> The Abyssal Forge
>  by Ponydora Prancypants
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> I. Night on the Town
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


I. Night on the Town



Rarity hadn’t planned on dining alone tonight. It was a night for celebrating achievements and toasting the future, and no mare—certainly no mare such as herself—should have to suffer the ignominy of dining alone on a night like that. Yet here she found herself, wearing a gorgeous ice blue evening dress of her own design and her favorite pearl necklace, musing over what to do about her inexcusably inconsiderate boyfriend, and hoping against hope that her last-minute emergency invitation panned out.
Even if she didn't feel very celebratory, Rarity supposed that she ought to at least make an effort to pay attention to the scene unfolding around her: it was opening night at Cobblestone Restaurant in Ponyville, and she was both the restaurant’s interior decorator, and one of its principal investors.
As she watched Ponyville’s most prominent ponies stream into the restaurant and out of the frigid winter evening outside, Rarity found herself taking less-than-dainty sips from her snifter of apple brandy. So far, everything was playing out exactly as envisioned: the restaurant’s servers and staff were smartly groomed and dapper in the jackets she had designed; the luxurious imported fabrics she had selected for the decor contrasted in a pleasing way with the rough-hewn, distressed hardwood of the tables and benches; and blazing fires crackled invitingly in the capacious dining room’s three massive stone fireplaces. The restaurant looked perfect, save an almost-imperceptibly crooked napkin here or there. Irrespective of all that appeared well and good, though, it simply didn't feel right to be all alone tonight, to witness whether the venture into which she had poured her heart—and not a small amount of personal and monetary capital—would succeed or fail. 
It was not that Rarity expected that she, or any of the other investors for that matter, would see a profit right away. In fact, the revenue from tonight’s tickets, which had been sold weeks ago to a carefully targeted clientele, had already been earmarked for local charities to help disadvantaged ponies find some peace and security over the holidays. Tonight’s success would be determined by something far more important than bits: it would be measured in word of mouth. A bevy of very important ponies would be dining in Cobblestone that evening, among them politicians, erstwhile country squires, the wealthy and those ponies who aspired to be considered so, journalists, professional critics, and friends of the above. Collectively, they were the tastemakers of Ponyville, and it fell to them to pass judgment idly, blithely, on the very life or death of Cobblestone in the days before its debut to the general public next week.
She knew she ought to feel fairly confident. Yesterday’s rehearsal had gone well, with the few diners in attendance—investors, friends, and employees—praising both chef Apple Cobbler’s cuisine and Rarity's own design decisions. The working staff had been efficient and prepared to answer the questions they were asked. Still, in this moment, sitting alone with her brandy, Rarity could not shake the feeling that somehow, something was going to go awry. 
“Hey boss lady, you look a little troubled. Another glass?”
Rarity startled and looked up at the magenta earth pony mare standing over her, wearing a smart gray jacket and a jovial smile, and expertly using one forehoof to balance a gleaming silver tray. A bottle of brandy, which Rarity recognized as a fine and very expensive X.O. from an ancient distillery in the heart of Appleachia, rested on the tray.
Berry Punch was the finest spirits-steward in a hundred leagues, and a good friend besides, and Rarity was keenly aware how lucky she had been to nab her for a half-baked venture financed by a group of ponies without any experience in the restaurant industry. It was a stroke of good fortune that she was fast friends with the chef. 
Now, Berry Punch stood stock still, expectantly, and her gaze flicked between the bottle and the snifter Rarity was still absent-mindedly levitating in front of her. With a second start, Rarity looked down and realized her glass was empty.  
“Oh dear,” she muttered, involuntarily assuming a guilty, sheepish expression.  “I had every intention of pacing myself, Berry. Really, I did.”
“Something’s really eating you up, seems to me, but I bet whatever it is will lay off once you've got a few more drinks in you, and you don't taste as sweet. In the meantime, you can always talk to me, for all that’s worth.”
For a fleeting moment, Rarity considered confiding in the other mare about her stallion troubles, but hesitated. It wasn't that she feared a lack of discretion on Berry’s part; rather, there was a dining room filled with thirsty ponies who required a spirits-steward’s attention, and it would not do for Rarity to monopolize it. 
“It’s just that I’m so anxious for tonight to be a success. You know, I truly believe that this restaurant could turn Ponyville into an honest-to-goodness destination. It would be such a marvelous development for the whole town, don’t you think?”
“Oh, that all? Well, I’m not sure we’re going to be giving Manehattan or Los Pegasus a run for their money, but I know this place can really be something special,” Berry Punch replied, smiling again. “That’s why I’m here, and why we’ve got a genius like Apple Cobbler back there running the kitchen, and why half the farmers in the area agreed to plant patches of all the fancy fruits and veggies we need, and why you and Mr. Rich and the Cakes put up so many bits in the first place. But anyhow, how about that second glass? It’s on the house.” Berry winked. 
“Anything I eat or drink here is on the house, Berry,” Rarity replied grumpily. “I am the house. In fact, I distinctly remember ordering a case of the particular vintage you have there for myself, which I donated to this endeavor. But yes, I do believe I’ll have just one more little pour.”
The earth pony mare nodded, then gripped the bottle of brandy in her teeth and poured a healthy measure into Rarity’s glass without spilling a drop. She then expertly replaced the bottle on the tray she still balanced. Rarity thanked Berry, and then allowed her to return to her vital mission of keeping the evening’s guests well-lubricated.
Amber liquid swirled in the glass as Rarity moved it in gentle circles with her magic. She could smell its aroma of apples and earth and the promise of a solid bite on her tongue. Blueblood would love this old vintage, she knew. He would have been able to wax poetic about it, and would have been interested in learning all about the old distillery and the ponies who ran it, and would have contemplated designing his own brandy still—steam-powered no doubt.
She had been thinking of him when she ordered a case of it, and she certainly had been when she gave it to the restaurant, instead of keeping it for the two of them to share. In a flash, it seemed, the two of them had gone from seeing each other at every opportunity to hardly getting together at all. Rarity was mindful to keep the drink a safe distance from her lips, lest she down it in one go, as she continued to observe the guests arriving. 
In trotted Ponyville’s mayor, along with the strapping young stallion who served as her assistant and ubiquitous companion. After the mayor came a trio of mares with fiery red, curly manes: the venerable judge Fair Shake, her bubbly daughter Shimmy, and her excitable granddaughter. Next followed the ever-glamorous pegasus Silverspeed and a small cadre of equally stylish girlfriends. Silverspeed doubtless was still delighting in sharing the news of her recent promotion to the captaincy of Ponyville’s popular and widely-respected weather patrol with anypony who would listen. Her looks and gregariousness would unavoidably steal some attention from Cobblestone itself tonight, but Rarity took some satisfaction in the fact that the lithe young pegasus was resplendent in a bold yellow dress of Rarity’s own creation. She allowed herself one small sip of brandy to savor the minor victory, and found it just as delightful as she had supposed it would be.
A few minutes later, after a trio of city aldermares, several farm owners, and a gaggle of businessponies, doctors, and lawyers had passed through the front doors, the appearance of the next pony to enter Cobblestone caused Rarity to jump up from her seat in surprised elation. Her invitation had been received after all, and standing right there at the reception table was the invitee! Rarity rapidly trotted over to the entrance, hastily acknowledging a half-dozen greetings on the way in her rush to meet the new arrival.  
“Fluttershy!” Rarity exclaimed, then shooed away an attendant who was struggling to remove her friend’s winter coat by slowly guiding Fluttershy’s wings through corresponding slits in the heavy fabric. “Do let me get that.” 
A bright blue light flared from Rarity’s horn, and a half-second later the coat vanished from Fluttershy’s shoulders and reappeared on a nearby rack. An instant after that, Rarity had thrown her forelegs around the other mare and was squeezing her tightly.
“Hello Rarity,” Fluttershy managed, once she had been released. Her soft voice was barely audible over the drone of conversation in the restaurant. “It’s good to see you.” 
“It’s better than good; it’s wonderful!” Rarity replied. “You must have received my invitation! I’m just so glad you could make it on such short notice. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were here for the rehearsal last night, of course, but it’s simply marvelous to have a friend here for the real event.”
“I’m glad I could make it too. I—”
“Oh, and I just love your coat: the layered capelet look is so on-trend right now, and you wear it so well. Though I was under the impression that pegasi did not get cold, even in weather as inclement as this.” 
“Well, you know I’ve never been very good at being a pegasus,” Fluttershy said, appearing chagrined. “If it’s okay with you I—”
“Then again, I do feel that this winter has been particularly cold for some reason, and I know I’m not the only one. I actually overheard somepony at the spa joking about a second Great Blizzard, but I for one have not heard the ‘dread howling of the windigos’ here in Ponyville yet. Ha ha. Whatever the case may be, you look stunning as always, and I’m absolutely delighted that—”
“Rarity,” Fluttershy interrupted, her voice still soft but her tone affirmative enough to force a pause. “Can we get something to eat, maybe?”
“Oh no,” Rarity paused immediately, temporarily frozen with embarrassment. “I suppose I’m so on edge about the opening that I lapsed into mindless prattling. Please, forgive me. Let’s get back to my table and get the dinner service started. You must be half-starved from following Rainbow Dash around all day, or trying to in any case.”
Fluttershy’s expression brightened. “That sounds nice.” As Rarity returned to her seat at her corner table, Fluttershy tiredly slouched into her own. “This place is beautiful,” she said, looking appreciatively around the dining room. 
“Thank you most sincerely,” Rarity replied, managing a small smile. “I just hope it’s all worth it, and that Cobblestone really takes off. Apple Cobbler is a fantastic chef, and she truly deserves it.”
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about her. I know you worked hard on this place too, so you don’t have to be modest with me,” Fluttershy observed with a smile.
At that moment, Berry Punch approached the table again, alongside a stallion waiter in a jacket and jeweled white bow tie. 
“Welcome to Cobblestone,” said Berry Punch, winking at Fluttershy as the waiter poured two glasses of ice water from a crystal pitcher. “You look like you could use something strong to drink, and you’ll need to get started if you aim to catch up to this one.” Berry indicated Rarity with a hoof.  
“Oh,” Fluttershy hesitated, glancing at Rarity.
“Order anything you like, darling,” Rarity said. “Tonight is my treat.”
“Maybe … do you have something warm and … sweet?” Fluttershy asked nervously.
“We have a delicious mulled wine,” Berry replied. “It’s usually paired with dessert, but I think it might be just the thing on a cold night like this to get the blood flowing in those wings again.”
“Thanks. That sounds nice,” Fluttershy replied. “Are you taking dinner orders too? I don’t seem to have a menu here.” 
“Tonight’s a special dinner, so everything is chef’s choice,” Berry replied. “No menu. As a matter of fact, I think the first bite is on its way out to you now. I’ll go get your drink and be back in a flash.”
Even as Berry departed, a pair of stallions approached the table and ceremoniously placed before the diners two oversized ceramic spoons with large rings for handles, to allow non-unicorns to lift them. A white cube rested in the bowl of each spoon, swimming in a small, bright green pool of sauce. 
“An amuse-bouche for you ladies, from the chef,” one of the waiters announced. “This is aniseed-infused braised turnip in a puree of sweet arrowleaf clover.”
The second stallion eagerly chimed in. “Chef Apple Cobbler only uses seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients, all from within ten leagues of Ponyville.” 
“The first course will be out shortly,” the first waiter added. “Enjoy.” Both waiters then swiftly departed. 
“Just one spoonful of food?” Fluttershy observed, frowning. “Oh, but it smells delicious,” she hastily added.
“An amuse-bouche is just a taste, meant to awaken the palate before the meal begins,” Rarity explained, suppressing a giggle. “Don’t worry. I promise you there will be plenty of delicious food to eat.”  She raised her spoon and closed her eyes to better focus on the distinct licorice aroma of anise, the earthiness of the turnip, and the sweet fragrance of clover. She took the spoonful of food in her mouth, and found it even more delightful than it smelled. The warm braised turnip practically melted on her tongue, melding with the rich pureed clover into a salty-sweet symphony of tastes and textures. This was only the first bite—if the rest of the meal was anything like this, Rarity could not help but feel that Cobblestone’s success was assured.
“Oh, wow,” Fluttershy said, her big turquoise eyes wide open.  “That was incredible.”
“Mm, yes. The chef is already exceeding her stellar reputation,” Rarity replied, her thoughts still lingering on the single, perfect bite.
“I guess you enjoyed that,” Berry Punch observed as she set down a steaming hot, wide-rimmed ceramic cup of fragrant mulled wine in front of Fluttershy. “I’ll check back soon, but in the meantime please don’t hesitate to flag me down if you need anything.”
Once alone with her friend, Rarity suddenly found herself unsure as to where to direct the conversation. If she was to be honest with herself, she hadn’t expected Fluttershy to be able to take a break from her busy schedule and join her for dinner on such short notice. It did not seem altogether seemly to gripe about her boyfriend in lieu of reconnecting with one of her dearest friends, one who obviously had a difficult day of her own. 
“I feel a lot better already,” Fluttershy said, breaking Rarity out of her reverie. 
“That’s excellent to hear. You looked a bit exhausted when you first arrived,” Rarity ventured. “Gorgeous as always, to be sure, but exhausted.”
“Oh, exhausted is such a very strong word. I was—” 
“More than slightly enervated,” Rarity suggested with a grin. “A tad worn down? A bit bleary-eyed? Or even plumb tuckered, as Applejack might say.”
“Oh fine, I was totally tired out,” Fluttershy admitted between sips of warm spiced wine.
“So what does Rainbow Dash have you doing now that has left you in such a state?”
In response to Rarity’s question, Fluttershy averted her gaze and muttered something so quietly that her words were unintelligible. 
“Hm, that certainly sounds bad, but I think I need a little more to go on. You can tell me, of all ponies, about it. Rainbow is my friend too, and I know how she can be. Plus, I can keep a secret.”
Fluttershy looked uncertain, yet eager to speak. “Promise?”
