The Enchanted Library: Amethyst Dreams

Chapters

A Vision Number Minus One
A Vision Number Zero
A Vision Number Zero Point Five
A Vision Number One Point Five
A Vision Number Two Point Five
(Not?) A Vision Number Three
A Brighter Future
A Vision Number Minus Two

A Vision Number Minus One

Rarity strolled slowly down the streets of Ponyville. Actually, she was heading to Fluttershy’s house, but she was not in hurry to get there. Instead, she was looking around and examining the surroundings for any sign of Discord’s magic. She did this like a skilled investigator from classic detective stories she read before she met Twilight. Every now and then she looked at the pendant in her saddlebag for a hint of a familiar green glow, but to no avail: it was desperately clear.

Yet something was clearly not right. Rarity walked through the marketplace and even stopped to assess the situation. At first glance, it was just as usual as any regular day in Ponyville may be. Here, Golden Harvest is waiting for customers at her stall. There, Derpy, with her perpetual goofy smile, is taking her daughter to the school. On the other side of the street, Amethyst Star is having a relaxing walk with her newborn foal in the carriage. Not so far away, Mrs. Cake is carrying some sacks of flour, sugar, and cinnamon, into Sugarcube Corner. All of this looked quite right, but at the same time something was terribly wrong. Rarity couldn’t tell why, but she felt it perfectly clear.

Well, Rarity let out a sigh and continued trotting towards Fluttershy’s cottage. Maybe she could shed some light on the issue.

It didn’t take long before she could see the familiar shack almost at the edge of Ponyville. Rarity trotted across the little bridge and finally reached her destination. She let out a sigh and knocked on the door.

“Eep! One second, please, I– you can come in now!” a voice came from inside the house.

Rarity pushed the door open and stepped inside with the tinkling of a door bell. She hadn’t bothered to warn the pegasus about the visit, so Fluttershy looked at her with a mixture of panic and embarrassment. Just as if Rarity had caught her doing something that the pegasus did not want to share with the outside world, despite she was just feeding her pet birds. Her guilty but confiding smile reminded Rarity of Twilight–and it took some effort for her to push the unexpected memories away. Rarity shook her head and turned to her friend.

“Good morning! I was walking around here and just thinking of visiting you, because why not. I hope it’s not a bad moment, is it, darling?”

“Oh Rarity, it’s you,” Fluttershy nodded at her. “I-I’m just a little busy, but that’s okay. Do you mind waiting a couple minutes?”

“Oh, no problem, darling. I won’t interrupt you,” Rarity went deeper into the house and settled on the couch, watching the pegasus meticulously spreading food between all of her pet birds.

“A-and, since I’m here,” Rarity said light-heartedly, when Fluttershy finished with the last bird and turned to her. “Would you be so kind to tell me what has happened since, uh, the last time I went to, you know?..”

Rarity’s careless smile disappeared, when she saw a noticeable change in Fluttershy’s mood: the pegasus didn’t say a single word, but her ears dropped, and corners of her lips slightly moved down. “What… What is it? Something bad, right? Was it Discord?” asked Rarity, leaning forward to the pegasus.

Fluttershy humbly closed her eyes. Rarity paused, and there was silence for a few moments.

“Yes,” she finally said and looked back at the unicorn. “I mean yes, bad things happened. But no, Discord has nothing to do with it.”

“Then what has caused this… wrongness? Was it Rift Shield? Denza? Who else could, darling?”

Fluttershy continued looking up at Rarity. The unicorn could hardly read a mixture of emotions in her gaze, completely unusual for such a timid pony. Sad, resentful, and… accusatory??

Fluttershy sighed and left the box of birdseed on a nearby table.

“You,” she answered shortly after a pause, and looked away again.

Rarity was speechless.

“I–uh, darling, what does that mean?” she wondered once she was able to speak again. “Why would I–”

“Let’s go,” Fluttershy interrupted, and headed for the exit, looking past her friend. “You should know about this.”

They walked through most of Ponyville in silence. Fluttershy didn’t say a word, and Rarity, following her, still couldn’t collect her thoughts after what the pegasus said to her. Nevermind the rest of Ponyville, even Fluttershy was acting too strange. Rarity had not seen her so silent, serious, sad, and even slightly rude, for a long time.

The farther they went, the more uncomfortable Rarity felt. Oh stars, she was already beginning to realize where they are going. And that guess was too terrifying to even think about it. No, in the name of Twilight, please no!

Now she began to understand what exactly was different in Ponyville from the way she had seen it before.

“You know, Rainbow went to Tall Tales after it happened,” Fluttershy remarked in the meantime, without even looking in Rarity’s direction. The pegasus was trotting a couple of steps ahead of her, as if not even interested if the unicorn was following her or not. “We still tell Pinkie that she shouldn’t come yet, though I don’t know if it still matters. You should’ve seen Sweetie, you should’ve seen Scootaloo; she’s fine now. In fact, it was her who ran for help, and that is why I, and you, too, are still in Ponyville, and not here–”

Rarity literally froze when she realized what the pegasus was getting at. They already went through the black wooden gate with an inscription, “Ponyville Cemetery”, and approached two fresh mounds Fluttershy led her to.

“–They were not that lucky,” she finished her sentence, pointing at signs above the two mounds.

Rarity realized she couldn’t breathe. She looked from one sign to another, and could not believe this was actually happening. “Applejack” and “Apple Bloom”. This must be a nightmare. Discord’s tricks. An evil and terrible joke. This simply cannot be true. Just not the same outcome. Just not because of her. Just not because of Rarity. Not because of her foolish and hopeless desire to find the princess…

“If it makes you feel better,” said Fluttershy, “I personally don't blame you. But I don’t think,” she finally turned to Rarity, “that everyone else thinks the same way. Like the Apple farm… Just think of Granny Smith, who had lost her son and daughter-in-law years before, and now fate took away almost all of her grandchildren. And I’ve heard Big Mac hasn’t taken the news well, either.”

She sighed and tried to smile, but with no success.

“However,” she continued, “perhaps you should know that they did everything in their power to ensure that we are safe, so their efforts were not in vain. They saved me, you, Rainbow, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle… Oh poor filly. Everything happened in front of her, she looked more dead than alive for a week or so. Luckily, at least she didn’t get physically hurt, but still, it’s not a good idea to remind her…”

Fluttershy kept talking, but Rarity wasn’t listening. Now, for her, the whole world was reduced to these two mounds and a single familiar thought, so terrifying, so cruel, so undeniable:

“This is all my fault.”

These words resonated with something deep, buried under layers of painful memories from the first time Rarity allowed Twilight to connect their minds. When her consciousness was overflowed not just with genuine interest and curiosity of a thousand-year-old alicorn princess, but a touch of ancient, unforgotten, unforgiven guilt.

She finally realized how exactly Twilight felt about this. And Rarity could not find a single argument against it. Even if there were nothing to blame Twilight for, in Rarity’s case arguing with reality would just be nonsense.

