Twilight stood in the darkness, surrounded by oleander.
Despite the lack of light sources, she could see the white flowers all around her, hanging from an invisible ceiling. The fragrance struck a delicate balance of perfuming the air without being overwhelming.
A beautiful yet deadly flower, she mused. Certainly appropriate for who she was meeting.
“So then, my dear. Do you wish for all your problems to go away?”
The woman spoke from under a billowing black cloak, stretching under and around the plants like shadows. Her curling purple hair flowed and pulsated with power, and colluded with her hood to block all of her face other than smiling red lips.
Twilight looked over her contract again. Like the flowers, it was clearly visible even in the darkness. She skimmed it yet again, then sighed.
It was too much. Her student debt. Her medical debt. Her body. She’d do anything to solve those problems.
Even if it meant making a deal with a witch.
Twilight got up and stretched with pep that would have been unfamiliar to her four months ago. With a smile, she looked at her alarm—beat it again. She switched it off and started her morning routine.
After a quick shower, she looked in the mirror and couldn’t help but stop and admire herself even after all this time. Twilight had to admit that witch did great work. Years of therapy and surgery, skipped over in an instant. She then looked at her closet and saw her loads of baggy clothes. She frowned. Regardless of her loan forgiveness, new clothes were expensive; and regardless of either, she still found a loose fit more comfortable.
She got dressed and loaded her backpack with the books. During her first two years of college, she was able to get by purchasing second-hand textbooks, but this third year, all of her professors also required cheap printout booklets that nonetheless had to be purchased from the campus bookstore for $50 each.
Effectively $0 now that she didn’t have to pay back her loans. All thanks to that witch.
Humming, Twilight decided to toss in some textbooks for other classes, which she bought to read for fun. Twilight nearly skipped out of her apartment: she could take full advantage of this academia now. The university was her playground!
There was nothing to worry about again, except for…
“Hello, darling.”
The cost.
The witch stood in what seemed to be an endless patch of darkness. A mahogany hand, a shade or two lighter than Twilight’s own, came out of her cloak, beckoning the college student to approach.
Twilight froze, and found her mouth hanging open. A moment later, she collected herself, and sealing her lips, she walked to the woman. She knew the contract front and back—she made sure of that. There was nothing to fear.
To her surprise, the witch pulled her hood down. She shook her regal curls and looked at Twilight with striking blue eyes. In another context, Twilight would have found her quite lovely, but serious matters were at hand.
“I see you’re enjoying the results of my service, Ms. Sparkle,” the witch said, her crimson lipstick once again emphasizing her smile. “I assume you remember my terms? And what you owe?”
Twilight nodded. “My firstborn.”
“One born of true love,” the witch added, her eyes shimmering at this remark. She stepped to Twilight, who stiffened in response. The witch touched her chin. “Is your intention to skip out on your end of the bargain?”
Twilight didn’t say anything. She reminded herself that per the terms of the contract, the witch explicitly could not force her to bear a child at all, nor manipulate her mind or her heart, nor even threaten her.
As hard as it was to remember as those eyes stared into hers, burning with magic, the witch would be a minor annoyance. Nothing more.
The witch stepped back and released a light laugh. “Well, so be it. Just know that I’ll be keeping an eye on you, Ms. Sparkle. You’ll be seeing me again soon. Quite soon.”
She backed into the shadows, giggling. Soon, the shadows themselves faded, leaving nothing but an empty alleyway.
Twilight released a breath she didn’t know she was holding, then put her hands on her knees, breathing quickly. Was it going to be like this every time?
She looked around warily. Some other people were scattered on the sidewalks, but none acted like they saw anything strange. She took some tentative steps forward, then resumed her walking pace.
Twilight touched her chin in consternation as she walked. What could the witch do? Trap her in a prison? Enchant her parents? Make her fail her classes? No, she was quite sure the contract forbade interference along those lines. The witch literally could not break those terms under magic binding, and in any case, she was assured access to a witch attorney if she suspected foul play. So there shouldn’t be anything to worry about, right?
Through a breakfast-and-reading break—though she made less progress in her book than she would have liked—she slowly regained confidence in her choice. Whatever the witch did, she could handle.
Her first class of the day was in one of the school’s large lecture halls, though the attendees didn’t come anywhere close to filling it. The air had a heaviness that she warmly affiliated with advanced academia, though it probably just meant someone should leave the door open for a bit. Twilight slipped off her backpack and sat at a middle level. The other students scattered throughout the room, none sitting anywhere close to each other, though it was a bit denser at the lower levels. She briefly considered if there might be some mathematical principle that could predict this pattern.
Twilight eagerly took out her notebook and readied her pen as Prof. Nebula walked to her stand.
