Harmony Side Effects

“We oughtta drop it all on the Lunar Republic, and let Celestia sort it out. ‘Course, that’s just my opinion.” A slim partying pegasus, with brown mane, and very light cream coat, said through shutting over the music to some ponies nearby. Everypony seated in a round table where a pink earth mare of straight mane using a western hat was laying her head down. She was the only pony around that didn’t seem to enjoy the party.

“For what that’s worth, y’know? Inna final analysis. Lissen, I see every celestiadamn front page inna world. F’r’intance... the more disasters happen, the more papers I sell! See, everything’s connected, a newsvendor understands that. He don’t retreat from reality. I’m a survivor, I used to live In Old Ponyville when it was destroyed. We newsvendors always cope! We’re indestructible! We thrive on disaster! We...-” The newspaper stallion stopped, when in the middle of his exciting narration, he spilled the drink of the mare next to him.

“Oh, hey, sorry.” He said, but got no response. Instead the sad pink mare lifted her head, adjusted her hat, and just trotted away saddened.

“Hey, I said I’m sorry. It’s not the end of the world!” The tall newsvendor pony with a white feather as cutie mark, said.

“Today for certain.” Is all she said, before leaving.

Harmony Side Effects
by TrollestiaSubject

Relieve The Pictures That Have Come To Pass:

“Rarity, uhm... Since we got plenty of time before your interview. Do you... want to get out, maybe we could find a nice restaurant, and exterior table and...-” A kind of assertive Fluttershy, proposed from behind her mane.

“Sorry, Fluttershy. I can’t... not right now...” Rarity answered gloomily, turning her irreconocible blank expression at Fluttershy. Her white mane and eyes glowing mystically from the interior of her body. Surrounded completely in a white, almost transparent magic aura. She was like trying to solve a puzzle with panels, cubes and pipes. It involved horn speakers, TV screens, mystical runes inbued with arcane potions and encryptions of magic spell that needed to change of place, angle and colors to have any effect. The room itself became a living being, as long Rarity was there to make it move, and the right melody sound at the right places and times.

Rarity was working lifting six enormous spheric rocks, each with a símbol of the elements of harmony, mounted in some kind of archaic device at the center of the room. Surrounded by cone speakers and the shifting mechanism charged with different forms of alternative magic, everything surrounded in Rarity’s unusual magic, all constantly changing position.

“AW... ok, I understand, if you're busy...” Fluttershy replied, looking down at one of her forehooves caressing the floor near the entrance of the room, which looked more like a normal office or a classroom, with a blackboard full of unrecognizable encryptions, a desk to the brim of old but clean books, some bookshelves with no less rare tomes, and many diagrams hanged on the walls of that corner of the room.

A bit saddened, Fluttershy when out of the room, to a hallway that looked more like an industrial facility, builded in metal with pipelines running through the hallways.

'After all what Rarity's doing is very important, maybe even more important that me, No, surely more important than me.’ Fluttershy thought, trying really hard to not be disappointed, but couldn’t help to felt sadness, a little bit, maybe, deep inside; in a graveyard of deep buried sad moments with Rarity.

“Hi mommy.” A little filly said to Fluttershy, as she turned in one of the hallways. At the beginning Fluttershy didn't understand that the greeting was for her, but after see at the filly that had spoken, a deep fear gripped her insides.

Her glowing coat as white as her little mane and big eyes, were totally unnatural. They gave her a totally indecipherable expression. She was like a ghost, like something dead. That first encounter had been utterly scary for Fluttershy, who ran away in fear back to the room with Rarity.

Maybe all those years in that place were starting to have a negative effect on her, or maybe it had been an actual ghost. Whatever it had been it wasn't something alive. Fluttershy knew how to deal with living things, and that definitely hadn't been one of them.

'Maybe I'm really crazy like everypony thinks. Maybe it was part of my imagination, my hurt feelings, or my unmet expectations.' Fluttershy thought, realizing for the first time, that she had some of those.

When Fluttershy came back, she didn't say any word, she’d wanted to likely shout the name of her lover in the room, but simply couldn't.

‘She knows everything. Maybe it’s unnecessary.' Fluttershy thought, but she would have wanted to be able to shout her name anyways.

When that little filly, with all the look of pretty young Rarity, entered the room trespassing the wall like a little ghost filly. Her expression, even when inappreciable, was one of confusion, just the same like her voice.

“Mommy?” She called, again at Fluttershy.

Fluttershy who was leaning against the door to prevent her from enter, was scared to death again for this inexplicable and frightening apparition. Gasping for air as loud as she could like asking for help, jumped behind the desk in the corner.

“Rarity, wha- what's that?” Fluttershy managed to say, steeling herself to peek her head out from behind the desk, with a book over her head as shield, and pointing at the spectral apparition.

