--Chapter 13: Awake--

It was lights out time in the Gallery. But Twist could not sleep.

For days, she had kept the scrolls Silver Spoon had given her safe from the eyes of the guards. It had not been easy. She wished she could say that she was embarrassed by what she had needed to do at times to keep the scrolls out of sight. But the truth was, it was the least of the humiliations she had suffered in this place. She was long past the point of shame.

Aurora had agreed to the plan immediately. She seemed almost giddy at the prospect, which was quite a change from her usual quiet demeanor. When Twist had expressed surprise at Aurora’s change in attitude, she had replied, “I’m just so happy to see you acting like yourself again.”

The days passed, and Aurora’s magical training progressed fairly smoothly. Under normal circumstances, a unicorn was taught the basics first: making her horn glow, followed by levitating a single light object, followed by levitating multiple objects, and so forth. This was done to ensure the young unicorn had the basics down before she attempted any serious spells. A fledgling unicorn’s powers were constantly in flux, and their initial uses could focus them in a specific direction for life. If a unicorn began her training with specific incantations, she risked overspecializing in a single area, which might make life difficult for her if her special talent happened to fall outside that area.

None of this concerned Aurora. She had given up on finding her talent a long time ago.

Instead, she did the complete opposite of what a novice magic user was supposed to do: she practiced one spell, and one spell only.

Every night, she and Twist would wait until every other foal had fallen asleep, then retreat to a secluded corner of the Gallery. There, Twist would keep watch, while Aurora tried, over and over again, to produce the small burst of energy which indicated a successful barrier-breaking spell.

“You know what the hardest part is?” Aurora said one night, as she failed to produce anything more than a few sparks for the tenth time. “I can’t even tell for sure if I’ve done it right. Even if I make the energy burst, there’s no way to test this on an actual barrier. Not until Peregrine flies me up there.”

“Oh…right,” Twist said.

“You have asked him to help, right?”

Twist seemed to shrink as she responded. “No…not yet. I’ll do it tomorrow, okay? I promith.”

“That’s what you said last night,” Aurora said. “Look, I’ll be happy to go with you if you’re scared of him. It’s no big deal.”

Twist sighed. “It’s not juth that,” she said. “Ever since what…happened with him, he’s been avoiding me. He won’t talk to me, and if I come close, he runs away. I think he's scared I'll tease him for crying.”

Aurora rolled up the magic scroll. “Well, you know the one time he can’t run away?” she said. “When he’s asleep. Come on.”

She began to softly walk toward the general area where Peregine tended to sleep.

“What?” Twist whispered, following gingerly after her. “What if he shouts when we wake him up? What if he calls the guards?”

“Then we’ll be stuck here forever,” Aurora said. “Same as if we do nothing.”

Aurora continued walking, and Twist, not sure of what else to do, followed her, doing her best to match Aurora’s surprisingly brisk pace while keeping her hoofsteps as soundless as possible. Though the Gallery at night was dark, there was always just enough soft light for the foals to get around if they needed to.

Aurora found Peregrine asleep on one of the beds, which he shared with five other foals. Beds were a valuable commodity at night, and it was rare for a single foal to succeed in keeping one all to himself. Arguments over beds sometimes descended into violence; after seeing such a dispute on her second night in the Gallery, Twist had decided she preferred sleeping on the floor.

Aurora, with a determination which Twist would have found admirable if she weren’t so nervous, walked up to Peregrine’s sleeping form and tapped him with her hoof.

“Wake up!”

Peregrine mumbled a bit, and slowly opened his eyes.

“Fuck off, Aurora,” he said, rolling back over. “It’s the middle of the night…”

“I need to talk to you,” she said, shaking him further with her hoof. Peregrine swatted in her general direction with his own leg, not bothering to open his eyes while doing so.

“Listen, bitch,” he said, still half-mumbling. “If you want it that bad, come back in the morning. We’ll find a nice quiet spot, I’ll hold you down, and I’ll show you what a real stallion can d-“

Peregrine’s voice was cut off as Aurora pressed her hoof over his mouth. Then she leaned down, grabbed his mane in her teeth, and began to pull him off the bed by his hair.

