“And then- -and then- -he just ignored me!”

Rarity paced across the large, extravagant front room of the suite she had been given on the Citadel. She was out of breath, not because of any sort of physical activity, but because she had just spent nearly four minutes without inhaling more than absolutely necessary as she explained her situation to Twilight.

Twilight- -or, rather, the hollow, semi-abstract hard-light hologram version of her, paced across the floor with Rarity despite obviously not paying attention.

“Twilight?” said Rarity. “Are you even listening?”

“Of course not,” said Twilight.

“Excuse me?!”

Twilight looked up, for the first time appearing to devote her energy to observing Rarity. “Oh. Sorry. I mean, yes. I totally am. And coordinating a rather extensive battle at the same time. Do you have to talk about this now? Can’t you contact Fluttershy or something?”

“I tried, but she isn’t returning my calls.”

“Oh,” said Twilight. “Well, it is the annual rut on Tartarus. She’s probably busy impregnating her subjects. Or whatever it is demons do.”

“Twilight, I’m having a crisis here! This is important! I had sex with him, and- -oh, my, it was great. I almost died. Definitely not like a pony. It was prehensile. Twilight, you’ve never- -”

Twilight glared at Rarity. “Oh,” said Rarity. “I’m sorry. I forgot.” As a Core, Twilight was permanently entombed in the center of the Harmony. She was, by definition, an eternal virgin. “But he’ supposed to love me now! But he won’t even pay attention!” Rarity paused, then gasped. “Am…am I not pretty enough? What if I disgust him? What if- -”

“Rarity,” said Twilight. “I’m not the pony you should be talking to. If you can’t get Fluttershy, try Applejack. She has an entire herd of stallions.”

“Yes, all related to her. It’s not the same!”

“Twilight!” said a second voice, one that was slightly slurred. A different hologram came into view, emerging from the ether into the center of the room. This one was a very well rendered Rainbow Dash. She looked almost perfectly realistic, save for a partial transparency- -which made Rarity wonder why Twilight always represented herself incompletely if she was able to actually look like a real pony. “What the hell are you doing? We’re being flanked on the- -” She looked at Rarity, and her otherwise sunken and bleary eyes momentarily lit up. “Oh, hello, slut,” she said.

“And salutations to you too, drunkard.”

Both holograms suddenly distorted slightly.

“What was that?” asked Rarity.

“I just fired the dimensional sheer cannon,” said Twilight. “Darn it…Rarity, I just knocked a moon out of orbit. The core density was off. It’s breaking up…so much for keeping collateral fatalities low. I’m going to need to call you back.”

“We were trying for low?” said Rainbow Dash. “Oops.”

Twilight sighed, and then turned to Rarity. “Rarity. I trust your judgement on this, and I’m not going to question your methods. But it is absolutely critical that you do not fail at this. We consider them primatives, but the aliens have scientific and medical technology that could revolutionize Equestrian society. We NEED them, Rarity.”

“So don’t buck this up,” said Rainbow Dash.

“You’re one to talk,” muttered Rarity.

“What did you just say?”

“Rainbow Dash, get back to work, myself dammit!”

“Fine, fine,” said Rainbow Dash, taking a deep swig from a flask as her hologram disappeared.

“Seriously,” said Twilight. “Don’t fail me, Rarity. We’re so close…”

Her hologram faded and vanished, and Rarity was left standing in the empty room. She blinked for a moment, wondering why they had been so insistent to leave when she had very real, very important problems.

“Well,” she said, climbing into an uncomfortable chair designed for an alien rump. “Fluttershy certainly would have listened better.”

They were right, though. The situation went beyond Rarity’s love life, something that she was only now coming to realize. The had expected to gain a positive relationship with Garrus that would translate into better outcomes for the diplomatic negotiations- -but instead, he had completely disengaged. In addition, for some reason, Falare, who Rarity had originally assessed as a prudent and genial person, had now become recalcitrant to almost every suggestion that Rarity put forward. The negotiations were slipping through her hooves, and she did not know how to stop it.

