Rarity had always been able to see ghosts.
She wasn't sure exactly when it had started or if it was a talent other people shared, she just knew it started young enough that many of her fillyhood memories were filled with the apparitions of the people who once walked her world. One memory in particular that seemed to circle around was of her as a filly, no more than a year old, staring back at the old mare that leant over her cot. The mare had pure white hair pulled into a bonnet and dull skin covered with wrinkles that never seemed to move when she spoke. It was as if her body had paused when the mare had passed on, all life sucked out and preserved for the rest of her time in the ever-growing world she walked in. Many times Rarity would talk to this mare but the first encounter was always the one she remembered most fondly, staring up at the entity with a pacifier in her mouth and eyes full of curiosity. She'd never seen someone so shocked before.
After that night it was hard to get the white mare to leave her alone. She'd follow Rarity everywhere she went in the house - through the kitchen when it was tea time to ask about what the big cold box was and how in equestria did it light up when it was opened? And how did they cook their meals by simply putting a pan on a surface - she couldn't even see the fire! The mare followed her to the living room when she played, asking all about the box that talked and how the little people inside lived - and she always followed Rarity to her bedroom, watching her while she slept. When the moon was out and the other inhabitants of the house slept she would lean over Rarity and sob most nights, asking why no one would reply to her apart from a little mare that couldn't even keep herself standing up for more than a few seconds at a time. She'd cry out for her own daughter, holding onto the bars of the crib while she shook. She'd scream sometimes, scaring Rarity to the point where she herself would begin sobbing. The white mare always backed away if she made Rarity upset and over time would stop crying completely, sitting stone-faced in the corner of the nursery while her parents ran in to fuss over the small Unicorn.
It was only years later when Rarity had figured out her gift that she would return home and explain to the mare the truth of the matter - the mare was dead. This time, Rarity sobbed with her.
"And this is the study - though I suppose you won't have much use for that, you don't really seem like the book type." The orange stallion said, flicking his blonde hair out of his face as he pushed open the heavy wooden doors to a dark room lined with bookcases. Rarity had, up to this point, resisted glaring at the estate agent showing her around the antiquated building but that last comment had been quite enough thank-you-very-much and she shot him a fierce glare as she walked into the final room on their tour.
The moment she stepped into the room she was bathed in the smell of abandonment, dust floating around her and bathing her perfect white coat in a thin layer of age. The tower really was a sight to behold. The wood beneath her feet was a dark oak that had been stained over time and hidden behind the cover of a couple worn rugs. It creaked under her hooves as she stepped forward and again once the other two ponies entered into the room behind her.
The circular tower had four floor to ceiling windows in total - two opposite the door they had entered in from and another two on opposing ends. Every window and door in the building had some kind of intricate carving but the four in this room must have been an artist's pièce de résistance - they had been chiselled away at to perfection with images of books and swirls of magic covering the surfaces. The windows themselves had a stained glass feature at the top of each one depicting a similar likeness. She could only imagine how colourful the room would be at sunset when the sunlight hit the glass and allowed the colours to shine through.
The main focus of the room however was definitely the rows and rows of bookcases that lined the walls and filled every available space between the windows. They were carved too, though much more simply than the windows and doors around the building. Every shelf was covered in a selection of books - ranging from raggedy and split volumes with strings loose and crumpled pages to almost pristine ones higher up on the walls, still showing signs of age and wear but not nearly as damaged as the ones below.
"Oh Rarity, this room is wonderful." A familiar quiet voice called from behind her, prompting her to turn back to her best friend - Fluttershy. Rarity had met the shy unicorn when they were both fillies and had quickly became close friends, sharing secrets and consequently their lives together. They had separated for a while when Fluttershy had made the move to the small town of Ponyville to get away from the big city they had grown up in - and while Rarity was sad about losing her friend - they had kept in contact through letters and visits until Rarity had made the decision to move out of her family home once she had saved enough up for a boutique of her own.
