The Unicorn

“I’m so sorry... I’m so, so sorry,” Rarity cried.

“It’s okay, I’m okay with it. It’ll be fun, right?” Illustrious smiled weakly. She looked so unsure, but so bright. Her eyes were honest, like she really was okay with it.

Rarity couldn’t believe her ears. “How can you okay with it?! No, it’s not fun! It’s wrong! After what I put you through, you should hate me!”

“I don’t want to hate anypony,” she replied quietly. “It’s been a lonely millenium... I’m just happy I have somepony to hang out with. Even if it means—this...”

---

“No, no, something large!” the rock princess directed.

Rarity popped out from her closet, displaying a slightly larger hand mirror with a shrug. To her, a mirror could mean one of a dozen different objects, the rock needed to be more specific than ‘a mirror’.

“No, no. Think something you could walk through.”

“Oh, you mean like a full vanity? Well, why didn’t you say so?” Rarity said, tossing the mirror back into the dark depths of what could only be a fashionista’s closet.

“Yes, that’s the term, vanity! You have an exceptionally expansive vocabulary.”

Rarity beamed from the complement.

“Thank you darling, but flattery is the unexamined approach to constructing relationships,” she said with a smirk. “Perchance since death threats and sickness have worked so well thus far, we should constrict ourselves to those. Also, sarcasm, vile, unrelenting sarcasm.”

She picked the rock up and made her way to her showroom.

“Uhh... if you insist,” Illustrious started. She cleared her throat. “Ahem, the unicorn that holds me is the most beautiful, most stunning, most perfect creature and it will pain so very much to have have her gutted and quartered.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Elementary. You speak with the eloquence I spoke with when I was an adolescent. Also, so violent.” The sudden suggestion of violence made her weary. “Were you raised by rabble? Have you no subtlety?”

Rarity trotted down her stairs and flipped the lights. Before her, the famous Carousel Boutique Showroom lit up section by section. Glossy, alabaster floors paved their way. Light rained down from a series of complex railings sitting invisible against a black ceiling. Cool, contemporary jazz began playing through the room. The gleam of the floors held a bright radiance to them, but never was the point where glare shone in one’s eye.

To the left of the entrance, light fell down on a half-dozen closed, red curtains, spaced evenly down the curved wall. Behind each one sat Rarity’s finer designs. Just opposite of that, was the main stage. It was a simple, but elegant, half circle of hard-crafted, clear plastic. Beneath the stage, lights backlit it, eliminating any shadows cast across it.. It held a slight, modern-looking sheen.

“Wow, this is nice!” Illustrious said giddily. “How successful did you say you were again?”

“Who me? Oh, not very much at all.” Rarity buffed her hoof on her chest and examined it. “I mean there was this one time I was commissioned to dress a royal wedding” She tapped her chin. “And I do suppose there was this other time where I was tasked with creating the wardrobe for a world famous pop star. And they did both make me their personal fashion design—”

The rock squealed. “Rarity—Just—You have no idea how impossibly perfect you are for this.”

“Am I? I am disinclined to believe you as your statement lacked the requisite amount of death threats, and I have yet to sense any sarcasm.”

Illustrious was still lost in her own excitement. “Throw me at the wall. I need to make sure this isn’t a dream!”

“That’s more like it.”

“No, seriously, throw me at a wall.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I said, toss me lightly at a firm establishment,” she iterated. “Preferably at a velocity that would awake a pony should they be unconscious.”

“You—You want me to throw you at my nice, expertly constructed walls? What if I make a crack in one?” she pouted.

“Sweetie Belle will die if you don’t throw me at the wall.”

She frowned at the rock. That was taking it a bit too far. Her sister was not to be trivialized. “For some reason I don’t believe that! Also, it is ill-mannered to use a pony as leverage! My sister is not a bargaining chip for destruction of property!”

“Stop being so stubborn and throw me at the freaking wall!” Illustrious said not getting it.

