Chapter 10

Rarity was jolted awake when the sprinkler system in the hotel room turned on. The cotton fell out of her ears and she heard the fire alarm blaring. Frantically, she looked for the fire, but found none. She threw the now soggy blankets off her bed and ran out to get the girls. She opened her door, half expecting to find them running in circles panicking. But they weren't there.

Rarity's nerves were on edge now. They would have woken her if there was a fire, wouldn't they? They couldn't still be asleep. Sweetie Belle was always woken if her alarm clock went off. There was no way she would sleep through a fire alarm.

She opened the door to their room, worry welling up inside her chest. Inside she saw the worst possible thing.

They were gone.

Rarity's heart pounded in her chest. A million questions swirled through her head like a blizzard. How could Sweetie Belle be gone? Where could she possibly go? She turned around in frantic circles, fear lending her excess energy. Then she saw something almost as bad as the empty room.

The curtain of the window waved gently in the night breeze that the wide open window let in. Rarity ran over and looked outside the window. The fire escape lead straight down to the ground. That was how the fillies had escaped.

Rarity massaged her temples. The alarm was giving her a headache, making it difficult to think.

Clearly in their panic the fillies had decided to take the fire escape. They could be anywhere now. Anywhere in Canterlot. The vast spread of the city was laid out before her, its lights and nightlife glistening like a jewel. A massive, winding, chaotic jewel.

Rarity took a deep breath to calm herself and clear her mind. The only thing she could do was get out of the building. If it was on fire, there was no telling how close the danger to herself was.

Soaking wet, she walked down the stairs to the lobby. All the way down the twenty-nine flights the sprinklers rained down on her. At about the fifth floor the sprinklers finally stopped their deluge to her relief. When she came down to the lobby she was met by a crowd of confused, wet tourists milling around in circles. The large clock on the wall read that it was 12:48.

The sleepy ponies yammered endlessly about nonsense and Rarity vaguely remembered the dress she had been working on. She considered going back for it but decided not. It was probably ruined by now anyway.

"Please, everypony, be silent!" A strange voice called. Nopony besides Rarity heard, and the conversations continued as before. Rarity tried to catch a glimpse of the speaker, but couldn't see over the crowd.

"BE SILENCED!" The mystery mare commanded. Her voice was far powerful than the average pony's. A sudden hush fell over the crowd and each pony bowed to the speaker. Rarity strained her neck to see what was happening, then immediately bowed as well.

A tall, lanky pony with a regal air walked among them. Her coat was the color of the night and her mane shimmered as if the stars had been plucked from the sky to grace her countenance. This was the Princess Luna.

Her eyes were tired and worried. "Thank you." She said in a more normal tone of voice. "Please, I need thy attention." She slipped into an archaic form of speaking. "Three fillies of a young age have been found. Their minds are in a deep sleep and they cannot be wakened. Dost any of thee know them?"

The families in the room immediately began to take a head count. Rarity's ears pricked forward. Could it be? It couldn't. They could be any three fillies.

"None?" The Princess's voice cracked with desperation. "Please, surely there must be a one among you. The children were found within the Gardens of Canterlot. There were three of them, a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony. I believe that they are from Ponyville." She searched their faces. "None of you?" Her brow creased.

"Ahem." Rarity cleared her throat. "Your highness?"

Luna's face lit up. "Miss Rarity! You may rise." Heads turned to see who could possible be so important as to be known to the Princess by name.

Shyly, Rarity rose to her feet. "I believe that they are with me." She said quietly. She cleared her throat again and spoke a little louder. "One of them is my sister, and the other two are her friends."

Luna nodded. "Very good. Come with me. The rest of you may resume what you were doing." When the ponies didn't respond she became more assertive. "Up! To your feet." When she was satisfied she nodded. "Good. Now follow me, Rarity."

Rarity followed without question, though she had a thing or two to ask the manager of the hotel later.

The Princess walked through the darkened streets of Canterlot, trotting past the elegant buildings without bothering to look at them. Rarity walked by her side, struggling to keep up. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"To the Canterlot Gardens of course." Luna did not change her pace, though Rarity was almost running now. "We must return to where they were found. Have no fear, I did not merely abandon them. Two of my finest soldiers are guarding them right now. Come, we must hurry." She flapped her wings impatiently and moved even faster. She seemed to glide through the streets of Canterlot and Rarity realized that Luna was actually flying close to the ground. She broke into an all out sprint to keep up with the Princess of the Night.

Golden rays of sunlight began to break over the horizon, indicating the coming of the day. Luna's horn began to glow slightly, but she did not break her pace. If anything she flew faster. "Can you not run faster?" She demanded. "My guards are not well-favored to the light."

Rarity was panting, sweat pouring down her face. "I can't run much farther. Please, I'm trying my best."

Luna sighed. "Never mind. We are almost here." The hedges of the maze loomed up ahead, the edges tinted with golden sunlight. Rarity was relieved to say the least. Unlike Rainbow Dash, she had never been particularly interested in expanding her physical capabilities.

Gasping for air, Rarity slowed to a stop inside the gardens. Luna, on the other hand, hardly seemed winded. Rarity decided it might be to her benefit to try and build up at least a little stamina. A design for a workout outfit was already beginning to form in her head.

"Come swiftly, Miss Rarity!" Luna urged. "We have no time to waste. There are not many hours before daybreak."

Rarity sighed shakily. "I'm coming," she gasped. "Just give me a minute."

Luna sighed. "I had hoped it would not come to this, but you leave me no choice." She scooped Rarity onto her back and ran through the maze. Rarity was surprised and grateful for the assistance.

