Everyone has their addictions; their itches needing scratching. Some may be harmful, some others morose, and some still erotic. There are a few, however, which are none of these. Rarity had one such addiction.
If, by some miracle, one did not know this addiction by how she presented herself, or how she decorated her home, or even by the products she sold, they would know within five minutes of talking to her: Rarity loved things of value. Precious things - things others sought for both monetary and societal value. Anything which glittered, be it gold or otherwise. Of course, a lady has her preferences, and this particular lady had a very particular favourite: Minerals. Gems, jewels, diamonds, pearls… the list could go on and on. Though, of them all, at was of course diamonds she truly loved. How could one resist them? Their glimmer! their sparkle! Their rugged yet unbreakable form! Yes, few others came close to Rarity’s love for diamonds.
As with any addiction, there is only so long one can go without indulging themselves. Itches only stay calm for so long before they need a good scratch. As such, it had become a regular habit of Rarity to visit the quarry, a wide field of soil packed rich with minerals. Unfortunately, she was not the only gem-loving person in the world, as she had very roughly learned after an unfortunate incident involving a pack of Diamond Dogs. Despite her better nature, Rarity could not help but turn her nose up at the experience. It had been so dirty, and they had acted so unbelievably rude!
Rarity was not a fan of dirt.
Friendship, as magical as ever, had saved her on that fateful day. Her friends had come to save her and she walked away all the richer for it. That said, she certainly had not been doing too badly for herself in that particular instance. While it was a bad experience for her, she made sure it was a doubly bad experience for her kidnappers. Ever since said experience, whenever Rarity visited the quarry she made sure to take along her friend’s friend Spike, armed with a dog whistle. Rarity thought it was a marvelous idea, Spike blowing a dog whistle. After all, he was always adept at blowing things out of proportion!
Today, however, the unthinkable happened: Spike turned Rarity down. Spike - the Dragon thirstier than a fish in a desert - turning down Rarity?! If the event was an object, it would be valuable indeed, but Rarity wanted gems not shocks, so she had turned to her good friend Applejack to help her. Though Applejack refused to use the dog whistle, she did have the added benefit of being no stranger to dirt. Rarity had to admit, it was an admirable trait - and more importantly made digging up gems far cleaner on her part.
The two had headed off to the quarry around lunchtime, and had then spent a few hours searching for gems - with help from a certain spell of Rarity’s helping expedite the process - until it began to grow late in the evening.
The sky had tinted to orange, which only highlighted more so the orange stretches of earth around them. Applejack hardly stood out anymore, looking more like one of the many piles of dirt aside all the dug holes in the area. Her hat was beside the hole she stood in, along with Rarity who watched her dig from overhead.
“Hey, Rar’?” Asked Applejack huffing and panting a little. “We headin’ back soon?” She stopped digging for a moment, stabbing her shovel into the ground, and wiped her brow. “I gotta make sure Big Mac ain’t snuck out for drinks again, he’s s’posed to be teaching Bloom how to till soil, him being the expert n’ all, but I don’t want him doin’ that if he’s soiled himself. Not again.”
“Eugh…” Rarity made no effort to hide her disgust. She shook off her expression, trying to regain her lady-like demeanour. “Well, darling,” she replied after clearing her throat, “I suppose we could head back soon. Rather disappointing haul this time though, I must say.” She glanced to her saddlebags holding hardly a handful of cracked and small gems and sighed. “Not every trip can be so gracious, it seems…”
Applejack hummed in agreement before picking her shovel back up and continuing to dig. “Any plans for when this place runs out?”
“Runs out? Whatever do you mean?”
“The quarry,” she clarified, “when there’s no gems left here’s what I mean.”
Rarity chuckled. “No need to worry about that, darling. Take it from someone who’s seen the underbelly of this place - we shan’t have to worry about that for decades to come, at least!”
“If you say so…” Suddenly, Applejack’s eyes lit up. “Hey! I’ve hit something!” She tossed her shovel aside and dug the rest out from her hooves, ignoring a retch from Rarity, and pulled out a large, sparkling diamond. Rarity’s face lit even brighter.
