Chapter II

The warmth of the fire was deliciously soothing. Rarity pulled the towel tightly around her body and inched closer to the hearth.

“I’m sorry you got caught in the downpour. It just came outta nowhere.” Dash said as she peered out of the window.

“Yeah, no kidding.” Rarity said bitterly.

“You didn’t have any trouble finding the place did you?” Dash asked. Rarity looked up, about to spit some obscenity about the fucking remoteness of Rainbow Dash’s home. She made the mistake of glancing at Rainbow Dash. The Pegasus was peering intently out the window at the storm. Her nose was pressed against the glass and she wore an expression of innocent joy. She loved storms, and the smile across her face disintegrated whatever anger Rarity could muster.

“No, not at all.” Rarity mumbled. Dash looked toward Rarity.

“I can guess why you’re here.” She giggled, motioning to Rarity’s soaked and tangled mane.

“Yeah, can you get it back to normal length?” Rarity still hated anypony laughing at her mane, but she forced a smile.

“Absolutely, let me just get my stuff.” Dash dashed off into the kitchen.

Rarity sighed, Rainbow Dash was the only pony in Ponyville, or anywhere for that matter, that she would voluntarily take shit from. Applejack could say some nasty things when she was drunk and it wasn’t a rare occasion for AJ and Rarity to engage in inebriated exchanges of “opinion”. But the two always walked away friends. Applecrisp didn’t say much at all, and when she did, it was usually about Hennessy’s or Applejack. Everypony else just whispered their crap to one another when they thought Rarity wasn’t around. On the sole occasion a few fillies on a school outing had dared to recite a crude limerick about her current career situation, Rarity had shot back a volatile response regarding their respective futures as prostitutes and glue. That brought a chuckle from the white pony, she remembered how even their teacher had blushed at her freestyle vulgarity. Yet the former dressmaker couldn’t bring herself to correct Dash on even the littlest thing. The unassuming little Pegasus was befuddlingly invincible to her wrath.

Dash returned, carrying scissors and canvas. Draping the canvas around Rarity’s already blanketed form, she took position behind the soaked pony.

“Now you gotta help me, what normal is the one you want? Over in Las Pegasus, I hear they’re wearing it longer. But in Fillydelphia, it’s been kept short mostly this season.”

“Just, I dunno, take off a few inches and let me see.” Rarity said in disinterest.

Rainbow Dash began to snip away at Rarity’s wild mane. After everything she had gone through, Rarity still found pleasure in looking more presentable. She closed her eyes and listened to the rain pound against the windows. Five minutes passed, maybe it was ten, she didn’t care.

“How does this look?” Rarity opened her eyes. She was surprisingly sleepy for such an early hour. Her mane was considerably shorter and more orderly.

“Can you pull it off of my ears a little more?” Mane covered ears were simply uncomfortable.

“Yeah let me get that.” Dash replied.

Once more, Rarity closed her eyes and listened to the rhythmic splash of the rain. She looked up, the rain was still coming down, but she didn’t hear or feel Rainbow Dash behind her. She craned her neck, the colorful pony sat cross legged on a coach by the window, reading a book. She looked up.

“Oh hey, you’re awake!” Rarity didn’t recall falling asleep.

“What time is it?” She asked in confusion. Rainbow Dash leaned back to look into the kitchen.

“Uhhhh, quarter till nine.”

“Crap.” Rarity stood up. “I really should get going. How much do I owe you?”

“Just ten.” Dash tossed the book onto the table and rose to show her guest to the door. Rarity handed her a twenty.

“You deserve it. You do a professional job.” Rarity opened the door, the light from the house extended a few feet, forming a sort of precipice into the rainy darkness. Rarity hesitated and Dash spoke up.

“Stay here tonight, it’s nasty out there.” She invited.

This was one of the rare moments when Rarity didn’t spurn charity.

“Ok.” She replied as she shut the wooden door. “You’re stuck with me for the night.”

“Yay!” Dash clopped her hooves together. Rarity giggled.

“Been awhile since we’ve had a sleepover hasn’t it?”

“Sure has.” Dash laughed a little. The room fell silent.

Going back was hard, it never happened when Rarity expected it. Sometimes she would be on the street and see somepony walk by wearing an outfit she had made. Or other times she would start to walk toward Sugarcube Corner to get a treat for Opal. Once or twice in the first few days after the Blast, she had even dropped by Twilight’s tree uninvited for a cup of tea. There were days when she’d look out the window of the bakery at the blue sky and think.

“What happened?”

“Come on, I’ve got something to show you!” Dash tugged at her arm.

The pair walked into the kitchen, it was modest, a table, counter and two chairs. On the table sat a large sheet of plywood. On the sheet stood what looked like the game pieces of an extremely mundane board game. As Rarity walked closer she recognized the shapes, they were buildings. They were arranged in a sort of lopsided circle. They seemed familiar. Rarity realized it was a model of Ponyville.

“What do ya think?” Dash was beaming at her.

“Fascinating.” Rarity said, peering in at the tiny wooden streets. It was a rough model, nothing was painted and there were large gaps of town missing. Rainbow Dash answered her question before Rarity opened her mouth.

“Three weeks and no it’s not done yet. I’m still tracing proportions, it’s all memory.” She laughed. “All that flying over the town gave me a pretty good clue about the layout.”

Rarity smiled appropriately. She really didn’t know how Dash saw herself now that she had given up flight. Rainbow Dash answered her next question.

“Just felt like it, I had a lot of old two by fours laying around. Gives me something to do.” Rarity nodded appreciatively.

“Impressive.” She motioned to an empty lot. “I see you left off my bakery, have something against foreign businesses?” Dash laughed.

“No, it’s just that I haven’t seen much of the new stuff in town, that’s all.”

“You should drop by sometime, get a feel for the place.”

“I ought to, how’s it been over there?” Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

“Same old same old.” Rarity was unsure of how long it had been since Dash had visited the town. “Ah, AJ is making some cider, you know, the hard kind.” Dash looked on inquisitively. “And uh, Twilight is always busy, she and Spike spend a lot of time at Cantorlot.”

“Oh yeah, how is she doing?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Pretty good, pretty good. Got those wings and everything. She’s a little taller now, but it’s not like Celestia or Luna or anything. She said she’d have to be older to get to be their size.”

“Has she made any new laws or anything like that?” Dash was understandably interested in the young queen.

“Uh, not that I can think of. I think she passed some sanitation law to eliminate redundancy.” The pair shared a laugh over Twilight’s fanatical obsession with all things uninteresting. Rarity continued. “So yeah, she’s still way too smart and boring for anypony to want to get rid of her. Although she didn’t outlaw liquor, so you can imagine some ponies didn’t like that.”

“Really?!” Dash’s eyes widened. “Was there a riot?”

“Oh no, nothing like that, I’m pretty sure Ponyvillians wouldn’t riot during the apocalypse. But there were some grumblings.”

“Yeah, that’s how I remember it.” Rainbow Dash reminisced.

And so the night went on, with Rainbow Dash asking about how everypony was doing. Rarity found herself unsure on a good number of the current events in the town. There was apparently an ignorance that accompanied not giving a shit. Of course, Dash didn’t mind, she seemed to eat up the news and asked about how everypony was doing.