After several minutes- -or several hours, it was impossible to tell- -Sweetie Belle entered the room. She looked up suddenly, as if seeing Rarity sitting glumly in a chair was something she had not expected.

“Rarity?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” said Rarity. “Simply divine.”

“Oh. Well. That’s good, I guess. You don’t look fine, though.”

“Are you calling me ugly?!”

Sweetie Belle stepped back. “Um, no?”

Rarity calmed herself. “I’m sorry, Sweetie Belle. I didn’t mean to yell. It’s just…this job is so very difficult sometimes.”

“Well, why don’t you take a break? We can go look at the alien fabric. They have loads of neat fabrics. I know how much you love to do really, really boring things like that.”

Rarity smiled. “You know what?” she slid of the chair. “I think that really would help.” She paused. “Wait a minute…how do you know what fabric the aliens have?”

Sweetie Belle’s face scrunched. “I read it in a coffee-table book.”

“Oh,” said Rarity. “Wait…when did we get a coffee table?”

Before Sweetie Belle could answer, a rapid musical tone filled the air. Someone was at the door. Rarity wondered who would be visiting at this particular hour- -until she realized that she had no idea what hour it actually was. She assumed the day was nearing its close, though.

A breeder quickly fluttered through the air toward the call of the door, and Rarity followed him, curious. She watched down the hallway as the breeder opened the door and greeted the asari standing behind it with all the curtesy and politeness that he was programmed to speak with.

Rarity approached the door, and for a moment, she did not recognize who was standing at the door. After all, the vast majority of aliens within a species had almost no distinguishing characteristics and looked nearly identical. The asari were especially confusing.

When Rarity got closer, though, she recognized the markings on the asari’s face- -and the mysterious wisps of luminescent blue lines that sat just beneath her skin.

“Councilor Falare,” said Rarity. Her surprise was apparent in her voice, but there was just no way to suppress it. Every time she had seen the Councilor, she had been dressed in extensive, drab-colored robes. Now, though, she was wearing a much more elegant white sleeveless dress. Rarity was immediately struck by how beautiful she was- -but at the same time, she felt strangely nervous in her presence.

“Ambassador,” she said. “I came to speak with you.”

“With me? Oh my. Come in. Although…” she looked around Falare and saw that no one was present. “You are…alone.”

“Yes,” sighed Falare. “That is what I came to talk to you about. Can I come in?”

“Of course,” said Rarity. She looked at her breeder, trying to remember his name. It was not uncommon to brand their identification codes onto them, but Rarity had never approved of the asymmetry it gave their otherwise astoundingly white coats. “You,” she eventually settled on. “Would you be a dear and make us some tea?”

“Yes, Lady Rarity,” he said, bowing and then fluttering off toward the kitchen suite.

“You don’t have to do that,” said Falare. “I’ll only take a moment, I think.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all,” said Rarity. “He wasn’t doing anything anyway.”

Falare’s expression shifted just slightly. It was almost not enough to notice. In fact, Rarity would not have noticed at all, save for the fact that that ever so slight shift made something in her head cry out. Something instinctive and deep- -but something that passed as soon as it came.

“I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot,” said Falare. “I came to apologize. I misjudged you, and may have failed to calibrate my appearance properly. I fear I may have come across as too threatening.”

“Threatening? Not at all, dearie- -I mean Councilor. I certainly do understand how taxing these negotiations can be, and the need to put on airs is just a part of the position.”

“Indeed.” Falare did not seem to blink, and her eyes never left Rarity. She smiled, though, and Rarity felt slightly at ease. “Which is why I came to talk to you. I find you…intriguing, ambassador.”

“Intriguing? Me?”

“Certainly. I can’t help but feel drawn to you. I think we could be good friends, Rarity. And I was hoping we could get to know each other a little better.”

