Fall Obsessionsby mechafoneChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3EpilogueChapter 1The evening air was chilly. Fall was in full swing, and while the days were warm and pleasant, the nights were much less kind. The frost would come soon, hardening the grass and the ground. It was three months after the whole Nightmare Moon incident. Since then, the citizens of Ponyville had all been on edge at night. It was steadily getting better, but some early mornings, some ponies could be seen by their windows, waiting for the sun to come up. It always did, but there was always that tiny, lingering fear that the sun wouldn't rise. It was one such night at the Carousel Boutique that Rarity found herself unable to sleep. The unnerving experience of everything she and her friends went through that long, long night still kept her up sometimes. She sat at her second floor window, staring out at the empty streets. She didn't fear the night much anymore, not after what she'd been through, but something had been nagging at her lately. Something felt different in the air, like it was charged with palpable anxiety. She was just about to close her window and turn in when she saw a shadowy figure moving past her shop. It was hunched over, like it was hunting. And it was big. From the shape and bulk, it looked like a...a Timberwolf! Panic and fear ran through her bones. "Oh my, oh my, this is terrible, dreadful!" She gasped and held a hoof to her lips as the shadow stopped and turned to face her. Bright, gleaming eyes stared at her, and Rarity felt her heart begin to beat faster and faster as she stared back. She felt frozen in place, unable to take her eyes off this frightening creature. Suddenly, the creature darted from view around the corner, and out of Rarity's sight. "Oooh...I don't think so!" Shedding her fear, Rarity shot down the stairs and burst out of her store. She wasn't about to let some monster terrorize her town in the middle of the night! Why, she was Rarity, the Element of Generosity! She had faced a Manticore and Nightmare Moon, and all on the same night. A silly little wooden wolf was not going to best her. She focused magic in her horn as she turned the corner where she had seen the beast disappear, preparing her strongest fire spell. Of course, this was normally used to light candles, but the Timberwolf needn't know that. She ran with all her might, but she was starting to feel her lungs burn, and the creature didn't seem to be in sight. Had she chased it off? She came to a halt in the middle of the town square, taking time to get her lungs reacquainted with air. After some careful observation, it seemed that the creature had indeed escaped her. Which was fine by her. She wasn't really looking for a fight, she just wouldn't put up with monsters in her town! After a few moments of making sure the area was clear of big wooden wolves, Rarity made her way back home. As she did, bright, reflective eyes watched her from the shadows. The next day, first thing in the morning, Rarity made her way to the library. Twilight Sparkle had proven to be quite adept at finding information, as well as absolutely...well, "adorkable". She got so excited when somepony mentioned one of her favorite subjects, she was always helpful when it came finding the books Rarity wanted to find. Oh, she could talk for hours about books and their endless treasure troves of knowledge. Surely she'd have something on Timberwolves. "Hello! Twilight!" She called after she knocked once on the door. She stepped in slowly. She came nearly nose to nose with Twilight as she had been walking over to get the door. "Oh! Hello, Twilight." Rarity stepped back to even the space between them. "Hi, Rarity!" Twilight Sparkle smiled, but it was clear she was a big frazzled today, a little more than usual. "What brings you around today?" Twilight stepped back, an inviting gesture. Rarity stepped inside graciously, and closed the door behind her with her magic. She took a long look around the library. It was unusually quiet. Usually Twilight had Spike running about doing chores...Oh. Of course. She rolled her eyes at her own speculations, then turned to look at her friend with a warm smile. "Oh, I do apologize for barging in so early, Twilight. I came to see if I could find some books on mon-" She didn't get a chance to finish as Twilight's face lit up with excitement. She was instantly running through the M section. Her eyes worked furiously through the titles until she finally came to... "Monsters!" A thick book slipped out of it's comfy place on the shelves engulfed in a light purple shell of magic. Rarity rolled her eyes good-naturedly and joined her friend at the table as Twilight set it there. They both blew on the book at the same time, then shared a look of mirth as Twilight opened the old tome. "So what kind of monsters are you interested in, Rarity?" The fashionista smiled at her friend before taking over. Her magic gripped the book and started flipping the pages until she finally came to what she was looking for. "The Timberwolf?" Twilight looked at her friend curiously. "You came here looking for information on a very specific type of creature, Rarity. Why the Timberwolf?" "Because I saw one last night, Twilight..." Rarity spoke in excited, hushed tones as she read through the Timberwolf page. It also had an illustration, although she was having trouble piecing the drawing before her together with the creature she had seen last night. They were similar in size, but the way it moved...something about it was off. Rarity looked up to the unexpected sound of Twilight giggling. Rarity pouted lightly and gave her friend a pointed stare. "Twilight, are you laughing at me?" She whined, then nudged her friend with her side and gave her a grin to show she was joking. Twilight shook her head and looked down at the book before them. "Rarity, Timberwolves haven't been spotted in town for years and years. Believe me, I've gone through the town records for all kinds of monster sightings. After the incident with Nightmare Moon, I wanted to know all about what's happened with the town in the past. You've been here much longer than I have, Rarity; have you ever seen a Timberwolf in Ponyville?" "I...well...No." Rarity sighed with disappointment as she looked down at the illustration of the Timberwolf. She frowned as the artist in her began to draw make-believe lines along the creature. Not quite as long. About as tall, but wider. Why was it wider? It wasn't fat. It was stocky, like a farm pony. Come to think of, it had hair, like a mane. Why was it's back so wide? It reminded her a bit like a Pegasus... "Wait, that's it!" Rarity practically bounced with joy as she magic'd the nearest drawing utensil she saw and a scroll that Twilight kept in a pile at the end of the table. Twilight watched in pure fascination as Rarity recreated the creature from her memory. Taking the shadows into account, and the fact that she was above it and a ways away, she produced a faithful recreation of the creature in it's entirety. "Well! What do you have to say about that, Twilight Sparkle? That's what I saw last night!" Rarity smiled triumphantly at Twilight, but her smile quickly faded. Twilight looked horrified. Rarity frowned, then looked down at her drawing. The "creature" had evolved from the illustration to look much less like a wolf, and more like a Pegasus. It's wings were held straight and tight against it's back, the feathers abnormally long and cresting over it's rump. She had made sure to emphasize on the shiny, reflective eyes. It was haunting, but also beautiful, and somehow lonely. The fashionista smiled down at her work. She almost never drew stallions, as she was quite sure by now it was a Pegasus. Twilight, however, looked like she'd seen a ghost. She had sat stock since Rarity had finished the drawing. Finally she stood and walked away from the table, and made for the stairs. Halfway there, she turned and gave Rarity a sad, apologetic smile. "Oh Rarity, I'm so sorry. I-I'm not feeling too well suddenly. Would you...do you mind...Could you leave, please, and take that drawing with you? I...don't feel like explaining right now..." She sighed and continued up the steps. The silence in the library was deafening, even as the door to her room was shut. Rarity frowned sadly as she looked back down at the drawing. Had her drawing made her sad? She picked it up with her magic, staring at it hard and long. Now that she really thought about it, there was something very familiar about it. She sighed and rolled it up, and left the library as quietly as she could. End part one. Stay tuned for more! Chapter 2Over the next week, Rarity sat by her window throughout the nights, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Pegasus that crept through the shadows. She still wasn't completely convinced that it was a Pegasus, but that's all she had to go on. After just more than a week, she had to stop staying up so late. Her orders were falling behind, and this obsessive streak just wasn't good for business. After two