“Her? I made her out of me. I know you feel lonely, and that you have yearned for a foal for so long. But in my current state there’s nothing we can do about that, and Sweetie Belle doesn't feel comfortable playing that role anymore... So I made her to be with you, and be your little foal. She’s not very smart, I couldn’t take a lot out of me to make her, I need my concentration to finish the new elements. but you can talk with her, brush her mane, teach her things, and she will love you back. She’s a part of me after all.” Rarity answered without take her focus out of her device.

“Y- you mean, she’s... That thing, is that you?” Fluttershy managed to said, preventing a nervous breakdown.

“Is... essentially. Yes. I can’t create life out of nowhere, or animate anything with a range of equine intelligence, so...-” Rarity started.

“But that’s horrible, Rarity. I see you as my lover, not my foal! Even if I... could even accept her as a daughter. What if she misinterpret my feelings for her, and while I bath her, or brush her mane she... interprets my love, inappropriately?” Fluttershy said blushing, overcoming her fear, yet still taking cover behind the desk.

‘Well, I guess it could... I didn’t prevent that situation might happen.’ Rarity answered, with the same indifferent tone than before.

“You didn’t prevent that situation could happen? How... how is you didn’t? Do- do you mean that you... couldn’t?” Fluttershy asked stuttering.

“I- I’m sorry, I can't create life by and means, so... I thought you were going to like it.” Rarity said, focusing her attention in the complex device.

“Rarity! Stop that and look back at me for a second!” Fluttershy demanded, going out from behind her desk, and staring at Rarity in a way that had made her impossible to deny her request, if only Rarity had turned back to see at her for a second. “First you gave me a consolation prize and expect me to care of my lover as if she were my little foal. Then you try to hide something from me! Rarity, how long has been since you can’t see the future anymore?” Fluttershy questioned, with a mixture of anger and concern.

“I- I was trying not to scare you, darling. I...-” Rarity managed to say, before being interrupted.

“Stop with that machine now and look at me!” Fluttershy shouted, but all Rarity did was bring magically a TV screen at her, and turn it on.

"Twilight, I think that I finally have found out the last configuration, I'm sending it to you." Rarity called out thought the futuristic machine, totally ignoring Fluttershy. Twilight, that was backwards at the beginning of the communication, seemed to be supervising the construction of what seemed to be a similar device, but made out entirely of TV screens, and seemed really excited about the news.

"You did? Well, that's great! Are you ready to announce it on TV? I think I could arrange an interview this very same afternoon." Twilight started, before an old and big book came flying, breaking the screen and further communications.

"Listen to me, Now!" An angered Fluttershy demanded. When Rarity turned emotionless at her, everything that was in movement within her magic, stood quiet for a second.

“Since Pinkie Pie was here.” She answered, in a calmed tone of voice and with a sad expresion that got lost behind her white glowing factions. “I... Every time is harder to me to see, while my past is constant, my... future, has been having skips on time, probably due to how near we are of a fight between Celestia and Nightmare Moon. The crashing waves, that are going to be produced during their fight, are resonating diferently, as we move ‘forward,’ to that day, I can only see... fragments, between those waves. Sometimes I can see some other fragments behind the resonance, but nothing is linear anymore, and I think. that I’m even watching alternate realities. But in all of them the fight takes place.” She explained, After a moment of silence everyting held in the air with her magic started to move again, and the surface of the room started to change again. “Now I have to finish this, if you’ll excuse me.” Rarity added before facing back at the complex device that only she was able to move, while the little Rarity walked back next to her to get incorporated back within herself.

“That's horrible! Why haven't you told me before?” Fluttershy asked, shocked at the revelation.

“Because, I knew, you were going to be scared. You’re everything to me, Fluttershy. Not only here, in this facility, or the world. Not only because I’m... cursed, in this state. I really love you, and if I can’t prevent you from being scared, how can I expect to help everypony in Equestria?” Rarity said, tuning at Fluttershy for a moment. Blinking was her only noticeable expression.

“I- I don't know, Rarity. You say you love me, but it's like if you don't know me anymore. Hide that information was very egotistical from you. I can't believe you were hidding me something like that. I- I'm not that coward. I could try to help you harder." Fluttershy retorted, struggling after each word.

"To be honest, I think you and Sweetie Belle have done everything that you could. I don't know in what else you two might help, the rest is up to me now." Rarity retorted, without taking her attention out of the device.

"Well... Good luck, Rarity. I hope you can figure it out... Goodbye.” Were the last words that Fluttershy spoke, before leaving the room. Rarity didn't need to see the future to know that she wasn't going to be back.

“Miss Singularity couldn’t relate to me, not emotionally. Certainly not romantically.” A tall Spike was narrating in a newpaper office for Featherweight, the pony that had spilled the drink of the pink mare last night.