“Pinkie promise,” Rarity proclaimed evenly. She assumed a grim expression as she touched a hoof to her heart, flapped her forelegs, and mimed poking herself in the eye. It was an extraordinarily solemn oath.
Fluttershy nodded, then took a long swig of mulled wine before launching into speech.
“Oh, well, I guess I can tell you. It’s just—it’s just become too much to bear! I knew Rainbow Dash was going to hate everything about working at a desk, but she decided she just had to do it.”
“I think we all knew that was not going to go well,” Rarity replied, nodding. “Even Rainbow must have known, on some level, or she wouldn’t have taken you up on your offer to be her part-time assistant in the first place.”
“Oh no, I was going to offer to help, but she asked me first.”
“No! For Rainbow Dash to ask for assistance, she must truly have been in desperate straits.”
“I think she knew it was going to be bad, but she felt she had to make up the time she had been away, avoiding her family and the company. I don’t think she knew how bad it was going to be.”
“So it’s not going well, then.”
“It’s not going at all!” Fluttershy paused as the first course arrived and was set before the two mares: creamy celeriac soup with crispy apple straws. 
“Whatever do you mean? And by the way, this soup is to die for.”
“It’s the best soup I’ve ever had,” Fluttershy agreed, setting her bowl back down on the table. “There’s just so much flavor!”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Oh, but we were talking about Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy sighed. “She’s my oldest friend, Rarity, but right now I’m just so mad at her that I could … well, I don’t even know what I could do! Probably something!”
“Why? What did she do?” Rarity asked, narrowing her eyes. Fluttershy was no longer as timid and retiring as she had once been, but sometimes it still fell to Rarity and the others to defend her interests. Ironically, that duty often fell to Rainbow Dash herself.
“It’s more what she didn’t do, and isn’t doing,” Fluttershy continued. “Rainbow Dash gets so frustrated with her work she just flies around her office in circles, complaining, while I do her job for her. Every day is the same. Eventually, when she can’t stand it anymore, she just disappears. I don’t know for sure where she’s going, but I heard a rumor that she and Gilda are making plans for some kind of joint pony-griffon aerobatics team. She won’t talk about it with me.”
“That’s terrible. How could Rainbow Dash be so inconsiderate?”
“I know she feels guilty. She’s miserable there.”
“Still! Her sense of loyalty may obligate her to her family, but it’s not like Rainbow Dash to forget to be loyal to her friends. She’s taking advantage of you instead.”
Fluttershy stared into her empty soup bowl. “I know. It’s all I can manage to do Rainbow’s job for her and still handle my own responsibilities as an animal caretaker. It’s bad enough being just about the only pegasus in the guild and being distrusted for that, but if any of the senior crittermasters find out I’m spending so much time in Cloudsdale and shirking my duties to the animals to do it, I could forfeit my license. Then I’d lose my lease on the cottage! What would happen to all the poor creatures that depend on me? Oh, Rarity, it would just be the worst possible thing!” Fluttershy pouted visibly, then took another long drink of mulled wine.  
“It is completely unfair for Rainbow to put you in such an awkward position,” Rarity responded. “I shall explain to her in no uncertain terms that what she is doing is wrong, and that she will simply have to pony up and do her job. Nopony forced her to resign from the weather patrol and join her family’s business. She gathered her own cloud and now she must lie on it, so to speak.”
“You can’t!” Fluttershy entreated, extending her forelegs plaintively toward Rarity. “Please. I need to deal with this myself. I'm the pony who offered to help her, and then let her get away with having me do all the work. Now I need to stand up for myself. I can do it. After today, I have to do it.”
“What do you mean, ‘after today?’ Did something happen?” Rarity raised a curious eyebrow.
Fluttershy nodded sheepishly. “Rainbow Dash disappeared again, and left me with a stack of thirty subcontractors’ bids to review on a new apartment project in Upper Cloudsdale, all of which expire tomorrow if they aren’t approved. What was I going to do with those? I know I’d already taken on more responsibility than I should have, but really, I look after animals for a living. I just couldn’t do it anymore—I just couldn’t! I would've had to stay the night in Cloudsdale and leave the animals to fend for themselves, and I would've missed our dinner!” 
“So this time, you left,” Rarity concluded.
“I did. Just like that. I opened the office window and flew the coop,” Fluttershy confirmed, staring into her greatly-diminished wine, her pale yellow cheeks flushed. “I don’t know what’s going to happen to Rainbow if she doesn’t handle those bids.”
“Rainbow Dash is our dear friend, and it pains me to say this, but it sounds to me like she is going to receive her just deserts for taking advantage of you. And good for you for not letting it go on any longer.”
“I just wish I hadn’t let it get to this point,” Fluttershy said, then turned to look across the dining room at the table where Silverspeed and her friends were giggling into their wine glasses. “Now she doesn’t even have her old job to go back to.”
“I doubt very much you could have convinced her not to take on a role at her family’s company, once she set her mind to it.”
“I know. But I wish she could have recognized that she was biting off more than she could chew, and at least asked for a different job. Something without a desk.”
“Skyworks is a construction company, so perhaps demolition crew chief would have suited her,” Rarity said, tittering before catching herself. “My apologies; this is no joking matter.”
“No, that would have been better,” Fluttershy agreed, managing a smile.
The arrival of the next course, a beautiful wine-poached pear stuffed with salty local cheese, drizzled with a tangy balsamic reduction and nestled on a bed of winter greens, precipitated a pause in the conversation while plates were being cleared and replaced. Berry Punch also arrived to provide Fluttershy with a second cup of wine and to castigate Rarity light-heartedly for being so slow with her own brandy.
Fluttershy frowned once the friends were alone again. “If it’s alright with you, maybe we can talk about something else. I don’t want to keep worrying about Rainbow Dash instead of enjoying this beautiful meal and your company.”
“Of course,” Rarity replied between bites.
“Well, how are things at the boutique?”
“Oh, marvelous, really. I can’t complain. Business is up, and I’ve landed some big new clients in Canterlot.  In fact, I am thinking of opening up a second storefront in the capital so that I can interact directly with my customers there on a regular basis. I’ve always wanted to be able to market unique, personally-tailored designs to capital society types, rather than continuing to sell wholesale lots of basic dresses to the more established shops, and blindly trusting them to promote my work.”
“Wow, that sounds really great, Rarity! Plus, if you are visiting Canterlot more often, you’ll get to spend more time with Blueblood.” Fluttershy winked. 
Rarity cringed involuntarily and swallowed her last bite of pear before she could choke on it. “Er, yes, I suppose.”
Fluttershy’s mouth formed a startled “o.” “I’m so sorry—did I say something wrong?”
“No, no. It’s alright. It’s not you. It’s Blueblood,” Rarity supposed there was no avoiding the subject now that it had been broached. “He canceled his last two trips to see me here, and now we haven’t been together in nearly five weeks. We write often, and he claims nothing is wrong, but I don’t know whether to believe him. It’s becoming clear to me that his reasons for refusing to visit me in Ponyville are fabrications.”
“How can you know that for sure? Are you going to go meet him in Canterlot to talk about it?”
“No, I am not,” Rarity replied haughtily. “It is a point of pride now. He cannot expect me to keep abandoning my work and my friends to visit him when he refuses to step hoof in Ponyville, especially on a flimsy pretext that he would not even attempt to explain. Important work? I know something about important work, and I still managed to make time to visit him when it was my turn.”
“You invited Blueblood to join you for dinner tonight, but he declined,” Fluttershy guessed, surprising Rarity with her perceptiveness. Fluttershy shrugged. “It explains why I only received the invitation two nights ago. You never send invitations on less than a week’s notice.”
Rarity felt her face flush. “It’s true, but please don’t feel slighted. I had planned to have you for dinner as soon as possible in any case, even if tonight was originally supposed to be a romantic occasion.”
“Oh no, I’m not upset at all. I’m just sorry for you that Blueblood couldn’t make it.”
Rarity was glad her friend was not offended at being a backup dinner date, though she should have expected as much from somepony as kind and forgiving as Fluttershy. She offered an appreciative smile. “I'm sorry as well. I’m so proud of what we have accomplished here.” She gestured encompassingly. “Cobblestone represents Ponyville’s potential—our good food, good taste, and good spirits—literally and figuratively. The restaurant may have been Apple Cobbler’s dream first and foremost, but we investors all threw ourselves at the project. I designed the space, the Cakes created the dessert menu and helped set up the kitchen, and Mr. Rich took care of all the permits, and set up the formal business side of things. I wanted desperately for Blueblood to see it tonight.”
“He’ll visit soon. I’m sure of it.”
Rarity snorted derisively. “I am afraid it doesn’t bode well for Cobblestone’s ability to attract the snobs from Canterlot down the mountain to our little town if I cannot even convince my snob of a boyfriend to come visit me on opening night. If he could just see all of the things that have changed in Ponyville: the newly paved cobblestone roads, the landscaped parks, and the new Museum of Natural Magic with all the exhibits from the Everfree Forest that will open soon. It seems like there is finally a here, here.”
Rarity raised her brandy, swirled it around one more time, watched it slide down the sides of her snifter, and finally took a drink, enjoying the tickle of the alcohol in her throat.
“You helped make all of those things possible,” Fluttershy observed. “You kept at the town council, and I know you gave a lot of money.”
“I was just one voice clamoring in the ears of the the council of alderponies about ways to improve Ponyville. The mayor supported my ideas, and others in the community did too. In any case, I suppose it still wasn’t enough.”
“How can you say that? You’ve made a big difference!”
“Perhaps there are fewer pigs wandering loose in the middle of Mane Street these days, and perhaps we have the promise of cultural events beyond the annual autumn hoedown to look forward to, but Ponyville will always be Ponyville, and apparently that is not good enough for some ponies.” Rarity sighed. “I was born here. I grew up with the farmers, the fieldworkers, and our quaint little shops. Certainly I aspired to a different kind of life, but I still love my hometown for what it is. I love our stubborn traditions, our rolling hills, and our green fields that burst with dazzling flowers in the spring. I know I have always claimed to be a Canterlot pony at heart, but I’ve since come to realize that my heart has room enough for both places. In fact it needs them both.”
“So part of the reason for all your work was to get Blueblood to feel the same way.”
Rarity nodded glumly. “As you can see, I have no fruit to show for my labor.”
“Oh Rarity, that’s not true. You have this beautiful restaurant, and you’ve made the town a better place for everypony. I’m sorry, though. I didn’t know how much it meant to you for Blueblood to want to spend time here. He's always seemed so ... Canterlotty.” 
In one long drink, Rarity drained her remaining brandy and set the glass down on the table so hard she wondered at the fact it did not break. “I simply cannot understand his stubbornness! It may not be Canterlot, but Ponyville can be classy and fabulous and delightful in its own way, and so can I!”
“Everypony who knows you, knows you are all of those things, and a pony who is beautiful on the inside too,” Fluttershy said softly. “Blueblood knows. I’ve seen you together enough to know that he really cares about you, whether he likes visiting Ponyville or not.” She shrugged. “Maybe he just likes living up on the mountain. I know that Rainbow Dash can’t sleep if she feels she’s too close to sea level.”
“Blueblood isn’t a pegasus!” Rarity huffed. “As it turns out, he’s merely a selfish stallion, just like any other.” 
Another forced interruption came in the form of the main course: wide ribbons of hoof-made pappardelle were piled in the center of a large, but shallow bowl, and were swamped by an unctuous, earthy, dark brown sauce dotted liberally with forest mushrooms. As Rarity had by now come to expect, the dish was delicious, but it needed a potable accompaniment. She had Berry pour her a third glass of brandy.
“Whatever his reason for not visiting,.you’ve been together for almost a year, and you’ve been telling me for months how good it’s been,” Fluttershy pointed out. “How could it possibly change so suddenly? I’m sure it hasn’t.”
“That’s just it,” Rarity lamented. “Everything has been wonderful. We complement each other in ways I could never even have guessed. Despite all of that, though, the fundamentals remain unchanged: Blueblood lives in Canterlot, and has no intention of leaving. I live in Ponyville, and I have come to realize how happy I am here with my friends and family. If he thinks I am simply going to pull up stakes and relocate, well, I assure you that is not going to happen. I am not a kept mare, and I will not be treated as one.”
“I’m sure it isn’t like that. Maybe he has a legitimate excuse for not being able to leave Canterlot,” Fluttershy suggested.
“Legitimate reason? Like what, work? He designs airships for a living. All he needs are a desk, some drafting paper, a slide rule, and a few pencils. He could just as easily work from Ponyville as his office in Canterlot.”
“Um, maybe he’s working on a secret project, and needs to keep everything confidential?”
“Of course,” Rarity said with more than a trace of bitterness. “I’m sure that he’s gone from designing air yachts and racing ships for the idle rich to developing some top secret invention upon which the fate of the entire nation rests, which he cannot disclose to me on account of its classified nature. I trust that you will forgive me if I that scenario implausible.:
Fluttershy shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. I never go looking for danger or adventures or giant monsters or fire-breathing dragons or magical spirits of disharmony and chaos.” Her voice reached a crescendo before she had to pause for a breath, then she continued much more quietly. “They just seem to, um, find me. I really wish they would cut it out. Anyway, you know even better than I do how seemingly ordinary ponies can get caught up in these sorts of things.”
“I won’t deny that,” Rarity replied. She certainly had been subjected to greater peril than any fashion designer had right to expect, and alarmingly frequently at that. “But really, I think the much more likely explanation is that Blueblood is gradually reverting to the inconsiderate cad he used to be. It is absurd that he cannot even muster up the willpower required to take a short train ride to see me here. As much as it pains me to even entertain the possibility, perhaps he never really changed. The longer this goes on, the more—”
