Origins

The Seamstress: Origins

It was a cold winter’s night where we found the beginnings of a legend. Down in the basement of a lonely hovel in the poor district of Manehattan, sat a little, white coated unicorn, toiling away at the work assigned to her this day. The poor little filly worked day in and day out, putting her amazing talent with a needle and thread to hard work for the ones she hated to call her parents.

Pausing for a moment, the little filly dropped her head to the shoddy sewing table and sighed, “Day in and day out, it’s always the same... If only I could talk to somepony to ease myself of this dreadful boredom.” She said, in her rather elegant voice.

All of a sudden, without a sound to be heard, she perked her head up as if she’d heard something. Her horn glowed, and so too did the needles as they levitated upwards, their points all coming together to form a flower-like circle of needles, “Oh, don’t fret. Of course I know you’re here, but I said somepony. You are nice and all, but you make for little conversation beyond topics of dress and sewing.”

The needles danced a little, their points touching together to form a series of clacks, and in response, the white coated unicorn looked offended, “Well, I’m dreadfully sorry if you feel that way, but I crave the attention of a like minded individual. You understand, don’t you? You want to see new needles too, right?” She said, pouting to her levitating needles.

The needles danced and clacked once more.

The filly’s face softened and she smile, “See, you do understand. And don’t worry; I could never be mad at you.” Said the unicorn before she leaned in to kiss her tools.

She gave yet another sigh as she went back to sewing her latest bits of fabric. She was forced to make clothes like this as her family’s sole source of income, her parents living off of her talent after they’d been fired from their respective jobs for theft.

A shiver went up her spine as she heard the door opening behind her. Slowly, she turned her head, and at the top of her the stairs stood her father. He was levitating some hay and water on a plate above his head. He set it down unceremoniously down on the cement floor without even descending the stairs, being gentle with it only because he didn’t want to break the glass. After a moment, he said, “You had better finish those hoof warmers by morning, or I’ll be getting the wooden crop out again.”

Leaving the threat in the air, he shut the door with a loud slam, leaving the little seamstress alone once again. Her eyes began to water after the exchange, sniffling gently as she looked down to her flank. The marks from the last time she failed to make an article of clothing had almost faded entirely, but their memory still ached. Fear of the wooden crop agitated her, and she turned to her needles once again, “I-it’s time to get to work again, my sweets...”

And into the night, the filly worked upon the cloth hoof warmers, staying up far past what her young body could handle. She ate her meager meal after finishing her third hoof warmer, content in knowing that although it was the cheapest of foods, it was enough to fill her belly. It wasn’t until well after midnight did she finish the final piece of clothing that she was tasked to do, her little form exhausted, but she still managed to bring herself to her bed of cloth scraps, collapsing upon it and falling asleep instantly, leaving her nightmare for the oblivion of dreams.

By the time she awoke, it was already noon. This was strange, as she was usually awoken early in order to continue her work, but for the first time in months, she had been allowed to sleep in. Grateful for at least this little bit of clemency, she began to stir, and heard a slight jingle. Looking towards the source, she saw that her needles were beside her, in their flower like pattern, though now disturbed. She didn’t remember bringing them to her bed, at least, last night.

“Now what are you doing here? Well, I suppose I should bring you back over to your table, we probably have more work to do today.” She said, her horn glowing as the needles came to life once more, clattering and dancing to her amusement.

Her smiled turned into a frown as she started to count her needles, “...two...six...eleven? Eleven? Oh dear, one of you is missing!” She shouted, getting up and starting to look around frantically.

A moment of panicked searching took her nowhere, but her attention was suddenly drawn by an arrow as it floated in the air; a glow of purple surrounded it. Her needles had formed the shape of an arrow, and pointed somewhere. She looked to where her tools seemed so eager to get her attention, and that’s when she saw it. Upon her worktable was another plate of hay and water, a strange occurrence, as she usually only got to eat once a night, but stranger still was a note on top of it, pinned down with her missing twelfth needle.

“There you are, you little rapscallion. Come here you!” She shouted, scolding the errant needle.

Her magic enveloped the needle and carried it, and the note it was pinned too, over to her. While her needle joined its brothers and sisters, she had taken an interest in the note, and opened it up. Her heart fell slightly as she read its contents.

Her eyes moved over the words, and she knew instantly that it was her mother’s handwriting. With her father, at least she saw him, but her mother... she had not seen her mother’s face in years now. She only received little bits of words, such as the note she held, from time to time, and this was the first word from her mother she had gotten in several months now. What made her feel the worst was that the words were simply her next project instructions; no personality, no words of hate or kindness, just a simple, impersonal business request.

The little filly set the note down on the table as she sat down at her little work stool. A white hoof came up to wipe away tears that were attempting to burst forth from her eyes, but she wouldn’t allow them to come out, not this early in the morning. She felt something begin to brush her mane, and as she looked up to see what it was, she saw that her needles, blunt side down, were gently brushing through her hair.

She sniffed gently before speaking, “Thank you, you’re always too kind.” She said, simply choosing to ignore that it was her own magic and desires that gave her tools motion.

“Alright, it’s time to start work again, it seems. A vest this time, according to the note. Ready to help me with the task?” She asked, looking to her needles, which had taken their usual flower pattern.

In response, her needles danced and clacked together, bringing a smile to her face. “Great! Let’s get started then...”

On in to the day, and into the night, she once again spent her waking hours toiling away in her basement, sewing fabric and conversing with her needles about her hopes, dreams, and desires. Ones that may never see the light of day.

Three Years Later

The little white filly in the basement had finally grown up to the age of eleven. Her skills had improved greatly, the strength of her magic grew exponentially, and she was generally bigger now. After so many years in the basement, she had become completely accustomed to it, conversing with her needles as she saw fit, four more having joined her previous set to make for better work, and more ‘friends’ to talk to.

Over time, her magic when dealing with her needles had grown even more autonomous, her conscious decisions making way for simple subconscious actions, leaving herself unawares and surprised by the actions of her tools at times, and in these times, forgetting that they weren’t simple tools. She believed them alive.

As she’d grown in skill and speed over the years, so too did her workload, her parents trying to get as many bits out of her that they could. Still, she pressed on, wanting to get as much work done as she could to please her father, not wanting to feel the sting of the crop again.

At the very least, she had been given extra supplies over the years in addition to her extra needles. A few shoddy mannequins were scattered around the basement floor, one of which was in use at the moment as she magically placed bits of cloth upon them. She pinned when needed, cut off bits of fabric that were loose or hanging, and in general, showed off her talents as a now master tailor.

As she continued to craft the vest, she suddenly heard a sound coming from behind her, the sound of the basement door opening. She hadn’t heard much of her parents in the last week, merely getting notes with her morning hay, which was double portioned to last her the night as well. She shook the thoughts from her mind before looking to the stairwell, wondering what whoever it was might want with her.

“You. We don’t have time to be watching this. You can take care of her for us while you make clothes. Bring her up like you, and if you do a good enough job, I won’t bring out the wooden crop again.” Her father said, leaving the threat in the threat in air once more.

Once again, a shiver went down the tailor’s spine, remembering that last time she had her flank punished with the crop. It had been almost a year now, but the memories were still fresh. Those thoughts were disturbed, however, when her father left a small bundle of cloth at the bottom of the steps before turning around and shutting the basement door, locking her away from the world once again.

Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked over to the strange bundle of cloth. On top of it was a note, simply laying atop it. Using her magic, she levitated up towards her, and began to read the note.

Dear Rarity,

Already she was shocked, not having heard nor seen her own name in years now. Intrigued, she read on,

I know I don’t talk to you much, and I honestly don’t see why I should have to. But, this time, I think I’ll write a little more to make sure you do a good job with this.

Your father and I have been getting a bit more money recently, and we wanted to expand our clothing line, so, we got you a sibling, one hopefully as talented as you are. Take care of her, name her whatever you want.

PS: Her bottle is in the blanket, leave it at the steps every morning and night and I’ll fill it up. Don’t forget, or you’ll have to deal with her hungry crying every night.

Rarity was simply flabbergasted. To have a child simply to make more money off of them was utterly awful. But, more pressing at the moment, was the fact that she now had a sister, a baby sister, one that she’d been tasked to take care of, all by her lonesome. She didn’t know what to do. She had never taken care of anything before save her tools in her entire lifetime, and now she was responsible for another, baby pony.

Then the realization dawned on her; she had finally obtained something she always wanted. Another pony. Sure, she most likely wouldn’t be able to speak for years, but she could wait. She had patience. She could groom the little one into the perfect conversation partner, somepony that she could speak with, hug, and tell jokes with. Somepony to share her nightmare, somepony that could lessen the torment she had become accustomed too over the years.

This was somepony all to herself.

She smiled, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Four Years Later

“Come on, Sweetie Belle! You need to help sissy with the next set of clothing!” Rarity shouted out, trying to get a little help.

“Otay sissy!” Her little sister said, trotting happily over to her to help.

The little foal was now four years old and had grown up enough to be called a filly. She was often a hyperactive, crying nuisance, but those times were becoming less and less frequent as Sweetie Belle learned to speak and make sense of things. Eventually, she even became a bit of a help, getting bits of fabric when asked, and tidying up around the basement that the two had shared now for the entirety of the little filly’s life.

Rarity was proud to see what her little sister had become. Having raised her nearly from birth, she was there for all of the big moments. Naming her, hearing her say her first words, helping her understand what was helpful and what wasn’t. And most of all, she had somepony to talk too. She still spoke to her needles all the time, much to her little sister’s curiosity, and the needles themselves seemed to move on their own at times, perhaps from the sheer amount of magical energy that had touched them over the years.

As the years went by, well past her fifteenth birthday, she had become a true master of the needle and thread. Now a young mare, with strong magics, she was able to fashion entire dresses from cheap cloth in merely two or three days, a wonder compared to what she did before. With the distraction of Sweetie Belle, this life of theirs was something almost enjoyable, often filled with laughter in the time the two didn’t spend huddled together for emotional support, usually following a visit from their father.

But now wasn’t the time for that. Now was the time for dresses.

“Now that’s a good girl. Okay, I just need you to hold on to little bits where I tell you so that I can make the right cuts, okay?” The white mare asked.

“Otay!” The little filly said, smiling brightly and moving in to position, grabbing on to the right bits of cloth with her teeth. She really didn’t have much talent with dressmaking, but Rarity kept trying.

Looking to her side, the unicorn listened as her needles clacked and danced, the purple glow around them barely visible anymore, “Oh, I know you can do it more easily, but I have to help her practice, or she’ll never get good at this.” She said, scolding her needles.

Dropping the piece of cloth in her mouth, Sweetie Belle looked to her sister with a curious gaze, “Hey, sissy, how come I can’t hear them?” The little filly asked.

Sighing, Rarity replied, “We’ve been over this before, Sweetie. You just haven’t known them long enough. Once your magic starts to work, and you’re around them longer, they’ll talk to you, too.”

“M’otay sissy, if you say so.” The little filly replied, doing back to her chores.