“I mean, she doesn't have to get old, right? Not even need to use an age spell, so she doesn't know how it feels, but some day it's going to happen to her. After being her assistant since... well, the singularity, until she dumped me with escuses of going into the war agains the changelings. I mean, what risk do you take being she close, am I right? At least that’s what I used to think. Now she’s in a relationship with a yeallow pegasus, and she’s a mare, if you know what I mean. The worst part is that she can’t be surprised, and she doesn’t even care to act like if she is anymore. She can know everything, but has forgoten everything about being a pony.” Spike ranted while Featherweight was checking if a recording machine on his desk was working properly.

“I see. So, Spike, how do you feel, now that you’ve learned about your condition?” Featherweight asked after checking everything was fine with his sound recording device.

“Bitter. Bitter as tartarus. I started smoking. I figure ‘why not?’ I’m a dragon! And I can be a tennager for dragon ages, but I’m pretty legal for that in pony years. It’s supoused to help with the anxiety, you know. Knowing that the only one that could miss me is Princess Sparkle. I know at least she will, at least sometimes. when she’s not reading. Something about that makes me feel bad,” he said ligtening another cigarette, “but no Miss Singularity, you see. She doesn’t care, she doesn’t have to get old! That’s it 'cough-cought' Excuse me... That’s why I’m talking to you ponies. I want Equestria to know about her, what she did, not to me, but for all of us. I kept quiet all these years, but then this last thing happened and I had to let it all out... ‘ahhuk ahek-heck’ excuse me. After all she meant to me... After all the times I told her I loved her. I was happy the first time I knew she had obtained those powers, that meant she was going to live as much as me, or Twilight. Probably more, but the chaos... The chaos has... 'cough-cough, cough-cough.'”

“It’s okay, Spike... if you want, we can stop here.” The newspony said, turning off the recorder. While Spike was having a coughing full of black smoke. "Uh, Spike, I’d like to thank you for helping the Equestria Express so much with these investigations. I’m sure after the paper finally goes out tomorrow, you’ll feel so much better.” He added, taking the tape.

“No, I won’t." Spike said before coughing again. "Not after what she did to me. Poor Rarity, but ponies need to know that she's not pure harmony, that she can be dangerous. What she has passed through... I’m glad, that after this interview tonight, everypony’s gonna know what she did. Oh, celestia, it’s such a felief... it’s such a relief just to get out of that tower, and talk to somepony else." Spike said, just finishing his last cigarette.

Rainbow Dash had heard the doorbell ringing. With her eyesight helping goggles well placed, she found out at the delivery pegasus from the place she had ordered some cupcakes at the door. But she also could see at the distance, certain yellow thing fluttering at her place.

“Fluttershy?!” Dash said startled, taking her goggles out of her face like ashamed of Fluttershy finding out that she needed them.

"Hi." Answered Fluttershy, as a little filly that has lost her way home.

"Well, come on in! It’s good to see you! Sorry about all this mess... I uhm... spend a lot of time in home." Rainbow Dash said apological.

"Half dozen cupcakes, it will be fifty bits." The delivery pony said.

"Everything is so expensive these days." Rainbow added, leaving Fluttershy pass inside. Throwing a green paper with official recognition for the devalued quantity of bits at the delivery pony and signed somewhere in the delivery recept, not sure if it was in the right place without her Google. Later in accompanied her distinguished guest to the cleaned room of the building, the kitchen.

"I’ll make tea. It’s funny, I was hopping I’d fly into your place and thank you for the dinner the other night. I thought maybe you’d be at the funeral, but Spitfire told me you’d visited her. Do you want a cupcake with your tea?" Rainbow Dash said, trying to control her nervousness and happines, Fluttershy was the last pony she was expecting in her place.

"Oh, yes. Something sweet could be great right now." Fluttershy answered, utterly dispirited.

"So, anyway. Why are you so silent, is there something wrong?" Dash asked, starting to suspect that the reason why Fluttershy could be there wasn't going to be good.

"Oh, no. I’m fine, just fine” Fluttershy said before start weeping. “Oh Celestia, I’m so sorry...” She apologized, drying her tears.

"Hey, look. It’s okay. I mean, whatever’s bothering you, it’s not the end of the wolrd, right?" Dash said, trying to confort her friend.

"I left Rarity." Fluttershy clarified, utterly devastated.

"Oh, I see. that is, uh..." Rainbow started, trying to hide her true feelings about the matter.

"I’m sorry, I dont know why I’m dumping it on you. I just... I just don’t know anypony else! I don’t have anypony to talk but critters' graves." Fluttershy added, at the verge of crying. "Rainbow. Living with her, you don’t know what it’s like...The way she looks at things, like she can’t remember what they are, and doesn’t particularly care. .." Fluttershy explained, while at just the same time, Rarity had magically created some clothes, and was wondering why she even had to do something like that.

"The world. I mean, the actual world, for her. It's like walking in the fog." Fluttershy continued. While the kettle began to Boil. Rarity, after amusing herself at the need of creating clothes, had telephoned herself at a television studio, scaring everypony around with the unexpected, yet harmless, sprout of magic in the proximity.