more days of hard work, she had caught up. She was exhausted, but she felt confident that her business was no longer in danger of falling behind. Later that week, around 4pm on an idle Tuesday, Rarity was helping one of her regulars, Allie Way, with some fancy new hair ties. The conversation was polite, and maybe even genuinely friendly at one point. The two of them had gone to school together as fillies, but had lost touch with one another over the years. Allie Way admired herself in the mirror. While she wasn't the flirty type, she certainly was pretty. She was tall, taller than most Unicorns, and the way she always had her mane tied back was quite fetching. "Oh, this new material is just great, Rarity!" She gushed as she freed her hair and slipped the tie back to Rarity. "I'll take five of them. Maybe the new mystery stallion in town'll come by the bowling alley and we'll have a game together..." She let slip an unusually girly giggle as she fiddled with her mane. Rarity blinked in confusion. "A new stallion in town? Oh do tell!" She walked with a bounce in her step to collect four more ties for her customer. She paused, then, as the night a week and a half ago came back to her. "Wait...This isn't about some stallion that's lurking about at night, is it?" The alabaster Unicorn winced as she heard herself. Who would get excited over something like that? "Oh, it is!" Rarity nearly dropped the hair ties she had been collecting in a little box. "O-oh?" She turned after she had rid herself of the perplexed look she was sure that had burned itself onto her face. "Has anyone seen this 'mystery stallion'?" Allie Way smiled as she turned and lightly grabbed the box from Rarity with her own magic, while replacing it with ten bits. "Well, I don't know for sure, but talk is going around that Ditzy hangs out with him sometimes. But you know how it is with single moms, he probably wouldn't want to stick around for that." Rarity felt her respect for her customer dip just slightly at that comment, but she kept her cool and simply murmured an unintelligible response. She smiled happy at Allie, and dipped her head graciously. "I see. Well, thank you ever so much for your business, Allie, but I must be getting along. I have an enormous task ahead of me, I simply must get to it, you understand." "Oh, of course..." Allie returned the smile, but she felt like she was getting rushed. No matter, she had her own affairs to get to, as well. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, see you around, Rarity!" She waved and trotted on out and disappeared into town. Now that that was out of the way, Rarity had a new goal: To find Ditzy, engage her in witty conversation, and cause her to talk about this mysterious stallion. She closed up shop an hour early with a message apologizing to her customers, then set out on the town. Her first order of business: Find Ditzy. It wasn't hard around this time of day. Usually, the mailmare was finishing up her rounds for the day. After that, she usually went to the park where Dinky was often playing to pick her up. After some thought, Rarity decided a beeline for the park would be a good idea. After arriving at the park, she settled in for a wait. She smiled almost wistfully as she watched all the little colts and fillies play. It reminded her of her own school days. Her own school days, when - She was suddenly brought out of her memories when she saw Ditzy arrive. Little Dinky ran to meet her mother. Rarity got to her feet and was about to approach the two when a little white filly attached herself to Rarity from behind. "Rarity!" A happy young voice squeaked. Startled, Rarity turned to look down at her sister, who had appeared from nowhere. "Sweetie Belle! Wh-what are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be with..." She trailed off as her parents approached, both giving her big, hopeful smiles. "Oh, hello, dearie!" Her mother called. Rarity turned to face the three completely unexpected Unicorns. "Mother, Father, and Sweetie Belle!" Rarity forced a smile onto her face as she hugged her little sister. The affection wasn't insincere, but their appearance had frazzled her, as it always did whether or not she was expecting them to. "So sorry to have ta do this unannounced, Rarity," her father said. Rarity's countenance tightened just slightly as she already knew what they were about to say. She didn't see her family all together at once unless they were going to leave Sweetie Belle with her for the weekend. She sighed and held a hoof up. "Of course I'll watch Sweetie Belle. I'd love to spend some time with my sister." She smiled more naturally and embraced Sweetie Belle again, who melted into her sister's forelegs happily. "Oh, Rarity, you're a life saver, ya know." Her mother leaned in and kissed her elder daughter's cheek, followed by her husband. The public display made Rarity blush with embarrassment. "Yes, of course. Think nothing of it." Rarity smiled and dismissed that heavy sigh she so desperately needed to have. It looked like she'd have to get back to her mission at some other point. After a moment, she realized that her parents had said their goodbyes to Sweetie Belle. She hadn't even bothered to ask how long she'd need to watch Sweetie Belle. Wait a second! She gasped and hopped in place excitedly. "Oh, oh, Sweetie Belle! You don't have many friends here in Ponyville yet, do you?" She stated more than asked. Sweetie Belle sat back on her haunches, indignity crossing her features. "No. You don't need to rub it in." Rarity smiled happily down at Sweetie and cupped her cheeks with her hooves. "Oh, don't you worry about that, Sweetie, I'm about to make you a friend!" She reached down and tugged Sweetie Belle behind her. She was absolutely driven to make this happen. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure how she felt about this. Rarity was acting awfully strange so suddenly, but she had wanted a friend, so... "Ditzy, oh Ditzy!" Rarity called as she caught up with the mother-daughter pair. Rarity slowed down when she realized she was acting just a liiittle crazy. She collected herself as she approached her old school-mate. "Oh, hello, Rarity!" Ditzy smiled and nudged little Dinky, who looked up at her mother until she remembered her manners. "Hello, Miss Rarity, how do you do?" Rarity gave an adoring gasp at the little Unicorn. "Oh, she's so well-mannered! Sweetie Belle, say hello, dear." Sweetie Belle smiled and gave her best impression of a curtsy. "Hello, I'm pleased to meet you." Rarity had never been prouder of her. "Oh, well done, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity smiled and turned to Ditzy. "Oh Ditzy, I apologize for taking up your time, but...Sweetie Belle is in need of friends here in Ponyville, she may be here for a few days. Could I, perhaps, borrow your daughter sometime in the near future, to help keep Sweetie from being too lonely?" She looked down at Dinky, a kind smile on her face. "If that's all right with you, of course, Dinky." Dinky and Ditzy glanced at each other, then nodded at the same time. Their movements were so in sync it might've been a bit unsettling, if it hadn't been so cute. "I think that'd be great, Rarity!" Ditzy said with a grin. Rarity was beside herself. Her plan was working out perfectly! "Oh, that's delightful, Ditzy, thank you ever so much, both of you. Now Sweetie Belle, why don't you go play with Dinky for a moment, I need to talk with her mother, please." As soon as the two fillies ran back to the park, Rarity turned to face Ditzy. She was taken aback by the knowing grin on the grey mare's face. "Uh, s-so, Ditzy, I was hoping to -" "He doesn't like ponies to spread it around." "I...beg your pardon?" Ditzy smiled and sat down on her haunches, a patient smile on her face. "Rarity, I know we're not anywhere near the same place on the social ladder, and I'm not the most popular mare around town. We talked when we were kids, I guess, but nowadays, with the talk going on around town, there's really only one reason you'd bother trying to make friends." Rarity blanched. She would be offended if it wasn't true. A look of guilt stole over her face as she gazed at the ground. Before she could come up with a response, Ditzy continued. "It's all right, Rarity. You're a kind pony, and everypony has friends that they don't talk to anymore. I'm not saying you're a bad pony. You're really one of the most generous ponies I've ever met, and you still are." Rarity smiled up at the Pegasus while holding back a stray tear. "Oh, thank you, Ditzy. I do appreciate it..." Ditzy smiled kindly once more. "Now...about that 'mysterious stallion' that I've been so unkindly rumored to be with? He's an old friend, but he's asked me not to spread it around that he's in town. It got around anyway, somehow. He wanted me to let you know, if I ever get the chance to talk to you, that he's sorry for scaring you the other night. Rarity stared at Ditzy. It suddenly came to her. It hit her like a block of ice pressed to her belly. "Wait...Wait just a moment. Ditzy, are