“Stubborn?!” Rarity stamped. “I am a lady, and ladies do not throw rocks. Tis brutish and unbecoming. I apologize, but I will perform no such task.” Rarity stuck her nose up away from the princess.

“Fine, whatever. If I wake up from this I will probably cry.”

“Well, I never! There is rude, and then there is childish,” she scolded.

“Or maybe I’ll cry if I don’t wake up from this. You know, you remind me of my mother, so proper it hurts.”

She ignored her. “If you don’t mind me asking, what makes me so perfect for this task? Wouldn’t a pony whose talent is magic be better suited at freeing you from your prison? Is it not a magical task?”

“Find a mirror and I’ll show you. And no, magicians are uhh—‘icky’, for a lack of better terminology, and not what I need. I need an artist.”

“Alright then...”

Rarity climbed a few short steps onto her stage. As she trotted behind the curtains, the Illustrious noticed that the lights didn’t cast a single shadow. Every light had near perfect balance with the others. It was an odd effect for the real world.

The unicorn opened a hidden control panel behind stage left and pressed a few buttons. On the other side of the curtain a veil of mirrors dropped down from the shadowy ceiling, surrounding the stage. Seven in all, Rarity passed back through the curtains and came to lay eyes on a legion of reflections, each one darker than the last. She posed dramatically like she always did when they came down.

“You know, one mirror would have been sufficient,” the rock chided.

“Obviously you’ve never done anything commercial before. One of anything is never enough.”

“Point taken.” Illustrious noticed Rarity’s collected demeanour. “So, what’s up with you? You seem pretty normal for having just lost your sister.”

Rarity maintained her pose, looking up and down her sleek form in the mirror. “The shock has passed. Next I must do the work that is necessary and during my downtime I will grieve.”

She looked straight into her own eyes as she ended that statement.

“How practical. Honestly, I never took you as somepony so stoic, you came off more as a—”

“A drama queen?” Rarity interrupted.

“Well, I was going to say something nicer, but that’s an accurate description, among primadonna and—”

“Yes— Well, I certainly have my moments, but nopony is perfect. I think it a necessary outlet for a romantic artist’s soul.” She gently transitioned to another pose, bouncing her mane up into place. “You know, for a princess, I expected a more graceful experience. The phrase ‘throw me at a wall’ doesn’t exactly ring my ear as regal. ”

Illustrious was silent.

“I’m—I’m working on it, kay?” she said quietly.

“Very well, enough chit chat though, I’m ready to get started.”

“Ok, great, now take the stone in your hoof and push it against the mirror. Make sure not to let go.”

Rarity dropped the rock into her hoof as instructed and pressed it against the glass. Immediately, it started sinking in. From the point of where it touched, a wave of colour washed through the smooth surface like somepony spilt a drink over and over again. They were images from her mind, visualized. The daily things that passed through her mind’s eye.

All the emotions she felt constantly, the ones she felt only once in a lifetime, they all spilled onto the mirror. She saw the daydream of her first crush and heard the silly song she wrote about him. There was her first design and the little dance she did when that business pony bought it. That book idea she had months ago that she blabbed to Twilight for hours about. All of it played it in brilliant, vibrant clarity, better than she remembered it.

As she pushed further, fire and ice ran through veins, electrifying her. The sudden intensity stuck her rigid frame. She struggled to push as her mind opened up to a slowly building, rainbow chaos. The mirror seared her senses from her.

“You’re almost there! Just get the rock through the mirror and I’ll pull you through!” a distant voice said.

It felt like her skull was being burned away as her mind exploded with colour and memory. It was a complete blur of one set of colours after another. By the time she pushed the rock through, her very soul reflected in the mirror. She didn’t expect it to be so bright or so beautiful.

The rock now completely through, part of her hoof had gotten caught in the mirror. She could push farther, but was afraid to, unable to handle the intensity of the passage. Every inch further she pressed, it seared her skin and mind white hot. Describing it as ‘uncomfortable’ would have been an understatement to say the least. She wanted out.

“I don’t know if I can do it!” she panted heavily.