Twist gasped as Peregrine’s muffled screams echoed through the Gallery. She could see some foals beginning to stir. To her relief, most of them simply rolled over and went back to sleep. The occasional sexual assault had been known to occur in the Gallery at night, usually instigated by an overzealous Junkie. Most of the Gallery’s residents had learned to ignore them. Intervening only put you at risk.

As for the guards, they took a step forward, but then returned to their posts, guarding the exit doors. They didn’t much care what the foals did at night, so long as none of them seriously injured each other or tried to leave the Gallery.

Aurora continued pulling until Peregrine had been dragged off the bed, falling to the hard floor below. She kept her hoof on his mouth as she whispered into his ear.

“Come with us. Keep your mouth shut, and I promise it’ll be worth your while. If you’re thinking of screaming, don’t. You don’t want to make me more angry at you than I already am.”

Peregrine nodded slightly, and Aurora took her hoof off his mouth. She began to walk ahead, and Twist followed next to her, mostly to avoid being too close to Peregrine. She looked back over her flank every few seconds to make sure he was still following behind.

“Aurora,” Twist whispered. “When did you get so…I mean…you’ve always been so nice…”

“You don’t last ten years in a place like this by being nice,” Aurora said flatly. “I’m friendly to you because you deserve it. He doesn’t.”

The three foals made their way to the same secluded corner of the Gallery where Twist and Aurora slept. Twist made a quick check and found that the scrolls were still where they had left them, hidden under a few spare pillows.

“Before we start,” Aurora said, as the three of them sat down. “Peregrine, you hurt my friend. Apologize. Now.”

Twist looked away from both of them. “Do we have to talk about this?” she said. “This doesn't matter that much to me..."

“Well, it does matter to me” Aurora said. “What you did to Twist was disgusting, Peregrine. You will apologize.”

“I don’t apologize to anyone,” Peregrine said, casually flipping his mane back. “It’s not like there haven’t been a hundred other stallions inside her since then, anyway.”

Twist looked down at the ground. “Please, stop…” she said. “I don’t want to talk about this…”

“See?” Peregrine said. “She’s fine.”

Twist scowled. “I didn’t say I was fine. I just don’t want to discuth this, okay? Just let it go, both of you.”

“Besides,” Peregrine said, smiling. “It’s not like it matters if you rape a whore.”

Aurora was about to say something, but before she could, Twist got to her hooves. She approached Peregrine silently and locked eyes with him for just a moment.

Then, without a word, she hit him in the face.

Peregrine fell back in shock. For a moment, he panicked, but then realized that he was in far less pain than he should have been after being hit by an Earth Pony. Twist had held back considerably, as she had no desire to use her strength to cause him any lasting injury.

This was something different, Peregrine realized. She was making a statement.

Before Peregrine could get back to his hooves, Twist had leaped at him and pinned him down. There were tears in her eyes.

“No one here is a whore!” she said, a bit louder than was advisable. “None of us asked for this! None of us want to be treated this way! We’re all just kids, you stupid idiot!"

She let go of Peregrine and returned to Aurora’s side. The older pony gently embraced her friend.

“We’re all just kids…” Twist repeated. “And we’ve got no one in the world but each other.”

Peregrine slowly rose from the ground. He was bleeding from his cheek, but the wound did not appear to be deep.

He slowly walked back toward Twist and Aurora, who both took up guarded postures as he approached.

In response to this, Peregrine sat down in front of them.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry for what I did to you, Twist. I just…I just wanted to feel big, okay? I wanted to feel powerful. A Pegasus who can’t even fly doesn’t get many chances to do that.”

“Stop mugging for sympathy,” Aurora said. “Nothing can excuse what you did to Twist.”

“Oh come on,” Peregrine said. “Don’t you think that’s up to her?”

“You said you wanted to feel powerful?” Twist said. “How powerful did you feel when you started crying?”

“Shut up!” Peregrine said, embarrassed. “I said I was sorry, what else do you want?”

“Oh, so you feel ashamed of crying, but you’re not ashamed of violating my frien-“

Aurora cut her rant short as Twist placed her hoof softly over her mouth.

