Shattered Diamonds

        Princess Luna turned around after closing the door, and stepped past Twilight Sparkle as she made her way towards the center of the room. “There is much I need to discuss with you, Twilight.”

        “But Princess,” Twilight protested, stomping a hoof on the ground. Not to show any disrespect for Princess Luna, but she knew she had to speak up for her friend. “What was that just about? Why wouldn’t you allow Rarity in?”

        “It was my fault for not making it clear. I intended this to be a discussion for the two of us only. And I apologize for that,” Luna said, not completely giving attention to Twilight. She walked up to one of the bookcases, and raised a hoof to it, running it across the various titles. “But this is a matter that cannot be spoken about outside of this room. For if it does, I have concern it could bring danger to all of Equestria.” Luna stopped her hoof on a thick, black book. She pulled it off the shelf, dusted it off and then placed it on a nearby table, before turning back to Twilight.

        “But isn’t that all the more reason to have Rarity present? I say this not only as her friend, but because of the fact that without her help, as well as the rest of my friends, Equestria could have fallen to danger many times! If something presents a threat, my friends and I would be the first to stand up against it! You and Princess Celestia should be very aware…” Twilight began to trail off at those last words, feeling that she may have been sounding a bit impolite to the Princess of the Moon. She bowed her head with the thought of that. “Forgive me Princess, I didn’t intend to sound-”

        “It’s okay Twilight, I understand your feelings.” Luna returned her focus to Twilight, which in turn gave her the cue to raise her head back up. “The truth of the matter is, it’s not that I do not trust young Rarity, or your other friends, but the fact is I am concerned with their own safety and wellbeing as much as you are.” Luna turned to face the window, and let out a heavy sigh. “And in addition to that, this is something I have not yet discussed with my own sister yet, either.”

        Twilight shifted her posture upon hearing that, and her mentality changed from defensive to curious. “What would you need from me then?”

        “Because the truth is, I cannot deal with this alone. I need somepony’s help. Somepony very educated in ancient magic. There’s an uncertainty with what could possibly happen, and I will need another’s help.” Luna’s words carried a very serious tone with them, and Twilight could also feel a trail of concern rooted in them as well. “But Twilight,” she continued, “I do not wish to place this responsibility on you, as I fear it could place you in danger as well. If you do not feel comfortable with this, I want to give you the opportunity to walk away with no repercussions.”

        The princess’s words hit Twilight deeply, and she took a moment to thoughtfully consider what she could be getting into. After a period of silence, Twilight raised herself up, and stood proud for Luna. She knew what she had to do. “Princess Luna, I would be honored to help you in whatever way I can.”

        Luna gave a subtle nod to Twilight. “Thank you. I knew I could count on you for assistance.”

        “But what could possibly present such a problem that you are hesitant in discussing this with Princess Celestia?”

        “Just as I am concerned for the safety of your friends, I also am concerned for her. And this might be something you have more experience dealing with than her.” Luna paused for a moment, reflecting on her own words. “I have reason to believe that the dark magic may be gathering together. But a very particular type of dark magic…” She took a very deep breath in, and attempted to hold herself together at the thought of what she was about to admit. “Nightmare magic.”

        Twilight took a step back in complete disbelief. “How…?” Her mind cleared, and went silent, before her head flooded with new questions, yet she was at a loss of words and could not speak.

        “As you know, I watch over the dreams of ponies all across the land…” Luna began, “but over the past couple of nights, I have noticed something very foul. A number of ponies have been having eerily similar dreams. While the exact details of the nightmare would vary from pony to pony, they each shared a similarity. A purple fog which engulfed the land, as sharpened, jagged crystals pierce the ground. That was all I was able to see, as upon entrance to these dream, the fog would retreat and the crystals would recede back. I would certainly know the dark magic of nightmares when I see it.”

        “I don’t understand. If Equestria is in danger of nightmare magic, why would you not want the rest of my friends to know?”

        “Because there is something about this particular nightmare magic that appears to be able to spread to other ponies, not unlike the Tantabus.” Luna said, as she contemplated her own experiences with the two. “It all started several nights ago. I myself had my own dream where I foresaw this fog and purple crystals that tore through the land. Knowing what magic it was, I asked my chamber guards if I did anything unusual that night. The reports was nothing out of the ordinary. On the following night however, while I did not receive the dream myself, the chamber guards who were off shift of the ones I spoke to, each had similar nightmares, and woke up in sheer terror, and it lasted throughout the day. I had to cast a spell on them to ease their minds for the time being.”

