Lines of Promise
Ley lines are the natural veins in which magic uses to flow through every living being in Equestria. Invisible to the naked eye, they are much like the veins that allow our blood to flow through our bodies. Magic isn't always pulled or simply summoned, it flows through our beings and supports us in our talents. Through the hooves of the Earth Ponies they bring forth earth’s bounty and tamed beauty. The lines that flow through the wings of a pegasus allow those born with them to manipulate the clouds and cause the forces of wind and rain to manifest at will.
But this leaves the last race, the active users, the tricksters. A unicorn, with no natural flow besides that of talent, cannot use their hooves to bend the earth and sky, but instead allow the lines to flow through their horn to be released and manipulated through the appendage. They can trick the magic to believe the earth pony can fly in order to allow them to walk the clouds. Wrap the clouds in incandescent arms to bend them low and bow to their will. A unicorn can speak to the earth, and will it to rise, by connecting to the internal lines within the living trees and grass.
However, such strength in a unicorn is rare beyond natural affinity and must require focus study for control and constant practice to expand their ability. As the ley lines are used, they will strengthen and grow to allow more magic to flow.
History has shown that the lines in a practiced unicorn mage flow through the body as what can only be described as tendrils of air which, this writer, might imagine as soul. It has also been rumored that unicorns most blessed with talent and discipline will have their ley lines visually manifest themselves across the skin of the magic user. It had been rumored that Starswirl’s famed cloak was to conceal his own lines from startling the idle observer and thinking of him to be possessed or some creature originating from the depths of the Everfree.
Tears fall like rain, staining the pages that made up the damning chapter, spreading and mingling with the aged black ink. Not able to read another word, Twilight allowed her vision to blur as the moisture gained in her eyes. She steps back away from the book as if it were the monster that she was becoming before tripping over a discarded tome. Twilight falls backwards onto her haunches, raising her hooves into sight. The lines are trailing longer, and they seem much more bright...
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Spike scatters across the floor, claws scraping erratically across the wooden floor in a chittering steccato of sound and movement. Another few raps at the door causes him to increase his hurried pace. Gripping the door to the library, he turns the knob and pulls the door, allowing it to swing wide. Light blinds his reptilian eyes for a moment before the sun is blocked off by a pegasus behind the door.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Spike. Didn’t notice the sun was behind-” the silken soft voice of the yellow pegasus guest was shattered like glass to the harsh plea of the dragon.
“Fluttershy! Man, I’m so glad it’s you! You’ve come to help, right?”
Fluttershy steps back, momentarily stunned by the hurried words of her friend, but sensing the dragon’s discomfort, Fluttershy puts a soft hoof to Spike’s lips. Spike immediately stops and looks up into the turquoise eyes of the pegasus. They were full of kindness and love; Spike found his earlier worry leaving him and instead being replaced by warmth. Knowing that she had his full attention, Fluttershy spoke.
“Now, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you say, but please tell me what’s wrong. I promise that I’ll do my very best to help you.”
Spike nods as she speaks, letting her soft voice and reassuring words work through his body like a sedative. Stepping away from Fluttershy, he began to lay out his concern.
“It... was this morning. I got up to do a few chores I missed last night before Twilight could wake up and notice they weren’t done on time. I hadn’t even finished dusting when I heard her shout like the time Gummy found his way into her pillow, but different from before,” Spike begins to grow restless again as he begins to talk, words leaving his mouth at an increasingly rapid pace. “Fluttershy, I swear I was trying to help, believe me! I was walking up to her room when she ran past me and nearly knocked me off the stairs! She’s been there all day, and I don’t want to leave her...”
Tears begin to bead up around the dragon’s eyes as his worry increased, but they were wiped away by Fluttershy’s pink mane as she wraps him in a warm and comforting embrace.
“There, there,” Fluttershy cooed, stroking a hoof down the young dragon’s back. “I’m sure she’s alright. Probably thought she found a snake in one of the bookshelves again.”
Spike tightened his embrace. “I... I don’t think so. I think she’s hurt.”
Fluttershy lets out a small gasp. “Hurt?”
“There were scars across her legs, Fluttershy. Something could have attacked her! I... I tried to see if I could help but...” Spike points across the room to a nondescript door with a few books fallen by its side. The wood seemed immaculate except for a few telltale claw marks at the base. It appears that the door is sturdy enough to withstand the young dragon’s assault.
“She locked the door. She won’t answer.” Spike felt the embrace leave him as Fluttershy stood up and made her way towards the door without saying another word.
“Fluttershy?”
The Pegasus stops at the door and turns her head to look at the small dragon with a reassuring smile. “Could you please go get Rarity, Spike?”
Spike sniffed in surprise and confusion. “Rarity? But... but what about Twilight?”
“Twilight will be fine. What she needs is the right friends. Now, would you please go get Rarity, Spike?”
Spike nods numbly, not quite understanding what Fluttershy meant, but obeying anyway. The dragonling whelp runs out the door in a waddling jog towards the edge of town, leaving Fluttershy alone in the Ponyville library.