Luna ran a little slower than before, but still faster than any pace Rarity could run. The dark maze flew past in a strange, unearthly blur and they seemed to glide through in a silvery mist of dew.

What could have happened to them? Rarity wondered.

Luna swerved around a corner and Rarity's heart skipped a beat when she saw the fillies. She couldn't help herself. She jumped off of Luna's back and ran to them.

The Crusaders were curled up into three little balls, alone and asleep. Their bodies were covered in soot and they were barely breathing. Rarity forced herself not to start crying with relief that they were alive at all. She had to be brave for them.

The soldiers stepped back at a glance from Luna.

Gently, Rarity stroked Sweetie Belle's mane. "Sweetie," she said. "It's time to get up now. We've got a very exciting day ahead of us. I've got to design a new dress."

Sweetie Belle didn't respond. "Wouldn't you like to help?" Rarity's voice cracked. Sweetie Belle just laid there as if she were dead. The only thing indicating the life of the little filly was the rising and falling of her little chest.

"Please, wake up." She pleaded. "We'll do anything you want, anything! I'll even play in that filthy mud puddle you love so much, just please wake up!" She couldn't stop a tear of desperation from rolling out of her eye and her lower lip trembled. She vaguely remembered Scootaloo mentioning statue costumes and she gasped. Maybe they hadn't been playing pretend.

Rarity wiped some of the ashes off of her sister's face. Sweetie Belle's eyelids were closed tightly shut and no matter what Rarity tried, they wouldn't open. Gently, Rarity touched Sweetie Belle's horn, then drew back with shock. It was warm! Almost as if Sweetie Belle had been using magic. But that was impossible! She couldn't even lift a tea cup with magic yet. What had she been doing?

For the first time Rarity noticed Discord looming over her. She gasped and jumped back. He almost seemed alive. Was it really just shadows, or did it seem that he was grinning? He seemed smug as the sun rose over the horizon, as if he had accomplished a major victory.

"Was this statue always here?" Rarity asked. "Why isn't he hidden away in the vaults?"

One of the guards cleared his throat. "This is merely a replica, ma'am. Discord is safely locked away where he can't hurt anypony."

Rarity scrutinized the statue, taking in all the minute details. "It is very accurate. But if this is a replica," She walked around the corner. "What is that?"

She pointed at a slightly smaller statue, similar in most aspects, but a few details were different. The stone was a slightly lighter tone of grey and some of the corners were softer. It was also smoother. The Discord near the fillies was rough, giving the impression of fur.

The guards shared a troubled glance. "I do not understand." One of them said.

"We should look inside the safety vault," Luna said. "I fear something strange has occured."

The night guards readily agreed. Beads of sweat rolled down their necks. The scorching sun had risen, and it burned their skin. Few bat ponies ever saw the sun, and as beautiful as it was, they were eager to get out of its reach.

Celestia unlocked the fault and the door swung open. "Wait here," she instructed. "Some secrets in here should never come to light." Then she entered the room, shutting the door behind her.

Celestia lit up her horn to illuminate the dark room. The light cast an eerie glow over the scene. Cobwebs were strung across the vault from wall to wall, some fraying and falling apart from long years of disuse. Old relics from every era littered the floor. A bookshelf crammed with dusty old tomes and charters was so coated in dirt and grime it was impossible to discern what color it used to be. The only thing left untouched by age was a gleaming suit of armor. It was beautiful, yet very few still lived that had seen it.

Celestia absentmindedly wiped a smudge of dirt from the breastplate. She kept it carefully preserved in case she should ever need it again.

Then she walked to a remote corner in the back of the room. Here things were a bit tidier. She always kept it that way for him. Imperfect, still a bit of a mess, but more like organized chaos. This was always how Starswirl had kept it. A journal laid open on a desk to the spell he had never been able to perfect.

She sighed a little sigh. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before something terrible happened to those she grew close to. First Starswirl, then Luna. Perhaps Twilight would be next.

She almost didn't look in the place she had set aside for Discord. Almost. She forced herself to look up from the desk and into the alcove. Discord was gone.

I hardly think you should be surprised. She heard his voice say. Celestia turned around to face him. You won't find me here. You won't find me anywhere. He laughed. I'm not even in here.

"What have you done?" Celestia demanded.

Me? I haven't done anything I wasn't allowed. They let me in and asked me to change them.

"I do not understand." Celestia said. "What could you want with three foals?"

You'll see.

After that, Discord wouldn't say anything. Celestia sighed and walked back to the door. The others would wonder what was taking her so long.

You can't hold me here forever. There will be a day when you will have to set me free.

Celestia tried again to face Discord, but the vault was silent. She was alone with mementos of the past. She turned her back on the room and left the vault.

"Somepony must have broken into the vault during the night and moved him out." Celestia explained to the guards. "Be on a heightened alert. I don't want something l like this to happen again. Pass the word on to the bat guards."

The unicorns accepted the explanation without a word and stood next to the doors as Celestia walked off.

She knew that plainly was not the case. The lock was enchanted to open to only her magic aura. The idea of breaking into such a safe was preposterous, let alone slipping past the guards. This was clearly an inside job.

That isn't to say that she suspected her guards of anything. All of her guards were hoof picked. No, Discord had disappeared from the inside of the room. He had known something was coming and had snatched the opportunity. It was unsettling, knowing that he could work magic from inside the stone casing. And yet it was encouraging to know that even in his state, he could still cast his spells.

Discord was right. She couldn't hide him away forever.