Magical Mystery Couture

The Elements of Harmony began to glow brightly.  Rarity realized her mistake immediately.

“Oh dear.  I did it again, didn’t I?  I really need to—“

Five beams of light shot out at Rarity to strike her own Element of Generosity and envelop the purple coiffed mare in a white light.  Then with a flash, Rarity was gone, leaving three diamond shaped scorch marks on the library floor.

The remaining ponies and Spike could only gape in stunned silence at the spot where their friend had been seconds before.

“What… what just happened?” asked Fluttershy.

~M M C~

“Hello?” Rarity called into the void.  As far as voids go, it wasn’t particularly dark.  If twilight (the time of day, not her friend) had a color, then in Rarity’s mind she imagined that its color would be the same as this… place.

“Where am I?” She called. “What is this place?  Am I…” the words stuck in the back of her throat.

“Rarity!”

Princess Celestia just... appeared out of nowhere, walking toward her on the nothing.  Walking, not flying.  Rarity’s confusion grew, but the sight of the princess calmed her a bit.  If Celestia was here, this couldn’t be a bad place… could it?

“I must admit that I was not expecting to find you here,” Celestia confessed.  What was that supposed to mean?

“Princess Celestia!  Um… where exactly is… ‘here’ if you don’t mind me asking?” Rarity asked as she dipped into a bow.

“All in good time,” Celestia assured her.  “I knew that you could do it.  It’s not how I expected it to happen, but in some ways, I think it may be better.”

“You’re not really making sense, Princess,” Rarity pressed, concern evident in her eyes.  “Is this about the spell?  I didn’t mean to cast it again.  Honestly, I never meant to cast it the first time.”

“It is about the spell, Rarity, but you didn’t do anything wrong.  It is no crime to be curious, otherwise the Equestrial penal system would be rather full of ponies like your sister Sweetie Belle, don’t you agree?”  Celestia sported a sly smile.

Rarity gave a tentative nod, not completely convinced.

“You and your friends did something today that has never been done before, something that even the great Starswirl the Bearded was never able to accomplish, because he did not understand friendship the way that you all do,” Celestia explained with a smile.

“But why am I the only one here?” Rarity questioned.  “All of us helped to rewrite the spell.”

“It was you who came up with the idea of making the spell a part of you all.  Your inspiration led to the creation of something that is bigger than any one of you alone.  It may have been magic, but it was your element that was the true catalyst,” Celestia continued.

“Generosity?” Rarity was dumbfounded.  She glanced down at the necklace she still wore.  “Forgive me, Princess, but this is really… deep.”

Celestia laughed gently.  “The reference guide to the Elements of Harmony only explains them so well.  As the Equestrian language changed, so  was the legend of the elements modified.  It should not surprise you to find out that your element was originally called something different.  Back before Luna and I used the elements ourselves to defeat Discord the first time, the element was known as Inspiration.”

Rarity gasped. “Inspiration?  You mean like…”

“Like your desire to create something new.” Celestia finished for her.  “Of course, inspiration does nopony any good when it is not shared.  Over the years the element became better known as Generosity, reflecting the desire of the bearer to share new creations like art, literature, and anything one could possibly  dream up for the good of everypony.”

Blinking in amazement, Rarity looked at the princess expectantly.  “So what happens now?”

“It’s time now for a new change to come, for it’s time for you to fulfill your destiny.”

Rarity looked down to see her element glowing again. For the second time in a matter of hours, she was enveloped in a soft white glow…

~M M C~

She heard Applejack’s voice.

“Rarity?  Is that you?”

“We saw your cutie mark appear in the sky like some kind of beacon,” Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Yeah, it was all shining like if we'd given Mare Do Well her own Mare-signal," Pinkie Pie asserted.

“We all came running out as quick as we could,” Fluttershy added.

“She’s alive!  We can have a ‘Thank Luna That Rarity’s Alive’ party!” Pinkie declared.

Rarity smiled.  She hesitated somewhat but finally unfurled her new wings, causing her gathered friends to gawk in amazement.

“Rarity’s got wings again!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.  “These aren’t going to melt if you get too close to the sun like last time, are they?”