Rarity found herself wondering exactly why Dash had moved away if she was still interested in the Ponyville. Was she terrified of being in another accident? Could she not bear to be reminded of the new reality of post-Blast Equestria? Did she have an epiphany regarding the hermit lifestyle? Was she actually insane? Rarity had wondered before, but sitting now with the colorful pony, who seemed strangely interested in happenings of Ponyville, she became intensely curious. She decided to play it casual.

“So what’s new with you?” She asked nonchalantly. Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Not a lot. Been doing a little reading, just light stuff.” She motioned to the model. “That too and obviously cutting manes. Had to fix the old shack up a little bit as well.” She flashed her signature “nothing too difficult smile.” Rarity sighed a little inside. She had been hoping for something a little more dramatic. Unfortunately, Dash seemed fine. The Pegasus turned the question on Rarity.

“And how ‘bout you? How is Rarity?”

It took her a minute to come up with a sufficient answer.

“Well, pretty much same as usual. I bake bread, slice bread, and deliver bread. AJ and I hang out every now and then. I might take a trip out to Cloudsdale some time, depends on my work schedule.”

“Oh Cloudsdale, that’d be fun.” Dash said quietly. The conversation abated and the two sat silently. Unlike so many other ponies, Rarity didn’t find it difficult to leave a dead conversation.

“I’m probably gonna turn in tonight. I’ll just use the blankets by the fire.” She rose from the table and started for the front room.

“Oh, ok…goodnight then.” Came Rainbow Dash’s soft response.

Rarity collapsed onto the couch, she was asleep in a minute.

She awoke from the sun burning into her eyelids. Rarity rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. The sun had already risen and she had the sinking sensation that it was late in the morning. Venturing into the kitchen, she shot an apprehensive glance at the clock. 9:43. Damn, she needed to be at work soon. The door to Dash’s room creaked open and a very unkempt and tired looking Dash crept out.

“Hey.” Dash’s tone showed that she wasn’t a morning pony either. “You want something to eat?”

“No, I.” Rarity stopped here to yawn. “I need to head to work.”

It was too early in the day for Dash to attempt to force her guest to take something to eat on the way. And the two simply walked to the door.

“Well thanks for the cut and the stay.” Rarity said as she stepped into the sunlight.

“Yeah, thanks for the company!” Rainbow Dash leaned out of the doorway. “Come by any time!”

Rarity started for Ponyville. Her stomach rumbled, she’d buy something at the bakery. The grassy fields were pockmarked with warm puddles and before long Rarity was splattered with mud. She’d have to hose off before going into the bakery.

The baking heat of the sun was already heating the soaked ground, it wouldn’t be long before the water evaporated and Ponyville was blanketed in the thick invisible humidity of spring. Oh the joys of Equestria. She ran the rest of the way to the town, she needed to arrive early to hose off and then get something to eat. She was thoroughly exhausted upon reaching the bakery and her stomach tightened out of hunger. She breathlessly washed off the caked mud from her legs and flanks. The icy water disintegrated the last of the fog of sleepiness, it was time to work. She entered the bakery. It was quiet, and her wet hoofsteps clacked on the tile. Something gave her the feeling of apprehension, like she was about to step on a mine.

“Rarity.” Mr. Salukas voice came from behind the counter. His tone sounded like the click of the mine. She walked around the counter.

“Yeah?” She tried to sound as upbeat and innocent as possible. He was kneading some dough into a more malleable blob on the table.

“Where were you last night?” He asked without looking up. Her mouth went dry. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, FUCK! How had she forgotten?

“I just, forgot. I got done with delivering the crates to AJ, and.” She stopped. “I guess I forgot.”

He tossed the dough into a pile of flour, making a puff of white dust shoot into the air.

“It is fine. Applecrisp took your place.” He said passively.

“I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have forgotten. It won’t happen again.” She hated letting Mr. Salukas down. He actually seemed to like her and it maddened her when she fucked something up. She felt that he quietly assumed all Ponyvillians were airheaded morons and she loathed making herself look that one of them.

“Give Applecrisp a hoof with the pretzels, she is looking weak.” He said, kneading the dough. Oh no, poor Applecrisp had no doubt worked late into the night along with Mr. Salukas. Rarity began to sweat out of sheer shame, why the fuck had she forgotten about staying late? She entered the oven room of the bakery. It was hot as hell and the flour dust covering the floor swirled about as she walked inside. Applecrisp was sitting at the counter, knotting pretzels.

“Hey, sorry I ditched you guys last night.” Rarity did her best to act normally. The Apple pony looked up. She grunted and Rarity knew how fatigued she was. She took a seat next to the blue pony and began the frustrating process of pretzel knotting.

“What, uh, what were you guys doing last night?” Rarity hoped to God it wasn’t sourdough bread.

“Somepony jus’ had t’have four hundred hot cross buns made by this mornin’.” Applecrisp wiped some accumulated flour from her mouth.

“Damn, who the hell wants four hundred hot cross buns in the morning?” Rarity was pissed that some pony was inconsiderate enough to place a massive order that needed to be filled by daybreak. She wouldn’t have really minded, except she hated the thought of her coworkers slaving away at such an order when she had been sleeping. And it felt good to drop her embarrassment in favor of anger.

“Seriously, what shithead placed an order like that?” Applecrisp shrugged and placed another pretzel on the tray.

She turned to her work, tedious pretzels. Few things beyond sourdough and pancakes were as annoying as pretzels. They were unimaginably slow to produce, as hooves were not particularly suited to the task of minute folding. Rarity herself used her horn, but the lack of sewing seemed to have dulled her precision. It took a skilled earth pony thirty seconds to fold a pretzel correctly, Rarity averaged about twenty seconds. She looked up at the container of dough strings sitting in front of her, with a little math, she had an hour of work ahead of her. She sighed and looked over at Applecrisp.

“Go home, I can finish these. Get some sleep and come back tomorrow.” Applecrisp tossed her last pretzel onto the tray and rose. The Apple pony put up no refusal and Rarity now knew that she was seriously exhausted. The door shut softly behind her and Rarity was alone.

It was actually rather peaceful in the oven room, if uncomfortably hot. The soft glow of the oven cast a yellowish sheet over the room. The soft crackle of the fire and the occasional collapse of coals were the only noises easily audible. As a whole, the room made Rarity feel as if she were outside of time. It was a cozy sort of feeling, and despite the heat, she typically enjoyed working in the oven room. The minutes passed quickly, and she had almost finished the tying of the pretzels when Mr. Salukas broke her peace. He called through the door.

“Rarity, lend me a hoof with this order!” Rarity tossed an unfinished pretzel onto the table and stood up. A sharp pain in her stomach reminded her that she had not eaten today. She’d get something after she finished the order.

Mr. Salukas stood outside, with him was an eyesearingly yellow pony.

“Rarity, this is Sugarcube, she’ll tell you where to load the buns.” She was about Pinkie’s size and had a predictable sugar cube Cutie Mark. Mr. Salukas seemed content with their introduction and returned to the counter to serve another customer.

