Four Yellow

The metal dug into Diamond Tiara’s soft flesh, and she cried out in pain.

“Ow! Hey, watch it!”

“Oh, I’m certainly sorry,” said Rarity, sincere even through her frustration and a mouthful of pins identical to the one that had just attached part of an incomplete dress to Diamond Tiara’s flank. The white unicorn removed the pin and added it to a number of objects floating in her magic, including measuring tape, bits of cloth, and several notepads.

“I thought you were supposed to be good at this?” snapped Diamond Tiara.

Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “I AM good at this, darling. And I use that term of endearment very lightly. I’ve made dresses for all of Equestria’s elite for all occasions. Why, I even made Princess Cadence’s wedding dress!”

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. It was somehow simplistic and gaudy at the same time.”

Rarity gasped, nearly inhaling several pins. “How dare you?” she said, dropping her equipment. “I’ll admit that it was and…early work. And I also know that your father is paying me quite substantially for a private fitting- -but this time of year I always have considerable work to do. I even had to bring in poor Coco Pommel all the way from Manehattan! This is a favour, as I’m sure you are aware.”

Diamond Tiara sighed. “I know, I know. I’m sorry.” She took a deep breath, and looked across the room to where Pick was lying on the floor flipping through a magazine despite the fact that he could not read Equestrian and was nearly blind with his mask on. Still, Diamond Tiara could not help but feel a pang of jealousy. All of Rarity’s magazines were filled with the most beautiful of fashion models, who were all white unicorns and Fluttershy- -and all taller, thinner, and prettier than she was.

Diamond Tiara looked back to Rarity. “It’s just that this is our first public appearance together. As much as I’d like to say it doesn’t matter, it does. Especially for a Rich. Everything has to be perfect.”

Rarity’s expression softened, and she picked up her materials again. “Of course, darling. I know how much scrutiny high-society can place on a pony, especially a mare barely out of fillyhood with your social standing. But you have nothing to worry about. I simply do not do subpar work. You and your…er…” she looked at Pick. “Coltfriend…” she whispered. “He is a ‘he’, right?”

“Are you going to want to be checking?” said Pick from across the room. Rarity jumped, being unaccustomed to morlock hearing.

“I’m right here!” said Diamond Tiara, turning sharply and accidentally knocking down a piece of the dress that was being fitted to her.

“I can see that,” said Pick. “It’s hard not to. Or are you implying that I was hitting on the symmetric? You realize she’s twice my age, right?”

“Ahem,” said Rarity. “I’m not actually that old- -”

“Admit it! You would rather be taking a unicorn! A nice fat white one!”

“I’m not that fat- -”

“You know how I feel about symmetrics! Those hideous growths on their heads, and that ‘magic’! It just isn’t natural!” The dial in his chest turned, projecting a white energy field that pushed away the magazine he had been ‘reading’. Still lying down, he turned to Rarity. He pointed at Diamond Tiara. “That’s not going to be enough fabric,” he said. “You’re going to need a LOT more to let that dress out.”

“Well at least I don’t need to wear a mask over my ugly bug face!”

“Have you looked in a mirror? I’d prefer if you did!”

Rarity looked between the two, feeling intensely awkward. “Oh dear. This…this is not good, is it?”

“What?” said Diamond Tiara, confused. “No, this is about par for the course.”

“You mean…you’re not fighting?”

“Oh, we are. But at this point I’m two inches away from going over there and peeling him.”

“She’s not smart enough to figure out the interlocks,” admitted Pick.

“I wouldn’t mind taking that ‘suit’- -if I dare to use such a word for such a travesty- -off him myself.”

Both Pick and Diamond Tiara looked at Rarity, Diamond Tiara glaring. “What did you just say?”

“I mean, look at it!” said Rarity, prancing across the room- -angry prancing, of course, something only Rarity could accomplish. She picked up one of the torn and dirty shreds of Pick’s outer cloak in her magic. Pick immediately jumped to the side, clinging to a wall to escape the blue glow. “This- -this is not acceptable! Not even for wearing around out of doors!”