“Rarity!  You’ve become an alicorn!” Twilight Sparkle stated the obvious.  “I never even knew that such a thing was possible.”

“Alicorn Party!” Pinkie Pie squealed as she swung by on a vine.  She was wearing a tiara in the shape of a unicorn’s horn in addition to a gaudy pair of red and black feathered wings.  Pinkie tossed confetti everywhere as she hooted and hollered in excitement.

“Wow…” Fluttershy chimed in.  “You look just like a princess.”

“That’s because she is a princess,” Celestia announced, startling the group with her sudden appearance, as well as the shocking revelation.

“Does this mean that Rarity has to leave Ponyville now?” Pinkie Pie asked, suddenly saddened by the possibility of losing her friend to the romantic lifestyle that went along with being royalty.  Rarity swore she heard the sound of a phonograph scratching to a halt.

“Of course not,” Celestia gently replied.  “Just because she’s a princess doesn’t mean that she has to live in Canterlot, she can make her own choice in regard to her living arrangements.  In fact, I encourage her to do just that."

"Oh," said Pinkie Pie.  "Well, in that case... GAME ON!"  Pinkie Pie's celebrating resumed.

~M M C~

Not long after...

“Rarity?  Are you in here?” Twilight called out.  “It’s time for your big introduction.”  The lavender unicorn scanned the room until she spotted a wisp of purple mane.  Rarity was on the balcony, gazing out at the Equestrian landscape.  The alabaster unicorn was so lost in her daydream, that she didn’t even notice as Twilight walked up to her.

“Rarity.  It’s time,” Twilight repeated softly, hoping not to startle her friend.

“I’m not sure that I can do this,” Rarity mumbled.

“Um… what?” Twilight’s eyes widened.

“I don’t expect anypony to understand, but deep down, there’s a part of me that feels like this honor does not belong to me.  You’re Princess Celestia’s student, Twilight Sparkle.  It should be you going out there today, not Rarity.”

“That’s…” Twilight stammered.

“Both times that I cast the spell were completely unintentional, I swear!” Rarity wailed.  She began to pace back and forth, waving her front hooves dramatically to punctuate her sentences.  “Celestia sent Starswirl’s book to you.  You were supposed to cast the spell.  You were supposed to figure out how to fix it.  You had a chance to become a princess, and I took that away from you with… dumb luck.”

“Horseapples,” grunted another voice.  It was Applejack.  Twilight smiled.

“You took the words right out of my mouth, Applejack,” Twilight said.

“But—“ Rarity began, but Applejack stomped her hoof to silence her.

“No buts, Rarity.  Y’all remember what Spike and I said before the elements up and zapped you?  You have a ton of leadership potential in you.”

“Also, you solved the problem not by using your intuition.  My first instinct probably would have been to just use another spell,” Twilight added.  “Then, when it came time for me to actually rewrite the spell, your idea for involving all of us was simply brilliant.  You know me.  I probably would have tried to do it alone if you hadn’t intervened.  The spell chose you, Rarity.  Our destinies may be intertwined like Rainbow Dash said, but this moment belongs to you and you alone.”

“I’m still not sure that—“

“Not finished,” Applejack interrupted again. “Out of all of us, hasn’t it been your dream to be in this position?  You’re about to get everything you’ve ever wanted, ain’t ya?  And you won’t be ‘alone’ alone, if ya know what I mean.  You’ve got the six of us behind you all the way.”

Rarity turned to see Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike poking their heads out of the doorway.

“Plus there’s your family to consider,” Twilight reminded her.  Rarity recalled the excitement in Sweetie Belle’s eyes when the filly saw her sister’s transformation, not to mention her parents’ reactions when they had found out.

“We’re so proud of you, Rarity!” Spike called, wiping moisture from his eyes.

“Oh, my dear Spikey-wikey, are you crying?”

“No!” the dragon harrumphed, “It’s… um… liquid pride.  Yeah, that’s it.  Not the same thing at all. Nope,  totally draconic and masculine.”

“Come on, Rarity!  We’ve got to make today the best coronation day ever!” cried Pinkie Pie, leading the way toward the great hall.