        “So that was the second night, what has come since?” Twilight inquired.

        “Some of the guards on duty responded to the waking cries of the other chamber guards. And the following night those guards too had their own nightmares. It was enough for me to deem a potential crisis was coming. But I can only oversee so many dreams in Equestria at night, and I fear explaining this to my sister right away, for it could result in her awaking the same way as the guardsponies. It may not be as simple to ease her own mind. And as for your friends, I feel the same for them. But I did need somepony’s help; a pony strong in magic and knowledgeable with the history of Equestria. You were one of the few qualified, and one of the few I can trust.”

        Twilight was flattered by Luna’s words, however she quickly realized there was something was missing. “I feel as if you’re not telling me one last thing.”

        Luna closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and exhaled. “There was one thing mentioned in one of the ramblings, last night actually, and it was another reason why I called for you today on such short notice.” She opened her eyes, and paused as she just stared at the young princess before her. “Your name was mentioned.”

        Twilight did not immediately respond to Luna. She looked down at the floor, and looked back up again, trying not to act out to the information presented to her. She knew exactly what could be inferred from this.

        “Are you feeling alright? I think it’s important to secure your safety, as we don’t know what the future could hold in store. For the time being, I would like to ask that you remain here, in the castle. Just for a few days.” Luna placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “And I still would need your help to identify the source of this.”

        Twilight straightened herself together, and raised her chin to Luna, and she found the attitude to take this with. “Alright. I will always trust in you.”

        Luna gave Twilight a smile, before stepping back and walking back to her bookcase, as she continued what she was saying. “I only feel it’s necessary to watch over you for the next few days. What can be inferred from this could be a wide variety of things. It could something which intends to take you, or something that intends to…” Luna stopped herself, not wanting to even think about the other possibility. “Either way, I just want to ensure your safety as we work together. I’ve isolated the other incidents, and if things pass over with no new occurrences, then I feel we can safely bring in my sister to help us.”

        “And my friends?”

        “Yes, them too.” Luna’s eyes widened, as she came to a realization. “Twilight… did Rarity mention that she too had a nightmare?”

        “Yes, actually, she said on the way here that she did want to discuss it with you.” Twilight quickly caught on to Luna’s own thoughts. “Do you think…?”

        “I didn’t happen to see her own dream before, unfortunately I cannot oversee the dreams of every single pony in Equestria…” Luna raised a hoof to her chin and took a moment to think over the possibilities. “Seeing how she didn’t wake up as the other ponies did, I want to say it might not be something to worry about… however I wouldn’t want to underestimate anything in this circumstance. When we’re finished, I’ll speak with Rarity.”

        “Thank you.” Twilight stepped over to the table beside the bookcase, and looked at the book Luna had placed there prior to their conversation. She picked it up the book, and held it up to Luna. “What exactly is this?”

        Luna’s horn lit up, and she took the book from Twilight, levitating it towards her. The book slowly began to open up, and the pages flapped with it. “This contains everything I’ve been able to record about any type of dark magic. Of course it does not contain such magic itself, only what I have found it to be capable of, and its effect on ponies. I’ve been attempting to find events and cases that line up with what’s occurring now, and what has happened in the past. Have you studied up upon the early history of Equestria like I asked when I sent for you?”

        “Yes, I read up everything I could about it before I got here. At least up until the reign of the Unicorn King Bullion.”

        “Did the books you read mention anything about his brother, Obsidian?”

        “There was a couple of brief mentions of his plot to murder his brother to obtain the crown, yes. It was his neglect to deal with his niece, Princess Platinum, that  led to his capture.”

        “And before that, did you happen to come across the Age of Eclipse?”

        “Briefly, but I couldn’t find too much recorded about it.” Twilight tried to recall whatever she could about the Age of Eclipse, but the truth was it was a period where there were very little ponies who actually kept track of history. “All that I was able to learn about that was a small cult of ponies practicing dark arts.” Twilight paused. “Why bring this up?”