Cobblestone’s front door banged against the wall as it was violently thrown open, causing everypony inside to turn toward whatever it was that had interrupted their meals. Rarity had an excellent vantage point to monitor the entrance, and she immediately recognized the pony who quite literally flew through the open doorway and into the restaurant. Of course, there was no great difficulty in recognizing a pony as distinctive as Rainbow Dash. The sky blue pegasus mare with the rainbow-streaked mane and tail now hovered high overhead in the center of the dining room, her chest heaving from exertion and taut muscles visible beneath her coat as she scanned the crowd. A second later, she caught Rarity’s eye and rocketed toward her, the rush of air from her passing extinguishing candles throughout the dining room. 
“Fluttershy! Thank Celestia I found you!” Rainbow Dash shouted, clearly heedless of both decorum and the fact that all eyes were upon her. “I dashed all the way here from Cloudsdale at top speed after I found out you left!”
Fluttershy did not reply immediately, but sat frozen in her seat, looking terribly uncomfortable with being in the center of the attention Rainbow Dash had drawn. Rarity was mortified that Cobblestone’s peaceful ambiance, so carefully cultivated, had been shattered. 
“For the love of Celestia, Rainbow Dash, keep your hooves on the ground inside this restaurant and stop shouting like you are on weather patrol inside a thunderstorm,” Rarity grumbled. “Fluttershy and I are in the middle of enjoying a pleasant, peaceful meal.”
“Huh?” Rainbow Dash looked blankly at Rarity for a moment, before finally seeming to register the unicorn’s words. Rainbow Dash gently settled down onto the polished wood floor of the restaurant and spoke at a conversational volume. “Oh, right. Hi Rarity. I saw your dinner invitation on my desk and guessed Fluttershy had gone to see you, especially after I found the note saying ‘I quit! Gone home to Ponyville,’ and below that ‘I’m so sorry!’ written a half dozen times.”
“What are you doing here, Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy finally spoke up, her cheeks ruddy from ire and wine. “Rarity’s right. We were enjoying a peaceful dinner until you flew in here.”
“I know, I  know,” Rainbow Dash began, “I just had to find you right away, to tell you I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Fluttershy! So, so, so sorry! I know why you left. I would've left a long time ago if somepony treated me the way I’ve been treating you.”
“Um. Well,” Fluttershy began, pausing to collect herself. “Well, you should be sorry. You let me do all your work for weeks.”
“I know, but I just, I don’t know, it was all so hard for me,” Rainbow Dash said, an agitated look on her face and her wings twitching nervously. “You doing the work made it easy for me to keep fooling myself into believing that I fit in at Skyworks, and that I was doing the right thing by helping my family.”
“Fluttershy,” Rarity began, “I gave you my Pinkie Promise not to speak with another pony about anything you told me, so I cannot chastise Rainbow unless I have your permission.”
“Oh, um, since we’re all here talking about this, I suppose you can go ahead and chastise her.”
“My thanks.” Rarity turned to Rainbow Dash. “Listen to yourself, Rainbow. It was ‘hard’ for you? You are trying to justify taking advantage of Fluttershy’s infinite kindness, but there is no excuse for leaving her alone every day while you were off looping-the-loop.”
“I know!” Rainbow exclaimed testily. “I’m not trying to make excuses! I’ve been a terrible friend, and all I can do is beg you to forgive me, Fluttershy. I asked you to help me because I needed moral support, and I ended up just being a big jerk to you. Can you ever forgive me? I’ll do anything to make it up to you.”
Fluttershy kept silent, and narrowed her gaze at the plaintive pegasus before her. For a moment, Rarity wondered if her friend was going to level her dreaded stare, the one that could cow the most fearsome beast, at Rainbow Dash. Finally, though, Fluttershy relented and offered a small smile. “Of course I forgive you. We’ve been friends almost our whole lives, and anyway, I shouldn't have been such a pushover. Again."
“It wasn't your fault,” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “Don’t blame yourself for what I did.”
“I know it wasn't my fault,” Fluttershy replied. “And I know how you can help make it up to me.”
“Oh, right, sure! I’ll do anything.”
“Help me with the animals for the next week. I haven’t been giving them the attention they deserve because I’ve been spending so much time in Cloudsdale, and there’s a lot to do. It may be winter, but not every critter hibernates, you know.” 
“I’ll do it!”
“You can start tonight, then. Angel will let you into the cottage.”
“Yes ma’am!” Rainbow Dash gave an earnest salute with her right foreleg.
“Good. And you should apologize to Rarity for making a scene in the middle of her restaurant on opening night."
“Oh,” Rainbow Dash blinked. She looked around the room at all the ponies pretending not to stare, and then at Rarity. “Oh right. Hehe, whoops. Guess I should have opted for a less dramatic entrance. Sorry Rarity.”
Rarity could not suppress a sigh quite so effectively as she had the eye roll. “It’s alright, Rainbow Dash. I’m proud of you for realizing that you were taking advantage of Fluttershy, and being so willing to make it right. You’re a good friend.”
“Thanks!” Rainbow Dash said brightly.
“I would like to know what truly possessed you to take an office position at Skyworks in the first place,” Rarity went on. “You must have suspected going in that it was a terrible match for you.”
Instantly, Rainbow Dash appeared crestfallen. “I know it has to look like that, but I really believed I could do it. I thought I needed a change from my old routine, and that this job would help me learn the kind of discipline I'd need if I ever wanted to make it as a Wonderbolt.” She paused for a moment, as if to gather herself, before finally continuing. “I feel like I barely know who I am anymore, or what I’m supposed to do. Working at a desk was a total loss. I quit my job with the weather service because I felt guilty for leaving my family in the lurch for all those years, but even if I hadn't left, I don’t know how much longer I could have spent busting clouds and scheduling rain showers week after week. My heart wasn't in that job lately, either. Even doing tricks and showing off hasn’t been as much fun as it used to be. Sometimes Gilda and I will race each other, higher and higher until it’s so cold our feathers are covered in ice crystals and we can’t even breathe, and that’s when I finally feel alive—like myself again.”
“That sounds serious,” Rarity said, frowning. 
“I just need to go somewhere—anywhere,” Rainbow Dash declareds. “I need an adventure, like the ones we all used to have! It's like an itch that I just can't scratch, and nothing I do makes it go away.”
“It’s scarcely been a year since we were on the verge of war with the griffons, and a madmare was prepared to overthrow the Princesses,” Rarity said. “I've rather enjoyed the respite.”
“I hope it lasts forever,” Fluttershy added. 
“Well not me!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “I need to get out there and eat my wild oats while I’m still young and awesome!”
“I’m sure you’ll still be awesome when you’re old,” Fluttershy said.
“But I’ll be old!” Rainbow Dash reared back and threw her forelegs in the air in a gesture of helplessness.
“Have you considered speaking to your cousins about taking on a different role at the company?” Rarity asked. “Skyworks is engaged in cloud construction all over Equestria, I believe, so perhaps you could find something involving travel and exploration, rather than shuffling paperwork.”
Rainbow Dash paused. “Huh. That’s not a bad idea, Rarity. I already talked to Chroma about the bids I didn’t finish, and it was like she wasn’t even surprised I didn’t do them! She actually suggested we talk about a ‘new role’ for me, so maybe we can talk about something like that! Action! Adventure! That’s what Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash is all about.”
“Your middle name is Ger—”
“No it isn’t!” Rainbow Dash shouted, covering Fluttershy’s mouth with a forehoof..
“Anyway, yes!” Rarity broke in enthusiastically. “I’m sure there’s some exciting, adventuresome opportunity waiting for you.” Perhaps she was conveying false hope, but she supposed it was possible that a paying position could be found—or created—that would suit Rainbow’s talents and proclivities.
“This time I think I’ll pass on being your assistant, if it’s alright with you,” Fluttershy added. 
“Yeah, that’s for the best,” Rainbow Dash said sheepishly. “I really am sorry, Shy.”
“I know.”
“And,” Rarity began,“I know that—and I trust you will forgive me for saying this—as lovely as it has been to see you, Rainbow, you are in no way fit to be in this restaurant. Your mane is a mess, your coat is completely disheveled, and you smell as though you flew here straight from Cloudsdale. Which you did.”
“Oh yeah, no offense taken. I definitely smell pretty terrible,” Rainbow Dash agreed. “Okay then, I’ll just head on over to your place, Fluttershy, and see what I can do to start helping out.” 
Without another word, Rainbow Dash took to the air and zoomed through the restaurant, blowing out the candles that had only just been relit and causing the chandeliers to sway ponderously. 
In the wake of the departing pegasus, Rarity attempted to appraise the state of Cobblestone’s clientele. Mercifully, they did not seem overly disturbed. Perhaps the ponies of Ponyville had become accustomed to Rainbow Dash appearing unexpectedly. At least she had used a door this time. The number of times Rarity had needed to patch the roof at the boutique attested to the fact that such was not always the case.
“I was pretty assertive there, wasn’t I?” Fluttershy asked, beaming, and obviously tickled as pink as her long mane and tail. “Well, I mean, after being trampled on for weeks. But still, tonight I showed Rainbow Dash that Fluttershy means business.”
“Yes, you asserted yourself very well,” Rarity assured her friend. “And I’m certain that having Rainbow helping you will ease the burden of catching up on your caretaker duties.”
“I’ll make sure Rainbow Dash does the feedings, and cleans up after the animals, and gives them their medicine, and reads them stories, and … oh my.” Fluttershy’s turquoise eyes snapped open wide. “Did I just make Rainbow Dash responsible for nurturing small creatures? And she’s on her way to my cottage right now? What have I done? What have I done?”
“Hm, well, yes, I suppose you did,” Rarity said with a concerned frown. “You know, you’d better get going if you want to get there before she has the badgers attempting a ski jump over Ghastly Gorge.”
“Oh no! You don’t think … I—I’ve got to go!” Fluttershy jumped out of her seat. She was already halfway to the door when she called back to Rarity. “I’m so sorry for leaving early! It was great to see you! Thank you so much for this amazing dinner!”
“Lovely to see you as well, darling! Think nothing of it.” 
Just like that, Rarity was dining alone. As the servers cleared away the plates and utensils from the main course, she found her thoughts turning to Blueblood once more. It occurred to her that perhaps she did not need Blueblood, or any stallion right now. 
In their strange way, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy cared deeply for one another, and each provided what the other could not. Twilight Sparkle seemed happiest when buried stifle deep in her research, keeping Spike busy just trying to make sure she ate and slept. She seemed to have no need for more intimate companionship. Pinkie Pie, too, was by all accounts not looking to settle down. Dear Applejack had Buckaroo now, but that had come about rather abruptly and under unusual circumstances, and Rarity had no doubt that Applejack would be just as strong and self-assured if she were still single. 
They were all such close friends, and they all had each other. Did she, out of all of them, need to be in a romantic relationship simply in order to feel complete? No, she surely did not. 
Rarity certainly did not need Blueblood for his money. She was a successful entrepreneur, and her dresses, gowns, and accessories had been featured in every major fashion magazine from Fillydelphia to Hoofington, and from Baltimare Harbor to the shores of Los Pegasus. As much of her wealth as she gave away, she continued to make it all back and more with each season and line more successful than the last. She was a self-made mare, and she needed nopony but herself and her friends. Nopony else at all.
“Will Mademoiselle be returning to the table?” 
Rarity blinked and looked up to see a server balancing a silver tray that held two large oval ramekins. Dessert, of course. 
“No…” Rarity paused, then sighed again and waved a foreleg dismissively.  “You know what, just leave both desserts on the table, if you please.”
“Of course.” 
Rarity was left with two large portions of caramel and bourbon-infused hazelnut bread pudding, and a single silver spoon. Silently, she dared anypony else to judge her.
Halfway through the first pudding, another server—no, this was the doorpony—approached the table wearing an apologetic expression. 
“I’m so sorry, Miss Rarity. There is a mare at the check-in table who claims she desperately needs to meet with you right away. She says she’s come a long way and absolutely must speak with you this moment. She doesn’t have a dinner ticket, so I asked her to leave and see you during your regular business hours at the Carousel Boutique, but she refuses to go. I hate to trouble you with this, but I don’t want to cause a scene with so many other diners still here.”
Rarity released her telekinesis and let her spoon drop to the table, then squeezed her eyes shut and massaged her right temple with a forehoof. Fluttershy was right: trouble seemed to have a way of finding its way to her and her friends at the most inopportune times. What could this strange mare want with her, and why now? 
“You did the right thing, Sorghum,” Rarity replied tiredly. “There is certainly no need to summon the gendarmes over something like this. If she is presentable enough, show her to my table and I’ll speak with her here. Otherwise, I’ll come with you.”
“Uh, she looks fine, I think. I’ll bring her here right away,” the young stallion replied. 
A few moments later, he reappeared with a young mare. Or rather, her body was slim and almost girlish, with four slender legs protruding from her cloak, but Rarity immediately noticed that the mare’s careworn face belied her apparent youth, and she saw a certain bagginess in the mare’s golden eyes that indicated a serious lack of sleep. Even with cosmetics, the only cure for dark circles like those was plenty of beauty rest. 
The mare’s coat was periwinkle, and her long, flowing mane and tail were the lightest shade of pink that could still be readily identified as such upon first glance. She wore a tall, soft, conical hat with the peak pulled to one side, and a voluminous cloak, both silver and constructed of the finest silk Rarity had ever seen.
With those garments covering her body and the top of her head, Rarity could not guess whether the mare was an earth pony, a pegasus, or a unicorn. In any case, all she truly cared about was determining why the mare had seen fit to barge into Cobblestone looking for her.
“Hello,” Rarity began. “Won’t you join me?” She indicated the chair Fluttershy had vacated with a foreleg.
“Ah, hello,” the mare replied. Her tone was uncertain, but her voice was gentle and mellifluous. She certainly did not look or sound like she meant any harm. Still, Rarity was glad that Sorghum was observing from his position by the entrance, no doubt ready to intervene if necessary. The strange mare stood dumbly, staring at the chair in seeming confusion for a moment, before finally, tentatively, settling down in it. 
“I suppose you were told at the door that tonight’s dinner is only for guests who were invited to purchase a ticket in advance, and did so,” Rarity said coolly.
“Oh, yes. The stallion, he mentioned that,” the mare replied. 
Rarity now noticed that she spoke with a trace of an accent. She could tell this mare was not from one of the core cities or the surrounding rural districts. She also did not sound like she was she from the southern reaches, nor the north central plains where Rarity’s parents had grown up. In fact, her accent was altogether unplaceable. 
“I won’t eat,” the mare continued. “But, water?” She inclined her head toward Rarity’s water goblet. “May I?”