“I was scared of you for a long time, Peregrine,” Twist said. “But you’re not really that thcary, are you? You’re juth a colt who wants to fly.”

Twist reached under the pillows and retrieved the scrolls.

“Well, I want you to fly, too. Me and Aurora have a plan. And you’re the only one who can help us. So you’re going to learn to fly. And we’re going to help.”

Peregrine scoffed. “You’re both ground ponies,” he said. “What do you know about flying?”

“I’ve watched my friendth Rumble and Featherweight practice flying during recess at school,” Twist said. “They explained the basics to me, and I've read about it, too. So at least in theory, I know. And anyway, we don’t need you to do any fancy tricks or anything. Just fly up to the ceiling.”

“We’ll practice during lights-out. In the baths, since no one sleeps in there,” Aurora said. “It’s not a huge space, but it’s got a high enough ceiling.”

“You think I never thought of that?” Peregrine said. “But what’s the point? Even if I can fly, I’ll never be able to do go anywhere. And if they find out I can fly they’ll just chain me down with the others.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Twist said. “If this works, we can ethcape.”

Peregrine stifled a laugh. “Oh sun, is that what this is about? Another half-assed escape plan? Do you have any idea how many of those I’ve heard?”

“A lot fewer than I have,” Aurora said. “But this one’s different. Twist has a friend who lives in the mansion above ground. That’s where she got these scrolls. We’re not alone this time. There are free ponies who are working to help save us. We just need to do our part.”

“And besides,” Twist added. “If you don’t help us, everyone is going to know that you cried while you were...”

She trailed off. Her confidence was beginning to wane.

“Fine,” Peregrine said. “We’ll start tomorrow, then?”

“No, we’ll start tonight,” Aurora said. “Right now.” She stood up.

“I can practice my magic in the baths, and we can explain the plan a bit more freely in there. I’m tired of whispering.”

Aurora began to walk toward the baths. Twist grabbed the scrolls and began to walk after her.

“Wait up,” Peregrine said, following close behind Twist. “Listen, I said I was sorry, so…”

“So what?” Twist said.

“So…you forgive me, right?”

Twist stopped in her tracks. She dropped the scrolls and turned to face Peregrine.

“Do you have any idea how scared I was?” she said. “I’d been taken from my home. From my friends. I kept hearing how I was never going to thee them again. But you know what I thought when I woke up that morning?”

“What?”

“I thought ‘At least the other foals here will understand. At least I can trust them.’ “

“Oh…” Peregrine said. “Well, I mean, you really can’t trust anyone he-“

“Just shut up,” Twist said. “You’re helping us because we need you, not because we like you.”

Twist picked up the scrolls, then turned around and walked toward the baths.

*******

Silver Spoon looked up at the ceiling, following patterns with her eye.

It was a ritual she had developed for herself, on mornings when she awoke in her own bedroom instead of Fancy’s. Such instances were rare, but not unheard of.

The first few times this had happened, Silver had made the mistake of letting her eyes come into focus while she looked straight ahead. But no matter where she looked in the room, she always seemed to meet the lifeless eyes of one of the countless porcelain dolls which were displayed all over the room. They had gone from being merely tacky to legitimately unsettling.

Silver could swear there were more of them now than there had been when she’d first gotten here. She theorized that Fancypants, once again misreading her needs, had perhaps been sneaking new dolls in from time to time. She had tested this theory one morning, telling him “Thank you for the gift,” when she had first seen him. He had just smiled.

Silver couldn’t deal with the dolls first thing in the morning, so she would look up at the ceiling for five minutes or so. The ceiling of this single room looked like it had cost more than most ponies’ entire houses. Intricate swirling patterns were hoof-carved into it, and highlighted with flecks of gold. The patterns were random and did not match up with each other.
Silver found it helped to focus her mind if she started the day by tracing these patterns with her eyes. Once she had done this for long enough, she could get up without being startled by the dolls.

Or at least, that was how it had worked in the past. Lately, she found it harder and harder to ignore them. No matter how long she stared up at the wall, she would always find herself unnerved when she sat up in bed and caught her first glimpse of the dolls.