"I mean, a few days ago. I flew out with you after years of not going out, right? And you know what she did? Her great, emotional reaction? Nothing! She was there, doing exactly what she was doing before leaving her. She probably still doing the same right know." Fluttershy claimed, while Rarity, under the recommendation of Princess Sparkle herself, was transmogrificating her how body to a less glowing appearance for the sake of the broadcasting resolution. They both were taking her places around a little round table for interviews, in the middle of a crowded television studio.

"She's doesn't even sleeps with me anymore. She's like a ghost. Somepony that I used to know. She's just pretending to be there, but I think I lost her a long time ago." Fluttershy concluded.

"Hey, if she's pretending, at least she cares." Was all that Rainbow Dash could say about it.

Meanwhile the news television pony was being instructed by Princess Twilight herself, not to ask about the situation on Crystal Empire or about Miss Singularity identity. Therefore the interview will be over.

"Hahhh... Rainbow. I'm sorry I've let out all of this when you were probably getting ready to spend a peaceful afternoon in you home today." Fluttershy apologized, drying up her last tears and starting to feel better just because she had talked with somepony.

"Nah... Nothing like that. I just wish you'd drop in more often. As for tonight I'm only calling on Spitfire. As long she doesn't mind some company." Dash explained, while hoofing a cup of tea and one of the new bought cupcakes at Fluttershy.

"I don't think she minds having somepony to talk." Fluttershy said, bitting her cupcake and taking a sip of tea.

Meanwhile, at the TV interview show, the questions were being thoroughly selected.

"Miss Singularity, if the Lunar Republic invades the Crystal Empire now that there's not princess there, will you be prepared to enter hostilities?" Was the bolder question that somepony in the public, consisting of press members, was able to perform, followed by a rain of clapping hooves.

"As far as I know, there is not situation in Crystal Empire requiring my attentions." Was Rarity's limited answer.

"Come on, I don't want to fill you with all the bitter details. I'm holding you from visiting Spitfire. Grab your scarf and I'll fly over there with you." Fluttershy, cheering up, said.

"Don't you wanna finish your cupcake?" Rainbow Dash answered, slightly startled at Fluttershy's proposal.

"No... I'm sorry. I never really liked artificial flavored cupcakes." Fluttershy said apologizing to Rainbow Dash. While in some other place Miss Singularity kept giving time after time the same lame answer at questions each time more bold from the ponies in the crowd, during her first ever television interview.

"Well, look, if you are sure you wouldn't rather sit and talk. Spitfire would understand if I was late." Rainbow Dash explained.

"It is ok. Right now I rather go anywhere than sit here and feel sorry for myself." Fluttershy said. While at the TV studio the harshness of the questions that the public was each time more confidently asking, had made Princess Twilight Sparkle stress beyond a breaking point, if she hadn't learned to deal with her neurotic breaks long ago.

"Are you sure you can deal with this? I mean, fly there. It's not a short fly you know." Rainbow Dash said, midair to Fluttershy. Her trademark goggles on her head, and a rainbow colored scarf around her neck to not make too obvious her head accessory. She was actually following Fluttershy since she wasn't able to notice most of the landmarks below without her goggles on. Yet Rainbow Dash was worried about Fluttershy noticing how bad her eyesight had become, and was ashamed of wearing her goggles with Fluttershy around.

"You know I just realized something. About all the time I spend in that complex, and all of Pinkie's 'Agorashy' stuff. I hadn't seen it, but I really missed to use my wings like this. It's just wonderful to feel the wind beneath your wings again. Maybe... Maybe we should take the scenic route." Fluttershy happily announced before star flying faster ahead of Rainbow Dash who trustfully following her, losing notion of the direction of her main objective.

Fluttershy was enjoying literally for the first time in ages, the basic things that any pegasus has forgotten to enjoy, like the soft caresses of the air between their feathers, or the fresh breeze of a cloud in their faces. Fluttershy had never been an altitude or speeder flyer, but right then, rediscovering all those wonderful things, she was able of forget her problems for a while.

Rainbow Dash was amusedly watching her, probably for the first time, having fun from their race between clouds. Fluttershy was twisting, twirling, and doing whirlpools around Rainbow. Hiding on the upkeep clouds at the outskirts of Canterlot for Dash to find her.

Not being able to track her down beyond a fluttering dashing yellow stripe between clouds. Rainbow Dash was tempted to wear her goggles and put and end on the competition, when suddenly a coltly voice shook her on place.

"Stop right there, criminal scum!" Shout a pegasus guard at a suspicious dark cloud.

"Hey! Hey! What's going there!" Rainbow Dash shouted back, interfering with the guard job.

"Huh? Captain! I found this infractor hiding herself...-" The young guard started in an authoritarian tone of voice.

"She's a Sargent for you to know!" Dash claimed. "You can't arrest her!" She concluded.