“OK SO! I just need you to help me with allllllll these buns!” Sugarcube wore an oversized smiled and bounced a little when she talked; she was one of those ponies. Rarity said nothing and looked for the stack of crates.

“They’re riiiiiiiiiiiiight over there!” Sugarcube motioned to the corner. Rarity had never seen four hundred hot cross buns worth of crates, it was enough to make her drop her shoulders a few inches.

“If we start now, we can be done in no time!” The yellow mare bubbled. Sugarcube was making the painful process of heavy lifting on an empty stomach into something beyond agonizing. Wordlessly, Rarity shouldered a crate and trudged outside. Sure fucking enough, it was humid as shit outside and the unfed and dehydrated unicorn was not surprised. A broad cart sat empty, and Rarity guessed that was where the crates were headed.

“Just push it waaaaaaaaaaay to the back! That way, we can get closer to the front as we go!” Sugarcube tossed her a crate, and then ventured back inside for another. If there was a worse fate than loading a shit ton of crates while starving, it was doing so with an insufferably chipper pony who created a system of loading that forced one to stand outside in the hotbox of humidity for the duration of the job. The bouncy yellow pony shot back out with another crate.

“Here ya go!” She lobbed the clumsy wooden cube to Rarity. “Wait right here while I get another one!”

At this rate, no, fuck it, no calculations, that would only make things worse. Sugarcube sped back and forth, shuttling the order to Rarity. If she kept her pace up, this might not be such a horrid job.

But of fucking course, the little gnat had to snag on something. The something turned out to be Spike. He ventured inside the bakery for some breadstuffs no doubt and ended up being caught by Sugarcube, who thought he was the most adorable royal dragon she’d ever seen. She began asking him questions about life as a royal cleric, if there was a royal harem, and if he had ever been poisoned by assassins. Rarity peered through the grimy window into the shop, Spike was smiling and nodding a lot, he evidently hadn’t seen her outside. She collapsed on one of the three loaded crates and stared hopelessly at the sky.

Six months ago, she wouldn’t have been sitting here breaking her back for a mindless idiot like the one now delaying her work. Nope, Rarity would have most certainly been tossing together a wondrous display of beauty and refinement in the guise of a dress. It would be gorgeous no doubt, not too grand like those shitty ones from Cloudsdale that everypony assumed were beautiful. Of course, Rarity had never really done it for the money, her prices had betrayed that fact. She ran a hoof over her face, she was doing the mental ramble again. She looked up, Spike was still inside chatting away with Sugarcube. Rarity looked for a pebble to throw at the window to alert the dragon to her sweating presence. Thankfully, he happened to glance up and see her. A momentary flash of surprise in his usually laid back countenance assured Rarity that he would do everything in his power to leave as soon as possible.

Only he didn’t, and for the next five minutes, Rarity heated and sweated as Spike shifted his satchel of bread back and forth during his conversation with Sugarcube. The sun shined down on the storm soaked ground and the steam rose in faint clouds. The humidity was agonizing, every breath seemed to come wrapped in invisible cotton. Rarity felt an extremely uncomfortable bead of sweat roll down her neck, she slapped at it. She stood motionless in the cart, growing more and more frustrated with each passing second. Some ponies stopped to watch the motionless and fuming Rarity with a mixture of caution and uncertainty. Finally, Spike seemed to have enough of Sugarcube and sauntered outside.

“Hey Rarity!” He approached the cart with a casual smile.

“Hey Spike, sorry, I can’t talk. I have to load some crates here. Sorta got held up for awhile there.” Her words were frozen in the only ice in Ponyville. Sugarcube bounced outside with another crate. She tossed it to Rarity. The white unicorn dropped it in the cart and did not take her eyes off of Spike.

“Yeah, uh, just, uh, wanted to make sure you were still coming tonight.” He said uneasily at her stony demeanor.

“Yep.”

“Ok, so, good. I’ll see you then.” He stepped back and gave her an unsure smile. She turned to Sugarcube.

“Anything else besides the buns?” Rarity asked politely. Spike waited for an instant, then turned and strolled away. The only downside to ignoring Spike was that Rarity had to listen to the yellow pony’s dumbass response.

“Ummmmmmmmmmmmmm, nope! I think these are enough!” She shot back inside and soon lobbed Rarity another crate.

It took the pair twenty minutes to finish the job, even at Sugarcube’s arrhythmia inducing pace. By the time they had finished, Rarity looked like a true workhorse. Sweat streaked down her body, and her tongue dangled from her mouth like an executed criminal. Sugarcube was elated, which made her job that much less rewarding.

“Oh thank you! I couldn’t have done this without you!” She pressed a few bits into Rarity’s hoof. “Here ya go!” Rarity nodded and started for the entrance to the bakery. Sugarcube jumped behind the halter of the cart and wheeled it down the street. Rarity felt terrible, yet oddly, she didn’t seem to be out of breath. Her muscles were weak, and she was thirsty as hell. The air seemed quieter now, like she was underwater. She reached the door and pulled it open, a puff of hot dusty air greeted her. Rarity walked around the counter toward the sink, Mr. Salukas looked up and grunted to her.

“I” She started to ask about buying something to eat. Then the room seemed to drift away from her, and the noise of the crackling fire faded into the distance. She swallowed, her legs deadened and she looked toward Mr. Salukas.

She was looking upward. She was looking upward toward Mr. Salukas. He was cradling her head and repeating her name.

“Eyeah, what’s.” She swallowed hard. She felt sick and her body was covered in cold sweat. “What’s going on?”

He peered intently into her eyes.

“You had a little fall. Is the heat working you?” It took her a moment to fight off the nausea that had descended on her.

“Eyeah.” She smacked her lips, they were thick and dry. “I haven’t eaten anything or had anything to drink today either.”

He laughed at this, which would have probably annoyed Rarity had she not been so nauseous.

“Well, let me get you some water.” He said between chuckles. He set her, not particularly gently, back on the floor and stood to get some water.

“Now why would little Rarity go on a fast on today of all days?” He mused with more than a touch of mirth as he poured a glass of water for her.

“I dunno.” She didn’t care to explain, the room was still partially distant and she was dizzy even as she lay on the cold tile floor. She looked to her left, beneath the counter, dust bunnies and cobwebs had collected under the rusty metal shelf. There was a suitcase somepony had shoved under there years ago and a few flour mites skittered about beneath the cover of darkness. She wanted up. Rarity leaned carefully forward, then felt another rush of blood to her head and fell back down. Mr. Salukas knelt and held a cup of water to her mouth.

“Drink.” He said calmly. There was a mismatch of rate of pouring and rate of swallowing, and she coughed, splashing water over both herself and the stallion.

“Ah fuck.” She said weakly. He laughed and apologized.

