Chapter 5

     Fluttershy sat about two feet away from Rarity on the train to London.

Rarity flipped through a fashion magazine, while Fluttershy stared awkwardly at the floor.

Rarity looked up at Fluttershy.

     "If I had known how terribly the Tiara's were treating you, I would've come and gotten you years earlier," Rarity said.

Fluttershy smiled. The kindness this stranger was showing was unheard of in the Tiara household.

The train pulled to a stop.

"Come on Darling," Rarity said, standing up. "This is our stop."

The two got off the train and walked down the street.

     Fluttershy read through the letter.

"It says I need a cauldron, a talent, and a pet if I desire. Can we find all these in London?"

     Rarity smiled. "If you know where to go."

She lead Fluttershy to an old dusty inn called "The Leaky Cauldron".

"This is such a dreadful place," Rarity whispered to Fluttershy as they walked through the door. "Let's try and get in and out as quickly as we can."

     Fluttershy and Rarity walked past guests huddled around grimy wooden tables. At the back was a door with a green exit sign on it.

     Suddenly, a mare holding a tray of hay fries bumped into Fluttershy. She dropped the fries all over the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Fluttershy said.

"Don't be," the mare said, "It was my fault."

"We don't have time for this, Rarity said in a sing song voice.

The mare looked at Fluttershy, then to her flank.

She gasped.

     "Bless my soul," she said, "It's Fluttershy!"

The whole inn went silent.

Rarity facehooved. 

    "Welcome back Miss Fluttershy," an old stallion said, shaking Fluttershy's hoof.

Everypony crowded around her. 

"That's quite enough," Rarity said. Her horn glowed and she picked Fluttershy up with her magic.

"We simply must be going!" Rarity said. "Goodbye everypony!"

She pulled Fluttershy towards the exit door then let go of her. They both walked outside.

     Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "Why did everypony know me in there?" Fluttershy asked.

"Because you're famous!"

"Famous? But why?"

Rarity sighed. "I'll tell you later. We have more important things to do now!"

      Fluttershy looked around. The door had lead to an even smaller room barely big enough to fit Rarity and Fluttershy. 

Rarity pulled out her umbrella and began tapping the bricks on the wall. She tapped nine different bricks, then put her umbrella away.

     The wall began to shift. Each brick was being pushed off to the side. Soon, it formed an archway. Beyond the arch was a bustling cobblestone street. 

     "This is Diagon Alley!" Rarity announced.

Fluttershy gazed at the candy stores with wide eyes. She had only ever been allowed black licorice at home. Diamond Tiara took all the other sweets for herself. Fluttershy marveled at the clothing store windows. All her clothes were hand me downs from Diamond Tiara with wing holes cut with scissors. The pet store was the most interesting place to Fluttershy though. Unlike the zoo, the animals in the store front window looked happy and well nourished. Fluttershy wished she could afford to buy a pet.

     Fluttershy then realized that not only did she lack the money to buy a pet, she lacked the money to buy anything.

"Oh, Rarity?" She asked. "How am I supposed to pay for the supplies? Are we putting it on the Tiara's credit card?"

Rarity laughed.

"Of course not. We're going to Dragon Bank! There's no safer place! Except maybe Hogwarts."

     Rarity lead Fluttershy through the crowded streets towards a large white building with round columns supporting it.

Inside were rows of large desks with small reptilian creatures behind them. Fluttershy realized at once that Dragon Bank wasn't just a random name. The workers were literally dragons. They were smaller, and much younger then their soaring fire breathing counterparts, but they were dragons none the less. Their scales varied in color from red to purple to green to blue. Rarity lead Fluttershy to the furthest dragon in the large colosseum-like room.

"Ahem," Rarity coughed to get the dragon's attention.

"Yes," said the electric blue creature with shifty red eyes. 

"Miss Flutterhy would like to make a withdrawal."

"I see," he said, leaning over to stare down at Fluttershy. "And does Miss Fluttershy have her key?"

Rarity pulled a small gold key out of her purse and handed it to the dragon.

    "Oh, and also," Rarity said, leaning in so nopony else would hear. "Celestia wants me to get you-know-what, from vault you-know-which."

     Even the calm blue dragon looked a bit shaken.

"V-very well," he said.

     They were lead down a series of dark tunnels by a particularly short red dragon. Vaults with large round steel doors and numbers painted on them lined each side of the cavern hallway.

"Vault 626!" The red dragon said. He took the key Rarity had given him and slid it into the lock.

    The vault door sprung open, allowing Flutterhy to walk inside. The room wasn't much bigger than Fluttershy's old closet, but what was inside made Fluttershy gasp. In the center were thousands of gold coins.

"You didn't think your mum and dad would leave you with nothing, did you?" Rarity said.

Rarity helped Fluttershy scoop about twenty of the coins into a small burlap sack. 

     "That should last you the whole year," Rarity said.

The dragon then lead them to a barren wall.

"Vault 713!" The dragon announced.

     He slid his claw along the slick cavern wall, and the wall began to morph into a door. Soon, Fluttershy was staring into a dark room with a small package in the center. Rarity picked it up with her teeth and dropped it into her purse.

"You best not tell anypony at school about this," Rarity said. "Now, let's go find your talent!"

     Fluttershy wondered what kind of shop sold talents. 

Rarity lead her out of the bank and to a dark corner of Diagon Alley. The shop windows were lined with cobwebs, and the door looked as though it hadn't been opened in twenty years.

     "This is Granny Smith's," Rarity said, pointing at the shop with her hoof. "I'll let you go in alone. I have some business to take care of."

     Fluttershy gulped and walked towards the old shop.