Rarity smiled. Her fate was turning. She had just been lamenting that she was losing support of the Councilors and failing the negotiations, but now one had literally appeared on her doorstep and was asking to be friends.

“Of course!” she said, perhaps too eagerly. She cleared her throat. “I mean, I would certainly be glad to. I can already tell that you have an eye for fashion.”

Falare smiled. “Thank you. Something I picked up from my older sister. She always knew the exact clothes to wear to make an impression. And speaking of impressions…I know a bar that’s open right now.”

“A bar? Councilor, I don’t- -”

“It’s nothing fancy or fast paced. Very subtle, very quiet. And the views are spectacular.”

“I don’t know,” said Rarity. “With all the work we have to do tomorrow…”

“Oh. Okay,” said Falare, looking disappointed. “I understand. I will see you tomorrow, then.”

She turned to leave, but Rarity stopped her. “Wait,” she said. Then she giggled. “If you’ll excuse my language, well, what the hay! We’re only young and beautiful once, aren’t we?”

Falare smiled, and so did Rarity. Except that Rarity did not know why she suddenly felt so uneasy.

The night actually went well. Perfectly, even. What Falare had described as a bar was actually far more elegant than that, a kind of restaurant built high in a tower on the Citadel with a massive transparent window that looked out over the Citadel’s cityscape. The lights were dim and amber or orange, casting the high-ceilinged room in what felt like a perpetual sunset. Falare and Rarity were seated at a table made of fine wood where they could talk as they watched the ships pass by like ants through the space outside.

The conversation was good as well. Rarity had initially assessed Falare as quiet and subdued, but as it turned out, she was actually a gifted conversationalist. She kept her tone light, spending most of her time listening to Rarity’s stories and interjecting when she could provide insight. It felt almost as though they had been friends for decades, and after several drinks, Rarity found them both loosening up and laughing at each other’s jokes.

All the while, though, something was wrong. Rarity would notice things, things that were not quite right. Like how every other asari in the establishment vacated as soon as they saw Falare, or how despite drinking several very tasty drinks Falare’s green-tinted fluted glass never seemed to need to be replenished. Even the conversation was strange. It was almost too perfect, as if Falare knew exactly what Rarity wanted to hear and exactly when she wanted to hear it. And, more importantly, the way her eyes never deviated from Rarity for long. Always staring, always watching.

Rarity felt strange. She felt happy, good, and secure; intimate, even. Rarity was not nor had she ever been attracted to mares, but she found her eyes occasionally lingering too long on parts of Falare’s body as her mind thought about how beautiful the blue-skinned biped was, and how amazing she would look in various dresses- -the designs of which, in Rarity’s mind’s eye, became as elaborate as they were revealing. At the same time, though, something felt wrong in Rarity’s head. A kind of buzzing, as if she knew something terribly important but had forgotten it. As if, for some reason, she wanted to leave. Not that she ever would, of course. That would be rude. And, with how she was feeling, she doubted that she would be able to even if she had possessed the will to do so.

Eventually, everything was reduced to a blur. Rarity was distantly aware that hours had passed. The lights in the Citadel hallway had become dim to represent night. She was not sure where the time had gone. When she finally returned home, Sweetie Belle was nowhere to be found. Even the breeders had returned to their various closets to roost.

Rarity and Falare could not help but giggle as they snuck through the dark suite back to Rarity’s chambers. Rarity, now being more than slightly drunk, kept nearly falling over. She was lying heavily on Falare to help her along.

“Falare, how are you not drunk?” giggled Rarity as Falare shushed her.

“Practice,” said Falare warmly. “That, and I’m a lot bigger than you. I shouldn’t have let you have so much.”

“Much? Daaaarling, Rainbow Dash has triple that before breakfast, trust me…oop!” she tripped on the edge of the carpet, and Falare caught her.

“You know what?” Falare lifted Rarity and cradled the pony in her arms. “I’ll just carry you.”