Fluttershy takes a deep breath and slowly exhales. Her careless smile which transfers to a mask of worry as she eyes the basement door. A place of refuge for her friend, Twilight, who had been known to spend hours within whenever she put to practice the more dangerous magics that she would choose to conduct. Although not strictly forbidden, it had been a sort of unwritten rule never to intrude on her nor venture down into the depths without permission.
But she knows that there are some instances in life which insisted on an non-verbal invitation. Lifting a hoof, Fluttershy grasps the handle but the door does not relent. Spike had no doubt been truthful in his attempts to get in. The deep scores in the wood are likely from him trying to gain enough leverage to pry open the door, but the aged and gnarled oak did not yield to the young dragon’s claws. Fluttershy knew she was no athlete by any means. She understood it would take something other than simple brute force to gain access.
Fluttershy turns and takes in her surroundings. Shelves of books are what she sees, leaving too many hiding places for a stashed key. The lack of any other door besides what resides at the top of a curving staircase betrays a one-way entrance to the basement. Letting out another sigh, Fluttershy reaches back into her mane with a hoof, rubbing her head in what seems like exasperation, but an unexpected squeak sounds as she pulls away to reveal a small white mouse perched atop her hoof. Bending her head to nuzzle the small creature, she whispers a few words into its ear before giving it a smile that would charm a bear.
Fluttershy lowered her hoof to the floor and the creature bounded off towards the door, sniffing at the wood for a moment before slipping in under the miniscule crack underneath. A moment passes, and Fluttershy lowers her head to the door, lifting an ear after pushing her light pink mane away. Telltale scratching followed by a soft but audible click betrayed the deed being done. Fluttershy turns the knob and goes inside.
It’s dark. Seems unnaturally so considering the bright morning sun casting brightness in every corner of the room behind her. The only penetrating light is the shaft she let in after opening the door, but that only revealed a stairway leading into more darkness.
Fluttershy stands atop the stairs, above the basement floor. Unnerved by the darkness around her, she closes her eyes and begins to calm her nerves and her will.
“There’s nothing in the dark that isn’t in the day. There’s nothing in the dark that isn’t in the day...” She speaks aloud, barely a whispered chant above the din of silence. Taking a tentative step, Fluttershy begins her descent into the lowest part of the Library.
Not four steps in does she nearly trip over a book laying, binding down, upon the stairway. Looking ahead, she can see the steps are littered with them, some even with a snapped binding or two. Fluttershy takes another step, bumping her head on something embedded in the wall. Rubbing her scalp, she can just barely make out the familiar words across the binding.
The Might of Magic: A historical comparison on current magical practices.
Fluttershy didn’t know whether to marvel at the strength the book had for surviving the impact, or to fear whatever force was strong enough to embed it into solid oak. Swallowing down the growing urge of flight, she continues down, one step at a time.
She reaches to last step just as her eyes start to adjust to the darkness around her. The books have given way to broken glass which Fluttershy makes a point to carefully step around. They seem to be the shattered remnants of vials and casks that one held a variety of colored liquids. One stain seems to be giving off smoke as it ate away at the wood it rested on, bubbling as it eats away at the old wood and giving off a noxious smell. She can't imagine what sort of use that would have in any situation. Hoping it wasn’t meant to be ingested, she gives it a wide berth.
A flicker of light catches her eye. A sole flame in the center of the mess. The closer she came, the more she could make out a single candle, flame flickering faintly in front of her. Upon reaching it, she came to realize there are several candles around her. Some broken, others overturned.
Turning in a complete circle, she finds the candles line up and something else. A small scream escapes her mouth as Fluttershy jumps backwards, knocking over the lit candle in the process. The candle doesn’t lose its flame, and rolls across the floor to reveal a white chalk outline of intricate runes sketched within a circle of white.
Though not the only time she had seen spell glyph, this was the only time she’s seen one so... angry. Whenever Twilight showed her one, it flowed in long curves and circles which joined together in a complex but obvious pattern that Fluttershy had found soothing. She had been told it was a glyph meant to assist in healing, to better channel the natural energies of the pony, be they Earth, Pegasus, or Unicorn, in hopes of healing the subject.
But Twilight had never shown her this before. The lines were straight and where there would be curves were instead jagged edges that cut off in angles which spoke to Fluttershy of malice and broken glass. The lines cross and connect to a simple charred square at the center which reeked of brimstone.
The candle continues it’s flickering journey across the floor, unabated by the smooth lines across the floor. Fluttershy’s eyes follow the candle till it makes s top against a hulk of blankets and paper. Fearing the start of another more deadly problem, she made to rush and put the candle out as the flames flickered against one of the pages. Then, suddenly, the blanket came alive and grasped the candle before pulling it closer. Fluttershy steps back and silences herself with a hoof as to not bring attention to herself. She nearly loses her nerve when the monster starts to pull back it’s skin and reveals deep purple irises that mirror the flickering candlelight. Transfixed and lessening from the alien light in the darkness, also revealing rivulets of neglected moisture that had once run down the light purple hide. The curious eyes turn from the candle to the cause of its journey, sighting the yellow fur and pink mane that gives stark contrast to the darkness. Fear flashes in the creature’s eyes and the hulk of papers and blankets shifts as it shrinks further backwards.
