Infinity

Author's note: contains spoilers

Rarity...

Twilight opened her eyes. All surrounding, impenetrable darkness greeted her. She wiped off her blanket and walked towards the center of the room. Quietly, she closed her eyes and channelled her magic. She summoned an image of Ponyville in her mind, focused on her destination. Then, without a sound, she vanished.

The night was cold, even though it was still late summer and a freezing wind was waving through her mane, whilst all still lay in complete darkness. She shivered. Her destination was only a few steps ahead of her, but every second she felt like knifes were tearing her mind apart. Only... to see her. The imposter, but still a beacon of light. Still her friend.

She raised her front hoof and knocked. One, two, three times. Why bothering to use magic now, where all was soon to be over? But she wasn't there yet. She had to keep it together, these last, faithful seconds. It wouldn't take long...

The door opened. “Twilight?”, Rarity asked. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” she took a closer look. “Why darling, you look terrible. What happened?”

Twilight walked in. Whatever she was planing to do, she wasn't responsible anymore. She leaned herself on her dearest friend, the deceiver, the transformer, the killer. She gave up all self control and was caught in white hooves before touching the floor. It was then that she started crying. Tears came out of her like water out of a spring and for the first time she felt purified. If she died now, killed for taking a glimpse behind the veil of treason, she would do so in the embrace of her friend.

She had done it. She'd come here. Now, all that there was left to do was waiting.

Her eyes closed, she barely felt how she was being held, picked up and carried. A few seconds passed, then she was laid into something warm and soft. Was she going to kill her so quickly? Well, maybe it was for the better.

She opened her eyes. Rarity was lying directly beside her, their heads inches away from each other.

“Twilight?”

The voice was angelic. What a wonderful thing it was to hear it one last time, before the end was coming. Now and here, where there were no burdens left, no tasks, no letters, no weaknesses to overcome, where she could just silently cry and wait for it to finish, she felt a kind of peace which she had lost since her foalhood. If it was for her, it could stay like this for a little more time. Maybe a few more minutes... her last grace.

“Twilight, can you hear me? Look at me. What has happened? Is it something that needs to be taken care of right now? Is somepony in danger? Twilight?”

She was floating away on ancient wings beyond the realms of time, her mind departed from her body, so that she could watch herself fly as an observer... where was she going to? Would she leave this world behind forever?

“Twilight! What happened?”

Rarity... but she wouldn't be able to come with her. Where she was going, nopony could follow her.

“Twilight! Please. Stay with me. What happened?”

Stay with me...

If her friend was asking for her, why didn't she answer?

“Twilight!”

“Nopony is in danger,” she said, quietly and almost indefinable, within short gaps between her quiet sobs. “It's just me. Just me...”

She was talking to a murderer. To the very soul that sealed all her faiths. But she was so precious...

Rarity reached out a hoof, and pulled Twilight's head closer to her chest. Twilight felt the warm skin soaking up her tears.

“Shh... if time isn't short, you can hold it for as long as you like. You are safe here. Shh...”

Twilight smiled. It was this last grace she had been hoping for. These last minutes, when all tasks ahead of her were meaningless, for she would be gone before being affected by any of them. True peace.

She rested. Eyes closed, within the covers of her friend, warm and beyond all fears, she fell in a state on the edge of unconsciousness.

She sat on a beach and watched out across the sea. Wave upon wave quietly hit the sand, all just reaching a line before her. It seemed like she was truly invincible. She was standing in the wonderful gardens of Canterlot. The animals weren't disturbed by her, for she wasn't a physical presence, but merely a shadow. Fluttershy would love to see through her eyes right now. She was lying on a bed in the arms of a murderer, her cheeks touching the soft white skin. And she was in a quiet village, observing other ponies and their daily lives...

When Rarity finally spoke to her, she couldn't tell how much time had passed. It might have been less than a minute and it might have been several hours.

“Twilight?”

“...yes?”

Rarity pulled back just enough to be face to face with Twilight.

“I have to leave,” she said, her voice the faintest whisper in her ear.

“Leave? But why?”

“The order I've been on for the last week. I need to finish it.” her eyes spoke of guilt, but her voice was calm. “Otherwise all will be for nothing and my reputation will be ruined. I know it is a terrible thing to say right now, but I am running out of time.” She lifted Twilight's head with a front hoof. “Twilight, listen to me. I trust you, even now. If you need me, if there's truly no other way, then to hell with this order. It's up to you. Can I do this?”

Twilight looked at her without seeing her. Hidden treasures... stars beyond the veil of night... hounds of the darkness... sail... sail from paradox lost to a paradise found...

