her a feeling of annoyance. It was pretty obvious that Queen Stardust and Unique loved each other, but none of them made a move. The Queen was afraid to open herself to another pony, and Unique was sure the Queen never would get involved with a commoner. The ‘Question’ that finally was asked was ‘Do you like… roses?’ She grew more and more annoyed and finally she ejaculated, “Idiots!” over the whole garden, so that the royal gardeners and guards turned their heads. She smiled sheepishly, finished her cider and made her way to dinner.

Dinner was a calm affair, with only her and Twilight attending. After the coffee was served, Twilight spoke up, “You seem a bit off today, Sunset.”

“Can’t hide anything from you? Yeah, but… It's silly. It's a book and, well, I shouldn't be so annoyed with a work of fiction but…”

Twilight put a hoof on Sunset's shoulder. “Trust me, I understand. And it’s not silly, it’s perfectly normal. Although slightly annoying sometimes, I remember when the second to last Daring Do book was released, where she got married to…” She shook her head, “Well, it doesn't matter now. But I was frustrated for a week! So, what did the author do to you?”

“Well… I haven’t finished it yet, but… It's about two ponies in love and none of them dares to make any moves and it’s all for the stupidest reasons! Nopony would be that foolish in reality.”

“Hmm, really? One of M. Laydowns books perhaps? She has a tendency for that style.” Sunset nodded, and Twilight continued. “I have read a couple. They’re not the kind of book that makes a deep impact, but they are perfect for a rainy day, or an impromptu afternoon off, in this case.” Twilight paused, “Except, perhaps for… Oh. One of the ponies is a Unicorn? White fur, likes fashion?” Sunset raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Is it perhaps “The Queen and I?”

“Yeah, how did you guess that?”

“Because it’s probably the best description of our marriage I’ve read. And I always imagine that you would react that way to our story.”

Sunset’s jaw hit the table. “YOUR MARRI… It’s about… you and Rarity?”

“Oh yes.”

“And… it’s accurate?”

“Yes, with a few exceptions. But she got most of it right. Especially the first years.”

Sunset stared at Twilight, and when she finally opened her mouth it was clear that her mind had not yet recovered.

“So… you were really that big of an idiot back then?”

Twilight’s cheeks turned red, and she had a sharp reply ready on her tongue...
And then, they were interrupted. “Oi! Yer ‘ighness! Yer...Oh. Sorry, Princess Sunset. I reckoned Princess Twilight was alone. Yer royal… Twilightness, Oi need yer to look at some documents before Court, see?”

“Well, that’s all right, Parsnips. Just leave them here, and I will have a look at them after we’ve finished talking.”

“Very well, yer ‘ighness! G’night yer ‘ighness! Err…’ighnesses! um… Sunsetness!”

Sunset looked after the secretary with curious eyes. “How can you stand that?”

Twilight looked up. “What? I know he can be a bit frivolous, but he’s a good secretary. ”

“No, not that. If he could get my Blueprint to pull that Banana out of his rear I would only be grateful. No, It’s just… that dialect…? Hello? Hayrish? That’s just so… Where is he from?”

“Connemare. But he studied in Barrytown, so most of his dialect is working class hayrish. It’s interesting, because while he keeps his rounded ‘I’s, he’s still keeping the flat ‘d’, and...”

“Twilight…You’re lecturing... ”

“Language and dialects ARE interesting, Sunset, but that's not really the thing. You see...” Twilight paused “Oh, it’s so silly but... He reminds me of her.”

“HE reminds you of HER? You mean Rarity?” Twilight nodded, and Sunset went on. “Exactly… how does HE remind you?”

“His speech.”

Sunset raised a curious eyebrow, “Sorry? His speech? That awful dialect? Twilight, I may be a few hundred years old, but I still remember how Rarity spoke. It was nothing like that, not even close.”

“It’s not awful! And you are wrong, but it’s not surprising, really. He talks almost exactly like Rarity… Thing is, her father was from Barrytown, and her grandmother as well. And when she was little, she spent a lot of time with her gran. And she, well… adapted. Now, usually she spoke with her refined dialect, as you remember, but when she was really upset or angry, she forgot to control her speech, and then… Oh, you should have heard her…”





At the same time, Carfax Street. Sneaky was busy with perfecting a Daisy sandwich for dinner, when a call came from upstairs. “Ehrm!”

She turned her head to find Rarity making her way down the stairs, wearing a delicate piece of orange, yellow and green. It was, however rather long and covered all of her hind legs and even her forelegs. “Sneaky, darling! Look! Isn’t this fabOooooooaaaah!” And in that moment she tripped on her dress and fell down the stairs. 

“Mistress, are you okay?”

“Dis bloody dress is just bollocks!”

“Beg your pardon?” Sneaky stopped some steps from her Mistress, not sure what to do. Rarity got up on all fours, rather ungracefully. 

“Oi can’t be arsked to wear it one more time if dis is de way the bogging thing will treat me! Oi ain't no stampcrab! And…” She fell silent. Rarity’s face was red with annoyance and slight embarrassment. Sneaky stared. “What was that, Mistress?” 

The Mistress eyes glew red. “You heard nothing, Thrall. NOTHING!” 





“...But of course, she hated for ponies to know. I was one of the few and I had to swear never to tell anyone. She almost divorced me when I mentioned it to mother.”

“Oh geez… I don’t think I could ever learn to live with that around me.”

“Didn't you date human Applejack briefly?”

“Yeah, briefly. You can only take so many countryisms a day.”

They talked a little more, sharing some slightly saucy secret of friends and lovers long gone. And then Sunset retired to her quarters, leaving Twilight alone with another cup of coffee and the documents. However, the subject of the discussion at dinner made her uneasy. Rarity was a sore subject, and even if she tried to be levelheaded, she always felt anxious talking about her. She didn't want to upset her fellow ruler again, but that book, and talking about how Parsnips reminded her… not to mention all the gossip. But Sunset was so happy, and it HAD been fun reminiscing, but… She hoped that she seemed casual enough, but deep inside she had been shivering. A small tear showed in her left eye, and she whispered a shaky, “Rarity”. She lowered her head, and let her mind go where it wanted. To a white unicorn with a purple mane, always shiny and chic. She thought about long talks in the evening, about visits to Manehattan, about parties where her wife made an impression on everypony. About those nights where the hours were almost too short and the many kisses, always too few. 

And finally, her thoughts went to a small room in the west wing. To an old and grey pony whose eyes still were blue, but whose legs were tired, and too weak to walk for long. Who spent most of her time in bed. For her inner sight, she saw an fragile hoof, who took her hoof in hers and promised...promised… Twilight suddenly raised her head, and shouted to the world, “You said you’d never leave me…You PROMISED! Why? WHY? ”

“Twilight?” Twilight opened her eyes, finding Sunset Shimmer in front of her with a worried look in her eyes. And then, there was nothing holding her back. The powerful princess of Friendship wept loudly into her fellow princess’ embrace. And Sunset was silent, doing nothing but to stroke her mane. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m sorry I ever read that damn book. I didn't mean to upset you. If I’d only known...” Twilight silenced her.

“It’s okay, Sunset. It’s partially my fault. I could have kept my mouth shut, and I mean… who am I to forbid the princess of the sun to read what she wants? Especially ‘princess booky’ herself.” Twilight laughed, a hollow, empty laugh.

“Yeah, but… I still made fun of you.”

“Oh, no! No no! Honestly, Rarity would have agreed. I was behaving like a fool then. No, it was just… the memories.”

Sunset kept her legs around Twilight, what else could she do? Then she said, “about what you were screaming…”

Twilight answered in a low voice, “The very last thing she said to me before I left. I didn’t want to go, but she urged me on. She wasn’t sick but she was… weak. She had a weak heart, and the doctors told me that a chock could…  I dreaded the day I would come home and find her… gone. We talked about it sometimes… perhaps I made her feel guilty, but… I had you, of course, but Adagio had just come over and I didn't want to upset you…”

“Oh, Twilight…” Sunset began to speak, but Twilight waved her hooves.

“I know, I know, I could have talked to you but… but it felt… wrong. And she had always been there for me. And so I talked about how much I loved her and ranted about how lonely I would be, and how unfair everything was.” Twilight began to trot to and from the window. “And she listened. I didn't think it really did any impact so I just ranted on. And she always listened, without a word. We cuddled, had tea, and then that was it.” Twilight stopped at the window. “And then came that last time… I had my bags packed and everything, and I was just going to give her a quick goodbye, but soon I was talking about her medication and to eat properly and then I was at it again. And then, she did something she never done before. She hushed me.”

“She hushed you?” The pause had been so long that Sunset decided she had a que. Twilight nodded.

“She did. Put her hoof on my muzzle as well, to silence me. And then she said, ‘Darling, don’t be sad for me. Things may change, and times may be hard for us, but remember this: I will never leave you. I will always be with you. Forever and always.’ I told her that I off course knew she’d always be in my heart, but she shook her head. ‘For real. I mean for real. Forever and always, Twilight Sparkle. Forever and always.’”

Again, they just sat there in silence. It was finally broken when Sunset said “What did you think she meant?”

“I don’t know… But in that moment, I wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe her so much. Logically I knew it was impossible of course, but logic didn’t really work that day.” Another moment of silence. Sunset emptied her coffee in one go and put her hoof around Twilight.

“Do you want me to take Night Court again?” Twilight nodded, and Sunset gave her another hug and left the room. But at the doorstep she paused. "Twi? I haven't brought up the subject but... you know, Equinox... it's just a few days left and... You want me to take care of that too?"
Twilight shook her head. "No. I will manage. I owe my ponies that much. And Sunset? Thanks."

"Anything, Twi." And she was gone. Twilight sat there a bit longer, but eventually she sighed, and left the room herself. 





In another part of town, Rarity closed her notebook and leaned back on her sofa. She had much work left but a start was always a start. And the start had been promising.

"Forever and always, Twilight. Forever and always." She paused, and shook her head. "It's about bloody time too."
> 4. I'm from Barcelona!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ mares gang aft agley.Yep, still as true as back in those days.

Sneaky was a well-read mare, and even if her only benefit was to find witty quotes to amuse herself, the pleasure in finding one that fitted her current situations was pretty great. And that quote was spot on. Two weeks had passed, and it was yet for her mistress to actually meet the princess. Her research had been thoroughly done, and she now knew everything princess Twilight did.

Everything was unfortunately next to nothing when it came to Twilight, which Rarity declared to the skies and Sneaky while she threw her research in the air around her. There was absolutely NOTHING in there for her to use.

Princess Twilight’s days were almost always following the same pattern. She woke up at 4 in the afternoon and had a light snack consisting of coffee and biscuits. Then she read a book. After that, she and her secretary took care of her correspondence. Then she had coffee, and read a book. Somewhere after that she raised the moon, and had BreakfastDinner with Sunset during which they talked about the passed day. (Apparently Twilight wanted to call it “Brinner” which Sunset refused. They had discussed this subject at least three times.) Then she was briefed about the cases in the upcoming night court. Then she read a book. Then night court, which took four to six hours. Then she had a quick snack and read a book before she began the dreamwatch, which was another four hours. Then she lowered the moon, had coffee, talked to Sunset and read… a book. And then she went to bed. And repeat. “The only real variation is that sometimes She and Sunset has tea! I must get to her! But how? HOW?” Sneaky collected the papers from the floor and looked at some of them. Always the same, like clockwork. Well, some days she had donuts instead of bisquits with her late night snack, but that was the that. And Rarity was furious.

“How!? Once again, how!? Oh, this is the worst! No, it is more than the worst! It’s a travesty!”

“Eh, so so… mistress,” Sneaky decided that she had to say SOMETHING, “At least she is consistent. You will find someway to get to her I’m sure…”

Immediately she had Rarity in her face, “What are you talking about, thrall?” Sneaky swallowed.

”Well… um… I assume you’re upset because it will be hard to talk to her…?”

Rarity wiped the papers from Sneaky’s hooves. “Pish-Posh! As if that would stop me! The important things you fail to see!”

Sneaky blinked. “Okay?”

“Her life is so BORING! No drama! No glamour! No anything! Just books and counts and books and counts and books! She NEEDS ME, thrall! NEEDS! ME! NOW! I cannot waste another minute to save her from this so called life. It is time… to create!” And with a waggle of her mane, she was out, although Sneaky could her her mutter, “...trouble finding time… pah…”.

Sneaky had already had her dinner when the mistress returned. She was wearing an elegant, yet simple black dress with a red scarf. And she had dyed her hair pitch black. She threw over a package of clothing to Sneaky. “Dress up, thrall! We have work to do!” Sneaky put her clothes on without fussing, it was a jacket and a shirt. She put it on without any hesitation, and the mistress gave her an appreciative look. “Marvellous! Now we are ready for an audience!”

Some minutes later, they found themselves in a cab on the way to the castle.
“So… we’re going to the castle tonight? Already?” Sneaky silently regretted not taking a nap.

“Yes! It is time! My plan is perfect!”

”So… you’re going to just walk up to her?”

“No. You did have a point, thrall! And so did I! I need an alias, and so do you! Tonight, you are miss Knick-Knack, my secretary and companion and fluent in three languages.”

Sneaky swallowed. “Al...right. And you are?”