"Indeed darling. Why, with just a little bit of work I'll have a beautiful boutique in no time!" She exclaimed, trotting back towards the doors, only to stop at one of the bookcases she encountered on her way. She frowned as she peered closer at the fraying books in-front of her, seeing how torn up they really were. "Though I may have to get rid of a few of these old books first."
"I wouldn't recommend it." The estate agent commented under his breath. The pause in the room was loud as both the mares turned towards the stallion wearily glancing around the room, eyes finally landing on the pair. He tried to stonewall but his resolve cracked when Rarity began to cut her eyes towards him. He sighed before continuing on. "There's a rumour that removing the books from these shelves can summon an angry ghost. I'm still not sure why you wanted to look at this building in the first place, there's plenty of much more suitable ones in town."
And as beautiful as the building was, a part of her knew the stallion was right. The truth was, Rarity's family wasn't the best off. After she had seen the white mare in her room she had started to notice more and more apparitions around her during her life and it had caused her to make more than a few scenes. It was hard to find work when you were known as "that crazy mare that saw ghosts", or when you had to rush home to consolidate your daughter that had burst out crying as though she was in pain - despite there seemingly being no reason to it - and though she had stopped talking about it and breaking down over the years, the reputation had held up. She was glad that Fluttershy had seemingly forgotten about how Rarity had acted when she was younger - or at least never treated her differently for it.
"G-g-ghost?" Fluttershy squeaked, immediately dipping her head down and covering her face with her hooves, shuddering in place. Rarity sighed and shook her head at the stallion who had taken a step away from the quivering pony and was whistling and looking away, pretending not to notice what he had done to her. Rarity took a moment to thank Celestia that Fluttershy hadn't been the one cursed with being able to see them, she couldn't fathom what the poor unicorn would do. Knowing every ghost that she encountered had to have been-
Well. She was glad to be able to have a fresh start. No more talking to ghosts - she didn't know if she could handle it.
"Now, now Mr Holding, you're too quick to judge. This will be a hotspot in no time, just a bit of decoration and..." Rarity trailed off, noticing a rather large ink stain below her feet. That would be a pain to clean off. "Decoration and cleaning! Then this place will be as good as new."
She stepped forward to consolidate the quivering unicorn, laying a hoof on her back as the small pony looked up and smiled slightly, obviously trying to be brave for her friend. The stallion huffed a little and shrugged as he turned back to the pair. "If you say so Miss Rarity, but I wish you luck in drawing in these customers. Not many people will come here - what with the stories and all."
It was Rarities turn to shrug as she helped Fluttershy to her feet. "I'm sure I'll think of something. And besides..."
Rarity turned to the unimpressed stallion, a smile threatening her face as she spoke. It was turn to reinvent herself - no longer would she be Rarity, the mare who saw apparitions and sobbed at their loss. Now was her time to be who she wanted to be, and she would work hard to make that happen - starting right here.
"I don't believe in ghosts."
Author's Note
Updates won’t be fast but I’ve got the story planned out already so they shouldn’t take ages because of that at least :)
Rarity blinked tiredly at the offending light as it worked its way over to her temporary bed. If the sun had any sense at all it would let her sleep for a few more precious minutes. However, as it was just doing its job, it continued to raise and taunt her for wanting to sleep while it was shining so brightly. She groaned and turned over, burying her face into the jasmine-scented pillow Fluttershy had given her. Today was the day that she would have to begin cleaning the boutique and Rarity, as a mare of cleanliness and order, despised the thought of having to do so. She was tempted to roll over and attempt a few more minutes but her plans were interrupted by a small knock on the bedroom door. She sighed before replying.
“Come in.” She called out into the pillow, pushing herself to seem cheery enough. After all, Fluttershy had been kind enough to allow the mare to take up her guest bedroom for a couple of weeks while she got her bearings in the town and found a good place to live. Fluttershy, the kind friend she was, had even taken to cooking the majority of the meals for Rarity after she’d come home from a long day of house hunting. Rarity swore up and down that at some point she’d wake up early enough to cook breakfast too, but she was never quite fast enough for the early bird she shared her time with. A couple times she was quite sure Fluttershy had been awake and begun tending to the animals before the sun had even rose.