“F-Fluttershy! What are- you- the door was locked, I- I can’t be seen right now!”
Twilight tries to rise and step away, but a hoof gets caught up in the blankets and she falls backwards on the pile, snuffing out the candle in the process.
Fluttershy races towards her friend without a second thought, quickly finding her despite the dimmed light from the open door above them. She managed to help her friend up, walking with Twilight as she took a few steps away from the chaotic mess in the corner. Twilight, still surrounded by a thin blanket, pushed her away and stepped on her own, but ended up falling to the floor again much closer to the chalk outline at the center of the room.
“Please.” came a rasping voice. “You... I can’t see you like this.”
“Hush now. You’re obviously sick and thirsty.” Fluttershy replies while bending low and wrapping a hoof around Twilight’s middle, trying her best with her meager strength to bring her back to her hooves. “Now... come on. We’re going to get you upstairs and... then we’re going to get you something to drink, alright?”
It’s obvious that Twilight doesn’t want to go with Fluttershy, but her weakened state barely allows her to walk, let alone resist her friend. Though the weakness becomes her undoing as Twilight’s legs go out from under her, leaving Fluttershy to carry the majority of her friend’s mass. Unfortunately, the yellow Pegasus is nearly as frail as she looks, and she finds herself pulled to the ground next to Twilight.
“Sorry, I... I can’t,” breathes Twilight, obviously exhausted as her breath rushes in and out of her lungs as if she had run a marathon. “Water.” she breaths, lifting a frail hoof to one of the tables that is lined with beakers and distilleries.
Fluttershy nods and walks off to the table, trying her best to discern which clear liquid was safe to drink. Going by sense of smell rather than risking taste, she returns to Twilight before holding out the glass expectantly. She was a little surprised to see Twilight hold out a hoof rather than use her magic to levitate the glass to herself as was the usual for the magically gifted unicorn. Though despite this, her surprise grew tenfold when she saw the hoof that was now holding the glass.
The shaded lavender now shown blackened and charred. The glass shook in a trembled grasp as Twilight slowly upended the liquid into her mouth, swallowing painfully with a grimace. Blinking moisture from her eyes, Twilight notices Fluttershy’s shocked expression and tries to retreat back into the safety of her blankets, but Fluttershy quickly stops her, pulling the glass out of her grip and pulling out Twilight’s leg into full view of the dim light.
The hoof itself is completely blackened, the char leading up past it and reaching up the ankle where it splinters off up to the knee. Twilight hangs her head in shame. “How did this happen to you?” Fluttershy asks, voice but a whisper.
Twilight motions at the jagged chalk outline on the floor. “It was a purification spell and it... backfired,” finding it easier to talk after the drink, Twilight continued, gaining some comfort from the exposition. “It’s used to clear away the taint in our aura’s caused by magic or plant life. Though the spell needs to use it’s energy on taint. If it can’t find anything, it reacts with the aura of your body. I. Like how our blood fights off an infection, but with magic...”
Twilight’s voice cracks and spends the next minute in a fit of coughing. Fluttershy did what she could to help her friend by giving her sips of water between the fits, but didn’t press her to finish the sentence. It was obvious by the smell of sulfur and the black mark on the ground that the spell must have reacted violently and caused Twilight injury.
What was bothering the Pegasus was how she hadn’t stopped there. Potions, circles, candles and spell-books litter the tables and floor. What was the unicorn trying to accomplish with all this? It wasn’t like her to experiment on herself like this. By the time Twilight stopped coughing, Fluttershy couldn’t hold back her curiosity any longer. “Why did you do this to yourself? What happened?”
A moment of silence draped over the two in a curtain that seemed heavy as iron. Twilight does her best not to make eye contact with the eyes of her friend, but Fluttershy’s unerring gaze keeps her locked in place. Finally, she takes in a deep breath and speaks.
“Something... Something is happening to me, Fluttershy. I don’t know... actually I do know what it is, but I never thought it would actually happen! It was just a myth, there has been nothing like it in over a few thousand years, it’s...”
Twilight pulls Fluttershy closer into an embrace.
“I’m scared.” whispers Twilight, voice shaking.
“I don’t understand,” replies Fluttershy. “What are you afraid of?”
Twilight pulls a leg out of her embrace and moves a hoof over the blanket that rests across her other. She pulls the cloth away from the charred and burned hide to show reveal something that Fluttershy never would have expected.
Grey lines swirl up the limb like a lovingly crafted tattoo. The lines seem to glow with a bluish hue that pulse across the skin with the type of rhythm that reminded Fluttershy of a heartbeat. She traced one of the lines with her hoof, paying little mind to the shiver that ran through Twilight’s body at the touch. It was real, and it was part of her body. The line didn’t react, but she could feel a force moving behind the vein.