Somewhere deep within the corners of her mind, she knew that she was about to lose her sanity.

“Twilight. You need to decide. Please. Please, focus now. Just for a minute.”

All ways in circles, the blind pony would never find a way out, if she was going along walls to find a way out of the labyrinth. But the blind pony only had to turn around and fly away to get off the labyrinth. If she was a pegasus. And if Twilight was the blind pony, she couldn't fly away, because she didn't have wings. But she could use her magic to escape. And outside the labyrinth...

“Twilight, please. I have waited until the last moment to ask you this, to give you as much time as possible. You need to decide now.”

Rarity...

She was drowning, but she pulled back, an effort that spoke derision of all she had encountered in the past. Out of the labyrinth, because she was a unicorn. Because the damn thing was an analogy and not a real thing. She took a few more seconds to make sense out of what Rarity had said. Her giant order... all within a deadline. It didn't matter what she had done to her. Not anymore.

“Finish it,” she said. “I don't know what I will do without you, but you can't lose so much just because of me. Finish it. Just... don't forget me.”

Rarity nodded. “Twilight, do you know a spell to put yourself asleep? I will only need little more than one hour. If you can focus now, you don't have to endure the time.”

Twilight drowned again. She could see the labyrinth just beneath her, but she couldn't give in just yet.

“There... is a spell,” she said.”But I can't do it. Not now.”

“I will link with you.” Rarity tilted her head so that their horns touched just on the edge. “Do it.”

“But... you could be hurt. And do you have enough time?”

“I don't know,” Rarity said bluntly. “I hope so. Twilight, it's a terrible thing to leave you now, if I can help you like this, there is nothing to talk about. Do it.”

Twilight focused. Just this last thing, so she told herself, and it would all be over. She let her magical grasp flow through Rarity's horn and into her mind, and like a cadged she took her strength and she performed the spell whilst still linked to her. A short glow, a flash and she fell through the labyrinth and into nothingness, a dreamless sleep.

She woke up. The first thing she encountered was fear, the greatest fear there was, the fear of being left alone.

Then she felt the warmth comforting her and the soft breathing against her neck. Rarity was lying directly behind her, her hooves wrapped around Twilight's chest.

“You are here,” Twilight said. It was this little statement that meant more to her than she could ever hope to fit into words.

“I am here,” Rarity said, pulling Twilight closer to her.

“Did you make it?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. Thank you, Twilight. You have done so much for me.”

“I am happy for you,” Twilight said. She couldn't remember why Rarity might not have made it or why she was even here. Something terrible had happened, yet it rested behind a layer of thoughts she couldn't get through. But whatever it was, at this moment she just felt happy for her friend. She turned around, so that she could look at her and buried her head in Rarity's chest once again. Rarity said nothing, but pulled her closer, took such good care of the fragile, drowning piece of madness that was Twilight.

Lying here now, unaware of what tragedy had occurred, but knowing that it would consume her to find out, she grasped onto every moment, trying not to think. Whatever it was, it wouldn't be able to hurt her now, not here, not with the shield that was Rarity. She just had to do nothing. Don't think, don't think, don't think, don't think...

As it happened, it happened fast. Within the span of less than ten seconds, Twilight could feel her consciousness coming back to her. She realised where she was, how she got here and who was with her.

“Rarity?” she whispered.

“Yes?”

“I'm... back. If you want, I can leave you now.”

As an answer, Rarity held her even tighter.

“Don't even think about it.”

Twilight raised her head as far as the embrace would let her and caught sight of the rest of the room. Not that there was much too see.

“Can you make some light?”

A few seconds passed, then the curtains were pushed open. Twilight had to cover her eyes while getting used to the sudden brightness in the room. It had to have been hours since she'd woken up.

“Thanks.”

“Can you tell me what happened?”

Twilight opened her eyes a little, just enough to see the blanket and parts of Rarity. It was now that she realised how wet everything was. She gulped. She hadn't even known that so many tears where there for her to cry out, before she was completely dry.

“I had a nightmare.” She shivered. “The most realistic nightmare I ever had. I couldn't tell that it wasn't real until just now. And then I drifted away because I couldn't face what I thought had happened.” With an hysteric glance, she realised that even Rarity's mane was wet from her crying. “Oh, just look at this mess. Rarity, I am so sorry for all of this.”

“Nonsense. You pulled yourself together, during everything you were going through and allowed me to finish my order. What's a silly blanket compared to that? You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Well, if I hadn't come here, you would've been able to finish your order without having to deal with me in the first place.”

