Of Shooting Stars

Of Shooting Stars

Chapter 6: Catharsis

A sweet jingle graced Twilight’s ears as soon as the door opened. Her eyes turned upward at the source, finding a small bell dangling just in the door’s path. A simple, yet effective way to alert the shopkeep to a customer’s presence, though that didn’t seem too necessary at the moment. The open showroom, lined with dresses along the walls already bore four mares browsing the new wares.

With a quick scan, Twilight found hide nor curled hair of the proprietor and supposed damsel in distress. Sauntering, Twilight and her family made their way to the latest line Rarity had slaved over. Bright oranges and vivid reds dominated the dresses adorning the walls. The tails sprawling out like a sheet made of leaves, vein-like stitches weaved their way from collar to skirt—the cool fall air was almost palpable.

“Where’s Rarity, Spike?” Rainbow finally asked after taking in the fall line. “I was kinda expecting to walk in on a scene here.”

When Rainbow shifted her gaze to the little dragon sitting on Twilight’s back, he chewed his lower lips. “There will be a scene!” he proclaimed, sliding down his ride’s side. “Rarity’s been stressing about this all—”

Twilight sighed, her hoof already firmly pressed against her forehead. “There will be a scene?” she asked, peeking from under her pinched eyelids. “You made it sound like she was being robbed or something, Spike.”

“Listen—” he stomped his foot “—she’s on the verge of losing her shop here and—” Before Spike could finish, the twin doors leading to the back swung open.

Out stepped Rarity, glasses perched upon her nose, eyes closed and carrying herself tall. Each step she took was as graceful as a figure skater, elegantly gliding across her showroom floor. She paused by a nearby customer—a mare with a soft yellow coat and fiery orange mane. When she opened her eyes, a sweet smile rested on her lips, soothing those who looked upon. “Honestly, darling, I wouldn’t go with this dress.” Using her magic, Rarity hoisted the garment from the mare’s foreleg and put it back on the rack. Without even looking, from the top rack beyond the earth pony’s reach, she grabbed another. “That one doesn’t bring out the stunning highlights in your mane.” She brushed the mare’s locks with the tip of her hoof and passed the dress onto her.

“This one’s a bit out of my price range though…” The mare trailed off as a frown settled in.

Rarity merely laughed. “I shan’t suffer somepony leaving my boutique without the perfect dress.” A flash of blue and she plucked the price tag off. “Is the same price as the other fair?”

Instantly the mare’s frown flipped. “Thank you so much!”

“Please, don’t mention it.” The two made their way to the counter where the mare paid for her dress.

Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike all approached Rarity once the transaction was complete and the pony had left. “Hi, Rarity,” Twilight said.

“Twilight! Rainbow!” Rarity stepped around the counter and hugged the two in turn. “I saw you both come in, but business called.”

“No biggie.” Rainbow shrugged.

“Hi, Aunt Rarity!” Light said with a big smirk on her face as Rarity hugged Rainbow. Before the mare pulled away from the hug, she gave a playful tap on Light’s nose and a big smile, causing the filly to let loose a short laugh.

“So are you looking for something? Perhaps for your speech this afternoon at the show?” She asked, turning her gaze to Twilight, running her eyes along the alicorn’s figure. Dress designs practically danced in Rarity’s eyes, just imagining what designs for the event would be perfect. When her eyes fell onto Rainbow, however, that enthusiasm vanished. “And a blue jumpsuit for you, I expect?”

Rainbow shrugged. “It is called a uniform for a reason.”

Rarity sighed, forlorn. “Of course.”

“Unfortunately—” Twilight interrupted Rarity by pushing Spike front and center from where he hid “—we’re not here for clothes. Someone called us here like there was an emergency.”

Spike glared up at Twilight. “I told you, it is a problem! Her landlord’s coming by today and is probably going to shut her down!”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Spike, you’re exaggerating.”

“Egg-zagerating!” Light snickered from behind her hoof.