        “It’s just important in regards to a theory I’m developing.” Luna trailed off, and she stopped for a moment, as intense emotions dwelled in her about her own past. But as brief as it was, Luna quickly got a hold of herself, not allowing herself to be overwhelmed with the struggle of regret. “This is not to say I am not responsible for my own actions, as Nightmare Moon. However, what I have theorized by studying these past events was there is a force generating magic that is capable of corrupting the desires of ponies, threatening the balance of harmony.”

Luna released the aura around the book, causing it to fall onto her hoof, and she extended it to Twilight. “What I need you to do is delve deeper into the history of the land. Cross reference what you can with this book, and help me try to find-” Luna immediately silenced herself upon hearing a knock on her door. She handed the book to Twilight, and walked over to the entrance to the room. She took a glance through the peephole, and on the other side was one of her personal guard.

        “Welcome, though you were not expected to come to me at this time. Is there a problem?” Luna said, as she opened the door.

        “Forgive me, my Princess.” The guard pony said as he removed his helmet and knelt down. “The representatives of Saddle Arabia have arrived. As Princess Celestia is not currently present, they seek an audience with you.”

        “Thank you. You are dismissed.” Luna nodded at the guard, and turned back to Twilight, who still stood in the room. “I shan’t be too long. Now would be a good time to speak with Rarity, and have her tell you what was on her mind. When you’re finished, come back up here and continue studying the history as I mentioned.”

        “It will be done, thank you, Princess.” Twilight nodded to Luna, and followed her out the door.

******

        Rarity sighed as paced back and forth beside the first stairway on the first floor of the castle. She wasn’t quite sure how long it was since Twilight went to go speak with Luna. At first, she occupied herself by taking a casual trot in the castle, but of course the guards wouldn’t let her go too deep into the castle.

Isn’t it a bit ridiculous… Rarity thought, I’ve contributed to saving Equestria numerous times, and they still don’t even so much as recognize me. She stopped for a moment to look upwards at some of the grand stained glass windows far above where she stood. In the main hall, there were four of these, one of Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, but the one that kept Rarity’s attention was the window showing Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. It just appeared to glow as Rarity stared at it, light shining through Twilight’s wings as they stretched across the window. Calling her appearance merely majestic would be an understatement. And at the bottom of the image in the window, there were five small ponies, nearly microscopic in comparison to Twilight. There was a pink one, a blue one, a yellow one, an orange one, and finally, a white one.

Is this all I am? Rarity squinted, just trying to focus in on what appeared to be the insignificant white pony-shaped spot on Twilight’s stained glass window. Am I just a footnote in the history of somepony much better than I?

And is that something we’re happy with? A voice hissed in the back of Rarity’s head once more. If we let our fate continue to follow the path it’s on, that’s all we’re ever going to amount to.

Rarity looked away from the stained glass window, and just faced the ground, not even trying to acknowledge the thoughts, knowing where they could take her thinking.

Don’t pretend this can just be ignored. Will the life of a designer really be remembered? We can make as many connections as we want, but the kinds of them will never stop looking down on us. We don’t want to be seen as beneath them, do we? The sharp, criticizing tone of the voice began to shift into something sounding much softer, closer to Rarity’s own, as it continued to speak. We just want to help us. We can be so much bigger than we are…

Leave me alone. Rarity immediately felt uncomfortable after thinking that. One of many things making her uneasy actually, like the fact that the voice referred to Rarity and itself as we, or how it constantly changed the sound of itself.

Impossible. We are one and the same. With that, the voice faded into the back of her mind, leaving Rarity alone, with the thoughts it introduced still lingering in her head. Rarity wanted to say something was wrong. She could feel it. But at the same time, deep in her heart she knew it wasn’t entirely wrong. And it resurfaced old thoughts Rarity wanted to keep buried and avoid for as long as she could. It wasn’t that she was jealous of her friend. Truthfully, Rarity was always proud of Twilight and her accomplishments. But at the same time, she also felt completely eclipsed by her. Being friends with a princess would certainly make one feel like a small shape on someone’s own giant stain glass window.

        Rarity’s mind started to race with thoughts about Twilight’s own achievements compared to hers. Twilight’s vast knowledge in magic and spell casting compared to Rarity’s meager use of telekinesis, and spells to locate gems. How Twilight could work to uncover a changeling threat, and how she felt foolish enough after letting a competitor steal from her. While Twilight could travel to and save other worlds from oblivion, Rarity could  only sit and wait for her to return along with everyone else.