“Of course. While I obtain the attention of a server, I would greatly appreciate it if you would tell me who you are and why you’ve come looking for me in such indecorous fashion,” Rarity gestured to a server as the mysterious mare spoke. 
“Who? My name.” The mare hesitated for a moment, and raised a foreleg to her throat. “It’s Coral.” After another short pause, she repeated the assertion, as if to assure herself of its veracity. “My name is Coral.” 
Coral was a thing that was found in the ocean, Rarity knew. She had seen it used in decorative objects in some of the shops in Gallopoli, and once or twice in some Canterlot curiosity shop or other. It was not a name that gave a clue as to what tribe of pony the mare belonged, such as a blatantly earth pony name like Posey might, or an egregiously unicorn-sounding name like, well, Twilight Sparkle. Coral’s cloak had a high collar that covered her most of her neck, but her motion had drawn Rarity’s attention to a necklace that was almost, but not quite, hidden from view. 
“I must say, Miss Coral, that is a beautiful Gallopitan pearl you’re wearing,” Rarity said. “Some time ago, I lost one of which I was quite fond. Fortunately, the townsponies of Gallopoli were kind enough to send me another.” She touched her own pearl necklace, specifically the large pink pearl in the center of the strand. 
“Yes,” Coral replied, assuming a faraway look. “The magic pearls, they are very beautiful—very special. Sometimes we must part with them, and that is sad, very sad.” She blinked and looked back at Rarity. “You and I, we are lucky to have ours now.” 
The server arrived with water, and at Coral’s request he left her with a filled glass and a full pitcher besides. The periwinkle mare quickly drank her first glass, and then poured another. Rarity noticed that she used the hoof handle to the lift the pitcher, and decided that Coral was probably not a unicorn.
“You must be parched,” Rarity observed. “Sorghum said you claimed to have traveled quite some distance, and I note you have a very interesting accent.”
“Yes, parched. I came a long way. I traveled here directly from, ah, my home is not far from Gallopoli.”
“That is as far as anypony could live from Ponyville, and still be in Equestria,” Rarity noted. “Do go on and tell me what urgent business has brought you here.” 
“Yes. I am sorry for the interruption, but I needed to find you, to …” Coral paused. “To hire you. I am here on behalf of a client, an important client.”
“So this is business? You do know that I keep regular hours at my shop.”
“It is … I would prefer to speak about it privately.” Coral said quietly. 
“If you wanted to speak about it privately, you would have visited me at my boutique,” Rarity said crossly. “Out with it, please.”
“It is …” Coral looked searchingly at Rarity. “It is an order … for many dresses.  We need to speak about it. In fact, we must speak at once, but we must be alone.”
“Dresses?” Rarity repeated. “Really? Am I truly to understand that you are here to speak about dresses? Make no mistake, Miss Coral, I am nearly always happy to discuss fashion, but this is neither the time nor the place. My shop is open promptly at ten tomorrow morning, and I will be very happy to speak with you about your order then. You will also have the opportunity to explain why you so rudely bullied your way into Cobblestone tonight to speak to me about something so mundane as an order for dresses!” Rarity’s volume increased in equal measure to her indignation as she spoke.
“It is urgent. That, I promise you. You must believe me that this is important, vitally important. I have gold to pay, a lot of gold, and an advance, if only we can speak tonight.” 
“Gold bits?” Rarity asked, silently cursing herself for allowing a note of interest to creep into her tone. A true solid gold bit—an auroreus—was worth a thousand copper bits. She raised her brandy to her lips in an attempt to play off her momentary lapse. 
“Gold bars, they are,” Coral said. “Solid gold.”
“Bars of gold,” Rarity muttered, blinking rapidly. “You don’t say?” The closest she had come to anything like a bar of solid gold was in a dragon’s hoard she had once had the pleasure of examining, and the dragon had certainly not permitted her to leave with anything of value. The very idea of using such a thing to pay for dresses was a bit mind-boggling. “I suppose that I could permit you to tell me a little more about your client, and this order.”
“Yes, for certain. As I said, it is an order for dresses, beautiful dresses of the sort that you create.”
“Yes, I understood that much, but what sort of dresses?" Rarity prompted. "How many? What fabric? What styles? Are they for mare or fillies, or both? I assume they will require only the most luxurious materials, and of course, many of the rarest gems.”
Coral fidgeted in her seat, her eyes darting nervously left and right. “They are … beautiful dresses, like you are wearing. With a collar and a hem, ribbons and lace. Made of … cloth. I can describe them in much more detail, if we can go quickly to your shop.” As soon as she stopped speaking, she raised her water goblet and quickly drained it again. “We can discuss a price, a good price there.”
Rarity stared at the other mare for a long moment, incredulous. “Ribbons and lace? Cloth? Is that your best description? Do you know anything about fashion or clothing design at all?” Rarity asked, visions of gold bars giving way to suspicion. “Is this some sort of prank? Did Pinkie Pie send you in here? Please tell her that I am not amused.”
“No, I promise,” Coral pleaded. Suddenly, Rarity noticed a faint glow emanating from behind the young mare’s collar. Coral caught Rarity’s gaze, and touched her foreleg to her throat again before sitting bolt upright and muttering what sounded like a curse, though Rarity did not recognize the word. “Ah, I must leave now. We will speak again.”
“I still do not see what was supposed to be funny. You tell PInkie that we shall have words about this.” 
Coral suddenly leaned forward and touched Rarity with foreleg, and the latter noticed that the former’s coat was as fine and soft as a foal’s, much less coarse even than her own carefully groomed hair. Rarity shrank back from the unexpected contact. 	
“I do not joke,” Coral began, “Before I leave, please tell me, please let me know, have you seen anypony watching you?”
“What do you mean?” Rarity asked, surprised. 
“Stallions with evil intentions. I know they are near, not far now.” Coral leaned closer and lowered her voice to a whisper. “Can you not sense the darkness in their thoughts?”
“Well, I am certainly having my own dark thoughts in this moment!” Rarity exclaimed, pulling away even as she felt her heart racing. “Leave, Coral, as you promised, and do not bother visiting me in my shop. Whatever this nonsense was, it was most unamusing.” 
Rarity was uncomfortable, not merely because of the increasingly creepy pony seated across from her, but because she had in fact noticed two strange stallions in the market that morning, scruffy sorts who kept their eyes on her as she moved from stall to stall. Such boorish lechery was absolutely verboten in Ponyville, and she had almost notified the authorities before she determined to merely leave the market square and continue about her day. Now she wished she had said something. 
The glow from Coral’s collar was brighter now. She hurriedly downed another glass of water, then got out of her chair and onto all fours. “Be careful, and keep watch for the bird,” she said, glancing furtively left and right. “Beware the red-throated bird. It brings danger, danger and death.” With that, Coral turned and galloped headlong, awkwardly and unsteadily, to the front entrance. She raced past Sorghum, flung open the door and disappeared into the night. As Coral fled, Rarity thought she noticed feathers beneath the young mare’s cloak. A pegasus, then.
Rarity sat staring without focus in the wake of the odd pony’s abrupt departure. Despite her best attempts to remain calm, she could not help but hear Coral’s admonition repeating in her mind, imploring her to look out for stallions with evil intentions and some sort of red bird. She tried to remember the ponies in the marketplace, and could not stop her imagination from conjuring terrible thoughts of what they might have intended for her. Of course, it was almost certainly nothing, and Coral was almost certainly stark raving mad. Then again, not just anypony could get their hooves on fine silk like that, nor one of the treasured pink pearls from Gallopoli.  
Rarity rested her head on a forehoof propped up on the table. It wasn’t fair, not really. After Stratusburg—after Windlass—she had earned the right to live free of fear, and peril, and dark magic, and ponies who wanted to kill her. It could not be happening again. There was no truth to the so-called prophecy recounted by Blueblood’s cruel mother. Once again, she found herself upset with him for not being here. Not that she could not take care of herself in a sticky situation, but she did not look forward to spending tonight alone. 
She sighed, drained her third glass of brandy, and glumly commenced shoveling bread pudding into her mouth, silently lamenting that it had grown cold while Coral wasted her time, and that she lacked the motivation to ask the servers to have it warmed. Before this night was over, she might need to order a third dessert a stronger drink. Tomorrow she could speak with Rainbow Dash and ask her to keep a lookout for anything suspicious in town, and then spend the rest of the day at the spa. Rainbow, at least, would appreciate the thrill of potential danger. They would both feel better. 
Suddenly, Rarity felt her heart clench, and she instantly straightened up in her seat as a brilliant incandescence flared into being in the center of the dining room. The blinding light was simultaneously accompanied by startled cries from all corners of the restaurant, along with the sounds of shattering glass and clattering silverware. When the light faded, Rarity was staring in shock at none other than Princess Luna, Warden of the Night and co-ruler of Equestria. A second ago, Rarity had thought that no further interruptions to Cobblestone’s opening night dinner could surprise her. Not so. 
Princess Luna stood head and shoulders taller than anypony besides her regal sister, and without Princess Celestia for comparison, the midnight blue alicorn’s grand presence dominated the dining room. After the initial clamor, a hushed silence fell over the space. Uncomfortable seconds passed before Luna finally spoke. 
“Hark!” Princess Luna’s imperious voice quite literally rattled the timbers holding up Cobblestone’s roof and shook the restaurant down to its stone foundation. “Fear not, villagers, it is merely thy Princess Luna!” 
Luna turned her head left and right to look around the restaurant, apparently observing the disarray and damage her arrival had precipitated. “Aha!” she exclaimed. “I see I have arrived in time for the ritual smashing of the glasses!” As Rarity cringed, the Princess lifted an empty and unbroken water goblet with her telekinesis and dashed it against the floor. “Huzzah!”
Shards of glass tinkled as the fell to the floor, but otherwise nopony dared make a sound, apparently transfixed by Luna and uncertain as to how to react.  After having been imprisoned in the moon for a thousand years, some quirks were to be expected from Luna, but ponies seemed to have a difficult time pointing out and correcting her anachronisms.  Finally, Rarity noticed one stallion lifting a hoof and moving toward his own wine glass, apparently prepared to push it off the edge of his table in imitation of the Princess. She decided that somepony needed to nip this incipient insanity in the bud. Thankfully, three glasses of apple brandy had given her the courage to do it.
“Do not even think about it!” Rarity screeched, jumping up from her seat and galloping into the center of the room even as she magically moved the wine glass back a safe distance from the edge. She then remembered to turn to Princess Luna and bow respectfully, if hastily, kneeling on bent forelegs and feeling lightheaded as she did so.
“Ah, and now I greet the Bearer of the Element of Generosity,” Luna declared, causing Rarity to blush.
“Your Highness. It is my great honor and pleasure. However, I am afraid the, er, ritual smashing is already over. May I ask, on what occasion do you grace us with your presence this evening?” 
“Of course you may ask. I have come here for you, Rarity unicorn!”
Rarity’s mouth fell open in shock. Her head was swimming, but there was no mistaking Princess Luna's statement. Then, to her great surprise, she began to laugh, a chuckle at first, then a full guffaw. It was not at all the ladylike thing to do, and completely inappropriate in front of the Princess of the Night, but how else could she react to such absurdity? First Rainbow had burst upon the scene for a dash of drama, then Coral had come with her flimsy story about a dress order and gold bars, not to mention those disturbing references to vague threats and ominous avian portents. And now Princess Luna herself had come for her, down from the moon, or that ruined old castle in the Everfree Forest, or wherever the rarely-seen nocturnal royal kept her quarters.
At this point, Rarity would scarcely have been surprised if a band of minotaurs smashed through a wall in order to demand she take their measurements, or if that histrionic purple river serpent from was found lurking in a soup tureen, waiting to chat with her about his fabulous new manestyle. She only felt badly for poor Apple Cobbler, the staff, and the other investors, that her mere presence had attracted so much trouble on opening night. At this point, though, with the Princess of the Night occupying the center of the dining room, her starlit mane billowing in a nonexistent breeze, there really wasn’t anything to be done about it.
Finally, she remembered to speak when spoken to by royalty. 
“I am most humbled and honored, Your Highness, and I am, as always, at your service.”
Luna nodded curtly, and then addressed the room again. “Citizens! Accept your Princess’ apologies for interrupting such a sumptuous and delightfully redolent feast. I assure you that my business with the lady is most urgent!” The alicorn turned to Rarity. “We shall adjourn to your abode forthwith!”
At least if she were no longer in the restaurant, Rarity would be less likely to be the cause of any further disruptions, and she would get out of having to spend the rest of the evening apologizing for the chaos that had already occurred. “Of course, Your Highness," she said. "Before we go, might I have just one moment to settle a few things here?”
Luna nodded, and Rarity hurried over to Berry Punch, who stood observing the scene with a bemused expression. “Tell Apple Cobbler I am sorry,” she whispered to the magenta mare. “This is my fault, and frankly, I have no idea what to tell our dinner guests at this point. Perhaps if you offer them all a glass of the good brandy at no charge it will placate their concerns somewhat. Of course, I will reimburse the restaurant personally, and for the damage as well.”
“Placate them?” Berry Punch repeated, giving Rarity a playful tap on the shoulder with a forehoof. “Are you kidding me? Boss lady, you might have missed it, but opening night at Cobblestone just got crashed by a Princess of Equestria. The ponies in here, they’re in awe right now, and they’re thinking this is now officially the place to be seen by royalty. I promise you we’re going to be turning down reservation requests for months!”
Rarity started, instantly realizing that Berry was correct: nothing drew crowds to a new establishment like the hope, however fleeting, of a chance to experience the company of the elite and famous—or at least a chance to be in close proximity to them—and no ponies were more elite and famous than the Princesses of Equestria. 
“In that case, tell them it is an open bar until they care to go home,” Rarity said in parting. “And then put it on my tab.” She turned back to Luna, nodded to indicate her readiness, and both mares vanished in a flash of magic.
> II. The Carousel Cabal
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


