Rolling Acorns

by YukoAsho

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Sad, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Other, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 5151

Rarity journeys to a dead mall, and to her own past.

The Carousel Boutique in Ponyville wasn't Rarity's only venture. Long before she came to the small town, she saw firsthand the result of urban decay on a once-thriving shopping center. Now she, along with her friends Twilight and Rainbow Dash, come to find an important momento of her younger days.

Published 2012-09-09 09:44:04 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-09 09:44:04 UTC

Rolling Acorns

My Little Pony is TM and © 2012 Hasbro Inc. This is a non-profit work of fan-fiction. No ownership of IP is implied.

Please feel free to point out any grammar mistakes in a polite, constructive manner.

Rolling Acorns

By Yuko Asho

“This place is a dump!”

Rainbow Dash never had the gift of tact, so she hadn't thought to hold her tongue as she, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity trotted down the musty, dilapidated hallway. Well, Twilight and Rarity trotted. Rainbow Dash hovered just a few inches off the floor, her wings kicking up dust on either side of the trio.

Twilight, however, was far more reserved. “Really, Rainbow Dash,” she chided, “did you expect anything else? No pony's been here for at least a decade!”

“I don't get it,” the celeste-coated pegasus muttered. “Why doesn't some pony just tear this place down!? No way it would pass any sort of inspection now.”

“Well, demolition takes time and bits,” Twilight lectured. “You can't just have a couple unicorns level the place, or you'll have dust moving into neighboring towns.”

“And that nice shopping mall further up the road,” Rainbow added glumly.

“And that nice shopping mall further up the road,” Twilight repeated, rolling her eyes.

The three of them moved down the hall in silence for a bit. The place was a mess; half-dead potted plants and broken benches and chairs littering the hall, empty rooms lined up on either side with shutters blocking access to any weirdo who might want to look through the disorganized piles of trash within.

There was absolutely no reason for any pony to be in this indoor wasteland. And yet, here they were.

Rainbow Dash looked over at Rarity, who was looking at every shuttered store front with a pained look, the sort one has when seeing the corpse of a loved one. “Rarity?” she asked. “You okay there?”

“I'm... I'm fine, darlings,” Rarity replied, her voice wavering and unsure. “Just remembering, that's all.”

“Yay!”

Rarity bounced happily in front of her parents, excited to come with them to the mall. It was full of ponies, young and old, with every storefront nice and clean, showing off some wonder or another. Every pony in Equestria must have been here, it was so packed!

“Rarity, dear!” her mom cried out, “don't go too far ahead of us now!”

“Sorry, mom!” Rarity called back, a cute little grin on her face as she looked back at her parents. Still, she kept bouncing along, making sure not to get too far away from her mom and dad. Wouldn't want them to get mad, or they'd all go home! Still, it was so amazing. The lights, the music, everything! It was just so teeming with life and energy here! And the smells... So many sweet and savory smells all over the place! They must have been near the food court!

As if sensing what his little girl was going to ask, Rarity's dad chimed in. “Wanna get something to eat, sweetie?”

Rarity spun around on a dime, a huge grin on her face. “Do I!?” she exclaimed. “Oh, that'd be so wonderful! Can I get a chocolate-apple crepe!?”

Her father simply smiled and chuckled. “Only if you finish your lunch, young lady!”

Rarity smiled and nodded, hopping away happily as the family made its way to the food court.

There was no food to be had here.

The seats and benches were stained with grime, and the empty restaurant kiosks looked no better. Looking closely, Rainbow Dash could swear she saw cockroaches cooking up maggots on an old grill the way ponies might cook up a soy burger. It was, put lightly, creepy.

Again, she felt the need to express her reservations. “Okay, seriously, why are we here?”

“We're supposed to be helping Rarity find something from when she worked here,” Twilight reminded her. “Though honestly,” she begrudgingly admitted, “I can't imagine anything surviving here.”

The two ponies looked around again. The lights didn't work anymore, owing to the fact that electricity was no longer being pumped here. Not that it would have mattered, since electrical cabling had been snatched from the ceiling, which had a host of holes in it.

Rainbow whistled in admiration as she noticed just how bereft of anything remotely valuable the place was. “Man,” she gasped, “this place got picked clean!”

A depressed sigh took Rainbow and Twilight out of their chat. They looked at Rarity, who was uncharacteristically seated in one of the grimy plastic chairs. She looked down at the table, her lips curled into a frown, her eyes beginning to water up. “I didn't expect this...” Rarity managed through soft sobs.