The bespectacled professor had narrow eyes as she placed her notes down. She cleared her throat and announced, “I’d like to start the lecture with what I believe is a first for me. We have a new student, whom she insisted I refer to as a mysterious transfer student.” She sucked in a breath, then smiled. “College really takes all kinds, doesn’t it? It’s fun. Anyway, you can come out now.”
At that, there was an explosion of purple dust to the professor’s side. It settled into a cloud for a moment, before a blast of wind diffused it throughout the room, revealing a woman. She raised one hand high in the air and posed with a confident grin. The woman wore a black dress with a short skirt, black and purple striped thigh-high socks, black shoes, and a black hat with a long bent point that could only be described as a witch’s hat.
“Behold, I am Rarity!” she exclaimed.
The students didn’t know how to react. Some awkwardly clapped, and Rarity happily waved to them. Twilight, meanwhile, gaped for several reasons.
Prof. Nebula said, “Now if you could take your seat, I’d like to start my lesson.”
Rarity nodded respectfully then cantered up the stairs. Twilight stared and twisted her mouth as the witch stopped at her row, then froze up as she proceeded to walk straight to her. With a wave of her hand, Rarity magically pulled out a chair, sat down with her legs crossed, and winked at Twilight.
“I said you’d be seeing more of me,” she said with a smile.
Twilight took several moments to process this, then said, “First of all, this is college. Literally no one cares when there’s a new student.” She wasn’t sure why she led with that, but she had to say it. “Second, what’s your game here? Is your intention to harass me until I pay your cost?”
Rarity blinked innocently. “No comment on my dress? This is your first time seeing me dressed casually, after all.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. This is casual? Anyway, that wasn’t the issue here. “You didn’t answer the question.”
“And you’re being rude by not answering mine. After everything I’ve done for you already.” She waved her hand ahead of them, causing the air to distort a bit. “I even set up a soundproof barrier around us so we could talk. But no, harassing you isn’t my game—and it would be quite counterproductive.” The witch put a hand to her chest. “I want to help you, in fact! I have quite a good eye for this, so I’m going to be your matchmaker.”
“Matchma—?” Realization dawned in Twilight’s eyes. “Wait, you mean…?”
Rarity nodded. “That’s right, you shy little ducky, I’m going to hook you up with the perfect man and get you a firstborn pronto!”
Twilight’s face contorted.
Rarity pointed. “Don’t you give me that look, missy! This is all your fault, you know.” She crossed her arms. “You think you’re so clever, making a deal without intending to have a firstborn. Well I’m going to get you a man you can’t resist, so there.”
Twilight put an elbow on the table and rested her head on her hand, with a smug smile. “Not exactly the best plan if I’m a lesbian.”
Rarity gave an exaggerated laugh. “Another insult! No, Ms. Sparkle, I know for a fact you’re bi.” She tipped her hat. “A witch knows these things, and there’s no point in pretending otherwise.”
Twilight tsked. So she knew. Witch or not, this woman was infuriating. “Look, maybe I’ve stared at one or two guys, but I can safely say I’ve never been interested in dating one, let alone having a child with one.” She saw out of the corner of her eye that Prof. Nebula was writing something and did a double take. “We can talk later. Rarity, can you take down this soundproof barrier? I really want to hear the lecture.”
Rarity blinked. Still looking at Twilight, she waved her hand and the professor’s voice reached them again.
Satisfied, Twilight started jotting down notes. Once there was a momentary break in Prof. Nebula’s lecture, she took a moment to glance at Rarity, half-expecting her to be gone. She was still there, but her focus was on the other students—specifically, the men—tapping her chin as she considered each one. A moment later, she pulled out a phone. Twilight snorted lightly, then shifted her attention back to the lecture.
Twilight walked out of the lecture hall with the other students. She looked around to see where Rarity was, only for her voice to sound close to her ear.
"So, that scrawny fellow with the square glasses. Does he seem interesting to you?"
Twilight jumped. Rarity looked at her with narrow eyes and a slight grin, with a finger across her cheek.
Twilight huffed. "You mean Micro Chips? If any guy was my type, Micro would be on the exact opposite end of the scale."
Rarity clapped and broadened her smile. "And we have a baseline!"
Twilight sighed and touched her forehead. She shouldn't have responded at all. She walked away, and Rarity came with.
Twilight examined Rarity as she took exaggeratedly bouncy steps, then asked, "So, what's your deal? I understand that I’m skipping out on my end of the bargain, but you really have nothing better to do than follow me around all day?”
“I have no intention of following you around all day. I do have witch tasks to do. But as of right now, this is indeed the best way to spend my time.”
