If she thought resting would better her mood when she awoke she was sorely mistaken. All the nasty things she had been thinking about herself over the last year had risen to the surface and wedged deeply into her mind. What she saw in the fog wasn’t anything new to her. She had always feared that she had crossed the line to many times, had been greedy, manipulative, and self-centered. But she had always justified it with a list of maxims she had made as a little filly. How she thought a true lady should behave.

But it pained her to see what she had become in the eyes of others. And it broke her heart to know that she could have been better but had chosen not too. It was this line of thinking that ate at her mind as she sat in contemplation going over what had just happened too her. The experience had been all too real, and while she had no physical injuries the psychological ones had cut deep.

No! I won’t be that mare anymore. I will do better and make it up to my friends. I had wronged many ponies but I have a chance to make things right, and that’s just what I’ll do.

As she walked through to the next room, she following what she thought were faded images of her friends she ran to catch up to them. Only for the room to shift to once again take the image of the Boutique. As she looked around she saw a disturbing image splayed across the couch in a provocative manner.

“Hello Rarity, long time no see.” Her dark counterpart said with a silken purr.

“Who are you, and what manner of torment are you going to impose upon me? Haven’t I suffered enough? Leave me at once so I can see my friends!” She demanded, opening the door with her magic and pointing with her foreleg. “Well what are you waiting for leave me!?”

“That would be quite hard Rarity, you see I am you and you are me. It’s not that easy to separate us. Why would you want to do such a thing anyways darling? After all who knows you and sympathizes with you better than I?”

“What ever do you mean?” Rarity asked looking apprehensively.

“Well I don’t think you’re greedy nor do I think your a whorse. You are a lady jealousy breeds contempt my dear. So why don’t you close the doors and listen for a while.”

Closing the doors and eager that somepony was assuaging her sense of guilt she sat in front of her, “So what is it you wanted to talk about. And how can you be me if I’m me? Not that I’m complaining, after that dreadful place I could use a pick me up if you will.”

“I’m what lesser beings would call your darker half. I’m all the repressed emotions, thoughts, and deeds you burry deep in the back of your brain. But I’m not dark at all, I’m simply here to let you enjoy life. To enjoy the simple pleasures without all those masks you wear for others.”

“Well I would call that bad. After all I repress things for a reason.”

Her darker form glared at her with malicious intent for a second before smiling grimly, “Ah! If that were so than you wouldn’t feel so bad about yourself now would you? So out of control? So powerless? Tell me that you don’t enjoy wrapping others around your hooves and making them dance to your whim.”

“I’m not that mare anymore. I promised I’d change.”

“But why? Ponies only care about your beauty. If it wasn’t for your marely wiles no one would give you a second look. It’s only through avarice, machinations, and your wit that you get anywhere in the world. That’s what you’ve been doing for all your life.”

“If being beautiful means that I die hated and alone than I don’t care about it anymore.”

Her dark side crept up to her and glared, “You are only deluding yourself. Admit it, you get a thrill from how mares and stallions fall over you. Yet you still are discreet enough to be seen as a lady, as a cultured mare.”

“Yes it was exciting, and I did enjoy the lifestyle of a cultured socialite. But I was blinded to what I was doing to others. But I can’t see what I’m doing here with you. After all you’re just a reminder of what I don’t want to be.” As Rarity said this her dark side smacked her in the face.

“You think you are a changed mare just because of some revelations, as for what you are doing here. You are being shown the true you. This,” her voice dripping with disdain as she pointed at her dark body. “Is what you are on the inside. A promiscuous, greedy, whorse. The quicker you accept that the better your life will be. After all out of all your friends you are the one who embraces your inner darkness the most.”

I do don’t I. I never really knew something like this was inside me, but it makes sense. She’s not really assuaging my ego as much as showing me exactly how far I’ve fallen. I want to change, but I don’t want to be this mare anymore. But I can see why she’d hit me. After all it’s hard to deny oneself. What do I do?

“Listen I can get that you are a part of me, but we can change. I can change. After all what is wealth and beauty if there is no one to appreciate it? Yes I’m ‘liked’ but I’m not loved.”

“We are loved though, they love our body, our grace, our passion. Even if it’s for a night.”

“But look at what our friends thought of us? Our sister? We are pushing the only meaningful relationships that we ever had for petty nothingness. We are meant for so much more. Don’t you see that?”

“So after embracing me for so long you are going to turn around and deny me?”

“No, but we need to change. I accept that you are a part of me. I just ... I just feel that it’s time we tried a new approach. I don’t want my life to mean nothing.” She said as her coat dulled further as it hit her what she was doing to not only her friends but those around her. “We need to be better than we were. But we need to do it together don’t we?”

Her dark side looked like it was contemplating what it wanted to do. And a lady always takes advantage of an opportunity. She knew where it was coming from, what this side of her was afraid of. Most of all she was insightful enough to know how to fix the problem. “Listen darling I’m not going to leave you. Nor will I simply pretend like most others that you don’t exist. But we must work together to better ourselves if we don’t want to be all alone when we loose our physical beauty.”

Her dark side looked upon her and smiled. “That’s all I ever wanted you to say. I don’t want to be alone, you are going to grow into a better mare than you were. Just don’t ignore who you are to change yourself.” With that she faded and Rarity was back in the room she had earlier wandered into.

Well that was enlightening, but it was also eye opening. If I am to change I must make an effort, and I must apologize to those I’ve wronged over the years. My I’m going to be one busy mare but it’ll be worth it.