“That's hardly your fault now, is it?” Rarity gently nuzzled Twilight somewhere beside her left ear. “You can't judge yourself for something that happened while you weren't even conscious. But whatever was your dream about to put you in such a condition?”

“You...” Even still, Twilight shivered while remembering it. “I was beside you all the time. You came back to Ponyville years a-after the changeling invasion in Canterlot. During the invasion, you had been taken, then rescued and you had been unable to come back home for years. But meanwhile, one changeling had inherited your place. For years, it pretended to be you and you came back to town to get your revenge. To kill the imposter.”

Twilight pulled back a little and moved into a sitting position. She looked on her hooves while continuing.

“But then you saw how happy the false Rarity has made everypony else. The changeling... it wasn't really evil, it learned how to live it's new life and it was good at it. And you just let it go on. You even lied to it and told it that you had found a husband, a new and happy live, just so it wouldn't feel bad. And then you went home and you took the poison yourself, the poison which was meant for the changeling. All so you would be gone and everypony else would be living a beautiful live... and a lie.”

She almost panicked again. “Rarity, I thought you were dead and that I was visiting the... thing which took your place and that it would kill me for finding out...”

She took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down. One last sob, one last tear, and she finally stopped crying. She looked up. Talking about it now made the whole situation feel real, for the first time since she'd woken up. Earlier, it had just been like another nightmare, as if she hadn't really awaken but just drifted into an other dimension of her dream.

“Hmm...” Rarity dried her mane with an untouched part of the blanket, while looking towards Twilight, yet apparently without really seeing her. “I think I would indeed act like that,” she said. “If she really made everypony happy, I think I would spare her. I like to believe that I wouldn't commit suicide, but if I were without new friends and unable to get in touch with all of you... I honestly don't know.” she dropped the blanket and focused her sight back on Twilight. “But thank Celestia that's a choice that I don't have to make. It might have been realistic, but it was still just a dream. I am not a changeling and I won't leave any of you anytime soon.”

Twilight shivered, but smiled. The truth that life was not over, that she hadn't even been in real danger, slowly came through to her and against all odds of the situation she felt happy about it. Rarity was there. Rarity was real and it had never been otherwise. Just a dream. An incredibly-crushing-all-borders-realistic dream which completely robbed her of her sanity for while it lasted, but still just a dream. What counted was that Rarity was here, and despite all the mess that Twilight caused she wasn't even angry at her.

Twilight lay down again. She was still utterly exhausted. “You are a wonderful friend, Rarity,” she said. ”I don't think I've ever told you how much you really mean to me. I was a complete mess and you handled me perfectly.”

Rarity lay down before Twilight and brushed through her mane with a gentle hoof.

“You know you are just as good as a friend,” she said. “You would've done the same for me.”

Having had to deal with her own misery up until now, Twilight hadn't taken a closer look upon Rarity yet. It was as she'd just spoken that Twilight realised she too seemed to be exhausted.

“Rarity, are you ok?”

“Not really.” Rarity magically pulled a new, dry blanket out of a cabinet in the back and put it over both of them, while getting the old one out of the way. “What I said at the party yesterday was kind of an understatement. I haven't just worked hard this last week, I've barely slept. I'm... so glad it's finally over. I'd like to just lie here forever.” Rarity chuckled.

“Makes two of us,” Twilight said. She sighed. “Then it means even more that you put up with me so well.”

Rarity looked at her, her eyes sparkling. “Not a problem, dear.”

Twilight pulled closer. She looked directly into the other mares eyes, and she could see an image of her own, exhausted self in it. Slowly, Twilight barely realised what was happening, they moved even closer, until their lips touched. The kiss was soft, without passion, but gentle.

“What are we doing?” Rarity whispered.

“I have no idea,” Twilight whispered back. “Do you mind?”

“No, not really.” Rarity smiled, and leaned in for another kiss. Twilight returned it, and for just a few seconds while their lips met, she lived entirely in that moment. Then, both pulled back at the same time.

“Does this mean anything?” Twilight asked.

“I don't know,” Rarity said. “If you want. If we want. It doesn't have to. None of us can think straight at this moment. For now, let's pretend like nothing has happened and we can talk about it later.”

Twilight nodded. It was the best thing to do. Right now, there was no way of telling whether what she felt was love or even close to it. She knew that she liked mares, but she'd never felt any attraction towards one of her friends before.

Rarity moved into a sitting position again. “Would you like to have...” she laughed. “... breakfast?”

Twilight joined her for a second. “Yes, that would be nice. Actually, now that you mention it, most of all I'm really thirsty.”