It wasn’t the way the dolls stared which unsettled Silver Spoon. It wasn’t how broadly they smiled at nothing, or the way they were always locked in the same lifeless poses.

It was how immaculate they looked.

Each doll’s mane was flawlessly styled, with every last hair in its proper place. Their coats were beyond reproach, their dresses fit perfectly. Even their teeth were uniformly white.

Silver found such perfection deeply disturbing. A doll was meant to be an imitation of life, but real life wasn’t like this. Real fillies had flaws; they messed up their manes and occasionally tore their dresses. They did not constantly smile, and when they were smiling, their teeth were never quite that white.

It was as if the dolls had gone beyond trying to imitate life, and were trying to create a new porcelain world of their own. A world where no flaws existed, where sadness and imperfection were unknown and impossible.

A world without pain.

Silver Spoon had never known there to be a filly whose coat was quite that flawless, whose mane was quite that meticulously styled and beautiful. Even Diamond Tiara had never been that perfect.

And yet, little by little, she was noticing those same traits every time she passed by a mirror. Especially the massive one which dominated one side of her bedroom.

Silver’s mane had almost completely grown back by now. She was no longer emaciated, thanks to weeks of expensive meals. Her wounds from the Gathering, aside from the scar on her Cutie Mark, had all healed.

A part of her missed them. A part of her longed for fresh ones.

Silver tried as hard as she could, but she could find very few flaws in the filly who was looking back at her from the mirror, especially since her scar was not visible from this angle. Her mane was disheveled, but a professional stylist would soon come by to fix it, just like every morning, and thus the illusion would be complete.

“Fancy’s favorite little doll…” she whispered as she placed a hoof against the mirror. “Who smiles constantly and feels no pain…”

Pain. The word hung in the air.

You haven’t looked this good in more than half a year, the voice said, cutting into Silver’s thoughts. You’re beautiful again, Silver. Be glad.

She tried. But Silver Spoon had become so used to being covered in welts and bruises, that she wasn’t quite sure who the immaculate little pony staring back at her was.

Isn’t this who you want to be? The voice asked

“I don’t know,” Silver said.

The question had kept Silver up late the previous night. Fancy, perhaps sensing her trepidation, did not take her to bed that evening. When she awoke in her room, the thought still lingered in her head.

“Who do I want to be?” she asked out loud.

“What was that, dearest?”

Silver looked to the side to realize she wasn’t alone in the room. Fancypants stood by the door, smiling.

“S-Sir Fancypants!” she said. “What a, um, lovely surprise!”

“I’m afraid I won’t have much time to play with you today, my dear,” Fancy said. “Something quite urgent had come up. I expected it might happen eventually, but not this soon.”

Fancy levitated a newspaper toward Silver Spoon. When she read the headline, her heart skipped a beat:

RARITY ESCAPES
ACCUSED FOAL KILLER AND FORMER ELEMENT OF HARMONY VANISHES FROM PONYVILLE PRISON; WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN

It took everything Silver Spoon had to keep from shouting for joy. Instead, she allowed herself only a small gasp, and a half-hearted “Oh no!”

“Yes, it seems your former mistress is more resourceful than I had given her credit for,” Fancy said.

“Yeah, she’s…” Silver took a moment to measure her words carefully. She could not risk sounding too complementary toward Rarity. “She’s…devious.”

“Indeed she is,” Fancy said. “I had warned Indigo not to taunt her in person for fear that something like this might happen, but she just couldn’t resist. And now we have a problem. I can’t have her running free. Not with what she knows about the Circle. This is why I need your help.”

“M-my help?” Silver didn’t like where this was going at all.

“You were her property for quite some time,” Fancy said. “Where do you think Rarity would go first after being freed? Would she attempt to get her sister back first? Or would she come here and try to get you?”

Silver hated admitting it to herself, but she knew the answer. Rarity would prioritize Sweetie Belle above anything else. Silver was a distant second, if Rarity even bothered to find her at all.

Tell him! The voice said. Tell him Rarity would go to Indigo’s place and try to save Sweetie! They can catch her there if they’re ready for her. You know that's the right thing to do. She deserves to rot in jail for what she did to you and your friends.

“Well, Silver?” Fancy asked impatiently. “Any ideas?”

