The Friendship Test (Alternate ending)
The alternate ending begins just after the last test, before Starlight concludes the test.
Rarity is brought back to the room where her friends all started. Nothing had changed, except now there 5 lumps in the corner, each covered by sheets. The bodies. The ring of magic surrounded Rarity again.
Starlight began: “Twilight was wrong about the tests being designed to eliminate all but one. There is still one more left. It’s a good thing none of you made the same mistake as Rainbow Dash, otherwise you would have missed this last, best, test - the test of magic. “
“It took me some time to figure out how friendship is “magic”.”, Starlight began circling around Rarity. “After a while I realized that it must be a mystical power or destiny that causes friends to meet and the strength that friends have when working together. “
Starlight stopped in front of Rarity.
“For this test, you can make this horrible experience go away, or you can preserve your friendship. “
“You can have your memory of your friends and this test erased and you can go free. Or - “ Starlight paused, motioning over to the lumps underneath the sheets, “You can bring your friends back to life at the cost of yourself. “
“However - “, Starlight pointed back at Rarity. “They will not remember ever having known you. “
Starlight paced back to the center of the room. “Either preserve the friendship your friends had or save yourself, forget them, and start a new life. If you save yourself you won’t have any regrets because you won’t remember! “
“Time to decide. I’ll give you one minute this time, since you made it this far.” Starlight laid on the floor, forelegs crossed. A 60 second timer appeared over Starlight.
Rarity thought to herself, “I have a chance to make it all right! For either myself or my friends … but not both. “ She thought of her sewing and the gifts she gave, then she thought of her friends and how they had died so horribly. “What is my life anyways? I feel best when I give something away. I’ll be generous with my life and let them live. “
“Time’s up Rarity. What will it be?” Starlight said.
“I choose to save my friends!” Rarity said with resolve.
Starlight grimaced. “I was hoping you’d choose yourself again. At least I had some fun with this. Maybe I’ll just do it again... “, Starlight mused.
“Well, time to use that time spell again”, she said, pulling out a scroll and activating it. “I guess I’ll have to go back and cancel tonight’s plans for your friends, and sweep one life away in the past.“ A mystical blue portal appeared in the room, which Starlight walked into. The portal hung in the air for a few moments, then vanished.
Anxiousness suddenly rose in Rarity’s heart, setting her thoughts racing. Any moment from now, she would be erased from existence. A flash of anger suddenly rose in Rarity, “If only there was some flaw in Starlight’s plans!” She thought, stomping at the ground. Her hoof sunk in quite a bit from the force of her stomp. She lifted it and noticed the deep imprint her horseshoe had made in the dirt floor. She had an idea. Not a great one, but it was something. She’d be satisfied with anything that could ruin Starlight’s plans, even a little. She would leave a message. She would tell her friends that she loved them. It couldn’t be much more than names - she simply didn’t have time. With her horn, she wrote her full name, then her friend’s names around it abbreviated “AJACK TSPK FSHY RBD PPIE”.
As Rarity finished writing the names, a portal appeared and Starlight returned. Rarity did not expect Starlight to return before she finished her task. She stepped over top of the names, hoping Starlight would not notice.
“Congratulations, your friends will live. “, Starlight said, motioning over to the now empty corner of the room. The bodies had disappeared without Rarity noticing. “Too bad for you, though”, she said mockingly. “Time to finish the job.” Starlight opened another portal and walked through.
*Now* it was coming. This would be the end for her, Rarity thought. She resolved to finish her writing. She would signify her love with a heart around the names. She stepped back a little, stuck her horn in the ground and walked forward a little, drawing one side of the heart. Trembling, she stuck her horn in the ground and walked forward to finish the drawing. Rarity’s neck suddenly strained and she lost her balance, tumbling over top of herself and flat onto her back. At the same time her ears were deafened with the sound of fireworks and her eyes were blinded with light. Oh no! She had moved outside of the circle! She was going to die! However, the light faded and she realized she was just laying on her back. Hoping she was actually alive, she moved to get onto her hooves quickly. Her body obeyed. She noticed that she was standing outside of the magic circle, which was moving eerily back and forth now, as if shaken. She noticed that the time portal was also still there, but it was slowly shrinking. She had escaped! Rarity’s heart was pounding hard. What would she do? Her eyes went to the portal, which was wobbling and slowly shrinking. “STOP HER!”, her own voice screamed in her head, almost audibly. Rarity dashed forward and dove head-first through the portal, which was now just barely the size of her body.