“Brace yourself!” the voice called.

Rarity would never forget the sensation of being yanked through the mirror in less than a second. It had taken at least a minute to push the rock through and at that rate, she could barely withstand it. Every fiber of her body burned like the sun and then somepony had grabbed her by the hoof and tore her through the threshold. It was like being skinned alive in the icy waters of the frozen north as it spiked to a boil and then froze to the negatives, over and over again.

It exhilarated her to the point of transcendence if such a thing were possible. She laid on the other side of it, back flat to the ground. She was still panting when the blinding light subsided in her vision and the white ringing in her ears died down. Her heart pounded in her throat, but she took comfort in that. At least she was alive.

She looked up and saw the smiling face of whom she assumed was Princess Illustrious. She was a pearly, opalescent white with a starry, baby blue mane. Her bangs were cut jagged and her eyes held the perfect visage of the amethyst. She was young for a princess, barely taller than Rarity. Her expression was youthful and bubbly.

The only thing missing about her look were the standard royal adornments of royalty. Rarity had never seen an alicorn without them. This particular one was bare and unclothed, even her crown was missing. It was odd, but somehow fitting to the smiling princess in front of her..

“Ohmigosh ohmigosh! It worked! My calculations were correct! Hi! How are you?! You’re a very pretty unicorn!” she clapped her hooves excitedly.

She poked the unicorn in the stomach a few times and felt that back of her hoof against Rarity’s forehead.

Rarity barely moved. Any motion she did make could have been accurately described as ‘twitching with direction’.

“How come you’re not moving? Oh wait, you’re probably still in shock, aren’t you? Severely dazed, can barely move your everything?”

There was no measurable reaction from the unicorn.

“I should have suspected as much,” she said, scratching her chin. “You’re probably very confused aren’t you? Confusion follows from a lack a lack of knowledge, so you need information to relax. Since I don’t know what you want to know, you have to tell me what you want to know!”

Rarity looked from side to side. The princess continued to rant.

“But in order to converse quickly, we should devise a system to communicate since it’s the case that you can speak nor gesture.”

Illustrious bit her lips, looking up and down the form of the paralyzed pony. Rarity blinked, and inspiration hit the princess.

“Oh, wait I know! One blink for ‘yes’, two blinks for ‘no’, got it?”

Rarity blinked once.

“Great, the system works! So, do you anticipate having full control of your body soon? Or at least some control? Wait no, better question, is your motory functionality returning in a positive trend over time?”

Rarity looked upwards as if thinking before blinking once.

“I thought so, well I’m just going to leave you here for just a moment and go fix us some tea! I love tea because of the caffeine content and it’s very calming.”

She got up, giggling happily, and skipped across, what only just occurred to Rarity was a bedroom floor. She looked around saw the standard fare for an adolescent mare oddly enough. Posters of various artists, a corkboard filled with pictures, a desk with a vanity mirror, and a bed with girly pink sheets and covers. Cheap carpeting covered the floor and it smelled sorely of even cheaper body spray.

It was basically her room seven years ago, if not a little cleaner.

“Oh, would you like some scones?” Illustrious called before leaving through the door.

Rarity blinked once.

She left, ranting to herself about something.

---

By the time she returned, the numbness had subsided slightly and Rarity was able to sit up and speak. She ran her hoof over the tingling needles under her coat, trying to get feeling back faster.

Illustrious walked back in, a smile slapped across her face, and set down a surprisingly complete tea tray followed by a plate of scones. They comfortably sat on the floor.

“Look who’s feeling better. You are! Your recovery rate was exceptional! I thought you’d have to blink at me for, like, hours,” the princess giggled, pouring her a cup of hot drink.

“Yes... Thank you,” Rarity muttered taking exactly two sugars and one creamer and stirred them in her drink. “Pardon my manners, but just to make sure I’m not mistaken, you are Princess Illustrious, the mare from the soul gem, are you not?”