        She tried to turn back around to glare at the window, but her head only made it halfway, as it met with a familiar face. It was Twilight, wandering about the hallowed halls on her own. Rarity rubbed her face with her hooves, trying to rid herself of what was pestering her mind, and trotted over to see her friend.

        “Oh, there you are Rarity!” Twilight smiled, waving to her friend as she approached. “I was looking for you for a bit, I just finished with talking with Princess Luna for now, and there’s some thing I need to discuss with you.”

        “It’s good to see you again, Twilight.” Rarity put on a fake smile, trying to forget her thoughts from just a few moments ago. “If it’s okay, it might be important for me to go to talk to Princess Luna now.”

        “Is it about the dream you said you had? You know you can tell me anything”

        “Well, sort of. It’s more than that.” Rarity rubbed a hoof on the back of her neck, as she avoided direct eye contact with Twilight for a moment. What am I supposed to tell her? That I’m jealous of her? “Can we maybe go talk to Princess Luna about it, together?”

        “Well…” Twilight barely started, but Rarity already began to brace herself, as it sounded to her she was going to receive some disappointing news. “Princess Luna is going to be unavailable for a bit. She’s having a meeting with some representatives of Saddle Arabia.”

        “Oh.” Rarity let out a sigh of relief, as she feared what she was going to be told was going to be much worse. However, her mood improved even more upon realizing that she could finally spend some time with Twilight. “Then why don’t we just wait for her to finish? For the time being as we wait for her, why don’t we go do something! We’re in Canterlot together! We can go dine at Restaurant Row, or perhaps head over to Twin Tails Salon and get fabulous new mane styles, or maybe even-”

        “Well, you can go do something if you really want, Rarity. I’ll just be here for the time being.” Twilight said with a smile, giving Rarity a bit of a wave off.

        “What?” Rarity’s excitement was shot down as quickly as it erupted, her ears collapsed to the sides of her head. “What do you mean?”

        “You can do something Rarity, and when you’re done we can go talk to Princess Luna. But I’ll just remain in the castle for now.”

        “Remain in the castle? What’s going on?”

        “It’s nothing, really.”

        “You didn’t seem to think that way this morning.”

        “Rarity, it’s not something I can discuss with you. Just forget it.”

        “Why? Did Princess Luna tell you something? What was it?” Rarity’s ire became apparent in her voice, as the thoughts of what the voice said pricked her mind. She thinks she’s above us, that we don’t need to know because we’re not good enough.

“Just forget it, Rarity.” Twilight’s voice became stern,as she was responding to the increasing irritation that was growing in her friend.

        “Why?”

        “Because I was asked to.”

        “Who asked you?”

        “Princess Luna.”

        “Why?”

        “You don’t need to know.”

        “And why not?”

        “Because.”

        “Because why?!”

        “Because Princess Luna didn’t ask for your help, because you are incapable of helping her!” Twilight immediately covered her mouth as the last word left her mouth, shocked and ashamed of what she said. “Rarity, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it like that…”

        Rarity didn’t immediately react to Twilight’s statement, she just glared at her. “Forgive me for stepping out of line, princess. I forgot a lowly commoner wasn’t allowed to be involved in such royal matters.”

        “Rarity, please, don’t act like that.” Twilight pleaded, “I’m sorry, there’s a reason I can’t tell you. You just need to trust me.”

        “I suppose the reason is I don’t have the royal clearance to know?” Rarity turned around from Twilight and started to walk away. “I’m going back to Ponyville.”

        “Don’t be like that, what’s gotten into you?” Twilight stepped forward to place a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder, only to have it immediately swatted away.

        “Leave me alone.” Rarity said, her head shot back to glare at Twilight once more. Twilight took a step back as she looked into Rarity’s eyes, as for a moment it looked as if her pupils narrowed into sharp slivers. She rubbed her own eyes upon seeing it, only to see Rarity’s eyes appear to be normal once more. Rarity then turned her head up in a huff, and continued on her way out. Twilight just stared at Rarity and watched her walk away, her body feeling completely frozen in shock. She wanted to say something, she wanted to go after her, but seeing Rarity behave so unlike herself, she didn’t know what she could do. Finally after feeling like she could move again, Twilight turned around, and walked away from Rarity.