Ch. 5: The Beautiful Enchantress

The walk into town, with Fluttershy's help, took about half an hour. During this half an hour, Fluttershy refused to stop talking.

"How long does he sleep? What time does he go to bed? What time does he wake up? Does he snore? If he snores, does it sound like…" Fluttershy made a deep snorting noise in the back of her throat. "Or like…" She began to breath very heavily. "Does he ever breath fire when he sleeps? If so, how…"

"Oh look we're here," Twilight said, finally stepping out of the forest and into the outskirts of Magiville.

"But… I had so many more questions I wanted to ask, and…"

"And I'm sure that I can answer them for you later. In the meantime, however, I really have to go. Thank you very much for your help," Twilight said.

"Um, okay. Will you be at the Celebration? Could we talk then, if you don't mind?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yes, sure. Have a nice day," Twilight said, quickly walking away from the Druid.

"Y-you too," Fluttershy said quietly. Twilight did not hear her. She had already rounded a corner and was out of sight. Fluttershy looked down at Angel. "Um, Angel, did I… did I just make a friend?" Angel just shrugged.

"Wow, whoever they hired to do the decorations is really good," Twilight remarked as she walked through the plaza. There were banners hanging from the buildings, streamers forming spider webs between lamp posts, and dozens of other types of decorations, all in brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges to be reminiscent of the dawn.

"Excuse me," Twilight said, stopping a passerby carrying a ladder. "I'm looking for the person in charge of the decorations. Can you tell me where she is?"

"She's right over there," The man said, pointing to a woman sitting at a table on the other side of the plaza.

"Thank you very much," Twilight said, walking towards her. The man nodded, and went on his way.

"Excuse me, ma'am? Might I have a word with you?" Twilight asked. The woman held up one gloved finger to silence her.

"Just a moment, please," She said. "I'm almost done with this lantern."

Twilight looked over the woman's shoulder at the table. It was covered in materials to make paper lanterns, emblazoned with Celestia's insignia, the Eight-Armed Sun. The woman was holding one of these almost-completed lanterns, concentrating on it. There was a brief hum of magic, and the paper lantern took on a warm yellow glow. The decorator tossed it lightly into the air, where it hung unassisted. The decorator, obviously pleased with her work, gave the lantern a small push, sending it gliding off.

"There we are," The decorator said, standing up and turning to face Twilight. "Now, how can I help you?"

To call her anything less than beautiful would be an insult. She had long, curled purple hair, obviously well cared-for, skin like a porcelain doll, and sapphire-blue eyes with matching eye shadow. She was wearing a golden crown with five gems, likely focus gems, a long white dress, a pair of elbow gloves made of some glittering fabric, and a magenta shawl.

'Holy moly, she's hot,' Spike said. Twilight ignored that remark.

"My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm here as representative of the Royal Court of Camelot to check up on preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. I was told that you were in charge of the decorations for the Celebration, and from what I've seen, it looks like you have it mostly under control," Twilight noticed that the woman was staring at her with wide, fear-filled eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"Your... hair," The woman said.

"Sorry?"

"Your hair!" Suddenly, the woman invaded Twilight's personal space and grabbed her hair, inspecting it closely. "Oh, by the Goddess… ugh, split ends, knots… Honestly, it's like you're not even trying to take care of yourself," The woman said, running a hand through Twilight's long hair. Twilight brushed her hand away, and took a step back.

"Do you mind?" She said. The woman didn't hear her, and she stepped back into Twilight's personal space, grabbing her face and staring intently at it.

"You have a marvelous complexion, but there are some patches of dry skin. And it wouldn't hurt to go outside a little, you know. A bit of a recluse, are we?" The woman asked, though it was obvious that she knew the answer. Twilight grabbed her wrists.

"Will you please keep your hands to yourself?" She said. The woman stared at Twilight's hands.

"My word, you've never had a manicure in your life, have you? And your clothing…" The woman slipped her wrists out of Twilight's grasp, and grabbed her sleeves. "Ah, a Whirly Willow original, I see. You've been wearing these clothes for almost two years now, haven't you?"

"Two years, six months, and seven days, to be exact," Twilight said automatically. "But how did you…"

"The stitching is a bit worn out here. The stitching itself is good, but this kind of thread tends to get worn out after two years or so. Nothing too serious. It can be fixed in a jiffy by anyone with a sewing needle and a few minutes to spare," The woman said. She stared at Twilight's clothes again, this time seeming to stare through the cloth at something only she could see. "Let's see… Cleansing, Anti-Wrinkling, Basic Physical Protection, Advanced Magical Protection… Very good Enchantments. They've started to lose potency, however."

"I haven't noticed any changes…" Twilight interjected.

"That's because you're not an Enchantress. You can't see the Enchantments like I can," The woman said. "Alright, I've decided."

"Decided wh – Hey!" Twilight shouted as the woman turned her around and started to direct her out of the plaza.

"You, my dear, are in terrible, terrible need of a good makeover," The woman said. "And I know just the place."