★ ★ ★
Rarity flopped belly first onto a wooden floor. The portal disappeared behind her. She stood up and noticed that she was in the Ponyville library. The front door was still open, swinging idly. She hurried to it, and checking outside for Starlight, she crept out.
Rarity immediately spotted Starlight walking down the street towards the center of town.
“I can’t confront Starlight directly, even if I had my magic. “, Rarity thought. “I’ll have to catch her off guard and hope she lowers her shield to do whatever it is she’s going to do.”
Rarity crept along the streets some distance behind Starlight, avoiding the other ponies crossing infront of her going about their business. Rarity stopped short when she saw where Starlight was headed. She was walking towards the side of a gazebo-shaped house that had a second floor. Rarity immediately recognized the old white walls with blue trim boards and the large front windows. This was what her boutique looked like before her parents moved and gave it to her. Her mother operated a small bake shop out of the front of her house, with their kitchen in the back and their bedrooms on the small upper floor.
Rarity saw Starlight levitate up to the second floor window, open it, and hop inside. Rarity had to hurry, but not put her parents in danger. Rarity walked up to the front door and went inside (The door was open since the shop was open at that time of day). A young mare with a pink coat and a purple mane tied up in a ponytail was stocking the shelves with baking ingredients. There was no one else in the front of the shop.
“Welcome!”, the mare said. Rarity completely ignored her and walked briskly towards the staircase at back of the store. “Can I help you with something?” she asked, slightly unsettled. Rarity reached the stairs and began climbing, as quietly and quickly as she could.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Rarity saw the familiar door directly across from the stairs. She walked up to it and pushed it open slightly. The young mare had reached the bottom of the stairs and called out to her. “Um, Miss?”, she said with some alarm. Rarity ignored her again.
Rarity peered into the room through the cracked open door. In the small room, she immediately noticed Starlight was standing with her back turned to the door. She was standing in front of a crib. Her horn began to glow.
“Reaaarghhh!!!!” Rarity screamed as she dashed into the small room, reaching Starlight almost immediately and tackling her from behind, knocking Starlight on her side. Still on top of Starlight, Rarity punched Starlight in the face with one hoof. “Oof!” Starlight grunted as the blow struck. Rarity wound up for another punch but suddenly the wind was knocked out of her as Starlight punched with her magic.
Rarity landed in in a crash against a dresser across the room. “Arghh!!! How did you get here??” Starlight said angrily, getting up.
Rarity quickly stood up again and charged at Starlight again, diving hooves-first for her neck this time. Rarity didn’t even notice Starlight’s horn was already glowing as she began her charge. Starlight landed her next punch squarely into Rarity’s stomach. “Ugghh!” she cried out briefly, before Starlight blasted Rarity off of her feet with magic, again sending her across the room. This time she hit her head hard on the wooden dresser.
Rarity’s body ached and trembled as she struggled to find her hooves again. She was feeling weak and dizzy.
“You can’t win. You couldn’t even if you had magic. You can’t stop me”. Rarity could only watch as the tip of Starlight’s horn began to glow with red light. Rarity was sure this was the end for her. As the light reached its peak, she saw Starlight shift her aim over to the crib. Rarity just stared hopelessly.
Suddenly Starlight’s head was wrapped in a blue aura and then she was yanked off of her feet, flying headfirst towards the door, and directly into a pair of hind hooves. Starlight’s body again flew across the room and tumbled as it hit the floor, landing in a heap. Rarity saw the pink mare standing in the doorway, her body facing towards the hallway and her head shadowed by the dark hallway.