Seeing Rarity so distraught stung Twilight more than a tad. She trotted over to her friend and rested a fore-hoof across her shoulder. “Hey, you all right?” she asked worriedly.

“I'm... I'm fine,” Rarity replied, shrugging Twilight's hoof off. “Just silly memories, that's all.”

“This place must have been way different back when you were here last,” Rainbow said with a huff. “I just don't get why they left the place here. Yeah, tearing it down is expensive, but this can't be healthy either.”

“Rainbow!” Twilight hissed.

“No, it's all right,” Rarity interrupted. “Rainbow Dash is right. Going all the way from Ponyville to come to this ruin was a horrible idea.”

Now it was Rainbow's turn to grimace. Seeing her friend in such a bad way hurt. “Oh come on!” she exclaimed as she finally let her hooves touch the ground. “We're here now, right? May as well find what it is you need. Maybe you can even tell us what it was like before, give the egghead something to take notes on.”

“Hey!” Twilight cried in protest.

Ignoring Twilight, Rarity pointed to what looked like some sort of sweets stand. “See that?” she asked, getting a nod from Rainbow. “When I was a filly, the crepes there were absolutely amazing! That and the Fillydelphia sandwiches over there...” she pointed to another shop on the opposite side. “Those got me through university.”

The trio of ponies giggled at that thought, while Rarity reminisced.

“Hey, Sandy!” Rarity called out. “Come here, look at this!”

Sandy Beach, a sandy brown pegasus mare with a blonde mane and tail, sauntered over, her light blue eyes looking around. “Like, what is it?” she asked jovially. “We don't have a lot of time before Stormy and Rammer show up.”

“Oh, those two silly colts can wait!” Rarity exclaimed as she took in the grand sight. It was a store so huge, it took up its own building at the end of the northeast hall. Inside, high-class ponies browsed a selection of the finest jewelry. The whole place seemed to glimmer with the light reflecting off the gorgeous baubles. The sign, in gorgeous, bright-white formal lettering, read 'Celestial.'

Sandy couldn't help but roll her eyes. “You're so obsessed with jewelry, Rarity!” she said, giggling. “I bet Rammer's going to have to buy half that store to marry you!”

“Oh, as if!” Rarity replied with a huff. “No, I have bigger ambitions!” With that, she pointed to a somewhat large storefront nearby. “I'm going to put my boutique right there, in front of Celestial! That way, I can make ponies fine garments to match their gorgeous jewelry!”

Sandy giggled a bit at that notion. “Wow, Rarity!” she replied with a chuckle. “Like, you're thinking big there!”

“Always, my dear!” Rarity shot back with a grin. “Only the best for Rarity and her customers!”

Rarity led Twilight and Rainbow Dash up the northeast hall, showing them where things had once been. An arcade, a sporting goods store, a couple of gaudy filly's fasion chains, and a few other shops and locales that had stuck in Rarity's mind. Then, they reached it.

A giant, empty building at the end, access cut off with shutters, just like the rest of the storefronts. The marquee looked especially worn, as though it had sported several signs over the years before finally being left abandoned.

“So, this is it, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Doesn't look very luxurious to me.”

“That's because the jewelry is gone, you cave pony!” Rarity spat. “In its glory days, this shop held only the very finest in jewelry! I envied the ponies who worked here, surrounded by such beauty!” She closed her eyes and let out a wistful sigh. “I practically worshiped this place.”

Twilight couldn't help but giggle. “Really, Rarity, there are so many jewelry stores in Equestria, what makes this one so special?”

“Don't you see!?” Rarity exclaimed as she galloped up to the shutter, looking through the gaps. “For a young lady like myself, it was only the most magnificent of places! I dreamed of making dresses that could accentuate the sheer beauty of the accessories within! Looking here was like gazing into the stars, so many points of divine light gleaming back at me! It was a little piece of heaven.”

It hat taken a lot of sweat and tears to get the place up and running, and a considerable amount of bits to buy the two storefronts and have them merged, but seeing the gorgeous light purple walls, the racks lined up with hoof-stictched dresses, Rarity knew in her heart that it was worth it.

As if a cherry atop a gorgeous cake, the sign beckoning customers only served to make the sight even more beautiful. Backlit in soft blue in fancy script, the words 'Carousel Boutique' greeted prospective shoppers. This would be a fine venture indeed.

“Ms. Rarity?”

Rarity turned around at the soft voice addressing her, a welcoming smile on her face as she caught sight of the dignified-looking solid gray unicorn mare. “Welcome to the Carousel Boutique!” she chirped happily. “How may I help you?”