“I am sorry Rarity. I am no doctor.” He stood and tossed the cup into the sink. “But I do know that it is unwise to fast on workday.” She didn’t reply, but instead focused on collecting herself to rise. He looked down at her. “Just give yourself some time, you will come around.” He returned to glazing doughnuts. It was bizarre, laying collapsed on the floor while her boss went about his business. That was Mr. Salukas though, only concerned with immediate and serious danger. Rarity took a few deep breaths, then pressed herself upward. The blood returned to her head, and she struggled to remain upright. The room seemed to tilt and sway beneath her. She waited for a few minutes in this position, then slowly rose to her hooves. She was still very dizzy, and she gripped the counter tightly. Sonny placed a tray of doughnuts in the oven and started a new batch.

“I think I should get something to eat.” She said shakily. Mr. Salukas nodded and handed her a tin cup filled with soggy rye bread.

“Drink this. If you eat anything, you’ll vomit.” He went back to his work.

For a baker, Mr. Salukas had a surprisingly vast knowledge of hunger related fainting; Rarity wondered if this was a common occurance in his country. She lifted the glass with her horn, the light from the window shone into the mixture, illuminating the waterlogged particles of bread. The beverage fit the description of disgusting. She took a deep breath and sipped it. The soaking bread slipped down her throat and she choked a little.

“Keep drinking, it will give you some strength.” He said evenly. She fought the disgusting food/drink hybrid down. Surprisingly, it sat well with her, even calming her nausea a little. She was unsure of what to do next. She felt better, but there was still a slight tilt to the room. Mr. Salukas shoved the tray of doughnuts into the display and looked at her.

“Did you finish the pretzels?” He asked.

“Uh, almost, I can get those done in a minute.” She walked cautiously to the oven room and sat down. The warm air seemed to balance the cold clammy feeling the faint had brought on. She was trembling ever so lightly, which drew out the process of folding the last few pretzels. Finally, she was done, and she gave the tray a good shove into the oven. She returned to her boss, who was now munching on some grain over his lunch break.

“Here you go.” She paused, that didn’t sound right. “I mean, I got it done.” She was paranoid of passing out again and was not thinking clearly. He looked at her, the bump of his tongue sliding around his cheek. For a few seconds, the workhorse summed up his sole employee.

“Go home Rarity, take the day off. Ana can cover for you.” He said after a minute. Her heart beat a little faster and she felt dizzy again. She would NOT take a sick day.

“Oh no, just give me a few minutes that’s all.”

Ana, or Mrs. Salukas, was not on the best of terms with Rarity. Her general attitude toward Rarity was that of reserved disapproval. She was wary of the white pony’s alone time in the grain room and she made note of every badly shaped pastry that came from Rarity’s hooves. It was no secret, she was a complete bitch. Rarity rued every instance she came into the shop, which was thankfully rare. Most of the time Ana remained at home doing who knows what. Maybe baking fillies into pies or something, no, it would be cheaper to do that at the bakery.

The only pony cheaper than Mr. Salukas was his wife, and dear God was she cheap. No discarded pie crusts, no egg yolks thrown away, no used Kleenex not thrown into the furnace. Rarity hated the micromanaging, penny-pinching, untrusting hag that was Mrs. Salukas, and now, that hag would have to cover for her.

“No, there is no sense in keeping you around to fall again and crack a bone. Come back tomorrow morning, but eat something first.” Sonny said, standing and returning to work. That last part was probably a joke, but Rarity feared he wasn’t actually sure she’d remember to eat on her own. She thought to protest further, then decided against it, she’d fucked up enough things today.

Outside it was somehow even more humid than before. She felt the instant clutches of the lifedraining heat as the door shut behind her. The time was 12:37 and Rarity had nowhere to go. She stood in front of the bakery for a moment, trying to think of a plan to escape the heat. Unfortunately, there was nothing to do in Ponyville. It would be a few hours before she could drop by Twilight’s. She surveyed her surroundings. Across the street sat the Straw Purchase, a quaint diner frequented by older ponies. She had never been there, but it sounded fine enough. She walked across the street and entered the building.

Inside, it was menagerie of dim lights and old stuff. The Straw Purchase was just a giant open dining area filled with tables. A small bar ran along one wall and the door to the kitchen hid behind the counter. The walls were plastered with posters hailing bygone eras of Equestria. There were those old shitty desks that she always saw in pictures of 1920s Manehatten, they had been repurposed into tables. Hanging from the ceiling were gaudy (as a former fashion consultant, Rarity knew gaudy) chandeliers. From her limited knowledge of 40s Equestria, Rarity concluded that the decorative lights weren’t even popular in their day. She snickered to herself, but if they were cheap and from that time period then they were just fine for a cheap Ponyville restaurant. She took a seat at the saloon-like bar and awaited service. Sitting next to her was an old grey stallion, he was leisurely perusing the afternoon paper. In a moment, a black stallion emerged from the kitchen. He wore an older and not overly formal suit.

“May I serve you?” Rarity was a little impressed, he had definitely practiced his fancy accent (few ponies were even aware of such an accent).

“Yeah, get me a water and a menu.” She replied flatly. He laughed, a convivial laugh, then gestured upward.

“If the madam would care to look upward, we have displayed our entire menu on the boards above.” Sure enough, in 30s or maybe 40s fashion, the entire menu was displayed on ornate wooden boards above the bar.

Rarity scanned the offerings. Jello, marshmallow casserole, a hell of a lot of Kool-Aid drinks, grilled cheese on what Rarity knew would be the whitest bread in existence and something called Blockade Mutton. She had to give it to the owners; they certainly strove for a realistic experience. If nothing else this place was fun, and fun didn’t come by Rarity very often. In a minute, the waiter returned with her water.

“Has the madam reached a decision?” He asked formally.

She decided to play along.

“Yes, although I haven’t quite decided between the pineapple Spam fry or the fried oats TV dinner. Could you recommend me?” He seemed to enjoy her period correct response.

“Certainly! The Spam fry is of course a wonderful dish, but more suited to a dinner gala. Now the TV dinner is a favorite of mine. You have crisp fried oats, sugar snap peas, mashed potatoes and a brownie all on your table in less than ninety seconds.” He spoke with a new flourish that suggested he had yearned for a customer that wanted more than typical sugary fare or dry straw. Rarity took a moment to ponder her options. The stallion, who had since noticed the two and their game, leaned over and motioned to the far board.

“If I can advise the lady, the Vegemite glaze over baked hay is a swell meal. Our boys overseas ask for it in care packages.”

Rarity paused to weigh this new player, either he had descended into dementia and actually supposed this to be 1940, or he too wanted to join their antics. What the hell, in either case, Rarity got to play up a little more. She cocked her head like some fickle city pony and sat silently for a moment.

“Yes, give me the Vegemite hay, and bring me a tonic as well.” She turned to the stallion. “This heat has me exhausted.” He smiled.

“Humidity is something fierce isn’t it?”

“Why of course! I can’t go down the street without losing my mane’s luster. Simply disgraceful.” She tossed her mane.

“You look as if you just walked out of Sears salon.” She blushed naturally.

“Well, as if I didn’t have enough to worry about, my salon, the ABC, has raised their prices again. As if paying ninety cents for dandelions wasn’t enough.” He shrugged.

“War’s on. Gotta pay for it somehow.”

“That still doesn’t give our businesses the right to extort us. I said to my friend Dash, I said ‘I’ll go without many things to win this war, but a basic grooming isn’t one of them.’”