“What are you talking about? This is top-of-the line fashion! The distressed look is totally well-accepted!”

“Distressed?” Rarity nearly fainted. “DISTRESSED? That’s a crass, inelegant sty- -I can’t even CALL it a style! It’s hideous, uncultured, and UNCOUTH! So very, very uncouth!”

“No it isn’t!”

“Diamond,” said Diamond Tiara, “you live underground. Without light. Have you ever even seen your clothing?”

“No. But that’s not the point!”

Rarity turned away with a loud harrumph. “Diamond Tiara, I realize who you take to the Pony Prom is your own choice, but I cannot help but wonder if you’re trying to kill poor Spoiled. Honestly, that you would choose a pony so...dissimilar from your status. Though, honestly, I can relate- -”

“You do realize he’s nobility, right?”

Rarity’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Yeah. His mother is a princess, and his dad’s a lord. If anything, he’s a few steps above me.”

Rarity turned toward Pick, unable to comprehend what she was being told. “Y- -you?”

“Technically, she’s an eighth-princess. It’s similar to what you might call a duchess. Not really, though. The morlock hierarchy is…challenging. But mining is considered a noble pursuit, so, yes, I have a title- -”

“That’s IT! I can’t DO THIS!” cried Rarity, throwing down her materials and grabbing Pick. “I cannot allow this crime to continue! I am going to dress you, and I am going to DRESS YOU PROPERLY!”

“No!” cried Pick, his voice going squeaky as he clung to the wall. “Diamond, help!”

“She can’t save you now! You’re going to look good if I have to work my hooves to the BONE!”

“Can it- -can it at least be paisley?”

Rarity nearly spilled her oats on the floor at the thought. Diamond Tiara could not help but smile. She had paid for a private session with Equestria’s premier dressmaker- -not with her father’s money, as she led everyone short of Silver Spoon to believe, but with her own- -but fitting Pick with proper clothing was also essential. They both had to look perfect if their pairing was to be accepted by pony society.

As she suppressed her laughter at watching Pick be “stripped” by Rarity- -his dark, armored intrinsic suit was locked onto his body too tightly to remove- -a shadow crossed across Diamond Tiara’s vision. She turned toward one of the corners of Rarity’s boutique and caught the tail end of a pale pony crossing into the next room.

“If she’s not too busy, Coco can take the measurements,” said Diamond Tiara.

“She certainly could,” said Rarity, holding Pick’s rags out of his reach with his magic as he tried to jump and take them back. “But unfortunately she is helping Sexy- -I mean Sassy Saddles in Canterlot with the fabric selection. You would not believe how much silk all these prom dresses take- -NO! You can’t have it! You are going to wear BLUE!”

“Not blue! Anything but blue!” Pick paused. “I don’t see color, so I don’t know what ‘blue’ is!”

“What?” said Diamond Tiara, to herself. She shook her head. “I must be tired or something.” She shrugged, and then looked up Rarity’s stairs- -only to see a tall, narrow unicorn looking down them back at her.

Diamond Tiara jumped in surprise. She had lived in Ponyville her whole life, and she knew everypony there. Never before had she seen that unicorn, or really any unicorns quite like him. In fact, she had never seen a pony with such a cold and intense gaze. Worse, Diamond Tiara was standing within sight of the boutique’s door. It had not opened for nearly thirty minutes. Which meant he had been in here the whole time, watching.

He blinked, and then turned. Diamond Tiara felt a sharp surge of pain in her head, but ignored it. She watched the unicorn slowly retreat into the upper floor, and she saw that he was wearing something over his midsection, like some kind of uniform.

Diamond Tiara turned back to her special somepony, who had been pinned by Rarity and was having a new robe assembled around his body while he continually clicked out horrendous insults against Rarity in untranslated morlock. They both seemed busy, and for some reason, Diamond Tiara found herself ascending Rarity’s staircase.

Something was wrong. She knew that she should not be doing this, that going up there was a mistake. Something was off, but somehow, it just did not seem off enough to warrant bothering Rarity. Diamond Tiara’s curiosity led her forward, even while her heart and head were both pounding.