Rarity looked at her and at the soaking wet blanket, which she had put beside the bed. “Yes, I can infer.”

Even though the point of the joke was hardly funny, Twilight found herself giggling. She slid off the bed and followed Rarity downstairs.

“I fear I'm not in a condition to cook anything decent,” Rarity said apologetically. “Actually, I think I'm just gonna go with hay fries.”

“I don't mind,” Twilight said, sitting down on a chair and resting her head on the kitchen table. “I just hope you don't mind if I lack proper table manners.”

“No, I don't think so,” Rarity said. She filled a glass with water and levitated it towards Twilight. “Drink, darling. You lost so much water.”

“Thanks,” Twilight said. She took a sip, realised just how thirsty she really was and emptied the jar in one go. “Not enough,” she said with a crooked smile.

“No problem.” Rarity didn't seem to have expected anything else. She refilled the jar and levitated it back to Twilight. She then put some hay fries on two plates and floated them on the table. “At least this is going fast,” she said drily. “I think that's all we need.

“Almost,” Twilight said and floated the once again empty jar back to Rarity. “Sorry,” she murmured guiltily.

Rarity smiled, filled it for the third time and sat down in front of Twilight. They both started eating, while Twilight thanked Rarity in silence for keeping it so simple. Levitating fries to once's mouth sure wasn't the finest of ways to eat, but it was the least complicated.

The meal passed on in a pleasant silence, none of them finding any need to talk. As they finished, Rarity didn't bother to properly clean up but instead just stacked the plates and moved them to the corner of the table.

“What now?” Twilight asked.

Rarity shrugged. “I'm not gonna leave the boutique today. If you want to keep me company...”

“Of course.”

“... we might as well find something to do. How about some chess?”

“I didn't know you play chess,” Twilight said surprised. “But I wouldn't be a challenge for you.”

“I doubt that,” Rarity said with a chuckle. “I don't play chess either, I haven't touched the board once since I moved in here. And in my current state, I wouldn't be good anyway. So, what do you think?”

“Sure, why not. I think I at least remember the rules. Should I get it for you?”

“No, it's fine,” Rarity said, standing up and walking towards her working room. A few seconds later she returned, the board and a box with the figures floating beside her. She dropped both on the table and she and Twilight started putting the wooden figures on their designed fields.

“Since we are both terrible at this game,” Rarity said while finishing to plant down the line of identical earth ponies in the front row, “how about we change the rules a little? You lose the game when you lost the princess, instead of the guard, and earth ponies can move backwards.”

Twilight laughed. “Yea, why not. That makes more sense anyway, why would a game end when the guard is down?”

“Exactly.”

“But the princess has to beat figures whenever she can,” Twilight said. “Otherwise she would be too hard to catch.”

“Deal.” Rarity moved her leftest earth pony two steps towards Twilight's row of ponies.

Twilight laughed.

“Just you wait, darling” Rarity said, smirking. “In this version of chess that's the best opener.”

“Might be.” Twilight put the pony before her guard two steps forward. “But don't you have to use the guard earlier? I mean, now that you don't rely on him surviving, you can just throw him at your enemy like every other figure.”

“We'll see,” Rarity said and moved the same pony she had been using the first turn one step back. They both laughed.

“Isn't it a little bit racist that the two weakest figures - the colt and the eight basic earth ponies - are, well, both earth ponies?” Twilight asked, while moving another pony forward.

“Maybe a little,” Rarity said. “But since everypony knows that earth ponies are the most important tribe when it comes to survival, I think that's fine. They would have to offer the least in combat, after all.”

“I guess.” Having eaten something, Twilight almost started to feel halfway decent again, or at least a lot better than before dinner. Seemed like Rarity would need more time to recover than her after all.

“Who was your order actually for?” she asked.

“Some stallion from Canterlot called Noblecourt,” Rarity answered. “I happened to be there when he talked about having to find a dressmaker for a huge order and I was stupid enough to offer myself. He warned me that it would be too much for a one-mare business but I insisted on doing it. It's my fault, really.”

“But you pulled it of?”

“Yes, my reputation isn't harmed.” Rarity moved her earth pony two steps forward from the starting position, for the third time. I guess it's even strengthened. But still, it wasn't worth it.”

“Did he come to pick them up while I was there?” Twilight asked.

“He sent someone. I finished all literally a moment before he knocked.” She pointed at one of her figures in the front row. “By the way, you have to beat my earth pony here.”

“Huh?” Twilight looked on the pony in question. Rarity was right, it was on a straight line from her princess. She moved her across the board.

