A Tale of Sparkles and Black Magic

Rarity opened her eyes feeling refreshed after her good night’s sleep, ready to tackle another day of dressmaking. This day, more than any other, she had to get perfect. Hoity Toity wouldn’t accept anything less than absolute perfection, especially after her first go around with the fashion critic. She got out of bed, did some stretches, then entered her design room. The design currently on her drawing board needed a few extra touches, touches she wanted to get out of her head and onto the page before she lost them. That took little more than a few minutes for an expert seamstress such as herself— especially when it was inspired by a good friend’s star motif.

What followed was a fairly standard morning routine— shower, tidy up her bed, eat a quick breakfast, and take stock of her supplies. Satisfied that everything was in order, she left for the train station. Hoity Toity was to arrive in about an hour, meaning she had a little time to go fetch some food from the market.

She took a sniff of the fresh morning air, relishing in the sunny sky, thankful the pegasi had cleared the schedule for the next few days of any storms in light of the upcoming festivities. The Ponyville marketplace was busier than usual, filled with ponies and other creatures bustling about, purchasing food and other refreshments and party supplies. Along the way, she passed by a Crystalvision situated atop a table— the sound was only barely audible over the cacophony of chattering ponies all around the market. The image showed a green pegasus mare with a crystalline microphone staring at the similarly-colored camera crystal, somewhere up in Canterlot with a similar level of activity occurring behind her.

"Things are getting hectic in Canterlot as preparations for the festival are well underway. Two weeks after the Storm King’s invasion of Canterlot and you wouldn’t know all of ponykind was nearly enslaved with how cheerful everyone is! This promises to be an event on par with any Summer Sun Celebration! This is Green Gale, reporting for—”

“Howdy, Rarity!”

Rarity turned toward the familiar voice. “Oh, Applejack! I was just on my way to your stand. Why aren’t you there?”

Applejack shrugged. “Figured I’d let Apple Bloom take over. She’ll do fine.”

Rarity would have complimented her friend for her willingness to trust her little sister. Instead, the mote of unease in her friend’s voice told her that something was off. It didn’t take a genius to guess what it might be.

“You’re still reeling over what happened last week, aren’t you?”

Applejack smiled softly. “And I thought I was s’posed to be the one good at pickin’ out hidden truths.”

They shared a soft chuckle before Rarity said, “What happened last week was bad, but it could’ve been far, far worse. At least nobody died.”

“Yeah, true.”

“Let’s put that firmly behind us and look forward to the festival, what do you say?”

“Sounds like a mighty fine idea, Rares.”

Applejack led Rarity to her stand whereupon she purchased one apple as a snack on her way to the train station. A lot had happened recently, but she and her friends had come through in good health… well, for the most part. She was reminded of this when she stepped onto the train platform, spying Twilight and Spike near the edge.

The princess of friendship was still wearing her horn cast, wrapped tightly around the injured appendage. Well, injured was probably being a little [i[too generous for something was, quite literally, severed in half by a laser. Rarity shuddered, her friend’s screams of agony still fresh in her mind. The fact that it was even healable was shocking, but also a massive relief. Spike held a small little bag in his tiny hands, standard for him now that Twilight couldn’t use her magic to pull things from her pocket dimension storage space, having to rely on him more for carrying things around in addition to her mouth.

“Twilight, darling! And Spike, too!”

Her friends turned to face her, waving as she approached. “Hello, Rarity,” Twilight said. “You here to meet Hoity Toity?”

“Indeed I am!” She stepped around a crowd of ponies and came to her friends’ side. “Are you here to greet somepony yourself?”

“Yep!” Spike said. “We’re getting another visitor from another world!”

“Oh, really…” A wave of apprehension washed over Rarity. “Someone actually… pleasant, to put it lightly?”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight assured her. “Princess Celestia personally vouched for them. Apparently, it’s someone I met back during the Convergence. Not Celestia, me, specifically.”

“And who might that be?”

Twilight shrugged. “I dunno. But whoever it is, it’ll be a good person.”

They waited in silence afterward. A loud whistle eventually blew in the distance and the tracks began rumbling. The Friendship Express came into view around a bend, thundering down the rails, smoke billowing into the air. Everypony on the platform watched as it rolled into the station, coming into a stop perfectly aligned with a hard screech of its brakes. The doors opened soon after once the post-trip checks were completed and the small number of passengers spilled onto the platform, mixing with those ready to depart. Rarity noted that many of the passengers looked very uneasy, casting sidelong glances back toward the rearmost coach. She scanned the crowds for Hoity Toity but couldn’t find any sign of him.