"I- I'm sure you have the papers that identify you. Don't you?" The insistent guard countered, this time doubting his own words.

"Argh... Fine, she's with me. Just let her be." Rainbow Dash retorted at the young pegasus. She was starting to get inpatient about his insolent behaviour. Back in the old good days nopony had dared to talk them back like that.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause any trouble." Fluttershy apologized, for both of them.

"It's forbidden for anypony to be hiding in any clouds like that at the proximities of Canterlot. Just for letting you know." He retorted at the captain before leaving, mumbling something about useless honorary ranks that surely wasn't very kind for any of them.

"I- I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I didn't meant to cause any trouble with... -" Fluttershy started, truly worried, while taking seat on a nearby cloud.

"No! No, Fluttershy. Don't be sorry! You were just having fun." Rainbow Dash interrupted her. Flying next to her on the cloud, but stopping too close of her, face to face, due to her bad eyesight. "There's nothing bad with it." Rainbow Dash continued, unable to think straight, just holding back the urge of kissing her.

"Oh, my. Look at the time." Fluttershy added, looking at the dusk, and started to flutter on. "I- I think I should go find an hotel. I'm a bit over excited. I mean, after all this. I usually never act like this, and that guard. Sweet Celestia..." Fluttershy claimed, slightly shaken by what happened.

"Hu... Well... I remember that one time, when you got your Wonderbolts suit. Don't you remember? That day you were just like this." Rainbow Dash remembered, with a smile on her face. Fluttershy just kept looking at the dusk. "Look, are you sure? Why not visit Spitfire and get you breath back?" Rainbow Dash proposed, leaving her games behind, and trying to be really helpful to her friend.

"No, thank you. I've had enough flying for one day. I'm going to find a hotel and think about my relationship..." Fluttershy worriedly planned. "See if I can find out a good reason to stay around. Oh, Celestia. You know? I feel so much better now that I've talked with somepony about all this. It feels so much better now it's out in the open. Thanks for being such a good listener, Rainbow Dash, but sometimes you also need some time alone to think things over." Fluttershy added, starting to fly away. "Anyway, you better take care of yourself, Rainbow Dash. It's a tough world out there."

"Yeah. Y- You too, Fluttershy! Bye." Rainbow Dash concluded sadly, waving goodbye to her friend while she was still sit on the cloud that Fluttershy had leaved.

"Yes. It's a question for Miss Singularity. I'm Featherweight, I write for the Equestria Express." said the next selected pony in the audience of the TV studio. "My question is: Do you remember Fancy Pants. Back in the early seventies, the newspapers called him 'Miss Singularity's buddy.' He died of a mysterious sickness six years ago." The newspaper pony claimed, holding a recording machine around his neck. "I believe it was quite sudden, and quite painful." He added for every pony to remember.

"I remember Fancy as a good friend. I attended his funeral." Was Miss Singularity unexpresive answer.

"Really?" Continued the press pony in the crowd. "How about Fleur Dis Lee, you encountered her in several occasions during the past fifteen years. Did you know she was recently a victim of the same sickness that ended with the life of Fancy Pants?"

"Fleur... ? No, I didn't know that, She was too one my best friend in late years." Rarity coldly announced.

"Is that true, Miss? Then why did not any of them ask for your help? Isn't a friend with unlimited magical powers of any advantage in their situation? Or you denied them any favor? We're they truly your friends?"

"I rather not... -" Rarity's voice started, drowned in the mumbling reaction of the press in the bleachers.

"How do you feel now that you know about her death? Are you going to miss her? Are you going to miss any of them?" Featherweight continued.

"I- I realize that, I'm going to have to watch the lives of many ponies passing by. As long I keep them in my heart, I don't need to miss anypony. They make no difference to me." Singularity answered, with a calm tone of voice and a serene expression.

"How about Spike Sparkle, also known as Spike The Dragon or simply Spike. Do you think it makes any difference for him?" The impertinent newspaper pony, added.

"Spike...?" Rarity wondered.

"Spike, linked romantically to you in the seventies, is currently suffering of the same strange sickness. It works pretty much like the clock that her highness here designed herself as a warning to all ponykind about the danger of magic. Doctors don't know how to treat it, but they know how much time he has all left. All of them have given him six months to live. Isn't that right Spike?" Featherweight announced, as the young dragon came in from a entrance between the crowded rows of press ponies.

"Spike?! What are you doing here?! Princess Sparkle said, from her chair in the podium.

"Rarity, I'm sorry. I didn't know I wasn't the only one. I just had to let ponykind know." Spike regretfully explained.

"Spiky? But,,, I wasn't told..." Rarity called out at him.

"You were the world to me, Rarity. You were my hole life. I stood with you even after the accident, I gave you everything!" Spike started, and sliding his claws over the scales of his other arm, a fine grey dust of solid rock came after, causing a great commotion between the ponies in the studio, and everypony watching the TV show. "Now I'm petrifing too, Rarity, how do you explain that?"