The floorboards gently creaked as Diamond Tiara reached the top of the stairs. Distantly, she was aware that the sound of Rarity and Pick arguing had stopped. There was now no sound at all, save for her rapid breathing. Then, slowly, something else began to become apparent, something beneath the silence. A buzzing, or electronic hiss. It was almost impossible to hear, and for some reason Diamond Tiara could not tell exactly which direction it was coming from or how far it was.

Slowly, she pushed open the door to the largest of the upstairs rooms. On the other side was what she imagined was Rarity’s bedroom. It was nearly circular- -an odd choice- -with a large bed in the center and a number of mannequins waiting to be dressed around the edges, their prancing and cavorting frozen in mid-leap, their blank and glassy eyes staring at Diamond Tiara without seeing her.

Something was wrong with the room. Everything seemed to have grayed and yellowed, and for some reason, Diamond Tiara could not focus on anything. This left the furniture oddly hazy, but at the same time in sharp contrast that made everything seem far wider and longer than it really was.

“Hello?” called Diamond Tiara, stepping into the room. As far as she knew, this was the only room on the second floor- -the pony she saw must have been in here. Her eyes moved quickly between the mannequins, each one blurring in her vision when she looked directly at it. They were all inert, though. There was no unicorn among them.

Diamond Tiara clutched her head. The pain was growing, pulsing in response to the buzz that seemed to fill the air. The eyes of the mannequins stared back, ambivalent to her pain, and Diamond Tiara realized that in all the times she had come to Rarity’s for dress fitting, she had never once seen a mannequin with eyes.

This only led to Diamond Tiara panicking more. She knew she had seen- -and was seeing- -something, but as far as she could tell, nothing was there. Nothing except buzzing and pain.

A voice from behind her made Diamond Tiara jump.

“Oh, darling,” said Rarity. “So this is where you went. Oh my, as much as I would like to show you my works in progress, you really can’t be up here.”

“Yeah,” said Diamond Tiara, somewhat relieved but still looking around the room, her mind trying to piece together exactly why it was different than what she presumed normal would be. “I’m sorry. I just thought I saw something.”

“Something? Like what?”

“A unicorn, of all things. How weird is- -”

Diamond Tiara turned toward Rarity and screamed. She immediately backed across the room, trying to get as far away as possible. Rarity’s face, once so beautiful, had become covered in surgical scars and protruding metal. Her perfectly coiffed mane had been brutally shaved away, and a large glimmering lesion had formed next to her horn, leading into one dark and mostly empty eye socket.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” said Rarity, her remaining eye seeming genuinely concerned. She took a step forward- -her body was pale, thin, and discolored.

“St- -stay away from me !” cried Diamond Tiara.

Rarity’s concern seemed to increase. She realized that something was wrong, but somehow she could not see the scars or the implants or the dry, pale dead tissue that surrounded them.

“Miss Tiara, is something the matter? I simply cannot understand why you are acting this way, but I’m sure we can talk about it.”

“Your- -your face! Rarity, what- -”

Before Diamond Tiara could finish her sentence, something leapt down at her from a high shelf. Diamond Tiara screamed again: this creature was far worse, if only because of its size. Something hairy and white, a split in its face revealing a large and perpetually roving lens. The creature looked up at Diamond Tiara and then bore its fangs, hissing loudly before clicking off toward Rarity on mostly mechanical limbs.

“Oh, Opalescence,” said Rarity. “You really do insist on frightening out guests, don’t you?”

A warbling near-speech came from the monstrosity. Rarity just laughed, and turned toward Diamond Tiara. “Oh, you don’t have to worry. Opalescence can be…aggressive…but she’s not going to hurt you. She certainly scratched me quite hard earlier today.” Rarity lifted her hoof, and Diamond Tiara nearly vomited when she saw the massive, open surgical wound that exposed both bones and silvery wires. “But I deserved it, I suppose. I did try to touch her.”

“Rarity I don’t- -I don’t understand!” Diamond Tiara was screaming now, but all that seemed to come out of her was a whisper. The walls around her seemed to be closing in, and her eyes flitted across the various gray objects until they fell on the window. She immediately raced toward it.