“Do you see Hoity Toity anywhere?” Rarity asked her friends.

“Nope,” Spike said.

“Me neither,” Twilight said. “Where’s our guest...?” she whispered.

A few seconds later, a distinctly non-pony creature stepped off of the rearmost coach. They were a humanoid— female, judging from the hair and facial structure. Rarity’s attention was immediately drawn to their odd, otherworldly attire. It was as though someone had taken the traditional image of a witch, pointy hat and all, and given it a beautiful makeover full of vibrant colors and swirly, aesthetically-striking design touches. Whoever the girl’s tailor was was a genius— Rarity suppressed her rising jealousy as best she could.

The girl stepped onto the platform and scanned the crowd which was putting as much distance between themselves and her, holding her staff behind her back in a playful, coy manner, smiling innocently at everypony.

Twilight drew in a sharp gasp. “No way…”

“Hm?” Rarity said.

Twilight ignored her, rushing up to the girl who looked taken aback by her approach before a sense of familiarity colored her eyes.

“Black Magician Girl!?”

“Wait, you’re that purple unicorn from that duel my master fought.” She gave Twilight a once over. “When did you get wings? And what happened to your horn?”

“In order: Long story and a story I’d rather not talk about,” Twilight replied. “What are you doing here!? I thought you were just a Duel Monster— wait, Yugi said something about there existing a world for duel monsters.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Pardon me, Twilight dear, but I would prefer to be in the loop here. Who is this?”

Twilight opened her mouth to respond but was beaten to the punch by their guest.

“Call me the Black Magician Girl!” she said, twirling her staff and striking a very stylish pose. “Destroyer of undead! Protector of the innocent! Student of the Black Magician and faithful servant to the Spirit of the Nameless Pharaoh! And, right now, in desperate need of a vacation after studying too much.”

Twilight stared deadpan. Rarity could practically see the gears in her head struggling to comprehend that last sentence. She decided to continue before the conversation became too awkward.

“Might I ask you a question, Miss Magician Girl?”

“Black Magician Girl,” she corrected. “And sure.”

“Was there by chance a gray stallion with fancy white hair and purple shades on the train? His name is Hoity Toity. I was expecting him on the train but he doesn’t seem to be here.”

Black Magician Girl thought for a moment before remembrance flashed across her eyes. “Yeah! I saw a pony matching that description back up in Canterlot. I think someone spilled a drink on him and he wanted to change or something.”

Rarity sighed. “That would be him then. I suppose I’ll have to wait for the next train.”

Black Magician Girl turned back to Twilight. “So you’re Princess Twilight Sparkle, huh? You’re not as tall or as regal-looking as Celestia.”

Twilight waved her off. “Don’t worry about that. My role is mostly symbolic, but I do have official duties.”

Black Magician Girl turned to Spike. “And you’re Spike, then? Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand and Spike shook it.

“That was a pretty normal reaction,” Spike noted. “You have dragons in your world?”

“Lots and lots,” she replied. “Of all shapes and sizes. Good and evil. Even baby ones like yourself.”

“Hey, this here baby dragon is every bit as mature as you all.” Spike flexed his arms in a way that was more adorable than masculine. All three girls giggled at the display.

“So you’re here for a vacation, are you?” Rarity asked. “Why Equestria specifically out of all the worlds in the Singularity?”

“Because this world sounded the cutest!” Black Magician Girl cheered.

“... Cute?”

“Yep!” Black Magician knelt down and closely examined Rarity’s mane. “Though I gotta say, you have amazing taste in hairstyle, Miss… Oh, I didn’t get your name.”

Rarity chuckled. “Call me Rarity, dear. And your taste for wardrobe is truly otherworldly. So interesting. Is that standard attire for magicians where you come from?”

“I’ve always kinda been stuck wearing this, but it’s really cute so I don’t mind.”

“Oh my stars, well, that simply won’t do! You simply must allow me to put together some new dresses for you. And no, I won’t take no for an answer!”

Black Magician Girl looked confused at her before turning to Twilight.

“That’s just how she is,” Twilight explained. She gestured for her to follow. “Let’s get going. We’ll stop by Rarity’s place during our tour of Ponyville before we get you settled in at my castle.”

Twilight and Spike and led as they made their way off the train platform and into Ponyville. Black Magician Girl marveled at the exotic sights around her. The town of Ponyville resembled a remote country town, thatched roofs and all, but far livelier, more populated, and exceedingly colorful. They passed through what was clearly a marketplace, then through an area situated in front of an enormous building which was probably the residence of the town magistrate or whatever the equivalent was in this world. Some of the buildings were utterly bizarre in their construction such as one which sported an odd combination of magenta, purple and brown colors with white decorations and candles on top and a delicious smell wafting from inside.