These days almost seemed tolerable. They’d been getting more and better food, and she hadn’t seen the crop in years. And thankfully, Sweetie Belle never had to lay eyes on it. Things were looking up for the two of them. Maybe one day, she could get out of this dump and take her, her skills, and her little sister far away from here, and start a new life. She knew she’d most likely end up sewing and making clothes for a living, but she’d be doing it on her terms, and making all the money for herself. And her beloved sister of course.

About halfway through the dress, with Sweetie Belle making the occasional mess, which was thankfully easy to fix, Rarity paused, hearing a noise coming from upstairs. “Now that’s odd... usually they’re quiet up there.” She said, wondering to herself.

After a moment, her sixteen needles arranged themselves in their flower pattern, each holding on to a different thread, approached her and began to clack. “Maybe... I hope you’re right.”

“What is it, sissy? Someting wrong?” Sweetie Belle asked in her high pitched voice.

“I don’t know, Sweetie. Just stay there for now; I’ll see what’s going on.” She said.

For the first time in her life, she started to approach the staircase willingly, without the thought of food being there. She dared not get too close, or even so much place a hoof on a step, but she wanted to get closer, to hear what was going on.

She didn’t like what she heard.

Above, she heard rustling, heavy thumps, and even a muffled cry. There were sounds of fighting going on above. She had never known her parents to fight, at least, not this loudly, so the possibility worried her. She did not want to deal with her father when he was angry at her. After a few moments, however, she heard a loud thump come from above, followed by a few unfamiliar voices. And soon, the sound of hooves coming for the basement door.

                Her eyes opened wide as fear went through her body. She wasn’t sure who this was, but she feared the worst. Turning to her sister, she shouted, “Sweetie Belle! Get in to the bathroom now, and don’t let anyone but me inside, okay?”

“But---”

“Go! Now!”

Her little sister started to tear up at the sudden order, but she obeyed, running quickly for the bathroom, shutting it behind her with what little strength she could manage, leaving her big sister alone.

Rarity backed away from the stairs, her eyes glued to the door. Soon enough, a massive kick shattered the door into pieces, causing a rain of wood to come in to the basement. That was when the young mare saw them. Three ponies wearing balaclavas started walking down the stairs. In the lead was a unicorn stallion, and behind him were the other two, a couple of earth ponies, one a mare and the other a stallion. However, that wasn’t the first thing that caught her attention.

No, her attention was drawn to the knife floating above the unicorn’s head, dripping with a red liquid she was all too familiar with.

“Well well, lookie what we have here! The ones upstairs were useless, but they had some good stuff. This young one, however... what do you think?” He said, turning a head to his lackeys.

“Pft, do whatever you want. I just want the bits.” The mare said.

“I think I want her... for a while at least.” The earth pony stallion said, a disturbing look in his eyes.

Rarity was afraid. More afraid than the culmination of her entire life of abuse. These weren’t her father, no. These ponies didn’t need her alive and in one piece to get money out of her. They just wanted to take what they wanted from her. They might even take away her Sweetie Belle.

That possibility sent a shiver down her spine and caused her to draw a cold sweat.

“Heh, lookit that, she’s all scared. Don’t worry; we’ll take good care of you.” The unicorn stallion said, approaching Rarity with a menacing glare in his eyes.

“Stay back! D-don’t touch me!” She shouted, backing away slightly, her control over her needles faltering as they slowly lowered to the ground.

“Aww, come now. Be a good little filly or I’ll have to scar that pretty little face of yours... like this!” He said.

Rarity barely saw the blade approach her, moving for her face. She just closed her eyes and screamed, waiting for the pain to come.

But no pain came. Nothing. Not even a sound.

That is, until she heard the clattering of a knife.

She was shaking, shaking harder than even on the coldest nights of winter. Shaking more than she ever had in her lifetime. She was afraid, deathly afraid. But still, she opened an eye to see what had happened.

She let out a gasp.

The three ponies stood before her, all of them with their eyes wide, not making a single movement. Of course, how could they possibly move, given their situation?

They were all bound by threads, ones that pierced straight through their bodies and beyond.

She looked them over, wondering just what had happened. Each of them had thread darting through their bodies. It was as if some blast of thread had come from beside her and pierced straight through the ponies that had meant to cause her harm. The strings were pulled taut, and she finally caught sight of the cause.

Stuck in to the wall, pulling the lines of thread tight, making them completely rigid, were her special needles. As she looked to them, one by one they began to glow purple and dislodge themselves before travelling towards her. Soon, all sixteen of them were at her side, taking the shape of a flower. A blood-stained flower.

“You... you saved me?” Rarity asked, dumbstruck.

Her needles clacked, “You did... I... thank you! Thank you!” She said, knowing nothing else that she could say.

She didn’t care that there were three ponies in the basement with her, each of them collapsing one by one as the threads went slack. She was safe. Her sister was safe. And her needles had saved her life. Levitating a piece of cloth over, she cleaned each and every one of them off, removing the small amounts of blood from them. Once finished, she leaned in and delivered her biggest kiss ever to her tools, thanking them for what they did for her.

“Sissy?” Came a shaky voice from the bathroom.

The sound of her sister’s voice brought her back to the reality of things. Her adrenaline was dying down, her needles retreated to the side of her head, where they normally floated, and she quickly turned her head to the door to the bathroom. A small panic shot through her entire body; while she cared nothing for these ponies now littering her floor, she couldn’t possibly allow Sweetie Belle to see this. At her young age, she had no business knowing the ins and outs of life and death. She had her whole innocent childhood ahead of her.

Thinking quickly, she cleared her throat and called to the door, “I-it’s... it’s alright, Sweetie Belle! Just stay in there! I just... need to clean something!”

“But... but it’s dark in here... I can’t reach the light.” Came the sniffling voice of the little filly from the bathroom.

Rarity mentally scolded herself for sending her little sister into a pitch black room when danger was going on. The little filly must be terrified. Bringing a hoof to her head, she started to think, and got an idea. “Don’t worry, Sweetie. My needles will turn on the lights for you and keep you company while I clean up.” She said to her sister.

“...really? I get to play with your needles?” Came the words of a quiet, but much calmer voice.

“Yes, dear. Just ---” She was interrupted by her needles clacking together, “I know. But please, play nice with her, at least until I get this mess cleaned up.” She whispered to her needles.

After a few more clacks, the needles floated over to the bathroom door, slipped under the bottom, and went about entertaining the little filly; after turning on her lights. Rarity sighed and hung her head. She had so much to deal with all of a sudden. Her parents were most likely gone thanks to these three, she now had bodies in her room, and while she had no love for these three, she, or rather, her needles, had seen fit to end them. Unable to process the world shattering events around her at the moment, she did what she could to try and go on.

Using her magic, she moved the ponies to the far side of the room and began to drape them with her cloth. Luckily for her, they left no stains on the floor, the threads left behind stopping any blood flow. She did her best to cover them up completely, so that Sweetie Belle didn’t have to see what had happened.

She started to hear giggles coming from the bathroom, soon escalating in to full blown squeals of laughter. Cocking an eyebrow, Rarity trotted over to the bathroom, and magically opening the door slightly, she peered inside.

She smiled warmly at the sight, seeing her tools tickling at her sister’s side, which explained the laughter, “Alright. Come on now you lot. Sweetie Belle... I have something special for you.” She said.

The needles stopped, and her laughter instantly vanished in the wake of excitement, her eyes opening wide and glistening, “Surprise! Tell me tell me tell me!” She shouted, bouncing up and down in place.

The white mare smiled gently, “Alright. But you have to close your eyes, alright?”

“Otay!” Her sister replied, firmly shutting her eyes.

“Now don’t open them until I say so.”

Once she was sure Sweetie Belle’s eyes were closed tight, she telekinetically lifted her little sister up and onto her back, causing the little one to give another squeal of joy. After a glance to see if the filly’s eyes were still closed, she took to the stairs, slowly but surely. A hesitation met her as she came to the first step, but, she pressed on, swallowing hard and climbing the wooden staircase to her freedom.

Once she was able to see the room above the basement, she knew she was probably right in assuming the worst. Not wanting to look at anything save for the intense disarray of the room, she quickly looked around for the exit to this small hovel. Her eyes were soon drawn to the light shining in from the doorway, the shards of the wooden door strewn about from when it was broken into. Rarity took a deep breath, and walked out into the warmth and light of Celestia’s sun.

She blinked and squinted her eyes as the bright sun hurt them, not being used to this intensity of light. Keeping her eyes on the ground to help them adjust, she spoke up, “Alright, Sweetie Belle, you can open your eyes now. Carefully, it’s very, very bright.”

Slowly, her little sister opened her eyes, and let out a gasp of wonder and amazement. She was outside for the first time in her life and it filled her little heart with a sense of purest joy.

“Outside! We’re outside! Sunny!” She shouted, her eyes closing for a moment before she continued to look around in awe.

Rarity smiled gently and raised her head slowly, taking her own look of the outside world, her own happiness resonating with that of her sister’s. It was magical.

This was a new day for them. Free from the oppression of their parents, this day would light the way for the rest of their lives.

One Month Later

“Sissy... I’m hungry!” Sweetie Belle cried, her little tummy rumbling.

“I know you are, darling, but we ran out of food this morning, and all the bits I have need to be saved for shelter... don’t worry. Just be tough for your big sister for a little while longer, I have a client coming soon, I hope... and when she comes, we’ll have ten whole bits! Five of that will go to shelter, but the other five will get us hay for a week. It’ll be something to feed us for a while. I just hope she comes soon.” Said Rarity.

She had been working on a dress for her first ever client as an independent clothes maker. Sewing was still her passion and greatest talent, and she was very certain it would support herself and her little sister. For the time being, however, the two were very poor. The white unicorn had spent what bits she was able to find from their old home, which was a difficult task due to the stench within. She was not able to find a lot of bits, nor did she find much in unspoiled food, but she did at least manage to get clothing supplies. She spent what she found getting her and her sister a small shack on the outskirts of Manehattan, as well as buying some extra food rations for the two. But now, they had run out of food, and their survival depended on that client arriving soon and liking the dress she made.

“Otay sissy...” The little filly said as she lowered her head and sniffled.

It broke her heart to see her sister like this, and even after depriving herself of food for a day, it still didn’t seem to be enough. She had hoped the client would have arrived, but still, she waited, “I know, Sweetie, but please just... wait. Why don’t you go and take a nap while I work on this.”

The little filly seemed to be mulling it over in her head, but she eventually nodded in agreement and went to go and lay down on their shared bed. It was shabby, but it was better than the mass of cloth scraps they used to sleep on.

Rarity sighed as she watched her sister leave the room, of which their shack only had three, before she gathered up her needles and turned to them, “I hope that client arrives soon, I can’t bear to see her like this, not to mention my own hunger.”

In response, her needles clicked together, the magical glow around them barely visible.

“Yes, I know you wish you could help more, but this is all we can do for now. Maybe we’ll catch a lucky break... Maybe I’ll go back to cleaning, this place still has some filth in it, and it’ll help pass the time. Assume the position, please.” She said, giving a small smile to her needles.