The daintiest cough cut the air. All eyes turned to Rarity to see her covering her mouth and eyes buried deep in a corner. “It’s not much to worry about at all, really.” She sucked in a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I did mention my new landlord would stop by today. Just to reaffirm the changes to my leasing agreement.” There was a short pause before Rarity took a long, drawn-out breath. “It’s been a struggle transitioning to this new company over correspondence, so I am somewhat looking forward to the opportunity to speak with a representative face-to-face.”

When everything Rarity said settled in Twilight’s ears, giving her brain enough time to process it, she raised an eyebrow in response. “Rarity, what’s going on, exactly?”

“Well, I assure you, Sassy and I have looked into it thoroughly. It’s all above board. Since somepony bought my leasing agreement last Spring, they have raised my store’s rent five percent.” Rarity cleared her throat again, “Every month since.”

The slightest shiver in her shoulder stopped Twilight and Rainbow dead. What was easily dismissed as merely childish exaggeration by Spike became all too real. That display before—practically giving that dress away—while something Rarity would do, now cast in a new light. Desperation. But keeping calm and playing it off as entirely natural—that was the mark of a professional.

Twilight swallowed the lump in her throat. “Rarity, we’re talking a—what—thirty-four percent increase in six months? That can’t be legal.”

Rarity nodded. “Canterlot law doesn’t dictate maximums for rent increases from contract to contract. Now, I was under a yearly lease, but when this new landlord of mine bought the building, they insisted on a month-by-month lease.” Hoof pressed to her forehead, she let out a sigh. “Had I known it would have led to this, I certainly would have insisted on a year-long contract. I would have at least been locked into a lower rate.”

The room fell silent for a moment while Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “Where is Sassy at anyway? Shouldn’t your business manager be here?”

Light tugged on Rainbow’s mane. “What’re you talking about?”

“Nothing, squirt,” Rainbow retorted quickly, batting the filly’s hoof from her hanging locks.

Rarity took a deep breath. “I gave her the day off. Between ensuring my line was done, marketed, and the legal research she undertook on my behalf, she deserves it.”

“Doubt she actually wanted it though,” Rainbow remarked under her breath. Looking around the store, she chewed her lower lip. “She’s as invested as you are, Rarity.”

“I know,” Rarity whined, dragging her hoof from her forehead down her cheek. “I can’t just move. There aren’t any open storefronts here and leaving the fashion district would certainly hurt my business.” Another shiver from the mare as she looked around her store. “I’d be seen as a cheap knockoff without the prestige of this location.”

“I’m sure your reputation would draw customers, not the fact your store in here.”

“Twilight, image is everything when it comes to fashion.” Rarity puffed he chest, flicking her mane back with a hoof. “The store one purchases from is as important as the prestige of the designer.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “You are the image, Rarity. If this keeps up, you’re looking at your rent here almost doubling within a year. Is the store’s location worth that price?”

For a moment, Rarity simply stared down at the floor. Silence filled the air as she returned a hoof to her cheek, then breaking it with another sigh. “No,” she finally admitted. “I can’t—”

Suddenly the bell hanging above the door jingled just loud enough to cut the air.

Without missing a beat, Rarity put on the cheeriest smile anyone had ever seen and rounded the counter. “Welcome to—”

“Miss Rarity,” a sweet, southern drawl rolled off the tongue of the mare who entered. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance proper.”

Rarity, without missing a beat, nodded. “I’m so sorry, I’m in such high demand. Is there anything, in particular, you’re looking for?”

“You, of course.” The mare chuckled, a hollow sort of laugh that pulled the life out of those who heard it.. “I was giddy at the prospect.”

The mare’s syrupy sweet voice struck a chord with Twilight. Somewhere, deep in the recesses of her mind, that mixture of sweet and that particular accent made her nauseous. Rainbow swiftly elbowed Twilight to grab her attention and thrust her hoof in the direction of the mare. A unicorn of average height with an ivory coat that positively glowed in the afternoon sun seeping through the windows. The silver locks atop her head nearly just as radiant as her coat swished as the mare brushed her hoof along her cheek. But her eyes. Deep blue and cold and bottomless as the ocean itself.