Rarity tossed her head backwards and laughed. “I am-a di contESSA Rareza y Pomerance, just-a here from Euspania! Now lets-a go!” And with a dramatic gesture, she walked out of the cab. Sneaky followed her mistress in baffled silence, and a not so large amount of cringe.





The cab ride home was much quieter than the ride there, but much more unpleasant. Sneaky looked at her mistress, whose eyes glowed red and it felt like they lit up the cab. She could see the fangs glimmer in the moonlight that now and then shone in from the window, and she guessed that the mistress wouldn’t mind burying them in the neck of every royal guard she saw.

Sneaky had to admit that the evening had been a disaster, and not entirely the mistress’ fault. It had already begun at the gates....





They walked right up to the gates from the cab, where two guards -one pegasus and one earthpony- stood on watch.  As they approached they sank their pikes towards them and called out.

“Halt!” 

The mistress smiled warmly at them.
"Ah! My good stALLions! I am here to meet-a di prINcess!” The guards didn’t falter.

“No.”

“What-a do you mean?”

“Unless you have a booked an appointment we cannot let you through. Which you didn’t.”

“And how-a do you know that?”

“Because otherwise we would have let you in.”

“This is preposterous! I am a contESSA! I can-a have an appointment with de princess when I want-a.” Sneaky couldn’t deny that the mistress at least acted the part of a noble, despite the accent. The guards nodded slightly.

“You are referring to the ‘I am a noble and I demand’-Clause?”

“Is that rea… I mean, a yes-a!”

“Then I’m afraid you are at the wrong gate. That’s the west door, this is the south-east.”

“...All-a-right-a. Then I go there-a” She turned to leave, but the pegasus guard stopped her.

“Just a minute. I will go over there in half an hour, I can save you some time. What is your name?”

“ContESSA Rareza y Pomerance!”

“Ah.” He was silent for a while. “Then no, you can not enter there either.”

“What! But you said…” The mistress briefly dropped her accent and stared at the guard.

“I am sorry, but you need to be from one of the families listed in the papers. And I assume you’re from Euspania? Only Equestrian royalty is permitted that way.”

“What? But… but...I am… I AM-A!”

“You are? How?”

“Ah well-a… you see, my father, eh, was not…” The guards face lit up in a knowing smile.

“Ah. Say no more, madam. Then it’s a completely different matter.”

“Thank you. So, may I enter?”

“No.”

“And. Why. Not.” The mistress was almost at boiling point now.

“You need to talk to Mr. Parsnips first.”

“And where-a do I find him?”

“Just wait here, We have sent for him.”

About now Sneaky decided to play her part, led her mistress away somewhat away from the gate and quickly said “Shall I perhaps get us some refreshments, Contessa?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Sneaky trotted away to a nearby café and was soon back with a bottle of red wine, some bread and some cheese. The mistress thanked her and drank the wine straight from the bottle. After half an hour of waiting and the devouring of a !/4 Roqueford cheese, another stallion appeared. He began to talk to the guards who pointed in Rarity’s and Sneaky’s direction, and proceeded over to where they sat. He looked so distinguished, so urbane. And then he opened his mouth to speak....

“Oi! Evenin’ leedis! Wat kan Oi do fer ya?”
Sneaky had to bite her lip hard not to laugh. That dialect combined with the mistress expression… Luckily, the mistress composed herself. “A yes-a! You are-a mister Parsnips, ah? I need to see the princess-a Twilight!”

“Ah! So yer the bastard, den!”

“I BEG YOUR PARDON?”

“Dats the legal term fer ellegetemete choild, mess.”

“Oh. Yes. Ehrm, I see-a.”

“So, yer name?”

“Contessa Rareza y Pomerance.” Parsnips took notes.

“...Spanic...yes… yer mother name?”

Rarity answered the questions, while Sneaky tried as hard to bite her lip without making a hole through it.

“Jest one more question, den. Wuts yer fathers name?”

“Le comte…”

“No. Yer real pappy!”

“Oh. Ehm… Prince Blueblood… the… seventh?”

“The sevent? But ’es been dead for 27 years now. And yer were how old? 28?”

“A-yes.”

”So ’e must ’ave sired yer on his deathbed.”

“Really? Well…”

“On the other hand, ’e was known for his libido and his illigetamete heirs covers a whole shelf. So one more is just a matter fer the books.”

“So, may I meet-a di princess now?”

“Well, no.”

“AND WHY IN TARTAROS NOT?”

“’Cause Oi don’t believe yer to be Euspanish.”

“And why-a not?”

“Dat accent… no pony from Euspania talks like dat. And yer forget herself one or two times. ”
This proved to be too much for Rarity’s self control. She threw her hooves in the air and shouted. “Dis is completely bonkers! ’Ere am Oi, just trying to meet de princess and evrything’s gone arseways! D’yer understand how impertent dis is for me?” She stared at him, panting from her outburst. He stared back, mouth wide open, and Rarity realized that her cover was blown.

“So...um...ehehehe…”

“Yer from Ireband too!?” Parsnips face lit up in a smile as wide as Galway bay. Rarity smiled back, a bit more uncertain.

“Aye… eh, well, me gran was. Pappy moved ’ere when ’e was 19 but it sticks, yer know.”

“Oi can tell! Yer know wut, Oi never ’ave a chance to talk to a fellow Oirich! Oi, have some time over, wanna go for a pint?”

”Of cource!” Rarity was a true lady, but also a true Hayrich at heart. And a true hayrich lady NEVER said no to a drink. Sneaky was no hayrich lady, and she didn’t drink anything harder than cider (A criminal must watch her head!), and had no alternative but to hang on.

They followed Parsnips to a pub not far from the castle. Sneaky did not particularly enjoy it, since she had noone to talk to and the pub was empty save for them and the bartender. The mistress and Parsnips had a great time though, sharing stories and talking so fast that Sneaky didn’t understand a word. Finally Parsnips arose.

”Well, it’s been a pleasure, leddes, but Oi need to go. Duties.”

”Ah yes. But… kan yer please arrange so Oi can meet de princess?”

”Sorry, but no.”

”Why not? Won’t yer help a fellow hayrish?”

”Fraid so, Lass. Me hooves are tied. Yer still not noble.”

”Oi am!”

”No yer not.”

”And why not?” The mistress had taken almost a fighting stance, but Parsnips was untouched and gave the final blow to her.

”Prince Blueblood de seventh hated Ireband. ’E would ’ave died rather den sired foals der. Have a good night, leedies.”

As he left, Sneaky turned her head. The mistress eyes were glowing red, her fangs was bared and she had managed to flatten her tin pint to a coaster. Her voice were filled with cold steel.

”A cab home, thrall. And fast. If it’s not here in two minutes, I run for him, eat him, the whole guard and some of the servants at that bistro. And I believe you DON'T want to wash that much blood out of your clothes."





After that turn of events, Sneaky had waited the whole ride for the mistress to explode.
However, to her surprise, the mistress did nothing but stare and bite her lip, until they were almost at home when she spoke up with the same steely voice as earlier. ”Thrall. I am very, very disappointed. I am furious, one could say. I am, actually, completely PISSED OFF! And tonight I WILL kill something, messy fur or not. Lock yourself in, thrall, and it won’t be you.”

”But, mistress…”

”Two weeks! Thrall, two weeks! In two weeks I MUST see Twilight. And if this is how it's going to be, thick guards and ossified clerks, it will go completely arseways!”

Sneaky nodded quickly, but couldn’t help asking, “Why two weeks?”

“BECAUSE!” The mistress screamed. Even the experienced cab pony turned his head. Sneaky decided it was best to be quiet, and the cab pony shrugged his shoulder. He had probably seen worse. Shortly after that, they were home. ”72 Carfax. That’s 7 bits. Heh. and here I thought the masquerade was next week.” The cab pony’s words were more or less meant to himself. However, though The mistress had began to trot away from the cab as Sneaky paid, at his words she turned to him instantly. ”What. was. that?”

”Well, eeeh… Beg pardon, ma'am but eeeh...  With those fancy dresses and with that fancy way you speak… It’s almost like you were going to the Equinox Masquerade. Coming from the castle and all. But I guess I’s wrong, cause that’s next week.” The next moment, he had Rarity in his face, eyes red and wearing a weird smile.

”You will tell me everything you know about this. Now. And I will triple your tip.”

The stallions laughed nervously. ”Oh, um… Thank ya kindly! But it’s not much to say. I just see them arrive and go.The whole of Canterlot lite and the nobles, huge dresses, domino masks and sometimes really strange stuff. Both the princesses attend, princess Twilight is the one who’s in charge and…”

“Princess Twilight? Is she really? How come I didn’t find anything about this? Thank you my good stallion. Sneaky, tip the nice man and meet me inside!”

Sneaky payed, and soon she found her mistress at the table, pen and note in her magic.
“This, thrall, changes EVERYTHING! I need to know everything about this! Tonight, I will hunt, but not for blood… for INFORMATION! Thrall, drug me three pegasi and one earth pony and bring them here in one hour. Then you may retire for the night. You need the rest. Tomorrow the important part begins!”

“You… are going to plan something?”

“No. I am going to design A DRESS!”
> 5. Masquerade - hide your face so the world will never find you
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Twilight sat in her room, fully dressed, mane done, everything was ready. All she needed to do was to walk out of that double door on her right and officially start the feast. 

But she remained seated. Nope, she didn’t like parties these days. 

Well, ‘these days’... These last 200 years would be more accurate. She had but to attend official parties twice a year, the others had been filtered away. That, or dumped onto Sunset, who didn’t mind them at all. But the two that was left was the most exhuberating ones. The Grand Galloping Gala, and this one, The Equinox Ball. Sure, there was the summer and winter solstices, but those weren’t PARTIES, and there she could interact with her little ponies in more direct and personal way, showing them without any garments how much they meant to her and how much she loved them.

Parties was for the rich, the lucky ones, the ponies who had money and/or connections. She had never learned to talk to those ponies, that had been Rarity's job… 

And that was the bottom line: Parties tended to remind her of how lonely she was. Therefore, only twice a year, she bit her lip and put on her ‘War Suit’  The Equinox Ball was originally a celebration of Lunas return, but with Twilights succession it had turned into a ‘hail the moon princess’-thingy. Rather silly, but there was nothing to do but to attend.

Back in the days when Rarity had run the game, she had worn elaborate costumes and dressed in flamboyant colours.  Now she preferred to wear a simple, discreet costume and just... blend in. At first, being discreet in a room filled with silk and sparkling colours had been a problem, until she allowed ponies to dress up as whatever they wanted and so she could get away with dressing up as a baker or a guard or a stockbroker and nopony would be the wiser.  

Sunset loved these occasions. Intrestingly enough, she only had two outfits she altered between. Daybreaker, or the demon version of herself. Twilight frowned. Well, thank you, Sunset! Draw all the attention to us! But she didn't want to take away Sunset's fun. Sunset was that mare, she loved to be the center, she wanted ponies to know who she was, she wanted all the attention… All of a sudden Twilight stopped. Perhaps that was Sunsets way of helping? Take all the attention away to golden goddess and let the silver one discreetly leave before midnight? Sunset also loved to chat and twist the heads of nobles and listen to the kissing-up and then completely break them… 

Sunset… She had visited her about half an hour earlier. This year, she had managed to make her mane AND tail to look like fire. She had also mentioned that it was hers and Adagios 75th anniversary and that she might leave the party early and hopefully dicreet. When Twilight had replied that with Adagio involved, discreet meant 'set a curtain on fire and jump though the window in a parachute', Sunset had thrown a pillow at Twilight and left. Twilight closed her eyes. At least she hadn't bugged Twilight about finding a date for the ball. Or a date at all.

To Twilight’s defence, she had tried. She had read the books on the subject and she was up to date with the current rules of dating. She knew it was nothing shameful or amoral about getting a new mate, especially after so many years. Falling in love was not something that was CHAINED to just one single pony, sweet Celestia, this was not the middle ages or something! 

To bad her body and mind didn’t end up on the same note there, heck, even her mind contradicted her. She had been dating a couple of times,and yes, there had been a few ponies she met that got her interested to go a bit further beyond “Hello, your highness.”

They all had been white, or whitish unicorns, all with dark manes, ranging from light purple to a nuance of red so dark it looked like black. Even that time she found a red mare, it turned out she had been dying her fur. They all looked like Rarity, and  shared a few of her traits. She sighed, she had to face the facts. She was bound to Rarity. And only Rarity. Because all of her dates had ended when she compared them to her love, and they all came up sub-par to the original. It was ridiculous. And then she had stopped dating.

The door opened to reveal a pony dressed as a pirate, breaking the negative spiral of thoughts. It was Parsnips, wearing his standard costume. He said it was because he wanted the princesses to always recognize him, but she knew the real reason being that he loved saying “ARRR!”

“Oi, yer ‘ighness! Ready to begin the brawl?”

She looked at the time. She was late, but there was at least five minutes until she absolutely needed to get out and get it started.

She could stay here for just a few more minutes. But she steeled herself.

“Yes. As ready as I’ll ever be.”





In more a remote part of the castle, two delivery ponies were pulling a wagon through a dark corridor. Well, one did the pulling, the other was fixing her makeup and mane.

“I told you, thrall, this was going to be easy.”

*Pant* “So...you did. I am a bit... surprised that you managed... to get us past the guards, mistress.”