The needles rearranged themselves from a flower pattern and paired themselves up to act as tiny tweezers to help their mistress pick up small bits of dirt. The shack had already been cleaned top to bottom during the unicorn’s stay here, the bulk of the cleaning having been done in the last couple of days as Rarity fought to stave off hunger, and as the amount of dirt in the place began to shrink, she needed smaller means by which to clean, to keep her mind off of things, especially her belly.

With the help of her special tools, she went through her new home, picking up tiny flecks of dirt and dust, putting it all into a small pile for later disposal. The more she did this, the more she enjoyed the feeling of cleanliness. It made her feel in control of her life, it made her feel as if she’d washed away and cleaned her terribly stained past, especially when it came to the constantly dirty basement she lived in. It was all part of a way for her to feel like this was truly a new life for her and sister, a better one, and not just another bad hand dealt by fate.

After she cleaned for what could have been hours, a knock rapped upon her door. Her concentration broke immediately as she jumped in fright at the sudden noise, but she regained her composure quickly and stared at the door cautiously. Her needles began to clack together, but she quickly shushed them and made her way to the door. Unlike the last time her door was intruded, this attempt at entry came with a polite knock, which usually meant good news.

She cautiously opened the door just a crack with a touch of magic before she peered outside, and to her elation, she recognized the face of the pony who had been knocking at her door.

“Tranquil Springs! How marvelous for you to show up! Please, come on in. I put the finishing touches on your outfit a few hours ago, so it should look positively perfect and to your specifications!” She said as she gave her best business smile.

Tranquil Springs returned the smile as she walked into the house, her wings tucked in tightly in the small space, “Thank you very much. I can’t wait to see it.” She said, though at the back of her mind, she was kind of wary about buying a dress off of a back alley clothes maker.

At least it was cheap.

“Wonderful, well, here it is! What do you think?” Rarity said, shifting her gaze from her client to the dress she had made.

The pegasus pony’s eyes widened as she saw the dress. It was a marvel! “That dress looks magnificent! I... I don’t know what to say.”

The unicorn beamed with pride at her client’s reaction, “I’m so very glad you like it! Does that mean you’ll be buying it? We agreed on ten bits I believe.” She asked, a little too eagerly due to her hungry belly.

“Oh of course I’m buying this! Though this is worth much more than ten bits!” Tranquil said, looking at the wonderful dress, “Here, I don’t have much extra money, but this is worth fifteen bits at least.”

Rarity’s eyes widened a little more as she saw her client fishing for even more money. A tip! A wonderful thing! This could get her and Sweetie Belle much in the way of food for a while. “Oh, thank you! You are most generous! You don’t know how much it will help me and my little sister.”

Tranquil Springs paused for a moment before setting down her mouthful of bits on a nearby table, “Little sister? Well... now I’m wishing I could help you a little more. You know... you should go and see Bobbin, down on Pineapple Avenue. She owns a clothes shop, and you might be able to get your talent some more exposure. Just tell her I sent you, and she might be able to help. We go way back.” The pegasus explained, smiling brightly to the maker of her new dress.

Rarity began to tear up a little. It felt as if she had met the kindest pony in the world at this very moment, and she couldn’t be happier about it, “Thank you... thank you very much. I’ll do just that. I need to pick up some food today, but tomorrow, I’ll definitely go. I can’t thank you enough, this is just what me and my sister needed.”

Tranquil’s face softened as she saw the reaction to her little bit of kindness, “Well, don’t worry. You go do that right away. I’ll just be taking my dress and heading out. I have to get ready for a little party tonight.”

“Oh, yes, of course. I won’t keep you. Here, let me fold it up for you.”

Moments later, Rarity handed over the folded up dress to Tranquil Springs, the pony that showed her the greatest generosity she had ever witnessed in her life. They said their goodbyes to one another, bidding farewell to one another, and with that, Rarity now found herself alone in the room.

She let out a squeal of joy.

“I did it! My first sale! And I got a tip, too! I just know I can pull this off now... Sweetie Belle!”

A moment later, she heard her sister’s little hooves come from the bedroom, “What is it sissy? Did you get food yet?” She asked, sounding a little sleepy from her nap.

“I got the money! I’ll be going out to get us some food now, you won’t have to be hungry for very much longer!”

The small quiet trot turned into an excited galloping as Sweetie Belle ran into the room, “Really? Yay! Hurry up, sissy! I want it now!”

Rarity gave a gentle laugh, “Alright. I’ll go and get it for you. You go back in the room and get under the covers, alright? And if anypony comes in, and it doesn’t sound like me, you hide under the floorboards like I told you, alright?” The unicorn said to give her sister a refresher on safety in the house.

The little filly nodded quickly, having practiced just in case something bad happened, “I’ll be otay! Now go!” She said as she prodded her sister’s foreleg with her tiny horn.

The older unicorn smiled, “Alright. Stay safe, I’ll be back soon.”

After she made sure that Sweetie Belle was safely tucked away in the house, she locked the front door behind her and made her way into the city, thinking of getting enough food to last them a few weeks. She’d wait until she had steady income before getting anything tastier than the barest of necessary foods, but she felt that soon she’d be able to get her sister and herself something nice.

It was only a matter of time now.

The Following Day

Rarity sat in the main room of her shack as she munched on some of the hay she had gotten yesterday, enjoying a breakfast before she left for the dress shop. Her little sister was still asleep, her little belly still full of food from the small feast they enjoyed the night before. While she wanted to conserve what they had for the time being, she was not going to deny her little Sweetie Belle a chance to make up for a missed meal, but she did make sure to tell her they wouldn’t be able to do something of the sort again for a while.

She hoped that it wouldn’t be a while, however. She was still young, and her sister younger still. They had their whole lives left to travel down the paths set before them. She had a feeling things would only get better from here.

But, she had to be proactive in this, and after swallowing down the last of her hay and taking a drink of stale water to wash it down, she vowed to do just that.

“Alright you lot, it’s time to go. You can tuck yourselves in to my mane for now. I might be needing you at the dress shop to show this Bobbin my stuff. And I would very much appreciate it if you were on your best behavior and helped me be my best.” She said, talking to her needles.

After receiving a bit of clacking in response, she smile brightly and gave them a kiss, “Oh, thank you very much.”

All of a sudden, she heard the sound of tiny hooves tapping on wooden floor, and as she turned her head, she saw Sweetie Belle sleepily drag herself in to the room, “Oh! Good morning, Sweetie Belle.”

“Mornin’... sissy.” The little filly replied.

Rarity giggled happily upon  seeing her sister walk out of their shared bedroom with a mane that looked like it had taken a beating, “Good morning, Sweetie Belle. It’s good that you’re up. I have breakfast laid out for you here already, but I do have to tell you that I’ll be leaving soon. There’s somewhere I need to visit, hopefully to make a deal about getting more money for us in exchange for my dressmaking talents,” She explained.

“Aww… you’re leaving again…” Her sister replied, hanging her head low.

“I am… and I’d like to take you into town with me.”

The little filly perked up at the words. Her eyes widened a little and a smile graced her little face, “I get to go shopping wit sissy! Yay!”

Rarity watched as her little sister danced in place, “Good! I’m glad you’re excited. Now, come on, eat up and we can get going. You have until I get ready, so hurry up!”

Sweetie Belle nodded happily and hopped up onto a little stool that brought her to the same height at their rickety table. As she started to dig in, Rarity turned and began to prepare for the trip.

She wanted to take some samples with her, and some materials with which to create more on the fly, should Bobbin wish it of her. Thinking practically for a moment, she decided to take the saddlebags she had made for herself. It wasn’t a full dress, but she didn’t have one of those handy at the moment, so she had to make do with what she had. The saddlebags were a wonderful shade of purple that matched her mane, and worked well for carrying her things.

She delicately placed what she thought she might need for this in to her bags, including some spare cloth and several spools of thread. Once finished, she closed her bags tightly and turned to her needles, which were still floating by her side, “Alright, I’m ready to leave now. In you go!” She said, lowering her head slightly.

At the command, her needles spread out and weaved themselves in to her mane. She always liked to keep them close to her, but after receiving several odd looks when she first left her parent’s house for having needles floating beside her head, she decided that it be best to hide them. Once they were tucked away nicely and out of sight, she turned to her sister, “Alright, Sweetie Belle, are you done with your breakfast?”

The little filly was in the middle of her eating the last bit of her food as she gulped it all down. For a brief moment, it looked like she might have started to choke, but it passed, and she let out a small gasp before a smile graced her face, “All ready now, sissy! I like going outside!” She said, quite excited to be in the sun once again.

“Very well, let your big sister Rarity take you out for a day in the town! Just stay close to me, alright?” She said, not wanting any harm to befall her younger sibling.

After a cute little nod from the filly, Rarity opened the door and together, they set out, out into the bright, warm sunlight they’ve only recently become acquainted with. The slum they lived in looked quite dingy, but what underlying beauty there was was amplified by the wonderful rays of the sun.

However, as nice at it might look, Rarity didn’t want to stay, and so with Sweetie Belle in tow, she headed towards the center of Manehattan. She had wandered around the city a few times with her little sister in the month since they left their parent’s home, but they were still strangers to the layout of the city. Still, even lost, they enjoyed the sights and the sounds together, especially since the center of the city was much nicer than the slums they currently lived in.

Eventually, Rarity decided it was best if they got directions, as after an hour of searching, she still couldn’t find Pineapple Avenue. Luckily, she spotted a pony that might be able to help, “Hello there, officer. I was wondering if I could bother you for some directions?” She asked.

The stallion wearing a blue hat, vest, a golden police badge and rugged good looks turned to her with a smile on his face, “Hello, madam. Not a problem at all, I know this town like the back of my hoof. Where do you need to go?”

Rarity blushed slightly at the officer after getting a good look at him, but decided that she had more important things to do than flirt. Besides, she wasn’t even sixteen yet, he was much too old for her, “Ah-heh, yes, well...” She started, a little flustered, “...I was looking for a clothes shop on Pineapple Avenue, owned by somepony named Bobbin.”

“Oh, I know just where that is, madam. One of her tailors makes our uniforms, you know. Alright, from here... Ah. Go down that road about half a block,” He said as he pointed down the road behind Rarity, “Then take a left, and keep going until the main road hits a fork, and then go right. That’s Pineapple Avenue. Then, you just gotta read the signs as you go along, you can’t miss it.”

“Oh! Thank you so much! I think I only just missed the boutique while looking. Thank you again, officer.”

“Not a problem, and please, call me Solitaire.”

Rarity gave him a flustered giggle and nodded before turning around to follow his directions. Sweetie Belle wasn’t too far behind, and her inquisitive nature got the better of her, “Sissy, why’s your face all red and stuff?”

The white mare blushed even harder now, though out of embarrassment this time, “Shush, Sweetie Belle. That’s... there’s no reason, let’s just keep going.”