Twilight’s heart sank in her chest once she took the whole pony in. “Silver Crown,” she muttered, unwittingly glaring in her direction.

“Who’s that, Mom?” Light asked, tilting her head to steal a quick glance at the pony in question from behind Rainbow’s hair.

“A massive pain in the—” Rainbow cut herself off with an oof when Twilight elbowed her back.

It seemed they weren’t the only one to take notice of the other as Silver met Twilight’s gaze briefly with a devilish smirk. The sensation of her oily gaze made Twilight’s skin go cold.

Rarity cleared her throat softly. “Me?” she questioned, bringing a hoof over her heart.

Silver turned her sickening sights back to the Rarity, still boasting her awful smile. “Of course, I couldn’t keep correspondence just through letters.” Again, her blueish silver mane swished as she rolled her neck, glossing over the empire Rarity had built. “I wouldn’t be a proper landlord if I did, now would I?”

Suddenly Rarity went stiff. “Oh,” she muttered after a short while, simply blinking at the mare. “SC Leasing is…"

“My company, of course." The mare’s horn flashed for a moment followed by a blinding light. In an instant, a small business card appeared between Rarity and Silver.

Rarity followed the card with her eyes before snatching at it with her hoof. She missed on the first pass, then took ahold the card in her magic as it fluttered to the ground. Adjusting her glasses she looked over the small slip and nodded. “Well, Mrs. Crown, it’s a pleasure to meet you in person.”

Rarity extended a hoof that Silver turned her nose up at. She brushed past her, sauntering further into the store, her fridged gaze slithering along the walls. “It’s the second time we’ve met, darlin’.”

Hoof still hanging, Rarity blinked absently where Silver once stood. After a moment she glanced down at her hoof and drew it to her chest. “Y-yes, I suppose. At Twilight’s coronation, though we weren’t introduced.”

“Last year’s Gala, actually,” Silver corrected, turning her sights back on Rarity. “Hearsay about such a prestigious new face in fashion and your charming personality drew me over to you. We spoke for a bit about your operation here and I knew I needed a piece of that pie.” The corner of her mouth turned up ever so slightly. Mixed with her cold gaze, not the slightest hint of sincerity resonated in her words or smile. Quite the contrary. For Twilight, watching Rarity reminded her of Opal playing with a mouse she found outside Rarity’s shop once. The way Silver moved back towards Rarity, circling her while keeping her eyes locked on the younger mare.

But as much as Twilight wanted to put an end to it, she found herself instead holding Rainbow back. The pegasus, chest puffed out, already inching her way towards Silver. A fiery glare locked and a mouth loaded with spite, Twilight pressed hard on Rainbow’s shoulder. It was best she kept her out of it, especially since she didn’t want Light having a front row seat to that type of tongue lashing.

“But now that you mention the coronation, I do recall seeing you at that dreadful fiasco.” Slowly, Silver rolled her head, drawing in a breath as she did. “Chickens coming home to roost and all that,” she muttered, turning her gaze back to Twilight.

It was almost like Twilight was pierced with an icicle as soon as Silver’s eyes were on her. She cringed, turning her head away.

Light leaned, pulling Rainbow’s mane to the side to finally catch a glimpse of the mare. As Silver’s eyes fell upon the filly, her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Speaking of fowl, you’re just the goose who keeps giving me golden eggs, aren’t you?” Her words wrapped around Rarity’s ears like an octopus tentacle—slimy and writhing. “This here location is a premium piece of real estate,” she remarked, pausing for a moment after. “And you—you’re a premium name. You and this store go together like cookies and cream, darlin’.”

For a moment, Rarity stood taller than she had been, her ears raising slightly at the praise. “Of course, I do pride myself in excelling here.”

“Exactly,” Silver retorted, her tone sharp as a knife. “Which is why I wanted to discuss your rental agreement here in person.”

“Yes.” Rarity nodded. “I was hoping we would have the chance to discuss that. You see, the leasing price has been rather—”

“Low.” The older mare turned her sights down to her hoof, inspecting it front and back.