The mare simply waved a fore-hoof. “Oh, I've no business to do today,” she said, “though perhaps tomorrow, given how stunning your product is!” She levitated something out of her saddlebags and over to Rarity. The dove-white mare took magical hold of it and examined it carefully. It was a beautiful golden pendant, emblazoned with three blue diamonds, fashioned to look just like Rarity's cutie mark. “For your opening here at Rolling Acorns Mall,” she told the young fashionista.

Turning it around, Rarity gasped and read the inscription.

“To many years of prosperity. Your friend in fashion, Celestial Glimmer.”

Rarity looked up at the mare and smiled warmly. “Why, thank you so much, Ms. Glimmer!” She fought to hold back a squee of delight. To be given such a personal gift from the proprietor of the most successful jewelry chain in Equestria was an honor she'd never expected.

“I look forward to seeing my jewelry and your garments together,” Celestial Glimmer told Rarity, her voice radiating certainty. “You've got quite the talent.”

“Wow!” Twilight gasped. “You met the Celestial Glimmer!?”

“Yes, it was quite the honor,” Rarity replied. “The year before she passed, even.” She looked down and sighed. “Her franchise is, of course, as successful as ever, though I never got to meet the ownership that came after.”

Rainbow Dash simply rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, great,” she muttered dismissively. “I don't get jewelry, really.”

“You wouldn't,” Rarity shot back darkly. “And then you wonder why every pony spreads rumors about you.”

“Hey!” Rainbow cried out. “What's that supposed to mean!?”

“Stop, both of you!” Twilight interjected. “We're here for something Rarity left here, right?”

“Right,” Rainbow confirmed with a nod. “So, where do we start looking?”

“Over there.” Rarity pointed at the storefront closest to the massive building they were watching earlier. It was indeed as big as two of the normal storefronts, but it had clearly seen better days; there were large gaps in the ceiling, and debris fell from the attic, spraying what little furnishings that remained in dust. Like the rest of the stores, there were piles of garbage throughout.

As Rarity used her magic to force the shutter up, Rainbow grimaced, coughing as some dust kicked up in her face. “Geez!” She exclaimed. “You sure whatever it is you're looking for is still even here? Looks like the place has been picked clean like everything else.”

“To be honest,” Rarity admitted, “I'm not so sure.” She shook her head and growled at herself. “I should have come back as soon as I'd realized I'd forgotten it, security be damned!”

“Well, we're not gonna find what you're looking for just standing here,” Twilight conceded. “We better get looking before police ponies show up.”

The three of them entered the store front and started rummaging around, coughing and sputtering as dust and foul smells assaulted them.

“By Celestia's flaming lips!” Rainbow cursed. “There's no way anything of value is still here. Smells like some pony smeared manure everywhere!”

“Just keep looking!” After chiding Rainbow Dash, Twilight looked over at Rarity. “What are we looking for, again?”

“Oh, yes,” Rarity managed with a half-hearted smile. “We're looking for the pendant. I was in a rush to leave here when it all closed, and forgot it.”

Rainbow Dash simply grunted with frustration and rested her face against a hoof, while Twilight shook her head in dismay. There was definitely no way a Celestial Glimmer original would have survived for so long.

Still, they were here, so they continued digging through the refuse, hoping against hope that their visit to this derelict place hadn't been in vain.

“I bloody hate this neighborhood!”

Rarity could hear the grumbling of High Brow from the back of her store. Immediately, she picked up the custom order he'd commissioned for his wife and brought it over. “Well, hopefully this will help cheer you up.”

The tall, muscular earth stallion looked over the perfect garment and smiled. “Oh, this most certainly will!” he exclaimed. “My dear Quartz Ruby is going to absolutely love this!” He took the garment and carefully folded it atop his saddlebag.

Rarity beamed at the stallion's remarks. “Oh, it's so nice of you to say so!” she replied. “Do have her come by next time, I miss her dearly!”

“I will, if I can get a decent guard for her,” he said. He turned to look at the sparsely-populated hall in front of the store, sighing. “Why do you stay here, Rarity?” he asked, sighing dejectedly. “You could do so much better down at Summit Mill. Ponies have money and an appreciation for high fashion in Foal Lane, and the police do their bloody jobs!”