“Oh my!” Rarity squeaked. “It’s so…! So…! Big!” Her horn lit up and the diamond was magically snatched from Applejack. She held it close to her face, practically drooling as she looked over every inch.
Applejack climbed up out of the hole. She stretched herself out, getting a satisfying pop from her back before turning to Rarity - still entranced by the diamond. “Uh, Rarity? Rarity?”
Finally, Rarity snapped out of it. “Hmm? Ah! Yes! Yes, we should, ah, ‘make tracks’, as they say!”
Applejack smirked. “Right…”
Rarity slipped the diamond into her saddle bag and, without another word, the two set off down the path toward the road back to Ponyville.
The two trotted along, each with a smile on their face. Rarity, of course, was happy to have her itch scratched so thoroughly. Applejack on the other hand was happy to have been able to help a friend while being so active. Nothing like a bit of digging to burn off an apple pie!
The countryside was a beautiful sight; rays of the sun lighting up the distant mountain holding up Canterlot, an orange sky hanging above the long stretches of emerald hills, and nary a cloud in view. The sight of the sky reminded Rarity of a silk dress; flowing and weaving in a beautifully smooth manner. It reminded Applejack, unsurprisingly, of a candy apple.
As the two continued down the road, Applejack spotted a small crowd of a dozen or so Ponies off in the distance. Rarity was too caught up in her daydreams of orange silk complimenting the diamond. Oh, the frills it would have! Oh, the glamour it would bring! It would surely be her greatest work! Nothing could ever come close to-!
A poke from Applejack snapped her out of her fantasy.
“Tch… What is it, darling?” Rarity asked, a slight strain in her voice. “I was having the most wonderful inspiration!”
“What do you reckon’ they’re up to?” Applejack asked, nodding towards the crowd. Just past them sat a caravan of some kind. Rarity frowned. Why was it so familiar?
“Oh no,” she gasped, her eyes widening, “is that-?”
“Come one!” A booming voice called from the caravan. “Come all! Come, and hold witness to the grrreat, and powerful, Trrrixie!” There was a puff of smoke, presumably from a smoke bomb as she made her dramatic entrance.
“Ugh, let’s just get back to Ponyville before she pulls anything weird again,” Applejack groaned, shaking her head. She stopped as Rarity touched her shoulder.
“As much as I would like to agree,” Rarity sighed, “we should make sure she isn’t causing trouble, darling. She already has to deal with whatever is wrong with Spike today, this kind of stress is the last thing Twilight needs right now.”
After a pause, Applejack sighed too. “I s’pose you’re right. Can we hurry it up though? Big Mac’s much more a lightweight than he looks.”
“Of course, dear.”
The two changed their course and headed toward the caravan, no longer a pep in their step. As they reached it, Rarity was quick to notice that Trixie’s stage was more crowded than usual. Three Changelings were up on stage with her, though they seemed different to those they’d seen in Canterlot: Their wings and eyes were a pleasant green, their muzzles were stockier, and they were a good head or so shorter.
“Next up!” Trixie shouted.“My three spectacular assistants shall dazzle and amaze you with their dazzling and amazing magic!” The three Changelings stepped forward, big grins on their faces. One of them jumped ahead and, in a flash of blue flames, transformed into a curtain to hide the other two. Another few flashes of blue could be seen from behind the curtain, before the curtain turned back into a Changeling. Where the other two once stood, there now sat a tophat. The curtain Changeling picked up the hat and, with a very excited grin on his face, pulled out a rabbit.
The audience was unimpressed.
A bead of sweat appeared on his brow, as the Changeling threw the rabbit into the air above him. He took off the hat, spun it in his hooves, and with a very obvious flash of blue it became a wand. With a wave of his wand the rabbit, also with a very obvious flash of blue, became a mirror. He caught the mirror as it fell, then looked into it with an attempted dashing grin. The mirror flashed blue and became cracked, and the Changeling looked back to the audience for approval with a big, dumb grin.
Someone coughed.
The Changeling gulped, sweating heavily now, and waved his wand again. The mirror transformed into a deck of card, which he offered to someone in the audience. They took a card, then replaced it in the deck at the Changeling’s beckoning. The Changeling shuffled the deck, then waved his wand. The wand transformed into a playing card; the queen of diamonds. He showed it to the Pony in the audience.