“That should teach you to never doubt me again! I told you, I used to live here. I know the drills”

That she did. She knew that the guards would never leave their posts for a three-layered chocolate fudge cake with strawberries on top.

However, if said cake exploded… A full division of Zebras could walk by. Well, they would probably get stuck in the doorway... but she wasn't a full division of Zebras.

“Well, anyway. Here we are. Unload the crate.”

It was quick work to unload the crate from the wagon, and they united their magic to carry it into a door to the left. It led to the palace kitchen. There they were greeted by a unicorn chef. He was surprised by their delivery, 23 bottles of Chateau de Chasselas, but true to the mistress earlier assumptions, he just muttered something about ‘can’t trust them with a single order even…’, shrugged his shoulders and signed the notes. 

And then they were left to their own. In the organized chaos that was a kitchen during a feast, Sneaky and the mistress managed to make their way a few floors up and soon they found themselves in a small alcove, next to the party. Now Rarity began to get rid of her overall with some help from Sneaky. Under the overall she wore a smart, tight dress that was modeled after Masked Matterhorn, the power pony. It would work as a sign to Twilight, and it would also cover her face in case of sticky situations. Sneaky was originally going to be Fillysecond, but to Rarity’s surprise, Sneaky had no idea who that was, and when she told her, she had refused. In the end, she had dressed up as Mare Do Well, telling Rarity that 'Somethings never went out of style'. (It was true. There was at least three others at a party, one of them wearing that mecha suit from the latest Re-boot.)

“So, thrall. Now it is the time! Time for me to shine! The crowning moment of our plan is upon us. You know what to do?”

“Enjoy the party for a while, and then leave through the front door… Isn’t that suspicious?”

“Not the slightest, thrall! If anything draws the attention, it’s people sneaking out! Somepony confidently leaving the party? That happens every time!”

Sneaky felt glad that the mistress didn’t need her. A discreet pony didn’t like huge social gatherings, but she was also a bit surprised . “Very well, mistress. But are you sure you don’t  need help… Should I stay close?”

Rarity was surprised by her thralls concern and she hesitated. “Thank you, Sneaky. But… some things… needs to be done alone.” Then she spoke with a confidence sneaky suspected to be slightly false, “Don’t worry, Sneaky. I told you, this is practically my house! I will just sail through it like a ship on a nice summer day.”

***

This is not like a nice summer day! It’s not even late spring! The moment Rarity entered the actual ballroom, she had been surrounded by ponies. High and low, left and right, even over and under. It was impossible to walk in a straight path, heck, it was almost impossible to even take a few steps in any direction. And to actually find someone in this ocean of masked ponies was impossible. How the servants managed to move with their plates she had no idea, but they managed to navigate their way passed her at least four times. She had not the same luck and had helped herself to only two glasses of champagne and one canapé so far. There had also been a very close call once. Two ponies passed her, one looked like she was on fire, the other wore a dark blue dress with a few red streaks that sent signals of beauty and danger. She instantly recognized Sunset Shimmer and her spouse Adagio. She had tried to look as innocent as she could, in case they should recognize her. But as she came close enough to she hear them speak, she knew she had nothing to fear. They had their own drama.

“Be grateful that I even here attending your silly pony ball, Sunset Shimmer. Especially when you are aware that I have business to take care off in the northern sea. Important and urgent business. And yet I am here with you…”

“Look… I am grateful for that, my love but…”

“As you should. Now dance with me until sunrise.”

“But... Weren't you busy?"

"Yes. As I said, be grateful."

"...You are aware that I decide when the sun goes up.”

“I know, my love... I know.”

And then they left the room. Rarity followed them with her eyes as they walked up the stairs that led up to the slim second etage, where doors led to the more private parts of the castle. That seemed to Rarity as the perfect place to start, to get a good view and expose herself.

Unfortunately there had been guards posted at the staircase. They had told her that this was the way to the royal  quarters, and no one except the princesses, Her royal highness Princess Consort Adagio Dazzle or Royal Executor Tempest Shadow was allowed up there. Rarity knew this well enough but since she couldn't go 'I know, I used to live here', all she could do was to hmpf and leave. She then walked from the stairs over to the window facing the gardens which, with all the ponies around her blocking or pushing her in the wrong direction had taken her at least 15 minutes. In the end, she ended up being mostly still, sipping on a flute of champagne and looking at the commotion that was the party. She had spotted Sneaky once or twice (She would recognize her own work from the other cheap cut-offs anyday) and she had looked rather comfortable. Well, she had that mask, but still!

To find Twilight in this mess… It can’t be done!

“Fillies and gentlecolts!” That voice. She would know it anywhere. She tried to look… Yes! There! On the top of the stairs! It was Twilight! But the other ponies flocked around her and she could see nothing, but a purple mane with a pink streak tied up in a bun. She tried to  work herself closer to the stairs,  but it was impossible. Everypony wanted to hear and see the princess.
“It is my pleasure and honor to welcome you to the annual Equinox masquerade. I hope you will enjoy the refreshments, the music, the dancing… and of course donate frivolously to this year's cause, school libraries for the badlands and Shadow Falls. So, without further ado, i declare the ball… Opened!”

There was cheer and whistlings, and so it begun. Finally ponies began to move, unfortunately  for her, in every direction but the one Rarity needed to go. She was shoved to the right, to the back, to the left, then suddenly she was at the other side of the room, then in the middle of the dancefloor and finally at the snacks table. She sighed, and had herself a cracker with  confined mushrooms. Well, the night had not been all  for neigh. There were elegant frocks and outfits that she as an artist found great pleasure studying. She also got a few ideas for dress designs and decided to pay visits to a few nobles once this was all over. Discreetly, but definitely. They needed her help, and by Megan, they needed it NOW! And yet it had to wait for later. She had to focus on her cause.  And she was instantly reminded of her biggest blunder.

She had tried to gain intel about Twilight's costume of course, but she had found nothing. Nopony seemed to know. Not even the maids of the castle. And she hadn't dared to ask Parsnips... The closest she had been was “It’s like she doesn’t care… she usually picks one of her old ones on the same day, dusts it off and that’s it.”

The necessity of reintroducing myself into her life grows with every second! Poor Twilight...caught in last years fashion! Or even... LAST DECADES FASHION
There was a good chance that Rarity had made the dress for her, but she didn’t remember every dress she had made. Unfortunately. She just had to hope...

Well, she knew her wife’s taste. Simple, yet elegant and with some kind of obscure twist reference. She gasped. A thought had just caught her attention.

Of course. What else, really? I just have to remember all those history lessons… Come on Rarity, think! It’s only a couple of hundred years back! 

Yeah.

So...Starswirl… No, not again. Not after that time in Griffonstone. So… Flash Magnus? No, no stallions. And she wouldn’t dare to do Celestia. And none of our friends… Or Luna. Cadence… No, she’s still around. Meadowbrook? Yeah, that would fit her. Hello hello, who have we here? Green skirt, red wig, golden shoes… and she has purple fur… That is her. That must be her. 

“Hello…” Rarity walked over to the mare. “Would you mind some company?” The mare backed off a little, and sad with a shy voice, “Well, ehm… no, not at all. I’m actually… alone.”

Jackpot. “Splendid! We shall have a drink!” My sense of flair never lets me down!

***

My sense of flair has never let me down before! So why now?

She had courted three mares. One Meadowbrook, one Mistmane and even one Somnambula. All had been shy with purple fur. And all of them had been nice and NONE of them had been Twilight. She sighed.

She had spent some time with each mare, warming them up and taken them to a discreet place only to find… that she had wrong. One time, the wig fell off to reveal an earth pony. The second time, they had been interrupted by a very furious marefriend and the third time… Well, she had to say she was impressed with that stallions skill in clothes crafting and make-up. Also, she had made a promise to keep calling him Felicity and they had a really nice chat about clothes and hiding who you truly were… But they had all been red herrings and now she was completely at loss what to do. 

In the end she had deserted to a side corridor she remembered from her days in the castle. It was a sideway to the library, and was more or less always empty, especially on a night like this. When Twilight from time to time had got lost in her books, Rarity had retired to a small alcove from which there was a splendid view over the city. At this moment, solitude and some meditative background was exactly what she wanted. A lady does not whine. Never. But to sit alone and sigh was a different thing.

She sat there in silence without any thoughts for a while, just looking at the city, all the lights, each one resembling a pony living there and… Somewhere down there was Sneaky. Her thrall. Whom she enjoyed scaring the crap out and boss around. And for what reason? She had never been like this before… before.

“I am losing myself. Even if I have to admit I can be a bit of a drama queen at times… This is not me. I don’t enjoy being this kind of creature. And yet, here I am. Being overdramatic, flashing my fangs… I guess I felt the need to play the part of megalomanic vampire. This is not who I am,” she whispered to herself.

The answer came instantly. Yes it is. 

“No!” 

You know damn well it is. 

“Well, I don’t like it. I am not a cruel Mitch. I am Rarity.”

Once perhaps. Not now. Not since Manehattan.

“Manehattan…. I was really a fool.”

She silenced her thoughts and looked at the moon. That’s her. I used to find comfort in that, when she was away, she still watched me at night.  “I should just go away! Release Sneaky from the deal! Let her have her life back! Just…” She was whispering to herself. “I must end this. I will end this. I will go out there. I will enjoy myself, Faust knows it’s been to long. And then I will return home, and then…. Then…”

She fell silent and in the silence, her inner voice returned. Then, what? 

“I don’t know…” 

She hoped the voice would be silent, but she knew that she had to face the music sooner or later. After all,the inner voice was her own, and she couldn’t keep lying to herself. You know that the only thing you can go back to is how it was those last days. And you remember how that was. You know you can’t stop it. You know what you must do,

… Rarity had no good answer to herself, and she was convinced her inner voice had a pinch of smugness in it now.

 You need to do this. You need Twilight. You need her...

“Alright, that is enough. Stop talking. I know well enough what’s needed.”

There is no pony talking here. Except you.

“You know what I mean.”

Alright… I will be silent. For now. Don’t  wait to long. It won’t be me talking then.

And so Rarity was alone without her thoughts again.

“I love her so much still. The one feeling that never ever got lost whatever happened, was my love for her. That inscription in my tomb… A bit tacky. But from the heart. Literally.”

All of a sudden there was movement somewhere behind her to the left. The sound of fabric, hooves over a floor... Yes, somepony was there with her. There had been no sound of doors. They must have been there when Rarity entered! So why hadn’t they… And then, she heard a voice.

“I’m sorry to interrupt. But… I was here when you came in and… you didn’t see me and I didn’t want to… Is something wrong? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

Rarity's mind rushed. She had been speaking low but… had this mare heard anything? She tried to calm herself down. She had no control over her body, but at least her voice was under control. It  was dark anyway so she was probably hard to see in detail.

“No. No, not at all. And… well. It’s just. It just is, you know.”

She couldn’t see her face, but she could see how the other mare nodded in sympathy. “Yes. I know better than anypony things can be... like that sometimes. Do you want to talk about it? It usually helps to talk about it with a friend.”

“Thank you dear. But I’d rather just sit her, be silent and… just be.”

“Are you sure? Talking usually helps.”

“Oh, I know. It’s just that sometimes, even if you need it... You’re not ready to talk about your troubles.”

“ Well, may I sit down and just keep you company then?”

“Oh, of course!”

Talk about it with a friend. Heh. That’s exactly what… Now wait a minute! Only now did Rarity realise it. This voice. And now she had taken a few steps closer so that her face was visible in the moonlight. She dared to look at the pony and… Hair in a bun, black glasses, a small frock to cover the wings. The pens, the saddlebags filled with notes and books...

Princess Twilight Sparkle had come to a masquerade dressed as Twilight Sparkle.

Thank you, merciful Faust! Oh darling… the night has just begun for you...

“Well, I think it’s nice. I don’t enjoy crowds. Not on my own, at least.” My poor poor darling. This must end NOW!

“D...My dear! Not giving away that yet... deeper voice, hide yourself a little longer... This is a party! Even if I am not in the mood, that shouldn’t stop YOU from enjoying yourself!” 

“I don’t…”

“Come now, surely there is SOMETHING you would enjoy down there? A dance, perhaps?”

“I’m a terrible dancer.”

“Perhaps you are, but that was not what I asked. I asked if you would enjoy it.”

“...Very much.”

“Well then! I will be your personal bad dancing partner tonight!” Rarity tried to be a bit less eager, she had to play her part as a stranger still. “I could use a distraction anyway.”

“But…”

“If we move closer to the doors, we can hear the music. Nopony needs to watch us.”

“Oh. Ok. Well then… let's go.”





The rest of the evening had been perfectly enjoyable. They had danced, very VERY badly, but how they had enjoyed themselves! Then out to the garden bar for some drinks, then some more dancing in a remote glen and finally a little stroll into the gardens. Just once had they been walking through the ballroom, and there had been some attention from a few ponies standing nearby that had rubbed Twilight the wrong way, but in that moment Sunset and Adagio had entered from a private chamber and stole everypony's attention. And so they had managed to sneak out mostly unnoticed.

They finally stopped next to a small pond, where they sat down in the grass. Rarity felt a slight bit buzzed and closed her eyes to regain focus. Concentrate. You have been a perfect gentlemare. Now let’s not destroy this by stealing a stupid kiss or putting a hoof over a shoulder or… what?