He laughed here.

“I’ve heard tales of farm ponies cutting their manes off entirely.” He offered. She shook her head.

“Not from this mare. I sell cosmetics, from Garnder’s off of third, and I wouldn’t blame a single customer for not buying anything from a maneless salespony.”

“Oh Gardner’s, you must know Myra, the daytime manager?”

“Well I did, but she got pink-slipped a week ago. It was discovered she was a communist.”

The waiter returned with her food. He slid the steaming plate of Vegemite covered hay before her. She had no idea if the black syrupy substance covering her hay was even edible, but she stayed in character.

“Anything else I can get the madam?” He asked.

“Not in the least, thank you.” She replied courteously. The waiter bowed and returned to the kitchen.

Rarity took a bite of the hay, it tasted salty and bitter. Not disgusting per say, but strange as hell. After five or so bites she decided not to send it back for a more palatable dish.

The two diners continued to chat. The stallion’s name was Ralph, he worked in a shell factory, he was 4F for enlisting on account of his asthma, but he had an older brother with the 51st Pegasus division. He followed the First Equestrian War closely and made sure to listen to all the Cantorlot broadcasts. The conversation shifted to fascism, and the threat it posed to the country. He informed her that suffrage was fascism under another name. Rarity replied that mares and fillies had existed for hundreds of years in their natural roles and that the idea of living like a stallion didn’t appeal to her. They connected on many issues, the problem with the government. He argued about the government’s over-involvement in the restructuring of Yanhooyer, she said the government was too big. He brought up the issue of what to do after the eventual defeat of the fascists; Rarity thought that they should rebuild the country. Ralph made the point that excessive taxes on the rich were counter-productive to a stagnant economy, and Rarity asserted that ponies should work to earn their way. In a matter of minutes, the two had traveled back to 1944 Equestria, complete with their proper phrases and thinking.

“You’re a smart dame Rarity.” Ralph said after a few minutes of talking. Rarity knew she had talked too much, and she looked away in embarrassment.

“I suppose you think me a little chipmunk.” She said quietly.

“No, no, you really have a great head.” He said adamantly.

“I know you’re just saying that. My mother tells me that I talk far too much for a silly little mare.”

“Well, I would never consider contradicting your mother, bless her heart. But I think you’re a smart little filly in any case.” She blushed and looked at her empty plate. The two sat in silence for a time. The restaurant was empty save for them. It was a near perfect picture of a passing romance.

“That’s sweet of you. But I must get back home, my mother will worry.” Tossing a few coins onto the bar, she abruptly slid off of the seat and started for the door. Rarity paused and looked off into the forested distance.

“It was nice meeting you Ralph.” She tossed her tail at this. Then, with no more care than a rich city mare could hold, Rarity strolled out the door. Behind her, she made out Ralph telling the waiter.

“That was a real dame.”

It was still hot as ever outside, but Rarity felt much better after her meal. She was a little shaky after her jaunt with the old stallion. What a bizarre little performance! She would have never done something like that six months ago, she probably would have run from the diner in terror once she realized she was being hit on by an older stallion. But Rarity had gotten a lot less squeamish as of late and there weren’t a lot of borders she cared about crossing. Fun was too rare a commodity to restrict with boundaries.

She looked up at the looming clock tower, 1:30. She still had the afternoon to pass. For Rarity, it was a struggle to kill time. After so many years of nine hour workdays, she was at a loss for extended recreation. She visited a few stores, bought a few things she didn’t need, and then walked home.

Her bed, and everything around it, was soaked with rain. She sighed and lay her sheets across the two oversize crates beside her bed. Those ten foot by five foot containers held everything she owned, the rest she had sold as her business bled out. She unlocked one and peered inside, everything was in order. The few dresses she had kept, some mannequins, along with her little collection of exotic bath salts, sat dry and unharmed by the rain. She slammed the crate shut and continued to wring out her blankets. That took her all of five minutes and again she sat idle. How did those other ponies maintain that infuriating lackadaisical quality so naturally? She could go back to the bakery, tell Mr. Salukas she felt better. No, Ana was there and she’d get trampled no doubt.

What did mindless, chore-less ponies do with their free time? Well, she’d seen Pinkie Pie stare at clouds. Rarity climbed onto a crate and looked up at the sky. White, puffy, and literally formless, the clouds she saw drifted past at a maddeningly slow pace.

“Well, I guess that one looks like, well, an egg of sorts. I don’t know. Oh, that one looks like a train.” How was this fun? “Uh, that one looks like a chair. That one, a rock maybe? Actually, I guess that’s not fair because rocks can be any shape technically.” It was a stupid game, and she gave up and just stared at the sky. Some Pegasi breezed by, on their way to deliver weather. Rarity hopped to the ground and began rummaging through her crates for something to do. The best she got was a musty book of dye fade periods, but it was enough. For several hours, Rarity studied the various effects of 20% humidity and directly sunlight on indigo. Finally, it was six o clock, and she made her way toward Twilight’s home.

The heat of the day had cooled, and staying in the shade was no longer imperative. Rarity passed a few ponies walking home from work, she didn’t return their polite smiles. Ponyville didn’t deserve a smile from her. She made sure to walk an inefficient path that lead in a pointless circle around a block of buildings. The trip was a few minutes longer, but she stayed away from Sugarcube Corner.

Reaching the great tree, Rarity made sure her mane was in order before approaching the dwelling. She paused in front of the door; one didn’t just pop by Alicorn Twilight Sparkle’s house for a little visit. Collecting herself, she knocked firmly on the door, and waited, and waited. The thick metal had probably obscured the noise. She pounded against the door. She hoped Twilight knew she was coming. Had she not properly identified herself? She knocked a bit softer this time.

“Hey! I’ll be right there!” Twilight’s laughing voice came from behind her. Rarity turned, Twilight dismounted her chariot, beside her stood two royal guards. It had been awhile since Rarity had seen Twilight. She had forgotten how large those wings looked. Atop Twilight’s head was the crown. Gold, jagged and probably heavy, it stood more like a dunce cap than anything. The queen stepped from her chariot and Rarity bowed to the Alicorn.

“Oh hey, no, please don’t. It makes me feel uncomfortable.” Twilight gave her an embarrassed smile. Twilight Sparkle, she was a young magic student, irrepressibly self-conscious, and now leading a nation of ponies and horses. She was the queen, not the princess, not the minister, she was the queen. The title was fought by many, including Twilight. But the citizens of Equestria had long been irked by serving a princess instead of a rightful queen, so young Twilight Sparkle earned the title of High Queen of Equestria.

She approached Rarity, flanked by her guards. Twilight was blushing, a lot.

“Heh, so, this is Maximus.” She motioned to one. “And this is Praetorian. They pretty much follow me around most places.” Rarity looked up at the stern faced soldiers. They looked like two white mountains, hiding a miniscule patch of purple grass between them. It must be unbearably uncomfortable for Twilight to be between those silent stallions all the time.

“Come in come in! I hope you brought your glasses because we’ve got some tough reading to do!” Twilight hid her self-consciousness as best she could and tried to be a good hostess. She flipped out a key and unlocked the door.