With Falare now providing stable locomotion, the pair quickly reached Rarity’s room. Falare flicked on the light to the dim setting with her magic and brought Rarity across the room before finally setting the pony on the bed.”

“I hope I’m not too heavy,” said Rarity.

“Oh, not at all,” said Falare, smiling. “You barely weigh anything at all…”

Falare reached up and ran her hand along Rarity’s face and through her hair. It felt good, and Rarity leaned into it.

“You’re so soft,” said Falare.

“Thank you,” said Rarity. “It takes a great deal of brushing. And a diet high in olive oil.”

Falare hesitated, but Rarity could tell that she wanted to say something.

“What?”

“Rarity, we’re friends, right?”

“Of course, darling.”

“Well…there’s something I want to try.”

Before Rarity could stop her, Falare leaned forward and kissed her. Rarity was surprised at first, but found herself leaning into it, kissing her back. Rarity was, as always, not a lesbian, but she did not resist as Falare climbed into the bed.

She wanted it. Badly. Every fiber in her being wanted to be with that asari- -but something deeper was screaming more loudly than it ever had. The unease in Rarity’s brain suddenly boiled over into abject terror. She pushed away from Falare, only to see the asari staring back, her eyes inky and black.

Falare’s grip tightened, and Rarity found herself unable to resist. Even as her mind was screaming to make Falare stop, she felt herself opening her legs- -but Falare did not even bother with the lower half of her pony body. Instead, the conditions in Rarity’s mind itself began to change. She felt a presence seeping into her mind, connecting to her in exactly the ways she wanted.

Her thoughts were slowly starting to fade. Somewhere separate from the surge of lust and intimacy, part of her was aware that her consciousness was burning. Parts of her were shutting down as her synapses began to decay, and she felt a trickle of blood from her eyes and ears stain her white fur and the bedsheets below.

Then, just before her mind finally gave in, something shifted. Not from Falare, but from herself. The network of her nervous system suddenly burst open, pulling what reserve power it had and charging her horn with all of it.

More magic than Rarity had ever used in her life suddenly poured out of her in a chaotic, undirected explosion. Falare was thrown back, and Rarity was knocked across the room and into the far wall.

The sensation of the impact was distance, and for what felt like an eternity, Rarity sat still, her head lolling as she tried to make sense of the haze that she now saw the world through. Her mind simply would not work, at least not at first. It took several seconds before she could focus her eyes, and nearly a minute before she could comprehend where she was or how she had gotten there.

Rarity tried to stand, but as she did, her muscles convulsed painfully. She looked across the room at Falare, who was sprawled in a similar position leaning against Rarity’s bed.

“What did you do to me?” she demanded.

Falare looked back. Her eyes were no longer black, but instead had returned to their normal color.

“What did I do?” she muttered. “I failed.”

“Failed? I- -I can’t move!”

“Yes. And you should be dead.”

Rarity’s breath caught in her throat. “D…dead?”

Falare nodded. She shifted, slightly, but Rarity could tell that she was just as immobile. “I’m an Ardat-Yakshi. I’m sick. When I attempt to mate, I kill my partner. Always.”

“Mate? You mean…”

“That we were just having sex? We were. Just like you did to Garrus.”

“How did you- -”

“Oh please. How could I not? Except this time, you wouldn’t walk away from it with a stupid smile on your face. They would find you dead. And they would know I did it. Just an uncontrollable urge. The Ardat-Yakshi just couldn’t control herself. They’re all killers anyway.”

“You- -you couldn’t expect to actually keep your position after that?”

“My position?” Falare laughed darkly. “Oh, I’d be executed. Every bit of activism for my people would come undone. I would be considered the greatest asari failure in history.”

“But then WHY?”

“Why?” Falare’s eyes narrowed. She tried to stand, but spasmed and collapsed back to the floor. “How can you sit there and ask me that?”

“I don’t understand!”

“You bitch. You actually don’t know, do you?”

Rarity shook her head.