“I see.”
They continued walking, and Twilight became cognizant of the larger crowds around them as they walked into the main plaza. She stopped and backed up.
“What is it?”
“Uh, so Rarity? Is that, like, a normal witch outfit? I’m not sure how much you know about the, uh, non-witch world, but you’re going to stand out a lot dressed like that.”
A tall stone-faced man in a black cape walked by, dramatically swishing it over his shoulder as he walked into the plaza to no reaction.
Rarity smugly smirked and raised an eyebrow.
Twilight resumed her walking. “I retract my statement.”
Rarity shook her head. “Honestly, you of all people talking to me about fitting into society, when I’m the only reason you aren’t a shut-in right now.” She puffed up her curly hair with her hands. “For the record, I’m dressed quite fashionably.”
Twilight wanted to roll her eyes at this, but she wasn’t actually sure if that was true or not.
They approached their destination, a large building that towered over the lecture halls nearby.
Rarity clasped her hands together. “Oh my, that building looks exciting. I’m sure there must be some exciting boys there too. What is it?”
“You’ll see.”
They walked inside, past the coffee bar and rows of computers. Then past the books. Then up the stairs. Then past more books.
Rarity frowned. “This is a library.”
Twilight stopped at an open table and smiled warmly. “Yup. It’s the pride of the school. For me, at least.”
Rarity spread her arms. “But we were literally just in class!”
Twilight shushed her, but Rarity pointed out the soundproof barrier she put up. Twilight looked around for a moment, then said, “That class was just 65 minutes, which isn’t nearly enough for me.”
Rarity sank into a chair. “So we’re here…?”
“Studying, of course!”
“Of course.”
Twilight pulled out her supplies and tapped the back of her pen against her cheek. “So, to be clear, are you actually in that class now?”
Rarity regained her easy smile. “Indeed I am. People usually think of magic and computers as incompatible, but in fact, technology is even easier to influence than people. It just took a bit of hacking, and our professor now merely thinks some rich donor convinced the administration to let me in.”
“And you’re going to stay there?”
“Until you commit to having a firstborn, yes.”
“And you’re going to complete the assignments?”
Rarity fluttered her lips. “Oh heavens no.”
Twilight slammed a textbook onto the table, making Rarity sit up in surprise.
“Oh yes you will.”
Rarity blinked, looked at the book, then at Twilight’s narrow eyes. “You’re serious about this, aren’t you?”
Twilight spoke with cold intensity. “Dr. Rosette Nebula is someone I deeply respect, and I won’t let you take her class for granted. Now, you’ve started a few weeks late, so you have a lot of catching up to do. Chapters 2, 7, and 8 to be precise, and that’s not counting the info that she only brought up in lectures. I want you to read at least chapter 2 before lunch.” She slid the book over to Rarity.
“You’re really going to—”
The witch very much wanted to continue her protest, but the sheer offense on Twilight’s face was enough to give her pause. She sighed loudly. “Very well. I shall read this textbook that I allowed you to afford.”
She looked at the cover for the first time. It was titled Advanced Astrophysics Through the Lense of Quantum Mechanics as Applied to Nth Dimensional Space.She looked to Twilight with an aghast frown. Twilight stared back, tapping her pen on the table.
Gritting her teeth, Rarity opened the book, found chapter 2, and read the first page. Then she read it again. Then again.
Then she cried. Tears formed into rivers down her cheeks, and her bent arms oscillated up and down.
Despite herself, Twilight’s brows furrowed. She sat up and said, “Oh, Rarity, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just thrown you into the deep end like that.”
Rarity looked at her and, sniffing, summoned a handkerchief that she wiped her tears with. Through some enchantment, this worked to restore her makeup too.
Twilight thought for a moment, considering whether this was some form of manipulation, but then said, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll walk you through the chapter.”
Rarity’s lips parted. “You will?”
Twilight moved the textbook between them and flipped to a blank page of her notebook. “Yup! It wouldn’t hurt for me to go over this material again, anyway.” She read down the first page of the chapter. “OK, so to start off, do you know the standard gravity of Earth?”
“Nine point eight meters per second squared.”
Twilight’s eyes widened a bit at how quickly she responded. “Plus a bit more, but yeah. So you witches don’t have any special magic physics?”
Rarity crossed her legs. “We do, in fact. But we all still live in the same world as you, so we learn about normal physics too. We’re just privy to some extra spices, if you will.”
Twilight nodded. “I see. Well, to continue, do you know matrix multiplication?”
“You take the right matrix’s first column, rotate it, and shuttle it through each row and add up the products to form the first column of the product matrix, and repeat that for the other columns. Assuming the sizes match up of course.”