“Diamond Tiara! No! What are you doing?” cried Rarity, limping forward.

“I- -I have to get out,” said Diamond Tiara. She did not understand how that would help, or why it was necessary, but that was what her instincts told her. She could not let Rarity get any closer.

Then she turned back, and immediately froze. She gasped: now, standing immediately beside Rarity, was another pony: a tall unicorn, his torso covered in a strange uniform. His piercing gaze was directed down at Diamond Tiara, and she could not tell if he looked amused, disgusted, or frightened. For a long moment, he just seemed to observe Diamond Tiara. Then he started speaking. Whatever he said, Diamond Tiara could not hear it.

“No- -NO! You stay back! Don’t get near me!” She lifted her hooves against the intruder, and her protests caught in her throat. Beneath the tatters of her unfinished dress, part of her foreleg was exposed- -and she saw to her horror that it was covered in metal and surgical scars, some of them still fresh.

“N- -no,” she said, looking down at her hooves. She looked up, and across the room spied a large mirror. Never before had she feared something so much as the thought of what she might see in that glass. She wanted to run away- -but instead found herself running toward that surface.

Unable to stop herself, she leaned over the glass, her eyes closed at what she knew she would see. A thought occurred to her that she could just keep them closed, to refuse to see. Everything would go back to being the way it was if she just refused to look at it.

That was not how she wanted to live, though. She had to know. So she opened her eyes.

The pony who stared back at her was entirely ordinary. Pink, with slightly frazzled bicolor hair topped with a now crooked tiara.

“Wh- -what?” she said. She picked up her hooves again, and saw that although rather sweaty, they were still the same as ever.

“Darling?” said Rarity, nervously. She came into the field of view of the mirror, but now she looked as beautiful as ever. There was no metal, and there were no scars. Diamond Tiara turned around quickly. “I- -the scars- -the- -”

The room around her was now bright and colorful. A slightly overweight Persian cat jumped onto the bed and eyed her with almost the exact same look that the tall pony had before lying down and going to sleep. As for the tall pony, he was nowhere to be seen. Even the memory of him was fading; Diamond Tiara could no longer even recall what color he had been.

“The unicorn- -the- -how did I- -”

“Darling, are you alright?”

“Diamond?” said Pick, poking his head around the corner of the doorframe. “I heard noises, and some screaming. Is everything alright?”

Diamond Tiara looked at him, and then at Rarity. She then did exactly what she had been conditioned to do by her mother for almost all of her life. With a deep breath, she suppressed her emotions and stood tall. “No. Nothing is wrong.”

“Are you sure?” said Rarity, looking genuinely concerned.

“Yes,” said Diamond Tiara harshly. “I’m fine. I just had a sudden migraine.” What she wanted to say was ‘I’m not insane’, but refrained from that because she was not.

Diamond Tiara pulled off the parts of her dress and crossed the room to Diamond Pick. “Rarity, I really hate to do this to you, but can we schedule this to a different day? I’m really not feeling well.”

“Oh…well, of course. I know how severe a migraine can be. I am friends with Pinkie Pie, after all. That will give me a chance to catch up on my backlog of hats…and, actually, I want to prepare you a concept sketch of something a little more extreme that just might work for you.”

“Fine,” said Diamond Tiara, disguising how much she was shaking. She turned to Pick, and allowed some of the discomfort in her voice to become apparent. “Take me home, please.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Pick. He did not ask what was wrong, as if he knew that if he did he would get no answer. “Do you need to be carried? I can call the drone.”

“No, no. Nothing is wrong with me. I just…I just can’t do this right now.”

Pick nodded and led Diamond Tiara out of Rarity’s bedroom. Rarity came to the door to see them go. “I hope you feel better soon, dearie. It would be a terrible tragedy to be sick on your prom night!”

“Thanks,” said Diamond Tiara. She turned back to wave- -and for a moment she saw just the finest remnants of stitched scars over Rarity’s face, just barely visible beneath her white coat in the strangely dim light.