“That wasn’t my card.”
It became clear the Changeling’s grin was a simper. “A-and for my final trick!” He announced. “I’ll take a bit from behind your ear!”
The crowd booed and began to disperse.
“W-wait!” He cried, clearly panicking. “What if I turn water into wine?!” It was too late; the only people left were Rarity and Applejack. “Dammit…”
Applejack turned to Trixie with a raised eyebrow. “Seriously?”
“Shut up!” Trixie spat. She turned to the three Changelings, the other two having turned back to normal. “And you three! What did I tell you about being more creative?!”
“Sorry, Ms. Trixie…” They replied, hanging their heads in unison.
“‘Sorry’ doesn’t pay off your contracts!” She shouted. “Now get backstage and take a shower; you’re all sweaty messes!” Their heads hung lower as they went backstage.
“So…” started Rarity, “how is it you came to have Changeling assistants, Trixie?”
Trixie scowled. “Well, unlike some people, the rest of us have to make a living! Those three wanted to make a start in the stage magic world, I need to make more money, so they sold themselves to me.” She kicked the ground. “Worst investment I’ve ever received…”
“That can’t be legal!” Cried Applejack. “Y’all show types can’t just ‘sell’ y’allselves!”
“That what showbusiness is, you fool!” Trixie snarled. “What are you two doing here anyway? Shouldn’t you be off in Ponyville with Twidull Dorkle?”
“We’re running an errand, saw your caravan on the way back,” Applejack narrowed her eyes, “wanted to make sure you weren’t up to your usual ‘ticksies’.”
“Ha, ha,” Trixie rolled her eyes. “I’ll have you know I’m better than that. Besides, why would I come to this side of the mountain if I wanted to pull a fast one?”
Having enough of their bickering, Rarity decided to change the subject. “I can’t imagine working with Changelings would net you much business, what with that invasion that happened not too long ago. What in Equestria made you take them on?”
“They were willing and paying!” Trixie retorted. She paused. “...And going hungry. Look, I know I’ve done some not so great and powerful things in the past, but I’m not a monster. I thought I could teach them how to make in this business, but they’re awful. I’ve lost more money than they paid me to take them as assistants. I’ll be happy to get rid of them, but their contracts say they need to make me a lot of money first.”
“How’s that fair?!” Cried Applejack. “They paid you!”
“Negotiations, my dear mud-Pony. If nothing else, I’m well known: People would pay a good deal for the recognition I have, and their contracts say just that.”
“...And you can’t just go against the contract, can you?” Rarity asked. She paused to think. “What if the two of us help you teach them some showmanship? I imagine they need it.”
Trixie eyed Rarity suspiciously. “...Fine. If you’re feeling so generous, I suppose it’s worth the gamble. Meet me backstage, I’ll put the kettle on.” She threw a smoke bomb at her hooves and disappeared.
“I’m sorry, darling,” said Rarity, turning to Applejack, “I know you’re wanting to get back. Why don’t you head back without me?”
Applejack smiled. “Naw, I’ll help out too. Can’t say I’m fond of her, but no friend o’ mine’s gotta put up with her alone.”
“I should’a gone back,” Applejack groaned.
The six of them were inside the caravan, and the three Ponies were increasingly less and less hopeful in the three Changelings. Night had long since fallen, Trixie had run out of coffee an hour ago, and nobody was happy about any of it.
“Dammit!” Trixie shouted, throwing her hat. “You three are just destined to be lame, aren’t you?!” She stormed towards the door. “Take five! I’m gonna watch some paint dry to get some excitement after that sorry display!” She stomped outside, slamming the door behind her.
The three Changelings, Razzle, Dazzle, and Nigel, hung their heads and sighed.
“So…” Rarity started again, trying to fill the awkward silence, “I heard you three sold yourselves into this job? What lead chaps like yourselves to do so?”
“Well…” Razzle sighed, “we’ve always wanted to be magicians, y’know? We had a little place back in Manehatten, this bar we’d perform at. We did well enough, it’s easier to entertain if your audience is drunk.”
“Then Queen Chrysalis decided to invade Canterlot…” Dazzle muttered.