"Aloe! Lotus!" The woman called out as she shoved Twilight through the front door of the small spa. The pink-haired woman sitting at the front desk looked up at the sound of their entry, and smiled courteously at them.

"Welcome, Miss Rarity. I did not know you had a session scheduled for today," She said with a light accent that Twilight could not identify. Twilight's kidnapper, Rarity, apparently, shook her head.

"It's not for me, Lotus," She said, pushing Twilight forward. "Look."

"Ma'am, this woman kidnapped me…" Twilight tried to say. Naturally, she was ignored. Lotus's eyes widened in fear as she looked over Twilight.

"Aloe! We have a Code Red-Seven!" She shouted into the back room. Another woman, almost identical to Lotus, except with blue hair, appeared. When she saw Twilight, her eyes widened in fear as well.

"I won't lie: this might be the greatest challenge either of you have ever undertaken. Give her your deluxe treatment," Rarity said. "And put it on my tab."

Before Twilight could tell Rarity that her actions, while generous, were unnecessary, Aloe and Lotus vaulted over the counter and pulled Twilight away.

Soon, Twilight found herself in a position she'd hoped to never find herself in: stripped of her clothing, forced into a (very comfy) bathrobe, and lying face down on a table with green mud and cucumber slices on her face.

"What… What just happened?" Twilight asked. Rarity appeared at her side, holding Twilight's perfectly folded clothing. Twilight, of course, could not see this because of the cucumber. "Spike? Spike, get help! I think I've been mugged!"

'She's even more beautiful up close…' Spike mused from his perch on Rarity's shoulder. Rarity, surprisingly, did not seem to mind his presence.

"You aren't being mugged, dear. Aloe and Lotus are the best in the business, and I think that you sorely require their expertise. Now, you just relax, and I'll be back in an hour with your clothes," Rarity said, laying a reassuring hand on Twilight's shoulder. Twilight tried to stand up, but was pushed back down by Aloe and Lotus.

"If I fall asleep and wake up in a bathtub full of ice cubes, then so help me…"

"Just relax," Rarity said as she left, taking Spike with her.

"How can I relax?!" Twilight shouted after her. "Spike! Help me, you backstabber! By the time I'm done with you, they'll…"

Twilight's ranting stopped dead as soon as Aloe and Lotus began their massage. Everything escaped her. All her worries about the return of Nightmare Moon, all the stress, and all the tension in her body just faded away. In the space of one second, every muscle in Twilight's body relaxed, and she practically melted into the table.

"Ohhhh... Thaaaat's gooood…" She moaned. She couldn't see it, but Aloe and Lotus were grinning victoriously.

True to her word, Rarity returned to the spa an hour later, Twilight's clothing and familiar in tow. She handed off the clothes to Aloe, who in turn brought them to Twilight, and a few minutes later, Twilight stepped out, looking like a new person. Rarity applauded at the sight of her.

"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!" She said. "See? Don't you feel so much better?"

"Actually, yes. Thank you so very much for that, Miss Rarity. I really needed it," Twilight said, giving a polite bow. "So, how much do I owe you for your work on the clothes?"

"Please, just call me Rarity. All my friends do. And don't worry, Twilight, you don't owe me a thing. I enjoy working pro bono," Rarity said. Twilight was able to repress a shudder at the f-word.

"Then I am very grateful for your generosity," Twilight said. A second later, she noticed that Spike was still sitting on Rarity's shoulder, looking at her dreamily. "Oh, jeez. He's been like that the entire time, hasn't he? Has he been bothering you?"

"On the contrary, Spikey-wikey here has been a wonderful help," Rarity said, giving Spike a tiny scratch under the chin. Spike almost purred.

"Sp-Spikey-wikey?" Twilight chortled, unable to contain her mirth.

"Well, I heard you call him Spike while I was leaving, and he's just so cute," Rarity said.

"I see. Come here, Spikey-wikey," Twilight said, giggling as she said it.

'I don't want to,' Spike said, lifting his nose in the air haughtily.

"Spike."

'Yes ma'am.'

In a single bound, Spike leapt from Rarity to Twilight, taking up his position on Twilight's shoulder.

"Good boy," Twilight chuckled. "Now, to business. The decorations…"

"Have been taken care of. No need to worry," Rarity said.

"That's good to hear. Thank you very much for your time, and for…" Twilight gestured at her hair and her clothing. "…For this."

"No trouble whatsoever," Rarity said, waving a hand dismissively.

"Still, thanks," Twilight said, feeling that she had not been anywhere near grateful enough yet. "By the way, could you point me towards the Books and Branches Library?"

"But of course. Just take a left outside, head down the main road and take your third right. The library is impossible to miss; it's the only building that's a tree," Rarity said.

"Great. Thanks," Twilight said, making her way to the door. Rarity stopped her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Before you go, I have to ask something important," Rarity said, a look of concern on her face.

'Please don't ask about Blueblood. Please don't ask about Blueblood. Please don't ask about Blueblood,' Twilight chanted in her mind.

"Have you met a girl with pink hair yet?" Rarity asked.