Fluttershy followed the limb up to Twilight’s shoulder, pulling back the blankets as she went. Finally reaching the end, she looks at Twilight, who only gives her a slight nod to continue. Pushing the blankets away from her head, Fluttershy let the cloth fall to the floor to a show a rather breathtaking sight. Across Twilight’s entire body, from her hooves to even wrapping around her neck, were hypnotizing swirls of dimly pulsing grey veins that seemed to run on with little indication of where they started and where they ended.
Fluttershy stays entranced, following the lines across her friend, but is brought back to reality when she hears a loud sniff. Tears fill Twilight's eyes. Twilight’s eyes are red
“I tried to make it stop. I tried!” Twilight grits her teeth as her outburst tears at her throat. Fluttershy didn’t notice the redness before, but now it’s obvious that Twilight was in a considerable amount of pain. Taking another sip of water, Twilight continued, albeit, a little more softly. “I found an incantation I thought would work. It... didn’t. It backfired with the rest of the circle.”
“You poor dear.” Fluttershy coos, always having the unique skill of making what seems like a patronizing statement into one of comfort. “Come now, you’re hurt. And staying down here in the dark isn’t going to make anything better. Now, we have to get you up these stairs, but I need your help, alright?”
Twilight simply nods and allows Fluttershy to guide a foreleg over her shoulder. Fluttershy guides her friend to the stairs on shaky hooves, doing her best to bear the brunt of her friend’s weight. She looks to Twilight, and sees just how much the unicorn is struggling to stay steady, and finds the strength to keep going. Though this didn’t keep Fluttershy from wishing she sent Spike to get Applejack instead of Rarity, who could have carried the librarian with ease. She found it harder to bear Twilight’s weight as they made their way up each step.
Though by the labored breath of Twilight, Fluttershy can tell that her friend is carrying the worse of the burden, and this is what gave her the strength to continue. Still, Fluttershy couldn’t help but wonder how the librarian could weigh so much.
Twilight and Fluttershy step past the door into the contrasting bright light. The momentary blindness prevents both of them from becoming aware of a purple blur cascading upon Twilight, burying his face into her leg in a series of sentences that couldn’t be heard through the tears. Twilight wordlessly nuzzles the young drake out of comfort and silent relief.
Following Spike is a tittering and very worried looking white unicorn who, after only a moment's hesitation, assists Fluttershy in bearing their friends’ weight. Both realizing that taking the librarian up another flight of stairs just to get her to bed is too much of a task for her. Rarity and Fluttershy both struggled under the shifting weight of their friend, concern etching on their faces as they listen to the heavy steps and labored breathing of Twilight.
Rarity bends low and whispers into Spike’s ear, coaxing the young drake, through sniffs and tears. “Darling, she’s going to be alright, but she needs to rest. Would you please, kindly, get some blankets and pillows from her room and bring them here?”
The young drake sniffs again before gently releasing Twilight’s leg and running upstairs with haste. Elsewhere, a light white aura surrounds a few cushions that dot the area around the main room of the library. With a twist of her head, Rarity brings forth the plush purple squares around herself and Twilight. With another nod towards Fluttershy, they both guide the librarian, who practically collapses, onto the softness of the cushions. Before Rarity can utter a single word in question, Twilight’s eyes close and the labored breathing of before becomes a gentle wisp as she rests.
Rarity lets out her own sigh, knowing that her friend’s rest is more important than her curiosity. Giving Fluttershy a directing glance, they both walk a few paces away from the sleeping Unicorn. Just in time for Spike to waddle quickly down the stairs, carrying several large pillows and a comforter despite the fact that Twilight being still wrapped in the blanket that Fluttershy found her in. Both friends watched as Spike lovingly set the unicorn’s head on one of the pillows while carefully spreading the comforter over the prone form, mumbling apologies and promises all the while.
“Fluttershy. What on earth happened to her?” came the worried voice of Rarity. Fluttershy turns to her friend, and became shocked by the concern on her face. It seemed that the worry Rarity is feeling for Twilight is causing the unicorn physical pain. “Spells have backfired on her before, but I don’t quite remember them ever affecting her like this! I mean, I’ve had my own blowouts when I’ve tried to multitask a bit too much, but I just chew a bit of ginger and head to the spa for a scalp massage. Then I’m just right as rain! This, though...”
Rarity glances the blackened forehooves of her prone friend, anxiously rubbing her own leg at the thought.
“She’s more tired than she is hurt right now, Rarity.”
“Well the latter is obvious, but... why?”
Both ponies are distracted by the sound of a tripping drake. The young dragon is pulling a box as large as his head with a red cross taped across the front. Fluttershy hovers over to the fallen dragon, gently lifting him and taken away the first aid kit before saying a few comforting words. Floating back over to Twilight, she gently sets the box kit down before sifting through the organized mess inside. Rarity joins her side, curiously watching as Fluttershy picked out gauze, ointment, and water from the kit with practiced precision. Moving to Twilight’s burned hoof, she carefully pulled back the blankets around to reveal the burned, blackened area that currently obscured the magical scroll-work which permeated the rest of the limb. Rarity’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Is... is that what happened down there? Oh that poor dear-”
“Actually it isn’t, Rarity,” Fluttershy interrupts. “She said that it had happened early this morning. I’m afraid it’s the cause of all of this fuss.”
