Mistress Do Well: Reparation
by milesprower06

Rarity
Part 2

Twilight sat at the table with a cup of tea, uncertainty having taken over her mind. Next to her sat her Rainbow, whom she found it difficult to get a read on, as they both sat and looked at the trembling unicorn sitting across from them, eyes red and throat sore from the bawling she had been doing.

From the moment she collapsed into a sobbing fit, fighting through their stupor, Spike and Rainbow helped her up and into the library while Twilight just stood there, stunned. Then when Rainbow saw the Necklace of Generosity around her neck, she also took a turn towards flabbergasted. They stayed functional enough to sit her down at the table, while Spike went to make them tea.

She had come with nothing, no personal items of any kind. Atop her horn, was a gold magic limiter, with the royal insignia, letting ponies know that the wearer's magic was being negated by decree of royalty.

"So Luna gave you the necklace?" Twilight asked quietly, sensing Rarity had calmed down enough to speak, or so she hoped. Sniffling, the unicorn nodded. Twilight glanced at Rainbow, who she still couldn't get a good read on, and she had yet to speak.

"What's with the limiter?" Spike asked, sitting beside Twilight at the table. Rarity took a breath before replying.

"It... It was the only way Luna would let me come here this quickly."

Her voice was soft, hoarse, and filled with sadness.

"So... Why are you here?" Twilight asked her.

Rarity, hooves shivering, took a sip of her tea, not truly ready to accept even this small token of hospitality.

"To see if there's anything I can do to make amends..." Rarity said. Her gaze slowly went from Twilight over to Rainbow, who was still staring silently.

"R-Rainbow...? Is... Is there anything... Anything at all that I can do?"

Rainbow's lips trembled, and when she slowly blinked, tears began to trickle down her cheeks. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"When I came back, I wasn't sure what to expect. I didn't know who would be here. I wasn't aware of any statutory limit, any investigation that took place, or anything. I just came here to the library to see if Twilight was still here, and here she was. I was just taking it one hour at a time. I don't know, if Luna hadn't put me in there, would I have tried to include......"

Rainbow looked down at her tea, taking a few shuddering breaths. Twilight put her front leg around her shoulder, comforting her as best she could. The pegasus looked back up at Rarity, fresh tears streaming down her face.

"Why?" She asked, her voice cracking as she started to cry. "Why did you think that was acceptable at all? Why would you ever consider doing that to those you love?"

Rainbow failed to keep it together, but had asked the questions that had been burning in everypony's mind. Seeing this made Rarity's waterworks continue as well. She swallowed, and took another drink of tea to do her best to try and soothe her throat. The emotional pain had become so severe that it had crossed into physical hurt. It had been this way all the way down here on the train from Manehattan, and it was now getting worse. She winced as her heart ached.

"It... It was intoxicating. Having power over Fluttershy like that... I can't even describe the high that I got from it. I just wanted more, and more... It was never enough, there was no satisfying that hunger. I know now that something was wrong... very wrong up here," Rarity explained, putting a hoof to her head. "It had to have been, for me to come after her like some predator and threaten Twilight with a similar fate. But when she fought back... The head injuries she gave me... That must have knocked something back into place, because I'm sickened that I even considered any of it."

"There's nothing wrong with BDSM," Twilight began, "But to you it was something else entirely. It was a power trip. You didn't just threaten me in the library, you threatened all of us after the start of Project Mistress Do Well, that if we ever undermined your methods again, that we'd join her. How? How did all of us go along with it so blindly? Did you do something to us?"

Rarity nodded again, swallowing hard.

"It was an empathy transferal spell. I took the euphoric high that I got from being a dom, and I magically placed it in all of you. It had to be weak enough to be subtle and unnoticeable, so it would've worn off after a few days."

"It had already worn off. Pinkie Pie quit after she saw the injuries on Fluttershy. Applejack said she wasn't coming back after you insulted her race." Twilight's voice rose in volume and anger. "If I hadn't come back that night-" she began to get up from her seat, but Rainbow put a hoof on her shoulder, silently reminding her to keep calm. She then turned back to Rarity.

"You had no intention of letting me go. Fluttershy pretended to lead an otherwise normal life because she was so firmly under your hoof. But you caged me up like some animal, complete with the reminder of the dream you had taken away."

More tears fell from the unicorn's eyes.

"I'm so, so sorry." She cried, voice shaking. "I came here to put my fate entirely in your hooves. Whatever you need to do or I need to do to put your mind at ease and fix your cutie mark... Tell me what I can do."

Rainbow stood defiantly.

"Nothing."

With that, she galloped to the front door and left the library. Rarity laid her head on the table and silently wept, unsure of what to do.

"Maybe she just needs a little bit of time." Spike said.

"Her plan was to use the Element to restore your memories. What she was planning on doing then... I'm not sure. I don't think she ever thought that far ahead. But she couldn't bring herself to do it."

"Twilight... Thank you. Thank you for fighting back against me all that time ago."

"Don't thank me," Twilight stated flatly. "If I had done what I wanted to, you wouldn't be here right now. I seriously don't know what to do right now. I can't approach this the way I usually do. The last time I approached something analytically with you, I took pages of notes about the torture of one of my best friends. The only reason I'm tolerating you here right now is because I believe that somehow, you are the answer to Rainbow's cutie mark crisis."

All the mental preparation in Equestria did no good to soften the blow of how unwelcome she felt right now.

"I'll do whatever I can, and then I'll do whatever or go wherever you girls want."

Twilight didn't respond to this, having half a mind to tell her to get out right now and never come back.

And the other half was thinking about agreeing. But Rainbow's conflict within hadn't been solved yet, and that came first.

"Twilight... How's Fluttershy?"

Twilight swallowed, preparing herself to tell Rarity about her former marefriend.

"She's been doing alright. She's... She's with Applejack now."

Rarity managed a small sliver of a smile at this news.

"Do you think... I could see her?" She softly asked.

"I'm not sure if..." Twilight began to say, slowly shaking her head.

"I have to tell her how sorry I am."

"In case you haven't noticed, there's not too many here who are concerned with how sorry you are."

Rarity nodded in agreement.

"Was it the same when she first came back?"

Twilight's eyes widened at the epiphany. Yes, it was very similar the night Rainbow came back. She had apologized over and over, and Rainbow wasn't really in any mood to hear it. She really, really hated to admit it, but at the very least, Fluttershy should at least know that Rarity wanted to make amends. She gave out an exasperated sigh.

"I'll see what I can do."