you...do you mean who I think you mean? Sp...Spark Storm?" Ditzy broke out into a grin and nodded. Rarity's eyes widened, and she looked like she needed to sit down. Trouble was, she was already sitting down. "Oh. Oh my. This is...so exciting! This is...!" She was cut off as Ditzy pressed a hoof over her mouth. "Sshh! It's already going around town, Rarity, he really doesn't want it spread out any more than it already is!" Rarity pouted as Ditzy lowered her hoof. "Oh, but...but Ditzy, I haven't seen him since I was nine years old! Honestly..." She lowered her voice at the glare Ditzy was giving her. She stepped closer to whisper. "Aside from the old kooks who wanted him thrown out, what other reason could have for all this sneaking around?" Ditzy sighed and shrugged with her wings. "I wish I knew, but he won't tell me. It's a secret. Look, I should get going." She paused, then smiled once more. "Sweetie Belle is still more than welcome to play with Dinky, you know. She needs more friends, too." She called for her daughter, and the two of them set off for home. As Rarity waited for Sweetie Belle, she thought deeply on this new information. What in the world could he possibly have to be afraid of that he wouldn't even tell Ditzy, who had been his best friend for ten years? All these keeping secrets was...wait. Wait just a minute! The cogs in Rarity's head turned at feverish paces, putting information together, taking it apart and putting it back together again in different pieces. Finally, it all clicked into place, and she was left with one conclusion. Twilight Sparkle had something to do with this. She seemed to recognize the sketch Rarity had drawn of Spark Storm. Twilight Sparkle was definitely keeping a secret from her, and it was time to find out why. Chapter 3The next day, after securing a play date for Dinky and Sweetie Belle, Rarity made her way to Twilight's library. This was it: This was the last clue she had. The incidents from the last week and a half and what Ditzy had told her the day before were all she had to go on, but it seemed a solid lead, and Rarity intended to follow it through. Rarity knocked politely on the library door, then nearly yelled "Ah-hah!" when it opened. She was most glad she hadn't, because it was Spike who had opened the door, not Twilight. "Oh hey, Rarity! It's always good to see you, come on in!" He said excitedly. He stepped inside for her, making a grand gesture with his arms. Rarity grinned and trotted inside. "Such a gentlecolt, thank you, Spike." Rarity gave the library a good once-over and quickly noticed a lack of Twilight Sparkle. Rarity already had a bad feeling that she'd missed her friend. Turning to Spike, she said, "Spike, is Twilight here?" He shrugged. "Nah, you just missed her. She said she was going to the book store to see if they had some books we're apparently "missing"." he punctuated his last word by making apostrophe marks with his claws. This gesture of course was completely lost on Rarity. "A book store? We-Ponyville has a book store?" Rarity frowned. Ditzy's words came back and hit her like a sack of bricks. She really did ignore certain Ponies and places...well, she'd have to fix that. Right now. "Spike, do you know where this book store is?" Spike seemed to deflate a bit upon Rarity's question. He'd really been hoping that she was here to see him, but that had been proven false. He sighed inwardly and gave her the directions. Rarity thanked him and hurried to leave, but turned and gave the little Dragon a quick hug. "Oh thank you, Spike. You are a little dear, thank you!" Spike sighed happily and hugged himself after Rarity left, imagining her hooves around him for a moment, before shaking his head clear and returned to the task of picking up around the library. Rarity cantered through town on a mission. Find this book store, confront Twilight, obtain secret information. Even if she couldn't use it for gossip (It is a personal secret, after all), she needed to know! Finally, she arrived at the bookstore. It was located back to back with Bon Bon's candy store. Had she really never seen this store before? Rarity chastised herself for not noticing it before now. Just before heading inside, she nearly collided with Twilight Sparkle as she was leaving. "Oh! Hello again, Twilight!" Twilight had a shocked look on her face, then smiled warmly. "Oh hello, Rarity! I was just catching up with an old friend." Rarity froze on the spot. Was Twilight really speaking of her secret so easily? She'd seemed so upset when she'd seen that sketch of Spark Storm. Now that she was here, though, she could see him! Twilight's "secret" could wait until later, right? She wanted to see her old friend now! "Oh, uh...I just came by to see if the bookstore had a, eh...pattern design book, yes. Pattern designs." She tittered and quickly maneuvered Twilight and herself so that they had switched positions. She began to back into the store carefully and gave Twilight a rushed but sincere smile. "I wanted to talk to you about something, but it can wait till later, hm? Ta ta, dear!" Twilight blinked with confusion as Rarity disappeared into the store. She shrugged, then went on her way. Once inside, Rarity took her time. The place was dimly lit, and it was a bit cramped, though the store itself went back aways. Tall bookshelves were lined neatly several feet apart, and there was a metal staircase that lead up to a loft area, where more books waited to be purchased. Despite looking like an old store, it smelled relatively new. The air was pleasant, it reminded Rarity of peaches and cinnamon. Such odd scents for a bookstore, but very nice nonetheless. After a moment, a vaguely familiar voice called out, "Hello? Is someone there?" This surprised the Unicorn, she had been so taken with the store's appearance and scents that she'd almost forgotten why she was here. "Ahah! I knew I would find you here!" She called. "Oh, you did? Wonderful! I'm up here!" Rarity's heart began to speed up as she followed the voice up the metal stairs. This was so exciting! The very nature of Twilight's secret, and getting to see her old friend! This was just getting better and bett- She stopped and looked in awe at the green Pegasus who was most certainly not Spark Storm, but Emerald Skies, who had been in Rarity's and Spark Storm's circle of friends in their youth. Several emotions began to run through Rarity at the same time: Excitement, disappointment, joy, joy at finding one of her old friends, but not the one she'd been looking for... "Oh, Rarity! What a pleasure to see you!" Emerald smiled and took a few steps closer before adjusting his glasses. Rarity hadn't seen him since before going through their final years of school. He had grown into a fine looking stallion. Handsome, in a bookish kind of way. Now that she thought about it, he really did remind her of a male, green Twilight with wings. "E-Emerald, hello! You've grown up well." She smiled and slipped back into professional mode. It wouldn't do to insult an old friend right after meeting him again after several years. Ditzy's words again hit her hard. Just how many ponies had she forgotten lived in this town? The guilt was slowly eating at her, making her more and more aware of her position on the social ladder. Emerald blushed at her compliment. "What brings you by my humble abode today? Some cross-stitch pattern books? Perhaps, some advanced stitching techniques?" He flew over her head and began running through his vast collections, calling out books that Rarity would indeed be looking for, had she come for shopping. As the Unicorn watched her old friend look through books that just screamed 'fashionista', Rarity felt tears forming in her eyes. Emerald Skies hadn't seen her for so long, yet he knew exactly what she might want. And here she was, Unicorn of beauty, grace, "social butterfly", and she didn't even know that her old friend still lived here in Ponyville and owned a bookstore. How many others had she abandoned in her race to the top? She was deep in her own regrets when she heard a grumble. It sounded like a very empty stomach, and up there in the metal loft it echoed. It was undeniable proof that Rarity was not alone. Even Emerald Skies heard it. He paused in his browsing and looked up to Rarity with a look of panic on his face. "Uhh...heh..must be more hungry that I thought!" He laughed nervously as he returned to his loft and coughed. "Sh-shouldn't have missed breakfast, I guess!" He then made a low guttural noise in his throat, trying to recreate the noise. It was not working. The fashionista looked at him flatly. "There is someone else here, Emerald, and I am beginning to think you're hiding her from me." "I-I'm not hiding hi- uhhh her uh anyone..." Emerald Skies felt a trickle of sweat drip down his mane. He'd been caught. "Ah-hah! I knew it." she said matter-of-factly. She looked around the dark corners of the loft. The walls were covered, mostly, with boxes and rolled-up materials, but she knew he was here somewhere. "Spark Storm! Come out here and say hello to me like a