II. The Carousel Cabal


With a champagne-cork pop and a blinding flash, Rarity was someplace else. She could not yet say where, because her eyes were squeezed shut, and she was immediately fixated on stabilizing the rolling, heaving floor beneath her hooves, and waiting for her insides to settle. She would never regard teleportation fondly. 

Like most unicorns, Rarity was comfortable only with a limited range of spells that came naturally to her. Over the years she had honed her abilities with a few practical spells that aligned with her talents, which she could use in everyday life and in her business: transmutation, illusion, and fine telekinesis. But this was about as far as she had ever gotten with magic; the power to make something cease to exist in one spot, and instantaneously spring into being in another, was both incomprehensible and more than a little alarming.

Nopony had ever adequately been able to explain to Rarity exactly where the object being teleported was between the original location and the destination. Could she really trust that the pony who reappeared someplace new was, in fact, the original? How could she ever truly be sure that she, as the teleportee, was not a duplicate, created on the spot, the original Rarity simply gone forever? If so, she was at least a dozen duplicates deep now, which was terribly disquieting. This was the sort of thing that kept Rarity up at night, and made her somewhat reluctant to spend too much time alone with Twilight Sparkle. 

In any event, the stomach-flipping anxiety of possibly imminent non-existence was hardly reason to refuse a direct request from Princess Luna, and so here she was—that is, Rarity, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. She opened her eyes and saw, just as the Princess had promised, that she was home. 

Carousel Boutique was more than home, actually: it was also by turns retail establishment, corporate office, design studio, garment factory, beauty parlor, and personal oasis. Once a crumbling relic of some grand fair from decades prior, the building had been a near-ruin when Rarity acquired it. At times it had felt that only her force of will and stubborn optimism prevented the rafters from tumbling down around her, but eventually she had transformed the wrecked carousel house into something beautiful. That was what Rarity did, after all. 

At the present moment, she observed that she was standing beside Princess Luna in her spacious living room on the building’s upper story. Though it looked a bit smaller than usual with an oversized alicorn Princess occupying much of the available space, the living room was warm and inviting, lit by a half-dozen gas sconces, and outfitted with an oversized fireplace, a pair of richly-upholstered divans dyed a bold purple that nearly matched Rarity’s mane, and a quartet of comfortable chairs. Rarity’s favorite fainting couch nestled against the far wall, beneath a large picture window that she had enchanted to allow easy summoning of the furniture in the event of an unscheduled swoon. Tonight, delicate webs of frost grew from the corners of the windowpane, and outside, a heavy snow was falling.

Immediately after registering her location, Rarity noticed that that the room was quite clearly not as she had left it before trotting through the ice and snow to Cobblestone. The sconces had been lit, illuminating the room with an inviting glow, and the fireplace contained a cheery blaze that lent ample assistance to the gas furnace in the effort to keep the place warm despite the bitter cold outside. 

“You’ve already been here, haven’t you, Your Highness?” Rarity asked, doing her best to conceal her irritation at being trespassed upon, considering the identity of the trespasser. Actually, for all Rarity knew there was a law specifically permitting Princesses to make themselves at home wherever and whenever they wanted. 

“Indeed!” Luna replied enthusiastically. “We found your chambers most commodious, and we are certain they shall prove an excellent venue for our conspiracy.” She turned to look at Rarity and, much to the latter’s surprise, winked. 

“Conspiracy?” Rarity repeated, starting and shifting her gaze around the room. “I’m quite sure I don’t understand.” 

She had noticed that the Princess referred to "we," but there was nopony else here, so Rarity decided that Princess Luna had reverted to her old habit of referring to herself using the majestic plural. Of greater concern was this idea of a “conspiracy,” a word which reminded Rarity of the dreadful attempted coup she and Blueblood had helped to foil, and which had nearly been the death of both of them. 

Surely the Princess was not implicating Rarity or the Boutique in something so unsavory! Still, she was confused, and suddenly felt very alone in her own home, with nopony between her and a mysterious and immensely powerful alicorn. There was still so much she did not know about Luna. Nopony really knew her, except for Princess Celestia. 

Before the Princess could elucidate, there was a clattering noise and a thump from downstairs, followed by the unmistakable clip-clop of hooves on the stairs. Blinking, Rarity realized she could make out the voices of two ponies conversing in low tones. Stallions. Suddenly, she recognized both of them, including one pony who absolutely should not have been in Ponyville that night. 

“Wha—what in the world is this all about?” Rarity demanded of Princess Luna, totally abandoning decorum, just as Blueblood and Fancypants trotted off the landing and into the room. 

“Rarity, my dear! There you are! Jolly good to see you again!” Fancypants exclaimed, smiling jovially. He was customarily nattily dressed, with a dark gray coat tailored expertly to his high withers, a navy vest, and a gold silk bow tie that matched the monocle he usually wore. If he had brought a winter coat, it must have been left on the rack in the showroom downstairs. 

The tall whitecoat stallion wore his cornflower blue mane neatly parted, and his thin moustache had been carefully waxed. Rarity stood dumbfounded as he took her noodle-limp foreleg and kissed her cheeks, all while keeping a glass tumbler half-full of whiskey and ice levitating a short distance away. 

Blueblood, meanwhile, stared back at Rarity with an expression of resigned helplessness, and sighed, his broad chest shrinking in on itself and his strong frame seeming on the verge of losing its structural integrity. His own drink wobbled in mid-air, the cubes of ice rattling against the glass and the liquid sloshing dangerously close to the rim. Rarity stared back at him in furious wonder.  

He had turned down her invitation to dinner, had canceled his trips to Ponyville, and now here he stood, right here in her living room, having obviously raided her liquor cabinet. He could not have been bothered to explain to her what pressing business had kept him from her these last long weeks, and what he had told her was obviously a pack of lies. So much for being stuck in Canterlot!

Surely Blueblood had some sort of excuse at the ready. He always did, and besides, Princess Luna’s presence attested to some sort of royal business. Maybe he had been caught robbing banks, and Princess Luna was here to ask if Rarity wanted to appeal for clemency on his behalf? If that was the case, Rarity would request a stiffer punishment. Whatever he had been up to, he had kept her utterly in the dark, and she could not even say for how long.

“Hello, darling,” Blueblood finally said, smiling weakly. “Um, surprise?”

Rarity did not respond, but turned away from him so quickly she nearly strained her neck. She made a point of looking around the room at everything and anything except Blueblood, while she tried in vain to process all the sudden strangeness surrounding her.

It seemed impossible that just ten minutes prior she had been engaged in something so mundane as the opening of a restaurant in her little hometown. It had felt so critically important to her at the time, but it was a triviality next to the mysterious affairs of the Night Princess. What was all this? Fanciful ideas about what could have brought Princess Luna and the others to Carousel Boutique tonight raced through her mind like a squadron of Wonderbolts improvising their aerial tricks on the fly.  Finally, Rarity blinked and shook her head gently to clear her mental skies. 

“You have all made yourselves quite at home, I see,” she said. 

“Yes, quite,” Princess Luna affirmed. “I do apologize that we did not notify you that we planned to call, but the matter was urgent, and the nature of our business a secret closely held. Please understand that what brings us to your dwelling tonight is a vital interest of the crowns.”

Rarity stared back at the alicorn, pondering, still trying to piece together some rational explanation for the visit. This was official royal business. It involved Fancypants, fabulously wealthy, but still working to recover his influence after the Alicorn’s Cup catastrophe; Blueblood, formerly Duke of Canterlot and heir to the old line of unicorn royalty, now an aeronautical architect and businesspony in his own right; and, apparently, Rarity, a fashion designer. They were all closely connected on an interpony basis, but there were no obvious ties to any interest of Princess Luna's—at least not that Rarity knew. Then again, she could not really say that she knew any interests of Princess Luna's. 

“I also apologize for entering the premises uninvited,” the Princess went on. “Though I note you neglected to place an anti-teleportation ward on the building. In times past, such an oversight was considered most dangerous, and an invitation for trouble.”

“A wha—” Rarity began.