"Fluttershy? Yes, actually," Twilight said, remembering Fluttershy's endless stream of questions. Rarity shook her head.

"No, not her. I mean a girl with curly pink hair, that kind of looks like cotton candy, I suppose?" Rarity guessed. Twilight shook her head, which made Rarity arch her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? You haven't met her yet? That's odd," She mused.

"What's odd?" Twilight asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Nothing. Never mind. You'll… you'll see. Probably," Rarity said. "Well, I won't keep you here any longer. Will you be staying for the celebration?"

"Most likely. And thanks again," Twilight said, turning to leave the spa. Again, Rarity stopped her.

"One last thing," Rarity said. "You're familiar with the Royal Court, correct? Have you ever met...Prince Blueblood?"

Twilight's eye twitched. "I'm terribly sorry. The name doesn't ring a bell," She lied. "Now, I really do have to go. Have a nice evening." Twilight quickly left the spa, leaving behind a bewildered Rarity.

"Doesn't know Prince Blueblood? My, she must be more of a recluse than I thought," Rarity said to herself.

"Where did you get that?"

Billy kept his eyes, one of which was swollen shut, on the ground, not wanting to meet his mother's glare. "I… fell down some stairs and hit a doorknob," He lied. His mother bonked him on the head. It didn't hurt, but he didn't want her to do it again.

"Don't lie to me, Billy. Was it those kids at school again?" His mother asked. Billy's head barely even moved as he nodded. His mother sighed. "Did you fight back?"

"No! I couldn't!" Billy said, lifting his head to see the concern on his mother's face. "They… they have magic, and I… don't."

"So you just let them beat you black and blue?"

"It's not like I could do anything back to them…"

Billy's mother threw her head back and laughed boisterously.

"Kid, that's the biggest load of pure grade-A bull crap I've ever heard!" She said when she was finally done laughing. "Look at yourself! You could pick up those kids and use them to juggle!"

Billy looked down at himself. He was much bigger than other kids his age. He was bigger than most of the older kids, too. And his muscles were… massive, to say the least.

Billy was thirteen. He was almost six feet tall, and his growth showed no signs of stopping.

"But… if I do that, then I'll be just as bad as they are," He said.

His mother snorted. "Billy – Iron Will, you listen to me and you listen good. Have you ever heard the saying 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'?"

"Y-yeah," Young Iron Will said. He was always thinking about that saying. It was what he kept in his mind when he was being beat up.

"Well, forget about it," His mother said. "They start a fight, you show 'em your bite."

"But I…"

"No buts, young man. You're too tough to let yourself be treated like a doormat," His mother said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't forget that."

"…Yes, mama."

"Good. BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGG!"

"Huh?"

"BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGG!"

"…Oh!" Iron Will slapped his forehead. "That's the alarm clock!"

"BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNGGG!"

"Alright, alright, you infernal machine! Iron Will is waking up!"

Iron Will forced himself into consciousness and delicately silenced the clock on his bedside. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he sat up.

"Big day today," He said to himself, swinging his legs out of bed. He stood up without thinking, and accidentally hit his head on the ceiling.

"Quiet down there!" Came a muffled shout from the apartment up above.

"Sorry!" Iron Will bellowed at the ceiling. "IRON WILL!" He flexed his biceps for an imaginary crowd. "Did not mean to wake you up!"

"QUIET!" The rest of the building's tenants shouted.

"SORRY!" Iron Will yelled back, raising his voice so that everybody would know he was sorry.

With the daily shouting match concluded, Iron Will continued on with his morning ritual. He took a shower, brushed his teeth, flossed, had an omelet and a glass of orange juice for breakfast, read the morning paper, sharpened his battleax, went over his leather armor with a soft cloth, and did his morning stretches.

Iron Will looked fondly at the picture frame on his bookshelf, the final part of his morning ritual. "Won't be long now, baby," He said tenderly, brushing the picture as if doing so would allow him to be drawn into it. "IRON WILL!" He struck a muscle-accentuating pose. "…Is going to fulfill his promise to you soon. Just one more job, and we can finally be together. Just you and IRON WILL!"

"KEEP IT DOWN!" The ceiling shouted.

Iron Will grumbled, and took the picture out of its frame, tucking it lovingly into his armor. "Pretty soon," He whispered, glaring at the ceiling, "Iron Will!" He struck a more subdued pose. "…isn't gonna have to deal with you anymore."

After that, he left the apartment building, somehow managing to squeeze his way through doors that were not meant for eight-foot-tall mountains of muscle and machismo.

A quick glance at his pocket watch told him that if he didn't hurry it up, he wouldn't reach the pick-up spot in time. He had been told by his secretive employer that if he was even a minute late, he could start looking for different contracts. It was an odd condition, and the man who had given him the contract was more than a little shady – dressed from head to toe in black – but Iron Will was in no position to complain.

He was a mercenary, and for what these 'Shadow Blades' were paying him, he'd lay siege to Camelot under the command of a vengeful demigoddess intent on ruling over Mystica with an iron fist.

Theoretically, of course.