Suddenly the mare turned and charged directly for Rarity! “Wait I mean no harm!” Rarity said, covering her face with her forelegs. The mare stopped short in front of Rarity. The mare’s eyes were angry, glaring at Rarity, and her mouth was turned in a frown.
“Wait please!”, said Rarity, as she dragged herself quickly over to Starlight. She considered striking again, but then she noticed that Starlight’s head was at an odd angle from her body, her eyes were closed, and she wasn’t breathing.
★ ★ ★
Rarity sat on the steps of the house, being guarded by two Ponyville police officers. She couldn’t think straight, as her adrenaline kept her mind racing. She was beginning to calm down, though. Suddenly three pony medics came out of the house, carrying a black body bag. Starlight must have died. “Wait, now how will I get home?”, she thought. Starlight had used an advanced time spell that she had invented herself. She was pretty sure she was stuck here.
Rarity answered the officer’s questions as best as she could without saying that she was a time traveler. She said that she was simply defending the foal in the room from Starlight, and that she knew the filly was going to be in danger. She was told that she wouldn’t be in any trouble, so long as the filly’s parents’ story didn’t reveal incriminating evidence.
“Rarity, the filly’s parents wish to speak to you now. Please come this way.”, one of the officers said.
Rarity followed the officer into the back of the shop where the family living room was. Her parents sat on the couch while Rarity sat in the sofa chair across from her. She was beginning to feel exhausted now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Her horn was beginning to throb.
“We wanted to thank you for protecting our daughter. Are you alright?” Rarity’s father said.
“I think so. I’m exhausted.“, Rarity said, feeling odd that her own parents were addressing her as a stranger.
She turned to the young mare. “That mare was dangerous. Thank you for saving me, mo- … *cough*”, Rarity cut herself off with a fake cough, nearly calling her “mom”.
“Your welcome. It wasn’t just for your sake I guess.” She said, smiling. How ironic. “What is your name?” she asked.
Rarity considered whether to hide her identity. She might be stuck in the past for a while. She might as well not be alone. “Um…. my name is Rarity”.
“Ha-ha, what a coincidence. That’s our filly’s name too! You even have the same mane and coat as her.” the mare said.
“.... Mom, it’s… me.” Rarity said quietly.
Both her parents looked at her, confused.
“I came from the future. I came to save my own life from that other mare. I’ve been through something terrible. “ Rarity said.
“Time travel? But how could you do that? Your horn is broken. “, her father said.
Rarity immediately reached up to her horn in a panic. It was broken off, leaving sharp shards sticking out. She had last used it when she was drawing in the dirt back there... perhaps that explained the loud sound and bright light that happened when she tripped. The magical energy must have caused the confinement spell to break and kept the portal open longer. Rarity would never use magic again without her horn.
“Ohh uhhh… umm” Rarity searched for words, still dealing with the loss of her horn. “I just noticed that. I followed that mare through a portal. It wasn’t my magic. “
“You don’t have to believe me. I guess I can get along on my own. I think I’m stuck here.” Rarity said, looking sorrowfully at the ground.
“No we believe you.” her mother said cheerfully. “You look just like my sister! You can stay with us as long as you want. “ her mother said excitedly.
Rarity smiled in relief.
Author's Note
Not sure whether Rarity will ever get back to the present, but she will certainly have an interesting life, watching herself grow up and meet her friends. She would have to be careful to not mess up her and her friends’ history.
What happened to her friends? Starlight went back in time and told her past self to cancel her plans for the mane six, except for Rarity. Her past self only had the satisfaction of reading future Starlight’s notes on the test.
Since time travel was involved here that affects the future immediately, I admit that the there are some inconsistencies here. Also I don’t think in real time travel you can actually change the future of your own timeline.
In case you didn’t understand, Rarity’s mother accidentally breaks Starlight’s neck. Powerful momma-bear. That is how she died. Also neck-breaking doesn’t kill instantly, hence needing to show later that she had died.