She giggled. “Lily is fine, but yes! Hello! I’m Princess Illustrious, Crown Monarch of Asaralubat!” Her tone was goofy, almost childish. Bubbly couldn’t even begin to describe the amount of energy in this princess.

“I’m sorry, what is it that you reign over again? Asa...?” Rarity stirred her tea a bit slower.

“A-sa-ra-LU-bat!” she replied slowly. “It’s where we are right now, well actually we’re technically in my bedroom, but my bedroom is inside Asaralubat, so yes. I reign over it, kind of.”

“Indeed... It’d be safe to say we’re not in Equestria anymore, correct?”

“You are correct! Most observational.”

“Charmed, I know you already know my name, but to be proper; I am Lady Rarity and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

They both saw Rarity thirstily eye her cup and Illustrious nodded her on. The unicorn closed her eyes and took deep breath of the minty aroma of the tea. She sipped her tea. The hot liquid brought waves of feeling washing back over Rarity. She could have sworn the drink was magic at the rate it melted the numbness from her.

“My, my... This is excellent tea, princess,” Rarity commented politely before taking another sip, this one bordering on the greedy side.

Illustrious blushed. “Thank you, you’re really nice. Did I mention you’re pretty? Wait, yes I did, once actually, twice if you count the previous statement’s implications.”

Illustrious wore a huge, toothy grin. It was sort of endearing.

“Here, have a scone, they’re apple. I love apple scones. It’s the apple part that I like, but the scone form is a close second. Really, scones are an ingenious packaging system...”

Rarity waved them away. “Heh, no thank you.”

“You wouldn’t like a scone? I could find you a bagel if you wish, or perhaps some corn. Maybe you’re a carnivore. You’re not a carnivore are you? I’ve never been friends with one of those before. Would you like some meat?”

“Oh, no, darling.” Rarity waved her away. “It’s merely a poor coincidence. My friend Applejack owns an apple farm, so you can imagine how often I’m treated to the humble fruit.” She took a sip of tea and sighed in comfort. “Such repetition wears thin on a mare. Nothing to eat though, I’ve decided my stomach isn’t quite ready yet.”

“Ok, no problem! More for me I suppose.” She nibbled off a corner of one gingerly. “So, I bet you’re ponderin’ in your noggin how we’re going to save Sweetie Belle.”

“Only since the second I realized she was missing.”

“Right—Well, it’s going to have something to do with going back through that mirror.” Illustrious pointed to the mirror just behind Rarity, the same one she came through. Her tone never broke from its unwavering, happy-go-luckiness. “Unfortunately, we don’t have enough colour for both of us to get through it, but I have a solution. Actually, I have about six, but I figured out that this one is the best one to acquire colour!”

“Colour? How do you mean that?”

“Inspiration, the driving force behind the creation of art, colour,” she explained. “I’m one hundred percent certain that if you can create a truly outstanding work of art and push it through the mirror, it’ll deliver you to the other side. Sort of like what you did a few minutes ago, except backwards.”

“Oh, is that all we need to do?” Rarity said almost flagrantly. “You need a skilled fashionista to design you a divine dress so you may leave this wretched gem? After which you’ll bring Sweetie Belle back?”

She nodded excitedly.

“I can see why you were so excited to have me. Have no fear, princess, I will not let you down!” Rarity declared.

She squealed. “You have no idea how long I’ve been trying to design something good enough to get through! If you’d like an idea of how long, it’s been approximately seven-hundred years, but that’s besides the point. With you it shouldn’t be longer than a few hours!”

“Now, now, you mustn’t rush perfection,” she said confidently. “Perchance you could show me some of your sketches so I can see what sort of standard to start from?”

---

To say the least, they were good.

To do them justice, any one of these designs would have started an entire movement in the fashion industry of Equestria.

As Rarity flipped through Illustrious’ portfolio, her heart sank little by little. She ran through them quickly, casually even, but her proud facade belied a growing issue. They were too good and she couldn’t compete with such inspired designs.

