In Which Laughter Insists On Accompanying Generosity
Rarity had made up her mind. It had taken a great deal of thought, an even greater portion of courage, and the greatest amount possible of sacrifice.
“This simply must be the path I take for now! Ohh, I do so hope Twilight will forgive me! Why does this have to be so difficult?” Rarity whined melodiously.
Tears sprung from her eyes unabated, and for once they did not pour with dark stains of mascara. No, Rarity had forsaken even her makeup.
“I feel so excited, and yet so distraught,” gasped the pale grey unicorn, touching a hoof to her forehead. “Twilight, you have inspired me so much!” she called out to the sky. “As Celestia is my witness, my quest will not be in vain!”
With a stern strict and steady stamp on the ground, Rarity had made up her mind finally. She had already made arrangements for her boutiques after all, and there were others to assist Twilight in her royal duties. Everything was neatly in place, and everyone had already had their goodbyes... whether in person, or having read her dramatic messages of farewell.
“All I must do is put one hoof forward,” she trembled, biting her lip, shaking her leg... and then it was done! A heavy sigh blew from her lips. “That wasn't so bad!” she scoffed, and immediately began trotting away, down the old path, down to the ancient homeland of the unicorns.
A few hours had gone by, and Rarity kept a stiff upper lip, quite literally, her mane tossed back, eyes closed, clip-clopping down the old Magic Merchant road. It hadn't been used in centuries, since all the unicorns' descendants had moved en masse to Equestria, most of them settling high up in Canterlot.
The old Magic Merchant road had long ago become hidden away. Rarity had with her an ancient map that she would refer to from time to time, levitating it away into her saddlebag, kept safe along with only the most basic of necessities. She even resigned herself to simple baked goods with lasting freshness and filling density, but lacking in delightful taste.
Huge insects buzzed and whirred in the brown-green tall grasses, many swooping and fluttering across her path without a care for her passage, going about their way as they had for centuries. She was not going to let silly old bugs distract or disturb her her day though, no.
Rarity hummed a little ditty to herself, one of the old ballads of her ancestors. A thrill ran down her spine. She would discover everything she wanted to know about her people, who left so many secrets behind. Was that not a worthy quest?
A loud high pitched 'la la la la la!' suddenly began accompanying Rarity's hums, enticing her to stop dead in her tracks. She stood up on her hind legs, taking a fighter's stance, glaring at the tall rustling grasses on the left flank of the path.
“Who goes there?!” she shrieked indignantly. “Show yourself at once, you rambling ruffian! I shan't abide unsolicited musical accompaniment from a mysterious unseen stranger in the middle of nowhere!”
“Oh, well it's a good thing I'm not a stranger, at least, I'm not a stranger anymore, although maybe I was when we first met, that makes sense doesn't it?”
Out burst a familiar face indeed, a wide glittering grin bedazzling Rarity in the sunlight, a high pitched 'EEEE!' as the intruder tackled Rarity to the ground, giggling madly.
“Pinkie Pie!” cried Rarity, pushing the pink pony off with her powerful hooves, rising elegantly back up on all fours. “Whatever are you doing here? Did I not make my intentions perfectly clear?” she demanded, a stern glare in her eyes.
“You did, you did!” Pinkie admitted with a bashful smile, hopping up and down with maddened energy. “I know what you requested and I know what you wanted and I know what you're doing and I understand absolutely every single teensy detail of the circumstances too!”
Rarity lifted her foreleg, gesturing irritably. “Then why are you here, why are you following me? I demand an answer!”
Pinkie stood still for a moment, knees bent inward, looking remorseful as a puppy. “I'm sorry, but I simply absolutely just couldn't let you go alone, it's simply... too alone!”
“Well!” Rarity huffed, tossing her mane to one side. “Although I do appreciate your compassion, I must insist that you leave. I am perfectly capable of investigating my ancestry on my own, thank you! Besides, you shall be missed by absolutely everypony!”
Pinkie gave Rarity a sudden poke in the chest, mimicking her huffy stern expression perfectly. “Well, little miss unicorn-on-a-lonely-quest, I can say the same for you!”
Rarity swatted the hoof aside, glaring. “I think we both know you have an enormous number of friends and associates compared to me, Miss Pie, and I do not appreciate you trying to guilt me into going back after I've finally made up my mind!”
“But isn't this difficult for you?” Pinkie insisted, squeezing Rarity's cheeks together between her hooves, enforcing a chubby shocked expression on the grey unicorn. “Isn't this the hardest thing you've ever ever done ever?!?”
“I know this!” Rarity shouted, straining her voice as she does when distraught or infuriated, leaning forward and gritting her teeth. “Don't you think I know? But I must do this. I must learn the deepest depths of my destiny, no matter how my heart aches for Canterlot and Ponyville and Twilight's castle!”
“And so must I!” Pinkie declared dramatically, standing up on tiptoe and pointing her hoof up at the warm mid-day sun overhead, a twinkling gleam in her eye. “Where you go, I go! I'll be there to make sure you still have a bestest friend by your side!”