proper gentlecolt, or I will tear this place apart until I find you! Don't think I won't, you remember how determined I can be when I set my mind to something!" Emerald looked horrified at this outburst, but he seemed to relax when they both heard some rustling in the back. Rolled up tarps and metal bars fell onto the floor with a loud clatter as the dark Pegasus emerged from the far right corner. As he did, Rarity's heart again began to beat with excitement. From the corner emerged the very pony she'd been obsessing about for the past week and a half. Oh, how he'd changed. He was tall, so very tall, only half a head shorter than that red farmer pony that she had recently learned was Applejack's brother. She took him all in, as well as she could in the dim light. His wings appeared almost exactly as she had drawn them. When they weren't sticking out in all directions, making him look like a grand peacock, they were tapered straight down his back, edging about four inches behind his rear, which was actually quite shapely... No, no! That's not why you're here! Focus, Rarity! Despite the fact that she wanted to run to him and hug him and maybe slap him for not coming to see her, something else was weighing much more heavily on her mind. Spark Storm smiled cautiously as he took a step towards the two. He knew what he was getting himself into by revealing himself, so he prepared for the onslaught of anger and righteous indignation from his old friend. Instead, what she said greatly surprised him. "Spark Storm...how do you know Twilight Sparkle, and why is she so upset about you being in town?" Spark blinked, then frowned. "Ugh...that's..." He glanced around, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. Rarity stepped close, then reached down to take his hoof in hers and looked into his eyes. "Please, Spark Storm? I know I should just mind my own business, but this has been plaguing my mind ever since I saw you that night. I didn't recognize you at first, so I sketched you out and showed you to Twilight. She looked so upset, and I just wanted to know why. Please?" The big Pegasus sighed as he looked down at their hooves. Rarity gingerly released his, but continued to give him a pleading look. "...I met her in Canterlot." Rarity sat down in front of him to listen, while Emerald wandered on behind them to start up some coffee. Spark Storm continued to tell his tale of meeting Twilight, how he had been taken in by Celestia's secret force called the Fighters. He told her how the Princess had introduced the two, how rough their first meeting had been. He told her of the trip that sailed to Neippon. Emerald Skies sighed blissfully as he remembered this part. It had truly been important for him. Spark spoke of how he and Twilight grew closer once she learned that he had mapped the stars almost as well as she had. He told her of their fallout on the ship, concerning the tussle between himself and Twilight's brother, then forgiving her after he'd recovered from the lightning storm. He told her of his test, and of felling an assassin right beside Twilight. That must have been the nail in the coffin because that very night, Twilight had been torn on how she felt about him. She was very clearly freaking out, but when she heard Spark Storm telling his friend Lemon Pop that he had no special feelings for Twilight, it broke her heart, and led her to the decision to ask him never to talk to her again. Of course, to this day, nearly nine years later, he hadn't. He had left her alone and avoided her whenever he was around. Rarity sniffled as he finished his story. Tears fell freely as she took in all this information. It was heartbreaking, but at least she had her answers. Finally, she looked up at Spark Storm and smiled, then closed the distance between them for a tight hug. "Spark Storm, I've missed you terribly." She stepped back, giving him a stern stare. "But if you make me wait another ten years just to see you, I will make you pay for it, understand?" Spark laughed and shook a hoof at her dismissively. "You won't have to worry about that. I have a feeling you and all our old friends will be seeing much more of me." Rarity stepped out of the bookstore feeling conflicted. On the pros list of these feelings, she had found her old childhood friend, alive and well, after such a long time ago. Such bittersweet memories. On the other hoof, Rarity was becoming more and more aware of how far up the social ladder she had come, and consequently, more aware of the friends that she had left behind to get there. Now determined more than ever, Rarity set off through town with a new mission, and it started at Sugarcube Corner. Stay tuned for the epilogue of this longer-than-usual One-Shot! EpilogueTwo weeks later, Nightmare Night was in full swing. The whole town was bustling in the early evening. Booths, games, and prizes of all kinds had been set up. Ponies everywhere had on all kinds of costumes. The variety seen throughout the town was incredible, and colorful. There was one thing about every single costume that was similar, though. Out of all the hundreds of different costumes, and even on the booths, an insignia had been hung or stitched on. A single blue feather with three electrical lines running around it. Now, the little colts and fillies that lived in the town had no idea what this meant. But for the young adults and their elders, they all knew what it meant. Some argued what it signified, and many of the elderly in the town greatly disapproved of it's message. The youth, however, loved it. Once it got around town that Rarity would be supplying the insignia to any clothing or booth for free, many ponies jumped at the chance to have the cutie mark sewn onto their costumes. It had cost Rarity some business, as it had taken up much of her time and some favor with the elder generations of the town, but the sacrifice had been worth it. While many of the citizens of Ponyville came in to get their own feathered insignia, at least half of them offered to buy things from Rarity while they were there. Of course, one a day such as this, Rarity had refused to take full price for any of her things on Nightmare Night. The whole day, everything was %50 off. She made a killing. That night, gathered around a bonfire at Sweet Apple Acres, sat Rarity, Ditzy Doo, Lyra, Bon Bon, Allie Way, Emerald Skies, Angelica Lovage (Her old elementary schoolteacher, who now ran a daycare center for new colts and fillies), Lemon Hearts, Berry Punch, and Milky Way. All her old classmates gathered together. Rarity spent the night talking with them, reconnecting with them, sharing her life with them. She told them of her meeting with Spark Storm (and omitting his secret, of course). She told them everything she could, and when she was done, Ditzy picked up from there. She shared the fact that Spark Storm still came to see her, even before the Nightmare Moon incident. They had been best friends after all, and they shared many things, including how she ended up with Dinky. She kept that bit to herself, though. Emerald Skies had also been in touch with Spark Storm. There had been that time that he had been taken from his apprenticing job at what was now Twilight's library for a special diplomatic mission. He had returned with a sizable scar on his right wing, something that helped his image with the ladies. That night, friends that had drifted apart came together again. The social ladder that separated them was broken down, as well did the barriers that separated them all as distant friends. As the age-old holiday came to a crawl, as children everywhere came back from dropping their candy off at Nightmare Moon's statue, Twilight Sparkle sat at her window. It was a bit chilly, but tonight was special. She loved hearing the sounds coming from the town, all the laughing, the cheering, and the occasional shrieking resulting from pranks. She sat at the window with an historical book about Starswirl the Bearded, and she had made a note to try out a costume for next year. Suddenly, some movement on the rooftops across town caught her eye. It was much too dark to see what it was, but she had no doubt in her mind who it was. She looked down at the bookmark in front of her. Earlier that day, she had asked Rarity to make her a bookmark from the cutie mark signia she was handing out. The alabaster Unicorn had jumped at the chance, and Twilight had picked it up just an hour earlier. Suddenly inspired, Twilight leaned out her window and focused magic in her horn. It lit up several times, blinking a message across the rooftops. The dark shape seemed to spot her. After a moment, it's back lit up as well, blinking with electrical lights that seemed to dance the message, "Hey, I see you, too." Happy tears threatened to fall from Twilight Sparkle's eyes as she watched the dark shape watch her for a few moments, then hopped off into the darkness. Twilight sat back down at her desk, looking at the little bookmark with Spark Storm's cutie mark lovingly embroidered into it. She sniffled quietly, and with a peace she hadn't felt in so long, grabbed a scroll and quill and began, Dear Princess Celestia...