"Spike! Don't!" Princess Sparkle energetically commanded him, from her seat on the stage. Her real name was a security leak that she didn't want to make too obvious.

"it's also true that your real name is... Rachel Charity Belle, or simply Rarity? My sources indicate that you were a... tailor, back in Old Ponyville before Nightmare Moon's second attack. Is that right?" Featherweight asked, reading from a notepad on his hoof.

"That's not totally... -" Rarity started, before being interrupted again.

"Spike! How could you? Sorry guys. That's confidential information. Interview is over!" An upset Princess Sparkle announced, leaving her place in the round table before trying to cover the view from the camera to Rarity.

"I stood with you even after that... accident, that singularity. I just wanted to let everypony know what you sacrificed for all of us!" Spike shouted, before Twilight tried taking Rarity away from the podium, but an avalanche of press ponies had surrounded them, all of them fighting for getting one more of their questions answered.

"Spiky." Rarity said, trying to reach her reptilian friend, but the waves of press ponies surrounding her, aggressively asking personal questions, didn't leave her reach her old friend.

"I'm sorry, Rarity." was everything Spike said before leaving the studio.

"Also, we have reports of more than two dozens of past associated including technicians, magic experts, and guard ponies similarly affected." Featherweight, who was well prepared to fight for one more answer with his microphone secured in his neck, asked flying over the sea of voracious newshound ponies.

"Miss Rarity! I'm Silver Spoon, from The Canterlot Post. Are these allegations true? Is that really you?" A Grey earth mare called her impatiently.

"Miss! Smoothie Whispers, from The Inquirer. Tell me, did you sleep with all those affected ponies?" Some other pony asked her, most of them holding a microphone at her.

"No, please... if you let me through." Rarity asked, emotionless.

"Let her through. She's not here to answer questions on intimate moments! Please ask about the new technologies discovered during the recreation of the elements of harmony, or the kinds of alternative magic that might make the life of everypony easier!" An ignored Princess Twilight requested, while she was triying to pass through the insistent ponies ahead.

"Miss Singularity, how does it feel to know that you may have doomed hundred of ponies?" Another reporter shouted in her hear.

"Please... If everypony would just go away and leave me alone..." Rarity pleaded, but nopony again granted her wish.

"Gentlecolts, I think it's safest not to follow this line of thinking..." Twilight warned.

"Miss Rarity? How often you and those ponies... -" Somepony else questioned, before being interrupted.

"I just said." Rarity started calmly. "Leave me ALONE!" She concluded shouting up, banishing everypony in a translucent sea of magical sparks. Leaving herself standing on an empty television studio, before banishing herself in the same fashion.

The flight to Spitfire's house had been too quick, even for Rainbow Dash. She actually tried to make it last long, but all her thoughts made the long and tedious flight pass in a flash. She was feeling bad for letting Fluttershy fly away alone that afternoon. It was weird for Rainbow Dash how a feeling of emptiness could be such burden for somepony feeling alone.

Maybe she'd had to stop Fluttershy from go alone like that. If only she had told something that afternoon. If only she had confessed her feelings eight years ago, or back then when they both were Wonderbolts, or way before the disbalancing of magic. If only, yet she meet Spitfire's door and the night had fall, meeting her no more wise, and no less troubled.

"Rainbow, is that you? You're late. I thought you were in home watching TV." Spitfire said, as soon she opened the door after Rainbow Dash knocking.

"No... No, I just, took the scenic route. I just kept my television because it was a gift from Twilight, you know I don't watch it since pegasi races were canceled." Rainbow Dash recalled, while spitfire let her go in.

"Well, now you have a reason to dust off your TV. I just been watchin' Miss Singularity on it! They just smacked that poor filly." Spitfire explained, guiding to Rainbow Dash at a screen lightened room.

"Hu... Rarity? What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash wondered.

"They know who she is, and accused her of giving a lot of ponies a strange disease, including Spike!" Spitfire explained, while a repeat of the broadcast was being aired. "She looked really shaken, I'd never seen her react like that. Started shouting to be left alone. One moment the cameras were in close to her..." Spitfire kept commenting, while the moment when Miss Singularity being surrounded by ponies was airing. "... The screen went whiteish. And then we were getting pictures of a parking lot. She'd teleported everypony outta the TV building, cameras an' all!" Spitfire concluded, still startled at the scene being aired.

"But... But I was just with Fluttershy. She doesn't know..." Rainbow Dash added, highly worried.

"Well, she'll know soon enough. There's not like if there is any other station on Tv anyways. Even the Republic must have known by now. This could be the most dangerous thing we have seen in ages." Spitfire alarmed proposed.

Meanwhile, in Fancy Pants' research facilities, a guard pony was finishing the painting of a magical hazardous zone in the door of Rarity and Fluttershy's bedroom.