The little filly gave her older sister a curious look before the two continued down the road towards the boutique. Sure enough, ten minutes later, the two found Pineapple Avenue, and moments later, the clothes shop came in to view. The store was of moderate size and had a big sign out front in the shape of a bobbin with the word’s ‘Bobbin’s Clothes For All Occasions’ on it.

“Well, this must be the place then. Alright, Sweetie Belle, come on inside and please behave, alright. I want to look around a little first before speaking to the owner. I need to know if my clothing designs are up to par with these.”

“Otay sissy, I’ll just stay close to you.” Came her sister’s high pitched voice.

Side by side they walked into the clothes shop, the older unicorn’s eyes immediately looking over the various outfits and accessories to be found in the establishment. She took everything in with a critical eye, and while some of it was genuinely fantastic, a lot of it was rather mediocre, at least, as far as she was used to. This was the first instance of true pride swelling up in her, the idea that just maybe, her clothing, while not the best, was better than most, which made it a greater financial boon for her.

Her thoughts and observations brought her over to a corner of the store, out of the way of many eyes, as she found herself looking at the various hats on the rack.

Little did she suspect that fate would give to her another path to follow twice in one day.

Rarity’s thoughts were suddenly disturbed when two ponies, one blue and the other yellow, suddenly burst into the shop, wearing some familiar headwear. Balaclavas.

The two ponies stood tall and menacing in the shop, causing a few of the more fright filled ponies to run away and out the door, leaving only a few ponies behind in the shop. One of the masked ponies was a unicorn mare with a yellow coat, levitating a couple of kitchen knives above her head. The other was a blue coated earth stallion, looking like he had quite a bit of muscle on him.

The unicorn approached the counter, a menacing look in her eye, “Keep quiet, and toss all the bits you have into the bag, and maybe we won’t do anything to your nice little store here.” She said menacingly before tossing a brown sac on to the counter, the bag making a jingle as it landed.

Rarity watched in fright as the event unfolded in front of her eyes, her terror from a month past returning in full stride. Sweetie Belle seemed terrified as well, giving a little scream before diving into some clothes in order to hide. She apparently had better instincts than her elder sister at the moment. Soon, she felt something moving in her mane, and moments later, a familiar clacking sound came to break her from her stupor.

“W-what was that?” She asked, in a whisper, turning to see her needles floating beside her head again.

Her needles made a series of clacks that only she could understand, and then all of a sudden flew off towards the hat rack.

“You want me to what?” She asked incredulously, her voice barely rising as she expressed her shock.

Without a sound, the needles ignored their mistress for now and picked up a large hat for unicorns off of the rack. A moment later, they deposited the rather nice looking hat on to their owner’s head, and began to clack together once more.

“A disguise? But this is---”

She was cut off by her tools, which continued to urge her on, trying to talk some sense into her in their own special way.

A moment later, Rarity’s eyes softened and she finally nodded, “You’re right... I can do something about this... in this city... My parents were killed by ruffians like these. Who’s to say that, if I don’t stop them, they might not come after me, or Sweetie Belle... Alright! Let’s go.”

Using her borrowed hat to hide her face, she walked out from her corner of the store and into the open.

The pony behind the counter, Bobbin she assumed, was currently handing over a bag full of what could only be bits to the robbers. The unicorn burglar had the knives floating in the air, while her accomplice carried the bag. They were about to make their leave, but Rarity simply would not allow it.

“Halt, you ruffians!” She shouted to the ponies about to flee.

The two burglars suddenly halted their movements to see just who was calling them out, afraid for a moment that it might be the police here already. However, what they saw wasn’t the police at all. It was a teenage mare wearing a hat much too big for her.

They laughed.

“Hmph... I’ll show you!” She said, turning to her needles for a moment to give them a nod.

The burglar continued to laugh for a moment before snapping in to a mild rage, “Right. Enough of this joke. Let’s see how this little foal likes getting cut.”

With her magic, she sent the knife flying straight for its intended target, aiming to plunge itself into the white unicorn. She blinked as a sudden glint of light flashed in front of her knife. She paid it no mind at first, but when she was not longer able to move her knife at all, she frowned and took a closer look, and her eyes widened at what she found.

Tiny threads, innumerable amounts of them, were suddenly binding the knife in place in mid air, “What the?”

With a flick of her head, the threads suddenly shifted violently and loosened briefly, forcing the knife out its telepathic grasp and flicking it across the room harmlessly. But she wasn’t done there. While she partially let her needles act on their own, or what she believed was their own, she guided them with her will in this fight. Another motion with her head, her horn glowing brightly, and the needles swooped down under the unicorn burglar’s stomach. Not stopping there, they quickly wrapped around her once, making a thick line of threads around her belly.

“What are you doin---” She was suddenly cut off from a sudden intense pressure on her stomach.

With another motion, Rarity had commanded her needles to pull as hard as they could, making the threads around the burglar’s stomach pull very tight, very fast. She had completely knocked out the wind out of the robber, causing her to fall to the ground, sputtering in an attempt to catch her breath.

Dumbfounded by his companion’s sudden injury, the stallion had stood dumbly for a moment before snapping out of it, knowing what he had to do. His front-right hoof stomped the ground and his head lowered to give out a snort of anger. In a mindless fit of anger, he charged forth, ready to plow the young mare to the ground and take her out of commission.

The large hatted mare took a step back as she saw the rather large earth pony charge towards her, but she couldn’t back up now. “I’ll be having none of that!” She shouted out as she commanded her needles to pull the threads.

All sixteen of her needles suddenly began to braid the threads they each held; for the extra strength was needed. With a rapid motion of her head, Rarity commanded the needles to fly around the charging pony’s hooves, circle him completely, and loop one around the thin rope of thread before pulling tightly.

The stallion barely noticed the string that had now surrounded him at knee height, and while he was big and strong, his speed and reflexes were extremely poor. He was all too late when the string suddenly tightened around his legs.

There was nothing he could do to stop himself from falling face first onto the floor.

Rarity was panting lightly, the exertion and panic finally taking its toll on her body. She had never done anything of the sort before, at least, not actively. But with the help of her needles, she had done it. She had sent the two burglars to the ground, but there was still one more thing to do.

“Alright... big finish now.” She whispered to herself.

Conjuring up power from her reserves, as well as the rest of her thread that she had taken with her, she sent forth a flourish of magic and twine to surround the two would be robbers. It took some intense concentration, but in her mind, the results were worth it. The thread had finally run out, the needles she loved so very much returned to her side, and the bad guys were now tied from head to flank in twine.

“That... that will teach you brigands a lesson!” She shouted defiantly.

Rarity was now panting fully, her chest heaving from the amount of magic she had suddenly spent all at once. Years of using her talents for clothes making alone did not give her much in the way of stamina, but that was something she could work on in the future.

Once she felt that the store was safe, she started to glance around, but not before she received a tiny tackling hug to the back of her left hind leg. She almost buckled under the surprise, but managed to stay standing.

“Sissy! That was so cool! You stopped them!” The excited little filly attached to her hind-leg said.

Turning to look, she saw her little sister gripping her leg for dear life, tears in her eyes that were quickly drying up from the excitement of her sister’s actions. Rarity gave her a smile, and was opening her mouth to speak when she was suddenly interrupted.

“Oh, thank you so much for stopping them!” Came a voice from in front of her.

The white unicorn was slightly startled, but she kept her composure, unsure of how to proceed now. She caught a glimpse of the mare that had thanked her and she could tell that it was the shopkeeper that was behind the counter when the robbers arrived. And from the cutie mark on her flank, a bobbin of thread, similar to her own, she figured this must be Ms. Bobbin herself.

“It... it was no trouble, really. I was just trying to protect my little sister here. And umm... I borrowed your hat, but do you mind if I keep wearing it until the police arrive? I’d rather not show my face to those brigands...” She replied.

“Oh! Certainly! In fact, keep the hat! You saved me from losing over a hundred bits today! It’s the least I can do.” Bobbin said, smiling brightly to her store’s savior.

The white mare was taken aback by the sudden grateful attitude of the shop owner, having never experienced anything of the sort with which to compare this too, but she was thankful for the gift, “Why, thank you very much, madam.” She said, giving a small bow.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. That was some amazing work you did there with those two. You must be quite the seamstress to be able to do so much with nothing but some needles and thread.”

“Ah, yes. Well, I do have some practice yes...” She replied, trying to be modest about it.

“I see. Well, I can’t thank you enough for saving my store! In fact, wait just right here.” Bobbin said as she went to her counter, picking up the bag of almost stolen bits along the way.

Rarity looked on, curiosity in her eyes, watching for just what the store owner was doing. After a moment, she realized that other mare was counting out the bits in the bag, but she hadn’t the faintest idea why. Still, she decided to wait, and stole a glance towards the burglars she’d tied up. The two were still bound tightly enough that neither could escape without help. The unicorn burglar’s eyes were covered in thread as well to prevent her from seeing, so that she couldn’t find and focus on her knives to escape.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when Bobbin called out to no one in particular, “Just as I thought! I knew I saw some bits at the bottom of this bag when I first started to fill it, I just wasn’t sure! I just did a quick count, and my hundred and twenty bits are all here, and then some. Here, why don’t you take it from these no good ponies? It’s not like they deserve to have it, and it’s not mine to have either.” She said.

“Oh, no, I couldn’t, I...” Rarity sputtered.

“Nonesense! You’ve earned it. Take it and go buy some more thread, and maybe a treat for you and your sister. There’s definitely enough in here for that. I’ll not take no for an answer!” The shop owner said defiantly.

The white unicorn sighed in defeat, “Oh, well, very well then. We certainly could use the bits.”

“That’s what I wanted to hear. Here, take it and run along now, I don’t think the police take kindly to vigilantes in this town. I won’t say anything though, no one else was around to hear, and I don’t think these two would want to admit they were beaten by someone in their teenage years that they could barely see under a hat.” The kind mare said, giving Rarity a warm smile.

The behatted pony nodded, her horn glowing brightly as she levitated the bag containing who knew how many bits over to herself. However, once she heard that police don’t like vigilantes, she had to ask a question, “Umm... if I may ask, what is a vigilante? I can’t say I’ve heard the word before.”

“You haven’t? Well, I’ll tell you real quick, but you’re going to leave soon because of it! A vigilante is a pony who takes the law into their own hands, one who fights crime and isn’t a police pony. See, in Equestria, you have to be a registered police pony to fight crime, and you did kind of do it in a way that’s usually not allowed, and that’s against the law. In short, you should get out of here soon and head back home.”

“O-Oh my... yes, I’ll be off. Thank you again! Come, Sweetie, let’s go!” Rarity shouted.

“But wh---”

“Now!”

Her little sister seemed to cower back a little, but as her elder sister ran off, she followed along. The mare made sure not to run so fast as to lose her sister, but she ran just as fast as the filly could, wanting to make sure they were as far away as possible.

She had absolutely no idea that what she did could have gotten her into trouble with the police! She knew what they had to do and what they did to those that broke the law. If she had known what she was doing was against the law, then...

