Rarity’s brain lit up with the pressure of tomorrow’s deadline. It was a familiar feeling, but this time she had been so prepared. The gown was basically done, but a mere common gem would not do. Chartreuse—she had been too focussed on the colour and not the value.
“It looks fine to me, Rarity.” Spike said, flinching as she pelted one of the gems at the cavern wall.
She got to her hooves.
“It’s unacceptable. I’m returning to Carousel Boutique forthwith. You may continue to accompany me if you wish.”
In the corner of her eye, Rarity was glad to register that Spike heard the quiet affection in her last sentence. It would contribute against any perception he may be having that she was somewhat neglecting him. Her creative job required quite a large amount of insulated focus, and the next few hours especially were going to be an exercise in this.
Only the rarest gem of all would do for her client and friend, but Rarity needed to find out what that gem was. And then, of course, make a few adjustments so the entire design can revolve around it.
Arriving at Carousel Boutique, Rarity spared no second in picking out a gemmology encyclopaedia to flick through. Conveniently, this Fashionista’s Edition could have its contents organised by expense, difficulty to obtain, or rareness. Spike sauntered over.
“I’m still not seeing what’s wrong with the chartreuse gem we found in the cave.” Spike’s scaly forehead crinkled at the coming words. “I don’t see why rarity is such a big deal.”
“Rarity is the whole deal, Spikey!” She whirled around, book open in levitation before her. With one eye on the scrolling pages, the other on the dressed ponnequins spanning the showroom floor, a foreleg sweeping up Spike to look beside her, and the exciting mental pressure, Rarity began to explain herself.
After a fulfilling and exhausting song, Spike began to understand. When he was spinning around, all of the designs that panned across his vision were totally unique. If a pony were to be dressed from here, there would be no other that could make even a similar statement in terms of fashion as that one pony. Spike saw sense in it, but only nodded slowly.
“Ah-ha!”
The book flew over so Spike could see. It was a gem named Refracting Painite. It had a rarity level over .99. Spike raised his eyebrows. The prismatic reds and blacks of the gem looked delicious to the little dragon, but he had never seen it outside of the picture.
He pushed the book down enough to peek at Rarity. She was too excited for him to convince her otherwise.
“Spike, look.” Rarity came round and pointed to a spot on the page. “It says it was last discovered in the Everfree Forest!”
Coloratura moved the brush through her mane feeling the sensation with detachment. It had been her last concert before her album release tomorrow and she was staring at an old photo of her as the Countess. She adored her work now, being more involved as a songwriter and in the creation of performances that could only have come from her own individuality. Even so, her shows as the Countess were always so different from each other; this album is mostly just her and the piano. A short-lived breeze told her one of the dressing ponies had flown by.
“Hay! Excuse me!” Coloratura, rushing to the door, caught the jacketed pegasus by surprise. “Have we had the gown delivery?”
The pegasus could only shake his head dismally before having to return to his business. Coloratura went back to her thoughts, but her mind was finding reason against waiting for her album-night gown to arrive. She checked the clock.
The sun just pressed under the canopy when Rarity and Spike entered the Everfree Forest. Knowing the danger but nevertheless pressing forward, Rarity felt Spike hesitate behind her. Perhaps he looked towards the town. Anyway… it should be over quickly if they put the blinders on.
A hornet flew so close that Rarity could feel the buzz tingle in her ears. She narrowed her eyes in brief contemplation of the horrors these insects incur—and endure. This sharpened her search, gave her some kind of mental adrenaline. She was serious about her own task, finding this Refracting Painite, which was simply her role in the world as of now. The magic on her horn broadened its scope and she ignored the bite of a small spider that had found its way onto her coat.
Treading on soft ground, Spike kept close. He did not need to voice his evident concern so he kept quiet, listening intently to the movements of the flora and fauna. Rarity noticed he was in a rather protective formation with her. She was afforded a subtle smile before the sinkhole opened beneath them.
A dark plunge down.
“Rarity!”
She emitted a reflexive scream, not indicative of her resolve. Cold washed her entire body and her eyes suddenly stung. Sound was muffled, and she registered that she was underwater fast enough to spy a bubble show her the way upwards. Surfacing after it, it took her a second to comprehend her surroundings. A leaf drifted down, eventually sticking to the dank cavern wall.
“Spike! Spikey, where are you?”
She dipped underwater and strained her eyes to chance a glimpse. A moment of mental paralysis to frustrate the unthinkable. Any tears were invisible when a claw brushed her neck and pulled her up.
“Rarity, are you alright?” Spike puffed.
He swam her to the side of the cavern where another path became evident through the dark. As soon as they heaved ashore, Rarity squeezed her companion tightly enough to squirt the water out of him. She stepped back, eyes averted. She could manage to levitate Spike out of the hole and find another way out herself. No more danger—
Spike touched her face, brought her attention back. “So, are we finding this gem or not?”
Rarity took a crisp breath in. Her frowning smile and wide eyes hardly indicated the conflict that underlay. He would not leave her.
A gem was waiting.
Coloratura saw the sun’s last sliver disappear from Carousel Boutique’s front door. Hearing a guttural huffing coming up the street, she turned to see a bulky white pegasus walking the incline. He was carrying what looked like a spa basin. Wavering on whether to interrupt, she was surprised to see him come over and put the basin down.
