A Darker World

        The white unicorn mare smiled as she leaned back in her chair and relaxed a bit. Her purple hair falling down behind her as she tugged the pins holding it up out. It had been awhile since she had the time to really work on her hair but the needs of her job came first. The last piece of paper work had been finished up and was currently sitting in the overflowing ‘OUT’ box on her desk. A small bit of magic glowed around her horn and she pulled the curtains over the window open a little bit. The Day Star was still out, providing the light needed for ponies to move around in the little town. It was getting late in the day however, the Day Star lingering up over the roofs of the houses. Soon enough she’d be out of here, back to her house to a nice cup of tea. Maybe she might even get to work on one of her projects, it had been awhile.

        However the world had other plans for her. A polite knock on the door was followed by it creaking open. The face of a younger mare, all green coat with soft sea blue eyes and a braided brown mane poked through the opening. “Magistrate Rarity, Miss AppleJack is here to see you.”        “Really? I thought my next meeting with the farmer representatives wasn’t for another few days?” Rarity spoke as she sat up in her chair, glancing around the room to make sure everything was straight, Of course it is Rarity! Stop worrying so much you keep it as clean as you can already. Rarity reached down and opened one of her drawers, flipping through the files with her magic quickly then lifting out a small folder with a few sheets of paper in it, the work that Rarity had been working on with Applejack and a few of the other local farming families.        “Ah! Hearth would you kindly file these papers away and get the signed ones copied and out to their respective parties, please? I know it’s been a long day and we would leave it till tomorrow but it seems like we will be stuck here a little while longer.”        “Of course Magistrate Rarity.” The younger mare walked into the office and over to her desk, lifting the papers up from the ‘OUT’ box and balancing them on her back. “Shall I send in Miss Applejack now?”        “Please do. And stop calling me Magistrate Rarity, I think I have been working with you long enough to knock you out of that habit Hearth, just call me Rarity.”        “You are the one always saying that appearances are important. Just doing my part to maintain them, Magistrate Rarity,” Hearth smiled at Rarity, making her way to the door and out, just missing the outstruck tongue that Rarity pointed in her direction.        A few moments later a mare closer to Rarity’s age stepped in. Her orange coat and yellow mane standing out sharply against Rarity’s plain white office walls. A tougher build then Rarity or Hearth marked this mare as a farmer of a special sort, even among Ponyville’s many farming families the Apples had always been considered one of the best and it showed on them.        Rarity smiled and got out of her chair, walking over to meet Applejack. The hardworking farming mare had become one of Rarity’s few friends around the town since she moved here. Applejack always cut straight to the point on issues which had been a great boon when it came to working with the other farmers.        “It is so good to see you my dear!” Rarity wrapped Applejack in a friendly hug which she returned. “I wasn’t expecting to see you for another few days. Is everything alright?”        Applejack returned the smile as she released her friend. “Everything is just fine Rarity, don’t you worry. Ah just wanted to come by and talk a little about that fancy request you are putting together to send off to Canterlot for us, if you don’t mind.”        “Of course, of course. Would you something to drink? Tea perhaps?” The two spoke to each other as they moved towards the desk, Applejack seating herself in one of the chairs opposite Rarity’s.        “No, Ah’m just fine right now Rarity, thank you though.”        Rarity moved to the other side of the desk and sat back down in her chair. “Now if I remember right,” Rarity opened the folder on her desk and pulled out a small collection of papers, quickly flipping through them, “we were mostly down going over this. There were a last few points to talk about but nothing that should take too long. Then off it goes to Canterlot again. Third time’s the charm and all that, right?”        “Right.” Applejack shifted nervously in her seat while Rarity was focused on the papers in her hooves.        “Now what part did you want to talk about? Most of it we worked out already, the trade amount to Canterlot, the expected pay, which families are producing what. The only bits left were transit and some medicine supplies that we just needed to work out the details on.” Rarity glanced up at her friend who seemed a little more stiff than normal under Rarity’s gaze.        “Ah thought we were just going to use the trains for transit of the food?”        “Well, yes, but who conducts said train? Is it a Ponyville citizen or a Canterlot noble? Is it plagued by passage tax for the train lines or free of them? Last the Canterlot council never even got to that part so we have a free hand right now on it that we can negotiate with. Personally I would say that it would be best of Ponyville to lease a train from Canterlot and operate it ourselves. Could even lease it from one of the richer families allowing us to run it free of the passage tax, though we would be having to pay said family for leasing it, but we could have them bid themselves to death and end up with a wonderfully cheap train to use.”        “Ah see. That sounds perfect, Ah’m certain the Carrot clan has a colt who can operate that train for us.” Rarity nodded and she jotted on a mostly empty page, her quill wrapped in her magic.        “Alright, that would work. I can think of a few families that might be willing to lease a train, the Castor clan or the Tale clan are the two major families that run the train network, they would be the most likely to lease one to us. That leaves the medicine supplies. If I remember right Ponyville has pretty much all the supplies it needs in terms of medicine just lacks a fully trained doctor, correct? Nurse Redheart does all she can, I know, but her and her small team over at the clinic aren’t replacements for a full on doctor, we still are having to send people to other towns to receive medical aid if it is too bad. I was thinking we should request a doctor be sent out to the town which should be fairly easy, Canterlot’s hospital can’t even hire all the medical personnel that graduates up there.”        “Why not request training for Nurse Redheart instead, Rarity? Ah know she’d be happy to go get more training.”        Rarity leaned back in her chair and tapped her chin with her hoof. “I think we could swing that. Might have to run at less money coming into the town for a few years to cover her expenses at the university but with the training and experience she already has she’d be a quick study. Alright, if she is willing to leave for a few years and get the training we’ll go with that.” Rarity’s quill took to the paper again, scratching way. “There we go! Done. Now we’ll just present this to the other families in a few days and off it goes!”        “Ah, actually Rarity Ah was going to ask. Do ya think you could take it up there and present it yourself? The last two times didn’t go well. We were thinking that sending you along might help it. You could argue for us directly.” Applejack said, speaking softly.        “I can’t just do that Applejack, the process takes a few weeks and I can’t just abandon my duties here for that long. Canterlot wouldn’t look to kindly to that and I don’t want to risk having a replacement for me come in. You know how hard I struggle to keep those nasty Guard ponies from cracking down on you all even more, if I weren’t here you know as well as I do they’d come down hard.”        “We’ll be fine, Miss Rarity, it would only be for a few weeks after all.” Applejack spoke, the formal tone causing Rarity to look up at her friend.        Rarity narrowed her eyes at her friend. Applejack hadn’t called her Miss Rarity for a few years. Not since Rarity had been invited to one of the Apple family parties. Rarity didn’t remember much but Applejack said she had taken to the cider just as hard as the Apple’s did and had made quite the impression. The Apples over at the farm certainly had livened up to her since then. The occasional chuckle from them and Applejack’s refusal to tell Rarity what happened had been the cause of a few nervous nights afterward.        However Applejack wasn’t acting very relaxed right now. She seemed held up by nervous tension, holding her head and eyes level and back straight. No, this wasn’t Applejack her friend, something was wrong and Rarity thought she knew what it was.        “Applejack what’s going on?”        “Nothing is going on Rarity, Ah just think it would be better for you to go there and present it yourself to them, help smooth it along as it were.” She managed to almost say it in a believable tone. Almost. It didn’t help Applejack’s attempts that Rarity had acquired a knack for tell when a pony was trying to avoid a subject.        “Uh huh. Dear, I have told you that you are the worst at lying?” Applejack raised her hoof to interject but Rarity kept going. “I’m sure what you are saying you believe, me going to Canterlot would help. But that’s not everything is it Applejack? Something is going on and you want me out of Ponyville. What is happening and why?”        For a few second Applejack looked determined to continue holding to her line. But then she sighed and caved in, leaned over in the chair and releasing a held in sigh. “Rar, the town as a whole appreciates what you’ve done. Tartarus knows you didn’t exactly get the warmest welcome when you arrived back here as Magistrate Rarity rather than the dressmaker you visited us as. We saw you as yet another Canterlot pony coming down, an attempt to present a peace offering while actually controlling us more. But you proved us wrong and everypony warmed up to you. You’ve fought for us. You’ve lived with us, you’ve made us your friends. But you are still a Canterlot pony deep down inside and many ponies view you as that still. We don’t want to see you hurt if something happens. You may be a Canterlot pony at heart but you’ve become part of Ponyville’s family. But you can’t be here. Go home, back to Canterlot. It’ll be easier if you aren’t in town for you.”        Silence hung in the air for a moment. Neither mare spoke while what Applejack said held heavy on her and wormed through Rarity’s brain.        “Applejack, what are you all planning? I know your group of farmers has been getting restless. But you all have kept them calming so far, what’s changed? I know I’ve said it before but you all can’t do anything rash! Ponyville is right on the edge, if anything happens that pushes it over Canterlot won’t stop with martial law.”        “Rar, Ah know. Ah’ve spoken to them about this, but now they are, and if Ah’m to be honest myself and my family, beyond the point where we think it’ll help. Rarity, we’ve tried your way, we’ve worked, hard, at it, trying to find a proposal that Canterlot will accept. But each time those damned ponies up there take it and spit it right back out at us! Rarity it isn’t working. Ah can’t hold them back and Ah don’t think Ah want to anymore. We have to do things our way now. Please, for your safety, go back to Canterlot.” Applejack’s tone was pleading, begging Rarity to leave.        “No. You said it yourself Applejack, I’m part of the Ponyville family now. I am more at home here than I am in Canterlot now anyways. If something is happening here then I’m going to stay right here and see it out.” Rarity’s response held a firm line, she would not back down from her position.        Before Applejack could respond there was a sharp quick knock on the door, different from the one before that request attention this knock demanded it. Rarity looked at Applejack unspoken words agreeing to continue this later.        “Come in!” commanded Rarity.        The door opened and in stepped Hearth, an expression of shock held on her face. No, not shock. More like someone who just had very important news and is still processing it.         “Rarity! I mean, Magistrate Rarity, there was a...I mean I just got word that um,” the mare was stumbling over her words, whatever it was that had happened certainly had affected her.        “Breath, dear, take a moment and calm yourself.” Rarity spoke softly to the younger mare while shooting an accusing look at Applejack, who merely looked wide eyed and shook her head quickly, whatever had happened she didn’t know what it was.        Hearth closed her eyes and breathed in deeply and then exhaled. “Sorry, Magistrate Rarity.”        “It is quite alright, and again, call me Rarity, Applejack is a friend. Now what happened?”        “A letter just arrived Magistrate Rarity, by crystal. I have it with me if you would like to see it but it states that Twilight Sparkle, the daughter of Night Light, will be arriving in Ponyville and staying for a few days. Along with her is a Guard Squad headed by her brother, Shining Armor, and her servant, Spike. They are expected to arrive by train in only two hours.” As she spoke Rarity’s eyes widened. Normally this would be wonderful news, but after what she just learned this was turning into a recipe for disaster.        “Thank you Hearth, two hours you said? Perfect. We will meet them at the train station. Could you find a place for them to stay please Hearth? I don’t believe we have any space here to house them but one of the hotels nearby maybe, covered of course by the town’s funds.” Rarity’s mind started working right away, working out the details of the sudden arrivals.        “Right away, Magistrate Rarity.” Hearth turned and almost ran out the door, stopping to close it behind her        “I asked you to call me Rarity! Oh my, how am I ever going to convince her to stop doing that,” spoke Rarity, she was near to pleading with the mare to cease the formalities when they weren’t needed.        “Getting under your skin is it? She’ll come around. She still sees you as a kind pony larger than life almost. You did help her out by giving her that job,” replied Applejack.        “That may be so but all this Magistrate Rarity. I work with her! She should feel comfortable enough around me to call me Rarity. Not important right now,” Rarity looked straight at Applejack, her eyes and body posture changing to one demanding attention, “with this Twilight Sparkle coming into town you can not, and I mean CAN NOT, let anything bad happen while they are here! It would spell disaster. And I don’t mean more martial law kind of disaster, worse.”        “Wha? What do you mean? It’s just one pony, okay a few, but what’s so special about her?” asked Applejack, she felt like she was missing an important detail.        “She is the daughter of Night Light. Night Light is the Dean of the Canterlot University,” answered Rarity, speaking as if that answered the question.        “Oookay. Ah still don’t understand,” said Applejack.        “He is also a member of the Canterlot council. You know, the people we are trying to convince to lift martial law? And worse he is the most influential one! If something happened to his daughter the martial law will never be lifted! Or worse. There won’t be a need for martial law because there won’t be a Ponyville anymore! Nothing, NOTHING, can happen while she is here Applejack! And you can forget about trying to get her to leave, or even myself. Daughters of nobles don’t just go around to town randomly, she’s here for a reason. And until whatever reason that is is satisfied she’ll stay here. Do you understand? Oooo why couldn’t this have happened a few weeks ago.” Rarity had suddenly put on a strained appearance, if Applejack knew her Rarity would already be trying to plan the exactly perfect events for this Twilight, Rarity always focused too much on the details in Applejack’s opinion.        “Alright, alright. Ah get it. Ah’ll try to make sure nothing happens but Ah can’t promise it. The tensions are already pretty high. Ah better meet this Twilight Sparkle though. Ah might be able to talk them down if Ah can bring them something about her. Ah’m goin to grab a bite to eat before heading to the train station, would ya like to join Rarity?”