In her growing nervousness, Rarity downed scone after scone. Apple products had a way of reminding her of home.

“These are absolutely stellar...” the unicorn mumbled. “Peerless, really.”

Illustrious was lying on her bed, hooves behind her head staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Do you think stallions notice me?”

Their words flew by each other.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to top some of these...” Rarity scratched her chin. “Maybe if I take elements from one and apply them to the other...”

“I mean, I’m not that pretty, but I think I’m nice enough,” she pouted. “It’s so hard to observe because if you watch them to see if they watch you, it’s considered weird and obsessive. I’m not obsessive, just curious! Maybe it’s weird, but everypony is a little weird.”

“The extensive use of accessories is refreshing to say the least. Usually it just ends up being gaudy, but here she makes it work... Maybe...” Rarity scribbled across her canvas.

“I really hope I’m not creepy... Hey, Rarity, how do I get a stallion to notice me?”

“What now?” Rarity replied, breaking her fashion focus.

“Oh, sorry— You’re busy aren’t you? Sorry—I’ll go back to talking to myself.”

Rarity turned to the next page, saw the brilliance beaming off the page and quickly flipped it back. “No, it’s fine. I’m fairly certain that I know what I’m dealing with... What is it, darling?”

“Oh, I was just exploring the notion of how one gets a stallion to notice them. I’ve yet to reach a conclusion.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, that’s easy. You go and strike up a conversation with him.”

“It’s not that easy though! There are at least five-hundred ways to open a conversation. That’s is a massive understatement too, but it illustrates my point well. What am I supposed to say to him?”

“Princess Illustrious, do I need to remind you that you are of royal title? You are tasked with handling foreign dignitaries and running a nation. Shouldn’t you be more composed than a babbling school filly?” Rarity said somewhat annoyed.

“I dunno... maybe... possibly... theoretically...” she said quietly.

“That should be a resounding, confident ‘yes’! Have you no pride in your title?”

“Well, I— I...” She started crying spontaneously, whining and howling loudly. “I don’t even know what to do anymore! Everypony hates me and I’m not even pretty and—and...!” She buried her head in her hooves. “I don’t have any friends!!! I’m so ugly!!! Everypony probably thinks I’m creepy!”

Rarity pulled her ears against her temples, trying to dampen the shrieking. It was turning out to be a long day: her sister had disappeared, she had throw up four times, she had entered another realm, she found out that a hormonal, teenage filly wants her to design pure divinity. She was coming to regret something, but now that she thought about it, her list of potential mistakes was growing too long to discern what that something was.

“Princess!”

She gave no response besides endless crying. Rarity tried again.

“Princess! You’re very pretty and nopony hates you!”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better! I know that because that’s what ponies do! It’s considered polite and socially acceptable!” she wailed.

Rarity facehoofed. She was starting to think that maybe she should have just taken her chances with the forest. There were certainly worse things than a forest, filled to capacity of dangerous animals armed to the teeth, and she was experiencing it, prepubescent mares.

A knock sounded at the door.

“Go away! I hate doors! I’m gonna go freeze to death!” Illustrious whined.

Deep, creaking moans were heard. Illustrious’ ears perked and she stopped crying.

“Wait, wait, no! Just give me a moment, I’m getting dressed!” Illustrious replied, panic suddenly apparent in her tone. She sniffled and wiped her eyes quickly.

She dived off her bed and tore her closet open, levitating out her royal regalia.

“Rarity, can you do me a huge favour and stare at the red triangle on my door?” she whispered as she adjusted her crown and neck piece. “And don’t look away, got it? When I open the door, do not look away.”

Flustered by her complete change of character, Rarity followed her orders. She looked for the triangle but didn’t see it. However, a sticky, red liquid slowly oozed through the door in the rough shape she was looking for. She glued her eyes to it.

Rarity saw out of the corner of her eye, a powerful, regal character approach the door instead of the silly, immature princess from before. With her crown and gilded shoes Illustrious looked completely different. She glowed a baby blue and her eyes pierced the world like a super-hot purple flame. With a simple flash of her horn, colour washed away from the room. Rarity felt a tiny little prick of pain in her gut. It was like a single cell of her body had been frozen solid.