“That’s one way to put it, I suppose. So anyway, the reason I bring it up is that…”
Twilight and Rarity continued discussing the chapter for some time. They took one break to get coffee—during which Rarity scoped out potential suitors—but otherwise quickly worked through the chapter and even got a bit into the next.
Twilight was convinced that a witch couldn’t be particularly scientifically inclined, with their worlds so far apart, but she was startled by how quickly Rarity picked up the material. She didn’t have the background information to get into the class normally yet, but if she went through the prerequisite courses, she easily could have.
“How are you so good at this?” Twilight said out of nowhere.
Rarity had a blissful smile on her face. “Oh my, that’s quite some praise from you. I’m honestly flattered. I have to say, the terminology threw me off, but a lot of this is similar to what I learned for spellcasting.”
Twilight hummed. “I wonder if that means I could learn magic too.”
Rarity laughed lightly. “I’m sure you could learn the formulas and theories easily enough, but you have to start quite young to get the practice down. Your chakras simply can’t handle the strain as they are, alas.”
Twilight’s lips flattened. “That’s why you have to take them, then. The firstborns, I mean.”
Rarity leaned on the desk. “So, you figured that part out.”
“I had to do research beforehand to find out what you did with them, as a precaution. If you used them for sacrifices or something, I would have never taken the deal.” She shook her head. “Nothing is worth that.”
Rarity continued after her. “Instead, you found that the children are raised in loving environments as witches. They are forbidden from seeing their birth parents, but otherwise live as good a life as any parent could wish for.”
Twilight nodded. “So, are you…?”
Rarity put a hand to her chest and fluttered her eyelashes. “A stolen firstborn? Indeed, I am.”
“And you really know nothing about your parents?”
Rarity sipped the last drops of her coffee. “My parents are the elders of the Meadowbrook coven. If you mean my birth parents, I truly couldn’t care less about them.”
“Do you hate them?”
Rarity turned to Twilight and saw her wide purple eyes. Rarity looked into them and said, “No, I don’t. It’s purely disinterest.”
“Some say disinterest is worse than hate.”
Rarity couldn’t help but filter in some irritation and looked away. “It isn’t like that. Look, this world creates problems for a lot of people. Wars, societal pressure, capitalism… mostly capitalism, really. I can’t blame anyone for seeking some way to lighten that pressure through a witch’s favor.” She looked back to those purple eyes. “I can assure you, your child won’t blame you either.”
Twilight simply hummed in response.
After some moments of quiet staring, Rarity blinked and looked past her to a wall display. She then turned and pulled out her phone. “Good heavens, it’s two already?”
Twilight checked her own phone. “Oh, yeah, we should probably get lunch, huh? There’s a good burrito place near the performance arts building.”
“I’m heading in the other direction, alas.”
“Ah, I guess—” Twilight did a double take. “Wait, you aren’t going to follow me around all day?”
Rarity huffed as she got up. “I said as much earlier. I do have better things to do.” She put her hand to her lips and smiled mischievously. “Miss me already?”
Twilight frowned as her cheeks reddened. “N-No, I had just been mentally preparing for you to be around.”
Rarity smiled. “Well, fret not. I won’t be leaving you to yourself.” She waved her hand and a basket appeared out of thin air. “This is a gift—no extra charge.”
Blinking, Twilight grabbed the handle. She looked at Rarity with a raised eyebrow, then slowly lifted the cover. To her delight, the head of a small purple dog popped out and rubbed its green tufts of fur against her hand. She couldn’t help but aww at this.
“What’s their name?” Twilight asked Rarity.
“I’m Spike!” said the dog, wagging his tail.
“Gah!” Twilight exclaimed as she dropped the basket to the ground, dog and all. She looked around, thankful that the soundproof barrier prevented others from hearing her scream.
Rarity crossed her arms. “Honestly! You’re lucky Spike isn’t actually a dog, dropping him like that.”
Twilight knelt down to help Spike out of the basket. “He isn’t? What is he?”
Spike narrowed his eyes. “You can ask me, you know.”
Twilight blushed. “Ah, sorry. Sorry about dropping you too.”
“He’s a dragon, as it happens,” Rarity explained. “I’ve enchanted him to look like a dog, and made him weigh less, but he’s all drake on the inside.”
Spike jumped in. “I’m your personal assistant, allowing you to contact Rarity at any time you need.” He leaned in conspiratorially with a paw to the side of his snout. “Though between you and me, I may work for Rarity, but I’m completely on your side on this. All this true love stuff is totally gross.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Contact Rarity?”
“Through dragonfire!” He turned to the side and released a green spurt to demonstrate, making Twilight’s eyes widen. “Hand me a paper message, and when I burn it, it’ll go straight to her.”