“You mean to say that she didn’t cause for this to happen? Did somepony else do this to her?”
Fluttershy shook her head, explaining all that she had seen in the basement of the library. Rarity, listening patiently and marveling at the ease which Fluttershy treated each of Twilight’s burns. But the marvel turns to shock as Fluttershy pulls away the blanket to show the dull lines that are running across Twilight’s skin.
“She was trying to get rid of these.” Fluttershy points, saying very little else, choosing to take advantage of the silence to finish the wrappings that would sooth the pain and help the healing. Rarity couldn’t help but extend a hoof to touch the lines.
No paint, no bulge, they were a part of her as the rest of her hide..
“Rarity, I’m not sure if we’re strong enough to take her to the hospital.”
“Right... right. Spike, could you...”
Rarity silences herself. Spike isn’t listening, and seems to be rooted to the spot next to the librarian’s head. She tries, but can’t remember a time she’s seen the drake so distraught in all the time she’s known him.
“I... don’t think he’s going to leave her side for anything, Fluttershy. It’s only a short ways, I can simply-” Though many have made many attempts to silence the outspoken unicorn, a simple hoof on her leg succeeds, and a soft voice begs her to listen.
“Please. Please don’t. I don’t want to be seen... like this.” Twilight chokes out.
Fluttershy and Rarity only share a concerned glance.
[“I said I didn’t want anypony to see me!” Twilight whispers as loud as she dared, doing what she could to not let on her distress to the new company.
“Twilight, you’re a student of magic, correct?” counters Rarity.
“Yes, but-”
“Just how many of those studies involve medical care?”
“Enough to know that-” Twilight cringes in pain, bringing a hoof to her chest, silencing any validity to her argument.
“Well, it’s settled then.” Rarity wraps a fallen book in her magic and taps on the door to Twilight’s room, ignoring the less than stellar glare from the librarian for the mistreatment of her books.]
“You said she’s been this way since morning?” A voice of soft professionalism pulls Rarity away from her worried glances at Twilight’s form.
“Yes... yes that’s right. At least, according to Spike.” Rarity replies, only sparing a momentary sideways glance to the pure white earth pony with a contrasting red cross mark on her flank. She sighs while moving over to the prone librarian, lifting a blanket away.
Rarity, curious to see her reaction, became surprised by the contrasting lack of surprise the nurse practitioner shows. The earth pony simply lays a light hoof against Twilight’s skin and traces one of the marks along her middle, moving her own lips in concentration. Rarity brings her head closer to try and catch any words from the nurse’s lips, but can only grasp parts of a whisper here and there as she moves her own hooves over the scarred, black-laced, purple hooves.
Little reaction comes from Twilight Sparkle whose state of unconsciousness does little to alleviate the worry Rarity feels for her as she continues to look over her friend, reassuring herself by watching the steady rise and fall of her chest and the soft snoring.
“How is-” Rarity begins before getting rudely cut off by a loud shush from the nurse who is bending low, keeping an ear out as she pushed and prodded different areas of Twilight’s body. Whenever one elicited a sharp intake of breath, she quickly moved onto a bruised area, pressing lightly across her ribs. Twilight shifts and gasps, but never wakes.
“Bruised ribs, nothing broken. Burned hoof-tips and second degree burns along the ankles... Nothing life threatening. She’ll be able to walk on her own, but it’ll hurt like hell till the blistering goes down. This scarring though, I’ve only seen it once in my career.” The nurse puts a hoof to her mouth, chewing on the tip in thought. “It happened after a unicorn added their own life force to a spell. The scars were their magic rushing to escape his body as quickly as it could.”
“You mean there was another pony around here that has the same condition as Twilight? Where is he?” Rarity asks.
“Dead.” Replies the nurse, pulling back the blanket over Twilight and putting a hoof on her forehead. “The obituary ruled it a suicide. He was gone before I could get him to the hospital...”
Rarity raises a hoof to her mouth as she gasps, looking over her friend with renewed worry.
“But, his marks looked like his magic exploded inside him, trying to get out. Black... bruised. This. This is different. These marks seem to flow naturally, more like they’re at home...” The nurse drifts off in her speech, eyes losing focus for a moment before she shakes her head and steps away from Twilight and facing Rarity.
“Are you taking care of her?”
“Yes. If not me, then Fluttershy.”
“Keep an eye out for a fever and always have clean water for her to drink when she wakes up. Her body needs everything it can to heal right now.” The nurse turns away from the seamstress and the librarian, making her way to the bedroom door. Rarity lets her leave without another word said, focusing more on her friend’s subtle breathing. Taking the time to gently pull the blanket back over the sleeping unicorn, Rarity, without a second thought, lays on the ground under her friend, sparing only a moment to pull a pillow towards herself. The tailor lays her head down, and rests.