“I’m so sorry Spike didn’t let you in, he’s probably drowned in papers somewhere.” Rarity laughed at this, he probably was drowned in papers. Inside was the same mess of papers it was before, but Rarity could see a few organized piles and stacks developing in corners and on the table. Twilight’s guards dispersed, apparently the likelihood of assassination decreased significantly when the queen was in her home. The Alicorn flopped down on a couch in the most undignified manner possible. She sighed heavily and set her crown down on the credenza.

“I spent three hours just trying to get the head of security to understand that descendants of fascist sympathizers aren’t necessarily flight risks. Then I had to attend a meeting with the heads of the various utility Unions in Cantorlot. Then I had lunch with the city manager, who told me that we have an issue with unaccounted spending in virtually all departments. I got halfway here, then remembered I had to bring the papers for tonight.” The frazzled Alicorn took a deep breath and looked at Rarity. “If somepony ever offers you the job of queen, don’t take it.”

“Ha, I’m pretty sure that when somepony offers me the position of queen, we’ve pretty much exhausted all other options.” Rarity said with a laugh. Twilight giggled.

“Oh come on! You would make a good queen! I think your age would help you make some of those ambiguous decisions!”

“First thing a queen ought to know is never make a comment about a pony’s age.” Rarity said with a chuckle.

“Guess I have a lot to learn then. In fact do you-?” Twilight was interrupted by Maximus, or maybe it was Praetorian.

“Sorry your majesty, but your secretary is passed out in your room. I thought you might like to know.” The soldier relayed. Something in his entirely flat delivery was irrepressibly hilarious and Rarity couldn’t contain herself. She snickered for a moment, and then broke out into full laughter. It was horrendously embarrassing, but the scene of a royal guard advising Queen Twilight on her unconscious secretary was unbelievably comical. Rarity sank to her knees and attempted to control herself. She looked up at the guard, who was still standing next to the couch with the expression of solemn authority. Rarity doubled over again, it was too funny.

“God, do they talk like that all of the time?” She asked as she suppressed her giggles as best she could. Twilight nodded.

“That’s the way of the royal guards, all business I guess.” She laughed uneasily and looked up at the stallion, who didn’t seem to notice. Rarity caught her breath.

“Heh, well, I like it.” After a moment, Praetorian, or what’s-his-face shuffled off to the kitchen. Twilight rose and started for her room.

“Why don’t we go see what brought down the little bookkeeper?” She suggested. The two walked the flight of stairs to her loft. Upon swinging wide the door to the room, Rarity and Twilight were introduced to hundreds of papers splashed across the floor of the bedroom. Spike was slumped across the desk, his face partially obscured by a file folder. The pair walked across the sheet-strewn floor to the desk where the dragon sat softly snoring.

“I think we should draw something on him, maybe a mustache or something.” Rarity whispered. Twilight gave Rarity a sly grin.

“Who needs to draw anything?” There was a quiet puff of magic and a snowy white mustache was bestowed upon Spike’s scaled face. The sleeping dragon, apparently roused by the hairy sensation, yawned and rubbed his eyes.

“What? What’s going on?” He asked in a sleepy daze. The two ponies held back their mirth. Spike yawned again and felt his face.

“What?” He walked over to the mirror by the bed and gazed at himself. “Oh come on!”

The girls doubled over in a fit of giggles.

“You know, I’m sure your constituents would love to see what their newly elected queen does for fun.” He said, attempting to act annoyed.

“Rarity made me do it. It’s your fault for falling asleep when she’s around.” Twilight said between giggles. “Besides, what in the world were you doing up here anyway?”

“Well.” Spike rubbed his mustache. “I knew that annual report on the Nightmare Moon variables was giving you a headache. So I thought I’d finish it myself and have it neatly on your desk when you got back from Cantorlot.” He looked around at the mess. “Surprise!”

“Aw, thank you Spike, I’m sure we can get it done in an hour or two!” Twilight said optimistically.

“Hey hey! Better yet, you could show me those illegible ledgers and save the cleric work for yourselves.” Rarity chimed in.

“Oh yeah, I left those in the chariot.” Twilight turned and started for the door.

“Let me come with, I want to see the inside of that thing.” Rarity said eagerly.

The chariot was grand, grand on a scale that Rarity seldom beheld in the hick town of Ponyville. The sides were of course gold, but there was a breathtaking inlay of symbols and gems along the inside that she had never seen before. Rune-like words trickled through the interior of the vehicle and even onto the floor. She ran a hoof over the beautiful surface.

“What are all of those words?” She asked Twilight.

“Oh, mostly arcane magic. A few are some awesome spells, but most are just poems and stuff.” Rarity gazed at the exotic symbols. She had never realized how much magic Celestia had known.

“Incredible.” She breathed.

“Ha, well, spend a few hundred trips in it and it’ll probably get old for you.” Twilight lifted an armful of papers out of the front seat. “Here’s what I brought. Hope you like coffee, this could be a long night.”

Rarity surveyed the ledgers, it wouldn’t be so bad if it took a while, after all, Twilight and Spike were fun. She stared at the stack, that was still fuckton of papers.

“Ah, all of those?” She asked in uncertainty.

“Yep.” Replied Twilight with a grin. “Isn’t royal business fun?” Rarity rose out of the chariot.

“Yes, well, why don’t we start on them then?” She said apprehensively. They returned to the kitchen table. Spike was laying out some stationary.

Twilight dumped the ledgers down on the table, the stack made an unsettlingly loud thump.

“Ok, so, most of these were written by the Director of Pegasi affairs. He’s old and, honestly, I think he likes messing with me with his terrible cursive.” Twilight shoved a sheet of figures to Rarity. “Go.” Rarity studied the paper. The words were twisted like barbed wire.

“Fourteen thousand, in the column of medical expenses. Forty five thousand in the column of training expenses.” She looked up. Both Twilight and Spike had copied the information down on separate papers. “Didn’t know you could write that fast Twi.” Rarity said, impressed by the young queen.

“Yeah, shorthoof is a prereq for queenship.” Twilight replied with a smile. Rarity laughed and continued.

“Ok, so, thirty thousand for travel expenses. And the final note is that he intends to request additional funding for what looks like.” She squinted at the painfully illegible words. “Additional expenses.” She said slowly. Spike and Twilight compared papers while Rarity took a sip of coffee. Things had better not be this slow the whole time. She lifted another paper. Another column of expenses, again the same shitty writing.

“Ninety five thousand for legal aid. One hundred fifty two thousand for court settlements.” She read the list, lifted another, read that one, than picked up another. It was actually more boring than she had pictured in her mind. She had hoped that Twilight and Spike would chat with her during their work; but the two were surprisingly focused on copying the information. After three more pages without conversation, Rarity decided to take matters into her own hooves. “Forty two thousand for sexual harassment settlements, twenty five thousand for sexual training programs, four hundred bits for prostitute fees.” Spike looked up.

“Wait, what?”

“Rarity, did he actually write that?” Twilight held an amusing expression of perfect amazement. Rarity began to laugh.