As they turned the corner, Rarity slowed drastically, which her little sister was thankful for, letting her catch her breath. The elder sister was deep in thought over the events that unfolded, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that what she did was the right thing after all, pony law aside. Who knows if those two would have ever been caught, or what they might have done to her or her sister had they been spotted. What’s worse, who’s to say they might not have tried to break into their home one day? Who’s to say somepony else might not try? She had seen two vicious robberies in such a short amount of time. So much could happen in such a little amount of time. They could be in danger at any moment, and not even kno---

“Sissy?”

The one word broke the pondering unicorn from her thoughts. She blinked as her head seemed to clear itself, and she turned to look at the source of the voice.

“Are you otay, sissy? We ran far. Why’d we run far?” Sweetie Belle asked, her bright, innocent eyes looking up at her older sister.

As she looked into those eyes, she seemed to find the answer to her problems and her worries. It might be dangerous, but in the end, she knew that she had to protect her little sister, she had to make this city a safer place for her to play, to grow... a safer place to live.

“It’s... it’s nothing Sweetie Belle... come here, dear.” She said, sitting down on her flank before scooping her sister up in a hug.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Her little sister asked again, knowing something was amiss.

“Yes... yes, I am. I just... I just want to hug my little sister right now. We’re going to go home for a little while, and... and tomorrow, I’m taking you out to buy some apples, alright?”

“Apples? I never had one of them before.”

“I know. I haven’t either, but I hear they’re delicious.”

“Really? Yay! Let’s get some apples!” Sweetie Belle replied, hugging her sister tightly with a large smile on her face.

Rarity hugged right back, holding her dearest sister as close as she could, holding back the sounds of her sobs as tears of fear and hope trickled down her face.

Their life was going to be hard, but for her sister’s sake, she would do everything within her power to make things right for the two of them.

Six Months Later

Luna’s moon was high in the sky above the city and the streets of Manehattan were quiet save for the trotting hooves of the occasionally night loving pony. Rarity had become one of those ponies, for it was the best time for her to do her work without being caught. Currently, however, she was sitting comfortably in her home in the suburbs of Manehattan while her little sister slept soundly in the next room.

The two had moved in to a nicer home as Rarity gained more and more bits from her nighttime activities, as well as the dressmaking business she used as a cover. She could fashion a dress in no time at all, and it was easy to pretend that it always took a while, which made things much easier for her. The extra money helped to get her sister in to school, to give her the education she herself was denied in life. To this day, raising her sister properly and safely was something she had not faltered on, and never would.

With her magic, the unicorn levitated a cup of tea to her lips, and flipped the page of the newspaper she was reading. While it wasn’t front page news just yet, the articles were starting to become larger and larger.

‘The Seamstress: Should She Be Stopped?’

Rarity smirked as she saw the title of the article, reading the title she had given herself months ago after her first time actively searching for trouble. She remembered it like it was yesterday...

This was it, this was her first chance to actively clean up her neighborhood, to try and make things safer for her little sister.

The goons were right in front of her, occupied with a small time mugging. She had her needles at the ready. She had her newly obtained hat upon her head, as well as her new clothes, fashioned to hide her cutie mark, upon her back. She was ready to do this.

She stepped forward towards the thugs shaking down a young mare who looked like she was from the upper class part of the city, and when the light finally shined upon her, she spoke aloud, “Halt, you foul brigands!”

The two thugs, one a pegasus and the other an earth pony, jumped in place at the sudden shout from the alleyway, and together, they turned to see who it was.

“Who in the world are you?” The pegasus asked.

“The one who will make sure you end up behind bars before night’s end!”

The two seemed angry at this notion, and while the earth pony stood behind to watch their quarry, the pegasus flew slightly above the ground and dashed forward, looking for a fight.

Rarity, though scared, was ready for a fight as well, and in a flourish of magic and feathers, the battle had begun.

To her surprise, the two thugs barely even knew what hit them. In the dim light, neither opponent could see her thin threads and needles dance through the air, and it made for their swift downfall.

“I didn’t even have to use that much thread this time...” She whispered to herself, noting that she only used half of her two bit supply to tie the two of them up.

“Oh, thank you so much!” The distressed mare shouted to her rescuer.

“It... it was not a problem, madam. I’m just glad you’re safe. Now, you should leave before anything else happens. It’s not safe around here.” She instructed.

“But... I need to properly thank you for what you’ve done for me!”

“It isn’t necessary, please.”

“Then... then at least tell me your name! I must know the name of she who saved me.”

Rarity was suddenly put on the spot. She knew that she was breaking the law with this, and having her name spread around town simply wouldn’t do. But, she wanted to give this mare something. She had to come up with something fast, and as her mind raced, the words of a grateful Ms. Bobbin crossed her mind.

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. That was some amazing work you did there with those two. You must be quite the seamstress to be able to do so much with nothing but some needles and thread.”

“I... you may call me The Seamstress, madam, if you must call me anything.” She said, keeping her hat low to hide her face.

The mare seemed disappointed in getting an alias, but, she took what she was given, “The Seamstress... I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“Then you are welcome. But please, I believe you should be leaving now. If you wouldn’t mind, do you think you could tell the police ponies about this place, but leave me out of it?”

“Of course! I’ll do that right away!”

With that, the mare took off down the street, heading towards where she thought the police station could be found.

In the alleyway, Rarity sighed in relief.

She had done it.

The unicorn grinned at the memory as she took another sip of her tea. That was her first time actively seeking out and stopping crime in the city as a vigilante. It was also the first time she had used that nickname, and thanks to that mare who couldn’t keep her mouth shut, the name began to spread like wildfire throughout the city, especially as the months went by and she started to take on more and more every night.

With a bit of focus, she closed the newspaper and set it aside on to a stool next to her nicely furnished chair. A moment later, her cup of tea glowed brightly with her magic as she brought it to her lips for a sip.

The tea was such a wonderful thing. It helped to calm her nerves, soothe her soul, and the small amount of caffeine helped with those late nights. Chocolate, well balanced food, good shelter, and tea were all things she was able to afford ever since she had made a decision long ago, the very night she got her name, a decision that changed the way she made her living to this day.

A small smile appeared on her face as she remembered that night once again, her eyes glazing over as the world faded around her...

The mare she had saved was gone now, most likely to do as she asked and get the police to come and arrest the two she had tied up nearby. This only gave a short amount of time to make a decision before she had to flee from the police.

She remembered how, the night before, she had finally opened the bag containing the bits she was given by Bobbin, and how it seemed to contain the bits the robbers came in with. The bag had contained a whole thirty bits, enough to pay for food and rent for a month. In one act of bravery, she had earned so much.

And it had come from taking money from the brigands she had defeated in the store.

Her eyes turned to look at the two that were on the ground, struggling against their bonds in order to escape. A moral battle raged within her, but the more she thought of her little sister, the more she thought of what she needed to do.

“I’m sorry, boys, but turning you over to the police isn’t the only unwanted thing I’ll be doing to you both today.” She said as she approached them.

The two got worried looks on their faces as the unicorn that had captured them approached, and in their vulnerable position, they closed their eyes shut, fearing what she was going to do to them.

As she looked the two over, her horn began to glow, and the two thugs felt a pressure from inside their bags. She had seen the bags the ruffians were carrying when they were hassling the distressed mare, most likely to hold any ill-gotten gains. She wasn’t too hopeful at first when she felt the first bag empty, but when she felt around inside of the second bag, a smile appeared on her face.

Rarity focused her magic and with minimal effort, she levitated a small amount of bits and jewelry from the bag, all of which was glowing with her magic. She had no time to count it, however, and quickly threw it all into her thread bag before running off, ignoring the cusses and shouts from the tied up thugs she had left behind for the police to deal with.

She had robbed the robbers, and by the look of things, was going to get away with it.

The unicorn giggled lightly as the memory finished playing over in her head. It was the first of many times that she had stolen ill-gotten gains from those she stopped. After months of telling herself that it was for her sister, that it was her reward for stopping those bad ponies, she had come to perform the act as if it were second nature.

Now, a large portion of her funding came from such activities, taking from those on the wrong side of the law. She had even concocted a spell to aid her in the task, a spell to find valuables wherever they might be, but the spell always seemed to prefer gems over bits, no matter how hard she tried to perfect it. It didn’t matter in the long run, however, as it all worked out in the end when she got the valuables she needed.

She took another sip of tea, and with a motion that showed her growing grace, she set the teacup down upon the stool beside her newspaper, the glass clacking against the hardwood. However, at the last moment, an errant bit of pollen wafted up her nose, and before she could stop herself, the irritating speck tickled the inside of her nose.

And she sneezed.

“Eeeuch... How unlady like...” She said, brushing a hoof against her nose to help clear it up.

As she had moved to a higher class of living in the city, so too did her mannerisms. Even in the suburbs, the ponies in Manehattan held themselves with a level of grace and dignity, at least, the ones who didn’t turn to a life of crime. With the constant exposure to the posh attitude and lifestyles, they had started to rub off on her as well, changing the way the spoke and acted even when in private. She didn’t even notice the change herself, and it had taken her little sister to point it out to her, but in the end, she didn’t mind it. It made her feel sophisticated.

Once her nose was cleared, she glanced around the room to make sure nothing was out of place, and as her eyes fell upon her teacup, her eyes widened slightly.

“Oh my! This simply won’t do. I need a cloth!” She said, almost shouting.

She quickly rushed to the kitchen, and knowing exactly where it was, she levitated a piece of stained white cloth and brought it close. Once it was in check, she ran back to her stool, and looked at the mess she had made.

“I was sure I had put you down properly, but no, it’s just my luck that I had to sneeze just as I was letting go, and now I’ve got two tea stains on my nice stool.”

In a fit of concentration and scrubbing, she quickly wiped down the stool, levitating her cup and her newspaper to make sure that she got it all, to make sure that she didn’t leave a trace.

This wasn’t a habit that she liked doing, but it was one she felt was necessary. While the ponies in town always knew that it was The Seamstress that stopped the thugs in the streets, thanks to the extremely obvious fact that they were always tied in countless yards of thread whenever they were found, it was the smaller details that she knew could be traced back to herself.

Her hat always hid her face, so at least that was safe, but many other things made her unique, and there were many ways to track down a criminal based on anything left behind. The way she walked was also important; she had taken to walking differently when being herself, and when becoming the Seamstress. She did what she could to keep her cutie mark hidden at all times as well, using her clothes to both throw off the color of her coat and her hair, and to cover up that special mark she bore on her flank.

The worst offender, one that made her paranoid after every bust, was leaving a piece of herself behind, or rather, a hair. She always kept her mane and tail well groomed, and even started using gel to hold it together in place, but the thought of leaving a hair behind made her fearful. While she could always hide its color in the dead of night, she dared not leave one behind, for she knew that some unicorns in the police force had spells for tracking down criminals with such things.

This fear had led to paranoia after every single nightly outing, rechecking her steps and making sure every little thing that could trace The Seamstress’ actions back to her was removed from the scene of the crime, and in time, this practice started to bleed into her daily life. Every out of place object or mess that she found she cleaned with expediency, as if some sort of force was compelling her to do so.