To her surprise, Twilight put her hoof over Raritys. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Twilight, and waited for her to say something. And after a moment, she spoke.

“It is almost 2 am. It’s time to take the masks off.”

Twilight sounded sad. Rarity had to react, say something, anything! “Ah, yes. It is. Ehm… Say something intelligent! Soo...Why the gloomy voice, dear?”

Rarity did a mental facehoof, but Twilight sighed. “This has been a lovely night. I haven’t had so much fun in… years. But this is where it must end. Don’t take of your mask. I won’t take of mine anyway.”

Rarity couldn’t hide her staring. “But… but why?”

“I… I can’t. I am… not in a position to reveal myself. Not even to you… my new unknown friend.” She sighed. “I have no… good experiences of this. Trust me when I say it’s better that we go separate parts now, with only a memory of a lovely evening. Go our separate ways, incognito and…”

Rarity decided to act. She could not see her love be at this low, especially when she was so close to her goal, and so she silenced her with a gentle hoof. “Oh, but you don’t have to force yourself to give me your real name. I already know who you are... “ She paused. “... Your Majesty.”

Twilight gasped. “What?”

“Oh please darling! What kind of mare do you take me for? We had not spent more than ten minutes together before I realized I was honoured by the presence of her majesty Lady Twilight Sparkle of the royal diarchy and supreme ruler of Equestria , duchess of Las Pegasus, head of House Sparkle... want me to continue or are you convinced that I know?”

Twilight turned away her head. “You knew? In spite of my disguise? And…”

Please, darling. To call that a disguise…  Loud, she said, “Yes, dear. And titles mean nothing to me, if that is what you are afraid of. I had a lovely evening with a wonderful pony. And if that pony would like it… we can meet again.”

Twilight paused, and looked into Rarity’s eyes. She seemed to have a conflict with herself, but finally she spoke. “I would love to. ”

“Then it’s settled! But let’s go slow, let's not give the papers any SCANDALS! Let’s go our separate ways for now, but perhaps a dinner tomorrow? Or do you eat dinner?”

“I call it Brinner. As in breakfast/dinner?”

“How witty and spiritual! Brinner it is!” They began to walk back to the castle, when Twilight stopped and looked at Rarity.

“Aren’t you going to take of your mask?”

“Ehm… well…” She had no time to act, Twilight took her wig and mask in her magic and removed them. Once again she cursed herself to focus on the dress. As long as she was in disguise it would be easy, but without it...A million thoughts about being found out rushed through her mind. She will recognize me! She will scream! She will shoot magic at me! Oh, why didn’t i listen to Sneaky and…  She prepared to run, but Twilight just stood there looking at her. No surprise, nothing. Just a shy smile.  She doesn’t… recognize me? ...Why? You know what, screw it! I think about that later! Now is now and now is the moment of RARITY!

“Please dear, if you keep staring at me, I will turn into a statue.”

“Oh! Sorry, but you…You are… beautiful.”

Rarity tossed her mane and flashed her eyelids. “Oh Thank you, your majesty! I see you are a mare with great taste!”

Now Twilight blushed even more. “Please, only Twilight. At least if we are going to have brinner.” Rarity smiled, warmly and almost motherly.

“Alright, only Twilight. I think I can get used to say that.”

Again.

“So, what’s your name?”

“My...name?”

“Yes, your name. Or do you expect me to figure it out by myself?”

YES!

No! 

“Um… No, of course not, your majesty. I will indeed give you my name. Now. It’s… I can't say Rarity! Not yet! She will think... but oh for Faust sake who am I... I am... I am…. Rareza y pomerance.” OH COME ON! 

"Rareza. Well, meet me at the gates tomorrow at seven."

"I will be there."

And she was alone. No, the voice in her head was there."

Coward. So how do you plan to tell her then?

Shut up. One thing at the time.

Ah well. It’s your ex-wife’s life. 

Rarity had no good answer to that.




> 6. Dear diary. (A few excerpts from the journal of her majesty Princess Twilight Sparkle)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Year 324 A.N.R.

Entry #15-6
Usual routine. Sunset still don't think Brinner is a good name. 

Tomorrow it will be 263 years, two months and three days since... *teardrop stain*

Entry #17-6

Usual routine. I also want to forget about yesterday. It is still impossible to make a spell to make a memory disappear. D probably could help, but it is not worth the risk. Yet. It has only been 200 years. I can survive a few more.

Entry #21-6
Unusual routine. Blackcurrant. Refreshing. I needed some change today.

Entry # 22-6
Usual routine. Parsnips was down with the flu today. His replacement apparantly sports a russian accent. Why?

Well, not why they do, apparently they're from Stalliongrad. Why do I have a prussian secretary? They would be more efficient as a conductor to the royal chamber orchestra. 

I may need to send them to the conservatory.

Entry #23-6
Usual routine. Night court got a few of 'those' cases. When did I grant a stallion to marry a haycart? I dismissed him, refering to not having a proper license for marriage, just for driving in the old town. He claimed that was the same. I don't want to know what he meant. 

That stallion was weird.

And he still managed to find love. *teardrop stain* 

Entry #24-6 

No. Just... No. *teardrop stain* 
Entry #25-6 
Entry #26-6 
Entry #27-6 
Entry #28-6 
Entry #29-6 
Entry #30-6 
Entry #1-7 
Entry #2-7 
Entry #3-7 

Entry #4-7

Usual routine all these days. I didn't have the energy to write anything detailed, and if I want to know what I have done, there's still the royal archives. They have everything stored, including what I had for brinner. 

I...
The royal Equinox ball is coming up. I don't want to. I really don't want to. I am considering asking Griffonia for a small war. But I don't think I will. That's more of Sunset's thing anyway.

Entry #7-7

Ball is tonight. Adagio came yesterday. I took Sunset's duties for yesterday, today, and tomorrow. They don't get even half the time together that they deserve these days. That was many T's... I want some tea. I will get it.

Strawberry, with honey. Perfect. Celestia's special for rainy days. I need to write to her. The moons are soon in the right place... Perhaps we can even go visit? It's been a few years though... can I still use legs?

My chambermaid is insiting on me getting dressed. Why. I don't want to. I am royalty, why can't I just... skip it.

Why can't she be her, with me.

Rarity. How she would have enjoyed herself, trotting up and down the corridors, dissecting her dress with a doctor's eye for details, reading through all the tabloids, believing as gospel truth all that happened in Lady Windjammer's pavilion last Heart's warming. 

And here I am, alone. Not enjoying it at all. 

I miss her. 

Entry #8-7

Journal... I have met somepony.
> 7. Lady Teazle, for all that's wonderful!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four days had passed since the masquerade. The mistress was out on another “fabulous date”, leaving Sneaky alone in the house to take care of “the boring stuff” as the mistress called it. 

And since she had been out of the house for almost everyone of those four days, Sneaky had been alone more or less around the clock. There was a few minutes when she got in in the morning, a quick peek at lunch time and dropping of her clothes for laundry and to change into another of, in her own words, 'why-this-old-things'. That did take a bit longer, usually an hour. Not that the mistress really spent that much time talking to Sneaky in those moments either. 

And to be honest, it felt rather nice. Sure, she had to be ready at all times but things were getting a comfortable routine. She got up, made sure there was coffee prepared when the mistress would rush in for a spell, got the washing machine and dry tumbler running and... then she had the day to herself.

There was one thing that could be remotely described as demanding. She was instructed to bring home fresh newspapers morning and evening. That had been a breeze at first, but after the masquerade, the papers were flooded with articles about the “unknown beauty” that took the moon princess by storm. Rarity wanted to read them all, and when every paper in the country wrote about it… Sneaky had just returned with the evening editions, and the combined weight of those was three stones. The morning papers had been almost five. No matter. She was strong, although she had been thinking about buying a wheel-barrow.

Then came the matter of reading them all, and cut out the articles and pictures (If they were flattering) or burn them (If they were rude). Sneaky had just worked her way through the four biggest Manehattan Dragons when the mistress entered for her afternoon change. She was in a splendid mood.

“Oh my, OH MY I say, my dear Sneaky!”

“Rough day, mistress?”

“Rough day? PAH! If drinking champagne and looking into the eyes of the most beautiful pony ever alive is rough, then my dear, I will rough my way through life like Applejack in Zap Apple Season." She paused, and a shadow passed her eyes briefly. " ...Just an old friend darling, never mind.”

“As you wish, mistress." Sneaky had adopted a more valet-like manner, it made things so much easier, and the mistress liked it. "So… Dinner?”

“No, I won’t have the time! I will accompany mon cheri le princesse to the Opera! We will have a simple dinner on the way, and afterwards we will attend a party with the performers! I will be absolutely stuffed!”

“More than you already are, mistress?”

“Did you say something that was out of your place, Thrall?”

“No mistress.”

“Thought so… So, anything new in the papers?”

“Canterlot Inquirer apparently paid 1000 bits for that picture in the Jacuzzi.”

“Sneaky! When I asked you to perform this duty, I didn’t mean for you to focus on the most unpleasant bits!”

“Sorry, mistress, but that is the only thing that’s new. The articles are more or less repeating themselves.”

“Well then! Tonight I need to give them something to write about for sure! Tonight… I will… Propose!”

Sneaky looked up from her papers. “Propose? Really?”

Rarity was examined her hooves, like her outburst was nothing. “Yes, of course! Well, technically, we still are married, but I have decided to leave the big reveal until I am safe and done with everything.”

Sneaky shot her mistress a glance. Again there was this thing about being “safe.” Being “Done”. And this whole thing about being in a rush… The mistress should call herself lucky that the princess did indeed fall head over hooves for her. She didn’t want to think about what she would have done in case she got turned down. Or just asked to take things slow. Loud she said “Aren’t you going about this a bit to fast, mistress?”

“What do you mean?”

Sneaky frowned. “You know what that means, mistress.”

“Don’t talk back, thrall!”

“Mistress, I am just worried. The papers are starting to wonder. About who you are and all that. You are drawing a whole lot of attention to yourself and… Well, I’m not sure that is a good thing! What if someone gets suspicious?”

“So what if the papers are getting suspicious? They’re journalists! It’s their job to be suspicious!”

Sneaky licked her lips. “Yes mistress. But there are others…”

And then Rarity was in her face. “Listen here, thrall. I put up with A LOT of your crap, because you are a good servant. But now you are stepping SEVERELY out of line! I will not accept this lack of respect from you anymore! Is that clear?”

A slight roar from the back of Rarity’s throat made Sneaky to back away a few inches. She swallowed. The mistress eyes were red as the setting sun. “Or do you want  me to kill you in the most hurtful and slow way, thrall?”

“N-no, mistress… It’s just… You have never told me why we are in such a rush! And what if someone at the palace gets suspicious? Princess Sunset?”

“Thrall. This will be over by next week. I assure you. Princess Sunset will not be suspicious! She trusts Twilight's judgement." A shadow of a pause, before she continued, "She simply must. I need to freshen up before the Opera. Please bring me the dark purple dress and the Amethyst necklace.”

“...Yes, mistress.”

As sneaky left, the confident demeanor left Rarity. “Sunset… please don’t be suspicious. I need this to work. Just a few more days… and it will be over and done with.”

She looked at herself in the mirror. “One way or another… It will be done with.” She swallowed, and went for the shower. Mental distress or not, there were no excuses to leave your mane unattended.

***
Canterlot Palace.

Sunset Shimmer, Princess of morning, was never paranoid. Slightly suspicious, yes, and perhaps a bit more cynical and realistic than her fellow princess. But not paranoid. 

She had just finished day court, retired to her quarters for a light snack. A simple meal, black coffee, some croissants and fruit. Oh, yes, and cheese. Never forget the cheese. She took a piece of cheese in her magic and nibbled on it.

She wasn’t paranoid. She was just caring for a friend, that was all. 

Sunset swallowed the remains of the cheese and frowned to herself. She should be happy! She should be happy that FINALLY somepony managed to get that banana out of Twilight's butt and make her LIVE a little. She should be happy somepony came into Twilight's life and replaced the image of Rarity in Twilight’s heart. But she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Such a personality, such a flamboyant pony doesn’t show up out of nowhere. 

“I mean,” she said to herself, as if hearing her own voice saying all her concerns loud would calm her down, “To find a way to actually MEET Twilight, and then make an impression on her and start courting her… That takes a special kind of pony. A kind of pony that I was sure more or less had ceased to exist. The kind of pony impossible to ignore!” She paused, and lifted a mango with her magic and took a bite. “And… Shomepony that manage to do that in jusht ONE DAY? That is more or lesh imposshible. “ She swallowed the piece of mango she had in her mouth. “There is NO WAY she could have passed under the radar! I don't care that Twilight is singing in the showers again, this NEEDS my royal attention.”

She resumed her thoughts. Even if she came from a priviliged line, and had the means to stay out of the official records, there was other ways. Gossip, scandal press articles, paparazzi!
She gave a thought to the huge pile of tabloids Blueprint had gathered in his office during the last day. The articles concerning this mysterious Rareza Y Pomerance covered four desks and most of the floor. The news that princess had been observed with some mysterious young beauty was a featured article in every damn paper in Equestria, every day since the ball! Unfortunately, most of them were empty crap garnished with mayo and sugar. A blurry picture, one or two named establishments and rumours. Of course, the rumours. That she took her baths in milk and honey to get that exquisite shine from her fur, or that she once had a minotaur lover who killed a yak just to get her a warm winter coat. Just to mention the least corny ones. That was a lot, and as shallow as they were, it was enough to confirm that she did indeed exist but... She threw away the rest of the mango. That was the big thing, wasn't it? The thing that worried Sunset the most. There were articles and pictures NOW. 