“Of course not! Did you think he would itemize prostitutes?” She tittered. “I’m pretty sure that would go under the ‘additional expenses’ column.” She looked at the pair. Neither was laughing. Twilight looked seriously frustrated and Spike looked away.

“We’re gonna need to re-do this page now.” Twilight said in irritation.

“Exactly where did your joke begin? Were sexual training expenses legitimate?” Spike asked innocently. Rarity could hardly believe it, what the hell had changed in them? They were Spike and Twilight, she had known them for years. Yet now they were all business? Couldn’t they have some fun? A chill settled on Rarity, they were royalty, they had royal business, and she had just made fun of that. She had just made a joke to the Queen of Equestria.

“Haha, yeah, all of that was just a joke. ‘Cept for the sexual harassment part.” She cleared her throat and started on another page. Uncomfortable, sorely embarrassed, and trying to act more professional, Rarity spoke in her clearest monotone.

“One million bits, this is an optimistic projection. The risk of additional security or medical expenses is ever-present. The director would like to remind the queen of the historical significance the Pegasi Flight Awareness Program has held.” She recited. “This, um, this looks like the last page of this ledger.” She gently lay the paper down on the stack and squared the edges. Both Spike and Twilight completed their stacks and dropped them into a cardboard box by the table. Rarity took another sip of the bitter coffee. “What would you like to start on now?” She inquired softly. The Alicorn took a moment to decide between two ledgers.

“Let’s do expense projections for waste management for the fiscal year, and then do the Gradation Report.”

“Ok then!” Rarity started dictating anew.

Unfortunately, the shock of her poorly received joke soon wore off, and she was again lost in the doldrums of legal transcription. It was rote work, the writing wasn’t the worst she’d seen, and she struggled to find an outlet for the 90% of her mind not occupied in reading.

Could she look about the room and guess their decorator? No, she still had to read. What about the table? She couldn’t look that over, but she could feel its underside. Her hooves slid along the cold marble surface. It was slick and free of burrs, she silently rapped her hooves against it to see if it was hollow. It was not, a feature very uncommon for marble tables. How much had this cost she wondered? She made a guesstimate, which seemed a little high for a table.

“Hang on, are you sure?” Spike was now comparing his paper to Twilight’s. “Twelve thousand bits seems awfully low for two years of water.” Oh no, had that guesstimate been aloud? She pretended to study the ledger.

“Oh, no, my apologies. That is one hundred and fifty thousand.” She swallowed unexpectedly. “I’m sorry, I mistook a few letters, er, numbers.” She said nervously. Twilight just sighed and told her to start over. Rarity sweat a little bit now, she’d screwed up twice, and she didn’t want to look like she was too immature to work on official business. She double-checked the rest of the pages as she went. “Finally, the notion that these figures are in any way concrete statistics is incorrect. The reality is, there are multiple variables that cannot be anticipated. For this reason, an additional three million bits for unknown costs is strongly advised to avoid any potential closings of the Waste Management department.” She placed her hooves in her lap. Rarity started to say she was ready for the next ledger, but Twilight cut her off.

“Well, at least they’ll come out and say it.” The Alicorn ran a hoof over her face. “You ever try to finance a country Rarity?” She asked tiredly. “It’ll make you lose trust in everypony.” She looked over the scattered reports and ledgers and her mouth fell into a frown. “Every program needs money; at least, that’s what they say.” Her voice was a sigh. “Let’s take a break. I need to ask Maximus something.” She pushed her chair away from the table and walked off to find the guard.

Spike hopped down from his chair and sat on the table next to Rarity.

“Sorry about, it’s just that we’re always trying to get stuff done.” He said gently.

“Yeah, I guess I missed that.” She was stupid for not realizing how childish it was to make a joke during national business.

“Hey, uh, what happened this afternoon?” He asked after a moment. She had forgotten about that.

“Ah, yeah, just got a little hot you know? I mean, Sugarcube was talking to you, and I got sick of waiting I guess. Sorry about that, you know how I hate those kinds of ponies.” She explained in embarrassment.

“Oh.” There was a silence. Rarity chewed her lip. Spike looked around the soundless room. “I love it when it gets this quiet.” He said. “Sometimes I just sit and try and hear stuff outside.”

“Yeah, it gets pretty quiet out in the field a lot of nights. Sometimes I wish I could sit in night like that forever.” She agreed. He smiled and played with his claws.

“That would be awesome.” He said in almost a whisper. Rarity gazed at him. Spike might have gotten bigger, but in many ways he still seemed awfully young to be secretary to the queen.

“Spike, how is being secretary? I mean, seriously, what is it like?” She asked. He twisted his mouth around and sat in thought for a few seconds.

“I dunno, I mean, ok. I’ve done 9/10ths of this stuff before, back when Twilight and I were sending letters to Celestia. It’s a ton more work, and I don’t see my friends as much anymore.” He looked at her. The dragon had an uncrushable smile. “But a good portion of the stress is just catching up. Once that’s done, things’ll get a lot easier. Twilight said we’ll even take a trip to Cloudsdale once we get settled.”

“Oh Cloudsdale, I’m thinking of taking a trip there.” Rarity said. “They built a reactor which fuses the rainbows, it’s supposed to be pretty breathtaking.”

“We should go together.” He suggested.

“We should.” She agreed. The room returned to silence and the two waited for Twilight’s return. In a few minutes, the purple Alicorn returned from downstairs.

“Geez it’s quiet up here. What are you two doing?” She asked.

“Oh nothing, we were just listening to the outside.” Spike replied.

“Ha, with Rarity I never know. I was a little worried you two had run off to do some mischief.” She teased. Twilight wasn’t still mad. Rarity felt relieved, which loosened her up.

“Haha no, I was thinking about clearing out your fridge however.” She joked.

“Psh, go for it.” Twilight said, pouring herself more coffee. “See if you can find any yogurt.”

“And diamonds, check for those.” Spike called as Rarity pulled open the stainless steel doors. Already beginning to laugh, Rarity called back.

“Pretty sure those wouldn’t-” They were.

About fifteen or so brilliant cut diamonds sat in a gold (leaf or solid Rarity didn’t know) crisper beneath the pony food. Carefully sliding one out of its gilded enclosure, Rarity studied one of the diamonds in the light. The light danced off of the rare jewel as she turned it over. “Magnificent.” She breathed. The diamond was icy, beautiful, and probably delicious. “Spike, you eat like a prince.” She said in awe.

“Hear that Spike? A prince, they clean up after dinner.” Twilight poked.

“Oh sorry, I can’t do that, I have to finish the Nightmare Moon report.” He shot back. Tossing a few diamonds onto a plate, which promptly chipped, Rarity continued to search for suitable food.

“Twilight, you eat healthy, good for you.” She commended while trying to find something she could stomach. Plain yogurt, some organic grass, a little sprig of greens, milk, it was better than nothing. She carefully brought over everyone’s food. Spike took a splintering bite of a diamond and slipped into carbon induced bliss. The girls giggled and Rarity chewed on some hay.

“It’s good to see you Rarity. Haven’t seen you around much. Of course, I haven’t been around much either.” Twilight said as she slurped some yogurt.