If you don’t say something, he’ll suspect you of being disloyal. Rarity threw you away. She hurt Twist and Sweetie. I thought you considered them friends now.

“I do…” Silver whispered, barely making a sound.

Then tell him! Don’t risk your life for someone like her. She doesn’t deserve it. She doesn’t deserve YOU.

“Did you say something, Silver Spoon?” Fancy asked.

“Yes…” Silver said. “I think I know what she’d do next…”

Say it. She’d go to Indigo’s house…

“She wouldn’t try to save either of us. She’d try to disappear,” Silver said. She kept her voice as level as possible, which took considerable effort. “She’d head far away from Ponyville or Canterlot, to some big city where she could blend in with the crowds. She used to talk about it. She’d say, ‘if I’m ever caught, you two are on your own.’”

“How dreadful,” Fancy said. “To think she would abandon you so callously.”

“Yeah…” Silver said. The memory of her long fall from the carriage was still fresh in her mind. She forced back the lump in her throat.

“So my guess is that she’s probably heading somewhere like Manehattan or Trotterdam,” Silver said. “You don’t have to worry about her showing up here.”

“Hmm. That makes the search considerably more difficult,” Fancy said. “It seems I have a long day ahead of me. Silver, be sure you aren’t late for dinner this evening. I will update you on the situation at that time. I may need your advice again.”

“Of course, Sir Fancypants,” Silver said, bowing as he turned and walked toward her bedroom door.

Fancy stopped at the door, turned and said, “Oh! And I hope you enjoyed the new friend I got for Bernadette.”

“Who?” Silver asked, but as she said it, his meaning became clear. He was referring to one of the dolls. He must have purchased the companion figure.

“Oh, yes!” Silver said. “She’s so pretty! What a lovely surprise! I especially love how flawless her coat is!”

Silver had no idea which doll Bernadette was.

“I’m pleased you’re enjoying her,” Fancy said. “I’ll see you at dinner, my darling.”

With that, he left, shutting the door behind him.

Silver let out a huge sigh and collapsed on her bed. That particular performance had been exhausting.

“Darling…” Silver said. “I don’t think Miss Rarity ever called me that. She said it to everyone else, even complete strangers, but not me…”

Silver picked up the newspaper, running her eyes over the headline over and over again. She even found herself reaching out and touching her mistress’s name with her hoof.

“You’re so brilliant, Miss Rarity. I should have known they couldn’t hold you for long…”

You protected her. Why would you-

“Shut up!” Silver said. “Just let me be happy she’s free…”

She’s not coming to get you. She disowned you. And it’s for the best that way. Once you help Twist escape, you should go home. Go back to your old life.

Silver sat up, looking at the mirror.

“My old life…” she said. “Where I can be a society pony. Where I can be flawless and pretty forever.”

She could see dozens of doll eyes staring at her from the mirror.

Is that so bad? Don’t you want to be normal again?

“I was never nor-“

Don’t you want to see me again?

“Me?” The voice had never spoken in the first person before. Silver suddenly felt mad.

“You’re not her. Just because you sound like her doesn’t mean you’re Diamond Tiara.” Silver said.

The voice didn’t respond.

“And…” Silver said. “I’ll see her again someday. I know I will. But right now…”

She looked in the mirror again. It was becoming as hard to look at her own reflection as it was to look at the dolls.

“Right now I need to feel something else,” Silver said. She hopped off her bed, and, without bothering to wait for her stylist, she walked out of her room and down the hallway until she found the nearest unicorn servant.

“Gallery please,” she said. “And I have some special instructions. I need you to teleport me out of there automatically in three hours. You can do that, right?”

The servant nodded. “It’s a simple modification of the spell. Basically, when I cast it I’ll put a timer on it. In three hours, you’ll automatically end up back here. But why would you need me to do that? You can ask any guard in the Gallery to teleport you back at your leisure.”

“I don’t have to answer that,” Silver said curtly. “Now do your job.”

The servant grumbled, but dutifully cast the spell. Silver found herself at the Gallery entrance, in front of a guard. He smiled at her and gave her the key necklace which identified her as a patron.