Chapter 1The evening air was chilly. Fall was in full swing, and while the days were warm and pleasant, the nights were much less kind. The frost would come soon, hardening the grass and the ground. It was three months after the whole Nightmare Moon incident. Since then, the citizens of Ponyville had all been on edge at night. It was steadily getting better, but some early mornings, some ponies could be seen by their windows, waiting for the sun to come up. It always did, but there was always that tiny, lingering fear that the sun wouldn't rise. It was one such night at the Carousel Boutique that Rarity found herself unable to sleep. The unnerving experience of everything she and her friends went through that long, long night still kept her up sometimes. She sat at her second floor window, staring out at the empty streets. She didn't fear the night much anymore, not after what she'd been through, but something had been nagging at her lately. Something felt different in the air, like it was charged with palpable anxiety. She was just about to close her window and turn in when she saw a shadowy figure moving past her shop. It was hunched over, like it was hunting. And it was big. From the shape and bulk, it looked like a...a Timberwolf! Panic and fear ran through her bones. "Oh my, oh my, this is terrible, dreadful!" She gasped and held a hoof to her lips as the shadow stopped and turned to face her. Bright, gleaming eyes stared at her, and Rarity felt her heart begin to beat faster and faster as she stared back. She felt frozen in place, unable to take her eyes off this frightening creature. Suddenly, the creature darted from view around the corner, and out of Rarity's sight. "Oooh...I don't think so!" Shedding her fear, Rarity shot down the stairs and burst out of her store. She wasn't about to let some monster terrorize her town in the middle of the night! Why, she was Rarity, the Element of Generosity! She had faced a Manticore and Nightmare Moon, and all on the same night. A silly little wooden wolf was not going to best her. She focused magic in her horn as she turned the corner where she had seen the beast disappear, preparing her strongest fire spell. Of course, this was normally used to light candles, but the Timberwolf needn't know that. She ran with all her might, but she was starting to feel her lungs burn, and the creature didn't seem to be in sight. Had she chased it off? She came to a halt in the middle of the town square, taking time to get her lungs reacquainted with air. After some careful observation, it seemed that the creature had indeed escaped her. Which was fine by her. She wasn't really looking for a fight, she just wouldn't put up with monsters in her town! After a few moments of making sure the area was clear of big wooden wolves, Rarity made her way back home. As she did, bright, reflective eyes watched her from the shadows. The next day, first thing in the morning, Rarity made her way to the library. Twilight Sparkle had proven to be quite adept at finding information, as well as absolutely...well, "adorkable". She got so excited when somepony mentioned one of her favorite subjects, she was always helpful when it came finding the books Rarity wanted to find. Oh, she could talk for hours about books and their endless treasure troves of knowledge. Surely she'd have something on Timberwolves. "Hello! Twilight!" She called after she knocked once on the door. She stepped in slowly. She came nearly nose to nose with Twilight as she had been walking over to get the door. "Oh! Hello, Twilight." Rarity stepped back to even the space between them. "Hi, Rarity!" Twilight Sparkle smiled, but it was clear she was a big frazzled today, a little more than usual. "What brings you around today?" Twilight stepped back, an inviting gesture. Rarity stepped inside graciously, and closed the door behind her with her magic. She took a long look around the library. It was unusually quiet. Usually Twilight had Spike running about doing chores...Oh. Of course. She rolled her eyes at her own speculations, then turned to look at her friend with a warm smile. "Oh, I do apologize for barging in so early, Twilight. I came to see if I could find some books on mon-" She didn't get a chance to finish as Twilight's face lit up with excitement. She was instantly running through the M section. Her eyes worked furiously through the titles until she finally came to... "Monsters!" A thick book slipped out of it's comfy place on the shelves engulfed in a light purple shell of magic. Rarity rolled her eyes good-naturedly and joined her friend at the table as Twilight set it there. They both blew on the book at the same time, then shared a look of mirth as Twilight opened the old tome. "So what kind of monsters are you interested in, Rarity?" The fashionista smiled at her friend before taking over. Her magic gripped the book and started flipping the pages until she finally came to what she was looking for. "The Timberwolf?" Twilight looked at her friend curiously. "You came here looking for information on a very specific type of creature, Rarity. Why the Timberwolf?" "Because I saw one last night, Twilight..." Rarity spoke in excited, hushed tones as she read through the Timberwolf page. It also had an illustration, although she was having trouble piecing the drawing before her together with the creature she had seen last night. They were similar in size, but the way it moved...something about it was off. Rarity looked up to the unexpected sound of Twilight giggling. Rarity pouted lightly and gave her friend a pointed stare. "Twilight, are you laughing at me?" She whined, then nudged her friend with her side and gave her a grin to show she was joking. Twilight shook her head and looked down at the book before them. "Rarity, Timberwolves haven't been spotted in town for years and years. Believe me, I've gone through the town records for all kinds of monster sightings. After the incident with Nightmare Moon, I wanted to know all about what's happened with the town in the past. You've been here much longer than I have, Rarity; have you ever seen a Timberwolf in Ponyville?" "I...well...No." Rarity sighed with disappointment as she looked down at the illustration of the Timberwolf. She frowned as the artist in her began to draw make-believe lines along the creature. Not quite as long. About as tall, but wider. Why was it wider? It wasn't fat. It was stocky, like a farm pony. Come to think of, it had hair, like a mane. Why was it's back so wide? It reminded her a bit like a Pegasus... "Wait, that's it!" Rarity practically bounced with joy as she magic'd the nearest drawing utensil she saw and a scroll that Twilight kept in a pile at the end of the table. Twilight watched in pure fascination as Rarity recreated the creature from her memory. Taking the shadows into account, and the fact that she was above it and a ways away, she produced a faithful recreation of the creature in it's entirety. "Well! What do you have to say about that, Twilight Sparkle? That's what I saw last night!" Rarity smiled triumphantly at Twilight, but her smile quickly faded. Twilight looked horrified. Rarity frowned, then looked down at her drawing. The "creature" had evolved from the illustration to look much less like a wolf, and more like a Pegasus. It's wings were held straight and tight against it's back, the feathers abnormally long and cresting over it's rump. She had made sure to emphasize on the shiny, reflective eyes. It was haunting, but also beautiful, and somehow lonely. The fashionista smiled down at her work. She almost never drew stallions, as she was quite sure by now it was a Pegasus. Twilight, however, looked like she'd seen a ghost. She had sat stock since Rarity had finished the drawing. Finally she stood and walked away from the table, and made for the stairs. Halfway there, she turned and gave Rarity a sad, apologetic smile. "Oh Rarity, I'm so sorry. I-I'm not feeling too well suddenly. Would you...do you mind...Could you leave, please, and take that drawing with you? I...don't feel like explaining right now..." She sighed and continued up the steps. The silence in the library was deafening, even as the door to her room was shut. Rarity frowned sadly as she looked back down at the drawing. Had her drawing made her sad? She picked it up with her magic, staring at it hard and long. Now that she really thought about it, there was something very familiar about it. She sighed and rolled it up, and left the library as quietly as she could. End part one. Stay tuned for more!