“And I win,” Rarity said, taking out Twilight's princess with her own, which was now just one field apart.

“Twilight laughed. “Did you plan this? Only moving forward and backwards with one pony, and winning like this?”

“No,” Rarity said. “I had no idea what I was doing. But this rule was your idea.” Both of them laughed again.

“Another match?” Rarity asked?

“I think I'll pass,” Twilight said. “You clearly beat me.”

“Yes I did, didn't I?” she smirked, grabbed all figures at once and floated them back into the box. This was impressive to Twilight, since lifting that many different objects at once was fairly hard. Rarity probably had practise with this due to her work.

“I got it,” Twilight said as Rarity was about to stand up again. “I'm actually feeling a lot better already. I think I'll be fine soon enough.” She floated board and box back and positioned them on the floor next to the kitchen door, since she didn't know where exactly Rarity had gotten them from.

“Nice to hear one of us is,” Rarity said quietly. “So, are you gonna leave me now?”

“No. Unless you want me to.”

“Celestia help me, of course I don't. I'm happy for as much company as I can get, but I fear I won't be a very fun pony to have around.” She looked unhappily towards Twilight.

“I'll stay.” Twilight said firmly. “I could read something to you. How does that sound?”

“Mh...” Rarity smiled. “Wonderful. The bookshelf is in my sleeping room. The ones on the left side are the unread ones.”

“Alright, I'll get one.” Twilight walked upstairs, entered the room in question and grabbed one book at random from the five ones on the left side of the shelf. Returning back down with it, Rarity raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, Twilight, dear? That's a mare-stallion romance novel.”

Twilight shrugged. “So? You are into stallions as well, aren't you?”

“So I am, but you aren't, or at least that's what I assumed.”

Twilight giggled. “I'm not. But I usually don't read romance stories anyway, so it doesn't make that much of a difference. Never saw the point of it.”

“And you don't mind?” Rarity asked.

“No. And If I did, would you have any other books?”

“... not really.” Rarity blushed and Twilight giggled again.

“So, it's called 'The adventures of the waitress'. Oh, look at the cover art, isn't it pretty?”

“Yes, that's why I initially bought it.”

“Based on the cover.” Twilight laughed. “Oh Rarity.”

“A lady is well advised to follow her instincts when it comes to romantic literature,” Rarity said in a sniffy voice. She then laughed and added: “And I know the author.”

“Well, that's something,” Twilight said. “So, let's see. Chapter one...”

Twilight had read to Rarity until late into the afternoon. Soon they had moved upstairs, Rarity lying down, Twilight sitting beside her. It wasn't until they were halfway through the book, Twilight had just finished a chapter and was about to flip the page, when...

“Twilight?”

“Yes?”

“I think that's enough, I'm really tired.” raising herself into a sitting position, she moved closer to Twilight, leaned her head against her shoulder and sighed. “Without you, it would've been a never ending day of boredom. I would've even been too worn out to read more than a few minutes myself. Thanks, Twilight.”

“You're welcome. It was a pleasure.” Twilight made a mental note to remember the page number, then closed the book and floated it back on the bookstore behind them.

“If that's true,” Rarity joked, “then you have to be in love with me. Otherwise, how could putting up with a fragile mess like me be fun?”

“You're an awfully cute mess,” Twilight teased. Rarity just giggled.

“So...” Twilight stood up. “Then I'm gonna leave now.”

“Yes.” Rarity slid of the bed, shakily standing on four hooves. “Shall we?”

“Oh Rarity, you don't have to come with me downstairs. I think I'll find the way out myself.”

“Nonsense,” Rarity said. “Darling, after all you've done for me, you'll at least let me see you off properly. Besides, I have to get ready for bed, that doesn't work without standing up.”

“But...”

“I insist,” Rarity said emphatically. “And by arguing you will only keep me up longer.”

“Alright alright.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Then come.”

But she observed her friend carefully during the walk downstairs, expecting her to collapse every second. While she had gained her strength back during the day, Rarity only seemed to have gotten weaker. Thankfully, they made it without anything bad happening. Having reached the exit, Twilight smirked and said:

“In that case, I insist on coming back tomorrow. I won't let you have an entire day lying around without having anything to do.”

Rarity didn't object, but smiled instead. “That would be wonderful.”

She leaned forward, giving Twilight the softest kiss on her cheek. “Goodnight,” she whispered.

“Goodnight.”

And finally, Twilight left the boutique, closing the door shut behind her. The evening trees outside whispered in the warm breeze that waved through Ponyville. For Twilight, they only seemed to ask one question.

Did she love Rarity?