“I won’t need your guidance this time,” she told him. “Please just let me wander on my own.”

“As you wish, miss,” the guard said, bowing as he opened the door.

Silver walked into the Gallery. It was early, so there were few patrons to be seen. Most of the foals were chatting or sitting nervously on the various couches and beds. Silver scanned the room, and noticed Twist, along with an older-looking unicorn. They were fast asleep in a corner.

It was just as well. She wasn’t there to see Twist this time.

“Why am I here?” she whispered to herself.

She wandered the area, ignoring the stares from various foals who seemed scandalized at the idea of a foal patron.
Before long, Silver Spoon noticed the pony she had been looking for, though she didn’t realize she had been seeking her until that moment.

On a sizable couch, a bright yellow filly with a musical scale Cutie Mark was rubbing her cunt. Her eyes were closed and she had a broad smile on her face. Silver recognized her instantly as the filly she had observed on one of her previous Gallery visits, who had been egging on a massive stallion who was far too large for her.

She remembered the filly’s screams, and the way they seemed to balance perfectly between pleasure and suffering.

Silver had pitied her. Silver had envied her.

Without a word, Silver climbed up on the couch and kissed the filly on the lips. The foal cooed happily, and returned the kiss, wrapping her forelegs around the back of Silver’s head and pushing her tongue into Silver Spoon’s open mouth. Her eyes were still closed.

“I don’t know who you are,” the yellow filly said, after breaking the kiss. “And I don’t care. Fuck me.”

Silver felt a wave of euphoria pass over her. There was such simplicity in the filly’s request. And such hunger. Her mind flashed back to countless anonymous encounters she had enjoyed while in Miss Rarity’s servitude. It had never mattered who her partners were. Male or female, adult or child. She had given herself to all of them, because that was what Miss Rarity wanted.

It all came back to her, after all. Even though she hadn’t seen her in months, Silver marveled at the fact that Rarity still had control over her. Ever since she had read that headline, Rarity hadn’t left Silver’s thoughts. Ever since she had heard she was free, all Silver had wanted was to feel like she was hers again.

Silver’s hoof was already dripping with the filly’s juices as she rubbed her inner thigh. “You’re so wet,” Silver said. “Were you just with someone?”

“Oh noooooo,” said the filly. “I haven’t been fucked since last night. But I'm always wet like that. Mommy says a good little whore always keeps her cunt nice and moist.”

“Mommy?” Silver echoed, rubbing her hoof on the filly’s outer lips. “Tell me more. Tell me all about you.”

“My name’s Happy Tune,” said the filly. “When I was little, my mommy used to touch me just like you're doing right now. And it hurt a lot, and I cried, because I was a useless little whiner. But mommy told me I had to keep myself wet for her boyfriends. Mommy had lots of boyfriends.”

“Oh yeah,” Silver said. She began to rub her own cunt her with free forehoof. “Was your mother mean to you? Did she abuse you? Did she make you hurt?”

“Uh huuuuuh,” Happy Tune said. “I had to do whatever mommy said, or she’d get mad. Then one day she got really mad, and sold me to Mr. Fancy. And I cried a lot and a lot. For years. But I don’t cry anymore. I just fuck all day long! I fuck and I come and I hurt and I bleed and it’s so good…”

Silver noticed that the filly’s voice had a strange instability to it. She would change pitches randomly, and her voice quivered oddly whenever she said “mommy.”

This filly is sick, the voice said. Get away from her, Silver.

“No,” she said.

“No?” replied Happy Tune. “Come on, please! I need it! Your hoof feels so nice on my cunt, don’t stop now! You’re the first patron I’ve had all day…”

“Patron…” Silver said. “Tell me, are the patrons mean to you? Do they make you do nasty things? Do they hurt you?”

“All the time!” the filly replied happily. “The mean ones look for me because they know I can take it. Are you a mean patron, too?”

Silver reached for her key necklace.

Stop it. Don’t do this. You were so close to getting better! Stop!

“I won’t be his doll,” Silver whispered. “I won’t be pretty. I won’t be perfect.”

She took the necklace off and tossed it aside.

“I’m not a patron, Happy,” she said. “For the next three hours, I’m a Gallery foal just like you.”