Chapter 2Over the next week, Rarity sat by her window throughout the nights, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Pegasus that crept through the shadows. She still wasn't completely convinced that it was a Pegasus, but that's all she had to go on. After just more than a week, she had to stop staying up so late. Her orders were falling behind, and this obsessive streak just wasn't good for business. After two more days of hard work, she had caught up. She was exhausted, but she felt confident that her business was no longer in danger of falling behind. Later that week, around 4pm on an idle Tuesday, Rarity was helping one of her regulars, Allie Way, with some fancy new hair ties. The conversation was polite, and maybe even genuinely friendly at one point. The two of them had gone to school together as fillies, but had lost touch with one another over the years. Allie Way admired herself in the mirror. While she wasn't the flirty type, she certainly was pretty. She was tall, taller than most Unicorns, and the way she always had her mane tied back was quite fetching. "Oh, this new material is just great, Rarity!" She gushed as she freed her hair and slipped the tie back to Rarity. "I'll take five of them. Maybe the new mystery stallion in town'll come by the bowling alley and we'll have a game together..." She let slip an unusually girly giggle as she fiddled with her mane. Rarity blinked in confusion. "A new stallion in town? Oh do tell!" She walked with a bounce in her step to collect four more ties for her customer. She paused, then, as the night a week and a half ago came back to her. "Wait...This isn't about some stallion that's lurking about at night, is it?" The alabaster Unicorn winced as she heard herself. Who would get excited over something like that? "Oh, it is!" Rarity nearly dropped the hair ties she had been collecting in a little box. "O-oh?" She turned after she had rid herself of the perplexed look she was sure that had burned itself onto her face. "Has anyone seen this 'mystery stallion'?" Allie Way smiled as she turned and lightly grabbed the box from Rarity with her own magic, while replacing it with ten bits. "Well, I don't know for sure, but talk is going around that Ditzy hangs out with him sometimes. But you know how it is with single moms, he probably wouldn't want to stick around for that." Rarity felt her respect for her customer dip just slightly at that comment, but she kept her cool and simply murmured an unintelligible response. She smiled happy at Allie, and dipped her head graciously. "I see. Well, thank you ever so much for your business, Allie, but I must be getting along. I have an enormous task ahead of me, I simply must get to it, you understand." "Oh, of course..." Allie returned the smile, but she felt like she was getting rushed. No matter, she had her own affairs to get to, as well. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, see you around, Rarity!" She waved and trotted on out and disappeared into town. Now that that was out of the way, Rarity had a new goal: To find Ditzy, engage her in witty conversation, and cause her to talk about this mysterious stallion. She closed up shop an hour early with a message apologizing to her customers, then set out on the town. Her first order of business: Find Ditzy. It wasn't hard around this time of day. Usually, the mailmare was finishing up her rounds for the day. After that, she usually went to the park where Dinky was often playing to pick her up. After some thought, Rarity decided a beeline for the park would be a good idea. After arriving at the park, she settled in for a wait. She smiled almost wistfully as she watched all the little colts and fillies play. It reminded her of her own school days. Her own school days, when - She was suddenly brought out of her memories when she saw Ditzy arrive. Little Dinky ran to meet her mother. Rarity got to her feet and was about to approach the two when a little white filly attached herself to Rarity from behind. "Rarity!" A happy young voice squeaked. Startled, Rarity turned to look down at her sister, who had appeared from nowhere. "Sweetie Belle! Wh-what are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be with..." She trailed off as her parents approached, both giving her big, hopeful smiles. "Oh, hello, dearie!" Her mother called. Rarity turned to face the three completely unexpected Unicorns. "Mother, Father, and Sweetie Belle!" Rarity forced a smile onto her face as she hugged her little sister. The affection wasn't insincere, but their appearance had frazzled her, as it always did whether or not she was expecting them to. "So sorry to have ta do this unannounced, Rarity," her father said. Rarity's countenance tightened just slightly as she already knew what they were about to say. She didn't see her family all together at once unless they were going to leave Sweetie Belle with her for the weekend. She sighed and held a hoof up. "Of course I'll watch Sweetie Belle. I'd love to spend some time with my sister." She smiled more naturally and embraced Sweetie Belle again, who melted into her sister's forelegs happily. "Oh, Rarity, you're a life saver, ya know." Her mother leaned in and kissed her elder daughter's cheek, followed by her husband. The public display made Rarity blush with embarrassment. "Yes, of course. Think nothing of it." Rarity smiled and dismissed that heavy sigh she so desperately needed to have. It looked like she'd have to get back to her mission at some other point. After a moment, she realized that her parents had said their goodbyes to Sweetie Belle. She hadn't even bothered to ask how long she'd need to watch Sweetie Belle. Wait a second! She gasped and hopped in place excitedly. "Oh, oh, Sweetie Belle! You don't have many friends here in Ponyville yet, do you?" She stated more than asked. Sweetie Belle sat back on her haunches, indignity crossing her features. "No. You don't need to rub it in." Rarity smiled happily down at Sweetie and cupped her cheeks with her hooves. "Oh, don't you worry about that, Sweetie, I'm about to make you a friend!" She reached down and tugged Sweetie Belle behind her. She was absolutely driven to make this happen. Sweetie Belle wasn't sure how she felt about this. Rarity was acting awfully strange so suddenly, but she had wanted a friend, so... "Ditzy, oh Ditzy!" Rarity called as she caught up with the mother-daughter pair. Rarity slowed down when she realized she was acting just a liiittle crazy. She collected herself as she approached her old school-mate. "Oh, hello, Rarity!" Ditzy smiled and nudged little Dinky, who looked up at her mother until she remembered her manners. "Hello, Miss Rarity, how do you do?" Rarity gave an adoring gasp at the little Unicorn. "Oh, she's so well-mannered! Sweetie Belle, say hello, dear." Sweetie Belle smiled and gave her best impression of a curtsy. "Hello, I'm pleased to meet you." Rarity had never been prouder of her. "Oh, well done, Sweetie Belle!" Rarity smiled and turned to Ditzy. "Oh Ditzy, I apologize for taking up your time, but...Sweetie Belle is in need of friends here in Ponyville, she may be here for a few days. Could I, perhaps, borrow your daughter sometime in the near future, to help keep Sweetie from being too lonely?" She looked down at Dinky, a kind smile on her face. "If that's all right with you, of course, Dinky." Dinky and Ditzy glanced at each other, then nodded at the same time. Their movements were so in sync it might've been a bit unsettling, if it hadn't been so cute. "I think that'd be great, Rarity!" Ditzy said with a grin. Rarity was beside herself. Her plan was working out perfectly! "Oh, that's delightful, Ditzy, thank you ever so much, both of you. Now Sweetie Belle, why don't you go play with Dinky for a moment, I need to talk with her mother, please." As soon as the two fillies ran back to the park, Rarity turned to face Ditzy. She was taken aback by the knowing grin on the grey mare's face. "Uh, s-so, Ditzy, I was hoping to -" "He doesn't like ponies to spread it around." "I...beg your pardon?" Ditzy smiled and sat down on her haunches, a patient smile on her face. "Rarity, I know we're not anywhere near the same place on the social ladder, and I'm not the most popular mare around town. We talked when we were kids, I guess, but nowadays, with the talk going on around town, there's really only one reason you'd bother trying to make friends." Rarity blanched. She would be offended if it wasn't true. A look of guilt stole over her face as she gazed at the ground. Before she could come up with a response, Ditzy continued. "It's all right, Rarity. You're a kind pony, and everypony has friends that they don't talk to anymore. I'm not saying you're a bad pony. You're really one of the most generous ponies I've ever met, and you still are." Rarity smiled up at the Pegasus while holding back a stray tear. "Oh, thank you, Ditzy. I do appreciate it..." Ditzy smiled kindly once more. "Now...about that 'mysterious stallion' that I've been so unkindly rumored to be with? He's an old friend, but he's asked me not to spread it around that he's in town. It got around anyway, somehow. He wanted me to let you know, if I ever get the chance to talk to you, that he's sorry for scaring you the other night. Rarity stared at Ditzy. It suddenly came to her. It hit her like a block of ice pressed to her belly. "Wait...Wait just a moment. Ditzy, are you...do you mean who I think you mean? Sp...Spark Storm?" Ditzy broke out into