CHAPTER SIX: The Mare and Her Reflection

Few things on this earth are more dangerous than a woman scorn. And with her hooficure scuffed, her best friends kidnapped, and her tail chopped off, Rarity was the epitome of such unbridled fury.

Discord snickered as he watched the raging unicorn stomp through the carnival. Even in a sour mood, there was no denying Rarity's beauty. She shone like a diamond, even in her darkest of hours...and if he was lucky, she still had a weakness for them. "Reckless creatures always want another find. Stealing features, each a diamond to be mined. There are facets at stake and crooks in our neck. They're like moths to the flame..."

With a few waves of his hands, a tent began to erect itself in Rarity's path, and a very special showpony slipped inside to meet her. "Get ready and set, now tarry no longer. Let's burn one another, we're one and we're twain!"

Now let's play a game...

Rarity, unlike the smiling showponies that bounced to and fro around her, was in no mood for games. Already, her mind was buzzing with how much work was to be done when they got home - she'd have to schedule a hooficure at the spa, design a slew of new dresses to wear until her tail grew back, not to mention take a nice, long bath to get the smell and dirt of circus life out of her fur. Ugh! If only there was some kind of warning that life as one of the elements of harmony would take such a toll on her.

The carnival wasn't helping quell her temper. Every row of tents looked the same, and every single tent was badly-sewn with the most obnoxious, abhorring colors. All she needed was a sign, something that would tell her where to go.

She did get her signs, but for some reason, they all led straight to the arcade tent. Even when she went out of her way to ignore the signs and go the other way, they all pointed her back to the same location.

Finally, she gave up and followed their lead. An arcade meant a gamespony, right? Even if it was one of Pinkie Pie's "new friends", anypony would be better than nopony.

The arcade tent blended in, just as all the others did. Its only defining feature was a sign on the outside denoting it as such, with drippy paint lines and flickering lights with all the wires exposed. (Really, showponies from Ponyville to Canterlot, and not one of them knew how to properly decorate?) Flipping her mane in an attempt to look decent, Rarity brushed off her hooves and stepped inside.

The tent held all of the classic carnival games: ring toss, ping-pong cups, milk cans, all sorts of stands filled with cheap sideshow entertainment and even cheaper prizes. Rows of stuffed animals hung from the rafters, most of them falling apart at the seams and reeking of dust and mold. The entire tent was dark and uncomfortable, and Rarity nearly turned tail and left on the spot...

...Were it not for the giant diamond under a spotlight at the back of the arcade.

Suddenly forgetting all of her previous complaints, Rarity rushed up to take a closer look at the magnificent piece. It was easily bigger than she was, catching the spotlight and sending beautiful sparkles across the desolate arcade. A particularly-pleasing pattern sat on the makeshift ceiling - it almost perfectly mimicked the trio of diamonds on her flank.

Something about the diamond felt eerily familiar, but before she could think about it for long, the sounds of hoofsteps approached her. "Well! Hello, hello, hello, my beautiful stranger!" the gamespony welcomed. She kept her face hidden under a heavy cloak, so all Rarity could see were her newly-polished hooves and silvery fur.

"Oh, hello," Rarity jumped, trying to stay cordial. She struggled to keep her eyes off of the diamond for long, though. "So sorry to intrude, I-I was just...admiring this beautiful diamond you have here."

"That's what they all say, darling," the gamespony smirked. "Oh, how familiar the danger as the prize slips into the shadows."

"O-Oh, no, I'm not interested in playing any games," Rarity argued. "I-I'm actually lost, and I'm looking for some people, and...a-and that can't be a real diamond, can it? I mean, really." Once again, she tried to tear her eyes away. "It looks fake from here."

"Celebrities always do," the gamespony chuckled. "As do we in the shadows. I can assure you, miss, that diamond is as real as I am." As she walked by it, the gem's light spilled over her, shining a trio of diamonds across her flank. "Certain I can't interest you in a game?"

"...What kind of game?"

"High stakes, three shakes, no breaks; triple the wager," the gamespony instructed. She led her to the nearest booth, where a faded target was painted on the back wall. As you could expect from a carnival game, the sections were hardly fair. The green "try again" section took up half of the board, while the "big prize" dot was smaller than a parasprite.

A spark of pale blue light came from the gamespony's horn, and three darts dug themselves into the front of the booth. "Three clicks in the chamber, three chances to claim her."

Rarity looked back and forth between the busted darts and the distant board. "...And if I miss?"

"By the book, the hook, and the rook," the gamespony replied. "The shadow takes all, my pet."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Of course. What kind of sucker do you take me for? I know these kinds of games are rigged."

She tried to step away, but couldn't pull herself from the glimmering lights of the diamond. Every time she looked up at it, her mind went blank. She couldn't tell where she was or why she was there; all she knew is that she wanted that diamond.

"Cunning creatures slither front and slither back," the gamespony taunted, pacing around the booth, nudging Rarity back towards the game as she passed by. "Double dealers double-up for the attack. I could say that I'm hurt, but it wouldn't be true. The knife in my back just reminds me of you."

Rarity gave a yelp as the gamespony's magic grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her into place. "So step up and play if you're not scared to bleed!" she cackled. "Come on, my beautiful stranger - swallow your pride for your greed!"

"ALRIGHT!" Rarity finally snapped. "Fine, I'll play! Just one throw, just to prove to you how ridiculous this is."

Picking up the first dart with her own light blue magic, Rarity took aim and fired. Amazingly, the dart came within centimeters of the prize dot. "Maybe the game's not as rigged as you thought, hmm?"

Suddenly invigorated, Rarity took another shot. Just like the first, her dart barely grazed the tiny target she needed to hit. She was fully expecting for the darts not to stick, or for them to fly crooked and be difficult to aim. Instead, the game played true, bringing her so close to the diamond she could taste it.

Three darts became six, those six became nine and twelve, and those twelve became numbers she entirely lost track of. A circle of puncture holes filled the board right around the elusive prize dot. It had seemed so simple the first few tries, but no matter what she did, the darts refused to hit their target.

The gamespony seemed to be in good spirits, sneaking in a chuckle every time Rarity missed a shot and had to demand three more darts. "Don't worry, lovely, you're right on top of it," she assured. "A few more shots and-"

"Oh, enough!" In a sudden burst of frustration and rage, Rarity prematurely fired her next dart. Instead of aiming for the board, it skewed entirely and dug itself into the gamespony's throat. Rarity stumbled and stammered as her victim dropped to the ground, choking and gasping for air. When she finally got control of her legs, the white unicorn knelt down and tried using a broken piece of the tent to compress the wound. "Oh, my goodness! I didn't- I can't believe- oh, my, are you alright?"

Strangely, she seemed just fine. The gamespony laughed as she finally pulled down her hood. "Of course I'm just fine."

She finally revealed herself to be a dusty gray unicorn, with a dull violet mane with every once-meticulous curl skewed left and right from exhaustion. Her dark eyes had a discordant glint to them, matched only by the sick smirk on her face. "I'm only a reflection, after all."

And she became just that: a reflection in a mirror, giving Rarity the chance to see her disheveled self as the rusty dart in her throat slowly spilled the last of her life in the dirt.

And so, did our pony kill for a bite of those shiny red pennies?

Well, she leapt and she barked at the mare in the water,

But her pennies just dropped down, down

And after them she shot, down, down,

Down into the waters below...