Sunset grabbed another mango in her magic and looked out of the window. The day was coming to an end. Another day filled with duties. So many ponies to meet, so many meetings, so many conferences... And soon it was time to pass the duties to Twilight for the night. Who was going to an opera premier. Officially. With her.

Briefly, she felt a brief scent of jealosy, since Adagio had returned to the north sea for another six months of business (But not without giving Sunset enough memories to live on for many long lonely cold nights...) and she wouldn't mind beeing seen in public herself with a beautiful pony (Technically siren, but who cared) at her side. But the moment passed, and soon she was back to the thought of Twilight and this Contessa.

Damn it all,  She didn’t have time to be suspicious. And yet, her mind returned to the same problem, again and again.

Yes, there was rumours NOW. Four days ago? Nothing. 

Now, it wasn’t completely improbable. Even if it required tons of money and more than a few death treats, there were nobles that managed to hide their dirty laundry for years. Not to mention organisations like the Clocktower society and other frivoulous social gatherings that were designed to be discreet. But that was the thing, there was always somepony that knew. Somepony who held the records, somepony who had seen something or somepony sneak out of a certain gate. But this? Nothing. 

As she left her quarters, she tried to collect her thoughts on what she actually knew about the Contessa. She had said that she was foreign, and that she had just arrived in Equestria a week ago. No one had heard about that either, but that wasn’t completely improbable. The common Equestrian cared very little of the ponies outside of the country. Other than Cadance and Flurry, the foreign celebrities that were widely known to the general public were few. And she herself could only name a few royal dignitaries and political leaders. She should be better at it, buuuut she had always found Almanach de gotha the best cure for insomnia...  So, there was the more extravagant channels for gossip and scandals then. Pharis, nothing. Neighpoly, nothing. Montegasco, nothing. All the places that buzzed with intrigue and scandal, where somepony like the Contessa would have made a mark, nothing. If she was an imposter, those were the obvious places to start. And if she was the real deal, those were also the obvious places to start. For all she knew, this “Contessa” could be just the daughter to a shoemaker in L'avoine that had some money borrowed, snatched a fancy dress, and decided to try her luck in another country. And as she very well knew, someone with the brains and determination could get anywhere, even in an alien world. Rule a school, steal a crown, turn into a demon, try to take over the world, enslave the population…

Sunset Shimmer shook her head. This was not the time to dwell over old sins. The contessa was the problem, not her.

In spite of the fact that this pony did exist, that Sunset had met her a few times and even had lunch with her… Contessa Pomodoro y Pomerance was a complete anomaly. She had even asked Cadence, but she  knew nothing.  (She had been concerned though, and Sunset had to lie through her teeth to stop Cadence from canceling her trip to Griffonia and come over at once. She needed to know more before she brought in another alicorn.)

She thought back to the lunch they had all shared yesterday. Her conversation was flamboyant, and foreign, yes. But she knew rather much about Equestrian traditions and even a few slang words. Not enough evidence to prove anything in a court, but for someone as suspicious as Sunset Shimmer... Even if there was nothing more in it, she was convinced of one thing. This Contessa had NOT arrived to Equestria two weeks ago. She had been here for a long time. But how to prove that?

The answer was in the past. It always was. There were papers, records, police reports, news paper articles, reciepts and even rumors. Just dig deep enough. And they had but touched the sueface.

No, Sunset Shimmer wasn't paranoid. She would never search through more than ten years of papers to see what kind of pony the Contessa was. She would never use her wide net of contacts to dig up information hidden in old dusty tomes or vaults. She would absolutely NOT dig through piles of garbage just to find dirt on one pony.

She had Blueprint to do that for her.
> 8. What did you expect in Opera? A happy ending?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity stepped out of the shower, very aware of her with mane. Usually showering calmed her down, but not today. 

It had it’s perks. The strength of course. And she found at least some pleasure in thretherning sneaky. The fact that she was young and beautiful again (So she was vain. Sue her.) And the red eyes went well with her hair. But overall she hated being a vampire. She had tried her best to keep her blood lust at bay but she knew that it couldn't last. Last time… she shook her head. No thinking about last time. She had to get this to work with Twilight. She had to. This was the endgame.

"I have to tell her."
Rarity removed the towel and began to comb her mane. Her plan, that she had been so proud of, began to crumble.

It is said that vampires, when not fed in a while, suffer from a decline in brain capacity. They don't lose the ability to talk but their minds become primitive and childlike.

And coming straight from her coffin… yes. The plan had been childish. She realized that now. But what should she do? At least she was with Twilight, but would that help? Even if she told her all… What would she say?

And then there was Sunset. Once, Sunset had been a great friend, and well... Had she been alive and herself, they probably would be still, but Sunset was something Twilight wasn't. She was suspicious and she never bought a simple explanation. She was also the protector of Equestria, Celestias heir, and she wouldn't hold back if she found out the truth. Would Sunset see a friend or a vampire? She wasn’t sure, she could hope… but…

And besides, Twilight hadn't recognised her. Not for a second did she think that Rarity was back. Would Sunset? No. Sunset was as rational as Twilight.

Rarity realized she had been combing her mane for 20 minutes. She froze in place and stared at herself in the mirror. What was she to do.

It had taken longer than expected for Sneaky to find the items in question and she was preparing herself mentally for a severe scolding as she returned to the living room. There was indeed the mistress, but not agitated or angry or… anything. She was standing completely still, looking at herself in the mirror with a blank face and a brush held in her magic. Her mane  was impeccably brushed and the make-up was as always discreet yet sensational, so she was at least not dead, but it looked like she was frozen in place . And time, at least it seemed to be like that. Sneaky looked at the mistress, then at her watch, and then at the mistress again.

“Mistress? Mistress are you…” she took a step forward and reached out. “Are you okay?”

Before her hoof har connected with the mistress, she spun round and glared at sneaky with that wild look on her face Sneaky remembered from that night. But it was brief, and soon she looked normal again. Although annoyed, but not exactly for the reason Sneaky expected her to be.

“What. Is it. Thrall?”

“I… um… Well.. I was… it took some… Are you not supposed to be on the way to the opera…mistress?”

The mistress did a snap with her hair, sending a nonchalant wave through her mane.
“Maybe, maybe not. A LADY is never tardy. She is just fashionably late.” 

“...Okay, mistress.”

“Was there anything ELSE?”

“No, mistress, but I just thought…”

Rarity was suddenly in Sneaky's face. “You are not in my service to THINK, thrall. I know what I am doing and I know what I need to do. This night is important! Everything needs to be perfect. Is that clear?”

“um… “

“Oh, you’re hopeless. Get me a cup of coffee and leave me alone. And I don’t care about stains on my teeth!”

“I didn’t…”

“NOW.”

“Okay, mistress. But you did ask for a dress and a necklace. You still want it?”

“Oh. Um… Yes! Yes of course! Thank you. BUT! I still want that coffee. HOT.”

Sneaky swung around and left. Rarity caught a hint of her thrall rolling her eyes. Sneaky was an interesting mix of a loyal servant and a complete arse, and under normal circumstances she would never even have talked to her. But… half of it was a facade, but it was not to hard to act like a big scary predator for Sneaky. And for a thrall, she was awfully loose-tongued. And she usually had a point with what she said. Rarity was supposed to be on her way. But… She couldn't leave just yet! No, she had to get dressed! Of course! That would be at least 15 minutes! And then she needed that cup of coffee to calm her nerves. Ten more minutes! And then a last minute check of her make-up! It would mean at least 30 minutes before she could leave. Yes… just 30 minutes… wasn’t there anything else she needed to do…

You’re pathetic.

Rarity felt her heart go black. THAT was a voice she hadn’t heard in centuries…”I thought you were gone.”

The rumours of my death are highly exaggerated. So, are you going to give me what I want or not?

“I will… Just…just be patient.”

I’ve been patient enough I think. 150 years in that prison. And when I finally manage to escape… then I get 300 years stuck with YOU. I should have known you were useless for me.

“Watch your language! Who is the one without a body? Who is the one stuck inside someone elses mind? Maybe I will refuse? Maybe I won’t let you hurt Twilight? Maybe I will just END myself and you will be gone.

That is quite a few maybe’s. But very few certainties. You have no idea what you are doing… puny mortal.

“Last time I checked I was a vampire.”

You don’t have eternal life… you are just not dead. Besides, who did just threaten me with ‘ending herself’? You really think you could manage?

“I have been dead once. I can be dead again.”

Vampires very rarely get resurrected you know… Perhaps it was more in play than you think.

Rarity Gasped. “It was you!”

Indeed. I kept you alive. Waiting for someone stupid enough to come around. It was a dull wait but… Here we are. And now you are going to do what I order you.

“No! No… I will not… I will not let you take Twilight.”

I won’t. You will do it for me.

“NO!”

Oh yes. You know what will happen. The blood moon is this weekend. You know what happened last time…

“I didn’t get to Twilight the last time!”

No. you got caught before you got the chance. But that won’t happen this time.

“NO IT WON’T!”

“Mistress? Who are you talking to?”

“SNEAKY? WHAT IN THE WORLD?”

“...You wanted coffee, mistress.”

“Oh. Oh yes! Yes! Coffee! Coffee… Thank you.” She took the cup in her magic and emptied it in one go. The bitter taste at least got her mind on other things. Like how to get out of this mess. She thought she could do it. Just get Twilight to like her again, reveal herself to her and then… Twilight would help her. Twilight would get her out of this mess. Twilight with all her magic would be able to save her. She just had to…explain something that was on Sombra-level of creepy and crazy. Nothing more.

“Thank you, thrall. That is all.”

“It’s not all.”

“I’ll be the judge of that, thank you!”

“Um… Not this time, mistress. We have a visitor…”

“We don’t get visitors. No one knows where we live.”

“I suppose this one knows a few tricks, mistress.”

Rarity followed Sneaky out in the hall. She sighed. “I swear, you people from the press are as tiresome as always! I am going to have to get a new dress after I am done with TWILIGHT!”

“Hi Rareza! I wanted to… see if you are okay.”

It really was her Twilight, standing in full regalia, right in her discreet hall. Rarity’s mind raced.

“You look splendid! I… I am sorry that I didn’t wait for you but… I have been looking forward to seeing you all day and…”

Finally Rarity got control of her maw again. “Oh, but Twilight… You look like a million bits yourself. But this old thing? Naw… just a little something.”
Something passed over Twilight's eyes, but she smiled at Rarity. 

“Thanks. So, are you…”

“How did you find where I live?”

“Sorry?” Rarity's question had been sharper than she intended and she bit her lip when she saw Twilight’s reaction.

“Sorry, I was just… surprised. I haven’t told you where I live and I… It’s just… It’s just …surprising.”

“Oh, I have my tricks…” Twilight gave a sly smile. “Just like you. Now, would you mind join me to the opera? The first act is to begin when we arrive and I don’t want the audience to wait.”

“Oh! Oh but of course! I am just finished, I am so sorry I was a bit late. The carriage is just outside?”

Twilight smiled. “Why would we need a carriage?” And in a flash they were gone and reappearing in the foyer of the opera house. The crowd was instantly around them, and a fat director in a very ill-suited tail-coat welcomed them. Twilight, for once, took care of the pleasantries, albeit in her way. Rarity mentally hoofpalmed a few times, but she could only smile. Usually she was the one doing the talking, giving everyone a smile or a good quote or even the hint of a scandalous pose… but not today. She had too much on her mind. That thing  had returned. And it had in the crudest of ways reminded her about how she had been stalling. Yes, stalling. Her original plan to woo Twilight had been prolonged. Because it had been too nice, too good to…just be with her. It was like in the old days. She had missed iot more than she could imagine. 
She had been tardy. 
And now she had to act fast. Because not only did that thing return, making her situation even more dire than she thought. Twilight had found where she lived. 

And if Twilight could find her…

Then Sunset could find her as well. And Sunset wouldn’t care about who she was.
She would only care about what she was. And why shouldn’t she? She was the princess of morning, defender of Equestria against all evil. And right now… Rarity was part of that evil. No, Sunset mustn't find her out! Not before Twilight…

Then I suggest you deal with this briskly. Before they find you out. 

Rarity did not answer. Instead she followed Twilight into their booth. Don Neighovanny did only wait for a princess. And perhaps some opera would calm her nerves.

***
Canterlot Castle.

Sunset was in her quarters, trying her best not to be impatient. Twilight had left for the opera more than an hour ago. Sunset should be in bed, but she sat at her desk still. She couldn’t sleep and there was only so much coffee one could have in a day, not when she was expecting news. And as on a cue, her secretary arrived, a slight piece of dust in his mane. He had indeed dug deep in the archives. He also carried a whole trunk of papers with him, and he put them down on the floor with a loud poof.

“Your highness.”

“Good evening Blueprint. Coffee?” Just because she didn’t want any, didn’t mean she would be a bad hostess.