a grin and nodded. Rarity's eyes widened, and she looked like she needed to sit down. Trouble was, she was already sitting down. "Oh. Oh my. This is...so exciting! This is...!" She was cut off as Ditzy pressed a hoof over her mouth. "Sshh! It's already going around town, Rarity, he really doesn't want it spread out any more than it already is!" Rarity pouted as Ditzy lowered her hoof. "Oh, but...but Ditzy, I haven't seen him since I was nine years old! Honestly..." She lowered her voice at the glare Ditzy was giving her. She stepped closer to whisper. "Aside from the old kooks who wanted him thrown out, what other reason could have for all this sneaking around?" Ditzy sighed and shrugged with her wings. "I wish I knew, but he won't tell me. It's a secret. Look, I should get going." She paused, then smiled once more. "Sweetie Belle is still more than welcome to play with Dinky, you know. She needs more friends, too." She called for her daughter, and the two of them set off for home. As Rarity waited for Sweetie Belle, she thought deeply on this new information. What in the world could he possibly have to be afraid of that he wouldn't even tell Ditzy, who had been his best friend for ten years? All these keeping secrets was...wait. Wait just a minute! The cogs in Rarity's head turned at feverish paces, putting information together, taking it apart and putting it back together again in different pieces. Finally, it all clicked into place, and she was left with one conclusion. Twilight Sparkle had something to do with this. She seemed to recognize the sketch Rarity had drawn of Spark Storm. Twilight Sparkle was definitely keeping a secret from her, and it was time to find out why.
Chapter 3The next day, after securing a play date for Dinky and Sweetie Belle, Rarity made her way to Twilight's library. This was it: This was the last clue she had. The incidents from the last week and a half and what Ditzy had told her the day before were all she had to go on, but it seemed a solid lead, and Rarity intended to follow it through. Rarity knocked politely on the library door, then nearly yelled "Ah-hah!" when it opened. She was most glad she hadn't, because it was Spike who had opened the door, not Twilight. "Oh hey, Rarity! It's always good to see you, come on in!" He said excitedly. He stepped inside for her, making a grand gesture with his arms. Rarity grinned and trotted inside. "Such a gentlecolt, thank you, Spike." Rarity gave the library a good once-over and quickly noticed a lack of Twilight Sparkle. Rarity already had a bad feeling that she'd missed her friend. Turning to Spike, she said, "Spike, is Twilight here?" He shrugged. "Nah, you just missed her. She said she was going to the book store to see if they had some books we're apparently "missing"." he punctuated his last word by making apostrophe marks with his claws. This gesture of course was completely lost on Rarity. "A book store? We-Ponyville has a book store?" Rarity frowned. Ditzy's words came back and hit her like a sack of bricks. She really did ignore certain Ponies and places...well, she'd have to fix that. Right now. "Spike, do you know where this book store is?" Spike seemed to deflate a bit upon Rarity's question. He'd really been hoping that she was here to see him, but that had been proven false. He sighed inwardly and gave her the directions. Rarity thanked him and hurried to leave, but turned and gave the little Dragon a quick hug. "Oh thank you, Spike. You are a little dear, thank you!" Spike sighed happily and hugged himself after Rarity left, imagining her hooves around him for a moment, before shaking his head clear and returned to the task of picking up around the library. Rarity cantered through town on a mission. Find this book store, confront Twilight, obtain secret information. Even if she couldn't use it for gossip (It is a personal secret, after all), she needed to know! Finally, she arrived at the bookstore. It was located back to back with Bon Bon's candy store. Had she really never seen this store before? Rarity chastised herself for not noticing it before now. Just before heading inside, she nearly collided with Twilight Sparkle as she was leaving. "Oh! Hello again, Twilight!" Twilight had a shocked look on her face, then smiled warmly. "Oh hello, Rarity! I was just catching up with an old friend." Rarity froze on the spot. Was Twilight really speaking of her secret so easily? She'd seemed so upset when she'd seen that sketch of Spark Storm. Now that she was here, though, she could see him! Twilight's "secret" could wait until later, right? She wanted to see her old friend now! "Oh, uh...I just came by to see if the bookstore had a, eh...pattern design book, yes. Pattern designs." She tittered and quickly maneuvered Twilight and herself so that they had switched positions. She began to back into the store carefully and gave Twilight a rushed but sincere smile. "I wanted to talk to you about something, but it can wait till later, hm? Ta ta, dear!" Twilight blinked with confusion as Rarity disappeared into the store. She shrugged, then went on her way. Once inside, Rarity took her time. The place was dimly lit, and it was a bit cramped, though the store itself went back aways. Tall bookshelves were lined neatly several feet apart, and there was a metal staircase that lead up to a loft area, where more books waited to be purchased. Despite looking like an old store, it smelled relatively new. The air was pleasant, it reminded Rarity of peaches and cinnamon. Such odd scents for a bookstore, but very nice nonetheless. After a moment, a vaguely familiar voice called out, "Hello? Is someone there?" This surprised the Unicorn, she had been so taken with the store's appearance and scents that she'd almost forgotten why she was here. "Ahah! I knew I would find you here!" She called. "Oh, you did? Wonderful! I'm up here!" Rarity's heart began to speed up as she followed the voice up the metal stairs. This was so exciting! The very nature of Twilight's secret, and getting to see her old friend! This was just getting better and bett- She stopped and looked in awe at the green Pegasus who was most certainly not Spark Storm, but Emerald Skies, who had been in Rarity's and Spark Storm's circle of friends in their youth. Several emotions began to run through Rarity at the same time: Excitement, disappointment, joy, joy at finding one of her old friends, but not the one she'd been looking for... "Oh, Rarity! What a pleasure to see you!" Emerald smiled and took a few steps closer before adjusting his glasses. Rarity hadn't seen him since before going through their final years of school. He had grown into a fine looking stallion. Handsome, in a bookish kind of way. Now that she thought about it, he really did remind her of a male, green Twilight with wings. "E-Emerald, hello! You've grown up well." She smiled and slipped back into professional mode. It wouldn't do to insult an old friend right after meeting him again after several years. Ditzy's words again hit her hard. Just how many ponies had she forgotten lived in this town? The guilt was slowly eating at her, making her more and more aware of her position on the social ladder. Emerald blushed at her compliment. "What brings you by my humble abode today? Some cross-stitch pattern books? Perhaps, some advanced stitching techniques?" He flew over her head and began running through his vast collections, calling out books that Rarity would indeed be looking for, had she come for shopping. As the Unicorn watched her old friend look through books that just screamed 'fashionista', Rarity felt tears forming in her eyes. Emerald Skies hadn't seen her for so long, yet he knew exactly what she might want. And here she was, Unicorn of beauty, grace, "social butterfly", and she didn't even know that her old friend still lived here in Ponyville and owned a bookstore. How many others had she abandoned in her race to the top? She was deep in her own regrets when she heard a grumble. It sounded like a very empty stomach, and up there in the metal loft it echoed. It was undeniable proof that Rarity was not alone. Even Emerald Skies heard it. He paused in his browsing and looked up to Rarity with a look of panic on his face. "Uhh...heh..must be more hungry that I thought!" He laughed nervously as he returned to his loft and coughed. "Sh-shouldn't have missed breakfast, I guess!" He then made a low guttural noise in his throat, trying to recreate the noise. It was not working. The fashionista looked at him flatly. "There is someone else here, Emerald, and I am beginning to think you're hiding her from me." "I-I'm not hiding hi- uhhh her uh anyone..." Emerald Skies felt a trickle of sweat drip down his mane. He'd been caught. "Ah-hah! I knew it." she said matter-of-factly. She looked around the dark corners of the loft. The walls were covered, mostly, with boxes and rolled-up materials, but she knew he was here somewhere. "Spark Storm! Come out here and say hello to me like a proper gentlecolt, or I will tear this place apart until I find you! Don't think