Rarity wakes to the staccato tapping of heavy rain wresting herself from the comfort of her own bed. Though abrupt, the unicorn is wide awake as she scans the half lit room around her. Mannequins barren of clothing, spools of thread untouched and sketches adorning the walls above them. Delayed projects come to her mind, but none of that worries her. Rarity’s mind is elsewhere.
A knock brings Rarity from her mental reverie. Taking only a moment to run a brush through her hair, she quickly walks downstairs from her room in the boutique and opening the front door. Fluttershy walks in, shaking off the umbrella she was holding above herself. Rarity wordlessly removes it from her friend and sets it in a decorated bin next to the entryway. Both share a companionable silence as Rarity invites Fluttershy to sit at their dining room table. As if by ritual, the unicorn levitates a well used kettle and begins filling it with water.
“Which tea would you fancy this evening, Fluttershy?” Rarity asks while opening a cupboard filled with various boxes of herbal teas ready to be steeped.
“The apple spice that AJ mixed for us would be nice.” the Pegasus sighed, “I’m all out at home.”
“Right then.” the unicorn pulls out a small drawstring burlap sack and, with it, an apple shaped teabag with the sides lovingly sewn together. With practiced reverence, she places one bag each in two tea cups and places the kettle on the stove. “I’m happy you came over, Fluttershy. I had hoped you would forgive me for missing our spa appointment last evening, but I have been so... preoccupied as of late that it just slipped my mind.”
“That’s fine, Rarity. I... kinda missed it too. I tried to tell you, but... I forgot.” The Pegasus hangs her head.
Rarity, more concerned with bringing the kettle to boil, simply changes the topic “It’s a shame to see such awful weather following a perfect day like yesterday, don’t you agree, darling?”
The kettle sounds off, halting whatever response that Fluttershy could offer to her friend. Rarity, always the multitasker, takes the kettle off the flame and sets down the two simple teacups on the table before pouring a measure of water into each. The smell of warm apples gently fills the air as Rarity sets the kettle down between them, taking her seat across from her friend.
Fluttershy picks up her cup and breathes the aroma in, reveling in it’s calming scent and appreciating the warmth of the cup in her hooves. She raises the cup to her muzzle, closing her eyes and lightly sipping the liquid to cool it before drinking, feeling the warmth go through her body, banishing the rain’s chill,letting the taste bring back her senses just a little bit. Despite herself, she smiles. Though this momentary mirth does not last long as the pegasus opens her eyes to see Rarity’s own sapphire eyes giving a thousand yard stare into her cup.
“Rare?” the concerned Pegasus calls to her friend.
“How is she?” Rarity asks, not looking away from the opaque reflection of herself in the tea.
“Twilight?” asks the Pegasus, who continues after a slow nod from Rarity. “She... Twilight’s with Spike right now, but...” Fluttershy takes in a deep, slow breath.
“She’s not eating.” Fluttershy speaks, sounding tired. “At least, not anything I cook. Spike still gets her to nibble, but nothing more than that.
“It’s been a week, darling. Maybe it’s time for us to tell the others?” Rarity lifts her cup, looking into the off color liquid as if it held the answer. “Surely Pinkie might be able to cheer her up?”
“I’m almost sure she would panic if Pinkie were to surprise her. I thought about asking Applejack, but...”
The Pegasus trails off.
“Trying to explain a magical problem to somepony as salt-of-the-earth as her would be more like a lecture rather than pulling Twilight out of a depression.” Fluttershy silently nods in agreement with Rarity.
“Have, have you had any luck with... you know.” Fluttershy pushes a lock of hair from her face and places it behind her ear before taking another sip of her tea.
“Fraid I’m in the same situation, Fluttershy.” the unicorn pushes the tea away from herself. “Nothing I’ve done seems to work! I reason that Celestia might help, or even her parents, but she won’t be seen by anypony else if she could help it. Twilight continues to insist that she’s fine, but we both know she’s still hurting and she’s lost a worrying amount of weight.” Rarity sighs. “I think that my tendency to dote only makes her uncomfortable, and I can only worry more and more and I-” Rarity is startled as the Pegasus gently lays a hoof upon her own. The anxiety that threatened to overwhelm the doting pony melted away to a dull throb upon seeing the kind eyes and gentle smile of her friend. Rarity returned the smile in turn.
Fluttershy speaks, in a tone reserved for her conviction. “She’s a strong mare, Rarity. I’m sure she’ll pull through. She only needs the help of her friends to make it a little easier, and more worthwhile.”
Rarity gives the sweetest smile, but still cannot stop from expressing the worries of her mind. “But what kind of help? I’m just not sure.”
“We’ll just have to be there for her. That’s all that we can do.” Fluttershy taps a hoof on Rarity’s own, hoping to comfort the young unicorn whose smile grows wider, though only to try and mask the uncertainty the words had caused.