Air pressure in the room skyrocketed. Her ears popped. All at once, the door was ripped from its hinges in the as the pressure exploded. It was sent spiraling into a dark void, soon lost in the blackness. The drawings, clothing, bed, everything was torn from the space as though sucked through the door by a vacuum.

Illustrious stood their stoically as the matter passed through her like a ghost. All that was left were the two ponies and the mirror. Even the roof was had been ripped off.

Long, spindly legs tapped against the space around her. Rarity couldn’t seem them, but those kinds of black legs only belonged to one kind of nightmare. As much as she wanted to confirm her suspicion she held her eyes on the space diligently. Rarity heard Illustrious’ voice.

The princess stood up to the creature, wings flared and chin held high. “Are you sated yet? I am bare and naked now,” she said powerfully.

Again, the peculiar, deep creaking of heavy hooves against wooden floors was heard.

“I hide nothing. You see what I am. I am no witch.”

A black mass with a hundred glowing, red eyes descended on Rarity from the darkness. Their light painted the black and whiteness of the room crimson. Like a black light, it revealed stains and splatters of a bloody massacre.

She trembled in fear. Whimpers were starting to peep through, but she grit her teeth and pursed her lips hard to silence them.

Rarity flashed a panicked glance up at the spider to see that, above the eyes, stood a towering mound of colour. On its back were paintings, sculptures, and dresses. Countless works of art piled higher than she could see. They were fused to it, held firmly in place as if melted into one giant mass. They radiated and glowed in the visage of a dream’s rainbow, starkly contrasted to the red, black and grey of the room far below.

As soon as she looked up, the spider backed up, fearfully stepping out of the small room. Rarity reflexively went back to the spot she had been instructed to stare at, but it was too late.

The creaking turned to the sound of splintering wood. It was either panicked or furious, Rarity couldn’t tell which.

“No!” Illustrious screamed. “I am not a witch! I know my place!”

The spider hurried off into the darkness with a speed that belied its size. Illustrious dropped her regal stance.

“Rarity, we need to go!”

The unicorn rested her eyes and looked up to the princess.

“Go where?! I’m not sure if you were here for the last five minutes, but a gigantic spider just ripped your room apart! The only exit leads to nowhere!” she exclaimed flailing her hooves.

Beyond the room was an endless fog of swirling black smoke.

“Dear Rarity.” she tapped her hoof impatiently, staring directly at the unicorn. “There are more than one of those spiders, or more accurately described, Colour Eaters, as you’re about to find out. And I’d really, really rather not be here when they get back,” she said making dramatic, mocking gestures. “Now, come and shatter this mirror!” She stamped.

Rarity was about to start arguing when, in the distance, a forest of colourful mountains grew like a fire hazily in the smoke. It wasn’t more than a few seconds after that when the entire horizon burst into a rainbow flame. The unicorn jumped to her hooves and immediately began bucking the mirror without question. It was deceptively hard and each kick seemed to expand the frozen spot in her innards more and more.

“You have better have a explanation for all of this!” Rarity shouted. “What happens when this breaks?!”

“Just do it!”

A few kicks later the mirror shattered, revealing a doorway to a familiar scene, her showroom stage. Before Rarity had too much time to take it in, Illustrious shoved her through.

On the other side, the princess slit her chest with the sharpened edge of her gilded horseshoe, drawing blood. She drew it out in a line and made a few quick motions in the air, casting some sort of spell Rarity had never seen. The rift sealed thereafter.

As the blood spilled out, some of the princess’s colour drained from her, greying her slightly. With a quick spell, she sealed it up. After is was over and the magic left her, she collapsed to the ground, panting.

“Princess... Wh-what was that? Where are we?”

“Those were Colour Eaters and this is Asaralubat, the World of Reflections,” she said, wincing in pain.