“Garrus. It’s Garrus. He was supposed to be MINE.”

Rarity gasped. “I didn’t…”

“Yes, you did. You seduced the man I love. The only person who has ever treated me like a real asari. My own people? I’m a monster to them. Even my own mother can’t look at me. My sisters are all dead. I’m alone. Except for him. He was supposed to love ME.”

“I didn’t know!” exclaimed Rarity. “I- -I didn’t realize!”

“Of course you didn’t! You’re an insensitive twit!”

Rarity gasped. “Excuse me? I’ve done NOTHING except what’s expected of me- -”

“Did you even bother ask? If he and I were living together? Because we are! And it’s not just that! You literally gave me a box of CHILD SLAVES. How did you possibly think that wouldn’t be offensive?”

“But- -I was just trying to be generous- -”

“By systematically undermining my life? By ignoring every value we hold dear?”

“At least I didn’t try to kill somepony! You could have SAID SOMETHING! Sweet Celestia…I’m positively mortified. He was functionally married. Buck me…”

“I just tried to. Actually…” Falare sat up. “You’re the second being I’ve ever gotten that far with.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. The last one…well…she didn’t make it. Obviously.”

“Then how did I survive?”

“I don’t know. That biotic surge, I suppose.” Falare shakily gestured toward her own forehead. “That thing, in your head…”

“It’s called a horn.”

“I know what it’s called. Excuse me if I’m addled. Nobody else has an organ like that. You forced my mind out before I finished.”

Rarity found that she was regaining some of her ability to move. “I can’t believe you did that to me.”

“The killing or the sex? Because from the look of it, you were into it.”

“I was. It was good. Not as good as Garrus, of course- -”

Falare raised a finger. “Don’t you dare. I will come over there and do you again. As soon as I re-learn how to walk.”

“Oh please,” said Rarity. “You’re a hypocrite. What, Garrus isn’t allowed to ride the pony but you are? Either way, it makes me feel…dirty.”

“You misunderstand. I’m not trying to win his affection. I was…oh gods, I was trying to establish dominance. I don’t…” She groaned. “It sounds so stupid now. Saying it out loud. It’s just…every time I thought about you, my vision would just go purple- -I wanted you dead.” She leaned back. “But he’s not property. He…I…I was just angry he chose you.”

“Well, to be honest, he took some convincing.”

Falare sat up. “Seriously?”

Rarity nodded. “I may…have blackmailed him. Just a little bit. But please! I’m well regarded as best pony! Who would not want to lie with me?”

“You are very beautiful,” said Falare. “I wasn’t forcing myself to do that with you. I actually do think you are a sexy, sexy pony. I guess Garrus saw the same thing…but still. You’re a horse!”

“And you’re blue. I don’t know what difference it makes. Especially considering you were just intimate with this ‘horse’ too.”

“I know…” Falare trailed off. “I’m sorry,” she said at last. She tried to stand, but fell back down. By this time, Rarity was able to at least partially get to her feet. Having four of them made that easier. “I’m going to give my resignation in the morning. Then I’ll go back to the monastery…”

“Don’t bother,” said Rarity. “I’m willing to overlook this. These things happen.”

Falare’s eyes widened. “On what sane world do things like THIS happen?”

“Oh, darling, you’ve clearly never been a diplomat in Equestria.” Rarity crossed the room and extended a hoof to Falare. “I should be apologizing to you, as well. Granted, you crossed a line by a great deal by trying to murder me. But I…well…it’s just awkward.”

Falare looked at Rarity’s extended hoof. “You’re not afraid of me?”

“Afraid? Terrified. But you’re not a bad person. Neither am I, I don’t think. We just made mistakes. And we certainly had fun, up until the part where you tried to kill me. I really think we could be friends.”

“You do?”

Rarity nodded. “Of course, dearie. Why don’t we just try to take this from the beginning?”

Falare looked up at the pony standing over her, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Then she took Rarity’s hoof.