"May I ask what are you doing?" Rarity asked from behind, scaring the hell out of the rookie guard.

"I- I'm sorry, Miss Singularity. You just startled me. Hahaha. I, I was just painting up this whu- warning notice, as, as ordered." the shaking guard stuttered. "A- After that TV show, we thought it was best to comply with safety regulations..." He concluded.

"Safety regulations. I see." Rarity added, in a thoughtful tone. "It seems that I'm incapable of cohabiting safely, either emotionally or physically. Perhaps you'd best tell Ms. Fluttershy and your superiors that I'm leaving." Rarity announced.

"Leaving?" The guard repeated, like a parrot.

"Yes. For the ruins of Old Ponyville first, I think., and then the moon." Rarity explained, with her everlasting blank expression.

"The m...? Aawww... Hah ha ha ha! You had me goin' there! And the other guards told me you had no-" The young guard started, before Rarity teleported herself away from there. "Sense... Sargeant! I got a message for ya!" The guard shouted, running out of there.

"You seen this? She's gone! Some ponies even are saying she has a sister" Featherweight was telling to somepony dancing with him. The party that night was being held in one of those old abandoned magic shelters that had being constructed long ago but no pony had ever used but to make an ilegal party. "I mean a real pony sister, not a weirdo such like herself. Ponies seem to forget from where she got those powers from. Maybe she's sick too!" The dancing pegasus concluded.

"Hey, it's raining again! " Somepony announced, going back from the only door. "Might any pegasus at least clear the sky?" He proposed out loud.

"No chance. Everypony needs to stand on their own. It's my philosophy. In this times, you shouldn't rely on help of anypony." Commented Featherweight, being the closest pegasus around. "In the end a pony stands alone. All alone. Inna final analysis."

"Gone! What do you mean she's gone?

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. Neither I do know what happened, and Spike'd not wanted to talk with me. Wherever you spend last night, you'd had read the newspapers, they seem to know more of this than us! Now we need to take some medical checkups." Twilight adviced, to her meek looking, yellow friend.

"Me- Medical check up? Why? What's going to happen with Sweetie Belle now, is she going to be fine?" Fluttershy was able to ask, conquering her nervousness for an invasive medical check up.

"I'm seeing so be it, don't worry and... -" Princess Sparkle started.

"E- Excuse me, that drawer... It contains.. It's private objects, could you please,... -" Fluttershy called, ashamed after finding so many royal guards inspecting her shared with bedroom.

"Fluttershy, these ponies are just checking up Miss... Rarity, hadn't left anything dangerous behind. They are professional soldiers, don't worry about your intimacy." Twilight explained, but that wasn't of any consolation.

"Dangerous?! What do you mean with dangerous? You knew Rarity! How can you even suggest something like that?" Fluttershy claimed, starting to feel infuriated.

"But you knew her better, Fluttershy, and even you weren't expecting something like this to happen. Which brings me to my next question, Did you place Rarity under any emotional stress yesterday?" Twilight bluntly asked, not feeling intimidated by her staring friend.

"What? Are... are you blaming me for something?" Fluttershy replied, worried of actually being the pony responsible of what had happened.

"I saw, through the communicator, when you threw her that book. Listen maybe you should think carefully before... -" Twilight recommended, in a pitiful tone of voice to the worried pegasus.

"No, you listen to me! Whatever my relationship with Rarity is, it should be private, and your guards have no right to be invading our privacy like that! As soon Rarity comes over, she could perfectly... -" Fluttershy retorted, in a bravery act, before being interrupted by an exhausted Princess Sparkle.

"For Celestia's mane. I have taken enough of this. Listen lady, Rarity had left Equestria! Not only the kingdom, I mean the world. If our psychologists are right, she is quite possibly never comming back! It means not only that you were dump, or that our meal ticket has flown the coop. The singularity was the strategic superiority of our kingdom, and now has apparently gone to the moon. It's not only your problem, or mine. You can even imagine in what kind of problem we all are." Twilight claimed, staring back.

Meanwhile in Cloudsdale somepony had infiltrated Rainbow Dash home. Lurking in her house. Until, tired of be waiting for her to wake up, the trespasser town a newspaper at her on bed.

"Mwhu?" Rainbow Dash mumbled, waking up at least.

"Good morning, Dashie. I brought your newspaper." Pinkie explained, while Rainbow Dash was looking for her eyesight helping goggles in her nightside table, while wondering what to say at her inconvenient friend, till she read the header of the front page.

"Applejack murdered, Rarity exiled... Two of us gone, all within a week. Who is next? Twilight? Fluttershy? Me... ? You?" Pinkie proposed, but Rainbow Dash was still wordless at the new in the paper.

"By the way, you need new pastries, last ones were pretty bad, so I trashed them." Pinkie added.

"My cupcakes?" Rainbow Dash said, as the only thing in which she could think to say.