A Vision Number Zero

Rarity didn’t remember how and when she got home. How she left the cemetery, when she said goodbye to Fluttershy, if at all, and whether anypony even looked at her on the way back, it all was completely unnoticeable compared to truth just revealed to her. Obviously, Discord had nothing to do with it. All those strange details, like the lack of Applejack’s stall at the marketplace, the way ponies who were close friends with the Apples, avoided Rarity’s gaze the very moment they met her in the street, and many other inconsistencies, this all has fitted into the big picture now. No way to deny the truth anymore: Rarity, and she alone, was the one to blame for this. No excuses like “she did it for Twilight”, could justify this. It was Rarity’s desire to meet the princess again, and she lost two of her friends to fulfill it. Nothing but a desire to desperately knock on the curse’s door in the hope it would somehow break and let her back into Twilight's library. A foolish hope that someday it would be possible to overcome the strength of Discord. Rarity sacrificed her health, and almost her life for that–and now, she was sacrificing other ponies’ lives. The lives of her friends.

How insane had she quietly become to even think of paying such a price?

Now, Rarity realized with irrefutable clarity: she would never hear Applejack’s voice again, never see her insisting gaze, never feel the touch of her hoof stopping her from another stupid adventure in the Everfree Forest. She finally saw how ungrateful she was acting.

“It’s me who should have died there instead.”

Unfortunately, death took her friends. And still awkwardly ironically, one of them had once told her a simple thing:

“Being dead ain’t gonna reunite you with the princess.”

And now she was dead, not Rarity. Either way, it was a clear signal that Rarity would not reunite with Twilight. After all, Princess Twilight had an eternity to spare. And if Rarity was able to find her one day, someone else could probably be lucky too someday. Maybe now, maybe in a dozen hundred years. Rarity could not afford to try again and again: it didn't bring her goal any closer, but it hurt and even killed ponies around her. After all, this was exactly what Twilight had written in her letter, wasn’t it?

Rarity walked to the fireplace and levitated a jewelry box off the shelf over it. This box contained the most precious things for Rarity, and all of them were in some way or another connected to Twilight. The book from the castle that she never gave to the princess. A broken pendant on a necklace and a few crystal fragments that were all the evidence of the times when Rarity could still connect her minds with Twilight…

And four letters.

She tried to force herself to read the last one many times, but she could never get past the first sentence:

“I’m not sure how to say this, and I don’t want to, but this is probably the last time I’ll be writing to you.”

Rarity hugged herself, and lowered her head. Despite being a few feet from the fire, she felt like she was lost in a blizzard–well represented by the storm of feelings in her heart. Earlier, she shed a lot of tears upon these words…

But now it was anything but tears.

She didn’t feel the familiar bitterness and desperation she used to feel each time she tried to read this letter. She could cry about anything: about the death of Applejack and her sister, about her own curse, about the fate of Twilight, once again losing the mare who could be her savior…

But it was not like that. She realized she rather was filled with anger.

Rarity didn’t know exactly who she was mad at in the first place. This was that sort of untargeted rage and fury, filled with powerlessness and guilt. Oh the cursed fate! First, it brought Rarity upon the beautiful princess of the library, ultimately making her fall in love with the alicorn, or rather making them both fall in love with each other. The same fate that gave Rarity hope to free Twilight, pulled her from heaven down to earth, enclosed in unbreakable curse befallen onto her, and almost turned Rarity insane. And in the end, that very same fate robbed her of a friend–and the Apple family of half their members.

Was it all worth it?

Rarity just realized that the fate was not the only object of her wrath.

She was angry at Twilight. To her beloved mare, who decided to break off all relations at such a difficult hour for Rarity. “Last time,” she said? Well, if Twilight wills it so, this will be the “last time”!

Rarity grabbed the letters and threw them furiously into the fireplace. The flames flared gratefully, consuming fresh fuel, and in a moment it was all over.

If Twilight decided that she wrote the last letter, then who was Rarity to disagree?

Rarity noticed a brief movement in the dark evening sky outside the window, and, glancing at it, Rarity could have sworn she saw two barely visible owl silhouettes gliding among the stars.

However, it mattered no longer.

…It was many years ago.

And now Rarity, while sitting comfortably in a chair near the same fireplace, let herself reflect on the days long gone, just for a moment. She was brought back from painful thoughts by her sister’s voice–well, it was still as melodic as dozens years before.

“Rarity, you should take a little walk too. What has your doctor told you?

“Oh, what does she know? I’m fine here. Go on your own, you still have a speech to give today.”

“Like I want to. You know I look like Princess Cadance as much as you look like Discord,” Sweetie grunted. “Would you resist, I will get you on stage! After all, you look way more like the real Cadance the First. At least because of your age,” she laughed.

“Sweetie Belle! How dare you remind a lady of her age!” Rarity protested.

“And what are you going to do to me? I’m in another room!” Sweetie chuckled from the hallway. “Come on, raise your flank and go out, fresh air is good for you. Especially today–our weather pegasi did their best for this Seeking Night. Scootaloo is a great head of the weather team, after all.”

“Oh you youngsters,” Rarity muttered, pushing herself out of the comfortable embrace of the chair. “Alright, alright, I’m going now. And you, don’t be late for the ceremony, foals will not wait.”

“I’m on my way, Rarity. Just don’t fall apart halfway through,” young mare giggled, walking down the stairs and watching Rarity carefully following her. “Little Candy, are you coming?” Sweetie called as she descended to the lower hall.

“I’m going, Mommy!” a foal’s voice replied.

A Vision Number Zero Point Five

Rarity slowly descended the stairs. Because of her age, her legs could hardly support her. Not that she noticed: she once again allowed herself to run away into her thoughts. She recalled her younger years, specifically that year. The year when she first met Twilight, and the year when she cut off the very way to her. It was the grand finale of her precious love story, the love story she never experienced again, and never would.

Despite the tragedy, these events had had little effect on the life of Ponyville. With the same old ponies doing the same old business. Ponyville had been famous over the country for its agricultural products, and it remained the same, even if carrots took place of apples now: Golden Harvest’s family had bought the former Sweet Apple Acres, when Apple family left Ponyville, once they realized they could no longer run the farm without Applejack and Apple Bloom. Soon then, apple orchards were replaced by vegetable fields, and that was nearly the only noticeable change.

Despite the tragedy, tradition remained as well. Tonight, as every year before, foals of a new generation were gathering to search for three lost princesses. It was the same celebration as usual, and nopony seriously believed Princess Booky ever existed, no different from any other Seeking Night. Everypony participating in today’s event treated Rarity’s stories just like fantasies of an old mare who has read too many romance novels.

And the old mare thought it was a fine way for things to be.