“That’s Sugarcube Corner,” Rarity explained when she asked. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake run the place while our dear friend Pinkie Pie helps them; she's currently away in Canterlot helping set up the festivities. If you’re in the mood for a treat, that’ll be your stop.”

“Sounds great.” She pointed to another brick building off in the distance with her staff. “What about that place?”

“That’s the Ponyville Schoolhouse,” Twilight explained.

“It’s nothing like the Magical Academy…” She spotted a number of fillies and colts playing in the field next to the building. “Do they teach magic there?”

“No, it’s just normal school stuff,” Twilight continued to explain. “Princess Celestia has an entire school dedicated to teaching unicorns magic up in Canterlot that I actually went to. Ponyville was founded mainly by earth ponies, so things here are predominantly geared towards their needs.”

“What’re things like in your world, Black Magician Girl?” Spike spoke up, shifting the bag in his hands. “You said there are dragons there. How similar are things to Equestria from what you’ve seen so far?”

“Well, what do you want to know?” she asked.

Spike opened his mouth only for Rarity to hold a hoof up to forestall him. “Let’s not get too carried away, Spikey. Just a few questions at a time.”

Spike looked none too displeased. Black Magician Girl giggled.

“I don’t mind, Rarity,” she said. “Well, I was kind of surprised by the train. There’s a demon train in the Duel Monster Spirit World called Dekoichi that torments those who attempt to ride it. It… took me a little convincing from your princess’s guards to get me on the, what was it called?... Friendship Express?”

“Fascinating,” Twilight said. “And are there any ponies?”

“Not many, but the Spirit World is so big. There are parts of it I’ve probably never even heard of.”

“Well, I could be inspired for the rest of my life if even a hundred of them had outfits as striking as yours, darling,” Rarity said, studiously eyeing her clothes.

Some time passed in silence afterward as they continued the tour of Ponyville, eventually making the trek toward Rarity’s boutique. A point came where Black Magician Girl had her fill with the alien architecture and started focusing more on the citizens of the quaint little town. All the wary states they flashed her way were understandable at first, but after a little while, she got the distinct feeling that it wasn’t a simple case of them being uneasy around a creature from another world. They actually appeared to be afraid of her, as though she had sharp fangs, wicked claws, and gleaming red eyes like the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Either they were incredibly xenophobic, or there was something she didn’t know.

“Twilight, why are they all looking at me like I’m an undead?” she asked.

Twilight glanced around at some of the surrounding ponies. She sighed and looked up at her with an apologetic expression. “Sorry, I should’ve warned you of this earlier. The truth is that we had a really bad experience last week with a human from another world.”

“Twilight, do not use such descriptors for that… that…” Rarity shuddered. “That monster. No one, not even Sombra, was as inequine as that monstrous psychopath parading around as a charming gentleman.”

“Yeah, he totally deserved to die!” Spike said.

“Spike!” Twilight said, shocked.

“You agree with me don’t you?” he asked back. “We nearly lost our friends because of him.”

Twilight said nothing, defeated.

“Who was he?” Black Magician Girl asked. “What did he do?”

“He didn’t give his name,” Rarity said. “And he wanted to go around, draining innocent ponies of their blood to make them mindless zombie servants. Fortunately, quite fortunately, everypony who he drained was fixed back up with Celestia’s magic and we decapitated him. But ever since then, everypony has been wary about getting visitors from beyond the Singularity, especially human ones.”

“Sounds like you were terrorized by a vampire.” Black Magician Girl puffed up her chest pridefully. “I’ve had experience. A little sunlight is enough to kill them, at least until they’re resurrected by their master— undead have a habit of never staying down, no matter how many times you take them down.”

“Well, we’re done with all of that now,” Twilight said. “Try to ignore everyone’s stares if you can. They’ll warm up to you eventually if you show you’re trustworthy.”

“No problem!” Black Magician Girl said cheerfully.

They eventually made their way across town to Rarity’s boutique. The overall design of the place stood out in stark contrast with the surrounding town— more elegant, intricate, as though it had been brought in from a different, more high-class town. The inside was every bit as colorful and ornate as the outside and clearly set up to be a shopping center of sorts, but one that was far more polished than any storefront she’d ever seen in the Spirit World.

“What are these?” she asked, pointing to some weird statue-looking things shaped like ponies.

“Ponyquins,” Rarity explained. “They’re used to show off new designs to potential customers, see how they might fit you.”