Twilight made an impressed noise, then looked up to Rarity. She had stepped away and was leaning on the railing, looking over the floors below. Twilight considered calling out to her, but remembered the barrier and stepped out of it, walking to her side. “Hey, Rarity?”
Rarity turned with a neutral expression and hummed.
“We both have phones, so why not use those?”
Her smile returned. “Asking for my number already?”
“It’s not—”
Twilight noticed all the people now watching their conversation, subtly and otherwise, and her face turned red. Hiding behind a hand as a small form of comfort, she said under her breath, “Why do you have to be so difficult?”
Rarity giggled and stepped toward the stairs. “Come, let’s walk and talk.”
Nodding, Twilight walked back to the table, picked up Spike, and put him in the basket. She took this opportunity to look closely at his face, lifting his ears, and tried to look for anything scale-like.
“What is it?” asked Spike.
Twilight rubbed his head. “Nothing.” She covered up the basket and quickly followed after Rarity.
As Twilight caught up, Rarity said, “It’s true that I have a phone, but where I’m going after this doesn’t, shall we say, have great service.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I thought you said magic worked well with technology.”
“True, but not much magic can communicate across planes of existence. You’ll have to use Spike for that. Plus, I can assure you, he’s quite handy.”
“You really expect me to contact you?”
Rarity smirked and gave her an aside glance. “I think you will, and sooner than you think.”
Twilight squinted at her, trying to figure out what she was up to. “Anyway, Spike is a gift?”
“Indeed! And like he said, he has no interest in progressing my agenda. He is quite childish—”
A muffled “hey” came from the basket.
“—and if you let me finish, you’d see I was going to say despite that, he’s quite reliable, and a great creature to hash out problems with. You can feed him human food, or even dog food, and he otherwise takes care of himself. But do feed him a gemstone every once in a while as a treat.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Since those are so easy to get.” She looked at the basket. “I suppose I’ll let him stay with me, but first sign of trouble, and I’m returning him.”
Rarity nodded. “Very well.”
They stepped outside the library, and Rarity walked backwards into the sunlight, facing Twilight. “Well, darling, this is where we part ways.”
Twilight waved awkwardly. “Uh, see you, I guess.”
Rarity waved back then walked away. A bit away, she yelled. “Oh, Twilight, I recommend backing away a few steps! You don’t want to stand there!”
Twilight jumped back and looked up. “What is it? A falling light? Or—”
Something crashed into Twilight from behind, knocking her to the ground with an “oof”. Grunting, she got on her knees, thankful she was wearing jeans. The pain wasn’t bad, and her backpack was still on, but her basket was on its side.
A hand appeared to her side. Twilight looked up and saw it belonged to a man with blue hair and a handsome face with kissable lips. “Woah. You OK?”
Twilight took his hand and he pulled her up. Despite her earlier bluster, this was the first time she had been in contact with what could be described as a cute boy in ages, and her reaction was…
Twilight loudly laughed and swung her arms. “Yup, I’m OK! All thanks to you!”
The boy scratched the back of his head. “It was nothing, really. I’m Flash, by the way.”
“Hey there, Flash!” Twilight said with more cheer than she intended. “I’m Twilight! And you know, I usually don’t crash into people.” She stomped her foot. “I’m good at walking!” Immediately cringing at what she said, she followed with, “OK, I’m going.”
She walked away quickly, but Flash shouted after her, “Hey wait, your basket!”
Twilight quickly walked back.
Flash moved to pick the tipped-over basket up, only for Spike to roll onto the ground as he nudged it. After getting his bearings, Spike looked at Flash and barked cutely. With a smile, Flash picked him up. “Hey little guy! What’s your name?”
“He’s Spike,” Twilight said, curling her hair with a finger. “I, uh, actually just got him.”
Flash rubbed his belly, making Spike move his leg. “And you’re already bringing him to the library, that’s cool. I have a dog myself, actually.” He looked at Twilight with a cute grin. “Want some advice?”
Twilight’s face turned red. “Oh, sure, but oh, I have to go get lunch.”
Flash returned Spike to his basket and handed it to Twilight. “And I have a class in a bit. If it’s cool with you, maybe I can message you, and we’ll introduce our dogs to each other later.”
Twilight leaned forward with the basket against her chest. “How about eight tonight?”
Flash chuckled. “Tonight, huh? Sure, that’s good for me.” He brought out his phone. “What’s your number?”
“It’s… uh…” Twilight brought out her phone.
“You don’t remember?”
“No, I do, but, you know, so many numbers, gotta make sure I’m not mixed up.”
“How about you text me instead?”