“Also, the back door was unlocked,” Fancypants added, gesturing with his whiskey. He then indicated Blueblood. “And he’s got a key, anyway.”

Rarity gritted her teeth, and narrowed her gaze at her erstwhile boyfriend. “Yes, well, I wonder for how much longer?” 

Blueblood trotted toward her and offered a forehoof, which she ignored. “I’m sorry," he said. "I am truly, deeply sorry. But if you will hold off on making any irrevocable decisions about the future of our relationship for just a bit, the Princess will explain everything,” he said. The pained look he wore was in equal measures desperately imploring and pitiful. “I promise you will understand why I had to stay away until tonight.”

“I seriously doubt that,” Rarity retorted, and raised a foreleg to point at his precarious beverage. “And if you were really confident that somehow I would just accept whatever supposed reason you’ve got for misleading me, your telekinesis wouldn’t be as shaky as a little unicorn colt’s.”

“Please,” Blueblood implored, and nodded toward the Princess. “Just listen to what Princess Luna has to say.” 

Rarity merely glared at him, and his glass continued to wobble unsteadily. Finally, she gave an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes dramatically. “Oh for goodness’ sake, I’m taking that before you spill on my imported carpet.” Deftly, she seized Blueblood’s glass from his magical hold, floated it toward her, and took a long sip of the pale golden liquid. 

The slow burn of the whiskey as it coated her throat felt good, and brought her back into this bizarre moment. As calmly as she could manage, she set the glass down on a coaster, turned her back on Blueblood, and faced Princess Luna. 

The Princess smiled gently as she gazed down at Rarity, and for an instant, for the very first time, Rarity saw a flash of Luna’s sister in the dark alicorn’s benevolent expression. It was there in the eyes, and on the muzzle; that centuries-honed patience coupled with boundless empathy that Rarity had come to know in Princess Celestia. Yet this was Luna, and no pony who had seen what the Night Princess had been could ever forget. Neither could Princess Luna, and that much too was evident on her face. 

“Do not judge Blueblood too harshly, dear Rarity, at least not for his silence,” the Princess said. “He appealed to me most vigorously for leave to speak freely with you of his work, and for permission to visit you here, but I forbade it. Please accept that he has been in my service, and that his desires have, of necessity, been subordinated to my needs.”

“Oh …” Rarity trailed off, still staring up at Luna, finding herself captivated by the Princess’ fathomless dark green-blue eyes. “That’s … oh!” She shut her eyes tightly for a full second before opening them again. Twilight Sparkle had told her years ago that Princess Luna’s gaze was said to effect a mild sort of hypnosis on those who held it, even when the Princess was not actively casting magic. The Princess was covering for him, but Rarity was not going to let Blueblood off the hook that easily. 

“Your Highness! What do you mean, subordinated to your ‘needs?’” she demanded hotly, silencing the warning bells telling her not to demand explanations from the pony who held the moon on the tip of her horn. “What ‘needs?’ What have you forced him to do?” 

“Please becalm thyself, dear Rarity!” Princess Luna replied. She took a small step backwards, which Rarity considered a private victory. “We are well aware that thou hast claimed Blueblood for thine own, and we would not intrude upon thy carnal entitlements!” 

There were one or two sharp intakes of breath, and then, for a long moment, the only sound in the living room was the fire’s constant crackling. Slowly looking left and right, Rarity could see that Fancypants was flushed, more than the whiskey alone should have caused, and Blueblood looked completely miserable. As if a fog had lifted from her brain, she suddenly realized what she had suggested, and what Princess Luna had inferred. Now the Princess was staring silently back at her with her head slightly tilted, as if examining some strange specimen under glass. 

“Oh dear,” Rarity muttered, mortified. “Um …”

“Darling, I assure you my work for the Princess has been strictly technical,” Blueblood said at last, vigorously massaging his right temple with a hoof. “There was nothing carnal about it.”

“I, um, did not mean to imply—” Rarity started, but Fancypants cut her off.

“I say, everypony, it is getting on rather late and we have not yet broached the subject which brings us all together this evening. Perhaps it would be for the best if we moved right on to that, hm?”

Princess Luna nodded slightly in Fancypants’ direction. “Well spoken as usual, my friend.” Her horn glowed silvery-blue, and all of the window blinds in the room were drawn closed. The Princess then trotted over to Rarity’s fainting couch and settled down, folding her legs beneath her. 

Still embarrassed, Rarity strove to hide her indignation at this usurpation of her favored position as she found a spot on one of the divans. As she did so, Fancypants and Blueblood each occupied an upholstered chair. The fire provided soothing white noise as Princess Luna commenced to speak. 

“As stated previously, the matter that brings us together tonight is of critical importance to Equestria. I do not exaggerate when I say that the very future of the nation may be at stake, or that powerful forces are working against us at this moment. Time is chief among them, but there are others, more purposeful and equally merciless. Strict secrecy has only prevented our opposition from becoming legion.”

“I still do not understand,” Rarity said, unable to stop herself. "If there is a serious danger, it sounds as though it might require the Elements of Harmony, but so far as I know, you have only contacted me. If it is some more traditional problem facing the state, then as Princess you have the entire resources of the nation at your disposal: the military, the best scientists, and the whole of the treasury.  I see only the four of us here, in my living room in Ponyville.”

Princess Luna nodded. “A perceptive analysis. You must understand, however, that there are problems which cannot be solved with powerful magic or by deploying hundreds of soldiers. Often, the best approach lies in identifying the few ponies whose unique skills provide the ideal, or barring that the only, solution. It is my conclusion that the three unicorns now in my company are the best ponies for the task ahead.”

Rarity was far from convinced of the logic of any of this. "I will grant you that Blueblood is a technical genius, and Fancypants is Fancypants, but I cannot imagine any assistance I could provide that somepony such as Twilight Sparkle could not, and in vastly superior form. That is unless you need somepony to style your mane and dress you in something fabulous!” A chuckle died a quick death under Luna’s stare. 

“Ms. Sparkle has already lent her support to this venture,” the Princess said. “Without her unquenchable thirst for knowledge and unparalleled eagerness to sift through stacks of scrolls and documents, we would lack sufficient knowledge even to begin. But her part in this is now ended. My sister has tasked her with other work, equally pressing. Even if she was available, it is you, Rarity, whom I need now."

Rarity nodded as though she followed Princess Luna’s continuing explanation, but in truth, she was more lost than ever. In what possible scenario could she be considered a desirable—or even viable—alternative to Twilight Sparkle? Their respective expertise had practically no overlap. If one needed a couture dress, one would come to Rarity. If one needed a long-lost arcane tome containing a spell for making toast butter itself, one naturally would go to Twilight Sparkle. 

Really, when she thought about it, there was only the one “matter of national security” that concerned Rarity more than it did Twilight. Coincidentally, the other two unicorns present had also been heavily involved in that business. But this couldn’t be about the stone. She had a promise from the Princess that it would not trouble her again. A promise! 

But that had been the other Princess … 

Rarity felt her throat constricting, and suddenly found it difficult to breathe. She had washed her hooves of the Heavenstone and all the nonsense surrounding it forever when she entrusted it to Princess Celestia's care. But what else could this be? There were none more closely tied to the events surrounding Windlass' mad plot against Equestria than the three unicorns assembled here. There was no pony still living besides Rarity who had been fully connected to the Heavenstone, nopony else who could feel its pull a thousand leagues away. Even though the stone was sealed forever behind an impenetrable magic shield in Canterlot, sometimes Rarity still had dreams of an enormous diamond, shining brightly, begging her to come and take it. 

She remembered the prophecies as well, those cruel words that Blueblood’s vile mother taunted her with. Rarity had never thought she would be glad of another pony’s passing, but she had felt a heavy weight leave her back after Blueblood told her that Palladium was gone. Still, the mare might be dead, but the words remained. 

Her mark is the Triskelion, the ancient song proclaimed. She who would bring about the end of ponies. Rarity closed her eyes and silently cursed the cutie mark she had once loved, and been so proud to earn. Princess Palladium had promised that Rarity’s fate would be bound up in those gems, and now Luna had come for her, and the others that accursed stone had touched. 

“Rarity?” Princess Luna asked. “Were you listening? I—”

“No!” Rarity shrieked. “I can see what this is; why you've all come. When I gave it to your sister, I put it out of my life! It is your problem now. My fate is not bound to it!"

Blueblood sprang from his chair and was at Rarity’s side in a blur of rapid motion, rocking back on his hind legs while he used his forelegs to pull her shaking body close and hold it. 

“It isn’t about that,” he said softly. “I would never have gone along with this if it was about the Heavenstone, royal edict or no.”

“It is the others, then,” Rarity sniffled into his shoulder. “Or one of them." 

“No,” Princess Luna boomed, her voice reverberating throughout the boutique. At that, Rarity managed to sit up on the divan and face the Princess again, and she motioned for Blueblood to return to his own seat. “Blueblood speaks truly: our mission does not involve the Adamant Triskelion, if such a thing even exists. I admit to perusing the Platinum Vault, after it was made available in the wake of Princess Palladium’s passing. We have read the supposed prophecies that were revealed to you.”

“Then you must understand why I cannot involve myself where those things are concerned,” Rarity said. "You of all ponies must understand the power of prophecy!" 

“I certainly understand why one might be reticent in such circumstances,” Princess Luna responded, nodding. “I would not demand your participation, were any Great Diamonds somehow involved. They are not.”

“At least not at all directly,” Fancypants offered, between sips of whiskey. “In any event, you will never have to see, touch, or think about the Heavenstone on our voyage. You can put it entirely out of mind.” 

“Voyage?” Rarity managed to repeat, though the word came out as a sort of half-choke. She jumped up from her seated position in one quick, angry motion. "I cannot go on any voyage! I have business here. I have orders to fill! I just opened a restaurant!” 

First the Princess took her from her dinner guests, then she learned that Luna had ordered Blueblood to keep away from her, and now she was being sent away? Rarity found herself beginning to think a coup might not be such a bad idea after all, at least with respect to one half of the diarchy.

“You will leave on the morrow,” Princess Luna declared firmly, though there was sympathy in her eyes. “Arrangements have been made for a private car on the first train to Baltimare.”

Rarity stared slack-jawed, unmoving, even though she could feel her heart racing. She was being sent away, tomorrow. It was going to happen. She could not very well refuse a Princess. And Baltimare! What was in Baltimare, anyway, besides marinas and docks swarming with burly stevedores? What would she tell her friends, her parents, and Sweetie Belle?

“Please forgive my impertinence, Princess,” she finally said, slumping back onto the divan. "It is only that it has been a stressful evening, with the restaurant opening, that strange mare who approached me, and now this. I do confess I am hoping it is all some sort of elaborate jest, and I am simply too naive to see through it."

"I wish it were only a jest," Princess Luna replied softly. "If you knew all that troubles me, you would ..." She paused in mid-sentence. "Dear Rarity, you mentioned a strange mare. Who was that, and what did she want?"

Rarity frowned. "I have no idea. She was insistent about coming back to the Boutique with me to talk about an order for dresses, but I rebuffed her. For one thing, she obviously knew nothing about fashion. Then she tried to frighten me with some vague warning about unsavory ponies here in Ponyville, if you can imagine." 

Rarity did not mention the strange stallions she had seen in the market, for she had decided the entire incident had been nothing more than her imagination manipulating her memory in response to what Coral had told her. Ponyville was as safe as it had ever been. 

"It's probably nothing," she continued, "but the pony who met with me had an unusual accent. She claimed she was from somewhere near Gallopoli."

As she said the last, Rarity noticed Princess Luna fire inscrutable glances at both Fancypants and Blueblood. Finally, the Princess spoke. "Near Gallopoli, you say? This is troubling. I cannot fathom how anypony could have penetrated our veil of secrecy, and yet it appears somepony has."

"It was nothing at all, Your Highness," Rarity protested. "Merely a strange visitor. I am quite certain she was harmless." 

"I do not share your optimism, dear Rarity," Princess Luna said. "It seems more likely to me that interested parties have somehow caught wind of our activities. This only underscores the urgency which must attend your departure."

Rarity suddenly felt her coat crawl. "Your Highness, do you mean to say there is some real danger? If that is the case, then what about my friends, and my family? I cannot leave town while they remain at risk, even on royal business."

The Princess shook her head. "If there is any danger, then it will surely follow you out of Ponyville. I know that is only small comfort, however, so I will post a detachment of my elite guard to watch over this town in your absence. Of course, there is no barracks, so they will need to be quartered here."

Rarity did not like the idea of leaving her loved ones under threat, nor was she fond of the notion of a group of uncouth soldiers despoiling her home, but if there was a danger, Princess Luna's offer was better than nothing. She sighed. "Thank you, Princess. Now, if I truly must leave tomorrow, pray tell me why."

Princess Luna frowned. "I am not certain that revealing further information would be wise at this juncture, if Ponyville is compromised. It may be that eavesdropping spells have grown more sophisticated during my absence, and my privacy barrier is ineffective. You can be fully briefed when you arrive in Baltimare."