She had changed much in the last six months, but in her mind, she believed she had changed for the better. She was actively helping the community and her sister, she had plenty of bits to pay for food, shelter, and new materials, as well as a saving set aside just in case. Her life was good, it was on track, and most important of all, Sweetie Belle was safe, healthy, and able to keep her secret safe.

Once the small mess she had made was cleaned up, she brought the cloth back to the kitchen and went to sit down with her newspaper once more. The pages were filled with bits of news of the day that had just passed, and while a little late for the news to be fresh, it was still a good read, one that helped to boost her ego whenever she found an article about her other life.

The unicorn was about to raise her teacup for another sip when she caught a familiar name in the newspaper, “What’s this?”

Her gaze turned to an article at the back of the newspaper;

‘Tranquil Springs Still Missing, Family Worried’

That was a name she had not heard in nearly a month now, but one she still held dear to her heart. The kind pegasus was the second largest factor in the way her life had shaped, from the first bit of generosity she had been shown, to guiding her to the clothes shop that had spawned her other persona. She had continued to buy clothes from Rarity, always giving her a tip for her hard work, and up until a month ago, she was sure the two could become friends.

She had been saddened when the friendly pegasus had stopped showing up, but thought it nothing more than a busy schedule, or maybe a vacation. This article, however, sent a shiver down her spine as she feared what might have happened.

The white mare had no idea where to look first, but she knew she had to.

“Wake up now. I know I promised to give you a break, but something terribly important has come up. Could you please fetch my hat while I get my bags?” She asked to seemingly no one.

Her hair rustled a moment, and, slowly but surely, the objects that she was speaking to came out of her hair, almost drowsy, as if they had been asleep, and in her mind, they had been.

“No time to dilly dally, this must be dealt with immediately!” She said, raising her voice to her needles.

Almost immediately, her tools sprang to life, and flew off towards their mistress’ bedroom to fetch her hat, just as they were told. As they did that, Rarity rushed off to her closet and opened the door. Her horn glowed brightly for a moment, and a plank on the floor moved aside, revealing a hidden hole under the floorboards.

She had dug it out, much to her disgust, some time ago to hide her bags of threads. While she didn’t have to hide her hat, due to it becoming un-mysteriously popular with the mares of Manehattan, her thread bag was what held all of the evidence needed to point her out as The Seamstress. With a moment of focus, she lifted her thread bags out of the hole and onto her back, making sure it was in her proper place.

Her horn glowed once more as she opened one of the bags and levitated her minimalistic clothing out of it before draping it over herself. It was loosely attached, but it did the job of hiding her cutie mark and her true colors, covering her in just the right spots with just the right colors to throw ponies off of her trail in the night.

Moments later, she felt her hat placed upon her head, and she smiled briefly, “Thank you very much; you are always such a help.” She said, turning to her needles.

The sixteen tools grouped together once more after placing the hat on their mistress’s head and clacked together gently.

Rarity, no, The Seamstress smiled in response, and leaned in to plant a kiss upon them, “Alright, my sweets. We have a long night ahead of us, but neither of us can stop for anything until we find my friend.”

Several Hours Later

The Seamstress was finding herself exhausted as she walked down yet another alleyway in the streets of Manehattan, searching and listening for any signs of Tranquil Springs, wherever she might be. The vigilante was fearing that she would have to turn in soon, for the sun was going to rise in a few short hours, and she’d have to be there to help her little sister get to school.

Her heart was heavy as she turned down through the next alley, worry weighing heavy on her mind. However, her ears suddenly perked up as whispers travelled through the stone halls of the city. Quickly, but silently, she rushed over to the source, and she frowned slightly as she grimaced at the ponies that were conversing.

“The Red Hooves...” She whispered to herself.

The Red Hooves were one of the two organized groups of criminals in the city, and they actually brought some form of order to the lesser thugs, though they themselves were pretty bad. They mostly dealt in protection rackets and selling various beverages that were above the legal alcohol limit. The Seamstress knew them well, having stopped some of their activities in the past. Now, she decided to listen in on the ponies talking, all three of them, and wondering if they might have any news for her.

“Can you believe those Black Hooves? How dare they do that to the boss!” A Red Hooves pegasus said.

The Black Hooves, she knew that to be the other group of criminals in the city. They set up after the Red Hooves, and started performing the same acts but keeping all of the bits for themselves, which is what caused the turf war between the two to begin. It almost never got violent, but occasional brawls made it in to the morning papers. This was getting intriguing, and the unicorn vigilante listened on.

“I can’t believe their nerve... but I don’t know what the boss is gunna do now that they have his daughter.” An earth pony said.

“Yeah, he’s lookin’ like he might be ready to crack at any time and give up half our turf.” The third pony in the group added.

“Let’s just hope our guys can get her back before Mr. Springs goes off the deep end.”

The white mare’s eyes opened wide as she heard the name of their boss, something she had been trying to find for months now. Springs. It was almost too hard to believe, but so far, it was the best lead she had, even if it was far-fetched.

Taking a breath, she slowly stepped out into the open. She needed more information, and if she was right, these lot would most likely want her help. If she was right, everyone but the Black Hooves would win in this.

“Excuse me, gentlecolts. But I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.” She said, announcing her presence.

The three colts all suddenly turned to the sound of the voice, and they all frowned in anger at who it was. The pegasus, the leader of the trio presumably, trotted forward a few steps and called out angrily, “Seamstress! What in the hay do you want? We ain’t doing anything wrong just by standing around and having a chat. So why don’t you beat it, if you know what’s good for you?”

Despite his bravado, the Seamstress could see a touch of fear in his eyes, which gave her the upper hand in this conversation, “I don’t think I need to leave just yet, my good stallion. If you answer me one simple question properly; Is the name of Mr. Springs’ daughter Tranquil Springs? You see, I’ve been asked to look for her, and if she’s been taken... well, you had better pray to Celestia that you had nothing to do with it.” She said, her voice growing dark and ominous.

The pegasus back-pedaled a few steps; his two friends now back to being on either side of him. He grit his teeth for a moment, processing the words he heard, before turning to his friends to whisper.

The white vigilante tried to listen in, but from where she was standing, it was impossible to make out the whispers as anything more than mumblings, which was starting to worry her. If these three didn’t cooperate, she’d have a fight on her hands, and combined with the cleanup, she would end up wasting almost all of her remaining time tonight.

Luckily for her, the pegasus stepped forward once again, “Alright. We’ve decided. We may be able to make something of an alliance here, all temporary like. We want the boss’ daughter back, and apparently you do too. So, yes, that’s her name. You game for taking down some Black Hooves and getting her back with us?”

The Seamstress’ eyes focused sharply as she heard the news crudely delivered from the mouth of the thug. Of all the things that the generous pony could have been, being the daughter of the leader of the Red Hooves was the last thing she expected. And now, she was in the middle of petty disputes between the two groups, and that was something she would not allow to continue.

“Tell me where they’re holding her, and then I’ll go on my own. I prefer to work alone.” She said, her voice sharp and to the point.

The pegasus seemed to think it over in his head for a moment, and decided that if worse came to worse, the Seamstress would be out of the picture and they’d have an opening to rush in and try to grab their boss’ daughter themselves.

“Hmm... alright, that works for me. You can find them down by the docks. They recently took them from us and now they’re flaunting it with the kidnapping. You had just better make sure that she gets outta there alive, or there will be consequences!” He shouted, raising his voice as he saw the troublesome unicorn run off in to the night.

The wind was blowing through her mane as she galloped as fast as her legs could take her, fear and adrenaline coursing through her veins. She owed something to this pony, she owed something great. This pony now in distress was the first pony to teach her that there is some good in the world, and eventually, that she should do what she could to protect that good. Tranquil Springs gave her a light that shined brightly within. She would do anything to protect it.

The docks were closing in fast as her breath grew heavy, her hooves banging loudly against the ground as she approached. She was close, and it wouldn’t be long now until she had to move about quietly once more. Being quiet and sticking to the shadows was always her best bet in any situation, especially since she only had so much thread, and there was an unknown amount of ponies between her and her destination.

She lurked in the shadows briefly, both to catch her breath and take a look at the docks. Her eyes quickly spotted some of the Black Hooves down by the docks, pulling up who knows what from a ship that had docked on the pier. The unicorn frowned deeply as she wondered just what they were trying to pull, but shook her head moments later to stay on task.

The Seamstress watched as the criminal ponies walked in and out of a certain warehouse over and over again, either taking in their crates or simply patrolling. Taking a risk, she decided that it was best to check out the building first, and with light steps, she made her way over.

The windows were high up, but that meant nothing to her in the long run. While it was draining to do over any kind of long distance, but not close ones like this, she had just the spell to help her out with this dilemma.

“Alright, come on out, it’s show time.” She said, speaking to her needles.

One by one, they all floated out of her mane, taking their familiar flower pattern beside her head, “Would you be dears and fly up there for me? I need to see what’s inside.”

The needles clacked together, agreeing to the task, and they flew up high to the window for their mistress. Down below, the Seamstress focused her magics, her horn glowed brightly, and the glow spread to her tools as well. Slowly, her eyes closed, but things did not go dark for her eyes; instead, she began to see things from the perspective of her needles from their higher vantage point. To transfer sight over a distance was difficult, but she was able to handle these short distances with ease, even though it only had limited applications.

“Hmm... nothing here...” She said, whispering to herself as she walked along the side of the building and out of sight. With any luck, none of the ponies in the warehouse would notice her glowing needles or horn, and from what she could see, there were not that many in the building at all; two dozen at best. The bad part was she only brought enough thread to tie up six ponies, which meant she was going to have to get rough with most of them if she was caught.

As she walked along, looking into the building, she wasn’t looking where she herself was walking. Her movement was suddenly interrupted by a stack of boxes that were up against the side of the warehouse, her head slamming right into them, startling her enough to fall on her flank.

Her needles rushed to her side, clacking in worry over their mistress, “Don’t worry dears, I’m fine. Just caught me off guard is all. Come, let’s get back to work.” She said as she opened her eyes to look around.

Today seemed to be her lucky day as she noticed that the boxes she had bumped into were stacked high enough to meet the last window on this side of the building. Not wanting to waste anymore magic, she decided a small climb was in order, and with that, she was off. Her hooves clanked loudly against the boxes, making her wince at every occasion, and she hoped that she could be done with this and out of there before anypony noticed her. Once she was on the first box, it took two more short jumps to reach the window, allowing her to peek inside.

“Now, where are... you... no...” The Seamstress said.

Her eyes widened uncontrollably as she saw something so utterly appalling to her, it froze her in place. There, within a back room of the facility, lying upon the floor, was the unmoving, battered body of Tranquil Springs. From within, words floated to her ears.

“Heh, I can’t wait to see the look on Springs’ face when we hand him his daughter’s corpse after he gives us the turf.” Said one of the ponies inside, chuckling in grim satisfaction over his deeds.

Within the Seamstress, something seemed to snap. Her face went dead in sorrow, and without a thought to her own safety, she leaped forward, smashing through the window pane in a flurry of glass shards. Her needles acted autonomously, keeping the many errant shards that might damage their mistress at bay, acting out of her subconscious want to be protected.