Rarity simply sighed, her smile vanishing. “I've been trying,” Rarity replied. “It's been rather hard to find a vacancy, what with Celestial moving over there and all.” She shook her head softly. “I make enough off loyal customers like yourself to pay rent here, but I don't think I have enough money to be out of work for three months while moving the shop, especially at the rent prices over at Summit Mill.”

High Brow simply shook his head. “I can understand that, I suppose.” He looked around the boutique, a smile returning to his face. “I'll try to pull a few favors, see what I can do for you,” he said. “In the meantime, do keep safe. Quartz and I worry deeply about you here.”

“Oh, I will,” Rarity assured him. “It will take more than a few unruly teenagers to stop me!”

Rarity's words only deepened High Brow's smile. “Good to hear it!” he replied. “Keep your chin up, girl! That attitude will certainly lead you to better things!”

With that, the two said their goodbyes, and High Brow was on his way, leaving Rarity to once more tend to the shop. Alone once more, Rarity began to think. It hadn't been good the last few years. With Celestial moving out, many of the high-end businesses had followed. What was left was ill-suited to a business of her nature. So many thrift stores, selling useless garbage to barely-sentient goons. And the building that had been the focus of her life and part of her inspiration to set up shop to begin with? A bloody discount clothing store, selling mass-produced trash clothing to mass-produced trash ponies!

Of course, the crime wasn't helping any. With security in the mall deteriorating as part of cost-cutting measures, all-manner of riff-raff were causing trouble. There'd even been a magical lightning attack in front of the cinema yesterday, or so she'd heard! Of course, she didn't need gossip to know that the mall, and the neighborhood surrounding it, were going to the moon in a hoof-basket; by now, she'd shown more than her fair share of would-be robbers what a good jolt of lightning or a ball of flame could do to a pony.

There were some more conservative unicorns who had their theories, of course. Most believed that it was the earth ponies who were causing the trouble, or the pegasus ponies. Just the lesser races doing the only thing they knew how. Rarity knew better, of course, than to believe such bigoted nonsense. She'd seen pegasus ponies fly off with earth ponies' purses as often as she'd seen unicorns shock pegasus ponies into submission for a watch or chain. No, it wasn't race that was killing this mall. It was money. A few farms go belly-up, a few mines run dry, and a few business ponies leave, and what's left is nothing more than a den of rats, fighting one another over the scraps that were left.

Rarity knew she was fighting a losing battle. Yes, she was profitable for now, but what of tomorrow? If this place got any worse, High Brow and her other regulars would almost certainly be scared off. After that, she was almost certainly finished. She couldn't afford the cost of moving to Summit Mill, much less the rent, unless she had a huge uptick in business.

To think she'd had such high hopes when she opened, when Celestial Glimmer had given her that pendant that now sat in an enchanted lock-box under the floor. It was a funny thing, how life played out.

Pondering and worrying, however, did no good at all. Rarity went back to her workshop at the rear of the store. There were more dresses to be made.

Rainbow Dash shook her head and wiped the sweat from her brow, looking at her friends as they searched the store. She had to admit, watching Rarity pore over the muck and mire for this stupid pendant was worth the trip on its own. Normally, the prissy pony wouldn't go anywhere near dirt unless it was imported. Yes, she was going to rag on Rarity for this for a long time to come.

Though, given how terrible she felt and smelled now, Rainbow Dash was seriously considering a trip to one of those damnable spas Rarity always went to.

They were well past garbage piles now, however. Now they were searching drawers and uplifting furnishings, looking for any evidence of this amulet.

“We've been at it for more than an hour,” Rainbow Dash whined. “There's no way it's still here.”

Twilight, pulling at a wall, could only nod her head. “Yeah, I gotta agree with Rainbow,” she conceded. “We've torn this place apart looking for your pendant, Rarity. It's a wonder the police haven't found us.”

The desperate, pleading look on Rarity's face silenced both of them. “Just... Just a bit more, okay?” she pleaded, her voice soft, choking back tears. “If we don't find it in a few more minutes, we can leave, just...”

“Okay, Rarity.” Rainbow didn't need to hear any more. It was clearly important to her friend. “Just a few more minutes.” She could feel her heart breaking for her friend. Jewelry might be a mystery to her, but Rainbow Dash understood the value of memories.

With that, the two of them returned to their work, Twilight peeling a wall while Rainbow Dash moved on to the floors.

Then, it hit Rainbow.

Or rather, shocked her with enough electricity to fry lesser ponies.

“OW, fuck!” She shouted, her fore-hooves recoiling defensively, her wings spread out as if she were ready to attack at a moment's notice. “Why the hay is this tile enchanted!?”