“Why, yes, your highness. It’s actually been… a bit rough. “

“I can see that.” She poured him a cup, and put in two large lumps of sugar. Blueprint stirred the coffee and took a sip. 

“Ah… I needed that. Well, I did as you ordered, and searched ‘wide and far’. I must compliment you on your reference to old Equestrian lore, as that was Princess Platinum’s words to Clover the Clever when she wanted him to find her the …”

Sunset smiled and nodded as Blueprint rambled. The truth was she had no idea about that, it was just that she had no idea where to send Blueprint to search.

“Yes. And like Clover, did you turn out successful?”

“Well… no.”

“Oh,” Sunset couldn’t really hide her disappointment. This was her best idea, sure there were probably other ways. But… And what was with the trunk? “If you found nothing, what’s with the papers then?”

“Ah,” Blueprint cleared his throat. “Well, this is where it gets interesting. There is nothing.”

“Yes, you said that.”

“Ah, but there is a difference between nothing and nothing.”

She blinked. “Blueprint, I don’t think I follow…?”

“When I say nothing, I mean NOTHING. Look here.” He produced a heap of papers from the trunk. “Just a few documents. Birth certificates, contracts, medical records… nothing. Do you see?”

“No, not really, I mean, nopony leaves NOTHING behind, so… AH!” The realisation struck her, and she raised her head, looking in anticipation at Blueprint.

Blueprint nodded. “Yes. As you said yourself, even if she wasn’t a native, she had been living in Equestria for some time. And living in Equestria, as anonymous and humble as you can, there will always be records. Even the smallest bits. Hospitals, houses, contracts, coffee shops, etc . But there is nothing. “

“That IS interesting. “

“I thought you would find it interesting, your highness.”

Sunset frowned. “But this only confirms that something strange is going on. Where to go from here?”

“Well, your highness. The contessa is a pony in flesh and blood, but she doesn’t exist on papers. So I decided to search for someone who does exist on paper… and I found something rather interesting….”

“Yes?” Sunset's ears were at attention.

“About the same time as the contessa showed up, a young mare moved here, to a house on on Carfax street. The house was sold to a Miss Tee Enntee. SHE  does exists in the records. 28 years, Manehattanite, dropout from school. She.. ”

Sunset sat up, interrupting Blueprint. “So that must be it! That’s her real name!” But Blueprint shook his head. 
“Unfortunately not as simple as that, your highness. This miss Entee is described to have chocolate brown fur and an auburn mane and tail, the tail with a slim streak of dark red. Even with magic, that is hard to cover. Coloring the mane black is one thing, but to get the fur that white is hard. There is also another thing. They have been seen together. Not a lot, but enough. This…” He produced a much fresher document from a pocket, “is a written testimony from a stallion from the royal guard. He says that he saw them, the contessa and this miss Entee together outside the castle gates some time ago. He couldn’t remember any name, but he said they wanted to see Princess Twilight.” 

Sunset blinked. “And he is SURE it was the contessa?”

Blueprint looked away discreetly. “He said that you don’t forget a good derriere like that, your highness. Also, they both stayed on his mind for being such an odd couple.” Sunset smiled at her secretary’s discreteness, but she got serious again soon enough.

“Damn.”

“Damn indeed. And, there is more. The house was paid in cash. And even if it is a small accommodation, Carfax street isn’t cheap.”

“That is very significant.” Sunset wasn’t fully convinced and couldn’t help using her secretary's vocabulary but he didn’ät seem to notice. 

“Indeed. And this Ms. Entee is interesting. Her tax records to be precise. She pays very little tax, and she runs a small shop of archeology supplies in Manehattan.”

Now Sunset whistled. “That’s niched. She can’t make very much money from that.”

“Indeed. And her tax matches. However, she also has an apartment on the upper east. That she paid, also in cash.”

“Cash in Manehattan?”

“Yes. I hardly need to tell you what an apartment costs in Manehattan nowadays. “

“THAT is fishy!”

“Indeed it is. But the ‘fishiness’ doesn't end there. After finding this, I went to the Guards’ archives. Her name showed up a couple of times. Never caught for anything, but mentioned. Fencing, mostly. And there is one significant case, a middle-aged mare pressing charges against a cloth rental firm. She claimed that her daughter’s rented wedding dress was the same one that her Grandmother was buried in. Nothing could be proved, and the authorities refused to open the grave and check, but her name showed up, as the provider of the dress. And I know it’s only one case, but…” Sunsets eyes darkened. She wasn’t in favour of the tradition of wealthy ponies being buried with their belongings, but she accepted it. But she was more than aware of what kind of ponies being drawn to that...

“I see where you’re going. A grave robber.”

“Not unlikely, your highness.”

Sunset was silent for a while, deep in thought. Blueprint was also silent, knowing how his princess enjoyed silence while she thought. “It is significant… but still… I don’t know. A grave robber, associated with this… ‘Contessa’ character? What would they have in common? Just two scoundrels meeting? But for what? It’s far-fetched”

“I agree, your highness. It’s a bit of a weak hypothesis. But it is still what seems to have happened. ”

Sunset gave her hoofs a stern look. “Yes… Yes if you’re right…  Associating with somepony so much her opposite? That would imply the contessa isn’t a contessa…” She paused, the solution was obvious. “And if that is true, then… There could be a lot of reasons, fraud, to con ponies…”

Blueprint was still silent, but quickly began to look even more uneasy. “Are you suggesting that there is a scam going on, directed at Princess Twilight?”

Sunset bit her lip. ”At the moment I suggest nothing… but I want you to go deeper with this. Do NOT mention this to Parsnip. Not to anyone. At the moment, this stays between us. I dismiss you from your usual service. THIS will be your prime concern now. Tomorrow evening I want a new report on your findings, ok?”

Blueprint rose, and nodded. “Very well. Let me just give you this first.” He put the large pile of paper he had brought with him on her table.

“Yes, the papers. What is this?”

“Your schedule for next week. Down to the very minute. Please follow it, or there will be a mess.”

Sunset sighed and rolled her eyes “Yes,Dad.”

***

Tail in tail, side by side, occasionally head to head, Rarity and Twilight walked together. Rarity had managed to get her nerves in check, and to actually enjoy the performance. Twilight, as usual, had fallen asleep and It had been a nice remembrance to their days together to wake her up with a giggle. (I’m pancake!) 
After the opera, they had taken refuge in a park. Twilight's guard had cleared out the area for the couple to be alone. Oh how Rarity had missed this…

And Twilight's rambling. 
"I had a wonderful evening. Even if the diminuendos were a bit out of tune, the was a strength in the crescendos that made it all such a powerful experience! And… "

Rarity smiled. When Twilight didn't know about a subject she went through all the books but… she had a tendency to miss the points and ramble on the technical terms. Like now. Rarity knew that Twilight had no idea the meaning of Glissando, Mezzo-soprano, Contra-alto or even Andantino and she used them all wrong. 

"Dear." She interrupted Twilight in the middle of 'and the pianissimo was…'
The play was a dream. Especially that young stallion in the title role. That is how you play Don Neighovanny and I had a try enjoyable evening but I know that you didn't. "

" That is not true! I had a great time!"

"You don’t know the meaning of the words you just said. Technically yes!" She added when Twilight opened her mouth to protest, " but the context is all wrong. You don't like opera, do you?"

Twilight twisted a bit uncomfortably. “Well.. um… Opera isn’t exactly… No. No I don't.”

Rarity smiled. “Do not worry dear. I could tell. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Thanks… "

"So why did you go?"

"I wanted ro be with you and… I got the feeling that you would enjoy it." 

Rarity smiled. Typical Twilight. "I did. Immensely. I haven’t seen such a performances in cen…years. But the most important thing…" She leaned closer to Twilight, "I wanted to be with you."

Twilight smiled. "Me too. I… It’s strange, but… It’s like I already know you. I feel like I can be myself around you.” if Raritys heart had been beating, it would have skipped one. She was not ready for such a revelation and she tried to hide her chock with a tease. 

“Oh dear! Does this mean that you are faking? Are you not princess Twilight?”

Twilight giggled. “You are so funny!”

“I prefer ‘amusing’ but thank you!”

"Hello Amusing, I am Twilight!"

They both giggled. Then they proceeded to walk a little further until they reached the small lake in the middle of the park. Now they stood there in silence. Twilight leaned her head on Rarity's mane. The gesture should have pleased her but instead it made her mind wander again.

There has to be a way to do this… there has to…

“There has to…”

“There has to what?”

“Oh! Um… There has to be a way to describe how beautiful you are that has not been said before!”

Twilight blushed. “Oh please…” She looked away briefly, then she looked back with a sly look. "Someone is a real charmer tonight!"

“Oh please, not! You are stunning, dear. Only an idiot would deny that. And neither of us are idiots."

"But maybe I am a fool in love?"

Two eyes met, a Sparkle was sent between them. Nopony said anything. 

Their lips met.

It wasn’t the first kiss of course, but this was…special… Rarity felt Twilight put her hoof around her neck and pulled her closer. She felt how Twilight nuzzled her mane, a gesture she well remembered. Twilight trusted her. But she could also feel Twilight's heartbeats. She could almost hear the blood flooting in her veins even. And more importantly, she wasn’t looking at her. 
NOW. DO IT. 
Rarity let her fangs grow out. Just a quick bite and everything would be over. All her problems…  Slowly she lowered her head so she almost scratched Twilights skin. JUST DO IT… 

She let her fangs shrink, then she moved her head so she could look Twilight in the eyes. The eyes she had drowned in more than once over the years. The eyes she loved. 

There was no way she could hurt her Twilight. No way.

She had to leave. Before it was too late.
> 9. Oh Shit!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sneaky was not completely unfamiliar with being shaken awake by the mistress, but to her relief it had been a while since last time. But as uncomfortable as it was, she knew better than to protest and she held back a yawn as she tried to get some order in the hysterical flood of words the mistress spewed at her.

“...and we can only pack what's absolutely necessary… Oh, why haven’t I arranged my wardrobe for dire emergencies… You need at least three different jackets and I… hmm… perhaps the blue one, that will look good against the night sky… Well don’t just stand there, get a coffer!”

“Whu?”

The mistress rolled her eyes and frowned. “Have you heard a single word I have said?”

“A few of them, mistress, but not all.”

“...THAT part of your brain works at least I hear.” Rarity leaned closer to sneaky and said, slowly and cold. “Listen carefully, thrall. I will only say this once. We have to go.”

“We have to what?”

“I will not repeat myself.”

Sneaky looked at her mistress. “So…the plan failed?”

Rarity looked away. “It did NOT fail.”

“And yet we have to run. Like I said.”

Red eyes, fangs out. “Be silent, thrall. You did NOT say that. You said that my plan wouldn’t work.”

“Well, we have to flee, don’t we? In my experience, that means it didn’t work. I mean… when I was out d… doing business… It happened that I got caught and…” The mistress waved her off.

“We are NOT fleeing!” She paused. “ This  is a retreat!”

“And that is different how?”

“Do you HAVE a deathwish, thrall?”

Sneaky did not have a deathwish, and on one level, she was afraid of the mistress and what she was capable of. But at the same time, there had been very much bark and very little bite from her. Maybe it was the feeling of when everything was hopeless, it didn’t matter what you did. Maybe it was the growing irritation with the mistress treating her like garbage that talked. Maybe it was just her being tired and the mouth awake before the brain. She looked the mistress in the eyes and spoke.

“Mistress. You have spent the last month threatening me, and sure, I have been afraid of you. I still am, at least a bit. But no matter what you’ve said, you have not touched me nor hurt me, not once. Not even the ponies you have fed from have really been hurt. You always leave them alive and with a few bits to buy a sandwich. I don’t think you have it in you to kill.”

Rarity took another step closer to Sneaky, who swallowed.  This is it. Thank you mouth. We played and lost. Her red eyes seemed to reach the bottom of Sneaky’s soul, but suddenly she turned her head away and looked at the floor.

“...You are right. I don’t. Or well… I  don’t.  He  on the other hand...”

“He? What?” Sneaky put her head ajar. “Mistress, can you please explain everything to me? I won’t mind helping, but I need to understand.”

Rarity walked over to her daybed, lay down, and signed to Sneaky to sit down with her.

“Yes, I suppose I owe you that. Very well, thrall. Let me tell you a story. Many many years ago there was an old mare who was very much in love… and so very much a fool…

----



Anno Novus Regno 98.

Canterlot, a shady back alley.

Grey Matters shop of extraordinary and fantastic objects was about to close for the night. No sales today, but you couldn't always be lucky. Grey Matters was - surprice!- a grey unicorn stallion and he had been in the game for many years. Even on the slowest of weeks, there would always be a sucker ready to pay a LOT of bits for either crap or… even some of the more sinister stuff. Like that unicorn two months ago… Grey smirked. He remembered her so well. Old and wrinkled, gray mane. She also had quite a bit of trouble walking, if he remembered correctly, which he usually did. 