Rarity left the boutique, and bumped into Amethyst Star, who was also walking slowly towards the central square, where Sweetie Belle, dressed as the legendary Princess Cadance, had already managed to go on stage, check the microphone, and was preparing to make her speech in front of a crowd of foals assembled there to show their skills in finding the princesses.

“I see your little sister is the star of the show tonight?” asked Amethyst Star.

“Why, of course she is!” Rarity replied proudly. “What about your daughter? Haven’t seen her for a long time. Does she participate at all?”

“Windy, you mean? Certainly!” Amethyst smiled. “She’s watching after the foals near the forest. You know, almost every year some of these scamps try to sneak into it…”

“Oh, I know it very well, darling,” Rarity nodded. “By the way, let’s hurry up, I want to listen to my sister’s speech.”

“Right. I see it’s starting already,” Amethyst agreed.

Mares had barely made it to the central square as Sweetie Belle began her speech. Along with many others,being the newly elected mayor of Ponyville comes with the duty of playing the role of Princess Cadance for Seeking Night, and Sweetie tried her best to meet the foals’ expectations, so she would not wait even for her sister.

…Of course, this Seeking Night, like every Seeking Night before it, did not go without some foals sneaking to the Everfree Forest. Rarity didn’t even say a word once she heard the news from Amethyst Star. No matter how many generations of foals pass through Ponyville, there will always be some of them fearless enough, like Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo decades ago, and despite all efforts of grown up ponies, they will run away into the forest. Sort of a foals’ tradition, you could say. As usual, a search team of young and responsible ponies was assembled, and together, Amethyst Wind, Dinky Hooves, Scootaloo, and everyone brave enough to help them, brought back the runaway foals. No doubt each one of them would be punished by their parents or relatives, but everypony knew: This will happen again next year, and the one after that.

Rarity didn’t think too much about this. How many Seeking Nights had she already seen living here in Ponyville? She had no reason to worry: Sweetie was an adult mare now, she had married a few years ago, and even had a daughter, so Rarity had no reason to fear she would sneak anywhere. The wind inside Scootaloo’s head had given up to the wind under her wings, when she took charge of the Ponyville weather team. Everypony who Rarity could have worried about were adult ponies now, more likely to fix problems than to cause them. So Rarity didn’t pay much attention when Amethyst Star told her that Windy hadn’t come back yet from the forest for some reason, or when the search team arrived late in the evening with the furtive foals. Yes, Amethyst Wind, daughter of Amethyst Star, had things to do in the forest.

Well, what could one possibly do in the Everfree?

Rarity would have forgotten about it, had it not been for a most remarkable event the next day.

In the morning, Rarity went to the marketplace for some shopping, and by a coincidence, met the Amethyst family again. And Windy, oblivious to the ponies around her, chatted loudly with her mother. Her voice was filled with admiration and excitement, she talked just like a filly that has witnessed something exceptional:

“…I’m telling you, Mom, she’s real! I always wished her to be not just a fairy tale, even though I did not believe–until I saw her! And you know, Mom, she is, she is… Oh Denza–”

Rarity felt her heart skip a beat. Having only heard a fragment of a phrase, by some certain tone in Windy’s voice, by hearing how much she was inspired, she realized that she knew–oh sweet Denza, she knew!–who the enamored unicorn is talking about. And Rarity was sure what Windy was going to say next.

Walking a few steps more, so it wouldn’t look so strange, Rarity whispered under her breath the end of the phrase at the same time Windy did:

“Oh Denza, she’s just adorable!”

…Rarity seemed to be reliving her younger years. She had long ago accepted the fact that she would never see princess Twilight again. But the fate had ruthlessly thrown her back into the thunderstorm of emotions that she experienced when she was young and romantic, and no less important, loving and beloved unicorn. She felt like she was watching her younger self from the outside when looking at Amethyst Wind. The young mare was just as inspired by Twilight as Rarity had been. The new friend of the princess was so young, so refined, so beautiful and smart… No wonder that she had every chance to find what Rarity had once found at her age.

What Rarity missed so dearly.

Now, this young beautiful mare stood in front of her in her boutique and was eager to learn more about the magical princess she had found weeks before.

“So Granny Rarity, you’re saying you knew the princess…?”

“Oh darling,” the elder mare laughed, “If you want me reminiscing my younger days, don’t call me that! And since we both share this secret, let’s be less formal.” Rarity gave Amethyst Wind a sly wink, and she smiled back at Rarity, embarrassed.

“Fine, Gra… I mean, fine, Rarity,” she said.

It was a long conversation. Too long for Rarity’s age, if it had been about anything but Twilight. But for her, she was ready to talk for eternity. Amethyst told Rarity everything about her first meeting with the princess, and Rarity immediately envied her. How dare Twilight not throw Amethyst into bookcases! She had even managed not to forget how to smile, the scoundrel! How many visits did it take for Rarity to develop that trust with the ancient alicorn, and Amethyst did this in a single one! And the younger mare also had seen the box with library cards for books yet to be found. Amethyst did even have time to promise to find them to save the princess from her curse, as Rarity once did.

And of course, she had borrowed a book from Twilight.

Amethyst took a book from her saddlebag and showed it to Rarity, and the elder unicorn could scarcely believe it. Her heart seemed to be pierced again with a long-forgotten pain.

How dare Twilight give her this book?

The Complete Encyclopedia of Precious Rocks. The book which began Rarity’s relationship with Twilight. The one Twilight gave Rarity in the desperate hope that she would come back again, not yet daring to hope Rarity would return to the library not for the books, but for the princess herself. It had been so many years ago, and now, the exact same book was floating in Amethyst Wind’s magic aura...

Well, there was no reason to think this was an evil joke of fate or a spiteful act from the princess. Amethyst Wind was a skilled jeweler, as it was her family business. No wonder she would be interested in this book.

But looking at this tome, along with Amethyst’s innocent smile, Rarity still could not resist the obsessive feeling. No matter how she tried to drive it away, she still felt this young and beautiful unicorn had replaced her, Rarity, in Twilight’s heart. Ridiculously simple: a new guest of Twilight’s library appeared in the alicorn’s life, and the princess merely let go the one who would never come again, and took in her new guest.

“I’ve read this book,” blurted Rarity.

“Really?” Amethyst looked a bit surprised. “She told me this book had been lent recently… But she didn’t say it was to you, Rarity.”

So this is how it is.

Rarity realized she was right. She was not important to Twilight anymore. She hadn’t even bothered to mention her. Like Rarity never stepped into the library. Like she was not a unicorn Twilight had loved so much, but a stranger without any name or face, just like the mannequins in Rarity’s boutique. Just like an irrelevant detail of the past. Like Fritter Cobbler, she realized. Twilight didn’t talk much about him either, did she?

And wasn’t this right?

Twilight now has a new life. A life with Amethyst Wind. And there is indeed no place for Rarity there.

Just like Rarity never existed.