Rarity sighed in dismay, hanging her head, exasperated. “Ooooh, you are so stubborn!” to which Pinkie nodded casually. “This isn't fair, Miss Pie! You are causing me more pain than comfort right now!”
Pinkie sighed too, shaking her head. “Rarity, I cannot let you do this super duper dangerous deadly quest all by yourself, I just can't do it! You deserve a friend by your side as much as anypony! You've always tried to take care of your friends before yourself, because you are so generous. So now its my turn to repay you!”
“So, I'm more deserving of your company because I'm generous, hmm? Does that mean I'm being selfish right now instead?” Rarity huffed, her tone growing cold and resentful.
“Maybe you are, maybe you aren't, but that's not the point! I Pinkie Promised that I would watch your back, so I am!”, she declared, gesturing with the Pinkie Promise over her heart and eye.
“Oh, I see! So it's more important to Pinkie Promise to defy my request to let me fulfil my destiny, and how gracious or greedy I am about it doesn't seem to even matter one little bit to you, Miss Pie!” Rarity turned away, eyes closed, simmering inside. “I feel highly disrespected and belittled, and I insist you leave, at once!”
Pinkie Pie went down on her knees, staring at the grass covered old path, sighing softly. They both stayed there quietly for a time, the warm afternoon sun steadily lowering across the horizon. Rarity bit her lip, nervously glancing behind, seeing Pinkie's eyes welling up with tears.
“I'm very sorry, Rarity,” Pinkie finally replied, softly and sadly. “Sometimes when I try to do the right thing, it turns out to be the wrong thing,” she confessed. “Sometimes, I am not really good at expressing my passion or feelings, either. I go too far, and I only make things worse, not better.”
Rarity could take it no more. If there was one thing that she could not bare, it was a sad and unhappy Pinkie Pie! She spun on her hooves, coming to Pinkie's side, reaching down and gently touching her cheek, feeling tears on her hoof, her own eyes starting to well up.
“Oh dear me! No, no! I am so sorry too, Pinkie! I am truly being selfish, aren't I?” Rarity declared. “Here you are, far away from Ponyville, and you must've made many sacrifices to come all this way to me. And yet despite all this, all I've done is scold and condemn you for caring about my well-being!”
Rarity scooped Pinkie up off the ground, squeezing and hugging her tightly against her, nuzzling. Pinkie made a giddy 'EEEE!' once more, already snapping back into her more familiar, delighted state of being, cuddling Rarity up close.
The two close friends snuggled together a moment longer, before Pinkie Pie gently pulled away. “Rarity, I am glad you are not mad with me. But I also don't want to make you sad by staying. I do not want to break a Pinkie Promise, but...” Pinkie looked away, frowning. “Maybe it's not worth keeping, if it makes you upset.”
Rarity gently took Pinkie's hoof, smiling. “No, darling, you can stay by my side. I can't stand seeing you upset, either! Besides, I could perhaps use your help after all,” she winked. “You are a mare-of-all-trades after all. With my creativity and your energy, the secrets of my ancestors are sure to be revealed!”
Pinkie Pie jumped up into the sky, fireworks and streamers suddenly falling down out of nowhere as she screamed in delight. “Thank you Rarity, but don't give me all the credit! As always, you are truly an inspiration!”
Rarity felt completely unfazed by the familiar fireworks display, but she felt stunned to be called 'inspiring' by Pinkie! Hadn't she just been thinking that about Twilight Sparkle, not long ago?
The grey unicorn blinked, smiled, and nodded, getting out of her daze. “We must be on our way though, we've dilly-dallied long enough with this fuss we've made. I wish to make it to the first landmark by sunset! Onwards, Miss Pie!”
Pinkie giggled, hopping ahead of Rarity, apparently knowing the path already. “Wheee! This is going to be the best trip ever!”
Rarity certainly hoped so. Perhaps a bit of comedy to go with her drama would help balance things out. “It's decided then! Onwards, to the unicorn kingdom, with gladness in our hearts!”
Rarity took off at a sudden burst of speed, a fresh new determination in her heart. She had a powerful trust in the chaotic earth pony, and indeed, she took this turn of events as fate, another step in her own course towards destiny.
“Oh wow the unicorn kingdom! This is going to be so exciting! I can't believe we're going to such an awesome cool mysterious old ancient place full of totally amazing stuff that is gonna totally make a huge dramatic profound impact on your entire life!”
Rarity found herself inspired by Pinkie's passion and eagerness. It would be many hours still that they would travel the grasslands, and she had to get used to travelling lightly without commodities. Pinkie Pie always seemed to have a spontaneous plan B, so she felt herself relieved, worried less now.
The sun continued its descent in the sky, the tall grasslands stretching to the horizon, far away from Equestria and the Everfree, leading away into the past, another grand chapter in the dramatic adventures of Rarity (now co-starring Pinkie Pie)!