“L-low?” Rarity repeated, her eyes widening.

“It’s too low for what a store by a premiere fashion designer, like yourself, in a location like this is capable of making. The small increases the last few months was me testing the waters, you see. I wanted to be sure you could handle the meager increases before I started charging market value. To ease you in, of course.” Her tone wasn’t the only thing sharp. She turned her gaze up at Rarity, piercing right through the mare with little care.

“You can’t mean…”

“I think double is fair, darlin’. You should have no problem making that with these—” Silver idly waved a hoof towards the dress-lined wall adjacent her “—designs of yours.”

The words struck Rarity like daggers. Not just in her ears, but her heart. She stumbled back. “I’m already struggling to make your outrageous demands as it is. I know there’s no way leases are that high, even for other shops on this street.”

A slimy smirk spread across Silver’s lips. “Well, tough luck, darlin’. I’m not running a charity. If you want the premium storefront, you’ll have to pay the premium price.”

Jaw clenched, Twilight stomped her hoof. She proceeded to take a step towards Silver, but Rarity held up a hoof stopping her in her tracks.

With all the grace of a queen, Rarity took a short breath and put a confident smile on. Her eyes briefly met Spike’s, only forcing her head higher with pride. “Silver, darling, I think you’ve made a grave mistake. As you so eloquently put it, I’m the ‘goose that lays the golden eggs,’ was it?” Dainty, she sauntered over to the older mare, meeting her gaze head-on. “You lost all your negotiating power with that turn of phrase right there.”

Silver raised an eyebrow, running her eyes up and down Rarity. “How so?”

“Simple.” Rarity pressed her hoof into Silver’s chest. “You—” she turned her hoof back on herself “—need me.” Rarity giggled, stepping back and circling around towards her friends. “As Twilight brought to my attention just before you arrived, this place—while everything I’ve ever wanted, isn’t why ponies buy my designs.”

The older mare opened her mouth, but Rarity didn’t even give her a chance to speak.

“If you think I’ll roll over and pay those sort of prices for a silly location, I’ll take my business elsewhere—quite literally—and you’ll lose a stable, reliable tenant that makes this property so valuable in the first place.”

“Way to go, Rares,” Rainbow whispered just loud enough for Spike and Twilight to hear.

“If you wish to raise my rent, consider this my rejection of your terms and a lease termination notification.”

The air hung silent for a moment until a short laugh broke the tension. Silver smirked once more and loosed another sharp laugh. She glanced over to Twilight before leaning into Rarity’s ear. “No matter where you go, I’ll be there to make your life a living hell,” she whispered. “I own almost half of this city already and what I don’t own, I’ll buy just to be there for you.”

The confidence in Rarity’s face melted and she took a step back. “What?”

“You think this is about money?” Silver asked, no longer looking at Rarity, but to the group of onlookers. “You’re a tool. An object. A stepping stone,” she continued, gaze firmly locked on Twilight. “Since the princess here is untouchable, the next best thing I could do is ruin the lives of those around her.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. “Are you serious?” she muttered.

“After spending a year petitioning the courts, Celestia, and other nobles, I got nowhere.” Ears folded back, Silver glared as she approached Twilight. Her voice now a low, almost primal growl. “How could I hurt the mare who embarrassed me in front of all of Canterlot? The girl who defied me?”

As Silver approached, Rainbow glanced back briefly to see Light’s eyes wide, her lower lip quivering. It only stoked the flames in Rainbow’s eyes when she turned her sights back on the offending mare.

Silver stood nose to nose with Twilight, hoof into the princess’ chest. “You ruined me, Princess Twilight. And all you had to do was play along. But, no. You had to ruin any chance I had at power. Now that you, your harlot, and that contemptuous spawn of yours are here, I might as well give you the piece of my mind you deserve.”