This chapter's story is meant to be followed by the events of ~ Interlude VI ~ A Vision I ~ of The Enchanted Library.

A Vision Number One Point Five

This chapter's story is meant to follow the events of ~ Interlude VI ~ A Vision I ~ of The Enchanted Library.

Every time Amethyst left Carousel Boutique to gallop right away to her princess, her mentor–Rarity liked to fancy herself so–had been drowning in a vast ocean of regrets.

All the romance in this fairytale, which quietly had become a tragedy for Rarity, now belonged to Amethyst. In this very moment, Amethyst happily galloped to her princess. Yes, even the princess now belonged to her, no more to Rarity. Every bond between the seamstress, once young and bold, and the princess, unsocial and naive, and so endearing because of it, was now broken beyond repair. It was a complete nonsense to maintain a hope for something, so Rarity had to admit: she would give up Twilight to Amethyst, and help the young unicorn in any way she could. Rarity, with all her generosity, gave Amethyst the book from Canterlot Castle, and also she gave her the necklace, the same one she once presented to Twilight long ago. “What appears as mine, ‘tis thine as well”, she only quoted while giving such a gift to the young mare. Rarity desperately hoped Twilight could read what she meant by this, but no. Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Amethyst still continued to visit Rarity, and every single time, she chatted enthusiastically about Twilight as if Rarity didn’t agonize over every word. She was talking a lot about her relationship with Twilight, now it seemed to be much more than just a promise to return missing books. Still Rarity knew: she would not intervene.

Amethyst, enraptured by her adored alicorn, never noticed how heavily Rarity sighed when Twilight’s new marefriend wandered around in her stories.

And, in fact, she had no reason to notice. No matter how much Rarity suffered from the fact, Amethyst was more successful than Rarity. Amethyst was even more successful in finding the books: after less than six months since she started, only two remained unfound. And it was not by mere chance, no. It was because Amethyst took the beaten path. Rarity made many mistakes on her way to save Twilight; but being generous–maybe too generous, she mused sometimes–Rarity helped Amethyst with plenty of advice, and watched how in a few weeks, the young unicorn achieved what Rarity had spent months on.

And today was no different.

That evening, both unicorns were having a peaceful rest together in the upstairs room of the boutique, sipping tea from one of Rarity’s newly purchased tea sets. Rarity had brought it from Canterlot a week or two before, and it was quite an impulsive purchase. Rarity was absolutely unable to resist buying a thing that was advertised as “only fit for a princess.” It would be lying to deny that she, for one fleeting moment, imagined herself drinking tea with Twilight from these cups. With Twilight free of her curse, of course.

“What do you think, Rarity,” Amethyst said then, “the princess told me that, uh…”

She reached into her saddlebag, and took out a pendant from it, not noticing how Rarity flinched. She levitated it to the elder mare. “I mean, she said she can try enchanting this crystal with a spell that kind of connects our minds and lets us communicate at a distance. I said it is a great idea, but Twilight was confused for some reason, and replied that she needed some time to think or whatever.” Amethyst blushed a bit. “Do you know how to convince her?”

That was it.

Before that very moment, Rarity could still hold a little hope, albeit illusory and unrealistic, but now it was all over.

After all, when the pendant broke during Rarity’s adventures in Heart’s Haven, Twilight hadn’t insisted on re-enchanting the crystal. Rarity should have noticed, but she hadn’t. If the princess ever asked for it, Rarity would have repaired the pendant somehow and let Twilight enchant it again, but the princess decided to put it off. Yes, if the pendant, even repaired, would be unusable for the spell, it could explain this, however... Well, Twilight didn’t care about that right now. Amethyst had repaired the pendant herself, no better than Rarity could have, and the princess didn’t say anything about it. She didn’t even call it repairing or repeating the spell, she treated it as a fresh one. Nothing to do with what that pendant carried decades ago, when Twilight for the first time allowed Rarity’s mind to become one with her own.

Rarity found that there was no other explanation: Twilight, apparently even before Denza’s curse fell on Rarity, no longer trusted her enough to meld.

She could not hold back a quiet sob.

Rarity gently caressed the pendant with her magic.

“M-may I…” her voice trembled. “May I-I take a look?”

Rarity was sure Amethyst hadn’t noticed that the feebleness of her voice had nothing to do with her age. After all, Amethyst never noticed. And it was for the best.

She carefully put the necklace back on. It was completely unaffected by time, and as it touched her neck, Rarity felt a fleeting sensation forgotten so many years ago. Something precious that Rarity had carried close to her heart for so long. Close to a heart forever devoted to somepony so dear to her, but now it all was for naught. And soon, this pendant would answer to a call of another heart.

Rarity blinked, trying to hold back tears, but she still had to brush them away with her hoof. She glanced quickly at Amethyst, and was relieved to see she didn’t seem to notice anything, even now: with a silly facial expression, slightly sticking her tongue out, she was looking at the pendant, not Rarity.

And they say time, of all things, heals all wounds.

Rarity took the pendant with her hoof and looked at it closely. It had barely changed: the same transparent crystal, shimmering from lavender to purple in the uncertain light of the fireplace. Even now, this crystal reminded Rarity of Twilight's coat and mane. The pendant was crossed by a faint, dark line, a trace of repair performed with such skill, that it was almost impossible to tell it had been broken in the first place. As it turns out, thanks to the efforts of Amethyst, it became able to hold the enchantment again. A perfect repair for a perfect jewel.

And this pendant did not suit Rarity anymore. Not at her age, not with her graying mane.

However, it would fit Amethyst, and wonderfully so.

Rarity took off the necklace and, after a brief pause, catching the last moments she would feel it in her hooves, illuminated her horn and levitated the necklace in front of her eyes in a cloud of magic. She handed it, finally, to her successor, who would free the princess instead of her.

“Tell her,” Rarity took a dramatic pause, “that you trust her enough for it to work.”

This chapter's story is meant to be followed by the events of ~ Interlude VII ~ A Vision II ~ of The Enchanted Library.

Author's Note

Yep, the cover art illustrates a scene from this chapter.
I wonder if anyone could recognize a song I referenced here. Oh, you can't imagine how I loooove references. ~~Just like Rarity loves Twilight I guess~~

A Vision Number Two Point Five

This chapter's story is meant to follow the events of ~ Interlude VII ~ A Vision II ~ of The Enchanted Library.

…Rarity wondered, would Twilight tell Amethyst what she had seen in the gaze of her former beloved, piercing through a soul connection spell from the years long gone? Or, as usual, would Twilight not say a word?

Sometimes, Rarity wanted to tell Twilight how much she missed her, but she couldn’t afford it. After all, who was Rarity to Twilight now? Just a faded memory, nothing more. She couldn’t tell Twilight her feelings. Twilight loved Amethyst Wind, Amethyst Wind loved Twilight, and Rarity had no place beside the princess anymore.