"Poor choice, get sweeter ones, you can't go wrong with sweeter ones, especially these days. These days everypony needs sweeter things. I'll be seeing you, thanks for the cereal and milk" Pinkie said, before leaving through the closet door.

That afternoon everypony went to the illegal party held by the retractors of the singularity. So many of them were so excited about the event of Miss Singularity leaving the planet that they hadn't even waited for nightfall before the party started. For some reason knowing that the super mare wasn't doing magically whatever super powerful magic users use to do, make the party feel less dangerous, when in a matter of facts it was all the contrary. The irresponsible ponies in charge of that party weren't even aware of the risk of a party like that since most of them weren't unicorns.

"Y'know? She's gone! Many ponies have blamed me, others have thanked me. In the end I don't think I deserve any credit, I just got at the news beforehoof. If not me some other pony had do it." Featherweight commeted to his usual dancing companion, an earth mare of light brown coat and curly scarlet mane, using eyeglasses.

"Hidy-hoo, mister news pony!" The pink mare of the other day, called at him.

"Oh, it's you again." Featherweight answered, determined to not let that gloomy mare depress him. "How are you? I happened to noticed that the world didn't end yesterday." Featherweight said, mockingly.

"Are you sure?" Pinkie retorted, with a malicious smile on her face.

"Look, I said I'm sorry for spilling your drink. If you want another one try asking to some other pony, I'm not going to buy you a new one." Featherweight added, starting to feel uncomfortable by the weird mare.

"Wow, that's so bitter from you! I can't believe it!" Pinkie exclaimed back.

"What? Why? Do I know you?" Featherweight asked. Looking closer at her.

"I don't know! Do you?" Pinkie answered, looking closer that him, but Featherweight couldn't recognize her.

"What do you want with me? Were you a fan of Miss Singularity or something like that?" Featherweight wondered, with a mix of anger and confusion.

"Hah, not really" Pinkie answered boldly. "I just happen to read a lot of newspapers, you know? A friend of mine used to, and.. Well. I was just wondering. Have you tried the evening version of... Well, any newspaper?" Pinkie asked, with a more sincere smile on her face this time.

"I work for the Equestria Express, if you want an autograph bring me a morning edition, nopony cares about evening versions." Featherweight proudly said.

"Just look at it for a second." Pinkie Pie said. before throwing the newspaper at the floor, and trot away from there.

'What a crazy mare.' Featherweight was thinking when he was lifting the newspaper, but then he just stood there, looking at the newspaper on his hoof.

"Are you fine, darling?" The crimson maxed mare with eyeglasses and two candy canes shaped as a heart, asked with perfect pronunciation to Featherweight

"Oh... Celestia. Well, yes! Why? Of course I'm fine. In fact I feel great! Well, is this a party or what? You know? Next round of drinks is on me!" Featherweight announced for surprise of everypony, and crowd rushed to the bar leaving a trampled newspaper behind that had 'Lunar Republic invades Crystal Empire' in big bold letters as the header of the first page.

Indifferent to all this, Rarity had spend the last day in the moon, trying to accept that things can't change to the way they were.

After teleport herself from the research facility, Rarity had visited an old and familiar building between the ruins of Old Ponyville, the Carousel Boutique.

The ruined building facade was charred as most of the buildings in that zone of the old ghost town, and the interior was falling apart. Once inside only dust and crumblings welcomed her. The wooden floor hadn't been strong enough to stand anypony inside, but Rarity was now able to walk on thin air and make a small course to the exact object she was looking there; her copy of the first photograph, that Twilight had send in one of her letters to Princess Celestia, with all of her old best friends in it.

Rarity took magically the picture out of its frame, and calmly stood there watching it for a while. She concluded that the colors were fade, the borders were corroded, and the ponies in it look so nonchalant.

When she went out of the boutique, it was night-time already. The photograph was floating close to her. She looked at the moon for a few minutes before teleporting herself there, taking only that picture with her.

Now, damned and forgotten, the real Rarity inside Miss Singularity, tries to remember her old self, her old friends, and why everything has become so tangled.

There, on a perfect eclipse along with the sun, in endless silence, she remembers instead when the princesses, unable to get perfect control of their magic again, set both celestial bodies in a perpetual chaising motion around that planet in which Rarity don't want to live anymore. A planet not better know that as Equestria by ponykind.

Looking at the Stars, Rarity starts to wonder who is controlling all those stars, and she remembers the gods that she had heard from the changelings long ago. Wondering If they are real, or if they had been there once, but now departed. Crazied with helpless she curses the gods and weep, wondering if gods weep also. But then, what use have their tears, if their help is denied to her. Rarity's own sobbing has scared the silence, it has departed. She dries her tears, and in the retrieving silence, she understands the true breadth of being a god, the isolation.

She knows life has no worse news to offer, and she concludes that maybe gods had been in that planet before, but now they have just changed, like the ponies in the picture on her hoof.