A tremor rippled through Twilight’s foreleg, and rooted itself at the base of her neck. Rainbow knew that sight—in the years of their marriage and even before then, she had seen it only a few times, but each time stood out in her mind vividly. She gulped and stepped back from Twilight as she noticed her eye twitch. “Light, why don’t you get down off my back and—”

A sudden bright purple flash poofed the filly from Rainbow’s back, onto the ground across the shop. Before Rainbow could even react, a barrier enveloped their daughter, the magic emanating from Twilight’s horn.

“You are the pettiest creature I have ever had the displeasure of meeting,” Twilight said through a clenched jaw. “And I have fought nigh gods and demons holding grudges spanning for millennia.”

Silver’s glare flickered for a moment.

“But here you are, with the audacity to insult my wife and daughter to my face? You’ve wasted the last three years of your life over the most insignificant excuse of a grudge I have ever heard—fitting one as small as you.” Twilight inched closer, letting her height add to the gravity of her words as she stared down into the elder unicorn’s eyes. “You lost nothing when I refused to be your puppet. You were already a waste of space among the noble class, squandering this country’s resources and basking in undeserved privilege that others in your position have chosen to do something useful with.”

Silver dropped down to her haunches as Twilight leaned in closer, forcing the unbridled contempt pouring from her gaze down her throat.

“But instead of doing anything to better the world, you pursued a campaign against me and the ones I love, and for what? To feel better about that miserable hole in your heart you desperately hope bossing others around will fill? I don’t know if this occurred to you, but I have the least in terms of practical power in the government since any decision I make is easily overruled by Celestia or Luna, so whatever seat at the table you were anticipating by coercing me would have left you wanting.”

Silver opened her mouth, but Twilight clamped it shut using her magic.

“Instead of holding a grudge, you should be thanking me. I motivated you to get off your dead rump and earn the power you wanted so badly by your own two hooves. You, who now owns sizable chunks of prime real estate in Canterlot, have built an empire that’s expanded your own wealth and given you the ear of those you so desperately wanted to listen to you. Tell me you couldn’t influence the politics of Canterlot if you so wanted. Branch out into Manehatten or Las Pegasus too in a fleeting attempt to fill that gaping abyss in your soul. I frankly don’t care!”

Mouth still clenched shut by Twilight’s magic, Silver stared up into her eyes with a wide gaze. She gave a small, solitary nod.

“Now, leave my friends and family alone. They have absolutely nothing to do with what happened between us, or you may just find whatever power you built yourself under the scrutiny of monopoly laws and yourself in hot water for targeting and unfair pricing. Do we understand one another?”

Another nod.

“Good.” Twilight released her magic. The muzzle around Silver’s mouth and the barrier around Light both vanished.

Twilight stepped back from the shaking mare while still holding a firm glare on her.

Silver stood up, her whole body shaking as she made her way towards the door. Before she left, she looked at Rarity and glared. “My conditions stand,” she said, trying her best to muster a firm voice through her still-quivering vocal cords.

“As do mine,” Rarity replied, turning up her nose.

With that, the bell above the door chimed and Silver was gone. And with her, the air in the room felt lighter. As though a weight was lifted off the shoulders of everyone there, they could breathe easier.

Twilight let out a sigh, letting her face relax for a moment before turning to Light.

The filly sat small, her eyes bouncing between both her parents.

Giving a strong flap of her wings, Twilight lept from where she stood over to Light and placed a gentle hoof on her shoulder. “Are you alright, Sweetie?”

“That was scary,” Light said plainly.

“Sorry to scare you, but I didn’t want you to hear some of the things I needed to say to that pony.” Twilight pressed a small frown across her face for a moment before flicking her ears up.

“Was she bad?” Light asked.

“Very. She said some hurtful things to your dad and I a long time ago.” Twilight glanced over at Rarity for a moment. “And aunt Rarity too.”

Rarity cleared her throat once she was mentioned. “As much as I wish it were so, I don’t think that will be the last you see of her.”

“It wasn’t the first we had seen of her,” Rainbow interjected. “She tried to keep me out of the Wonderbolts when I first joined, not to mention the time she tried to sue Twilight right after Light was born.” Eyebrows furrowed. Rainbow simply stared at Twilight with a clenched jaw.