“Yeah, I’ve been working at the bakery. Not much going on there, just me and Applecrisp.” Rarity said with a shrug.

“Don’t think I know her. She’s an Apple I take it?”

“Yeah, Applejack’s cousin, one of them at least. She left Hayseed Swamps and moved here about a month ago. She lives over near the windmill I think.” Twilight was confused.

“She…doesn’t live with Applejack?” Rarity frowned, she needed to answer Twilight without sounding like a gossip.

“Nope.” Rarity said casually. Of course curious Twilight Sparkle needed to know more.

“Why not? The Applejack I know won’t let any relatives within a hundred miles sleep anywhere but at her house.”

“Yeah, she, she uh, had a falling out with Applecrisp. They don’t spend a lot time together.” Rarity understated. Thankfully the young queen understood that asking more questions would be entering into uncomfortable territory. She instead turned to her secretary.

“Spike.” The dragon was still in a dream-like trance “Spiiiiiiike, are you going to finish those?” She cajoled. Instantly, he snapped back to consciousness.

“Of course! Wait, what do you mean? Since when do you eat diamonds?” Twilight laughed.

“Are you ready to get back to work?”

Spike gobbled up the last two gems on his plate.

“Ready!”

“Ok, so let’s hit the Gradation Report.” Twilight said as she and Spike readied themselves with fresh papers.

“A report concerning the tactical gradation of cities. Assignments and findings collected by the director of Pegasi affairs.” Rarity read.

It was true, whoever the director of Pegasi affairs was, he certainly seemed to enjoy awful handwriting. There were points where Rarity had to stop and infer the meaning of the report out of the sheer illegibility of the words. Over time she found that the director enjoyed overusing his title, and that he would invariably insert it at most opportune moments.

“Who is this guy?” She finally asked after a dozen or so pages.

“You wouldn’t like meeting him. He’s old, tenured, and has some silly notions about mares.” Twilight rolled her eyes at this last part. Rarity giggled.

“Don’t tell me, he doesn’t hold doors for you.”

“Nope, he also thinks I shouldn’t be running Equestria. Never mind that I have an entire magic education from Princess Celestia, never mind that I am the only qualified Alicorn known to exist. Nope, I’m a mare and that restricts me to foal-bearing and menial labor.” Twilight clearly wished for another mare to share her frustration with.

“Sounds like a winner, can you fire him?” Rarity asked.

“Well, no. He’s been around forever, and he’s good at what he does, plus he’s actually pretty popular.” Twilight sighed and adjusted the papers on the table. “You can’t really fire anyone in government.” Rarity snorted.

“You’re the queen, that should mean something.”

“It does, but it doesn’t mean that I can run the show. Equestria is still a democracy.” Twilight answered properly. Rarity shrugged and kept reading.

“These reports corroborate intelligence suggesting a weakness in the northern territories. A suggestion is made to investigate further options for this territory. A proposed budget of four million will allow research to be-”

“Yeah, I know, more necessities.” Twilight interrupted. The Alicorn scribbled the last sentence onto the paper and tossed it into the box. She continued to stare at the half-full cardboard container. Rarity set her page down and waited for Twilight. The three sat for a moment, while Twilight continued to stare at the box.

“Hey Rarity, when were you thinking of taking that trip?” Spike asked quickly.

“Oh, uh, I dunno, sometime in the fall maybe?” Twilight looked up.

“What trip?”

“Rarity’s going to Cloudsdale with us!” Spike said excitedly.

“Wait, we don’t know when we’re going. Rarity, you want to come to Cloudsdale with us?”

“Ah, yeah, Spike invited me, I wanted to see that new rainbow reactor.” Answered the unicorn. Twilight perked up at the idea of Rarity joining their excursion.

“Well, you’ll have to be with me if you want to get through reactor security. What’s your schedule for the summer?”

“Heh, that’s the good part of being a part time baker, there aren’t a lot of pressing matters that crop up. I’m pretty much free any week you want.”

“Great! We have to get settled first, but I’m thinking in a month or less.” Seeing Twilight cheer up comforted Rarity. Twilight was a queen Alicorn and she oversaw an entire country, but Twilight wanted to take a trip with her. She might be a burned-out and unladylike baker, but Rarity was still somepony worth taking a trip with. Some things hadn’t changed with the Blast.

Spike started on how advanced the reactor was and how much it had cost. Twilight of course explained the technical challenges and ramifications of such a reactor. The three soon drifted away from the world of ledgers and sexism, and into a conversation about Cloudsdale. They went back, Twilight telling both about the “fascinating” science and magic behind rainbow production. Spike of course recalling the story of Rarity’s prideful incident at the Best Young Flyer competition. Rarity offered her defense and view of the comedic situation.

“Now, it was my first time with wings, you can’t blame me for wanting to look spectacular. Why, I was simply gorgeous and you do have to admit, Dash had something to be jealous of.” Rarity said amongst giggles. Twilight started on about how that wasn’t the exact scenario when Maximus or whoever appeared out of seemingly nowhere.

“The queen requested an early bedtime reminder in regards to her inspection of Ponyville’s water facilities. This is her reminder.” He said in a monotone that bordered on a drawl. Almost simultaneously, the three shot glances at the oven clock. 9:14 blinked rhythmically in blue digital type. Twilight looked down at the uncopied ledgers.

“Shoot, well, we’ll have to finish these tomorrow, or sometime.” She rose and saw Rarity to the door. “Thanks so much, we really saved a lot of time with your help. I’ll send Spike over when I have a free night.” She gave Rarity a pair of hundred bit bills. “It’s standard wage for royal translators, you can’t legally refuse.” She said with a grin. In her good mood, Rarity didn’t even consider refusing the inflated payment.

“Guess I’ll just have to accept and be on my way.” Rarity conceded with a smile. She opened the bulletproofed door and walked out into the spring night.

“Nice seeing you Rarity, I’ll be in touch about our plans.” Twilight said from the door.

“Bye Rarity!” Spike called loudly. Rarity laughed and called goodbye to the adolescent dragon.

She walked through Mane Street, all the shops had closed and only the houses were lit. She passed Sugarcube Corner, dark and harmless in the peaceful night. Rarity rounded the corner and made her way toward the prairie, which lay past the cobblestone fence.

She was tired, a good tired, it had been a long day. But looking back, it had been a good one. Her hoof was healing fine, she’d made a pass at an older stallion and had some fun at Twilight’s. Today was a rare day for Rarity, a happy one. She even broke into a fiercely stifled smile. The unicorn hopped the fence and strolled through the greening grass. The air was beginning to lose its muggy quality and Rarity knew that the dog days of summer were just around the bend.

Back at her camp, she shunned covers and opted to instead sleep on top of one of the blanketed crates. Her lower hooves draped over the edge and she lay comfortably on the soft blanket. Up above, the stars were an explosion of white freckles against the blackness of space.

Where was Luna tonight? The question rolled casually into her head. Rarity yawned, maybe mourning, maybe plotting, she had no idea where the black Alicorn might be. Rarity turned exhaustedly over, away from the forest, and soon fell fast asleep.