“It’s full of water!” Coloratura exclaimed.
“Would you like any help ma’am? My name's Bulk. I have a sense for these things.”
Coloratura was still shocked at the stallion’s strength. If he didn’t have any other jobs, he would be an excellent stagehoof.
“Uh, yes please. I was looking for Rarity. Have you seen her?”
Bulk thought a moment and nodded. He pointed toward the forest.
“She was hanging around the edge of the Everfree when I was down there earlier.”
Coloratura recalled her few nights in Ponyville at Sweet Apple Acres as a filly. The Everfree was supposed to be forbidden. That, she could not forget. She thanked Bulk and parted with haste.
Trotting down the street, memories came back to her about ‘Rara’ and Applejack as children exploring. The first place a country filly goes is the place that is forbidden. She broke into a canter when the joy of it was remembered. Her manager would not like this… but he was not here.
When she got to the edge of the chirping Everfree, all she had to go by were the hoofprints of Bulk. Were she to trace them, there may be a chance to see Rarity from the viewpoint. Step by step, she looked out but without luck. Creasing her brow as the nearest sign of settlement became obscure, the hoofsteps finally terminated at an underground entrance. Moonlight was the only spell cast across this foreign-seeming land, and the opening seemed to emanate cold. Coloratura lowered her head in thought. It would be a shame to come all this way and give up. And sometimes you had to work a bit extra for your art.
She put a hoof lightly to her forehead. She knew that a gown was not this important. Her emotions did not agree. She was no fashion fanatic, despite former appearances, but out of some infuriating compulsion she had to go on. Was it some diversion from… tomorrow? She entered the cavern telling herself Rarity was probably searching it for gems.
Wandering the cavern tunnels unhurriedly lost in thought and tune, Coloratura froze. Digging was coming from the other side of the wall.
“Rarity?” She yelled, quieter than she thought she intended.
Silence for a moment.
“Coloratura?”
Coloratura’s eyebrows shot up in astonishment.
“Dig towards my voice.” And Coloratura began humming.
Rarity and Spike soon broke through.
“Rarity, I hesitate to say this but—” Coloratura began.
“I look simply dreadful.”
“What are you doing down here?” She asked.
Rarity scoffed. “I could ask you the same thing! You should be in lovely, clean Canterlot right now!”
Coloratura signalled the way with a smile and the trio began walking.
“I came to Ponyville to pick up my gown for tomorrow, but I think I just needed a time out. Oh, and somepony in town saw you near here.”
Rarity’s ears flopped backwards. She would have looked sheepish had anypony looked at her.
“It’s, well… I was hoping to find a specific gem down here for just that.”
“We weren’t successful,” interjected Spike.
Rarity immediately communicated with her eyes at him, but was not too ungrateful he had told the truth.
“But I’ll surely have it to you for tomorrow!” She finished.
Coloratura frowned. She did not like the idea of Rarity having to go to such lengths for her. “Aren’t you able to find a more common gem that could work just as well?”
Rarity shook her head. “That is out of the question. I simply have to have the one I’ve chosen. Trust me, darling. With this gem, nopony in history will stand alike.”
Coloratura returned her gaze to the tunnel ahead, her pace slowing. She could tell that Spike felt uneasy, as if there had been a better option that had been decided against. A minute later, she turned back to Rarity.
“Well, I can’t just leave you to keep looking like this. Was there another version of the gown you could still go with?”
Spike opened his mouth.
“No, I really must—” started Rarity.
“She was going to use a chartreuse we found earlier today,” Spike deadpanned.
Rarity’s horrified gasp filled the tunnel.
“We were looking for a Refracting Painite which, as you can see, is much rarer.”
Coloratura scrunched her nose. She was having trouble with Rarity’s reasoning.
“Rarity, I’m sure I would have liked the vison you were already going with. I don’t know what might have made you change your mind. But just because something is rare does not mean it is always the best.”
Rarity chuckled. “Au contraire, my dear! Rarity signifies one of a kind, which is what you are. Anything less simply would not do.”
“But Rarity, don’t you see? What you already had designed was one of a kind, even without the rare gem to put on it.” Coloratura’s eyes widened in revelation. Her own performances were like this; less varied technically than the Countess but considerably more so in message. “The vision can be the real value, less so the materials it was constructed with.”
“I suppose you may have a point… But that gem was just so perfect!” The trio stopped walking so the ponies could properly address each other.
“Not everything has to be perfect.” Coloratura drew back into her mind as she spoke, surprising herself. “As the Countess, I had the perfect lighting, sound, stage management, and more, but it was all bundled together lifelessly. Sometimes the willingness to accept imperfection is part of showing a sincere message.”
Her shoulders softly relieved themselves of tension. A contented feeling now arose regarding her album release.
“So you are saying that the true rarity is originality,” Rarity said, squinting as she continued to process Coloratura’s meaning.
“Which can only be discovered through sincerity,” Spike finished.
The trio resumed walking in contemplation. A timberwolf howled, and blotches of moonlight illuminated the dirt ahead. Coloratura reached the exit.
There was a brief silence before Rarity’s gentle laughter.
“Spike. I may need some help in writing a letter to the princess when we get back.”
The three emerged on the outskirts of the forest. The town lights were twinkling in the distance.