It began to rain, lightly at first before escalating into a full downpour. Rarity didn’t even notice her perfect mane get completely ruined.

“I know that!” she spat. “But what does that mean?! I’m not an expert on all things magical so you might need to be plain with me! Especially when my life is in jeopardy!”

“It’s—it’s too abstract to describe! Put simply, all things reflected come here! There are countless mysteries in Asaralubat and if I had all of them solved, I wouldn’t be here!”

“Wonderful!” Rarity tossed her hooves up, shouting to the black stormy abyss above. “The sovereign of this realm doesn’t even know what she’s doing! I’m guessing I’m also stuck here now?!”

“You weren’t supposed to be! That mirror held your colour and it was enough colour to get at least one of us back through! You could’ve left anytime you wanted!”

“Well, I don’t foresee that happening anytime soon, now that it’s both broken and off somewhere in this forsaken nightmare! You have trapped me in your morbid little world!”

Both of them stood off against the other in the rain, glaring, panting in frustration. They stood inside the showroom of Carousel Boutique, but Rarity knew it was an illusion. Every mirror had been shattered completely. Dirt and rust covered the wall and only two lights worked, leaving them in mostly darkness. Holes from erosion and decay tarnished the once pristine gallery. Additionally, the rain flooded the room.

“Look,” Illustrious said calm, but firmly. “I’m sorry. I really am. I will explain everything I know once we’re somewhere dry, but can we agree to work together? I can’t do any of this alone.”

Rarity saw no other option.

“Fine, where is dry? I’m a bit lost right now.”

“That...” She stood up. “Is a good question...”

In a shard of one of the broken mirrors, Illustrious caught glimpse of an unsettling sight. A reflection of Rarity crying. Illustrious beckoned the unicorn over.

“Look, it’s you...” she said.

Rarity swallowed hard. Illustrious was right. Her mane might have been a mess, but it was indisputably herself, bawling her her eyes. She had been told this was a world of reflections and seeing this made her believe it. The distance from home grew that much greater.

“She—I’m grieving for Sweetie Belle...” Rarity choked. “I sometimes come to this stage when I’m upset.”

The reflected Rarity soon became still, her sobbing coming to an end. She had cried herself to sleep.

The rain subsided quickly and a few of the mirrors fixed themselves, flying back into place before their very eyes. The flood water fell back to the ceiling and disappeared. Rarity looked from the mirrors, ceiling and clear floor. She stood there astounded.

Her voice was a soft whisper. “I knew that was going to happen...”

Illustrious ringed her mane out and shook her head. “You did?” she said surprised and excited.

“Yes, I didn’t know precisely what was going to happen, but I felt it.”

“This is excellent news, let me think for a second.” Illustrious paced back and forth, muttering to herself. “So, I think I know where we are.”

“Do you?”

“Yes, I’m about ninety-nine percent sure we’re in your reflection.”

“I beg your pardon?” Rarity said, not surprised, but genuinely interested in the statement.

“We were just in my reflection with the colour eaters. Now, we’re in yours.”

“How do you know that?”

“You were crying, so it rained. A simple exchange really. However that was just a reflected feeling...” Illustrious was silent, her face calculating and solemn. She cradled her chin in her hoof and inhaled deeply. She looked up into a corner for no real purpose. “Rarity, this may seem like an odd question, but what do you think about on a daily basis?”

“What do I think about?”

“Yes, I need to know how worried we should be about your reflected thoughts. Most of your thoughts are pleasant and tame I’m hoping. Nothing gruesome or maniacal?”

“Well, of course not! I am no brute or barbarian! I think about fashion, my friends and family...”

Rarity’s voice trailed off on that word.

“Sweetie Belle...”

Illustrious saw the unicorn’s eyes quiver.

“After Sweetie Belle went missing, and before you met me, what did you reflect on? What are you going to reflect on now that she’s gone?”

Rarity was silent, her lip trembling. There was a tiny pain in her stomach. It felt like the coldest ice has been lodged straight in her gut. It went away quickly after.