“Wow, that’s useful.”

Rarity left everyone inside the front lobby while she left for a back room, returning a few moments later with a strange object levitating in a magical nimbus next to her. The identically-colored nimbus surrounding her horn immediately clued Black Magician Girl in to how magic was utilized by unicorns in this world. Looking at Twilight, she realized the thing over her own horn was a cast; was that an injury taken from their previous otherworldly visitor? Maybe, but if it wasn’t anything to worry about as they said, she needn’t ask.

“Now, hold still for me, darling,” Rarity said. A thin, yellow paper with markings extended from the object in her magic. She held it up to Black Magician Girl’s waist, immediately cluing her in that it was to take her measurements— far more convenient than anything she’d seen in the Spirit World. Amazing little things like that would make her decision to vacation here worthwhile.

Twilight decided to speak up while Rarity continued taking her measurements.

“You came at a great time. Everyone’s getting ready for a nationwide celebration in a couple of days after we saved Equestria from invasion.”

“Sounds exciting,” she replied. “Different parts of the Spirit World get invaded all the time, like this one war we call the Invasion of Chaos. Who invaded you?”

“Some cornball named the Storm King,” Spike said, waving his hand dismissively. “Honestly, he was nothing compared to his minions. I’m embarrassed we almost lost to him.”

“We had to travel across the nation in order to find a way to beat him,” Twilight said. “As you can expect, having to fight off an entire invasion, then having to fight against a powerful otherworldly foe immediately afterward was a lot to go through.”

“Indeed, darling,” Rarity said, moving her attention to Black Magician Girl’s chest and arms, “we certainly do deserve a chance to unwind and have fun after all that. Set your staff down, please.”

Black Magician Girl did as instructed and Rarity continued her work. “I was commissioned by Hoity Toity to design some new dresses to be shown off at this festival, so you know my interest in your attire runs deep if I’m taking time out of my busy schedule to make some extra dresses based on it.”

“You said everyone is uneasy around humans,” Black Magician Girl said, frowning. “I wouldn’t ruin their fun time if I joined in, would I?”

“Like I said before, they’ll warm up to you if you show you’re trustworthy,” Twilight said. “Being associated with a Princess of Equestria will help towards that end as well.”

“The main festivities in Canterlot will be broadcasted live all over Equestria via Crystalvision. If you decide to join me up there, I imagine you’ll end up stealing much of the spotlight. I hope that’s alright with you.”

Black Magician Girl smiled. “Oh, I love attention! I could even show everyone my magic!”

“Now that’s something I’d love to see,” Twilight said.

Rarity finished taking measurements after a short while. She waved everyone goodbye when they left the boutique, heading to Twilight’s castle. Twilight, Spike, and Black Magician Girl spent most of the walk chatting about their lives as well as reminiscing on the brief time they saw each other during the Convergence. The castle came into view as they left Ponyville proper and Black Magician Girl stared in awe at the wide array of colorful crystals that made up the building material. That is, until the sun reflected off of it into her eyes, forcing her to cover them.

“Yeah, that’s a problem a lot of ponies have complained about,” Twilight said with a nervous laugh. “The castle kinda just built itself. We warn ponies not to come around at this time of day.”

They made their way up the castle’s front steps and through the massive front doors. Black Magician Girl couldn’t help but compare the front hall of the castle with… well, pretty much every castle she’d ever been in, but especially the Royal Magical Library. The cool color scheme and star motif certainly helped set this place apart from any other place in the Spirit World. Twilight sent Spike off to make a guest bed while she gave Black Magician Girl a tour of the place. Kitchen, sitting room, recreational room, all standard stuff up until…

“...You like reading?”

Twilight stepped into the library next to her. “You wouldn’t believe how much.”

If she’d forgotten everything that happened over the past few hours, Black Magician Girl would’ve believed she was still inside the Royal Magical Library. The tall bookshelves situated all around her actually looked more perused than over half the tomes back home, which was very impressive since, presumably, Twilight was the only one who made use of them.

“I don’t think I’ll need to come here,” she said. “I need some time away from studying.”

“That’s okay,” Twilight said. “You’re a guest here. Anything you need to feel comfortable, make sure you tell me and I’ll be happy to accommodate.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh! Would you like a more formal introduction? You’re of higher stature than most otherworldly guests we get.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

Twilight appeared to think over her words for a moment before she cleared her throat.

“I, Princess Twilight of Equestria, formally welcome you, Black Magician Girl, to the land of Equestria. May your stay be a pleasant one and may you make many lifelong friends during your time here.”