With that, Silver shoved her hoof in Happy Tune’s cunt, pushing it in as far as she could. The filly cried out in shock.

“AAAAH! Oooh…ooooooh!” she said. “Oh it hurts! Keep making it hurt!”

Silver smiled. “I will, but when I’m done, you have to help me find a patron,” she said. “Someone mean.”

*******

Rarity stood over Diamond Tiara, who still lay on the floor of Triage’s study. It had been an entire day, but the filly had not moved from that spot.

Trixie had awoken during the night, leading to an altercation with Triage in which she had threatened to turn the surgeon’s hooves into watermelons if she didn’t pay Trixie for springing Rarity. Trixie had eventually agreed to waive her fee in exchange for Triage cancelling the massive debt Trixie had incurred by destroying the Seeker’s Amulet. Triage's mention of "a lifetime of indentured servitude" seemed to motivate Trixie quite a bit, and one blue smoke bomb later, she was gone.

And yet, throughout the entire episode, Diamond Tiara had laid still.

It was morning now, and Rarity had enjoyed her best night’s sleep in weeks in Triage’s guest room. The guest room was huge and beautiful; it boasted a walk-in closet, private bath, and even its own small fireplace. Rarity had noted with some disdain that the room was horribly dusty, however.

“Well yeah,” Triage had said. “It’s a guest room. And you know what I hate more than anything? Guests.”

Rarity had raised an eyebrow, to which Triage had shrugged. “It came with the house,” she said. “You’re welcome here, of course. But I’ll be a lot happier if you keep yourself scarce. Bad enough I’ve got half the Circle coming here tomorrow night. Oh, and do something about your stowaway. I’ve got the place locked up so she can’t leave, but I don’t want her wandering about.”

As Rarity had suspected, the “stowaway” was precisely where she had left her.

“You can stop pretending to be unconscious,” Rarity said. “The owner of this house is a doctor. You’re not fooling anyone.”

Diamond Tiara rolled over unto her back, looking up at Rarity.

“How did you know?” she asked.

“I didn’t,” Rarity said. “I merely had a hunch. Thank you for confirming it.”

Diamond groaned in frustration.

Rarity turned and began to walk back toward her room.

“Wait!” Diamond said. “Are you…what are you going to do to me?”

“Don’t worry, dear. I told you I don’t find you the least bit attractive,” Rarity said. “And the others are gone for the day. There will be quite a few of us here this evening, however, so I suggest you find a good place to hide.”

“A few of ‘us’?” Diamond demanded. “Who is ‘us?’”

“The Circle,” Rarity said. “It’s the group I belong to.”

“Oh,” Diamond said. “I thought your group was called the Elements of Harmony.”

Rarity seemed to contract slightly at the words. Diamond smirked.

“Those ponies no longer want anything to do with me,” Rarity said. “And with good reason. I have made my choice."

Rarity walked out of the room, leaving Diamond Tiara alone in what remained of Triage’s study.

That’s right, Rarity thought to herself as she returned to her guest room. It was foolish of me to think I could have it both ways. That I could be some sort of hero and still carry out my preferred lifestyle. Let my former friends live as they wish. I will reclaim my sister, and the two of us will live a life of unrestrained pleasure.

As she entered the room, she noticed an envelope on the desk near the fireplace. It lay there conspicuously, as if responding to her thoughts.

“Ah,” she said. “I forgot I had picked this up last night.”

She had been avoiding the note all this time. Since Applejack’s condemnation, the last thing Rarity needed was another angry farewell from a former friend.

But she felt newly resolute this morning. And it was only a letter, after all.

Rarity pulled the paper from the envelope, unfolding it, and noting that it had been folded unevenly, and in far too many places.

“Pinkie,” she said. She chuckled despite herself.

Once she had flattened out its many creases as best she could, she proceeded to read the letter:

TO MY FRIEND

DEAR RARITY,

Hello. I’m not really sure how to start this letter. I was going to put some candies in the envelope, but Applejack said you can’t have candy in jail. That seems kind of unfair. I mean, you can’t have it even on your birthday? I know your birthday isn’t for another one hundred and sixty-four days, but we can always celebrate early, right?