The princess spoke seriously. “Rarity, your reflections, whatever they are, are very real now. If we’re about to get mauled by a pack of dragons you need to tell me.”

The mirrors around them lifted back into the ceiling and they came face to face with an angry mob, rioting on the floor. They threw rotten fruit, booing and hissing at the two mares onstage. They carried torches and pitchforks, but curiously didn’t brandish them, instead holding them at their sides.

Produce rained down on the two like a never-ending wave. The princess tried to shield herself from the rancid onslaught, instinctively backing up towards the curtain. Rarity stood there, taking it. It hit her in the face and stained her coat. The smell churned her stomach, the taste seeped into their mouths, and stung in her eyes.

“Rarity! We need to go before this gets out of hand!”

“Why?! I deserve this! I’m a rotten sister!” she cried. A rather large, exceptionally rancid tomato hit her square on the cheek. A thin swarm of flies descended upon her.

“For the love of—” Illustrious grabbed the unicorn.

“Hey!”

She yanked her behind the curtains and together they ran down a fire exit. The mob reacted quickly, chasing after them. Rarity nearly slipped on a carrot as she ran, but balanced herself. They burst into the sunny scape of Ponyville.

“Unhoof me thi—!” Rarity tried to tear away from the princess.

“No! Listen to me!”

“Unhoof me or I shall scream and—

Illustrious slapped the unicorn. Rarity turned back from the force of the blow, gently rubbing her cheek. Her eyes became misty.

“You—you hit me...” she said, her voice cracking.

“Yes, I did. I’ll do it again if you don’t focus and listen to me. ”

Rarity pursed her lips into a pout, her eyes growing huge and hurt. She continued to rub her cheek, whimpering.

“Thank you. So, it seems your reflection has quite an imagination.”

“Y-you hit me...”

“I don’t like having produce hurled at me so it would be fair to warn me if you sense a reflection coming on. Now, we need to get home sometime soon. That can be accomplished by finding colour and pushing back through the mirror.”

Rarity’s face scrunched up in tears. “W-why did you hit me...?”

Only then did Illustrious notice the unicorn’s duress.

“Is something the matter? Why are you crying?”

“Y-y-you hit me! Why would you hit me!? Do you hate me?!” she whined.

“What? No, you were getting hysterical, so I slapped you. Ponies do that to other ponies who are acting crazy,” she explained stoically.

“Nopony has ever hit me before like that...”

That wasn’t true. Rarity had received firm punishment as a filly from her father when she was growing up. A backhoof across the cheek had been her regular threat, and only rarely did he do it, but when he did, it hurt.

She didn’t resent him for it, and actually considered it fundamental to her present day character, but she didn’t approve of it. That disapproval had actually led her to lie on behalf of her sister many times, instead opting to take the punishment for herself. She didn’t think it was right to hit a foal anymore.

Yet, when Illustrious hit her, it brought back a flood of emotions for her sister, of her small sacrifices for her sister she made on a daily basis.

“Okay, I’m sorry. That was wrong of me. Will you forgive me if I promise to never do that again?” Illustrious said half-heartedly.

“It’s fine.” Rarity wiped her eyes and sniffled. “So, what do we have to do now?”

Relieved, Illustrious went on. “We need to make art, to make colour, and push through the mirror.

“How are we going to do that? There is no mirror...”

“That mirror wasn’t that special actually. We should be able to make another one, but colour is needed for that. A lot of it.”

“So... You still want me to design something? What about you? What will you do for our situation?”

“I’ll protect you as well as I can and make as much colour as I can, but the weight of the burden falls to you.”

“Splendid... Where do we begin?”

“First, we should probably go somewhere safe and start drawing up some sketches. Anywhere, where the real you won’t be spending a lot of time. She’ll just cause us trouble,” Illustrious explained. “Then we’ll find our fabrics and tools and start sewing. Do you have a friend we can stay with?”

Next Chapter: The Unicorn Estimated time remaining: 18 Minutes