~M M C~

Rarity felt like she was dreaming.  None of this could possibly be real.  She could hear Princess Celestia’s melodic voice through the double doors , somewhat muffled by the sturdy wood.  The Princess was talking about Rarity’s role in redeeming her sister, Princess Luna.  It was hard to believe that it was only a year or two ago.  The memory was as fresh in her mind as if it happened yesterday, and yet so much else had happened to her during that time.

“Here’s your cue, Princess,” one of Luna’s guards whispered to her, giving her a wink.  His eyes were yellow and draconic, reminding her of Spike and steeling her courage.

“Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time… Princess Rarity!” Celestia announced.  The enormous doors swung open, and trio of guards, escorted her down the walkway. Luna’s guard was on her left, Celestia’s on her right, and a guard from the Crystal Empire selected by Princess Cadance was flanking her.

“Behold, behold, behold…” the ponies sang.  Most were from Canterlot, but she recognized many Ponyvillians in the crow as well.  Wasn’t that Ditzy Doo, the Ponyville mailmare, winking at her on the left side of the hall next to a crystal pony?  She couldn’t help but notice Lyra Heartstrings jumping up and down in excitement.

Rarity stood in front of her alicorn peers and turned to face the crowd.

“Say something, Princess,” Celestia urged her with a friendly, yet somewhat teasing smile.

“Right.  Of course,” Rarity said.  She coughed once, daintily and cleared her throat.  She realized that she hadn’t practiced using the Royal Canterlot Voice, and silently hoped that everypony would be able to hear her.

“My little ponies, you may have heard about some of my… ‘good breaks’ over the past couple of years.  It is in large part thanks to my friends here, who have given me nothing but kindness and encouragement, that I stand before you today.  Who wouldn’t have considered it an honor to know a fine, upstanding and loyal mare like Rainbow Dash, or the honest, hardworking individual like Applejack?    To have been blessed with the kindness of Fluttershy, the unquenchable optimism of Pinkie Pie, and the smart student of Celestia, Twilight Sparkle?  Spike…  my dearest Spike, you are truly a tower of strength and courage.”

Rarity wiped away a tear trickling down her cheek as her words reverberated across the great hall.

“Today, I consider myself the luckiest mare on the face of Equestria.  I know I have a lot to live for.  Thank you, my friends.  Thank you, everypony.”

The crowd cheered.

“Rarity!” Sweetie Belle squeaked, charging forward and glomping her big sister in a big hug.  Her parents were not far behind the filly, beaming with pride in their daughter.  Everypony was singing again, but Rarity was too caught up in the moment to hear the words.

“Yes,” she said to herself.  “I daresay everything is going to be just fine.”  She stretched he wings, and lifted off, doing a victory lap around the castle for good measure.

~M M C~

Elsewhere…

Discord lounged by a pond in Ponyville, sunning himself.  Growing bored quickly, and figuring that everypony who was anypony was at Rarity’s coronation, he snapped his claw, and it began raining wheatballs.

“Much better,” he sighed.  “Pinkie Pie does come up with some doozies.”

The Spirit of Chaos snapped his claw again, and a book appeared in his paw.  Leafing through it, he came to a page containing a spell with scouring sand and correction ink scrawled on it.

“You beautiful little thing,” he crooned.  “Aren’t you the nasty-wasty wittle spell that caused such a wuckus.  It certainly was enjoyable to watch while it lasted, but alas!  All good things must come to an end, I suppose.  Although, I wonder…”

In a puff of smoke, a mirror appeared.  Three fillies, a yellow earth pony, an orange Pegasus, and a white unicorn appeared in its surface, oblivious to Discord’s prying eyes.  He focused on the unicorn.

“I wonder…” the draconequus repeated.  “What sort of shenanigans could have ensued had this one been in the library that night?”  Discord’s face twisted into a wicked smile, and he cackled maniacally.  Then he scowled.

“Nah," Discord declared. "That would just be too silly, even for me.”  He snapped his claw for a third time, and returned the book to its rightful place in Golden Oaks Library.

~FIN~