Flash gave her his number, and she somehow successfully typed it in. Text sent, he nodded and walked away, saying, “Well, see you then.”
Twilight merely laughed and waved.
Spike popped his head out of the basket. “For someone so against fulfilling her contract, you sure didn’t waste time on that date.”
Twilight blushed. “Well, I mean, cute boys talking to me wasn’t a common occurrence before. I had more experience with girls.” She resumed walking. “Anyway, one date isn’t going to lead to me getting knocked up. Rarity’s manipulations back there will be for naught.”
Spike shrugged. “Alright.”
They continued to the burrito place without a further word.
Twilight looked at her closet. Baggy jeans, sweatshirts, more baggy jeans. She tapped her chin and hummed.
Spike popped a handful of chips in his mouth and chewed loudly. He swallowed and said, “So, uh, I’m not a fashion expert, but there really isn’t anything date-worthy here, huh?”
Twilight groaned. “It’s not like Flash would be shocked if I was wearing the same thing, right?” She turned to the dog. “What if you were in his place?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’m just a kid.” He took another bite. “Plus, a dragon.”
Twilight kept rifling through her clothes, hoping there was something pretty rather than utilitarian. “Ugh! Why did I leave Cadance’s dresses at home?”
“You know,” Spike said, holding a chip, “there is someone we both know who is pretty good with fashion, and has a vested interest in this date going well.”
Twilight sighed, gripping a pair of jeans. “You’re going to make me call her, aren’t you?”
Spike put his paws up. “Not saying anything.”
A thick silence fell over them, interrupted by the occasional crunch of a potato chip.
Eventually, Twilight finally opened her notebook and tore out a blank sheet. She quickly wrote on it and handed it to Spike. With a shrug, he took it and burned it in green flame.
The silence returned, along with the crunching, as Twilight sat in her chair.
An explosion of magic knocked Twilight to the ground, and Rarity appeared in her room in a pose.
“Darlings!” she declared with her eyes closed. “I am here to assist you in your time of need!”
As Twilight got up from the floor, Rarity landed and said, “My my, a date with a boy you just met?” She smirked and put a hand on her cheek. “Hm, hm! What an unexpected development from a hypothetical lesbian. And so fast! It seems our time together will be over sooner than expected.”
Twilight’s face reddened. “I’m not going to get knocked up on my first date!” She crossed her arms. “And in any case, I’m perfectly capable of going on dates without it going any further than that.”
Rarity simply hummed, then turned to the closet. “Alright, now to see what your fashion situation is—wah!”
The witch’s face twisted at the sight of the clothes inside and she stood in silence.
Spike took this opportunity to dispose of his chip bag. “Not great, I know.”
Twilight leaned in to block Rarity’s vision. “So, uh, can you use your magic to summon some better clothes?”
Rarity shook her head, the spell on her broken. “Goodness, Twilight, I’m not a fairy godmother. You think I can create a dress out of thin air?”
Twilight blinked. “... Yes?”
Rarity waved her hand dismissively. “Well, I can’t. As it so happens, I have to buy thread and make my own dresses like everyone else.”
Twilight’s eyes shifted. “I don’t think most people make their own dresses. But anyway, can’t you summon one you already made?”
Rarity looked at her. “Do you really think my preferred style of dress would work for you?”
Twilight glanced at the outfit Rarity wore, which she now noticed was actually different from what she wore earlier that day, but still very much in the witch vein. “I suppose not. Guessing this means we’re online shopping and hoping for quick delivery?”
Rarity looked back to the closet and smiled. “Au contraire, despite my earlier reaction, I can work with what you have.”
Twilight’s head oscillated between the baggy jeans and Rarity. “What? Really?”
Rarity took one pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. “I realized that it’s going to be a bit chilly tonight, so a sweatshirt is the right choice after all. I’ll just make this a bit tighter around the waist and chest and, well, the arms too, and also add my own design to it, and same with the pants, and we’ll be good to go.” She winked. “After the makeover, that is.”
Twilight laughed nervously at this. “Makeover. Swell.”
“Could you clear your desk, dear? Never mind, I’ll do it myself.”
With a wave of her hand, everything on Twilight’s desk moved to the ground and the pants were put in their place. She snapped her fingers and a measuring tape appeared. To Twilight’s shock, it quickly wrapped around her waist. “What are you doing?”
“I’m going to make sure your clothes actually fit, and to do that, I’ll need your measurements.” She checked the tape, then had it move down to check Twilight’s hips. “Normally I’d ask you to take off your current clothes, but I know that would make you uncomfortable, so I’ll make do with this.”
Twilight blushed. “Uh, thanks for that.”