I won't, you remember how determined I can be when I set my mind to something!" Emerald looked horrified at this outburst, but he seemed to relax when they both heard some rustling in the back. Rolled up tarps and metal bars fell onto the floor with a loud clatter as the dark Pegasus emerged from the far right corner. As he did, Rarity's heart again began to beat with excitement. From the corner emerged the very pony she'd been obsessing about for the past week and a half. Oh, how he'd changed. He was tall, so very tall, only half a head shorter than that red farmer pony that she had recently learned was Applejack's brother. She took him all in, as well as she could in the dim light. His wings appeared almost exactly as she had drawn them. When they weren't sticking out in all directions, making him look like a grand peacock, they were tapered straight down his back, edging about four inches behind his rear, which was actually quite shapely... No, no! That's not why you're here! Focus, Rarity! Despite the fact that she wanted to run to him and hug him and maybe slap him for not coming to see her, something else was weighing much more heavily on her mind. Spark Storm smiled cautiously as he took a step towards the two. He knew what he was getting himself into by revealing himself, so he prepared for the onslaught of anger and righteous indignation from his old friend. Instead, what she said greatly surprised him. "Spark Storm...how do you know Twilight Sparkle, and why is she so upset about you being in town?" Spark blinked, then frowned. "Ugh...that's..." He glanced around, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. Rarity stepped close, then reached down to take his hoof in hers and looked into his eyes. "Please, Spark Storm? I know I should just mind my own business, but this has been plaguing my mind ever since I saw you that night. I didn't recognize you at first, so I sketched you out and showed you to Twilight. She looked so upset, and I just wanted to know why. Please?" The big Pegasus sighed as he looked down at their hooves. Rarity gingerly released his, but continued to give him a pleading look. "...I met her in Canterlot." Rarity sat down in front of him to listen, while Emerald wandered on behind them to start up some coffee. Spark Storm continued to tell his tale of meeting Twilight, how he had been taken in by Celestia's secret force called the Fighters. He told her how the Princess had introduced the two, how rough their first meeting had been. He told her of the trip that sailed to Neippon. Emerald Skies sighed blissfully as he remembered this part. It had truly been important for him. Spark spoke of how he and Twilight grew closer once she learned that he had mapped the stars almost as well as she had. He told her of their fallout on the ship, concerning the tussle between himself and Twilight's brother, then forgiving her after he'd recovered from the lightning storm. He told her of his test, and of felling an assassin right beside Twilight. That must have been the nail in the coffin because that very night, Twilight had been torn on how she felt about him. She was very clearly freaking out, but when she heard Spark Storm telling his friend Lemon Pop that he had no special feelings for Twilight, it broke her heart, and led her to the decision to ask him never to talk to her again. Of course, to this day, nearly nine years later, he hadn't. He had left her alone and avoided her whenever he was around. Rarity sniffled as he finished his story. Tears fell freely as she took in all this information. It was heartbreaking, but at least she had her answers. Finally, she looked up at Spark Storm and smiled, then closed the distance between them for a tight hug. "Spark Storm, I've missed you terribly." She stepped back, giving him a stern stare. "But if you make me wait another ten years just to see you, I will make you pay for it, understand?" Spark laughed and shook a hoof at her dismissively. "You won't have to worry about that. I have a feeling you and all our old friends will be seeing much more of me." Rarity stepped out of the bookstore feeling conflicted. On the pros list of these feelings, she had found her old childhood friend, alive and well, after such a long time ago. Such bittersweet memories. On the other hoof, Rarity was becoming more and more aware of how far up the social ladder she had come, and consequently, more aware of the friends that she had left behind to get there. Now determined more than ever, Rarity set off through town with a new mission, and it started at Sugarcube Corner. Stay tuned for the epilogue of this longer-than-usual One-Shot!
EpilogueTwo weeks later, Nightmare Night was in full swing. The whole town was bustling in the early evening. Booths, games, and prizes of all kinds had been set up. Ponies everywhere had on all kinds of costumes. The variety seen throughout the town was incredible, and colorful. There was one thing about every single costume that was similar, though. Out of all the hundreds of different costumes, and even on the booths, an insignia had been hung or stitched on. A single blue feather with three electrical lines running around it. Now, the little colts and fillies that lived in the town had no idea what this meant. But for the young adults and their elders, they all knew what it meant. Some argued what it signified, and many of the elderly in the town greatly disapproved of it's message. The youth, however, loved it. Once it got around town that Rarity would be supplying the insignia to any clothing or booth for free, many ponies jumped at the chance to have the cutie mark sewn onto their costumes. It had cost Rarity some business, as it had taken up much of her time and some favor with the elder generations of the town, but the sacrifice had been worth it. While many of the citizens of Ponyville came in to get their own feathered insignia, at least half of them offered to buy things from Rarity while they were there. Of course, one a day such as this, Rarity had refused to take full price for any of her things on Nightmare Night. The whole day, everything was %50 off. She made a killing. That night, gathered around a bonfire at Sweet Apple Acres, sat Rarity, Ditzy Doo, Lyra, Bon Bon, Allie Way, Emerald Skies, Angelica Lovage (Her old elementary schoolteacher, who now ran a daycare center for new colts and fillies), Lemon Hearts, Berry Punch, and Milky Way. All her old classmates gathered together. Rarity spent the night talking with them, reconnecting with them, sharing her life with them. She told them of her meeting with Spark Storm (and omitting his secret, of course). She told them everything she could, and when she was done, Ditzy picked up from there. She shared the fact that Spark Storm still came to see her, even before the Nightmare Moon incident. They had been best friends after all, and they shared many things, including how she ended up with Dinky. She kept that bit to herself, though. Emerald Skies had also been in touch with Spark Storm. There had been that time that he had been taken from his apprenticing job at what was now Twilight's library for a special diplomatic mission. He had returned with a sizable scar on his right wing, something that helped his image with the ladies. That night, friends that had drifted apart came together again. The social ladder that separated them was broken down, as well did the barriers that separated them all as distant friends. As the age-old holiday came to a crawl, as children everywhere came back from dropping their candy off at Nightmare Moon's statue, Twilight Sparkle sat at her window. It was a bit chilly, but tonight was special. She loved hearing the sounds coming from the town, all the laughing, the cheering, and the occasional shrieking resulting from pranks. She sat at the window with an historical book about Starswirl the Bearded, and she had made a note to try out a costume for next year. Suddenly, some movement on the rooftops across town caught her eye. It was much too dark to see what it was, but she had no doubt in her mind who it was. She looked down at the bookmark in front of her. Earlier that day, she had asked Rarity to make her a bookmark from the cutie mark signia she was handing out. The alabaster Unicorn had jumped at the chance, and Twilight had picked it up just an hour earlier. Suddenly inspired, Twilight leaned out her window and focused magic in her horn. It lit up several times, blinking a message across the rooftops. The dark shape seemed to spot her. After a moment, it's back lit up as well, blinking with electrical lights that seemed to dance the message, "Hey, I see you, too." Happy tears threatened to fall from Twilight Sparkle's eyes as she watched the dark shape watch her for a few moments, then hopped off into the darkness. Twilight sat back down at her desk, looking at the little bookmark with Spark Storm's cutie mark lovingly embroidered into it. She sniffled quietly, and with a peace she hadn't felt in so long, grabbed a scroll and quill and began, Dear Princess Celestia...