And so, Rarity kept quiet, even when she had a chance. When Twilight looked at her from the depths of Amethyst’s eyes, Rarity did not express her feelings, though it pained her heart oh so much. A lady can’t let herself lose her dignity, she told herself.

And now, with the last thing Rarity could have influenced gone, nothing depended on her. Now she could only dream that Twilight would understand and at least give her a chance to see her again.

As any good mare her age does, Rarity daydreamed very often. Sometimes she imagined she would put on her best dress, style her mane in a way she had never styled before, apply the perfect amount of makeup to make her look a decade younger, and elegantly step outside from her boutique, and there, Twilight would be waiting for her, and for her only. And then Twilight, warm, soft, and alive, finally free from the curse holding her in the library, finally able to truly smile at her, would thank her, and let Rarity embrace her, hold the magical fairy tale princess that stole her heart. Sometimes, when Rarity was in a particularly gloomy and hopeless mood, she dreamed of the day she will lay on her deathbed, and that at the last minute Twilight would finally come to her, and let out the words that Rarity had been waiting for the whole life. And, clinging to her, Twilight would stay with her until Forever. On brighter days, Rarity dreamed how she and Twilight would leisurely stroll in the streets of Ponyville, not bothering about the age of the unicorn or the title of the princess, and carelessly discuss plans for tomorrow, just like friends who knew each other since they were foals, and, having grown up a bit, felt that something more than friendship arose between them. Sometimes she dreamed how Princess Denza herself, grateful of Rarity for freeing Twilight, would ask them for their wedding vows, right in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, and Rarity, so dazzling and radiant in her wedding dress, the best dress in all of Equestria, sewn by her own hooves just for this moment, the most important moment of her life, happily closing her eyes and reaching for Twilight’s lips, and, yes, even with her eyes closed, feeling how the princess’s cheeks glow red, and how their lips meet in a kiss both of them would never ever forget, not caring about what the high society ponies gathered would think about it.

But she was well aware that nothing of the sort would ever happen. Rarity herself had given up on Twilight after losing Applejack and Apple Bloom, and, obviously, Twilight also had given up on Rarity too, judging by the letter the unicorn never had the courage to read.

But at least it was not as bad as it could have been. Even if Rarity had failed to fulfill her promise to return to Twilight, she would be able to fulfill her promise to free her. Even if it was by somepony else’s hooves.

How did she feel about this? Oh, the Rarity from decades ago, who repeatedly rushed fearlessly into the Everfree Forest for her princess, of course, would never allow such a thing. She wandered all over Equestria, clutching at the threads of rumors about ancient books, spending countless hours and money towards one singular goal: to know that one day she could be lifting the trapdoor leading to the staircase of Twilight’s library and exiting it, not alone, but side by side with Princess Twilight Sparkle. Happy. Alive. Loved. Hers.

But today, that same Rarity, once broken by what Twilight had written in that last letter, considered this complete nonsense. The best thing she could hope for now was that Twilight would come out of there at all. Who would be beside her was simply irrelevant…

…But then why did it hurt so much to know that it wouldn’t be Rarity, but Amethyst?

Why did it hurt oh so much to know that it was probably happening that very moment?

Since Amethyst left, taking the last book with her, Rarity had tried to convince herself that everything was going the way it should. Amethyst didn’t return to the boutique the next day, and Rarity tried consoling herself with the thought that maybe she hadn’t succeeded, that there still was time for Rarity to go onstage. She knew she should not think so, oh, sweet Denza, she should not! It was just jealousy plain and simple, wholly unbecoming of a lady! But she could not stop herself from envying.

A week later, Amethyst finally visited Rarity again. She was as oh so happy and radiant with joy, as if princess Denza had raised a second sun right inside the boutique. The ecstatic mare brought a whole waterfall of stories, full of adoration and love, down on Rarity. Overflowed by inspiration, she talked about how Princess Twilight Sparkle saw the sunlight and breathed in the scents of the forest for the first time in a thousand years, how she walked with Amethyst through the streets of Ponyville, catching the startled looks of residents, some of which still believed her to be a mere fairytale, how Rarity herself could see and meet her, if she simply left the boutique at that moment, how she and Twilight struggled to decide where to travel first, how they almost took for Hollow Shades but settled for Canterlot at the last minute, how Twilight was so charmingly spooked by the sounds of modern technology, of loudspeakers and trains, how Twilight, standing beside Amethyst on one of the countless bridges of Canterlot, looking at the castle with tears streaming down her adorable muzzle, and how she still smiled regardless, how Amethyst had suggested to go in, right then and there, how Twilight refused, saying it was not the time yet, that this night was theirs alone, and that fate could wait another week, the two of them standing on the moonlit embankment by the most lovely of waterfalls, and how Twilight had stolen Amethyst’s first kiss right there, and oh heavens, how soft Twilight’s coat was! How sweet were her lips, how smooth was her mane, how tender was her embrace, and how pleasant was her company. She told Rarity how she realized that she wanted to be with her princess the whole life, and how tired but happy they were when they took a train back to Ponyville by sunrise, and how Twilight fell asleep for the first time in a thousand years, resting her head on Amethyst’s legs, and how amazingly cute the sleeping princess looked…

All the while Rarity sat there smiling, and felt nothing but a dull, unceasing pain grow in her chest.

And yet, when Amethyst suggested arranging a meeting with Twilight, the elder mare did not refuse.

She didn’t know if she was ready, but she couldn’t keep Twilight waiting any longer.

This chapter's story is meant to be followed by the events of Rarity's dream scene from ~ Act III ~ 29 ~ The Longest Night ~ of The Enchanted Library, until 'the dream shifted' and 'cracked, literally, into a thousand pieces'.

Author's Note

The working titles for this chapter were "a chapter of fanservice", and "a chapter where everypony kiss". Well, either one of them still doesn't look wrong anyway. :)

Amethyst is quite a talkative mare, and she's cute here, prove me wrong. ~~Rarity's opinion is not accepted.~~

NB: this is the AU of Rarity's dreams in TEL, and in it, bringing the last book to the library actually frees Twilight. I know it's not a subject for the original TEL AU.

(Not?) A Vision Number Three

This chapter's story is meant to follow the events of Rarity's dream scene from ~ Act III ~ 29 ~ The Longest Night ~ of The Enchanted Library, until the words this chapter is started with.

…“Now, now, Twilight. It’s unbecoming of a princess to cry,” Rarity whispered, tears bordering her own eyes as she slipped her hoof from under Twilight’s and then used it to cup the princess’s chin. “You’ve got an entire new life ahead of you now.”

“And you?” Twilight whispered back, and the words cut into Rarity’s heart like knives. How dare she, Rarity wanted to say, how dare she still have such a grip on her heart?

“Not quite as much as you do,” she replied, trying so terribly hard to sound nonchalant, like they were discussing the weather and nothing more. “But now that you’re out, I shall try and make the best of it, won’t I?”