Measurements complete, Rarity dismissed the measuring tape and summoned some scissors and blue thread attached to a needle. “This’ll just take a moment.” She sat at the desk and, though she used magic to keep her spindle afloat, she otherwise sewed completely by hand—and with astonishing speed. Twilight looked over her shoulder in amazement, and even Spike jumped onto the bed to get a better look.
Minutes later, Rarity put aside the jeans and got to work on the sweatshirt, finishing that soon after. She then lifted both up and declared, “Aren’t they divine!” She turned to Twilight and handed them to her. “Go on, now. Go into the bathroom and change.”
Twilight realized her mouth had been open for a while. Without saying anything, she nodded and did as instructed. Contrary to her expectations of skin-tight jeans that would be impossible to get on, they slipped on surprisingly easily and didn’t feel all that tight. She looked in the mirror and was shocked at how nice they looked on her.
She then put on the sweatshirt, which was similarly tighter yet not uncomfortably so. What really drew Twilight’s attention was the new pattern on the front: a trio of blue diamond shapes. Rarity’s insignia, perhaps? Twilight twisted in the mirror. She had to admit, it looked stylish.
As she stepped out, Spike gave her a thumbs up—or at least tried to. “Looking good, Twilight!”
Rarity looked back over her shoulder, and Twilight saw she was holding one pair of flats. “Ah yes, just as fabulous as I expected. There isn’t much I can do about your shoes other than clean them, in the time we have at least. Now let’s go back in there.”
Before Twilight could react, Rarity pulled her into the bathroom by the arm and summoned a makeup kit and bottles before the wide-eyed woman. Having only vague memories of makeup tutorials that somehow didn’t sink in as easily as astrophysics, Twilight couldn’t give feedback as Rarity messed with her face and hair for several minutes straight.
At some point that felt arbitrary to Twilight, Rarity said, “And… we’re done! Voila!”
Twilight blinked at the mirror. Given all Rarity had done, she had expected to be caked in makeup, but everything was surprisingly light and subtle. If she didn’t know better, she wouldn’t even know she had any makeup on. She simply looked like herself, but prettier.
Rarity stepped back and said, “Alright, now let’s get a better look at you.”
The witch looked at her for seemingly endless moments while Twilight looked a bit to her side. Finally, curling her hair with a finger, she looked at Rarity with a blush. “So, uh, how do I look?”
Rarity put a hand to her chest and her eyes shimmered. She had what Twilight initially interpreted as a smitten smile, but realizing that couldn’t be right, she settled on it being a proud one. Her cheeks reddened a bit too as she said, “Twilight, dear, you look gorgeous. Truly gorgeous.”
Twilight looked down as her blush intensified.
They stood like this for several moments, before Rarity cleared her throat. “So, yes, well, you best be going on your date, then.”
Twilight quickly pulled out her phone to check the time. “Oh, yeah, I should head out.” She looked back at the witch. “So, uh, thanks for the help.”
“Oh-oh, yes. You’re welcome. If you could, I’d like you to use Spike to message me when you’re done. Though you don’t have to, since we’ll run into each other tomorrow anyway.”
Twilight smirked. “Are you sure you want to be in another one of my classes? You had a hard enough time with just one.”
Rarity smiled. “Yes, well, I’ll manage. Especially if you’re still willing to tutor me.” She waved her hands. “Now, go on.”
Twilight smiled back, then opened her apartment door and stepped out. Then she stepped back in to grab her shoes and Spike. Seeing the look Rarity gave her, Twilight said, “OK, I might be a bit nervous about this, still.”
Rarity giggled. “Let’s walk out together.”
They exited the apartment lobby into the chilly evening air. Twilight took a breath, then felt a hand on her shoulder.
Rarity tilted her head and looked into her eyes. “You’ll do great.”
Twilight nodded, then walked to her date location.
Rarity waved at her as she walked, even though Twilight never turned back to see this.
The witch sighed. “Rarity, why are you doing this?” she asked herself.
The other witches told her to be patient. Humans who made deals with witches always forget the terms of their contracts and unknowingly fulfill them, even if it takes years. So the old stories go.
Despite knowing that, she kept thinking of this desperate college girl in the days and weeks after their first meeting. Some strange feeling inside Rarity pushed her to talk to Twilight again in person, and she realized this must be intuition. Intuition telling her that Twilight would be one who could go her entire life without fulfilling her contract, unless she interfered soon. Her friend, Fluttershy, was unsure about this argument, but she never interacts with normal humans, so what did she know?
Besides, this was a bold new experiment. If Rarity was going to make her mark as a witch, then this was it. She was a brave explorer in the witch fashion world, and she would be the same here.
