Art-Inspired Clop by Rhurrs

When it came to behaving properly, there were very few who could match Rarity, she was the epitome of refined and ladylike. Never looking out of place or acting out of turn, even among those of high status or royalty alike, if there was one to turn to to mimic their behavior in order to fit in, it was certainly Rarity. However, that didn't mean that she didn't have some of her vices as well. A problem she had as a filly that she'd never really grown out of even if she had reined it in over time was that the fabulous white mare could be a horrible snoop... At least when she thought that nobody was looking and when she could get away with it. There was never any harm meant by it of course, she just got a bit too nosy for her own good in her efforts to know more about those around her that interested her.

Today was one of those 'snoopy' days for Rarity. Even before she had been elevated to her current status of princess, she had been welcome in the castle and just as her purple friend had found out after the fact, that made her welcome in the Canterlot castle at all points in time without so much as a bat of an eyelash. True, there were places that were still not advised to be wandering around in, but for the most part if she wanted to wander, she was able to do so with impunity. If anyone was to say anything to her, nine times out of ten it was just a greeting from one of the servants or the maids, maybe a little casual 'how are you' or 'you're looking lovely'. The one other time, it was a simple enough feat for her to charm her way out of any real trouble; politely apologizing and going about her way went a long way when you had the status to back it up.

The royal reliquary was the subject of today's nosing about. Not because she was convinced that there was knowledge to be gleaned in it about certain ponies, oh no, more because ancient trends and fashions fascinated her. Things always went in phases and what was old so often again would become new. If she could pick up on some of them and put her own little spin on many, (without taking them, she was not a thief!) it would again be just put her one step ahead on the cutting edge.

The door itself was locked, but it was a lock from a time gone by, when locks were simple things, barely even having enough tumblers to deter a firm jiggling to get them open. A simple hairpin and nail file, two things that Rarity always had on her person, were all that it took. That and a little patience. Rarity was no locksmith, but she had very good hands and a light touch, so it took just a bit of fumbling for her to find the lock clicking into place and turning with ease. The door in question needed some oil, badly. It creaked it's protest from hinges that were showing signs of rust as it was pulled upon, causing Rarity to startle and pull back with a surprised ruffling of feathers.

She paused, waiting to see if someone had heard or was coming, but after a full minute, yes, she counted, it seemed nobody was. The door was not happy to be pulled further, every little nudge brought another creak, another whine of aged metal, and there was no avoiding it. The portal was both heavy and irritatingly resistant to any efforts to move it with any degree of force that wasn't a firm pull. "Oh enough already!" With a flash of blue magic Rarity lost her patience, yanking on the door violently, causing one more loud whine of protest from the hinges, a whine that forced her ears against her head.

The whine wasn't the only thing that Rarity had to worry about either, with the sudden yank, a breeze was swirled through the room. Musty, dust laden air came flying out into Rarity's face, necessitating a turn away, a wincing shut of eyes and a series of soft sneezes as the dust found it's way into her nose, agitating her senses further. Only after a wiping of her face with her trusted handkerchief and a firm blowing of her nose into it to clear any of the further offending dust did she feel that she was up for proceeding.

"Oh dear, this room really could use some TLC now couldn't it?" Some things were strewn about in corners that almost looked like they were just put there by a disgruntled workman who was asked to move them right at the end of his shift. The floor had a few tracks here and there in it, at least proving that it saw some use, but the dust was still thick everywhere in the room and made Rarity very mindful to keep her tail hiked up a few more inches and move with care lest she stir more of it up and devolve into another series of sneezing fits.

Overall the room was proving to be very disappointing indeed, nothing that looked interesting or valuable in there at all, it was almost as if this was just a room where Celestia and/or Luna had thrown a good deal of their junk. Tapestries were worn and ragged, many of the furnishings, chairs, dressers, armoires and even a large wardrobe, were fruitless. Rarity had such high hopes for that wardrobe too, but all the garments in it were either threadbare or moth eaten. Even if she wanted to mimic the styles it wasn't worth it at all, the garments were not all that much unalike current ones.