“I need to live forever,” she said. Perhaps any other story would raise an eyebrow to that exclamation, but for him it was just Thursday. He’d barely listened to her rantings about “true love” and, “poor darling”. Instead, he grinned when he had realized that this was the perfect opportunity to get rid of a certain bottle… and she had been all too desperate to ask any important questions. He had Hmmm’d and huffed a bit and made a big show of looking over his desk and drawers. In fact, he knew exactly where to look, he even had to avoid looking in the right place a couple of times to make sure he didn't go too fast. All the time the old mare stood shaking and nervous, waiting for some kind of result. He smirked again.  Too easy . Finally he decided it was time, let out an “Ah, yeees!” and placed the bottle on the desk. She had stared at it, as if she were disappointed. And sure, the bottle was a pretty ordinary one. A green ex-wine bottle. So then he shook it a bit, making sure she saw the red, thick fluid on the inside, and the slight flashes of yellow as the magic flew past the edges.

“This bottle will help you. Take it home, pour some of it in a small glass and drink it on a night with a full moon. And then wait three days, and the matter should be solved to your satisfaction. You have to keep the bottle of course, but that is hardly a matter. Just a formality, if you ask me.”

She still looked sceptical, but that was all in the game. “How does it work?”

“Ah, you see, this bottle is the home of an ancient spirit. It’s the soul of a Zebrican Shaman. It’s well over seven hundred years old. The bottle needs to be refilled every hundred years or so, or the spirit will die… unless of course, you can provide a new vessel for it. The body of a living pony would fit perfectly! The spirit is kept alive by the vessel, and in return it gives the vessel, you in this case, almost eternal life and good health. When you take the sip, you provide space for the spirit inside you, giving you what you want.”

“Just a small sip, you say?”

He smiled. “Just a small sip. Sure, if you drink a bit more the spirit will be more powerful, and the effect will last longer but that’s only natural.”

“And you are sure it won’t… reverse?”

Ah yes. The vanity of ponies… He smiled again. “Oh, but ff course, if the spirit should leave you, you lose everything. But I shouldn't worry about that,” He quickly added when he saw the worry in her eyes increase. “The only thing that can make it go away is a spell so powerful that not even princess Celestia can wield it. Also, a new vessel is not necessary, just keep the bottle filled and you should be fine.”

She began to stare at the bottle with fear, but also hope. She scraped the floor with her hoof a couple of times, and then she spoke. “Will… will it make me Young and beautiful again?”

“AS I said.”

“But the bottle is yours. Have you been drinking it?”

“Of course.”

“...You don’t look very young to me.”

Grey cleared his throat. “Maybe I just drank a little to get the general magic, but trust me, it does indeed work. Do you know how old I am? 135!”

“Really?”

He smiled his most toothy smile. “Really. Take a look at this.” He showed her his licence to conduct trade in manehattan, issued to mr Grey Matters, Manehattan, ANR 23. The official royal stamp was there. Sure, the licence had not exactly been about conducting the business he was up to these days, but the royal stamp still worked as a way to seal an hard deal. He saw how the doubt disapperad from the old mares face. “I take it. And the bigger the sip the better the effect?”

“Yes, that should be it, yes.”

She gave him the bits and left.



---



“Who was that mare?”

Rarity hmpfd. “Really, Sneaky?” When the other mare just stared at her, she rolled her eyes. 

“It was a most desperate pony, driven to her wits end by love and desperation, as only true love can do to anypony…”

Sneaky swallowed. Frankly, this sounded as weird as everything else the mistress had told her or planned. But most of the time it had been as she said so… She nodded, and kept listening.

“She didn’t want to leave her. Twilight was -IS- an alicorn. And while not immortal, she lives for very long. The mare saw it in her eyes. She didn’t want her to go. What was she to do? Just die and leave her?”

“Well…yes? What other choice is there? I mean… save for the princess, most ponies are m…”

“THAT WAS A RETHORICAL QUESTION, THRALL! OF COURSE I COULDN’T LEAVE HER! THAT WAS WHY I BOUGHT THAT DAMN FLASK!”

Sneaky starred at her. “Are you saying that you…”

“Yes. I was once married to the princess.”

“So… The pony in the story?”

“ YES,  It was ME of course. I was  trying  to be sublte!”

“So… you… How old were you?”

“I will NOT honor THAT question with an answer. Just know that I was old enough to not be in this world for much longer. And I… I couldn’t leave my Twilight alone…”

Sneaky was silent as the mistress continued. “As a princess comfort I had my ways of hearing stuff. I had heard about Grey from various sources. I had to keep my silence to Twilight of course, I wanted it to be a surprise. And sure. It was true. I became a young mare again, as you can see. But it did come with a few unexpected sideffects…Now where was I… Oh yes.”



----

Greys mind had stayed on the mare the whole time it took to close his shop. Well, it WAS his biggest deal yet and even if he fancied himself of being hardened and unmoved, the relief of getting the bottle out of his possesion WAS a relief. It was merely months away until the next blood moon and he didn’t want to go through  that  again. He had most of the stuff locked away when he heard hoofsteps on the pavement outside.

The next minute the door flew open and a unicorn mare entered. She had white fur, purple mane and red flashing eyes. Grey didn't recognize the unicorn at first, since there was an age difference of sixty years, but he assumed pretty much correctly who she was. “Ah, miss… Rarity, was it? Satisfied with your purchase?”

“Scoundrel! ‘Umbug! Gombeen! Worthless piece of shyte, ye are!

“Now, now, miss. You got what you paid for. You are young again, and you will live for… a very long time. As long as you keep the bottle. Ah, but you have to pay tribute to the spirit of course. Nothing special, just some royal blood now and then and you’ll be fine.”

Rarity glared at him. “You COULD have mentioned that I wasn’t supposed to drink it all!”

Grey starred at her. “You… yo drank it  all ? Not just a sip as I said?”

Rarity nodded, and the refined accent with a touch of old mare was gone, replaced with a rather sloppy hayrish. “Yer just had a sip and yer look like shyte. Oi wanted to look  faboulous  for me twilight! Of course oi drank it all! Imagine the surprice when oi noticed dat oi apparantly am technically DED!” Grey swallowed and took a few steps back to his hidden drawer with  insurances.  He put on his best smile and said, “Well, how else would you expect to live for decades? Ghosts and ghouls  are  dead, and Alicorn are out of my reach.”

“Yer as thick as manure but only ‘alf as useful!” She paused and drew a breath, trying to control herself. When she once again began to speak, her voice was back to that first, refined accent, but her eyes still short daggers.“I have NO intention to spend the rest of my existence as a ghoul, especially not married to a… NOT IMPORTANT. Turn me back!”

“My dear miss, I…”

“TURN. ME. BACK!” She was awfully close to his face now, and her breath bore traces of blood and meat.  What in the world WAS she? He turned his head away from her.

“Ehrm, if I remember correctly, I said the only cure was a really powerful spell, that I don’t know. And we don’t do returns.”

“Well, there must be something you can do! You made me like this! What did you think T…  would say if she saw me?”

“If your girlfriend…”

“Wife.”

“Sorry, wife, loved you, she probably could accept you, being a ghoul.”

“You don’t seem to get this, mr Matters…” Rarity looked at him again, with eyes red like blood and large sharp fangs. “I have become an fecking VAMPIRE! I have spent the last few weeks holding back a wish to go on a KILLING SPREE! How the  hay  will she accept t  hat?  There aren't any chains to hold me! I’ve tried! I ate a whole hoofball team last month when I finally got out!! If this keeps going I need to move my grave to Manehattan to get away from the vampire hunters! By hoof!” She opened her mouth and showed her fangs. “Turn. Me. Back. Or else…”

Grey took a few steps over to a locker with a red heart sign on and grabbed a small medallion from it. He put it around his neck and  held it up in front of her, immediately she hissed, and backed away. “I would take a few more steps back if I were you. This garlic is not something you want in your eyes, and is also mixed with a few ounces of silver. It will not kill you, but it will hurt. Severely.” He turned around, marking the conversation as over. “Thank you for your interest, the door is there. Good night.”

“So…You are going to dispatch me, just like that. Very well. I hoped it wouldn't have to get this far. But you leave me no choice. Goodbye, Mr. Matters.” Her voice was low, not more than a whisper. Like she was sorry for him, or something. He shrugged his shoulders and heard her walk to the door. But then, instead of the sound of the door opening, he heard the click of the lock. And when he turned around, he almost screamed. She had changed… Her eyes were red as a flaming fire, and her mouth was filled with sharp fangs. And when she spoke, her voice had changed. Now it sounded like a rough mix of three voices at once with her own somewhere in the middle.

“Well, since you are so uncooperative, I guess I have to be more persuading? I guess I choose a good night to come. It’s the second full moon, Mr. Matters… I am sure you are quite accustomed to what happenes then.”

She lounged for him, and only a quick jump to the side saved him from being smashed through the wall. He leaped to his emergency locker, searching desperately for something that could save him. A powerful kick in his side sent him rolling over the floor, and the next second she was over him, tearing the skin of his neck aiming for his throat. She gnarled and snarled like a manticore and he tried to keep her at bay with his hooves, but he failed miserably. As he tried to wiggle away from her, something fell to the floor. The medallion. He realized that he actually had a weapon against her, but he had only one shot. He took the medallion in his magic, quickly floated it in front of his mouth and blew the content right into her face. It was his own mix, 80/20 of dried garlic and powdered silver, a vampire's nightmare. She screamed, and tried to shake it off her, and so he had the chance to get out of her grip and back to the locker where he produced a small blue bottle. He opened it, and threw it right into her face. Dew from the leaves of the tree of harmony. The power would have rendered her harmless, but this  would  kill her.

“You’ve destroyed my mane.”

Or perhaps not.

“First you throw rubbish at me, then some sticky fluid. I will never get it out.”

In a flash she was over him again. The first blow cracked his leg, the other cracked a few ribs. Then she pinned him against the wall.

“Last chance. Tell me how to change me back, and I may let you live.

“How…” he coughed, and spit out some blood. “How did you… survive… the dew?”

She snorted, “You are looking at a vampire demon, darling. It takes harder stuff to get to me. Now I ask again. Change me back.”

His brain rushed, but it all was blank. There was no cure! That was the point! But… something! Anything! Anything that would stop this monster from hurting him. A small part of his mind whispered that he probably deserved everything, but he wasn't very keen on listening. All he had was his usual drivel about ‘not even the princesses could remove the spirit’ but… The princesses! Alicorn blood! That was it!

“If… if you… if you drink the blood of an alicorn… it will satisfy the spirit…”

“So you're telling me that I have to kill my own wife?”

 Wife? Just who was this pony? His mind rushed over it, that was a question for later. Now it was all about survival. “No! No! Just… just a little. It will probably… keep the spirit under control… for at least a year.”

“Well, darling. That was not so hard, was it? Thank you, However…”

He closed his eyes. This was the end, he knew it.

“You suggest that I hurt my Twilight. You pig.”

She then sank her fangs in his neck. He screamed, but soon all was silent. Rarity left the shop and began to wander away. 

---



“You…did… that?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes. Or… not exactly me. I made my body the vessel for the spirit. The spirit itself only required blood. But a spirit mixed with the body of a pony… Voila! VAMPIRE! I… I am myself. Most of the time. But the spirit lives inside me and when the thirst becomes to much…”

Sneaky nodded. That WOULD explain why the mistress had such an uneven temper.

“I hate that I need to feed but if I don’t… The spirit gets more control. If I kill someone, I am free for longer time. But as I said, I don’t like it.”

“So… the tomb I found in Manehatten…?”

“I could have settled for a nice flat, buuut… Vampire chic was all over the fashion world at the time. And here I had the chance to live a la mode! So, I purchased a nice cosy tomb I meant to have as my headquarters.”

Sneaky winced a little at the word “cosy” but she had to admit that it was more like an apartment than a tomb.

“My plan was to lay low for a while. I knew what to do, but… To go back to twilight?  I couldn’t. I had to think of something else, a solution, a cure… anything. Before I could go back to her. But… I made a little mistake.”

“A LITTLE?”

“Shut up, sneaky. Just because I won’t kill you doesn’t mean that breaking bones is of limits. I… I killed a pony.”

“You actually killed one?”

“Do you HAVE to repeat everything I say? YES I killed A PONY. As I said, by doing that, the demon was off my back for a long time. And I needed that peace to relocate and rethink my moves. Unfortunately… The huinters was not of my trail.”

“...Are there really vampire hunters?”

“No officials of course. Just amateurs and… well, loonies. I suppose that was my luck. The found me, traced me and tried to do away with me. But the stake didn’t kill me… The spirit didn’t allow that. It just rendered me immobile. A skeleton. AND the rascals tried to blow up my tomb. Not sure why they failed, but they seemed to be a large gang of morons so I can’t say it surprised me.”

“Alright, so… But you have been out with the princess now, haven’t you? If you told her this…”

“If I told her this, she would forgive me. OF course she would. She would let me live in the castle, star in her chambers, not rest until she had found a cure. I couldn’t do that to her.”

“Mistress? Isn’t that… a really stupid thing to do?”

“Thrall. In three days the demon will take full control over me. It been over 100 years. The time is up. It  needs  blood. Blood from an alicorn. It will stop at nothing and it has tremendous strength. You think the guards can hold me back? Twilight? Princess Sunset herself?”

Sneaky was sure the mistress was exaggurating but… she defintely believed this herself.

“No. I have to go away. As far away as possible.”

“But… when you tried to get close to princess Twilight…”

Rarity nodded. “The spirit was stronger when I was first resurected. Since then… It has regained more of myself. I can’t do this to Twilight. Not to anyone. I need to go. And so do you.”

“I?”

“You are still my thrall, thrall.”