She landed with a thud in the cold, nearly empty room. She ignored the fact that ponies would be on their way to stop her at any moment now, not caring for that at the moment. No, at the moment, her eyes were transfixed upon the body that lay in the middle of the room, battered and broken from who knows how much beating.

All she could do was stare, stare at what the evils of this world had done to the first pony to ever show her light. At first, she wanted to blame the world at large, but she knew that they didn’t deserve it. No, the real darkness was located right here, all around her. It was those ponies that had turned to the evils in the world that had done this to a pony that, as far as she knew, was kind-hearted, generous, and pure.

The darkest parts of her mind wanted to lash out, but deep down, she knew that she couldn’t do it to just anything. But what she could unleash her anger upon suddenly burst into the door.

“What in the hay is going on in here?” Shouted the voice she had heard before.

However, her conscious mind couldn’t hear a thing, only dealing with the reeling shock of the mare she was ready to call friend having been suddenly and unjustly taken from the world. The Seamstress’ subconscious, however, had other plans.

The earth pony who had burst into the room with three of his buddies didn’t even know what happened to them. All they saw was a glint of light, and then nothing at all.

While her conscious mind was nearing catatonia, her subconscious mind was ablaze in fury, and as an extension of her subconscious, her needles acted on her behalf. The moment the pony that had presumably killed Tranquil Springs had finished speaking, her tools moved forth in the blink of an eye, each carrying threads with them. Without so much as a sound of impact, each needle, four to a pony, whizzed through their skulls, leaving behind a trail of red tinted string in their wake. The needles kept on going, however, sewing the threads into the walls behind the four Black Hooves.

One by one, the four ponies slumped, their legs going dead, but their heads were now suspended in the air with the threads, their eyes wide open, but lifeless.

Once the deed was done, the needles shed their strands of thread and floated down to their mistress’ side and began to clack.

The clacking seemed to shake her out of her stupor for the moment, but the sudden jolt gave way to emotions backed up in her subconscious to come forth, and for the time being, she began to cry.

“Why? Why would they do this? Why did s-she have to... to...” The Seamstress choked out, her words unable to fully escape her lips.

At her side, her tools clacked together slowly, almost reassuringly, giving her some form of message that seemed to calm her down, at least slightly. Once they found that her conscious mind was in more of a listening mood, they formed an arrow and pointed out the door, past the suspended ponies.

In her blurry vision, she couldn’t quite make them out, but as sorrow wracked her mind, she didn’t care in the least about them at the moment. Slowly, she nodded to her needles, and began to trot forth, “Y-you’re right... I should leave here, f-for now.” She said, her voice still shaky from the sobs from before.

As she left the room and into the main area, she started to trot towards the exit of the warehouse, simply wanting to leave. The area, however, was still filled with members of the Black Hooves, and not a single one of them was happy to see the Seamstress walking out of their onsite boss’ room. One by one they began to charge after her, a dozen of them in full gallop, coming from all distances within the warehouse, all heading straight for the distraught unicorn.

                The Seamstress seemed to still be out of it, but she was recovering fast as her sorrow was slowly being replaced by another emotion from deep within her mind. Her eyes began to clear, her vision and hearing growing sharper, and soon she was able to see the world around her, to see the chaos she had wrought.

                Out of the dozen ponies that had rushed her, eight of them were now dead, suspended in various poses by thread that pierced through their bodies. Some were standing, some were frozen in place while running, and there were two pegasi who were now hanging mid air, threads piercing their heads and wings to keep them aloft.

                Sudden realization dawned on her as more and more emotion poured from parts of her mind she barely knew were even there. Somewhere deep within her, her rage was finally bubbling over, and her want to wreak havoc upon these ponies who had murdered her friend had finally seen the black of the night. Her teeth grit together, her focus became sharper, and her mind suddenly became consumed with a singular thought.

She had to make them all pay.

Her horn began to glow violently as her magic surged forth, coating both her needles and her thread. For the first time in nearly a decade, she was taking full control of the actions her tools were performing, and with their aid, she made her vengeance reality. The ponies who were still alive to have seen what she had done to their allies were frozen in unparalleled fear, their terrified state keeping them still for the brief moment that she needed to get close to them.

No longer did she waste thread of suspending them, no longer needing the illusion that nothing was wrong around her. Her needles flew forth to each of them in turn, skewering through swiftly at random, piercing vital organs, and for those unlucky enough to live through the initial attack, she left there to rot as their life slowly bled from their bodies.

The eerily still ponies behind her contrasted the brutal scene that was playing out before her as she made her way to the exit. Nopony was left alive in the building, but her rage wasn’t satisfied yet, and somewhere in the chaos of her mind, she knew there were more.

The white unicorn took off through the docks, her legs galloping through the area as fast as they could possibly take her as she hunted down each and every last Black Hooves that she could find. Some had not witnessed what she had done to the others and foolishly rushed forth with all manner of weapons, from knives to lead pipes, all in a vain and useless attempt to stop the intruder. One by one she found them, and one by one she skewered, beat, and choked the life of out them.

Her eyes never lost their intense gaze of pure hatred for these ponies and what they had done, and it wasn’t until the last one did something finally to break through her rage. She had finally tracked down the last member on the pier, and after a chase, managed to back her into a corner.

The Seamstress’ gaze was wrought with rage, even as the pony she had cornered cowered in fear.

“P-please don’t hurt me! Please!” The young mare cried out, tears streaming down her face.

Like a hot knife through butter, the words spoken by the terrified pony cut through her blind rage, striking her heart. Her eyes softened, her rage lulled and dissipated, and her proper senses finally began to return to her.

She looked to the cowering pony, and as she did, it all came rushing back to her.

“By Celestia... what have I done...?” She said, the horror she felt over her action echoing in her voice.

The tone of voice seemed lost to the pony crying in the corner, fearing for her life. The Seamstress could only watch in horror at her workings, having brought such terror in to the heart of somepony else. While in her rage, she felt justified in ending all of those lives, but now, now she felt sick to her stomach about it all. What made her feel the worst was that she didn’t feel as sick as she thought she should be.

Unable to confront her workings any longer, she turned tail and ran, galloping away from the docks as fast as she could, trying to forget the trail of blood she had left in her wake. Tears flowed from her eyes as the images of what she had done refused to leave her mind, endlessly tormenting her with her actions.

She didn’t know how long it had taken her, but she soon arrived at her home, just at the break of dawn. She burst into the door, and with a quick display of magic, she tossed her hat and thread bags to the side. Rarity was distraught, unknowing of just what exactly she could do, how she could fix this, how she might be able to hide from this. But deep down, she knew she could never escape this, for she could not escape her own mind, at least, not on her own.

“Sissy... are you otay?” Came a sudden and sleepy voice from nearby.

Her head turned violently as she looked towards the sound of her voice. It was her little sister. The little filly that she had sacrificed so much for. The little filly that she had taken up arms against crime in the city for. The filly that she fed and raised since the day she was born. The very same filly that she loved so very dearly.

Slowly, she trotted over to her little sister before sitting down in front of her, her eyes still brimming uncontrolled tears. She looked down at her sister’s worried face, which seemed to get more miserable the more the smaller unicorn looked upon her older sister’s saddened face.

“S-Sweetie Belle... I’m sorry.” Was all Rarity said as she scooped up her sister in a hug and cried.

“S-Sissy?” Sweetie Belle said, her voice starting to crack.

But Rarity didn’t respond. She only hugged Sweetie Belle and cried. Soon, the sorrow and worry spread to the younger unicorn, and she too began to wail as she hugged her sister tightly, knowing only that having her sister this upset made her upset too.

And so, the two held each other, and as a family, shared tears as they sat upon the floor next to a pile of inanimate needles.

Two Days Later

For the last two days, Rarity and Sweetie Belle remained confined to their house. Neither of them left for any reason, even for the younger sister’s schooling. After having cried for what could have been hours, the eldest unicorn explained to the little filly that she had done something very, very bad, and that it might mean they have to leave Manehattan entirely and start a new life somewhere else. While the little unicorn was curious, and sad to leave her friends in school, the sheer intensity of the way she was told about it let her know that this was something they had to do.

Rarity had spent the day following her homicidal rage tending to her needles, which after her fit, seemed to be completely unresponsive. It took her hours of manipulation and focus to try and get them back to normal, and while she could make them move, almost unconsciously, they refused to speak to her anymore. Try as she might, her needles remained silent, but for all of it, she still loved them, and hoped beyond hope that one day, they’d wake up and talk to her once more.

On the second day, Rarity had finally gotten the newspaper for the day, and the front page news was what truly pushed her over the edge about the decision to move away.

‘The Seamstress Massacre: Vigilante Turned Mass Murderer!’

Almost the entire paper was devoted to her, filled with various hastily written columns about her, some positive, but many negative. She was thankful no pictures were shown, as she was finally able to start forgetting them. The editors most likely believed that they were too grim to show to anypony, much less a foal that might get their hooves on the newspaper.

With this much attention, she knew it was only a matter of time until somepony tracked everything back to her. She also feared that she might have left something behind, something that would allow them to find her much too soon. Her and her sister needed to move away and fast, which is why she now found herself levitating various objects and foodstuffs into any bag she could get her hooves on, and even some she sewed together herself.

Sweetie Belle was doing her best to try and help, carrying over small objects that she could reach, which admittedly wasn’t much, but it kept her busy and made her feel like she was helping out. She still wondered why they had to leave, but she knew she couldn’t question it anymore, for fear of making her sister even sadder. So, she helped instead, as best as her tiny form could.

Suddenly, a thundering knock came upon the door, followed by a booming voice the frightened the two unicorns, “Open the door. Somepony would like a word with you.”

The voice was female, and held a level of grace and charm, but was also strong and commanding. Sweetie Belle instantly began to cower behind her sister, fearing just who was on the other side of the door. Though, it wouldn’t do her much good, as Rarity herself was also wrought with fear that was striking through her, fear that this was it, that this was the end of their happy family.

She heard mumbling come from the other side of the door for a moment, and the voice from before came back, “We know you are in there, ma’am. We’ve tracked you magically. We need to talk to you, that is all. Now, please open the door and let us in, or I will be asked to break it down by my superior here with me.”

A cold shiver ran down Rarity’s spine as she heard the words. She could try to run out the back, but then they would track her down with magic once again. She could try to fight, but deep down, she knew that she couldn’t try to fight anymore, not after the other night. It was far too soon for her, not to mention the fact that Sweetie Belle might get hurt in the process. That was something she simply could not allow to happen.

This was it, there was no way out. She was done for.

Slowly, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Despite everything that was, and had happened, she was at least going to do this with some dignity and grace. With her best walk, she trotted towards the door, “I’m coming. You don’t need to break my door like some ruffian.” She said, hiding behind a pompous attitude.

Once she arrived near the door, she took another deep breath to calm her nerves. Her horn glowed slightly as she focused upon the door, and with the aid of her magic, the door swung open. Rarity looked on, wondering just who the pony was on the other side of the door that would be the one to end all that she had going for her.