“People didn’t exactly want to see Changelings anymore, see,” Razzle continued as Nigel nodded, “especially with the whole ‘hurting the Princess’ thing-”
“Well,” Nigel interrupted, “some Ponies were happy to see Changelings, but not for good reasons.”
“Got used as target practice by tomato farmers more than a few times…” Dazzle muttered.
“Even still, we made ends meet there,” Razzle continued again. “Even if things were bad, we didn’t have to go hungry. Even if most of them wanted to kick our asses, we still managed to impress a few drunks here and there. It’s close enough to love to live on, see?”
“So the job literally feeds you,” Applejack thought aloud. “That seems like it’d be even worse to risk taking to the road.”
“But it’s our dream!” Nigel exclaimed. “Seeing new sights, having crowds of Ponies laughing and cheering, making a good bit of bits along the way! It’s an addicting fantasy...” He sighed happily. “But… this isn’t how I - any of us really - thought it’d be.”
“We just want to go back now…” Dazzle muttered. “But we suck too much to get out of this contract…” His stomach growled.
Rarity felt her heart drop a little. Despite a few negative feelings she felt towards Changelings after the invasion, it was terrible to see anyone in such a sorry state. Her closed her eyes, deep in thought.
The door to the caravan slammed back open and Trixie came stomping back inside.
“Okay…” She groaned. “From the top!”
“Wait,” said Rarity. “How much exactly do they need to make before they’re free from their contracts?”
“A lot,” she replied offhandedly. “Now, get in position, you three-”
“Trixie!” Barked Applejack, making her flinch. “Tell us how much!”
Trixie paused, but finally relented. “About twenty thousand bits… Even if they manage to learn some actual showmanship, they’ll be working for me years before they make what they need. Not that they ever will at this rate…” She ground her teeth, shooting them daggers. “It’s a lose-lose situation for all of us.”
“I’m surprised you want to finish the contract so honestly,” said Applejack. “Seems weird you’d take them in so simply.” She narrowed her eyes. “What’s the real reason?”
Trixie scowled at her, but found herself unable to hold back the truth. “They reminded me of how I used to be, okay?! After the mess I caused,” she grimaced, “business was rough for a while. I understand how it is to go hungry because people assume the worst of you, and I didn’t want to them keep going how they were, especially for something they didn’t do.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “It’s unfair. So I, the charitable and generous Trixie, took them up on their offer to help them grow as magicians! But you’ve seen them; they suck harder than my ex-girlfriend, and they make me clench my ass just as hard, and now all of us are paying for it…”
“I’m happy for you, darling,” Rarity smiled. “You’ve really changed for the better since we last met. Though the same can’t be said for your fashion sense…” she coughed, before returning to her smile. “It’s wonderful that you’ve learnt to be more honest.”
“Don’t mock me…” Trixie grumbled. “I’m making a real effort here…”
“I don’t mock, darling, and I really am impressed. And for such a good ‘show’…” she fumbled with her bag, and pulled out the diamond, “...I think this little gesture is more than earned.” She turned to the Changelings, each of them gaping in astonishment, and handed the diamond to Razzle. “Here you are, chaps!”
“W-we can’t accept this!” Cried Razzle. “I mean, we just met you! You can’t just give out a gift like this!”
“Gift? Ha!” Rarity laughed. “It’s a tip for your performance! I’ve not seen such magic in a while!”
“Magic?”
“That magic of friendship!”
The room was silent for a moment, before they broke out into smiles.
“We’ll never forget this!” Nigel cried, shaking her hoof vigorously. “Thank you!”
Rarity chuckled. “Think nothing of it…”
The night air was chilly, but the sparkling stars were a sight to behold. Once again on the road, Rarity and Applejack were trotting back towards Ponyville - the peps in their steps securely returned.
“Awful generous thing you did, Rar’,” said Applejack. “That thing had to be worth a lotta money.”
“Oh, I don’t doubt it!” Rarity smiled. “But… that’s fine.”
“I know you’re you and all, but how come you’re so fine with it?” Applejack asked. “I know how much you love gems.”
“Mmm, I most certainly do. But…” Rarity looked to her with a smile. “Who needs something of so little value, when friends are worth so much more?”