Rarity barreled over to Rainbow Dash, her eyes suddenly wide with hopeful enthusiasm. “Could it be!?” she exclaimed. “All this time, and no pony was able to undo the enchantment!?”

Her wings folding as she finally calmed down, Rainbow sneered at Rarity. “You could have warned me, you know,” she chided her friend.

“I'm so sorry, dear!” Rarity replied. “It's just that I forgot which panel it was, whether it was under a desk or a checkout counter. Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you that the enchantment survived as long as it had.” With that, Rarity's horn began to glow, her eyes straining as she worked to undo the magic. “Stay back, dears,” she warned. “This one's a doozy.”

“What's the meaning of this!?”

Rarity was in a rage as she stormed the mall manager's office, a piece of paper in her telekinetic grip.

“Wh-wha?!” The secretary, a scrawny little blue unicorn stallion, squealed as his head bolted up off his desk. “What's the matter, Ms. Rarity?”

“What's the matter!?” Huffing mad, Rarity snatched the paper up with a fore-hoof, only to slam it down with all the force she could muster. “This! This is the matter!”

The stallion collected himself, trying – and failing – not to look scared of the enraged shopkeeper in front of him. “L-look, I don't make the rules, Ms. Rarity!” he stammered, gulping nervously. “Mayor's ordering the power cut off, and you need to go.”

“Why!?”

The stallion simply sighed and shook his head. “Management,” he said. “They haven't been paying the light bill here for a year at least.”

Hearing those words, Rarity's heart sank. Her shoulders and barrel sunk slightly as she looked down at the note. “Seriously?” she asked. “That bad?”

“Yeah,” the stallion replied, calming down as he felt the threat to his life coming down. “I'm getting the boot at the end of the week too. It sucks. But you know how it goes. No power, no mall.”

“W-well, isn't there some way to keep the mall going?!” Rarity asked. “I don't mind working without air conditioning, dear, and I still make a profit.”

It was times like this that the stallion was glad to be done with this job. He'd had his fill of miserable shopkeepers since the place starting going to crap. “Rarity,” he said softly, looking into her watery, trembling eyes, “There's only seven in-line stores left, including you. The two anchors pay their own light, and they've already sealed off access from inside the mall.” He looked down at the paper that Rarity had slammed on his desk. “It's over, and there's nothing you or I can do about it.”

Dejected, Rarity simply nodded. Every shopkeeper still working the mall knew this day would come. Rarity had only hoped it would come later, when she had enough money to get out of this hovel of her own will, maybe get a stand-alone boutique.

Fate, however, rarely came at a moment of one's choosing.

With nothing else to say, Rarity simply turned and left. She had a week to clear inventory and get out, which left little time for moping.

Rarity walked up to the only remaining shop in the food court, a place she'd loved ever since she was a tiny filly, and stepped up to the counter.

“One chocolate-apple crepe, please,” she said to the ragged-looking earth mare behind the counter, Minty. By this point, all seven of the inline shopkeepers knew each other on a first-name basis, but Minty and Rarity had a history. She'd run this shop since Rarity could remember.

“Comin' right up, Rarity,” Minty replied. She turned around to start working and decided to spark up a conversation. “So, you're sticking it out for the last day too, huh?”

“I guess,” Rarity replied half-heartedly. “I've got my remaining inventory boxed up and ready to go.”

“Where to?” Minty asked.

“Small town called Ponyville.” Rarity sighed softly. “High Brow was able to buy a building there. Says I can keep it if I pay him back in five years and take care of the property taxes.” Rarity smiled softly to herself. That crazy old stallion kept to his word, even after all these years. “It's about a day's train ride to Canterlot from there, so it'll almost certainly be better than what I've been dealing with here.”

The two mares shared a laugh at that. Then silence.

“What about you?” Rarity asked. “Where are you gonna go?”

“Well, it's closer to home, I can tell you that!” Minty said with a chuckle. “Opening up in Forest Hill. They're a lot more modest about rent than Summit Mill, and they don't have any other crepe shops there. I'll make a killing!”

Rarity sighed softly at that. “You know,” she said. “I never thought it would end this way.”

Minty couldn't help but nod at that. “You and me both, kid.” Blinking away the tears, Minty tried to focus on something other than the future. “You know,” she said, “I remember when you first came here. Barely knee-high to a knee, the cutest little filly I'd seen. Your dad was proud because you'd finally had all your lunch, even the broccoli.” She laughed at the memory. “I'd never seen a filly attack a crepe like that before.”