Sneaky rolled her eyes.

“Now get a cart. I will arrage the packing.”

“Mistress… We DO have an emergency coffer. “

“Yes, thrall. for EMERGENCIES. THIS is a DIRE EMERGENCY and I had NOT planned for that! Now GO!”

And sneaky left.

Rarity spent a stressful 30 minutes trying to get it all done when sneaky returned.

“Back already? Good.Now, load this on…”

Until now she hadn’t noticed the tense look on Sneakys face face and the fact that she wasn’t alone… Three royal guards, all with stern and cold faces, uttering words that made Raritys soul freeze.

“Contessa Rareza y Pomerance. You are coming with us to the palace. In the name of the diarchy you are under arrest for conspiring against the crown.”
> 10. What they do in the shadows...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Earlier that day… 

Sunset galloped to her quarters. Blueprint never raised his voice, and when he sent a message to her during Day Court it was urgent. She knew that either there was a dragon attack, or…

When she arrived at her quarters, Blueprint shut the door, and drew the curtains.

“What is this about?”

“Her highness is in great danger!”

“Me or Twilight?”

“...Princess Twilight, your highness.”

“Thanks for clearing that out! But what kind of danger? Did you find out more about miss Entee? Is she some sort of murderer or a terrorist?”

Blueprint calmly walked over to his table where he laid out a few documents.

“I will answer all of your questions in time, your highness. The first one… I am afraid I can’t give you a satisfying answer to that. The answer to the second one is, yes. Enough to put her in jail for twentythree years, but no, she is not a murderer, and there is no signs of her being a terrorist. And it’s not that, that is the reason I called you here.” He stopped and took a moment to check if his papers were in order. “I know now why there is no previous records of The Contessa.”

“Oh! Why?”

“Because she is dead, your highness.”

“DEAD?” Sunset couldn’t believe her ears. For a second she was sure that Blueprint must be joking, but she knew him well enough to know he never did.

“Yes, your highness, and before you say, ‘but I saw her move yesterday’, let me explain. As you ordered, I searched deeper. I found very little, and in a bit of a desperate attempt I decided on this order of actions. Full white unicorns are very rare, as you know. So I, in a way, widened my search, for any kind of documents related to white unicorns. But those were few, and one of the reasons was rather peculiar. There hasn’t been a full-white unicorn in Equestria for sixty years.”

“Sixty? But… I know the answer but… are you sure?”

Blueprint nodded. “I am afraid so, your highness. It is almost considered a skin condition these days.”

“Don’t say that so Twilight hears you.”

“I know, your highness. That is one of the reason I haven’t called upon her as well. And with that in consideration, doctors are on the lookout for white unicorns. Well, white pegasi as well… I am sorry, I find this subject rather fascinating, but we must hurry. And even with all that, the contessa is barely thirty. She could be a fraud in that way too, but I managed to check. Her fur is all natural. She is indeed a white unicorn.”

“Of a type that hasn’t existed in sixty years.”

“Yes. And the last one was a stallion, who died in battle in the last Griffonia war. Of course there are methods… but he was also shorter, and one can only alter that much with magic (your highness excluded of course), so that was a dead end. Which is ironic since. Ehrm.”

Sunset shot her secretary a glance. Almost a joke? Bluprint must be more upset than she expected. “Documents of recent years regarding white unicorns were few, most of them regarded cosmetics but I stumbled on a few rather peculiar reports about ponies that claimed to have been drugged and taken away… and being… eaten. Well, not eaten, rather… to say it right out, they said they had been the victims of a…vampire.”

Sunset could do nothing but stare. Her eyes looked into his, trying to decide if he was serious. “Yes, your highness. It is remarkable, with all the strange beings that exists in Equestria, that such a simple thing as vampire should be considered superstition. But the fact remains, the police in Manehattan did not take this matter seriously. But I am afraid to say that I was getting rather desperate, so I decided to go to Manehattan myself to end that trail once and for all. Unfortunately I can not rule it out. I found one of the victims, a blue Pegasus colt. He recalled very little, since he was dizzy, but he remembered the pain, and a pair of red eyes. He did have a wound on his neck that looked suspicious. Before I left, he recalled another thing. The bite had made his mind clear for a moment. There was a call for a “Sneaky” to remove him from the premise. He saw another pony, unicorn, that lifted him up. He thinks she was the one who drugged him. And as she carried him out, he got a glimpse of, and I quote, “A vampire”.”  He paused. “White fur. Black mane. Red eyes, and a red scarf that made an impression on him. Not much, but it did indeed sound like the contessa. I searched for more, but… well, I shall not Bore you with all my undertakings. I did some cross-checking and found something interesting. Now we are back to miss Entee. All these attacks had happened within the last month, starting on the 26th. The last time any pawn shop owner in Manehattan had seen miss Enntee was two days before. From what I could hear, she still had money, but she didn't sell anything.”

He looked up from his papers. “Your highness. I am ashamed to admit this but..  I think… that she opened a grave and found something… she didn't expect.”

“You want me to believe that there is a vampire loose?  really? ”

Blueprint cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to believe anything, your highness. What I want to focus your attention on in this: Someone has been biting ponies trying to drink their blood, and apparently done so with some success. It is probably that it is just a madmare. But she have attempted to drink blood. And she has been seen around her royal highness, Princess Twilight. And until we can’t explain where she is coming from… We have to be extremely careful.”

Sunset was silent. Way to many thoughts passed through her mind in that moment. It was impossible… or was it? Her own wife was a siren, a shapeshifting being… but she was alive. A vampire was a ghost, or a ghoul, and those… that was different. That was not a thing, that was superstition. 

And yet… And yet… There was not a single thing that explained everything. Blueprint was right. Twilight was in some sort of danger.

Slowly, she unfolded her wings. “Where is Twilight?”

“Out in the city. She managed to escape from her bodyguards.”

“Find her. Bring her back. Double her guard and don’t let her out of sight. Arrest Miss Entee and if possible, this “contessa”.”

Blueprint nodded. “But for what, your highness?”

“Conspiracy against the crown. Until we  know   what she is up to, she is to be assumed dangerous. Find her, chain her, and bring her here. I will question her personally when I return.”

“And… where are you going?”

Sunset walked up to the window, ready to take flight. “Manehattan. I need to look into this myself. Cancel court for the rest of the day, and alert the guard that I will arrive in 40 minutes.”



-------



 Canterlot Castle dungeon. Evening. 



The cell they had put Rarity into was dark, but thankfully not cold. She wore chains on all four hooves, but luckily they didn’t put a muzzle on her. She guessed that the chains wouldn’t hold her, but for the moment, that was not important. She had to make sure that Twilight was not getting hurt.

What time was it? She wasn’t sure. She was feeling dizzy, and she was in desperate need of another shower. She did once ask a passing guard for that, it ended with him throwing a bucket of water at her. 

 Well, at least they are loyal to the crown  she muttered to herself.

A few times, a posh Griffon had visited. He had said nothing, but Rarity knew. This was one of Sunsets guys, probably doing his best to drag her to the bench for something. Once or twice she had considered explaining everything to him, but considering how Sneaky had acted… why would he believe her? The voice was right. This was going to end badly, and she couldn’t do anything about it. The demon would feed. And then stay calm for many years. And she would have to run…far away. And never see Twilight again. She began to cry in silence, and in tears she fell asleep.



-----



 Dusty Hill Cemetary, the outskirts of Manehattan. Evening. 

Sunset and the five guards available had spent a good part of the afternoon searching through the cemetery for tracks, but it was not easy. The cemetery was old, and not in use. And the few grave still being kept were few and mostly located on the sunlit west side. But they kept going. Sunset knew that there had to be some sort of answer here. She trusted Blueprints [omdöme]. If Tee Entee was a graverobber, to be put away for 23 years, she was successful. An if she had been looking for something here, then something must be found.

One of the guards came up to her.

“Nothing in the north west sector, your highness. Are you sure?”

“YES I…” she bit her lip. “Yes, liuetentant. I am sure.”

“Pardon me for saying, but if you could give us any type of hint or clue to what we are looking for…”

“A grave, liutenant.”

“Yes, your highness. A grave.”

She didn’t have to look at him to see him roll his eyes. They were surrounded by them. But…

“We are looking for a crypt of somekind. One of the traces we have is after a grave robber. So it must be something big and something that must contain a number of valuables. And we will find it! If miss Enntee could find it, so can we!”

Another guard came up to them. “Your highness. I think I have found it.” Sunset more or less dragged him over to what seemed to be more or less a grasscovered heap of dirt.

“Is this…”

“Yes, I believe so, your highness. My grandfather was an undertaker and he said that for a short time this was high fashion. For people who wanted to be buried with all their stuff, it was important that it didn’t drag any attention to it. But once you found the door… You wouldn’t be mistaken. It should be around… here.”

The guard put his foot down and dug a little. “Strange… the earth seems to have been put back here rather recently. Did you say that this tomb was old, your highness?”

Sunset didn’t reply, she focused all her magic on the point in the ground, and soon she had eviscarated the marble plates covering the entrance. With lit horns, they entered.

The crypt was soon found empty, but there  were  traces of life, if you could associate that word with something that maybe was or believed it was a vampire. There were small stains of dried blood and a mark on the floor where a coffin had been. But not much else. Sunset had been to busy to uncover the tomb, but the lieutenant (probably on Blueprints orders) had called out for the presence of Dean Bloodstains, from the archaeological faculty of the school for gifted unicorns, and a part time consult for the coroner department of the guard. Once she had arrived, she had gently asked all the guards and Sunset to leave and let her do her work by herself. She had been inside for about one hour and Sunset had sent some guards away to get food. But now the dean appeared in the opening. Sunset was immediately on her hooves. “Well, miss Bloodstains?”

“Well… it’s blood alright, and quite a lot of it. There are stains in at least five places. There has been attempts to clean it up, but not good enough for my equipment!” she managed a small smile. “The age is harder to say, without doing proper tests, but some stains are older. If I were to make a wild guess, there is not a stain more recent than a month. Some might be even older. There was also a trace of preservation magic, but that was much older. I need to get in touch with another colleague of mine to determine exactly how old…”

“Alright. Thank you. That… only raises more questions, but hopefully I will get them tonight when I return to Canterlot… Pardon me for asking, but isn’t it strange that there are no records of who is buried here?”

The dean shrugged her shoulders. “Well, It is not my area of expertise, but you know what they say? Money talks and can buy anything.”

Sunset nodded. The contessa was rich after all. “However, you should be able to find the name.”

“What?”

“Yes, we actually had a case in another part of manehattan a few years back. Even if the graves were anonymous, the undertakers was usually superstitious, and put a kind of name chifre somewhere, to keep the dead inside, so to speak. But I can’t give you any details. Oh, but that young guard should know! He was there, and he mentioned having a relative who was… an…undertaker. “

Again, Sunset had ran over and dragged the guard with her. “Did you grandfather mention something about hiding the names?”

For a second the guard, who had been dragged away from his carrot dog, looked really confused but then he collected himself. “Yeah… he said something about it. It was not to be placed on the actual door, but close enough so that one who knew what to look for would find it.”

Sunset gave the guard her most stern eye. “Find it. NOW.”

It took the guard about 15 minutes, but in the end he did find it under a bush. It was a square marble plate with what seemed to be a random mess of lines.

“Is this it?”

“Yes, your highness. It’s a name puzzle. A charm, if you want, put there to keep the dead in their coffins.”

“Well, what does it say?”

“Um…Well… I am not sure… Grams showed me but I don’t remember where to start…”

“Try. You are the closest thing to an expert we have here!”

The guard, named Beady Eye, would always remember this day as the most intense in his career, but it also made his family rather well to do, and he was granted a place at the very university Deen Bloodstain represented to one day become a part of the coroner unit. But today, he was still a 26 year old guard trying his best not to panic under the scrutinizing eyes of one of the princesses.

“Hmm..That should go… no. but… No… But if that one… yea…no.” He saw the [otåliga look in the princesses eyes, and tried to concentrate. What did grams say… Always start at the bottom… which he had done… but maybe that was not the bottom… And finally he had it. “That part goes up, that one down, that to the right, that also down and… voilà!”

He produced a piece of paper with words on it. Sunset Shimmer froze.

RARITY BELLE-SPARKLE

“What… what’s wrong, your highness?”

At first she said nothing. She just stood there, like she couldn’t believe her eyes. Then she gave rapid orders. “Guards! Dean! Lieutenant. Continue the investigation. I want to know everything there is to know about this place, and I mean  everything.  Send a message to canterlot.  The contessa must  NEVER  be alone with Princess Twilight. ” 

They all stood at attention.”As you wish! What about you?”

“ I will return to Canterlot immediately. This is… worse than I though..”

As she sped through the air, one single thought flew through Sunset Shimmer’s head. 

 Rarity, Rarity… what in Tartaros happened to you? 

----



Canterlot Castle dungeon. Later, the same evening.



Rarity awoke with the feeling that she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t going to bother to get up, but in the end, her good upbringing won. You were always supposed to be a polite and good host. But the sight that awaited her as she stood up almost made her fall on the floor again.

Twilight. Inside her cell. 

She was at loss for words, and her maw was around her knees. The first one to speak was Twilight.

“Rareza… what have they done to you? What is wrong? Please tell me!”

And  then  Rarity fainted.