Twilight’s eyes darkened and she looked away. “It hurts,” she said, and before Rarity could reply, she continued, “but it won’t hurt anymore if I never let anypony come close again, will it?”

Rarity stepped back. “Wh-what do you mean?” she asked, and she knew, deep down, something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

“You promised,” Twilight whispered. “You promised you’d come back. I guess you’re a liar too.”

Rarity felt she was about to faint. It was as if the strings she pulled, suddenly slipped out of her hooves, all at once, and she could not do anything about it. Like it was a dream, a distorted, broken, crumbling dream, about to turn into a nightmare, in which Twilight, both in front of her and still locked in her prison under the oak tree, renounced her, and the whole world, forever. Hiding the library so no one else would be ever able to enter or hurt the princess. To hurt her the way Rarity had for so many years.

But this was no dream.

Tears rolled down Twilight’s cheek. They carried decades of bitterness, resentment, of disappointment. Oh yes, disappointment. Rarity could not name a thing worse than it, more excruciating than the princess’s pained look. Rarity could hardly keep standing, being crushed by its weight. It was clear: if Twilight looked away now, Rarity would never dare to meet her eyes again.

In most circumstances, Rarity prided herself on acting like a real lady. Even though she tended to be quite dramatic sometimes, she still followed nice manners, and met everything with due dignity. But these were not most circumstances, now were they? Rarity, the distinguished fashionista, entrepreneur and book collector, was feeling now like a very different pony. A desperate, frightened, panicking mare, ready to grasp at any straw, ready to do something rash and thoughtless, just a reckless jump in hopeless attempt to avoid the inevitable…

…And Rarity made that jump.

Literally: she barely had time to feel the sudden impulse, let alone think it, but she had instead moved, her hind legs pushing off the floor like her life depended on it. In a way, it did, didn’t it? Following that impulse, her front legs stretched towards Twilight, as if hoping to touch and grab her before she could vanish, and in that split second, the disappointment in Twilight’s eyes changed to surprise.

Rarity, barely realizing that she was now literally hanging on the princess’s neck, let out the words she had been choking on for decades:

“I-I promised. Yes, I did. I failed you. I failed myself, I failed A-Applejack and Apple Bloom... I’ve caused so much pain, to you and to everyone I love. I couldn’t live with m-myself after that, and I- I left you to rot! And I... I missed you s-so much... I let myself drown in guilt, and couldn’t even move on for my own s-sake! I don’t deserve your forgiveness, n-nor your sympathy. But I s-still ask f-for it. I’m… I’m sorry Twilight…”

Twilight. Not “princess”, not “darling”, not “beloved”, or the dozens of romantic epithets from books she had read. Just her name, that had been carved into her heart long ago, hoping, pleading that somehow it would break down the walls both of them had so painstakingly built since their last meeting, each in her own way.

“I-I…” a weak whisper reached the desperate unicorn’s ears, “I… I shouldn’t, Rarity. For years, I hated you. But I can’t help but forgive you…”

Rarity exhaled as she felt Twilight’s embracing her in return, as breathing became so easy for the first time since Twilight set hooves on her house, as a weight was lifted from her heart, a burden Rarity had got so used to over the decades, that she had mistaken it as a part of herself, although barely noticed till now.

…Rarity only realized she had been crying when her tears, streaming down Twilight’s neck she was clinging to, started flowing into her nose, causing her to choke and cough in a most unbecoming way. She found out Twilight was crying too, only when she finally realized that the shudders and sobs of the princess, who buried her nose in Rarity’s shoulder, were not merely her imagination.

It’s not proper for a princess to cry. Then again, it’s not proper for an, ahem, experienced, respectable business mare, to do so, either. But who could blame them?

Long after, Rarity broke the embrace first and looked back at the princess. With a soft smile, she wiped a tear from Twilight’s nose, causing her to smile too, embarrassed. Rarity realized she was mere inches from Twilight’s face now. And if Rarity wanted to kiss her right now, it would not be difficult. It would be oh so easy, in fact. And she was sure Twilight would follow her. But…

But Rarity didn’t want that anymore.

In this regard, it was all over for Rarity. That was Amethyst’s ship to sail now.

Rarity didn’t care much about that. She already had gotten much more than she hoped for. More than she deserved.

Now she would simply let Amethyst have all the princess’s love. It belonged to Rarity, long ago. But Rarity had something just as precious now.

Twilight was alive, corporeal! The mare she loved so dearly. Moreso, even after all these years Twilight was still Rarity’s–yes, hers and nopony else’s!–princess from the fairytale, who trusted her without any bounds, and forgave her even if nopony else in her place would.

A Brighter Future

“…Maybe I don’t have much time left to share with you, darling,” Rarity winked at Princess as she poured tea into cups, “but at least you have somepony to accompany you after the moment you have to let me go when my time comes.”

“Rarity, how can you talk about it like that?” Twilight resented. Rarity said nothing. She just seated the princess by the tea table, and now was really serving her as if Twilight was a real regal person. “You… I don’t know, you must be jealous!” Twilight was keeping protesting. “In those romantic stories I rea–” Twilight stammered and blushed so cutely again. “I mean which, um, I have in my library, and I, um, studied them from the point of story… Or maybe a bit to know how I should deal with you… I-it is meant for everyone who are in the same position as yours, to always be jealous!”

“Darling,” Rarity smiled at her with her most lovely smile after she had put down the kettle and sat down by Twilight’s side. “Is it allowed for regular ponies like me to be jealous of a princess clearly loved by everyone?”

Twilight tilted her head skeptically, waiting for an explanation.

“Come on, taste it already,” Rarity changed the subject instead. “I tried my best for you, after all. You’ve been wanting to taste my tea for a thousand years, haven’t you? At least down there in the boutique, you didn’t try.”

“You haven’t lived a thousand years ago,” Twilight replied. “I may have wanted to taste it not before you was born.”

“Does it change things in any way?” asked Rarity, head on her front legs, enjoying the beautiful view of Twilight, slightly embarrassed, drinking tea the unicorn just made in small sips.

A couple sips later, Twilight put down her cup, and looked for a moment, skeptically, to Rarity, pretending to be trying to find arguments, but in the end she could not resist smiling happily and laughed. The same familiar laugh that eternity before in the library, captured the heart of then young unicorn.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Rarity,” giggled the princess.

“Oh, darling, you’re probably the first mare who isn’t noticing my age in such a case! I’m pretty flattered to hear this. Especially from you!”

Twilight turned red in reply to Rarity’s flirting smile.

“Darling, you’re going to have a blushing meltdown right here again?”

“I told you once! I’m not having a blushing meltdown!” Twilight tried to retort, but Rarity could swear to her love for the princess, that was exactly what she was having.

“Oh yes,” the unicorn continued teasing her, “I remember. That day when I accidentally confessed my love to you.”