Right?

Okay, sorry, but I have to focus here. That’s hard for me, but I’ve got something super important to tell you and it’s kind of hard to write.

And that super important thing, is this:

Come back, Rarity.

Please, just come back.

I don’t mean that in the “get out of jail and go home” sort of way. I mean COME BACK. Because I keep hearing all these terrible things they say you did, and all I can think is, “That’s not my friend. That can’t possibly be my generous, graceful, super-fancy friend Rarity. It’s someone else. My friend, who I love so so SO much, she just went away somewhere."

I don’t know where. But I bet you do.

I bet you know exactly where she is.

So wherever she is, bring her back. Please?

I miss her…I miss YOU….so much.

I miss the way you always fussed over clothes, and the way you said “darling” all the time. I miss the way you used to take your afternoon tea in just a certain way. I miss hugging you. I miss the feeling of your body against mine. I miss how pretty you were, and how you’d always go out of your way to make ME feel pretty, too.

Those are all such little things, and I miss them so much! And still, none of them compare to the big, BIG thing, which is how much I miss just being your friend.

Applejack says I shouldn’t feel this way. She says if I had a little sister, I’d understand, and I’d be angry, like her.

But I’m not angry. I’m just sad. Maybe I SHOULD be angry, but...

but I just love you so much...

That’s why I can’t come visit you and say these words to you myself. Because if I saw you…the other you, not the pony I miss…I don’t think I could stand it.

I know you’re just sick, and maybe what you need to get better is a friend close by your side. But I can’t be that friend. I wish wish WISH I could, but I just can’t. Just the thought of being near you right now makes me want to cry. And that’s not how I should feel when I think about you! That’s the opposite of how I should feel!

So I’m going to stay away from you for a while, okay? Just until you get better. Just until you come back.

And when you do come back, please come visit me, okay? Don’t be afraid or ashamed. I’ll know if it’s you, the real you. And I’ll hug you, and I’ll welcome you home, and then I’ll throw you the biggest and bestest welcome home party Ponyville has ever seen!

I can’t promise the others will want to come…in fact I’m pretty sure they won’t. But that’s okay! We’ll party together, just you and me. It’ll be the best party ever, just as long as you’re there.

Just as long as you come back.

Please, Rarity. I know you can do it. I know you can get better.

And when you do, even if the whole world is against you, even if no one else forgives you…

…I will.

Pinkie promise.

Love,
Pinkie Pie

It took Rarity nearly half an hour to read the letter. She had to keep stopping to compose herself, and Pinkie’s words kept bringing up memories which Rarity thought she had discarded long ago.

But it wasn’t until the end of the letter that Rarity completely broke down. Because it was only then that she realized those were probably the last words she would ever receive from her friend.

She collapsed on her bed and began to sob.

It was a few minutes later when she heard a knock on the door.

“WHAT?” she shouted.

“Easy now!” Triage’s voice came from the other side of the door. “When you’re ready, I’ve got some dresses laid out for you in the living room. Feel free to pick your favorite, mix and match, whatever. You’ve got to look your best tonight; half the Circle’s coming to see the new challenger to the throne.”

“I’ll be ready,” Rarity said. “Now leave me alone.”

“Mare after my own heart,” Triage said. Rarity heard her hoofsteps fade away.

She sat up, and looked at the letter lying on the ground.

It was written in pink crayon. Just like her sister used.

“So all I have to do is come home and play nice, and I get a party and absolution,” Rarity said. “Oh Pinkie, darling…even you can’t think it would really be so simple.”

Rarity picked up the letter. She ran her eyes over the last word above the signature one last time:

LOVE

“If I return to you, I face a lifetime of incarceration and loneliness,” Rarity said. “But if I stay with the Circle, I can be free. And I can see my sister again.”

Rarity walked to the fireplace.

“I’m sorry, Pinkie. But there’s only one path left to me now…” she said.

Rarity kissed the name at the bottom of the paper. Then she closed her eyes, and threw the letter into the fire.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

[NEXT: Balance/Silver’s descent/No confidence]

Author's Note

Author's notes for this chapter can be found here.