“Your Highness," Blueblood broke in. "We all understand the need for secrecy, but Rarity is part of this affair now. She deserves an explanation. Besides, it seems the secret may be out anyway."

Princess Luna looked at Blueblood for a moment, then finally nodded. “Your points are well-taken." She turned to look at Rarity, and addressed the group. "We are preparing to embark upon a treasure hunt, perhaps the greatest ever undertaken, in search of wonders beyond reckoning.” 

Rarity took a moment to ponder what the Princess had said and try to make some sense of it all, but her mind kept returning to the words “treasure hunt” and finding them too absurd to process. Finally, she could ponder no more, and instead laughed so hard she snorted. 

“Oh, so—ha!—so sorry Princess, but you absolutely had me there. A treasure hunt, like the pretend games my little sister plays with her friends! And in the dead of winter! Ha ha! Oh, I am so glad this really was all a joke!”

Blueblood then cleared his throat conspicuously, and Rarity looked around through mirth-bleary eyes to see that the others ponies remained stony-faced. Any hint of a further chuckle died in an instant. 

“Right. So then. Treasure. Baltimare. Ah, what sort of treasure are we talking about? Standard gold and gems?” 

“‘Tis alright. Your amusement is understandable,” Princess Luna replied, curling her lips into an almost imperceptible smile. “This whole affair is most outlandish.” The smile flattened out again and disappeared. “But it is also gravely serious. If others stumble upon what we seek before we can protect it, or if a true foe of Equestria should claim it, or if our mission is discovered prematurely, there will be unimaginably dire consequences for us all. That is why the others in this room have been working for months to prepare for it, and why you must leave immediately, now that those preparations have been completed."

"And me?" Rarity asked. "If this really is a treasure hunt, I can only assume you want me for my gem-finding spell."

“Do not sell your talents short," the Princess said. "By all accounts, you possess many attributes that will serve you well in this endeavor; your dowsing spell is merely one of them. While there will be many gems, and you will use your magic to lead us to our destination, the true treasure is not precious stones or metals, but something far more important."

The Princess rose from the fainting couch and stood before Rarity and the others, her height and regal presence dominating the space. Her eyes seemed to glow with enthusiasm. “We seek to discover nothing less than an entire civilization, one lost to the world for thousands of years! We seek magic, technology, and unimaginable wonderments that would dazzle the eyes and astonish even the cynical minds of this age of steam and steel."

Princess Luna’s great dark wings unfolded to fill the room, and her starry mane and tail billowed in a wind nopony could feel. “Indeed, Rarity, we believe we have identified the true location of the legendary lost kingdom of Benthippus!”

Silence reigned, though Luna continued to maintain a rather striking pose. Rarity waited just a moment, until she was certain no lightning bolts were going to accompany the Princess' dramatic pronouncement. 

“Ahem. Pardon me, Princess, but I’ve never heard of this Ben … Benth … whatever it’s called. What is it?”

The Princess of the Night deflated at once, her mane settling into a subtler wave as she folded her wings neatly. “Ah. Forgive both my excitement and my presumptiveness. It is no great surprise you have not heard the name. In truth, even I know little of actual fact about the ponies of Benthippus, save that they were said to possess powers and inventions the likes of which have never been seen again. Most today who have heard the stories believe that Benthippus is no more than a myth, but we have reason to believe otherwise. Indeed, I am certain that relics of the kingdom's might still rest in undiscovered ruins. That is why we cannot afford for somepony else to lay claim to what we seek first.”

“From what we do know, they were a nautical empire,” Blueblood chimed in. “One that reached its zenith thousands of years ago. They were already nought but the stuff of legend in the Pre-classical Age, before the Great Blizzard forced our ancestors to flee to what is now Equestria.”

“They were gone long before my time, or my sister’s,” Princess Luna added.

“According to the remaining myths, they were raiders who terrorized the coastal ponies of their day,” Blueblood continued. "They had the power to trot on water, or gallop right through the waves if they wanted, and they could appear suddenly out of the sea-mists. The monsters of the deep were their friends and allies, and they held no fear of drowning. In fact, they were so closely affiliated with the water that they used a stylized representation of a half-pony, half-fish as their emblem.”

“A seapony?” Rarity asked, incredulous. “But they are just a fantasy. There is no such thing.”

“Seapony, mermare, hippocamp,” Fancypants said. “Different names for the same idea. While the mythical creature may not be real, the ponies who carried it on their banners were very much so. And in one form or another, the royal seal of Benthippus survived into the age of the divided tribes, through the Exodus, and into the present era, in our art, decorations, and collective consciousness.”

“Adventurous ponies, lured by promises of riches and power, have searched for Benthippus for centuries without success,” said Princess Luna. “But in searching the Haunted Shore and the great fjords of the northwest, they only proved the few scholars who deigned to speculate had identified the wrong location.”

“Badly, as it turns out,” Fancypants said. “Way off the mark. Couldn’t be further off, in fact.”

“So you’ve found this lost kingdom then, someplace else,” Rarity prompted.	

“‘’Twould be more accurate to say that we have found the right part of the world to search,” said Princess Luna. “You will find the lost kingdom. The abilities you showed during the Heavenstone crisis convinced me that there is no pony more capable of using the dowsing spell to its full potential, and that includes both Ms. Sparkle and myself. A kingdom of coastal raiders will have been quite fond of gems, I am certain, and those hidden gems will lead us to Benthippus."

“Even at fifty fathoms,” Fancypants added. He had drained his own glass, but by now had found Blueblood's whiskey, and was making good progress. 

“I could detect a nice fire ruby from fifty leagues if I wanted,” Rarity huffed. “But … wait … did you say fathoms? Or furlongs?”

“Oh yes, he said fathoms,” Blueblood chimed in. “It’s all on the bottom of the ocean. The whole kit and kaboodle is probably buried in sediment too. Rather tricky business all around, getting at it.”

Rarity’s eyes grew wide as she turned to him. “That is why you are involved, isn’t it? You said ‘technical assistance.’ The Princess asked you to dream up some way to get whatever this is off the ocean floor.”

Blueblood shrugged. “Asked. Commanded. Take your pick. But yes. And I have done so.”

“Commissioned, not commanded,” Princess Luna said chidingly. “You have enjoyed a generous stipend, and you will receive a substantial completion fee upon delivery. But do not, as they say, count your chickens, for there is as yet no proof your machine works as designed."

"She will work as she is intended to work, Your Highness. Probably better." Blueblood seemed to sit a little straighter in his chair now that the conversation had turned to his area of interest. Rarity noted that his tendency to boast remained undiminished. He turned to her next, and spoke. 

“That is why I haven't been able to see you. I was working, every night, designing this ship. Er, ship, by which I mean a seagoing vessel, not an airship. It turned out the old Alicorn was watertight enough when it came down to it, you'll remember, so it isn't as though I have no experience with these sorts of things, but this one is something altogether new, and—"

“Whatever sort of contraption it is, it cost me dearly enough in canceled dates and fitful nights that it had better be new, incredible, astounding, and whatever else it needs to be,” Rarity said, shooting a look to let him know he was anything but forgiven.

"And you, Fancypants," Rarity began next, "how did you come be in my home, speaking of dangerous secrets?"

"My involvement is largely for purposes of plausible deniability," the mustachioed unicorn replied. "A cover was needed for the construction of our vessel, and for various scouting expeditions to the area of interest. Officially, one of my mining concerns is interested in exploring deep-sea mineral extraction. I am here for other reasons as well, though. I suppose one might say that I am responsible for setting the gears in motion."

"How so?" Rarity asked. 

"It was Fancypants who obtained the artifact that led us to Benthippus," Princess Luna declared. "I will show you." The Princess’ horn glowed brightly, and a spark shot from the tip and into the middle of the room, between the seated ponies. It hovered there, quickly growing in intensity like a tiny, pulsing star, before finally fading away all at once. It left behind a square wooden crate roughly a quarter pony length in every dimension. 

There were various markings and labels on one side, and Rarity quickly studied them. “The postal label says this was sent to the Royal Museum of Archaeology by Twilight Sparkle,” she observed. “Yet there is no receipt stamp. I gather Twilight sent this to the museum, but it was intercepted en route.”

“I told you she has a keen eye for detail,” Fancypants said to Princess Luna, with a wink.

The latter nodded before speaking again. “We requested that Ms. Sparkle analyze the object and confirm its suspected origins. I informed her that the artifact came from a storage vault below the castle that had not been opened in hundreds of years. That was a lie, but if she knew this find was recent, or that we were so close to Benthippus, her enthusiasm would be such that the secret would be out on the streets of Canterlot within the day. Worse, she would have abandoned her other work, which would be impermissible. Ms. Sparkle was instructed to send the artifact to the museum when her analysis was complete, but she did not know that her usual postal carrier is an agent of the Night Court."

Rarity narrowed her gaze. "Your Highness' personal agent. Hm. Why do I suddenly have the impression that none of this has been sanctioned by Princess Celestia?"

Princess Luna moved a forehoof in Rarity's direction, but stopped short of pointing it at her. "I am a Princess of Equestria, and I require my sister's approval for nothing," she said defensively. "Immediate action was required to secure our national interests, and I could not afford to waste months on discussions with Celestia, the privy councilors, the navy, and the Royal Archaeological Society."  

In other words, both Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle were completely in the dark. "So, this really is a conspiracy,” Rarity said, sighing. “I suppose I should have a look at whatever this is, then."

"Give me a moment to open the crate," Blueblood said, as he trotted over to the fireplace and retrieved the iron poker from its place with the other fire tools. He jammed one end of the poker under the lid of the box, and began straining with his magic.

"Must ... be a security spell," he said, grunting. Perhaps Princess Luna could have helped, but Rarity saw that she remained still, observing. 

"Right. Rather than sit and stare while he struggles, allow me to provide a few additional details," Fancypants said. "As I said, I more or less set events in motion, because it was I who provided the artifact to Princess Luna." 

"How in the world did it come to be that all my friends are leading lives of mystery and intrigue?" Rarity asked, offering him a smile. "I thought we were done with all that."

"We are back in the thick of it, my dear," Fancypants replied, matching Rarity's expression. "You will recall I mentioned that the Heavenstone was not directly involved. That is true, but it did play a role in bringing the artifact to me. It all started when Windlass used the stone's power to call that terrible storm down upon the town of Gallopoli."

"I shudder to think of that awful time," said Rarity, closing her eyes. "So many ponies lost everything. So many brave ponies died."

"It was an unspeakable tragedy," Fancypants said, nodding in agreement. "I am still haunted by the fact that you and Blueblood were in the midst of that madness, fighting to save the town, while I remained safe at home, oblivious to the fact that I had been played for a fool by that mare. After the conspiracy was finally thwarted, it became clear that it was my duty to help repair the damage wrought by her evil, and I set my resources to work restoring some of what Gallopoli lost. 

"As part of those efforts, I have been encouraging my employees to take as much paid time off as they like, so long as they agree to spend that time working on the disaster relief crews. It was one of those employees, combing the beach for debris, who came across the artifact and sent it back to me. Princess Celestia was away on a diplomatic mission at the time, but Princess Luna gladly received me."

"Good heavens," Rarity exclaimed. "Then, the lost kingdom is actually close to Gallopoli, of all places?"

"Yes. We believe the artifact was washed ashore by Windlass' storm," Princess Luna stated, appearing to have regained her composure. "The ferocity of that magical tempest was far greater than that of any natural storm, and in churning the sea and the ocean floor, it revealed secrets that had remained hidden for thousands of years. Secrets that might never have surfaced otherwise.”

Fancypants spoke next. "We set our best oceanographic minds to work, without providing all the details, of course. They studied the currents in the area, considered the power and direction of the storm, and identified a search area in which we believe Benthippus probably lies. In an ideal world, we would have found the lost kingdom already. Unfortunately, there are complications."

"The search area lies in disputed waters," said Princess Luna. "Gallopoli already lies at the extreme southeastern border of Equestria, and our sea rights extend no further south than our terrestrial borders, and only three leagues from shore. Benthippus may lie partially, or even entirely, beneath water subject to an improper claim by the zebras. That is why we cannot establish a formal presence in the area, least of all a military presence. To make matters worse, the coastline south of our border is rife with corsairs, all of whom would relish the chance to plunder a treasure-seeking expedition with no military escort. You may now understand some of the need to treat this affair with absolute discretion."

Rarity nodded, then suddenly shivered as a dark thought struck her. "Oh dear. That strange mare who came to me claimed to be from somewhere near Gallopoli, but I did not recognize her accent. What if she was a foreign agent, or working for the corsairs you mentioned?"

"The thought had occurred to me as well," the Princess said darkly. "Though I cannot imagine how a spy could have learned of your planned involvement before we contacted you."