Fluttershy returns to her tea, daintily finishing her cup with soft, inaudible, sips. The soothing liquid carries through her body, warming her belly and, she would swear, her soul as well. With a contented sigh, she brings the cup down back on the saucer with a small clink.
“She only makes it a few times out of the year and, no matter how much I get from her, it’s never enough to last.” the Pegasus muses over her empty cup of tea while basking in the residual warmth and aroma.
“It’s nothing less than a miracle that my own store doesn’t run out sooner. I do wish Applejack would share the recipe.” Rarity withdraws her hooves, but only stares at the pallid reflection in her tea, long gone cold.
“She says the secret is what gives the tea it’s magic.” Fluttershy offers, repeating the words of their mutual friend.
“Bunch of silly rubbish I’m afraid. I’ve never noticed even a drop of magic in the tea she brews.” Rarity brushes a hoof over the surface of the liquid as if to accentuate her point.
“Sometimes, I think there’s a different magic out there than what we’re used to. Something smaller, but stronger than we’ve ever seen...” The Pegasus drifts off, eyes closed in thought.
Rarity, momentarily taken aback, opens her mouth to question her friend, but an unexpected sound breaks the connection which the friends shared. A clock adorned above the dining room’s entry tones a cheerful melody on a small assortment of chimes. The two find their attention drawn to the clock, where Fluttershy lets out a soft gasp.
“I’m so sorry, Rarity, but I have to go.” the young Pegasus gently skids her chair back and stands. “With the rain, the markets are closed, so I’ll have to see if Golden Harvest will trade with me from her home. I should go before it gets too late.”
“O-of course. It’s not a problem, Fluttershy. I’ll clean up here; let me walk you to the door.”
Like a reverse motion of before, the friends retreat. Rarity brings out Fluttershy’s umbrella, gently offering it to her friend. Fluttershy grasps it in a hoof, but sets it to the side for just a moment, wanting instead to have free hooves for a different purpose. Gently, she enfolds her hooves around Rarity’s neck, pulling her close. Rarity returns the gesture, a single hoof pulling wrapping around while she brought her own neck around Fluttershy’s.
The two shared this moment, as if attempting to force out the tension and the times. A moment of shared wholeness and relief.
Fluttershy brings out her umbrella and goes out into the tempest’s downpour, past the door that Rarity held, condemning her friend to an evening of cold and wet.
She closes the door, and does nothing. Eyes open, but not registering the crossed white wood in front of her. Instead, her thoughts pull her in, clothing her in their own pouring waters as she ponders the words of her friend.
Words, a whisper, but for nopony’s ears are uttered. “Just be there for her? Of course, but... that can’t be all.” The words, spoken out loud, bring unexpected pings of warmth.
Rarity brings herself back to the world of the conscious, shaking her head to speed the recovery. “I respect and love you as a friend, Fluttershy, but I must disagree. There’s more to being a friend than just taking up space.”
Though the revelation buys a momentary dram of confidence, the unicorn falls back on her haunches as confusion sets in. “But. But what can I do?”
Her eyes wander, catching a glimpse of the mark that she bore since her fillyhood. Three diamonds representing her talent, then to the store that represented her trade. A cavalcade of high class regalia mixes in with that of a more casual affair. Dresses meant to catch a stallion’s eye, and suits meant to compliment a significant other.
But there’s not enough fabric here, or anywhere else in Equestria, that can mend a broken spirit.
But maybe... maybe if. Maybe it...
Maybe hope is worth a try.
A folded parcel hovers behind the white mare as she slowly opens the door to the library, sparing only a glance at the sign on the door.
-Closed for Renovations-
Bringing in a basket filled with overripe fruit and a myriad of colorful deflated balloons, Rarity quickly moves in and shuts the door behind her. Though her and Fluttershy did their best to keep the place in it’s usual pristine condition she couldn't help but tisk in disgust at the dust being kicked up as the door swung closed. Pushing the objects to the side with her hoof, she hefts a rectangular package from her side, adjusting the straps with her magic before continuing on.
It’s late evening and the sun has nearly been cast down for the day’s end, but Rarity continues to walk in the relative darkness, well familiar with the path to the stairway just off the main foyer. One well worn by pony’s hooves that have lived here. The stairs are an open path that leads to the residence of the building,
Where Twilight is staying, and has stayed since her arrival years ago.
Nervously, Rarity kicks her hooves at the bottom step, trying in vain to shake off some of the dirt that had settled on her otherwise pristine coat. Sighing, she hefts the strap on her side once again before scaling the steps, stopping only a moment to regard the wooden door in front of her before giving it a slight knock with an outstretched hoof, speaking her name, “Twilight, Dear? It’s Rarity. I’ve come to check up on you and... I’ve got something for you.”
A few moments pass, long enough for Rarity to consider knocking again before her attention is caught by a slight purple light showing underneath the door, followed by the soft telltale click of a lock turning. The door moves inward, but it seemed more for its own momentum than by any force. Walking past the doorway, her eyes began to adjust to an even darker room than before, even her ears seem to sting at the quiet. She listened for any signs of life, and could hear the slight breathing of somepony else in the room, but it took nearly two minutes for her to be able to recognize a form across the way.