On the other side of the threshold stood a young, orange earth pony, no older than she was, standing tall and alert, and her body sleek and muscular. All of a sudden, she suddenly rushed forward and placed a hoof upon Rarity’s chest, and in a display of strength that shocked the unicorn, pushed her back ten feet effortlessly.

“Just stay back and away from my superior, and nopony gets hurt, alright?” The strong mare said threateningly.

“Come now, Bucker, calm down. We are in her home, let’s treat her with respect. Check the door, would you?” Rang a serene voice from the doorway.

Rarity’s eyes opened wide as she looked to the door and saw nopony there. She was sure she had heard a voice, but there wasn’t a pony to be seen.

“Right away, ma’am.” The orange pony said, leaving to go and take a look out the door.

“...Coast is clear. Your adoring fans haven’t noticed you, nor is anypony stalking the place. Nopony is suspicious just yet.” She said after she took a look outside.

“Very good. Close the doors and cover the windows. As much as I love my subjects, I’d rather not draw attention to miss Rarity’s home.” The serene voice said again, still coming from nowhere.

The earth pony gave a nod to nowhere in particular and got about securing the home from prying eyes. Rarity, meanwhile, was still baffled. She didn’t know what any of it meant. How did this voice know her name? What did it mean by subjects? The white unicorn didn’t know the answers, and from the confused looking around Sweetie Belle was doing, neither did she.

“Area secure.”

“Good, thank you.”

Out of nowhere, a bright light began to shine in the center of the room, right in front of Rarity. Strangely, the light didn’t blind her, as she could see everything clearly. There was no pain or anything, simply a feeling of peace.

However, all peace was thrown out the window as she saw who was at the center of the light.

“Invisibility spells are tricky, but very useful, wouldn’t you agree, miss Rarity.” Said Princess Celestia as she now stood in full view in the center of the room.

The purple maned unicorn’s eyes were almost bugging out of her head at the sight. The Princess herself was in her home! She knew her name! But despite the shock and excitement, she couldn’t let herself act just yet as a little voice at the back of her head kept nagging her about what this could all mean.

After a moment, she realized she still hadn’t spoken, and tried to say something, “P-Princess Celestia! I uhh... why are you... I... I’m sorry!” She said, bowing before the alicorn upon realizing she hadn’t been.

“My little pony, no need for that. Please, stand upright, or sit down. Whichever you prefer, it is your home. Oh, and hello there little one. Do you think you could leave me and your sister alone for a little while and go play in your room?” She asked, having noticed little Sweetie Belle staring at her with utter admiration.

Something about the Princess seemed to make the little filly want to do as she said, despite barely even knowing anything about her. With that, the small unicorn turned around and left for her room, but not before taking one last peek at the beautiful alicorn in the room.

Celestia’s horn glowed briefly once Sweetie Belle was out of sight, and so too did the young filly’s door as it suddenly closed. “There, now we won’t be disturbed. Now, Rarity, there is something we need to speak of. Something that will decide the future of both yourself, and your little sister.”

Despite the request to stand up, the white unicorn had barely moved from her bowed position, her eyes locked on the majestic pony before her. However, when she heard that this was going to decide her little sister’s future, as well as her own, her face grew serious and she raised herself, standing tall.

“Our futures?... Very well then, your majesty. Let us talk then.”

“Very good. I thought that might get your attention. Well, I think I shall be blunt with you for now, as I’ve much more work to do, and my precious student will be waiting for me soon enough. You see, Rarity, I know that you’re the Seamstress, the vigilante who helped to protect this city for the last six months. I also know that it was you that caused that slaughter at the docks. Never has any of my ponies ever done such a thing in all my years of ruling Equestria. This is a grievous crime, even if they were bad ponies.” She said, her face a wall of stone, betraying no emotion.

Rarity audibly gulped as she heard the Princess speak. Her fear was mounting faster and faster. The ruler of Equestria herself was here to personally deal with what she had done, and it was only hope that kept her from breaking down in front her.

“Yes... I know. They... they had killed a friend of mine, one that had shown me the light, shown me that there is kindness and generosity in the hearts of ponies. W-when I saw her... I lost it.” She explained.

The Princess gave a single nod, “I see. That still doesn’t excuse you, however. For a crime such as this, normally, the only thing for me to do would be to banish you to the land where all of the worst criminals in Equestria are sent, forever locked away from the rest of the world. However, I have made note of your skill and your passion, and I come bearing an ultimatum for you.

“Your first option is the dungeon. I will have you sent immediately, your belongings will be repossessed, and your little sister will be sent to an orphanage. You will be known as both Rarity and the Seamstress to all, and all will know your deeds.”

Rarity lowered her head, thinking that that might be the better option, but before she could say anything, the Princess carried on.

“Your second, and last, option will have you be employed by me, in the Equestrian Secret Army.”

Rarity raised her head slowly, looking confused at her Princess, “The... Equestrian Secret Army? But...”

“I know you know nothing of it, that’s why it’s a secret. Now, before I continue, if you do not choose this option, I will erase it from your mind, and it will be as if you never had a choice to begin with.

“The Equestria Secret Army is formed of ponies such as yourself and my guard, Bucker here. The world as you know it here in Equestria is peaceful, for the most part. I do what I can to keep my subjects happy and carefree, though that can’t always happen in big cities such as this one, especially with my resources being spent elsewhere. I simply want my kingdom to be happy, but, there is another kingdom out there who would not see this happen.

“The Kingdom of Barlea is far to the east, past the large expanse of the Everfree Forest, from which I have been banished. Over a thousand years ago, the fires of war raged between our countries, but, it was when a threat to us both came into being did we form a truce that spanned nearly a millennium.

“It was during that time that I spent my best efforts to eradicate the knowledge of the war from my kingdom, so that I would not burden my subjects with the experience. Books were destroyed, schools were told not to teach of it... after three centuries, no one but myself, and the books I keep in a sealed vault knew the tale.

“Sadly, however, twenty years ago, the Barlean rulers saw fit to start the war once more. In hopes of not having to worry my subjects with it, I started to secretly recruit ponies such as Bucker, among others, who had still trained in the ancient arts of war. With them, the most skilled ponies at my disposal, I have been able to take the war to the Barlean’s and so far, keep them out of Equestria.

“But this war will never end with what I have now, and as I am constantly working on keeping the populace happy, and keeping the Barlean rulers far from the country, not to mention controlling the heavens, I cannot help directly. This is why I am still looking for new ponies to join wherever I can, and after what I’ve seen you do, what knowledge I’ve gleaned from my magic, I believe I would like to extend this offer to you.

“If you choose to do so, new accommodations and locale will be in order. I will have you moved to a small town in the countryside, about fifty miles from Manehattan. It’s small, quiet, and peaceful, and doesn’t get many visitors. I will provide you with a new home as well as money with which to do with as you please, such as spoiling. There will be some conditions to this, but they are not too severe. Now, I ask you, which path do you wish to follow?”

Rarity listened intently to the speech that her majesty Celestia had given to her, listening carefully to each and every word that came of the mouth of she that would decide her fate. As she heard the tale of the secret war, and her invitation in to it, her eyes widened greatly. She had no idea such a thing was going on, but, she supposed that that was the point. It was too much to handle all at once, but between the two options, she knew which one she had to pick.

“I... your majesty. With the offers you’ve given me... there really is only one that I can truly choose. I... I accept the offer to join with you. I don’t want to be banished... I can’t leave my little Sweetie Belle!” She said, her eyes tearing up.

Slowly, Celestia let a smile form on her face, “Very well. This decision is now binding. Any act to go against this, I will have to consider treason during a time of war, which will have far greater consequences. Now, come, we’ll be taking my carriage to Canterlot where I’ll instruct you further on the going’s on in the world, as well as the measures you’ll have to take while under my employ, and while under cover. Housing and pay will also be discussed.” She added, smirking a little.

The white unicorn, now under the Princess’ employ, perked up at the word pay for a moment, but shook her head afterward. “Very well, your majesty. Should I get my sister, too?” She asked.

“Oh, yes, of course. Though, do hurry, we haven’t much time to waste.”

One Month Later

The sun was shining bright in the sky, the birds were fluttering to and fro, earth and unicorn ponies roamed the streets, while pegasi flew high in the sky. Everything seemed perfectly peaceful, as if it were truly paradise. At the very least, to Rarity, it was.

After her visit to Canterlot, she had been sent to Ponyville, a small town out in the countryside, one that seemed to be a wonderful place to be. With its small size, and friendly population, there was none of the crime or poverty she had experienced in Manehattan, just a tight-knit community of ponies from all creeds and colors co-existing harmoniously. Compared to the life she had led before, she knew this was going to be her personal paradise.

But even paradise came at a cost. The first cost of all of this was her identity. She had to, at all costs, keep her true identity a secret from everypony. While she could still use her name, nopony must ever know that she was the Seamstress. She had to make a few changes in her life as well, such as how she acted, and what she really did for a living, and how she had to constantly act the part of nothing but a fashion designer with a bit of spunk at times. Her past had to be hidden as well, and after Bucker, who seemed to be a mistress of such things, wrote an entire history for her, she had been told to study it day and night until it became part of her.

All of these things she did not mind very much, but it was the last thing that bothered her somewhat. For everypony, their cutie mark was truly unique, and could identify them with even the briefest of glances. For this reason, Princess Celestia had ordered Bucker to craft a special felt sticker, and after shaving the area around her cutie mark, placed it upon her. Age and a change of manestyle would take care of any other defining marks, but this one had to be changed while she was playing the civilian.

As she stood in her new home, reminiscing of her past month, she took a look to her flank, looking somewhat sad at her missing needle and thread. Instead, three diamonds now marked her flank, something that she’d have to get used to. Still, her sadness simply could not last as she looked around her, at her new home.

While the costs were heavy, especially if she were to accidentally let out who she really was, for which the punishment went unsaid, the extra benefits more than made up for it. In tune to her new civilian life as a fashion designer, the Princess had commissioned her a new home, all to her own, one that she wouldn’t even have to pay rent for, known as the Carousel Boutique. It had plenty of space, a whole store of supplies to start her false career with, and bedrooms for both herself and her sister to live in both very comfortably.

What pleased her quite possibly the most was that, on top of this all, she also received a monthly pay for her services, even if she didn’t do anything for her country the entire month. A total of five hundred bits a month, more than she had ever seen at any one time in her entire life, was mailed to her regularly at a secret drop zone. With money like that, she could easily feed her sister and herself with the best food available, and still have enough leftover to buy supplies, and make dresses for, everypony in Ponyville.

It all seemed as if things were almost perfect. But, the looming knowledge that she could be called in at any time to the fields of war ruined her joy somewhat. She knew that she had to practice, practice her control over her needles and get back in to top form, so that she could face any danger that lay ahead of her and still be able to come back home to her sister. No matter what, she would survive, if only to see a smile on the little filly’s face one more time.

And so, her new life as Ponyville’s premier fashion designer began, and little did she know the adventures and battles that were in store for her.