Blueblood gave a victorious shout as he finally pried the lid of the crate. It clattered noisily to the floor along with the iron poker. "They could have been targeting Rarity to get to me," he said, breathing heavily. "Perhaps they learned of the ship, and sought leverage to obtain the schematics."

"Lovely," Rarity said, pursing her lips. "You cancel our dates and you nearly get me kidnapped. I certainly have fantastic taste in stallions."

"Fear not. You will be safe for tonight," Princess Luna said. "Two of my personal guard wait in the shadows outside. Tomorrow, your train will be protected both from inside and above. Now, let us examine the artifact together."

The crate was filled with straw, which spilled over the sides and onto the floor as Luna telekinetically lifted the object inside from its confines. Finally, the artifact was free, floating suspended in the middle of the room. 

The device appeared to be covered or composed entirely of some iridescent material not unlike nacre. It had a squat, four-sided base, tapering slightly toward the top and covered in engraved markings. Rarity could see the seapony glyph featured prominently among dozens of other symbols she did not recognize. What appeared to be a small wheel extended from one side of the base, with a delicate knob attached to the rim that looked to be used for turning it. It must have been some sort of crank, or handle, Rarity decided. 

Princess Luna opened a small door set in the other side of the base, and turned the object to reveal dozens, or even hundreds, of minuscule, fine-toothed gears inside. Above the base, a small sphere of the same nacre material was suspended atop a short metal rod. A wide flat ring, so thin and delicate it looked like the slightest touch would shatter it, surrounded the sphere. The ring, too, was covered in markings. 

The device was amazing just to observe, but the most amazing thing to Rarity was that it seemed exceedingly well-preserved, almost pristine. Only a few blemishes on the surface marred an otherwise perfect finish. It seemed impossible to believe it could ever have rested on the seafloor, let alone for thousands of years. Rarity continued to stare at the artifact, and her eyes grew wide as Princess Luna turned the little wheel on the base. 

Immediately, the ring surrounding the sphere exploded into dozens of smaller rings that each tilted away from the others at apparently random angles, forming a sort of odd, gyroscope-like cage around the central sphere that shifted with each turn of the wheel. The markings on the individual rings zipped around and around as both the central sphere and the rings spun at different rates. 

"What is it?" Rarity finally asked. "I've never seen anything like it."

“We have all studied the artifact closely," Princess Luna responded, setting the object down and releasing her hold on the crank. Promptly, all of the spinning rings settled down and formed one unbroken circle again. "All we can agree upon is that it appears to be an extremely complicated mechanical device for making precise astronomical calculations. Some of the small rings track the seasonal motion of major constellations. Others track individual celestial bodies. The innermost two appear to provide calculations for the sun and moon, and I suspect they could have been used to predict eclipses.”

“But that makes no sense,” Rarity protested. “Nopony needs to make predictions about the sun and moon. They are moved by ponies. Before the Princesses, unicorns raised and lowered them with the help of the Heavenstone.” 

“It is certainly curious, and defies an immediate explanation,” Princess Luna replied, nodding. “As I have said, even I know next to nothing about such an ancient period in our history.”

“Even the ponies of the Triskelion society supposedly used the Heavenstone to move the sun and moon, and they are supposed to have lived over ten thousand years ago,” Rarity argued.

“We do not know how ancient Benthippus really is," Princess Luna replied. "It is very possible that the kingdom was lost that long ago, or even further back in our history. It is an unfortunate truth that pony history is marked by a succession of great upheavals. Who can say how many times our civilizations have been cast down or uprooted, only to rise again?”

There was silence for a moment after that, and then Blueblood broke in. "There is one other oddity about the artifact. When it was first found and cleaned up, it was absolutely perfect. Only now that it has been in our possession has it begun to show age and wear. We have no idea why."

"'Tis but one more indication that the wonders of Benthippus must be claimed by Equestria," Princess Luna stated. She turned to Rarity. "Now, dear Rarity, I believe you understand what is at stake, and your own experiences today underscore the urgency of this mission. I trust I can rely that you will be on the train tomorrow."

"I will go to Baltimare and lend what support I can, Princess," Rarity replied. At least the Princess had not even bothered to give her the illusion of choice in the matter. More importantly, it was clearly not safe in Ponyville until she left. Who could say whether Coral would go after her friends next, and the strange mare had mentioned other possible ne'er-do-wells, too: potentially a rival faction. Rarity could not stay, even if she wanted to. 

"Excellent," Princess Luna said, nodding. "You are a brave pony, and worthy of the title of Bearer, fair Rarity. Now, I believe it is the proper hour to bid you goodnight and take my leave, for you require rest, and there is other business of the Night Court to which I must attend."

"Back to Canterlot for tonight, then?" Fancypants asked, struggling to his hooves and tottering a bit once he got there. It was not like him to drink to excess, Rarity noted, wondering if perhaps the troubles of the recent past were affecting him more significantly than he let on. She supposed she would have time to find out once she arrived in Baltimare. 

Before anypony could bid farewell, Princess Luna nodded curtly and Fancypants disappeared in a flash, followed immediately by the strange artifact and its crate. 	

"Wait, Your Highness," Blueblood hastily spoke up. "I'd like to stay here with the lady tonight. I can join her on the train."

Rarity thrust a forehoof at him. "Who said I would allow such a—"

"Goodnight," said Princess Luna, and she vanished with a pop and a brief flare of light.

Rarity and Blueblood stared at each other in silence for a long moment, and then she spoke first. "You are going to be sleeping on the couch."

"I know," Blueblood replied, sighing heavily before another long pause ensued. “So, it is just the two of us,” he finally said, clearly for want of anything cleverer. 

“Thank you so much for informing me of the number,” Rarity replied, rolling her eyes. “It is good to see that all the advanced mathematics instruction you received has paid off.”

Blueblood sighed, and flopped back into his chair. “The point is that I’m here. You’re here. I know you want to talk.”

“About what?” Rarity asked crossly. “About Princess Luna's probably-illegal treasure expedition? About the ponies who are apparently trying to ransom me for your schematics? Or about all the lies you told me at the Princess' behest?"

“About us,” Blueblood said emphatically. “I want to fix this.”

“Really?” Rarity arched an eyebrow. “Why did you let 'this' get broken in the first place? You are supposed to be this great genius, yet you could not manage to insert some coded romantic message in your letters that Luna would not suspect? Perhaps something to let me know there was a reason for your loutishness beyond you actually being a lout?”

“How do you know I didn’t?” Blueblood asked with a tiny, wry smile. “It is certainly quite possible that all of my extremely polite letters refusing to come to see you are brimming with hidden messages and secret sentiment, but you simply weren’t clever enough to decipher them.”

“No, it isn’t possible," Rarity retorted. "First of all, I am more than clever enough for you, and second, that is because you are a numskull. If you actually had a romantic bone in your body, you would have remembered how much I wanted you here, and how much I wanted you to appreciate Ponyville. You would never have avoided visiting for two months, secret project or no, because you would have understood how that would gnaw at me night after lonely night. You would have done something."

“What did you want me to do?” Blueblood asked, throwing his forelegs up helplessly. “She had me under her hoof, day and night, working to finish the design.”

“I don’t know!” Rarity shouted. “Okay? I don’t know. But I know I deserved better than this.” It took a concerted effort to suppress the tears welling up, but she would not cry for him now. Blueblood then stood. When he walked forward and pressed her warm cheek to hers, a tear got away from her. 

"You deserved better," he said. "You really did."

"I know, I just said that." 

For some time, minutes perhaps, Rarity simply stood cheek-to-cheek with him, taking in the feeling of physical contact after such a long time alone. Blueblood, perhaps, was doing the same. In any case he made no move to pull away from her. 

"Right," Blueblood said at last. "For what it’s worth, I want you to know that I’ve actually come to like Ponyville, and I’m looking forward to buying you dinner at the new restaurant.”

Rarity sniffed, and smiled faintly as she took a step back in order to look at him. "Such a gentlecolt. You know perfectly well my meals there are all complimentary. I am a co-owner, for pony's sake."

"Well," Blueblood began, drawing out the word and screwing up his face. "One has to be frugal these days. It is not as though I am a prince anymore."

“You most certainly are not," Rarity said, and cuffed him playfully in the shoulder with a forehoof. 

He moved close and leaned forward, and gently touched his long spiral horn to Rarity's shorter one. A familiar pleasant jolt shot through her body from her nose to her hooves. "That does not mean you should not be treated like a Princess."

"Hm. You mean I should be deferred to without question when I tell you to lock yourself away and stop visiting your girlfriend?" 

"I trotted right into that."

"Yes, you did," Rarity said. "But if you wish to treat me as royalty than you may." She gave him a solid shove with a hoof that sent him back into his chair. "And as royalty, I recommend you genuflect. If you show the proper fealty, it is rumored that Princess Rarity can be most generous with her forgiveness."

Blueblood was much taller than Rarity when standing, but as he reclined in the chair, their heights were almost equal. She pressed forward aggressively and found his lips with her own before he could respond. She did not relent for some time.

"How brazen!" Blueblood exclaimed, gasping for air. "Her Highness, and with a commoner, no less!"

"Yes, well, the Princess has been without a consort for far too long, I think," Rarity replied, licking her lips. "I think it is time we—"

"What was that?" Blueblood asked. 

Rarity had heard the knocking before, but ignored it. "I'm sure it can wait," she said. The pounding started again, this time so loud that it sounded as if somepony was trying to cave in the front door. 

"We know ye be in there!" a raspy male voice shouted. "Come on down now, afore this gets any uglier. I be ugly enough fer all of us already!"

"Who in Celestia's name is that?" Rarity demanded anxiously. "One of Princess Luna's guards?"

"That is no guard," Blueblood replied, frowning. He stood up and began trotting around the room. "I think that is one of the ponies the Princess has been so concerned about. They must have been waiting outside, watching for the teleportation flashes so they could be sure that Princess Luna had gone." He turned to Rarity. "Please tell me you have a brace of pistols, or at least a good sword around here."

"This is a dressmaker's shop, not an armory. I have knitting needles," Rarity said tersely. She could practically feel her blood running cold. 

"That may have to do." 

"Listen up!" the voice called out. "There be six grim lads with cutlasses out here. Now, if ye don't wanna end up like them poor sods in the silly armor, witchyer head stuck a lot less firm on yer neck than ya might like it, you'll be sendin' the mare down to us. Be good, an' we won't have to hurt nopony else tonight."

"Me?" Rarity hissed at Blueblood. "Why do you they want me if you're here? They must not know who they've got."

"Then maybe I can save you, at least," Blueblood muttered. Shrugging Rarity off, he hurried over and threw open one of the smaller windows in the room. Outside, there was only empty, inky darkness. Not even the falling snow could be seen. 

"This is Blueblood!" he shouted. "I'm here. I'll give you whatever information you want if you leave this place and do not harm Rarity."

"We don't give a sea-rat's tail-end about you, ye pompous buffoon!" the voice shouted back. "Ye get one last chance to give us the white mare under a flag o' surrender. Then we come an' get 'er."

"I am quite certain I have faced far worse than the likes of you!" Blueblood shouted. "No deal!" 

When he turned back, Rarity looked him in the eyes. "Whoever they are, I'm certain they murdered the guards," she said. "I don't know what they want with me, but I don't want you to die for nothing."

"I get the impression they will kill me regardless, once they have you," he said. 

"Have it yer way, lad," the voice called back. "We got no qualms about smokin' the both of ye out. Here goes!" Immediately, there was a great whooshing sound from outside. 

Rarity felt her heart clench. "No!" she shouted. "No! No! No!"

The voice continued on. "Now that be done, so I suggest ye be leapin' into me hooves pretty soon, or you'll be a pair o' toasty ponies." 

Rarity could already smell the smoke.

"You idiot," Blueblood furiously shouted down. "You've saved us! You'll have the whole volunteer fire department here in two minutes."

"Ye may want to reconsider yer name-callin' lad," the voice called back. "But then, I can't rightly fault ye, as ye don't know nothin' 'bout the Gloom." 

Blueblood did not immediately reply, but looked to Rarity, who was so seized by the horror of what was happening that she could not make a sound, or even acknowledge him. "Alright," he called back. "I'll bite. What's the Gloom?"

"The Gloom be impenetrable, hopeless darkness, lad. It be spread all 'round this place, aye, an' we control it. That's why ye can't see nothin'. Can't see out and can't see in. The flames could shoot up a half a league in the air an' nopony will see nothin' 'til this place is ash. As long as the Gloom surrounds ye, it's just us out here. I reckon ye got five minutes to pick a window an' jump afore the smoke gets to ye."

Blueblood turned a panicked look upon Rarity, who still stood petrified, her blue eyes wide and unblinking. 

She could not move, or even try to think of some way to escape. All of her thoughts were fixated on one horrible fact. The sheer inevitability of it squeezed on her heart until she was certain it would burst. 

Carousel Boutique was burning.