“Good morning Rarity, I’ve set the table so you can come down whenever you’re ready and we can eat.” Fluttershy said as she pushed open the door, a small glass of water levitating close behind her. Rarity smiled at her host and slipped out of bed, bending down and stretching out much like a cat.
“Mmh, thank you dear. I’ll be down soon, it smells delicious.” She spoke as she got herself upright again, muffling a yawn and watching as the other unicorn set down the glass on her nightstand.
Fluttershy nodded and shot the other a smile before she left the room, closing the door behind her. And after a quick brush and style of her mane, Rarity followed behind her, carrying the now empty glass of water behind her.
As she descended the stairs of the cottage the house seemed to liven up a bit more with the chirps and tweets and other calls of the animals that took residence in the house. Admittedly, Rarity had taken a strong disliking to the activity so early in the morning - but over time had come to love the company of the animals that would follow Fluttershy and eventually herself around. She just wished they weren’t quite so clingy. As she entered the kitchen to take a seat at the table she voiced her musings to her friend.
“Say, Fluttershy, I don’t suppose you have any less...” she paused as she tried to think of a word that wouldn’t offend her host or the various animals around them starting on their own food. “Any less active animals, do you? I think I’d like a pet when I move out - I’ve rather enjoyed the company of the animals you keep. Though I don’t think I could handle nearly as much as you do on a daily basis.”
Fluttershy giggled as she levitated her fork down, seemingly taking some time to think while chewing before apparently having reached a conclusion as she swallowed. “Maybe a cat? They’re so soft and snuggly but they like their alone time too.”
Rarity hummed as she ate, imagining herself with a little cat by her side as she pinned patterns in place, or on her lap as she spent hours of her time embroidering, or batting around her spools of thread while she laughed. She smiled at the thought and nodded, a quiet companion as she worked would be just perfect. So after they finished their food fluttershy lead her up to her room where the young critters and their mothers spent their time. Walking in was a mess of scents and sounds but as she walked further the noises died down, seemingly calmer with the presence of Fluttershy right behind her. They made their way over to a small basket that housed the fluffy white kittens and their mother.
“They were born a little while ago.” Fluttershy began, picking up the happy mother cat who immediately began purring. She cradled the small creature in her arms and allowed her to snuggle into her fur, eyeing up Rarity for just a moment before relaxing once more. “They’re ready to explore now but a few of them seem a little scared to without me around.”
Rarity peered into the woven basket to see around three kittens attempting to climb up the sides and two more cuddled up together to sleep. There was one more on the far end of the basket, cuddled up but not sleeping. It was just watching what everyone was up to and relaxing in its own little space. Rarity smiled as she watched it look up at her, yawn and then lie back down again.
“That’s Opal, she’s not as active as the other cats are usually. But that’s okay, she’s happy and that’s all that matters.” Fluttershy said as she watched the other investigate. Rarity smiled and, with a quick glance to Fluttershy to make sure it was okay, scooped the small kitten up into her own arms. Opal looked up at her carrier with wide eyes, curious but not afraid. Rarity smiled down at the small animals in her arms and gently stroked the kitten’s head with a gentle hoof. The kitten relaxed back and with a happy chirrup began to purr.
“Oh she’s just Darling, isn’t she?” Rarity practically whispered as she continued to pet, already imaging spending her nights cuddled up with the soft kitten, the gentle noise lulling her to sleep. She hummed and sighed, opening her eyes to see Fluttershy putting the mother cat back down into the basket. Rarity followed, placing the little kitten back down to be with her mother. She sighed and nodded, turning to Fluttershy with a grin.
“I think I’ve found my new pet.”
Author's Note
I love how unimportant this seems. Just know that Opal doesn’t have the same energy as in the show