“Well,” Rarity retorted, “I'd never had such a delicious crepe before.” The two of them giggled again before Rarity continued. “I remember then. I was so excited to be in the mall for the first time. Full of ponies young and old, every pony so happy and full of life. I could have sworn I was blessed by Celestia that day, to have seen something so beautiful.”

“I feel you there,” Minty replied. “It was a gorgeous sight to see back then. Wish it could have stayed like that.”

“We all do.” Rarity sighed softly as she remembered bygone times. Those memories only made today hurt more.

“Hey, what happened to that mare you were buddies with in college?” Minty asked half-heartedly, trying to change the subject. “Sandy Beach, was it?”

“The pegasus?” Rarity asked, to which Minty nodded. “Oh, she went out west. I hear she's an...” She let out a dignified cough. “Actress now.”

A shiver ran down both mares' spines. They were both quite thankful that their troubles hadn't gotten to the point they were considering that.

“Well,” Minty murmured. “I hope she, um, enjoys that.”

“Well, if her letters are to be believed,” Rarity replied, “she's having all sorts of fun. Not for me though. I prefer making clothes over ripping them off.”

Another laugh was shared between two good friends.

Finally, Minty turned back around, presenting an expertly-done crepe on a plastic plate. “Here ya go, kid,” she said. “And I don't wanna hear about payment. I put the cash register away for the move anyway.”

The two mares leaned over the counter and hugged one another. They simply stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the last of each other's company.

Rarity sighed and wiped her brow as she finally finished undoing the enchantment holding the tile in place. Levitating it out of the way, she saw it for the first time in ages – a simple, wooden lock-box, also sporting an intimidating magical enchantment. “I can't believe it.” Her voice was faint, almost a whisper. “It's still here. It's been nearly fifteen years since I left, and it's still here.”

Twilight smiled softly, thankful that this whole sojourn hadn't been for naught. “That's wonderful!” Twilight chimed, clapping her fore-hooves together.

“I still don't get something, though,” Rainbow Dash butted in with all the subtlety of a drunk Pinkie Pie. “If this thing was so important, why didn't you take it with you when you left?”

“You don't understand,” Rarity simply replied as she worked on the enchantment holding the lock-box in place. “It was all a blur. Trying to sell as much as I could, getting ready for the move... Saying goodbye to friends I'd never see again... It had all gone by so fast. I didn't even realize I'd forgotten it until I was halfway to Ponyville, and by that point, I was concerned that the police wouldn't be so kind as to let me in.”

“I can see that,” Twilight agreed. “If my magic is right about the decay here, I'd say police only stopped seriously patrolling the perimeter about five, maybe six years ago.”

“Guess there's that,” Rainbow conceded. “I just hope the police don't come now. We've been making a lot of noise.”

“There!” Rarity cried out as the lock-box opened for the first time since she'd left it. The pendant was as perfect as the day she'd first received it. The diamonds shimmered against the dim light, the polished gold reflecting her image. She turned it around and read the inscription aloud. “To many years of prosperity. Your friend in fashion, Celestial Glimmer.”

She couldn't contain herself any longer. Hugging the trinket to her chest, Rarity began sobbing openly, weeping for long gone days. Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again after a sharp glare from Twilight.

Nothing else mattered to Rarity at that moment. She simply held onto the pendant, cradling it as it were a child. For a moment, she thought she saw Celestial Glimmer smiling at her as she did so long ago.

Rarity stopped in front of the large, opulent jewelry store, a huge smile on her face as she ran up to it as fast as her little legs could carry her.

“Rarity!” her mother shouted as she and Rarity's dad chased after the little filly. “Don't you go running off now!”

“Mommy, daddy, look!” Rarity cried out. “Look at all the jewelry! It's so pretty!”

Her dad laughed softly. “Just like your mother, I see,” he said softly. “I know something more beautiful than all that, though.”

“Oh?” Rarity asked as she looked back at her parents.

He simply smiled and lowered his head, nuzzling his daughter's face. “You.”

Rarity chuckled and leapt onto her dad's neck, holding on as he raised his head. “Thanks, daddy!” she cried out happily.

Her mother laughed at their joyful little girl. “I didn't expect you to like going to the mall this much, honey,” she said.

“It's really nice here!” Rarity replied. “Just you watch! One day, I'll make pretty stuff like that too! And all the ponies in Equestria will know me!”

“Just like Celestial Glimmer?” her mom asked.

Rarity simply nodded. “Just like Celestial Glimmer!”