Yes, yes, that was why she was doing this.
Rarity took in an uneasy breath and walked away.
As soon as she got the note, Rarity arrived in front of Twilight’s apartment building. The lady in question was walking down the street, her shadow cast behind her by a street lamp. Twilight carried her basket in front of her, and she gazed off to the other side of the street. She looked ahead and only then noticed Rarity leaning against a wall, resulting in a brief but fleeting smile.
Rarity cheerfully waved. “Hark! A conquering warrior arrives!”
Twilight laughed dismissively at this and waved back.
Once they were close enough, Rarity sidled up to Twilight. “So, how did it go?” She lightly frowned. “I notice it’s still, well, the same night you left.”
Twilight twirled her finger in her hair. “Oh, yeah. Long story short, Flash was alright.”
Rarity grinned. “That bad?”
Twilight waved her arms. “No, I mean, Flash really wasn’t a terrible guy or anything. He’s sweet, and cute, but once we exhausted all the dog talk, there wasn’t that much else there. But, well…” She sighed. “Look, I’ve been thinking. About this entire firstborn thing.”
Rarity blinked. “Yes?”
“Actually, first, your witchcraft. Can it make pregnancy less cumbersome, and more safe?”
The witch nodded. “Indeed it can. In fact, improving pregnancy is how witchcraft began.”
“That makes a lot of sense, actually. But anyway, that’s good to hear.” Twilight rubbed an arm. “I was thinking about what we talked about earlier, with you being a taken firstborn, and you having had a good life. And also the skills you have, both magic and mathematical. If I’m thinking solely about what sort of life I’d want for a theoretical child, then the life of a witch doesn’t sound bad.” She looked at Rarity in the eyes. “I don’t think you’re a bad person, and you’re going through all this effort, so… I can try to make it work with Flash.”
Rarity studied her face, and searched those purple eyes. She was serious about this. The sickness that the witch felt earlier came back. “No.”
“No?”
Rarity stepped back. “This won’t do at all! Surely you remember the contract! Your child must be born of true love!”
Twilight stood flummoxed for a moment, then said, “But, I mean, lots of couples fall in love over a period of time. Just because we didn’t really click today doesn’t mean—”
Rarity held up a finger. “Twilight, please. You intend to stay with him solely to please me, and remove an inconvenience for you. Does that sound like it could ever turn into true love?”
Twilight leaned forward, frustrated. “Well, no, but why does it have to be true love anyway?”
Rarity smirked as shadows encroached on her. Twilight stepped back in shock, obviously having forgotten who she was talking to.
The shadows formed a hood over Rarity, covering much of her face, except for her red lips. “Because, my dear, you invoked the supernatural to make a meaningful improvement to your life. To make up for that, your sacrifice must be meaningful. A child you wanted to have, with a man whose children you wanted to bear, taken away from your loving arms. That’s the cost of your contract, and nothing less will suffice.”
The shadows dispersed, and with her eyes closed, Rarity gave the speechless student a sincere grin. “Now get a good night’s rest, because we’re looking for an even better man tomorrow!”
Twilight slowly nodded, then stepped toward the apartment building entrance. At this point, Spike hopped out of his basket. “Hey Twilight, can you wait in the lobby for a second? I need to talk to Rarity.”
Twilight blinked, then nodded before going inside.
As Rarity gripped her arm, the dragon walked up to her. “So, uh, Rarity? Is this really going to work out? I mean, I don’t know much about love, but true love under these conditions—” he tilted his head “—is it even possible?”
“I’m sure I can make it work,” responded Rarity.
He looked at her for several seconds, then replied, “Well, if you say so. But one more thing. Back when Twilight said it didn’t work out with Flash, why were you smiling?”
Rarity’s eyes widened. Was she smiling then?
Spike raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you were pretty stoked about getting it on the first try earlier, so I figured you’d be more bummed. But were you actually kind of glad?”
Rarity scoffed. “Surely not! And that’s all I have to say on the matter.” She looked away and waved her hand. “Now go back inside. You need to rest up too.”
Spike didn’t look fully convinced, but nodded and walked to the door, which Twilight then opened for him.
Rarity looked down the street. The night was still young, and it was a college town after all, so she could spot a crowd of revelers walking in the distance. Street lamps lit half-barren trees that rustled with the breeze, creating an oddly lonesome feeling. She’d be seeing this view for a lot longer, it seems.
She took a breath. All things considered, this wasn’t a bad view.
The cold wind blew in Rarity’s hair, yet she couldn’t help but feel warmth at the thought of the next day.
Author's Note
That's all I'll be writing for this AU. If you wish to learn more about the Witch AU, then go bug Mono about it.