“Seriously? You can’t count that! I was so surprised by your confession, and we just have been saved from chaos magic, or specifically, you saved me…”

Sweet heavens, she still remembers it.

“You…” Rarity almost choked, “you still consider it this significant too?”

“Was you thinking for a second I can ever forget your confession? In general, the f-first confession in my life? Rarity, do you really think I’m that bad…?”

Oh, there it is.

“Don’t tell me, Twilight, I’m your first love, okay?” Rarity looked away, already knowing the answer. The silence was more eloquent than any words.

Rarity giggled quietly and waited for a few seconds more. And her expectations were met precisely.

“Uh, yes? I mean no! I don’t know!” Twilight barely caught a breath. “With everyone else, it… It was completely different. I didn’t feel so… so happy. I… I-I really don’t know, Rarity. I needed to study this problem, because… So many new things, my head is spinning!” Twilight sighed. “But there’s one thing I still don’t understand… Why? Why, Rarity?”

“Why what?” the unicorn looked at her, noticing how Twilight’s smile faded.

“I mean, you couldn’t have lied now. You’re still keeping some feelings. Wh-why then did you decide to abandon me after all this?”

What are she talking about?!

Rarity took a few moments to figure out what Twilight was wanting to hear.

“T-Twilight, darling! You must be mistaken! I never ever thought about abandoning you, until you–”

“Why then you stopped writing me?”

“Me!?” Rarity nearly jumped away from Twilight, who was looking so offended, that it even could be felt physically. “But it was you who told me you wouldn’t write me again!”

“What?” It was Twilight’s time to be surprised. “When? How?”

“It was that fourth letter of yours! “This is the last time I write”, “I don’t know how to say it”, that’s what you–”

“Wait a minute. You mean…” Twilight thought for a moment. “Are you talking about that letter? I… wait, couldn’t I…”

Twilight’s horn illuminated for a moment, and a scroll appeared in front of her in a flash of teleportation. She quickly skimmed over it and showed it to Rarity.

“This one? It’s the fifteenth draft. It’s a little different from the sixteenth version I actually sent to you, but it’s basically the same. Where do I say this?”

Rarity looked at the painfully familiar handwriting and the very phrase that put an end to their relationship decades ago. She almost said yes, right there, in the very first phrase… But for the first time in decades, she realized that she wanted to read further.

And she read it.

“Oh heavens… What a terrible mistake I made…” Rarity folded her front legs in front of her and let her head rest on them. “If, for a single time, I tried…”

Twilight had it been written about many things. Her chest and how it hurts. Her research on phantom pains. Chaos magic. Themis and Elara, the curse, the letters, her fears… And how much she misses Rarity.

How much she trusts her.

How she would tell her everything when Rarity would come back.

And how she had no doubt it would happen.

…But that did not happen. Because of Rarity.

When the storm of feelings in the heart of the unicorn subsided to the level she could get her together, she raised her head and looked blankly at Twilight. She wasn’t crying now: all the tears about this were shed decades ago.

“You shouldn’t have forgiven me,” she said quietly.

“Why?” Twilight asked, confused.

“If I read your letter to the end just a single time… Everything could have been completely different.” Unicorn lowered her head again.

“You… You didn’t read…?” Twilight was looking quite surprised.

“Do you actually think the drama queen like me was able to read beyond the first phrase?” Rarity murmured. “Letters starting like this are marking the end of everything, not things like “I miss you” or something.”

“Oh, I forgot that you are who you are, Rarity… Should I have started it other way? I… I really didn’t know. I checked several books about writing letters, but there was nothing about what I wanted to say…”

Twilight’s defensive mumbling helped Rarity to bring herself back to normal.

“You know, Twilight,” finally said Rarity. “Because you had started this letter with such words… I mean, if I ever had finished reading it, the first thing I would have written in response would be something like “Twilight, if you read this, I’m no longer alive,” and…” Rarity made a dramatic pause and enjoyed the perplexed look of the princess. “And,” she continued, “only at the very end I would clarify that I’m no longer alive, because without you, it’s not a life, but a mere existence!”

Twilight sat, puzzled, for a few more moments, and then giggled nervously a couple times. “Am I really that bad at writing letters?” She tilted her head.

“Not bad, Twilight. Absolutely terrible,” Rarity smiled.

“I… I think I should ask your forgiveness too.”

Rarity laughed triumphantly, and Twilight followed her. It was so relaxing, and Rarity again noticed that Twilight’s laugh, so soft and slightly shy, had not changed in all these years too.

In the end, the princess, still smiling, peacefully laid her chin on the table, ignoring Rarity’s protests, and stretched her hoof forward.

“Ow! Twilight, where are your manners? Careful! Don’t break it!” Rarity barely had time to pick up the cup Twilight nearly pushed off the table, with her magic. “This is the tea set from Canterlot! They said, “it only fits for a princess,” so I bought it and promised myself I would ever since drink tea with you only using it! It would be a shame if you break it before I die!”

Twilight chuckled and closed her eyes happily. That’s how she remembered Rarity, and Rarity had not deceived the expectations. She, teasing the unicorn, stretched her hoof a little further, touched Rarity’s coat, and playfully gazing from the bottom up at her fake frown, whispered slyly:

“If you leave this world, then…” she took a breath, “Then I promise it’ll be because I rob you of your heart!”

Rarity nearly choked, but looking at Twilight’s veeeery embarrassed face, she managed to gain control on herself.

“Well. How many times did you practice this phrase, darling?”

“Um…” Twilight looked caught. “Am I that bad at you-speak?” Rarity silently agreed, so Twilight had no other way than to confirm. “About fifteen? Or more like twenty? I didn’t count, Rarity…”

The unicorn laughed victoriously.

“Oh, you’re incorrigible, Twilight. I guess I should be a mentor not just for Amethyst, but also for you. Because in matters of the “heart”, you, light of my soul, understand absolutely nothing.”

“Uh…” a sudden voice came by the door. “Belove– uh… Twilight? Rarity? Am I interrupting?” Amethyst, who seemed to have been standing near the room’s entrance for a long time, finally decided to draw attention to herself.

“Oh,” Twilight flinched and looked at Rarity, and then at Amethyst. “We need to go already?”

“If you’re asking…” Amethyst hesitated. “We planned to go to Hollow Shades today and see what we can do to Princess Luna’s curse, remember? But if you’re not ready, I can change the tickets…”

“Oh, no, Amethyst,” Twilight shook her head. “Give me a second. Mind if I go, Rarity? I... I-I’m very grateful to you for everything. For everything you did for me. And… I’ll definitely come back to you as soon as I’m in Ponyville again! I promise.”

“No problem, darlings. Go in peace, you both have a lot of adventures to have, and I’ll be always waiting for you here. All right?”

“All right, Rarity!” Twilight and Amethyst said almost simultaneously.