“She’s gone now. Let’s move past it.” Twilight turned back to Light, wearing a half smile as she picked the filly up and placed her on her back.

“And what about when she comes back?” Rainbow asked, shaking her head.

“We’ll deal with that when we get there,” Twilight met Rainbow’s glare and rolled her eyes.

“This is exactly my point, Twi!” Rainbow puffed out her chest, moving to Twilight. “She won’t stop, and she’s not alone. This is exactly why we don’t need another kid!” Now nose to nose with Twilight, the alicorn’s eyes went wide.

“I’m just going to go handle something in the back,” Rarity said, dismissing herself and snagging Spike by the tail as she strode past the counter.

“What?” Light asked, her ears perking up at the mention of another kid.

“We’ve got our hooves full with Light as is, and on top of that, we’ve got a frickin’ bullseye on our back. It’s not like we haven’t made our fair share of enemies.”

Suddenly Twilight’s ears folded back. “You don’t think I know that? That’s why I’m here to protect her!”

“The fact you have to protect her is the problem!” Rainbow poked Twilight square in the chest, deflating whatever confidence she had like popping a balloon. “What was the first thing you did when Silver came over to you? You poofed Light across the room and put up a soundproof barrier around her so she wouldn’t hear the stuff you said, right? You can’t do that forever though, and I don’t want her to have to deal with it!”

As Rainbow pushed forward, inching closer to Twilight, the taller alicorn shrank back, until Rainbow wasn’t just eye to eye with her, but actually looking down.

“Seriously, you’re a princess, I’m a Wonderbolt—she’s already lacking supervision most of the time! How often do we leave her with Starlight or Spike?”

“I’m responsible!” Spike spoke up from the doorway only to duck into the backroom when Rainbow shot him a glare.

“It’s not fair to either of them,” she continued, turning back to Twilight. “We don’t have time for Light as it is and that sucks!” An earth-shattering clop ripped through the air as Rainbow stomped her hoof. “But instead of making time for her, you want to have another kid while ponies like Silver threaten us at every turn?”

The room fell silent as Twilight searched Rainbow’s eyes for a moment. The fire resonating inside them quieted as her glare turned to questioning. Suddenly Rainbow extended a hoof, but Twilight didn’t take it. “You wanted to know if and what I’d been thinking about it so there it is.” She took a deep breath and dropped her hoof when she realized Twilight wasn’t taking it. “It’s like in flying, you have to master one trick before you try to learn another or else you’ll end up tripping yourself up.”

Twilight blinked a few times before shaking her head. “Life isn’t always like flying, Rainbow—”

“And that’s why this is so stupid!” The inferno in Rainbow’s eyes sparked to life once more. “You’re supposed to be the level-headed one who looks at the whole situation! Why can’t you see all the stuff telling you this isn’t a good idea?”

“Because as much as I hate it, family isn’t always logical! Emotions aren’t always logical! If you think it’s not fair to Light, maybe you wouldn’t feel that way if you were home more instead of going off to train with the Wonderbolts for weeks on end!” Twilight leaped up, her chest puffed out once more.

But as her words sunk in, Rainbow’s ears fell flat. As the silence stretch for seconds to what felt like hours, Rainbow turned her head. “I’ve got a show to get to,” she muttered as she started for the door.

Twilight held up a hoof, but her voice refused to come out. No matter how hard she tried to mouth the words, they simply never came. Maybe because the sinking feeling that everything they both said was true and there wasn’t a simple “I’m sorry” that could fix it held her back. Twilight had made enemies and no matter what she did, they would come for those she loved. Rainbow wasn’t around enough to support Twilight and Light. And as Rainbow left the shop, Twilight’s ears fell with her hoof leaving her and Light alone in the room.

“Mom?” Light asked. “Did I do something wrong?”

Twilight closed her eyes, picking Light up with her magic. She brought the filly to her chest and squeezed her tight in her forelegs as she dropped to her haunches. “Absolutely not, Light. Mommy and daddy are just…”