The unicorn could just make out the form of Twilight on her bed with her head against a pillow and a blanket drawn up past the neck and under her chin. Refusing to stumble across the dark and risk hazard, Rarity lights the room with a simple spell, causing Twilight to groan in protest before she turns and, surprising Rarity, silences her spell with hardly a glow on her side.
“Yes, perhaps it was a bit too bright...”
Rarity had a good view of the room when it was lit and quickly gathered a candle, sparking the wick with a striker before moving closer to her friend with a glow that’s less harsh than the one before.
“Now Twilight I, I know you haven’t gotten out in a while, though Fluttershy and I have been saying how more and more ponies have been asking about you...” she pauses after saying this, trying to find some sort of reaction from her friend, seeing only silence, she continues.
“Twilight, you can’t stay here for another day let alone a week! It’s not proper, it’s...” she stops, noticing the blanket around her friend’s form being pulled even closer to her body. Rarity chews on her cheek, ears splaying low after recognizing her harsh mistake.
“I just... you see, I... you...,” the unicorn sighs, finding herself a loss for words at every turn she attempts. She dips her head and sighs, looking side to side before finding the object of her desire. A slight spark of magic carried a small wooden stool over to her place, where she then sat down. She looked upon her friend, and took in a deep breath as she began to think.
“When I first saw you those years ago, Twilight. I thought that my solitude in this town was near it’s end. Finally, a cultured pony from a city on a hill had come down to bring a little contrast to its shadow. Even for a moment.” Despite herself, the dressmaker found herself moving side to side on the stool, ever so slightly. Its improper for a lady to fidget after all, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
“That wasn’t fair of me. You are so much more.” She hung her head. “I had always believed that one had to distance themselves from others in order to get what I wanted. A pipe dream it was to think a simple unicorn could become an adored princess, but I couldn’t get close. I just had to get to anypony. Not till I’ve reached the top first.”
“And there you were, protege to the princess, at the ear of the deciding power. When I had heard about your recluse nature, I could not understand it. Looking past her friend, Rarity’s eye caught the candlelight, feeling the sting yet not wanting to look away. “But, watching you. Seeing you. Twilight, you showed me that it’s not the power that causes those to love, it’s being around them. You came here, and ponies began to love you for who they saw inside of you. Not standing on a pedestal but walking among them, sharing your talents one at a time,”
“That’s where I finally understood what generosity means. Nopony would have loved me for just reaching the top, likely not even myself. Everypony sings for who you are, not just what you’ve done. That will never be erased. Not like a waning season trend.” Her words drifted to a whisper, then to silence.
“I made you this.” Shrugging off the saddle pack at her side, Rarity levitates the neatly folded material next to the table adjacent to the bed. Twilight made no move to turn and see, but a twitch of her ear was all the evidence Rarity needed to know her friend was aware of the gift. “I thought it might help.”
“Everypony knows I’m not always prudent in being blunt with ponies, Twilight. I just want- need to see you going out and... I just need you better.” Rarity stood from the stool, sending it back where she found it.
The dressmaker walks across the room and through the bedroom door, kicking up the same dust clouds as before, but the mare paid no mind, thinking only to get to the cooler night air outside before her own weakness overtook her. Eyes stinging with held back tears that she wished not to share with herself or others. The knocks against the hard wood from the steps a deafening contrast to the now disturbed silence of before.
Reaching the foyer, the unicorn, only a few strides from exit, pauses at a step that wasn’t in time with her own. Slower steps echo and continue, no longer muffled by her own hurried pace followed by the lights of the room coming to life. Turning around, the dressmaker sees a sight that made her stomach drop in concern, but greater still was her heart soaring at the sight.
Twilight stands on the topmost steps of the open stairway, in full view to her friend. Though it seems that her legs are about to buckle underneath herself, it is obvious she was standing as tall as she could manage. The burns on her had faded weeks ago, and instead one could see the lines of her hooves coalescing with the lines of another source. In the time that Rarity had spent with Twilight, she had all but memorized the lines upon her skin. Though the affliction had been the cause of so much of the other’s ire, the artist couldn’t help but find it to be elegant in it’s own way.
Lined silk woven with sapphire thread in a soft fabric follows the lines in Twilight’s skin, executing in and between the flesh and the fabric as if they are one. Though the lines matched the flesh, the garment itself is a deeper shade than that of the librarian’s, giving an air of regalia and poise, even around limbs that struggle to remain standing. There would be no mistaking to anypony’s eyes that this is a creature of unique power and grace, embracing in the difference instead of hiding behind a shawl
The weakness in the scholar would seem to be her own undoing as she began to stumble from the steps of her own home, but as she falters, her friend meets her with haste with a timely embrace, allowing Rarity to be her support, letting herself be held up by the other. The burden is easily carried by the seamstress who could feel droplets of tears fall upon her muzzle, intermingling with her own.
“Thank you.” whispered Twilight, a smile adorning her face once again.