When the sound of their hooves left the boutique, Rarity sighed and finally finished her cup of tea. Now the two of them would freely travel all over Equestria, and Rarity would be waiting for their return in the boutique. Just like Twilight had been waiting for Rarity in the library.

Now, Rarity had not been regretting at all that everything had turned out this way. At least if Twilight would keep returning again and again. She promised, right?

And Rarity would be happy of each her visit, as many times as her life would allow.

For Twilight, a thousand times over.

Author's Note

I absolutely like the "blushing meltdown" term since TEL chapter 23, it's one of these precious self-descriptive language gems that are absolutely untranslatable directly. The Russian equivalent "растаять от смущения" does not even remotely convey the original mix of meanings. So I finally used the original term here, yay :)

A Vision Number Minus Two

The first thing Rarity felt was pain.

It was like waking up from a heavy, deep sleep. The feeling of reality appeared unwillingly, very slowly. They say memories of the past day come rather quickly to the freshly awakened, but her mind was blank and silent. Just a few fragments of memories, and gray, impenetrable darkness between them. Rarity slowly swam out of this depth to the surface of reality, guided by the pain.

She opened her eyes.

The familiar greenish-white lights, dull white walls, and the absence of any cushy furniture Rarity had in her comfortable boutique, along with a barely audible buzz from some crystals on a stand near her bed; it looked like some kind of medical spell was active and keeping her alive while she was unconscious.

It was clear: Rarity was in the hospital again.

When she tried to get up, a strong pain shot through her chest, and she immediately decided it was a bad idea. She glanced down at her body: it looked like she was heavily bandaged. Very carefully, she tried moving her legs, and she was relieved to see that she could. Thank goodness, at least some bones weren’t broken. Senses slowly returned to her, and Rarity realized that she felt better this time, unlike her first meeting with timberwolves.

Wait, timberwolves?!

The thought came into her mind very abruptly, almost throwing away all others. Right, timberwolves. Of course, that was because Rarity had gone to the forest again, and as expected, she ran into these monsters “protecting” Twilight’s library and never letting her in since then. How dare they separate Rarity from Twilight, her Twilight!

Then again, that’s probably why she’s here.

Rarity clenched her teeth in silent rage; no matter what she did, the curse refused to be dispelled.

On the other hoof, Rarity was too stubborn for some Discord shenanigans to dissuade her from trying to reunite with her beloved Princess.

Yes, Rarity was going to be stronger than Discord’s curse. Fritter Cobbler had not given up until his very last days. So Rarity was not giving up either. She was going to find a way instead...

Her thoughts were interrupted by a faint knock on the door.

“May I come in, Rarity?” a familiar voice came from the hallway. “We just got a message that you woke up, and–”

“Oh! come in, Fluttershy,” said Rarity. Actually, she almost wheezed: her vocal chords barely obeying her. How long has she been unconscious?

The door opened, bit by bit. Fluttershy walked in slowly, her head bowed down, and her face hidden behind her mane. She approached Rarity’s bed, stopped, and, resting her front hooves on the edge of her mattress, lifted her gaze to the unicorn.

“I…I’m glad you’re back, Rarity,” she said quietly.

“Uh…” Rarity cleared her throat, fighting the pain in her chest, and continued, “I’m glad too, darling. It looks like it’s been quite a long time that, uh…” she examined the hospital room with a quick glance, “…I wasn’t around?”

“Two weeks,” said Fluttershy. “Nurse Sweetheart said it could’ve been much longer, we didn’t even know if the doctors could bring you back to life after that.”

“Excuse me, after what?”

“You don’t remember? Well, I guess it’s for the best…” Fluttershy hesitated a bit, but Rarity’s gaze was still insisting, so after a short delay, she gave up. “A timberwolf almost crushed you. We barely managed to get you out of there.” Fluttershy’s voice trembled. “I’m glad you’re alive, at least” said she with an audible exhale.

“And yet,” Rarity kept insisting, “That’s not all what happened, is it?”

Fluttershy didn’t say a word. Rarity leaned forward, but the pegasus let go of the edge of her bed and trotted away, as if not wanting to be so close to the unicorn.

“Somepony will tell you when you get better,” Fluttershy whispered after a long pause.

And then she immediately left,without even saying goodbye.

Rarity found that healing broken ribs was not a fast process. That may be because of some sort of Discord’s dark magic that timberwolves possessed, or whatever. Anyhow, Rarity was getting better day by day. Soon she was able to get up from the bed and walk. Her first steps after a prolonged bed rest were as hard as if Twilight somehow had placed one of her bookcases on Rarity’s back, but still she managed to walk more and more with each day. And her magic was slowly returning to her.

Of course, she was still in quite poor condition, and she would not risk teleporting or otherwise straining her magic. But Rarity no longer experienced difficulties with something easy, such as levitation or a light spell. She was not alone in the hospital these days: Fluttershy came to visit her often and talk about her recovery. Sweetie Belle also kept her company sometimes, despite the myriad of chores she took on just to maintain her sister’s boutique. Well, Rarity was very proud of Sweetie, who really had been acting almost like a grown up mare. Of course other ponies helped, but she still did a lot.

She was no longer just a mere filly, like a year ago, when Rarity first met Twilight. Rarity began to think of giving up the boutique to her sister, and devoting her entire life just for the search of her Princess, just like Fritter Cobbler once did. And yes, Rarity would do better than Fritter, just because she will find Twilight in the end. She had promised after all, and promises must be kept. Rarity spent day after day in anticipation, and finally, the day she had been waiting for came. She left the Ponyville hospital and finally crossed the threshold of her home.

“Rarity!” a cheerful greeting of her sister was the first she heard once she came inside the Carousel boutique. A moment later, Sweetie Belle ran down the stairs, galloped to Rarity and hugged her so tight.

“Oh, be careful, Sweetie!” she tried to pull away a little. “Now you’ll break all my bones again, and who will continue the search for Twilight then?” Rarity smiled playfully. “You–”

Sweetie suddenly broke off her embrace and stepped back a couple of steps. Rarity became silent, and Sweetie gazed at her sister, still with a smile, but a clearly pained one.

“About that,” she said, “could we please shelve this for some time?”

Rarity tilted her head, surprised.

“Well we can, but why are you asking for it? You were glad to see Princess Twilight back then. As soon as I find her again, you’ll be able to see her, and–”

“Is it worth it?” Sweetie suddenly sobbed. “I mean, isn’t all this enough? Until you come up with something else than desperate attempts ending in such…”

Sweetie bowed her head, still sobbing. Something weird was going on, and since her sister was affected, Rarity had to get to the truth. What if Discord did something sinister here in Ponyville? How dare he hurt Rarity’s friends and loved ones? Well, the day will come when she finds him, and then he will answer for what he has done to Twilight, to Sweetie, and to everyone else.

Rarity took a step forward and hugged Sweetie again. She felt the warmth of now tear-stained coat of her sister soon, as the filly returned the embrace and clung to Rarity.