*Sigh* Oh well, at least the cool breeze felt nice in what had been an otherwise stuffy room. "Wait a moment..." Rarity was no detective, but she was smart as ponies went, there were no windows to the outside at all, was the draft coming from a hidden room within the room perhaps? Even if she had been reading a bit too much from the works of Daring Do to the point that it played with her imagination, it was worth a look.

Where was that coolness coming from? Rarity licked her finger and held it up into the air, it was an old trick, but none the less an effective one if one had the senses to use it properly. Ah, over in the corner there, behind the armoire! There was no way that she was moving it conventionally, so once again she used her magic to good effect, carefully lifting the heavy wooden furnishing up a fraction of an inch and setting it to the side, mindful once more of the dust.

She needn't have been so mindful in hindsight, the moment that the dresser moved, just like stepping outside on a breezy day, air suddenly flew and swirled around her, causing her to squeak and once more flinch away, covering her nose with a hand and her eyes sharply.

"Mmmmrrr, thank you for that /darling/ it was getting a bit stuffy back there~" Even with her eyes closed, that voice made Rarity's ears shoot up in surprise, it sounded... Just like her! Well not just like her per-se, it was richer, more commanding and husky in a way as if she were channeling her own more domineering side and mingling a hearty throaty purr into every syllable.

What sort of trickery was this? Rarity wiped her hand across her eyes, finding nothing there that would get into them and opened them up slowly. What she saw was enough to make her reel back in shock and awe. Standing there was herself, but not just herself, it was a whole different take on herself, a tall, statuesque version of her, almost as tall it appeared as one of the divine alicorns, complete with a body befitting of such. Her skin as black as charcoal, curves that would only be befitting of the most voluptuous of mares; starting with a pair of breasts that would have even shamed the sweater puppies that Fluttershy sported and hips that flared out around a defined rump, making what was an already hourglass figure all the more accentuated. Her horn was lengthened beyond what would have normally been possible for an average pony, easily twice the size of the already rather impressive spire that Rarity herself possessed. All around and behind this darkened Rhurr was an ocean of shimmering shining violets and velvets, a flowing starry mane which reminded her quite a good deal of Luna's but of a different color scheme and much more full as if it was trying to show itself off. Then there was what the eye would normally gravitate towards, an even darker, vein straining spire that rose between the dark mare's legs, towering before her aqua eyes with a graceful curve which only gave the illusion that it was a bit shorter than it's already massive appearance. Coupling to the monolithic tower was a set of likewise dark orbs, hanging just beneath it, enough to make even Rarity gawk and Rarity knew a thing or two about excessively large testicles!

"W-What are... What is...?" *Pomf!* Ivory wings flared in a delayed reaction, spreading sharply to their full span, stirring some of the chilled air about her. She couldn't take her eyes off that creature in the mirror even as she took a cautionary step back away from it, a step that she vaguely noted, that the figure in the mirror did not reciprocate. It was only then that Rarity noticed something else, she was colder than she had been, that the backpedal had sent a certain something swaying between her legs and back against them. Her eyes didn't want to leave the figure, some part of her mind insisting that it could come out and grab her if she did, but she had to be sure... A quick glance down not just confirmed, but added to her horror. She was nude, her body bared from bust to hoof, clothing gone without a trace and an odd purple and black miasma was swirling around her hooves. A very very quick glance, tracing the swirling, roiling darkness back to it's source instantly revealed what was happening. It was all seeping from the mirror itself, a series of cracks, easily missed when presented with the imposing dark figure, spiderwebbed up from a point near the bottom where the mist seemed to be seeping from.

The figure's lips broke into something of a very amused little smirk, observing the reaction of the smaller white alicorn with a great deal of interest. "Surprised are you hm? The dark Rarity cackled for a moment and then licked her lips, lidding her eyes and looking down her nose at the shorter incarnation of herself.

Rarity took another step back, angling her body away from the mirror, at least, from her trained eye, if the other Rarity was to physically reach out of the mirror and make a grab for her, she would be out of arm's reach for the time being.

The darkness swirled about and thickened, seeming to protest the ever so slow retreat of the stunned white pony. "Oh no dear, don't go anywhere, STAY." There was something in that word 'stay' that was nearly commanding enough to break one's will, just something about the tone and presence behind it. "You and I have much to discuss~."